Bull Spec

August Newsletter: Karen Lord, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, and more at the August 3rd Summer Speculative Fiction Reading; Richard Kadrey; and (in early September) Susan Cooper

Posted on 2013-08-01 at 14:32 by montsamu

Vol 3. No 8. August 1, 2013:

August is here, which means after months of planning and preparation the Bull Spec Summer Speculative Fiction Reading is just TWO days away! Award-winning authors and editors, from near (Durham and Asheville) and far (Florida and Barbados) will be coming together for a fantastic event this Saturday, August 3, at Quail Ridge Books, starting at 7 pm. Don't miss it, or you'll miss: Karen Lord, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Nathan Ballingrud, Robert V.S. Redick, Will Hindmarch, and Mur Lafferty! -- and don't miss the "meet the authors" reception hosted by the Raleigh Review at their Writers' Loft after the readings and signings are done.

And speaking of Barbados author Karen Lord, we are definitely making the most of her time here. First up, today (Thursday, August 1) in the noon hour, she joins Frank Stasio on North Carolina Public Radio WUNC's The State of Things. If you miss it, look for the re-broadcast (both statewide and online) in the evening, or catch the podcast which is usually available by mid-afternoon.

Then, on Sunday August 4, Karen will be at the Orange County Main Library in Hillsborough for a 3 pm "meet the author" event. And her Monday is jam-packed: at 10 AM she'll be on the radio again for Carolina Book Beat on WCOM-FM. At 4 pm (refreshments start at 3:30 pm) she'll be hosted by the Chapel Hill Library for a "Meet the Author Tea" in their Friends of the Chapel Hill Library series. And finally, at 7 pm, she'll be reading and signing The Best of All Possible Worlds at Flyleaf Books.

Since the last newsletter, there are tons and tons of new events added: Richard Kadrey, Emily Croy Barker, Susan Cooper -- the award-winning author of The Dark is Rising -- and more. See you out and about!

-Sam

[handout-2013-08-01-A.pdf]

UPCOMING EVENTS, AUGUST 2013

NEW: 3 (Saturday) 11 am to 5 pm -- Ultimate Comics' 10th anniversary "Ulti-versary Month" kicks-off with a signing event by Chris Giarrusso, creator of G-Man, Mini-Marvels, "and those lovable Image homage covers. Come in from 11am-5pm to meet Chris, get a sketch, and grab some FREE Food & Drinks!" More info: http://ultimatecomics.com/2013/07/ultimate-comics-10th-anniversary/

3 (Saturday) 3 pm -- At the Durham County Library's Main Branch (downtown, Roxboro St), children's author, educator & musician, John Claude Bemis, the region's 2013 Piedmont Laureate, will present a program celebrating the art of writing, including his traveling road show of fantasy for young readers, The Nine Pound Hammer, a magically folkloric retelling of the Legend of John Henry.

FEATURED: 3 (Saturday) 7 to 9 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts the annual Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event. This year it is an absolutely fantastic lineup with Karen Lord, Nathan Ballingrud, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Robert V.S. Redick, and Will Hindmarch all coming up from the Shared Worlds Teen Writing Camp at Wofford College, being joined locally by Durham author Mur Lafferty. We had a blast hosting Ann and Jeff back in 2011 and it’s sure to be another great evening. And! From 9 pm to late, The Raleigh Review is hosting an after-reading "meet the authors" reception (also free and open to the public) at their Writers’ Loft. And! See below for more info on additional events with Karen Lord while she is in the Triangle area. More info: /2013/03/29/announcement-the-third-annual-bull-spec-summer-speculative-fiction-event/

4 (Sunday) 3 pm -- The Orange County Library hosts Karen Lord for a meet the author event at its main branch in downtown Hillsborough. More info: http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=6923&EventID=177489

5 (Monday) 4 pm -- The newly renovated Chapel Hill Library hosts Karen Lord for a "meet the author tea" event. Refreshments served at 3:30 pm ahead of the event. More info: http://chapelhillpubliclibrary.org/txp/?s=News&id=896

5 (Monday) 7 pm -- Chapel Hill's Flyleaf Books hosts Karen Lord for a reading and signing of her deep future anthropological sf novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds. More info: http://www.flyleafbooks.com/event/karen-lord-caribbean-speculative-fiction-bull-spec

NEW: 10 (Saturday) 2 to 5 pm -- Durham's Atomic Empire hosts a launch party for card game Havok & Hijinks: "I am thrilled to announce that Atomic Empire in Durham, North Carolina, has kindly agreed to host the Havok & Hijinks Kickstarter Launch Party and, more importantly, you’re invited! Come out on Saturday, August the 10th to meet the Havok & Hijinks development team and spend some time at one of the most amazing gaming stores on the entire east coast. It’s big, well-stocked, and they even have local craft beer for those that like to drink. Festivities will begin right around 2 PM with a build-up to our launch at 5 PM!"

