3/15/2022

Greetings everyone,

This evening, I'm writing to you from RVA (which in my mind stands for the Richmond Virginia Area), and even though we've only recently moved in, I'm about to hit the road again.

Over the next month, I’ll be at five author events in four different cities: Williamsburg, Durham, Los Angeles, and SeaTac. If you are in any of those areas or planning on attending the conventions anyway, it would be great to see you there. Or, if those places are out of range, there is one bonus event happening completely online tomorrow (Wed 3/16).

1. Hidden Villains Zoom Book Launch Party - Wed March 16, 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern , Online

Hidden Villains, an anthology from Inkd Publishing, releases this coming Thursday 3/17. To celebrate the book, we are having a Zoom Book Launch Party, with the publisher Kevin A Davis and several of the authors, including me. We will have passage readings, a QnA with the authors, and a giveaway drawing—with copies of the book and a Kindle Paperwhite as prizes.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/942971539745414

Zoom Info:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89602613919?pwd=dlRuVXJadnpXU1BwQm5wT0JDS1NNZz09

Meeting ID: 896 0261 3919

Passcode: 564420

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Villains-Robyn-Huss-ebook/dp/B09T76CK8Y

2. MarsCon - March 18 & 19, Williamsburg, VA

This coming weekend, I will be at MarsCon in Williamsburg and speaking on panels about incorporating humor in spec fic. This will be my first con in the area, and possibly an opportunity to meet military-scifi author David Weber. http://www.marscon.net/wp/

3. Fantasci - March 24-27, Durham, NC

The next weekend, we drive south to Durham, North Carolina for Fantasci, which frequently features my publisher and the growing team of authors. I’m excited to be joining them on some panels and to be able to sell the THIS FINE CREW trilogy. https://fantasci.rocks/

4. Writers of the Future Workshop and Awards Gala - April 3-8, Los Angeles, CA

Across the country by plane to the most intimidating of them all… The Writers of the Future Workshop is a week-long writing intensive from some of the speculative fiction greats. And on Friday, April 8th, there is an Awards Gala, that will be broadcast live. I’m receiving one of the awards and eligible for another, which means—among other things—that I have to appear in formal wear and give a speech. After years of theatre, teaching, and recently appearing at author events, I feel fine about the speech part, but black-tie dress codes always make me nervous. Wish me luck, on both the tie and any other part of the event you’d like to.

If you’re curious about the event, I don’t yet have the link to the live-stream, but here is last year’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8loB_5F4cw

5. Norwescon - April 14-17, SeaTac, WA

For the final event, I will be returning to the first science fiction convention I ever attended, this time as a published author. I had made the arrangements for Norwescon while I still lived in the Seattle area, and, even though I’ve already moved, this feels like a fitting way to bid farewell to that area. https://www.norwescon.org/con/

Recommendations

Jonathan Maberry has written an impressive number of novels across many genres and sub-genres, many of which are marked by thriller pacing, short chapters, and unapologetically direct dialogue. One of his that I recently finished and thoroughly enjoyed was Mars One. It was like revisiting some of the early Heinlein novels to parts unknown, like Rocketship Galileo or Farmer in the Sky. If you want a quick, YA read with a lot of scientific plausibility to satisfy your inner space nerd, check this one out. https://www.amazon.com/Mars-One-Jonathan-Maberry-ebook/dp/B01GD9CP3Q/

In getting to know the local writing scene, I recently had a chance to meet a Richmond author, Thomas Webb, who writes military science fiction among other genres—and we found out we have a high degree of community overlap. I’m looking forward to diving into his Separatist Wars series, starting with the prequel, Enemy Lines. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YL8X2QC/

What Else Is New

New Patreon: Art, World-Building, and Song Parodies

Along with the move to a mailer system and an ebook hosting platform, I’ve put together a Patreon for people who want to see more of the work behind the scenes or commission their own world-building material. I have shared some of the THIS FINE CREW concept art at the book launch events, but there is much more to come, along with dozens of illustrations for other projects I’ve never posted anywhere. Along with that, the Patreon folks will get to see some more stories that aren’t free to the public and to be the first to hear new songs. You can check out the patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/MikeJackStoumbos

THIS FINE CREW Continues…

The first three THIS FINE CREW books out in the universe for all English-reading species to consume. Although we don't yet have a release date, the fourth episode is the works, and not just one but two prequel short stories are on their way. Some people have asked me about the number of additional stories. While I have several planned, the length of the series depends in part on the readers: if people keep enjoying the series, recommending the books, and rating them highly, I will keep writing them.

As for the prequel shorts, here is one of the covers:



As always, if you have any requests or questions, please let me know. I hope this finds you all well and that your springs have started strong (even if they include some last-minute snow).

Cheers,

Mike Jack Stoumbos