Kyell Gold's Blog, page 12

RainFurrest Schedule

Will you be at RainFurrest? I’ll be at RainFurrest! Mostly I’ll be at the Sofawolf table during dealer den hours, next to FurPlanet (signing my new book). But I am doing a few panels, and they are going to be a ton of fun! You should come check them out. This is where, what, and when they are:

Thursday, September 24

9:00pm Write Now! (Elliott B)

Are you taking part in the short story competition at RainFurrest this year? Stay for this panel right after the kickoff for a discussion of short story structure and dedicated time to get started on your story!

11:00pm Kyell Gold Book Launch (Hilton Hospitality Suite/Patron Lounge)

And then take a break at 11 to come to the launch of “Losing My Religion,” the newest Cupcake. I’ll read from it and answer questions and if we have time, I even have a story about the R.E.M. song that the book is named for…

Friday, September 25

3:00pm And So It Came to Pass: History in Furry Fiction (Elliott B)

Pretty self-explanatory. I’ve written a lot of stories with historical elements (The Dangerous Spirits series, Camouflage), and me and my co-panelists will talk about our historical research.

9:00pm Wide Open: Erotic Author AMA (Elliott B)

Join me, Roland, and WhyteYote as we answer your questions about writing adult fiction.

Saturday, September 26

5:00pm A Reading with Kyell Gold (Hilton Hospitality Suite/Patron Lounge)

I’ll read from an upcoming work! Maybe “Over Time,” maybe “Black Angel,” maybe something else… And then I’ll take some questions.

8:00pm Unsheathed Live (Secondary Theater)

We’ll return to RF for our annual presentation of the podcast! Join me and Not Tube and maybe some special guests!

Losing My Religion preview

Hey, if you wanted to read a bit (adult) of my new Cupcake, there’s a preview up on FA (reg required) and one on SoFurry (maybe reg required also?) now. And of course, if you’ll be at RainFurrest, I hope you’ll come by the launch (Thurs at 11) or the FurPlanet table to pick up your own copy! I’ll be around to sign, of course.

Nominate “Uncovered” at The Romance Reviews

The Romance Reviews is doing their Reader’s Choice awards, and if you want to help out “Uncovered,” you can nominate it to go into the final round! Here’s the link: just follow it and press the button on the webpage to nominate it!

http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=18706

Thanks for your help!

About Patreon

With all the recent kerfuffle about Patreon-exclusive works showing up on a pirated site, there are the usual discussions about piracy going around the fandom, and I thought it might be a good time to review the concept of Patreon.

Patreon is a way for people who want to support an artist to do so. The artist gives back to those people in the form of exclusive peeks, access to WIP, first chance to buy things, etc. This would seem to be pretty non-controversial, right?

Patreon has made a huge difference in the lives of many artists I know. People who wanted to work on a comic but couldn’t afford to take the time to do it now have a way to be supported while they work on it. People who wanted to spend time trying out new things now have a fanbase willing to support that exploration. People who were pinching pennies to meet expenses and worrying about money instead of focusing on art now can feel freer to create what they (and their fans) love. This is literally a mechanism for fans to get better art from the artists they love.

I personally am really excited about the people who are interested in this book I’m writing. Having it be on Patreon means I don’t have to worry about the length of the story fitting into a regular novel length (spoiler: it is getting longer and more complicated, and I have the freedom to do that because I’m being supported while I’m doing it; my income goes up in years when I release books, and this year I’m only releasing one, but I don’t have to worry about that thanks to my Patreon supporters). I’m getting to commission more art than I normally would be able to for it, and some of the support I’m getting allows me to go to conventions and meet the fans who want to say hi and see me.

And hey, if you don’t think what any artist, including me, is offering for the money isn’t worth it, don’t pay it. It really is just that simple. If you don’t want to support us, that’s fine. 100% of the population of the world (rounding up) agrees with you. But then you don’t get the things we are doing for the people who do want to support us.

That work for you guys?

RAWR: A Furry Workshop

So you might have heard about this workshop being offered next January, the Regional Anthropomorphic Writers’ Retreat. I’m leading the instruction for it, and I’m really excited. I’ve been to a couple residential workshops for fantasy and science fiction, and I think it’s past time we had one for furry writers.

I led a workshop at Further Confusion last year, albeit an abridged one–two hour-and-a-half panels. It went well, and I’m looking forward to having a couple more people for five full days this time. Of course, this is made possible because there are a bunch of other people working to get the infrastructure right, volunteering space and time and other resources to make sure this’ll go off successfully.

