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Our Participants
Updated 09/06/2007 A few participants sent pictures of themselves. If the name is an active link, click on it to see the picture. |
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Agent Mixsae aka Tammy Christie Tammy Christie is the creator and personality known as “Agent Mixsae”. Tammy created this character to audition for the show Who Wants To Be A Superhero. Although she did not make the cast, other opportunities arose and Tammy is an active core member of The Skiffytown League of Heroes. She’s been credited by many to be the heart or soul of the group. Tammy was one of the first members to venture into Fan Fiction utilizing her character and encouraged many to join in. Tammy resides in Nashville, TN and is a mother of two and friend to many. Agent Mixsae is a 488-year-old fire elemental who also happens to be a Conspiracy Op’s agent. The Conspiracy Op’s are an elite black op’s unit specializing in protecting the beings and creatures who could impair the human way of life on this planet. She’s based out of Wisconsin and spends her free time hanging out with her best friends Sasquatch and Agent Stone (a Leprechaun attached to the Leprechaun Liberation Front or L.L.F.) Catherine Book …is appropriately named. She collects, stores, covets and otherwise lives for books. She also manages our Charity Auctions, where one can find, dare we say it - books. She can often be found standing in a line for autographs, any autograph. Fannishly, Catherine is a Staff Writer and Advertising Director for ConNotations, a fan-run, non-profit newszine. She is the Charity Auction Director for most of the local fan-run SF conventions. She has also dabbled in Guest Liaison and Programming; although she swears she’ll never do it again…until the next time. She is the Western Science Fiction Assn Secretary and manages a book donation collection drive for a school for homeless children. Catherine lives with her husband, Ron, two 4-legged furry children, and a new granddaughter. She currently works as a Data Administrator for the Bureau of Land Management. And, she spent eleven years in the US Army. Go figure. David Boop Author David Boop makes a return to the Arizona fandom having been a volunteer 15 years ago. He has published several short stories and had two short screenplays made. He has won or placed in several writing contests and has taught writing through writer’s group and workshops. A single dad, student and editor, Dave’s goal is balance his responsibilities and dreams. Dave has worked over 40 jobs in his lifetime, many which show up in his stories. Some more creative ones include DJ, clown and stand-up comic. www.myspace.com/longshots_lair Debe Branning Debe Branning resides in Mesa, AZ and has been the director of the paranormal team---The MVD Ghostchasers---since 1995. She investigates haunted historical locations in Arizona. She is a guest speaker at Ottawa University on the subject of ghost photography and ghost hunting. She organizes spirit photography workshops in various haunted establishments around the state. She has been on local radio talk shows, statewide TV news reports on haunted sites, and featured on an international Telemundo broadcast about a haunted hotel in Douglas, Arizona. Debe has been ghost hunting with some of the top paranormal investigators in the US. She has been the subject of several newspaper and magazine stories on various ghost sightings. She is also the writer of a new book titled “Sleeping With Ghosts--A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Arizona’s Haunted Hotels and Inns”---published by Golden West Publishing 2004. www.mvdghostchasers.com Summer Brooks Summer Brooks is a producer for several FarPoint Media productions, as well as resident webmistress and technical advisor for the many websites that accompany the shows. One of her other prime responsibilities is as Guest Coordinator for “Cover to Cover” and “Slice of SciFi”, putting her SF media geek skills to good use in arranging guest appearances and interviews for the shows. As on-air talent for FarPoint Media productions, Summer is one of the co-hosts of “Slice of SciFi”, “The Babylon Podcast” and “Cover to Cover”, as well as the lead host for “The Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas”. Summer is an avid reader and writer of science fiction and fantasy, with a few publishing credits to her name. She’s also a big fan of action movies, good SF and fantasy films, longs for the old fashioned good times of a fun romp with a monster movie, and has a big soft spot in her heart for westerns. In addition to continuing to increase her publishing bibliography, Summer also desires to write and produce a TV series or miniseries that makes an impact on people. www.farpointmedia.net David Brown David Brown is a nearly life-long resident of Arizona. His first creative endeavors were cartoons produced in elementary school. In middle school, he shifted to writing, and has been turning out stories ever since. The Worlds of Naughtenny Moore is his first complete, novel-length publication. Previous experience includes volunteering at a public library and the Mesa Southwest Museum. The author received a bachelor’s degree in paleontology from Northern Arizona University in 2005. As of August 2007, he is attending Denver Seminary. Shane Bryner Chairman of the Shadow board of Across Plus Loves, Cats, Magic, Egypt, and Anime Industry Rep for AniZona I am always here even when I am not Emma Bull Author of novels and short stories. My latest novel is Territory (Tor Books, 2007), a fantasy centering on the Gunfight Behind the O.K. Corral in 1881. My short story, "What Used to Be Good Still Is," is included in Firebirds Rising, ed. Sharyn November, which is on the final ballot for the World Fantasy Award. My first novel, War for the Oaks, is still kind of a cult fave. I sing and play guitar; I was in Cats Laughing, a Minneapolis psychedelic folk jazz band, with fellow authors and soon-to-be authors Steve Brust and Adam Stemple (and now-solo folk artist Lojo Russo and now-professor Bill Colsher). I was also half of The Flash Girls, a goth-folk duo, with Lorraine Garland. www.coffeeem.livejournal.com Frances Burns Frances Burns has been active in costuming for over 15 years. It is rumored that she popped into this world naked, clutching a portable sewing machine and proceeded to design her own diapers. Frances has been altering and fitting patterns for family and friends since grade school, perfecting the art of clothing making for the less than perfect body for over 30 years. Frances was mentored by her neighborhood seamstress who was trained in French Quebec, this impressed her with an eye for detail construction, fit, and quality. She approaches the design and production of costumes as actual clothing – not props to be used once or twice. This has made her popular as a dressmaker for individuals who wear costume attire as everyday clothing, including Ren-Fair participants and gypsy fortune-tellers. Captain Cola aka Brian Duncan After an " accidental" drinking of cola and toxic waste, a hero is born with the power to create near unpoppable bubbles, superspeed and with a supersonic belch he fights crime and talks about tolerance and bullies. His secret identity is a night stalker... oops - stocker and teaches drama at the school where his sidekicks Soda Pop and Fizz attend. He tried out for Who Wants to be a Superhero... alas, no - but there is always next year... Lainey Carlile Lainey grew up in Phoenix. