This horizontal header montage collects photos from four parts of the blog post. At left is a photo of the author’s dealers’ table. Above center, a photo of the author speaking on a panel; below center, part of the “dinos and dragons parade” of inflatable costumes. At right is the “Norwood Collection” resale gallery display panel. All photos by Jan S. Gephardt except the one of her on the panel: That one’s by Ty Gephardt.

A Great Time at Archon 48

October 29, 2025 WeirdnessManager

I had a great time at Archon 48. I stayed super-busy, and that’s how I prefer it.

As I normally do, I displayed artwork in this convention’s excellent Art Show – and also brought selections from my late sister and brother-in-law’s art collection to display in the Resale Gallery. I had a full programming schedule. That meant it was a good thing I also had an excellent partner, K. R. Gastreich, to help share the duties at our dealers’ table!

I also had good opportunities to enjoy connecting with friends and fans. And I had one of the most joy-filled moments of serendipity I’ve experienced in a while.

This square image shows the Archon 48 Art Show panel for Jan S. Gephardt’s eight paper sculpture artworks at upper left and the Archon 48 Resale Gallery panel for the Norwood Collection at lower right. The words say, “Our Artwork At Archon 48,” “Artwork © by Jan S. Gephardt,” and “Artwork © by John R. Foster, Dell Harris, Randy Farran, Richard Corben, Real Musgrave, and two unidentified artists.” — See Credits below.

An Art-FULL Archon 48

Even though I’ve had less time to devote to my paper sculpture in recent years, I still like to fill a display panel with my work whenever I go to a science fiction convention. I try to add at least one new singular original to my lineup each year (this year, it sold at DemiCon, the very first place where I showed it!). And I also try to keep up with my current editions of multiple originals.

But this year I also was on what you might call a “special mission.” I knew that many of the wonderful art pieces collected by Warren and Gigi Norwood (most of which are originals) would appeal to the art lovers at Archon 48. I’d been planning to bring them to Archon’s Resale Gallery for more than a year.

Artists represented in their collection include Dell Harris (four beautiful graphite originals from the mid-1980s), Real Musgrave, Richard Corben, John R. Foster, and Randy Farran. I brought ten pieces, and most of them found appreciative new homes! Thank you, Archon Resale Gallery!

This square design says, “Our Reading at Archon 48” at the top. Below that, it has a promo image that says, “SPACE DOGS!” and shows Jan S. Gephardt’s XK9 “Bones” Trilogy with five dogs running along the bottom of the books. To the right of that is the cover of “Alliances: Lost Colony Book One,” by Diana Morgan. Below them are an ebook version of Gephardt’s novella “The Other Side of Fear,” and the anthology, “Madame, Don’t Forget Your Sword,” on the lower right. To the left of those pictures it says, ‘Jan S. Gephardt’s “Space Dogs” image courtesy of Weird Sisters Publishing LLC. XK9 Cover artwork is © Lucy A. Synk, Jody A. Lee, and Tom Kidd.’ And ‘Diana Morgan Book Cover artwork is Courtesy of Amazon.’ — See Credits below.

Delightful Discussions

For me, a highlight of any science fiction convention is participating on panel discussions. It’s a chance to get together with other fascinating folks. Better yet, we talk about literary, scientific, and artistic topics that I rarely discuss elsewhere. This year at Archon 48 I had a typically busy programming schedule: five panels and a reading. And that’s just how I like it!

“Mythology vs Spirituality in Fiction,” my panel with Douglas Ferguson, Sela Carsen, and Donna J. W. Munro, explored a topic beyond either visual art or writing. This was a well-attended discussion with extremely knowledgeable participants. I was glad to be moderator: all I had to do was ask questions and they took it from there!

The most science-related panel on my lineup was “Pets and Animal Companions in Space.” I had the pleasure of once again teaming up with Jack Glassman, who moderated the panel, and Bryce Meyer. Both are experts and teachers on physics and space topics. I’m the fuzzy-headed novelist in the bunch. Disparate backgrounds, but we respect each other and we love animals. Fun panel!

