Guests, Pros, and Panelists
MisCon 37
- Cheeky Geeky Vaudeville
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A collaboration of talent and performance including dancers, vocalists, actors and performance artists all paying homage to their favorite films, television shows, video games, comic books, Manga and Japanese Animation.
Creative Directors - Jessa Hinther & Erika Noble
Media Director - Lily Oliver
Tech Director - Alex Saint - Dark Moon Fusion
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Dark Moon Fusion is a local Missoula Bellydance troupe.
- Dystopia Rising
- Eekie and Snow Cosplay
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Montana natives Eekie and Snow are ready to help you create and conquer the costumes of your imagination. Eekie has been an active performer for 6 years and a costumer for 10 years: crying and sewing her way through many an event and creation. She specializes in cosplay that can be worn for performance purposes whether it be for dance, music, or LARP as well as thermoplastics and EVA foam armor. Snow has been an active costumer and prop builder for 4 years. She specializes in working with thermoplastics, craft/EVA foam, and electronics to bring an otherworldly flair to the design. They have been a team for the past 6 years and look forward to sharing their passion with you.
- House Dragon
- Jones Family Magic
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Delight, danger, mystery and intrigue, with a laugh here and there! Jones Family Magic explores the depths of the magical performance arts with a dash of sideshow and a flavoring of pure mystic mayhem. Sir James the Magnificent, Madame Azira, Lord Alden Blackhand and the Jones Family magic team offer traditional sleight of hand and illusion, mysterious mentalism and risky feats of danger, all within a format suited for kids and adults alike.
- Kid's Activities Staff
- Kyle Group
- MisCon Electronic Gaming
- Valhalla's Workbench
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As an artisan and small business owner, teaching and learning is hisprimary focus. He has taught blacksmithing and other artisanal crafts for several years and graduated with honors in psychology program.
- Valhalla's Workbench
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We are a conglomeration of artists that work together to improve ourselves, our skills, and each other in the same. We are an odd family of different sorts that have learned that working together is better than trying to go it alone. We search all over to find other artists and artisans to promote and also for products that our customers would love to have.
We travel to several events to sell our wares and our crafts. There have been some bumps over the years and we have lost and gained several workmen. As the work flows as does life.
- BJ Allen-Prudden
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BJ is a Montana cosplayer and long-time MisCon supporter. She's also involved with Ookisoracon in Helena, MT.
- Jeff Arends
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Jeff teaches math, IT, and cybersecurity at the Missoula College. He does enjoy some gaming, but can't seem to find time for it any more.
- Kimberly Arends
- John Barba
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John Barba is a local Missoula artist and cosplayer who got into MisCon and fandom at MisCon 27 because his kid runs MisCon and he couldn't escape it any longer.
In both his art and his cosplay, he works mostly with sheet metal, leather, fiberglass, and paint. Most of his artwork is the old art of chasing and repousse.
He has created a number of memorable costumes, including Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Magneto, a Cylon, Stan Lee, and the Rocketeer. In creating these costumes, he uses a variety of things, including pepakura, 3D printing, metalworking, leatherworking, building small electronics for light and sound, etc.
- Justin Barba
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Justin Barba came to his first MisCon as a freshman in high school in 1991 (it was MisCon 6!). It was held at what is now the Wren Missoula, just a block from the Holiday Inn. Little did he know that years later he would end up agreeing to help work the hospitality room for MisCon 21. Then he took on managing the writer's workshop, then MisCon Operations, Vice Chair, then Chair. Now he spends all his time planning MisCon, trying to be a good person/husband/father.
- Mary Beth Barba
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Mary Beth is a member of Dark Moon Fusion, a local Missoula Bellydance Troupe. She used to work in MisCon's Art Show, and for the past few MisCons has been helping out at the Info Desk in the Atrium.
- Jason Benner
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General Manager of "Muse Comics and Games." I GM several game demos and manage our store's table in the merch room.
- Jason Benner
- Carol Berg
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Former software engineer Carol Berg (aka Cate Glass) never expected to become an award-winning author. But her seventeen epic fantasy novels have won national and international awards, including multiple Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. She’s taught writing in the US and Canada and received reader mail from the slopes of Denali and beneath the Mediterranean. All amazing for one who majored in math and computer science to avoid writing papers. Her newest novels are Cate Glass’s fantasy adventure Chimera novels from Tor Books, most recently A Conjuring of Assassins. Carol/Cate lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, and on the internet at www.carolberg.com.
- Pete Berg
- Andrea BoguschPerkins
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Andrea runs the MisCon Art Show.
