Len Berger
Len, known as the "Movieman", keeps the freebie tables full of movie posters, flyers and anything else we receive from the studios. He is performing the functions that the late Barry Bard started decades ago and has done his best to "walk" in Barry's shoes. He attends many movie screenings a year, the Phoenix Film Festival, the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival and is a film editor for ConNotations reviewing one or two movies per issue. Len is a member of CASFS, WesternSFA and Leprecon, Inc.
Kevin Birnbaum
After over 30 years of award winning journalistic and graphic and business work, Kevin has finally been able to settle on his film career. His first feature, the supernatural cult western "Justice Be Damned" (which debuted in 1993 at CopperCon,), is distributed by York Entertainment. His second feature, "Vegas Date", spoofs reality TV and is available for purchase on the web and in several film festivals. Kevin is currently doing finishing touches on his science fiction post-war tale called "Starwatch" which had one of its edits premiere at last year's Westercon in Tempe.(www.starwatchthemovie.com) The film stars Carlos Gallardo from "El Mariachi" fame and has many interested distributors. He is currently working on three screenplays aimed for the big screen with known players attached. Kevin has started and edited various "free" press publications as an alternative to standard media. He has taken on elected and appointed officials doing investigative journalism as well.
Richard Bolinski
www.digiphotoaz.com
Richard Bolinski started with fandom at PhringeCon 1 & Coppercon 1 in the early 80’s. Over the years he has worked most area’s of Convention operations at over 70 conventions. As well as working with Apple Computer at trade shows & the Womans Expo in Phoenix. He has been a personal assistant to Don Hannah for the past 10 years, working with him on projects from hosting & planning Michael Jackson’s 40th Birthday bash to working in places as far as the mountains of Guatemala. For years, he worked the local Art Shows with long time Art Show Director & business partner Ray Gish. Now he concentrates on providing the movie preview presentation for the local AZ conventions. He also is a professional photographer formerly on staff with Ion magazine in Phoenix & does model portfolio, headshot, event & family portrait work.
Mark Boniece
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, a 4-legged furry child, and her granddaughter. She currently works as a Data Administrator for the Bureau of Land Management. And, Catherine spent eleven years in the US Army. Go figure.
Tabitha Bradley
Tabitha Bradley is an Arizona author who has been writing science fiction and Pagan non-fiction for more than ten years. Her work has appeared in Llewellyn Worldwide's "Witches Calendar" and she is the author of the popular, award-winning Dirandan Chronicles series from Renaissance E-Books. She is also a professional Tarot Reader, Pagan teacher and practicing Witch. She has been a participant at past Arizona-based science-fiction conventions, where she has spoken on Pagan as well as science fiction and fantasy topics. Visit Tabitha's art gallery, book and article listings at her website, Diranda Studios at http://www.diranda.com/
Debe Branning
Debe Branning has been the director of the MVD Ghostchasers of Mesa/Bisbee paranormal team since 1995. The team conducts investigations of haunted, historical locations throughout Arizona. Debe has been a guest lecturer at Ottawa University, Central Arizona College, Arizona State University and South Mountain Community College. She has been a speaker at science fiction conventions such as CopperCon, FiestaCon and HauntedCon. She recently appeared in an episode of "Streets of Fear" for FearNet.com which aired October 2009 and will appear on an episode of TRAVEL CHANNEL'S "Ghost Stories" about haunted Jerome, Arizona in July 2010. Debe is the author of "Sleeping With Ghosts-A Ghost Hunter's Guide to AZ's Haunted Hotels and Inns" and two children's books. She pens a column for Examiner.com titled "Arizona Haunted Sites" so travelers know where they might find a ghost or two as when they visit Arizona. Debe is a REIKI Master and a dowser. Debe conducts historic tours for the Pioneers' Cemetery Association in Phoenix where she is a member of the Board of Directors. www.mvdghostchasers.com or http://www.examiner.com/x-2345-Arizona-Haunted-Sites-Examiner
Leslie Breuner-Bradford
Lisa-Marie Brown
Tara Bryson aka Lilith Syn
Lilith Syn has been an active member of Phoenix fandom for almost 20 years. She is also a member of the Across+ Anime club and has been an Anime/manga fan her whole life.
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.
