Matt Forbeck's Blog, page 61
January 25, 2011
The Gen Con Writers' Symposium at Tor.com
I just posted information about the Gen Con Writers' Symposium over at Tor.com. Stop on by over there and check it out. If you're an aspiring writer, it's an excellent education.
If you're a seasoned pro who'd like to take part, Jean Rabe is the lady to contact. While it might seem like they already have a full slate, I had a couple of good friends (Tobias Buckell and Maurice Broaddus) join up last year only a few weeks before the show, and Jean somehow managed to wedge them in. I'm sure she'd appreciate more notice than that, though, so if you'd like to join us, don't be shy.
Conduit 2 Coming in March
The latest computer game I worked on — Conduit 2, a first-person shoot exclusively for the Wii — is due to hit stores March 22. The team at High Voltage called me in to help them out with this just before the original game in the series — The Conduit — hit shelves. They had a lot of wonderful ideas for sequels to the game and had laid the groundwork for them in The Conduit, but they needed someone to mold what they had into a cohesive story they could build the next game around. That's where I came in.
It's also where I left. Once I'd finished that work, one of High Voltage's crack development teams took over and got cooking on the project. They created the levels, graphics, gameplay, and so on to breathe life into the story and turn it from an intriguing tale into full-on fun.
When they got to the point that they needed a writer again, I was already working with them on another (still unannounced) project, so they went hunting for someone else who could write the dialog and help polish the game to a fire-bathed finish. For that they landed my pal Jason Blair, who from all reports did a fantastic job.
SEGA has released several trailers for the game. Most of them concentrate on the game's amazing technical achievements. Here's one of the early ones, which teases the viewer with a bit of the story.
Bookgasm on Vegas Knights
Over at Bookgasm, Alan Cranis reviews Vegas Knights. While he doesn't like it as much as the last reviewer, he still has a number of excellent things to say about it.
Forbeck has a fine ear for dialogue and is generally convincing in his characterizations. His portrayal of the glitz and excess of Vegas is equally strong, even when portraying fictional casinos and resorts… [T]he action sequences are imaginative and expertly presented.
Hopefully you'll agree and wind up liking the book even more.
January 24, 2011
First Vegas Knights Review: 5 Stars
Last week Angry Robot sent out a number of advanced reader copies (ARCs) of Vegas Knights to reviewers. Over at Good Reads, Tony Lane wins the derby for being the first such reviewer to post his opinion on the book. Tony gives the book five stars and writes:
I recently read and enjoyed Amortals but was surprised to find this book arguably better. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes modern fast paced fiction… At times the story flies by at the pace of a CSI recap scene, and it is not easy to put this book down… I have no doubt that I'll be reading this book again, which is the best thing I can ever say about a book.
This weekend, I posted a details page for Vegas Knights. The book appears on shelves in the UK and becomes available for ebook readers worldwide on March 3. The print edition hits North America on March 29.
The Gen Con Writers' Symposium
The Gen Con Writers' Symposium just launched a spanking-new website for this year's events. I'll be taking part in it again this year, helping out with four slots. Tossing this on top of my guest of honor seminars and my other duties/events makes for a busy Gen Con weekend, but that's how I love it.
My Gen Con Writers' Symposium schedule.
August 4
2 PM: Roleplaying Games Make Better Writers
3PM: Writing RPG Short Stories and Novels
August 5
3 PM: Swords and Sorcery
4 PM: Pick Our Brains: Matt Forbeck and Tobias Buckell
I hope to see you there!
January 20, 2011
Vegas Knights Cover Released
My fine publishers at Angry Robot sent me the final cover to Vegas Knights today, which you can see right here. It looks much like the preview covers sent out earlier with just a few tiny tweaks.
Many publishers don't give the author much of a chance to give feedback about the cover at all, but Angry Robot has been excellent about this. We went through a number of rounds of concepts before settling on this one and then letting the cover designers over at Spring London go nuts with it. I love it.
The book is due out in March in the UK and April in the US. Can't wait for you to read it!
January 18, 2011
Apex Books Reviews Amortals
At Apex Books, Jennifer Brozek—a fine writer whose The Little Finance Book That Could sits on my to-read shelf right now—gives Amortals a sweet review, after which she goes on to interview me about the book. The conversation ranges from the themes behind the book to the kind of music I listened to while writing it. Jenn gives Amortals a strong four out of five Alien Heads and writes:
Forbeck's ability to world-build on the fly is excellent, his writing is immersive, and his pacing is crisp. Amortals is a good read all the way around.
January 17, 2011
Plotting at the Big Thrill
Over at the Big Thrill—the International Thriller Writers webzine—I joined in on this week's roundtable. The question of the week is "Do you plot, plan, or outline? Or, do you just go where your characters lead you? Why?" A good dozen of us are pitching in answers this week, and you can join in with your own.
Those of you who know me shouldn't be too surprised by my reply.
January 14, 2011
Speaking for Star Trek: Tim Russ!
Yesterday, I arc-welded the final rivet into the great spaceship of fun that is Star Wars vs. Star Trek. I lined up a writer for the Star Trek foreword for the book: Tim Russ!
Most Star Trek fans remember Tim as Tuvok, the Vulcan chief of security on Star Trek: Voyager, but he actually played a number of Star Trek roles. He was a mercenary on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a Klingon on an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and a Starfleet lieutenant on the Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations. Because of that, he's tied with five other actors for appearing in the highest number of Star Trek seasons (10), and he's shared screen time with six different Starfleet captains, more than any other actor.
Tim was a Trekkie before he became a Trek actor, and he's continued on with that after the end of the shows. He even directed and starred in the most ambitious Star Trek fan film to date: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.
Tim devotes a lot of his time to directing and singing these days, but he's also acted in a stunning number of shows, including ER, CSI, Without a Trace, General Hospital, and even Hannah Montana. He also appeared in Live Free or Die Hard and voiced a character for Dragon Age: Origins. Most recently, he's had recurring roles as Frank the doorman on Samantha Who? and (the role my kids know him for) Principal Franklin on iCarly.
So, it's Tuvok vs. Boba Fett. Who'd win?
January 13, 2011
Project 16:49 Fundraiser
My wife Ann is the homeless student liaison for the School District of Janesville, a city about 15 miles north of us. As part of that, she's involved with an effort to set up a shelter for homeless teens, an effort called Project 16:49. An article in yesterday's Beloit Daily News covers one part of the fundraising initiative: a benefit concert to be held at the Marine Corps League on January 29. If you're in the area and would like to help out, be sure to attend. Besides all the music, there's a raffle with some cool prizes too. (If you're on Facebook, you can find details there too.)
Of course, if you're not going to be around or just don't care for such events, you can still donate to the cause. I spent a good chunk of my weekend setting up a website for Project 16:49. It now comes with a bright and shiny "Donate" button, so please chip in if you can.
Project 16:49 gets its name from Sixteen Forty-Nine, a documentary created by local director R. E. Burgos that tells the story of three homeless teens here in Beloit. It's both heartbreaking and motivating at the same time. Ann and her partners at Project 16:49 have been showing the film to various groups around the area, and it never fails to move everyone who sees it.
Sixteen Forty-Nine's next public showing is at the Beloit International Film Festival, the weekend of February 17–20. If you can make it, it's well worth the effort.
So, where does that odd title come from? For a homeless teen, being in school is often the safest and best part of their day. Getting through the rest of the day is the long slog, wondering where they're going to go, what they can find to eat, and where they're going to sleep. From the moment they leave school one night and return the next morning, it's sixteen hours and forty-nine minutes.
