What's a Capricon? It is a phenomenal long-running science fiction & fantasy fan convention that's been in Chicagoland since 1981. This year's theme is Expanding Universes, and it's happening soon at the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel in snowy Wheeling Illinois.February 15-18, to be precise. That's next week! Here's the official website: About CapriconI'll be there. It's my first convention for 2018, and the second one ever where I'll be on PANELS!  You should be very proud of me for using only one exclamation point. I am tremendously over-excited about this. You'll find my panel schedule below.There's no autographing session because when I'm not at a panel or reading, I'll be hanging out in the vendor room at the Games Plus table, same as Windycon. What can I say? Retail is my comfort zone.Anyway. If you have print copies of my books already and want autographs, I'll be at the booth on and off all weekend.  And if you don't have my books yet, I will have plenty of copies there so you can BUY books and THEN get autographs.I'm on some great panels with amazing people like Eric Flint & Jonathan Brazee and SO MANY MORE cool folk. This will be a good time. If you're local to Chicagoland and have some free time and spare ducats, you really should come by.

• Friday 10:00 AM Are Corporate Villains Overdone? (Birch B)
  • Every story needs a villain. And certainly corporate bad actors are not unknown. But it seems like almost every other near/medium-future SF story has a corporation and corporate head as the villain. Is this becoming a cliche? Is it a sign the writer is too lazy to think of alternatives? Why do corporate villains work or not work and what are the alternatives?
• Friday 1:00 PM Rapid Reading #2 (Willow)
  • 6 authors. 5-7 minute readings.  Come discover someone new! (like ME!) 
• Friday 4:00 PM Indie Publishing (Birch A) 
  • You've finally written your first novel. Now what? An overview to self-publishing options.
• Saturday 10:00 AM Why We Roleplay (Birch B)
  • Role-playing aficionados talk about why they do what they do, and why you might want to try it too.
• Saturday 7:00 PM Behind the Scenes (Willow)
  • Recently, an article discussed women who were likely present in Viking settlements. Few stories account for children, background characters, etc., except to provide them as fodder to be killed. How do you tell the stories of the invisible majority, as not everyone can be the ruling elite?
• Sunday 1:30 PM Expanding Universe of Fandom (Botanic Garden Ballrm B)
  • Dragon*Con pulls in more than 80,000 people every year. New media cons are springing up (and falling down) all over the place. Fandom is expanding - what does it mean?