October newsletter: Alexandra Duncan, Leigh Bardugo, Brian Selznick, Julia Elliott, A.G. Riddle, and HonorCon

October newsletter: Alexandra Duncan, Leigh Bardugo, Brian Selznick, Julia Elliott, A.G. Riddle, and HonorCon

Posted on 2015-10-10 at 13:10 by montsamu

Vol 5 No 7. Saturday, October 10, 2015: Fall is here, and we’ve got a fantastic lineup of local events and new books coming our way before the first chances of snow, so get your calendars and bookshelves ready for an authorial invasion.

EVENTS

• October 8-11 (Thursday to Sunday) Bouchercon 2015 in Raleigh. Bouchercon is the annual World Mystery Convention, and this is the first Bouchercon ever (in its nearly 50-year history) to be held in the American South.
• October 10 (Saturday) 3 pm -- The Regulator Bookshop hosts Lucy Rozier, "Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph". (Kids.)
• October 10 (Saturday) 8 pm -- Durham's The Carrack Modern Art (111 W Parrish St) presents Masked: a 1-man contemporary commedia dell'arte obsession: "The lives of three characters intertwine in this raw, 1-man mask performance. "Masked" brings the 500-year-old art form commedia dell'arte to life, infusing it with a contemporary, physical, and genuine approach to theatrical work. First performed as part of the Mama Escena Fest in Ecuador and later developed through the UNC Process Series, "Masked" is an emotionally honest and riveting journey into the inherent comedy and tragedy of our human existence." Performed by Evan Mitchell.
• October 11 (Sunday) 2 to 4:30 pm — A pre-nano (National Novel Writing Month) workshop hosted by NaNoWriMo RDU entitled “What a Character!” to help get people thinking about what they’ll be writing next month: “We’ll talk all things character development, how to keep them straight, and what it’s like when they tell YOU what they’re going to do. Who do they think they are, anyway?”
• October 11 (Sunday) 2:30 pm -- Wake County's West Regional Library in Cary hosts a Meet the Mystery Authors event: "Meet and listen to talented mystery writers Leigh Perry, Eryk Pruitt, Craig Robertson, and Alexandra Sokoloff. The authors will discuss their novels, writing style, characters and more. Q&A to follow discussion. Registration requested."
• October 11 (Sunday) 4 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts YA Panel: Alexandra Duncan, Amy Reed, and Jaye Robin Brown discuss their latest novels. Asheville author Duncan is a science fiction and fantasy writer whose new novel Sound is the companion to her award-winning, “kick-ass, brilliant, feminist science fiction” debut Salvage. (Teen.)
• October 12 (Monday) 7 pm -- Flyleaf Books hosts Alex Matsuo discusses her new book, The Haunting of the Tenth Avenue Theater, an investigation into claims of paranormal activity at San Diego's renowned theater.
• October 12 (Monday) — Piedmont Laureate James Maxey to teach a workshop at Mordecai House in Raleigh, “Ghosts are Stories”. He writes about the worskhop: "I’ll give a brief presentation as to what I think is the key to writing a good ghost story, then the class will get a private tour of Mordecai House, and leave with the assignment to come up with an original ghost story based on what they’ve seen. The next week, we’ll return and share the first 500 words of our stories, plus 500 word summaries. If anyone is still interested in signing up for the workshop, you can write Douglas Porter at Mordecai House at [email protected]."

• October 15 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Fierce Reads Tour featuring Josephine Angelini, Leigh Bardugo, Emma Mills, and Leila Sales! Bardugo is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. Set in the Grisha-verse following the events of Ruin and Rising, Six of Crows is about six dangerous outcasts and one impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction–if they don’t kill each other first. (Teen.)
• October 16 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books presents Brian Selznick for his new novel The Marvels, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh at 3313 Wade Ave. “The award-winning author & illustrator (Caldecott Medal recipient for The Invention of Hugo Cabret) visits us for the first time with the luminous The Marvels on Friday, October 16, at 7 pm.  As in Wonderstruck, two story lines are connected – but how?  Massively illustrated, The Marvels is a story of family, the past, and puzzles, stretching over centuries.  Brian’s multimedia program is not to be missed!” This is a ticketed event: “with purchase from us of The Marvels, receive up to four "companion" admission/signing line tickets; $5 admission-only tickets are also available. Ages 9+.” (Kids+.)
• October 23 (Friday) 7 pm -- Quail Ridge Books hosts Julia Elliott - 'The New and Improved Romie Futch'. South Carolina author Elliott knocked my socks off with her fantastically weird collection The Wilds and her reading from it at The Regulator last year was spectacular. Now she's back with her novel-length debut: "Recently divorced and mortgaged to the hilt, taxidermist Romie Futch is a real mess. When a shadowy research institute offers to expand his mental capacity--and pay him a stipend for the privilege--Romie skims the paperwork and signs his name. Read to see what happens next."
• October 24 (Saturday) 7 pm -- The Regulator Bookshop hosts Julia Elliott--The New and Improved Romie Futch. (See above!)
• October 28 (Wednesday) 7 pm -- Flyleaf Books hosts A.G. Riddle discusses his latest novel, Departure. "The world’s past and future rests in the hands of five unwitting strangers in this definitive edition of A. G. Riddle's time-traveling, mind-bending speculative thriller."
• October 30-(Nov) 1 (Friday to Sunday) — HonorCon 2015 at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown with Tony Daniel, David Drake (Saturday only), Chris Kennedy, and David Weber.