Chuck Cady
Charles Cady has worked with computers since, believe it or not, 1959. He joined the industrial computer world in 1969 and has been a Technician, Programmer, Tester, Test Lead and Test Manager of large complex man-critical hardware software integrated systems, (those that are sold into Boomable markets, Avionics and military combat). He has also been an avid fan of Manned Space programs and their political limitations. A registered libertarian for more than 30 years and an equal opportunity agnostic. He has had the very good fortune to have two contracts working on the Army s Land Warrior program. This program is an attempt to bring Robert Heinlein s Mobile Infantry suites, communication and control design, onto today s individual combat soldier. Charles and wife have been attending Science Fiction conventions since the early 70s, their two grown Sons are also fen.
Lainey Carlile
Lainey grew up in Phoenix. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and dancing. Convention panels are mostly for adults, so it is nice to have something for kids to do, too. I've been hosting kid panels for 4 years now, and it is a lot of fun. It's really neat to see them get excited about the project they are working on. Plus, they get to take their creation home. I encourage parents to stop by and share some time with their kid(s). It's a great experience.
Robert Christ
Captain Aries has been sailin' the FantaSea in these desert sands about 25 years now, and can be found at azcorsairs.ning.com. Richard Christ has been reading SF/F since he was 6 years old, having been introduced Henry Kuttner by his mother, who used to date J. K. Klien, the photographer. First started going to conventions at age 18 in N.Y.C., and, later, going to cons locally since just before CactusCon
Paul Cook
Paul Cook is the author of eight science fiction novels, the latest is THE KARMA KOMMANDOS. He is a Lecturer at ASU teaching Arizona State's first science fiction class, ENG 369. And he is a classical music critic, writing for The American Record Guide
Rick Cook
Rick Cook writes fiction so he can inflict wretched puns on unsuspecting readers. He is the author of the Wiz series from Baen Books, which are fantasy novels full of bad computer jokes. His work has also appeared in Year's Best SF (in collaboration with Ernest Hogan) and in Analog, most recently in the May, 2010 issue.
Lynn Crain
Lynn Crain realized at an early age she wanted to write. She took the long way to that goal by doing a variety of things like nursing, geologist, technical writer and computer manager. She is currently getting her Ph.D. in natural medicine with an emphasis on historical medicine and is still utterly fascinated with all things medical. During her free time she weaves fantasy, futuristic and paranormal tales as well as erotic stories, from sensual to steaming hot, for various publishers. She lives in the very hot southwest with her husband, son, one dog, three cats, three snakes one of which is named Psycho. She is a past board member of the Romance Writers of America, past EPPIEs Chair for EPIC and past EPIC President. She loves hearing from her readers at lynncrain@cox.net.
Darkyr
Michael D’Ambrosio
Michael resides in the Philadelphia area and is promoting his new novel, The Devil's Playground, the third book in his successful Space Frontiers series. The series has been well received by many readers in the space opera genre around the country. Earlier this year, Night Creeps, an eye-opening adult horror tale, was released as well. He is also known for his earlier Fractured Time Trilogy which has been re-released revised and with more content by Az Publishing of Mesa. Michael has several represented screenplays on the market including Night Creeps and The Eye of Icarus. More information about Michael and his projects can be found at www.fracturedtime.com.
Liz Danforth
Liz Danforth is an illustrator as well as an editor, writer, game scenario designer, and game developer. While she is known primarily as a freelance artist in the fantasy and science fiction genres, she has created book covers, maps, and illustrations for many of the significant game publishers including Wizards of the Coast, TSR, Inc, Alderac Entertainment Group, FASA Corporation, Iron Crown Enterprises, GDW, and more. She produced over 50 pieces of art for the massively popular collectible card game Magic: the Gathering (produced by Wizards of the Coast) and art for more than 100 cards for other collectible card games. In July 1996, Liz was inducted into the Academy of Gaming Arts and Design's Hall of Fame and she is a lifetime member of ASFA, the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Currently Liz writes the "Games, Gamers and Gaming" blog and column for Library Journal. She speaks at professional and fan conferences, and at libraries on gaming-related topics including research in progress about 21st Century skills -- leadership, creativity, problem solving, technological knowledge, language arts -- acquired in World of Warcraft that transfer to real life. http://www.lizdanforth.com/
Damon DeMartin
Emily Devenport
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 audio-visual fiction with artist/editor Elinor Mavor <mavorarts.com>, recording audio books, preparing 3 original novels for publication on SMASHWORDS and amazon, and co-writing Young Adult Fantasy novels with her husband, artist/writer Ernest Hogan (as E. E. Hogan). Check out her blog: emsjoiedeweird.blogspot.com
Stephen R. Donaldson
Born in 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio, Stephen R. Donaldson lived in India (where his father was a medical missionary) until 1963. Donaldson made his publishing debut with the first "Covenant" trilogy in 1977. He currently lives in New Mexico and is hard at work on "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant".
