A.M. Burns
A.M. Burns lives in the Colorado Rockies with his partner, several dogs, cats, horses, and birds. When he’s not writing, he’s often fixing fences, splitting wood, hiking in the mountains, or flying his hawks. He is a former president of the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group. You can find out more about A.M. and his writing at www.amburns.com, or follow him on twitter @am_burns
Aaron Spriggs
Scientist by day, rock star by night. Aaron is the poor man’s Buckaroo Banzai. Aaron goes to Burning Man every summer, and usually a band tour (not always in the USA). Aaron loves to talk about insects & spiders and helped send spiders into space. As an author, he has published poetry, short stories, and has one novel to his name.
Amy Griswold
Amy Griswold is a professional seamstress with over thirty years of experience in clothing construction and industrial sewing. She is self-taught and also worked as an apprentice in her sister’s shop where she learned techniques in alterations, custom clothing design, reupholstery, canvas work, as well as large scale production industrial sewing. Her body of work includes everything from wedding gowns and costuming to boat covers and custom reupholstery. Her motto is “show me a picture and I can make it for you.” She has taught basic sewing and machine sewing to numerous homeschool and scouting groups and has taught reuphostery techniques at JoAnn Fabrics. Her drive for teaching is to take the fear and mystery out of sewing and show people it’s easier than they think. Currently she is designing costumes and cosplay items for her family members and working on a new line of Neo-Victorian and Steampunk clothing and accessories for her on-line shop.
Ana MacDonell
Ana was born and raised in Spain, and came here 25 years ago. She is been a congoer for +30 years. She is a pirate, alien, trekkie, walking dead, shieldmaiden, companion, Sith, Stark, Gryffindor, Pikachu, Asha’man, mystery lover, and all around pun
Andarta
Andarta is a professional psychic who performs tarot and oracle card readings, past life regressions, shamanic journey work, and Reiki healing. Andarta is an Empath who can sense people’s feelings, as well as a Clairvoyant and Clairaudient, to hear and see any messages that people need to know. She is a Reiki Master who heals people with Reiki energy, as well as teaches Reiki classes. She also is a high priestess who performs legal handfastings and weddings, and is a Priestess of Avalon, who helps the land and the people to heal. She is a Druid, and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). One of her crafts is to create anointing oils, which are used for ritual purposes, simple candle magic, and with some oils, can be used as a perfume and bath oil. Andarta makes envelope spell kits that are used for various types of spells. She also performs various rituals and spells, such as house cleansings and protection spells. She performs Reiki healing to humans and animals.
Andrew Hallam
Andrew Hallam earned his PhD at the University of Denver. His dissertation was an analysis of the interplay between myth and allegory in in The Lord of the Rings. He is a scholar of sci-fi and fantasy, Star Wars, superheroes, and Beowulf.
Ashley M Vasquez
Ashley M Vasquez is a Denver based writer, movie fan, and all-around nerd who loves to play in the world of make-believe. She is currently published in 4 anthologies: Adventures in Zookeeping, Just Desserts, Wit and Whimsy, and Shatter your Image.
Beck Wasik
Beck first put pen to paper in middle school, and has been addicted to writing ever since! Described as a natural by her peers, she has written countless fan fictions and original stories alike, culminating into the steampunk novel debuting at this convention! When not telling stories of aeroships and adventures, Beck dreams of the stars and faraway worlds, enjoys getting lost in movie marathons, and designs and crafts cosplay costumes.
Betsy Dornbusch
Betsy Dornbusch is a fantasy writer from Colorado. The Books of the Seven Eyes trilogy was released in English speaking territories in 2016 with a German release following. Her fifth novel, The Silver Scar, released October 2018. Her short fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, most recently Blood Business and the forthcoming Straight Outa Tombstone. She regularly speaks at fan conventions, and she’s the sole proprietor of Sex Scenes at Starbucks http://betsydornbusch.com where you can believe most of what she writes. In her free time, she herds teenagers (like cats, only they talk back), snowboards, air jams at punk rock concerts, and follows Denver sports teams.
Bill
Bill has been gaming for over 30 years, and people keep coming back to play, so he must be doing something right. Bill wa the layout designer and art director for Hero Games, Silverback Games, and Blackwyrm Publishing. His first book, The Widening Gyre, is a world of steampunk and sorcery for Savage Worlds and the HERO System. Known as “The Bunny” (for reasons we are unable to explain), Bill claims to have been elected President in an rigged election, conquered the Midwest, been shot and killed at least once, sworn (and achieved!) vengeance on the gods themselves, crowned himself King of the World, become the arch-enemy of a llama, deposed the Pope, and had torrid love affairs with several well-known movie starlets. It is unlikely that any of these things are actually true, but it’s best to just humor him when he gets like this.
