Bill Bodden's Blog - Posts Tagged "appearances"
Keeping Up Appearances
I'll be attending a number of sci-fi/gaming conventions this summer in some manner of official capacity, and wanted to pass the info along.
April 12-14 Odyssey Con, Madison, WI
I'll be reading from Sidekicks! (with others) on Friday at 2:30 PM.
April 24: reading from Sidekicks! (with others), 6:30-8 PM A Room of One's Own Bookstore, Madison, WI
May 24-27 WisCon, Madison, WI
I will be reading from Sidekicks! (with others) and will be participating in the Sign-Out mass-autographing session on Monday. Other scheduled events TBD
August 15-18 GenCon, Indianapolis, IN I'll be working in the Green Ronin Publishing booth 9A-6P each day of the show. I can also be found at the Diana Jones Awards party on Wednesday night (August 14).
April 12-14 Odyssey Con, Madison, WI
I'll be reading from Sidekicks! (with others) on Friday at 2:30 PM.
April 24: reading from Sidekicks! (with others), 6:30-8 PM A Room of One's Own Bookstore, Madison, WI
May 24-27 WisCon, Madison, WI
I will be reading from Sidekicks! (with others) and will be participating in the Sign-Out mass-autographing session on Monday. Other scheduled events TBD
August 15-18 GenCon, Indianapolis, IN I'll be working in the Green Ronin Publishing booth 9A-6P each day of the show. I can also be found at the Diana Jones Awards party on Wednesday night (August 14).
Convention Aftermath
In an effort to promote the new anthology Sidekicks!, in which my story "In the Shadow of His Glory" appears, I arranged for a reading to happen at Odyssey COn in Madison this past weekend (April 12-14). The folks at Odyssey Con generously gave us a slot for our reading; the downside to this is that my fellow contributor Alex Bledsoe happened to be one of the guests of honor at OddCon this year, so his time was heavily booked up. We ended up with a less than prime reading slot - 2:30 on Friday afternoon. Typically for science fiction conventions, this is before many people have even arrived.
Even so, we had a decent turnout; six people were there to hear the three of us - Alex, myself, and Patrick Tomlinson - read from our stories. The audience, though small, was appreciative and generous with compliments, which made me feel good. As a writer, it's rare to get positive feedback on your work; negative feedback can't wait to slip into your pocket like a handful of bad pennies, but the positive stuff comes few and far between.
Part of the deal working with this particular small publisher - Alliteration Ink, out of Ohio - is that their authors are encouraged to buy copies of the book at cost to sell at conventions and book stores to help promote it. I purchased two medium boxes of books, and managed to sell a few at OddCon. I found a vendor willing to sell copies for me - that way I don't need to worry about sales tax, or paying for a booth, and for a cut of the sale price my books are at the con to catch any impulse sales that happen along.
I also had fliers out for the reading coming up on April 24 at Madison Wisconsin bookstore A Room of One's Own (http://www.roomofonesown.com/event/si...) and was pleased to see a number of those fliers disappear into people's hands over the weekend.
One good thing about this set-up for me is that Odyssey Con is in town, so expenses are few. I had to buy a membership of course, and spent a little on gas schlepping the books back and forth, but that's about it -- cheap promotion. For a rookie author like me, keeping expenses at a minimum while promoting my work is critical, as my writing income is also at a minimum!
All in all, I'd have to call the reading a success. A modest one, to be sure, but definitely chalk up one in the "win" column: we pulled off a good reading, maybe found a few new fans, and I sold a handful books.
Even so, we had a decent turnout; six people were there to hear the three of us - Alex, myself, and Patrick Tomlinson - read from our stories. The audience, though small, was appreciative and generous with compliments, which made me feel good. As a writer, it's rare to get positive feedback on your work; negative feedback can't wait to slip into your pocket like a handful of bad pennies, but the positive stuff comes few and far between.
Part of the deal working with this particular small publisher - Alliteration Ink, out of Ohio - is that their authors are encouraged to buy copies of the book at cost to sell at conventions and book stores to help promote it. I purchased two medium boxes of books, and managed to sell a few at OddCon. I found a vendor willing to sell copies for me - that way I don't need to worry about sales tax, or paying for a booth, and for a cut of the sale price my books are at the con to catch any impulse sales that happen along.