I also have to correct a misstatement from the previous newsletter, as regards the The Wheel of Time Companion event at Quail Ridge Books on Saturday, November 21. I erroneously included an additional special guest, Jason Denzel, debut author of epic fantasy novel Mystic and founder of Wheel of Time fan destination Dragonmount.com, who is not part of this event; though he will be part of the overall book tour, unfortunately he won’t be coming to Raleigh. But! What an event we will have, with Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan’s wife and editorial director, and editorial assistants Alan Romanczuk and Maria Simons: “Derived from Robert Jordan’s personal files, this volume sheds light on some of the most intriguing aspects of the fantasy world he debuted in 1990, including biographies and motivations of many characters that never made it into the books.  It’s required reading for The Wheel of Time’s millions of fans and a valuable addition to Jordan’s legacy.”

NEWS

Next up this month, another round of news and links. There is too much for it to just be one list, so I’ve tried to split things into a few categories:

PROMOTIONS, CONTEST, and WORKSHOPS

• Through October 15, the Philip K. Dick Award StoryBundle includes 11 PKD Award winners and finalists, including Frontera by Lewis Shiner
• Another Kindle Scout campaign to nominate: Raleigh author Henry Vogel's "space opera meets adventure thriller" The Fugitive Heir: "My parents are not dead! I know it but can’t tell anyone why I know. Of course, no one believes me. They say I should take my vast inheritance and let it go. They’re wrong. So I’ll use my inheritance to fund the search for my parents. I didn’t count on opposition from the board of the company I’m inheriting, but powerful people will do anything to protect their dark secrets. They didn’t count on my two wildcards—a rebuilt spaceship and a blonde classmate I’ve loved since the sixth grade."
• Submissions are open through October 31 for a The Masters Review writing contest that "focuses on fiction that embraces the strange, the weird, the scary, the disturbing, and the grotesque", with judges Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

PUBLICATIONS and PODCASTS

• Mur Lafferty is just about to launch a new Escape Artists magazine, Mothership Zeta, and Issue 0 is out a bit early to give folks a taste of what's to come. It includes a reprint of Ursula Vernon's award-winning story "Jackalope Wives" (first published last year in Apex Magazine) and plenty more.
• Alyssa Wong's "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" appears in the new "Queers Destroy Horror" issue of Nightmare Magazine
• John Kessel has his first new short story out in a little while as “Consolation” appears in the Bruce Sterling-edited Twelve Tomorrows anthology from MIT Technology Review, their annual SF issue
• Raleigh author Peter Wood ("Almost a Good Day to Go Outside", Bull Spec #1) has a new story "Castaways" in Page & Spine
• If you aren't already subscribing to the Tony Daniel-hosted Baen Free Radio Hour podcast, you might have missed a run of excellent episodes, both of reader interest with David Drake on The Hunter Returns and a fantastic 2-part discussion on creativity for writers, with Lois McMaster Bujold, Wen Spencer, and Brendan DuBois [Part 1 and Part 2]
• Carolina Book Beat's speculative fiction interviews podcast is finally back online after a server migration, and we've caught up with the backlog of shows that aired over the summer and this early fall: Karissa Laurel and Lynn McNamee (author of Midnight Burning and publisher at Red Adept Publishing, respectively), Colin Dwan and Wes Platt (to talk about their new story-driven "swamp noir" adventure game Knee Deep), Michael Swanwick (to talk about his new novel Chasing the Phoenix), and Alyssa Wong and Ursula Vernon to talk about their work ahead of the SFWA Southeast reading series event at Duke last month; CBB also launched a new show "The Crime Scene" with host Eryk Pruitt, with the first guests David Terrenoire and Jedidiah Ayres talking "The South" in crime fiction; and! on Monday, October 19, Mur Lafferty and I welcome Mark L. Van Name and David Drake to the studio to talk about Onward, Drake!

