
Charles E. Gannon
Science Fiction Guest of Honor
Dr. Charles E. Gannon‘s best-selling books have won the Dragon Award, the ALA Choice Award (Outstanding Book), the Compton Crook Award, and have been nominated for four Nebulas. He is best known for the Caine Riordan series of hard Sci-Fi novels, which are national best-sellers and include four finalists for the Nebula, two for the Dragon, and a Compton Crook winner. In 2020, the “Caineverse” expanded into an exclusive imprint, Beyond Terra Press (Chris Kennedy Publications), which has brought readers the closely entwined Murphy’s Lawless series, reissued the anthology Lost Signals of the Terran Republic, and will soon be embarking upon an unprecedented cooperative traditional publishing venture.
Gannon’s epic fantasy series, The Vortex of Worlds, debuted in 2021 with This Broken World. He collaborated w/ Eric Flint in the NYT/WSJ bestselling Ring of Fire series, has written two solo novels in John Ringo’s Black Tide Rising world, and co-authored three volumes with Steve White in the Starfire series. He’s also worked in the Honorverse, Man-Kzin, and War World universes. His other writing credits include lots of short fiction, table-top roleplaying games (Traveller, 2300 AD, Twilight: 2000, Dark Conspiracy) and years of work as a scriptwriter/producer in NYC.
As a Distinguished Professor of English, Gannon received five Fulbrights, and his Rumors of War & Infernal Machines won the 2006 ALA Choice Award for Outstanding Book. He is a frequent subject matter expert for national media venues (NPR, Discovery, etc.) and for various intelligence and defense agencies.
Chuck Gannon’s collection on Amazon
Or Check out his latest work – Into the Vortex

Jane Lindskold
Fantasy Guest of Honor
Jane Lindskold is the author of over thirty published novels, including her new Over Where series (starting with Library of the Sapphire Wind), the eight-volume Firekeeper Saga (beginning with Through Wolf’s Eyes), the three-volume “Breaking the Wall” series (beginning with Thirteen Orphans), Child of a Rainless Year (a contemporary fantasy set in Las Vegas, New Mexico), and The Buried Pyramid (an archeological adventure fantasy set in 1880’s Egypt). She has also published over eighty short stories and numerous non-fiction works, including Wanderings on Writing.
She writes the Star Kingdom/Stephanie Harrington Honorverse prequels with David Weber. The most recent is A New Clan, but she’s dropped her sections of the next one on Weber for him to do his part. She has also written in collaboration with Roger Zelazny (Donnerjack and Lord Demon) and Fred Saberhagen (his final Berserker story, “Servant of Death”). You can find more about her writing at www.janelindskold.com.
Jane lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband, archeologist Jim Moore, as well as assorted cats, guinea pigs, and fish. In her spare time, she does beadwork (she probably made the lanyards she and Jim are wearing), watches anime (she’s been a fan since you had to explain to people what anime was), gardens (a challenge, especially where she lives), and reads (a lot). She is also an avid gamer, which is how she met co-GOH Chuck Gannon.

Jeff Greason
Science Guest of Honor
Jeff Greason is an entrepreneur and innovator with 25 years’ experience in the commercial space industry. He is the Chief Technologist of Electric Sky, developing long-range wireless power for propulsion and other purposes; and Chairman of the Tau Zero Foundation, developing advanced propulsion technologies for solar system and interstellar missions. He has been active in the development of commercial space regulation, helped craft the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, and served on the Augustine Commission in 2009. Jeff was a cofounder of XCOR Aerospace and served as CEO from 1999 to early 2015, developing numerous reusable rocket engines and two rocket powered aircraft with 40 successful test flights. During that time, he co-founded the industry trade association for commercial space companies, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Previously, he was the rocket engine team lead at Rotary Rocket, and an engineering manager in chip technology development at Intel. He holds 29 U.S. Patents and has recently published several papers on novel space propulsion concepts. He is also a Governor of the National Space Society.
Some of his published works can be found HERE.

Opal & Jade: Off-Colored Treasures
Musical Guests of Honor
Are you ready for two saucy singing sisters (Scandalously Serenading Siblings?), professional wenches, aspiring musicians, comedians, and general entertainers? Probably not! These two ladies (they really are sisters) are beyond hilarious. Channeling their life-ling geekdom into their amazing voices, Opal and Jade will entertain with song (but also… those expressions…). Be warned, these two are an adult act – or, let your kids learn something new…who are we to tell you how to parent?
Getting their start at local (Texas) renaissance fairs, they are bringing their brand of bawdy ballads to a convention for the first time!
You can check them out on Facebook

LawDog
Special GuestSometime in the 1960s, an American oil engineer and his wife were living on the island of Malta when they decided that what this world needed was a red-headed bundle of chaos and promptly sprung LawDog upon an unsuspecting Catholic hospital. Reports that the entire staff started crossing themselves upon his arrival are probably just rumors.
After a completely dull and boring childhood spent in some of the more interesting parts of Africa and the Middle East, LawDog was dragged – kicking and screaming – back to the United States full-time and just in time to finish high school. The trauma. Oh, the trauma. He then spent a brief stint in the United States military (Hint: recruiters lie. A lot.), an even briefer hitch as an EMT and volunteer fireman, before enrolling in the Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy, followed by a career as a deputy sheriff, retiring in 2020.
While a deputy sheriff, he took part-time jobs as a ranch hand, a line cook, a Personal Protection Officer, and the World’s Worst Rodeo Clown, amongst other endeavors.
He has written a couple of books: The LawDog Files and The LawDog Files: African Adventures, one of which was (very briefly) the #1 book in the Humour category on Amazon – and some short stories; and founded Raconteur Press in 2022.
He lives in North Texas with a very patient lady and two furry overlords.

Kelly Grayson
Waffle MasterKelly Grayson, AGS, NRP, CCP is a Critical Care Paramedic in and an EMS Educator for twenty-eight years. He is the owner and founder of MEDIC Training Solutions, an EMS training and consulting firm. He is a passionate EMS advocate and a frequent EMS conference speaker, contributing author to several EMS textbooks, award-winning columnist for EMS1.com and EMS World Magazine, podcaster, and author of several books. He is a past president of the Louisiana Society of EMS Educators and board member of the LA Association of Nationally Registered EMTs. His books are available on Amazon and at booksellers nationwide.
Panelists
Tim “Capt” Black
William Bowman
Alyssa Castro
Declan Finn
Cathy Gagnon
Jonna Hayden
Bart Kemper
Becky Jones
John McNichol
Jim Moore
Tom Tinney
Pat Virzi
C.V. Walter
JL Yarrow
The Bubba Man
Presenter
William Leaf