Richard Lee Byers's Blog, page 26
August 27, 2014
MURDER IN CORVIS comes out next month
Not sure if I've mentioned this previously, but what the hell. Even if I have, it bears mentioning again. Privateer Press is bringing out my "Iron Kingdoms" novella Murder in Corvis in September, 2014. The story stars the adventuring group the Black River Irregulars, whom you may know if you've played the Iron Kingdoms RPG.
https://skullislandx.com/iron-kingdoms/murder-in-corvis
https://skullislandx.com/iron-kingdoms/murder-in-corvis
August 26, 2014
My final schedule for Dragon Con 2014
AUTOGRAPHING – Saturday noon, Larry Smith Bookseller, Booths 103, 104, and 105 (in the middle of the run facing the dealer tables and behind the booths that face the elevator/escalator core.) I'm told some of my books will be for sale there, but I don't know which ones. Naturally, I'll also be happy to sign any of my books that you bring with you.
SFWA TABLE: Friday 3-4, Saturday 4-5, outside the Art Show and Artist Alley, Hyatt. (I'm not sure what level this is, but it's one of the ones below the lobby.)
PANELS:
Title: Barking up the Wrong Tree
Description: Pets and their people...How to incorporate "pets" (dogs, dragons, demons) of all sorts into your novel in a believable way as realistic characters.
Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Panelists: Richard Lee Byers, Cinda Williams Chima, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Chandra Free, Mari Mancusi, Bill Fawcett.
-------------------
Title: Peopling Your Fiction
Description: Authors view characters as people. How do they go about the process of character development that makes readers want to come back for more?
Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Panelists: Chesya Burke, Richard Lee Byers, Faith Hunter, Gail Z. Martin, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
I expect to be at the following parties:
Timothy Zahn Book Launch, 7, Thursday, Westin.
Gilded Dragonfly Books Launch, 7, Thursday, Embassy D-F, Hyatt.
ESO Podcast Get-together, 8:30-10, Friday, Sheraton pool area.
So if you want to find me to say hi, get a book autographed, or whatever, these are the places to look for me.
SFWA TABLE: Friday 3-4, Saturday 4-5, outside the Art Show and Artist Alley, Hyatt. (I'm not sure what level this is, but it's one of the ones below the lobby.)
PANELS:
Title: Barking up the Wrong Tree
Description: Pets and their people...How to incorporate "pets" (dogs, dragons, demons) of all sorts into your novel in a believable way as realistic characters.
Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Panelists: Richard Lee Byers, Cinda Williams Chima, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Chandra Free, Mari Mancusi, Bill Fawcett.
-------------------
Title: Peopling Your Fiction
Description: Authors view characters as people. How do they go about the process of character development that makes readers want to come back for more?
Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Panelists: Chesya Burke, Richard Lee Byers, Faith Hunter, Gail Z. Martin, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
I expect to be at the following parties:
Timothy Zahn Book Launch, 7, Thursday, Westin.
Gilded Dragonfly Books Launch, 7, Thursday, Embassy D-F, Hyatt.
ESO Podcast Get-together, 8:30-10, Friday, Sheraton pool area.
So if you want to find me to say hi, get a book autographed, or whatever, these are the places to look for me.
August 25, 2014
The Kickstarter for the BLACKGUARDS anthology is now live!
The Kickstarter for the BLACKGUARDS anthology (in which I will have a story) is live. Check it out.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1089607742/blackguards-tales-of-assassins-mercenaries-and-rog
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1089607742/blackguards-tales-of-assassins-mercenaries-and-rog
August 20, 2014
Happy birthday, H. P. Lovecraft!
Happy birthday to H. P. Lovecraft, born on this day in 1890!
Lately, I've noticed a number of people decrying Lovecraft's racism, and if you're one of those commentators, you've got him dead to rights. Judging from certain passages in his fiction and correspondence, he was a racist.
Unfortunately, though, HPL's been gone for a while now. At this point, there's no hope of reasoning or scolding him into changing his views. That being the case, while I don't believe we need to ignore or whitewash any aspect of his life when we discuss him, I think it may be more useful, interesting, and reflect a more generous spirit in ourselves if we mainly focus on the positive.