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and dancing. Since there are fewer activities for children at conventions, she likes to have fun things for them to do, and the parents get a little playtime, too. Tammy Christie aka Agent Mixsae Sarah Clemens Sarah Clemens didn't realize until later in life that growing up with a ballet company and at a television studio was in any way unusual. Her mother was the company pianist for the Memphis Civic Ballet and her father was a cameraman and press photographer for WHBQ in Memphis, Tennessee. While in grade school she occasionally helped host the kiddie show on Saturday with Happy Hal, showing early leanings toward art by sketching with Hal between cartoons. Backstage at the ballet, she helped make costumes, listened to her mother play lovely music and took lots of classes until she realized that she had lousy turnout and decided to concentrate on art. Her early love of science fiction and fantasy art came even before she could read, from looking at the covers of Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, with its incredible artwork by Ed Emshwiller. The artwork Sarah Clemens most enjoys doing is fantasy and science fiction, and she has been going to conventions since the late seventies. She is gratified at the response of con-goers to her award-winning paintings of Magnus & Loki, which have been the most fun of all. She is a photo-real artist exhibiting her mainstream work in galleries in Boca Raton, Scottsdale and Beverly Hills. She is also a medical illustrator and has worked for prominent attorneys for 17 years and her work has helped to win multimillion dollar cases. Growing up in a darkroom contributes to her love of photography and she still does photowork occasionally. She has published short stories with Asimov's magazine and Ellen Datlow anthologies. In her checkered past, she also wrote movie reviews for USA Today's phone-in line and bogus horoscopes for a 900 number that will remain nameless. She is a passionate skeptic and has written and produced planetarium shows disproving the claim that UFOs exist. http://www.clemensart.com/fantasy.htm | www.magnusandloki.com Michael Contos My first exposure to science fiction was reading my father’s old signet 25 cent paperbacks back in the early 70’s. Growing up in Thief River Falls, MN the only choices were the Public Library or the corner drug store (aptly named The Corner Drug). This meant that my early reading ranged from the “Gor” series to Emphyrio. My earliest fantasy reads were “The Tritonian Ring” and “The Worm Ourobus” While pursuing a degree in biology I attended my first con, Valley Con in Fargo, ND. After finishing my degree I joined the Army and spent 3 years working in the Virology division of USAMRIID at Ft Detrick. This is probably as close to “living science fiction” as I’ve ever come. After I left active duty I went back to school and picked up a Pharmacy Doctor degree and accepted a commission in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Before being stationed in Arizona I had the pleasure of attending several MileHiCons, Anaconisms and a BuboniCon. Nowadays, I divide my reading between Hard Science Fiction and Supernatural/Fantasy with an occasional foray into supernatural romance (my current literary “guilty pleasure”). I’m also a member of the Central Arizona Speculative Fiction Society, the SCA and the Tucson Space Society. Eric Curless Tom Dahoney Mr. Thomas Dahoney has been an active participant in Medieval recreation for the past three years. He has earned the status of Marshal (referee) for both youth and adult hard suit (armored w/ heavy weapons) combat. He himself has been a hard suit fighter as well as operating a siege weapon on the “battle field.” He and his sons have built two Roman onagers along with helping to build a ballista. Within the Society for Creative Anachronism, he belongs to the households of the Barbarian Freehold Alliance and Scimitar Talon Free Company. Tom is currently developing his own military order within “the game.” He is actively involved with his sons and has given classes on youth combat. Mr. Dahoney is registered with and has been actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America for 15 years. This Eagle Scout has served the organization in many capacities, including that of Scout Master. He currently participates in Scouting with both of his sons. Darkwind aka Rob James The costumed hero known as Darkwind is truly a man of mystery. Little is known of his past but all those in need know he is a friend to them all. DCs Guardian aka James Gray Drama Queen aka Alison Reeger Since Drama Queen was a child, she has had the rare ability to see a race of ancient creatures called the Devoro, which are invisible to most human eyes and devour the creative, passionate thoughts and energies of mankind. When she grew older, she found she had the even rarer ability to physically fight back against the Devoro, and thus was given three artifacts by three demoted gods of creativity to help in her battles. To keep humanity from turning into a world of apathetic drones (and thus easily controllable by Devoro and supervillains alike), she fights for everyone's creative freedom and self expression. Her powers are driven by her emotions, which are both her strength and weakness. Through the help of her Skiffytown allies, she has gradually learned to better control her powers and has learned that no one needs to fight their personal battles alone. Never give up on what you love. Some people go their whole lives without following their dreams, and that makes existence quite dreary. Fight back against your personal Devoro. Keep your resolutions strong, and never toss your dreams and