Showing posts with label Fandom Fest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fandom Fest. Show all posts
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Onward and Upward!
Fandom Fest finished up last week, and I've got about a week to go on the Spirit of Fire Blog Tour, so I'm wrapping up a couple of major endeavors that have kept me extremely busy in the early part of the summer.
Fandom Fest as a whole was well over 10,000 in attendance, a big success by any measure. I was very proud of the Literary Track group that was assembled, as we had some incredible guests like Timothy Zahn, Robin Hobb, Julie Kagawa, and Angie Fox. I got to meet a few of the film guests like Sean Astin and James Marsters, but for the most part the weekend was insanely busy and I'm definitely glad things are done.
The Spirit of Blog Tour on the other hand has been a great deal of fun, with a nice mix of videos, interviews, giveaways, guests posts and more. I really hope everyone has enjoyed the character posts and character interviews, and that those activities have helped give some further insight into the ensemble of the Fires in Eden series. Some of the videos have been absolutely crazy, such as the bacon making one I did for The Cabin Goddess and another video I did for I Smell Sheep which required the help of my sister with puppeteering so that the site's mascot Baaart could make an appearance on the video.
July is going to be a very writing heavy month. I've got several short stories close to completion, including new ones for the Chronicles of Ave and the Annals of the Rising Dawn, and the first of a batch for a new series that will be horror genre in nature. Of course, I'm underway on book 4 of the Rising Dawn Saga, and it is going to be high-octane! If you thought The Seventh Throne was full of action and revelations, wait until you dive into this one!
So onward and upward it is as the July heat continues here in Central KY! :)
Monday, March 12, 2012
Metropolis Supercon Roundup
Had an enjoyable weekend at Metropolis Supercon 2012, held in the town of Metropolis IL, which is perched on the border of Kentucky right across from Paducah.
Metropolis, as you might guess, takes pride in all things Superman. Big statue in the town square, a Superman museum, and even a Superman festival. The Con itself has been around for five years, and this was my second trip in.
It is about a four hour drive for me, so my day started quite early, about 4:30 am. I drove into town and went straight to the venue where I had two tables to set up on. I don't have a problem at this point filling two tables with all of the items I bring along with me! LOL
I was across from actor John Wells, director Zach Schuyler, and actor and MMA champion Dale Miller, all good friends of mine (John and Dale were in Swordbearer, as some of you might recall.) They were situated next to John Wesley Shipp, who fans might recognize as the actor who portrayed The Flash.
I did get to meet John Wesley Shipp. He came across and visited my table, where we talked for a little bit. Very nice guy, very approachable and engaging with his fans. I would totally recommend him to any event looking to bring in a very friendly celebrity guest.
The crowd this year was, admittedly, down a bit from last year, but the people were fantastic. Jeff Yonosick, an author that I know, showed up as The Joker, and even posed with a copy of Crown of Vengeance after he had purchased it. Very nice endorsement, wouldn't you say? :)
Saturday night we got a nice bonus in the way of an invite from Brandon, Joshua, and Ben, three guys who are huge movie buffs with a great memorabilia collection. They are a blast to hang out with and I'm glad we got to visit with them again this year. Joshua is an AMAZING cook, and he went all out again with a great dinner.
Last year's Metropolis I mentioned the weird phenomenon surrounding Myra's Magic Hot Dogs. Whenever myself or anyone else ate one, they would make a sale within minutes at their tables. Guess what? They worked again, and it was eerie! Three separate occasions for me, and Michael Gordon and Bobby Nash can also attest to the strange powers that these seemingly normal hot dogs have. Myra Daniels, a co-chair of Fandom Fest and the Fright Night Film Festival, got a real kick out of seeing the magic hot dogs demonstrate their powers again! LOL
Sunday was a bit on the slow side, so things shut down a little earlier, and I was able to get a jump on the road trip back to Lexington. I think the Con would be a great one day event and I hope they consolidate it next year to a longer single day schedule. Overall, though, it was very enjoyable, and I got to catch up with some good friends. I do hope to go back in 2012.
Next up this weekend is the Author's Fair in Madison, IN, where Michael West will be launching Poseidon's Children, and then on to MidSouthCon in Memphis the following weekend!
Metropolis, as you might guess, takes pride in all things Superman. Big statue in the town square, a Superman museum, and even a Superman festival. The Con itself has been around for five years, and this was my second trip in.
It is about a four hour drive for me, so my day started quite early, about 4:30 am. I drove into town and went straight to the venue where I had two tables to set up on. I don't have a problem at this point filling two tables with all of the items I bring along with me! LOL
I was across from actor John Wells, director Zach Schuyler, and actor and MMA champion Dale Miller, all good friends of mine (John and Dale were in Swordbearer, as some of you might recall.) They were situated next to John Wesley Shipp, who fans might recognize as the actor who portrayed The Flash.I did get to meet John Wesley Shipp. He came across and visited my table, where we talked for a little bit. Very nice guy, very approachable and engaging with his fans. I would totally recommend him to any event looking to bring in a very friendly celebrity guest.
