Maurice Broaddus's Blog, page 50

Hairbanger's Ball – Winners and Losers

My weekend was made of WIN. Allow me to deconstruct a few tweets I made over the weekend:

I've been talked into attending the Hairbanger's Ball. My ghetto pass is about to be revoked.
-I like to think of myself as a cultural ambassador, out to sample the best that various cultures have to offer. It was in this spirit that I let my wife once talk me into going to Supercross. So when some friends heard that there was a show of 80s hair band music, they determined that this was a must do event....

Cover Stimulus Package

This is art by the incredible Steve Stone (the model's name is Lloyd Nwagboso*). Now contrast this with this news item:

Last year, Bloomsbury chose a white cover model for a YA novel about a black girl. They fixed it — but now they've done it again. Outcry over the white-washing of Justine Larbalestier's Liar prompted Bloomsbury to issue a new cover featuring a black girl, and to apologize (kind of).

Lavie Tidhar's already done a great blog that lays out the situation. For the sake of stayin...

Convention Schedule 2010

For those interested, here's a list of where I'll probably be out and about this year:

Indiana Horror Writers Retreat – February 19th - 21st

Mo*Con V – April 30th – May 2nd

WisCon - May 27-31

InConjunction – July 2nd – 4th

Gencon – August 5-8

Context - August 27th-29th

World Fantasy – October 28-31

Kentucky Book Fair November 7th


There are still a few conventions that are on the "maybe" list depending on how finances shake out. Hypericon. Necon. KillerCon. And a retreat at a haunted house.

Transitions

It's been fully acknowledged that 2009 was a rough year. It was a year of major shifts, having shed or been shed of a destructive relationship, a church, and my job of twenty years. It also finally feels like I'm coming out of a near year long depression.

It's easy to become risk averse. Life and responsibilities need to be met, and can make us afraid to take the risks necessary to do what you need or want to do. You can end up in a comfortable situation, make enough money to get by, and b...

Mo*Con Web Site ... LIVE!!!

THE MO*CON WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!!!!*

We will be continuing to add footage from previous years' discussions. Authors who are debuting books at Mo*Con, drop me a line and we will put your book up on a dedicated page.

So make with the clicky-clicky and check it out.


*Special thanks to my Dark Faith co-editor, Jerry Gordon

For the clicky impaired, here are the relevant Mo*Con details

April 30th - May 2nd

What is Mo*Con?

Brought to you by the Indiana Horror Writers, Mo*Con is a convention focused on conv...

BOOK GIVEAWAY CONTEST – DROOD IS COMING!!!

I recognize that you don't love* me for me. We live in a "what have you done for me lately" world and I don't blame you. So once again, I offer you free stuff.**

Dan Simmons has a new book coming out, Black Hills. That's not what I'm offering. However, Drood is also coming out in paperback in February and in celebration of it, I've been tasked with giving away a few copies. First, a bit about Drood, which horror maestro Brian Keene listed at the top of his top ten books of 2009 list (in f...

O Harry: Because Sometimes Your Friends are Ignorant

It's always a tricky bit of navigation when your friends say or do something ignorant. I remember a couple of occasions in church, I was attending a mostly white church at the time, and one of the members patted me on head. On another occasion, the pastor compared me to "a faithful dog" from the pulpit. For better or worse, I chalked those things up to well-meaning, but ignorant gestures. Perhaps she didn't get the memo that the whole rub the head of a black guy has some pretty racist ori...

The 40 Year Old Virgin (Writer)

I'm guest blogging over on Apex Books today. Here's the beginning of it...

I have a so-called writer friend who shall remain nameless (Brian Keene says what?) who loves to remind me of the fact that this year I turn forty. Forty. Four Zero. That milestone of angst and turmoil, even for the most secure of us … and we all know how stable writer/creative types are. Thing is, this year marks my debut turn as a novelist. Yes, yes, yes. I've had short stories, an anthology, and novellas published,*...

Writing Goals 2010

My blog traditions this time of year begin with a look back and then with a look ahead. First let me begin by grading how I did as far as last year's goals:

As for new goals for 2009, I want to write 6 new short stories, revise a screenplay, write a new novel (the problem is that I have three bubbling around in the back of my head with no clear favorite), write a new novella, and revise my second novel (Pantheon of Dreams) down to a novella. With any luck, I'll be able to get back to doing...

Dark Faith Up for Pre-Order (Plus Bonus Offer)

Faith.

So much of our reality is determined by what we believe, and it can so easily become … undone.

Editors MAURICE BROADDUS and Jerry Gordon have created an anthology that explores the dark side of faith and what it may mean. These twenty-six stories and five poems (130k+ words of content) may make you cry, may make you laugh, and will certainly terrify you. You may never look at the light the same way again.

Cover art by Edith Walter

"The Story of Belief-Non" by Linda D. Addison (poem)