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. Occasionally, he teaches the art of cordial making with 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, 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.
Patrick Dysartt
Gary Filmore
Gary Fillmore is an Arizona based art appraiser, dealer, consultant and author. After graduating from the Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg and spending eighteen years in the corporate world, he decided to retire early and combine his love of art collecting and business by opening the Blue Coyote Gallery in 2002. Specializing in historical Arizona and southern California desert artists, Fillmore is the author All Aboard-The Life and Work of Marjorie Reed, Desert Horizons-Images of James Swinnerton s Southwest, and Canyon Magic. He has also published several biographies on various artists for AskArt.com, the Artists Blue Book. Fillmore has also assisted with and curated several museum exhibitions. In 2008 he partnered with noted collector David Picerne and founded the Arizona Centennial Landmark Art Collection, a 501-c3 whose mission is to educate the public about Arizona s artistic heritage and promote the state s natural scenic beauty. The organization funded and organized the Canyon Magic exhibition at the Kolb Studio in Grand Canyon Village in the spring of 2010. It was the most comprehensive exhibition of historical Grand Canyon art in the Kolb Studio s illustrious history. He currently resides in Cave Creek, Arizona with his wife Barbara, where he owns and operates the Blue Coyote Gallery.
Todd Fowler
Jacob Gipson
Mark Greenawalt
Mark Greenawalt is an artist that paints on living canvases. His models are body painted and the subject matter of choice is quite often the genres of sci-fi and fantasy. Greenawalt has freely shared his artistic talents over the past decade at numerous CopperCon, LepreCon, and ComiCon events, and even ConKopelli (WesterCon 57 in 2004) and FiestaCon (Westercon 62). He has been an instructor at bodypainting conventions in China, England, Canada, and throughout the United States and his work has been featured in the traveling Body Art Ball exhibition, independent film projects, and the prestigious Playboy Mansion. He is looking forward to being a part of this year's CopperCon and is anxious to bring another one of his paintings to life! To see his on-line portfolio of hundreds of body art projects, visit www.futureclassx.com
Mike Griffin
Mike Griffin is often the Volunteer Coordinator for CopperCons. He also helps at LepreCons and Westercons, and reviews books for the ConNotations newspaper. In his mundane life, he tutors math and English at Phoenix College, and publishes academic papers on 'mythic algebra.' The panel on 'Mythology and Society' at this convention is a spinoff of the seventh paper in that series.
Ernest Hogan
Ernest Hogan's novels, SMOKING MIRROR BLUES, CORTEZ ON JUPITER and HIGH AZTECH, are still getting great reviews. His short fiction has appeared in ANALOG, AMAZING STORIES, SCIENCE FICTION AGE, SEMIOTEXT(E) SF, ANGEL BODY AND OTHER MAGIC FOR THE SOUL, WITPUNK, VOICES FOR THE CURE, and many other publications. Listen to his podcast of "The Rise and Fall of Paco Cohen and the Mariachis of Mars" at THEME AND VARIATIONS. http://www.themeandvariationsanthology.com/?p=92
His latest story, "Hindenburg's Vimana Joyride" can be read online at DAYBREAK MAGAZINE. http://daybreakmagazine.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/daybreak-fiction-hindenburgs-vimana-joyride/ "Plan 9 in Outer Space," a collaboration with his wife Emily will appear in SPACE HORRORS: FULL-THROTTLE SPACE TALES. And "The Great Mars-A-Go-Go Mexican Standoff" will be in TALES OF THE TALISMAN. His blog is mondoernesto.blogspot.com.
