Program Participant Biographies, Continued

Erik Mona

Erik Mona is the publisher of Paizo Publishing, LLC. After a series of freelance writing and editing jobs for TSR, Mona joined Wizards of the Coast in 1999 where he co-launched the largest organized D&D campaign in history (Living Greyhawk), edited the RPGA's Polyhedron Magazine, and launched the Living Greyhawk Journal.

Erik joined Paizo Publishing in 2002 when Paizo took over publication of Wizards' magazines. At Paizo Erik became Editor-in-Chief of Dungeon and Dragon magazines, and recently spearheaded design on the world behind the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. His RPG design credits include the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, Forgotten Realms: Faiths & Pantheons, Fiendish Codex 1: Hordes of the Abyss, the Pathfinder Gazetteer, and Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk.

His RPG industry work has garnered him two Origins Awards and more than a half-dozen ENnies. In 2007, Erik launched Paizo's science fiction and fantasy trade paperback line, Planet Stories, which has gone on to publish classic works from Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore, Henry Kuttner, Michael Moorcock, Leigh Brackett, and others.
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Greg Bear

Greg Bear is the author of more than thirty books of science fiction and fantasy, including Blood Music, The Forge of God, Darwin's Radio, and Quantico. He is married to Astrid Anderson Bear and is the father of Erik and Alexandra. Awarded two Hugos and five Nebulas for his fiction, one of two authors to win a Nebula in every category, Bear has been called the "Best working writer of hard science fiction" by "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction." His most recent novel is City at the End of Time. Bear has served on political and scientific action committees and has advised Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Army, the CIA, Sandia National Laboratories, Callison Architecture, Inc., Homeland Security, and other groups and agencies.

He can be reached through his website, and there are startling supplements and visuals for City at the End of Time at www.cityattheendoftime.com
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Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove won the HOMer Award for Short Story in 1990 for "Designated Hitter," the John Esthen Cook Award for Southern Fiction in 1993 for Guns of the South, the Hugo Award for Novella in 1994 for "Down in the Bottomlands." "Must and Shall" was nominated for the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, the 1996 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and received an honorable mention for the 1995 Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The Two Georges also received an honorable mention for the 1995 Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The Worldwar series received a Sidewise Award for Alternate History Honorable Mention in 1996.

He was born in Los Angeles, CA on 14 June 1949. After failing out of his freshman year at Caltech, he attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977. His dissertation was on The Immediate Successors of Justinian: A Study of the Persian Problem and of Continuity and Change in Internal Secular Affairs in the Later Roman Empire During the Reigns of Justin II and Tiberius II Constantine (A.D. 565-582).

In 1979, Turtledove published his first two novels, Wereblood and Werenight, under the pseudonym "Eric G. Iverson." Turtledove later explained that his editor at Belmont Towers did not think people would believe the author's real name was "Turtledove" and suggested that he come up with something more Nordic. He continued to use the "Iverson" name until 1985 when he published his "Herbig-Haro" and "And So to Bed" under his real name.

Throughout the later '70's and early '80's, Turtledove worked as a technical writer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. In 1991, he left the LACOE and turned to writing full time. From 1986-1987, he served as the Treasurer for the Science Fiction Writers of America. He is married to mystery writer Laura Frankos. They have three daughters: Alison, Rachel, and Rebecca. His brother-in-law is fantasy author Steven Frankos.

The Harry Turtledove website: http://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/turtledove.html

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James Stanley Daugherty

James Stanley Daugherty (BSc, University of Oregon (Archaeology); M Phil, University of Auckland (Anthropology); MFA, Art Academy College (Photography)) describes himself as a camera artist, con-runner, and dilettante. Internationally known for his fantasy, feminist, fine art, figurative, photography, this award winning artist continually pushes the boundaries of reality with his camera. James has also worked as an archaeologist, postman, technical writer, lab technician, librarian, photo journalist, cat breeder, international investor, and coconut plantation owner.

Between conventions and gallery openings, he balances his time between Maui, San Francisco and Las Vegas, three places where imagination and history have become so intermingled that no one can tell where fantasy begins and reality ends. This is the way he likes it. James says, "If fantasy tells stories, photography focuses on the real, and art deals with the visionary, then fantasy art photography should bring back stories of reality just before it slips into the surreal. Why should life be any different?"