NEW-NEW: 23 (Friday) 7:30 pm -- Quail Ridge Books hosts NCSU Professor Wilton Barnhardt Debuts 'Lookaway, Lookaway'.

23-35 (Friday to Sunday) -- Atomic Empire hosts an "epic weekend of role-playing" at its first "AtomiCon". More info: http://z6.invisionfree.com/Scifi_Genre_Forums/index.php?showtopic=9297

24 (Saturday) 2 pm to 3 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts Marisha Pessl reads and signs her new novel Night Film. “An inventive–if brooding, strange and creepy–adventure in literary terror. Think Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King meet Guillermo del Toro as channeled by Klaus Kinski.” (Kirkus) More info: http://www.flyleafbooks.com/event/marisha-pessl-reads-and-signs-her-new-novel-night-film

NEW: 24 (Saturday) -- Ultimate Comics hosts comics writer Jeff Parker: "Meet Jeff Parker, writer of Batman ’66, Hulk, Red She Hulk, Agents of Atlas, Fall of the Hulks, X-Men First Class, Thunderbolts, Dark Avengers and many more titles. Get him to sign your comics, and maybe talk him into doing a sketch (he’s a great artist as well)!" More info: http://ultimatecomics.com/2013/07/ultimate-comics-10th-anniversary/

NEW: 24 (Saturday) 9 pm til late -- Pittsboro's Davenport & Winkleperry hosts the last (for now!) Clockwork Ball: A Steampunk Party to close their old location, ahead of an October 1 planned re-opening in a new location. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/614650678550166/

NEW-NEW: 25 (Sunday) 2 pm -- Quail Ridge Books hosts NYT Bestseller Marisha Pessl - 'Night Film'.

27 (Tuesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts NCSU professor Wilton Barnhardt for his forthcoming historical fiction satire novel Lookaway, Lookaway (St. Martin’s and Macmillan Audio, August 20). And check your local listings, as Barnhardt has several additional readings in the local and regional area.

NEW-NEW: 27 (Tuesday) 7 pm -- North Carolina author Jason Mott launches his new novel The Returned at Flyleaf Books. "In this sparely written first novel, poet Mott posits intriguing questions about our uneasy relationship with death. Harold and Lucille Hargrave are stunned to find their eight-year-old son, Jacob decades after the boy's death by drowning standing on their front porch, along with Martin Bellamy, a government agent for the International Bureau of the Returned." (Booklist starred review) Update: As part of the event, Durham author Nathan Kotecki (The Suburban Strange) will interview Mott.

NEW: 29 (Thursday) 7 pm -- Flyleaf Books hosts Richard Kadrey for Kill City Blues, the latest in his Sandman Slim series of dark urban fantasy. More info: http://www.flyleafbooks.com/event/fantasy-writer-richard-kadrey-discusses-kill-city-blues-his-latest-sandman-slim-novel

NEW: 31 (Saturday) 6 pm to 9 pm -- Chapel Hill Comics hosts Signing with LISA HANAWALT & BRIAN RALPH! "Chapel Hill Comics is proud to announce that as part of our 10th/35th Anniversary Festivities, we will host Lisa Hanawalt and Brian Ralph on Saturday, August 31, from 6pm until 9pm! Lisa will sign her newest book, My Dirty Dumb Eyes (out now), and Brian will sign his newest book, Reggie-12 (Drawn & Quarterly is getting us copies early for the signing)!"

SEPTEMBER 2013

Posted in newsletter

The Hardest Part: Jay Posey on Three

Posted on 2013-07-31 at 19:56 by montsamu

Durham author Jay Posey has written stories for a living for a while now; Tom Clancy gets his name on the cover of the game box, though. Posey got his own cover treatment yesterday, however, as his debut novel, the post-apocalyptic-set Three, the first in his Legends of the Duskwalker series set to be published by Angry Robot Books. Here, Posey writes about the help and encouragement along the way to getting past attacks of self-doubt and all the way to “The End”.

By Jay Posey:

It probably comes as little surprise, but for me, being a first-time novelist, the hardest part of writing Three was believing in it enough to actually finish it.