Blair Bartlett
Blair has been doing photography of one type or another say back in the 4th grade. After trying his hand at various different forms, he decided about 4 years ago to stop selling his services as a photographer and instead concentrate on photography as an art form. He has been showing his work in various local convention art shows ever since. Blair also does all his own matting, and photographs his wife’s Mitzi’s sculptures. When not working on his art or working the mundane job, Blair spends what little free time he may have playing Path of Exiles or Ark: Survival Evolved. Blair lives with his lovely wife of 30+ years, Mitzi, and their feline overlords Koda and Sparo.
Blind Lemming Chiffon
Blind Lemming Chiffon is a blues comedian and singer/song-rewriter from Denver. He writes song parodies and is a performer and fan of pre-WW2 country blues, thus leading to his name, which is a parody of a blues name. His days in fandom go back at least to his first con in 1977, and he’s he’s attended 18 Worldcons, starting in 1979.
Brenna
Creators of handmade stuffed animals, Brenna and Jessica are proud to bring you fun and easy canvas painting & stuffed animal classes! See the Whimsical Whiskers booth in the Vendors Room and adopt your snuggly dragon friend today!
Brett J Baker
Brett Baker is an independent author and publisher, and a graduate of the University of Colorado. He is unmarried, and he lives in Denver, CO. For more information about Brett or his books, please visit http://www.brettbaker.ws.
Bryan Oliver
Bryan Oliver has directed the series Tales of a Broken Reality for 4 years. The project went international 2 years ago and features steampunks of all backgrounds. Tales of a Broken Reality is a sideways look at The Wizard of Oz gone horribly wrong. Featuring Airship Iron Opal and other Colorado Steampunks, the final episode also includes original music from The Cog is Dead and John Sprocket as Oz himself. Murder Mystery and Mayhem are just a few of the things you will find when you open the book of Tales of a Broken Reality.
Calvin Studzinski
The website of Calvin Studzinski contains his current projects and interesting articles on minutia of pop culture.
Carol Van Natta
Carol Van Natta is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning science fiction and fantasy author. She writes the Ice Age Shifters paranormal romance series that starts with SHIFTER MATE MAGIC, and the Central Galactic Concordance space opera series that starts with OVERLOAD FLUX. She shares her Fort Collins, CO home with a resident mad scientist and just the right number of cats. She has had several other careers, but being an author and telling fantastic stories suits her best.
Carolyn Kay
Carolyn Kay enjoys writing about an eclectic variety of things, and imagining what normally inanimate objects would do if given life. She is currently collaborating with award-winning illustrator, Chaz Kemp, on the World of Ashelon, a series of novellas set in a steampunk fantasy world. When she’s not writing, she can be seen dancing with Batavia, a tribal fusion belly dance troupe, knitting or playing with her beloved cats. You can catch up on her latest shenanigans at carolynkayauthor.com.
Charles Orndorff
Both Charles and Tauni Orndorff are Colorado natives that started creating costumes for Halloween shortly after getting married. They have been costuming for over 20 years and have participated in several costume events to include MileHiCon, Opusfest, Starfest, World Con (Denvention), and Bubonicon in New Mexico. They have earned best in show as well as other awards in a many of these venues. Most recently awarded Best In Show Workmanship at Archon in St Louis. For them costuming is a great hobby that they both can enjoy together, additionally they love to share their knowledge and experience. Recently they have worked with a local theater group and independent film makers for their costumes and effects. Also makers in residence at the pikes peak library district in colorado springs.
Chaz Kemp
Bram Stoker Award finalist Chaz Kemp embraces an Art Nouveau style that incorporates vibrancy and color into fantasy and steampunk art in a way that is rarely seen. As an illustrator, the influence of Alphonse Mucha is evident in his award-winning work that combines the artistic energy of the Roaring 20s with the untamed diversity of steampunk and fantasy. You can find his art at ChazKemp.com or better, become his patron at: Patreon.com/ChazKemp
Clockwork Rose Cosplay
Magnus Rose is an award winning cosplay craftsman and disability inclusion advocate for the con community. With 16 years of sewing experience and a passion for creativity, they specialize is original designs and budget oriented creation.
Colleen Oakes
Colleen Oakes is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Queen of Hearts Saga, The Wendy Darling Saga and The Black Coats, arriving February 2019. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son.
