Appearances (Conventions and More)

This page will be my permanent and constantly updated list of upcoming appearances at conventions and other events.
Updated June 16, 2021:

I will be a Guest -- and back *in person* again, not online! Yaaay! -- at DRAGONCON 2021.
Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2-6) in Atlanta.
I will also have a table in Comic Artists' Alley the entire weekend, with many of my books available (including the newest ones).
I usually host events, do readings of my work, do interviews of other authors and actors, moderate panels, and/or serve as a panelist for the following tracks:

• Science Fiction Literature
• Military SF Media
• Comics
• High Fantasy
• American Sci Fi Classics
• BritTrack
• Alternate/Historical Fiction
• American Sci Fi & Fantasy Media
• Digital Media
• and sometimes others. Learn more at: 
  www.DragonCon.org

I will be an online Guest of the SCI FI/FANTASY FEST in Birmingham again this year, on July 31, doing various panels.

https://www.hplscifi.com/

I will be a Guest of Archon, St Louis's premiere SF con, October 1-3, 2021. I will also have a table on Booksellers' Row the entire weekend.
https://archonstl.org/

30 Favorite Movies as of Sept 2017

Updated since the last ranking in January of this year.

Note: Still not including James Bond films in this ranking. They are their own thing and I couldn't begin to compare them to these.

Also: I'm close to removing Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as well. Only the Avengers remains in my top 30 anyway, at this point. I love those movies but, like Bond, it's a different experience from other films.

Finally: There's been some movement. 

Biggest rise: Kingdom of Heaven. I love it more every time I watch it, and discover something new every time. (Also Star Trek: The Motion Picture continues to rise as I rewatch it and enjoy the score.)

Biggest fall: Babe. I tried to watch Babe again recently and just wasn't into it anymore. Which is sad.

The original cut of Star Wars, restored by "Harmy" as a download, has moved Star Wars back to #1 and it remains there this time around. Fellowship held that spot from about 2002 until 2015.

Here are my current 30 FAVORITE MOVIES:

1. Star Wars (1977 cut)

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)

3. The 13th Warrior

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

5. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

6. Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut)

7. Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann 1992)

8. The Avengers (2012)

9. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Director’s Cut)

10. Ice Station Zebra

11. Casablanca

12. Serenity

13. Gandhi

14. Ocean's 11 (2001)

15. A Bridge Too Far

16. Lawrence of Arabia

17. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (US)

18. Dead Again

19. Payback

20. Henry V (1989)

21. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

22. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

23. Babe

24. The Crow

25. North by Northwest

26. Die Hard

27. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

28. V for Vendetta

29. Tombstone

30. Where Eagles Dare 

Archon STL 2017 Panels

While at DragonCon, my Archon STL (Sept 29-Oct 1) programming arrived, and it looks very good:

Friday 

3 pm: This Story Changed My Life

5 pm: Comic Books: Modern Mythology

7 pm: Game of Thrones: The Beginning of the End

Saturday 

10 am: Autographs with Van Allen Plexico and Deborah Millitello

12 Noon: The History of Pulp (w/ Bill Schaab)

1 pm: Crafting the Dark Hero

7 pm: Writing Scripts for Comic Books

Sunday

1 pm: Author Reading with Van Allen Plexico, Donna J.W. Munro, and Ethan Nahté

2 pm: Marvel on Netflix: From Daredevil through The Defenders

My 2017 Tentative DragonCon Schedule

Here is my tentative 2017 schedule of DragonCon panels and events.
I will have a table in Artists Alley this year, and I will be there between the events listed below.
When I'm at a panel, my books will still be available at my table, sold by Brett Brooks and/or Jarrod Alberich.

The below information is the TENTATIVE program schedule for Van Allen Plexico.
Convention Dates are Fri(9/1/17), Sat(9/2/17), Sun(9/3/17), and Mon(9/4/17)
Van Allen Plexico

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Title: Fearless Leaders: Leadership Dynamics and Shifts in Military SciFi
Description: What makes a leader? Is a military leader better, or should civilian leadership dominate? We will look at leadership from Stargate, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, and other franchises to witness the impact of MSFM leaders--and leadership changes.
Time: Fri 02:30 pm  Location: Chastain DE - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: John Hudgens, Van Allen Plexico)

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Title: Military SciFi Writers - Media Edition
Description: A roundtable with military science fiction writers--whether in tie-ins or independent worlds--to discuss the genre, trends, real-world accuracy, and how far you can take another world and make it your own.
Time: Fri 04:00 pm  Location: Chastain DE - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Keith R.A. DeCandido, Van Allen Plexico, Janine K. Spendlove, Ronald Thomas Garner)