ideas aside. Be passionate. Live with unbridled imagination. Brian Duncan aka Captain Cola Jenny Duncan Jenny works as a pharmacy tech for a local pharmacy she has 3 children and has been going to cons since she was little. She moved from being Robert Peacock’s daughter to a member of the Duncan clan. She enjoys many aspects of sci fi books, films, art and TV. Craig Dyer Craig came to Arizona from New York in the mid ‘70s. Through a twist of fate, he became involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism where he is known as Lord Craig of the White Cliffs,. From the SCA it was a short trip to fannish activities. On Saturday evenings at conventions he can usually be found accompanied by several large, white, wooden ammunition chests, in which he keeps a generous supply of homemade vodka-based cordials. He combines the spirit of a vintner with the showmanship of a low-key P.T. Barnum, as he joyfully discusses the ingredients and watches the pleasure on the faces of his (new and long-held) fannish friends. Currently he is teaching the art of cordial making through bi-monthly classes held at his home. Fannishly, he has chaired CopperCon 19 (1999), HexaCon 10 (2000), HexaCon 12 (2002) as well as ConKopelli, the 2004 Westercon. Additionally he is the webmaster and keeper of the database and co-editor of ConNotations for CASFS, a member of AniZona, and a founding member of WesternSFA. In the real world he is a highly proficient computer tech for the Maricopa County Community College district, an ardent player/collector of collector card games, owned by numerous cats, dogs, ferrets, turtles, rabbits and birds, and hailed as a generally pleasant fellow. jan michael finder aka Wombat The Wombat, aka jan howard finder, has been reading SF for more than 50 years & active in SF circles for about 30. He chaired 2 Tolkien conf., 69 & 71. After finding fandom in 72 & cons in 73, in the UK, he ran 2 SF cons, 77 & 79. In 93 he was accorded the genuine honor of being named as an Honored Guest at CONFRANCISCO, the 1993 Worldcon. He came out of retirement in 96 to chair ALBACON 96. Still brain dead, he successfully chaired SFRA 2001, an academic conf. on SF. He participates in, judged & MC's masquerades. He is one of the best auctioneers found at cons. According to backs that know, he gives the best backrubs north of the South Pole. He put out an award winning fanzine, The Spang Blah. He sold a short story in 81 & edited an SF anthology, Alien Encounters, in 82, & published his incredible Finder's Guide to Australterrestrials. He is a marsupial groupie. In 99 he attended A3, afterwards he drove about Oz for a total of 174 days looking for wombats. He puts out an irregular fanzine on Arthur Upfield, an Australian mystery writer. He also likes aerobics, learned to scuba, is taking up sailing, learning how to play cricket, has a budding film career & visited Middle-earth in JAN 04. Ask him about Yaminons, wombats, and BYTELOCK. He is a neat guy. Buy him a Pepsi! Dr. Laura Brodian Freas Doctor Laura Brodian Freas is a voiceover artist and classical music personality on radio station KMZT in Los Angeles, and is also the voice of Delta Jazz for Delta Airlines. A past President of the Southern California Early Music Society, she has a doctorate in Music Education, but also attended art classes at Indiana University's School of Fine Arts and at the California Art Institute. Her cover and interior artwork has been published by, among others, TSR, The Easton Press, Analog Magazine of Science Fiction/Fact, Weird Tales, and Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine. Laura was a co-recipient [with Frank Kelly Freas] of The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists [ASFA]'s Chesley Award for Best Cover of the Year. Laura has also served as ASFA's Western Regional Director. Laura is a Judge in the L. Ron Hubbard “Illustrators of the Future Contest.” One of her passions is costuming. She is a former Director-at-Large of Costumer's Guild West and a WesterCon Masquerade winner and a WorldCon Masquerade Judge. She also founded the Collinsport Players performing troupe when she was the MC at the first annual Dark Shadows Festival. Another of her passions is English Regency Dancing, which she also teaches. Laura founded the [San Francisco] Bay Area English Regency Society. A member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists, Laura is the widow of science fiction's favorite illustrator, Frank Kelly Freas, with whom she co-edited the fourth volume of his collected works, FRANK KELLY FREAS: AS HE SEES IT in 2000. Michael Fugere aka KryHavoc Michael Fugere is lifelong fan of comic books and superheroes. His earliest memory is reading a Popeye comic book at the age of four. He has collected comic books over the years and is one of the original Marvel Zombies. Anything Marvel Comics published, he bought. His dream was ignited by Season 1 of Who Wants To Be A Superhero, but was unable to audition at that time. When he met Feedback in person and told Feedback how much he inspired Michael and wished he could audition, Feedback told him they were having live auditions in Phoenix the next weekend. Michael spent the next week creating his superhero character. Thus, Kryhavoc, The Deaf Master of Sound was created, defending the hearing impaired everywhere. Along with other friendships formed online, the Skiffytown League of Superheroes were formed. Kryhavoc writes fan fiction based on the characters that can be found in this online community. In real life, Michael is a patient care advocate at a mail order pharmacy. Caitlin Gilson James Gray aka DCs Guardian DCs Guardian is a hero of James Gray’s imagination. His real life creator retired from the United States Air Force after 20 years, with many deployments around the world under his belt. Seeing the world up close, he rediscovered how great this country really is and upon the death of Captain America, he took up the fight to let people know just how lucky they are. His creation is hero DCs Guardian, an ex-military man, just before his retirement after 20 years in the United States Air Force, a freak weapons accident gave him the power to create earthquakes and pulse blasts. His martial arts training and his love of country once again guided him to serve the country he loves. Protecting the ideals of America, not political and not a tool for the government, he continues his fight for life, liberty and the American dream. James’ passions include writing and costuming. Currently writing FanFic on the Sci-Fi forum for Who Wants To Be a Superhero, he also assists many people on costume design as well as character