I also had fliers out for the reading coming up on April 24 at Madison Wisconsin bookstore A Room of One's Own (http://www.roomofonesown.com/event/si...) and was pleased to see a number of those fliers disappear into people's hands over the weekend.
One good thing about this set-up for me is that Odyssey Con is in town, so expenses are few. I had to buy a membership of course, and spent a little on gas schlepping the books back and forth, but that's about it -- cheap promotion. For a rookie author like me, keeping expenses at a minimum while promoting my work is critical, as my writing income is also at a minimum!
All in all, I'd have to call the reading a success. A modest one, to be sure, but definitely chalk up one in the "win" column: we pulled off a good reading, maybe found a few new fans, and I sold a handful books.
Readings and Conventions
Sidekicks!
authors Patrick Tomlinson, Alex Bledsoe and myself read from our stories at WisCon over Memorial Day weekend, and I was thrilled to not only have a number of close friends present, but also authors Pat Murphy, Karen Joy Fowler and Melissa F. Olson in the audience for our reading. Thanks to everyone who came out for our late-night Friday slot; it sure made things easier reading for people than to an empty room.
One of my co-conspitrators, Patrick Tomlinson, is trying to organize a reading or two in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. Much will depend on the timing, but it sounds like all four of us are hoping to be there. I'll post details as soon as things firm up; stay tuned.
I was also involved in my first writer's workshop at Wiscon, and gained a great deal of valuable advice on ways to improve the story I brought along. It was a little intimidating, and frankly I felt ill-equipped to offer criticism on the intellectual level of my workshop-mates and the moderator. I hope my suggestions were even half as useful as the help I received.
The Sign-Out, or mass authographing session, was sad for me. I signed no books at all. On the plus side, I sat next to Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders from the super-cool website io9.com . They were fun and interesting to talk to, and I was pleased to have such erudite folks next to me. That's the thing about these kinds of autograph sessions: it's totally hit or miss whether any given author will be busy with fans. Annalee was promoting her book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction , and I was promoting
Haunted: Eleven Tales of Ghostly Horror and Sidekicks!, of course. Several people had heard about Sidekicks! but not Haunted, so I was glad I brought both books with me to the Sign-Out.
One of my co-conspitrators, Patrick Tomlinson, is trying to organize a reading or two in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. Much will depend on the timing, but it sounds like all four of us are hoping to be there. I'll post details as soon as things firm up; stay tuned.
I was also involved in my first writer's workshop at Wiscon, and gained a great deal of valuable advice on ways to improve the story I brought along. It was a little intimidating, and frankly I felt ill-equipped to offer criticism on the intellectual level of my workshop-mates and the moderator. I hope my suggestions were even half as useful as the help I received.
The Sign-Out, or mass authographing session, was sad for me. I signed no books at all. On the plus side, I sat next to Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders from the super-cool website io9.com . They were fun and interesting to talk to, and I was pleased to have such erudite folks next to me. That's the thing about these kinds of autograph sessions: it's totally hit or miss whether any given author will be busy with fans. Annalee was promoting her book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction , and I was promoting
Haunted: Eleven Tales of Ghostly Horror and Sidekicks!, of course. Several people had heard about Sidekicks! but not Haunted, so I was glad I brought both books with me to the Sign-Out.
August Conventions
I'll be attending two conventions on consecutive weekends at the end of summer: GenCon and GeekKon.
GenCon (http://www.gencon.com/) is the largest of all gaming conventions, and takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana over August 15-18. I'll be attending the Diana Jones Award ceremony the evening of August 14. My official presence during the remainder of the convention will involve helping out in the Green Ronin booth during the day, and goofing off in some fashion during the evenings.
GeekKon (http://www.geekkon.net/) is a general interest convention that takes place in Madison, WI August 23-25. I've been invited to return as a special guest this year, and plan to help out in the Gaming With the Guests program, as well as participating in a few panels here and there. Other guests this year include friends Matt Forbeck, Matt McElroy, Rob Wieland, and John Jackson Miller.
I'm especially thrilled that Bridget Landry will be a guest of GeekKon as well. Ms. Landry is on the team supporting the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which among other things provides the relay for information from both Mars rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity. As if that weren't enough, she's also a world-class costumer. I'm really looking forward to meeting Ms. Landry!
GenCon (http://www.gencon.com/) is the largest of all gaming conventions, and takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana over August 15-18. I'll be attending the Diana Jones Award ceremony the evening of August 14. My official presence during the remainder of the convention will involve helping out in the Green Ronin booth during the day, and goofing off in some fashion during the evenings.
