Phil Giunta's Blog, page 103
August 7, 2012
Shore Leave 34 Convention Review
For its 34th year, Shore Leave moved from its traditional July timeslot to August. This was primarily due to the lack of available guests in July, many of whom were at San Diego Comic Con. The change seemed to make little difference to most of the fans. Speaking for myself, this was one of the best Shore Leaves I've had in my 20 years of attendance.
After my fiancee and I checked in, we picked up our guest badges in the lower lobby where we met up with friends Bob Greenberger and Dr. Inge Heyer. As many of you know, Bob is a veteran writer and editor and co-creator of the new ReDeus book series. Inge is an astronomer and Shore Leave's author liaison who had just moved back to the DC area to accept a professorship at Loyola. We were very excited for her!
After that, it was off to host my first panel at 3PM about the SyFy seriesm, HAVEN. I was flying solo on this one and while the audience was small, it was lively and there was much to discuss for a solid 40 minutes before winding down. That was perfect for me as I'd had nothing to eat all day and still had to unpack the car!
We then paid a vist to friends Mike and Kate Riehl at their dealer table where we were joined by Eric Hawkins and Gayle Ruggieri. There was much catching up to do with Eric and Gayle who I had not seen in over a year.
Then came the mad text messages to friends Sharon VanBlarcom and fellow writer guest, Kieryn Nicolas who was just arriving. Finally, it was decided to meet up for dinner at Noodles and Company across from the hotel. Evon and I had just enough time to get our bags into the room, unpack, and unwind for a few minutes before heading out again to the convention floor where we found Bob Greenberger who had boxes filled with copies of our new anthology, ReDeus: Divine Tales, which was set to debut at the Meet the Pros party at 10PM that night.
As I had ordered 50 copies, I eagerly carried one box back with me to the room before heading to dinner. Afterwards, my fiancee and I played tour guide to Shore Leave first-timers Kieryn Nicolas, her sister Brynna and her mom, Mara.
Then it was off to the Ray Bradbury discussion panel hosted by Steven H. Wilson, Kathleen David, David Mack, Marco Palmieri and Scott Pearson. It was an engaging panel that reviewed the life and works of one of the masters of speculative fiction.
At 9PM, we took a break and caught up with friends Ethan and Christian Wilson and Blair Learn in the hallway before getting ready for the main event—Meet the Pros. Meet the Pros is a two hour book fair from 10PM to midnight where all of the author guests gather to sell and sign books. Local indie shop, Constellation Books, was also on hand with books for sale.
As mentioned earlier, our new anthology, ReDeus: Divine Tales, was slated to make its debut here and with 9 of the 11 writers lined up ready to sell and sign copies, we rocked! I never thought I'd sign so many books in two hours. It was wild! I shared a table with good friend, writer, and publisher Steven H. Wilson. Special thanks to Judith Waidlich for bringing homemade goodies to our table. They just magically appeared when I looked away! They disappeared almost as quickly when I saw them, if you know what I mean...
I want to stop here and express my deepest gratitude to Bob Greenberger and Aaron Rosenberg for inviting me to play in the ReDeus universe and for accepting my story into the first anthology of the series. And I would like to thank Lawrence Schoen, William Leisner, Scott Pearson, Allyn Gibson, Steve Wilson, and Dave Galanter for signing nine copies of ReDeus for me. I am honored to be included in the same collection as these wonderful talents.
Saturday morning saw me in line for my photo op with LeVar Burton and Kate Mulgrew. A very positive experience, despite the blistering heat in the hotel hallway. Mr. Burton and Ms. Mulgrew were very gracious!
At 11AM, I was elected moderator of the Farewell: Eureka panel in Salon E (E for Eureka!). Fellow panelists included T. Alan Chafin, Terry Osborne, Aaron Rosenberg, Lorraine Anderson and a room PACKED with fellow fans. It was one of the two best attended panels of the weekend. The audience was not shy and the time just evaporated with discussions about past episodes, lost characters, and future possibilities. While everyone agreed that it's wise to end a show on a high note, we will all miss one of the best SF shows ever made.
