Posts Tagged ‘Barsk’

March has me hopping. Early in the month I need to turn in my ballot for the Independent Star Trek Fan Film Awards, and soon after I’ll be traveling to New Mexico for a visit with a childhood friend, a writers’ retreat, and a reunion of some of alumnae of various Taos Toolbox classes. After that I’m flying to Seattle for my first ever visit to NorWesCon where I’ll enjoy four days of panels and programming and hanging out with some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest authors. I’ll also take a side trip out to the University Bookstore at the U of W to do a signing event because those people need to receive the word of Barsk!

Here’s the current version my schedule. It could still changed, but they seem pretty confident. If there are any alterations, I’ll let you know.

Thursday, March 24th
04:00 – 05:00 p.m. (Cascade 3&4) BIO15 – Alien Communication
With Pat MacEwen (M), Caroline Pate, Arthur Bozlee

07:00 – 08:00 p.m. (University Bookstore) Signing
I’ll be slipping away from the convention to head over to the U of W’s bookshop (4326 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105) to take a few questions, read a brief scene, and sign copies of Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard.

Friday, March 25th
02:00 – 03:00 p.m. (Cascade 9) EP07 – Fighting Through the 20k Slump
With Rhiannon Held (M), Django Wexler, John (J.A.) Pitts, Carol Berg

03:00 – 04:00 p.m. (Cascade 3&4) BIO14 – The Languages of Speculative Fiction
With Jason Bourget (M), David J. Peterson, Nina Post, Sean Hagle

04:00 – 04:30 p.m. (Cascade 1) R31 – Reading

Saturday, March 26th
12:00 – 01:00 p.m. (Cascade 10) SF08 – A Culture By Any Other Name
With Jason Bourget (M), Caroline M. Yoachim, Kim Ritchie, Luna Lindsey

2:00 – 03:00 p.m. (Evergreen 3&4) POP04 – How Star Trek Changed My Life
With Brooks Peck (M), Rachael Sabotini, Jason Bourget

3:00 – 04:00 p.m. (Grand 2) MISC29 – Autograph Session 2
With Amber Clark, Annie Bellet, Brenda Cooper, Carol Berg, David J. Peterson, H.M. Jones, Jeff Sturgeon, Jude-Marie Green, Julie Dillon, Katie Cord, Megan Kelso, Nina Post, Peter Orullian, Raven Oak, Stephen L. Gillett, Todd Lockwood

Sunday, March 27th
12:00 – 01:00 p.m. (Cascade 10) EP16 – Biggest Mistake I Ever Made
With Paul Constant (M), G. Willow Wilson, Esther Jones, John Lovett

Please note that some of the people listed on the items above may vanish from a particular panel. Times and locations of panels may change (or disappear entirely). I’m posting this schedule on based on what I’ve been told, but it’s all still technically in flux.

See you at Norwescon!

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy. Two days after I return from Arisia, I have my “official” book launch in Philadelphia for Barsk. But I won’t be celebrating long into the night, because I have an early flight to Michigan and this year’s ConFusion, a convention I’ve only attended once before and which I’ve been very eager to return to.

The convention takes place in Novi, MI, just outside of Detroit. I’ll also be doing a book signing in (relatively) nearby Lansing on Thursday,January 21st at Schuler Books, as well as participating in a Tor authors event at the Barnes & Noble in Northville, on Friday night (both of these start at 7pm).

As for the convention itself, here’s my schedule of what I’ll be doing, where and when as part of Life, the Universe, and ConFusion:

Friday, January 22nd
05:00 p.m. Star Wars & Star Trek
With 2016 marking the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and with the return of Star Wars to the big screen, come talk about the two fan favorite science fiction franchises that have had such a profound and wide-ranging impact on the genre.
With Eric Distad, Christian Klaver, Cindy A. Matthews, and Jeannie Szarama

Saturday, January 23rd
02:00 p.m. Seeing the World Through Different Eyes
Fiction should imagine the entire breadth of human experience. Too often though, it only embraces neurotypical characters. Not every brain works the same. What is neurodiversity? How does it impact story? Who’s doing it well?
With Mari Brighe (M), Jim C. Hines, Megan E. O’Keefe, and Stina Leicht

05:00 p.m. Autograph Session 2
I’m hoping to sign many many copies of Barsk. Please do your part and bring me one. Oh, and I’ll have bookplates. You know you want a bookplate!

07:00 p.m. Researching the Science: Where Do You Find the Science for Your Science Fiction?
Resources for finding good science. Where to go, what to look for and how to cite it.
With Daniel Dugan, Catherine Shaffer, Gordon Smith, and Kristine Smith

Sunday, January 24th
12:00 p.m. Repudiating the Replicator
Driven, perhaps, by Star Trek’s replicator and the utilitarian mush of NASA space travel, food in a science fictional setting has been criminally overlooked and underdeveloped. Why has this become the dominant narrative? How should food be used to world build a science fiction story? What stories have used food effectively?
With Alaya Dawn Johnson, Ann Leckie, and Elizabeth Shack (M)

As with the trip to Boston the week before, I will be at the mercy of the weather gods, coming and going. I have a late flight home on Sunday, and then a week to recover from ten days of travel before I’m on the road again.