BOOK and AUTHOR NEWS

• Cary author Rysa Walker (Timebound) is set to publish the next book in her CHRONOS series, and you can catch up on the story so far through a new video
• Raleigh authors Clay and Susan Griffith posted an except from their forthcoming Vampire Empire novel The Geomancer
• Durham author Richard Dansky is among those announced in the table of contents for new Steampunk/ghost anthology Ghost in the Cogs from Broken Eye Books
• Charlotte author A.J. Hartley has a fantastic interview in Dragon Con’s Daily Dragon on books, audiobooks, and collaboration; speaking of Hartley, the cover for his 2016 Tor Teen novel Steeplejack was unveiled in late September and it's fantastic
• Speaking of 2016 Tor Teen novels and cover reveals, Durham author Jenna Black's Nighstruck also was unveiled in late September
• In Tor.com's glowing review of the Joe Hill and John Joseph Adams-edited Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, Asheville author Nathan Ballingrud's "Skullpocket" gets "a flattering mention: 'And no mention of horror can go unsaid without whisper of one of the new masters of the genre, Nathan Ballingrud, whose “Skullpocket” made me shiver and cry all at once, a tender and dark tale of a small town and its ghouls, ghosts, sins, and regrets.'"
• NC State’s student newspaper Technician features new (to me, at least!) NC author Meredith Hemphill, writing as Meri Elena, and her debut novel Nightfall. However, her self-published 2014 novel isn’t currently available, as “This book is currently out of service, because I just signed on with Prospective Press to republish it!  Please hold your horses until new copies are available!” Checking out the Prospective Press website leads me to find out both that it’s based in Winston-Salem and that it publishes yet another new (to me) NC author, Jason T. Graves.
• Speaking of university media coverage, Duke Today has a very nice article on the SFWA Southeast Reading series event last month entitled How Southern Culture, Ecology Mix for a Good SciFi or Fantasy Story by Jonathan Lee, accompanied by photos by Sonja Foust
• I stumbled onto this UNC Libraries list of supernatural novels set in NC; it appears it's stopped updating for now, but definitely something to explore for those of us who are interested in such things!

NEW BOOKS

NEW AUDIOBOOKS

NEW AT BULLSPEC.COM

• The Exploding Spaceship reviewed Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell, Dawnbreaker, His Father’s Eyes, Waterborne Exile, and The End of All Things, Sunset Mantle by Alter S. Reiss, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, A Red-Rose Chain (by Seanan McGuire) and its Book Launch at Borderlands, Windswept, The Dragon Engine and Hexomancy, and The Last Witness by K.J. Parker, put together a Special Earth Girl Universe Review Column, and! posted a Release Day Review of Empire Ascendant and an Interview with Kameron Hurley.
• "Coming to Town" interviews with Christopher Moore for Secondhand Souls at Quail Ridge Books and Robert Beatty for Serafina and the Black Cloak at Quail Ridge Books and Triangle Reads Moveable Feast
• Two "Hardest Part" essays: Karissa Laurel on Midnight Burning and Alexandra Duncan on Sound
• And (due to my delays in getting his August column online) two installements of Paul Kincaid's "From the Other Side" in his continuing coverage of science fiction in the United Kingdom: August 2015: Alasdair Gray, Terry Pratchett, Aliette de Bodard, Paul Cornell, China Miéville, and more and September 2015: Patrick Ness, Ian McDonald, Stephen Baxter, Margaret Atwood, and (of course) Adam Roberts

I haven’t quite figured out either how this happened, or what to say about it. I had been sitting on a fantastic review (by Nick Mamatas, of A Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy) for months, as part of an idea for a new reviews column that didn’t end up going anywhere; an intriguing essay by J.M. McDermott on Smile as The Bow by Nu Nu Yi for over a year; and I’d gone and asked Stephen Messer to interivew J.J. Johnson about her new novel Believarexic for the “Coming to Town” column only to have one of those classic “head-desk” moments: Johnson is a Durham author, so she was already in town. So, what to do?