By the time I started working on Three, I’d already written a number of screenplays, short stories, and video games, so I was no stranger to the hard work that it takes to finish a story. But by that time, I’d also seen a number of much-beloved projects vanish into the ether without any discernible effect on the world or my bank account. Looking around, there wasn’t really any reason to believe this work was going to be any different.

There were many times over the course of writing where I lost my way, when I told myself that even if I finished this novel no one would care, it would never amount to anything, that I was a terrible hack, and plenty of other self-defeating things. Sacrifices had to be made to carve out that writing time, and most of the time it didn’t seem worth it.

But there were two saving graces over that long process. First off, I’m extremely blessed with a great family and supportive friends who were willing to cheer me on even when I didn’t see much point in sticking with it. There was encouragement without condemnation, and plenty of patience with the Mr. Grumpypants Precious Snowflake Misunderstood Artiste that showed up around the house from time to time. (Maybe most of the time.) There was grace for the many missed self-imposed deadlines. And I had a good friend who was willing to read each chapter of the manuscript as I completed it, and who was also kind enough to continually demand the next chapter until I actually delivered it.

It may also have helped that I specifically chose Three for the sole purpose of proving to myself that I actually could finish something. I’d spent several years working on my Epic Fantasy Trilogy off and on, convinced that it would surely be my ultimate masterpiece. But I’d never been able to get it to a point where I felt like I was achieving my vision for it. After some honest soul-searching, I realized that I just wasn’t a good enough writer yet to tell the story I wanted to tell in that world. So, I decided to set that story aside and pick one of my other many ideas to work on, one that I “didn’t care as much about”. I told myself the only goal for the novel was to finish it.

Of course, as I worked on Three, I came to care about it very much, which sort of started me down the same road I’d been on with the Epic Fantasy Trilogy … I started to convince myself that even if I did finish it, it’d never be what I wanted it to be. But I stuck with it, thanks to a lot of helping hands who wouldn’t let me quit.

It’s strange to be a writer who sometimes dreads writing. It’s sobering to recognize that sometimes you’re your own worst enemy.

And it’s invaluable to surround yourself with people who believe in your dream so much that they’ll keep the faith even when you can’t.

Jay Posey is a narrative designer, author, and screenwriter. Currently employed as Senior Narrative Designer at Red Storm Entertainment, he’s spent about 8 years writing and designing for Tom Clancy’s award-winning Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six franchises. He started in the video game industry in 1998, and has been writing professionally for over a decade.

Posted in The Hardest Part | Tagged jay posey

The Exploding Spaceship Release Day Edition: Review of Three by Jay Posey and Review of Queen of Wands by John Ringo

Posted on 2013-07-30 at 06:03 by angelablackwell

Review of Three (Angry Robot Books, July 30, 2013)

Three: Legends of the Duskwalker Book 1 is a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy about bounty hunter Three and his adventures trying to keep himself and sometimes others safe in a very dangerous world. After sunset every day the Weir, monstrous beings which used to be human but were taken over by cybernetics, attack humans anyplace they can reach them. They can track anything which accesses the net, which means most people since implants for communication are the norm. The only way to stay safe from them and not have to hide is to completely avoid the net and use hard currency instead of cards.

The world is sort of an urban desert with small clusters of humanity in protected areas. Larger cities survived but they have gates and security to keep out the Weir. Three is a bounty hunter who finds those wanted by different enclaves of humans and returns them to the place offering the reward. This means he travels constantly and has a few scattered friends but not really anywhere to call home.

While waiting for an agent to gather enough hard currency to pay the bounty he was collecting, Three meets a woman, Cass, and her son Wren, who are being chased by some genetically modified goons. The bounty hunter helps the two of them get away from a couple of goons, and when he leaves town he takes them with him.

This leads to numerous dangerous treks across the land in order to stay safe and eventually deliver the boy to his father because his mother is dying due to the damage done to her system by drugs. Three had always been a loner and would never have helped anybody, but for some reason this little boy tugged at his heart. As they travel, Three and Wren start to bond as Three keeps them safe and shows them places to go. When Three realizes that people are trying to take Wren because he is a special child, he starts teaching him to use a little knife in self-defense. Cass is concerned but realizes it is better if Wren is not wholly dependent on the adults for his survival.

Cass is an interesting mother character, who will do anything for her child, even if she doesn’t survive it. Sometimes she makes decisions which have bad consequences because she uses things which can be tracked in order to feel safer for the moment or to determine where they are instead of trusting Three. As time passes, she realizes that Three cares for Wren, so she trusts him more and feels she won’t leave Wren alone if she dies. Wren comes to treat Three like a father or a much older brother, and Three treats Wren the same way in return.

