Sum Ergo Scriptum

I will once more be a panelist at Cleveland Concoction. Want to find me? Here’s my schedule.

Friday

4:00 pm: Author Perspectives on Fan Fiction — Fans often love exploring an author’s world with their own fiction, but what do authors think? Which worlds are open to fan fiction? Find out here.

7:00 pm: Villains, More than Just Black Hats — Bad guys don’t do bad things without a reason; how to make your villains more than just stereotypically evil

Saturday

10:00 am: There are no Saints in Fiction — All fictional characters MUST have flaws; otherwise they are boring.

11:00 am: Author Showcase (Session 2) — Listen to your favorite authors read excerpts from released and soon to be released works. Find your next great read. Ask questions, and discover the new worlds (I will be reading an excerpt from my short Patreon story, “The Squirrel on the Hill”)

12:00 pm: Autographing (Session 2) – Author Alley — Meet and talk with your favorite authors and rising stars. Purchase books and have them signed. (All three of my Golden Dragon series will be available, as well as copies of the Sinbad Anthology.)

1:00 pm: Influencing Culture Through Fiction — How has fantasy been able to influence our culture and perceptions? How can we continue to push the boundaries?

6:00 pm: Doctor Who — There are many areas that Doctor Who has covered in the last 50 years from “Is time travel even possible?” to “Is the sonic screwdriver for real?” as well as touching on space travel, robotics, genetics, mutations-evolution and the rise and fall of civilizations. Is the science seen in Doctor Who “fiction” after all?

Sunday

11:00 am: What’s in a Genre? — Science Fantasy, Slipstream, Speculative Fiction – let’s get down and unclassifiable and explore what we mean when we define a story’s genre.

Last Saturday at GenCon, Baen Books announced the winners of their Fantasy Short Story Contest for 2017. First prize went to J. P. Sullivan for his story “The Blue Widow”. My story, “Dust of the Fallen” came in 2^nd and Laurie Tom’s “And Not Go Hungry” took 3^rd.

I was fortunate enough to live a few hours away, meaning I was able to attend the award ceremony and receive my certificate from Larry Correia. It also gave me an opportunity to meet and talk with some of Baen’s writers and with Jim Minz. Dinner was excellent and the conversation ranged from sharp stabby things to the trials and tribulations of writing and editing. (Which, when one thinks about it, might sometimes feel like the same thing.)

You’ll be able to read Mr. Sullivan’s story on Baen’s website in the near future. I’m hoping Ms. Tom will get her story published as soon as possible and I’ll working towards that goal for mine. I’ll post links as soon as they’re available. Both my fellow winners’ work sounded fascinating and I can hardly wait to read them.

Much thanks to Baen and all their editors for their hard work and thanks to my friends and family for their support.

I’ll be at InConjunction 2017 this weekend, with five panels. Hope to see you there!

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS
Presents
WINGS OF THE GOLDEN DRAGON

Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to present a brand new fantasy adventure novel that is actually the prequel to Ms Doran’s first book, “Claws of the Golden Dragon.”

“We met Barbara Doran at Pulp Fest a few years ago,” recounts Airship 27 Productions Managing Editor, Ron Fortier.  “She was interested in writing New Pulp and we passed along our Submission Guidelines to her.  A few months later we received the manuscript to ‘Claws of the Golden Dragon,’ a terrific book we were only too happy to publish.”

After the success of that initial book, Doran opted to try something different for her second novel.  “Most of the first book takes place in a fictional city on the West Coast,” Fortier continues. “And is populated by some truly wonderful characters, both real and magical. This time Barbara thought it might be fun to go back in time and explore some of their origins.  Thus the inspiration for her new prequel book.”

1930s Shanghai was a place of excitement and intrigue… and magic. It is an international hotspot where foreign agents from around the world ply their trade. Brought to Shanghai to investigate a powerful new aircraft engine, young Conall McLeod becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game between gangs, spies and immortal beings. Together with his beloved Mudan Chang and hot-shot Chinese pilot, Feng Zhanchi, Conall must navigate the dangerous waters of the city’s criminal undercurrents and help free a lost immortal from the clutches of evil.

Writer Barbara Doran spins a fantastic tale of action and mystery filled with some of the most memorable characters ever conceived.  Artist Gary Kato returns to offer up nine interior illustrations and Art Director Rob Davis provides the cover to this fast paced fantasy thriller. Whether deep within the cities maze of dark alleys or high atop an ancient castle of evil, no one will be able to escape from The Wings of the Golden Dragon!

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Available now at Amazon and soon on Kindle.

This was a busy July for me, convention-wise. Between InConjunction, Pulpfest and Confluence, there were barely any weekends left to rest. And they all kept me busy, which is just how I like it when I’m at a convention.

Had a great time at all of them, though and I hope to be back again next year.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

I’m in at least three panels. One on weird ways we came up with characters, one on favorite aliens and one on Worlds of SF. (I’m moderating the last one and it’s got Geoffry Landis!)

Come on down, come on in, come and see me, y’all. (As well as many other excellent writers!)