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!

My Gen Con Schedule

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Gen Con is almost here! I know, it’s usually in the middle of August, but it got bumped up to late July this year, which means that freight train of fun barreling toward us is now CLOSER THAN IT SEEMS.

Gen Con is always my favorite event of the year, and if you have the means, come on out and join me there! I’ll be around for all five days of the Best Four Days in Gaming, and here’s where you can (officially, at least) find me:

Wednesday, July 29:

  • The Diana Jones Award Party, which I host. We’re going on fifteen years now, which seems impossible for an award that rose from a trivia trophy composed of the burnt remains of the last copy of the Indiana Jones Roleplaying Game found at TSR UK. It’s an industry-only event, but if you qualify and want details, ping me at matt@forbeck.com.

Thursday, July 30

Friday, July 31

  • 11 AM: Signing in Author’s Alley in the exhibit hall. This is my sole time for signing rather than chatting, so if you have something for me to autograph, be sure to bring it by.
  • 12 PM: Building Games in the Garage, with Keith Baker, James Ernest, Paul Peterson, and JT Smith.

Saturday, August 1

That may not seem like a lot – I ran a publisher’s booth at the show for many years, and in the times before that I’d run about 40 hours of events – but I have a slate of games I’ll be playing with my kids, plus business meetings too. It already feels packed to the rafters.

Still, if you spot me wandering about, be sure to say hi. I hope to see you there!

 

At Comic-Con 2015

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I’m already here at Comic-Con 2015 with my son/personal assistant Marty in tow. We had a great time last night at Preview Night, and we’re girding ourselves for the full-on Conpocalypse, which includes a brand-new event called Geek Chic XP (more on that below).

First up, I’m signing free Avengers Encyclopedia posters at the Penguin/Mysterious Galaxy booth (#1515) at 11 AM. Then I’ll be at the DK booth (#1028) from 4-6, signing more posters and maybe some copies of Marvel’s Avengers: The Battle Against Ultron too. I’m told we’ll have about 50 posters at each signing, so grab them before they’re gone!

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What’s The Avengers Encyclopedia, you ask? It’s a brand-new book I co-wrote along with Daniel Wallace and Matthew Manning, both of whom have tons of pop-culture credits. Matthew wrote most of Batman: A Visual History, to which I contributed, and Daniel was one of the lead writers on the original Marvel Encyclopedia too. It’s a stunning book.

My schedule for the rest of the show includes signings at the DK Pop Culture booth (#1028) at the following times:

  • Friday: 10 AM— 12 PM
  • Saturday: 1 PM— 3 PM
  • Sunday: 10 AM— 11 AM

I’m also slated to be on the IATMW panel and Scribe Awards presentation at 6 PM on Friday in Room 23ABC.

On Saturday evening, from 5—7 PM, I’ll be hosting a slot at the spanking-new Geek Chic XP headquarters at the Horton Grand Hotel. Stop by and say hi, sit and have a meal or drink, and rest your con-weary feet as we play some games and jaw for a bit about all the fun. Bestselling author and fellow Cheesehead Pat Rothfuss is slated to host the slot after mine, so hang out long enough, and you’ll get to chat with him too.

If you’re in town for the show, I hope to see you there!

Leverage at the Horton Grand

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I’m heading off to Comic-Con next week, and that immediately brought to mind one of my favorite places in San Diego: the Horton Grand Hotel. I stayed there a number of times over the years, and I always loved it. It’s a wonderful old place with some fantastic history behind it, as well as a gorgeous, old-school bar perfect for getting away from the crowds.

I actually included the Horton in my Leverage novel, The Con Job, which is set at Comic-Con. Just for fun, here’s a sample chapter from the book, in which the Leverage crew cons their way into the hotel, despite the fact it’s sold out for Comic-Con.

Just a word of advice: Don’t try this yourself. In real life, the Horton Grand folks are much too sharp.

 

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My Comic-Con Schedule

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Much to my delight, DK Publishing is bringing me out to San Diego for Comic-Con this year. I went to the show several times over the years, but I haven’t been back since 2010 or so. I’m looking forward to catching up with lots of old friends and making new ones too.

My schedule currently includes signings at the following times:

  • Thursday: 11am – 12pm (Mysterious Galaxy Booth #1515) and 4pm – 6pm (DK Pop Culture Booth #1028)
  • Friday: 10am – 12pm (DK Pop Culture Booth #1028)
  • Saturday: 1pm – 3pm (DK Pop Culture Booth #1028)
  • Sunday: 10am — 11am (DK Pop Culture Booth #1028)

I’m also slated to be on the IATMW panel and Scribe Awards presentation at 6 PM on Friday in Room 23ABC.

I’m told there will be freebies on hand for me to sign at the DK booth, so get them while they last. While I’m there specifically to sign The Marvel Encyclopedia and Avengers: Battle Against Ultron, I’m happy to sign anything else I’ve worked on too, so don’t be shy. I hope to see you there!

My Teens for Project 16:49’s Homeless Teens

My quadruplets–Pat, Nick, Ken, and Helen–turned 13 last Friday, catapulting us from having one teenager in the house (their older brother, Marty) to five. We’re having a big party for them here in Beloit this weekend, but instead of asking for presents, they decided to ask for donations to Project 16:49, a local nonprofit that serves Rock County’s homeless teens. My wife Ann–who was the homeless student liaison in Janesville for years–helped found the organization, and it remains dear to us. Unaccompanied homeless kids often have few good options, and Project 16:49 helps fill that crucial gap.

To that end, I set up a page for the quads on Crowdrise.org. Thanks to some truly generous family and friends, they already shattered their initial goal of $500 in donations, and they’re hoping to be able to help out even more. If you’re so inclined to help, stop by the page and chip in whatever you can. The homeless teenagers around here would truly appreciate it–as would my kids.

Meanwhile, for your daily dose of cute, check out this video of the quads getting ready for their first day of four-year-old kindergarten. And thanks to you for all you can do!

 

The Truly Epic Story Bundle

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Earlier this week, StoryBundle launched the Epic Fantasy StoryBundle (2015), the sequel to their bestselling bundle ever. This works like lots of other bundles, you might have seen:

  • Pay what you want (from $5 on up), and you get a number of ebooks.
  • The money gets split between StoryBundle and the writers.
  • You have the option of giving 10% of your money to one of three charities: Mighty Writers, Girls Write Now, and the Challenger Center.

For chipping in the minimum $5, you get the following six great reads:

  • The Magic Touch by Jody Lynn Nye
  • Gamearth by Kevin J. Anderson
  • The Crown and the Dragon by John Payne
  • One Horn to Rule Them All edited by Lisa Mangum
  • Invisible Moon by James A. Owen
  • Beasts of Tabat by Cat Rambo

If you pay $15 or more, you also get a bonus set of seven more stories. This includes my own Hard Times in Dragon City, as well as:

  • A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith
  • The Alchemist by Paolo Bacigalupi
  • The Executioness by Tobias Buckell
  • The Ghosts of the Conquered by Matthew Caine
  • Glamour of the God-Touched by Ron Collins

Also, if you subscribe to the free StoryBundle newsletter, you get a “The Bookseller’s Tale,” a standalone story that serves as a sneak preview for Clockwork Lives by Kevin J. Anderson (who put this bundle together) and Neil Peart (the drummer for Rush)!

That means you can get a total of 11 novels, two novellas (The Alchemist and The Executioness), and a short story too, all for less than you’d pay for a single hardcover. And you can help support some great causes.

This bundle is available only for 19 more days, and then it’s gone, so get on over there and grab yours fast.