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When I first got home from StokerCon, I wrote:
Home from StokerCon. I did not win a stoker award for my YA novel, NEVER LET ME SLEEP. John Dixon did for his, and he is a complete sweetie. But, I didn’t walk away empty-handed. I got to see old friends like Lucy A. Snyder and Jonathan Maberry, meet new friends, pitch the Melissa Allen series to a producer, have an in-depth conversation with an agent, meet Gini Koch, got asked to write a short story, and finished red lining my Shadowrun novel. It was a good convention.
My thoughts haven’t changed. It was a good convention. It was the first time I’ve been thanked by a winner of a major award during their acceptance speech. Lucy gave me a shout out and I appreciate it.
However, I hate the Vegas strip. I can’t say I hate Vegas. I spent time with my friend Drake in the north end of Vegas and it was lovely, if hot and dry. You can buy a lot of house for a lot less money than you can in the Seattle area.
That said, I won’t ever move out of the Pacific Northwest if I can help it. Monday, when I was taking out the trash, I had an honest-to-goodness “Calvin and Hobbes Trash Moment.” I dropped the trash in the can, then stopped and realized how quiet it was. I could only hear birdsong. Not even cars at that moment. The sky was filled with light grey clouds, bringing a depth the world around me. I could actually fill the moisture in the air. After 5 days in Vegas, it was exactly what I needed to truly appreciate where I live.
I’m home now. I’m catching up on email and other notices.
Here’s a really great review of NEVER LET ME from Amazon. This is the kind of review that makes my heart sing.
Also, my location supplement, Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Island, has been nominated for d-Infinity Independent Game Awards for best RPG supplement. I’m not going to win. It’s one of those click to vote popularity things but I’m happy to have been nominated.
Bubble and Squeek is full of all kinds of good news. It helps me get over this terrible throat thing (“acute pharyngitis”) I’ve been dealing with. Thank goodness for antibiotics. I am no longer contagious and will be at Norwescon.
Article: Never Let Me Sleep got a shout out in this article: 13 Horror Books that Might Be the Next Hit Movie. Can I just say, “Yes, please.”?
Audible: All three Melissa Allen books (Never Let Me Sleep, Never Let Me Leave, Never Let Me Die) are available for pre-order on Audible! My first audiobook series. This is thrilling and terrifying.
Award: I’ve won 2nd place in the 2016 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award Contest! The thing I really like about this contest (besides that it is free to enter) is the fact that it is a blind read. It is the story that won. Not the author’s rep or connections.
Pre-Order: The Usual Path to Publication edited by Shannon Page. My own essay, “No One True Way,” has three different examples of how I sold something to be published.
Release: Happy book release day to me. The Karen Wilson Chronicles ebook and paperback omnibus! It has all four KWC novels, every Kendrick story written (even the ones not in the four KWC books), and a new John Corso story. It’s pretty hefty and can be used as a bludgeoning instrument. I am so proud of this book!
Release: Speaking of the Karen Wilson Chronicles omnibus, it is also available in a Signed, Limited Edition Hardback form. We will only sell these at conventions (like Norwescon) and on the AIP website. Once they are gone, they are gone.
Reminder: I will be at Norwescon this weekend and here is my schedule. Hope to see you there.
Here is my Norwescon schedule. If I am not at a panel, I will be at the Apocalypse Ink Productions table in Author Avenue. Come say hello, buy books, and get them signed. I’m happy to chat with you. Don’t be shy around me.