On Friday evening I shared an Author Readings slot with Diana Morgan, author of the “Lost Colony” series. For the first time anywhere, I read the opening of my current work-in-progress, Bones for the Children. It continues the saga of Rana Station’s XK9s. Diana read a humorous selection from her story in the recent anthology Madame, Don’t Forget Your Sword, an anthology that focuses on the sidekicks of superheroes.

This square design has a headline that reads, “More PANELS AT ARCHON 48.” It shows screen-captures depicting thumbnails of three artworks each by Alyssa Wynans (upper left) and Jeremy Shipley (upper right), and the words “Thinking About Art,” and “screen-captures courtesy of Alyssa Wynans and Jeremy Shipley Art websites.” Below that is a photo of (L-R) Lucy A. Synk, Jan S. Gephardt, Rachael Mayo, and Allison Stein at their “Developing Your (Artistic) Voice.” The words also say, “Photo © by Tyrell E. Gephardt.” Below the photo at lower left it says, “The Book Cover Process.” — See Credits below.

How does one look and think about art? In our “Thinking About Art” panel on Friday, we examined many ways of thinking about visual art. I moderated, while Artist Guest of Honor Alyssa Wynans and the inimitable Jeremy Shipley brought their experience and philosophies together for an interesting discussion.

Saturday’s “Developing Your Voice: Drawing and Writing Like Yourself” panel went kinda heavy on artists – although at least two of us do have a foot in the “writing” camp. Once again, I moderated. Lucy A. Synk, Rachael Mayo, and Allison Stein joined me officially, and Alyssa Wynans came to listen (we got her to talk, too).

I finished my panels at Archon 48 on Sunday, with a topic near to my heart, “The Book Cover Process.” For this one, we had a variety of backgrounds: Alyssa Wynans brought a cover artist’s point of view, I moderated and also spoke as an Art Director, while authors Claire Ashgrove and Elizabeth Donald told tales of cover art experiences with publishers, ranging from fun to horrible.

This square image centers on a photo of Karin (K. R. Gastreich) and Jan (Jan S. Gephardt) standing behind their dealers’ table at Archon 48. On the display from left to right are a variety of offerings. On Karin’s end at left: a display box of the Ankala Oracle Deck, a triple-tiered book rack filled with copies of the Silver Web Trilogy, consisting of “Eolyn,” “Sword of Shadows,” and “Daughter of Aithne,” as well as a display of “Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds,” all by Gastreich. Her end of the table includes a banner that covers part of the tablecloth. It reads, “Author K. R. Gastreich: Legendary Women. Subversive Magic. KRGASTREICH.COM” The display also includes three battery-operated candles on Karin’s end, postcards with information about the authors’ work across the front, and a collection of glass “dragon’s tears” on top of a blue and turquoise tablecloth featuring a nebula design by Chaz Kemp. On Jan’s end are the Weird Sisters Publishing books “Deep Ellum Duet,” by G. S. Norwood, and all of the XK9 books, including “The Other Side of Fear,” “What’s Bred in the Bone,” “A Bone to Pick,” and “Bone of Contention,” also in a triple-tiered rack. Banners behind the women proclaim, “K. R. Gastreich, Award-winning author of epic and urban fantasy,” at left, and “Space Dogs! You’ll love the XK9s! Sniffing out crime & solving mysteries on a space station! Presented by Weird Sisters Publishing. Above the photo, the words say, “TAKING OUR DUO ON THE ROAD to ARCHON 48.” Below, it says, Karin and Jan at their dealers table, Oct. 5, 2025. Photo by Dennis Young.” — See Credits below.

Weird Sisters Publishing & K. R. Gastreich

As if I wasn’t busy enough with all of the above, I teamed up again with my friend K. R. Gastreich for a dealer’s table at Archon 48. By this time – after Planet Comicon KC in March and Boozy Book Fest in July – we are a seasoned team. Our displays and our books complement each other, so we can offer a lot of choices from an oracle deck, high fantasy, and contemporary fantasy to space dogs, yet it all remains in harmony.

