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Patricia Briggs Author Guest of Honor ...is well-known for the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. Patty writes traditional and urban fantasy, mostly novels. In her stories, there really ARE things that go bump in the night, magic is real, and sometimes the good guys actually win. Patty is a prevarication professional. She lies for a living, telling whoppers and fibs so outrageous that people pay her to fib some more. Her only concession to honesty is that she tells people she’s lying to them. And that is what separates a fiction author from a politician. |
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Kevin Siembieda Gaming Guest of Honor ...is an artist, writer, designer, and publisher of role-playing games, and the co-founder and president of Palladium Books. Some of the role-playing games that Siembieda has created include Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game (1983), Heroes Unlimited (1984), Robotech (1986), and Rifts (1990). Siembieda is also an artist, best known for occasionally illustrating Palladium Books' products. Prior to 1973, he started the now-defunct Megaton Publications in Detroit, Michigan with Alex Marciniszyn. Together they published a science fiction fanzine called Nightspawn in 1973 and a digest-style title called A+Plus Comics in 1977. Siembieda also contributed art and cartography to several early Judges Guild products for the Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller lines. |
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Barbara Blackburn Comic Guest of Honor ... is Co-Author of Kenzer & Company’s Sometimes They Come Back game supplement as well as Hackmaster Basic. Assistant Editor of the long running gaming comic strip Knights of the Dinner Table. |
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Ninjaink Artist Guest of Honor The illustrations of Timothy Lim and Team Ninjaink, have been published internationally in PSM, Dreamwave, and Image comics. He has been featured online at TeeFury, RIPT Apparel, Nowhere Bad, Fashionably Geek, Rampaged Reality, Topless Robot, World Famous Comics, and MTV’s Splash Blog. He was voted as Comics2Film’s 2005 Best Illustrator and in 2006 as Best Illustrator and Best Traditional Artist. In 2007, he was selected to do illustrations for the Transformers newsletter. He has won numerous online contests, including those sponsored by Super Punch and Ain’t It Cool News. His most recent publications were in the Street Fighter Tribute Art Book (ISBN1897376987) and with long-time Ninjaink writer Mark Pellegrini in the Mega Man Tribute Art Book (ISBN 978-1926778303). |
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Stephanie Young Anime Guest of Honor ... is thrilled to be working with Funimation and Okratron 5000 as a voice actress and singer with a niche voice for dominating females, witches, and queens. Her latest game projects include the lead female vocals in Ms. Splosion Man and Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smilely! Stephanie is the female vocalist in the “Brad” theme song, as well as the voice of the Viking hottie, “Nordya”. Her voice acting credits include the lead role in Claymore portraying “Clare”, “Olivier Armstrong” in Full Metal Alchemist, Brotherhood, “Nico Robin” in One Piece (new dub with Funimation), “Arachne” in Soul Eater, “Juiz” in Eden of the East, “Oise” in Oh! Edo Rocket, “Tamayo Kataokon” in Rideback, “Yoshikawa” in Bamboo Blade,“Junko” in Desert Punk, “Elfriede” in Moonphase, “Mana” in Negima, “Miranda Maverick” in Solty Rei, “Sophia” in Aquarion, “Kagero” in Basilisk, “Sasha Jobson” in Blassreiter, “Lecty Leque” in Heroic Age, “Flanca” in Gunslinger Girl, “Oruha” in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, “Nora” in Witchblade, “Echidna Parass” in Black Cat, “Nanako” in Crayon Shin-chan, “B.B.” in Glass Fleet, “Yuuri Kitajima” in Dragonaut, “Jane” in Grappler Baki Maximum Tournament, “Yahagi” in Mushi-shi, “Female Rogue” in Ragnarok, “Dr. Kozuki” in Rumbling Hearts, “Itoko Osakabe” in School Rumble, “Mireille” in Trinity Blood, “Aki Abe” in Hell Girl, “Reika Tachibana” in Balder Force Exe Resolution, “Xavier Tatum” in Shuffle, “Mrs. Tomita” in Kodocha, "Hanahana" in XXXholic, and “Shika” in Samurai 7. Her game credits include “Fiona” in Spike Out and “Selket” in Unreal Championship II, The Liandri Conflict. Stephanie can also be heard singing theme songs for Dragon Ball GT, Negima, and Tsubasa. With Illumitoon, Stephanie recorded “Paf Shining” in AM Drive and “Karen” in B’tx. As a singer/songwriter, Stephanie enjoys lending her signature, soulful vocals, along with her guitarist husband David, to the Dallas-based pop/jazz band, The Brehms. They recently released their self titled, debut album “The Brehms”, and their single, “Red Dress”, was a finalist in the USA International Songwriting Competition! With a dash of ultra lounge and surfer rock chic, this album rocks with retro flare! Stephanie is also a graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Theatre Performance. Her love of performing lead her to work extensively on the stage, as well as on both sides of the camera with the production house, Blue Logic, as well as HGTV. As an actress, Stephanie has appeared in numerous film, television, voice over, and national commercial/print projects. Stephanie is a two-time nominee for the Dallas Theatre League’s Leon Rabin Award for her work in the Dallas Theatre Community. Stephanie is represented by The Horne Agency. |
