K.M. Alexander's Blog, page 56

Life in the Weird and a Short Respite

Recently, I was asked by Mihir Wanchoo if I’d be interested in writing an article for Fantasy Book Critic. Mihir encouraged me to discuss how I approach combining genres in my writing and explore some of my inspirations. I was happy to oblige and decided to take it a bit further and delve into some of the tenants I’ve kept in mind while I work. The result is Life in the Weird, On the Blending of Genre. Here’s how it starts:

I never decided to write a genre-blending novel, it just happened. As a reader, I always craved weird books that are out of the ordinary. I tend to be turned off to a series that stays within traditional genre lines. It’s this predilection that drew me to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, why I love China Miéville’s New Crobuzon stories so much, and why Neil Gaiman’s American Gods resonates with me. There’s something in those work that feels fresh, new, and free. So it’s only natural that those proclivities show up in my writing as well…

You have to read the rest of the article over on Fantasy Book Critic. Once you’ve done that make sure to follow them on Twitter and visit them over on Facebook as well. They’re a great site, with a lot of excellent content. Well worth your time.

Also, I wanted to give everyone a heads up that I’m taking the next ten days off. This spring has been hectic. I’ve had revisions on my new fantasy project, I’ve been working on Coal Belly‘s rebirth, there been some outlining on the next Bell Forging novel, and I attended both Norwescon 39 and Lilac City Comicon. So as a bookend for a busy spring, Kari-Lise and I are going on vacation. The plan is to get lost in the mountains, islands, and deserts of California, do some hiking and unplug from the internet. (That said, knowing me, I’ll still find a bit of time to post to Instagram and Twitter. So make sure you’re following me to see what I’m up to.)

Some exciting things are coming when I get back. There are quite a few longer-form blog posts in the hopper including an exciting Wild Territories post (voted on by you!) So stick around, and I’ll see y’all in June.

Filed under: News Tagged: article, california, fantasy book critic, genre, guest post, Hiatus, Travel, weird fiction, Writing

A 2016 Lilac City Comicon Debriefing

Last Saturday was the tenth anniversary of Lilac City Comicon, and I was lucky enough to be there along side my buddy Josh Montreuil. This was my second time at Lilac City and since last year they had expanded into a larger space and quite a few more fans showed up.

As before it was a whirlwind of great people and an overall success for me. I had plenty of books left over from Norwescon [Read the Norwescon 39 Debriefing Here] and I sold a ton at Lilac City. Okay, that’s a bit of an understatement. I sold out of every copy of The Stars Were Right. Which is AMAZING. Thank you to everyone who picked up a book, I left Spokane with a lighter trunk which is always a good thing.

I could ramble on a bit, but let’s get to the highlights. That’s the fun stuff:

