In case you didn’t know, I’m a huge of Toho’s Godzilla franchise. I have been since high school. With a few exceptions, I consider these movies to be some of my guilty pleasures.
That being said, this week I reviewed the new American film–which I loved–not once, but twice (and there may be a third!) First, I wrote a review for GIGA Geek Magazine. The second, however, was the most fun. I was the guest host on the “Strangers and Aliens” podcast with my friend and fellow Christian writer and Godzilla fan, Ben Avery. I enjoyed it so much, I want to be on his show again. š You can listen to it here.
What will the third one be? Most likely an overdue new vlog! (Until then, you can watch my review of last summer’s Pacific Rim).
And for all you kaijuĀ fans out there, be sure to check out my own giant monster story, Destroyer.
Long time, so see! I need to update this my site more often. I think I should post at least one post a week. Perhaps on Wednesdays? If something else comes up, I’ll obviously be posting that ASAP. As I say in my vlog, “but I digress.”
I now have two more appearances booked in the coming months. First, I will be at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for their Author Fair. Not only I be there, but my friend and co-author Nick Hayden will also be present! We’ll be selling books and mingling with readers. The event is November 9, 2013, from noon-4pm. Ā Learn more about it here. Here aĀ Poster & flyer for public to attend.
On January 16, 2014, I will return to the Roanoke Public Library in Roanoke, Indiana, where I had a signing during its grand opening. (Sadly, Governor Pence didn’t show up). But this time its not for a signing. I’ll be giving a 90-minute lecture on how to write fantasy. Think of it as an interactive, extended episode of my vlog! Exciting times!
I’m a writer, and I can’t find the words to express how fun Gen-Con was this year! Here’s a video compilation of the fun things I did and crazy/amazing people I met. Thanks Eric Anderson and Darrin Ball for joining me on this adventure!
You may remember that I went to Gen-Con last year. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Well, I’ll be returning this year. The convention is this weekend, August 15-18, in Indianapolis, Indiana. It’s being held at the Indiana Convention Center, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Lucas Oil Stadium (where the Colts play). I’ll be selling copies of my books–including Pandora’s Box–and promoting Children of the Wellsin the vendors’ area all four days. The hours will 10am-6pm Thursday-Saturday (9am for VIGs Thursday) and 10am-4pm Sunday. I will be taking breaks to attend a few events and meet Walter Koenig (the original Chekhov!) and Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor!), but this year I’m bringing my friend Eric as an assistant, so he’ll be manning my table if I’m not there. (Thanks, Eric!)
By the way, I’ll be cosplaying as a different sci-fi/comic book hero each day of the convention. Who will they be? Come to Gen-Con to find out!
Gen Con Indy is the original, longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world!
For more than 45 years, Gen Con Indy has set the trend in gaming and has broken attendance records. Last year, more than 134,775 turnstile and 41,000 unique attendees experienced Gen Con Indy.
Featuring game industry veterans, award-winning authors and artists, jaw-dropping costumes, thousands of events, a growing Family Fun Pavilion, and the newest games on the market, Gen Con truly is The Best Four Days in Gamingā¢!
Gen Con is more than just a convention, however. It’s a passion, a community, and a unique experience that keeps people coming back for decades.
Learn more about the convention at its website here.
See you there!
If I don’t, I’ll do my best to post daily updates!
I’ve been meaning to announce this for some time, but I’ve been ironing out a few details first.
I will have a book signing at the new Roanoke Public Library in Roanoke, Indiana. It will be atĀ the library’s new location. Moving to this new place has been a big community undertaking, so much so that Indiana’s newly-elected governor is scheduled to appear! Yes, True Believers, Mike Pence will be at this signing! You what’s even better? I actually like him as governor!
The signing will be May 4 from 10am-3pm. Come buy copies of my books or bring your own so I can sign them–for free! (My signatures are always free).
Due to yet more scheduling issues, I must unfortunately postpone my book signing at The next Chapter Bookseller in Warsaw, Indiana, once again. I haven’t determined a new date, but it’ll most likely be the first Friday of April. My apologies for the inconvenience. I will keep you updated on new developments.
UPDATE: The book signing has been tentatively rescheduled for April 5, 2013. Stay tuned for more updates.
A couple quick bits of news for you, True Believers.
First, I’ve unfortunately had to delay my next book signing. It will still be held at Next Chapter Bookseller in Warsaw, Indiana, but due to scheduling issues, it has been postponed until March 1. I promise I will be there, though.
In better news, I’ve discovered that my novel, Pandora’s Box, is now available on the Amazon Kindle! I don’t know when this happened (Hades Publications never informed me), but I’m very happy it is now an eBook. Click here to buy it.
A few weeks ago, I discovered a little used bookstore in Warsaw, Indiana, called the Next Chapter. I learned they host signings for authors, so I immediately scheduled a signing. But not only will I be there, my Destroyer and The Day After co-authors and friends Nick and Natasha Hayden will be there, too! (I’m going to try to get another one of my co-authors to come, but I haven’t talked to him yet). We’ll be selling and signing copies of those books as well as my novel,Ā Pandora’s Box.
