The Gen Con Writers’ Symposium

The Gen Con Writers’ Symposium just launched a spanking-new website for this year’s events. I’ll be taking part in it again this year, helping out with four slots. Tossing this on top of my guest of honor seminars and my other duties/events makes for a busy Gen Con weekend, but that’s how I love it.

My Gen Con Writers’ Symposium schedule.

August 4

2 PM: Roleplaying Games Make Better Writers

3PM: Writing RPG Short Stories and Novels

August 5

3 PM: Swords and Sorcery

4 PM: Pick Our Brains: Matt Forbeck and Tobias Buckell

I hope to see you there!

Vegas Knights Cover Released

My fine publishers at Angry Robot sent me the final cover to Vegas Knights today, which you can see right here. It looks much like the preview covers sent out earlier with just a few tiny tweaks.

Many publishers don’t give the author much of a chance to give feedback about the cover at all, but Angry Robot has been excellent about this. We went through a number of rounds of concepts before settling on this one and then letting the cover designers over at Spring London go nuts with it. I love it.

The book is due out in March in the UK and April in the US. Can’t wait for you to read it!

Apex Books Reviews Amortals

At Apex Books, Jennifer Brozek–a fine writer whose The Little Finance Book That Could sits on my to-read shelf right now–gives Amortals a sweet review, after which she goes on to interview me about the book. The conversation ranges from the themes behind the book to the kind of music I listened to while writing it. Jenn gives Amortals a strong four out of five Alien Heads and writes:

Forbeck’s ability to world-build on the fly is excellent, his writing is immersive, and his pacing is crisp. Amortals is a good read all the way around.

Speaking for Star Trek: Tim Russ!

Yesterday, I arc-welded the final rivet into the great spaceship of fun that is Star Wars vs. Star Trek. I lined up a writer for the Star Trek foreword for the book: Tim Russ!

Most Star Trek fans remember Tim as Tuvok, the Vulcan chief of security on Star Trek: Voyager, but he actually played a number of Star Trek roles. He was a mercenary on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a Klingon on an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and a Starfleet lieutenant on the Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. Because of that, he’s tied with five other actors for appearing in the highest number of Star Trek seasons (10), and he’s shared screen time with six different Starfleet captains, more than any other actor.

Tim was a Trekkie before he became a Trek actor, and he’s continued on with that after the end of the shows. He even directed and starred in the most ambitious Star Trek fan film to date: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.

Tim devotes a lot of his time to directing and singing these days, but he’s also acted in a stunning number of shows, including ER, CSI, Without a Trace, General Hospital, and even Hannah Montana. He also appeared in Live Free or Die Hard and voiced a character for Dragon Age: Origins. Most recently, he’s had recurring roles as Frank the doorman on Samantha Who? and (the role my kids know him for) Principal Franklin on iCarly.

So, it’s Tuvok vs. Boba Fett. Who’d win?

Project 16:49 Fundraiser

My wife Ann is the homeless student liaison for the School District of Janesville, a city about 15 miles north of us. As part of that, she’s involved with an effort to set up a shelter for homeless teens, an effort called Project 16:49. An article in yesterday’s Beloit Daily News covers one part of the fundraising initiative: a benefit concert to be held at the Marine Corps League on January 29. If you’re in the area and would like to help out, be sure to attend. Besides all the music, there’s a raffle with some cool prizes too. (If you’re on Facebook, you can find details there too.)

Of course, if you’re not going to be around or just don’t care for such events, you can still donate to the cause. I spent a good chunk of my weekend setting up a website for Project 16:49. It now comes with a bright and shiny “Donate” button, so please chip in if you can.

Project 16:49 gets its name from Sixteen Forty-Nine, a documentary created by local director R. E. Burgos that tells the story of three homeless teens here in Beloit. It’s both heartbreaking and motivating at the same time. Ann and her partners at Project 16:49 have been showing the film to various groups around the area, and it never fails to move everyone who sees it.

Sixteen Forty-Nine‘s next public showing is at the Beloit International Film Festival, the weekend of February 17—20. If you can make it, it’s well worth the effort.

So, where does that odd title come from? For a homeless teen, being in school is often the safest and best part of their day. Getting through the rest of the day is the long slog, wondering where they’re going to go, what they can find to eat, and where they’re going to sleep. From the moment they leave school one night and return the next morning, it’s sixteen hours and forty-nine minutes.

Star Wars vs Star Trek Update

My next nonfiction book, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, has a page up on its publisher’s website. I just noticed it’s filed under “Humor.” Man, I wish they’d told me that earlier. (See, there’s a joke right there. That one’s free. Tip your servers.)

Adams Media also put up a larger version of the cover, which you can see here. My guess is that this isn’t the final cover, mostly because it doesn’t feature the names of the two actors I’ve lined up to write forewords for the book. According to Amazon, the book ships on May 18, but Adams has it down as shipping April 30.

This should make for a wild April for me. Vegas Knights hits the US in early April, G.I. Joe: Tales from the Cobra Wars shows up in the middle of the month, and Star Wars vs. Star Trek arrives at the end. I have a slew of convention appearances planned in March and April. I hope to see you on the road.

As for those forewords I mentioned, I’m pleased to announce that Jeremy Bulloch is writing the one for the Star Wars side. Among his many accomplishments as an actor, Jeremy played Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, bringing the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter to the screen for the first time. Jeremy – ever an excellent and generous gentleman – wrote a great piece for the book, and I can’t wait for you to read it.

I’ve lined up an actor for the Star Trek side of the book too. Hopefully I’ll be able to announce that bit of news soon.

Cybermage Gives Amortals 5 Stars

I know, it’s looking like all Amortals all the time on my website, but what can I say? The book just hit the US, and I’m more than a bit thrilled about it. I’m truly grateful for the reception it’s getting.

To those of you who enjoyed the book and take time to tell others about it – whether in person or online via Twitter, Amazon, Good Reads, or your own site – THANK YOU! That’s the best kind of support any author could ask for.

Case in point: Over at Cybermage, Ove Jansson gives Amortals a fantastic review, which he cross-posted on Good Reads and Amazon, making sure the most possible people can read it. He gives the book five stars and calls it:

[A] fast paced and action packed story that touches on murder cults, old enemies, love, assassination attempts, cover-ups, hidden agendas and a bigger picture… [I] highly recommend it both to thrill seeking and cerebral readers of science fiction.

That’s a great spread of reader appeal. Thanks, Ove!