I spent most of Memorial Day weekend in Hunt Valley, MD at Balticon—and what a great weekend it was!
Despite a few scheduling speed bumps (panelists didn’t find out their panels until a few days prior), everything eventually went just fine. Many of us had some kind of transportation challenge, whether we came via plane, train or automobile. I got grounded on the tarmac in Charlotte for an hour due to thunderstorms. Jean Marie Ward got stuck on the highway for five hours. Lots of people got stuck behind a funeral procession. Even folks who came via train had problems. Ah, holiday traffic. It made for missed panels and sparse audiences early on Friday, but gradually worked its way out and everything went well later on.
The panels were a lot of fun, as always, packed with lively audiences and feisty panelists. We had an especially good turnout on Books You Loved as A Kid That You Still Love. That seemed to really strike a chord with a lot of people. Philcon, Capclave, and the Texas NSFIC bid all held very nice parties, and the SFWA get-together for members was very nice as well. In addition, the movie and science tracks had a very strong schedule, and while I didn’t get a chance to see as many of them as I wanted, I was happy to note that the programming was there for others to enjoy.
And now for the Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek!
Long-time readers have heard about my June 21 sneak peek online event, but for folks just finding out, here’s the scoop. Every year on June 21 (the summer solstice), I post the new book cover for my upcoming book, plus I hold an online sneak peek with content, giveaway contests and online goodies spread across my web site, blog, social media pages and also on the sites of my publisher and other media partners. It’s your first look at the first chapter of The Dread, the gorgeous cover, and some can’t-get-it-anywhere-else extras like interviews with me and my characters.
Why is it called The Hawthorn Moon event? Because in The Summoner, the big event in the plot happened on the summer solstice, which was called the Hawthorn Moon. I called the first online event that, and it just stuck.
Where do you get the details? Watch this blog on June 21 and you’ll see where to find all the goodies. I’ll also send out an announcement to my Chronicles of the Necromancer newsletter list. Stay tuned—it’s always a real good time!
Book News
If you are a frequent con-goer, Larry Smith Books also has signed copies of my stuff., so look for his booth at conventions.
Have you read my short stories? If not, check out Rum & Runestones or The Bitten Word for a totally different world and set of characters!
Signings and Events
I will be in stores doing book signings and at genre conventions throughout 2011, and I love to meet readers, so please stop by and say hello! Here’s the list of events so far (we’ll keep a running list posted on the Events tab).
Can’t make it when I’m at the store? Most stores have signed copies of all the books after the event, so be sure to stop in! If you call ahead before a signing, many stores will let you buy the book(s) over the phone so I can sign them when I’m there, and you can pick them up later.
June 4 – 6: ConCarolinas, Charlotte, NC
June 21: Hawthorn Moon Online Sneak Peek Event
September: DragonCon, Atlanta, GA
October: Capclave, Gaithersburg, MD
October 24 – 31: Days of the Dead Blog Tour
November: Philcon, Cherry Hill, NJ
December: Watch for new in-store dates in the Charlotte area
Ghost in the Machine Podcast
I host a podcast called The Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast (www.GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com) where I introduce my listeners to authors, artists, publishing pros and other interesting folks show up on the podcast, so please check it out!
In May guests were Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, author of over 80 novels, on making a long series work and paranormal mystery writer Casey Daniels (Pepper Martin mysteries) about merging magic with mystery. June guests are: Shirley Damsgaard (Abby and Ophelia mysteries) on creating new series and Juliet Blackwell author of the Witchcraft Series (Hexes and Hemlines) on using witchcraft and the supernatural in fiction.
Coming in 2011 on Ghost in the Machine, guests include Karen Miller, MaryJanice Davidson, Shirley Damsgaard and more!
Disquieting Visions—my “other” blog
Disquieting Visions is co-hosted by J.F. Lewis (Staked, Revamped, Crossed), Crymsyn Hart (paranormal romance), Tina McSwain (Charlotte Area Paranormal Society) and me. Podcast guests are also invited to post a guest blog on my Disquieting Visions group blog (http://DisquietingVisions.wordpress.com).
May guests are: Janny Wurts, Lori Handeland, Chris Jackson, Danielle Ackely-McPhail, David Coe, Michael Ventrella and Pam Cable.
For June, my blog post topics include: Con-going 101; Why published authors love cons; Why aspiring authors (should) love cons; Advanced con-going for dedicated fans
If you like the books, “Like” WinterKingdoms on Facebook
If you’re on Facebook, the place to talk about The Winter Kingdoms books is at Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms. I do a monthly Q&A and love to get comments and questions.
This month’s topics include: the Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek
Join the conversation!
I’m also on Twitter @GailZMartin, and be sure you check out my shelf of books I’m reading and just finished on Shelfari!
