Sea-Tac here I come: Heading to Mythic Worlds 2016

This coming weekend I am a guest of Mythicworlds 2016, to be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport (18740 International Boulevard, Seattle, Washington). I'll be giving a Thrones & Bones presentation, demonstrating a game of Thrones & Bones, teaching a writing workshop, and appearing on world building and cover art panels with the other great guests! If you're in the Seattle area, come say hi and get a signed copy of Frostborn or Nightborn!


Here is my convention schedule:

FRIDAY

3:00 – 4:00 Building Imaginary Worlds in Novels – Danika Dinsmore,
Anna Kyss, Nina K Hoffman, Lou Anders, Deborah Schneider
(Worlds of Fantasy)

World building is a vital aspect of speculative fiction and some authors have a special knack for it. Do they build their worlds before they put words on the page, as they are writing their stories, or a combination of the two? Are there special tricks, exercises, or skills for world-building? Listen and ask questions as our authors share their unique world-building experiences and read a short selection from their work.

SATURDAY

11:00 – 11:45 Inside the World of Thrones & Bones:
Story & Art – Lou Anders (Worlds of Fantasy)


Lou Anders introduces the experience that is Thrones & Bones: a book series, a board game, and, of course, the art. Lou’s viking-inspired creation is heavily illustrated, and Lou will be giving MythicWorlds a behind-the-scenes look at the art and writing of his adventure series. “Thrones & Bones” series will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and Lloyd Alexander.

12:00 – 12:45 Thrones & Bones Game Demonstration – Lou Anders (Worlds of Fantasy)


Lou Anders’ fantasy adventure series, “Thrones & Bones” takes its name from a board game that appears in the first book, “Frostborn.” Come learn about and play the actual “Thrones & Bones” game that appears in the novel. Loosely based on ancient Scandinavian board games, “Thrones & Bones” is a strategy game with a fantasy twist.

2:00 – 2:45 Storytelling with Images & Words – Lou Anders,
Melissa Marr, Cynthia Sheppard, A.M. Sartor, Deborah Schneider  (Worlds of Fantasy)

Book covers and illustrations are an essential part of marketing books but do authors and artists collaborate or work independently? On this panel we bring authors and artists together to discuss the process, and how images and words serve each other to dramatically tell stories in fantastic worlds.

SUNDAY

11:00 – 1:30 Author Book Signing / Reading Event – Open to the Public

In addition, I am also teaching a Writing Workshop:

SATURDAY, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 

LOU ANDERS:  SCRIPTIPS:  USING SCREENWRITING TECHNIQUES TO IMRPOVE YOUR NOVEL

Everyone who has tried their hand at writing has a folder full of openings that go nowhere. Many promising ideas bog down in their second half. In this audio-visual presentation, Lou Anders, author of the Thrones & Bones series from Penguin Random House and Hugo-award winning editor, discusses how a unique approach to structuring story in Hollywood screenplays can be repurposed to help writers struggling with outlining their novel. Using examples from film, Anders will demonstrate how character and structure work together to provide pace and reveal theme.

Learn simple techniques that have been demonstrated to help authors bring out the most in their story and maximize their emotional connection with their readers. Whether an author is a plotter or a panser, an understanding of these simple underlying principals in screenwriting can offer valuable insights for all novelists. Recommended pre-workshop viewing: Casablanca, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, Big Hero 6, Ant-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man (2), Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Duration: 120 min

Class limit: 40

$30 REGISTER NOW

Reflections from the Road: FaerieCon 2015

This past weekend, I was excited to be a guest at my first ever FaerieCon, where I joined such fabulous authors as Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Kami Garcia, and Kelley Armstrong. FaerieCon is a faerie/celtic themed event with a strong emphasis on music. The internationally famous  German band Faun appear every year, as well as bands like the marvelous Woodland. This year's FaerieCon had a Norse sub theme (explaining my appearance there), and featured a performance by Einar Selvik of Wardruna, the Norwegian band who play on traditional Norse instruments and whose music has been featured on the TV series Vikings.

