Balticon 42
May 23, 24, 25, 26, 2008, Baltimore Md.

    * Friday night Opening Ceremonies were at 8 - The Great and Diabolical Renfield planned an exciting kickoff for the greatest weekend of the year!
    * May 25th everyone was encouraged to wear their towel - International Towel and enter the Fashion Show Monday, May 26.
    * Catherine Asaro and musicians from the Baltimore rock band Point Valid gave a panel on Rock 'n Roll in Science Fiction. Catherine and the band talked about the CD they are cutting for Catherine's next book, Diamond Star, due out in 2008. Diamond Star is about a rock star in the future, and the CD will feature songs from the book, lyrics by Catherine and music by Point Valid, with Hayim Ani on lead guitar and vocals. The panelists performed  several selections from the CD, talked about the project, and took questions from the audience. A party for SF Rock 'n Roll followed, hosted by Catherine and Jeri Smith-Ready, the author of Wicked Game, a hot new novel about a rock station with vampire disc jockeys.
    * Three Friday night concerts rocked the attendees tarting at 9 pm with George Hrab, Peter S, Beagle and Rob Balder and Sudden Death, from the Funny Music Project
    * The Medieval Dance was held to the joy of all on Saturday 4-6 pm
    * The launch party for ''Bad Ass Faeries 2'' was held in the Garden Room Sunday at 7pm.
    * Premier of Stranger Things, directed by award winning film maker Earl Newton premiered Sunday at noon.

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society announced that the 2008 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award winner was Mark L. Van Name for his novel “One Jump Ahead” published by Baen Books. The award plaque and check for $1000.00 was presented during the Balticon 42 opening ceremony at 8pm on Friday, May 23, 2008. The Compton Crook Award is presented to the best first novel of the year written by a single author: collaborations are not eligible: in the field of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror by the members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, Inc. 

Guests of Honor
Guest of Honor:  Connie Willis (http://www.conniewillis.net), Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of novels including Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, as well as numerous short stories.
Art Guest of Honor:  John Jude Palencar (http://www.johnjudepalencar.com), Chesley Award winning illustrator and painter of many fine works, including the cover to Connie Willis' latest short story collection The Winds of Marble Arch.   Filk Guests of Honor:  Urban Tapestry (http://www.urbantapestry.org/), the Pegasus and Aurora Award winning trio of Allison Durno, Jodi Krangle and Debbi Ridpath Ohi from Toronto. 


''Bad-Ass Faeries 2'' Launch Party - the faeries come out to play at Balticon 42.  Got wings?
In the finest tradition of the original ''Bad-Ass Faeries'', the twenty tales in this collection delve into the darkest corners of faeridom. No Tinkerbells here. Delight in these twisted tales of homicidal faerie clowns, one man's gladiatorial stand against Earth's overlords, and a desperate mother's confrontation with the fiercest pirates above the Seven Seas. Cringe in your bed as a faerwolf is born, and unwise parties-of-the-second-part come to rue deals made with a different kind of Devil. Like the first volume in the series, these tales are of faeries on the raw edge, battle-worn and in black leather, with a glimmer of darkness in their eyes, if not their very hearts. From the meanest city streets to one dusty, disturbing saloon, on the wing or the back of a Harley, no matter where you look, they are headed your way, trailing attitude, bodies, and a dust devil of magic in their wake. Good or bad or just plain rotten, you’ll never look at faeries the same way again.These faeries are Just Plain Bad!

 
Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for over a decade. She has used her talent and her passion for writing to expand her knowledge of the rich mythology of her Celtic heritage and to make her mark in the world of fantasy.

She holds Bachelors Degrees in both English and Communications from Kean College of NJ; she is currently employed as a Production Manager.

In the past she has shared her time and talent with various literary publications, including The Cantilever; The literary journal of Florida Southern College; The Grubstreet Writer, the literary journal of Kean College of NJ; The Taj Mahal Review, published by Cyberwit; and The Amazing Instant Novelist, an on-line writing area that used to be sponsored by America Online.

Her published works include the urban fantasy, Yesterday's Dreams (Mundania Press, www.mundania.com, August 2006), its sequel, Tomorrow's Memories (Mundania Press, August 2008), the chapbook, Children of Morpheus (Lite Circle Books, www.litecircle.org, 2004), an edited anthology, No Longer Dreams, (Lite Circle Books, 2005), and contributions to numerous anthologies and collections worldwide, including The Fantasy Writer's Companion: The Author's Grimoire (Dragon Moon Press, www.dragonmoon.com, 2007), For Better or Worse and Passings (Poets Work Press, 2005 and 2006), Dark Furies (Die Monster Die! Books, www.diemonsterdie.com, 2005), and Hear Them Roar (Spyre Books, 2006). She has also been published by Nth Degree Magazine (online and in print), Sabledrake Magazine, and Darkwalls.com.


DON'T MISS Balticon 43 
 Spring 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
Hunt Valley, MD Marriott Resort
Guests TBA

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