The cosplay. Carl, a friend of both Josh and myself, made an astute observation: at most cons you see like one person cosplaying for every ten people. But something about Lilac City really brings out the cosplayers. They were everywhere. There was probably one person cosplaying in every three, and the quality was incredible. (As you can see from the pictures.) Like last year, it was really difficult to choose which to feature. I took a ton of photos.
Obviously selling out of every copy of The Stars Were Right  was a huge highlight. Spokane really loves my books, and I am both touched and grateful. There were a few people who came back later in the day wanting to buy a copy and unfortunately they had to go without. I’m in the process of replenishing my stock from my store, but there are plenty of places you can still pick it up. Hit the official site for The Stars Were Right where I link to a bunch of locations where it and other books in the Cycle are available.
Seeing my mom, dad, and little sister. Since this is a business trip, I don’t have much time to hang out with family. But it was good to see them even for a brief moment.
Spending time at the table with Josh Montreuil and watching him work. Josh is a fantastic comic book artist, and you should be following him on Tumblr . Seriously. Do it now; I’ll wait.
My adorable selfie with the Lich. What a guy.
Seeing some old friends. It’s been eight years since I moved westward, so it’s nice to catch up with folks and see how things are going.
Watching Josh work on his various sketch commissions. I saw the Grinch and his dog, Ben Grimm, and the always abriffic Doc Savage. (Who is due for his own reboot, let’s be honest.)
Ain’t going to lie, my table looked great.
I had several people who sought me out specifically after picking up and reading The Stars Were Right last year. Everyone was excited to experience more of ol’ Waldo Bell’s adventures, and I was happy to learn how much they loved the first book.
Big thanks to the guy who not only picked up Red Litten World but also bought the current set of The Bell Forging Cycle for his friend as well. As I said on Twitter, that means the world to us authors. Telling your friends about a writer’s work helps keep us writing.
My table was right next to fellow Seattle author Matt Youngmark , and it was great chatting with him throughout the day. Not only is Matt is good people, he’s also the creator of Chooseomatic Books , which is are choose-your-own-adventure novels for adults. They’re great fun and worth checking out.
The Steven Universe cosplayers (see above right) who sang a stirring rendition of the Steven Universe theme song at Matt’s request.
The Sprocket the Cat cosplay! (See below left.) If you don’t know Sprocket, he’s the mascot for Lilac City Comicon. It’s cool to see he’s got some fans.
The Post-Con Decompression Dinner—It’s nice to relax and have a few beers with fellow creatives after a convention. Thanks as always to Matt, Kevin, Peter, Jen, Lars, and Josh for letting me hang with them and eat Irish food, wax poetic about running a table, and crack stupid jokes.

I was really happy with my experience at Lilac City Comicon, and I am already planning and looking forward to attending next year. It’s a really welcoming crowd and it’s nice to see something like that in Spokane. Right now I don’t have any future appearances scheduled, but that could always change. You can keep track of where I’ll be and check out my previous conventions over on my Upcoming Appearances page.

Thanks for a great convention, Spokane!

For other news subscribe to my newsletter. I keep your email private and I only send out a few emails a year. It’s the quickest way to find out what’s happening in the world of my books, learn about upcoming contests and events, and stay in touch with me. Sign up today →

Filed under: Con Reports Tagged: conventions, cosplay, josh montreuil, lilac city comicon, matt youngmark, Spokane, the bell forging cycle, The Stars Were Right, Washington

The Appeal of the Fantastic

“Part of the appeal of the fantastic is taking ridiculous ideas very seriously and pretending they’re not absurd.”

—China Miéville

Those who have been following both my writing and this blog know that alongside writers like Neil Gaiman, Mark Twain, and Ursula K. LeGuin, the English novelist China Miéville is one of my biggest influences.

Recently, I just finished his latest book, This Census Taker (and it was wonderful.) The fanboy in me wanted more so I shuffled some books around in my to-read stack so while on my way to Lilac City Comicon I was able to listen to the first half of the Iron Council (which I am also loving and regrettably have never read.) So, Miéville work and his process have been on my mind.

If you want more Miéville beyond his novels, make sure to check out his dissertation at the University of Kansas: Cognition as Ideology: A Dialectic of SF Theory. I’ve featured it in past Friday Link Packs, but you can watch the full lecture on YouTube. It’s great and worth watching.

Filed under: Quotes Tagged: China Miéville, fantastic, favorite writers, ideas, Writing

Come See Me at Lilac City Comicon

On May 14th, I’ll be attending one of my favorite conventions: Lilac City Comic Con in the distant hamlet of Spokane, Washington! It’s a fantastic event with a great crowd. And, just like last year, I’m happy to say I’ll once again be sharing a table alongside the incredibly talented artist: Josh Montreuil. Josh will be bringing a bunch of prints and will be taking sketch requests. You should come by and say hello!

