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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.
Last night’s reading was really good. It was nice to see familiar faces (shout out to my Ingress buddies!) as well as unfamiliar faces drawn in by the concept of NEVER LET ME. Lots of books were sold and it was a good time.
Readings are funny things. You never know if you are going to get 200, 50, 10, 2, or 0 people showing up to them. Here’s the trick about readings—I read to an audience of 2 the same way I read to an audience of 200. I try to make sure everyone there feels like they are the most important person in the world. Because, in truth, they are. Without readers, we authors would be shouting into the void. So, I try to make my readers know they are very much appreciated.
Duane Wilkins and the University Bookstore were lovely hosts as always. If you would like a signed copy of NEVER LET ME or any of my other print books, you can get it from the University Bookstore. Visit their website or call 1.800.335.7323.
So much writing on Project Joe! Other than my computer setup exploding on me recently, requiring me to get a new keyboard and to vacuum the dust from the computer, my life is mostly about writing and editing. And petting demanding cats.
EVENT – READING: I will be reading at the University Bookstore in Seattle on Jan 26th. Please come! There will be cookies and book giveaways and I’ll be reading from NEVER LET ME which Publisher’s Weekly calls “a strong, entertaining tale.”
And now back to your irregularly scheduled Bubble & Squeek.
Article: MIND MELD: The Growth and Future of SF/F. An interesting question.
Article: Nightmare Magazine – The H Word: Shifting Away From the Common. I talk about what I enjoy about shapeshifters that aren’t werewolves.
Blog: I have a guest blog over at Jim Hines’s Blog site about revealing personal details in your writings. I didn’t manage to post about this more than once. So, here it is again.
Event: I am a workshop leader at Foolscap on Feb 5th. I’m teaching a class on writing series called “Combat in the Land of Forgotten Details.”
Review: Publisher’s Weekly reviewed NEVER LET ME. It’s a good review. I’m happy with it. I don’t even mind the quibble.
SALE: COLONIAL GOTHIC: LOST TALES. This is one of those “oops, I have a fiction collection” sales. Totally unexpected but very happy for it.
SALE: MAKEDA RED. I’m running the shadows again. This time in novel form. I’ve wanted to write a Shadowrun novel for ages. Now I get to. MAKEDA RED stars the protagonist from my Shadowrun short story, “Rune’s Avatar Cafe.”
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.
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)
This weekend begins a five week stretch of off-and-on travel. It is the heart of convention season for me and why I pushed so hard to get the rough draft of NEVER LET ME DIE done.
So, where is Jennifer through the end of June?
For most of this, I’ll be traveling alone and the Husband will have charge of the house and the kitties (who will become angry balls of fur at my disappearances). For the one time the Husband will be with me, I’ve got a house/cat sitter lined up (the cats love the sitter, he bribes them with treats).
I’m looking forward to each of these events. I’m hanging out with Katie Cord and Tim Long at Crypticon. Origins is one of my favorite conventions ever. I’m reading at the University Bookstore with Kristi Charish, a super keen author and podcaster. Yay weddings! It’s always fun to go to a friend’s wedding where you will know almost everyone. I’m very excited about LepreCon because my PA, Sarah, will be there with me.
All this means that my life is going to be insane. Because, while I’m doing all this, I’ll be editing two novels and two novellas for myself and for AIP.
It’s going to be crazy but fun.
For the first time in a long time, I went out to meet a friend I’ve only known on the internet and it wasn’t a convention. The Husband and I met Olli at the Space Needle for dinner to start his coastal trip from Seattle to San Francisco to Maui (envy, I have it) and back.
While we were at dinner, he asked me if I remember how we met. I didn’t remember. It’s because of Andy Weir’s (yes, that Andy Weir) Casey & Andy comic. I was a sidekick character as the sorta hapless, weirdness magnet (international jewel thief) neighbor to the comic’s titular characters.
Apparently, Olli remembers me on the Casey & Andy forums, followed me to Facebook, then Twitter. When he reminded me of this, I realized who he was—one of the only people to ever recognize me from the comic that I didn’t already know.
I hadn’t thought of that comic in ages. It’s a fun read. If you haven’t read the comic, you should. It harkens back to an era I lived through. Casey was one of my real life roommates. Also, because of the comic, I’m an official 200 points GURPs character in the Casey & Andy GURPs supplement.
It was an unexpected trip down memory lane.
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If you are Seattle local and have free time this coming Saturday, May 16th, me, Cat Rambo, Raven Oak, and Tina Connolly will be teach a “How Not to Write a Novel” workshop at Redmond Library from 12:30 to 3:30.