Mark Horning
http://www.eskimo.com/~mhorning
Mark Horning is a Physicist hailing from the East Valley. Originally from California, he moved to Arizona in 1996. An avid folk musician, he is known for his space and SF based songs, he is often found in the company of a 6 or 12 string guitar. His first professional CD, Space & Freedom, was officially released at the 62nd annual Westercon, in Temp AZ. Mark has physics degrees from Cal Poly (BS), San Luis Obispo, and Arizona State (MS). While at ASU, he developed a hybrid lighting system to calibrate the sensors used in the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) located at the Mt. Graham Observatory. Mark works in the aerospace industry designing and certifying lighting solutions for aircraft and ground applications. He may often be found at conventions with his wife and three children who are, naturally, also SF fans.
Sharan Hoyle
Patti Hultstrand
http://www.pjhultstrand.com/
Patti Hultstrand has been writing since the 7th grade when her English teacher took active interest in her poetry and short story writing. She became hooked when one of her short stories was published in the local library literary magazine. Her first love became science-fiction when she was introduced to the works of Ray Bradbury. Fandom bit her when she actually met the man behind the works in 1987 at a special engagement speech in Phoenix, Arizona. She had taken many of those writing tips and life examples to apply in her everyday life. "Never stop to edit, just keep writing until you're done, then go back and edit, and edit, and edit again until you're satisfied." Since then, Patti has been participating in the local fan cons for over 20 years. Patti has been applying some writing in almost everything she has done from that time forward. She has written in college papers, literary magazines, public relations articles, business procedure manuals and having even gone as far as having published her own magazine on Arizona Graphics & Marketing. Her writing had become publishing, where she was contracted to publish real-estate magazines and other trade magazines from her graphic design business.
Donald Jacques
www.donaldjacques.com - www.wizkidzintl.com
Donald Jacques is the owner of Wiz Kidz, International, a web design and hosting company in Scottsdale Arizona, and President of Az Publishing Services, a Mesa Book Publishing firm with a current catalog of over 23 books. An avid fan of the space program since youth, Donald spent 2009 as president of the Phoenix Moon Society.
Gini Koch
Gini Koch lives in the American Southwest, works her butt off (sadly, not literally) by day, and writes by night with the rest of the beautiful people. The first book in her Alien series, Touched by an Alien, released April 6, 2010 from DAW Books, receiving a starred review from Booklist as well as other excellent reviews. Touched by an Alien has also been named by Booklist as one of the Top 10 adult SF/F novels of 2010. Alien Tango will release on December 7, 2010, with Alien in the Family and Alien Proliferation following in 2011. Gini speaks frequently on what it takes to become a successful author and other aspects of writing and the publishing business. You can reach her via her website, www.ginikoch.com or via email, gini@ginikoch.com.
Dani & Eytan Kollin
Brothers Dani and Eytan Kollin are authors with Tor Books. Their first novel, co-written and one of three bought by Tor, is called The Unincorporated Man. Released in March 2009, The Unincorporated Man was designated a Sci Fi Essential and went on to become nominated as a finalist for 2009's Prometheus Award for Best Novel (the winner will be announced at this year s Worldcon). Dani and Eytan's second novel, The Unincorporated War released this May and has already been called, A breathtaking sequel by Booklist magazine and a "heroic space adventure in the tradition of Robert Heinlein and David Weber," by Library Journal. When the brothers aren't bickering with each other they can be seen bickering with others on their weekly SF webshow, neverendingpanel.com
Paula Lary
Along with belly dance costuming and dancing, Paula does stained glass, photography, and general costuming. She is a member of the Southwest Costumer's Guild chapter of the International Costumer’s Guild. She has started to write stories about her cat family, plays several musical instruments, and tries to work out a way to make all this pay to supplement her mundane income.
Charles Lesher
http://charleslesher.com Chuck has a BS in Engineering Mechanics-Aerospace from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a MS in Materials Science from Arizona State University. He worked at Space Data/Orbital Sciences Corporation designing, building, and launching rockets and high altitude weather balloons. Later, he served as Quality Assurance Manager for Hybrid Design Associates in Tempe, a small manufacturing company specializing in harsh-environment electronic circuits. Chuck is married to a wonderful woman, has three grown kids, and five grandkids. He writes Science Fiction under his full name, Charles Lee Lesher. A signed copy of Shadow on the Moon (ISBN 9780977723560) can be purchased on his publisher's website (http://writerscramp.us) or an unsigned copy on Amazon.com (and many other internet retailers)
Connie J. Mableson, Esq
www.mablesonlaw.com Connie J. Mableson, Esq., is a nationally recognized attorney with over 27 years of experience emphasizing Intellectual Property, Copyright, Trademark, Arts & Entertainment and Computer & Internet Law and the law of Virtual Worlds. She was voted one of the top 10 Intellectual Property lawyers in Arizona as "Best of the Bar." Her clients include Stephanie Meyers, author of the Twilight books and films, Allison DuBois, the real life medium portrayed in the NBC prime time show Medium, and many other best-selling authors, television producers, and film-makers. Connie is also known for her international work with Virtual Worlds such as Second Life, Open Grid, and other MMO s. She made history as the first attorney to open a law practice in a virtual world when she launched her Intellectual Property Resource Center in Second Life in 2005. Connie teaches a law school class at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law called "Governance of Virtual Worlds."