My side of the table will be pretty full. I’ll be bringing copies of The Stars Were Right, Old Broken Road, and the latest book in the Bell Forging Cycle: Red Litten World. I’ll also have Bell Caravans patches as well as a ton of free swag (including those new stickers I posted about a few weeks ago.) Lilac City Comic Con isn’t really a ribbon convention, but I’ll have the Caravan Master, Roader, and Shambler ribbons that I brought with me to Norwescon. If you want to draw a ribbon from THE BOX OF CHOOSING™ just ask and I’ll be happy to let you try your luck. (Full details on the badge ribbons can be read here.)

Josh and I will be lording over our small empire at table D10, which is clearly the best table and there is none better. It is known. Use the map below to see where we’re at or look for the big Bell Forging Cycle banner. You can’t miss it.

We had a great time last year, and I’m looking forward to LLC once again. There’s a ton of great and talented people participating; you can check out the full guest list and complete exhibitor list over at the official Lilac City Comicon site. So mark your calendars Spokane, I’ll see you there!

Filed under: Upcoming Appearances Tagged: bell caravans patch, josh montreuil, lilac city comicon, Old Broken Road, Red Litten World, ribbons, Spokane, Swag, The Stars Were Right, Washington

Parties Weren’t Meant to Last

“But life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant to last.”

—Prince, 1999

Prince passed away yesterday; he was fifty-seven. Between the fan tributes, listening to the nonstop playlists on KEXP, and watching buildings lit in purple as tribute around the world, I’ve found myself musing over his loss and how I handle the death of someone like Prince.

2016 has been a rough year for music already; we have lost some incredible titans: Maurice White, Merle Haggard, Phife Dogg, the indomitable David Bowie, and more. The internet as a whole allows all of us to share in moments together, and following each loss comes an outpouring of love, respect, and sadness. It’s beautiful to see how many people are touched by the creations of a single individual.

I was talking with a friend of mine this morning about how I handle moments like this differently. I didn’t know Prince personally, so I don’t cry, and I don’t generally get emotional. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. My emotions just go in a different direction. As I reflect on Prince’s life, I find myself inspired.

The quote I pulled from the lyrics of 1999, really resonated with me this morning—like a party, life doesn’t last. We are here on this earth for a finite time, and we’re lucky enough to live in an age where we can pursue whatever we wish. Often people squander this. I know I have. I can’t begin to calculate how many hours in the past I’ve wasted.

For me, the death of a titan like Prince doesn’t depress me. Sure, I will miss seeing performances like the halftime show from Super Bowl XLI, but looking back on his life and seeing what he was able to do in only fifty-seven years leaves me in awe. Prince’s life shows us what can happen when you are willing to put aside distractions and pour 100% of yourself into your creations. Look at his impact on music. Look at his influence in songwriting. Look at how he inspired so many generations of performers. A skinny kid from Minneapolis, Minnesota profoundly changed music forever. We won’t forget that, and that’s incredible. That energizes me, motivates me, and it makes me want to put aside all distractions and do the same.

The party of life may not last, but if you throw a good one, the memory will never fade. Rest in peace, Prince. Thanks.

Filed under: Inspiration, Quotes Tagged: creation, death, Inspiration, Life, Motivation, music, prince

Join by Steve Toutonghi

“Join is a searing, ballistic plunge into the mysteries of identity and mortality. Its ingenious core is revealed and amplified by high voltage suspense and murder. Delicious.”

—Katherine Dunn, Geek Love

If that quote doesn’t make you want to read this book, you’re probably dead. I’m happy to say that today is the launch of Join by author Steve Toutonghi. Now before I continue, full disclosure: Steve is a friend of mine, a former co-worker (and boss), and I was lucky enough to be an early a beta reader of the manuscript that became Join.

Join is good, it’s real good, and you should buy and read it. As I mentioned in my review on Goodreads, Join reminds me of the work of Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, or, more recently, Jeff VanderMeer. A strange and cerebral tale that is both intimate and engaging. The story is set on a familiar near-future Earth that has been ravaged by extreme weather events. In this setting, we find ourselves confronted with the technology of Join: the merging of individual’s consciousnesses (and bodies) into a single person with the memories comprised of each former individual. The Join technology is the crux of the story, the partial cause of tragic events on a personal and, ultimately, global scale. Throughout the novel, Steve takes us on a journey into the ramifications of Join, masterfully weaving beautiful prose with his dark humor, while examining ideas of individualism, mortality, gender, and consciousness.