Connie Willis
Connie Willis is the Hugo- and Nebula-Award winning author of DOOMSDAY BOOK, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG, CROSSTALK, and BLACKOUT/ALL CLEAR. She’s a SFWA Grand Master and has been inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Cori
Massage therapy is, first and foremost, a practice of tension release. Healthy touch by itslf is tension-releaving and light and firm tissue work can take that to amazing heights. In an industry focused on healing, self-improvement, recovery and pretty much any other term that can make you feel like you are unable to relax without our help, Reworks strives to stand out by choosing instead to say that we are simply working together as client and therapist to invoke change: to Rework the body. Since 2015, Reworks has been providing self-care services to geeks et al, one byte at a time. Now delivering the best to your door for gatherings, events or for yourself let the Wizard Rework, Relax and Return you to your happy, healthy self.
Courtney Willis
Courtney Willis was a science teacher for over 50 years. He was a real teacher for 25 years, teaching high school physics and chemistry. Then for the next 25 years or so he was a physics professor at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Willis Started attending Science Fiction Conventions about 40 years ago with his wife who is now a grand master of Science Fiction. He has regularly appeared on science panels and done science demonstrations at Mile High Con, COSine, and Bubonican. He has a large collection of slide rules and more recently started collecting sewing machines. He loves to talk about science, slide rules, and sewing machines at any time.
Dame Ursula Whiffenpott
Dame Ursula is a Potterverse nut (RAVENCLAW!) and a dabbler in many other fandoms, from Star Trek to MLP. She is a professional costumer and Opera singer, when not drinking tea and holding forth on the merits of period romance novels
Dana Bell
Dana Bell enjoys writing regional Colorado tales and has lived in various other places, which serve as settings for her tales. Some star the many cats she’s been owned by. Her works include her novels Winter Awakening and God’s Gift, a cat vampire short story series, and various others. She has edited several anthologies including Different Dragons, Different Dragons 2, Supernatural Colorado, Love ‘em, Shoot ‘em and Extinct? For fun, Dana builds and decorates doll houses and colors in her coloring books.
Dylan Edwards
Dylan Edwards is the author of Transposes, which was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist in 2013 for Best Transgender Non-Fiction; Politically InQueerect: Old Ghosts and Other Stories; and Valley of the Silk Sky, which was a DINKy Award finalist for Best Webcomic. His comics have also appeared in numerous anthologies, including the Ignatz Award-winning QU33R (Northwest Press, 2013), the Lambda Literary Award-winning No Straight Lines (Fantagraphics, 2012), and the Lambda Literary Award-winning Beyond Anthology (Beyond Press, 2015). He is the recipient of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association’s 2016 Award for Excellence in Transgender Coverage for his comic “How I Told My Grandma I’m Transgender,” and the 2017 Prism Award for Best Short Form Comic for “Nothing Wrong With Me.”
Eneasz Brodski
Eneasz spends his free hours writing, producing a bi-weekly podcast on Bayesian rationality (www.TheBayesianConspriacy.com), and a different bi-weekly podcast of rationalist fiction (www.HPMoRPodcast.com). His novel “What Lies Dreaming” can be read at WhatLiesDreaming.com He blogs at www.DeathIsBadBlog.com His work has previously appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction and Analog Magazine, and he’s a Writers of the Future winner.
Erin Card
Erin is an award-winning aficionado and advocate of all things costume and couture. A seamstress, designer, and costumier 20 years in the making, she loves to bring her wealth of knowledge to the table and convince those in her presence, and not, to come to the shiny, make-it-yourself side (we have brownies).
Gail Henry
Gail Henry is a writer, movie and TV buff, book enthusiast, and proud Hufflepuff. She is housemate to an adorable black cat who loves to cuddle.
Hannah Bartley
Hannah has been a novice seamstress under the tutelage of Lara Beckwith. Hannah specializes in tailoring thrift shop finds into costuming by using clothing, able cloths, curtains, and whatever else she finds.
HopeFully Cosplay
Hope began cosplaying in 2013 and mermaiding in 2016. She tends to create cosplays from existing pieces, and placed first in the Creative Division of the costume contest at AnomalyCon 2017 with Steampunk Firestar. Hope enjoys cosplaying lesser-known characters, such as Clawhauser from Zootopia, or variations/mash-ups of popular characters, such as Jedi Jolteon. She uses cosplay as a way to express passion for her favorite characters, and loves to bring smiles to others with both cosplay and mermaiding.
Ian Brazee-Cannon
At the dawn of time there was a crack in reality. Through this tear in time and space emerged beings of unfathomable power bent on shaping the destiny of the universe towards their sinister goals. Great battles that would drive any lesser beings insane raged on as reality took shape during this chaotic period. In the end the universe was spared by the self destructive nature of these beings, fighting each other into nonexistence until none were left. Uncounted ages later, on a small planet that often is unnoticed by the rest of the universe, Ian Brazee-Cannon was born. A story teller from a young age, he became a writer, film maker, game designer and podcaster. Over a dozen of his short stories have seen publication. ‘Divided States of America,”The Fifth Di…’, ‘Wondrous Web Worlds’, ‘Forgotten Worlds’, ‘Tales of the Talisman’ and various anthologies have featured his works. You can hear him discuss all manner of subjects as a founder and regular co-hosts on the Amateur Skeptics
Ian Thomas Healy
Ian Thomas Healy is an author of superhero and speculative fiction and the creator of the Just Cause Universe of superhero novels. His publishing company, Local Hero Press, focuses upon high-quality crossgenre speculative fiction.
