March newsletter: George Takei, Tom Angleberger and John Claude Bemis, Erik Larson, Captain Pyewacket’s Unauthorized Excursion, new books, news, and more

March newsletter: George Takei, Tom Angleberger and John Claude Bemis, Erik Larson, Captain Pyewacket’s Unauthorized Excursion, new books, news, and more

Posted on 2016-03-21 at 01:35 by montsamu

Vol 6 No 3. Sunday, March 20, 2016: Beware the Ides of March! Well, I should have, as I’ve been sick all week. Still, I have to get this newsletter out today, because it’s the last chance to tell you about both Henry Vogel’s Kindle Scout campaign and Paul Celmer’s “IGAAKS” Kickstarter.

But first! Some imminently upcoming events:

• March 21 (Monday) 7:30 pm — Guilford College’s Bryan Series of lectures welcomes: “George Takei, a noted actor and activist with a signature wit, shares the story of his family’s forced internment as Japanese Americans during WWII—a seemingly forgotten part of American history. George also talks about his rise to celebrity as a sci-fi icon, his remarkable journey as social media luminary, and his passionate fight for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality in America—empowering others to beat the odds and make a difference.”
• March 24 (Thursday) 6 pm -- Flyleaf Books hosts Tom Angleberger and John Claude Bemis for an "author double-header". From John: "I'm teaming up with Tom Angleberger for a fun-filled evening sharing about our new books, performing feats of strength and daring-do, discussing everything from Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars to Da Vinci-robots and the mysteries behind our writing processes. You and your young book nerds won't want to miss this singular evening! Tom is the best-selling author of the Origami Yoda series as well as the brand new illustrated novel Rocket and Groot: Stranded on Planet Strip Mall, the first in his Marvel trilogy based on Guardians of the Galaxy." What John doesn't mention is his own book, the just-published Steampunk Pinnochio retelling Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince.
• March 25 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts (at Meredith College) Erik Larson – ‘Dead Wake’ (off-site ticketed event). Larson will be at McIntyre's Books the following morning (Saturday, March 26) at 11 am as well, for Erik Larson – Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. (Narrative non-fiction.)
• March 26 (Saturday) 2 pm -- If you missed her events in January and February, McIntyre's Books hosts local author Lindsay Starck – Noah’s Wife. "In the tradition of Daniel Wallace’s Big Fish and Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child, Noah’s Wife is a gorgeously written, brilliantly introspective, fable-like novel reimagining Noah’s Ark for our modern times."
• March 26 (Saturday) 9 pm — Arcana hosts Captain Pyewacket’s Unauthorized Excursion II, a “time traveler’s dance party” with Emmett Davenport and Lady Attercop. “Appropriate dress admired but not required – show us your own personal spin on the 1800’s-1940’s or just come and enjoy the show!”

It’s the very last day to nominate Raleigh author Henry Vogel’s The Counterfeit Captain in the “Kindle Scout” program, which awards a book deal to titles based on user voting. So! Help Henry out, all it takes is a few seconds, and if his book does end up winning, you get a free copy. “Losing consciousness as her starfighter bleeds air, Captain Nancy Martin expects a lonely death. Instead, she awakens in a cavernous, empty docking bay. When she is mistaken for the vast ship’s mythical Captain, Nancy finds herself allied with ship native Sko against the enemy who attacked her starfighter. Soon, Nancy is on the run from her enemy, unaware of the far greater menace who controls the ship. Can the counterfeit captain unravel the ship’s mystery before her opponents destroy her?” And as first lines go, this one’s pretty darned good: “What a stupid place to die.” Henry did have a very, very successful Kindle Scout campaign last time around, but didn’t quite get over the final bar. Second time’s the charm, right?

It’s also the last day (well, 24-ish hours to go, so technically it ends tomorrow) for frequent Bull Spec contributor and Durham author Paul Celmer’s Kickstarter campaign to fund a production-scale run of his IGAAKS eyewear. What are Igaaks, you ask, beyond “a modern fashion take on the ancient Inuit sun visor”? Well, you may have seen me out at conventions or other events wearing the ones Paul made me way back in 2010. They’re always a great conversation starter, drawing people over to my table to try them on or ask, “Hey, can you really see out of those?” Yes, yes you can see! Paul’s now making them in a variety of cuts and finishes, and somehow (I haven’t caught up with him yet to find out the full story) his Igaaks have made it all the way to Hollywood as well, as seen in the trailers for the forthcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows worn by villain Bebop.