The crowd this year was, admittedly, down a bit from last year, but the people were fantastic. Jeff Yonosick, an author that I know, showed up as The Joker, and even posed with a copy of Crown of Vengeance after he had purchased it. Very nice endorsement, wouldn't you say? :)Saturday night we got a nice bonus in the way of an invite from Brandon, Joshua, and Ben, three guys who are huge movie buffs with a great memorabilia collection. They are a blast to hang out with and I'm glad we got to visit with them again this year. Joshua is an AMAZING cook, and he went all out again with a great dinner.
Last year's Metropolis I mentioned the weird phenomenon surrounding Myra's Magic Hot Dogs. Whenever myself or anyone else ate one, they would make a sale within minutes at their tables. Guess what? They worked again, and it was eerie! Three separate occasions for me, and Michael Gordon and Bobby Nash can also attest to the strange powers that these seemingly normal hot dogs have. Myra Daniels, a co-chair of Fandom Fest and the Fright Night Film Festival, got a real kick out of seeing the magic hot dogs demonstrate their powers again! LOL
Sunday was a bit on the slow side, so things shut down a little earlier, and I was able to get a jump on the road trip back to Lexington. I think the Con would be a great one day event and I hope they consolidate it next year to a longer single day schedule. Overall, though, it was very enjoyable, and I got to catch up with some good friends. I do hope to go back in 2012.
Next up this weekend is the Author's Fair in Madison, IN, where Michael West will be launching Poseidon's Children, and then on to MidSouthCon in Memphis the following weekend!
Friday, March 2, 2012
ConNooga, MystiCon, Blog Tours, and Fandom Fest Progress!
Where do I start? LOL
Convention season is underway, and the year has begun with two excellent ones.
ConNooga in, you guessed it, Chattanooga TN, and MystiCon in Roanoke VA.
ConNooga is a convention I have really enjoyed going to the past 2 years. Robby Hilliard has built a wonderful literary track, bringing together a really nice mix of authors, editors, and publishers. Had some great panel discussions, ranging from publishing topics to screenplays. Met some wonderful authors like James Tuck, and finally caught up with M.B. Weston, who I had wanted to meet but missed at a couple of previous conventions.
The convention is held at a hotel that is a former train station site. They've made use of some of the old train cars, turning them into restaurants and even meeting space rooms. Of course, there are loads of standard hotel facilities and I've always had a pleasant time at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Friday did start out with a little bit of a surprise, as I found out that I was one of a small group of authors that were relocated from the exhibition hall to the other side of the property, in the building housing the theater and several of the meeting/panel rooms. Evidently, some remodeling in the exhibition hall building, to use it as a nightclub, knocked out a significant amount of floor space. We were out in the hallway, which eventually led to some nice flows of traffic going by our area, and we got to see a lot of cool sights, such as the gathering of Sith Lords pictured to the left.
D.A. Adams, my good friend and fellow SSP author, was a guest at the convention and we worked the booth space together. We agreed to run it into the night past the normal dealer room hours, which turned out to be a pretty good decision. We even got a shout out from Andy Deane of Bella Morte during their live show. Andy was there participating on the literary track in addition to performing with the band.
Over the course of the weekend we had good book sales. D.A. sold a bunch of his Brotherhood of Dwarves books, and I met a lot of new readers as well as current readers who were getting their book 2's or 3's, such as Mary B. and Tom H., who is pictured with me here! We sold titles from every SSP author too, which I was really happy about.
MystiCon was also a very successful and enjoyable convention. Alex Wright(Pictured with me), Keith Stanley, Barbara Debary-Kesner, Tina Vargo, Carla Brindle, and everyone on the staff did such a superb job with the 2012 event. The attendance grew a lot from last year, but the Con flowed wonderfully all throughout.
I was neighbors with a great web comic fellow named Travis Surber and his wife Jennifer on one side, Dan from Walt's Games in Baltimore on the other, and across from the Imagicopter gang, including H. David Blalock(Pictured), Herika Raymer, and J.L. Mulvihill.
It was great having David there, as this was the second convention where we were able to show off his new book Angelkiller, a fantastic urban fantasy novel that blends supernatural elements with a virtual reality theme.
Catching up and hanging out with artist Mark Davis was a blast as well! He's one of the great characters on the circuit, and I hear he's got a really cool new comic-related project in the works. :)
It was the second straight convention seeing the amazing Andy Deane, who did not have to go too far from home at this convention. Andy, as usual, was engaging with his fans and put on a fantastic rock show with Bella Morte that was packed out.
Also got to visit again with filmmaker Johnny Johnson, the man behind the remake of Plan 9 from Outer Space. Johnny's a first-class guy, a great filmmaker, and it is aways cool seeing him out on the Con circuit.
Panels went very well, including one on Steampunk, one on why geeks are cool now, and another on monsters and what kinds of monsters may be the next trends. The latter was moderated by Alexandra Christian, a talented author and friend who also writes for Fandom Scene. Her husband, Tally Johnson, is a blast to hang around. We need to get him and Bruce Campbell together at Fandom Fest as they would look like brothers standing together.