J.D. Harrison
J.D. Harrison is a lifelong horsewoman, often found in the uncommonly intelligent company of her horse, Smoke. She believes in soul satisfying relationships with animals, conversation with genuine people, supporting her friends and reading voraciously. With over a decade of experience squiring at a championship tourney, and a long term love affair with all things medieval and renaissance, she brings to life the culture of jousters and their unorthodox lifestyle. Chivalry isn’t dead, it’s just in hiding. Gallant Hearts- giving falling hard a whole new impact!
J.L. Forrest
J.L. Forrest is the author of short fiction and novels for the likes of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Crossed Genres, the Robot Cowgirl Press, and others. His fiction cross hard science, dark fantasy, adventure, and literature. His most recent book, WHEN THE WORLD ENDS, is available through Amazon and booksellers everywhere, and he is the author of MINUSCULE TRUTH, DELICATE MINISTRATIONS, and the beautiful and haunting REQUIES DAWN, a tale of the far future and an undying love. Traveling the world, Forrest studies the cultures, histories, myths, ideas, and hopes of the places and people he encounters. The best fictions, he believes, reflect back upon ourselves and our culture the deeper truths of our own existence. Fiction has the power to transform us. A nomad of sorts, Forrest has often scribbled from the snowy Rocky Mountains, the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest, the ancient landscapes of Vikings, and the Eternal City of Roma, Italia.
Janet Rose
Janet Rose is a bisexual, Chicana, Colorado native. She has served as nonprofit attorney, passionate mediator, transformative consultant, compassion junkie, and fierce advocate. Her career has focused on building bridges, fostering understanding and shining warmth and light in the dark corners of humanity. She focuses on bringing a trauma-informed lens to public policy, relationships & geekdom. Janet specializes in teaching about healthy relationship dynamics, conflict resolution & the politics of love & romance.
Jessica Lauren Gabarron
Jessica Lauren Gabarron, Slytherin, movie quoter, and book enthusiast, once failed creative writing in high school, but that hasn’t stopped her from writing and getting published. She’s owned by a cat and a dog that watch over the house while she’s at her day job.
Jodi M Franklin
With several published short stories, aspiring author Jodi M Franklin, is currently producing her first novel. She writes in several genres, including steampunk, si-fi, and fantasy.Moonlighting as a bartender by night provides endless inspiration for unique characters and social conflict. She writes by day with her dog Jasper at her feet, and with the support of her fiancee.
Julie Nakao
Julie Nakao currently is the Chair for WhimsyCon 2019 and on the Shiny Garden Board. She has been geeking out with Denver conventions since 2011.
Karina Scott
Karina started Freedom Inside as a means to help her friends and family reach their dreams. Now she is growing it to help as many people as possible find the freedom they need to live their lives.
Kathleen Sloan
Kathleen Sloan has been a filker since 1976 and has been reading science fiction even longer. In 2007 she was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame. Her song “Take It Back” won the Pegasus award for best classic filk in 2016.
KatOfDiamonds
KatOfDiamonds has been cosplaying since 2012 and has been streaming cosplay progress on Twitch since Late July 2018! She loves talking cosplay and troubleshooting as she is self taught in most things. Cosplay mashups are her favorite to create! Check out her cosplays or reach out on her social media @KatOfDiamonds.
Kevin Frost
Once upon a time, Kevin Frost was a shellback. Then he contracted a mortal terror of Davy Jones. Now he sails the sagebrush seas of northern New Mexico along side a fleet of earthships. He is the lead editor of the retropunk short story zine Curiosities and was a Parsec Award finalist for the companion podcast, Gallery of Curiosities, in 2018 in the Best Speculative Fiction Story: Short Form (Small Cast) category. When the rural wireless goes down, he resorts to managing the slush pile from a lonely crossroads diner, and has only occasional bouts of vertigo from living so far inland.
Kimberly Keane
Kimberly lives a secret life of playing with large data sets, caring for her four-legged, furry dragon, and answering questions for her adult children like: “How do taxes work,” “What’s a copay,” and “Should I opt out of my 401k plan?” She also writes speculative fiction and spends an inordinate amount of time in coffee and tea shops.
