Dragon Con: Whirlwind Edition

This year, Pyr’s DragonCon experience was a bit different than usual. We did not have a booth, but plan to return as an exhibitor next year. And while our editorial director Lou Anders went to Lone Star Con in San Antonio, I--intrepid Pyr editorial assistant Rene Sears--went to Atlanta to host the annual all-Pyr panel in Lou’s place.

 

First slide of the slideshow

I drove up Friday morning and breezed through the on-site registration process with the help of the efficient DragonCon volunteer staff. On the way to the room the panel was in I ran into Clay and Susan Griffith. By the time the panel started, we were joined by Mike Resnick, E.C. Myers, copyeditor extraordinaire Gabrielle Harbowy, and Joel Shepherd, who, for the first time joined us from Australia. The panel was a look at some of the books we have out now and a glimpse at what's upcoming, including some spectacular cover art. The authors talked about their books, and Gabrielle and I got to talk about the books whose authors weren't able to be there. Mike Resnick had high praise for Lou both as an editor and for the work he does as art director for Pyr. The audience asked some great questions, discussion ranging from YA to the nature of humanity. Thank you to everyone who came.

E.C. Myers, Susan and Clay Griffith, Joel Shepherd,
Mike Resnick, Gabrielle Harbowy, and me

After the panel, the Pyr family made our annual pilgrimage to Max Lager's for dinner, and then dispersed for more panels and a look at the costumes of DragonCon. There's an amazing energy to DragonCon--all those people in downtown Atlanta because they love genre. The costumes are amazing, both those that reproduce a character in meticulous detail and those that riff on a character, playfully blending two (or more!) things to make an awesome third.   

Poor Robb Stark.

Although I had to leave Saturday morning, I tried to take a weekend's worth of pictures. More costumes below, and thanks again to our wonderful authors, and everyone who attended the panel. See you next year!

El Diablo Robotico

Evil Disney Queens

Epic!

For the Honor of Greyskull!

Me and Jean Grey

Cat Gabrielle and the Evil Unicorn

Rap Star Wars

Disco Star Wars

Athena

Stargate

Dragon*Con: Pyr Author Signing Schedule

Dragon*Con is next weekend, August 31 to September 3rd, in Atlanta, Georgia. We will be exhibiting in booth 709 in the Marriott Marquis Ballroom. On hand will be our authors Philippa Ballantine, Clay & Susan Griffith, Andrew P. Mayer, K.D. McEntire, E.C. Myers, Jon Sprunk, and Sam Sykes. Additionally, artist John Picacio will be around on Friday.

They'll be authors in and around the booth throughout the convention, but here is our signing schedule so you can be sure to get your books autographed at these times. Additionally, be sure to check out the "Pyr Rising" from 2:30 to 3:30 in the Hyatt Regency V room. We'll be showing lots of debut artwork and talking about our recent and forthcoming books.

Friday, August 31

2:30 – 3:30       Pyr Rising panel w/Lou Anders, Philippa Ballantine, K.D. McEntire, Sam Sykes, Jon Sprunk, and Andrew Mayer.  Location: Regency V – Hyatt

(LIZ- to fit master schedule signs you can cut all the participant names and just have time, panel name and location.)

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm        Artist JOHN PICACIO

4:00 – 5:00 pm              CLAY and SUSAN GRIFFITH

5:00 – 6:00 pm             K.D. McENTIRE

5:00 – 6:00 pm              SAM SYKES

Saturday, September 1

11:00 am - Noon           K.D. McENTIRE

11:00 am - Noon           JON SPRUNK

Noon – 1:00 pm            SAM SYKES

           

Noon – 1:00 pm            PHILIPPA BALLANTINE

1:00 – 2:00 pm             ANDREW MAYER

2:00 – 3:00 pm              CLAY and SUSAN GRIFFITH

                       

3:00 – 4:00 pm              JON SPRUNK

           

4:00 – 5:00 pm              E.C. MYERS

5:00 – 6:00 pm  ANDREW MAYER

Sunday, September 2

11:00 am - Noon           SAM SYKES

11:00 am - Noon           JON SPRUNK

Noon – 1:00 pm            ANDREW MAYER

1:00 – 2:00 pm              K.D. McENTIRE

           

1:00 – 2:00 pm              E.C. MYERS

2:00 – 3:00 pm              CLAY and SUSAN GRIFFITH

4:00 – 5:00 pm             PHILIPPA BALLANTINE

Update: On Saturday from 1:00 – 3:00 pm, E.C. Myers is signing at the SFWA table and so will not be appearing in the Pyr booth at that time.