history and military application to stories for both Renaissance and Science Fiction and Fantasy. http:// www.myspace.com/dc_guardian Mark Greenawalt Mark Greenawalt's first CopperCon was when he participated in number 22 back in 2002. The theme was Star Wars and he body painted a liquid latex version of Mara Jade. Since then he has painted a model with Lord of the Rings runes for Con23, a pair of dragons for Con24, and as Artist Guest of Honor for CopperCon 25, he painted the copper warrior woman for the program cover in addition to an all-night bodypainting marathon. After a one-year hiatus he returns to CopperCon 27 intending on keeping with the theme of "Children of the Night". To see his on-line portfolio of hundreds of body art projects, visit www.futureclassx.com. Bennie Grezlik Bennie Grezlik is a Yard Dog Press writer. He has stories in the anthologies "More Stories That Won't Make Your Parents Hurl," "The Four Bubbas of the Apocalypse," "The International House of Bubbas," "Houston, We Have Bubbas," and "Flush Fiction." He also has stories with SAM's DOT Publishing, one of which is in an anthology called Wondrous Web World #6. His novel "The Ark of Arianna" is published by StoneGarden Publishing. His trilogy "The Search For Earth" will be published by StoneGarden during the next two years. He has also written a number of Skip Thruster, Space Detective plays for KPFT Houston, Radio Pacifica. You may find out more at www.benniegrezlik.com. Dawn Grigsby Diane Harris Diane began her adventures in clothing and costuming like a lot of little girls around the age of 6 by piecing together outfits for her Barbie doll. According to her mother, Diane’s Barbie doll was the best-dressed on the block. From there, Diane costumed herself in school plays and, of course, each and every Halloween (according to some people, she was way too old when she quit costuming on Halloween – but thankfully she has picked up the Halloween costuming again). As an adult in her mid-20’s, Diane began acting on local theater stages. While her acting skills were impressive, her costuming had everyone begging her to do theirs as well. So she began her exploration into the world of costuming again, and now has costumed on literally every stage in the Valley, as well as in New York (a summer theater workshop production that started at ASU West and ended up on 2 stages in the City). Diane has an extraordinary gift for colors and making things “pop”, as well as the ability to translate this into body shape to accent one’s best asset on one’s body. As President of Southwest Costumer’s Guild (SWCG), she hopes to bring new members to this genre. Her personal “fetish” era is the Victorian era – she has over 18 awards for her work and presentations. Diane hosts “A Day in the Life of a Victorian Woman” for clubs, groups and churches where women in those organizations model different stages of clothes throughout a day in that era. It is great fun and a wonderful educational event. In real life, Diane is involved in market research and consulting. She hopes to one day make costuming her business. Kelley Heckert Kelley lives in Arizona with her husband, Michael, and their two dogs. She was born with a vivid imagination and a fascination with ancient history and the supernatural. Though she resides on the earthly realm, she always has one foot firmly planted in the otherworldly realm of mystical creatures and magic. She has written numerous short stories and song lyrics. Of Water and Dragons is her first novel. Kelley has two more novels coming soon from Awe-Struck (one of which is a sequel to Of Water and Dragons) and a trilogy in the works set in early medieval Scotland. In addition to writing books, she also enjoys playing and writing music, and designing crosses out of driftwood. She can be found online at www.kelleyheckart.com. Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan’s three novels, Smoking Mirror Blues, Cortez on Jupiter and High Aztech, have earned him a reputation as an international cult author, though the rumors of cannibalism and human sacrifice have been greatly exaggerated… His short fiction has appeared in ANALOG, AMAZING STORIES, SCIENCE FICTION AGE, SEMIOTEXT(E) SF, ANGEL BODY AND OTHER MAGIC FOR THE SOUL, WITPUNK and many other publications. A film version of his infamous story, “The Frankenstein Penis,” is available as the special feature, “Phallocrat” on the DVD, “Hellchild”, and unauthorized translations keep showing up all over the planet. This century has had him working on a mainstream novel, Walter Quixote: Or, Love in the Time of Terrorism. Lee Hogan Emily Devenport had six novels published by ROC: Shade, Larissa, Scorpianne, EggHeads, The Kronos Condition, and GodHeads. Her short stories were published by ASIMOV’S SF MAGAZINE, the FULL SPECTRUM anthology, and ABORIGINAL SF, whose readers voted her a Boomerang Award for most popular story. As Maggy Thomas she wrote Broken Time, published by ROC in the U.S. and URANIA in Italy. Broken Time was nominated for the Philip K. Dick award. As Lee Hogan she wrote Belarus and Enemies, published by ROC in the U.S. and OPUS in Israel. She is currently writing again as Emily Devenport, working on a Fantasy proposal, and co-writing two Young Adult Fantasy proposals with her husband, artist/writer Ernest Hogan. Mark Horning Mark Horning is best known for his "Folk Style" music and songs about space. He works as a physicist at the Air Force Research Lab in Mesa AZ when he is not at ASU working on his Ph.D. He is most often accompanied at conventions by his wife, Jennifer, and their three children. http://www.eskimo.com/~mhorning Aleta Jackson Loretta “Aleta” Jackson is one of XCOR’s founders. Aleta has over 30 years experience in research and development within the aerospace community, starting with McDonnell Douglas on the Gemini program. She has worked on such diverse aerospace programs as SDI, Delta Clipper/Graham, StarTracker and the Tomahawk cruise missle. She has over ten years experience as a professional editor and writer, and has been published in the Washington Post, ANALOG, and other magazines. She attended Indiana Institute of Technology and Arizona State University, majoring in mechanical engineering. Rob James aka Darkwind Steve Kates aka Dr. Sky Dr. Sky is an “edutainer,” both educator and entertainer, focusing on the field of “sky science.” Sky science covers the four realms of astronomy, weather, aviation and space, charting human adventures into the fields of aviation and space exploration. Dr. Sky’s mission is to encourage people to look up to the heavens with awe and curiosity. Dr. Sky explains the