BTS of DemiCon Fun, Surviving Initiation, and... 💖⚙️📚

🎁 Open for access to my Monstrous Women presentation!

Hello!

I’m still recovering from DemiCon but I had an AMAZING time!! I was so busy between panels, vending, seeing friends, making new friends, attending room parties, surviving initiation into the BrassGears Adventurers Society (it was hilarious and good fun 😂), and participating in the radio play that I forgot to take more pictures. But I had the best time and loved getting to spend time with Mom, who ran my table when I was away at panels. I'm so thankful for everyone who made her feel welcome, too. 💖

One of the few pics I remembered to take at DemiCon.

I absolutely loved every minute of DemiCon. I’ve never paneled more than I did at this convention, but it was so worth it! One of the best compliments I received over the weekend was from a reader who told me that Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast was now his favorite retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It made my whole day. 💖

I loved paneling with Alan Koslow about science fiction from Ancient Greece to the 1890s! I could have just sat there and listened to him lecture, but I enjoyed getting to talk about Plato, Margaret Cavendish, and Mary Shelley. Outside of the panel, he had great stories to tell about previous conventions. I hope I see him again next time!

The panel I did on genre mashups with Blake Hausladen of Rook Creek Press was a blast! We didn’t know each other before DemiCon, but one of my BrassGears friends introduced us at a room party on Saturday night. I had fun meeting the editors and authors of the press, along with artist Jeff Lee Johnson at the party. It was a wonderful surprise that Blake and I were paneling together the next day!

I also really loved getting to participate in both the Writing for Radio panel and the BrassGears Adventurers Society Radio Play “A Study in Brown”, written by Susan Leabhart. I’ve never done anything like the play before, but it was so cool, especially watching the folio effects live.

Before the play, myself and three friends were officially initiated into the BrassGears. It was very silly and good fun. (Some of the things we did as part of the initiation script reminded me of my time in jazz band, especially the references to Mel Brooks jokes.)

My yet-to-be-named wombat for BrassGears, my DemiCon badge, and BrassGears pin. 💖

The only panel I have slides for this time is my Monstrous Women panel and I have lots to say about that one!

I had an amazing time on my Monstrous Women panel! It was so much fun that I nearly went over my time and didn’t get to cover quite everything I wanted to get to. I would love to do this panel again! Here is the link for the presentation. I don’t have an audio recorded for it yet, but this will be one of the first ones I record later this year.

Here is the list of my recommended reading from the panel:

Fiction:

• Soulless by Gail Carriger

• Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

• A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock

• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

• Belladona by Adalyn Grace

• The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

• One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

• Monsters and Machines by Kelsey Josephson

• The Clockwork Coffin by Kelsey Josephson (upcoming release)

Non-Fiction:

• Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology by Jess Zimmerman

• The Monster Theory Reader edited by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock

• Monster, She Wrote by Lisa B. Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

• A Haunted History of Invisible Women by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes

• The Monster and the Mirror: Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell by K.J. Aiello

Finally, these are not specific for the monstrous, but these are some of my favorite writing craft related sources:

• Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer

• The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers

• The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger

• Writing with Color blog

• Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin

• The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

• Book Genie

For even more resources on the Gothic, check out Romancing the Gothic on YouTube! They hosted Goths for Breakfast and have all kinds of lectures online. (And if you want a blast from the past, my FIRST EVER live reading was on their channel four years ago. You can watch it here.)

Post-DemiCon drink with my mom. We both had an amazing time!

Join me at the Chicago Steampunk Expo?

The Chicago Steampunk Expo takes place from May 30th to June 1st. I’ll have a table in the Palace of Fine Arts (the vending room with artists and authors) and I’m also presenting:

• Inventions of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Friday 8 pm-8:50 pm

• Reading of The Clockwork Coffin, Saturday 12 pm-12:50 pm

• What if? Exploring Alternate History in Media, Sunday 12 pm-12:50 pm

When I’m not at a panel, you can find me in the Palace of Fine arts at my table. (And on Saturday night at the masquerade! 💖)

Palace of Fine Arts Hours:

• Friday — 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

• Saturday — 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

• Sunday — 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

You can find the full convention schedule here, along with ticket information.

I’m happy that I get to panel about so many things that are tied to my new book releases! I love getting to share the research that went into both The Clockwork Coffin and Alchemy and Automatons.

Wild West Con 13.5

I’ve never attended Wild West Con, but I know several people who love the convention. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the convention was forced to end early this year. However, they’re coming back with a free virtual conference May 16 to 18, 2025. They’ll have panels, special guests, and even a concert! You can read more about the WW13.5 here and register here.

60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference

The Nebula Awards Conference is also getting closer! Last year, I had so much fun filling book bags and helping with registration. In cool news for this year, a few copies of Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast will be given away in the book bags for in-person attendees!

I really enjoy going to this conference. Spending time with other authors and learning from the panels helps me recharge. After a busy month in May, it’ll be nice to get away for a few days.

Registration is open! If you’re an author (or an aspiring one) you can find out more here.

The conference is June 5th-8th

As always, you can find my full convention list on the Events page of my website here.

Happy reading!

Kelsey

Unlock the magic and mystery of The Clockwork Coffin—where alchemy, curses, and slow-burn romance collide in a darkly enchanting tale.

An unconventional beauty, a tormented beast, and the ether that binds their fate…