NEWS

• Fred Chappell's book tour for his forthcoming fantasy novel A Shadow All of Light (Tor Books, April 12) was announced, and it's all North Carolina, all the time, with stops in Raleigh (Tuesday, April 12), Asheville (Friday, April 15), Durham (Tuesday, April 19), Pittsboro (Saturday, April 23), Greensboro, Hendersonville, Sylva, and Rutherfordton. I can confidently tell you that no Big-5 published novel from a World Fantasy Award winner will have a similar tour in the near future.
• Speaking of Chappell, he recently reviewed NC speculative poet Val Nieman's second collection, Hotel Worthy, in the North Carolina Literary Review; also in this issue, Kathleen E. Amende's review of Sean Jackson's Haw
• Michael Harrison's Dice Section Live Play had a recent episode playing the Bully Pulpit Games RPG Fiasco, with guests Natania Barron, Jonathan Wood, and Ian Mrock. If watching tabletop RPG hangouts is your thing, this is a good one. ("What did you say your name was? I didn't. Shouldn't you, when you are addressing your betters? I don't see any of my betters here...")
• Baen Books announced a new 20th Anniversary Edition of Redliners by local author David Drake, to be published in August, with an all-new introduction by the author.
• Tor.com unveiled the fantastic cover for Jay Posey's forthcoming military science fiction novel Outriders (Angry Robot Books, May 3). "A daring hostage rescue leads to the discovery of an imminent terrorist attack. Thanks to the Outriders, thousands of lives are saved. Until they aren’t."
• Lisa Shearin's novel The Dragon Conspiracy won the 2015 RT Best Urban Fantasy Novel award!
• Jaym Gates is quoted in The Munchkin Book (Smart Pop Books, 2016)
• NC author Renee Ahdieh's short story The Crown and the Arrow, set in her "Wrath and the Dawn" series, was published in ebook by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers; a second story, The Moth and the Flame, is due out March 22
• Alyssa Wong's "A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers" appeared at Tor.com on March 2nd
• Speaking of Wong, her story "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" has now received both a Stoker Award and Nebula Award nomination
• The trailer for Ubisoft/Red Storm's forthcoming virtual reality game Werewolves Within features local game writer Justin Achilli
• Speaking of Ubisoft and Red Storm, Durham author Richard Dansky is credited as the lead writer for their record-setting latest release Tom Clancy's The Division, which has been reviewed in too many places to list, so here's the quite positive Newsweek review; for myself, I'm about 30 hours in, and at about 50% through the primary storyline I'm enjoying it very much!
• Durham author Rachel E. Pollock announced that she's been accepted for a writing residency at the Wildacres Residency Program
• Raleigh writer Alice Osborn's Star Wars inspired poetry (Boba Fett as a recovering alcoholic) is featured at the News & Observer
• Saga Press announced it would be publishing print editions of the Serial Box serial Bookburners which features the work of Durham author Mur Lafferty
• Local author Brenda Kalt's story "Cradle Song" is reprinted in the current 25th issue of Luna Station Quarterly
• NC State grad and Baen Books editorial assistant Christopher Ruocchio was featured in a Publisher's Marketplace announcement on his "very nice" 4-book deal with DAW Books, complete with a "Patrick Rothfuss in space" comparison; Ruocchio was also a guest on the February 19th episode of the Baen Free Radio Hour podcast
• Charlotte's A. J. Hartley is featured in Rolling Stone's article about his collaboration with musician Tom DeLonge on "Sekret Machines", the transmedia project which includes their 700+ page hardcover novel due out in April
• Gray Rinehart's science fiction novella, tentatively entitled "Intercept--Priority One," is slated to appear in a forthcoming issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. "I don't know yet which issue the story will be in. This will be my fourth story in ANALOG, and my first novella ever."
• Raleigh author Peter Wood announced the sale of his Boone-sbased SF story, "Academic Circles", to Asimov's; speaking of Wood, his story "Be Careful What You Wish For" is out at Page & Spine
• Durham author Nathan Kotecki announced both that he’s been accepted into NC State’s MFA program for the coming fall and that he’s going to be teaching a summer writing camp for 10-15 year olds at Duke School from June 13-17

