“No, it does not mean that you strip down and while the guy is gawking at you, you kill him,” joked Jonathan Maberry, starting off the panel held on Saturday in Hanover C-E (Hy), “though that might work.   It means you can pick up literally anything—you don’t need a sword or a gun.  If you have any object around you, you are armed; you have potential to defend yourself.”

Time for the disclaimer: “This is not a primer for going out and mugging people.  We’re talking about what you can do in a self-defense situation.”

What happens when you put seven grown men together in a room late at night and give them free reign to talk about guns, explosives, and bare knuckle brawling? You get the “Fightin’ and Writing” panel on Friday 10PM at Manila/Singapore/Hong Kong (Hy). With more than 70 years of experience on the subject between them, these panelists were as qualified as they were eager to sink their teeth into the discussion. So, why do they have people fighting in the …

Nancy Knight is the author of twelve novels, as well as many short stories, produced plays, and a produced screenplay.  She is also a partner in BelleBooks Publishing, and is the director of the Writers Track at Dragon*Con.

Daily Dragon: Thanks so much for taking time away from the track for this.  You’ve been running the writers track for how long now?

NK: You know, I’m not sure.  I think it’s been about 13 or 14 years.

DD: Do you enjoy doing it?

NK: …

What makes a book sexy?  This was the question put to the “Sexy Science Fiction” panel on Friday night on the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Literature track.  The answers were varied, honest, and sometimes blunt enough to only have been offered on a late-night panel such as this one.  “Ten o’clock is Dragon*Con After Dark,” noted author Jean Marie Ward with a laugh.  “The costumes get skimpier and the talk gets much more ribald.”

For author Diane Whiteside, sexy meant that there …

Vampires are cool…until they’re cliché.  Shapeshifters are hot…until they’re barely lukewarm.  What’s red-hot today may be dead-dog boring tomorrow.   Or might just be the next big thing again next year.  How do you know?  Should you write for the current trend?  The answer to that question put to a panel of best-selling authors on Friday at 11:30 at “Trends in Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Fiction” in the Manila/Singapore/Hong Kong room was a unanimous and resounding “NO!”

So then how do you …