So, Bull Spec #10. It’s still a bit of a project in flux; I’ve been tinkering with an ePub edition and an ePub-to-PDF print zine chapbook, but neither is quite ready. I’ve gone back and forth about what the purpose or mission of this is going to be, where it fits in these days, if anywhere. But I know I’m going to do another one and see how it goes.

-Sam

UPCOMING EVENTS, OCTOBER 2015

8-11 (Thursday to Sunday) Bouchercon 2015 in Raleigh. Bouchercon is the annual World Mystery Convention, and this is the first Bouchercon ever (in its nearly 50-year history) to be held in the American South.

10 (Saturday) 3 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts Lucy Rozier, “Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph”. (Kids.)

NEW: 10 (Saturday) 8 pm — Durham’s The Carrack Modern Art (111 W Parrish St) presents Masked: a 1-man contemporary commedia dell’arte obsession: “The lives of three characters intertwine in this raw, 1-man mask performance. “Masked” brings the 500-year-old art form commedia dell’arte to life, infusing it with a contemporary, physical, and genuine approach to theatrical work. First performed as part of the Mama Escena Fest in Ecuador and later developed through the UNC Process Series, “Masked” is an emotionally honest and riveting journey into the inherent comedy and tragedy of our human existence.” Performed by Evan Mitchell.

NEW: 11 (Sunday) 2 to 4:30 pm — A pre-nano (National Novel Writing Month) workshop hosted by NaNoWriMo RDU entitled “What a Character!” to help get people thinking about what they’ll be writing next month: “We’ll talk all things character development, how to keep them straight, and what it’s like when they tell YOU what they’re going to do. Who do they think they are, anyway?”

NEW: 11 (Sunday) 2:30 pm — Wake County’s West Regional Library in Cary hosts a Meet the Mystery Authors event: “Meet and listen to talented mystery writers Leigh Perry, Eryk Pruitt, Craig Robertson, and Alexandra Sokoloff. The authors will discuss their novels, writing style, characters and more. Q&A to follow discussion. Registration requested.”

11 (Sunday) 4 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts YA Panel: Alexandra Duncan, Amy Reed, and Jaye Robin Brown discuss their latest novels. Asheville author Duncan is a science fiction and fantasy writer whose new novel Sound is the companion to her award-winning, “kick-ass, brilliant, feminist science fiction” debut Salvage. (Teen.)

NEW: 12 (Monday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Alex Matsuo discusses her new book, The Haunting of the Tenth Avenue Theater, an investigation into claims of paranormal activity at San Diego’s renowned theater.

NEW: 12 (Monday) — Piedmont Laureate James Maxey to teach a workshop at Mordecai House in Raleigh, “Ghosts are Stories”. He writes about the worskhop: ” I’ll give a brief presentation as to what I think is the key to writing a good ghost story, then the class will get a private tour of Mordecai House, and leave with the assignment to come up with an original ghost story based on what they’ve seen. The next week, we’ll return and share the first 500 words of our stories, plus 500 word summaries. If anyone is still interested in signing up for the workshop, you can write Douglas Porter at Mordecai House at [email protected].”

13 — Regional author book release day for City of Thirst by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis (Map to Everywhere #2) published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

15 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Fierce Reads Tour featuring Josephine Angelini, Leigh Bardugo, Emma Mills, and Leila Sales! Bardugo is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. Set in the Grisha-verse following the events of Ruin and Rising, Six of Crows is about six dangerous outcasts and one impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction–if they don’t kill each other first. (Teen.)

16 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books presents Brian Selznick for his new novel The Marvels, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh at 3313 Wade Ave. “The award-winning author & illustrator (Caldecott Medal recipient for The Invention of Hugo Cabret) visits us for the first time with the luminous The Marvels on Friday, October 16, at 7 pm.  As in Wonderstruck, two story lines are connected – but how?  Massively illustrated, The Marvels is a story of family, the past, and puzzles, stretching over centuries.  Brian’s multimedia program is not to be missed!” This is a ticketed event: “with purchase from us of The Marvels, receive up to four “companion” admission/signing line tickets; $5 admission-only tickets are also available. Ages 9+.” (Kids+.)

NEW: 17 (Saturday) 3 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Elizabeth Langston - ‘Wishing for You’. “Elizabeth Langston returns on Saturday, October 17, at 3 pm with Wishing for You, the second book in her I Wish series for young adults.” (Teen.)