En route to my noon panel in the Hunt Room (1982: Sci-Fi's Greatest Year in Movies), I picked up my 8x10 photo with LeVar and Kate. I was relieved to see that the sweat stains under my arms were not terribly evident in the photo. The Hunt Valley Inn needs better A/C in the hallways!
The 1982 panelists included two Alan's and a Phil. Alan Kistler and T. Alan Chafin dominated most of the conversation on this one. I chimed with a few comments about the movies from that year which included TRON, Star Trek II, Blade Runner, ET, Dark Crystal, Secrets of NIMH, The Thing, Conan the Barbarian, Poltergeist, and Swamp Thing just to name a few.
Then at 1PM in Salon A it was Allyn Gibson's Everything's Better in a TARDIS. Fellow panelists included Lorraine Anderson, Terri Osborne, Kieryn Nicolas, and once again, T. Alan Chafin. The theme of this panel was to name your fantasy crossovers with The Doctor and I must say, the large and exuberant audience covered quite a bit of ground from fictional characters to historical figures.
I caught a break at 2PM before the traditional two hour All Kinds of Writing Workshop from 3-5PM in the Concierge Lounge. The workshop was hosted by Howie Weinstein, Bob Jones, Dave Galanter, and Kelly Meding. We focused on such topics as components of a good scene, the three act story, outlining your novel, word count, and more. All told, it was a fun and informative session as always.
In the same room at 5PM, it was time for the Firebringer Press panel hosted by Steve Wilson and me. With some new faces in the room, Steve spent the first 40 minutes or so introducing us and Firebringer. He described what he's published thus far, future plans, the relationship between Firebringer, Prometheus Radio Theatre, and Farpoint and then read from Lance Woods' debut novel, Heroic Park. Sadly, Lance could not join us for Shore Leave as his vacation plans conflicted with the convention's move to its August date.
After dinner, Evon and I hung out with Mike Riehl and his wife Kate at their dealer table. Though the dealer room was closed by then, Mike traditionally takes a few hours to hand paint ornaments that the convention staff give to the celebrity guests as gifts on Sunday. It was a nice, relaxing evening with friends after a day of running about the convention. It never ceases to amaze me to watch Mike at work, painting amazing detail on ornaments almost effortlessly. He is a truly talented artist which is why I tapped him to create the cover and interior art for a short story collection that I'm editing and contributing to later this year. Details forthcoming...
Evon and I checked out on Sunday morning and I started the convention by getting in line for Kate Mulgrew's autograph on a Warehouse 13 photo I had picked up in the dealer room on Friday. As I was a guest, the adept security team handling the line fed me into the main line smoothly so I did not need to wait long. I thanked Ms. Mulgrew for coming and she did the same. I cannot praise her enough for being a charming, elegant lady. It was a pleasure to see her twice this summer (the first was at Wizard World Comic Con in Philly). I had first met Ms. Mulgrew at another Philadelphia convention about 10 years ago.
At 1PM, it was time to gather the ReDeus writers and editors together in Salon E to discuss the project. Bob Greenberger and Aaron Rosenberg introduced the project, discussed its origins and what prompted them to invite their Shore Leave/Farpoint buddies to play in their universe. They then allowed each of the contributors to briefly discuss what inspired them to accept the invitation and how they felt about the project and I can tell you that all of us were excited, grateful, and energized to be a part of this wonderful anthology.
Finally, it was time for one of my favorite activities--hitting the dealer room. No SF con these days would be complete without a touch of Big Bang Theory. For me, this included the purchase of the new trading card set from friend, artist, and dealer Laura Inglis and from Starbase Atlanta, a "Bazinga" t-shirt that included the entire cast on a comic book cover. Also from Laura, I picked up a 49 card set of vintage movie posters from SF and Horror films ranging from the 1920's to the 1970's.