-------------------
Title: Vikings - Valhalla calls
Description: This year's viking raids were vicious, we went from famine to feast, with the return of Ragnar. All is not peaceful though as things go from bad to worse. Does the Viking era move on at the end? We'll talk about this shift of focus and the adventurous life of Ragnar Lothbrok. -Season Review
Time: Fri 05:30 pm  Location: M301-M301 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico)

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Title: World at war: Alternate history in the early 20th century
Description: The first decades of the 20th century have proven to be fertile ground for alternate historians. From German victories to Soviet domination, from the mundane to the fantastic, this panel looks at the various alternate takes on this crucial period of world history.
Time: Fri 07:00 pm  Location: Augusta - Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, Kacey Ezell, Michael Livingston, Taylor Anderson)

-------------------
Title: Rewind and Rewatch Review: Which Shows Hold Up?
Description: We have all had shows that we loved and would die before admitting that they had flaws--but can they withstand a rewatch? Talk with us about your favorite military scifi shows--and if they can stand the test of time and stack up with TV and film today.
Time: Sat 10:00 am  Location: Chastain DE - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Keith R.A. DeCandido, Van Allen Plexico)

-------------------
Title: Game of Thrones Lookback
Description: A show only discussion of Season 7 and the upcoming and final season of HBO's blockbuster series.
Time: Sat 11:30 am  Location: L401-L403 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico)

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Title: Marvel vs. DC Trivia
Description: Match your wits about the Fantastic Four to someone else's knowledge of the JLA! Let's see who wins when we play Marvel vs. DC Trivia!
Time: Sat 05:30 pm  Location: Hanover C-E - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico)

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Title: More than Gears: The Neo-Pulp and Dieselpunk Author RoundtableDescription: Dieselpunk and neo-pulp, steampunk's historical next-door neighbors, present unique challenges for the storyteller who wants to use those settings. Listen to our panel of authors discuss the challenges, and the fun, of writing about a diesel-burning generation
Time: Sat 07:00 pm  Location: Augusta - Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: James Palmer, Bobby Nash, Kacey Ezell, D.Alan Lewis, Van Allen Plexico)

-------------------
Title: SF Jeopardy
Description: Test your knowledge of the sf field in this game of questions and answers. Prizes available for winners!
Time: Sat 08:30 pm  Location: Embassy AB - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico)

-------------------
Title: Remembering Roger Zelazny
Description: Our panelists discuss the works and continuing influence of Roger Zelazny, author of the Amber series, Lord of Light and many other seminal works.
Time: Sun 10:00 am  Location: Embassy AB - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel 
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, James Palmer, S.M. Stirling, Atlanta Radio Theatre Company)

-------------------
Title: The Niven and Pournelle Hour
Description: Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle are among the giants of our field. Together they have written some of the best novels around. Van Plexico interviews these two legends about their work.
Time: Sun 11:30 am  Location: Regency VI-VII - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel 
(Tentative Panelists: Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, Van Allen Plexico)

-------------------
Title: Historical Influences in High Fantasy
Description: Authors like Tolkien and Jordan drew upon their real experiences as well as their research in writing their stories.
Time: Sun 01:00 pm  Location: L401-L403 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Valerie Hampton, Michael Livingston, Van Allen Plexico, Constance G. J. Wagner)

-------------------
Title: Starship Showdown
Description: With input from the audience, the best starship in fiction is determined in head to head battles.
Time: Sun 04:00 pm  Location: Embassy AB - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel 
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, Doug Dandridge)

-------------------
Title: Arthur Eld and His Line 
Description: Among the mysteries the Dark Tower holds are the many references to King Arthur, Lord of the Rings and other classics of High Fantasy.
Time: Sun 07:00 pm  Location: L401-L403 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, Paige Gardner, Peter David)

Pulp Factory Awards 2017 Ballot! Anyone can vote!!

This was just announced today (Sunday). Very excited for Chris, as well as for me!
Anyone can vote!
--Van

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BALLOT FOR PULP FACTORY AWARDS OFFICIALLY RELEASED; VOTING NOW OPEN UNTIL 3/21/2017

AWARDS TO BE GIVEN OUT AT WINDY CITY PULP & PAPER CONVENTION, APRIL 21

Lombard, Illinois – February 26, 2017

With April’s Windy City Pulp and Paper approaching fast, the ballot for the 2017 Pulp Factory Awards – to be handed out at the conference – has just opened up for voting by the reading public.

The ballot can be found online at http://bit.ly/2lJHFrl

Voters have until Tuesday, March 21 to vote. You may vote in as many of the five categories as you wish, but you are limited to one vote per category. We are again using electronic ballot via Google forms.