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Robert Leeshock ...is an actor with over twenty years experience in various venues from television and film to stand-up comedy characters and theater both in New York and Los Angeles. Soap operas, television dramas and independent films have comprised his repertoire as an actor, most notably the role of Liam Kincaid on Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict. He recently completed work on the indie film 3 Weeks to Daytona, opposite Rip Torn. He created the role of Buddy, a smooth race car driver with 'ice water in his veins'. Another current film project, Come As You Are has Robert playing a demonic high school football coach. He has also written a screenplay tilted Yo Yo Boy, a black comedy which he hopes to produce after finishing work as Executive Producer on Godmachine, which he co-wrote and also stars in. He has a rich history and fond regard for the sci-fi genre and he feels lucky to share the compelling philosophy of the Godmachine and honored to screen the short film. He hopes to create a grass roots following via the fund raising site for indie film www.kickstarter.com in order to more fully investigate the Godmachine universe. Along with fellow writer/director Richard Cranor, they are searching and mining ideas both artistically and financially to bring Godmachine to life in a feature format. It has already been an exciting ride. He hopes you are able to grab a ticket and get on board. But watch out... this machine may just change the way you think... or at least challenge the way you already do!! GODMACHINE is the story of John Lee (Robert Leeshock), a PTSD-ravaged war vet sent by the CEO of the Chinamerica Corp (Von Flores) to destroy the source of the Khodamaha, a computer virus capable of bringing free will and sentience to artificial life. But the virus has other plans for John, infecting him via his implanted technology and sending him on a journey to rescue Grace (Kiki Yeung), a female android capable of singing the frequency of the Big Bang and "rebooting" John's unconscious mind. After healing his damaged psyche, the two become the Adam and Eve of a new machine age, channeling the virus to heal man and machine alike and ending the Chinamerica corp's technological stranglehold over all life on earth. |
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John Hornor Jacobs Visioncon 2012 is honored to host writer John Honor Jacobs, whose outstanding debut horror/Southern gothic novel, Southern Gods, has won acclaim from around the nation. Jacobs' second novel, This Dark Earth, will publish in July 2012, and his young adult series, The Incarcerado Triogy is also on track to be published. This is an author who is going places; don't miss an opportunity to meet this rising star of the horror/fantasy/literary world. |
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Tom Seymour Greetings Fans and Friends, I have the greatest job in the world. I am a Special Effects Pyrotechnician. Yes, I get paid to blow things up. As a matter of fact, I get paid to do all the things I got yelled at for, as a kid. Born on Friday the 13th and raised in Alton, IL, I had such a happy childhood I've seen no reason to stop. Studied architecture in college, worked as a draftsman for 5 years, hated it, and was fortunate enough to get sucked into the film business in St. Louis in 1987. Once started down the Dark Path, it has forever dominated my destiny. In 1992 I decided to move to Los Angeles and see if I could play with the big boys. I started taking any and all jobs that came my way. I have worked as a production assistant (translation: lowest form of life on a movie set), carpenter, welder, set dresser, model builder, rigger, electrician and have been doing SPFX for the last 7 years. Worked my ass off, but had a blast the whole time. My work has literally taken me around the world, Hawaii, Monte Carlo, Paris, and China. I've done things and been places most people have not. I have been very fortunate, Hollywood is a tough town. I love my work and the movie industry in general, but it's not for everyone. I've worked on a wide range of projects, including: various commercials, Playboy videos, countless music-videos, Guyver I (Starring Mark Hamill & my good friend “Evil” Ted Smith) and Guyver II (which starred my friend Wyatt Weed), Stargate (the movie Starring Kurt Russell & James Spader), Dante's Peak (Starring Pierce Brosnan & Linda Hamilton) , Armageddon (Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, directed by Michael Bay), "From the Earth to the Moon" The HBO miniseries produced by Tom Hanks & Ron Howard, Home Improvement, Godzilla (Starring Jean Reno & Matthew Broderick), Titanic, Virus, the Chair, V.I.P., Wonderland (Starring Val Kilmer), Spartan (written and directed by David Mamet starring Val Kilmer), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Starring Robert Downey Jr & Val Kilmer), Alpha Dog (starring Justin Timberlake, Emilie Hirsh & Bruce Willis.) In 2003 I also had the privilege of helping my good friend Ted Smith, also from St. Louis, on his first film "Guardian of the Realm", it concerns modern day demon hunters. It has all the important elements, smokin' hot male and female leads, scantily-clad women, gratuitous violence, Hong Kong-style kung fu, monsters, etc, etc. Hopefully I'll have some "Guardian" goodies with me. I am and always will be a big Science-fiction geek. I'm very fortunate to have found a way to make my passion work for me. If you see me around this weekend, please stop, say “Hi” and ask questions. (I have a huge ego, and like nothing better than talking about me and my work.) Tom Seymour Post Script, in the last few years I've worked on television series such as Boston Legal (with James Spader & William Shatner), CANE (starring Jimmy Smits), Jericho, the fan favorite CBS series & Criminal Minds. |
