I got back from Gen Con last night after three and a half weeks on the road, and I’m suffering from a self-inflicted case of happily exhausted. I launched this summer voyage with a quick trip out to the first couple days of Comic-Con, then spiraled into two and a half weeks of a working vacation in the Northwoods, followed by a power dive through Gen Con. I’m still digging through a backlog of mail, bills, e-mails, etc., but I hope to be back on track soon. Regular posts should start again from there.
Mutant Chronicles at Comic-Con
ICv2.com recently posted an article about the preview showing of the Mutant Chronicles film at Comic-Con. I left the show early and missed it, but I consoled myself with the fact I’ve already seen the film twice. The article also mentions my upcoming novelization and calls me a “bestselling fantasy author.” Who knew?
Sullivan’s Olympics
My fellow Alliterate and good friend Steve Sullivan has a wacky idea he calls The Tournament of Death. He’s challenging himself to write a fantasy novella inspired by this year’s Olympic games while the games are going on–and then post each chapter as he goes.
Be sure to check up on him as he goes!
Diana Jones Award Ceremony
The time and place of this year’s Diana Jones Award ceremony have been set. If you are an adventure gaming industry professional who will be attending Gen Con, you are cordially invited. If you do not have the details yet, drop me an e-mail, and I’ll send you a note with everything you need to know to attend. Thanks!
(Sorry, folks, but it’s not open to the general public.)
Prints of Floods
I know I’m late coming to this, but my pal Aaron Acevedo and his wife Jeannine came home a while back to a flooded house. To help pay for the repairs, he’s having a flood sale on his excellent art prints. Be sure to check them out!
Back from Comic-Con
I had a wonderful if too-brief time at Comic-Con. I flew out of Milwaukee early on the morning of July 23 and arrived too early to check into my room at the Horton Grand or to get my badge for the show. I wandered around a bit, caught some lunch, then got into the room.
I worked for a couple hours on my laptop and then headed over to the show. I ran into Aaron Allston and Jeff Carlisle on the way in and chatted for a bit, along with Andrew Bates for a whle. Then we went our separate ways as we surfed the wave into the insanity of the show.
N. Robin Crosby RIP
A couple of different people let me know that N. Robin Crosby, creator of Hârn, died on July 23. The note from his former publishing partner Tom Dagliesh appears below.
I never knew Robin, but I appreciated his work. Hârn was one of the first attempts at creating a non-traditional fantasy world for gaming, and it won many fans over the years.
Wizards Refocuses
In the last week or two, Wizards has made it clear that they wish to refocus their efforts on just Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. First, they cut a number of novels, including their entire Discoveries line. Then they announced that Gleemax will end in September. Now, they’ve put out a press release that states it clearly, at least as far as their novels are concerned.
I’m interested to see how this will affect the entire company. It’s not unusual to see a business contract like this in more challenging economic times. I suspect the new president of Wizards, originally from Hasbro, is putting on the brakes here. He may even be wondering why Wizards does anything other than publish Magic and D&D. Here’s hoping the wonderful creators at Wizards (seriously, I have an immense amount of respect for them and their work) can come up with excellent answers for them.
The Scribes Winners
At Comic-Con last weekend, the IAMTW announced the winners of its second annual Scribes Awards. See below for the list of nominees and winners in each category.
I served on the Young Adult jury this year, and I enjoyed every one of the books I read. Every volunteer job should be so pleasurable.
Congratulations to all the winners, especially to my friend and fellow Eberron scribe Paul Crilley for picking up the inaugural Best Game-Related Original award!
BNW Movie Images
Hey, look what showed up in my mailbox today? Two teaser images from the Brave New World proof-of-concept short that Reactor 88 Studios shot last summer. The first one is of Natalie Victoria playing Lisa, the girl from the opening few pages of the Brave New World Roleplaying Game.
The second is of Chuck Wagner playing Patriot, the leader of the Defiants. When I saw Chuck on location last year, it was like Patriot had stepped off the page to shake my hand. I can’t wait to see more of this.