Pyr Swag @ DragonCon

This year, at DragonCon, Pyr Books will be exhibiting in BOOTH 1601 of the Imperial Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis (265 Peachtree Cr Ave NE). We will be hosting signings in the booth, selling our books, and giving away a Pyr Sampler Book created especially for the convention (limited to 1000), as well as a very limited number of 5th Anniversary Lapel Pins. 

Pyr Sampler Book & Limited Edition 5th Anniversary Lapel Pin

Here is our signing schedule:

Fri 2pm: Jon Sprunk
Fri 3pm: Sam Sykes
Fri 4pm: James Enge

Sat 10:30 am: Clay and Susan Griffith

Sat 12 pm: James EngeSat 1 pm: Sam Sykes
Sat 2 pm: Jon Sprunk
Sat 3:30 pm: Clay and Susan Griffith

Sat 3pm - 5pm: Mike Resnick

Kay Kenyon Reading

Kay Kenyon will be reading from her latest book, Prince of Storms, at Seattle's University Bookstore on Wednesday, August 4th, from 7 to 8pm.

Prince of Storms concludes Kay Kenyon's epic quartet, The Entire and The Rose. All four books are now available in trade paperback. It makes a lovely set!

"One of the most captivating multi-universe, multi-cultural settings in science fiction history." -Greg L. Johnson, SF Site

Upcoming Author Appearances (Updated)

Jon Sprunk, author of Shadow's Son, has the following upcoming book signings:

• July 9 at Aaron's Books (Lititz, PA)
• July 16 at Borders Books (Wilmington, DE)
• July 30 at Borders Books (Harrisburg, PA -- Jonestown Rd.)

Matthew Sturges, author of The Office of Shadow, will be at the San Diego Comic Con, July 22-25th. End of the Century author Chris Roberson will also be attending.

UPDATE: Ian McDonald, author of  The Dervish House, will be reading and signing at the University Book Store, Seattle, WA, at 7pmon July 27, as part of the Clarion West Summer Reading Series.

Clay and Susan Griffith, authors of the forthcoming steampunk vampire pulp adventure urban fantasy, Vampire Empire: Book One the Greyfriar, will be attending NASFiC: North America Science Fiction Convention in Raleigh, NC Aug. 5 - 8.

And then at this year's DragonCon,  we are expected to have Mike Resnick, Jon Sprunk, Clay and Susan Griffith, James Enge, Erin Hoffman, Andrew P. Mayer, and Sam Sykes.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch signing at North by Northwest Books and Antiques

COME MEET  KRISTINE KATHRYN RUSCH

LINCOLN CITY’S

BEST KNOWN AUTHOR OF SCIENCE FICTION & MYSTERY

SATURDAY NOV. 21TH

AT 12.00 PM.
KRISTINE
WILL BE READING AND SIGNING
DIVING INTO THE WRECK

THE FIRST BOOK IN A WONDERFUL NEW SCIENCE FICTION SERIES.

STANDS UP TO THE BEST OF ASIMOV AND HEINLEIN

MEET “BOSS”, ONE OF THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION CHARACTERS SINCE LAZARUS LONG

Tense and gripping.... The endlessly enjoyable terror of dark, alien, empty spaces brimming with unknowable danger and impenetrable mystery should keep fans of the genre hooked

North by Northwest Books and Antiques

6334 S.HWY 101 #9
STREET CAR VILLAGE
LINCOLN CITY, OR 97367
541-994-6809
mcarthurca@earthlink.net


REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED
SINK YOUR TEETH INTO SHIPWRECK COOKIES

Matthew Sturges in the Wild

Matthew Sturges, signing Midwinteras well as his many famous graphic novels, at the Barnes and Noble in Round Rock, Texas. Matt reported via Twitter, "I have been totally upstaged by a middle school choir singing show tunes. I told them spinal tap first, puppet show LAST!"

