UPDATED: Thu, Mar 17, 12:44PM Based on the bestselling young adult fantasy book series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Freeform's hit new original series Shadowhunters follows Clary Fray, who finds out on her birthday that she is not who she thinks she is but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters: human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons. Now thrown into the world of demon hunting after her mother is kidnapped, Clary must rely on the mysterious Jace and his fellow Shadowhunters Isabelle and Alec to navigate this new dark world. With her best friend, Simon, in tow, Clary must now live among faeries, warlocks, vampires, and werewolves to find answers that could help her find her mother. Showrunner Ed Decter, executive producer McG, and series cast members Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Harry Shum Jr., Matthew Daddario, Emeraude Troubia, Alberto Rosende, and Isaiah Mustafa will partake in the Q&A panel.
Dragons, witches, elemental forces, alternate timelines, time travel and more! Maryelizabeth Yturralde of Mysterious Galaxy and Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky), James Morris (The Three Kingdoms Trilogy), Greg Van Eekhout (California Bones trilogy), and Elizabeth Briggs (Future Shock) look at the past, present, and future through different lenses and timelines.
Friday March 25, 2016 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 151
Whether it's far-flung futures or fantastical stories, the worlds that authors build are complex. How do storytellers create new worlds and unexplored universes? What is it like to become an architect for expansive mythos treasured by the masses? What's the process for developing exciting new protagonists and working with established icons? Cecil Castellucci (Moving Target: Princess Leia), Aditi Khorana (Mirror in the Sky), Caragh M O'Brien (Vault of Dreamers), Lisa Yee (Author, DC Superhero Girls series), Margaret Stohl (Black Widow: Forever Red), and Victoria Schwab (A Gathering of Shadows) discuss how they create their worlds, the process involved in creating nuanced characters, and working with licensed properties.
Friday March 25, 2016 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 411
Iconic weird tale author and poet Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) often wrote about monstrous entities that were "unnamable" or "indescribable," his most famous being Great Cthulhu. Yet in the 79 years since his death, thousands of creative artists have used Lovecraft's creations for their own strange and nightmarish visions across all mediums of human expression. Join this panel for a look into the process of bringing the words of Lovecraft to life in the 21st century. Featuring exclusive sneak peeks at the upcoming Mountains of Madness animated webseries, the animated feature film adaptation of the graphic novelHoward Lovecraft & the Frozen Kingdom and more! Featuring Cody Goodfellow (author,The Rapture of the Deep & Other Lovecraftian Tales), Leslie Klinger (New Annotated HPL), Paul Komoda (creature design, The Thing 2011), Kevin McTurk (director, The Mill at Calder's End, creature effects artist), Sean O'Reilly (writer/director, Howard Lovecraft & the Frozen Kingdom animated feature), and Pete Von Sholly (artist, Lovecraft Illustrated vols. 1-6; storyboard artist, The Mist). Moderated by Aaron Vanek (founder, San Pedro H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival).
Friday March 25, 2016 8:30pm - 9:30pm PDT
Room 515B
UPDATED: Thu, Mar 10, 02:26PM Explore what has made the Harry Potter series a global phenomenon such as the meaning behind the books, Harry Potter in the classroom, life lessons, magical beasts, etc. Additionally, panelists will also cover the different areas of fandom still going strong since the end of the series such as events, theme parks, travel to filming locations, merchandise, etc. During the panel, we will also speculate where the fandom is going with the upcoming release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on November 18th starring Eddie Redmayne which was written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and takes place in the Wizarding World. Panelists include Dr. Melissa D. Aaron (Professor of English and Foreign Languages at Cal Poly Pomona), Di Valentine (Esquire), Kelly King (educator, California Credential - Secondary English & Drama), Jenny Mendoza (graphic designer & illustrator), Jessica Zipay (administrative support specialist) and moderated by Adrienne Alwag (multicultural & niche marketing expert). All of the women featured on the panel are members of The Los Angeles Dumbledore’s Army, the 2nd largest Harry Potter fan group in the world since 2008 who produces the annual Harry Potter Roller Skating Night.