Three can’t quite figure out how he ended up traveling with the two in tow: something just told him not to leave them behind even though he had always done so for everyone he had met in the past. By the end of their journey in this book, he has had thoughts of maybe having a family and has found somewhere he might actually consider living. These are radical thoughts for him and show how much he has changed during the journey. It will be interesting to see what he does in further volumes, since this is Book 1 of the Legends of the Duskwalker.

Review of Queen of Wands by John Ringo (Baen hardback August 2012, paperback August 2013)

Queen of Wands is the sequel to Princess of Wands. This Ringo urban fantasy book has a strong heroine who fights monsters as a Christian holy warrior using a special sword or a gun (but only really heavy guns or a holy sword work on the monsters in this volume). Barbara Everett is a mom and wife who works for the Foundation for Love and Universal Faith, which subcontracts to the FBI when the weirdness of the cases warrants it. All of the foundation members are holy warriors of some type, but they run the gamut from Christian, Hindu, Wiccan, and pagan to Asatru, who worship the Norse gods.

The fight against an age old type of monster sends an Asatru worshipper to fight on the astral plane, but some other foundation members manage to get her to a neutral area and go to see if they can get her out. The area of the astral plane where she is located is a depiction of Dragon Con, complete with costume contests, con suite, panels and strange guests who may not be who they appear to be. Poor Janea does not even know what happened to her to make her end up at a convention, much less realize how to get out. She gets some pointers from some nice folks who will be very familiar if you have attended Dragon Con or other cons in the southeast.

Barbara and her fellow warriors are well-developed characters who inhabit a slightly strange version of our world with a government which is even crazier than our present-day one. The plot moves along quickly, and there are the usual dead redshirts and cool weapons in Ringo’s fight scenes, although it is a pleasant change for the weapons to be melee weapons instead of guns. The body count potential is very high, but the actual death toll does not reach the epic levels of some of Ringo’s books. The setting in Chattanooga (Ringo’s hometown) is very realistic and well described, plus the astral plane version of Atlanta and Dragon Con is detailed and quite realistic even if not on our plane.

If you like a good urban fantasy with real geography, then this is a good read for you. Buy it before or at Dragon Con and you might even be able to get it autographed because as usual, Ringo will be at Dragon Con.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship

Friday Quick Updates: Shared Worlds authors in Asheville this weekend; Jay Posey (Tuesday); and next weekend's Bull Spec Summer Speculative Fiction Reading!

Posted on 2013-07-26 at 21:14 by montsamu

Friday, July 26, 2013: For those following along from nearer Asheville and points in the western half of North Carolina (and further) there’s a spectacular event this weekend (Sunday, July 28) at Asheville’s Malaprop’s Bookstore, featuring six sf/f authors: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Shared Worlds Reading & Signing. Beginning at 3 pm, the event features Karen Lord, Robert V.S. Redick, Will Hindmarch, Nathan Ballingrud, and Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.

If those names seem familiar, which they should!, it’s nearly the same authorial lineup as next weekend’s Bull Spec Summer Speculative Fiction Reading, which adds Durham author Mur Lafferty (The Shambling Guide to New York City) and is at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books on Saturday, August 3, from 7 to 9 pm, followed by a reception at the Raleigh Review Writers’ Loft. I’ve been working pretty darned hard at getting the word out for this event, but can use all the help you can give me, whether it’s handing out event flyers (see below) or inviting your friends to the Facebook event or sharing the link, whatever you can come up with. Help wanted!

Between the two Shared Worlds events which neatly bookend both the region and the week, there are some other upcoming events as well (see below, please!) including Tuesday’s book launch signing at the B&N of Southpoint for Jay Posey’s post-apocalyptic debut novel Three and this Sunday’s “Can’t Stop the Serenity” charity screening of the Firefly movie, which is (once again) sold out in advance.

In addition to the long list of new events added to the long-term calendar last week (Susan Cooper! Emily Croy Barker! James Dashner!) There’s another pair of new late August events, as Fantasy writer Richard Kadrey discusses Kill City Blues, his latest Sandman Slim novel at Flyleaf Books on Thursday, August 29, and Chapel Hill Comics hosts a double-signing on Saturday, August 31 with Lisa Hanawalt and Brian Ralph.

