Gosh I'm needy this week, but this time it isn't me, I swear.

In addition to may apparent lack of google-fu, I am entirely wiki-illiterate. The fabulous Irene Radford has a new Wiki entry in the logical place and has been discussing with the editors the content, and who she really is. If anyone familiar with the standards over there can kick caress cajole the powers that be into not deleting it much thanks would be rained down upon thee.

I've been reading a ton of client work lately, and hope to find time to get back to other submissions soon.

Two things I have read are:
The Dragon Nimbus Volume 2. I'd read the first half when it was published solo some time ago, but never managed to hold onto a copy of The Last Battlemage long enough to read it. I did, it was fun and very much in the tone of that world with lots of things about the universe only hinted at in other books confirmed in the story. Fun read. Wonderful writer.

The other is called Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey. It's a YA I was reading for research and very much enjoyed. The course of action is split into two subplots and there is no meeting between the point of view characters in the two. There are connections, but nothing that happens in each half directly affects the happenings in the other. I highly reccomend it.

I've been reading client stuff a lot lately. I do so love it when a client whose work you enjoy greatly surpasses their previous efforts.


I saw Wolverine the other night. My brother and I both loved it, and judging by the fact that the whole audience was there until the credits rolled, and about eighty percent stayed until the credits stopped, I don't think we were alone in that. It was to me, a great character study. It wasn't as action filled as some of the other comic to movie translations, but I think Hugh Jackman did a great job with all areas of the part. I've heard that some people thought it was bad, terrible or worse. I wonder what provoked this? It's the origin story of a man with blood on his hands who is a good guy because he's seen the dark side and knows what he wants. I think it was pretty faithful to the integrity of the character.

Anyone else see it yet?

Apropos of nothing:
Music added to the library tonight:
Vaughan Williams Complete Collection, George Phillipp Telemann's complete Tafelmusik, Living Colour's Vivid, Royce Da 5'9" The Album, Saves the Day  Stay What You Were & Through Being Cool, Bishop Lamont The Confessional, Peabo Bryson Missing You, Handel   Fire, Water, Slick Rick Behind Bars, Jay-Z American Gangster, Wyman Tisdale Rebound

Those who were at Lunacon will be unsurprised that the Good is by far the longest section.


The good:
I arrived just before seven pm Thursday, having not eaten since mid day, I was merely famished. Dave & Barb Freer were in the lobby ready to start eating anyone who stopped moving, or was wearing an attractive cologne not having had a chance to eat since very early in the day. Eric Flint was there, as well as the Hoyt Collective. Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon arrived not to long after I did. We finally departed a bit after nine when it became noticeable that the Freer's and I were possibly not joking about which people would taste best with teriyaki and which with mango and papaya slices. ( Read more... )

Next Con:
Ravencon!

                                                Con Report — Lunacon 2009

Hilton Rye Town

 

( the report )

Chris McMahon

Sightings and hug-bys:
Mary Robinette Kowal, Ian Randal Strock, Joshua Palimatier, Lawrence Schoen, Bob Eggleton, Kate Paulk, Jeff Warner, Gail Martin and of course all the Guests.

Oh, and Mercedes Lackey reccomended http://moonedit.com/

More later.

In addition to Dave Freer i have two other clients attending Lunacon. Chris is an Aussie so he probably won't make it to cons stateside all that often, Charles Gannon is known to quiet a few from his days as a game writer.
( Schedules )

Finally! I saw the preview I wasn't allowed to share, and now, there is this cover final and one for all to look at. I tried to get a larger image into the post, but apparently Picsa, myself, and LiveJournal aren't a good mix.

Here's the Picsa link. And I'm sure you've all preordered already so I won't point out that large preorders make editors happy, and being happy makes them much more pliable when I twist their arms for additional books and better terms.

The nice folks at Audible have let me know that the audio version of James Enge's debut novel The Blood of Ambrose is scheduled to be released on April 21st.

Well Con goers it is nearly that time again! Lunacon is almost here with a Guest of Honor who not only hasn't been in the USA in five years, is looking forward to his first stint as Guest of Honor. Dave Freer who has over a dozen books on the shelf ranging from epic fantasy to space opera to urban fantasy will be touching down in time to meet the people he writes for. Larry Dixon will be Artist Guest of Honor, the Special Guest will be Mercedes Lackey and Eric Flint will be Toastmaster.


Don't forget: Lunacon March 20-22, the greatest con this side of the moon.
davefreer 

James Enge has turned in the sequel to his soon to be best loved Blood Of Ambrose to Pyr. The sequel is currently titled This Crooked Way. 