After an early morning flight Friday morning, I arrived just in time to make a panel with Melissa Marr, Holly Black, and Kami Garcia ostensibly about the Faerie Marketplace, though it turned into more of a writing instruction panel. After which a friend I haven't seen since I was in college drove up to hang and found himself dragged to an Author's Tea where fans and authors gathered to sample tea and eat cookies, and he was nearly smashed by Wotan the Faerie Smasher. Then it was goodbye to my old friend and hello to four new ones, with a fabulous dinner with the three aforementioned authors and Kelley Armstrong. And after dinner Scotch.

Saturday was a full day with a panel entitled "Sex & Politics in Modern Fantasy" (hello? Children's book author!), an absolutely jammed packed/standing-room-only panel entitled "Norse Culture & Mythology in Modern Fantasy," a signing where I signed books for most of an hour, another Author's Tea, and a Faun concert.

Afterwards, I ended up giving an impromptu two-hour session of my ScripTips course to several interested parties in the bar, and then more Scotch, and then wine in a suite where the various band members were hanging out. And then suddenly it was 4:30 am.

Sunday yet another college friend drove up from DC to meet me for breakfast. Then I had my final signing and I'm happy to say we sold out of Frostborn and nearly of Nightborn! By this point, enough people had heard about ScripTips that I volunteered another session (in exchange for coffee and beer, which is considerably cheaper than my usual fee) and I taught another two hours to a group of about eight to ten people (who were very smart and very fun to teach).

The evening ended with an acoustic show, in which various members of Faun and Woodland played, bracketing a solo performance by Einar Selvik that was transcendent for this Norse-enthusiast.

And there ended a fantastic weekend!

Thanks to organizer Robert Gould, all the other authors, my two old college buddies, the tireless booksellers and convention staff, the Hunt Valley Inn, my drivers Cybele and Kim, all the musicians, and Wotan the Faerie Smasher for an unforgettable time.

FaerieCon 2015 Schedule

This weekend I'll be at FaerieCon 2015 in Baltimore, MD!  Come see me and a host of other guests, including Holly Black, Kami Garcia, Kelly Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Einar Selvik, founder of the band Wardruna, who provide the music for the show Vikings!  The convention has a Norse theme this year, so be sure to get your copy of Frostborn and Nightborn signed and stamped in Elder Futhark. 

My schedule for the weekend:

Friday November 6th

2:30-3:30 Panel: The Faerie & Fantasy Marketplace: 
Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Kami Garcia, Lou Anders

5:00-6:00 Author Tea: Drop by and see who’s hanging out! Meet our featured authors! Held in the Chase Room of the Tack Suites.

Saturday November 7th

11:00-12:00 Panel: Sex & Politics in Modern Fantasy: What’s Changed? - Kami Garcia, Holly Black, Lou Anders

2:30-3:30 Panel: Norse Culture & Mythology in Modern Fantasy - Lou Anders, Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong

5:00-6:00 Author Tea: Drop by and see who’s hanging out and meet our featured authors! Held in the Chase Meeting Room.

FAERIECON AUTHOR SIGNINGS SCHEDULE
BOOK SHOP, BOOTH B33 - LOWER LEVEL

Saturday November 7th

4:00 Holly Black & Lou Anders Signing

Sunday November 8th:

1:00 Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Lou Anders Signing 

I'm Coming to FaerieCon 2015: International Faerie Convention

I'm very excited to announce that I have joined the amazing guest lineup of FaerieCon 2015, held in Baltimore, MD on November 6th-8th!  Come see me and a host of other guests, including Holly Black, Kami Garcia, Kelly Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Einar Selvik, founder of the band Wardruna, who provide the music for the show Vikings! 

This year's convention has a strong Norse theme. Hmmm, wonder why they invited me?