LDS author James Dashner writes fantasy and science fiction for the young adult market. His four-part Jimmy Fincher saga has sold over 20,000 books--and that was through Utah-based Cedar Fort publishing, not a big national publisher. Besides being a prolific writer, James also takes time to speak about writing at various writing conferences. I've recieved from very useful tips from... read more »
The World Science Fiction Convention is colloquially known as WorldCon. The 2006 WorldCon was hosted by L.A.con IV in Anaheim, California. This was my first WorldCon, and it was a lot of fun. I left Wednesday, August 23, after work. My companions for the drive were Howard Tayler, the professional cartoonist behind Schlock Mercenary; Spencer Ellsworth, a friend from one... read more »
On my way back from the Writers of the Future Awards, I stopped off in Las Vegas for Creation Entertainment's convention celebrating Star Trek's 40th anniversary. I managed to pick up a few interesting T-shirts while I was there, but I mainly wanted to get photos with two Star Trek actors: Michael Dorn (Worf) and Jolene Blalock (T'Pol). Because I... read more »
I've been traveling quite a bit over the past few weeks. Now that I've caught my breath, it's time to blog about my trips. Because I was a previous winner in the Writers of the Future contest, I was invited to attend the August 18 awards ceremony for the most recent batch of winners. After deciding to go, I talked... read more »
In the past couple of weeks, I've read two thrillers: Icon, by Frederick Forsyth, and The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown. They are two different types of thrillers: Icon is a professional thriller, while The DaVinci Code is an amateur thriller. But I'm not talking about the quality of the writing, I'm talking about the type of protagonists. In Icon, the... read more »
My friend Alethea Kontis has written a children's picture book, AlphaOops! The Day Z Went First. It's a hilarious story about what happens when the letter Z objects to the fact that he always has to go last in the typical alphabet book. The illustrations by Bob Kolar are delightful. I think this is a picture book that parents will... read more »
OK, not really. But my story "Upgrade" will be appearing in the December 2006 issue of Analog. Because the magazine is actually published before its cover date, the issue could be out by late September.
Yesterday I went to the book launch for Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson. I was lucky enough to get numbered copy #50/50 of the book. (From what I understand, Brandon numbers the first 50 books he signs. Because the bookstore had promised numbered copies to everyone who came, he continued numbering after 50 this time, but left off... read more »
It's been ten and a half months since I sold a story. Today, when I arrived home from work, I found a 9"x12" envelope from Penny Publications in the mailbox. I nervously opened it, hoping that it wasn't just a fancy pitch for me to renew my Analog subscription. Well, if they wanted me to renew, they sure found the... read more »
In Europe, they have a brand of eco-friendly cars called Smart. Starting in 2008, Smart cars will be available in the U.S. I was browsing the Smart car website when I came across the following: Up at the top right, you'll notice the slogan "open your mind" under the logo. What do they mean by that? Take a look at... read more »