GeekKon (http://www.geekkon.net/) is a general interest convention that takes place in Madison, WI August 23-25. I've been invited to return as a special guest this year, and plan to help out in the Gaming With the Guests program, as well as participating in a few panels here and there. Other guests this year include friends Matt Forbeck, Matt McElroy, Rob Wieland, and John Jackson Miller.
I'm especially thrilled that Bridget Landry will be a guest of GeekKon as well. Ms. Landry is on the team supporting the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which among other things provides the relay for information from both Mars rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity. As if that weren't enough, she's also a world-class costumer. I'm really looking forward to meeting Ms. Landry!
Odds & Ends, Plus A Book I Love
First, I'd like to mention that I'll be attending GenCon this week in Indianapolis Tuesday thru Saturday, hence the early posting of my blog. As a last-minute reminder, I'd also like to mention that print copies of the books Haunted: Eleven Tales of Ghostly Horror and Sidekicks!, both of which include stories of mine, will both be available for sale at GenCon, at the Green Ronin Publishing booth (#1703). Haunted will also be for sale at the Drive Thru RPG/White Wolf booth (#1201). See you there!
Second, I want to point out that National Buy A Book Day is September 7. The foundation behind this worthy effort is soliciting donations to be able to afford full non-profit status. If you'd care to float them a few bucks (I gave them $5), paste this link into your browser and have a look: http://www.buyabookday.org/donate.html
Books I love: A Hunger Like Fire
Having only recently enjoyed White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness Universe, I must admit I've been drawn in hook, line, and sinker. One of the things responsible (partly, at least) for this obsession of mine is the novel A Hunger Like Fire by Greg Stolze.
A Hunger Like Fire concerns vampires; specifically, the vampires in Chicago according to WoD cannon. They are predators and monsters to be sure, but some portion of their humanity remains, and much of the book - indeed, much of White Wolf's entire Vampire setting - is concerned with the vampires' efforts to maintain at least some portion of their humanity. The more monstrous they become, the more likely they are to feed without caution, without discretion, thereby revealing to humanity exactly what it is that lives among us. Vampires know too well that while they feed on humans, humans are also their most dangerous enemies, and so one of their unshakable laws is to maintain the "Masquerade", the artful deception that vampires don't exist.
The story begins with a working class slob named Bruce Miner who wakes up wrapped in a plastic dropcloth, assuming he went on a bender last night despite the lack of a hangover. The truth is far more frightening, and Bruce Miner must now come to terms with the fact that he has changed. He now craves blood, and after an unfortunate incident, realizes he must cut ties with his living family or put them at risk - from those who would use them to get to Bruce, and even to protect them from Bruce himself.
A Hunger Like Fire masterfully wraps the tale of Bruce Miner around the interwoven stories of a number of Chicago's Kindred. From the band of near-outcast vampires who take Bruce and and teach him what he needs to know, to the seductive Persephone Moore, to the head vampire, the Prince of the city of Chicago, Maxwell Clarke. The action is fast-paced and exciting, the personal dramas are intriguing, and the personalities themselves have an irresistible draw, a pull that lures the reader in and doesn't let go until the sad realization that there are no more pages left unread.
If you enjoy horror fiction, tales about vampires or just plain good writing, I urge you to track down a copy of A Hunger Like Fire. Game stores should be able to find it through their distributors, but if not, the ebook version can be found on any number of online sites including Drive Thru Fiction . Be sure to let me know what you think after you're done reading it!
Second, I want to point out that National Buy A Book Day is September 7. The foundation behind this worthy effort is soliciting donations to be able to afford full non-profit status. If you'd care to float them a few bucks (I gave them $5), paste this link into your browser and have a look: http://www.buyabookday.org/donate.html
Books I love: A Hunger Like Fire
Having only recently enjoyed White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness Universe, I must admit I've been drawn in hook, line, and sinker. One of the things responsible (partly, at least) for this obsession of mine is the novel A Hunger Like Fire by Greg Stolze.
