Houstonites! If you’re heading to Apollocon this weekend, don’t miss out on Tex Thompson’s appearances at the con. Trust us, you don’t want to miss hearing Tex talking up a storm!
Check out Tex’s full schedule below:
Friday the 19th 5:30PM – Azalea 4 – Reading
“Do you believe in interspecies dating?” Saddle up for a cowboys-and-fishmen romp from renowned ‘rural fantasy’ author Tex Thompson!
8:00PM – Pecan – Smtk’Royani and Bob: The Do’s and Don’ts of Naming
It’s one of the great unspoken rules of sci-fi and fantasy: don’t let your characters’ names make the reader wonder whether your cat walked over the keyboard. Still, you might not want to call your alien buffalo-squids Dick and Jane, either. How can you create inventive, original, internally-consistent names, and what are some of the best (and worst!) examples in popular fiction?
Saturday the 20th
9:00AM – Azalea 4 – Writers Workshop
1:00PM – Azalea 6 – Best of the West: Westerns in Sci Fi and Fantasy
These days, the Western is the genre equivalent of peanut butter: not often served on its own, and yet it seems to go with just about everything. Why is the Western so appealing and adaptable, and what are the best examples of great Western fusion?
4:00PM – Pecan – Fantasy Food
From Elvish lembas to still-squirming Klingon gagh, the cuisine of science fiction and fantasy is a legend unto itself. But how do you invent a memorable, believable otherworldly meal, and what is it about these fictional feasts that captures our imagination? Bring your Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans and join us as we dish!
Sunday the 21st
10:00AM – Cottonwood – Up to Your Elbows in Worldbuilding
Does your lore bore you? Is your history predictable, your timeline flatlined, or your map a mess? Don’t suffer in silence! Whether you’re a novelist, game designer, dungeon master, comic writer, or just a lover of fantastic lands and alien worlds, we can help you craft otherworldly realms that your audience will want to explore for years to come. Bring your burning questions and come ready to write!
12:00PM – Cypress – Lost in Translation: Language Barriers in SFF
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! – offers 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!
2:00PM – Azalea 6 – Qa’Pla to You Too, Buddy!
From “Nanu Nanu” to “Valar Morghulis”, geekdom has always spoken a language of its own. Where does our love for constructed languages come from, what distinguishes a true conlang from a random collection of syllables – and which are the best of the best?
Find out more about Medicine For The Dead here at Solaris, and don’t forget to follow Tex on Twitter and check out the official Tex Thompson website.
Medicine For The Dead is out now!
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