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Posts Tagged ‘Conroyverse’

My Worldcon 75 Probably Final Schedule

No Comments » Written on July 17th, 2017 by
Categories: News
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Worldcon 75

In August I’ll be flying off to Finland (by way of Iceland) for the 75th annual World Science Fiction Convention (aka Worldcon 75).

In mid-June the organizers were kind enough to send me a tentative schedule, but asked me to wait before posting it as they wanted to firm up some items. We’ve had some back and forth on things (owing in part to my plans to leave Helsinki on Sunday morning and miss the last partial day of the convention), but they have been great to work with.

Today I got the green light to share the schedule. Things could still change, but I’m liking what I see.

Thursday, August 10th
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | 103 Messukeskus | Reading
Reading slots are apparently hard to come by at this convention. I am one of two authors in this hour (the other being the awesome Scott Lynch!). Depending on what people want, I”ll either read the opening chapter from next summer’s BARSquel, or the opening to the next month’s Amazing Conroy novella.

Friday, August 11th
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Courtyard Messukeskus | Strolls with Stars
I’m a big fan of the Worldcon strolls. It’s a great opportunity to chat with authors and fans while also taking in some local sights. Plus, I get some of my steps in!
with Eva Elasigue, Walter Jon Williams, and lots of other folks!

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | 215 Messukeskus | SF & Education
Science Fiction and Fantasy are interrelated with education in many ways. From the earliest years SF was thought of as a way of sugar coating science – and many young readers have in fact been inspired to go on to study the sciences by their early enthusiasm for SF. But it also goes the other way – many reluctant readers are motivated to learn by the pleasures of genre books. Then there are all the imagined schools – Hogwarts is only one. As well, SF and Fantasy serve as ideal forums for imagining how education could be different – even wildly different – think brain implants or babel fish! This panel will delve into the links between SF and Education – as is only appropriate in a country whose schooling leads the world in the education league tables!
with Charlie (M), Nick Falkner, Diana ben-Aaron, Aidan Doyle

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | 208 Messukeskus | Alien Language in Science Fiction
As easy as a Babel Fish is, usually alien languages are handled differently in science fiction. The panelists discuss various alien languages and how they are understood. I’ll be moderating.
with David J. Peterson, Stephen W. Potts, Cora Buhlert, Heather Rose Jones

Saturday, August 12th
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Signing Area Messukeskus | Autographing
I’ve been given a slot for signing all the things. So, even if you don’t have a copy of Barsk on hand, or a back issue of Spin with one of my Finnish translations, do stop by anyway and I’ll sign one of my new Historical Science Fiction Trading Cards (I’m #158).

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | 205 Messukeskus | Coping strategies for publishing in small markets
Sometimes the publishing markets aren’t that big – perhaps because language reasons. There are different ways writers from smaller countries can and do use to reach a wider audience, however. Getting famous in your own country first, writing in a foreign language, selling straight into translation and other strategies are discussed. And again, I’m moderator.
with Tom Crosshill, Teodor Reljic, Raita Jauhiainen

While it’s possible that some portion of the above will change prior to the start of the Worldcon, it’s unlikely I’ll be in a position to post an update. So, either go with the above or consult the program schedule in Grenadine.

My Shiny One-Day Balticon 2015 Schedule

No Comments » Written on May 19th, 2015 by
Categories: News
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So here’s the deal. I’m doing way too much travel this spring. I just returned from a trip to southern California. Next week I’ll be up in NYC for BEA/Bookcon. Mere days after returning from that, I’m flying out to Chicago for the Nebula Awards Conference. So, while I do realize that the Memorial Day Weekend is traditionally one of the busiest convention weekends for Science Fiction, I just can’t swing it this year.

And that’s a huge shame, because I was looking forward to attending ConQuesT 46 in Kansas City, seeing old friends, hanging out with so many of the Hadley Rille Books authors, playing games like “Story in a Bag” with members of both courts of NobleFusion, and arranging for a cage match between two different publishers of Nebula-nominated Amazing Conroy novellas (sorry, Barbara and Eric). But it is not meant to be.

But I can’t just go cold turkey.

So the folks at a Balticon 49 have generously agreed to let me do a couple panels on Saturday, which means I’ll be making a daytrip that day, showing up at the convention quite early and getting back in my car quite late (okay, technically, it’ll likely be Sunday by the time I reach home again, but this is NOT a technical blog, so shut up).

