DC Area Storytellers

The DC Area Storytellers are a group of authors of multiple genres residing in or near the Washington, DC area. Published within the fields of romance, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, fiction and non-fiction, this diverse group of authors offers a wide range of works for readers to savor.

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Jean Marie's Dragon*Con Schedule Has Landed

Tuesday, August 30, 2011
One of the best things about being a writer is being able to post a convention schedule. Not only is it a measure of your achievement, it also means you’ll be seeing your long distance friends. And when the schedule happens to be for Dragon*Con, well, let the party begin!

Friday, September 1

11:30 AM: Just the Facts, Ma'am
Description: Non-fiction is a market that needs good writers. If this appeals to you, come listen to these pros tell you how to make it happen.
M Chapman, G. D. Falksen, John L. Flynn, Anya Martin, and Jean Marie Ward
Location: Manila / Singapore / Hong Kong - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

8:30 PM: New and Next Weird
Description: New weird, mash-up, slipstream, interstitial, crossover... what does the future of "genre" hold, especially for the darker fringes of fantasy?
Lou Anders, Stephen H. Segal, Ann VanderMeer, Jeff Vandermeer, and Jean Marie Ward
Location: Cairo - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

10 PM: Broad Universe Reading
Description: Quick cuts read by some by the women authors of Broad Universe
Gail Z. Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward, Trisha Wooldridge (moderator) and many more.
Location: Greenbriar - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Sunday, September 4

1 PM: Broad Universe Reading Part 2
Description: More great reads by the women authors of Broad Universe.
Gail Z. Martin, Jean Marie Ward and many more.
Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Monday, September 5

11:30 AM: Win, Lose or Draw - SF and Fantasy Style
Description: A replay of our popular game show where your job is to draw sf and fantasy names and phrases to get others to guess them. Prizes available.
MC: Jean Marie Ward
Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Hope to see you there!

Jean Marie
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Wenches and Tails: Authors After Dark Con Pics

Thursday, August 18, 2011

There will be a lot of recaps about the Authors After Dark convention in Philadelphia. Heck, I did at least three myself, two while I was there. But for me, the major highlight was seeing some of my DCAS peeps, like:



Melissa Schroeder (on the right, next to Eliza Gayle)


I'm not going to go into too much detail, but it felt like one giant party the entire time we were there.

Robert, PJ, me and Hel, one of the event staff and a friend of PJ's.

Okay, I think she was a geisha. I'm probably wrong, though. 

A kitsune and a geisha (Stephanie) at the Mythos Ball. That tail of mine kept getting stuck in the elevator doors.

And tail jokes abounded...

Every time we saw each other she tried to steal my cane. Woman's about two feet taller than me. I'm a freakin' Hobbit next to her. But she still wanted my awesome cane. (Psst... I got it in Epcot's World Showcase!)


Why do I keep thinking Raoul and Christine of Phantom of the Opera?

I'm not certain what PJ was going for, but she looked good. So did her arm candy, who is also a really sweet guy. And damn, can he dance! I admit, I has a jealous. Dusty just wiggles his butt and his arms. Sometimes just his arms. 

We don't dance much.

PJ in her Steampunk/Wench outfit. She fit right in.

I think the theme of the Steampunk Ball was Steampunk Wench/Pirate/Belly Dancer/Southern Belle. If you hit one of those four, you fit right in.

Hel, PJ, D. Renee and Stephanie

Steph did a steampunk pirate queen, and I did a posh Victorian alchemist with a hot cowboy on my arm named...

I did not fit in. Silly non-Wench/Pirate/Belly Dancer/Southern Belle.

Dusty. Yup, I talked him into going to an event with me. We had a blast with PJ and Steph, but we wound up leaving the hotel that night due to me being broken (I'm looking at you, Murphy bed!) 

Note to self: I have to remind Dusty that, when tightening my corset, breathing is not an option. It's a necessity. I don't look that good in blue.

And, in case you wondered, Monica Burns was at the convention, too. I saw her swirl by at least once; woman was damn busy. I think we managed to get in a wave and a smile before we were off and running again. I tried hunting down a pic of her at the con to post, but she moved so fast she was breaking the sound barrier.

All in all, I'd say we had a very good time. We were exhausted by the time it was all over, but what made it special was getting to see not only the new faces I always meet at a con, but being able to hang a bit with people I always have a good time with.
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The Annual Pre-Dragon*Con Blog

Saturday, July 30, 2011
Didn't want anybody to miss my annual pre-Dragon*Con blog. Dragon*Con is 25 this year, and in honor of the occasion its all about the new, as my Saturday Seven shows. Naturally, there are pictures. I just wish I had the one with me in the sarong. Cheers!

Jean Marie
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New Release: CE3: Provoked Lover by Zenobia Renquist

Thursday, July 21, 2011
Caveat Emptor 3: Provoked Lover
by Zenobia Renquist

Changeling Press

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60521-663-8
Genre: Erotic, Paranormal/Fantasy, Vampire, Action/Adventure, BBW, Interracial, Magic
Price: $3.99

Sicily's emotions become confused when sex is the price of her vampire's protection.

After an attack leaves Theron's allies scattered, Sicily finds herself in the care of Lamon, a vampire who looks like he would rather kill her than protect her.