- Jared Brannum
- Jessica Brannum
- Jean Carlos
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I am the wife of Rob Carlos and minion for Rob Carlos Fantasy Art LLC. I have been running the business side of Rob's company for about 20 years.. I am also a published author of short vignettes for the Elfin Publishing's table-top role-playing game, Undiscovered. There I created the high priests and priestess NPCs for their world and wrote short backstories for some of them. Lastly, I own my own company, Other Worlds Travel LLC. I specialize in geek travel - ask about some of what a few of us did at Dublin's WorldCon!
- Rob Carlos
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Rob Carlos started his art career working as a digital graphic designer for a printing company in Florida, illustrating the D&D games he ran with friends and drawing and painting whenever possible. When that company folded, he started selling prints on his website (the worldwide web was a brand new thing at that point) and was asked to do some paintings for the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time TCG, starting his official professional work as a fantasy artist.
- Brenda Carre
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Brenda’s Carre writes both long and short fiction. Her work can be found in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fiction River Anthologies, Pulp Literature Magazine and in a variety of collaborative works. Brenda challenges herself to write in many genres but with a harkening to native mythologies and the ‘supernatural’ Pacific Northwest where she lives. Find her at www.brendacarre.com
- Becky Cass
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Becky is MisCon's Vice Chair (and has been for years). You'll probably see her running around the convention putting out fires.
- Sarah Clemens
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Sarah’s early love of science fiction and fantasy art came even before she could read,
from looking at the covers of science fiction magazines. She has been attending
science fiction conventions since the late seventies. The artwork she most enjoys
creating are those connected with the fantastic and she is gratified at the response of
con-goers to her award-winning paintings of Magnus & Loki, the cat and dragon
companions, which have been the most fun of all her fantastic creations.
After a twenty year career as a medical illustrator, she feels herself truly lucky to be able to be a full time fantasy artist. - Clay Cooper
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An Army brat, Clay Cooper earned his Eagle Scout at 16 and graduated high school in Frankfurt, Germany.
He did a 4 year stint in the US Air Force as a mechanic on F-117 Stealth Bombers, then joined the US Army. He retired as an Infantry Platoon Sergeant First Class. He served on various combat deployments and peacekeeping missions on 4 continents.
He studied energy technology at the University of Montana. His interests include urban gardening, re-purposing things, and firearms. He gives panels at conventions as a modern armed combat advisor, specializing in helping writers and GMs make their stories more realistic.
- Katie Cross
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Katie Cross grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance.
Her mission is connect women with their best selves, to seek the divine in each one of us, and to prove that we can love ourselves—and accomplish all—despite opposition.
If she's not writing, you can find her traveling, adventuring with her kiddos, trail running with her husband and vizla dogs, or curled up with a good book and a cup of chai.
- Dragon Dronet
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Dragon Dronet is a weapon specialist, armorer, actor, prop master, and Sith Lord who has worked in Hollywood for decades. He appears as Darth Malgus from the video game Star Wars the Old Republic.
Dragon has build props for tv shows and movies such as Spiderman No Way Home, Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heroes, Lost, True Blood, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Total Recall, RoboCop 2, Batman Returns, Eraser, Alien: Resurrection, MacGyver, Alien Nation, Space Rangers, The X-Files, Babylon 5, and Earth 2, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: First Contact, (among many others).
- Nicole Edington
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Nicole is MisCon's Pro/Panelist Liaison, works on the schedule, and manages our Green Room.
- Bozeman Paranormal Elies Adams
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I am a paranormal investigator that has investigated about 10 years now. I’m also a cosplayer and run various other groups.
- Kyle Elliott
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Kyle Elliott, a Seattle native, has been building gaming communities for the last decade online as well as off. His latest accolades include Volunteer of the Year for Paizo Publishing, and the first Campaign Service Coin Award. Professionally he has worked in the gaming industry as both an in house QA tester for AAA video game titles, and as a marketing and Kickstarter guide for the tabletop gaming industry. Chances are, you have pledged to at least one of the Kickstarters he has worked for.
Kyle served in Israel as a combat medic and designs, operates, imports, and wholesales fireworks from China, which has allowed him the chance to travel extensively throughout Asia.
- Stewart Fleming
- Deby Fredericks
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Deby Fredericks has been a writer all her life, but considered it just a fun hobby until the late 1990s. Her first sale, a children's poem, was in 2000. Fredericks has six fantasy novels in print through two small presses. The latest is the Grimhold Wolf, from Sky Warrior Books. Her web site is www.debyfredericks.com, and her blog is wyrmflight.wordpress.com.