As if this Shore Leave wasn't already going well, I managed to catch up with a friend I had not seen in seven years--Sashi Wehle, nee German. Sashi had been captain of the USS Thagard Starfleet chapter in Philadelphia when I joined in 1995 and was one of the people who introduced me to the Maryland SF convention scene. I credit her for bringing me into the heart of SF fandom and fan-run conventions. Meeting up with her again was the icing on the cake for my weekend. We exchanged contact information and I gave her copies of my first novel, Testing the Prisoner, and ReDeus: Divine Tales. She was proud of my advancement from fan fic writer to professional. I hope never to lost contact with Sashi again.
My fiancee and I then spent the waning hours of the convention with Mike and Kate Riehl at their table only to find out that LeVar Burton had commissioned a Geordi LaForge ornament from Mike! Eventually, Mr. Burton returned to pick up his ornament and was very pleased with it. I had the honor of taking a picture of him proudly holding the ornament (see below). Needless to say, Mike was ecstatic! It was a wonderful note on which to end a truly magical Shore Leave. I will treasure the memories of an exhilarating book signing, of camaraderie, of friendship, of reunions, and of the joys of fandom.
Onto the next!
August 2, 2012
About This Writing Stuff...
ReDeus Divine Tales hits Amazon! And more...enjoy!
Take Your Author Website to the Next Level by Karen M. Rider
Anatomy of a Series Proposal - Part 2 and Part 3 by Paul Kupperberg
Harlequin Fail Revisit by Joe Konrath
Flip the Script: Start Anywhere by Jael McHenry
The Good Seed V by Donald Maass
Writing from the Discomfort Zone by Jeanne Kisacky
Why Are We Wired for Story? by Lisa Cron
The New Publishing Paradigm: It's Not About eBook vs. Print by Jami Gold
What's Life Really Like as a Published Author? by Jody Hedlund
The Bonfire of the Straw Men by David Gaughran
Killing Your Sales One Shot at a Time by Dean Wesley Smith
ReDeus: Divine Tales Hits Amazon!
July 29, 2012
About This Writing Stuff...
And more!
How to Write Great by Roger Rosenblatt
What was Satan Thinking? by Karen Syed
4 Ways to Improve Plot/Climax in Your Writing by Jeff Gerke
So You Want to Write a Novel (Video) posted by Brian Klems
5 Tips for Avoiding Distractions and Getting More Writing Done by Anne Lyle
ReDeus Brings Back the Gods and Goddesses of Yore by Bob Greenberger
Fear in Publishing by Dean Wesley Smith
The Writer's Team by Ken Scholes
Does Social Media Really Help With Success? by Jody Hedlund
The 5 Mistakes Killing Self Published Authors by Kristen Lamb
How to Publicize and Promote Your Book by Chuck Sambuchino
Anatomy of a Series Proposal (or, How to Have Your Chain Yanked 6 Ways from Sunday) Part I by Paul Kupperberg
July 28, 2012
My Schedule for Shore Leave 34
We're one week away from Shore Leave 34 and my tentative schedule for the convention is below. In addition, there are many wonderful panels and workshops taking place during the convention including writers workshops, panels on Ray Bradbury, audio dramas, the business of writing, author readings, and just about every current SF television show and movie you can think of. I hope to see you there.
FRIDAY, 3 AUGUST
3PM - Chase
HAVEN: Not Such A Safe Place with Phil Giunta. Discussion about the SyFy channel series.
10PM - Hunt/Valley Hallway
MEET THE PROS Party. Every author guest will be in attendance to sign copies of their books. Constellation Books will also be on hand with books from the author guests.
You can meet 9 of the 11 contributing writers to the wonderful new anthology, ReDeus: Divine Tales. This short story collection explores what might happen if all of the ancient gods from every Earth culture returned in 2012! ReDeus will be available in trade paperback from all 9 of us!