A great novel doesn’t have to provide answers, often all it needs to do to achieve greatness is asks the right questions. The thing I like—and this is something a lot of authors can glean from this book—is Steve’s use of restraint. This was something that was present even in early drafts. Steve goes just far enough, poking and prodding at ideas and asking difficult questions. Ultimately this tactic challenges us the reader to provide the final answers. As a result, the story left me dwelling on Join’s themes long after it had ended.

Join a beautiful first book, and one I am happy and excited to recommend. It arrives today from Soho Press, and you can purchase it pretty much everywhere: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and more. I’m sure you local library or independent bookstore can get it as well. Make sure to follow Steve on Twitter and check out his website at stevetoutonghi.com. When you’ve finished, make sure to leave a review on Goodreads.

Filed under: Reading, Recommendations Tagged: consciousness, gender, goodreads, individualism, jeff vandermeer, join, Kurt Vonnegut, mortality, philip k. dick, review, Sci-fi, steve tontounghi

New 2016 Stickers

I ran out of stickers (and buttons, actually) at Norwescon, which is great. I love that people love my swag, it’s why I make it. Plus, it allows me to expand the world of The Bell Forging Cycle beyond the page.

However, I felt a few of the stickers were looking a little dated. They just weren’t as cool as the others, so since I ran out, I used this opportunity to refresh a few of the sticker designs. For those who aren’t familiar, stickers are available in my free swag packs, or you can get them by purchasing any book from my store, and of course all are available for free at conventions (along with a bunch of other stuff) as long as my stock holds out.

Let’s take a look at the new designs!

The Stars Were Right Sticker Set

There have been two new updates with The Stars Were Right set, the St. Olmstead sticker has been completely redone and now includes the logo’s lockup. I’ve also added a new skeletal maero hand, taken from the mysterious Fig. 12. It’s very metal.

Old Broken Road Sticker Set

The Old Broken Road sticker set got a pair of updates as well. This is the first time everyone is getting to see the City of Syringa seal. As with Lovat, Syringa is built upon the site of another city and there’s a reference to it in their seal. I’ve also included The City of Lovat Caravan Authority badge, the same mark that officially recognizes the Bell Caravan patches. Since Old Broken Road is about caravans I felt it was fitting.

Red Litten World Sticker Set

The Red Litten World sticker set is only six months old, so it doesn’t have any updates for 2016. But I love it, and its awesomeness is a big reason why I felt like I needed to update the previous sets. Plus I wanted to include it in this post so you can see all sets side by side.

That’s the update for the stickers this year. The outdated images on my store should be updated sometime this weekend. Remember, I give away these stickers and more in my free swag packs, just hit the Free Stuff page and learn how you can get your hands on ’em. (All I ask is you pay for shipping.)

Thoughts? Judgments? Hatred? Why not leave a comment below and tell me what you think?

Filed under: Swag Tagged: 2016, city of lovat, free stuff, maero, Old Broken Road, Red Litten World, saint olmstead, Stickers, syringa, The Stars Were Right, updates

A Norwescon 39 Debriefing

This past weekend I attended Norwescon 39 in SeaTac, Washington. This was my second year attending and like last year I had an outstanding time. As readers of my blog know with all my convention appearances, I like to do a debriefing wherein I recap the events, share photos, and talk about what I experienced during the con. (Check out my debriefing from last year.)

It was a wild weekend. I ran my table, sold a bunch of books, sat on six panels, and did a reading. Somewhere in there, I tried to get some sleep. Thankfully, unlike last year, I was not alone for the fours days; this time, I had assistance. My friend and fellow author, Steve Tontounghi came out on Friday and Saturday helped me out at my table and talked to people about his forthcoming novel, Join. And my wife Kari-Lise stepped up and pitched in Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was fun hanging out with them both. With their help, there weren’t any eleven-hours-on-my-feet days for me to deal with like last year. That alone made my time significantly more enjoyable.

