Richard Lee Byers's Blog, page 52

Press release pimping my appearance at Necronomicon 2012

What follows is the text of a press release pimping my forthcoming appearance at Necronomicon 2012. Necronomicon honcho (honcha?) Ann Morris wrote it, and I tweaked it. I thought it might be of interest because Ann has formal training in writing press releases and this one came out well. If you need to promote yourself, an event, or whatever, you might want to use it as a model or at least a source of ideas. Anyway, here it is:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FAN FAVORITE AUTHOR OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE GRIFFON SERIES, RICHARD LEE BYERS, TO APPEAR AT NECRONOMICON 2012
St. Petersburg, Florida
October 26-28, 2012

Richard Lee Byers, author of the popular “Brotherhood of the Griffon” series, will be appearing at the Bay Area’s longest running science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention, Necronomicon 2012.

Byers, a full-time writer since 1987, has written thirty-five novels and scores of short stories. His most recent projects are Prophet of the Dead (February, 2013), the finale of his current Brotherhood of the Griffon storyline, Called to Darkness (January, 2013), an Edgar Rice Burroughs-style fantasy adventure, and an urban fantasy titled Blind God’s Bluff (January, 2013) set in Tampa Bay.

In addition to his traditionally published work, Byers is self-publishing a prose superhero series, “The Impostor,” in e-book form. This is a foray into pulp fiction combining new technology with the tropes of classic hero pulps like The Shadow and Doc Savage and superhero comics like Batman and Spider-Man.

Byers also writes a monthly column for the science fiction news site Airlock Alpha.

This year will mark Byers’s 24th appearance at Necronomicon as a professional writer. But as a lifelong science fiction enthusiast, he’s been a prominent part of Necronomicon since its beginning in 1982. In the early days, he ran roleplaying games, managed the dealer’s room, and took care of many other tasks.

This year, he joins author guest of honor Linnea Sinclair as well as authors Timothy Zahn, Debbie Viguie, E. Rose Sabin, William Hatfield, Johanna M. Bolton, Chris Berman, Glenda C. Finkelstein and more for the literary program track at the convention.

Other events at Necronomicon 2012 include trivia quizzes, roleplaying games, tabletop and computer gaming, a costume contest, a hospitality suite, the Necronomi-Prom (a geek-oriented dance) and a Steampunk invasion.

Necronomicon 2012 is a production of the Stone Hill Science Fiction Association. It has hosted such notable figures in science fiction and fantasy as Vernor Vinge, C.J. Cherryh, and Glen Cook and helps support the Tampa Bay-based charity Kids and Canines. The dates for the event are October 26-28, and the venue is the Bayfront Hilton in St. Petersburg.

For more information, contact Ann Morris at annmorris1@yahoo.com or by phone at 813-982-9616.

Professor X, RIP (Again)

"Professor X, RIP (Again)" is my new column on Airlock Alpha:

http://airlockalpha.com/node/9364/astrojive-professor-x-rip-again.html

Interview available again

A while back, my multitalented friend Tammy Kane interviewed me. For a while, that interview was not available, but now it is again. If you'd like to check it out, here's the link:

http://macabrecadaver.com/features/taxonomy/term/19

You can pre-order Called to Darkness on Amazon

I just discovered that you can pre-order Called to Darkness, my first Pathfinder novel on Amazon. (Although weirdly, it is not depicted with the actual cover it's going to have but rather some different cover art. The cover currently on display is cool, but the real cover is even cooler.) Anyway, interested parties can check it out here:

http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Tales-Richard-Lee-Byers/dp/1601254652/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1347935688&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Pathfinder+Tales%3A+Called+to+Darkness

I am the Adult Featured Fencer on my salle's website

I am the Adult Featured Fencer on my salle's website this month. If you'd like to check out the profile, here's the link:

http://www.tampabayfencing.com/featured-fencer/adult/

Pre-order Blind God's Bluff and save!

Do you want to read my forthcoming urban fantasy novel Blind God's Bluff? Naturally, I hope so, and if you do, you may be interested in this. The book lists for $14.99. But if you pre-order it now, Amazon will let you have it for a paltry $9.99. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluff-Billy-Novels/dp/1597804436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346861033&sr=8-1&keywords=blind+god%27s+bluff

Happy Birthday, H. P. Lovecraft

"Happy Birthday, H. P. Lovecraft" is my August feature on Airlock Alpha. It includes my list of Lovecraftian movies worth seeing.

http://airlockalpha.com/node/9335/happy-birthday-h-p-lovecraft.html

My Chicon 7 panel schedule

Man, I just got back from Gen Con, and I’m flying out to Chicon 7 (the World Science Fiction Convention) in five days. Amazing how easy it is to persuade myself the intervening time is too short to make it worthwhile to buckle down and try to be productive. Anyway, for those who are interested, here’s my Chicon panel schedule:

The Best Vampire Novel of the Century

Time: Friday noon

Place: Wrigley

Other participants: James S. Dorr, Kenneth Hite.

We’ll be debating the best vampire novel of the hundred-year period defined by Bram Stoker’s death in 1912 to the present. Spoiler alert: I will not be pushing Twilight.

Media Tie-In Novels: Art of Commerce?

Time: Saturday 10:30 AM

Place: Columbus AB

Other participants: Matt Forbeck, Tom Dowd, Joe Haldeman (in Chicago), and Peter David, David Gerrold, Michael Stackpole (in Atlanta.)

This should be interesting, a panel spanning Chicon and DragonCon via teleconferencing. Let’s hope the technology works. I’m optimistic. There are several panels of this type running before mine, so the tech wizards will have had time to get the bugs out.

What Every Pro Should Know About Fandom

Time: Saturday 1:30 PM

Place: Field

Other participants: Janice Gelb, Andrew Porter, Lee Martindale, Michael J. Lowery.

There Will Be Blood—But How Much is Too Much?

Time: Sunday noon

Place: Columbus KL

Other participants: Warren Hammond, Paul Dale Anderson, Betsy Dornbusch, Tim Waggoner.

Urban Fantasy Isn’t Just for Women

Time: Monday 9:00 AM

Place: McCormick

Other participants: Kat Richardson, Violette Milan.

Come watch me strain to resist the urge to act like a jerk and spend the whole panel relentless pimping my own forthcoming urban fantasy novel.

Cover art for Blind God's Bluff

Check out the cover of Blind God's Bluff, my forthcoming urban fantasy novel. I like this painting a lot. It reminds me of the covers of private-eye and spy paperbacks I read when I was a teenager, and that vibe is quite appropriate for the story.

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluff-Billy-Novels/dp/1597804436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345750446&sr=8-1&keywords=blind+god%27s+bluff

Gen Con 2012 video

Here's a link to the Wizards of the Coast keynote address and other presentations from Gen Con 2012. There's info on D&D Next and The Sundering, the big Forgotten Realms novel series being written by R. A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Troy Denning, Erin M. Evans, Paul S. Kemp, and me.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/blog/gencon2012