Kevin McAlonan
Shenita McKinney
Dr. Russet McMillan
Dr. Russet McMillan is an astronomer, telescope operator, and multivariate fan. She operates the 3.5m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, and also runs a lunar laser-ranging operation which has been featured on Mythbusters and the National Geographic Channel's Naked Science program. When not at the observatory, she's an avid reader, gamer, media fan, fan writer, intermittent knitter, and two-time National Scottish Harp Champion.
Yvonne Navarro
Yvonne Navarro has published over twenty books. Of those twenty, the titles AfterAge, deadrush, Final Impact, Red Shadows, DeadTimes, That's Not My Name and Mirror Me were solo novels, or fiction created solely by her. The next novel to be published by her is Highborn, which is scheduled for publication in September 2010 by Pocket/Juno Books. She has written seven novels related to the fictional 'Buffyverse' and numerous other novels, including Hellboy, Elektra, Species, Species II, Aliens: Music of the Spears and Ultraviolet. Yvonne has contributed the story "Meet Me on the Other Side" to the collection The Children of Cthulhu and has had nearly a hundred other short stories published in small press magazines and professional anthologies. A number of her black and white illustrations have also appeared in small press magazines. She lives in Arizona and is married to author Weston Ochse. Visit her at www.yvonnenavarro.com
Adam Niswander
http://adam-niswander.com/
Adam Niswander is the author of the Shaman Cycle novels (The Charm, The Serpent Slayers, The Hound Hunters, The War of the Whisperers, and The Nemesis of Night). He is also the author of The Repository, The Sand Dwellers, Golden Dreams: Book One in The Histories of Light and Dark, and of Blurring the Edges of Dream: The Short Fiction of Adam Niswander. Miskatonic River Press recently reissued the hard-to-find anthology Dead But Dreaming containing Adam's story Bayer's Tale. The Hound Hunters was officially published by Hippocampus Press (only fifteen years later than planned) and his most recent book was The War of the Whisperers. Next will be The Nemesis of Night. His short story An Eldritch Matter appears in the new British Anthology edited by S. T. Joshi titled Black Wings. He is a former CASFS President (fourteen terms) and has served on the board. He resides in Phoenix with two feline companions, Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser. He is also the originator of MythosCon, which will happen in January 2011 at the Mission Palms in Tempe, a celebration of H. P. Lovecraft and all those who enjoy his work.
Rick Novy
Rick Novy is a local writer who has lived in Scottsdale for ten years. He spent the past 14 years as an engineer in the semiconductor industry before falling victim to the recession. He has published (or forthcoming) nearly 40 short stories, and has collected ten honorable mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest. He also was the winner of the D.G.K. Goldberg Award from AnotherRealm for best horror story of 2007. He is a graduate of Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp. His work has appeared or is scheduled to appear in venues such as Intergalactic Medicine Show and Flash Fiction Online. www.ricknovy.com
Kyle O’Brien
Kyle O'Brien is the founder and former president of the Paradise Valley Community College Anime Club, as well as the most recent former president of the ASU West Otaku Club. He has run panels at AniZona and Sabotencon, such as Gundam History and VHS Anime That Never Made DVD.
Weston Ochse
Weston Ochse was born in Wyoming and had lived in ten states by the time he was ten including South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, New Jersey and Tennessee. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army and became an intelligence officer. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2004. Weston began writing professionally in 1997 and won the Bram Stoker Award for his first novel, Scarecrow Gods, in 2005. His co-written collection of short stories titled Appalachian Galapagos, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for Short Fiction. His novella Redeption Roadshow was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction in 2008
Weston holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature from Excelsior College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from National University (California). He travels extensively to book signings and conventions where he has been Gross Out Contest bouncer, toastmaster and guest of honor. He is a frequent speaker at libraries and schools. He has been an adjunct faculty member for Cochise Community College and runs the online Guerrilla Fiction Writing Workshop. He currently lives in Southern Arizona with his wife, and fellow author, Yvonne Navarro.
