In addition to the Guests of Honour, many other writers from Finland and abroad are taking part in Finncon. The foreign writer guests introduced here have confirmed their participation. Follow the programme and hang out in the hallways, and you may well come face to face with your favourite authors.
Sara B. Elfgren and Mats Strandberg
Fantastic YA authors, whose acclaimed Engelsfors trilogy has been praised around the world. The first part, Cirkeln, was published in Finland in 2012 (Piiri, Basam Books). The second part, Eld, came out in Sweden last year, and the third part, Nyckeln, will be published in the fall of 2013. Translation rights to the trilogy have been sold to about twenty countries. Elfgren and Strandberg are participating in Finncon in cooperation with Basam Books.
Caitlin Sweet
This Canadian fantasy author is renowned especially for her amazing novel The Pattern Scars (2011) and is also known as the wife of Peter Watts. Sweet’s earlier novel A Telling of Stars (2003) was nominated for the Prix Aurora and Locus awards, and The Silences of Home (2005) was a Prix Aurora finalist.
Karin Tidbeck
Tidbeck is known as the latest star of the new weird movement, and she received the Crawford award for her fantastic short story collection Jagannath (2012). Her enchantingly powerful literary voice is compared to the great names in the field, especially in the area of short fiction. Tidbeck made her debut in Sweden in 2010 with the short story collection Vem är Arvid Pekon? [Who is Arvid Pekon?], which was followed by the novel Amatka in 2012.
Nene Ormes
One of the brightest rising stars of Swedish fantasy literature, Ormes made her debut in 2010 with the acclaimed urban fantasy novel Udda verklighet [Odd Reality]. Last year’s novel Särskild [Special] is set in the same popular world.
Cheryl Morgan
This Welsh friend of Finnish fandom has played an indispensably significant role in promoting Finnish fandom and literature abroad. As a journalist and the owner of the e-book store Wizard’s Tower Press, Morgan has also been a key participant in introducing Finnish science fiction and fantasy research to the world.
Tom Crosshill
Crosshill has been a familiar guest at Finncon for several years. He is not only Latvia’s most important science fiction author, but also a teacher of creative writing and a gifted performer. His short stories have been published in Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Lightspeed, among others.