NEW EVENTS

• April 19 (Tuesday) 7 pm -- As part of NC Science Festival, Flyleaf Books hosts Ready Player One author Ernest Cline for the paperback tour of his novel Armada. "Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he's spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. But hey, there's nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don t get chosen to save the universe. And then he sees the flying saucer."
• April 27 (Wednesday) 6 pm -- Flyleaf Books and NC Comicon present (at Cat's Cradle) Felicia Day for her memoir You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). "The instant New York Times bestseller from queen of the geeks Felicia Day, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a "relentlessly funny and surprisingly inspirational" (Forbes.com) memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to internet stardom, and embracing her weirdness to find her place in the world. Showcasing Felicia's engaging and often hilarious voice, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should celebrate what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now--  even for a digital misfit."

NEW BOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS

BULLSPEC.COM

• The Exploding Spaceship reviewed The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, Recent Good Fantasy Reads: Vendetta, Blood Hunt, and Son of the Black Sword, The Absconded Ambassador by Michael R. Underwood, Good SF Reads: The Prison in Antares, Silenced, and Mothership, The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker, Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal, Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee, and Pieces of Hate by Tim Lebbon
• Paul Kincaid’s From the Other Side column for February 2016 covered The Kitchies, Mieville’s This Census Taker, Pinborough’s 13 Minutes, and more
• I posted the 2016 Manly Wade Wellman Award cover gallery, featuring this year's eligibility list, on which I also did a special episode of Carolina Book Beat with 1-minute (or so) descriptions of each of the 115 titles, so whether you like visual or audio overviews, you're all set!

-Sam

UPCOMING EVENTS, MARCH 2016

21 (Monday) 7:30 pm — Guilford College’s Bryan Series of lectures welcomes: “George Takei, a noted actor and activist with a signature wit, shares the story of his family’s forced internment as Japanese Americans during WWII—a seemingly forgotten part of American history. George also talks about his rise to celebrity as a sci-fi icon, his remarkable journey as social media luminary, and his passionate fight for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality in America—empowering others to beat the odds and make a difference.”

21 — NC author book release day for Playing the Witch’s Game (Keepers of the Veil) by Zoe Forward (Entangled: Covet, March 21).

22 — NC author book release day for Shadow and Flame by Gail Z. Martin (Orbit), Book 4 in The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga.

23 — NC author book release day for Night at the Museum: A Bubba the Monster Hunter Novella by John G. Hartness (Falstaff Books).

NEW: 24 (Thursday) 6 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Tom Angleberger and John Claude Bemis for an “author double-header”. From John: “I’m teaming up with Tom Angleberger for a fun-filled evening sharing about our new books, performing feats of strength and daring-do, discussing everything from Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars to Da Vinci-robots and the mysteries behind our writing processes. You and your young book nerds won’t want to miss this singular evening! Tom is the best-selling author of the Origami Yoda series as well as the brand new illustrated novel Rocket and Groot: Stranded on Planet Strip Mall, the first in his Marvel trilogy based on Guardians of the Galaxy.” What John doesn’t mention is his own book, the just-published Steampunk Pinnochio retelling Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince.

25 (Friday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts (at Meredith College) Erik Larson – ‘Dead Wake’ (off-site ticketed event). (Narrative non-fiction.)

NEW: 26 (Saturday) 11 am — McIntyre’s Books hosts Erik Larson – Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. (Narrative non-fiction.)

NEW: 26 (Saturday) 2 pm — McIntyre’s Books hosts Lindsay Starck – Noah’s Wife. “In the tradition of Daniel Wallace’s Big Fish and Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child, Noah’s Wife is a gorgeously written, brilliantly introspective, fable-like novel reimagining Noah’s Ark for our modern times.”