Knight
Sir William is the 2017 Colorado Bootblack. Not sure what a bootblack is? Swing by the atrium and bring your leather. He will be providing leather care services for those interested. Prices will be posted at the booth. He will be there sharing his knowledge as well and willing to answer all questions.
Lannie Pihajlic
Lannie is a Colorado artist that enjoys making art using art sorts of media, from painting and sculpting, to digital art. He works range from realism to fantasy and science fiction based art.
Lara Beckwith
Lara is a Library assistant At Hoffman Library and grew up doing historical reenacting and sewing. She created the first Sewing Lab at the Aurora Public Library where she teaches all levels and ages to sew.
Lee Francis 4
Dr. Lee Francis 4 is an Indigenerd Extraordinaire and founder of Native Realities, Red Planet Books and Comics, and the Indigenous Comic Con (soon to be IndigiPop X). He is a writer, activist, and entrepreneur and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Losing Lara
Losing Lara is an avid YouTuber, posting weekly videos ranging from nerd-themed songs to convention vlogs. She has been playing guitar and writing music for almost 4 years. Her songs highlight the fandoms of Harry Potter, Firefly, Captain America, and more. She has participated in the Yes All Witches Wizard Rock tour and performed at WhimsyCon 2018, MALCon 2017, and GeekyCon 2016.
Lou J Berger
Lou J Berger is an Active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and has published short stories in Galaxy’s Edge Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and a handful of anthologies. Recently, he was a Finalist in the Writers of the Future contest. He can be found on Facebook and on Twitter (@LouJBerger), and his website is: http://www.LouJBerger.com His website is: www.LouJBerger.com.
Lyndsie Clark
Lyndsie Clark grew up in Boulder, Colorado as the only child of hippie parents. As a lonely extrovert of a child, she spent a large part of her childhood in her head creating stories. As an adult, she earned a Master’s Degree in Linguistics from the University of Colorado. She also speaks fluent Italian and terrible Spanish. Her debut cyberpunk novel, Anamnesis, set in a dystopian America 300 years in the future, arrives in October, 2019.
Mario Acevedo
Mario Acevedo is the author of the bestselling Felix Gomez detective-vampire series and the YA humor thriller, University of Doom. His debut novel, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, was chosen by Barnes & Noble as one of the best Paranormal Fantasy Novels of the Decade. He contributed short fiction to the anthologies, Nightmares Unhinged, CyberWorld, and Blood Business from Hex Publishing, and You Don’t Have a Clue, from ArtePublico Press. His novel, Good Money Gone, co-authored with Richard Kilborn, won an International Latino Book Award. He edited the anthology, Found, for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, which won a Colorado Book Award. He edited the anthology Blood & Gasoline from Hex Publishers. His most recent novel is book 7 of his Felix Gomez adventures, Sex Slaves of Shark Island. Mario serves on the writing faculty of the Regis University Mile-High MFA program and Lighthouse Writers Workshops. He lives and writes in Denver, Colorado.
Mel Plett from Stretch of the Imagination
Mel Plett is a Creative Technologist and Craftswoman living in Northern Colorado. She has a Masters of Engineering and Applied Science in Creative Technology and Design from the University of Colorado. Her work includes designing and making interactive light and motion elements into costumes, props and everyday items using a combination of DIY physical computing technology, high tech fabrication techniques including 3D printing and laser-cutting, and traditional handicraft skills that people have been using for centuries. In addition to sewing, crocheting is one of her favorite crafts and she makes dragon scale armor that is soft and comfortable. She also teaches workshops and volunteers at a local makerspace to enable others to make their fantastical ideas into a physical reality and add a little more magic to the world. Find out more on the Stretch of the Imagination website: www.SoftheI.com
Melanie Unruh
Melanie is an artist and maker of decorative and functional pottery, and sartorial arts, ranging from historical to fantasy, Viking to Victorian, and hats to spats. Melanie uses juxtapositions between mechanical and organic motifs, metal against fabric, and things hidden and revealed, and Asian influences in her work. One of the instigators in the Denver Victorian & Steampunk Society, Melanie is also Vice-President of the Arapahoe Ceramics Guild, and a founding member of the Convention Artists Guild. Melanie lives in the Denver area. Her work is shown at Guild and Convention shows in the Denver area several times a year.
Melissa Koons
Melissa Koons is a former English teacher who now works as a writer and editor for Spine Press + Post author services. She still contributes to education as a tutor, and academic writing. She has one novel published, multiple short stories, and has ghostwritten over 60 novellas. Her novel, “Orion’s Honor”, academic workbook “Writing a Critical Essay”, and horror anthology “Aberration” are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and her own website Write Illusion. Her short story “Reconciling the Dragon” is featured in Wordfire Press’ “Dragon Writers” anthology available on Amazon and other platforms with a new short story featured in their “Undercurrents” anthology.