NEW: 17 (Saturday) 4 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Douglas Gibson discusses his new middle grade novel, Tales of a Fifth-Grade Knight.

18 — Local book release day for F. Hampton Carmine’s Destiny’s Handmaiden. “Aislin and Caitrin’s birth marked the onset of a time of great change, the endings of false paths, and the beginnings of new and true paths, as Destiny pressed forward with her revised prophesy for The Dragon Isles.”

19 — Regional author book release day for Dreamers by Donna Glee Williams (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy) — “At the age of sixteen, the Dreamer has given up her own life to act as the conduit for the divine dreams that must be interpreted for the survival of the village. Love and relationships are forbidden. Even though her needs are provided for, she longs to be free.”

20 — Local book release day for Rysa Walker’s Time’s Divide (The Chronos Files, Book 3) published by Skyscape.

20 — Local book release day for a new definitive edition of A.G. Riddle’s Departure being published by Harper Voyager.

20 — Regional author book release day for Gatefather by Orson Scott Card (Mither Mages, Book 3) published by Tor Books.

20 (Tuesday) 5 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Adam Rubin & Dan Salmieri – ‘Robo-Sauce’ for the launch of their new picture book for ages 4+, from the authors of Dragons Love Tacos. (Kids.)

23 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Julia Elliott - ‘The New and Improved Romie Futch’. South Carolina author Elliott knocked my socks off with her fantastically weird collection The Wilds and her reading from it at The Regulator last year was spectacular. Now she’s back with her novel-length debut: “Recently divorced and mortgaged to the hilt, taxidermist Romie Futch is a real mess. When a shadowy research institute offers to expand his mental capacity—and pay him a stipend for the privilege—Romie skims the paperwork and signs his name. Read to see what happens next.”

NEW: 23 (Friday) 8 pm — Durham’s The Carrack Modern Art presents The Muse Masquerade at new Durham boutique hotel 21c Museum Hotel (111 Corcoran St), its annual fundraiser: “Conjure your inner muse, don a mask, and join us for an evening of revelry in support of The Carrack! This year we are offering “choose your price” tickets. We encourage you to think of it similiarly to a crowdfunding campaign: instead of offering different perks for different levels of contribution, we are offering one big party for everyone who pitches in. Please choose a ticket price that reflects your best ability to help us reach our fundraising goal. Together as a community, we can make this fundraiser a success.”

NEW: 24 (Saturday) 2 pm — 2015 Geek Gala: Monster Mash in Charlotte: “Join us for our 7th annual Geek Gala! How do you explain the Geek Gala? We are still trying to figure it out! It is all the things, all in one place, and we love it! This is our big charity event to raise funds for Children’s Home Society of NC, and each year it just keeps getting better and better.”

24 (Saturday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts Julia Elliott—The New and Improved Romie Futch. (See above!)

24 (Saturday) 8 pm — The Carolina Theatre of Durham hosts John Hodgman: Vacationland, a 75-minute comedy show.

NEW: 25 (Sunday) 4 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Kathryn Aalto discusses her new book, The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood.

27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Kathryn Aalto - ‘The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh’.

NEW-NEW: 27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Michael Gutierrez discusses his new novel, The Trench Angel. (Fiction.)

28 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts A.G. Riddle discusses his latest novel, Departure. “The world’s past and future rests in the hands of five unwitting strangers in this definitive edition of A. G. Riddle’s time-traveling, mind-bending speculative thriller.”

30-(Nov) 1 (Friday to Sunday) — HonorCon 2015 at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown with Tony Daniel, David Drake (Saturday only), Chris Kennedy, and David Weber.

NEW-NEW: 30 (Friday) 7 pm — Piedmont Laureate James Maxey will read his ghost story “Silent as Dust” at Burwell School in Hillsborough.

NEW-NEW: 31 (Saturday) 1 pm — The North Carolina Symphony presents Halloween at Hogwarts: The Music of Harry Potter at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, with lobby performance ahead of the symphony by The Blibbering Humdingers (a/k/a Scott Efenwealt Vaughan and Kirsten Humdinger Vaughan).