SATURDAY, 4 AUGUST
11AM - Salon E
Farewell EUREKA with Greg Cox, Aaron Rosenberg, Lorraine Anderson, Phil Giunta, T. Alan Chafin
A look back on one of SyFy Channel's most beloved series. (Note: I have a conflict so may not make this one.)
12PM - Hunt
30 Years Since SF's Greatest Year - 1982 with Michael Jan Friedman, Allyn Gibson, T. Alan Chafin, Phil Giunta, Glenn Hauman
Star Trek II, Blade Runner, ET, Tron, The Dark Crystal, Conan the Barbarian, The Thing, what a year for SF and Fantasy!
1PM - Salon A
Everything's Better in a TARDIS with Allyn Gibson, Lorraine Anderson, T. Alan Chafin, Kieryn Nicolas, Phil Giunta, Terri Osborne
Doctor Who discussion panel.
4PM - Concierge
FIREBRINGER PRESS panel and author readings. Publisher/writer Steven H. Wilson and I will be reading from some of our latest and upcoming works as well as Lance woods' debut novel, Heroic Park. Due to a scheduling conflict, Lance could not make his own book launch but we'll rope someone into reading an excerpt from his book.
Note: I am double booked here. The con currently has me scheduled for a Warehouse 13 panel in Salon F. The schedule may change and if so, I will note it here.
SUNDAY 5 AUGUST
1PM - Salon E
ReDeus: Divine Tales with Bob Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Phil Giunta, Allyn Gibson, William Leisner, Steve Wilson, Dave Galanter
A discussion panel on the creation of the anthology and possibly, where it might go from here.
July 24, 2012
Dark Knight Rises - Review
In light of the Colorado tragedy, and my insane schedule as of late, I was ambivalent about whether to write a review of Dark Knight Rises.
However, I had some time this evening and I did enjoy the film. While the middle installment remains my favorite for its intensity, Nolan's final entry in the Batman saga has a bit more depth in its portrayal of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).
While the Batman trilogy stresses the point that the caped crusader is merely a symbol, Bruce Wayne is very much a mortal man. The street brawls have taken their toll on his body and he is emotionally drained after the loss of Rachel Dawes at the hands of the Joker in the previous film. Wayne has been reduced to a depressed, isolated cripple at the start of Dark Knight Rises and only the unexpected appearance of Selina Kyle (Catwoman, as portrayed with perfection by Anne Hathaway) in his mansion jolts the billionaire from his reclusiveness. After Kyle makes off with a string of pearls that once belonged to Wayne's late mother, Bruce learns that Selina was after something more--his fingerprints. But why?
Meanwhile, members of a terrorist group are captured by the CIA and placed aboard a plane along with a nuclear physicist. The agents begin interrogating the prisoners only to find that one of them is the leader himself - a behemoth mercenary known as Bane (played brilliantly by Tom Hardy) who wears a mask that covers the lower half of his face. Bane breaks his bonds and releases hell on the plane as another, larger craft looms overhead. Mercenaries from the other plane board the CIA craft and assist Bane in kidnapping the physicist. After a stunning aerial sequence, Bane ejects from the destroyed CIA plane with the scientist and is towed away on a cable by the larger craft. Hmmmm...
As the movie progresses, Bane arrives in Gotham. We learn that he intends to finish the job that Ra'as Al Ghul had started in the first film--destroy the den of corruption. However, at the beginning of the film, Gotham City's mayor credits the late DA and shining knight, Harvey Dent, for eliminating organized crime. The eponymously names Dent Act had been passed allowing for tougher penalties on criminals and Gotham is once again safe.
Doesn't matter to Bane as he and his mercenaries shoot up the Gotham Stock Exchange, destroy all bridges leading to the mainland (except for one) and activate a nuclear device capable of leveling Gotham. While trying to track Bane to the sewer system, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) is shot and hospitalized.
Enter one of Gotham City's finest, John Blake, a young cop who still has faith in Batman, despite the dark knight's false status as cop killer and murderer of Harvey Dent. Yet Batman has not been seen in eight years. Blake might know why. In fact, he knows the identity of Batman and confronts Bruce at Wayne Manor.