He is fascinated by the persistence of ancient mythology into the present, and enjoys excursions into ruined abbeys, ancient temples, and Tiki bars. James says, "Our ancestors felt that each stream, forest, and mountain had its own entities with wildly different personas and ambiguities; the Jungian psychologists think that our human psyche can explained through shared primeval archetypes; and I think we can get rid of a lot of our cultural baggage by simply shedding our clothes. By working with sympathetic models in mystical places, with the right lighting, the right equipment, and a open attitude, I can sometimes manifest the subconscious into a visual image. All artists have their own muses, mine just happens to involve creating images of people without their clothes." He considers photographing the nude in nature to be religious calling.

"Artists are Cyborgs. The human in us sees visions, but we need our tools make them manifest." - James Stanley Daugherty

"I have absolutely no objections to reality, I'm just not sure I have ever experienced it." - James Stanley Daugherty

James also assists with the occasional science fiction convention, recently chairing the Westercon in Las Vegas.

You can view his images at www.jsd.com.
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Janice Gelb

Janice Gelb has wasted many hours on the fannish Internet, participated in numerous APAs, and worked on many conventions, notably running Program Operations at five worldcons, plus serving as Assistant Division Head of Events at ConFrancisco (the 1993 worldcon), and running the Hugo ceremony at LAcon III (the 1996 worldcon). She was the 1999 DUFF (Down Under Fan Fund) North American representative at the Aussiecon 3 worldcon. She liked the country and its inhabitants so much that in 2005, she moved to Melbourne. In the Real World, she is a senior developmental editor at Sun Microsystems.

Visit Janice's website at http://www.smofbabe.net.
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Jared Dashoff

Jared Dashoff started attending Worldcons at the age of 0 when he went to the Hague while still in his mother's womb. His parents, well known fans Todd and Joni Brill Dashoff, took him to conventions across the nation and, in essence, he was born into fandom.

For the past twenty-one years he has attended multiple East Coast cons including Philcon, Balticon, Boskone, Arisia, Lunacon and Disclave/Capclave as well as 19 Worldcons. He began his own foray into fandom, after spurring off the chains of his parents, as a costumer winning multiple awards and rising to the level of Journeyman before hanging up his needles due to time constraints from high school and college.

He now spends most of his time at conventions in the Art Show or behind the stage as a ninja. At Worldcons he has become a frequenter of the Business Meeting, even venturing as far as to speak up at LA Con and be deemed a SMOF for his statements. Jared is also a fervent fighter for cons to adapt their programming and policies to bring in younger fen to fend off the greying of fandom.

Away from fandom, Jared studies Political Science and Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government at American University in Washington, DC after which he hopes to attend law school. He attempts to meld his interests in law, economics and politics with science fiction. For those who wish to know when he will take over from his father and become the first father/son pair to chair Worldcons, he says, "I still have my sanity, at least for now."
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Kate Elliott

"Kate Elliott" published her first novel with DAW Books in 1992. She wrote the seven volume epic fantasy series, Crown of Stars, whose first volume, King's Dragon, was a Nebula Award finalist in 1998. Her Novels of the Jaran, set in a speculative future, kicked off with Jaran, which she describes as "Jane Austen meets Genghis Khan" in a science fiction setting. In a previous literary life, she published four novels under her real name, Alis A. Rasmussen.

Alis Rasmussen grew up outside the thriving metropolis of Junction City, Oregon (population 2,500). No doubt the wholesome country environment led her to the joys of lurid adventure fiction. After reading The Lord of the Rings in eighth grade, she never looked back. She wrote her first novel in high school and went on to write four more before her "first" novel, The Labyrinth Gate, was published in 1988. It was followed by The Highroad Trilogy, a space opera in three acts.

A graduate of Mills College, in Oakland, California, Rasmussen worked summers during college baking desserts at the Excelsior Restaurant in Eugene, Oregon and also worked at the BBC in London. After college, she was employed at Keyboard Magazine in Cupertino, California, before becoming a full-time writer. She holds a brown belt in Shotokan karate and has experience in medieval broadsword fighting (from which she can truly say that she met her husband in a sword fight). She, her husband Jay Silverstein, an archaeologist and forensic anthropologist, and their three children live in Hawaii with their beloved if neurotic schnauzer (a/k/a "the Schnazgul") and a one-man outrigger canoe.