-Sam

[handout-2013-08-01-A.pdf]

UPCOMING EVENTS, JULY 2013

27 (Saturday) 8 pm — Urban Garden Performing Arts presents Richard Butner’s “Vogue Men’s Fashions” at 213 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh. More info at the Facebook event. “Vogue Men’s Fashions is not a play. It’s about a man who has come to 213 Fayetteville Street with a problem, a camera, and a lot of memories. Join him on his journey through a psychic landscape populated by Ewoks, turtles, and executioners. This show contains adult language and is recommended for mature audiences.”

28 (Sunday) — The annual NC Browncoats “Can’t Stop the Serenity” charity screening of Serenity at the Raleighwood Cinema Grill. Note that this is a ticketed event and tends to sell out completely in advance. More info: http://www.ncbrowncoats.com/2013/01/blog-post.html

30 (Tuesday) 7 to 9 pm — The Barnes & Noble of the Streets at Southpoint hosts Durham author Jay Posey for a “meet and greet” signing for his debut post-apocalyptic novel, Three. More info: http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/4468621

AUGUST 2013

3 (Saturday) 3 pm — At the Durham County Library’s Main Branch (downtown, Roxboro St), children’s author, educator & musician, John Claude Bemis, the region’s 2013 Piedmont Laureate, will present a program celebrating the art of writing, including his traveling road show of fantasy for young readers, The Nine Pound Hammer, a magically folkloric retelling of the Legend of John Henry.

3 (Saturday) 7 to 9 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts the annual Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event. This year it is an absolutely fantastic lineup with Karen Lord, Nathan Ballingrud, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Robert V.S. Redick, and Will Hindmarch all coming up from the Shared Worlds Teen Writing Camp at Wofford College, being joined locally by Durham author Mur Lafferty. We had a blast hosting Ann and Jeff back in 2011 and it’s sure to be another great evening. And! From 9 pm to late, The Raleigh Review is hosting an after-reading “meet the authors” reception (also free and open to the public) at their Writers’ Loft. And! See below for more info on additional events with Karen Lord while she is in the Triangle area. More info: /2013/03/29/announcement-the-third-annual-bull-spec-summer-speculative-fiction-event/

4 (Sunday) 3 pm — The Orange County Library hosts Karen Lord for a meet the author event at its main branch in downtown Hillsborough. More info: http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=6923&EventID=177489

5 (Monday) 4 pm — The newly renovated Chapel Hill Library hosts Karen Lord for a “meet the author tea” event. Refreshments served at 3:30 pm ahead of the event. More info: http://chapelhillpubliclibrary.org/txp/?s=News&id=896

5 (Monday) 7 pm — Chapel Hill’s Flyleaf Books hosts Karen Lord for a reading and signing of her deep future anthropological sf novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds. More info: http://www.flyleafbooks.com/event/karen-lord-caribbean-speculative-fiction-bull-spec

Posted in Uncategorized

The Exploding Spaceship Reviews Resurrection Inc by Kevin J, Anderson

Posted on 2013-07-26 at 18:28 by angelablackwell

Review of Resurrection Inc. by Kevin J. Anderson (trade paperback, Wordfire Press, released June 5, 2012)

The dead walk the streets with their identities blanked, animated by artificial hearts pumping blood substitute through their veins and arteries and their nervous systems stimulated to function by brain-implanted microprocessors. In this world, the company known as Resurrection Inc. gets all the not-badly-mangled corpses dropped off at its door by the local private police force, where they are subsequently reanimated as Servants.

The neo-Satanists are responsible for many of the most recent deaths because they sacrifice people and somehow remove their info from the net.

Danal is a newly-resurrected Servant belonging to the head of the neo-Satanist religion, but all may not be what it seems: Danal stands to get his memories back. What do the head of Resurrection, Inc. and the head of the neo-Satanists have to do with Danal’s past?

Seeing from Rodney Quick’s viewpoint lets the reader see inside the mysterious Resurrection, Inc. and see how Danal was created. Rodney’s work issues with his supervisor (who was a walking Net interface) will be familiar to anyone who has been a company or office worker. Rodney is a sympathetic character despite working for a company that reanimates the dead for use as slaves; he worked very hard to get the job he has, and he cares about doing the best job he can on every Servant. He gives a good idea of the mindset for the average Joe with regard to the Servants.

Danal starts off as a rather blank slate because of the blocks on his memories, but once these are removed he becomes an interesting character in a power struggle for control of the society.

The plot has many twists and turns and even a few backtracks, with surprises linked to Danal’s re-discovery of his identity and the circumstances surrounding his murder by neo-Satanists. The plot moves along quickly and will keep readers hooked until the very last page.