This is only the first; we have plans to keep going, maybe add a couple more regions. I won’t be involved in all of them by any means, but I like the idea enough to keep being an instructor for as long as I can/they want me to. So if you don’t get in this year or can’t afford it this year, set your calendar for next year and keep trying. Workshops have been a really valuable part of my development as a writer and of the community I’ve joined, and I’m really excited to see how this workshop can help some of the writers in our furry community.

Keep an eye on them on Twitter, even if you’re not planning to go. This should be a fun thing to watch.

September Schedule

Well. Two months of travel are over, with very little on the horizon–I have RainFurrest on the schedule, and possibly a trip to NYC with Kit, but that’s it for the year–and I’m back home. So what do I do for September? Well, the big tasks look like this:

* Edit Hot Dish story.

* Write Patreon short story.

* Edit Over Time.

* Edit Black Angel.

More or less in that order, sorted by deadline (Black Angel does not have to be done in September but the others kind of do). Of course I am always writing Love Match and also working on that novel I will be able to tell you about once you’ve all read Over Time, and sending various manuscripts of mine around to various places to see if various people want to publish them, and fixing e-books and my website, and all that other bidness stuff writers do.

Thanks, by the way, to all you guys who ordered from Sofawolf in August. I have signed your books and they are on their way to you!

Bojack Horseman Is The Best Comedy on Television

Not of all time, probably, but right now, yeah, I can’t think of anything that beats it. This is a cartoon show with funky animal people, and yet the characters live and grow and change while they and the show’s creators make you laugh. Often the moments of laughter and pathos are intertwined in an amazingly effortless way. The thought that goes into not just the dialogue and voice acting, but every background shot, becomes apparent the longer you watch. We have paused this show at least half a dozen times just in the second season to appreciate background gags that never got callouts (the company that tows Bojack’s boat has on its truck “Stoats Boats Totes Tows Boats”–and there’s a stoat driving the truck–but you have to work to see it). The creators know that not all the gags will be seen by everyone, but they make sure there’s almost always something there for the people who are looking.

An example that impressed me from this season was actually an extension of a joke that started last season, Mr. Peanutbutter’s continuing difficulties with signmakers. Last season he had a banner made that read “Congrats Diane and Mr. Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Is One Word.” Later in the show another banner read “Congrats Diane and Mr. Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Is One Word Don’t Write One Word.” The gag is never remarked upon in the show. This season, for Diane’s birthday, Mr. Peanutbutter makes shirts that say “I had a ball at Diane’s 35th birthday and underline ball I don’t know why this is so hard.” Again, nobody remarks on it. There’s no cutaway to the shirt. It’s just there, amazingly funny, part of the show organically.

[MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW–SKIP THESE PARAGRAPHS IF YOU ABSOLUTELY DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM]

Later in the show, when Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter are in different locations and Diane is questioning herself and her relationship, she wears that t-shirt constantly. Again, it’s never mentioned. She doesn’t talk a lot about how she’s feeling. But the shirt–the joke shirt–is a clue that she’s thinking about her husband and on some level she is really missing him. It’s a character moment, just like the giant portrait of child (foal?) Bojack and his family in which they’re wearing the same clothes they are wearing in every flashback to his childhood.

And the final scene between Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter in the season is fast becoming one of my favorite scenes in television the more I think about it. It’s amazing how understated and beautiful it is. Mr. Peanutbutter’s last line in that scene is not necessary, but it is absolutely perfect.

[OKAY SPOILERS OVER YOU MAY RESUME READING]

I can’t think of another comedy that does so much with its characters. Arrested Development was probably a superior comedy, but its characters didn’t change as much. Bojack has a lot of the sensibilities of AD, but it cuts deeper with the characters. AD came close–the Michael/Gob/Marta arc, for example–but by and large AD worked because each of the characters was who they were, in perfect comedic balance. Bojack works because the characters are struggling, learning, growing, and changing. The world around them is funny and they are sometimes funny, sometimes hurt, sometimes mean, sometimes kind. Bojack is not a nice guy, but he wants to be, and the show is about his journey to be, if not that, at least someone who’s happy about himself. But it’s also about Diane worrying that she won’t have an impact on the world, about Mr. Peanutbutter’s frustration when love and affection aren’t enough, about Princess Caroline’s self-esteem and security, about Todd’s struggle to let his creativity out.

Some writing advice you may hear is to have all your side characters have their own stories; don’t just make them subservient to the main character. Bojack Horseman is an excellent example of that. Everyone in it has his or her own life, and we get a very real sense that we are just seeing the moments when they intersect with Bojack. There is so much more in the show, too, about how we present ourselves to the world: Bojack is upset in the first season at the honesty in Diane’s book about him, while in the second season he becomes worried that the Secretariat movie isn’t presenting his idol honestly.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, give it a few episodes into the first season–I think the fourth or fifth was where it clicked that this was something special.

