MarsCon 2025 - Virginia Beach: Full Schedule

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10:00am EST

Mythology in Fiction

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Shenandoah Room

Authors often draw on myths and legends. How do they choose and what pit-falls must they avoid?

Speakers

Brad Goodman

Scientist

Brad has been a guest at local science fiction conventions for more than thirty years. Now retired, he worked for NASA Langley Research Center, at their Visitor Center, and in support of traveling exhibits. Later he worked for the Science Museum of Virginia. These assignments came... Read More →

Vivian Valentine

Author, Dealer

The author of The Amelia Temple Series, Vivian Moira Valentine is a rad trans lady who loves monsters. When she was a child, she found the Crestwood House Monster Series at her local library and it's all been downhill from there. Now everything she likes is horrible. When not writing... Read More →

Steve Vickers

Author

SC Vickers writes SF, fantasy, and historical fiction but has a thing for werewolves and trolls. He lives in Colorado Springs and has an MFA in Creative Writing/Genre Fiction from Western Colorado University. Troll Hunt, a novella in the Troll Lands universe, is his first published... Read More →

Rowan Worth

Author

Rowan Worth's first book, Past Imperfect, introduced a family of shapeshifters trying to stop an enemy intent on destroying their small pack. Her next release is The Lost Prince, the first book in a science fiction series about an asteroid miner who finds an abandoned battleship deep... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

11:00am EST

Social Media: Time Sink or Marketing Savior?

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Which is it? Is there a way to take the negative aspects of social media and use them to further an author's or artist's engagement and/or reach?

Speakers

Charles Blue

Featured Science Guest

Charles Blue (aka Blue the Science Dude) has more than 35 years of science communications experience. Charles has worked as the director of media services at the American Institute of Physics. He also served as the Writer/Editor for the National Science Foundation’s Directorate... Read More →

Scott Huggins

Author

Having been born in California and raised in Kansas, Scott Huggins grew up as confused as one might expect. He began writing seriously in college in between student exchanges spent in post-Soviet Russia and Germany, and was one of the last Writers of the Future in 1999. The future... Read More →

Alyssa Hazel

Featured Horror Guest

Alyssa Hazel is a Weird Fiction and Horror writer who enjoys exploring the weird, horrible and wonderful through her work. Her pieces have found homes in Bluestem, the Red Coyote, and the Dark River Review. While her specialty is anthologies (she has four) she’s rather proud of... Read More →

H.P Holo / Edie Skye

Author

H.P. Holo grew up in a family where it was dangerous to say, "I'm bored." She's also an incorrigible smart aleck. So when her parents told her to fix her boredom by reading a dictionary, she did. And then, just to be extra sassy, she began writing novels that required them to keep... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

12:00pm EST

Songwriting 101

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Songwriting has too main components: lyrics and melody. Join our musical guests as they help fledglings sort through the mechanics of a good idea and make it into a good song.

Speakers

Jim & John Gaines

Authors

Jim and John Gaines write sci fi together as J.M.R.Gaines. Their novels Life Sentence and Spy Station form part of the Forlani Saga series, along with Earth Regained (in progress). They have also publish space-themed short stories and poetry in a variety of journals. Jim is a retired... Read More →

Mikey Mason

Featured Musical Guest

Mikey Mason spent more than a decade as a full-time standup comedian. He headlined on all four coasts, performed multiple times each on NBC, at the legendary House of Blues, and the Hard Rock Casino. He even headlined the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. But it wasn’t... Read More →

Rhiannon's Lark

Musician Guest of Honor

Have you ever wanted to hear a Disney princess singing about the things you love…board games, ninjas, and krakens? Rhiannon’s Lark is happy to make your wish come true. Alyssa Yeager is an accolade-winning musician including the Pegasus award for “Best Performer” and Guest... Read More →

The Blibbering Humdingers

Featured Musical Guest

We are Scott, Kirsten, Aiden, Liam, and Chuck! We create acoustic nerdrock for –Gamers, geeks, and galactic guardians, browncoats, centaurs, and mandalorians;Hobbits, elves, and wizard gangsters; avengers, defenders, and black-belt hamsters;Elder gods, small gods, fans of Tripod... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Workshops

1:00pm EST

When the Good Guys Turn Out to be Bad Guys

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Jedi are evil. Starfleet is fascist. What happens to us when our revered good guys turn out to not be quite so good? Or when they are down right bad? Join our panelists as they discuss how even the best of the good guys has some evil in their hearts.

Speakers

Claire Merrick

Author

Tired of writing about bad news as a producer at a news station, Claire Merrick began using her free time to write urban fantasy stories. She attended FantaSci in Durham, hoping to learn from authors about the business side of publishing. One of the guests, Kevin Ikenberry, asked... Read More →

David Shadoin

Author

David "Shady" Shadoin is a trouble-making, corn-fed Nebraska boy the United States Air Force managed to turn into a somewhat decent pilot of whirly birds. An avid reader from a young age, he has always found inspiration listening to rock music while reading Fantasy and Sci Fi novels... Read More →

Vivian Valentine

Author, Dealer

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

Commander Pournelle retired from the Navy after 26 years of service as a surface warfare officer, operations analyst, and joint operations planner. He served on cruisers, destroyers, amphibious ships, and an experimental high-speed vessel. He served on the Navy staff conducting modeling... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Fandom, It's in the Details

2:00pm EST

So You Want To Publish a Board Game?

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Learn about the experience of designing and producing your board game idea from the perspective of game designers and publishers. Discussion will include the how game mechanics evolve from idea to implementation, how games are playtested and refined, and how games get to market (traditional publishing, Kickstarter, etc.).

