Ray Tabler is a retired engineer and author, originally from Louisville, Kentucky. He chased the north-bound dollar to Michigan because of a tragic addiction to a steady paycheck, where he married a lovely Yankee girl. Several decades later, despite the siren call of warmer climes, Ray might be permanently lodged in the frozen north. Ray’s short fiction can be found in the pages of The Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Baen’s Universe, and Cosmic Crime Stories. He has published two novels (A Grand Imperial War, and Fool’s Paradise) with Ring of Fire Press, soon to be available from Novus Mundi Publishing. A sequel to A Grand Imperial War is in the on-deck circle, and a couple more novels are currently being detailed before hitting the showroom floor.
Sessions in which Ray Tabler participates
Friday 29 September, 2023
What is it, and how can it help your writing? Why does this framework work?
What do you do when your fictional culture needs to curse?
How much description is too much?
Self-publishing has come a long way since the days when it was automatically brushed off as nothing but vanity press.
Saturday 30 September, 2023
The frustrations of writer's block, rejections and reviews, etc.
Sessions in which Ray Tabler attends
Friday 29 September, 2023
Since A.I. will be (or already is) incorporated into every word processing program, we will discuss how writers can use it ethically.
Sometimes the villain is more popular and memorable than the hero. What does that say about popular culture?
Are studios less willing to take chances on movies? Is their only focus on the "sure thing"? Will we ever have another Spielberg or Lucas?
Saturday 30 September, 2023
Modern tools like ChatGPT use the word "artificial intelligence," but how does it compare to the AI in science fiction stories? And how does this new technology affect how we should think about AI - of either kind - in science fiction?
Knowledgeable authors provide sage advice on the ins and outs of promoting yourself as an author and building a loyal fan base—from table displays and hand selling books at cons to growing a newsletter email list and appearing on podcasts.
The basics, linear, nonlinear, and more. How to choose what is right for your story?
Gatekeepers exist in nearly every aspect of Art and creativity. Do they contribute to the quality of what we see or do they just maintain the status quo?
Manipulating and engaging in social media is an important way to reach your potential and current readers. Where do you start? How much do you do? And how do you find the time?
What are the challenges and successes of adapting science fiction and horror literature into visual media? What is the impact of different storytelling techniques and visual aesthetics?
Sunday 1 October, 2023
How do you find a group and how do you determine if it's right for you?
Sometimes authors feel compelled to write something even if they never expect to release it ‘into the wild.’
As fans of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, we are used to believing in fantastical situations and elements, if only for a little while. Why would asking the public to believe in a fish woman with darker skin or a same sex relationship in outer space be a step too far?