I specialize in my “Space Dogs!” And I always offer G. S. Norwood’s delightful contemporary/urban fantasy Deep Ellum Duet. But my table-partner also brings a range of options and interesting tales for readers who wander by. We’ve discovered that people tend to be more interested in one side of the table or the other, so having a wider range is good.

One item on K. R. Gastreich’s side of the table that brought a lot of inquiries is the Ankala Oracle Deck for which they’re currently running a pre-sale campaign. Based on the fantasy world of Faelon, it’s a production of DGS Games. I also highly recommend Gastreich’s beautifully written contemporary fantasy, Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds. It combines a riveting otherworld and pantheon of demigods, a murder mystery, and a touch of romance.

Many people also gravitate to Gastreich’s award-winning Silver Web Trilogy. These books are linked by theme and characters, and it’s helpful to read them all. But each book also is capable of standing on its own, because each reflects a different period in the protagonist’s life. It’s all set in a high fantasy world where everyone has magic – but only the men are allowed to use theirs. Of course, the strong-minded and magically gifted Eolyn can’t let that stand!

Three photos arranged across the square design show sections of a cavalcade of about a dozen people in inflatable dinosaur and dragon costumes who came trooping up the main concourse late Friday evening, just as Jan was getting out of her last panel for the day. They kindly posed for her. The words say, “Dinos & Dragons on Parade! At Archon 48. Photos by Jan S. Gephardt. — See Credits below.

An Overall Good Time at Archon 48

I normally have a good time at Archon, and Archon 48 was no exception. I love the overall atmosphere of friendliness and good vibes. I enjoy the bustle of the Creators Alley and Booksellers Row, along the main concourse of the Gateway Center.

The party scene was reportedly more active this year – which I take to be a good sign. I had to rely on reports because I wasn’t in the Double Tree Hotel (where the parties were), and I don’t navigate the causeway well in the dark anymore.

The astonishing array of hall costumes are always a treat for the eye. Archon is not only for writers and artists, it’s for costumers, too! They generally have a wonderful Masquerade. And it was folks in costume who gave me that marvelous moment of serendipity and delight on Friday night. I’ve always gotten a kick out of inflatable T-rex outfits. But I’d never seen that many dinos and dragons all in a group before! For another photo of this group, see the Archon Facebook page of Hall Costumes and look for The Dino Stampede.

All in all, I had a wonderful time at Archon 48. I hope to come back for another delightful experience in 2026, at Archon 49!

A FOLLOWUP NOTE! If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my posts about this year’s DemiCon and the Mid-Continent Library Story Center’s Local Author Fair.

About the Author

Jan S. Gephardt is the author of the science fiction mystery XK9 saga. These books, which include the XK9 “Bones” Trilogy, tell stories of a pack of uplifted police dogs who live on a space station and solve crimes (among other things). Her most recent novel in the series is Bone of Contention. She’s now hard at work on the next volume, Bones for the Children. She also is the Chief Cat-Herder and Art Director for Weird Sisters Publishing, and a creator of fine art paper sculpture.

IMAGE CREDITS

I took the photos of the two art show display panels. The artwork shown on the resale panel is © by John R. Foster, Dell Harris, Randy Farran, Richard Corben, Real Musgrave, and two unidentified artists. The rest of the art is my paper sculpture, © by Jan S. Gephardt!

In the montage about our readings, the XK9 books’ cover art is © by Lucy A. Synk, Jody A. Lee, and Tom Kidd. The “Space Dogs!” design is courtesy of Weird Sisters Publishing LLC. The two covers representing Alliances: Lost Colony Book One by Diana Morgan and the anthology Madame, Don’t Forget Your Sword, edited by Davis and Davis, are courtesy of Amazon.

The “More Panels at Archon 48” montage includes thumbnails of artwork by Alyssa Wynans and Jeremy Shipley from their respective websites. The photo of me with Lucy A. Synk, Rachael Mayo, and Allison Stein on 10/4/25 is © by Tyrell E. Gephardt, who also is my esteemed “roadie.” Our friend and “Dealers Room neighbor,” author Dennis Young took the photo of Karin and me at our table on 10/5/25. And I shot all the “Dinos and Dragons Parade” photos on 10/3/25.