Mermaid Ara
Mermaid Ara is visiting Whimsycon from her home in Mermaid Lagoon, Neverland, and is excited to share how you too can join the mermaid community!
Michelle Reeves
Michelle Reeves has been in the Denver Sci-fi community for over 10 years. As a mother of 3, she knows the importance of including the next generation of geeks in conventions and strives to create fun and innovative panels for all ages and abilities.
Mike (mikeyzart) Kloepfer
Mike (mikeyzart) Kloepfer is an award-winning artist with a career over 3 decades. He has drawn over 1,000 professional portraits and 12,000 caricatures for collectors worldwide. Mike is a founding member of the Convention Artists Guild (CO Chapter)
Mike Cervantes
Mike Cervantes is a graduate of creative writing and communication from The University of Texas at El Paso. He is a humorist, a cartoonist, a steampunk enthusiast, a regular contributor to Denver’s many local conventions, and just a swell person besides. He writes and publishes stories featuring his steampunk hero characters ‘The Scarlet Derby and Midnight Jay’ regularly on his website, TheScarletDerby.com.
Mistress Mab
Mistress Mab is a long time cos-player, Jill of many trades, and general geek. She is a lover of almost all things steampunk related from gaslamp fantasy novels to diesel punk music. Her love of the whimsical, fantastic, and strange knows no bounds
Nissa LaFete
As the faerie Queen of LaFete, Nyssa began the Festival of Faerie in 2012. She is a maker of wings, stories, laughter, and new friends. She loves storytelling and hearing new stories! But she also loves shiny objects and can be distracted easily.
Olivia Wylie
Olivia Wylie is a blogger, comic artist, professional horticulturist and illustrator whose works revolve around the themes of self-determination, freedom and the natural world throughout folklore and history. She is currently focused on the projects ‘Smoke And Roses: A Steampunk Language of Flowers’ and Parmeshen, the steampunk webcomic she serves as artist. She owns the small landscaping company Leafing Out Professional Gardening centered in downtown Denver. Her comic work can be viewed at http://parmeshen.webcomic.ws/ Her horticultural work can be viewed at http://www.leafingoutgardening.com/
Owen Wears
Pulp fantasy, horror, and the bizarre! From sword and sorcery to fairy tales, high adventure to the depths of horror, EXTERUS presents a wide range of speculative short fiction. This multi-volume anthology series is sure to both fascinate and enthrall fans of the golden age of weird fiction as well as contemporary fantasy. Each volume presents seven original stories by talented newcomers as well as a classic tale from the golden age of the Pulps. Additionally, each story is accompanied by a lush black and white illustration. Magic, mayhem, terror, and intrigue await!
Paul Lell
Sci-fi/Fantasy author Paul Lell currently resides in Westminster, Colorado with his family; a wife, two sons, a giant dog, and two equally giant cats. Paul writes daily, reads everything he can, and works on refining his stories, and games at all hours. Paul has ten novels, numerous short stories, and three going on five RPGs in print today.
Peri Charlifu
Peri Charlifu was born in 1962 in Alamosa Colorado, his Father was an art teacher and his Mother was a social worker. His Mother is now retired and living in Aurora Colorado. He grew up in Denver and Aurora Colorado, studying art from an early age and continuing to this day. He attended Metropolitan State Collage and studied Art, Psychology and combined his studies using Art as therapy. He now does Art full time. Peri has been selling his work for 34 years, and has been selling almost exclusively in the science fiction convention market for almost 11 years. He teaches workshops and seminars in Pottery, sculpture and theory on a regular basis. He is Guild master for Art and Artisans and a founding member of the Stoneleaf potters guild. Although an accomplished and proficient graphic artist, Peri’s first love is pottery. He is highly skilled in both Wheel thrown and hand-built work. He mixes all his own stains and glazes, and has developed an underglaze technique that he uses in 90%
Pink Pitcher
Pink Pitcher is a seamstress, textile and domestic historian, and artist (among other titles). She enjoys costuming and cosplaying in a variety of genres. She is currently publishing her very first comic – Root & Branch. She would really love to talk about neolithic spinning techniques, with pretty much anyone.
Prof. Artimus G Smithmage
Professor Artimus G Smithmage is Maker/ Metalsmith for 30yrs 10yrs in Steampunk life making jewelry props leather metal and other mix media.