Here’s we’ll you’ll find me when I’m not in the bar/greenroom/at-breakfast/lunch/dinner/partying:

Saturday, May 23rd

2:00 – 4:50 p.m. | Derby | Targeting Submissions: The Pitch
How do you pick the best publications to send your work to? How do you sell them on your ideas and craft?
Joy Ward, Jennifer R Povey, Aaron Rosenberg, Bud Sparhawk, and me.

6:00 – 4:50 p.m. | Salon B | How Do You Work Technology into your Story
You spent five pages describing the workings of that ray gun. It needed to be credible, you thought. Sorry, but your readers fell asleep after the first paragraph. Hint: your story ain’t about a ray gun. Discover what to keep in and what to leave out in your fiction.
Walt Boyes, Jack McDevitt, Mark L Van Name, and me.

In addition, I’ll have copies of Paper Golem’s purfect new anthology Cats in Space with me and I will let you buy them (because I’m a nice guy like that).

Also, Barry will be with me, and he’ll have a couple copies of Calendrical Regression to sell you (get it before its Nebula fate is decided at week later), as well as free ebook copies.

It’s going to be a wild and very full day, and I’m looking forward to seeing you and you and you (and yes, even you) there.

My (probably) Final Ravencon 10 Schedule

No Comments » Written on April 10th, 2015 by
Categories: News
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RavenCon 10

In two weeks I’ll be heading down to Richmond, VA where I’m among the GOHs for Ravencon.

Here’s the full lineup:

AUTHOR: Allen Steele
ARTIST: Frank Wu
GAMING: Brianna Spacekat Wu
SPECIAL AUTHOR: Jack McDevitt
SPECIAL AUTHOR: Lawrence M. Schoen
PLUSH: Barry Mantelo

That’s right, Barry is a GOH. He has his own room in the hotel (okay, it may be a safe in someone’s closet, but it’s all his!), his own guest liaison, and first class travel to and from Richmond (you wish you could fit in a jiffy mailing bag, don’t you?).

While there’s always the chance that some last minute changes will pop up, here’s what I currently believe is my schedule:

Friday, April 24th

7:00 p.m. | Rooms E & F
Opening Ceremonies

Saturday, April 25th

10:00 a.m. | Anna Writing Dialogue
Panelists discuss writing convincing, interesting dialogue. What about accents, physical quirks, and differing vocabulary from character to character. How can you use physical beats and dialogue tags to pace a conversation?
Lou Antonelli, Noah McBrayer Jones, Karen McCullough (M), Kate Paulk, and me.

11:00 a.m. | Dealers’ Room Signing
That’s right, this is your chance to have me sign a copy of one of my books. What? You don’t have any of my books? Not a problem, I’ll have some at the table to sell you!
Just me (and Barry).

1:00 p.m. | Room G How to Remember ANYTHING!
I’ll discuss some of the kinds of memory that human beings have, and then walk you through the underlying principles that make them work. Then we’ll go through both mnemonic techniques and mnemonic systems, and end by teaching you one of the latter so you can amaze your friends with your incredible memory!
Me (and anyone who remembers to show up).

3:00 p.m. | Board Room Reading
I’ll read a story the opening of my new novel Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, and if there’s time tell talk about a completely different book I’m working on.
Me (and a throng of eager readers!).

6:00 p.m. | Chesterfield Pictionary: Authors vs. Artists
This is going to get ugly, ain’t no doubt. My only hope is that the artists can draw pretty but suffer from aphasia, lockjaw, or are eating peanut butter.
Victim List Still in Progress

Sunday, April 26th

10:00 a.m. | Room E No Right Way To Write: Techniques for New Writers
There is no one correct way to write. One of the challenges for new writers is to find the way that works best for them. Some people need strict outlines. Others require only bullet points. While still others want for nothing more than an idea and a few notes scrawled on a dirty napkin. Panelists will discuss a variety of methods they’ve used, and offer you a range of options for you to try out on your own.
Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mary Miley, Robert Sommers, Allen Steele, and me as your Sunday morning moderator.

1:00 p.m. | Anna The Best Critique Group For You
Critique groups are a great way for both new and experienced writers to improve their stories, but for many these gatherings may seem mysterious or even intimidating. What do writing groups do? How can you find one? We’ll share our experiences, offer our advice, and then send you loose into the wild.
J.T. Glover, Darin Kennedy, Robert Sommers, Meryl Yourish, and moderator me.