Okay, let’s get to those highlights:

Books, Readings, Swag, and More

Once again, I sold a ton of books. Many were to new readers who seemed excited about stories set in a post-Lovecraftian world, and many were to my current readers who loved my books and wanted more. It was wonderful hearing directly from so many people and very encouraging.
I love when folks stop by and tell me how much they love my covers. I take a lot of time and effort to make sure they are something you’ll be proud of having on your bookshelf and knowing you notice means a lot.
This was the first year I handed out badge ribbons . I brought along three: Roader, Shambler, and Caravan Master (the rare one). I made a bet with my buddy Ace that he wouldn’t be able to collect all three. (I only allowed people to draw once.) He won. *grumble grumble* It was fun, and I think it might become a thing for everyone. Still trying to plot out how to make that work.
So many people came to my reading! As many of you know, I had the readers of this very blog choose what I read . As decided by the voters with 56.25% of the votes, I read the prologue from Red Litten World. People enjoyed it in all its grisly details. The next day quite a few attendees came to my table and bought a book because they liked what they heard. That made my con right there.


Friends & Fellow Authors

It was great meeting so many amazing fellow authors for the first time: Logan Masterson , Elliot Kay , Jason Vanhee , Nathan Crowder ,  Lisa Bolekaja ,  Matt Youngmark , and Peter Orullian . (If I missed you, I am sorry! It’s not intentional.)
I loved Seeing old friends from last year. Fellow writers  Lee French , Robert Hazelton, and Jennifer Brozek were there. As was Rob’s wife Erica, and my buddy Ace. It was cool to see folks again; it felt like it had only been a few days since we hung out as opposed to the whole year.
I also recognized a lot of people, which is great, it goes a long way to making the Norwescon community feel more tight knit.


Oh, The Panels!

The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Battle Royale was easily the best panel I was on, I know I’m not alone in thinking this,  here’s proof.  It was hilarious, snarky, and a total blast. Big thanks to Matt Youngmark for putting it together and keeping things organized. The format was a bracket-style who-would-win-in-a-fight “discussion” in the end it came down to Rey from The Force Awakens and Marvel’s Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. I was on team Rey in the final matchup, and sadly by popular vote, she lost. Maybe next year. #ReyWasRobbed.  Agree? Feel different? Leave a comment and let me know why!
The horror track was really well put together. I was lucky enough to sit in on four different panels and had some incredible conversations about location, inspiration, and how horror is often a reflection of the time in which it is written. The first panel, expertly moderated by Logan Masterson, was about horror’s fantasy roots and stood out as the best of them, a lot of intelligent discussion.
The last panel I attended was ‘Level Up Your Self-Publishing Skills’ moderated by Elliot Kay. It was packed, and there was a lot of great questions from those in attendance. I wish it could have been more than an hour. There’s so much more all of us authors on that panel could have said, I wish we had more time. If you ever have a question about self/indie publishing you are always more than welcome to email me at hello@kmalexander.com . I’m happy to offer tips or advice where and when I can. As always, the best advice I can give is this: keep at it, write what you love, and never give up.


Cosplay & Norwesconners

Have I mentioned the incredible cosplay, yet? Well, as always it was fantastic, people put in a lot of time and effort, and it showed.
Tiny Rey was easily the most adorable cosplayer I saw. Let me go on record saying that I am so stoked to see another female character in Star Wars that young girls can emulate. Mad props to the writers for making that decision. It was needed.
Rorschach and I recreated out selfie photo from last year. Here was the photo from Norwescon 39 and the photo from last year, Norwescon 38 . Kari-Lise pointed out that they are mirror images of each other. Not intentional and kind of funny.
I got a quest from an NPC . It was hilarious. That card is now pinned to my cork board above my desk. Someday I’ll find you drunken ghost.
I mentioned this last year, but it’s worth mentioning again. It’s remarkable to see the diversity, openness, and acceptance between Norwesconners. The world outside of a convention can be mean. It’s nice to see a place where everyone is super considerate and goes out of their way to be encouraging and welcoming. Norwescon is unique like that.


