Thursday January 20th, 2000
I received this announcement from HarperCollins about its upcoming Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention. Ray won't be there, but Empire co-author Janny Wurts will be.
HarperCollins Publishers announces
EOS CON III
January 29, 2000, 4-8pm EST
http://www.eoscon3.com & http://cybertown.com
(NOTE: The eoscon3.com site will be available after January 23, 2000.)
EOS CON III, The Third Annual Real-Time Online Science Fiction Convention, begins At 4:00pm EST featuring lectures and panels with authors such as Gregory Benford, Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
HarperCollins's science fiction and fantasy imprint, Eos, has announced the return of EOS CON, the real-time online science fiction convention initiated in 1998 as part of its launch publishing season. On Saturday, January 29, 2000, EOS CON III will begin at 4pm EST continuing the tradition established by the original EOS CON, the first online convention ever sponsored by a publisher. The convention is part of an overall commitment by Eos to help expand the existing science fiction and fantasy readership, and to effectively introduce outstanding popular and literary science fiction and fantasy works by new and established writes.
"Cons," short for conventions, are a tradition and a staple of the SF/F genre. All over the country, throughout the year, cons large and small bring together authors, readers, artists, reviewers and publishing professionals to network and exchange information and ideas. Featured guests at EOS CON III include some of the most notable names in science fiction and fantasy such as Dennis Danvers, Dave Duncan and Guy Gavriel Kay. Eos's online real-time con will feature panels and lectures all with question and answer sessions.
EOS CON III will be brought to you in part by its host http://www.cybertown.com. Cybertown is the "Sci-fi Community of the Future"---a futuristic off-world city accessible via the Internet. It has become one of the largest 3D communities on the web with over a quarter of a million members. Multi-national citizens inhabit and socialize in richly detailed 3D Bladerunner-type worlds using 3D avatars to represent themselves. Citizens immerse themselves in these virtual worlds by owning personal 3D homes and objects, holding jobs, forming clubs, shopping in the virtual mall and much more. Members are actively involved in the community and with each other. Cybertown also provides special programming for its members through entertainment and educational formats including contests, celebrity chats, parties, classes, town meetings and more. Cybertown is produced by blaxxun interactive and uses blaxxun Contact to offer members a wide range of multimedia communication features.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
4-5pm ROOM A
Worldbuilding From The Ground Up
DAVE DUNCAN, DENNIS JONES, ANNE McCAFFREY, and JULIET MCKENNA discuss what it takes to build a world and bring it alive with characters and story.
4-5pm ROOM B
Technological Access: The New Caste System
KAGE BAKER, DENNIS DANVERS, KATHLEEN ANN GOONAN, and SEVERNA PARK talk about how access to technology and information will create new class distinctions.
5-6pm ROOM A
History of the Alternate
DAVE DUNCAN, ELIZABETH HAND, GUY GAVRIEL KAY, and MARTHA WELLS know how to make history suit their needs. Find out how they do it in this panel discussion.
5-6pm ROOM B
The Science of Disaster
Things will always go wrong-it's just a matter of time. GREGORY BENFORD, ELIZABETH HAND, JACK MCDEVITT, and WALTER JON WILLIAMS explain how scientific fact plays a role in their novels.
6-7pm ROOM A
Military Maneuvers in SF and Fantasy
We have a wealth of military history and theory at our disposal. Join TRACY HICKMAN, SUSAN R. MATTHEWS, and KRISTINE SMITH as they discuss how they put this knowledge to use.
6-7pm ROOM B
Fantasy Outside the Box
JEFFREY FORD, SHARON GREEN, JANE ROUTLEY, and MAGARET WEIS don't write your typical fantasy novels. Find out what drives them toward redefining the genre and making it truly their own.
7-8pm ROOM A
How to Get Published
Get the facts straight from acquiring editors and published authors. Eos Editors CAITLIN BLASDELL, JENNIFER BREHL and DIANA GILL team up with authors JAMES ALAN GARDNER, VICTORIA STRAUSS, and MAGARET WEIS and explain what to do in order to get published.
7-8pm ROOM B
How To Promote Yourself: Spec Fiction and the Media
A publicist can't do everything. Publicists Andy Heidel and Lindsay Lifrieri team up with authors SUSAN R. MATTHEWS and JANNY WURTS to explain how to promote yourself once you've been published.
