Hey! I’ll be at my favorite con, ApolloCon, this weekend! It’s at a new location on the west side of Houston, Texas this year.

Here are the panels I will be on:

Saturday, June 20, 10 AM: What’s the Difference?

How do you make aliens truly alien? Some ideas of where to start and on just how different they should be.

Saturday, June 20, 11 AM: Authentic Science

Panelists discuss putting science fact into science fiction and science fantasy.  Examples are cited of good science and possibly, not-so-good science.

Saturday, June 20, 1 PM: What if we really are alone?

Maybe the reason SETI hasn’t found any signs of intelligent life is that there’s nobody else out there.

Sunday, June 21, 12 PM: Lost in translation

As everyone knows, Universal Translators and Babelfish come standard-issue with almost any otherworldly adventure. Still, from the “Darmok and Jalad” episode of Star Trek to Daenerys Targaryen’s first tentative words of Dothraki, it’s clear that language-learning — and language barriers! — offer a wealth of untapped dramatic potential. Come learn how you can use translation and translator-characters in your fiction (even without being a multilingual mastermind) and join us as we celebrate some of the most epic miscommunications in sci-fi and fantasy history.

They all sound great, don’t they? I’m looking forward to the discussion.