A Hunger Like Fire concerns vampires; specifically, the vampires in Chicago according to WoD cannon. They are predators and monsters to be sure, but some portion of their humanity remains, and much of the book - indeed, much of White Wolf's entire Vampire setting - is concerned with the vampires' efforts to maintain at least some portion of their humanity. The more monstrous they become, the more likely they are to feed without caution, without discretion, thereby revealing to humanity exactly what it is that lives among us. Vampires know too well that while they feed on humans, humans are also their most dangerous enemies, and so one of their unshakable laws is to maintain the "Masquerade", the artful deception that vampires don't exist.
The story begins with a working class slob named Bruce Miner who wakes up wrapped in a plastic dropcloth, assuming he went on a bender last night despite the lack of a hangover. The truth is far more frightening, and Bruce Miner must now come to terms with the fact that he has changed. He now craves blood, and after an unfortunate incident, realizes he must cut ties with his living family or put them at risk - from those who would use them to get to Bruce, and even to protect them from Bruce himself.
A Hunger Like Fire masterfully wraps the tale of Bruce Miner around the interwoven stories of a number of Chicago's Kindred. From the band of near-outcast vampires who take Bruce and and teach him what he needs to know, to the seductive Persephone Moore, to the head vampire, the Prince of the city of Chicago, Maxwell Clarke. The action is fast-paced and exciting, the personal dramas are intriguing, and the personalities themselves have an irresistible draw, a pull that lures the reader in and doesn't let go until the sad realization that there are no more pages left unread.
If you enjoy horror fiction, tales about vampires or just plain good writing, I urge you to track down a copy of A Hunger Like Fire. Game stores should be able to find it through their distributors, but if not, the ebook version can be found on any number of online sites including Drive Thru Fiction . Be sure to let me know what you think after you're done reading it!
GenCon, Geek-Kon, and Firefly
I have returned from GenCon in good health and none the worse for wear - for the most part. Standing on a convention hall floor for three days is murder on the feet and back, so I'm trying to take it easy this week. I signed a couple of my books, bought other people's books, and had a good time reconnecting with friends I don't see often enough. I also came back with some gaming writing work firmed up for the next month, as well as tantalizing hints of potential freelance work to come. More details when I can announce them!
***
The schedule for Geek Kon, happening this weekend (August 23-25) in Madison, Wisconsin is up, (http://www.geekkon.net/) and I'm pleased to say I'm going to be a bit busy! I have a reading (from Sidekicks, along with one of my co-authors Patrick Tomlinson) on Friday at 4 PM, and will be taking part in "Gaming With the Guests" for charity, on Friday night from 8-10 PM (and maybe later!). This year's charity is the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. Please give generously.
Saturday I'm on three panels: E-Books and Innovations In Publishing, 2PM; How to Kick Off a Kickstarter, 5PM; Slingin' Dice: An Introduction to RPGs, 6PM.
Nothing scheduled for Sunday, but I may show up anyway - I always have a great time at GeekKon, and the con staff treat their guests well. Stop by and say hello, join me for a game - or a drink - and enjoy a low-key convention!
***
At GenCon, Margaret Weis Productions released the Firefly RPG in a Gen Con Preview format. I picked up a copy and this book looks fantastic. It uses Cortex Plus, which if you've played MWP's Marvel Heroic RPG or Leverage, you already know the system. There are precious few copies of the preview left, and rumor has it they may show up here and there over the next few weeks so keep a sharp eye out. At the very least pick up the general release version when it comes out later this fall -- I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. Kudos to my friend and Firefly Line Developer Monica Valentinelli, and all the many folks who worked on this project, for a job very well done!
***
The schedule for Geek Kon, happening this weekend (August 23-25) in Madison, Wisconsin is up, (http://www.geekkon.net/) and I'm pleased to say I'm going to be a bit busy! I have a reading (from Sidekicks, along with one of my co-authors Patrick Tomlinson) on Friday at 4 PM, and will be taking part in "Gaming With the Guests" for charity, on Friday night from 8-10 PM (and maybe later!). This year's charity is the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. Please give generously.
Saturday I'm on three panels: E-Books and Innovations In Publishing, 2PM; How to Kick Off a Kickstarter, 5PM; Slingin' Dice: An Introduction to RPGs, 6PM.
Nothing scheduled for Sunday, but I may show up anyway - I always have a great time at GeekKon, and the con staff treat their guests well. Stop by and say hello, join me for a game - or a drink - and enjoy a low-key convention!