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. My 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 books. I've now finished nine novels, all of them published as Romances by Leisure Books/Dorchester Publishing and all of them with strong fantasy, magic and mythical elements. I now live in Glendale, Arizona and I am working on SEVEN CASTLES IN IRELAND, an Irish historical featuring ghosts and magic. One of my favorite things to do is conduct a writers' workshop and talk about all aspects of creating fiction, so I do hope you will join me at my workshops and panels here at CopperCon30.
Jean Palmer
I have been sewing since 1961. My first Science Fiction Convention was in Maryland in 1978. Hesitated about going until I was told that going in costume was more fun! That sold me, so my daughters & I made some costumes! I have been attending Con's [in COSTUME] ever since. Attended the first CostumeCon in CA in 1982,{& now involved in the presentation of Costume Con 30 here in Phoenix in 2012.--shameless plug!} I attended the first thru 10th Costume College and several since. My first AZ Con was WesterColt 45 --I made/wore a pioneer woman outfit. Am now a member of SWCG, the Southwest Costumers Guild, [a for-fun group] which is a branch of the International Costumers Guild ICG. I can usually be found backstage at our local Con Masquerades.
George Palovich
George has been, for years, a "fan" of such writers as Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Greg Bear, Orson Scott Card, Michael Crichton and Alan Dean Foster. The art that he creates sometimes approaches the bizarre and technology is a recurrent theme. However, his preference is to poke fun at technology rather than worship it. He also admits to liking to watch such movie and video fare as Star Trek, Terminator and Jurassic Park; Eureka, Firefly and Smallville.
Anna Paradox
Anna Paradox leads a double life, as all good paradoxes should. She writes and edits, with her next story appearing in Space Horrors, edited by David Lee Summers. She is also a life coach, trained by Martha Beck to help people live from their essential selves. Her free newsletter, Creating Space, offers essays on success, book recommendations, writing tips, and space activism. Back issues are at creatingspace.annaparadox.com
Alison Paul
Been drawing since I was in the third grade, and interested in the horror/anime genre ever since. I like to create my own costumes that relate to my fandoms (RE/SH/ select games and animes), collect Silent Hill/Resident Evil/Fatal Frame and a lot of other horror/RPG games, and own a large mass of manga on top. I enjoy creating my own characters and complex worlds that I love to write and draw out. I've been teaching how to draw to grade school for fun since I was a junior in High School, as well as private one on one classes for horror, watercolour, manga, and gore. I mostly use pen, paper, watercolor and inks, as well as copics, colored pencils and charcol. I also am an avid fan of drawing online, using a Wacom Intuos3 on various Oekaki boards and ArtGrounds.com. As a huge fan of Horror and Manga, I'm always looking for new stuff to read or collect, especially something that combines the two.
Craig Porter
Craig retired from the U.S. Air Force as a MSgt, he was in Air Training Command as a Master Instructor at that time. He has worked since retirement as a Company Technical Instructor for an Automatic Test Company (ATE), a Test Engineer for a different ATE Company, a Consultant on Test Programming and Documentation. He has also worked as a Quality Assurance Inspector in Industry. Since retiring a second time, Craig has been active in the Private sector as a Member of several different "Space" Societies and is currently the President of the Phoenix Chapter of the Moon Society.
Mary Robertson aka BellaDonna
Mary Isabella is a Girl Scout, and current Visual Arts major at the Arizona Conservatory for Arts and Academics. She is good with children, and loves doing arts and crafts.
