fantastic books

Science fiction convention (tenth of 2024)

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This weekend, I’ll be in Texas for American Mensa’s quarterly board of directors meeting, but next weekend is Capclave in Rockville, Maryland.

As usual, I’ll be at the Fantastic Books table in the dealers’ room (open Friday 3:00–6:00pm, Saturday 10:00am–6:00pm, and Sunday 10:00am–2:00pm). I’ll be participating in the Mass Signing and Awards Ceremony in the Atrium (Saturday, starting at 7:00pm). And I’ll be on the following panels:

Friday at 6:00pm in Washington Theater: “What Is a Small Press?” with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Shahid Mahmud, Adeena Mignogna, and Joshua Benjamin Palmatier.

Friday at 8:00pm in Washington Theater: “This One Time…” with Morgan Hazelwood, Michael A. Ventrella, and Jean Marie Ward.

Saturday at 12:00n in Jackson: “The Future of Currency” with Elektra Hammond, Shahid Mahmud, and Jennifer R. Povey.

Saturday at 4:00pm in Eisenhower: “Short Stories Are Where It’s At” with Ken Altabef, Scott H. Andrews, Jennifer Brinn, and Sheree Renée Thomas.

Sunday at 12:00n in Monroe: “This Was the End” with Scott Edelman, Shahid Mahmud, and Alex Shvartsman.

Hope to see many of you there!

…As I was saying!

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A press release from Fantastic Books:

Fantastic Books is gearing up to publish …As I was saying! The book will be a collection of funny, horrifying, sweet, depressing, outlandish, and true tales of life and encounters at conventions. And we’re looking for your stories!

Tell us your stories about things that happened at conventions. Give us your conventional stories that aren’t very conventional.

We focus on science fiction conventions, but we’re willing to expand our horizons a bit to comic cons, writer conventions, media conventions, things that are close.

Fantastic Books publisher Ian Randal Strock (who has attended more than 200 of them himself) and editor Michael A. Ventrella (who is responsible for Release the Virgins, Three Time Travelers Walk Into…, and the sequel anthology to “The Eye of Argon”) will be co-editing the book. Amazing Stories has graciously agreed to host the submission form at this link: https://amazingstories.com/convention-stories-for-fantastic-books/

So please, share your stories; we’re dying to hear them.

Note: the title comes from Michael’s own contribution to the book.

Also note: this is an unpaid opportunity. If the book actually makes money, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to an appropriate charity.

Science fiction convention weekend (seventh of 2024)

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This weekend will be my third straight away from home. This time, I’m headed to Buffalo for NASFiC. And I’m still looking for a roommate on my hotel reservation, if someone out there needs a bed.

If you’re looking for me at the convention (other than when I’m asleep), I’ll be mostly at the Fantastic Books table in the dealers’ room (which is in the convention center; the rest of programming is in the hotel), which will be open Thursday 4–7pm; Friday 11am–6pm; Saturday 10am–5pm; and Sunday 10am–2pm.

I’m also on programming, heavily on Friday. Seek me out on the following panels:

Friday 10am: “Writing for Anthologies” in Grand Ballroom FG, with JF Garrard, Glenn Parris, and April Steenburgh.

Friday 11am: “The Folklore of Space” in Grand Ballroom ABC, with Gary Ehrlich, Herb Kauderer, and Geoffrey A. Landis.

Friday 1pm: “How Good Does the Science Have to Be?” in Regency BC, with Geoffrey A. Landis and three virtuals: David Dvorkin, Elizabeth Moon, and Martin L. Shoemaker.

Friday 3pm: not a panel, but a Kaffeeklatsch in Board Room.

Friday 10pm: “Improvisational Storytelling” in Grand Ballroom FG with B.A. Chepaitis, Bill Fawcett, Phil Getz, and Merav Hoffman.

Saturday 12n: “Truly Weird Aliens” with Jake Casella Brookins, Lawrence M. Schoen, Eli K.P. William, and Frank Wu.

Saturday 11pm “Eye of Argon Reading” in Regency A with Michael A. Ventrella (I’m not listed in the official program, but I’ll be there).

Hope to see many of you there! Also, I’ll be seeking out authentic Buffalo chicken wings, if you want to join me. Yummm!

Oh, and I also have a hotel reservation for Shore Leave next weekend, if someone is looking to share a room.

Science fiction convention weekend (sixth of 2024)

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[And yes, for those of you paying attention, I didn’t post for the fifth: it was all dealers’ room, no programming.]

It’s another science fiction convention weekend—the first of three in a row for me. This weekend, I’ll be in Quincy, Massachusetts, for Readercon. As always, seek me out in the dealers’ room at the Fantastic Books table, where we’ll be debuting two new books: In Memoriam by Fred Lerner, and Disturbing Stories by Ron Miller. They’re both great, in completely different ways.