This is a must-read for people who like their urban tales with a bit of technology run amok.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship

Reminder: Jenna Black at Flyleaf Books and Lydia Netzer at Quail Ridge Books tomorrow, Thursday, July 25

Posted on 2013-07-24 at 19:53 by montsamu

As I mentioned in the last Friday Quick Update, tomorrow (Thursday, July 25) sees two readings of note in the Triangle area; pick one and head out! (Because picking both would be hard…)

First up, at 7 pm: Flyleaf Books hosts local author Jenna Black for her new novel Replica, first in a new series set in near-future NYC. More info: http://www.flyleafbooks.com/event/jenna-black-discusses-replica

Shine Shine Shine

Next, at 7:30 pm: Quail Ridge Books hosts author Lydia Netzer for the new paperback edition of Shine Shine Shine. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/lydia-netzer-shine-shine-shine

Related News:

Black has been doing a blog tour, and recently authored a guest post on her publisher’s Tor/Forge blog, “Identity Crisis”, concerning her new novel. Check it out: http://torforge.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/identity-crisis/

Posted in Uncategorized

The Exploding Spaceship Reviews High-Opp by Frank Herbert

Posted on 2013-07-24 at 05:47 by angelablackwell

Review of High-Opp by Frank Herbert (Wordfire Press, released April 5, 2012)

Wordfire Press has released a never-before-published story written by Frank Herbert, best-known for the Dune series of novels.

High-Opp is only 100 pages long, but that is all Frank Herbert needs to bring to frightening life a dystopian society with rigid class distinctions as well as total government control over food, housing, transportation and employment.

Daniel Movius, an upper mid-level office cog who has worked his way up, finds himself at the center of a turf war between different sections of the government, all of whom want to have total control over the society. At first he feels victimized, but then realizes what just one man can do if he has the right skills and a wide variety of connections.

The society Herbert depicts is a real horror story, but the characters are interesting and the plot, while convoluted, moves along briskly. Herbert’s superb descriptive ability makes the setting more real than writers of lesser skill could accomplish with twice the page count, and readers will come to care about the plight of Daniel Movius and his friends after only a few pages.

If you enjoyed the Dune novels or like a good dystopian story with an oppressed populace rising up in revolt, then High-Opp is a story for you.

Posted in The Exploding Spaceship | Tagged frank herbert

Friday Quick Updates: new and upcoming events including Jenna Black, Lydia Netzer, Jay Posey, and (in September) Susan Cooper

Posted on 2013-07-19 at 20:57 by montsamu

Friday July 19, 2013:

First off, as I’ve updated the July Newsletter with them, here are some newly-added events coming up in the next few months. And no, it’s not a typo that one of the events is for one Susan Cooper, author of the beloved children’s fantasy series The Dark is Rising.

NEW-NEW EVENTS:

July 25 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts author Lydia Netzer for the new paperback edition of Shine Shine Shine. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/lydia-netzer-shine-shine-shine
September 4 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts Susan Cooper, the Newbury Medal winning author of The Dark is Rising, for her new historical fiction novel for young readers, Ghost Hawk. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/newbery-medalist-susan-cooper-ghost-hawk
September 18 (Wednesday) 7 pm — The Regulator Bookshop hosts Greensboro native Emily Croy Barker for her new novel The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic.
November 6 (Wednesday) 7 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts bestselling YA dystopia author James Dashner (The Maze Runner series) for his new novel The Eye of Minds, the first book in his new series The Mortality Doctrines. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/james-dashner-eye-minds

Now, a pretty big part of my attention is focused on the Saturday, August 3 Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event with Karen Lord, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Nathan Ballingrud, Robert V.S. Redick, Will Hindmarch, and Mur Lafferty. (And for folks nearer Asheville, there's a Saturday, July 28 event at Malaprop's you will be interested in.) But! There's a lot going on between now and then as well, so without further adieu...

UPCOMING EVENTS

[handout-2013-07-19.pdf]

JULY 2013

18-27 — Urban Garden Performing Arts presents Richard Butner’s “Vogue Men’s Fashions” at 213 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh. More info at the Facebook event. “Vogue Men’s Fashions is not a play. It’s about a man who has come to 213 Fayetteville Street with a problem, a camera, and a lot of memories. Join him on his journey through a psychic landscape populated by Ewoks, turtles, and executioners. This show contains adult language and is recommended for mature audiences.”