wonderment and reveals the secrets of our galaxy and the universe. A past NASA/Jet Propulsion Labs Solar System Ambassador, Steve Kates is the host of a regular radio program, which launches from Phoenix, Arizona and is heard on many affiliated stations in the nation. Shelly Kelly http://www.myspace.com/scimitartalon V. John Kelly, Jr. http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Scimitar-Talon/ V. J. Kelly III Kryhavoc aka Michael Fugere Jacqueline Lichtenberg Jacqueline Lichtenberg is creator of the Sime~Gen Universe, primary author of Star Trek Lives!, founder of the Star Trek Welcommittee, creator of the term Intimate Adventure, winner of the Galaxy Award for Spirituality in Science Fiction and one of the first Romantic Times Awards for Best Science Fiction Novel. With new novels and non-fiction being published, her work is now in e-book form, audio-dramatization and on XM Satellite Radio. She has been sf/f reviewer for The Monthly Aspectarian for 13 years. With Professor Jean Lorrah, she teaches sf/f writing online via Tarot and Astrology. Bio and Bibliography at www.simegen.com/jl/ Mark Ashton Lund Mark Lund is a television personality, producer, former magazine publisher and author. He was a judge on FOX’s Skating with Celebrities, which aired in 2006. While serving as a figure skating analyst for CNN during the 2002 Winter Olympics, Lund was one of the first reporters to identify the French judge as the center of the judging controversy in the pair competition. An avid fan of science fiction and enthusiastic supporter of space exploration, Lund wrote a feature-length screenplay titled First World. To bring it to life, Lund produced a 25-minute short, which is presently being screened at science fiction conventions. www.marklundtv.com Jack Mangan Jack Mangan is an author, podcaster, musician, father, software engineer, etc., born in New Jersey, but now residing in Arizona. His “Jack Mangan’s Deadpan Podcast” features interviews, comedy skits, his original music, and a great deal of listener-provided content. Jack’s “Spherical Tomi” was among the first wave of podcast novels, and was the number one title at Podibooks.com in January 2006. His podcasting journey began with the “Duel of the Fates” series, originally heard on the Dragon Page Wingin’ It! Show. Jack is a frequent guest on the Dragon Page series of shows, and has also made appearances on the Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas podcast. And oh yeah, he still considers himself an author, with “Spherical Tomi” available in print chapbook and e-book formats from Creative Guy Publishing. Jack’s short story, “Sixteen Pieces at a Time” placed third in the SFReader.com 2005 short fiction contest. His writing has also appeared in the Amityville House of Pancakes Omnibus, vol. 1 anthology, Interzone, The Internet Review of Science Fiction, Neometropolis, Sonic Fiction 2, and many other small presses and zines. No room left in this bio to discuss his music. More info about Jack Mangan and his work at: www.jackmangan.com. Sue Martin Sue Martin has been a member of local fandom for more than ten years. For over 15 years, she freelanced science fiction and fantasy book reviews to the Los Angeles Times Book review section (She worked at the newspaper for 18 years, her last five years as the Film Dept. desk assistant. While in that department she freelanced many articles on science fiction and fantasy on TV and in film. She even got an exclusive in-person interview with George Lucas on the 10th anniversary of "Star Wars!"). She has been an avid and voracious reader all of her life and holds opinions on many things. She is working right this very second on finishing up her first romance novel, discovering in the process--it ain't as simple as it looks! Of course, she hopes to start her very own collection of rejection slips very soon. Martin currently reviews books for ConNotations. Alice Massoglia Alice has been active in club and convention fandom since the mid'70s, having worked on numerous conventions around the southwest since 1977. Alice (then Alice Williams) was Fan GoH at CopperCon 5. She added bookselling to her schedule about 5 years later, helping her husband Marty at dealers' tables and with their bookstore and mailorder book business. Her four children all grew up as part of Los Angeles and Phoenix fandom, and her youngest, Ben, is still very much an active member of those groups. She has also helped promote the interest among fans and others in Regency Dance, both as a hostess for her local (Los Angeles area) events and by teaching the dances at conventions here in Arizona. Besides reading, her other interests include handicraft work (crocheting and knitting for her grandchildren being the current projects), cooking and listening to radio dramas. http://home.pacbell.net/ambooks Marty Massoglia http://home.pacbell.net/ambooks Tisha McGovern Tisha McGovern is an Arizona native and grew up in the Cave Creek area. Upon reaching her thirties, Tisha embraced her inner geek, much to her husband’s surprise, including nurturing a love of comics by Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman. She is also an active member of the Arizona Browncoats. Tisha shares her love of fantasy and science fiction with her two children, including a deep love for Middle Earth. Her favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Frank Herbert, George R.R. Martin, Stephen King, Robert Jordan and J.R.R Tolkien. Her favorite television obsessions are Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly. She was part of the planning committee for the Arizona Browncoats charity screening of Serenity in June of 2007. Tisha has yearned for an outlet for her creativity and is very excited to be a part of CopperCon. Loretta McKibben Loretta McKibben is the NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador for southern Arizona, and is a returning student at the University of Arizona. She served as the Information Specialist Coordinator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) telescopic camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for several years, and also worked on the Mars 2001 Odyssey Gamma-Ray Spectrometer team as a scientific programmer. She enjoys teaching kids about space exploration and astronomy and has organized large public outreach events for more than 25 years. She has served as a volunteer NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador since the program began in 1997 and is a volunteer telescope operator at Flandrau Science Center. She is working on several science fiction and fantasy novels. Her email is evilmacqueen@gmail.com