Thu 8:00 PM-10:00 PM – Cascade 12
Writers Workshop: Practicing Your Pitch
Jennifer Brozek (M)
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Fri 3:00 PM-4:00 PM – Cascade 9
Why Editors Pass
Phoebe Kitanidis (M), Jennifer Brozek, Betsy Wollheim, Sheila Gilbert
Fri 4:00 PM-5:00 PM – Cascade 10
Diversity, Society, Military, & SF
Kevin Mathews (M), Mike Brennan, Cheryce Clayton, Jennifer Brozek
Fri 6:00 PM-7:00 PM – Cascade 9
Writing is a Long Con
Elizabeth Guizzetti (M), Annie Bellet, Gregory A. Wilson, Jennifer Brozek, Dean Wells
Fri 8:00 PM-9:00 PM – Cascade 10
Young Fans & the Military
Elliott Kay (M), Alicia Faires, Jennifer Brozek
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Sat 2:00 PM-3:00 PM – Grand 2
Autograph Session 1
Amber Bariaktari , Caroline M. Yoachim, Dave Bara, Dean Wells, Erik Scott de Bie, G. Willow Wilson, James C. Glass, Jennifer Brozek, John (J.A.) Pitts, Kristi Charish, Django Wexler, Frog Jones, Rhiannon Held, Sonia Orin Lyris, S. A. Bolich, Morgue Anne, Robert J. Sawyer, Spencer Ellsworth, Steven Barnes, Tori Centanni, Cat Rambo, Don Maitz, GregRobin Smith, Jeremy Zimmerman, Laura Anne Gilman
Sat 6:00 PM-7:00 PM – Cascade 10
Outlining for Pantsers & Everyone Else
Tori Centanni (M), Jennifer Brozek, Catherine Cooke Montrose, Raven Oak, John (J.A.) Pitts
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Sun 12:00 PM-12:30 PM – Cascade 1
Reading: Jennifer Brozek
Jennifer Brozek (M)
I will be reading from Never Let Me Sleep.
This Friday, I will be at Foolscap, teaching a workshop on planning a book series that I call “Combat in the Land of Forgotten Details.” Then, next week, I will be the Writer GoH at RadCon. Hope to see some of you there.
Radcon 2016 Schedule
Friday, 12 Feb
7am-2pm, School Visits
Support our local schools by volunteering for school visits to libraries and classrooms! RadCon provides drivers to and from the schools. Lunch is provided for visiting professionals who volunteer all day.
6:45pm-8pm, Opening Ceremonies, Bronze Room
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Saturday, 13 Feb
12:30-1:30pm, Writer Guest of Honor: Jennifer Brozek, Bronze Room
Writer Guest of Honor Jennifer Brozek shares her insights, inspirations, and latest work.
1:45-2:45pm, Making Your Own Way, 2201
Living the creative life and making a living at your art seems like the impossible dream to some. There are conventional ways to go about this, but breaking the rules may be just the thing. A discussion on the trials, challenges, and benefits of escaping from the default world’s default choices.
Jennifer Brozek, John Lovett, Kevin Wiley, Tamra Excell, Vandy Hall
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Sunday, 14 Feb
10-11am, The Business of Gaming, 2207
So you love gaming and would like to do it for a living? Come learn about the reality of gaming for a living, from Table top to video games. It can be fun, but to make money at it, you have to remember… It’s a business.
Jennifer Brozek, Will Carson, Zach Brockway
11:15-12:15pm, Writing With Dyslexia, 2203
Dyslexics are creative, imaginative and natural born storytellers, who happen to have problems reading and writing. That paradox never stopped Agatha Christie, Mark Twain or Anne Rice. We will discuss tricks and technologies that can help get the world in your head onto paper.
Eytan Kollin, Jeanette Bennett, Jennifer Brozek
12:30-1:30pm, What is Ingress?, 2207
After 2 years this game is growing around the world. So come learn what the game is and how to play. All you need to play is a smartphone and the eagerness to get off your butt.
Gene Armstrong, Gibbitt Rhys-Jones, Jennifer Brozek, Martin Cameron
I’ve already written about what I did in 2015. Now I’m looking forward to what I need to do for 2016. The short version: A whole lot of contracted tie-in fiction, some editing, and a bunch of travel.
Contracts signed: 1 board game mythology/background, 1 reprint RPG fiction collection, and 1 tie-in novel.