Saturday March 26, 2016 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Room 152
Centuries of mythology inform speculative fiction storytelling; how do authors pick and choose what they incorporate and what they alter? Classic heroes and heroines, deities, and sea creatures and monsters (terrestrial and extra) play roles in the works of Rachel Marks (Dark Cycle series), Randy Henderson (Arcana Familia series), Judd Winick (HILO series), Tobie Easton (Mer Chronicles series), and Kathryn Rose (Metal & Lace series). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Yturralde of Mysterious Galaxy.
Saturday March 26, 2016 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 151
Tolkien fandom existed before Peter Jackson's LOTR and Hobbit films, and will remain long after; but what now? Are they still vital in the digital age, or will they fall to the fringes? A brief (and exciting) look at its history and what is next for fans of the man who laid the foundation for so much else in popular culture, including most everything at WonderCon. After $6 billion in box office revenue, is Hollywood done with Middle-earth? Audio, visuals, facts, and opinions from the staff of TORn, followed by a Q&A.
Saturday March 26, 2016 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 502B
New York Times bestselling novelist Scott Sigler (The Generations trilogy) interviews bestseller and WonderCon special guest Peter Clines (the Ex-Heroes series) in a talk about superheroes, superpowers, books, Hollywood, and H. P. Lovecraft. Join Peter and Scott for the one-on-one interview and a Q&A session.
Saturday March 26, 2016 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 515A
Have you ever wanted your novel published? Her Universe brings together experts to help you prepare a winning pitch. Hear advice from published authors on their professional journey. Hosted by actress (voice of Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars Rebels), entrepreneur, and Her Universe and Her Universe Press founder Ashley Eckstein. Joining her are author Heather Nuhfer (Weirdest), author E. Anne Convery (The Confidence Chronicles), and New York Times USA Today #1 bestselling author Christina Hobbs (writing under the penname Christina Lauren with her writing partner).
Saturday March 26, 2016 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 515A
What is it about grim and gritty, dark and dystopian, that readers crave? And how can humor exist in the midst thereof? Tap into the noir side of existence with R. S. Belcher (The Six-Gun Tarot, The Brotherhood of the Wheel), Robert Brockway (The Unnoticeables), Stephen Blackmoore (Heroes Reborn: Dirty Deeds), Scott Sigler (Generations Trilogy), Amber Benson (The Echo Park Coven novels), and David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy.
Saturday March 26, 2016 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 151
Acclaimed children's book author/illustrators Barney Saltzberg (Beautiful Oops!), Bruce Hale (Clark the Shark), Jon Klassen (Caldecott winner, New York Times bestseller), Antoinette Portis (New York Times bestseller), and Dan Santat (Caldecott winner, New York Times bestseller) will share their insights into the KidLit industry, how to get started, and lessons learned. Moderated by Henry Herz (Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes).
Saturday March 26, 2016 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 515A
WonderCon special guest V. E. Schwab, author of the Shades of Magic series, and fan writer Mark Oshiro, creator of the wildly popular Mark Does Stuff, discuss everything from books, shows, and movies to Marvel, anime, fandom, what it's like to live on the Internet, and finding one's place in fantasy. Q&A following interview.
Saturday March 26, 2016 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
Room 152
Accomplished authors and actors discuss romance in science fiction and fantasy. Crush, heartthrob, or love at first site. Attraction, compatibility, offspring, love, society, (extremely) long-distance relationships, close quarters, customs, rituals, religions, marriage, and more. Join panelists Rebekah R. Ganiere (Fairelle series, president of Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal RWA chapter), Mira Furlan (actress, Lost,Babylon 5), James Kyson (Heroes, Nobility), Gigi Edgley (actress, Farscape, Star Trek Continues), and Mark O'Bannon (author, The Dream Crystal, Star Raiders). Moderated by James Ganiere (chief editor, Fallen Angel Press, CEO-Rio Vista Universal).