and on the web: http://www.seds.org/~loretta Kyle McNatt Kyle McNatt is a member of Arizona Paranormal Investigations. They are a highly trained, non-profit investigative team, which has been serving Arizona and the southwest for since 1994. Kyle is intrigued with the paranormal, but his skeptical science-based leanings drive him to look for proof that it exists. He thinks that the field of paranormal research is a fledgling science and he hopes that someday the evidence he collects will help advance the study of paranormal phenomena. When asked why this self-proclaimed geek enjoys ghost hunting he replied, “I get to meet some really interesting people and help those that are in trouble, I get to do all kinds of modern and historical research, I get to collect data and evidence, I get to play with some really cool toys, and best of all I frequently have the opportunity to see something amazing.” Michael Mennenga Michael R. Mennenga (men-en-gay) is the founder of FarPoint Media, and in daily business and operations acts as the company’s CEO and Director, as well as being the primary audio engineer. In addition, Michael is the host of “The Dragon Page Cover to Cover” and “Slice of Scifi”, and “Wingin’ It-3D!” With his co-hosts Summer Brooks, Michael A. Stackpole, and Brian Brown, they team up to give listeners the most entertaining presentation of the latest news in SF literature and media, and lively and informative interviews. The shows are broadcast on XM Satellite Radio and in syndication on AM & FM stations throughout the US, and sent to listeners worldwide via the portable media innovations of podcasting. www.farpointmedia.net Casey Moore Wayne Myers Wayne Myers is co-founder of Tricuspa Figment Live Action Systems, a group of friends that put together games and activities for groups which usually reference pop culture favorites. The events are intended to be full of fun while being family friendly, so that everyone can be involved. Wayne has also served also in the many hats of local conventions, ranging from volunteer, staff, participant to game director and even co-conspirator of an upcoming convention. In 2009 he will see if it turns out! In the meantime he works with others and helps them design games that may eventually see publication. www.tflas.info David Nelson David M. Nelson is Planetary Geologist, having received his MS in Geology at ASU in 1997. For most of 13 years, he has performed research using data from several Mars missions, including Viking Orbiter, Mars Global Surveyor, Pathfinder, and Mars Odyssey. He has also helped with the planning of the European Mars Express missions in the image targeting of surface areas on Mars for the High Resolution Space Camera. He is currently working on a PhD in Geography, emphasizing Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing. He is also applying his planetary science skills as a research & technical associate for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (to be launched in October of 2008) and the Mercury MESSENGER mission (due to orbit Mercury in 2011). In his limited spare time, he also writes SF/F as a hobby, and is an avid movie buff, especially in the genres of SF/F. Bill Nicholls Bill Nicholls, or BillN as he is known online, has a BS in physics, 40+ years in the computer industry, does IT consulting, and writes about technology. Starting in March 1985, he joined BIX, an early on-line community, became a moderator and learned to write clearly. A year later, Phil Lemmons (Byte Editor) invited him to write a sidebar on the new Intel 386 chip. Since then he has written for Byte.com and other magazines. Bill continues to consult with a new startup, write articles and science fiction stories with a bent to alternate history timelines. He invests in the stock market, and is still rebuilding his house while leading the PacificNorthwest team for ClimatePrediction.net. In the last 18 months, he has studied Global Warming and is concerned about the consequences. Rick Novy Scottsdale writer Rick Novy has eighteen science fiction stories published or forthcoming. He is a graduate of Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp. His work has appeared in venues such as Darker Matter and Intergalactic Medicine Show. www.ricknovy.com Kevin O’Connor Kevin O'Connor is best known as TD0013 of the 501st Dune Sea Garrison. He is a proud member of the 501st Stormtrooper Legion, which is a worldwide Star Wars costuming group. Kevin keeps busy writing and performing “A Different Point of View” for the podcast show “Wingin’ It” at dragonpage.com, as well as acting work here and there. http://www.az501st.com Kevin has about 20 years costuming experience, and was part of the redesign and rebuild of the armor for YK Productions "The Vilikon Chronicles". He is also the Commanding Officer of the Dune Sea Garrison, the Arizona chapter of the 501st, and has many years experience in acting, stuntwork, and performing at large. He is also a damned handsome bastard. Janeen O'Kerry Growing up in the military, I lived in many places -- California, Germany, Washington D.C., Texas, and Ohio. And like many writers, I've held a number of different jobs -- everything from computer programmer to horseback riding instructor. My writing career began in 1984 when I sold the first of over 100 non-fiction articles written for the national and regional horse magazines. A few years later, a friend and I decided to try our hand at novels. We wrote three and sold the third one, APRIL'S CHRISTMAS, to Avalon Books in 1994. My own first novel was LADY OF FIRE, a time-travel romance published by Leisure Books in 1996. I've always had a great interest in Ireland, history, horses and fantasy, and truly enjoy combining all these things in my novels. I've now finished nine novels, all of them published as Romances by Leisure Books and all of them heavy on the fantasy/magic/pagan elements. I now live in beautiful Arizona with my family, my cat, and my five-gaited American Saddlebred pleasure horse. http://www.okerry.net B.Jean Palmer Anna Paradox Anna Paradox leads a double life, as all good paradoxes should. She writes and edits, and was most recently published in Polaris, an anthology of polar science stories edited by Julie Czerneda. She is also a life coach, dedicated to bringing the best success tools to fans. After all, we wouldn't want to be the last tribe to discover fire. Her free newsletter, Creating Space, is available through her website at annaparadox.com/newsletter. www.annaparadox.com Matthew Peterson Matthew Peterson has won or placed in several short story contests. His first young adult novel, Paraworld