Author Event: Matt Sturges Sigining @ B&N

Matthew Sturges, author of the fantasy novel Midwinter, will be signing at the Barnes and Noble in Round Rock, on Saturday April 18, 2009 at 2:00 PM.

The store is located at La Frontera Village, 2701 Parker Road Bldg A Suite 700, Round Rock, TX 78681, telephone number 512-600-0088. Here's a link to the event on the B&N website.

"Known for his talents as a writer of comic book series including House of Mystery and the Eisner Award-nominated Jack of Fables, Sturges turns his storytelling mastery to epic fantasy. With an enigmatic hero and a supporting cast of colorful and varied personalities, his latest work breathes new life into a genre too often stunted by stereotypical portrayals of good and bad creatures of the faerie realms. Joining Neil Gaiman in making the crossover from comics to prose fiction, Sturges represents a strong, new voice in fantasy." —Library Journal Starred review

Ian McDonald on the West Coast

Those of you on the west coast who want to catch Ian McDonald, he'll be signing at the Mysterious Galaxy Booth #614 at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held at the UCLA campus on Sunday, April 26, at noon.

David Louis Edelman Reading Tonight

The Barnes & Noble in the Spectrum Center in Reston, Virginia will be hosting David Louis Edelman tonight, Wednesday, September 17 at 7:00 pm. He’ll be reading from and signing copies of MultiReal.Come on by if you are in the area! The store is at 1851 Fountain Drive, Reston, VA 20190, phone number 703-437-9490.


Check out the recent praise for MultiReal:

• io9: “I’m in it for the long haul, because it feels like Edelman is writing about real people and real issues, in a thrilling, engaging way. And that’s rarer than it should be.”
• Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist: “This is one sequel that delivers! No middle book syndrome for David Louis Edelman… The Jump 225 trilogy remains one of the very best ongoing science fiction series on the market.”
• Bookgasm: “Infoquake’s strengths have carried over to its sequel… With Infoquake and MultiReal, [Edelman]’s got new archetypes aplenty, and he doesn’t need old tropes to slow him down.”
• Chicago Center for Literature and Photography: “(Rating: 8.8 out of 10) This is a series that genre fans will definitely want to check out, and an individual chapter here that could very well garner a Hugo nomination next year.”
• Through a Glass, Darkly: “Even for a reader who loves laser battles and big explosions, MultiReal still comes across as extremely satisfying and fun.”
• Death Ray Magazine (not online): “A mix of cyberpunk and The Wall Street Journal… Where Edelman does excel, and the true focus of the book, is exploring the economics and political powers behind new technologies, their development and routes to market and the social and moral implications of such advancements.”

Kay Kenyon on the Road

Kay Kenyon (Bright of the Sky, A World Too Near) is back from RadCon. Here is her report.

Missed seeing Kay? Then you can catch her at one of these:

ConDor, Feb 29-Mar 2, San Diego, CA.

OmegaCon, Mar 13- 16, Birmingham, AL

A Book For All Seasons, Saturday, Mar 22 1:00-3:00, Leavenworth, WA, signing.

Read It Again Books, Monday, Mar 24, 6:30 p.m.
11 Palouse St, Wenatchee, WA (509) 662-2093, signing

University Bookstore, Apr 9, 7:00 p.m., Seattle, WA, signing with Louise Marley also known as Toby Bishop of Airs Beneath the Moon fame.

Readercon, July 17 - 20, Burlington MA

World Fantasy, Oct 30 - Nov 2, Calgary, AB Canada

Moorcock & Picacio in Texas Signing

Michael Moorcock and John Picacio will be signing copies of the new, illustrated editon of Elric: The Stealer of Souls at Austin Books this Saturday. Copies of The Metatemporal Detective, with its matching Picacio cover illustration, will also be on hand, I'm told.

Details:

Austin Books
5002 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78751
Austin Books · info@austinbooks.com · (512) 454-4197

Saturday, February 23rd, 4pm-7pm

On the Road: John Picacio & Michael Moorcock, Part II

John Picacio reports from the road:

Great times in Austin, Texas yesterday...Mike Moorcock and I signed copies of The Metatemporal Detectiveat BookPeople, the largest independent bookstore in Texas. Mike did a short reading from the book, and then answered a wide range of questions from the audience. Amongst the topics discussed -- the origins of Elric; his theories on magic; the status of the developing Elric film project; his relationship with the Weitz brothers; his days with Hawkwind; why people should read Barry Bayley; and much, much more.