- Manny Frishberg
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Manny Frishberg has been making up stories since he first stared out a window. He spent the first half of his life learning how to write them and the second half learning what to write about, He is now spending the third half of his life making up stories, just like when he was eight years old.
- David Gerrold
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David Gerrold is the author of over 50 books, hundreds of articles and columns, and over a dozen television episodes. He is a classic sci-fi writer that will go down in history as having created some of the most popular and redefining scripts, books, and short stories in the genre.
TV credits include episodes from Star Trek ("The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Cloud Minders"), Star Trek Animated ("More Tribbles, More Troubles" and "Bem"), Babylon 5, Twilight Zone, Land Of The Lost, and Logan's Run.
He has won both Hugo and Nebula awards for his fiction.
- Gail Glass
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Gail is a retired recreational therapist who has done con costuming for 20 years as well as workshops on healing dance.
- James Glass
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Jim won the Golden pen award of wotf in 1991, has published ten novels and over sixty stories in magazines and anthologies. He is a retired physics professor and dean. His most recent novel, SYNTHS, came out in November of 2018.
- James Hayes
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My name is James Hayes I have participated in many types of "Conventions" for many years. I am very diverse and have many interests. Growing up I heard the saying "Time is Money" and I had way more time than money so I taught myself to do many things. Here's a small list; Juggling, Drumming, Cosplay, Sausage making, Brewing, Riddles, Poetry, Filking, Jewelry making and the list goes on and on. (if you want to know ask , I'll bore you for hours)I am a Master Brewer and have moderated panels on Brewing Cosplay, and Riddles as well as Drumming and Juggling for about ten years now. Before that I was in the S.C.A. for twenty years and before that the I.J.A. ( International Juggling
- Randy Henderson
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Randy Henderson is the author of the darkly humorous urban fantasy series that includes Finn Fancy Necromancy, Bigfootloose & Finn Fancy Free, and Smells Like Finn Spirit, published by Tor (US) and Titan (UK). He is the Golden Pen Grand Prize winner of Writers of the Future for 2014, and his short stories (in the genres of fantasy and social science fiction) have appeared in numerous professional publications. Randy graduated from the Clarion West residential writing workshop in 2009.
- Esther Jones
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Esther has always loved creating fantasies, but only began writing with Frog after winning a short story contest in 2011. She is the owner and president of Impulsive Walrus Books, and the author of many short stories and novels. By day, Esther is a legal assistant editing others' work, but by night she's an author that has also ghost-written for blogs, movie reviews, and many other sites. She loves cooking good food, Asian pop-culture, and puttering around killing plants in her garden, if she's not already too busy killing her characters.
In order to prove to herself that she could still write a short story, she set - Frog Jones
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Frog Jones is the acquisitions editor of Impulsive Walrus books and the co-author of the Gift of Grace series, recently a featured project on the front page of Kickstarter. He has appeared in several anthologies and edited two, both published by Impulsive Walrus Books. He and his wife have been named a "Hidden Gem" by fantasybookreview.uk, and they're looking to become a little less hidden.
- James Jones
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Head of a magical family, Lord Alden Blackhand is a performing magician, historian and master machinist. When not on stage or performing mystifying close-up magic, Alden is busy manufacturing and designing mechanical wonders. Metalworking, blacksmithing, gunsmithing and inventors’ prototyping are his fields of specialization, from hand-cut gears to unique structures of precision detailed steel. Decades of experience ranging from massive machines to delicate silversmithing allow Alden to design and build tools, weapons and costume accessories that make metal dreams become real. (Check out his clockwork wings!)
- MaryAlice Jones
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Magician, writer, costumer and general herder of cats, kids and mystic beings, Madame Azira brings a perspective born from years of experience in many fields.
Performing with Jones Family Magic, Azira explores the eerie and mysterious with a magical and sometimes dangerous flair. - Sir. James Jones
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Jones family and Timeless Magic co, provides magic shows, side-shows, and variety style entertainment to all of Montana and the surrounding area.
Together with our sister company, Sound Geeks DJ and Sound, Jones family magic and timeless magic team is dedicated to providing top quality shows and jaw dropping feats! We perform at private parties, corporate events, fundraisers, and just about anywhere our talents are appreciated.
www.facebook.com/SoundGeeksdj
Www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604144553057203&tsid=0.9939258735022249&source=result - Dean Keith
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Dean started gaming with friends as a teenager. Within a couple months of his first game he was running his own games and was hooked. 30 years later he joined Black Shield Productions and the rest is history.