Sharon Stogner, the founder of the I Smell Sheep blog review site, came to MystiCon on Saturday and brought me a 20 oz. Cheerwine and a moonpie. Cheerwine has cult status where I live, so I got to lord it over some friends of mine like Rodney Carlstrom, who may be one of the biggest Cheerwine fantatics out there. The moonpie, according to Sharon, is what Cheerwine best goes with! LOL I really enjoyed visiting with Sharon and her daughters, one of whom was making quite the splash at the convention in her zombie costume.
Got to catch up with epic fantasy author Gail Z Martin, who writes for Orbit and Solaris (she recently had me visit on her Ghost in the Machine Podcast). Gail had a nice release party for her new book The Dread, from The Fallen Kings Cycle. Really looking forward to having Gail on our track at Fandom Fest this coming year.
Sales were really good for the second straight week, including my books, David's, and other titles from SSP. I got to see a number of loyal readers and meet some new ones.
On the way back I got to visit and stay at Andy Haught's home. Andy's the lead singer of Zeroking, a fantastic hard rock/metal band, and he's been a friend of mine for many years. The band's new release, Kings of Self-Destruction, is getting more and more airplay everyday. Doesn't surprise me, as there is not a bad track on the 13 song release. Was really great to just kick back, visit with him and Carla, and relax after such a busy weekend.
The ensuing week turned into a maelstrom of activity, as we had to work to set up SSP's first ever formal blog tour for Jackie Gamber. We worked with Babs from Babs Book Bistro, and our camp was able to arrange a 36 day blog tour, all dates filled, in 48 hours. Whew! LOL Yes, we put in quite an effort over those couple of days, but I have to say the blogging community was so helpful and enthusiastic about Jackie's new book. Special appreciation to Babs for all her help. Big thank you to Evie from Evie Bookish for assisting with the beautiful tour badges. It was exciting and we will be doing more blog tours in the future. Sela is a fantastic novel, and with Redheart is building a wonderful YA Fantasy Series.
Last, but not least, we announced the additions of Robin Hobb, Richard Kadrey, and Julie Kagaway for Fandom Fest, NY Times best sellers in fantasy, urban fantasy, and YA Fantasy respectively. I'm just thrilled with how the track is coming together, as these three wonderful authors will be joining others such as Timothy Zahn, Angie Fox, Jim C Hines, Gail Z Martin, Laura Resnick, and so many more fantastic authors on this track.
This is a fairly long report, but as you can tell, I have not been idea. I will save my progress report on the writing side for another post, as I wanted to bring everyone up to speed on how the conventions have been going.
Convention season is underway, and the year has begun with two excellent ones.
ConNooga in, you guessed it, Chattanooga TN, and MystiCon in Roanoke VA.
ConNooga is a convention I have really enjoyed going to the past 2 years. Robby Hilliard has built a wonderful literary track, bringing together a really nice mix of authors, editors, and publishers. Had some great panel discussions, ranging from publishing topics to screenplays. Met some wonderful authors like James Tuck, and finally caught up with M.B. Weston, who I had wanted to meet but missed at a couple of previous conventions.
The convention is held at a hotel that is a former train station site. They've made use of some of the old train cars, turning them into restaurants and even meeting space rooms. Of course, there are loads of standard hotel facilities and I've always had a pleasant time at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Friday did start out with a little bit of a surprise, as I found out that I was one of a small group of authors that were relocated from the exhibition hall to the other side of the property, in the building housing the theater and several of the meeting/panel rooms. Evidently, some remodeling in the exhibition hall building, to use it as a nightclub, knocked out a significant amount of floor space. We were out in the hallway, which eventually led to some nice flows of traffic going by our area, and we got to see a lot of cool sights, such as the gathering of Sith Lords pictured to the left.D.A. Adams, my good friend and fellow SSP author, was a guest at the convention and we worked the booth space together. We agreed to run it into the night past the normal dealer room hours, which turned out to be a pretty good decision. We even got a shout out from Andy Deane of Bella Morte during their live show. Andy was there participating on the literary track in addition to performing with the band.
Over the course of the weekend we had good book sales. D.A. sold a bunch of his Brotherhood of Dwarves books, and I met a lot of new readers as well as current readers who were getting their book 2's or 3's, such as Mary B. and Tom H., who is pictured with me here! We sold titles from every SSP author too, which I was really happy about.
MystiCon was also a very successful and enjoyable convention. Alex Wright(Pictured with me), Keith Stanley, Barbara Debary-Kesner, Tina Vargo, Carla Brindle, and everyone on the staff did such a superb job with the 2012 event. The attendance grew a lot from last year, but the Con flowed wonderfully all throughout. 
I was neighbors with a great web comic fellow named Travis Surber and his wife Jennifer on one side, Dan from Walt's Games in Baltimore on the other, and across from the Imagicopter gang, including H. David Blalock(Pictured), Herika Raymer, and J.L. Mulvihill. It was great having David there, as this was the second convention where we were able to show off his new book Angelkiller, a fantastic urban fantasy novel that blends supernatural elements with a virtual reality theme.