Forthcoming contracts: 1 serialized YA tie-in novel, 1 anthology as editor, and 2 tie-in short stories. (As in, discussion is done, I’ve agreed to do it, and we’re just waiting on paperwork.)
Planned contracts: 1 tie-in novella. (Proposal requested. Writing is probably slated for early 2017 if all parties agree.)
Planned editing: 2 novels, 2 omnibuses, 3 novellas, 1 monthly fiction feature, and 1 anthology. (For Apocalypse Ink Productions and Evil Girlfriend Media.)
Events planned: 8 conventions (3 as GoH), 1 workshop, 2 readings, 1 wedding in Iceland.
The writing metrics for 2016 are daunting. It’s about 200,000 words of contract tie-in fiction. This doesn’t count any of the editing for that work or research or one-off anthologies or one-off articles. Or any blog posts. Or any of the 10,000 other things a freelance author-editor does.
What this means is that I’m going to have to buckle down and change my personal working schedule. I’m probably going to have to institute a “no internet before noon” policy to focus on my writing. Leave all the email and such to the afternoon once my word count for the day is done. It is too easy to fritter away my time online, answering emails, reading articles, and watching videos.
Scheduled Appearances:
I am at OryCon in Portland, OR this weekend. If I’m not at a panel, I will be at the Apocalypse Ink Productions booth in the Dealers Room. Come say hello, buy a book, get it signed, and pick up my convention story card! Sunday early evening is SF Authorfest 9, hosted by the Cedar Hills Powell’s Bookstore.
Fri Nov 20 4:00:pm, Sunstone
How to Blurb Your Novel
We all need them, we all hate them. Summing up our books may be harder than writing them in the first place! Learn techniques to write compelling book descriptions (aka “blurbs”), and hook readers.
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Sat Nov 21 2:00:pm, Salem
The Softer Side of SF
What is “social science fiction”? How have authors used ideas from “soft” sciences like sociology, anthropology, and linguistics to craft convincing future scenarios, telling fascinating stories while shedding light on current human problems? Discuss authors past and present (LeGuin, etc.) who specialize in this.
Sat Nov 21 4:00:pm, Salmon
Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Join members of Broad Universe–an organization dedicated to women in genre fiction—for a whole bunch of really short readings crammed into one hour.
Sat Nov 21 6:00:pm, Salem
Writing and Art for the RPG Industry
A how-to workshop on what it is like to work for the RPG industry.
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Sun Nov 22 11:00:am, Sunstone
Publishing Ethics
What should the relationship between publishers and writers look like, as well as writers and readers? Both situations require respect. What does that look like?
Sun Nov 22 12:00:pm, Sunstone
Writing in Other People’s Worlds
The fine art of franchise writing: working with established universes like Star Trek, Star Wars and more—including the new Kindle Worlds licensed fan fiction program.
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Sun Nov 22 4:00-6:00:pm, Powell’s Bookstore, Cedar Hills
SF Author Fest 9
Come see 30 authors in their natural habitat—a bookstore! Chat, buy books, and get them signed.
I am so happy with my Melissa Allen covers. The cover art was done by Ryan Truso. I don’t know the model’s name. I wanted a corn fed farm girl from South Dakota and that’s what I got. An actual teenager on my YA series. I love this.
October 13, 2015 – Never Let Me Sleep (Set in the town of Onida, South Dakota. The nightmare begins and Melissa has to stop the apocalypse from happening.)
November 10, 2015 – Never Let Me Leave (Set in an underground lab in North Dakota where Melissa discovers she’s not the only one to save the world… and that someone on the inside wants to kill them all.)
December 8, 2015 – Never Let Me Die (Set in Richland, Missouri. This is my favorite cover. Melissa has had enough. It’s been well over a year since that day in South Dakota and she lost everything. She’s gained some of it back but now someone else wants to take it all away from her again.)
