On Experimenting with Game Writing, Convention Schedules, and... 💖⚙️📚
🎁 Birthday fun + panel news inside!
Hello!
I hope you’re keeping well. I had a wonderful birthday weekend filled with books, music, adventure, and amazing food. The highlight was Wild Lights at the zoo. The pics don't do justice for how magical it was!
After taking the weekend off, I’m excited about getting back to revisions, dabbling with a side project in a new-to-me format, and prepping for upcoming conventions. I have my panel schedules ready to share this week, too!
Experimenting with Game Writing
One thing I love to do outside of writing and reading is play video games. Lately, I’ve been cycling between Baldur’s Gate 3, Atomfall, and Spiritfarer (with plans to make my way back to Dragon Age.)
I started toying with the idea of writing a simple interactive fiction game that ties into the same world as The Clockwork Coffin. I have several more fairy tales that I’d like to write in that Gothic steampunk universe, but I also thought that the world building would be neat for this.
I started learning how to use Twine, a free open source software that makes this project accessible without having to do a ton of programming. (I used to build robots and had a background in electrical engineering, but coding a game is a bit out of my skillset.) I’m really impressed with how quickly I was able to get an early prototype up and running that functions!
Anyway, it’s safe to say that I fell down a game writing rabbit hole. It’s been a nice break to work on between revisions and panel prep. The premise of my game is that you make a deal with a Fae while trying to find your own HEA in a Gothic steampunk world. Your choices determine how the story ends.
In my notes, I’m narrowing down a list of four to five different fairy tale backgrounds for the player character. (The hard part is trying to avoid the fairy tales I already have plans for, but I suppose I could always write those books anyway, even if I use those tales in the game.)
I don’t know yet if this will be something I share widely (it is a first attempt, after all) but it could be fun to put this up on something like itch.io when it’s done. If you’d like to test it when I’m further along, let me know! It likely won’t be until late summer (or more likely fall) before I’m ready for testing.
Convention season is here!
Over the weekend, several of the conventions I’m attending this spring posted their schedules, so I’m sharing them this week!
DemiCon Schedule
DemiCon is May 2nd through May 4th at the Holiday Inn & Suites Des Moines-Northwest. I’m on multiple panels this year and I get to be in a radio play with the BrassGears Adventurers Society! I’ll be reading from Monsters and Machines (and maybe talking a little bit about Alchemy and Automatons.) You can buy DemiCon tickets online here.
Here is my current schedule for the convention:
Writing for Radio, Saturday 10 am-10:50 am
Kelsey Josephson Reading, Saturday 12 pm-12:50 pm
Monstrous Women, Saturday 2 pm-2:50 pm
Science Fiction from Ancient Greece Until 1890, Saturday 5 pm-5:50 pm
BrassGears Adventurers Society Radio Play, Sunday Morning (time TBA)
Fusion Worlds: Blending Fantasy and Science Fiction for Unique Narratives, Sunday 2 pm-2:50 pm
When I’m not on a panel, you can find me in the Dealer Room with my books and book marks. (I’ll have help running my table, so if you miss me, you can still get books and we can catch up later.)
Dealer Room Hours:
Friday — 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Saturday — 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday — 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
For my panel descriptions, check out this post.
Chicago Steampunk Expo Schedule
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 also presenting a few panels:
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! I tried on my dress last week and can’t wait! 💖)
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.
60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference
I’m not paneling at the Nebulas, but I might be volunteering if I’m not too tired after Chicago. Last year, I had so much fun filling book bags and helping with registration. 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 just opened! If you’re an author (or an aspiring one) you can find out more here.
As always, you can find my full convention list on the Events page of my website here.
Are you going to any conventions this year? What are some of your favorites?
Happy reading!
I'm definitely interested in testing it! While I don't have any previous experience testing games, I certainly love playing them! 😀