Little Incidental Highlights

The Philip K. Dick Awards , I had a panel and was running a table, so I didn’t get to attend. But congratulations to  Ramez Naam  for his novel Apex winning the award. Also, congratulations to the special citation winner, Marguerite Reed for her novel Archangel .
Sunday’s cello accompaniment was lovely. Is this a regular thing? I remember there was music last year as well.
The green room staff, wonderful people there. They made the room a nice respite before and after panels.
The Norwescon staff were all really great. Thanks to everyone for making the event such a success. It’s a lot of hard work. Next time you see a volunteer, thank them.

It was a packed weekend, but so worth it. I’m already missing the whole buzz of the convention halls and the enthusiasm from my fellow attendees. There were a few times I wanted to get into the nitty-gritty details of writing horror and time just didn’t allow it. It would have been great to have sat in on a panel that was specific to cosmic horror/weird fiction and Lovecraftian mythos, but that might be too narrow for a general sci-fi/fantasy convention like Norwescon.

Sunday night Kari-Lise and I came home exhausted but feeling accomplished. Monday morning, I rolled right from convention mode back into work mode. No rest for the wicked. I’ll see you again Norwescon, until then, it’s back to writing. Time is wasting, and I have many more stories to tell.

Filed under: Con Reports Tagged: books, convention, cosplay, Horror, join, kari-lise alexander, norwescon, nwc39, panels, Red Litten World, self-publishing, steve tontounghi

Don’t Bend

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”

— Anne Rice

So, interesting aside. This quote is oddly often misattributed to Franz Kafka when in fact it comes from an introduction written by Anne Rice about a collection of Kafka short stories in 1995. The Quote Investigator had a great little post about it. Check it out here →

Filed under: Quotes Tagged: anne rice, creativity, franz kafka, Inspiration, Writing

Come See Me at Norwescon 39

You are all probably aware by now that starting this Thursday I will be attending Norwescon 39 in SeaTac Washington, and it’s going to be a busy four days. Not only will I be running a table on Writer’s Row, but I will also be on quite a few panels, and I’m doing a reading Saturday night. Come on by and say hello!

You can click here to view my full schedule of panels. If you’re a Guidebook user (and you should be, it’s a handy app), you can find me on there as well. When I’m not on a panel, look for me at table 43. I’ll be beneath a big Bell Forging Cycle banner. You can also click the image below to see where I will be hanging out most of the time.

On Friday the 25th, my good friend and fellow author Steve Tontounghi will be helping me out at my table. His incredible debut novel, Join, comes out in a little under a month (April 19th) make sure to ask him about it. He has some cool custom badge ribbons and a few advanced review copies of Join to giveaway. So keep and eye out for him!

My table is going to be full! Like last year I will be bringing copies of my books and all three The Stars Were Right, Old Broken Road, and Red Litten World can be purchased at a special convention price. Plus, I’ll also have Bell Caravans patches for sale as well. As with previous cons, there will be plenty of free swag: stickers, bookmarks, buttons, and my super cool badge ribbons.

Finally, until Wednesday, you can still vote for which book I’ll read from Saturday night. Right now Red Litten World is ahead, but The Stars Were Right is close right behind it. Nothing like listening to me read some Lovecraftian urban fantasy right before your evening starts. If you haven’t already, click here and vote.

Norwescon 39 starts in 4 days! Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Filed under: Upcoming Appearances Tagged: bell caravans patch, conventions, join, norwescon 39, Old Broken Road, panels, reading, Red Litten World, steve tontounghi, The Stars Were Right, writer's row