Catching up and hanging out with artist Mark Davis was a blast as well! He's one of the great characters on the circuit, and I hear he's got a really cool new comic-related project in the works. :)
It was the second straight convention seeing the amazing Andy Deane, who did not have to go too far from home at this convention. Andy, as usual, was engaging with his fans and put on a fantastic rock show with Bella Morte that was packed out.
Also got to visit again with filmmaker Johnny Johnson, the man behind the remake of Plan 9 from Outer Space. Johnny's a first-class guy, a great filmmaker, and it is aways cool seeing him out on the Con circuit. Panels went very well, including one on Steampunk, one on why geeks are cool now, and another on monsters and what kinds of monsters may be the next trends. The latter was moderated by Alexandra Christian, a talented author and friend who also writes for Fandom Scene. Her husband, Tally Johnson, is a blast to hang around. We need to get him and Bruce Campbell together at Fandom Fest as they would look like brothers standing together.
Sharon Stogner, the founder of the I Smell Sheep blog review site, came to MystiCon on Saturday and brought me a 20 oz. Cheerwine and a moonpie. Cheerwine has cult status where I live, so I got to lord it over some friends of mine like Rodney Carlstrom, who may be one of the biggest Cheerwine fantatics out there. The moonpie, according to Sharon, is what Cheerwine best goes with! LOL I really enjoyed visiting with Sharon and her daughters, one of whom was making quite the splash at the convention in her zombie costume.
Got to catch up with epic fantasy author Gail Z Martin, who writes for Orbit and Solaris (she recently had me visit on her Ghost in the Machine Podcast). Gail had a nice release party for her new book The Dread, from The Fallen Kings Cycle. Really looking forward to having Gail on our track at Fandom Fest this coming year. Sales were really good for the second straight week, including my books, David's, and other titles from SSP. I got to see a number of loyal readers and meet some new ones.
On the way back I got to visit and stay at Andy Haught's home. Andy's the lead singer of Zeroking, a fantastic hard rock/metal band, and he's been a friend of mine for many years. The band's new release, Kings of Self-Destruction, is getting more and more airplay everyday. Doesn't surprise me, as there is not a bad track on the 13 song release. Was really great to just kick back, visit with him and Carla, and relax after such a busy weekend. 
The ensuing week turned into a maelstrom of activity, as we had to work to set up SSP's first ever formal blog tour for Jackie Gamber. We worked with Babs from Babs Book Bistro, and our camp was able to arrange a 36 day blog tour, all dates filled, in 48 hours. Whew! LOL Yes, we put in quite an effort over those couple of days, but I have to say the blogging community was so helpful and enthusiastic about Jackie's new book. Special appreciation to Babs for all her help. Big thank you to Evie from Evie Bookish for assisting with the beautiful tour badges. It was exciting and we will be doing more blog tours in the future. Sela is a fantastic novel, and with Redheart is building a wonderful YA Fantasy Series. Last, but not least, we announced the additions of Robin Hobb, Richard Kadrey, and Julie Kagaway for Fandom Fest, NY Times best sellers in fantasy, urban fantasy, and YA Fantasy respectively. I'm just thrilled with how the track is coming together, as these three wonderful authors will be joining others such as Timothy Zahn, Angie Fox, Jim C Hines, Gail Z Martin, Laura Resnick, and so many more fantastic authors on this track.
This is a fairly long report, but as you can tell, I have not been idea. I will save my progress report on the writing side for another post, as I wanted to bring everyone up to speed on how the conventions have been going.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Get Ready for Increased Content here!
This has been a very interesting and extensive summer. On the book side of things, largely good, on the personal side it ended on the heartbreaking side, but I am looking forward to the fall for many reasons.
This summer involved conventions in cities such as Chicago, Charlotte, Louisville, Columbus, and more, including a couple where I served as the Literary Track or Writers Track director (Louisville's Fandom Fest on the former, Chicago's Duckon on the latter.) In some ways it was rewarding to get back on a Con staff, as I could help create opportunities for my fellow authors, and in others it was trying, as these always involve a lot of hard work, and you can't control everything (as in the case of very disappointing hotel management at the Fandom Fest site, which contributed to an environment that was more challenging than it ever had to be).
The summer ended with a couple of new things on the writing front. One, of course, was the latest book in the Rising Dawn Saga, Book 3, The Seventh Throne, and recent days also saw my latest Harvey and Solomon story, "An Island Sojourn", in Dreams of Steam II: Bolts and Brass (from the awesome folks at Kerlak Publishing).
The Harvey and Solomon story is something that brings me both increased joy and piercing sadness, as Harry passed away a few weeks ago due to complications with his FIV (kind of like the cat version of Aids). All I will say right now is that I'm doing my best to function, but it really tore away another piece of me, and in the case of Harry, a big part of me. The three years I had with this amazing cat were such a tremendous blessing, and the world is most certainly a darker place without him. He made a huge difference in my life, I love him immensely, and I can only grasp onto the hope that there will be a reunion in a much, much better realm one day.