26 (Saturday) 9 pm — Arcana hosts Captain Pyewacket’s Unauthorized Excursion II, a “time traveler’s dance party” with Emmett Davenport and Lady Attercop. “Appropriate dress admired but not required – show us your own personal spin on the 1800’s-1940’s or just come and enjoy the show!”

26 — Local author book release day for Calling Tower by Raleigh author Josh Leone (XYCOM Publishing), “A promising start to a serious-minded space-opera epic.” -Kirkus Reviews

28 — NC author book release day for Friend of the Devil by Tonia Brown, another “Badass” story in her Badass Zombie Road Trip universe.

29 — NC author book release day for The Second Death: Los Nefilim: Part Three by T. Frohock (Harper Voyager Impulse).

30 — NC author books release day for Rogue: A Storm and Fury Adventure by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin (DreamSpinner, March 30), a Steampunk novella set in the world of Iron and Blood.

NEW-NEW: 30 (Wednesday) 10:30 am and 11:30 am — Duke University’s Nashers Museum of Art hosts two staging of Spinokio: A Hip Hop Opera. “No tickets needed. Second performance at 11:30 AM. 5P1N0K10 (Spinokio) is a Hip Hopera (Hip Hop Opera) about a robot-boy who wants to become human. In the distant future, when robots are used for war, engineer Jeghetto built 5P1N0K10 – an android who fights for humanity through b-boying and hip hop. This Afro-Futuristic take on Carlo Collodi’s Classic ‘Pinocchio’ includes hand-crafted puppets by Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, projections and a live score written by Pierce Freelon. NOTE TO PARENTS: 5P1N0K10 contains mild fantasy violence (think Star Wars/Pokémon). This event is a repeat performance of the same Hip Hopera that was at the Nasher on December 30, 2015.”

NEW-NEW: 31 (Thursday) 8 pm — Arcana (331 W Main St 002, Durham) hosts Arcana Arts Presents Border Party: A Springtime Cabaret. “The pollen storm is here! The trees are oozing! The silver threads are falling from the sky! We’re crossing one of the great borders of the year. Come sip a Sage Empress cocktail and listen to an evening of poetry, music, and storytelling by Esar Aadil, Monica Byrne, Jessica Flemming, Catherine Kastleman…and at least one VERY special guest.” Byrne will read her story “Blue Nowruz,” commissioned by Neil Gaiman and performed at TED in Vancouver last year.

APRIL 2016

NEW: 2 (Saturday) 1 to 4 pm — Book launch party for Calling Tower by Josh Leone, at Buffalo Brothers Pizza and Wings at 3111 Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.

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

5 — Local author book release day for Nightstruck by Jenna Black (Tor Teen).

5 — NC author book release day for Sekret Machines Book 1: Chasing Shadows by Charlotte author A.J. Hartley, co-authored with musician Tom DeLonge.

NEW-NEW: 7-23 — Durham’s Manbites Dog Theatre presents the regional premiere of Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, a “disturbing sci-fi thriller about technology and human desire. In the near future, the internet has become The Nether, a completely immersive virtual reality. But in its secret recesses, where nothing is true and everything is permitted, beauty and horror walk hand in hand.” Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and directed by Jules Odendahl-James, the play features Michael Brocki, Michael Foley, Marleigh Purgar McDonald, Lazarus Simmons, and Caitlin Wells. In the IndyWeek calendar preview, Byron Woods says the questions the play asks “might have you looking at that Oculus Rift in a different light.”

NEW-NEW: 8 (Friday) 8 pm — The Carrboro ArtsCenter’s Strange New Worlds Film Series presents Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

8-10 (Friday to Sunday) — Festival of Legends returns, with a new location (Optimist Farm in Apex) and this year’s theme of “rebirth”. Jousting, mead, performances, and more. “The Festival of Legends is a celebration of the mythic arts and the magic of life itself. It is a playground for the imagination – for children as well as adults – and an escape from the mundane world. It is a journey to the romantic by-gone eras that never were, and an exploration of the fantastical realms that have always been. The natives are magicians and musicians, acrobats and comedians, artists and crafters, proud knights and fairytale creatures. Step into the Festival of Legends, and step into a place of wonder.”

