Christina Henry is the author of the CHRONICLES OF ALICE duology, ALICE and RED QUEEN, a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as LOST BOY: THE TRUE STORY OF CAPTAIN HOOK, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING) featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle Beezle.

ALICE was chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year in Science Fiction and Fantasy for 2015. It was also a Goodreads Choice Award nominee in Horror and one of Barnes & Noble’s Bestselling Science Fiction and Fantasy novels of 2015.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

You can visit her on the web at www.christinahenry.net, facebook.com/authorChristinaHenry, twitter.com/C_Henry_Author and www.goodreads.com/CHenryAuthor.

 

Christine Mitzuk is a Minnesota based imaginative image maker and art instructor.

She earned her BA in Design Communication with a minor in Studio Arts from the University of Minnesota. For over seven years she worked in graphic design, creating art in her spare time. Craving to know how to make all the menagerie of creatures and places in her head look real, she resigned from her graphic design job to pursue the full-time program at The Atelier. She completed 5 years of study in May 2011 with a focus on imaginative art.

Christine now works as a freelance artist. She also teaches art classes at The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Art in Minneapolis, and The Art Academy, LLC in St. Paul. She accepts commissions for illustration, portrait, and still life. Clients include Fantasy Flight Games, Llewellyn Publishing, Lightspeed Magazine, BAEN, Petersen Games, D56, and private individuals.

One of her favorite things to do is talk shop so if you have questions about anything art related, feel free to ask. Pizza or donuts are also excellent topics. If you see her walking around with a guy in a kilt who is sipping tea, that’s most likely her wonderful husband, James.

You can find Christine online and explore more of her work at www.ChristineMitzuk.com, on Instagram @cmitzuk. She also has a blog she tries to keep updated once every week.

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We welcome Susan Leabhart as our Fan Guest of Honor. This lovely lady hails from DAGOBAH, Davenport Area Gathering of Books and Humanoids.  This Science Fiction and Fantasy book discussion group has been meeting at the Davenport Public Library for more than 25 years.  Susan leads this group and is known as Empress of DAGOBAH.

Susan is no stranger to DemiCon. She has been DemiCon’s Toastmaster twice, making history at DemiCon 25 as the first woman to be a DemiCon Toastmaster.  She has attended all of the past DemiCons except the first one, when the need to look after very small children took priority (and those children grew up enjoying DemiCon). Susan is known for her costuming, steampunk, bellydancing, hand-made journals, as well as hosting, with all her DAGOBAH “minions,” the famous “Win Lose or Draw” panel on Sunday at DemiCon.  (That panel has been around since DemiCon 3.)  Just remember, “The Box is Cruel!”

In my college days I came across a “Science Fiction Convention” called ICON. As I was inspired by the strange times, for Ronald Reagan had just become president, I attended ICON’s 4th convention. It was there that I called upon that Midwestern ideal of acceptance I was raised with, for you see these folks were strange. They did strange things with lime green Jell-O and clothing optional swimming events. As time past, I was accepted into their numbers and though I developed a liking to lime green Jell-O, I always felt it was best and safest to leave my clothes on. Words to live by, I imagine.

Towards the end of that decade, I met a girl named Mary. I took her to Science Fiction Conventions and discovered that she too held the same views on lime green Jell-O and clothing that I did. It was a match made in the cosmos. About the same time we arrived in Des Moines to see the dawn of a new Science Fiction Convention: Demicon. We had traveled with the Trans Iowa Canal Company and appeared with them in the first five Demicons.  Gone were the days of lime green Jell-O and clothing optional swimming events, Science Fiction had become a family event. So Mary and I jumped on that bandwagon and procreated. Two prodigy resulted, a daughter named Alex and a son, James. Raised in tolerance, they too have accepted Science Fiction as a way of life.  So 29 Demicons later, I hope that one day, they will find their “lime green Jell-O,” but have the good sense to leave their clothes on when they do.

In 2013 Mary and I along with Joe Struss and Mandi Arthur Struss formed the BrassGears Adventurers Society, of which I am its president. We have shared many events with the fine folks at DesMoines Science Fiction Society and it has brought us nothing but joy. We only have one rule in the Society and that is to have fun. Not long after that I discovered that I bear a resemblance to the 26^th president of these United States, Theodore Roosevelt. If you see Teddy at the BAS room party or in the hallways, say hello, but don’t take too long. The men with the straight jacket and padded van are not far behind.

 

For DemiCon 15 DemiCon decided we wanted to acknowledge those who help make DemiCon what is today and the DemiCon Hall of Fame was created.

 

Rusty “James” Hevelin

At DemiCon 15, Rusty Hevelin was our first inductee to DemiCon Hall of Fame. Rusty had started as our Fan Guest of Honor at DC 1, but somewhere before our first convention came around, he was named Toastmaster. From that day forth, he was our Toastmaster. When Rusty became a member of the DemiCon Hall of Fame, he was given the title of Toastmaster Emeritus, but he did not rest on his laurels and has been at every DemiCon until DC22 when health problems kept him away.  Rusty passed away in 2011.

In celebration of Rusty’s amazing life (ask Gay and Joe … they have stories), we will host the 4th Annual Rusty Ice Cream Social on Saturday afternoon in the ConSuite.  Enjoy a root beer float or just a good bowl of vanilla ice cream, which were two of Rusty’s favorites.

To learn more about Rusty, follow this link to the Hevelin Collection.

 

Joe and Gay Haldeman

Gay and Joe had an intricate part in growing the love of science fiction in those who created DemiCon when they were members of Science Fiction League of Iowa Students (which Joe created) and running ICON. Gay and Joe have been dubbed by those that were under their tutelage as the “Grandparents” of DemiCon.

Joe Haldeman is a multiple Hugo and Nebula award winning author. For his spectacular career in writing science fiction and fantasy, he was given the honor of SFWA Grand Master.  Joe has been our Author GOH for DC 2 and DC 20 where the Haldemans were inducted into the DemiCon Hall of Fame.

Gay Haldeman was our Fan Guest of Honor at DC 2 and was a regular guest, besides Rusty Hevelins’ travel buddy through the many years. Mary Gay Potter Haldeman (a name familiar to those who read The Forever War) has a Master’s Degree in Spanish Literature and another in Linguistics. Every fall, Joe and Gay head of to MIT to teach, and then return to Florida the rest of the year. But, Joe is not the only one with an award or two. Gay shared a Skylark Award with Joe in 1996, and in 2011 was given the Big Heart Award at the World SF Convention in Reno, Nevada.   Both Gay and Joe have thespian talents and have graced our stage as TICC performers, as well.

 

Glen Cook

Glen was made a member at DemiCon 25. Glen Cook Author guest of honor for DemiCon 5, known for his stellar The Black Company military fantasy series and so much more, told DemiCon this:  I was born and am still under foot.  Hit the ground in NYC in 1944, lived there, Indiana, and California growing up.  Served in the Navy, attended U of Missouri, worked for General Motors and retired therefrom.  Began writing with intent to commit publication late 1960s and have since produced 51 published books (#51, Working God’s Mischief, will come out between now and the convention), some short fiction, some articles and some essays.  I have three sons, an Army officer, an architect, and a symphony musician, plus numerous grandchildren, all but one of whom seem determined to be female.  And I have an amazing wife who has been with me for almost 45 years.  These days I am, extremely slowly, working on expanding theBlack Company chronicles by two novels and a story collection.  I have become a victim of Ambition Deficit Disorder, which is what has put the slow in slowly.

Glen has been at almost every DemiCon selling books to all who love the joy of reading.  Signing his and making DemiCon even more special.  Thanks Glen.