A New Exalted Anthology Is Here

145501A while back, as part of the Kickstarter for a new edition of the tabletop roleplaying game, Exalted, the folks at the Onyx Path promised their backers a new fiction anthology based on the latest version of the game. That book launched last week, and it features stories by an amazing lineup of writers, including:

  • Tracy Barnett
  • Natania Barron
  • Dylan Birtolo
  • Richard Dansky
  • Thoraiya Dyer
  • Erin Hoffman
  • Haralambi Markov
  • Tim Pratt
  • Steven S. Long
  • Lucien Soulban
  • Wendy Wagner
  • Damien Angelica Walters
  • and me

It’s available through DriveThruFiction.com right now. The ebook is only $2.99, while the paperback will set you back $8.99. Or you can get both bundled together for just $9.99.

Special thanks to Jaym Gates (for editing the book), Matt McElroy (for herding us all into it), and Rich Thomas (for making it all happen).

My story, “The Circle Will Be Broken,” is a prelude to my upcoming Exalted novel, which was funded through that same Kickstarter. If you like your fantasy laced through with anime flavoring, go out and grab this right now.

Playing Secret Hitler on Twitch.tv Tonight

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This evening, I’m heading down to the Cards Against Humanity offices in Chicago to play their new game, Secret Hitler. They’re currently running a Kickstarter for the game, which has already brought in over $700,000, and to show people how the game works, they’ve been live-streaming sessions of the game on Twitch.tv.

Tonight, I’ll sit down to play with Will Hindmarch and a few other very cool friends. Who will be there all depends on how many of us manage to get our regular work done today beforehand!

Either way, though we should have a lot of fun and will probably make goofy fools of ourselves in the process, so be sure to tune in. The game should start sometime around 5:30 or 6 PM Central Time and run until we’re done. I plan on losing badly and enjoying every minute of it.

There’s still a week left in the Kickstarter, by the way, so you still have plenty of time to back it. Don’t miss out on the fascist-finding fun!

 

Join Me Saturday at the Beloit Public Library

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This Saturday, December 5, come join me at the Beloit Public Library here in Beloit, Wisconsin for the Stateline Author Meet & Greet. This is the fourth year in a row my hometown library has run this event, and it’s grown steadily year after year. The fun starts at 11 AM and wraps up around 3 PM. 

Come out and meet something like twenty local authors, many of whom are sure to have their books on hand for sale. Not coincidentally, they make excellent holiday gifts.

The other authors include such local luminaries as:

  • Aaron Wilson
  • Chris Fink
  • Jerry Peterson
  • John Porcellino
  • Kimberly Vogel
  • Sherry Blakeley
  • And many more.

I normally don’t sell books at such events, since most of my books are released through publishers, who like to move the books through booksellers on my behalf – as they should! But there won’t be a general bookseller at the library, so you’ll have to content yourself with picking up books from the other authors and just jawing with me instead.

Yeah, I could sell my self-published stuff and probably should, but I’m more concerned with catching up on deadlines at the moment than taking the time to order stock and haul it around with me. On the other hand, if you buy – or already own – my books ahead of time, be sure to bring them along, I’d be honored to sign them for you.

Either way, don’t be shy. Come on out and say hi!

Heading to Windycon

w42-logo-300x300This Saturday, November 14, I’ll be at Windycon 42 in Lombard, Illinois, way out on in Chicago’s west suburbs. While the convention goes on all weekend, I’m just popping in for a couple panels and a reading before heading home again that evening, so come out and join me!

  • 10 AM: Humor in Gaming: From Bunnies & Burrows to Just Desserts, gaming has incorporated the often twisted sense of humor of its creators. Whether an RPG, card, or Boardgame, how do you create a humorous game when humor is so subjective? With Bill Fawcett, Kristen Looney, James Lowder, and Deirdre Murphy. [We may not know the answer, but we’ll make plenty of jokes about it!]
  • 12 PM: I Love My Agent/Editor: Agents and editors often get bad press and, in fact, many readers and fans don’t really understand their roles. This is the chance for our authors to explain what they do. With Natalie Silk, Kelly Swails, and Gene Wolfe. [Following my own advice which says, “If you can sit on a panel with Gene Wolfe, do it. Then lean back and enjoy.”]
  • 5:30 PM: Reading: Where I either read things I made up already or make up things that sound like you should read them. Whatever works for you.

Join Me at Gamehole Con!

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This weekend, I’ll be a guest at Gamehole Con at the Alliant Center in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s only a couple years old, but the convention has spiked into a huge gathering of gamers, featuring a massive slate of guests, including Peter Adkison, John Kovalic, Steve Jackson, Jonathan Tweet, Ed Greenwood, Rob Heinsoo, Chris Perkins, Bill Cavalier, Jolly Blackburn, Merle Rasmussen, Jen Page, Jeff Martin, Frank Mentzer, and many, many more.

I’m running sessions of the not-even-out-yet Shotguns & Sorcery RPG from 2 PM — 6 PM on Friday and 10 AM — 6 PM on Saturday. This is a preview of the rules to come, and it’ll be my first time actually playing the game. The game’s designer–Rob Schwalb–was supposed to be at the show as well and teach me how to play, but he’s had to cancel due to family health issues.

I’m told all slots for the games have sold out, so I’m teaching myself the rules right now, trying to get up to speed before the show. The game sessions are sure to be a bit unpolished, but I have high hopes they’ll be fun either way.

If you have a chance, come on out and join us for what’s sure to be a fantastic weekend of games. But don’t take my word for it. Just listen to what Kung Fury has to say.