January 26, 2016 – Never Let Me (The Melissa Allen Omnibus with the extra story. The extra story “Never Let Me Feel” gives you a hint of what’s to come for Melissa after the events of Never Let Me Die.)
I’m talking about this series on a couple of upcoming podcasts.
Q: Now that the Hugos are over, how do you feel?
A: I feel fine.
Q: Really?
A: Yes, really. Yes, of course I’m sad I didn’t win—it was a beautiful award and I worked really hard. I wanted to win, but as I said on twitter, I’m happy people voted the way they felt they needed to. There are other nominations and other Hugos. All voices need to be heard. I don’t want to dwell on anything else. It’s done for me.
Q: What about the numbers?
A: The numbers came out exactly as I thought they would. Without “No Award,” Mike Resnick would’ve won.
Q: What about the nomination numbers, discounting the slates?
A: I saw that I probably would’ve been 6th or 7th nomination place in Best Editor, Short Form. Respectable. More importantly, I saw that CHICKS DIG GAMING got 92 nomination votes in the Best Related Work category—second only to Jo Walton’s WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK SO GREAT. Which meant, incidentally, I lost a second time on Hugo night. I lost an Alfie to Jo. Still, that means I probably would’ve been nominated for a Hugo whether there was a slate or not. So, I’m feeling pretty good about things.
Q: Alfie?
A: Go ask GRRM. It was a kind gesture.
Q: Hey, in and around the Hugo stuff, I saw that you’ve become the Managing Editor of Evil Girlfriend Media. What happened to Apocalypse Ink Productions?
A: It’s still there. I’m still the Creative Director of AIP. I’ve just added the job of Managing Editor of EGM to my roster.
Q: Can you do both?
A: Yes. I’m talented that way.
Q: So, what are you going to do now that the Hugo stuff is over?
A: Keep on keeping on. I’ve got my YA SF-Thriller series coming out in October, starting with NEVER LET ME SLEEP. I’m editing NAUGHTY OR NICE: A HOLIDAY ANTHOLOGY for EGM. I’ve signed a contract for something very, very cool that will be announced soon. I’m working on the outline of my next tie-in novel. I’m a busy-busy freelancer. There are some great things to come.
Q: Did you bring home anything cool from the con?
A: I did! Cat Rambo gave me a SFWA 50th anniversary coin. Howard Taylor gave me a couple of “Not my circus. Not my monkeys.” coins. I bought a print by Rob Carlos, the newest Ken Scholes fiction collection, and Apparitions, a book of translated Japanese ghost stories. Also, of course, my little Hugo rocket pin—I earned that sucker.
Q: Are you sure you’re okay?
A: Yes. I promise. I’m okay. I appreciate everyone’s care and concern. I get the warm fuzzies when people tell me how much me and my work meets to them. Yes, I lost three awards this year but I won one and that’s awesome.
Q: Anything else you want to say?
A: Yes. Thank you to everyone for your support. I want to give a special shout out to Howard and Sandra Taylor, Kelly Swails, Jonnalyhn Wolfcat, Minerva Zimmerman, Sarah Hendrix, and Seanan McGuire who were heroes behind the scenes, super kind, and helped keep me relatively sane.
Here is my Sasquan schedule. There is, as usual, a no-shyness zone around me. If you want my attention, talk to me. I will have a limited number of my Story Convention Cards with me. Find out how I (fictionally) die at Sasquan. I do have several meetings and Hugo-related things not listed here and I will probably show up at some of the publisher parties.