After that, we signed lots of copies of The Metatemporal Detectiveand hey, even some copies of my artbook, Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio. Mike's birthday isn't until Dec. 18th, but that didn't stop us from celebrating with a decadent Chocolate Eruption cake, sponsored by The Metatemporal Detective'sever-loving publisher, Pyr. Damn good. Here's what it basically looked like, but much bigger (scroll down the link above for "Chocolate Eruption").

After such a fine dessert, Linda Moorcock suggested we have dinner at Hyde Park Grill....fried egg sandwiches; buttermilk-battered fries; Kobe beef burgers; chicken fried steak; corn & cheese tamales; sirloin burgers smothered in cheddar cheese and scallions....so good. If you attended the signing, thanks for coming out, and if you missed out, maybe we'll try to do it again in '08 when Elric The Stealer of Soulsreleases in February.

On the Road: Kenyon, Latner, Moorcock, and Resnick

A quick round-up of where to author appearances:

Kay Kenyon (Bright of the Sky, A World Too Near)

Feb. 15-17Radcon/Pasco, WA
Feb 29-Mar 2 ConDor/ San Diego, CA
Mar 13- 16 OmegaCon/ Birmingham, AL
July 17 - 20Readercon/ Burlington MA
October 30 - Nov 2 World Fantasy/ Calgary, AB Canada

Alexis Glynn Latner (Hurricane Moon)

Jan. 2 Bay Area Writers' League/Clear Lake City, TX appearance as speaker
Feb. 28 Fondren Library/Houston, TX
Apr. 25-27 Nebula Awards/Austin, TX
Jun. 27-29 ApolloCon/Houston, TX
Aug. 15-17 ArmadilloCon/Austin, TX

Michael Moorcock (The Metatemporal Detective)

Dec. 8 Book People/Austin, TX 3 pm featuring Moorcock and Illustrator John Picacio

Mike Resnick (Starship: Mercenary, Starship: Mutiny; Starship: Pirate; New Dreams for Old; Ivory)

Jan. 18-20 ConFusion/Flint, MI
Jan. 25-27 CoSine/Colorado Springs, CO
Feb. 14-17 CapriCon/Chicago, IL
Mar. 14-16 OmegaCon/Birmingham, AL
May 30-Jun. 1 ConCarolinas/Charlotte, NC
Jun. 26-29 Midwestcon/Cincinnati, OH
Aug. 6-10 Worldcon/Denver, CO
Oct. 2008 ConStellation/Huntsville, AL Mike will be the Toastmaster

On the Road: John Picacio & Michael Moorcock

Via John Picacio's blog, On the Front:

This is gonna be fun. Michael Moorcock and I will be signing copies of his new hardcover release THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE on Saturday, Dec. 8th at 3pm at the largest bookstore in Texas, BookPeople / Austin, TX. (Store location details here.) In addition, I'll be bringing a few of my original drawings from the forthcoming release of ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS. (Rumor has it, we may also be celebrating Mike's birthday early, with free chocolate cake all around.)

Here's a recent pic of a BookPeople shelf display featuring "Great Illustration & Design Books." Needless to say, I'll be happy to personalize copies of this book as well. :)

Kay on the Road, Again

Kay Kenyon reports on this past weekend's Orycon in Portland, Oregon, and the subsequent SF/F AuthorFest at Powell's Books. She writes: "Orycon was in fine form this year, with GOH Robert Charles Wilson, among others. I was there too, and signed a few books and one robot. This yet-to-be-named robot will soon sport hundreds of sf/f fantasy author signatures. It will be auctioned off at a major venue like World Con or the RadCon Toxic Waste Party for the benefit of the Endeavour Award. (Won this weekend by Robin Hobb.)" Here is Kay and the unnamed robot (left).

Meanwhile, at the Powell's AuthorFest, Kay signs Bright of the Sky next to the wonderful Mary Rosenblum, on hand with her novel Horizons. Also pictured on the left, Eldon Thompson.