There's a lot of positive to focus on. Even if you can't get past his prose style or don't care for some other aspect of his approach to storytelling, there's no denying that his work is one of the great fountainheads of modern weird fiction. That's why fine writers like Ramsey Campbell, Charles Stross, and Laird Barron are still referencing the Cthulhu Mythos or at least working within the "cosmic horror" sub-genre it pioneered.
And yeah, I realize all this is easy for me to say. I'm a WASP, so Lovecraft never took any potshots at my ethnicity. If he had, I might find it more difficult to get past his prejudice. But I still think there's some validity to my perspective.
Lately, I've noticed a number of people decrying Lovecraft's racism, and if you're one of those commentators, you've got him dead to rights. Judging from certain passages in his fiction and correspondence, he was a racist.
Unfortunately, though, HPL's been gone for a while now. At this point, there's no hope of reasoning or scolding him into changing his views. That being the case, while I don't believe we need to ignore or whitewash any aspect of his life when we discuss him, I think it may be more useful, interesting, and reflect a more generous spirit in ourselves if we mainly focus on the positive.
There's a lot of positive to focus on. Even if you can't get past his prose style or don't care for some other aspect of his approach to storytelling, there's no denying that his work is one of the great fountainheads of modern weird fiction. That's why fine writers like Ramsey Campbell, Charles Stross, and Laird Barron are still referencing the Cthulhu Mythos or at least working within the "cosmic horror" sub-genre it pioneered.
And yeah, I realize all this is easy for me to say. I'm a WASP, so Lovecraft never took any potshots at my ethnicity. If he had, I might find it more difficult to get past his prejudice. But I still think there's some validity to my perspective.
August 16, 2014
My tentative Dragon Con schedule
For anyone interested in tracking me down at Dragon Con, here's how my schedule's shaping up.
I will be on at least two panels;
Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Saturday, 5:30, Hyatt, Embassy D-F.
Peopling Your Fiction, Sunday, 4:00, Hyatt, Embassy D-F.
I will be doing a signing, Saturday, noon, Larry Smith Bookseller, Booths 103, 104, and 105, dealer's room. (I'm told they will have some of my books for sale, but I'm not sure which titles. Naturally, I'll be happy to sign any of my books that you already own as well.)
I will be hanging out at the SFWA table Friday, 3:00 and Saturday, 4:00. (Not sure exactly where that is, but I will find out and post that later.)
I will be on at least two panels;
Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Saturday, 5:30, Hyatt, Embassy D-F.
Peopling Your Fiction, Sunday, 4:00, Hyatt, Embassy D-F.
I will be doing a signing, Saturday, noon, Larry Smith Bookseller, Booths 103, 104, and 105, dealer's room. (I'm told they will have some of my books for sale, but I'm not sure which titles. Naturally, I'll be happy to sign any of my books that you already own as well.)
I will be hanging out at the SFWA table Friday, 3:00 and Saturday, 4:00. (Not sure exactly where that is, but I will find out and post that later.)
July 30, 2014
CONjure's schedule is now available
CONjure, where Will Ludwigsen, Paul Vincenti, and I are appearing this weekend, has posted its schedule of panels and other events. You can find it on their site:
http://www.conjureflorida.com
http://www.conjureflorida.com
July 25, 2014
I will have a story in the forthcoming anthology BLACKGUARDS
And now it can be told! I'm proud to announce that I will have a story in what is going to be a very cool anthology: BLACKGUARDS.
My story is an adventure of Selden, my fencing master and occasional mercenary and sleuth who operates in Balathex, the Whispering City. (If you're not familiar with Selden, you can find all his previous exploits in my very reasonably priced eBook THE PLAGUE KNIGHT AND OTHER STORIES, available on Amazon.)
You can check out BLACKGUARDS here:
http://www.ragnarokpub.com/#!blackguards-anthology/cf3b
My story is an adventure of Selden, my fencing master and occasional mercenary and sleuth who operates in Balathex, the Whispering City. (If you're not familiar with Selden, you can find all his previous exploits in my very reasonably priced eBook THE PLAGUE KNIGHT AND OTHER STORIES, available on Amazon.)