That’s pretty much it. At this point, it’s not clear if there will or will not be a San Marino Worldcon Bid Party (but if there is, it will be Saturday night — unless, um, it’s not).

See you in Richmond!

Novella Nebula Nomination Hat Trick

No Comments » Written on February 20th, 2015 by
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Nebula Awards 2015

I’ve been sitting on this news since Monday and now I can finally share it. I am deliriously happy to announce that for the third consecutive year a story featuring the Amazing Conroy — my stage hypnotist in space — has landed on the Nebula ballot for Best Novella!

My thanks go out to Barbara Hill for giving it a home, and to everyone who took the time to read it and found it worthy of your attention.

Congratulations to the awesome authors sharing this category with me, and who make me look good by allowing me to be counted among them.

Daryl Gregory for We Are All Completely Fine, (Tachyon)
Nancy Kress for Yesterday’s Kin, (Tachyon)
Ken Liu for “The Regular,” (Upgraded)
Mary Rickert for “The Mothers of Voorhisville,” (Tor.com 4/30/14)
Rachel Swirsky for “Grand Jeté (The Great Leap),” (Subterranean Summer ’14)

This also means that you have unlocked the “Tuxedo Gambit” achievement. I’ll be continuing my regimen of exercise and healthful eating so that I can show up at the Nebs at least fifty pounds lighter than in 2014, and create the comparison photo in dueling tuxedos.

See you in Chicago!

B.W.O.P. Update – Catalan, Finnish, Polish, and (Mexican) Spanish now available as free mobi & ePub files

No Comments » Written on February 12th, 2015 by
Categories: Freebies
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As you know, Bob, the Buffalito World Outreach Project (BWOP) is my attempt to use science fiction to reach the entire planet, spreading the first tale of the Amazing Conroy and his buffalo dog, Reggie, to speakers of as many languages as I can.

Toward that end, it gives me great pleasure to announce that shiny, new and improved, and free downloads are now available in both ePub and mobi formats for the following languages: Catalan, Finnish, Polish, and (Mexican) Spanish.

Gossos bufal Puhvelikoirat
Gossos bufal : (mobi) | (ePub) Puhvelikoirat : (mobi) | (ePub)
     
Pieski buffalito Perros bufalo
Pieski buffalito : (mobi) | (ePub) Perros bufalo : (mobi) | (ePub)

Boskone 52 Schedule (more than a month out!)

No Comments » Written on January 11th, 2015 by
Categories: News
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Bucking the trend of recent conventions, this morning I received an email from the programming people at Boskone revealing what they referred to as my “final schedule,” and including a note that the full schedule is up on their website

I am agog!

Not just because lately it’s been much more common to get my schedule in the final week before the con (and often much less), but because of the incredible array of authors who will be showing up at the convention, folks like Elizabeth Bear, Charlie Stross, Karl Schroeder, Allen Steele, Carrie Vaugh, Walter Jon Williams, and many more. And, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Steven Brust is their GoH, as I am a long time fan and collector of his work.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my schedule:

Friday, February 13th
3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Burroughs | Food in Fiction
Stories that make you go, “Yum!” How do you describe food to convey mood or set the scene? Join our panelists as they dish on the culinary delights that tantalize us in fiction, from regional teas to kingly feasts. What works? What doesn’t? And what should you know about a food-centric scene?
with Carrie Cuinn (M), Steven Brust, James Cambias, Fran Wilde, and me!

4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. | Galleria-Kaffeeklatsch 2 | Kaffeeklatsch
Let’s talk about psychology, linguistics, Klingon, hypnosis, small press publishing, award nominations, my forthcoming book from Tor, or whatever else you want to ask me about as we enjoy coffee, tea, or in my case a Diet Cokeâ„¢. Sign-up is required at Program Ops in the Galleria, but I’m sure we can fit you in.

Saturday, February 14th
10:00 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. | Independence | – Reading
I’ll likely read from my new novel, Barsk: The Elephants Graveyard, unless people would rather hear a bit from my recent Amazing Conroy novella, Calendrical Regression. Either way, come on by, show me some love, on this cold Valentine’s Day morning (sniffle, cuz my wife is back in Philadelphia).

2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. | Galleria-Autographing | – Autographing
This is your chance to bring stuff for me to sign! I know, it’s exciting!
with M.L. Brennan, Daniel M. Kimmel, and me!