Nyki Robertson aka Lady Thunder
Nyki Robertson has been in and out of fandom since the late 80's. She is a single mom with a teenage daughter. Nyki is currently Vice-President of the SouthWest Costumers' Guild and has been sewing for 29 years, with her specialty being Middle-Eastern Costuming. She has been a judge for several masquerades and Masquerade Dierctor for Phoenix ComiCon. She enjoys encouraging others in their costuming. She is currently Vice-Chairman of the Board for CASFS
Marsheila Rockwell
http://www.marsheilarockwell.com
Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell is, in no particular order, an author, poet, editor, engineer, Navy wife and mother of three incredible boys. She currently lives in Arizona in the shadow of an improbably green mountain. She is a frequent Rhysling nominee and a sporadic member of the SFWA, IAMTW and SFPA. She was introduced to the world of fantasy at the tender age of three when she read her first book, Ozma of Oz, by Frank L. Baum. Her entrance into the world of fandom came a bit later, in third grade, when she saved up all her pennies in order to join the Official Battlestar Galactica Fan Club and began writing BG:TOS fan fiction. Since that time, her writing skills have improved dramatically (or so she hopes) and she has had one novel published (Legacy of Wolves, 2007), has another awaiting final editorial approval, and is contracted for a third, all with the same publisher, Wizards of the Coast. She's also penned dozens of short stories and poems, and even an article or two.
Dr Stacey Schwartzkopf
Becca Smith
Becca C Smith just finished her first sci-fi novel, RISER, about a girl who can raise and control the dead. She received her Film degree from Full Sail University and has worked in the Film and Television industry for most of her adult life. Becca wrote and illustrated Little Family Secrets, a graphic novel based on the true story of her great aunt who was famous for murdering her husband. Becca is also the co-author of the teen graphic novel Ghost Whisperer: The Haunted. She currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and two cats Jack and Duke.
Dr. Kimberly Smith
Dr. Kimberly Smith, a PhD chemistry professor, has been a long time science fiction / fantasy fan. She was introduced to Tolkien, Piers Anthony and Asimov in 4th grade and had been enjoying sci fi / fantasy ever since. Her father introduced her to Star Trek when it was in reruns in the 1970's and she has been a member of the UFP (United Federation of Phoenix) since 2008. Kim has just recently learned about conventions and has attended Phoenix Comicon, Westercon, and the Vegas Trek convention for the past few years.
Renea Spidell
Ren Spidell, author of "Allure of the Mask", has experience in electronic and small publishing in the fantasy genre. Look for vampires, daemons and fairies in her published and upcoming novels. She has also been dancing classical cabaret belly dance style for twenty years and loves to incorporate quick, sneaky construction tips to make any dancer or steam punk time traveler more comfortable in a costume.
Adam Street
http://www.adamstreet.net http://greasystreet.blogspot.com/
Adam Street began his comic career in 1997 as a color artist, mainly for independent publishers. In 2005, Street began working for Sotocolor and since has been published by Marvel, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Terminal Press, and Image Comics. Currently Street's color work can be seen every month on Spider-man Marvel Adventures and various Marvel titles. In addition to his coloring, Street is also a good girl illustrator who has a line of posters sold through Terminal Press. Last year he released his first artbook Epiphany and in 2010 he released Good Artist Gone Mad. In the same year Street started Caricature Me Super, a retail and event caricature business. When not painting and drawing caricatures, Street enjoys reading comics, pinup art, music, and watching sports and movies.
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 edited the anthology Space Pirates for Flying Pen Press and edits Tales of the Talisman Magazine. He is the author of five novels: The Pirates of Sufiro, Children of the Old Stars, Heirs of the New Earth, Vampires of the Scarlet Order, and The Solar Sea. David is also co-author, with Lee Clark Zumpe, of the book, Blood Sampler, from Sam's Dot Publishing. His short fiction has appeared in such magazines as Realms of Fantasy, Aoife's Kiss, and Science Fiction Trails. His work also appears in the anthologies Bad-Ass Faeries: In All Their Glory and Space Sirens. In addition to his work in the written word, David works at Kitt Peak National Observatory outside Tucson Arizona. When not at Kitt Peak, he lives in Southern New Mexico with his wife Kumie and his daughters Myranda and Verity.
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 Chairman of CopperCon 28. He was Committee for Filk at FiestaCon/Westercon 62. He also helped administatively at RandomCon in July. Our Gary does get around&
Katie Trautmann
Jonathan Troop
Jonathan spent many years toiling in the screen trade as a contract writer and film producer. As a producer, his company, Twenty-three Films, produced a number of well received short films. He had one chance at glory, developing a vampire screenplay with Lions Gate Films. But, alas, like many before him, his script stalled in development. Aside from trying his hand as a screenwriter, he worked professionally in the theatre in Los Angeles for over a decade. Pursuing an opportunity for greatness, he moved to Phoenix to teach high school students to love the theatre. He currently lives there with his wife, son, daughter and menagerie of pets and is working on a pair of horror screenplays and his first novel. He has also been running Call of Cthulhu games at conventions for over two decades, most recently at Randomcon 2 and is a member of Western SFA and CASFS.