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Shane Moore ...is one of the top writers in Dark Fantasy. In 2008 he retired a highly-decorated police detective to write full time based solely on the success of his Abyss Walker world. The Abyss Walker franchise has branched out into novels from other renowned writers, graphic novels, short stories, novellas, a cookbook, an iPad tower defense game, a role playing game for 2012, and a music soundtrack by Ari Lehman and much more to come. He has been featured in dozens of large newspaper articles, magazines, radio, TV, morning shows, and has been a celebrity guest at over two hundred science fiction fantasy conventions. Shane toured little in 2011, taking on fourteen contracts for projects, including his genre smashing end of days novel; “The Apocalypse of Enoch.” This block buster of a zombie thriller features a scripture-based apocalypse with in depth guidance from pastors, doctors, and a molecular biologist. With every character in the novel being a person in real life, Shane inserted his professional peers into this rapidly destructing zombie armageddon based in St. Louis, Missouri. Be sure to attend his panels to learn how he flipped the zombie genre on its head without re-inventing the monsters we loved and how he tossed in celebrities such as Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca in Star Wars), Pete Koch (Former NFLer Swede in Heart Break Ridge), fan favorite Matt Hill (Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shanghai Knights with Jackie Chan) and many, many more! A retired triple-A record holding, semi-pro football linebacker, Shane does not look like the stereotype you might assign a writer. However, if you speak with him at length, he will assure you he is a dork on the inside. With Visioncon hosting the launch of his newest fantasy hit “The Wererat's Tale-The Ring of Nonul," the exciting sequel to "The Wererat's Tale" this is one writer you can’t miss! |
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Jason Carter Perhaps best remembered for Marcus Cole in ‘Babylon 5’, Jason had roles in many different TV productions including ‘Viper’, "Beverly Hills 90210", ‘Roar’, ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’, ‘Charmed’, ‘Lois and Clarke’ and ‘Angel’ . In 1981, after a three-month tour of Holland and Belgium playing Romeo in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ he graduated The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Much British theater followed with seasons at Chichester and Southampton; plays at the Royal Court, Edinburgh, Richmond, Guilford, Bromley, Brighton, York, Bath, and many London fringe theaters. Long runs in the London West End: "The Sleeping prince" with Omar Sharrif; Simon Gray's "Melon" with Alan Bates and Simon Gray's "The Common Pursuit". At the Royal National Theatre and the London West End he played Naraboth in Steven Berkoff’s innovative production of Oscar Wilde’s "Salome". A regular in two British TV series Jason starred in a number of TV movies and a mini series. In independent films Jason collaborated with many film directors developing characters, evolving scenes and playing the camera. He worked closely with Jason Lehel whilst starring in ‘Boiling Point’, Gil Cates JR. on ‘The Mesmerist’, and with Nick Ward who directed Working Title’s ‘Dakota Road’ for which, at the Festival du Cinema Britannique de Dinard, Jason received a commendation for his performance as ‘Raif’ from chairman of the judges Ben Kingsley. Jason has acted in many independent films including Georgia with Jennifer Jason Lee and recently had the pleasure of working with Andrew Divoff, Tom Savini and director Edward Douglas (Midnight Syndicate) as they made 'The Dead Matter'. In a past life Jason was Ikan, a clumsy Mayan astronomer. On a weekend fishing trip his small craft overturned and the glyph layout plans for more than half the calendar were lost. He assumed one of his incarnations would find them by now but unfortunately they have not. Should the plans remain undiscovered, he sincerely apologizes for the end of time. |
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Cullen Bunn ... grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books;The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum. Recently The Sixth Gun was picked up by Syfy as a 6 episode mini-series and The Damned was picked up by Showtime as a new television series. All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler. And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World’s Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he’ll tell you all about it. |
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Jolly Blackburn Vice President of Kenzer & Company, founder of Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), game designer, magazine editor, and creator of long running gaming comic strip Knights of the Dinner Table. |
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Diana Botsford Author, screenwriter, producer/director - prior to joining Missouri State University, Botsford spent 12 years in Los Angeles in the television and film industry, followed by 5 years developing streaming media content and community-driven websites for Microsoft.