Rest assured, there will be more Harvey and Solomon stories in the future. It is the least I can do for Harry.
The near future promises to be full of activity, even if I'm not on the road very much this fall. I am returning to work with Fandom Fest, and there's going to be an exciting new component with it, a kind of new zine, that will be very proactive in spotlighting authors, publishers, editors, artists, and more. We've got a building staff of writers for it, and more info will be coming soon.
Similarly, the Seventh Star Press blog has taken another step, with some new regular contributors aboard, new regular segments, and more. It is also going to do everything possible to bring a light to talented individuals and worthy organizations/companies in the publishing world.
Should be quite a bit of new online media generated, and I hope it does some good for everyone in this crazy publishing climate.
On the film side, the Swordbearer screenings have gone well, in terms of the feedback I have gotten from them. I am currently at the outset of developing a feature length project, which will be tough as it involves the largest budget I've ever sought by far. It is based on an original screenplay of mine and I hope to find some individuals interested in financing a project dedicated to creating a theatrical quality, ORIGINAL dark fantasy film with a couple of significant cast names. I think with all the remakes, sequels, things based on comic books, etc, people might be a little hungry for a truly original story, and I can assure you that this one has all the goods.
It also looks like I'll be taking on a screenwriting project for a talented producer. More on that later, but it is something I am very interested in doing.
I'll be working very, very shortly with Karen for the preparation for the third Fires in Eden Book. Very excited about returning to Ave, as I love that place! :)
I'll also be doing everything I can to help with PR and outreach for Seventh Star Press, which includes coordinating a new "street team", the Seventh Star Saints (anyone volunteering to help a small press out is worthy of sainthood, without question, LOL). I do a ton of work in the area of promotion for the SSP authors, but it is worth it as they are really a first rate group to be involved with. Michael, Jackie, Steven, David, and D.A. are just fantastic individuals, which makes the long hours worth it.
I'm sorry I got a little behind on my posting here, but the Fandom Fest tasks (my track alone had 55 panels, 20 workshops, and over 100 participating guest panelists), had me tunnel-visioned for a little while (except for my writing, of course, LOL), and then the situation with Harry knocked my awry for awhile. I'll be much better. In fact, I plan to be more candid about many things in the coming posts, as far as my insights on the worlds of writing, film, the industries involved, and more. Hopefully you will enjoy it!
So, I'm sorry for being a little shabby on my consistency lately on the blog here, but I'll be making up for it in a hurry!
:)
-Stephen
This summer involved conventions in cities such as Chicago, Charlotte, Louisville, Columbus, and more, including a couple where I served as the Literary Track or Writers Track director (Louisville's Fandom Fest on the former, Chicago's Duckon on the latter.) In some ways it was rewarding to get back on a Con staff, as I could help create opportunities for my fellow authors, and in others it was trying, as these always involve a lot of hard work, and you can't control everything (as in the case of very disappointing hotel management at the Fandom Fest site, which contributed to an environment that was more challenging than it ever had to be).
The summer ended with a couple of new things on the writing front. One, of course, was the latest book in the Rising Dawn Saga, Book 3, The Seventh Throne, and recent days also saw my latest Harvey and Solomon story, "An Island Sojourn", in Dreams of Steam II: Bolts and Brass (from the awesome folks at Kerlak Publishing).
The Harvey and Solomon story is something that brings me both increased joy and piercing sadness, as Harry passed away a few weeks ago due to complications with his FIV (kind of like the cat version of Aids). All I will say right now is that I'm doing my best to function, but it really tore away another piece of me, and in the case of Harry, a big part of me. The three years I had with this amazing cat were such a tremendous blessing, and the world is most certainly a darker place without him. He made a huge difference in my life, I love him immensely, and I can only grasp onto the hope that there will be a reunion in a much, much better realm one day.
Rest assured, there will be more Harvey and Solomon stories in the future. It is the least I can do for Harry.
The near future promises to be full of activity, even if I'm not on the road very much this fall. I am returning to work with Fandom Fest, and there's going to be an exciting new component with it, a kind of new zine, that will be very proactive in spotlighting authors, publishers, editors, artists, and more. We've got a building staff of writers for it, and more info will be coming soon.
Similarly, the Seventh Star Press blog has taken another step, with some new regular contributors aboard, new regular segments, and more. It is also going to do everything possible to bring a light to talented individuals and worthy organizations/companies in the publishing world.
Should be quite a bit of new online media generated, and I hope it does some good for everyone in this crazy publishing climate.
On the film side, the Swordbearer screenings have gone well, in terms of the feedback I have gotten from them. I am currently at the outset of developing a feature length project, which will be tough as it involves the largest budget I've ever sought by far. It is based on an original screenplay of mine and I hope to find some individuals interested in financing a project dedicated to creating a theatrical quality, ORIGINAL dark fantasy film with a couple of significant cast names. I think with all the remakes, sequels, things based on comic books, etc, people might be a little hungry for a truly original story, and I can assure you that this one has all the goods.
It also looks like I'll be taking on a screenwriting project for a talented producer. More on that later, but it is something I am very interested in doing.
