Things to do on the Weekend

If you're a writer, then writing is a good thing to do on the weekend. :) The next best thing to do is visit ConClave and join in on the literary panels.

Starting Friday, Oct. 8th, I'll be at the convention. If you get a chance, drop by and say hello.

I'll be on a number of panels and attending several this weekend. It is my hope to post some updates, photos, and maybe more from the convention - for those who can't attend.

Starting Friday, 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm, I'll be on the Writing 101 panel Darwin Garrison, Merrie Haskell, Charles P. Zaglanis, Stewart Sternberg, M. Keaton.

My guess is this will be a great panel for new and experienced authors. A wide variety topics will be covered, and of course the more voices in the audience with additional knowledge makes the panel all the better.

On later that night, at 6:30-8:00, I'll be on the Zombiegeddon panel - an exploration of why the undead keep coming back in fiction. And a bit of fun with the apocalyptic/zombie genre of fiction.

I'll be joining Daniel J. Hogan, Charles P. Zaglanis, Stewart Sternberg.

Even if you're not a fan of this sub-genre, this panel is worth attending. I did a similar panel last year and it was a blast...riot...killer....

What I'd like to do is list all of the panels I'm on, but after looking at the list, it is around 14, and maybe 15 if you count one double booking. :) That would be too long of a list to go through. And, as there are many other important and fun panels, I'll point to the program book: PROGRAM BOOK

What I will try to do is attempt to take Twitter questions and comments, and post a bit of the panels (maybe some audio with permission) on Facebook and my blog.

Lastly, but equally as important, I'll have advance copies of The Anthology of Dark Wisdom: Best of Dark Fiction with me, and they will be available for sale at the con. A list of authors can be fond on this blog (here).

Hope to see a few of you there!

Books, Books, Books

I wanted to post this Friday, but I never managed to find the time. So I'm playing catch-up.

I have a few books of which I wanted to make mention. One the upcoming anthology Dark Wisdom: The Best of Dark Fiction. But the others are two titles that are great reads.

If you haven't had a chance to read John Shirley's novel Black Glass (the lost cyberpunk novel), give it a shot. It is available in bookstores, with a recent re-stock arriving at Barnes and Noble either very shortly or within the next week. Like all of John's works, it's clever, contemporary, and sharp. John never pulls any punches.

Also heading to bookstores, including Barnes and Noble as well, is Tim Curran's classic novel Hive. It's not too late to enjoy a chilling summer read. This novel has been in print for a while. Still, if you haven't read it, add it to your reading list. Tim captures the mood and feel of a cold, unforgiving antarctic research station that uncovers eternal horrors. And he'll be following this novel up with a sequel. So even if you've read Hive, it might be time to re-read it

As for Dark Wisdom: The Best of Dark Fiction, it isn't in bookstores yet. But I've had a few emails asking about what authors are in the anthology. The anthology is named after the internationally distributed, full color magazine Dark Wisdom. You might say it's the next stage of the magazine's evolution. For those who read Dark Wisdom, (originally named "Book of Dark Wisdom Magazine"), you'll know it went from digest size to full size, from B&W to color, and soon it will be reborn online.

As a "real" book, the anthology includes some of the classic tales printed in the magazine, some that were in the queue for future publication, and some collected tales of dark fiction. This makes it an amalgamation of things. But mainly, a "best of dark fiction" anthology. A complete table of contents will be revealed when the book ships to stores. Until then, I can reveal the author names. The following list is in order of appearancee in the anthology. For those familiar with the anthologies I edit, I tend to place tales in thematic progression, or in an order that highlights a story's theme. And it's always delightful to read the emails from readers who have divined the method to my madness. Of course, my hope is to make the anthology read like a larger work, not simply a collection of stories (something I did as the editor of the magazine as well).
Onward! Here is the present ordered list of authors:

Tom Piccirilli
Tim Curran
C.J. Henderson
John Pelan & Paul Melniczek
Wendy Leeds
Sherry Decker
John Shirley
Neddal Ayad
Rachel Gray
Alan Dean Foster
Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Peter Straub
Patricia Lee Macomber & David Niall Wilson
Christopher T. Leland
Richard A. Lupoff
Christopher Welch
Gene O'Neill
Bruce Boston & Lee Ballentine
Deanna Hoak
Christian Klaver
Lee Clarke Zumpe
Gerard Houarner
Sam W. Anderson
Richard Wright
James Argendeli

Babylon 5 Gossip

While this is not news to the devout followers of the SF television series Babylon 5, it might be to those who thought the program had vanished. Nearly two weeks ago, I received a telephone call from J. Michael Straczynski. He was in Vancouver, doing the final mixing on a new DVD release titled: Babylon 5: The Lost Tales. Over his cell phone, I could hear the snippets of the audio -- although he urged that I forget anything that I heard. But, the reason for his call was get me to send a release for Warner Brothers (which was not needed, but Warner Brothers wanted to make sure there were no problems).

Why a release from me? I obviously have nothing to do with the production. But, as part of the screenplay for The Lost Tales is related to JMS's story that appeared in issue #7 of Dark Wisdom (www.darkwisdom.com), a release from me was thought to be needed.

After some debate with a stubborn fax machine on the receiving end, I managed to get the paperwork through. And during my discussion with JMS, I did hear some interesting things in the background, none of which I do remember (honestly). However, for those who have a copy of Dark Wisdom #7, and who are Babylon 5 fans, then you might have an idea of why a priest from Earth is needed on the station. That issue of the magazine is sold out, and beyond being connected to Babylon 5, it was also the last digest size issue of the magazine. So if you are a collector, the value might have just increased.

Here is a link to his personal backstage photos site: (http://www.babylon5scripts.com/TLT-JMS-Photos.html). Again, it isn't a secret. Dedicated fans of B5 already have seen this as well. But, if you haven't followed the series, or didn’t know about The Lost Tales, then do take a peek.

Dark Wisdom

After much tribulation, the latest issue of Dark Wisdom magazine (http://www.darkwisdom.com/) has finally shipped to all destinations. It will still take a few weeks for distributors to get it into stores, but at least it is in motion.

As this issue is the first color issue, there was frantic workings months ago to meet the deadlines. I really need to thank the artists whom I worked with, as they went out of their way to get the project completed on schedule -- and in color (I'm also the "vile" art director at the magazine, so these gentle artists must tolerate my endless suggestions). Overall, the material was outstanding. Because of format changes, some of the material, stories and art had to be shifted to the next issue -- not forgotten, just moved. It is a shame because all of it was good.

Also, the magazine saw a series of delays. These processes are being altered and corrected. Delays are disliked by everyone – printers are not paid, readers must way, writers and artists wait, and the publisher gazes into the darkness hoping for magazines to appear.

Of course, this goes for some of the stories as well. So several of the tales slated for future issues will also be bumped back an issue. I regret this, but it is the life of magazines.

In issue #10 of Dark Wisdom, there are many great stories and illustrations. Because I've been taunting the author E. Sedia about the artwork for her story (meaning hinting about it but not showing it), I figured I'd post the first page of that tale. The illustration is by Philip Rogers. It also gives a sneak peek into the upcoming issue.

Today also marks the day that I managed to "slice" my finger while cutting boxes -- this limited my typing skills as I cannot use my little finger, and was quite silly. I hear the finger is on the mend, and will be back in service in a few days. Presently, it looks mummified with a vast bandage covering it. This forces me to use three fingers on one hand. An awkward business all around.