Nominees in each category are as follows:

BEST PULP NOVEL

·         Captain Hazzard: Custer’s Ghost by Ron Fortier (Airship 27)

·         Dead Man’s Melody by Fred Adams, Jr. (Airship 27)

·         Motor City Manhunt by R.A. Jones and Michael Vance (Airship 27)

·         Sentinels, Vol 8: The Dark Crusade by Van Allen Plexico (White Rocket Books)

·         Sherlock Holmes: The Picture of Innocence by Chuck Miller (Airship 27)

·         Tales of the Bagman, Vol 3 by BC Bell (Airship 27)

·         Wings of the Golden Dragon by Barbara Doran (Airship 27)

BEST PULP COVER

·         Companion Dragons Tales, Vol 3: Copper's Choice by Michael Hegedus (Pro Se)

·         Phantom Detective, Vol 1 by Pat Carbajal (Airship 27)

·         Rick Lai’s Major Sabbath by Pat Carbajal (Airship 27)

·         Sentinels: The Dark Crusade by Chris Kohler (White Rocket Books)

·         Sinbad: The New Voyages, Vol 5 by Terry Pavlet (Airship 27)

·         The Towers of Metropolis by Michael Kaluta (Airship 27)

·         Wings of the Golden Dragon by Rob Davis (Airship 27)

BEST PULP SHORT STORY

·         “Circle of Despair” by Gene Moyers (Phantom Detective Vol 1; Airship 27)

·         “Cowboy of the Dakotas” by Gordon Dymowski (Pulpternative; Pro Se)

·         “Lord Pemberton's Adjustment Service” by David Michelinie (Singularity: Rise of the Posthumans; Pro Se)

·         “Mysteries of the Buried God” by I.A. Watson (Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Vol 8; Airship 27)

BEST PULP INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS

·         Rob Davis for Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, Vol 8 (Airship 27)

·         Rob Davis for Sherlock Holmes: Picture of Innocence (Airship 27)

·         Chris Kohler for Sentinels, Vol 8: The Dark Crusade (White Rocket Books)

·         James Lyle for Domino Lady, Vol 2 (Airship 27)

BEST PULP ANTHOLOGY

·         The Phantom Detective Vol 1 (Ron Fortier, ed.; Airship 27)

·         Quatermain the New Adventures Vol 2 (Ron Fortier, ed.; Airship 27)

·         Rick Lai’s Major Sabbath Vol 1 (Ron Fortier, ed.; Airship 27)

·         Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, Vol 8 (Ron Fortier, ed.; Airship 27)

·         Singularity: Rise of the Post Humans (Jaime Ramos, ed; Pro Se)

·         The Towers of Metropolis Vol. 1 (Ron Fortier, ed.; Airship 27)

·         When the Shadow Sees the Sun: Creators Surviving Depression (Multiple editors; Pro Se)

After March 21, the committee will tally all of the electronic votes via http://bit.ly/2lJHFrl

and the winners will be announced at the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention on April 21, 2017.

Questions and concerns should be directed to PulpAwards@gmail.com. This will insure a more prompt response than reaching out to individual committee members.

Thank you for your interest, and looking forward to your votes!

Some of Chris Kohler's Artwork for Sentinels 8: The Dark Crusade

For the consideration of those nominating the 2017 Pulp Factory Awards, here are Chris Kohler's interior illustrations from SENTINELS (vol 8): THE DARK CRUSADE:

The book is available here:

http://www.whiterocketbooks.com/sentinels

My Top 50 Favorite Movies of All Time, as of Jan 1 2017

My annual (Jan 1) completely revised and updated Top Fifty Favorite Movies list, as of January 1, 2017. (I have removed all James Bond films and given them their own rankings list elsewhere. Soon I will do the same with Marvel movies from this list, but for now they are still included.) Just a little movement from last year's list, but a change at the top. 1. Star Wars 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 3. The Avengers 4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 5. The 13th Warrior 6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 7. Last of the Mohicans 8. Ice Station Zebra 9. Serenity 10. Casablanca 11. Kingdom of Heaven 12. Gandhi 13. Babe 14. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (US) 15. Star Trek: The Motion Picture 16. Ocean's 11 (2001) 17. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 18. Lawrence of Arabia 19. Dead Again 20. Payback 21. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 22. Henry V (1989) 23. The Crow 24. North by Northwest 25. Die Hard 26. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 27. A Bridge Too Far 28. Captain America: Civil War 29. V for Vendetta 30. Captain America: Winter Soldier 31. The Outlaw Josey Wales 32. Avengers: Age of Ultron 33. Iron Man 34. Tombstone 35. Thor 36. John Carter 37. Where Eagles Dare 38. 2010 39. Blade Runner 40. Highlander 41. The Big Red One 42. The Guns of Navarone 43. The Lincoln Lawyer 44. The Revenant 45. The Name of the Rose 46. Predator 47. King Rat 48. Hero 49. White 50. Aliens

Hear my cohosts, guests and me discuss these and other great movies and other pop culture topics on the White Rocket Entertainment Network:
http://whiterocket.podbean.com