I'll be working very, very shortly with Karen for the preparation for the third Fires in Eden Book. Very excited about returning to Ave, as I love that place! :)
I'll also be doing everything I can to help with PR and outreach for Seventh Star Press, which includes coordinating a new "street team", the Seventh Star Saints (anyone volunteering to help a small press out is worthy of sainthood, without question, LOL). I do a ton of work in the area of promotion for the SSP authors, but it is worth it as they are really a first rate group to be involved with. Michael, Jackie, Steven, David, and D.A. are just fantastic individuals, which makes the long hours worth it.
I'm sorry I got a little behind on my posting here, but the Fandom Fest tasks (my track alone had 55 panels, 20 workshops, and over 100 participating guest panelists), had me tunnel-visioned for a little while (except for my writing, of course, LOL), and then the situation with Harry knocked my awry for awhile. I'll be much better. In fact, I plan to be more candid about many things in the coming posts, as far as my insights on the worlds of writing, film, the industries involved, and more. Hopefully you will enjoy it!
So, I'm sorry for being a little shabby on my consistency lately on the blog here, but I'll be making up for it in a hurry!
:)
-Stephen
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A Guest Blog and a Couple Notes
Today I am a guest on the Something Wicked site, which is a blog site run by several successful authors including NY Times best-selling author Angie Fox and Shirley Damsgaard (whose first Jess McConkey novel, Love Lies Bleeding, hit the stores yesterday!).
In this blog I introduce The Seventh Throne, and talk about its context as a third book in a series. I think that my reader-friends and those who have not read my work alike will find something interesting.
I have been wwaaaaayyy behind on blog posts, but I have a big one coming up in a day or two that will explain what I was bogged down with. Been pushing myself pretty hard lately with the recent Fandom Fest in Louisivlle that I was the literary track programmer (and gaming track) for.
Anyhow, please visit the guest blog if you get a few minutes, and blog sites always appreciate comments, so leave a few when you are done reading! :)
here's the link:
http://wickedauthors.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-stephen-zimmer.html
In this blog I introduce The Seventh Throne, and talk about its context as a third book in a series. I think that my reader-friends and those who have not read my work alike will find something interesting.
I have been wwaaaaayyy behind on blog posts, but I have a big one coming up in a day or two that will explain what I was bogged down with. Been pushing myself pretty hard lately with the recent Fandom Fest in Louisivlle that I was the literary track programmer (and gaming track) for.
Anyhow, please visit the guest blog if you get a few minutes, and blog sites always appreciate comments, so leave a few when you are done reading! :)
here's the link:
http://wickedauthors.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-stephen-zimmer.html
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Fandom Fest Debuts New Literary and Gaming Tracks
Please pass the following information along, anywhere and everywhere you can, on personal blogs, professional blogs, zines, bulletin or message boards, FaceBook, email lists, Twitter links. This is going to be an AMAZING event, and we really want to get this opportunity out to the Literary and Gaming communities.
Thank you very, very much!
-Stephen
For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Fandom Fest Brings Large New Literary Track to Louisville Amid
Major Expansion of Fright Night Film Fest
Marquee celebrities like Hollywood legends John Carpenter and Henry Winkler will command great attention at the Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest weekend July 22-24, 2011, in Louisville, KY. Alongside the wide array of premium Hollywood and media personalities, an incredible opportunity beckons for writers, gamers, readers, artists, filmmakers, pop culture fans, costuming enthusiasts, and many more.
Fandom Fest represents a bold expansion of the popular Fright Night Film Fest, establishing several new tracks, genres, and a host of activities catering to pop culture, science fiction, steampunk, anime, costuming, and fantasy. The event builds upon Fright Night Film Fest’s strong horror legacy, growing from its inception in 2005 to become the third largest genre film festival in the United States.
Fandom Fest’s brand new Literary Track alone features over a hundred participating authors, covering over 55 expert panels, 20 workshops, and a large number of live readings, author signings, and book launches. From the current state of publishing, to intensive writing workshops, and workshops in topics like self-publishing and e-Book development, the panels and workshops of the Literary Track have something to offer attendees from all levels of experience. As a comprehensive learning, networking, and career development opportunity, Fandom Fest’s 2011 content is unprecedented in its region.
Major press authors such as Julie Kagawa (The Iron Faery Series), Molly Harper (Jane Jameson Series), Eric Wilson (Fireproof, Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy), Shirley Damsgaard (The Ophelia and Abby Mysteries), Michael Williams (one of the first DragonLance novelists), and Maurice Broaddus (Knights of Breton Court) are just a few examples of the well-established, award-winning authors from all across the United States who are attending.
(Julie Kagawa, of the Iron Faery Series)
(Molly Harper, of the Jane Jameson Series)
(Shirley Damsgaard, of the Ophelia and Abby Mysteries)
(Eric Wilson, of Fireproof and the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)
(Michael Williams, of multiple DragonLance novels and the new Trajan's Arch)
(Maurice Broaddus, of the Knights of Breton Court)
Editors and publishers of many levels round out the impressive list of track participants., The Literary Track’s sponsor is Belle Books/Bell Bridge Books, who also happen to be sponsoring the prestigious Dragon*Con’s 2011 Writer’s Track. The main genres being featured at Fandom Fest are primarily fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but the Literary Track programming caters to writers of any genre, with panelists from spheres such as mystery, romance, and even erotica.