NEW-NEW: 31 (Saturday) 9 to 11 pm — Durham’s Ponysaurus Brewing (219 Hood Street) hosts Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern’s annual Halloween show TREATBAG. “Durm’s own Haunted Theater of hilarity and despair featuring all your favorite warlocks and hell-kitties. There’s sad clowns, a drug-addled Santa, a hillbilly singer, Macbeth’s weird sisters, murderous southern Golden Girls, a contract killer, deadly ventriloquism, a hate crime on public transportation, twisted short films, macabre tarot… to name a few! We’re taking over the brewroom & wandering through the bar- $10 gets you free rein of the place & $1 off Ponysaurus pints. Come in costume, come as you are, come one, come all!”

NOVEMBER 2015

NEW: 2 (Monday) 6:30 pm — The Orange County Library hosts First Monday Classics: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

3 — Local author book release day for Air and Darkness by David Drake (Tor, November 2015) — the concluding book 4 in The Books of the Elements series.

3 — Local author book release day for The Geomancer: Vampire Empire: A Gareth and Adele Novel by Clay and Susan Griffith (Pyr, November 3) — “The uneasy stalemate between vampires and humans is over. Adele and Gareth are bringing order to a free Britain, but bloody murders in London raise the specter that Adele’s geomancy is failing and the vampires might return.”

3 — Regional author book release day for Without Light or Guide by T. Frohock (Harper Voyager Impulse), part two of Los Nefilim.

3 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books presents Welcome to Night Vale: An evening with Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor & John Darnielle at The Varsity Theater at 123 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill. “From the creators of the wildly popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves…no matter where we live.” (Tickets sold through Flyleaf Books only and include entrance to show and a copy of the book.)

4 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books welcomes bestselling science fiction thriller author A.G. Riddle for Departure.

5 (Thursday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Clay & Susan Griffith – ‘The Geomancer’ as the Raleigh husband-and-wife author team return to the world of their “Vampire Empire” series.

NEW-NEW: 6 (Friday) 10 pm — Motorco (723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham) hosts Nerdvember 2015: “We’re teaming up with our sponsor, NCComicon, to bring you a veritable cornucopia of nerdy performances inspired by comic books, sci fi, anime, video games, and anything else we fangirl/boy out about. So whether you’re into Hello Kitty or Hellboy, Paranormal or Portal, Dr. Who or Dr. Xavier, we’ve got something for you!”

NEW-NEW: 7 (Saturday) 1:30 pm — Charlotte bookstore 2nd & Charles hosts An Improbable Signing. “Meet some of the authors from the new anthology, An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.”

7 (Saturday) 3 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts YA author Joelle Charbonneau – ‘Need’. (Teen.)

NEW-NEW: 9 (Monday) 6:30 pm — Durham’s 106 Main hosts The Southern Gothic Film Hour: “Join cast, crew, and filmmakers as they screen two short films KEEPSAKE (dir. Meredith Sause) and THE HOODOO OF SWEET MAMA ROSA (dir. Eryk Pruitt) for the first time in the Triangle. Also, featuring trailers from locally produced films and Southern Gothic cocktails. Doors at 6:30pm with 7:15pm screening. 2nd screening at 8:30pm. $5 cover charge goes to equipment rental and funding future film festival entries.”

10 — Regional author book release for The Subterranean Season by Dale Bailey (Underland Press, Nov 10).

NEW-NEW: 10 (Tuesday) 7 pm — The Durham County Library’s Main Branch hosts a meet the author reading with Piedmont Laureate James Maxey.

NEW-NEW: 11 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Richelle Mead discusses her new YA novel, Soundless. “From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.” (Teen.)

13 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts bestselling YA author Marissa Meyer for Winter, the conclusion of her Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Fairest). “We’re celebrating in style – come in costume and enjoy the festivities.  Refreshments, too.  For ages 12+.” (Teen.)

13-15 (Friday to Sunday) — NC Comicon at the Durham Convention Center, including Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard’s ONLY U.S. appearance and (among others) Bernard Chang, Tommy Lee Edwards, John Paul Leon, Gerard Way, and Stacey Lee, and! the Comiquest Film Festival at the adjacent Carolina Theatre of Durham.

NEW: 14 (Saturday) 6 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts author Adam Christopher (Empire State, The Burning Dark, Seven Wonders, and Hang Wire) for his forthcoming novel Made to Kill which begins his new “L.A. Trilogy” from Tor Books. “Set in Hollywood 1965, Made to Kill is very much a noir mystery, except that the detective is a robot (with a heart of gold) and his Gal Friday is a supercomputer with a Lucille Bluth sensibility. The novel was born out of short story written for Tor.com called “Brisk Money” whereby the author imagines an undiscovered sci-fi novel written by Raymond Chandler.”