Marni Troop
Marni has been writing since she can remember, having been published regularly in her junior and high school literary arts magazines and newspapers. After earning a B.A. in English from Jacksonville University in Florida, she moved to Los Angeles, where she was a screenwriter, freelance ghostwriter, script and novel editor, and story analyst for nearly 15 years (as well as just about any other film/tv production job she could find). In 1997, after earning a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California, she became a college professor, teaching English and writing courses. She moved to Glendale, Arizona in the spring of 2006 with her husband, first child, and six pets, where she continued to teach (and still does), had another child, and turned her writing attention to novels. In January 2010, she completed her first novel (in a series of six) called Tir Na n Og: Journal One, which is self-published and is now available through any book store and as a download. She is currently working on the second novel Journal Two. Marni has always been a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy, and she joined fandom on the east coast as a teenager in 1987. She was a volunteer staff member for ten years and learned just about everything there is to know about running a con. After way too long, she returned to fandom this year. Marni is a member of CASFS and the Western SFA.
Henry Vanderbilt
Claudia Villa
http://www.villacostuming.com/
Claudia Villa is a professional costumer living and working in the Phoenix area. Her efforts have included theater, movies and television as well as costuming for individuals looking for truly unique costumes. She specializes in historic costuming for stage and re-enactments of various eras. Her latest movie is a period piece which will appear at the Sundance Film Festival before opening to the public later next year. She costumes local theater groups and has produced the costumes for several local productions over the past 10 years.
Bill Ward
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 wondering where all the time is going. http://michellemwelch.com
Michael Wentz
Michael L. Wentz is a writer, producer, award-winning author, and president of Two Dollar Dog Entertainment, LLC. His critically acclaimed young-adult novel 'Resurrection of Liberty' has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Prometheus Award for Best Novel, the Foreword Book of the Year, and won the 2006 USA Book News Best Books Award in the category of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Michael has served as managing editor for 'Southwest Signature,' penned countless articles, and has written a feature story for TrekMovie.com. His screenplay 'Fatal Exam' was a finalist in the 2006 Filmmakers International Screenplay Competition and a quarterfinalist in the 10th Annual American Screenwriters Association International Screenplay Competition. His futuristic crime drama 'Dietrich' was recently acquired by a worldwide distributor and premiered at the 2010 Phoenix Comicon. He has numerous films in development including 'Without Reason' and 'The Melbourne Paradox.' Check out his website at www.michaellwentz.com or his blog www.phantomreflections.com
John T. Wheeler
http://members.cox.net/tardisaz/tardis.html
Professional Facepainter. Devout Doctor Who fan. Local Fan and Former President of the United Federation of Phoenix, the local Star Trek Club. Webmaster of the local Doctor Who fan Club. Panelist, been in Fandom for 20 Years in Arizona, and Fan of other British and Australian TV.
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, edits the Southwest Costumers Guild newsletter "Cactus Needles," and drafts the "Randwulf's" line of sewing patterns, seen at his "MoiRandall's" costume booth at renaissance faires across Arizona. Randall has directed the Masquerades at the first North American Discworld Convention and several CopperCons. 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
Dave Williams
Dr. David A. Williams is currently serving as a Faculty Research Associate in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. He served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at ASU in 2001-2002, in which he co-taught Physical Geology and a graduate seminar in Planetary Volcanology. David is currently performing research in volcanology and planetary geology, with a focus on planetary mapping, geochemical, and remote sensing studies. He was involved with NASA's Magellan Mission to Venus and Galileo Mission to Jupiter, and he is currently serving as an Associate US Investigator on the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission. David is currently the First Vice-Chair of the Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America, has served on several NASA committees including the 2007 Jovian System Observer Science Definition Team, and is currently a steering committee member of the NASA Outer Planets Advisory Group. In Fandom, David is a past president of the United Federation of Phoenix, the second longest continuously-running Star Trek and general science fiction fan club in the United States. A life-long Star Trek and Star Wars fan, he has participated in national Star Trek conventions and various charity events.
Lawrence Yao