The new gaming track unveils an array of panels, tournaments, special guests, and much more, debuting yet another new section of the event. Tabletop role-playing games, video games, board games, and even Live Action Role Playing are scheduled throughout the weekend with a strong team of gaming hosts. Attendees include representatives of highly regarded game companies/publishers such as DriveThruRPG, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, SilverMeet Studios, Hex Games, Beautiful Brains, and Blackwyrm Publishing.
A multitude of vendors will fill the concourses of the Fern Valley Hotel and Convention Center at Fandom Fest. Gaming stores, publishers, authors, crafts, production companies, memorabilia dealers, actors, artists, and much, much more will be available for convention attendees to browse and buy one-of-a-kind items from.
Even the live music portion of the event advances with a concert from international rock act Bella Morte, whose frontman, Andy Deane, is also a horror author appearing on the Literary Track. Fast rising heavy metal/hard rock prospect ZeroKing is slated to open for Bella Morte.
From gatherings of cast members from popular franchises like Revenge of the Nerds, Enter the Dragon, Jem, and The Walking Dead (including Tony Moore, artist and co-creator),to icons such as Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman films), Kane Hodder (Jason Vorhees in several Friday the 13th installments), and Larry Drake (Dark Night of the Scarecrow, Dr. Giggles, and Darkman), the list of attending film and media guests contains something for everyone. For the thousands in attendance, there will be more than enough to choose from in regards to programming, events, activities, parties, and celebrities.
Best of all, standard weekend passes are just $45 dollars, which is much less than the cost of genre events which are a small fraction of the size of Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest. In value, content, and affordability, Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest is poised to become one of the top events of its kind in the United States.
For further information on the 2011 event, please visit www.fandomfest.com or www.frightnightfilmfest.com
Direct Links related to Literary and Gaming Tracks:
Literary Track Guests: http://www.fandomfest.com/literary-guests/
Literary Track Programming: http://www.fandomfest.com/literary-track/
Gaming Track Guests: http://www.fandomfest.com/gaming-guests/
Gaming Track Schedule and Programming: http://www.fandomfest.com/gaming/
Thank you very, very much!
-Stephen
For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Fandom Fest Brings Large New Literary Track to Louisville Amid
Major Expansion of Fright Night Film Fest
Marquee celebrities like Hollywood legends John Carpenter and Henry Winkler will command great attention at the Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest weekend July 22-24, 2011, in Louisville, KY. Alongside the wide array of premium Hollywood and media personalities, an incredible opportunity beckons for writers, gamers, readers, artists, filmmakers, pop culture fans, costuming enthusiasts, and many more.
Fandom Fest represents a bold expansion of the popular Fright Night Film Fest, establishing several new tracks, genres, and a host of activities catering to pop culture, science fiction, steampunk, anime, costuming, and fantasy. The event builds upon Fright Night Film Fest’s strong horror legacy, growing from its inception in 2005 to become the third largest genre film festival in the United States.
Fandom Fest’s brand new Literary Track alone features over a hundred participating authors, covering over 55 expert panels, 20 workshops, and a large number of live readings, author signings, and book launches. From the current state of publishing, to intensive writing workshops, and workshops in topics like self-publishing and e-Book development, the panels and workshops of the Literary Track have something to offer attendees from all levels of experience. As a comprehensive learning, networking, and career development opportunity, Fandom Fest’s 2011 content is unprecedented in its region.
Major press authors such as Julie Kagawa (The Iron Faery Series), Molly Harper (Jane Jameson Series), Eric Wilson (Fireproof, Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy), Shirley Damsgaard (The Ophelia and Abby Mysteries), Michael Williams (one of the first DragonLance novelists), and Maurice Broaddus (Knights of Breton Court) are just a few examples of the well-established, award-winning authors from all across the United States who are attending.
(Julie Kagawa, of the Iron Faery Series)
(Molly Harper, of the Jane Jameson Series)
(Shirley Damsgaard, of the Ophelia and Abby Mysteries)
(Eric Wilson, of Fireproof and the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)
(Michael Williams, of multiple DragonLance novels and the new Trajan's Arch)
(Maurice Broaddus, of the Knights of Breton Court)
Editors and publishers of many levels round out the impressive list of track participants., The Literary Track’s sponsor is Belle Books/Bell Bridge Books, who also happen to be sponsoring the prestigious Dragon*Con’s 2011 Writer’s Track. The main genres being featured at Fandom Fest are primarily fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but the Literary Track programming caters to writers of any genre, with panelists from spheres such as mystery, romance, and even erotica.