Despite the protests of his butler, Alfred (Michael Caine), Bruce know that this is a job for Batman--until he goes up against Bane in a brawl that leaves the caped crusader with a broken back. Worse, it had been Catwoman that not only led him to Bane (per Batman's request) but then trapped him there with no way to escape. Later, Bruce Wayne awakens in a prison at the bottom of a pit somwhere in the Middle East. It is the same prison from which Bane had been the only one to ever escape. He challenges Bruce to do the same (impossible in his condition) but in the meantime, he allows Wayne to watch Gotham City burn via television.
Back in the city, Police Captain Foley (Matthew Modine) orders almost every cop into the sewers after Bane and his mercenaries. Of course, it's a trap!
The film's intensity ratchets up more and more and Bane takes over the city and declares martial law. All seems lost for Gotham City. Until...
Director Christopher Nolan has a way of imbuing larger than life characters and settings with very human elements, making them realistic. His Gotham City is a modern metropolis (pardon the pun) without the gargoyles and goth of the previous Batman movie series from the late 80s and 90s. Anne Hathaway's fantastic Catwoman is not exaggerated or cheesy at all. Though she wears a leather body suit, she never purrs and her cat ears are provided by her night goggles when she flips them up onto her head. In fact, I don't believe she is referred to as Catwoman at all in the film, merely Selina. Bane's origin and even his condition were altered a bit from the comics and cartoons, making him even more fierce and threatening. There are some interesting supporting actors in this including Burn Gorman (Torchwood), Christopher Judge (Stargate SG-1) and back again for a slightly larger role than his cameo in last movie, Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow in Batman Begins).
All told, Dark Knight Rises was a fitting end to the legend of Batman, but the symbol lives on...
All images copyright 2012 DC Comics, Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Syncopy Films
July 22, 2012
July 21, 2012
Another Super Sized Edition of About This Writing Stuff...
Also this week, eBooks show strong growth in a recent survey. Diane Nelson warns against poorly edited self pubbed books while Dean Wesley Smith offers advice on blurb writing. Jody Hedlund provides quick tips on character building and responding to readers. Kristen Lamb welcomes us to the publishing revolution and Crystal Patriarche zips up book publicity.
Finally, it's been quite a few weeks since I've posted articles from Writer's Digest so I thought I'd make up for that with topics ranging from marketing to thriller writing to just being a better writer in general.
Survey Shows Growing Strength of eBooks by Julie Bosman
Some Assembly Required by Diane Nelson
Penguin's New Business Model: Exploiting Writers by David Gaughran
Blurb Writing by Dean Wesley Smith
Harlequin Fail Part 2 by JA Konrath
3 Key Ways to Create Characters that Grip Readers' Hearts and Author Etiquette 101: How to Support Readers
by Jody Hedlund
How Self Publishing Has Helped All Writers by Kristen Lamb
How Book Publicity is Like a Zip-Line by Crystal Patriarche
From Writer's Digest
Catherine Coulter: 9 Simple Ways To Be A Better Writer
Daniel Palmer: Thriller Writing Made Easy: 4 Steps to Starting a Thriller
MJ Rose: Marketing Essentials Every Writer Should Know About
Don't Get Rejected Before Agents Even Read a Word by Sara Foster via Chuck Sambuchino
A Pitch vs. Synopsis: The Difference and Definitions by Chuck Sambuchino
July 16, 2012
A Mondo Edition of About This Writing Stuff...
Here and now, Konrath discusses eBook pricing while David Gaughran makes money from paperbacks. He's also none too pleased with the Author's Guild. Jami Gold wonders whether you embrace the labor of writing and advises how less information equals more imagination. Jody Hedlund offers readers tips on promoting their favorite writers.
From Writer Unboxed, advice on strenghtening that second book in your trilogy and how to overcome "writer's block". We get three articles each from the husband and wife team of Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch covering the business of publishing, pricing your books, editing and proofing, and even some Star Trek fun!
