DFWCon 2026

Nothing is born from the void--and neither are the fantasy worlds we love to read about and create in our own work. This class is designed to help attendees use the world they know--their homes, the familiar streets, and the places they see everyday--to create grounded worlds in their fantasy genre pieces. After all, authors put in little bits of themselves in everything they create, and what better way to build a fictional world than one that includes the cracked tiles of their bathroom or the vaulted ceilings of their local city hall.

Star Wars: Andor is more than just a rebellion story–it’s a masterclass in political fiction that resonates with fans well beyond the galaxy far far away. In this class, we’ll break down how Andor integrates systems of control, class struggle, surveillance, and revolution into every layer of the narrative–and how you can do the same in your own work. You’ll learn to use political conflict to shape character arc, turn institutions into narrative engines, balance individual stakes with systemic commentary, and make your world’s politics feel real. No matter your genre, come learn to write stories that interrogate the world around us, in a way that readers truly connect to. (Don’t worry - you don’t even need to know the show.)

Every chapter of a novel should have a firm foundation built on goal-conflict-outcome.

Take the guesswork out of Amazon’s KDP publishing platform with this "start-to-finish" technical walkthrough. We’ll cover everything from interior formatting, cover design, ISBNs category selection, and the final upload process. Perfect for the author ready to take full control of their publishing career and see their book live on the world's largest retailer.

Criminal investigations don't happen in a single office or by a lone detective—they move through distinct layers of responsibility, each with its own role in building a prosecutable case. This session traces how cases progress through the system: patrol officers who respond first and establish probable cause, detectives who conduct follow-up investigations and gather evidence, and district attorney investigators who help prosecutors determine what charges can actually be filed. Drawing on real-world examples from theft to homicide, we'll explore how responsibility shifts at each stage, what triggers a case to move from one layer to the next, and how coordination between these roles determines whether a case makes it to court. Attendees will gain practical insight into the decision-making and accountability that define each phase of the investigative pipeline.