See you at ConFusion!

February is promising to be busy. Along with a book signing tour into North Carolina and a convention visit to Texas, I’ll be finishing the month off with a trip to Roanoke, Virgina and my first visit to Mysticon. To no one’s surprise — given that the GoH is GRRM — the convention has been sold out for months and promises to be exciting.

Here’s my current best guess regarding my schedule, but as we’re still two months out it could change. If it does, I’ll post a update.

Friday, February 26th
03:00 p.m. (Ballroom D) Anthology Don’ts
There are always rules for submitting in anthologies: length, subject matter, etc. Our panelists discuss the common errors they see (or have been guilty of) in anthology submissions.
With Anita Allenm Alexandra Christian, Tera Fulbright, John G. Hartness, Faith Hunter, and Michael A. Ventrella

Saturday, February 27th
01:30 p.m. (Rm 533) Reading
To absolutely no one’s surprise, I’ll be reading from my shiny new novel, Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, and possibly drop some hints about a new book I’m working on.

02:00 p.m. (Dealers’ Room) Signing
That’s right, I’ll be going straight from my reading to Signing Table A. Meanwhile, somewhere nearby in the convention, the Mysticon GoH, George R. R. Martin will also be signing. Please do not get us confused. Hey, it could happen.
With Baine Kelly

Sunday, February 28th
09:00 a.m. (Ballroom C) Building Your Brand
Done properly, self-promotion is an important part of building a career. Poorly executed, self-promotion can do more harm than good. Our panelists will discuss what works and doesn’t work along with these common questions: Do book-signings really help a small author? Are bookmarks and/or postcards effective at garnering attention? Does a blog help or hurt an author? Does an author have to have a website?
With Alexandra Christian, Faith Hunter, Baine Kelly, Chris Kennedy, Pamela K. Kinney, Jim Lavene, Michael A. Ventrella

10:00 a.m. (Board Room 1) Writing, Up Close and Personal
This panel will cover point-of-view choices and how to “write close” to your point-of-view characters. Do certain points of view only work with certain types of stories? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each form?
With Alexandra Christian, Emmy Jackson, Pamela K. Kinney, Michael A. Ventrella

Please note that some of the people listed on the items above may vanish from a particular panel. I’m posting this schedule on based on what I’ve been told, and it’s all still technically in flux.

See you at Mysticon!

My first convention of 2016, and my first following the release of Barsk, will involve a train trip to New England (assuming the weather cooperates) as I make a long overdue return to Arisia. It’s a four day convention, but most of my programming happens on Saturday so I should have a lot of downtime. Look for me in the Westin’s lobby bar.

Here’s my schedule of what I’ll be doing, where and when:

Saturday, January 16th
10:00 a.m. (Bulfinch) Constructing Languages
Many SF/F worlds have their own languages, Elvish and Klingon being two of the best known. How do you create languages that make sense? From etymology to grammar to culture, there are many aspects to consider. How does a language reflect the identities of its speakers? How do we make our languages and vocabularies believable?
With John Chu, Anne Nydam, and Cecilia Tan

11:30 a.m. (Burroughs) Star Trek at 50!
Fifty years ago, Gene Roddenberry introduced us to the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Since then, the crew has boldly gone where no human had gone before in five live-action TV series, one cartoon, ten movies in the “original” universe, and two movies in rebooted universe (with a third due out this year). Join us as we celebrate one of the most iconic and important science-fiction franchises of all time.
With Glenn Hauman, Woodrow Hill, Cassandra Lease, Liz Salazar, and Ken Schneyer

01:00 p.m. (Marina 2) Shifting the Language of SF
Very few SF authors of the many who set stories in the far future ever speculate what language may sound like in following centuries and distant stars. Some formative works, like Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange and Orwell’s 1984 include this as a theme. Who else? What are the dangers of speculating vernacular? How might the language our descendants speak differ from ours? What works in SF imagine how the kids talk in the far future?
With Heather Albano, John Chu, Debra Doyle, and Greer Gilman

Monday, January 18th
10:00 a.m. (Hale 1) Reading
Arisia does readings a bit differently. Come join me and three other authors as we dazzle you with selections from our fiction. I’ll be reading from my newly released novel, Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard,and you know you don’t want to miss that!
With John Chu, Nalin Ratnayake, and Ken Schneyer

If you have any pull with the weather gods, please put in a good word for me. Not only do I need to arrive in Boston on the 15th, but I have to get back to Philadelphia late on the 18th so I can go to the Day Job the next morning, attend my formal book launch downtown on the 20th, and board a plane the morning of the 21st for a convention and bookstore signings in Michigan. Ah, the life of an author!

See you at Arisia!