I’ll also be on programming, a bit. You can find me at my kaffeeklatsch Friday at 4pm in Basalt, and on the panel “The Breakup of the United States in Speculative Fiction” on Sunday at 10am in Salon 4 with Randee Dawn, Tom Greene, James Morrow, and Sarena Straus. I’ll also be at the Meet the Pros(e) event Friday night in Salon 3.

Hope to see many of you there… or the following weekend in Buffalo, New York, or the weekend after that in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (details on those two after I get back from this one)

It’s publication day! So let us remember.…

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A press release from Fantastic Books:

Today is publication day for Fred Lerner’s moving novel of the Terran Diaspora, IN MEMORIAM.

In Memoriam is the story of David Bernstein, a 17-year-old member of the Remnant of Terra, who are the descendants of the 2,000 people who survived the Cataclysm that destroyed human life on Earth. For two centuries the Remnant has lived among the Wyneri, who rescued the few survivors and brought them to their world. Although the Wyneri are physically and psychologically very similar to Terrans, the two species interact only when they must. The Remnant earn their keep among their alien hosts, but otherwise remain apart, devoting themselves to preserving the cultural heritage of Terra.

David, however, is fascinated with the Wyneri and their culture, an interest shared by none of his contemporaries. Attending a Wyneri performance he meets a Wyneri girl his own age, and he and Harari strike up a taboo friendship.

While David learns about his Terran heritage, he feels very much alone in trying to also learn about the history of the Terran-Wyneri relationship. Violent Wyneri xenophobia drives David to intensify his studies, and to dig into the mysteries surrounding the Cataclysm, the rescue, and the ensuing two centuries of cover-ups. He begins to suspect a long-lived cabal that has spent the years working in secret, preparing for a return to Earth.

Harari’s murder crystallizes David’s need to explore the Terran-Wyneri history. Her posthumous message proving that the Cataclysm was caused by rogue Wyneri military personnel leads David to the Remnant’s leaders, who confirm it as genuine. Their conclusion? The time has come for Terrans to separate from the Wyneri. They enlist David’s help to persuade the Remnant to return to Earth, and to encourage the Wyneri to help them.

Disturbing Stories

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A press release from Fantastic Books:

What kind of siding do you need to protect your house from werewolves?
Would you kill someone to prevent them from committing suicide?
What would you say to him if you met Dr. Frankenstein?
Imagine building a clockwork god… that truly is God.
How many times can you execute a mass murderer?
What is a goddess to do when her worshippers abandon her for another?
Could you carry out a death sentence yourself?
If you were the last person on Earth, would you know it?
Forget “raised by wolves.” What about the boy raised by birds?
It’s a hard life for the man who is always second.
Imagine a world where nothing dies. Nothing.
What would a zombie have to do to prove his status as undead?

In these Disturbing Stories, Ron Miller answers (or in some cases, asks) questions that will make you look at the world differently, and not necessarily from a position of comfort.

“Ron Miller has the rare gift of being a visionary in two ways: a superb imaginative artist who is also a fine storyteller. I’ve been an admirer of his paintings for many years; what a pleasure it is to discover that his short stories are just as wonderful. Disturbing Stories is a terrific collection; read this book, by all means.” —Allen Steele, three-time Hugo Award-winner

Disturbing Stories
by Ron Miller
$15.99, 268 pages, trade paperback, ISBN: 978-1-5154-5821-0

Fantastic Books is pleased to be publishing Disturbing Stories on June 11, 2024. Review copies are available upon request.

Sailing on Sunshine

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A press release from Fantastic Books:

Fantastic Books is honored to be publishing the updated-for-the-21st-century edition of the classic (Analog called it “fascinating”) Project Solar Sail.

Arthur C. Clarke’s “Sunjammer” updated an ancient dream, taking millions of readers on a sailing regatta in space. His stirring tale sparked a tech revolution that’s coming true today—interplanetary vehicles, navigating across the Solar System on inexhaustible torrents of sunlight!

Many others have since explored the coming, renewed age of sail. This intriguing anthology—updated for a new century—features both up-to-the-minute facts and future visions of solar sailing in a fascinating mix of stories, essays, and illustrations. Contributors range from JPL scientists to Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, Kevin Anderson, and Ray Bradbury. From classics by Arthur C. Clarke, David Brin, Joe Clifford Faust, and Larry Niven, to the latest missions by NASA and the Planetary Society. Even interstellar possibilities—explored by Robert L. Forward & Joel Davis—are now carried even farther in reports by space pioneers like Les Johnson, Robert Staehle & Louis Friedman. This 21st Century Edition, specially crafted by David Brin and Stephen W. Potts, also includes a lost gem by Jack Vance.