NEW: 8-24 — The NC Science Festival at locations across North Carolina. Triangle events include biographer Quincy Whitney, applied toy mathematician Tadashi Todieka, NC BioNetwork’s Sci-Fi Movie Myth Buster on April 15, Sci-Fi Book Talk: Ernest Cline discusses Armada on April 19, and the Triangle SciTech Expo on April 23 in Raleigh.

NEW-NEW: 9 (Saturday) 10 am to 5 pm — Ultimate Comics (6120 Farrington Rd, Chapel Hill, 10 am to 12 pm, and 1301 Buck Jones Rd, Raleigh, 2 pm to 5 pm) hosts an X-Men ‘92 Signing. “Come meet Chad Bowers and Chris Sims at this in-store signing event for X-Men ‘92 #1! They’ll be at the Ultimate Comics Durham location signing your books from 10am to noon. Then, at 2pm, the Raleigh store will be hosting a writing workshop where you can ask YOUR questions! After the panel, signing will continue until 5pm.”

NEW-NEW: 9 (Saturday) 11 am to 4 pm — Chapel Hill Comics hosts a signing with local creators Max Dowdle, Gabriel Dunston, and Chris Wharton: “Chapel Hill Comics will be hosting three awesome local creators on April 9th! Max Dowdle (Shattered with Curve of Horn), Gabriel Dunston (Purgatory Pub), and Chris Wharton (Giant!) will be signing in the shop from 11am-4pm!”

NEW: 9 (Saturday) 3 pm — Book release celebration for John Claude Bemis after the March publication of his latest novel Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince from Disney Hyperion, at the Eno River Farmer’s Market in Downtown Hillsborough (144 E Margaret Ln). If you’ve been at his previous launch events, expect music and other shenanigans, this time with an Alchmical Steampunk Pinnochio twist.

NEW-NEW: 10 (Sunday) 10 am to 4 pm — Raleigh Comic Book Show at the Hilton Garden Inn Crabtree (3912 Arrow Dr, Raleigh). Free admission.

NEW: 10 (Sunday) 2 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Jeff Zentner discusses his debut YA novel The Serpent King. (YA fiction.)

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

NEW: 12 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts (at St. David’s School’s Performing Arts Center, 3400 White Oak Rd, Raleigh) Fred Chappell - ‘A Shadow All of Light’.  “It would take quite a while to list all the awards Fred Chappell has received, among them NC Poet Laureate from 1997 - 2002 and two-time World Fantasy Award winner.  We’re delighted to welcome back this poet and novelist on Tuesday, April 12, at 7 pm with his latest novel, A Shadow All of Light.  He has a deft touch for comedy and for capers, and his witty, elegant prose shows a poet’s deep love for words.  Shadow is a picaresque tale of Falco, an apprentice in the shadow trade in the lushly imagined Italianate city of Tardocco. Here, shadows are stolen, bought, and sold, and a person can surrender their shadow and don a different one for a special purpose.  Under his master’s tutelage, Falco grows from country bumpkin to a roguish shadow.”

NEW: 15 (Friday) 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm — The Durham Performing Arts Center hosts Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science. ““Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science,” the follow-up to the smash “Edible Inevitable” tour, will hit the road in 2016. Fans can expect all-new everything including songs, multimedia presentations, talk-show antics, and bigger and better potentially dangerous food demonstrations.”

16 (Saturday) — Oak City Comic Show at the Raleigh Convention Center with Howard Chakin (Star Wars and dozens more), Tommy Lee Edwards, Rico Renzi (Spider-Gwen, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl), and more.

NEW-NEW: 16 (Saturday) 11 am to 7 pm — Second annual Zine Machine Printed Matter Festival at the Durham Armory. “Durham’s only zines, comics and printed matter festival. Free and open to the public! 70+ tablers!“

17 (Sunday) — The Durham Armory hosts the GeekCraft Expo, which “will offer a convention-like space for crafters to display and sell a dazzling variety of pop-culture wares, with an emphasis on supporting local artisans and economies.”