Her production credits include writing, producing, and directing for a wide variety of series and films. She's written for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Spiral Zone, and a variety of children’s series for CBS, NBC and independent networks. As a visual effects director, Botsford's fondest memories include having the opportunity to play techno junkie while telling people like George Clooney how to stand in front of a bluescreen. She also produced multiple series for television such as the CBS series Harts of the West and Nightgames.
Botsford served as a visual effects director and supervisor for a wide variety of films such as Nightmare of Elm Street VI, Tank Girl, From Dusk Til Dawn, Terminator 2 and many other independent films. Her animation work covers over 1,000 half-hours for television and film such as Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, M*A*S*K Force, Spiral Zone, and the Columbia /Tristar film Pound Puppies & the Legend of Big Paw. She has since executive produced several short films including the Missouri State University Electronic Arts SF short Apollo which was a recent selection at the Athens, Greece International Science Fiction Film Festival. She is currently serving as executive producer for the science fiction web series EPILOGUE which she co-created at Missouri State University.
As a writer, her primary writing focus is on science fiction for a variety of mediums including books, film, television, theatre, and comics. Botsford has written two Stargate: SG-1 novels: The Four Dragons and the soon-to-be released The Drift (Summer, 2012). She's recently completed work on the SF novel Critical Past and the comic book series The Fracture. An ardent believer in creative research, her travels have taking her far and wide, including a recent expedition to Antarctica . She's also a frequent commentator/contributor to the popular GATEWORLD podcast and as of 2012 will be taking over co-hosting duties. |
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Before Gerry was creator and lead artist on this year’s best selling graphic novel CODE WORD: GERONIMO. Gerry started out as a comic artist back in 1986, he stepped away briefly when he signed up to serve as a combat medic in the U.S. ARMY. Afterward, Gerry immediately painted two Star Trek limited edition art prints for FXM, Inc. He continued doing illustration work for magazines and publishers, but focused more on design and commercial art until 2008. Then, thanks to Tom Waltz, senior writer at IDW and close friend of Gerry's, he started doing small jobs for IDW, many uncredited. However, in early 2009 he showed just how serious he was about doing comic art, when he left doing design and commercial art, and started trying to do comic art. His first job was coloring The A-Team: War Stories . "He has a natural knack for comic art. He's the Al Williamson of our generation." says Tom Waltz. Ted Adams, CEO of IDW, calls Gerry a "beast", when it comes to drawing. Even IDW's Chris Ryall has referred to Gerry as the "consummate comic artist that they say doesn't exist anymore." Gerry's "dream team" at Hazmat has many projects lined up for the next year, including SLEEPERS: INCEPTION, a sci-fi military action graphic novel that will be ready for readers in early 2012, as well as another original called Detective Nobody. |
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David Faught Artist for Talon, Wireface, and Shadow Fox. Storyboard artists for several upcoming movies. Well know for drawing the ladies, worked with several professional models. Featured in Dead Timez Magazine and Muscle & Fitness: Hers. Originally from in Walnut Grove, MO. David now resides in Springfield, MO doing freelance art. |
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Ben Reeder
...is the author of "The Demons Apprentice", a dark YA paranormal novel. It's been described as "touching", "funny", but the phrase used most often to describe it seems to come back to "kick ass action." He is currently writing the second in the series, "Page of Swords", and hopes to have it done by March.
He built his own website from scratch: www.chancefortunato.com, has three cats who pester him when his writing takes him away from his duties serving them (the orange one, Musaba claims he wrote all the good parts of The Demon's Apprentice) and was once upon a time a Klingon though there are no pictures to prove this, only rumors and wild accusations.
Born in Hawai'i, his parents claim to have found him in a pineapple patch, but the earliest records of his existence show him graduating from a high school in Texas and joining the Air Force. A long time fan of Tolkien, Robert E. Howard and Isaac Asimov, he eventually worked his way up to Jim Butcher's works. Then one day, he sat down to write the story he always wanted to read....
