The new games industry trade show, Games Expo, has its website up. It looks like they have a great lineup of exhibitors and speakers already, and the show’s not until March 18—22, 2007. It’s mostly only open to professionals involved in the industry, but I hear they will have some days open for members of National Games Week (which runs …

I’ve seen a number of reports today that John M. Ford died yesterday. I never knew John (or Mike, as his friends apparently called him), but I enjoyed his work. While he’s probably better known for his fiction these days, he also did a fair amount of game design, mostly for GURPS. He co-wrote GURPS: Infinite Worlds with Steve Jackson …

I’ll be at this year’s Wisconsin Book Festival, wandering around beautiful downtown Madison on Friday, October 20. I’ve been scheduled for a short reading and signing as part of the Wisconsin Publishers Showcase. You can find me in the Memorial Library Auditorium from 2:30 to 2:45 PM. I’m happy to sign anything you might bring, although I should have a …

While poking around for links on Western Hero, I spotted this tidbit on the website of fellow Black Library author James Swallow. It’s under the notes for his weird western novel Ghost Town, published back in 2001: * Forbeck Pass, one of the towns Doc Harper mentions, is a nod to Matt Forbeck, whose Western Hero was a useful resource …

Wizards of the Coast just started its annual open call for fiction submissions for its upcoming speculative fiction imprint. You have until January 1, but if you have a manuscript that would fit, I suggest getting on it sooner than later. If they accept your submission, which includes the first three chapters of your book, they’ll want the whole thing …

My friends at Raven Software (now a division of Activision) are hard at work on the new Marvel: Ultimate Alliance videogame. I saw a preview of this at Comic-Con, and it’s stunning stuff, up to Raven’s usual high standards. I somehow ended up with a fistful of invitations to the game’s VIP site. If anyone out there is interested in …

For those aspiring authors out there, the Black Library is holding a new short-story competition. Winning entries will be purchased for a new Warhammer anthology based around the theme of invasion. The deadline is October 11, 2006. Unlike many other competitions, you don’t need to submit a full story from the get-go. You only have to come up with a …

The saga continues on August 12, 2006.

The folks at the North Suburban Library District have asked me to come speak during their upcoming Teen Read Week in October. I’ll be at the Roscoe, IL, branch (at 5562 Clayton Circle) on Monday, October 16, from 6:30—7:30 PM, and at the same time at the Loves Park, IL, branch (at 6340 North 2nd Street) on Wednesday, October 18. …

Brian L. Bird asks of concepts for new games: Define stunningly good? Also what is your take on the future of roleplaying games? Stunningly good games break molds, form new categories, and are strong enough to inspire others to sign on, either as employees or investors. Such ideas are rare, of course, and it’s hard to recognize them when they …