***
At GenCon, Margaret Weis Productions released the Firefly RPG in a Gen Con Preview format. I picked up a copy and this book looks fantastic. It uses Cortex Plus, which if you've played MWP's Marvel Heroic RPG or Leverage, you already know the system. There are precious few copies of the preview left, and rumor has it they may show up here and there over the next few weeks so keep a sharp eye out. At the very least pick up the general release version when it comes out later this fall -- I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. Kudos to my friend and Firefly Line Developer Monica Valentinelli, and all the many folks who worked on this project, for a job very well done!
I'm a Convention Guest!
Along with a TON of talented people, I'll be a guest at Geek-Kon this year in Madison, Wisconsin, August 22-24. Besides speaking on a number of panels, I will also be refereeing a Zombie Dice tournament as part of the "Game With The Guests" event on Friday night of the con.
The tournament is simple. Basic rules of Zombie Dice will be followed with one major exception: As this event is a fundraiser for the convention's charity, Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin , players will be able to "buy off" one shotgun blast per turn at a cost of $1 each. All money so collected goes straight into the kitty for Second Harvest so bring plenty of $1 bills if you plan to join in the fun!
The tournament is expected to last three to four rounds (depending on the number of participants), and the winner will walk away with the respect and admiration of everyone at the convention for triumphing in such a prestigious event. Seriously, there aren't any prizes, but it should be a great time. Many thanks are due to Steve Jackson Games for providing Zombie Dice sets and score sheets to help facilitate this event.
For more information on Geek-Kon, click HERE .
My Geek-Kon Schedule
My schedule as a guest of Geek Kon has been finalized. Here's where I'll be and when:
Friday (August 22)
Slingin’ Dice: An Intro to RPGs (Bodden, Pavao) – La Crosse – 7:00-7:50pm
Gaming with the Guests – Tabletop Gaming Room (Salons D & E) – 8:00pm to 10:00pm
I'll be running a ZOMBIE DICE Tournament, with, like, prizes and stuff!!! Hopefully, I'll also get to play Nanuk, or other cool games, after the Zombie Dice tournament wraps up.
Saturday (August 23)
Gaming Industry Panel (that needs a clever name) (Bodden, Kovalic, Pavao) – Green Bay – 12:00pm to 12:50pm
How to Live your Life as a Writer (Bledsoe, Bodden, Valentinelli) – Green Bay – 6:00pm to 6:50pm
Sunday (August 24)
Build-a-World Game Show (Bledsoe, Bodden, Jones, Pavao, Valentinelli) – Mendota – 12:00pm to 12:50pm
Using Humor in Writing for Various Mediums (Billany, Bledsoe, Bodden) – Geneva – 2:00pm to 2:50pm
A lot of wonderful, talented people will be guests at Geek-Kon. You should show up and talk with them. There will be TONS of fun things to do: Gaming! Comedy! Music! Anime! Cosplay! Discussions of Cannibalism! And more!
Geek Kon is held at the Marriott Madison West in beautiful Middleton, Wisconsin. This year, the convention dates are August 22-24. For more information on the Kon itself, check out their website: http://www.geekkon.net/
Geneva Steam Coming Up!
I'll be attending steampunk convention Geneva Steam Con the weekend of March 10-12. The convention is being held at the Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wisconsin.
I'll be participating in two events at the convention, both on Saturday. At 3 PM...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2017/03/06/gene...
Trip Report: Geneva Steam
[caption id="attachment_1573" align="alignright" width="259"]
Two steampunks who took the Magic and Mysticism theme seriously.[/caption]
I've attended EVERY SINGLE ONE of the Geneva Steam conventions!
Okay, that's only three so far, and since it's a mere hour's drive from my home, it's not really that much of an accomplishment. Even so, Geneva Steam is a small but growing steampunk convention, and I find I'm enjoying it more every year.
The theme of this year's Geneva Steam was "Magic and Mysticism"...
To read the rest of this blog post, please visit http://billbodden.com/2017/03/20/trip...
Two steampunks who took the Magic and Mysticism theme seriously.[/caption]I've attended EVERY SINGLE ONE of the Geneva Steam conventions!
Okay, that's only three so far, and since it's a mere hour's drive from my home, it's not really that much of an accomplishment. Even so, Geneva Steam is a small but growing steampunk convention, and I find I'm enjoying it more every year.
The theme of this year's Geneva Steam was "Magic and Mysticism"...
To read the rest of this blog post, please visit http://billbodden.com/2017/03/20/trip...