You can check out BLACKGUARDS here:
http://www.ragnarokpub.com/#!blackguards-anthology/cf3b
July 23, 2014
Market listing
The Murky Vault of Shadowy Darkness
The Murky Vault is currently closed to submissions. We anticipate reopening in February of 2016. Please note that even when we are open, we do not read during months that begin with M, J, or any vowel.
What we publish: Sublime stories of literary genius that illuminate the human condition in exquisite, nuanced prose while delivering a fast-paced yarn with scares galore. Think D. H. Lawrence writing “Rise of the Giant Leeches.”
Our focus is supernatural terror in all its aspects. But please, no ghosts, poltergeists, revenants, haunted houses, haunted or accursed objects, dybbuks, possession, devils, the Devil, devil worshippers, succubi, incubi, warlocks, witches, magic, werewolves, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, zombies, vampires, golems, Cthulhu Mythos, or entities from other dimensions. Leprechauns can also be a hard sell.
We are eager to see stories featuring individuals and cultures underrepresented in popular fiction. But only if the story is impervious to any and all accusations of insensitivity, stereotyping, and/or cultural misappropriation (you racist bastard.) We recommend that authors aspiring to depict characters different from themselves work toward a doctorate in cultural anthropology, focus their studies on the group in question, and write the story upon graduation.
As you may have gathered, we’re after a very particular kind of story. The best way to understand our needs is to purchase all previous issues of the magazine (Numbers 1 through 37.) Then memorize them.
Response time: Variable. But your literary executor should feel free to query if he hasn’t heard from us within three years of your demise.
Payment: 10% discount on the cover price of one copy of the issue of the magazine in which your story appears.
The Murky Vault is currently closed to submissions. We anticipate reopening in February of 2016. Please note that even when we are open, we do not read during months that begin with M, J, or any vowel.
What we publish: Sublime stories of literary genius that illuminate the human condition in exquisite, nuanced prose while delivering a fast-paced yarn with scares galore. Think D. H. Lawrence writing “Rise of the Giant Leeches.”
Our focus is supernatural terror in all its aspects. But please, no ghosts, poltergeists, revenants, haunted houses, haunted or accursed objects, dybbuks, possession, devils, the Devil, devil worshippers, succubi, incubi, warlocks, witches, magic, werewolves, skinwalkers, shapeshifters, zombies, vampires, golems, Cthulhu Mythos, or entities from other dimensions. Leprechauns can also be a hard sell.
We are eager to see stories featuring individuals and cultures underrepresented in popular fiction. But only if the story is impervious to any and all accusations of insensitivity, stereotyping, and/or cultural misappropriation (you racist bastard.) We recommend that authors aspiring to depict characters different from themselves work toward a doctorate in cultural anthropology, focus their studies on the group in question, and write the story upon graduation.
As you may have gathered, we’re after a very particular kind of story. The best way to understand our needs is to purchase all previous issues of the magazine (Numbers 1 through 37.) Then memorize them.
Response time: Variable. But your literary executor should feel free to query if he hasn’t heard from us within three years of your demise.
Payment: 10% discount on the cover price of one copy of the issue of the magazine in which your story appears.
July 5, 2014
I will be at Metrocon on Saturday, July 12
will be at Florida Metrocon on Saturday, July 12.
This is my panel schedule:
2:00 pm - Q&A/Would You Rather…
3:00 pm - Dr. Who
4:00 pm - Star Trek/Star Wars
6:00 pm - DC/Marvel
This is where to find info on Metrocon:
http://www.metroconventions.com/
This is my panel schedule:
2:00 pm - Q&A/Would You Rather…
3:00 pm - Dr. Who
4:00 pm - Star Trek/Star Wars
6:00 pm - DC/Marvel
This is where to find info on Metrocon:
http://www.metroconventions.com/
July 1, 2014
THE REAVER is now available in paperback
The paperback edition of THE REAVER THE SUNDERING BOOK IV is now available.
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Reaver/Richard-Lee-Byers/9780786965427?id=6042183547693
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Reaver/Richard-Lee-Byers/9780786965427?id=6042183547693