25 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts local author Jenna Black for her new novel Replica, first in a series set in near-future NYC.

25 (Thursday) 7:30 pm — Quail Ridge Books hosts author Lydia Netzer for the new paperback edition of Shine Shine Shine. More info: http://www.quailridgebooks.com/event/lydia-netzer-shine-shine-shine

AUGUST 2013

4 (Sunday) — The Orange County Library hosts Karen Lord for an afternoon “meet the author” event at its main branch in downtown Hillsborough.

5 (Monday) 4 pm — The newly renovated Chapel Hill Library hosts Karen Lord for a “meet the author” event. Refreshments served at 3:30 pm ahead of the event.

5 (Monday) 7 pm — Chapel Hill’s Flyleaf Books hosts Karen Lord for a reading and signing of her deep future anthropological sf novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds.

Posted in Uncategorized

The Hardest Part: Danny Birt on Ending

Posted on 2013-07-18 at 17:54 by montsamu

When I asked NC author Danny Birt about the hardest part of writing Ending, the recently-published fourth book in his Laurian Pentology, I thought I might get an essay about the tumultuous landscape of publishing that led to both a delay between the book and its predecessor and to a new publisher, Dark Quest Books. Instead, Danny writes here about stepping beyond “write what you know” (which for Danny certainly includes a playful sense of humor, revealed in his “Rum and Runestones” short stories, his YA novel Between a Roc and a Hard Place, and certainly in his filking) and the journey not just as an author but as a person such a stretch can become.

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“184”] Ending (The Laurian Pentology, Book 4) by Danny Birt (Dark Quest Books, May 24) — “Alaris has enacted his continent-spanning plans, and he races against time to get to the ancient tower of mages, Pinnacle, to enact yet more. But Pinnacle is not his ultimate goal: even mage-kind is but a tool to Alaris. How much, then, do mere individuals matter to him?“[/caption]

By Danny Birt:

Attempting to write against one’s nature may be one of the hardest parts about writing (at least for me).

Most people have heard the usual bits of authorial wisdom such as “Write what you know” and “Part of an author goes into every story.” Well, what happens when you have to write outside your usual self? To some extent we do it all the time, of course — writing characters of an opposite gender, crafting dialogue which would never come out of our mouths in normal conversation — but what about when you dig deeper, to the foundational bits of yourself? How do you write around those?

Take, for example, humor. Anyone who is familiar with my filk albums in addition to my fantasy and science fiction literature recognizes that humor is arguably an intrinsic part of me. Life without humor wouldn’t be worth living, speaking personally. Recently I had a conversation with my girlfriend during which I was challenged to name any story of mine which was devoid of reason to laugh. I thought I had found one — a zombie/horror short story which has not yet been published — only to be shot down: “Dude, what about what happened to the goat in the moat?” … “Oh, yeah.” It just comes out, I suppose.

Other examples of foundational bits are reason and honor. I (like most people) consider myself to be a fairly reasonable and logical person, and honor is a way of life so basic one rarely even has to think about it. Yet, if every character in a story agrees upon what is reasonable and honorable, and they all act reasonably and honorably, there’s really not much conflict left to the story, and if there’s not much conflict then there’s no resolution necessary, and… uh… where’d the story go?

One of the ways around getting yourself stuck in that rut is by making sure that different characters place different emphasis on the same values. For example, in the penultimate book of the Laurian Pentology, “Ending,” one character tries to kill her erstwhile mentor, obviously betraying his trust in her — yet, from her perspective, he brought this vengeance upon himself by harming one of her family members. That the harm happened during a legal, arbitrated duel doesn’t matter to her: family comes first.

These are all good explanations of why some of the best and most prolific authors you’ll ever meet seem to always have their mind wandering “somewhere else” during a conversation: if an author is firmly rooted in their own head to the point they can’t see another person’s point of view, all their stories will soon start to have the same tone, same plot, same characterization. Being able to go outside oneself in a variety of differing directions is essential to good long-term fiction writing… and, if one may be so bold as to point out, be ye author or reader, going outside oneself and looking back can be life-changing.

[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“379”] Danny Birt in Concert at NASFiC 2010 in Raleigh, NC — Photo Credit Paul Cory[/caption]

Award-winning author Danny Birt was born about three decades ago in Washington State to Irish and Californian parents, and has since lived in Idaho, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, and North Carolina. He attended high school at New Mexico Military Institute, studied music therapy and psychology at Loyola University New Orleans, and most recently graduated from Shenandoah University with his Master’s Degree in Music Therapy.