17 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts NC author Lucy Rozier for her debut picture book Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph. (Kids.)

NEW-NEW: 18 (Wednesday) 7:30 pm — The NC State Reading Series presents Kelly Link and the NC State Fiction Contest, at the Caldwell Hall Lounge, Caldwell Hall. “Kelly Link is the author of the collections Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, Pretty Monsters, and Get in Trouble. Her short stories have been published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Best American Short Stories, and Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. She has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She and Gavin J. Grant (who make up Small Beer Press) have co-edited a number of anthologies, including multiple volumes of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and, for young adults, Steampunk! and Monstrous Affections. She also co-edits the occasional zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Though born in Florida, Link’s family roots are North Carolinian, having gone to high school and UNC-Greensboro for her MFA. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Northampton, Massachusetts.”

NEW-NEW: 18 (Wednesday) through December 12 — PlayMakers Repertory Company presents Peter and the Starcatcher at the Paul Green Theatre. Billed as “a grownup’s prequel to Peter Pan” the play follows “An apprentice Starcatcher and an orphan boy take to the high seas in this whimsical and hilarious origin story of The Boy Who Never Grew Up. Join us for a wildly theatrical holiday treat with a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters to bring you a story that will delight adults and children alike.”

NEW-NEW: 19 (Thursday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Leon Capetanos - ‘The Time Box’. “Screen writer and director (Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Fletch Lives) Leon Capetanos turns novelist with The Time Box. A sixth grade field trip to the local planetarium provides more questions than answers for Thomas Adkins Johnson, a twelve-year-old going on thirteen, whose head begins to spin as he contemplates the vastness of the heavens projected on the dome above him.” (Kids/Teens/Fiction.)

NEW-NEW: 20 (Friday) 6:30 pm — McIntyre’s Books hosts Unstoppable with Bill Nye. “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Bill Nye the Science Guy to Fearrington Village. Mr. Nye will give a brief talk in The Barn and then sign books purchased at McIntyre’s Books. A purchase of Unstoppable at McIntyre’s will gain entry for two people. He will only sign books purchased from McIntyre’s. Just as World War II called an earlier generation to greatness, so the climate crisis is calling today’s rising youth to action: to create a better future.” (Non-Fiction.)

NEW-NEW: 20-21 (Friday and Saturday) 8 pm — Durham’s Cordoba Center for the Arts (923 Franklin St, Durham) presents Eurydice Descended, “the first evening-length dance theater work of knightworks, a production company founded by acclaimed Durham dancer and choreographer Jessi Knight in collaboration with her sister Christina Knight. Taking place somewhere between present-day Brooklyn and the City of the Dead, Eurydice Descended retells the Orpheus and Eurydice myth through dance and poetry.”

21 (Saturday) 4 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Harriet McDougal, Maria Simons, and Alan Romanczuk for The Wheel of Time Companion, the authoritative non-fiction companion to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. (Note: I previously erroneously included an additional special guest Jason Denzel, debut author of epic fantasy novel Mystic and founder of Wheel of Time fan destination Dragonmount.com, who is not part of this event.)

24 — Local author book release for The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher (a pen name for Ursula Vernon), a republication of her self-published 2014 novel, by 47North.

27-29 (Friday to Sunday) — Chessiecon 2015 at the North Baltimore Plaza Hotel with guests of honor Seanan McGuire, Ursula Vernon, Heather Dale (with Ben Deschamps) and special Guests Tamora Pierce and Tom Smith.

DECEMBER 2015

1 — Regional author book release day for Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Starbound #3) published by Disney-Hyperion.

NEW-NEW: 2 (Wednesday) 7 pm — The Durham Arts Council (120 Morris Street) hosts The Laureate’s Gift: “Join James Maxey as he hosts past Piedmont Laureates for a holiday discussion. The question for each Laureate: If you had a magical sleigh capable of making a delivery to every home in a single night, and an elf-powered printing press capable of cranking out billions of copies of a single book, what book would you choose to give the world? Laureates Jaki Shelton Green, Scott Huler, Ian Finley, John Claude Bemis, and Carrie Knowles, will present their choices in what’s sure to be a thought-provoking discussion. A reception will follow.”

NEW-NEW: 7 (Monday) 6:30 pm — The Orange County Library hosts First Monday Classics: A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.

NEW=NEW: 14 (Monday) 2 pm — McIntyre’s Books hosts Charlie Lovett – The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge. “A delightful sequel to Dickens’s beloved A Christmas Carol by the bestselling author of First Impressions and The Bookman’s Tale.”