5:00 p.m. – 5:50 p.m. | Burroughs | – Rejectomancy
Is there really a blue sheet of death? Does an encouraging form letter mean less or more than a generic personalized response? These are just a few of the questions that new writers ponder as they try to read between the lines of the rejection letters they receive. Every new writer goes through this dreaded stage (better known as “rejectomancy”) as they try to glean some hidden meaning within the text. Writers who have been there share their own rejectomancy stories and give some helpful advice on ways to avoid the “rejectomancy” trap.
with Stephen P. Kelner (M), Craig Shaw Gardner, James Patrick Kelly, Margaret Ronald, and me!

And of course, Barry will be on hand to pose for photos with you. See you in Boston!

My Awards Pitch for 2015

2 comments Written on January 11th, 2015 by
Categories: Plugs
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Calendrical Regression

It’s that time of year where authors flock to the internet to blatantly proclaim all that is mighty and good of their works from the previous year. Some people consider this a tad unsavory, while others have pointed out that if the author cannot stand proudly for his/her own stuff, then who can?

Speaking as someone who is published by small presses, I tend to err on the side of pragmatism: the odds are good that most people haven’t seen my work and anything that helps them to encounter my fiction is a “good thing.”

And that includes an annual bit of blog-inspired self-promotion, so let’s get to it.

For your reading pleasure and award consideration, I present my novella, Calendrical Regression, published by the fine folks at NobleFusion Press as a slender trade paperback, but also available from their site as a free ebook (both ePub and mobi formats).

This is the third novella in the past three years that I’ve written in the Amazing Conroy series of tales. It came out late in the year (November 6th, 2014) and from an even tinier small press than ever before, which basically means despite the thing being an utter delight (hey, would I lie?), most people simply haven’t seen it.

So let me tell you a bit about it.

Calendrical Regression features Conroy, my stage-hypnotist-turned-wealthy-CEO protagonist as he attempts to slip away for a little downtime performing for conventioneers in the midwest. Some well-meaning aliens show up, intent on luring him down to Mexico with the promise of gourmet cuisine. They want him to hypnotically regress the descendant of a Mayan priest, with the intention of unraveling the mystery behind the ancient calendar that apparently predicted Earth’s contact with the rest of the galaxy when its grand tun ended in December of 2012. I could tell you more, but, spoilers! Suffice to say that complications ensue, some amusing and some dire, and the whole wraps up at under 20K words.

This is probably a good place for a bit of the ol’ “full disclosure.”

I mentioned above that this is my third Conroy novella in as many years. I should add that the previous two efforts both landed on their respective Nebula Award ballots. I’m not sure if that’s happened before, consecutive novella nominations from the same universe, but I feel confident that if SFWA members decide to put me on the ballot again this year, the resulting “hat trick” will be something of a record. And that’s kind of cool.

But that can’t happen if people don’t read it, which, again, is why we have posts like this one. I encourage you to follow the link, download a free copy of the ebook, and give it a read.

If you’re a SFWA member and you’d prefer a different format, this URL (http://j.mp/SFWA2014Schoen) will take you to my page in the SFWA 2014 Fiction archive where “Calendrical Regression” is available as a downoad in not just ePub and mobi, but in PDF and DOC formats as well.

 

creative commons licencse

This novella is released under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.
Follow the link if you’re not sure what that means.

Loscon 2014 Schedule (three days out)

No Comments » Written on November 25th, 2014 by
Categories: News
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As I write this, I’m relaxing in a hotel in Laguna Woods, California. I arrived yesterday, and I’ll be here through Thanksgiving. On Friday morning I’ll drive back toward LAX and drop off my rental car, but instead of flying home I will check into the nearby Marriott and pick up my badge as a panelist for Loscon 41.

I reached out to them a bit late, but they very graciously found a few things for me to do. Come find me at the following:

Saturday, November 29th
5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. | Atlanta | You Did What?
A panel in which each panelist starts a story and ends by dumping the next panelist into it!
with Kenn Bates, Buzz Dixon, Neo Edmund, Todd McCaffrey, Jerry Pournelle, Martin Young, and me!

Sunday, November 30th
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Saint Louis | – A Shot Rang Out
Improvised storytelling under pressure of time and madness. See us invent stories and characters too bizarre for fiction just so we can set up random lines the audience picked for us.
with
Sarah Adams, Buzz Dixon, Todd McCaffrey, David Miller, Larry Niven, True Thomas, Martin Young, and me!

Barry’s staying at home for this trip, but I will have copies of the new Amazing Conroy novel with me.