Danny has been a contributing author to several sci-fi, fantasy, and professional magazines, anthologies, and journals. Formerly, he was an editor for Flashing Swords Magazine and small-press publisher Ancient Tomes Press. His first children’s/YA novel “Between a Roc and a Hard Place” won recognition with The National Parenting Center’s 2010 Seal of Approval, Creative Child Magazine’s 2010 Seal of Excellence, and was named one of Dr. Toy’s Best Picks of 2010.

In addition to literary publication, Danny composes classical and filk music, such as his nonstop hour-long piano solo “Piano Petrissage,” and the ever-peculiar album “Warped Children’s Songs.” Danny’s humorous music has been featured on radio and internet programs such as The Dr. Demento Show and The Funny Music Project.

Danny has now settled in eastern North Carolina where he is a faculty member at a local college. In his spare time, Danny’s hobby is finding new hobbies.

You can follow @Danny_Birt on Twitter, and/or find him at these upcoming conventions:

Sunday, November 10th, 2013: Atomacon (Charleston South Carolina)
Sunday, January 19th, 2014: MarsCon (Williamsburg Virginia)
Sunday, July 13th, 2014: ConGregate (Winston-Salem North Carolina)

Posted in The Hardest Part | Tagged danny birt

Friday Quick Updates: Ehmm Theory, Urban Garden Performing Arts, Jenna Black, Jay Posey, and in just a few short weeks the Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event!

Posted on 2013-07-12 at 17:17 by montsamu

Friday July 12: Hopefully a bunch of you turned out for Alex Bledsoe at Flyleaf Books on Wednesday, and Stephen Kiernan at Quail Ridge Books yesterday! Before I get onto the upcoming events (Saturday’s Ehmm Theory signing at Ultimate Comics being the next), some quick local news bits:

Monica Byrne's "What Every Girl Should Know" to play the NYC Fringe Festival as reported by IndyWeek's Byron Woods: "After its award-winning premiere in 2012, WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW, Durham playwright Monica Byrne’s speculative drama based on the history of birth control in the United States, is getting an extended life this summer."
Card game "Havok and Hijinks" announced their Kickstarter Launch Party to be held at Durham's Atomic Empire on Saturday, August 10: "I am thrilled to announce that Atomic Empire in Durham, North Carolina, has kindly agreed to host the Havok & Hijinks Kickstarter Launch Party and, more importantly, you’re invited! Come out on Saturday, August the 10th to meet the Havok & Hijinks development team and spend some time at one of the most amazing gaming stores on the entire east coast. It’s big, well-stocked, and they even have local craft beer for those that like to drink. Festivities will begin right around 2 PM with a build-up to our launch at 5 PM!"
It's a play! It's not a play! July 18-27, Urban Gardener Performing Arts presents Richard Butner's "Vogue Men's Fashions" at 213 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh. More info at the Facebook event. "Vogue Men's Fashions is not a play. It's about a man who has come to 213 Fayetteville Street with a problem, a camera, and a lot of memories. Join him on his journey through a psychic landscape populated by Ewoks, turtles, and executioners. This show contains adult language and is recommended for mature audiences."

Two local author book events coming up right around the corner, with Jenna Black (Replica) and Jay Posey (Three) closing out July, ahead of -- just three weeks away! -- the Bull Spec summer speculative fiction event on Saturday, August 3 at Quail Ridge Books, with Karen Lord, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Robert V.S. Redick, Nathan Ballingrud, Will Hindmarch, and Mur Lafferty. Time for the full-on panic mode that is putting the last things together for what should be an excellent evening of books and friends.

-Sam

UPCOMING EVENTS LISTINGS:

[handout-2013-07-12.pdf]

JULY 2013

13 (Saturday) — Ultimate Comics hosts a signing for new Action Lab comic Ehmm Theory with Brockton McKinney, Larkin Ford, and Jason Strutz. (All day?)

25 (Thursday) 7 pm — Flyleaf Books hosts local author Jenna Black for her new novel Replica, first in a series set in near-future NYC.

AUGUST 2013

4 (Sunday) — The Orange County Library hosts Karen Lord for an afternoon event at its main branch in downtown Hillsborough.

5 (Monday) 4 pm — The newly renovated Chapel Hill Library hosts Karen Lord for a “meet the author” event. Refreshments served at 3:30 pm ahead of the event.

5 (Monday) 7 pm — Chapel Hill’s Flyleaf Books hosts Karen Lord for a reading and signing of her deep future anthropological sf novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds.

Posted in Uncategorized

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