NEW-NEW: 15 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Cassie Beasley - ‘Circus Mirandus’. “It’s one of our favorite books of the year.  Cassie Beasley visits on Tuesday, December 15,  at 7 pm for Circus Mirandus.  As with all great children’s fantasies, much more is at stake than what first appears.  Micah’s quest to save his grandfather is the platform for a tale of belief and miracles, of incredible selflessness and extraordinary generosity. Beasley creates a mystical oasis within our world.  Ages 9+.”

NEW-NEW: 22 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Durham’s Atomic Empire is hosting Okla Elliott and Raul Clement, co-authors of The Doors You Mark Are Your Own from Dark House Press. They will be doing a reading from their book followed by a Q&A and signing. “Joshua City is one of seven city-states in a post-apocalyptic world where water is scarce and technology is at mid-twentieth-century Soviet levels. As the novel opens, the Baikal Sea has been poisoned, causing a major outbreak of a flesh-eating disease called nekrosis. Against this backdrop of political corruption, violence and oppression, a struggle for control of Joshua City ensues, and a revolutionary group called The Underground emerges.”

27 (Sunday) 10 am to 4 pm — Raleigh Comic Book Show at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley with guests TBD. Free admission.

NEW: 31 (Thursday) 8 pm to 1 am — The Clockwork Ball: A Steampunk Masquerade at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw. “Attention Pilots of Airships and their Crews, Mad Scientists, Explorers of the Unknown, Admirers of Verbosity, Respecters of the Strange, Those Lost in the Throes of Opium or Absinthe, Teetotalers, Scallywags, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dandies, Fops, and Urchins… Featuring performance by the Onyx Club Boys. Hosted by that darling DJ duo – Emmett Davenport & Lady Nikolai Attercop (both of The Clockwork Cabaret). Doors at 8pm; Music begins at 9pm. Admission: All Ages; $10 in advance/$12 at door. Appropriate Attire is Encouraged, but never required.”

JANUARY 2016

NEW-NEW: 4 (Monday) 6:30 pm — The Orange County Library hosts First Monday Classics: If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino.

8-10 (Friday to Sunday) — Illogicon 5 at the Embassy Suites Raleigh – Durham/Research Triangle North Carolina with guest of honor Mur Lafferty. Registration is open: “Prices: 6/13 thru 8/15: $20; 8/15 thru 10/15: $25; 1016/ thru 12/31: $30; At the door: $40.”

NEW: 30 (Saturday) 9 am to 9 pm — Stellarcon 2016 at UNC-Greensboro. “Mark your calendars! We are currently opening up submissions for Panels, Artist Alley Spaces, and Dealers booth spaces for Stellarcon 2016. Online ticket sales should be up soon! All applications are listed under the Stellarcon menu.” The first announced author guest is Asheboro author David Adkins (the “Sons of Solistar” series).

FEBRUARY 2016

NEW-NEW: 5 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Lawrence Schoen for his new science fiction novel Barsk. “Join us on Friday, February 5, at 7 pm when science fiction editor and author Lawrence Schoen shares Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard. Imagine The Sixth Sense meets Dune meets Planet of the Apes. In a moving science fiction novel set far in the future, humanity is gone and forgotten. Dr. Schoen is also one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Klingon language!“

26-28 (Friday to Sunday) — MystiCon 2016 in Roanoke, Virginia, with guest of honor George R.R. Martin.

APRIL 2016

5 — Local author book release day for A Rebel’s Stone by P.T. McHugh (Glass House, April 5, 2016).

12 — Regional author book release day for A Shadow All of Light by Fred Chappell (Tor Books).

TBD — Local author book release day for Nightstruck by Jenna Black.

JUNE 2016

3-5 (Friday to Sunday) — ConCarolinas 2016 with special author guest Christie Golden.

JULY 2016

15-17 (Friday to Sunday) — ConGregate 2016 in High Point with guests of honor Steven Barnes and A.J. Hartley.

AUGUST 2016

TBD — Regional author book release day for Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley (Tor Teen) — “The book follows 17 year old Anglet Sutonga as she is drawn into a web of murder and intrigue surrounding the theft of a strange and priceless artifact. Anglet is the steeplejack of the title, one of the marginal street urchins who works the chimneys, towers and other high, dangerous places in the city of Bar-Selehm.”

– END –

Posted in newsletter