THURSDAY
10:00 am – 6pm SFWA Board Meeting, 304 (CC)
7:00 pm – Role Playing Games as an Author’s Tool, 401C (CC)
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FRIDAY
11:00 am – Comics and Graphic Novels for Teen Readers, 303A (CC)
12:00 pm – Hard SF for Teens, 401C (CC)
4:00 pm – Autographing, Exhibit Hall B (CC)
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SATURDAY
10:00am – The Range of the Small Press, Conference Theater 110 (CC)
1:00 pm – 3pm, SFWA Business Meeting, 300B (CC)
3:00 pm – Getting Your Game Published, 303A (CC)
6:00 pm – Hugo Pre-Reception
8:00 pm – Hugo Awards Ceremony, INB Performing Arts Center (CC)
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SUNDAY
11:00 am – Kaffee Klatche – Jennifer Brozek, 202A-KK2 (CC) [Note: This is the only event of mine you need to sign up for.]
1:00 pm – Worlds We Believe: YA World Building, 300D (CC)
I am home from Gen Con. It was a very good and busy time. I did not win the ENnie for Best Related RPG Product but with the caliber of the competition, it really was an honor to be nominated.
This year I was both part of the Writers Symposium (run by Marc Tassin) and one of the Industry Insider Featured Presenters. I got to do a lot of panels that were both valuable and hard. Fortunately, my two most daunting panels, Diversity in Gaming and Women in Gaming After Gamergate, both went off without a hitch. I like to think this was because we all did our homework and prepared and we had excellent moderation.
Like most conventions, there’s too much to tell. Here are some of the highlights:
• Chatting with Wesley Chu in the dealers room about working at conventions. This spawned the quote, “It’s all push-ups and prose.” from Wes.
• Sitting in the authors lounge area watching Chuck Wendig and Sam Sykes be themselves. I have pictures…
• Actually sitting down to game with Erik Scot de Bie and Brian Cortijo. I’d not played D&D 5 yet. It’s a good system. Also, I kinda love the dwarf warrior I was playing.
• Having a number of people come to my “office hours” to follow up on panels and to ask me about my writing. Doc Wagon 19 and Discordance (my first Valdemar short story) were highlights.
There were two standout events that made Gen Con awesome for me.
The first is Ingress. I started playing about 3 weeks ago and I was told there was a mission day happening at Gen Con. I had no idea what a mission day was but I was game. I sent out a call for someone to come walk with me because I really have no sense of direction. I was fortunate enough to be answered to by Sarah Babe, Host of Plot Points Podcast. The two of us banded and bonded together to do this thing called Gen Con Mission Day.
It was 13 missions. Walking around, hacking 5-7 portals per mission and answering questions. We started about 8:45pm at night. We ended the last mission at about 1:30am. It was hot, tiring, and sweaty. By the end of it, both of us had blisters and were finishing the quest out of malicious spite. But it was still awesome. I got a bunch of digital badges, leveled up, and despite shredding my feet (30,000 steps that day – 20,000 on the mission day quests), I had a great time. Sarah and I hit it off so well. I look forward to meeting up with her at GameholeCon in November.
The second is my friend Monte. I haven’t seen Monte in years. One of my favorite GMs and friends from the Bay Area, he made it out to Gen Con. Monte is one of those people that I click with. We can go for months without talking, but when we do, it’s like no time has passed.
He decided to introduce me to The Mountain Witch. We played with Albert and Nancy (also friends from the Bay Area who now live in Canada). It was the best time. Sparse on rules. Heavy on the roleplay. Awesome for narrative storytelling. Honestly, this game, with these people, made Gen Con worth it. I will be thinking about this game for a long time to come. I just bought a copy of The Mountain Witch from IPR.
It was a very good time. I’m glad I went. I’m also very happy to be home with the Husband and the kitties.
Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of Never Let Me Sleep and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her YA tie-in novels, BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident and Shadowrun: Auditions, have both won Scribe Awards. Her editing work has earned her nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and multiple Hugo Awards. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology, co-edited with Amanda Pillar. Jennifer’s short form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, Well World, and Predator.
Jennifer has been a full-time freelance author and editor for over seventeen years, and she has never been happier. She keeps a tight schedule on her writing and editing projects and somehow manages to find time to teach writing classes and volunteer for several professional writing organizations such as SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com or her social media accounts on LinkTree.