Richard Blake
After 25 years of designing learning experiences for universities as well as major corporations like IBM, Xerox, and Ernst & Young, Richard left the world of full time professional instructional design for the world of full time professional parenting. As a Stay At Home Father to two wonderful young children, Richard discovered his passion for educating primary and middle school children as well as adults. He also discovered that his lifelong and profound interest in STEM could become more than a rainy day hobby. Today he uses his corporate and collegiate experience, as well as his MA in Instructional Design and BA in English & Liberal Arts, to ensure that his children and those around him are not only supported in their STEM, humanities, and language arts interests, but that they are inspired by the science, history, and literature happening all around them at every moment.
Richard E. Friesen
Richard just loves telling stories, and has found novels to be an ideal length-anything under 75,000 words is too short for him. His first fantasy series, The Dreaming King Saga is complete. All 5 books are available now: The Tower of Dreams, Oathbound Sisters, An Uncivil War, and On Black Mesa, and The Gates of Heaven. He also has several short stories available online (and one free one on his website). He is now working on a humorous superhero story where the hero’s power is to fall asleep, and take you into his dreams. After that, there is the first book in the Wetware Wizards series.
Roberto Calas
Roberto Calas is an author, digital artist, and lover of history. His written works range from historical fantasy to world-domination manifestos that he scrawls on the back of receipts and distributes through an innovative “wind-carried” system. His art and designs have appeared on scores of book covers. The art is usually wiped off the books by store staff members, but he remains undeterred. Occasionally he actually has his art *published* on book covers, too. As a writerm Roberto is represented by Byrd Leavell of Waxman Leavell. As an artist, he is represented by the symbol that the musician Prince no longer uses.
Robin Baylor
Robin is a veteran (notable: extensive training on how NOT to blow things up) , an engineer with an aerospace company and a musician who can harmonize at will and play almost anything with strings to some extent (except for mandolins). She has lived in 4 timezones, and is fascinated with tech past, present and future. Currently living in Colorado has given her a chance to attend local fiber fesivals and seriously up her game on knitting, crocheting, spinning, and other fiber arts. Formerly of the group N-Strings Attached with now-husband Fred Capp and singer Lynn Gold, she has written a tidy collection of song parodies and is featured on 3 collections (alas, all out of print) . Lives with husband, two near-adult daughters, a dog and a cat. (Not a cat person)
Rubiee Tallyn Hayes
Rubiee is a renaissance Pooka who sings, writes, blends geeky loose-leaf teas, and creates functional pottery. It is said that her mischievous grin, and bright laugh herald her arrival. She owns Dryad Tea and Dryad Pottery, where her art is available for purchase. Find her in the vendor area or online at www.dryadtea.com!
Sandra Wheeler
Scott Crosson
Scott Crosson is a long time pod caster and armature comedian. His newest project is a Super Hero review channel.
Sheila McClune
Sheila McClune enjoys writing, cooking, creating art, costuming, and hosting tea parties. She can often be found helping to run conventions, especially in the con suite. In so-called Real Life, she works as a data analyst.
Stace Johnson
Stace Johnson is a Colorado writer, musician, and IT guy. He is a copy editor for the Inquisitr website, has published fiction, poetry, and non-fiction articles, and has performed geeky music sets at WhimsyCon and Westercon. For more information, please visit http://lytspeed.com/publications/.
Stant Litore
Stant Litore writes about zombies, aliens, and tyrannosaurs. He does not currently own a starship or a time machine but would rather like to. He lives in Aurora, Colorado with his wife and three children and hides from visitors in the basement library beneath a heap of toy dinosaurs, tattered novels, comic books, incomprehensibly scribbled drafts, and antique tomes. He is working on his next novel, or several. You can read some of his current fiction by looking up Ansible, The Running of the Tyrannosaurs, The Zombie Bible, or Dante’s Heart. However, doing so may have unpredictable effects, and Stant offers no assurances that you will emerge from any of these stories unscathed. Best leave all non-essentials behind, take with you only what you need to survive, and venture into the books cautiously and ready to call for backup. Enjoy, and good luck.
Susan Clare Adams
Susan Clare Adams is an author and poet. Due to her many interests, she is reluctant to write in only one genre and instead prefers to broaden her scope. Susan has stories published by Villainous Press and books of poetry by NT Publishing. She lives in Colorado where she surrounds herself with family and friends.
Tauni Orndorff
Both Tauni and Charles Orndorff are Colorado natives that started creating costumes for Halloween shortly after getting married. They have been costuming for over 20 years and have participated in several costume events to include MileHiCon, Opusfest, Starfest, World Con (Denvention), and Bubonicon in New Mexico. They have earned best in show as well as other awards in a many of these venues. Most recently awarded Best In Show Workmanship at Archon in St Louis. For them costuming is a great hobby that they both can enjoy together, additionally they love to share their knowledge and experience. Recently they have worked with a local theater group and independent film makers for their costumes and effects. They are also Makers in Residence with the Pikes Peak Library.
