Heather Rose Jones

In a world once filled with magic, mystery, and beauty, where the Old Magic slipped away from the forests, the gates to Faerie closed, and the last ships sailed to the west, what does it mean when the magic fades? We look at representations of coming back to the real world or letting go, and wonder why it is such a potent part of fantasy writing.

When we think of heroes within fantasy fiction, the first stories that often come to mind are Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, or even The Chronicles of Narnia. However, with more contemporary novels, the gender lines between defining the heteronormative hero get muddled. Let's reconsider the heroic "norm" and discuss the queer heroic fantasy already in existence. What's out there in print? Who's publishing it? What what else would we like to see?

I'll probably be reading from something yet to be published. Perhaps an excerpt from Mother of Souls.

You really, really want to write or film or build, but how do you find the time?

Meet and ask for autographs from

Most genre fiction features male heroes leading doughty groups against the Big Bad, whether it's a futuristic amoral megacorporation or an evil wizard-king. There are a few two-fisted female gun-toters leading the action, but there are far more heroines who act as catalysts for change. Why is that, and how do they do it? Compare catalyst heroines in all genres.

We worry about endangered species—but 80% of the world's languages will be dead by the century’s end, often with no fossil remains. Should we be concerned? What can be done?

How does your writing change between, i.e., short story v. novel length?