Dean likes doing light-hearted, fun games giving players a chance to stretch their imaginations. Occasionally he will do a more serious game to test out new concepts. He prefers rules light systems but enjoys trying out new systems of all types.
Regardless of the type of game or system used, if the players are having fun, he is having fun. - Cheyenna Krone
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Cheyenna Krone is a student in engineering and fine arts. For her, conventions have been a relief from academia and a huge creative influence.
- Tess Langston
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Tess Langston is the creator and owner of ShadowCast Studio where she self publishes her online graphic novels, creates graphic designs, traditional and digital art. She graduated from the University of Montana with a B.F.A in Media Arts Animation and was awarded the Outstanding Senior Award in her field. Since 2012 she has been publishing her work professionally including a short comic for Apostrophe magazine, 'Anime Asylum' on some-stories.com,'Coffee Ghost' shorts, and is currently working on her newest work 'Legend Catcher' at legendcatcher.com. On stage she has been known to do standup comedy for Cheeky Geeky Vaudeville and short skits with fellow performers.
- Todd Lockwood
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Todd Lockwood is an illustrator and author, whose work has appeared on NY Times best-selling novels, magazines, video games, collectible card games, and fantasy role-playing games. It has been honored with multiple appearances in Spectrum and the Communication Arts Illustration Annual, and with numerous industry awards. Always known for the narrative power of his paintings, Todd's debut novel, "The Summer Dragon" was released by DAW Books to rave reviews, named by B&N and Amazon both on their shortlist of "Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels of the Year." View his art at http://www.toddlockwood.com or get chummy at https://www.facebook.com/artoftoddlockwood
- John Logan
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John Logan has an unabashed zeal for all things comic book. He has been an avid reader, collector, and scholar of the graphical narrative for the last 20 years. This has earned him a spot as a Miscon Panelist/Moderator a number of times. He is currently writing his first novel which is a sci/fi noir murder mystery. His other passions include the education of teenage children and the local history of his hometown, and current residence, Salmon, ID.
- Phil Mascia
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- Tod McCoy
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Tod McCoy is a Seattle-based writer whose work has appeared in Asimov’s, Starward Tales II, The People’s Apocalypse, and Bronies: For the Love of Ponies. A Clarion West graduate and current board member, he’s the publisher behind Hydra House Books, which publishes Pacific Northwest fantasy and science fiction.
- Tobias McCurry
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Tobias McCurry is the founder of Spring Heeled Studios, a Seattle-based company specializing in prop making, entertainment, and event production. With a background in a range of genres, including Steampunk and Post-Apocalyptic, Tobias is known for his attention to detail and immersive approach to storytelling. He gained fame through his appearance on the TV show Steampunk'd, and continues to create memorable experiences for fans of all things geek.
- Byron McKoy
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Byron runs MisCon's Film Festival.
- Danith McPherson
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Danith McPherson is often distracted from her writing by snowshoeing, kayaking, and star gazing. In keeping with her Scottish heritage, she is a kilt maker, and proudly wears McPherson tartan, especially at science fiction and fantasy conventions.
Her novels include the YA fantasy Blade of Mad Vision, adult fantasy Monarch of Lightning, and mystery novel Averted Vision. Her stories have appeared in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Amazing Stories, Revolution SF, & other places. Some of them are collected in Roar at the Universe. A second book of short stories, Through the Wall, will be out soon.
She's a member of the Science Fiction Writers
- Theresa Miller
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Theresa Miller spent most of her childhood in an imaginary world full of magic, fairies, secret gardens and fantastical feasts. Now she plants her own gardens, cooks her own feasts, searches the mountains for signs of fairies and writes about magic. She has attended Miscon since 2011 and participated in the writers workshop for eight years. She won an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future contest with her short story “Westward to the Wastelands,” and a silver honorable mention with a story she co-wrote with Eric Stever, “The Norka.”
- Bridger Nichols
- Erika Noble
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Montana natives Eekie and Snow are ready to help you create and conquer the costumes of your imagination. Eekie has been an active performer for 10 years and a costumer for 15 years: crying and sewing her way through many an event and creation. She specializes in cosplay that can be worn for performance purposes whether it be for dance, music, or LARP. Snow has been an active costumer and prop builder for 12 years. She specializes in working with thermoplastics, craft/EVA foam, and electronics to bring an otherworldly flair to the design. They have been a team for the past 12 years and look forward to sharing their passion with you.