Uncovered Audiobook on sale!

…  on Audible now. Narrated by Savrin, it’s thirteen hours of Dev and Lee. If you’ve read it, you know how tense the last third or so is. He nails it.

Two audiobooks remain in process at the moment: Dude, Where’s My Fox? and The Mysterious Affair of Giles. I get periodic progress reports on both, so I feel confident they will appear in due time.

Apropros of this, whenever you guys rate/review the audiobooks or e-books or print books, it really helps me out–on Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Goodreads, FurPlanet, wherever. I know you know it, just saying thanks to all you guys who do, and if you have a spare minute or five in your day and really liked a book, you could make an author’s tail wag pretty easily…

Migrating North (Temporarily)

Thursday (well, Wednesday night) I’ll be heading up to Minnesota for Furry Migration! As I will also be at Sofawolf HQ, you can take this opportunity to get a book signed by me. Anything written or edited by me that you order through Friday, August 28 will get a signature (and personalization if you like) before being shipped out to you. If you can’t get to conventions, this is a great chance to at least get a signed book!

If you can get to conventions–specifically, if you can get to Furry Migration this weekend–then you can see me in person and get a book signed. I’ll be participating in the Match Game on Friday at 4:30 pm on the Main Stage, which promises to be a lot of fun. At 6 pm (or a little later, depending on how late the game goes), I’ll be talking about the Future of Furry. And at 4:30 pm on Saturday, I’ll be holding my Write Now! panel for people who want to get started on a short story but have had trouble doing that. Bring something to write on and with.

Looking forward to seeing all you fine folks in the Twin Cities area, and of course to being mauled by the adorable new Sofawolf puppy. Pics forthcoming.

State of the Fox, August 2015

It was POINTED OUT TO ME RECENTLY that this blog has languished for a while without a post, so…what’s the rule? Five things make a post? Let’s do this.

1. I am currently in the midst of four conventions in five weekends. I was at GenCon and then Rocky Mountain FurCon (which was awesome–I had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones); next weekend I’ll be up in Spokane for the Apocalypse–sorry, I mean, Sasquan, also known as WorldCon, also known as “the con where the Hugo Awards are announced.” Everyone is on edge about the awards and how they’ll go, and I admit I’m curious, too. After that I get to go back to Minneapolis/St. Paul for Furry Migration, which I’m excited about because YOU GUYS I’M GOING TO BE ON A FURRY GAME SHOW. They’re doing “Match Game” and invited me to be one of the celebrities. “Match Game” is one of the first game shows I remember watching. It’s cheesy and amazing and I’m super-jazzed about it. Also I’m doing some writing panels and talking about the Future of Furry, and I get to hang out with the newly-married Sofawolf guys and their first legitimate puppy (she is adorable), so it’s gonna be a good weekend even if we don’t get to go to the Minnesota State Fair.

2. Because I’m going to be at Sofawolf HQ, if you order any of my books from them by August 28, they will hold them until I get there and then I will sign them for you! Details here. I know that supplies of the OOP series hardcovers are very limited, so if you want those, act fast!

3. I am currently polishing up the final draft of “Losing My Religion,” the Cupcake (novella) coming out at RainFurrest (available online at FurPlanet.com; e-book coming in October). The ever-talented BlackTeagan, who illustrated “Dude, Where’s My Fox?” (and is partly responsible for the title) will be doing art again for this one and the sketches I’ve seen promise that the illos and cover will be just as good. Look for previews and more info in September when I’m no longer traveling, but short teaser: It’s the story of a bisexual coyote and ex-Mormon kit fox living with the other two members of their R.E.M. cover band in a van as they tour the country. There’s a good amount of sex in it.

4. Rukis and Kenket and I are talking about the art for “Over Time” and getting that ready to go. If you haven’t heard, we’ll be doing a release party at FC the Thursday night before the convention, and hopefully in the next month or so we will have a page up where you can order Firebirds jerseys to wear to it. Hoping to do a costume contest too, with fursuit and non-fursuit divisions, so get those outfits ready!

5. I’m going to be hosting a writing workshop for aspiring furry writers in the week leading up to FC. Watch this space (and Twitter) for info on pricing and how to apply.

6. Still posting my serial novel over on Patreon. If you haven’t checked it out, give it a look! Rocky, the black-backed jackal teen training to be a professional tennis player, is getting himself in all kinds of situations…

7. The audiobook of “Uncovered” is being uploaded to Audible, so after a quality check, it should be available. “Dude, Where’s My Fox?” and “The Mysterious Affair of Giles” remain in production.

Okay, maybe it has been a while since I posted…