zz 2022 Presenters
Here are the master classes scheduled for last year. We will fill in the panels and class times closer to the Con.
International bestselling author Raymond Benson, acknowledged 007 expert, was commissioned by Ian Fleming’s estate to write several James Bond novels. He gave a slideshow presentation called “The James Bond Phenomenon,” that covers the life of Ian Fleming, the history of the Bond franchise, and Benson’s role in it.
#1 New York Times bestseller Sherrilyn McQueen is the reigning queen of fantasy fiction and one of the most popular authors alive. She gave a presentation that will tell you everything you need to know about Author Branding.
New York Times bestselling author Rebecca York – whose work includes romantic suspense, thriller, fantasy and sci-fi fiction – presented a class on techniques for creating suspense and tension.
Vonnie Winslow Crist has had more than 200 stories published in magazines and anthologies, and at least 200 of her poems have been published in magazines and books. She presented a master class on Writing for Anthologies.
John DeDakis – thriller author, writing coach and former editor for CNN – offered a class at last year’s Con on Planning vs. Seat-of-the-Pantsing. If you’re a plotter, he showed how seat-of-the-pants writing can help you connect the dots. If you’re a pantser, he showed how peeking at the road ahead can inspire your writing in the here-and-now.
Teel James Glenn is a speculative fiction author, actor, stuntman and stunt choreographer. A man of many talents and many skills, he has appeared, at various times, in every soap opera filmed in New York City, several network series and and over three-dozen feature films. He gave a class on “The art of Swashbuckling” which included swordplay demonstrations with audience participation.
Multi-genre author Allie Marie presented a class called Have Pen, Will Sign: Finding Local Marketing Venues. This interactive session helped authors develop book signing events to expand their marketing capabilities and reach new readers by thinking outside the box to identify venues beyond bookstores.