NEW: 19 (Tuesday) 7 pm — As part of NC Science Festival, Flyleaf Books hosts Ready Player One author Ernest Cline for the paperback tour of his novel Armada. “Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don t get chosen to save the universe. And then he sees the flying saucer.”

NEW: 19 (Tuesday) 7 pm — Durham’s The Regulator Bookshop hosts Fred Chappell, “A Shadow All of Light” as legendary Greensboro poet and author Chappell returns to the Triangle with a fantasy novel from Tor Books.

19-21 (Tuesday to Thursday) — East Coast Game Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center, with a community day ($15, Tuesday), keynote speaker Warren Spector, multiple programming tracks, an expo hall, and more.

20 — Local author book release day for Change of Life by Samantha Bryant (Curiosity Quills, April 20), the sequel to Going Through the Change.

NEW-NEW: 20 (Wednesday) 8 pm — Welcome to Night Vale presents a live show “Ghost Stories” at Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall.

NEW: 21 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Award-winning novelist Robert Morgan reads from his new novel, Chasing the North Star. (Historical fiction.)

NEW-NEW: 23 (Saturday) 11 am to 5 pm — Durham County’s Main Library (300 N Roxboro St) hosts its first Teen Lit Festival with authors Nathan Kotecki, J.J. Johnson, Jen McConnel, and John Claude Bemis (among others). “Participate in author talks and workshops. There will be food and swag!”

NEW: 23 (Saturday) 2 pm — Fearrington Village’s McIntyre’s Books hosts World Fantasy Award winner Fred Chappell for his new fantasy novel A Shadow All of Light.

NEW-NEW: 24 (Sunday) 8 pm — The Baxter (108 N Graham St, Chapel Hill) hosts a Game of Thrones watching party for the premiere of Season 6: “Game of Thrones Seson 6 comes back and we will be here showing it on the big screen. Come out for a night of celebration to one of the most popular shows. Drink specials, free pizza, prizes and more! Stay tuned for more info.”

NEW: 27 (Wednesday) 6 pm — Flyleaf Books presents (at Cat’s Cradle) Felicia Day for her memoir You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). “The instant New York Times bestseller from queen of the geeks Felicia Day, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a “relentlessly funny and surprisingly inspirational” (Forbes.com) memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to internet stardom, and embracing her weirdness to find her place in the world. Showcasing Felicia’s engaging and often hilarious voice, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should celebrate what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now—  even for a digital misfit.”

NEW-NEW: 30 (Saturday) — Independent Bookstore Day 2016 at (among others) Quail Ridge Books, The Regulator Bookshop, and more.

NEW: 30 (Saturday) 8 pm — The Durham Performing Arts Center hosts Carolina Ballet Presents Macbeth, with a Sunday 2 pm performance as well.

MAY 2016

3 — Local author book release day for Outriders by Jay Posey (Angry Robot Books, May 3)  the start of a new Military SF series.

3 — NC author book release day for The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), the sequel to her debut novel, The Wrath and the Dawn.

NEW-NEW: 7 (Saturday) 4 pm — The Barnes and Noble Streets at South Point hosts Durham author Jay Posey for Outriders. “In celebration of Jay’s newest novel OUTRIDERS, he’ll be hanging out at the Southpoint Mall Barnes and Noble in Durham, signing books and pretending to be famous! The book will be released on Tuesday, May 3rd, but the signing is on Saturday, May 7th, and copies will be available for purchase at the event (unless they sell out, which would be awesome. At least for Jay.) Come out and say hi and let him write his pretend-famous name on your not-pretend books!”

NEW-NEW: 7 (Saturday) — Free Comic Book Day at (among others) Ultimate Comics, Atomic Empire, and Chapel Hill Comics.

NEW-NEW: 7 (Saturday) 10 am to 5 pm — Rutherfordton, NC’s “Mayfest” hosts a Fantasy/SF literature panel with John G. Hartness, J. Matthew Sanders, Brian Rathbone, Beth Revis, Jake Bible, Gail Z. Martin, and Darin Kennedy, at Great Expectations Books and Cafe.