She is currently working on the Crossroads series (Spirit Gate and Shadow Gate, with Traitors' Gate forthcoming), published by Tor Books (USA) and Orbit Books (UK). It's an "HBO-style" fantasy with a focus on character and landscape, and an epic plot.
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Jill Eastlake

Jill Eastlake is a long time convention fan and costumer. Running this year's Masquerade, Jill co-chaired Costume-Con 18 in 2000 in Hartford Connecticut, entered and won recognition in the Worldcon Masquerades in 1984 as the Red Queen in Alice's Wonderland, in 1994 as Yoda, the Canadian Mountie, in 2004 as the Summer Spirit of the Sun, and in 2006 as half of the Gemini Twins, and ran the Arisia 2007 Masquerade in Boston. She is now a Master Costumer.

At Denvention Jill is concentrating all of her efforts in bringing us all the best Masquerade possible. Her friends know how dangerous she is, as she almost never does anything alone. So, if you are in the vicinity, practice the well-worn word "no" or you will find yourself working with Jill and having a great time doing so. Oh, and Jill is the forthcoming chair of Arisia 2009, in Boston in January. Yes, it will likely snow.
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Joy Ward

Joy Ward is a writer, consumer psychology consultant, public relations and media advisor to political campaigns and until last month, a professional blogger with Dogster.com. Her first novel, Haint: A Tale of Extraterrestrial Intervention and Love Across Time and Space has been described as a book, "for those who love dogs and science fiction and aren't afraid to combine the two," and "the start of a whole new genre."

She was born in Birmingham, AL but grew up in Memphis, TN. Her early interests were visual arts and dance. Ward recalled, "I was selling portraits to friends and adults beginning about the age of 7. I guess I started writing about the same time. I took a break from writing in my teens and studied voice, planning to become a singer. When I went back to writing I took that musical sensibility with me so that my writing had to sound to me like music. I still write that way."

Ward spent a lot of time in California before returning to Memphis, finishing another Masters (Political Science; International Management) and moving to St. Louis to take a job as head writer at a regional business magazine. She has spent over 15 years as a consumer psychology consultant advising corporations and organizations. Most of her research and writing efforts focused on usually confidential reports on a variety of subjects including food products, dairies, adoption, abortion, abstinence, cars, and pharmaceuticals. Said Ward, "The best part about having done hundreds (maybe thousands) of interviews with the widest possible variety of people is that I've gotten to listen to how people really talk and think. There's no better gift for a writer.

Until June, Ward edited and wrote the For Love of Dog Blog on Dogster.com. The For Love of Dog Blog was voted as one of the top ten animal blogs in 2007. She continues her blogging at www.joyward.blogspot.com.

Ward lives with her two Weimaraners Sol and Star, her Beagle Beatrice and her Coonhound Mix Annie in St. Louis, MO. She has a chapter coming out in Newshounds, a collection of news stories about dogs. Newshounds is edited by Great Britain's K9 Magazine editor Ryan O'Meara and will be published by Globe Pequot Press in 2009. She is also working on the first sequel to Haint.
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Karen Haber

Karen Haber is the author of nine novels including Star Trek Voyager: Bless the Beasts, and co-author of Science of the X-Men. In 2001 she was nominated for a Hugo for Meditations on Middle Earth, an essay collection celebrating J.R.R. Tolkien.

Her short fiction has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and many anthologies. She reviews art books for LOCUS magazine and profiles artists for various publications including Realms of Fantasy. With her husband, Robert Silverberg, she co-edited Best Science Fiction of 2001, 2002, and the Best Fantasy of 2001 and 2002 for ibooks and later, co-edited the series with Jonathan Strahan through 2004.

Her recent work includes Crossing Infinity, a science fiction novel of gender identity and confusions, from ibooks; Kong Unbound: an original anthology, ibooks; and an essay in The Unauthorized X-Men edited by Len Wein. Other publications include Exploring the Matrix: Visions of the Cyber Present, a collection of essays by leading science fiction writers and artists, and Transitions: Todd Lockwood, a retrospective of the artist's work.

In her off hours, she admits, "I've rarely met a cat, a glass of champagne, or a flea market that I didn't like."

Visit her webpage at: http://www.geocities.com/karenhaber/
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