E.C. Myers's Blog, page 13

our princess is in another castle

Writing is hard, but is it "Nintendo hard"?

The 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (1985–1995) is notorious for offering some of the most challenging video games ever made, games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Battletoads that would make many of today's Xbox and Playstation gamers weep with anger and frustration. Although you could often find cheat codes to get extra lives, pore over player's guides, and even call an official hotline for tips, in the end, games of that generation all relied on skill and reflexes. You also needed one more very important thing:

Persistence. - See more at: http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/201...

heading to princeton

Part of Quantum Coin is set in Princeton, N.J., so I’m looking forward to bringing the book there this Friday for an event called Buzz Pop: Connecting Teens with Books, Pop Culture, and Young Adult Authors.

This program series at the West Windsor Branch of the Mercer County Library System is described as an informal discussion with teens and YA authors about books, music, movies, and TV shows — with snacks! I approve of all of these.

I’ll be joined by several other authors:Kit Grindstaff(The Fl...

busiest readercon ever!

Readercon is one of my favorite SFF conventions, so I’m excited to be participating in programming this year. My schedule is busy for my first time as a guest, and I’m especially looking forward to the many interesting YA panels on the program.

If you’re attending Readercon in Burlington, MA this month, I’ll be there from Thursday, July 11 – Sunday, July 14. My schedule is below: You can find me on panels, get books signed during my autographing session (or indeed, if you see me anywhere else...

catching up

Wow, I haven’t blogged here for more than a month. Sorry about that. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to blog–a lot has been going on, and I have things to talk about (like Star Trek Into Darkness and Man of Steel,not to mention some recent controversies on the internet…). However, one of my struggles as a writer has been learning not to take on too much.I have a day job and a family and some semblance of a social life, and several other commitments on the side, like writing Star Trek reviews a...

alternate wednesday: Star Trek (2009)

I’m pretty excited about finally getting to see Star Trek Into Darkness tomorrow night. I’ve been dodging internet spoilers like it’s my job, and I’m one of the devout Star Trekfans who really digs J.J. Abrams’ take on the franchise. It doesn’t take a lot to please me: Give me time travel, alternate timelines, and Leonard Nimoy, and I’m a happy geek. (Props to Abrams and Fringe for also delivering on all three!)

I just re-watched the 2009 Abrams film, which (spoiler!) I did like a hell of a lo...

upcoming events

I have a couple of appearances lined up this month:

May the 4th Be With You

First, if you’re anywhere near Rosemont, PA, come to the Rosemont Book Festival this Saturday, May 4. The first annual book festival at Rosemont College will be held at Connelly Green and in the library with workshops, readings, panels, and signings from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

I will be on a panel about young adult books with fabulous authors Beth Kephart, April Lindner, and Tiffany Schmidt from 11-12, with a signing afterwar...

celebrating two great things today!

As I mentioned in my post this week at the League of Extraordinary Writers, today is World Amateur Radio Day. I hope all you hammies are taking to the airwaves and celebrating in style! The Kim family’s old ham radio ended up being a much bigger plot point in Quantum Coin than I’d originally planned, and I think the novel was better for it.

April 18 also marks the 75th anniversary (observed)of Superman, my favorite superhero. He first appeared in Action Comics #1, which bears the date June 193...

links to the past

Apologies for the lack of my Alternate Wednesday posts of late; oddly enough, it’s a matter of not having enough time for them. I thought the biweekly schedule would be manageable, but with a novel to revise and multiple deadlines for various projects (including several other blogs I contribute to–see below), it has been the easiest thing to put aside. But I enjoy writing them, and I hope some of you enjoy reading them, so they will continue–but perhaps on a sporadic basis for the moment.

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Finalist Fantasy II

My dreary Monday was interrupted by the exciting news thatFair Coin was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Compton Crook Award! Named for author Compton Crook (the pseudonym of Stephen Tall), since 1983 this award has been presented by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) to the best first novel of the year in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Past winners include T.C. McCarthy’s Germline (2012), Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl (2010), and Naomi Novik’s His Majes...

me, elsewhere

Today I have a couple of new posts up at my group writer blogs:

At The League of Extraordinary Writers, I finally talk about how I got my agent!

And on the shiny new teamTEENauthor site, I answer this month’s question: “Do you believe in Luck?”

I’ll be blogging at least once a month on these other sites, so go check out my words over there, comment, share — and read everyone else’s posts too!