Zero, will be published later this year. In conjunction with his publisher, Matthew has used his versatile talents to create his own book cover, chapter art, audio book, website, and book trailer. He currently lives in Arizona with his wife and five boys, along with their gigantic tortoise. Visit his sites at www.ParaWorlds.com and www.ParaWorlds.net Darren Reale Darren Reale received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Chapman University, and then received a Master's in Music Education degree from Arizona State University. He currently is the music director for the Laveen Elementary School district where he instructs general music, choir, and band. He is a published poet and recording artist of folk music, specializing in the history of novelty-filk music and its performance. He also is a 10-year veteran in the Navy Reserves, working for the Seabees (Construction Battalion). He specializes there in warfare tactics, and has received the Seabee Combat Warfare pin, and is the past Seabee Combat Warfare instructor for Phoenix Navy Reserve Center. Since 1983, he has been a participant and leader of various groups in the Society for Creative Anachronism doing armored combat performing bardic music. Alison Reeger aka Drama Queen Sara Schooley Ken St. Andre Nobody knows anything about Ken--we just invite him back year after year out of habit… 2005 was a big year for Ken with two new editions of Tunnels and Trolls coming out--edition 5.5 and the Mythical 7th edition. He had a story published in the Golden Heroes Anthology by Cafe Press, and half a dozen book reviews in Library Journal. And he really hates bios. http://www.geocities.com/kenstandre Annette Sexton-Ruiz Annette Maria Sexton-Ruiz began exhibiting artwork since the mid 80's and has shown in Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles and Mexico. She earned her Bachelor of Art Degree from Arizona State University, distinction in Art History with Pre-Columbian, Southwestern and Mexican emphasis. She has also worked in the Museum environment for 15 years at the Phoenix Art Museum, Pueblo Grande Museum as well as the Museo Chicano. She uses her life experiences and travels as influences in her work and has more recently worked on public art commissions, in various schools, the Phoenix Children's Hospital and private restuarants. Website address is www.geocities.com/annettesr44 Will Shetterly Will Shetterly got a fondness for doing new things from his parents, whose adventures included running a trading post near Ojibwe lands in northern Ontario and a road-side attraction in Florida (which inspired his novel Dogland). He has been an actor in New York, a small press publisher in Minneapolis, a screenwriter in Los Angeles, and a fiction writer wherever he parks his computer. In 1994, he ran for Governor of Minnesota and finished third in a field of six. He currently lives in southern Arizona with his beloved wife, Emma Bull, and their cat, Toby, the Terror of the West. Will writes novels, screenplays, short stories, and comic books. His books include Elsewhere, Nevernever, Chimera, Dogland, and the Gospel of the Knife. "I'm proudest," he says "of Dogland—your mileage may vary." www.qwertyranch.com Stacy Sklar Stacy Sklar is currently a Paleontology/Geological Information Systems (GIS) student. She has been involved with research at Analog studies both in Utah and Arizona. Stacy has served as a crew member for 6 rotations at the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) as Executive Officer and Paleontologist. She also serves as CapCom and Remote Science Team (RST) member at both MDRS and FMARS. She is currently Vice President of the Phoenix Mars Society Chapter. In 1969 during a family trip she watched the Apollo 11 launch at Cape Canaveral which inspired her to pursue a science and technology career and sparked her interest in science fiction. David Lee Summers David Lee Summers is an author, editor and astronomer living somewhere between the western and final frontiers in Southern New Mexico. He is the author of four novels: The Pirates of Sufiro, Children of the Old Stars, Heirs of the New Earth, and Vampires of the Scarlet Order. His short fiction has appeared in such magazines as Realms of Fantasy, Aoife’s Kiss, The Fifth Di..., The Martian Wave, and Black Petals. He edits the science fiction and fantasy magazine, Tales of the Talisman. Over the years, David has worked at numerous observatories in the U.S. including Kitt Peak. www.davidleesummers.com Gary Swaty Gary Swaty has been attending Science Fiction Conventions since the early 1970s. The first convention he worked was IquanaCon II, the 1978 Phoenix WorldCon. He worked Info Desk, Security and did supply purchase runs during the Con. After that Gary confined himself to helping with Set-Up and Tear-Down at CopperCon and LepreCon until the 1990s. Sometime in the mid Nineties he was asked to be Filk Liaison to Phoenix Area Conventions for the Phoenix Filk Circle. He has been responsible for obtaining Filk GoHs and scheduling Filk Events at CopperCon and LepreCon since then. He handled Filk at Westercon 57, ConKopelli in Litchfield, Arizona in 2004. He has run Registration for HexaCon, World Horror and World Fantasy. He worked Ops at DarkCon 1 and was a General Henchman at Anizonas 1 and 2 and ran registration at Anizona 3. He was Chairman of HexaCon 16 in 2006 and will be Chairman of CopperCon 28 in September 2008. He is also Committee for Filk at FiestaCon/Westercon 62 scheduled in Tempe, Arizona in July of 2009. Megan Taylor Evo Terra Evo Terra has a penchant for infecting others with the New Media bug. His credits in the field include launching the premier destination for serialized audiobooks, Podiobooks.com. A pioneer in the world of podcasting, he's the co-author of Podcasting for Dummies and Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies. His personal and professional blog, FunAnymore.com, serves as Evo's soapbox and testing ground, where he pontificates and proselytizes the bleeding edge of Web 2.0 applications that are reshaping how we define "the conversation." www.funanymore.com Michelle Travis Michelle 'Samuraiko' Travis avidly pursues an eccentric and ecletic lifestyle. Originally a New York native before moving to Arizona, she holds two bachelors degrees (one in Creative Writing, the other in Classical Studies) and a masters degree (in Sign Language Studies). While she supports herself as a Technical Writer, the vast majority of her time is spent doing much more creative things. These include a huge amount of writing (including journalism, which helps put money in the bank, and fan fiction, which