The new gaming track unveils an array of panels, tournaments, special guests, and much more, debuting yet another new section of the event. Tabletop role-playing games, video games, board games, and even Live Action Role Playing are scheduled throughout the weekend with a strong team of gaming hosts. Attendees include representatives of highly regarded game companies/publishers such as DriveThruRPG, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, SilverMeet Studios, Hex Games, Beautiful Brains, and Blackwyrm Publishing.
A multitude of vendors will fill the concourses of the Fern Valley Hotel and Convention Center at Fandom Fest. Gaming stores, publishers, authors, crafts, production companies, memorabilia dealers, actors, artists, and much, much more will be available for convention attendees to browse and buy one-of-a-kind items from.
Even the live music portion of the event advances with a concert from international rock act Bella Morte, whose frontman, Andy Deane, is also a horror author appearing on the Literary Track. Fast rising heavy metal/hard rock prospect ZeroKing is slated to open for Bella Morte.
From gatherings of cast members from popular franchises like Revenge of the Nerds, Enter the Dragon, Jem, and The Walking Dead (including Tony Moore, artist and co-creator),to icons such as Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Christopher Reeve Superman films), Kane Hodder (Jason Vorhees in several Friday the 13th installments), and Larry Drake (Dark Night of the Scarecrow, Dr. Giggles, and Darkman), the list of attending film and media guests contains something for everyone. For the thousands in attendance, there will be more than enough to choose from in regards to programming, events, activities, parties, and celebrities.
Best of all, standard weekend passes are just $45 dollars, which is much less than the cost of genre events which are a small fraction of the size of Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest. In value, content, and affordability, Fandom Fest/Fright Night Film Fest is poised to become one of the top events of its kind in the United States.
For further information on the 2011 event, please visit www.fandomfest.com or www.frightnightfilmfest.com
Direct Links related to Literary and Gaming Tracks:
Literary Track Guests: http://www.fandomfest.com/literary-guests/
Literary Track Programming: http://www.fandomfest.com/literary-track/
Gaming Track Guests: http://www.fandomfest.com/gaming-guests/
Gaming Track Schedule and Programming: http://www.fandomfest.com/gaming/
Monday, May 9, 2011
Contest at SciFiChick.com and New Review at Realms and Galaxies
Hey everyone!
It has been extremely busy lately, with helping out with the public relations campaign (with C.C.) for Jackie Gamber's Redheart, along with my duties pulling the final Literary Track Grid together for Fandom Fest. The Fandom Fest Literary Track is going to be amazing! 53 panels, 20 workshops, over 90 panelists/guests, four book launch parties, six group signing sessions, 13 group reading sessions...and that's JUST the Literary Track. You don't want to miss Fandom Fest this summer (July 22-24 in Louisville, visit www.fandomfest.com )
I also have a couple pieces of good news to pass along to you, my wonderful reader friends...
first, there's a brand new contest being hosted by SciFiChick.com Great site, and I'm honored to be on it, and you can get your self BOTH Crown of Vengeance and Dream of Legends. Easy to register for the contest! Just go here:
http://scifichick.com/2011/05/09/book-giveaway-dream-of-legends-and-crown-of-vengeance/
Second, I just got word of a brand new review of Crown of Vengeance over at Realms and Galaxies, a site out of South Africa. This review had some amazing quotes, some I got a real kick out of like the one likening me to a "crime lord"... haha. You'll have to read the review to put it in context! here's the link:
http://davidjooste.blogspot.com/2011/05/crown-of-vengeance-stephen-zimmer.html
Things are definitely chugging on this end. Work is going great on the third Rising Dawn Saga book, with the final edits and such. I'll be hitting the road this weekend at Wonderfest in Louisville...won't be too far to go at least!
That's all for now! I'll check back in shortly!
It has been extremely busy lately, with helping out with the public relations campaign (with C.C.) for Jackie Gamber's Redheart, along with my duties pulling the final Literary Track Grid together for Fandom Fest. The Fandom Fest Literary Track is going to be amazing! 53 panels, 20 workshops, over 90 panelists/guests, four book launch parties, six group signing sessions, 13 group reading sessions...and that's JUST the Literary Track. You don't want to miss Fandom Fest this summer (July 22-24 in Louisville, visit www.fandomfest.com )
I also have a couple pieces of good news to pass along to you, my wonderful reader friends...
first, there's a brand new contest being hosted by SciFiChick.com Great site, and I'm honored to be on it, and you can get your self BOTH Crown of Vengeance and Dream of Legends. Easy to register for the contest! Just go here:
http://scifichick.com/2011/05/09/book-giveaway-dream-of-legends-and-crown-of-vengeance/
Second, I just got word of a brand new review of Crown of Vengeance over at Realms and Galaxies, a site out of South Africa. This review had some amazing quotes, some I got a real kick out of like the one likening me to a "crime lord"... haha. You'll have to read the review to put it in context! here's the link:
http://davidjooste.blogspot.com/2011/05/crown-of-vengeance-stephen-zimmer.html
Things are definitely chugging on this end. Work is going great on the third Rising Dawn Saga book, with the final edits and such. I'll be hitting the road this weekend at Wonderfest in Louisville...won't be too far to go at least!
That's all for now! I'll check back in shortly!
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