Where to Find Me at Octocon 2016

Octocon 2016 is almost here! As many of you will know, Octocon is the highlight of my event calendar. It's an awesome con, where you can meet writers, artists, filmmakers, game designers, and fellow SFF fans in a close, friendly environment. If you've never gone before, I heartily recommend dropping by.

I'm a guest again this year, and I'll be selling copies of my books, alongside a group of amazing authors; Celine Kiernan, C.E. Murphy, and Ruth Francis Long. As well as that, I'm launching Blackened Wings and speaking on several panels. Here's my timetable for the con:

Paul Anthony Shortt Launches Blackened Wings (Lady Raven Book 3)

Friday 19:00 - 20:00, C. Gaiety (Camden Court Hotel)

While the rest of Octocon kicks off, I'll be giving a reading from my latest book, signing copies, and answering any questions readers might have.

Naval & Piratical Traditions in SF&F

Saturday 10:00 - 11:00, E. Wexford (Camden Court Hotel)

Ruth F. Long, Paul Anthony Shortt, Edmond Barrett, Allen Stroud, Fionnuala Murphy (M)

In space, no one can hear you shanty. Do you know your capstan from your yard arm? Why are the traditions of the beautiful briny sea so attractive that we are keeping them alive long after they have left common parlance?

A Future Without The Disabled

Saturday 12:00 - 13:00, C. Gaiety (Camden Court Hotel)

Danielle (M), Paul Anthony Shortt, Carol Connolly, Russell A. Smith, Peadar Ó Guilín

Our panellists discuss future and fantasy worlds in which science or magic is believed by some to make the existence of disabled people "illogical". From the eugenicists to the Star Trek movies, what does it say about us that we can't imagine a future with disabled people?

Grand Theft Culture

Saturday 16:00 - 17:00, C. Gaiety (Camden Court Hotel)

Janet O'Sullivan (M), C.E. Murphy, Paul Anthony Shortt, Lora O'Brien, Leeann Hamilton

Many of the world's biggest trends have started out in marginalised or small communities before finding traction with the mainsteam when those with more power catch on. When these bits of culture take off, mocking and misinterpretation often follow closely. Our panelists discuss being respectful when sharing in each other's culture.

Refusing the Call

Sunday 11:00 - 12:00, A. Tivoli/Yeats (Camden Court Hotel)

Diane Duane, Nigel Quinlan (M), Rachael Kelly, Ashley McCook, Paul Anthony Shortt

What happens when you don’t pull the sword from the stone, take the quest or leave the shire? Fate and destiny are tough to refuse but how true can a story be when people just do what they are told?

Storytelling Through Fight Scenes

Sunday 12:00 - 13:00, C. Gaiety (Camden Court Hotel)

Paul Anthony Shortt, Michael Carroll, Gerry McEvoy (M), C.E. Murphy

Too often, action scenes are dismissed as filler or regarded as low-brow. But there are unique elements to fight scenes in movies, tv, video games, and books, that allow a whole range of ways to tell a story. What can fight scenes do for a story that other scenes can't? What is our primal attraction to violence in fiction?

Space Opera!

Sunday 16:00 - 17:00, E. Wexford (Camden Court Hotel)

Jo Zebedee, Edmond Barrett, Lynn Moran (M), Paul Anthony Shortt

From an insult aimed at "hacky, grinding, stinking, outworn, spaceship yarns" to a widely-beloved science fiction subgenre, space operas have been on a heck of a ride. We discuss what makes this genre the staple of SF that it is.

For the full Octocon schedule, check out this awesome web app.

Hope to see you there!