Thea Hutcheson
Thea Hutcheson’s writes across multiple genres under several pen names. Her work has appeared in such places as Hot Blood XI, Fatal Attractions; M-Brane Issue 12; Baen’s Universe Issue 4, Vol. 1; the Beauty and the Beast Issue of The Enchanted Conversation; Realms of Fantasy’s 100th issue, and Fiction River’s Recycled Pulp, No Humans Allowed, and Haunted anthologies. She lives in an economically depressed, unscenic, nearly historic small city in Colorado with four rescued cats, 1000 books, and an understanding partner.
Thomas A Fowler
Thomas A. Fowler is the author of nerdy things, primarily sci-fi. He helps authors market & publish themselves as the Marketing Director at Spine Press & Post & is a cohost of the Geeky Gab Podcast. Head to ThomasAFowler.com to get social on the internet and find out everything he does in life and writing.
Tomas O’Dreams
Liam Bootzin has been entertaining adults and children with his stories since 1987.
Trai Cartwright
TRAI CARTWRIGHT, MFA, is a 25-year entertainment industry veteran and creative writing specialist. She teaches, produces, and writes screenplays and novels, and can be found at www.craftwrite.com. While in Los Angeles, she was a screenwriter, independent film producer, and story consultant and development executive for HBO, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, New Lines Cinema, and 20th Century Fox. Trai currently teaches creative writing, screenwriting, and producing for UC Denver and two online master’s programs, writers groups, conferences and cons, and one-on-one as a development and story editor. She is the screenwriter for “Secret Ellington,” and producer of docu-series “Hidden Tigers.”
Travis Heermann
Freelance writer, novelist, award-winning screenwriter, editor, poker player, poet, biker, roustabout, Travis Heermann is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop and the author of The Ronin Trilogy, The Wild Boys, Rogues of the Black Fury, and co-author of Death Wind, plus short fiction pieces in anthologies and magazines such as Apex Magazine, Alembical, the Fiction River anthology series, Historical Lovecraft, and Cemetery Dance’s Shivers VII. As a freelance writer, he has produced a metric ton of role-playing game work both in print and online, including the Firefly Roleplaying Game, Battletech, Legend of Five Rings, d20 System, and EVE Online. He enjoys cycling, martial arts, torturing young minds with otherworldly ideas, and zombies. He has three long-cherished dreams: a produced screenplay, a NYT best-seller, and a seat in the World Series of Poker. In 2016, he returned to the U.S. after living in New Zealand for a year with his family.
Vennessa Robertson
Vennessa Robertson is a Colorado author and is active in the writing and historic reenactment communities. She taught high school with dueling degrees in both English and History in Colorado and Alaska until a traumatic brain injury in 2009. Now, she lives in rural Colorado. When she is not writing or homeschooling her two small children she is managing their ever-growing large and small animal rescue ranch. www.vrobertsononline.com
Veronica R. Calisto
Masseur of people and plot lines. Singer of songs inside her own head and in a local choir. Author of Diary of a Mad Black Witch, A Griffin Scorned, and the first in SparkleTits Chronicles: Starfish & Coffee.
Victoria Regina
Victoria Regina LOVES making unique hats great & small. Using traditional millinery skills, she has mastered the art of using non/traditional materials to create ‘sculptures’ for the head. She is known for her dedication to quality & crafting her own hat blocks to truly make one-of-a-kind pieces to complete your costume or outfit. Besides an adventurous hatter, Victoria is the dedicated Millinery instructor for the Emily Griffith Trade School based in the Fiber Arts Department at the Art Students League of Denver.
Vivian Caethe
When not fighting our robot overlords or tinkering with Tarot spreads, Vivian Caethe writes weird fiction, science fiction, fantasy, quirky nonfiction and everything in between. She also crafts, crochets, and goes on long quests to find the perfect knitting pattern. She lives in Colorado with a super villain cat. She can be found as a writer at VivianCaethe.com and as an editor at WordsMadeBeautiful.net.
Vonie’ Stillson aka Lady Vo
Vonie’is a lifelong comic book reader and sci-fi fan, she advocates geek culture as positive for mental health, leads the American Dance Therapy Association’s Multicultural and Diversity Group for geek culture and is Captain of Airship Iron Opal, a NOCO based all ages social steampunk group that stresses that without Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathmatics there would be no steampunk. She recieved a MA in Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) & Counseling from Antioch, a BA in DMT from Naropa, and has 10+ years Certified Aquatic Rehabilitation Specialist. She is the ADTA’s former Southern Chapter President and current Rocky Mountain Chapter President. She’s presented DMT at mental health conferences, aquatics conferences, community-based workshops and pop culture conventions, as well as introduced other professionals to the wonderful world of fandoms.