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Tracy Palmer (1971-????) was born in Cherokee, IA. With parents that divorced when she was young, Tracy was raised in both Cedar Rapids, IA and Camdenton, MO. She served a brief stint in the US Army and then settled in southern Missouri. Tracy has worked in several professions (accounting, retail, call centers... all mostly IT related) and is now seeking a degree in Psychology with emphasis in Forensic Psychology. However, writing and music have always been her release and saving grace. Although trIIIbrid is her first printed novel, she has several fanfictions and short stories wandering about the planet via the internet and classrooms. |
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Robert & Margaret Carspecken Cartoonists/illustrators Robert and Margaret Carspecken, known collectively as R&M Creative Endeavors or "the OzFoxes", live in the Missouri Ozarks. Their art reflects their interests in animation, comics, and animals. Among their more popular works are the webcomic "Faux Pas", and the illustrated dessert cookbook "Sweet Treats." Other cartoon, fantasy, and wildlife work and merchandise can be found on their website at OzFoxes.com. When not creating art, Robert and Margaret stay occupied entertaining their three feline children. |
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Janice Tremeear ...has written four books for History Press, Missouri’s Haunted Route 66:Ghosts Along the Mother Road, Haunted Ozarks, Wicked St. Louis and Haunted Jefferson City:Ghosts of Missouri's State Capital. One of the original founders for the group Route 66 Paranormal Alliance and appeared at VisionCon 2011. Janice has since moved on to become the lead investigator of Pathseekers Paranormal Research Society-Southwest Division out of Springfield, Missouri. PPRS-SWD is a satellite team of Pathseekers Paranormal Research Society based out of Festus Missouri and together both teams offer full coverage of the state and beyond. Interested in all things paranormal from a young age, Janice utilizes dowsing in her research techniques and intensive historical research on locations her team investigates. She and PPRS-SWD present lectures across Missouri on the paranormal and the historical significance of haunted locations in the state. She has appeared on the independant program the Itchy Show aired out of St. Louis, Mo. and Westplex 107 a St. Louis station. Locally she's appeared on KSPR radio and KSP33 TV . She was one of the featured presenters at Paracon near St. Louis this past year and will co-host ParaCon 2012. While not writing her non-fiction paranormal books she submits steampunk horror fiction to anthologies doing illustrating and appearing at book signings and conventions.--- |
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Matt Hill ...is a Canadian voice actor. He is known for several roles, including Kevin Keene/Captain N in Captain N: The Game Master, Kira Yamato in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, Ed in Ed, Edd n Eddy, Raphael in Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Ryo Sanada in Ronin Warriors and Artha Penn and Dragon Booster in "The Dragon Booster." He was born in the same place as Samuel Vincent. The two are often cast together as friends, most famously as the two protagonists of the Gundam SEED franchise; Kira Yamato (Hill) and Athrun Zala (Vincent) & in the Cartoon Network programme Ed, Edd n Eddy, with Ed (Hill) & Edd (Vincent). He has one of the most youthful and recognized voices in the voice acting community, often cast in teenage roles because of this. His live action role was his portrayal of Raphael in third Teenage Ninja Turtles movie and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. He also played the deputy in the live-action movie Shanghai Knights. |
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Pat Tomlinson ...is the offspring of an ex-hippie psychologist and an ex-cowboy electrician. A lifelong sci-fi fan, he discovered quite by accident that the best stories were not to be found on the silver screen, but on the gleaming white pages of books. An eclectic group of bards from Herbert to Prachett propelled him into dozens of new worlds. Patrick lives in Milwaukee, where the winters offer a wonderful opportunity to disappear into his writing cave for five months at a stretch, emerging only briefly each week to watch the Packer game. Time not spent writing is split between a paying job, training for triathlons, and undoing all the training on brewery tours. His work has appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Everyday Fiction, the Crimson Pact Anthology series, and The SFWA Bulletin. He is currently seeking representation for his first novel manuscript, and has begun work on a second, with an exciting announcement to make at Visioncon in regards to Shane Moore’s Abyss Walker franchise! Patrick is an active member of SFWA, and hones his craft in several writing groups and sifting through the slush pile for Apex Magazine. |
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The Damsels of Dorkington ...are here to cheer on a new era of Dork Pride. They are three nerdalicious ladies and one dude in a dress who have come to bring you Nerdcore Improv: a blend of raucous comedy, music and geekery guaranteed to make you laugh, cry or vomit. Perhaps all three. |
Watch here for updates!
Our primary charity this year is the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks.
We will also be donating to CARE Animal Rescue.
Howard Johnson
3333 S. Glenstone
Springfield, MO 65804
(417) 883-6550
Map
Our rate is $76.00 / night plus tax.
Look at the Party page and the Rules page for more info.