Finally, this week's list would not be complete without more updates on the new project that has many writers excited--ReDeus: Divine Tales. It is an honor for me to be part of this. Co-creators and DC Comics alumni Bob Greenberger and Paul Kupperberg make some announcements!
Zero Sum by JA Konrath
The Author's Guild Doesn't Service Writers by David Gaughran
Making Money from Paperbacks by David Gaughran
The Hard Work of Writing: Do You Embrace It? by Jami Gold
Where Less Can Be More by Jami Gold
20 Easy Ways Readers Can Help Promote a Book by Jody Hedlund
Introducing ReDeus, a Brand New World, a Bold New Anthology by Bob Greenberger
OMG! The Gods Return in ReDeus: Divine Tales by Paul Kupperburg
The Curse of the Middle Book by Juliet Marillier
Mind the Gap: Strategies for Overcoming Writers Block by CG Blake
Kristine Kathryn Rusch Triple Play
Perfection
Careers, Critics, and Professors
Writers and Business
Dean Wesley Smith Hat Trick
Some Perspective on Pricing
Some Star Trek Fun and History
Editing and Proofing
July 14, 2012
ReDeus: Divine Tales Audio Samples
Steve's story, "Axel's Song" is first followed by my Celtic tale, "There Be In Dreams No War."
And finally, we have talented artist Carmen Carnero for the interior art and I wanted to share the wonderful finished piece she did for my Celtic gods story.
July 13, 2012
Book Review: Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop
When the mayor of San Francisco slashes the police department's budget, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer is forced to terminate his consulting contract with former partner turned private detective Adrian Monk.
Nevertheless, the obsessive-compulsive detective continues to show up at crime scenes despite discouragement from his lovely and forthright assistant, Natalie Teeger. In an attempt to outwit her, Monk begins calling in anonymous tips on crimes he reads about in the newspaper until he is caught in the act by Natalie. No pay, no work!
Making matters worse, both Monk and Stottlemeyer are interviewed before a live audience at a homicide investigators convention wherein Stottlemeyer is made to look incompetent next to Monk's amazing powers of detection. The interview is conducted by homicide detective Paul Braddock of the Banning PD who clearly has a peronal axe to grind with Stottlemeyer.
Following the interview, former homicide detective turned millionaire PI Nick Slade extends a lucrative job offer to Monk and Natalie to join his company Intertect as investigators. In addition to the company car (a Lexus SUV that Natalie drives), Monk is also assigned a a gorgeous young assitant named Danielle. Though slightly jealous, Natalie gets along well with her until Danielle tasks Monk with hundreds of cases per week. Undaunted, Monk's obsessive nature allows him to solve one after the other without fail and without sleep--all from reading the case files.
Meanwhile, a long time friend of Stottlemeyer's, Bill Peschel, is found dead in a swimming pool. Peschel had been suffering with Alzheimer's and thought that he was still a bartender in a tavern he had purchased decades earlier but no longer owned. Whenever people would visit him at his daughter's home, he would serve them "drinks" at the bar, all of which turned out to be nothing more than water. Peschel also had a habit of calling in anonymous tips about crimes that had been solved years ago. At Peschel's wake, Braddock and Stottlemeyer end up in a fistfight over the humiliating interview from the day before.
The following night, Braddock is found dead in his hotel room and all of the evidence points to Stottlemeyer. Despite warnings from Slade, Monk begins to investigate the case after Stottlemeyer is arrested by his own partner, the quirky, hero-worshipping Lt. Randy Disher.
Will Monk be able to clear the captain? How is the murder of Braddock connected to the death of Bill Peschel and is there a connection to millionaire Nick Slade? Even Adrian Monk is stumped, albeit only briefly...
Once again, Lee Goldberg gives us a quick, fun read and remains true to the characters from the TV show. This is the fifth Monk novel I've read and I have yet to be disappointed.