In related Kenyon news, Calico Reaction has read Bright of the Sky and says, "Let me just start off by praising her ability to create real, individual characters from the start. ....what amazed me with Bright of the Sky is that every character, no matter how minor, reads like a real, individual person from the moment you meet him/her...."

Which is very nice. And she continues:

"Another reason this book's worth the effort is the amazing complexity of the world-building. This world (story, characters, EVERYTHING) is so intricate that I can only marvel at the revelation of it. I know I sound over the top, but if you sit down with this book and start reading, you start to realize just how deep the world-building goes. ...I'm really impressed."

And that's nice too. And finally:

"There's a weight to this book, a depth, that really drew me in from the start. It's not a fast read in that the prose flies off the page, but it's by no means a slow read either. It's a book you want to savor and absorb, gathering all the information and clues you can, because the story and characters and EVERYTHING is so damn complex. I keep saying that, I know, but it is. Just when you think you know what's at stake, you find out that you really don't. And that's what keeps you reading."

And that's nice enough for one blog post.

Kay Kenyon and 13 other authors

Kay Kenyon will be part of a huge "authorfest" at the Powell's Books store at Cedar Hill Crossing, tomorrow, Nov 14th.

Here are the details: Local/NW Sci-Fi Authorfest

Fourteen science fiction writers — all on one, crazy night! Please join us for this special night, featuring: Lilith Saintcrow, Saint City Sinners (Orbit); Ken Scholes, Best New Fantasy 2 (Prime Books); Andy Mangels and Michael Martin, The Star Trek: Titan series (Pocket Books); Kay Kenyon, Bright of the Sky (Pyr); Phyllis Radford, the Dragon Nimbus series (Daw); Jay Lake, Mainspring (Tor); David Levine, Year's Best Science Fiction 24 (St. Martin's); Eldon Thompson, Legend of Asahiel series (Eos); Mike Shepherd, Audacious (Ace Books); Dal Perry, Gangster Conspiracy (Roc); Mary Rosenblum, Horizons (Tor); Ru Emerson, a contributor to the Bard's Tale universe (Baen Books) and multiple anthologies; and John Bunnell.

Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. (800) 878-7323

Then she'll be heading to Orycon 29 for the weekend at the Portland Marriott Waterfront,1401 SW Naito Parkway, Portland OR 97201, this coming November 16th - 18th.

David Louis Edelman at PhilCon 2007

Infoquake author David Louis Edelman will be appearing at next weekend's PhilCon convention, held at the Sheraton City Center Hotel, in Philadelphia. Dave writes, "I'm currently planning on being there from Friday afternoon, November 16 through early Saturday evening, November 17. I'll be appearing on 'The Obligatory Philip K. Dick Panel; and 'Promoting Yourself,' and moderating panels on 'Why I Decided to Start a Blog' and 'How to Sell Your First Novel.'

How to Do a Book Tour

Kay Kenyon, author of Bright of the Sky, posts some funny but instructive thoughts on How To Do a Book Tour. My favorite? "If you have strangled a spaniel, leave quickly."

And for those who want to catch her on the road, Kay will be at the following upcoming locations:

May 29 University Book Store/Seattle WA with author Brenda Cooper 7 pm
May 30 Village Books/Bellingham WA 7 pm
May 31 Third Place Books/Lake Forest Park WA with author Toby Bishop (Louise Marley) 7 pm
June 1 Village Books/Bellingham, WA
July 5-8 Readercon/Burlington, MA

Catch Kay on Tour

Kay Kenyon has a string of appearances coming up in support of her new sci-fantasy, Bright of the Sky.

Come see her if you are nearby! And if you can't make it, you can always order signed copies from these great stores.

• Apr. 15 A Book For All Seasons/Leavenworth, WA 1-3 pm
• Apr. 17 Read it Again Books/Wenatchee, WA 7 pm
• May 19 Bookworm/Richland WA 11:30 am
• May 19 Inklings/Yakima WA 4 pm
• May 29 University Book Store/Seattle WA, with Brenda Cooper, author of The Silver Ship and The Sea 7 pm
• May 30 Village Books/Bellingham WA 7 pm
• May 31 Third Place Books/Lake Forest Park WA, with Toby Bishop (Louise Marley) author of Airs Beneath the Moon 7 pm