Lunch With The Authors

Lunch With the Authors

Just a heads-up, gang -- on April the 22nd, I'll be taking part of a 'Lunch with the Authors' event at the Collierville Morton Museum in Collierville, Tennessee.

I'll be one of the seven authors reading from our books and discussing the mysterious ways of the publishing industry. We'll also be signing books and taking questions, so if you're anywhere near Collierville on the 22nd and have some free time between noon and 3 PM, drop by the Museum!

I'm excited about this event. The other authors are an amazing bunch, and frankly I can't wait to ask them a few questions myself. There's Steve Bradshaw, author of the Bell trilogy, Lisa Turner, author of A Little Death in Dixie, and a host of other great writers. 

I'm still deciding what I'll be reading from. Probably one of the Markhat books. Any suggestions are welcome!

MisSouthCon Update

MidSouthCon 33 is just a couple of weeks away! I'm really looking forward to meeting some of my online friends in person for the first time. Heck, I may even shave, and put on shoes.

The Guests of Honor list this year is truly impressive, despite my presence within it. Here's a brief rundown of the guests:

Cory Doctorow, Author Guest of Honor.

You don't need me to tell you who Cory Doctorow is. All I have to do is glance at my bookshelf to see his titles leaping out. Little Brother, Rapture of the Nerds, Homeland -- just being in the same room with Mr. Doctorow will probably give me a +5 boost on my Avoiding Adverbs roll. He's that good. Better than that good.

Melissa Gay, Artist Guest of Honor

Wow. Here's a link to Melissa's webpage, at which you can view some of her amazing art. Click www.melissagay.com to see what I mean. Her line art is maybe my favorite -- especially this one, which reminds me of Markhat sneaking down a dark Rannite alley.

Melissa is so cool one of her works was even featured on io9 last week. If you don't visit io9 regularly, you should -- it's a wonderfully entertaining and informative mishmash of media, art, and science news! Melissa's piece is her version of Red Sonja, and Melissa rightly put some clothes on the woman, because CLOTHES, people. Melissa's Red Sonja art.

Ethan Van Sciver, Comics Artist

Ethan's comic art includes work on The Green Lantern, Batman, and Superman, which means he can basically recite those names, drop the mic, and strut offstage to massive applause. Batman. Need I say more? No, I do not! 

Dragon Dronet, Costuming/Media Guest of Honor

You guys know I like making SF/fantasy props. But Dragon Dronet not only makes wildly inventive props for TV and films, he's also a stuntman and an action choreographer. He's worked on Star Trek, Babylon 5, and a slew of other titles you'd recognize instantly. I can't wait to see what he thinks about my steampunk ghostbuster backpack!

Elizabeth Donald, Editor Guest of Honor

Elizabeth Donald is a rare bird. She's a fiction writer, newspaper columnist, and now an editor. That's a lot of hats for the same head! She's also a fellow Darrell Award winner, and I'm looking forward to pestering her with the endless stream of questions that occur whenever a writer manages simultaneously get an editor in a room and block the room's only exit. 

Ethan Siegel, Science Guest of Honor

Ethan Siegel's Spartan cosplay is impressive, but not nearly as impressive as his academic resume. Ethan has a PhD in theoretical astrophysics, writes a monthly column for NASA, and maintains one of the best science blogs out there. Check it out at Starts with a BANG!

Santiago Cirilo, Special Guest of Honor

Special Guest Santiago Cirilo's achievements run the gamut from 101st Airborne Infantry to Special Forces translator to maker of personal guitars for Kid Rock and Keith Urban. Another polymath, Santiago is a skeptic, a voracious reader, and a pursuer of knowledge.

Frank Tuttle, Toastmaster

Doubtlessly added to the list as the result of a clerical error. Frank Tuttle is widely known as 'that guy over there, no wait, not him, the other one.' Frank's writing has appeared in various magazines, usually before they vanished forever without comment. Critical acclaim for Frank's novels would come as a surprise to everyone, including Frank himself. But it must be noted that Frank has procured a sweet hat for the Con. 

Latest Pics of the Steampunk BackPack

Below are the latest shots. Yes, my workbench gets messy when I'm working on a piece. Oddly enough, it stays neat between projects, but this view is the result of hours of work. I could have moved the pack and thrower to the rug for the pic, but Petey was taking a nap and also I am lazy.

That's it for today! Be safe out there people.