has garnered her quite a bit of notoriety), art, music, video creation, and generally anything creative. She has worked as a freelance psychic for over fifteen years (and still occasionally teaches classes and seminars), supports various literacy charities, and enjoys both playing and running various role-playing games. She takes great pride in the fact that she has finished two separate fan fiction novels (DRAGONBALL Z: AND THE GREATEST OF THESE, and SAMURAI 7: THE SWORD OF THE SOUL, both of which have sequels in progress), as well as almost 100 separate short stories and poems, and is now halfway through writing a trilogy of novels based on the anime TRINITY BLOOD. Her goal is to be the first American author to successfully license and publish a novel based on a Japanese anime. ((www.samuraikoproductions.com, www.zuihitsu-no-samuraiko.com) Chris Welborn Chris has worked in microelectronics and historical aircraft restoration. He belongs to his local amateur rocket association. He shares his love of rockets by teaching beginning classes in rockets for kids at the Pima Air and Space Museum as well as cons, schools, and summer camps. Michelle M. Welch Michelle M. Welch is an Arizona native who grew up trying to choose between her two loves: music and writing. After a brief stint in music school, she somehow ended up as a reference librarian, and after a flurry of query letters and rejections, she somehow ended up writing a fantasy trilogy. She is currently working on various other writing projects and trying to learn too many new instruments. http://www.sff.net/people/mmwelch Michael Wentz Michael L. Wentz is an award-winning writer as well as a life-long genre fan. His recent novel Resurrection of Liberty is a young-adult golden-age-style space opera that the critics have compared to the works of Heinlein, Card, and Pohl. The novel was nominated for several awards including the 2006 Prometheus Award for Best Novel, and won the 2006 USA Book News Best Books Award. Michael has served as managing editor for Southwest Signature, penned numerous articles, and wrote a feature for The Trek Movie Report. His screenplay Fatal Exam was a finalist in the 2006 Filmmakers International Screenplay Competition and is currently a quarterfinalist in the 10th Annual American Screenwriters Association International Screenplay Competition. Michael’s blog Phantom Reflections is updated daily with news and commentary on everything from books to film and television. michaellwentz.typepad.com/blog/ John T. Wheeler Professional Facepainter for the last 5 years. 2004 King of the James at the International Facepainting Convention. Been at many CopperCons and many Masquerades. Formerly did the video rooms for the cons from 1994-2004. Local Fan and Former President of the United Federation of Phoenix. And A Major League Doctor Who Fan, Panelist, and Webmaster. http://members.cox.net/wizardoffacepainting/ or http://members.cox.net/tardisaz/ Lee Whiteside Lee Whiteside has been keeping track of science fiction and fantasy TV for the last 15 years or so, both in print and online with the SFTV.org website. He's also been involved with Arizona fandom for almost as long, having chaired two CopperCons, a LepreCon, and the 2006 Nebula Awards weekend. In real life, he's a network engineer. www.sftv.org Randall Whitlock Randall Whitlock has been an active SF/medieval/renaissance costumer since the early 80's, with a certain reputation for visual pun costumes, such as "Dances with Werewolves" and "The Dookus of Hazzard." Randall writes the "Costume Closet" column in Connotations and drafts the "Randwulf's" line of sewing patterns, seen at his "MoiRandall's" costume booth at renaissance faires across Arizona. Mundanely, Randall is a Geologist with an academic background in meteorites, currently digging up dirt on soil and groundwater contamination for real estate investors in Arizona. www.moirandalls.com | www.southwestcostumersguild.org Angelina Amanda Zabala who is fourteen years of age, is a veteran of the Mars Desert Research Station which is located in southeastern Utah. Currently training as an Executive Officer in preparation to command her own Crew at the age of eighteen, Miss Zabala will give a brief summary of the events that have shaped her understanding on how to live and work in a harsh, restrictive regime analogous to Mars. As a NASA Summer Academy Alumni, Miss Zabala will also discuss the opportunities that are available to educators, students and the general public in order to gain a better appreciation for what NASA, its International Partners and grassroots organizations like the Mars Society are trying to accomplish in order to better understand and eventually settle The Red Planet. Veronica Ann Zabala-AlibertoCANCELED Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto is currently a senior undergraduate student within the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University. She is the Educational Outreach Coordinator for the Arizona State University NASA Space Photography Laboratory and caters to educators, students and members of the general public providing educational outreach pertaining to human and robotic space exploration. She currently is analyzing data from the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission and that of the European Space Agency's (ESA)mission, Mars Express focusing her research on data retrieved from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) in hopes of determining any Mars change detection of aeolian features on the surface of Mars. Zabala-Aliberto has presented at invited talks and gives lectures to schools and space related events. She enjoys hiking, camping, wants to learn SCUBA and aviation and loves Dirk Pitt. Zabala-Aliberto is very active in the space exploration sector and currently is affiliated with numerous organizations such as: The Mars Society of Phoenix (Chapter Founder, President and now, Educational Outreach Coordinator), The National Space Society of Phoenix (Chapter Founder and President), The Planetary Society (Global Volunteer, Arizona Regional Coordinator), Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador (2004-present), and the Astronaut Hopefuls of Arizona (Chapter Founder and President). Zabala-Aliberto is a veteran to the Mars Desert Research Station serving on Crew 36 (Crew Geologist) and serving as Commander of the Family Living Analysis on Mars (F.L.A.M.E.) mission in June 2005 as well as commanding Crew 46 in March 2006. She is expected to command another F.L.A.M.E. crew for two-weeks in March 2007. lroc.sese.asu.edu |
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