Signing in Beloit on Saturday

9780241183717This Saturday, from 11 AM—2 PM, I’ll be signing books at Turtle Creek Books (AKA the Beloit College Bookstore), here in Beloit, Wisconsin. To sweeten the pot, DK has sent along posters of Marvel’s The Avengers Encyclopedia, featuring that gorgeous Mike McKone artwork from the book’s cover. They’re free to the first 50 or so people who show up to claim them.

To ice that cake, Turtle Creek Books is giving 30% off The Avengers Encyclopedia to anyone dressed in the full costume of any Marvel hero or villain. So, break out your Halloween costumes a little early and come on down to get a look at the book in person. I’d be happy to scribble on any copies you buy. I hope to see you there!

The Monster Story Bundle Is Here

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Over at StoryBundle.com, Kevin J. Anderson has put together a killer collection of monstrous stories by a murderer’s row of authors.

Pay at least $5, and you get six books. Chip in $15 or more, and you get all twelve books. They show up in whatever ebook format you prefer, all DRM-free. You even get to divvy your money up with regards to how much goes to the authors, to the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, or the fine folks who keep StoryBundle.com rolling along.

This bundle runs for only 3 weeks, from October 15 through November 5. The first six titles include:

  • The Love-Haight Case Files by Jean Rabe and Donald J. Bingle
  • Jurassic Dead by David Sakmyster and Rick Chesler
  • Empty Rooms by Jeffrey J. Mariotte
  • Pack Dynamics by Julie Frost
  • Working Stiff by Kevin J. Anderson
  • Cayo Hueso by Keith R.A. DeCandido

For $15 or more, you get the above books, plus:

  • For This is Hell by Aaron Rosenberg and Steven Savile
  • The Wolf at the End of the World by Douglas Smith
  • Enter the Janitor by Josh Vogt
  • Helmet Head by Mike Baron
  • Mammoth Dawn by Kevin J. Anderson and Gregory Benford
  • Monster Academy: I Will Not Eat People by Matt Forbeck (me!)

That’s a dozen books for only $15, all good, scary reads to help get you through your haunted holidays and beyond. Go grab them while you can, and get reading before this deal fades away like a ghost in the dawn.

The Avengers Encyclopedia Is Out Today!

9780241183717My latest book–Marvel’s The Avengers Encyclopedia–hits stores today. I wrote about a third of it, along with Daniel Wallace and Matthew K. Manning–both of whom are huge comic-book experts–and Alan Cowsill and Glenn Dakin chipped in some smaller bits too. It features a fantastic wraparound cover by Mike McKone with colors by Rod Reis.

At 352 pages, this is a hefty book–about four and a half pounds of reading–although still a bit shy of my latest edition of The Marvel Encyclopedia. While The Avengers Encyclopedia has, of course, some overlap with The Marvel Encyclopedia, we wrote the new book from scratch and examined each character’s relationship with the Avengers and their roles in the stories of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. There’s plenty of fresh, new material here for everyone to enjoy.

Also today, Jake Magee interviewed me for The Janesville Gazette, the paper for the city about twenty minutes north of me, where my wife works as a school social worker. I had a great time chatting with Jake, and we covered things ranging from games to novels to growing up in Beloit.

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll be signing the book at New York Comic Con this weekend and then again at Turtle Creek Books here in Beloit, Wisconsin, on October 24. Hope to see you out there!

Marvel Signings: NYCC and Turtle Creek Books

9780241183717I have a couple of upcoming events planned to help promote the release of Marvel’s The Avengers Encyclopedia, which hits stores tomorrow, October 6. First off, I’ll be at New York Comic Con this week, October 8—11.

This will be my first time to the big show in the Big Apple, and I can’t wait. I have four signings scheduled at the DK Publishing booth, #2204, for an hour each.

  • Thursday: 4—5 PM.
  • Friday: 10—11 AM.
  • Saturday: 1—2 PM.
  • Sunday: 1—2 PM.

Otherwise, you might be able to find me bouncing around the show or wandering the streets of the Big Apple.

If that’s too far out of the way for you, a couple weeks later, on October 24, I’ll be signing books at Turtle Creek Books (a.k.a. the Beloit College Bookstore), right here in my hometown of Beloit, Wisconsin. I’ll be there from 11 AM to 1:30 PM, so go hit our wonderful farmers market earlier in the morning and then stop by the bookstore to say hi.

I hope to see you somewhere out there, but either way, be sure to check out Marvel’s The Avengers Encyclopedia. I had a ball working on it with Matthew K. Manning and Daniel Wallace, and I can’t wait for you to see it.

Find Me at New York Comic Con

9780241183717I’m heading out to New York Comic Con next week to sign copies of Marvel’s The Avengers Encyclopedia, which I wrote with Matthew Manning and Daniel Wallace. Both of them will be out there with me as well, so if you like you can grab the book – which debuts October 6 – and get it signed by all three of us.

I have four signings scheduled for the show, of an hour each.

  • Thursday: 4—5 PM.
  • Friday: 10—11 AM.
  • Saturday: 1—2 PM.
  • Sunday: 1—2 PM.

For each of these, I’ll be at the DK Publishing booth, #2204.

I’ve never been to a New York Comic Con before, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s possibly the biggest pop culture show in the world for the first time. I love New York, but I haven’t been able to get back there for something like 12 years, I think. (Too busy raising kids and writing books too manage it.) I can’t wait to see how it’s changed and to catch up with lots of old friends too.

I hope to see you there!