R. CAT CONRAD

R. Cat Conrad is an award-winning fantasy artist who’s been drawing and painting professionally since the 1970s.

He hails from Arlington -- that’s Texas, not the national cemetery, although his puns can be deadly and have reportedly jeopardized his allotted nine lives.  (Actually, he and Roxanne recently moved to Fort Worth, but close enough ... wherever he’s from, just pretend he’s a famous dead artist and purchase his paintings accordingly.)Z

His background includes a degree in fine arts from the University of Science and Arts in Oklahoma.  From there, Cat learned just how far an art degree would take him ... across town, and into a 10-year stint with an UnFortunate 50 company as an industrial chemist.  He often wonders if there is some frustrated chemist out there sweating over a drawing board and wondering what the hell happened to his resume.

Prolonged exposure to hazardous materials did little to improve Cat’s humor, but it did convince him that he wasn’t making a better living through chemistry.  In 1991, he moved on to greener pastures -- in preference to becoming a permanent part of the “underground” movement.

Currently, in addition to being an award-winning painter and cunning linguist, Cat is making broad strokes as a popular speaker and auctioneer, and continues to gain prominence as a fan entertainer.  He has been a featured auctioneer at numerous conventions throughout the Southwest, including the famed five and a half hour marathon auction of WorldCon 51.

ROXANNE LONGSTREET CONRAD

Roxanne Conrad has written under the names Roxanne Longstreet, Roxanne Conrad, Julie Fortune, Ian Hammell, and (most recently) Rachel Caine.  She is the author of more than twenty-five novels, including the popular Weather Warden series, the bestselling Morganville Vampires series, the Red Letter Days series, and the Outcast Season series.

Roxanne has been publishing professionally since 1990.  Visit her current website here.