Saturday March 26, 2016 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 515A
In George R. R. Martin's fantasy world, where almost everyone fights for power over the realm or simply over their own lives, how do love and hate, good and evil, need and greed, altruism and narcissism drive the very best and the very worst human behavior? Join the knights of the psych table as they diagnose characters, explore all these questions, and more. Psychologists Travis Langley (Game of Thrones Psychology; Batman and Psychology), Janina Scarlet (The Walking Dead Psychology; Superhero Psychology), and Erin Currie (MyPsychgeek; Doctor Who Psychology) come together with Jenna Busch (Legion of Leia; Star Wars Psychology), Kieran Dickson(Outer Places), Matt Munson (The Project Workbench; Star Trek Psychology) and Kyle Maddock (A Podcast of Ice and Fire). What kind of person can even survive the game of thrones, much less hope to win?
Saturday March 26, 2016 7:30pm - 8:30pm PDT
Room 515B
Pour some sugar on WonderCon special guest Amber Benson! The actor, writer, director (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) will give a presentation chronicling some of her more recent work, followed by a Q&A, where she will talk about whatever the earlybirds want to talk about. Cupcakes/sugar will be included.
Sunday March 27, 2016 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Room 152
The Winner Twins, Brittany and Brianna, multiple award-winning and national bestselling science fiction authors, script writers, and producers, best known for their popular Strand series, will explain how to create your own novel step by step; from building your universe to overcoming writer's block to the different paths to publishing. The twins have taught their unique award-winning creative writing method to hundreds of thousands of convention attendees, teachers, and students across the country. They will be joined by Steven-Elliot Altman (bestselling author of Deprivers, game writer of 9Dragons, Pearl's Peril and Ancient Aliens) and Richard Hatch (Captain Apollo/Tom Zarek of Battlestar Galactica, author of the bestselling Battlestar Galactica book series), along with special guests, to share their war stories, answer your questions and teach you how to craft your story idea into a marketable novel, television series, or film franchise.
Sunday March 27, 2016 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
Room 403AB
Join New York Times bestselling author and WonderCpn special guest Carrie Vaughn for a talk and Q&A session about everything from her books, publishing experiences, lifelong geeky loves, and everything in between. Carrie is the author of the bestselling urban fantasy Kitty series, about a werewolf who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. She's also written a number of other fantasy novels (After the Golden Age, Discord's Apple, Voices of Dragons, Steel), upwards of 80 short stories for publications ranging from Weird Tales to Tor.com, and she's a contributor to George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards series of shared world novels.
Sunday March 27, 2016 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 515A
What is it about a great monster that draws you in? New York Times bestselling novelist and WonderCon special guest Scott Sigler writes stories full of monsters and mayhem, including some that look just like you. This spotlight will take a look at some of the best of his own creations and at the pop culture monsters that influence his work. From the creatures that crawl beneath San Francisco in his novel Nocturnal to the terror-inducing invaders in Infected, Scott finds unique ways to delight and frighten at once.
Sunday March 27, 2016 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 151
Personal and political alliances make for strange bedfellows, companions, and frenemies in the tales of Josephine Angelini (Worldwalker Trilogy), Leah Thomas (Because You'll Never Meet Me), Chris Howard (Night Speed), and V. E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic). Maryelizabeth Yturralde of Mysterious Galaxy moderates.
Sunday March 27, 2016 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 151
UPDATED: Mon, Mar 21, 09:05AM Literary agents Holly Root (Waxman Leavell Literary Agency), and Kate Testerman (kt literary) take your questions and discuss the wild world of manuscript querying, the role of agents in the publication and film rights process, and more! No pitches, please.
Sunday March 27, 2016 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Room 502A