Speakers

Stephen Buonocore

Gaming Guest of Honor

Stephen Buonocore is a hobby game entrepreneur, game media personality, game industry veteran, as well as a former financial services industry IT professional.Buonocore is the retired founder, owner and President of Stronghold Games, formed in 2009 to publish quality hobby board and... Read More →

Tory Brown

Featured Game Designer

Tory Brown is the designer of Votes for Women, which launched on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Tory is a longtime activist and works as a political communications strategist for progressive causes. Inspired to create Votes for Women by games like... Read More →

Stephen Glenn

Gamer, TAGS

I've been designing board and cardgames for over twenty years. My first cardgame, Balloon Cup, was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres in 2003. Since then I've published over a dozen games. I'm one of the founders of the local TAGS gaming club and I was also the founder of Protospiel... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Gaming, Board Games

3:00pm EST

Barony of Marinus Combat Demostration

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

This local chapter of the international Society for Creative Anachronism cordially invites you to witness a slice of life in the Barony. Come see Medieval era clothing, etiquette, and maybe even combat, as the Barony holds a Hearing of Petitions. You might even be able participate!!

Speakers

Barony of Marinus

Entertainers Group, Society for Creative Anachronism

The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an inclusive community pursuing research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat and culture. The lives of participants are enriched as we gain knowledge of history through activities, demonstrations, and events.Their... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Events & Demos

5:00pm EST

Play to Your Strengths

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

No combat experience? No problem! You can still write action scenes--we promise. Not a doctor? No time to go to medical school? We've got you covered--just keep the surgery on the page, okay? Let's talk about how you can write about things you don't know much about--or have no first-hand experience of, without losing your readers.

Speakers

Robert Hampson

Author, Scientist

Dr. Robert E. Hampson is a neuroscientist, professor, and author who spends his time exploring the frontiers of memory research and the far reaches of the imagination. With a Ph.D. in Physiology & Pharmacology, he studies how brains encode memories and develops futuristic technologies... Read More →

Jason Cordova

Author

Bestselling author Jason Cordova has had his novels published in multiple languages around the world. He was both a John W. Campbell Award and Dragon Award finalist (though not in the same year). Author of the Black Tide Rising novel Mountain of Fire, and co-author of Monster Hunter... Read More →

Melissa Olthoff

Author

Melissa Olthoff is a science fiction and fantasy author who delights in sneaking in romance wherever she can. She is a lifelong geek as well as a veteran of the United States Air Force, both of which are incredibly useful when writing. Her degrees in meteorology and accounting are... Read More →

Christopher Ruocchio

Author Co- Guest of Honor

Christopher Ruocchio is the internationally award-winning author of the Sun Eater, a series blending elements of both science fiction and fantasy, as well as more than twenty works of short fiction. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Christopher received a degree in English... Read More →

Saturday January 18, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

6:00pm EST

The Trick to Creating Believable Magic Systems

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

The real trick to using magic in a story is making your reader believe it. Find out how writers create a credible magic system and then make the reader buy into it.

Speakers

Phillip Pournelle

Author, Gamer

J.E. Pittman

Author, Dealer

J.E. Pittman dabbles in many speculative worlds. He blurs the borders between genre and crafts salient lies to tell a measure of truth. His work has been described as: capriciously chimeric, dreamlike, and a vivid enigma with indelible images stamped on your brain. He’s currently... Read More →

Sam Robb

Author

Sam Robb is a Pittsburgh native, a former US Navy officer, and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Over the course of his life, he has acquired a wife, three daughters, several quadrupeds, and a penchant for walking down back alleys and taking pictures of graffiti. When he's... Read More →

David Shadoin

Author

Saturday January 18, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, Writing Techniques

7:00pm EST

Modern American Mythology

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Other cultures have their gods and heroes from myth and legend such as Greek mythology, King Arthur, the 3 Musketeers and so on. Are superheroes, Star Trek and Star Wars our mythology?

Speakers

J.E. Pittman

Author, Dealer

Sam Robb

Author

Saturday January 18, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Fandom, It's in the Details

8:00pm EST

Get in the Robot!

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

A panel of authors who spend too much money on Gunpla and Battletech models talk about giant mechs and how they influence their writing.

Speakers

Mark Wandrey

International bestselling author of military sci-fi, space opera, and zombie apocalypse, Mark Wandrey is also the only 4 time DragonCon Dragon Award finalist!Living the full time RV lifestyle as a modern day nomad, Mark Wandrey has been writing science fiction since he was in grade... Read More →

Melissa Olthoff

Author

Chris Kennedy Publishing

Dealer, Chris Kennedy Publishing

Welcome to Chris Kennedy Publishing, where the focus is on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy!

H.P Holo / Edie Skye

Author

Saturday January 18, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, What to Read

9:00pm EST

Boarding Action

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00am EST

Shenandoah Room

A rather large room, several 'hides' and other obstacles, and four hours! Just what you need to have the Nerf war of your dreams. Come prepared with your Nerf-style weapons and protective eyewear. There will be a few devices and some protective eyewear for borrowing on a first come-first served basis. While this is meant to be a family event, it is highly recommended that all participants be at least 10 years old. Participants under the age of 18 will need a parent or guardian to either play with them or to stay in the hallway or bar area while the youth is playing. Other participants will not be asked to check their gameplay to accommodate younger players.

Saturday January 18, 2025 9:00pm - Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00am EST
Shenandoah Room

Events & Demos