- Neil Norman
- Lily Oliver
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Montana natives Eekie and Snow are ready to help you create and conquer the costumes of your imagination. Eekie has been an active performer for 10 years and a costumer for 15 years: crying and sewing her way through many an event and creation. She specializes in cosplay that can be worn for performance purposes whether it be for dance, music, or LARP. Snow has been an active costumer and prop builder for 12 years. She specializes in working with thermoplastics, craft/EVA foam, and electronics to bring an otherworldly flair to the design. They have been a team for the past 12 years and look forward to sharing their passion with you.
- Richard Pirtle
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Just a nerd who loves reading, monopoly, turtles, and watching jeopardy.
- Abbigail Quinlan
- Katie Rhodes
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I am the owner of DigiKat Cosplay in Missoula MT. I have been cosplaying for over 20 years. I love all areas of cosplay spanning numerous fandoms, especially the underdogs.
- Jason Rocheleau
- Nikki Rossignol
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Nikki Rossignol is a mom, illustrator, art teacher, dancer, mythology buff, and poet from just outside of Missoula, Montana. She has illustrated a mythology-based brand for Down The Road Brewing Company in Boston, MA, worked as a court-room sketch artist for Dateline NBC, and as a concept artist for Peach Pit films. She has danced with Donlavey and Mimoda dance companies in Los Angeles, and for Chicago Opera works.
- Robert J. Sawyer
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Robert J. Sawyer has won the best-novel Hugo Award (for Hominids), the best-novel Nebula Award (for The Terminal Experiment), and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for Mindscan), as well as the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Hal Clement Award, the Skylark Award, and more Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”) than anyone else in history. Rob is a member of The Order of Canada, the highest honor bestowed by the Canadian government, and he will be an Author Guest of Honor at this year’s Worldcon in Chengdu. The ABC TV series FlashForward is based on his novel of the same; his latest novel is Oppenheimer Alternative. Website: https:sfwriter.com.
- Meagan Scruggs
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Hair and makeup artist: I can make you pretty or scary....or both!
- Keith Seyffarth
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An experienced gamer and GM, having run long-term campaigns in multiple systems, I've been role-playing since 1983, and running games since 1986. Of course, those first games were pretty off the wall and unstructured - so nothing's really changed.
- D.L Solum
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D.L. Solum is the author of the upcoming series: Persephone in Seattle.
I currently live in Seattle but will always be from Butte, Montana. A lifelong collector of odd friends and odder hobbies, including – armoured medieval combat, fishing, hunting and computer games.
I run the South Seattle Fiction Writers group and am intermediate-level competent with the Scrivener program.
This latest obsession with writing Epic-Urban Fantasy is made possible via the encouragement and tolerance of my life-partner, Kate.
- Lee Stahl
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As far as MisCon is concerned, Lee considers himself "Keith's shadow" since he helps in Operations throughout the convention. He also runs both the Scotch Tasting and the Mead Tasting.
- Jeff Sturgeon
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Jeff is a nationally knows award winning artist and creator. He has a 30 year career as a professional artist and was MisCon 30 Artist Guest of Honor.
- Peter Wacks
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Peter J Wacks has always been amazed and fascinated by both writing and the absurdity of the world in general. Peter writes a lot, and will continue to do so till the day he dies. Possibly beyond.
- Krista Wallace
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Krista is a writer, musician and actor. She writes novel length and short fiction, primarily in the fantasy genre, but some of work turns out to be science fiction, romance, or even crime. She writes in a closet in Port Coquitlam, BC. She has stories published in Pulp Literature magazine, electricspec.org, Heart's Kiss magazine, and the Aurora nominated anthology 49th Parallels.
- Dean Wells
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Dean Wells is author of the ongoing steampunk series "The Clockwork Millennials" published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. His other works of speculative fiction have appeared in Quantum Muse, 10Flash Quarterly, Ideomancer, and the anthologies Ceaseless Steam and The Best of BCS. He has written for the performing arts in various capacities, and teaches writing in Washington State. Dean is an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
- Jim Wright
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Jim Wright is a retired US Navy Chief Warrant Officer and freelance writer. He lives in Floridaa where he watches American politics in a perpetual state of amused disgust. He's been called the Tool of Satan, but he prefers the title: Satan's Designated Driver. He is the mind behind Stonekettle Station. You can follow him on Twitter @stonekettle, or you can join the boisterous bunch he hosts on Facebook at Facebook/Stonekettle. Remember to bring brownies and mind the white cat, he bites. Hard.