Of the original edition, Locus said “[T]his is not a book of dry prospects. The diversity of our strengths and the zest of the ideas unleashed is revealed by the range of fiction.… There is a ton of sense of wonder packed into this book, all about gossamer ships.”

Project Solar Sail
edited by Arthur C. Clarke, David Brin, and Stephen W. Potts
224 pages, 21 illustrations
Hardcover: $25.99, ISBN 978-1-5154-5819-7
Trade Paperback: $15.99, ISBN: 978-1-5154-5818-0

Project Solar Sail—and all Fantastic Books books—are distributed via Ingram. Review copies are available upon request.

Contents:
Preface to the 21st Century edition by David Brin
Foreword to the 20th Century edition: The Winds of Space by Arthur C. Clarke
Introduction to the 20th Century edition: Sailing the Void by Isaac Asimov
To Sail Beyond the Sun by Ray Bradbury and Jonathan V. Post
Tripping the Light Fantastic: Lightsails in Science Fiction by Stephen W. Potts
Sail 25 by Jack Vance
The Wind from the Sun by Arthur C. Clarke
Sailing on Light: Today and the Near Future by Les Johnson
Sunjammer by Poul Anderson
Lightsail by Scott E. Green
The LightSail Program Propels Solar Sailing Forward by Bruce Betts
The Fourth Profession by Larry Niven
Sails in an Interplanetary Economy by Robert L. Staehle and Louis Friedman
Rescue at L-5 by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason
Lightsails to the Stars by Robert L. Forward and Joel Davis
Grand Tour by Charles Sheffield
Riding on a Beam of Light by Steve Nadis
Explorers by David Brin
Goodnight, Children by Joe Clifford Faust
About the Authors

Science fiction convention weekend (fourth of 2024)

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Next weekend is my next science fiction convention. This time, I’ll be in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland, for Balticon. If you’re looking for me, as always, first check the Fantastic Books table in the dealers’ room, which will be open 2–7pm on Friday, 10am–7pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 10am–2pm on Monday.

I’ll also be on programming. Look for me on the following panels:

Friday at 4:00pm in Guilford: “What Good is an Agent?” with John Appel, Joshua Bilmes, and Shahid Mahmud

Saturday at 2:30pm in Guilford: “Punctuation and Other Things” with Sarah Avery, Carrie Gessner, and Elaine Stiles

Saturday at 8:30pm in Federal Hill: “Late Night Tales From the Slush Pile” with Neil Clarke, David Keener, Jennifer R. Povey, and Sheila Williams

Sunday at 11:30am in Gibson: “OH NO A Paradox!” with John Ashmead, Jack Campbell, Aaron M. Roth, and Martin Wilsey

Sunday at 4:00pm in Guilford: “Running a Small Press” with Neil Clarke, Shahid Mahmud, and Martin Wilsey

Sunday at 8:30pm in Mount Washington: “First Pages Party” with Joshua Bilmes, Morgan Hazelwood, and Sheila Williams

Science fiction convention weekend (third of 2024)

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Only the third? It’ll be May. That seems to be far fewer than in usual years. Hmm…. Anyway…

I’m still on the road, and the current plans are for me to return to New York late Tuesday. Nevertheless, the wheel of conventions continues to roll on, and next weekend, I’ll be at Heliosphere in Piscataway, New Jersey.

If you’re looking to join me at the convention, I will be (as always) at the Fantastic Books table in the dealers’ room, open Friday 4–7pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, and Sunday 11am–3pm.

I’ll also be on programming, if you’re looking to join me for these fascinating discussions:

Saturday at 11:30am in Salon E: “This is How You Lose the Space Race”

Saturday at 2:30 pm in Salon E: “So You Want to Make an Anthology”

Sunday at 11:30am in Salon C: “Fact and Fiction: Hear from writers who write both”

Hope to see y’all there!

Catching up with JF authors

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Untitled-150Life interfered with work a week or two back. As a result, I didn’t get a chance to tell y’all about a couple of new videos now available. Con-Tinual: The Con That Never Ends hosted two panel discussions with authors appearing in Jewish Futures. But two of our authors weren’t able to make it to those panel, so editor Michael A. Burstein interviewed them individually. All four videos are now available online, with links available in the book’s description on the linked page (scroll down to the first paragraph under “Publicity and Reviews”). If you’re a new author looking for inspiration, let me especially point you at Michael’s interview with Samantha Katz. And if you’re a long-time reader, writer, or fan, Michael’s interview with Jack Dann will definitely bring back some wonderful memories from way back when. And of course there are the panels, with Riv Begun, Nomi Burstein, Robert Greenberger, Susan Shwartz, Steven Silver (and Michael and me), and with Leah Cypess, Randee Dawn, Valerie Frankel, Jordan King-Lacroix, Barbara Krasnoff, SM Rosenberg, and Harry Turtledove. Check them all out!