The signing will be part of the bookstore’s First Fridays event on February 1, 2013, from 5:30pm-7:30pm (or so). We’ll be selling our books at discounted prices. Don’t miss this opportunity to have Destroyer and The Day After signed by multiple authors!
After a day or two of rummaging through pictures and fighting with WordPress, I’ve posted a gallery of photos from my time at Gen-Con last month. I apologize for the poor quality of some of them. I had to use an old digital camera and my iPhone to snap pictures. The photos are also out of order. I haven’t yet figured out how to re-order them with my photos plug-in yet.
Regardless, they’ve been posted for your enjoyment. Click here to view the gallery.
Finally getting fed up with parking garages and their fees, I decided I would park closer to Lucas Oil Stadium. It meant walking a block to get to the Indiana Convention Center (I probably walked just as much getting out of the garage), but it was half the price. I also had to go in through a different entrance on the opposite end of the ICC, which left me a little confused, but I found my way around.
The first event I attended was an unusual one: a Christian worship service. It was put on by the Christian Gamersā Guild, a ministry that works with people who play role-playing games. Iād say that about 200 people attended. There I learned more about the CGG and their sister ministry, Fans For Christ. I was excited to learn there were three (them and GameChurch) reaching out this the nerd/geek subculture, which has been ignored by the mainstream church for years. Anyway, we sang a few classic hymns and had communion using little packets of grape juice with wafers on top. Then we got to hear a sermon from Derek W. White the āgeek preacher.ā He began by showing everyone his new pair of dice, which heād bought from one of the vendors. One was a 10-sided dye with the Ten Commandments, and the other was a 14-sided dye with the seven deadly sins and the seven great virtues. āSo together, this is my random sermon generator,ā he said, rolling the dice. āI can get 140 sermons out of this.ā Someone in the audience added, āSo, is humility a d10 or a d20?ā He used Hitchhikerās Guide to the Galaxy as his illustration.
(I just realized watching the video that you can hear me because I sat next to the cameraman!)
With 10 a.m. fast approaching, I hurried to the exhibitorsā hallāand ran into this little punk:
I swear he tried to exterminate me just because I insulted him!
This is the Dalek owned by Who North America. Iād seen it a few times during the convention, but Iād never seen it do anything. I walked by it and saw that its head was swiveling around, as if surveying the scene. I got my camera out to snap a pictureāand it looked right at me. I stepped to the sideāit followed me. Hereās what followed:
Me: It must have a motion sensor. It follows me. Dalek: This Dalek has a mutant detector!
Yes, True Believers, not only could it movie, it could talk! I donāt know if it has pre-programmed responses or if someone (Nick Briggs?) was hiding somewhere and improvising lines in response. So, I decided to mess with it.
Me: Howās the extermination business? Dalek: Humans are easy to exterminate!
I went to my table and went back about an hour later. This time, I decided I would really mess with the Dalek by insulting it. This was my best exchange with it.
Me: Why donāt you use that plunger to do something useful, like unplug a toilet? Dalek: Daleks do not make house calls!
I asked someone at the Who North America booth how they got the thing to talk, and he replied, āWe tickle its chin.ā āGood answer,ā I said.
I returned to my table, and a few hours of slow book sales followed. It was easily the slowest day of the convention. I was chatting with someone, trying to make another sale, when what I guess you could call a band of traveling minstrels called Water Street Bridge entered my row and broke out into song in front of my booth! āParty at your table!ā the patron said. Their music I would describe as folksy, although on their website they say they play even more. I’d post a video of their performance, but it’s too large to post on this site (lame!).
Their violinist seems to be the most talented. She is crazy! She broke her bow right as they finished. Regardless, their performance was a great surprise. Hereās a picture:
Here’s the band, clad in “Angry Birds” hats. (I apologize for the photo’s poor quality).
The convention officially ended at 4 p.m. I packed up, did some book exchanges, purchased a few things, said goodbye to my fellow writers, and headed out. Thankfully, my boxes were much lighter than they were when I arrived. I had around 80 books total, and left with less than half of them. This was good because I had to watch a bit farther to get to my car.
I miss the convention. It was invigorating going to something so fun and nerdy. Creativity saturated the air with all the cosplayers, gamers, writers, artists, and musicians. It wasā¦intoxicating. If itās possible to get drunk on creativity, I did. It was great fun being among thousands of like-minded people.
Regardless, I also realized how much this subculture needs Jesus Christ. While most of the people there were kind and considerate, there was still immorality. Thatās why I was glad to learn about three ministries working in this subculture. I hope to somehow get involved with them in any way I can. Perhaps I have found my mission field.
::steps down from soapbox::
So, there you have it. Gen-Con. It was so much fun, I signed up to return to sell books next year! Iād like to take an assistant with me, so if any of you are interested, drop me a line and Iāll put you in contention.
COMING SOON: My first vlog! The topic: selling books at conventions.
A Man from Another Time Exploring Another Universe