In early February, I bemoaned the fact that I had had two (excellent) rejections in two days. Personalized responses with reasons for the rejections. While I was participating in the age old rite of fighting with my ego having taken a beating and pulling myself up by my bootstraps to get those rejected stories out in the world again, one of my readers on social media commented, “Oh, wow, Jennifer. It didn’t occur to me that you were still out there submitting. I thought you were always in demand.”
This struck me a little odd, as it never occurred to me to not submit my stories. Yes, I do get invitations and I adore them but that doesn’t mean I automatically get into those markets. Also, I frequently have stories I just want to write. Once they are written, I look for markets to sell them in. And I get rejections.
To be in demand is to create demand and you can only do that by getting your name and your stories out there. Many professional authors I know still write and submit work. It is an unending process. Short stories are a good way to keep connected with readers, to get background stories for novels out there, and to explore character development you might not get to do in a novel.
I suspect most professional authors not vocal about their rejections. Most of the time I’m not but this particular time, I needed a little ego boosting and the internet can be great for that.
I guess I wanted to get across to one and all, even when you are a successful writer, you still submit stories to markets. You still get rejected. Then, you get back on the horse and send that story back out. It’s just one of the facets of being an author.
***
I attended the Rainforest Writers Retreat again this year. It was very productive. I accomplished everything I set out to do and a little bit more. I wrote two short stories, two blog posts, and outlined NEVER LET ME DIE, Melissa Allen #3. More than that, I wrote a two page synopsis for NLMD, and, with the help of a medical professional attending the retreat, worked out some sticky medical problems with the series.
Then, since the Husband had joined me, we went to La Push, WA for three days of hiking and ocean watching. He needed the time off from work, and we wanted a real vacation together. So, a good time was had by all.
Just took me a week to post about it after getting home.
I will be at RustyCon this weekend. Come by and see me. No shyness around me
Fri Jan 16 5:00:pm | Fri Jan 16 6:00:pm | Promoting Yourself- because it isn’t just about the writing |
Orcas B | Writing skill is subjective, but good self-promotion can bring success. Social media is one stepping stone, but so is networking, conventions, retreats, workshops, forums, and professional organizations. Which will give you the best return for your time, and what if you’re not naturally outgoing? | |
A. Maire Dinsmore Alaina Ewing Jennifer Brozek Timothy W. Long | ||
Fri Jan 16 6:00:pm | Fri Jan 16 6:30:pm | Jennifer Brozak Reading |
Mercer B | A reading by Jennifer Brozak | |
Jennifer Brozek | ||
6-11 pm APOCALYPSE GIRL DREAMING Release Party and Evil Girlfriend Media Open House.
You do not need to be a member of the convention to come. A bunch of authors will be reading. There will be food and drink. But no alcohol.
Sat Jan 17 1:00:pm | Sat Jan 17 2:00:pm | Writing for Computer Games |
Emerald E | How to create compelling characters, worlds, and stories for computer games, and how to write dialog that players will want to read before they head out on their quest to retrieve 10 Bear Bums. | |
Janine A. Southard Jennifer Brozek Will McDermott | ||
Sat Jan 17 2:00:pm | Sat Jan 17 3:00:pm | Craft vs Business |
Orcas B | With the introduction of Indie publishing, self publishing, and POD, writers tend to talk more about the business side of publishing rather than the craft of writing. How should we fix that. | |
Bruce Taylor Janine A. Southard Jennifer Brozek John Lovett | ||
Sun Jan 18 11:00:am | Sun Jan 18 12:00:pm | Independent Publishing |
Orcas B | Independent publishing has taken off, especially with the recent rise of the hybrid-author, who is willing to sell work traditionally but not afraid to self-publish and promote. From ebooks to POD, which stories benefit from independent publishing and how do you get them ready? Bring your questions about editing, Kickstarter, cover art, sales price, and marketing. | |
Dustin Gross Elizabeth Guizzetti Jennifer Brozek Thomas Gondolfi | ||
Sun Jan 18 12:00:pm | Sun Jan 18 1:00:pm | How and Where do I Get Published? |
Orcas B | You want a publisher, and they need your content. Great! But how do you find the right market, track your submissions, offer reprints, get into best-ofs, and generally advance your career to the next rung? From beginners to experienced authors, everyone needs somewhere to go. Or does self-publishing change all that? | |
Chad Brink Jennifer Brozek John Lovett Rebecca Birch | ||
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.