This is what he said about it in his conference on Baen's Bar;

Tasmarin is a place of dragons. a plane cut off from all others worlds where dragons can be dragons, and humans can be dinner. It's a place of islands, forests, mountains and wild oceans, filled with magical denizens. Fionn -- the black dragon -- calmly tells anyone who will listen that he's going to destroy the place. Of course he's a joker, a troublemaker and a dragon of no fixed abode. No one ever believes him.

He's dead serious.

Others strive to refresh the magics that built this place. To do so they need the combined magics of all the intelligent species, to renew the ancient balance and compact. There is just one problem. They need a human mage, and dragons systematically eliminated those centuries ago. Their augury has revealed that there is one, and they seek her desperately. Unfortunately, she's fallen in with Fionn, who really doesn't want them to succeed. He has his own reasons and designs.

The part he hadn't worked out is that she will affect his plans too.  Chaos, roguery, theft, heroism, kidnapping, love, trouble and war follow. And chaos. Did I mention chaos?

If one were wanting to know when it will be available... Toni's Table in Baen's Bar would be the place to ask since I haven't been told yet. Dave can be found on his LJ davefreer on facebook, and of course on the
Bar in "Dr Monkey".

Well, it's snowing outside, but the con is still in full swing. My two panels were well attended. The first one was with the fabulous Sara A. Harvey, Keith R. A. DeCandido, James D. Macdonald, and Inanna Arthen. Where we covered bad contracts, the unfortunate experiences of Sara and Inanna, James's work with Writers Beware and some of the practices Keith obsereved at a former employer. While the range of things that can go wrong with a contract, or the relationship with an agent, or publisher is a seriuos topic, this was a fun panel. I haven't had as much fun, complete with laughs, swearing, anecdotes and one upsmanship.

Next panel was on bio ethics. This panel had people with varied backgrounds and when it got rolling we discussed a variety of topics from autonomy to informed consent, all of which feed into the ethics equation. Thomas Easton (m), Bonnie Barlow Turner, Amy Chused, Richard Stallman, myself and one other person who's name was not on the schedule were delighted to have a full audience.


I'm off to see if i can swing lunch or at least a drink with one of my clients.

Cheers,

John Scalzi, he of the internet Mecca the Whatever blog has posted about Dave Freer's latest book. He mentions that it is an idea book, and much like his Old Mans War it has real character development, and real live plot. Go see what other people have to say.

Dave Freer along with a talented cast that includes Sarah Hoyt, Carrie Vaughn, Alan Dean Foster, Irene Radford, Jay Lake and other names you either do know or soon will know and love are now on the shelf in Dan Hoyt's new anthology Better Off Undead.I'll admit I haven't read everyone who has taken part in the anthology but most of them I already love. 

Do not pass go, proceed directly to the book store.

The following people owe me sleep and should make reparations quickly.


First up is the delightful Carrie Vaughn. I got to meet her in the lobby of one of the three hundred hotels attendees of Denvetion were spread across. I'm possibly the last person on the planet to read Kitty And the Midnight Hour, but if I'm not, and you're among those who hasn't go do so. The characters are very real, the plot is solid and the story is very internally consistent. I was hesitant to pick this one up because well, the werewolf is named Kitty. I'm glad i did finally read it, but i had no intention of reading it all in one night.

Jocelyn Drake writes the other type of fanged fiend of the night, and does so with a few variations that make her vampires distinct. NightWalker follows a vampire who is called upon to confront enemies she thought were dead, by an unlikely enemy of her enemies who is not her friend. After that it gets complicated.

Bill Fawcett's collection of major military blunders How to Lose a Battle is a great read and the type of history i wish people would send me. It covers battlefield blunders including those in the Punic Wars, the Napoleonic wars, and World War Two. One of the highlights is a day by day dissection of Gettysburg. It is not intended to be a bone deep guide to any of the battles it covers, but it is a great place to get a look at how to realistically screw up your characters lives.


Don't forget that Dave Freer's Pyramid Power and Slowtrain are both on the shelves, and that most stores will order at not extra charge if you ask.

Dave Freer, along with a few other fantastic folks have decided to form a group blog. Dave got the intro post and he has since been followed by Rowena Cory Daniels. Go look http://madgeniusclub.blogspot.com/

Jenna Waterford's The Accidental Mime is up for you reading pleasure. Click here. In she same issue of the ezine is an interview with this moderately well known lady "Robin Hobb".

Enjoy.

Dave Freer posted two interesting things that i thought I'd mention.

http://davefreer.livejournal.com/73720.html on his feelings after finishing something. And http://davefreer.livejournal.com/74253.html what he wants to write in the future.

Editors and publishers interested in the latter should call me immediately.

While this is probably old news to everyone other than me, Pyr in their wisdom has decided to add the sensational James Enge to their blog. So when you aren't worshiping his words at his LJ, or Black Gate, or Flashing Swords you can join him and some moderately well know folks blogging at the Pyr blog.