By Amanda Philbeck-Keener | September 7, 2009 | 1:50 pm | Posted in '09 Panels/Events, 2009

In this Q&A panel in the Marriot M106-107 on Friday afternoon, Leigh Bennett-Conner, the X-Track director, and Rox Henkle were warm, friendly, and comical. They had the audience laughing from moment one, fielding several questions about the new series Warehouse 13. In tribute to Pete, one of the main characters, Leigh passed out cookies to all participants.

Topics of the Q & A ranged from the well-crafted writing to the amazing props incorporated into the show. The snappy writing seems to …

By Amanda Philbeck-Keener | September 7, 2009 | 1:29 pm | Posted in '09 Panels/Events, 2009

Patrick McLean, Slau, and George Hrab were the guests on this Q&A panel in the Room 201 (Hyatt) on Saturday morning. This lively group of gentlemen definitely know their craft.

One of the best ways to get your podcast to sound better is to get a better sound out of yourself. Posture, clarity, diction, and what you are drinking during broadcasting will make a major difference. Position your microphone far enough away that you don’t strain your voice or back but …

I was fortunate in garnering interviews with four award-winning authors: Susan Kearney, Sandra Hill, Lori Handeland, and Susan Sizemore. Each of these ladies has published multiple books and experienced great success in the literary world. You can purchase their books at the Missing Volume Science and Fantasy Bookseller at www.themissingvolume.com.

By Amanda Philbeck-Keener | August 31, 2008 | 11:13 pm | Posted in '08 D*C News, 2008

The blood drive continues to be a huge success! According to Doc Koslow, the director of the drive, as of 5PM Sunday, 1,000 people have participated and donated 750 units. The drive expects to collect a total of 1,000 units by the close of Dragon*Con. This will break the record held by Comic-Con of 856 units. Almost all of the blood will be sent to aid the victims of Hurricane Gustov. Our thoughts go out to the eight con …

In the Hyatt on Saturday, Debra Dixon talked about her book, Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. She talked about the four areas that every writer needs to cover in their books: who, what, why, and why not. When sending out queries, editors want to know the plot, the main characters, and the world. She claims that although she did not come up with the formula, writers should have all of these elements in their stories. The main idea she wanted to get across was that the grid may not be for everyone, but the concepts should be.

I was lucky to meet one of the founders of the TAPS, Grant Wilson. I spotted him in the Hyatt as he was traveling upstairs and asked him a few questions for the Daily Dragon.

In the Q&A in the Centennial Rooms on Friday afternoon, Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk were warm, friendly, and comical. They had the audience laughing from moment one, fielding several questions and autographing a variety of items to give to each participant. Nathan also talked about his charity, “Kids Need to Read.”

By Amanda Philbeck-Keener | August 30, 2008 | 12:07 am | Posted in '08 Panels/Events, 2008

In the Marriott on Friday, Kevin Sorbo was charming and funny as he fielded questions from the audience. He talked about his movies, as well as Hercules and Andromeda. He’s had five movies on the table this year, but all of them fell through at the last moment. His charity, A World Fit For Kids, has had huge success. Of the 6,000 kids that have gone through the program, they have had a 100% graduation rate, as compared to the …