The unlikely pair must become very close -- sexual energy is necessary to disrupt the spell the mages are using to track Sicily.

Emotions become confused as their bodies entwine. Sicily finds herself falling for a man she can't have... or can she?

Buy Now: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1639

Read Excerpt: http://www.changelingpress.com/content.php?utype=note&uid=5123
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Jean Marie's Happy Dance

Tuesday, July 12, 2011
This is so good I'm dancing. Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier announced the table of contents for their new fantasy anthology, The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity, coming from DAW Tekno Books in March 2012. And the writers are:

Introduction by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier

"We Will Not Be Undersold" by Seanan McGuire

"Changeling" by Susan Jett

"Water-Called" by Kari Sperring

"The Roots of Aston Quercus" by Juliet E. McKenna

"To Scratch an Itch" by Avery Shade

"Continuing Education" by Kristine Smith

"How To Be Human™" by Barbara Ashford

"How Much Salt" by April Steenburgh

"Hooked" by Anton Strout

"Crash" by S. C. Butler

"Fixed" by Jean Marie Ward

"A People Who Always Know" by Shannon Page & Jay Lake

"The Slaughtered Lamb" by Elizabeth Bear

"Corrupted" by Jim C. Hines

Yes! That’s me on that list! “Fixed” is the story of a teenaged cat shifter who gets taken to an animal shelter while wearing fur. Needless to say, he really REALLY doesn’t want to get “Fixed”.

Although you won’t be able to hold the book (or the pixels of the ebook version) in your hands until March, The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity is available for pre-order on a number of sites, including Amazon. Buy, buy, buy! In multiples, if you can. Patricia and Joshua were so much fun to work with, I’d love to do it again.

Meanwhile, I’m grinning from ear to ear.
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My first video interview from behind the camera

Monday, May 30, 2011
Be afraid. I'm back to asking nosy questions again, and this time I'm armed with a video camera.  And you thought the Rapture was scary.
My first video interview from behind the camera is now live at BuzzyMultimedia.com.  Carole Nelson Douglas has been writing top flight science fiction and fantasy--to say nothing of her tales of Las Vegas's only cat PI--for thirty years.  In her Buzzy interview, the focus is on her Delilah Street Paranormal Mysteries.  But don't worry.  There are lots of entertaining feline detours along the way.  (Duz said it was vital to mention this point, and who am I to argue with the Feline Overlord?)
More interviews with wonderful writers are in the pipeline--folks like Connie Willis, Joe Haldeman and Michael Swanwick--along with a few surprises.  Meanwhile, my next job is finishing a short story and posting my Balticon photos.  Between the Nebula Awards Weekend and Balticon, it's been a fun couple of weeks.  But now it's back to work.
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Jean Marie's (and a little of Renee's) Balticon Schedule

Wednesday, May 25, 2011


It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

No, not the big Red/Green holiday. I mean con season! For me it’s kicking off in a big way with Balticon 45 at the Marriott in Hunt Valley, Maryland, this weekend, May 27-30. So far, my schedule includes six panels and events—two of them with DC Storytellers very own D. Renee Bagby:

Friday, May 27
7 p.m. , Salon B – Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Join us for a selection of sweet and savory readings by seven exciting women authors.
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, D. Renee Bagby, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Gail Z. Martin, Roberta Rogow, Jean Marie Ward (moderator), Phoebe Wray.

10 p.m., Parlor 1041 – Anime: Why Do We Love It?
Anime fans in self-analysis. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Panelists: D. Renee Bagby, Ruth Lampi, Grig “Punkie” Larson, Jean Marie Ward (moderator).

Saturday, May 27
1 p.m., Salon B – Whose Program Is It Anyway?
Panelists—and audience members—behaving badly at cons. What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you or somebody you know at a con? Those are the best stories EVAH!
Panelists: Hildy Silverman, Jennifer Stone, Michael Swanwick, Jean Marie Ward, Leona Wisoker (moderator)

7 p.m., Belmont – Clark Ashton Who? Great Forgotten Science Fiction Authors
So much great literature, so little time. Panelists discuss their favorites among yesterday’s greats and their candidates for that great File 13 in the sky.
Panelists: Marc “Grailwolf” Bailey, Carl Cipra (moderator), Michael Swanwick, Jean Marie Ward, Diane Weinstein.

Sunday, May 28
4 p.m., Salon D – Best SF TV Shows
The audience is invited to help the panel decide which science fiction television shows (a) are really science fiction and (b) the best.
Panelists: Marc “Grailwolf” Bailey, T.J. Perkins, Hildy Silverman (moderator), Suzanne Rosin, Jean Marie Ward.

5 p.m., Salon B – Science Fiction Title Chain
It’s a game! The audience provides the words for a science fiction story or novel’s title. The panelists arrange them in a more or less coherent order, and each panelist comes up with a descriptive synopsis. The audience votes on the synopsis they like best.
Panelists: Lisa Adler-Golden (moderator)Nancy Brauer, Brian Koscienski, Grig “Punkie” Larson, Jean Marie Ward.

And if I’m lucky, I may be added to two more:

History as a Source of Fantasy, 4 p.m. Saturday, Belmont Room.

Ghosts, 5 p.m., Saturday, Salon C.

See you in Hunt Valley!

###
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