NEW-NEW: 15 (Sunday) 1 pm — The North Carolina Museum of Art hosts its Spring Steampunk Picnic: “It’s time for an afternoon of well-mannered frivolity. Dress in your Steampunk best, bring a picnic, perhaps a game, and lounge out in the beautiful art museum park. Lady Farrow would like to invite you to participate in a Steampunk Spring Fashion Show! If you would like to enter this little show just send me an email at [email protected] The show will happen at 3 pm, anyone and all are encouraged to be a part of it!!!“

16 — Local author book release day for Divine Descendant by Jenna Black (Pocket Star) marking her return to her Nikki Glass / Immortal Huntress series.

24 — NC author book release day for The Hunt (The Cage, Book 2) by Megan Shepherd (Balzer+Bray, May 24).

27-29 (Friday to Sunday) — Animazement 2016 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

JUNE 2016

3-5 (Friday to Sunday) — ConCarolinas 2016 with author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, artist Ursula Vernon, and special author guest Christie Golden.

7 — Local author book release day for Death’s Bright Day by David Drake (Baen), the latest in his RCN series.

14 — NC 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.”

14 — NC author book release for The Shadowed Path: A Jonmarc Vanhanian Collection by Gail Z. Martin.

JULY 2016

5 — Local author book release day for The Dragon Hammer by Tony Daniel (Baen), beginning a new young adult fantasy series, in which “the sixteen-year-old third son of a duke in an alternate Viking-like medieval America must face invasion by confederates of a colonial Roman empire based on vampiric blood slavery.”

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

NEW: 18 (Monday) — Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre hosts Flight of the Conchords.

19 — NC author book release day for A World Without You by Beth Revis (Razorbill).

AUGUST 2016

2 — Local author book release day for the 20th Anniversary Edition of Redliners by David Drake (Baen, August 2) with an all-new introduction by the author.

5-7 (Friday to Sunday) — The Carolina Theatre of Durham’s Retro Film Series presents a special screening series of the original Star Wars Trilogy.

16 — NC author book release day for Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty (Disney Hyperion), sequel to Beatty’s Biltmore-set debut Serafina and the Black Cloak.

NEW-NEW: 21 (Sunday) 10 am to 4 pm — Raleigh Comic Book Show at the Hilton Garden Inn Crabtree (3912 Arrow Dr, Raleigh). Free admission.

SEPTEMBER 2016

NEW: 9 (Friday) 8 pm — The Durham Performing Arts Center hosts “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “The Mandatory World Tour”.

OCTOBER 2016

11 — NC author book release day for The Perilous Journey of the Much Too Spontaneous Girl by Leigh Statham (Month9Books, October 11), a follow-on to The Perilous Journey of the Not So Innocuous Girl.

15 (Saturday) — The Charlotte Mariott City Center hosts Carolina Book Fest 2016 with a huge author lineup, followed by the annual “Monster Mash” dance party.

NEW: 20 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — The Durham Performing Arts Center hosts astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, presented in partnership with UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.

25 — NC author book release day for Into the Fire (Night Prince) by Jeanine Frost (Avon).

TBD — Local author book release day for Six Wakes by Mur Laffert (Orbit Books).

NOVEMBER 2016

11-13 (Friday to Sunday) — NC Comicon 2016 at the Durham Convention Center.

DECEMBER 2016

NEW-NEW: 4 (Sunday) 10 am to 4 pm — Raleigh Comic Book Show at the Hilton Garden Inn Crabtree (3912 Arrow Dr, Raleigh). Free admission.

JANUARY 2017

NEW: TBA (Friday to Sunday) — illogiCon with author guest of honor Daniel Jose Older.

MAY 2017

23-28 (Tuesday to Sunday) — The Durham Performing Arts Center presents Finding Neverland, which “tells the incredible story behind one of the world’s most beloved characters: Peter Pan.  Playwright J.M. Barrie struggles to find inspiration until he meets four young brothers and their beautiful widowed mother. Spellbound by the boys’ enchanting make-believe adventures, he sets out to write a play that will astound London theatergoers.”

JUNE 2017

1 — NC author book release day for The Sweetest Burn (A Broken Destiny Novel) by Jeanine Frost (HQN Books).

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