Hey Friends! Happy Holiday Season!
For the past few years, I’ve made it my personal mission to really focus on the joy of the holiday season, and to try and let go of all the added stress that tries to creep into our lives at this time of year. One of the ways I try to do that is by consciously choosing to do fun things… like Holiday Giveaways!
(Did you like that segway?)
This year, some author friends and I have teamed up to bring you a MASSIVE collection of over $250 worth of Science Fiction and Fantasy classics. The entire box of books will be awarded to one lucky winner on the 15th of December… and that lucky winner could be YOU!
Here’s the best part: it’s free to enter! All you need is an email address. As a bonus, you’ll be signing up for the mailing lists for me and my author friends, so you’ll have the opportunity to check out some new stories and hopefully find new favorites! Win/Win/WIN!
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Luck Is Not A Factor is Out!
My Friends, I’ve been remiss. The latest anthology in the bestselling Four Horsemen Universe came out on Friday and I haven’t said a word! I hang my head in shame…
Luck Is Not A Factor is the fifth installment in a series of really cracking good collections set in the milSF FHU. My story “A Token of Affection” answers some questions left over from A Fiery Sunset.
Additionally, the anthology includes eighteen other stories, by my fellow 4HU veterans and newcomers alike. I highly recommend going and checking it out. I guarantee you’ll find something to love.
And once you have, please don’t forget to leave a review! 🙂 Thanks!
Urban Fantasy BookSweeps Contest!
Today, I have a fun surprise I’d like to share with you.
I’ve teamed up with 20 fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Urban Fantasy Novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a brand new eReader to the Grand Prize winner! Oh, and did I mention you’ll receive a collection of FREE reads just for entering? You can win my novel MINDS OF MEN, plus books from authors like D.N. Erikson, Catie Rhodes, Jennifer Hilt, and more. Enter the giveaway by clicking here
http://bit.ly/urbanfantasy-oct18
This contest will run from 29 October 2018 to 7 November 2018, so don’t delay! And once you’ve entered, leave a comment below and tell us what you’re most excited about reading!
Good luck and enjoy!
-kc
Pimping My Friends — Jason Cordova
Hey Friends! I have really terrific news! Today’s “Pimping My Friends” post is focusing on the super talented Jason Cordova! Jason has been a friend of mine for a few years, ever since we met at my first LibertyCon. He’s also a fellow member of the CKP Writing Factory, and of the Baen “and more” anthology club. For the past several years, Jason, Christopher L. Smith, Mike Massa, and I have done group readings together at LibertyCon, billing ourselves as the Four Horsepersons of the Anthology, since we seem to be in a lot of them together.
But that’s not the exciting part. What’s exciting is that the first book in Jason’s groundbreaking MilSF epic, WRAITHKIN, is on sale for $0.99 until the 27th of October!
That’s right, for less than a dollar, you can dive in to what one reviewer characterized as:
“It has a little bit of everything. Slam-bang action. Romance. Family. Friendship. A big canvas, with a dystopian government to be alternately fought and defended…Jason’s writing keeps getting better and better, and this is a story to immerse yourself in fully…If you like milSF, you will love this book. And even if you don’t, but like big novels full of life and vigor, you will still love this book.” –Barb Caffrey, blogger and author of An Elfy on the Loose.
So head over to Amazon and check it out. Then move on to DARKLING and DEATHLORDS, and devour them as well. And when you’re done, leave a review!
But don’t be sad! Because for you, my dear friends and family, there is more! Jason has a brand, spanking-new short story called “I, Behemoth” set in the Kin Wars universe, and it’s absolutely FREE when you sign up for his mailing list. You can find the sign up on his website at www.jasoncordova.com, or on his Facebook page here.
As the weather turns colder, why not curl up with a fast-paced Mil SF epic series? 🙂 Jason can definitely help you with that. And like I said before, if you check him out, please, leave a review!
Much Love,
kc
Enter The Lyon’s Den
Friends and family,
It’s release weekend for an anthology I’ve been anticipating for a long time! Tales From The Lyon’s Den is the fourth anthology set in the bestselling Four Horseman Universe, and as of the time of this writing, it’s currently the #1 Bestseller in Science Fiction Anthologies on Amazon! 🙂
Tales From The Lyon’s Den is a collection of eighteen stories set in the 4HU and linked by the theme of “stories you’d tell in a bar”. My story is called “A Mother’s Favor”, and it’s the last story in the volume. I’m super proud of it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you’ve read Assassin, you may see an old friend or two. 🙂
In any case, go check it out if you haven’t already, and please (as always!) don’t forget to leave a review!
Have a great weekend!
-kc
Pimping My Friends — Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
It’s been a really long time since I’ve done one of these. But my friends, if you’re at all into space opera or sweeping themes or really amazing characters then you simply HAVE to check EMPIRE OF SILENCE out.
Christopher is a friend of mine (thus he qualifies for this type of post), and he’s truly one of the most interesting people I know. We bonded over the shared love of stories about ancient Rome (POPULARES!), and I wasn’t at all surprised to see that love reflected in the story.
True confession: I haven’t finished the book yet, so I can’t give you a full review… YET! I promise I will do so, here and on Amazon and Goodreads, as soon as I finish my leisurely swim through Christopher’s amazingly silky prose.
Anyway, it’s late and I’m rambling, but I wanted to post this tonight so that it could fit in with the BOOK BOMB held by Larry Correia for this book.
Because it’s really that good. And Christopher deserves to GET. PAID!
Thanks, my lovelies! I hope you love it as much as I am.
-kc
Edited to add: Here’s a link to the book, because I’m a dork who forgot the first time around!
DragonCon 2018 AAR
DragonCon 2018 After Action Report
Prologue:
The week leading up to DragonCon was quite busy… scratch that. The *month* leading up to DragonCon was quite busy. For those of you not familiar, DragonCon is a 5-day (well, 4, officially) science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture convention held in downtown Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. It is the best convention I have ever attended. It is 85,000 of your closest friends partying 24hours a day, for 5 days over 5 hotels. It is my Superbowl, my Mardi Gras, and my New Year’s Eve all in one. It is my favorite week of the year. Yes, I said week.
See, the thing of it is that DragonCon has grown from a standard weekend convention into an entity all of its own. It is entirely fan-run and fan-organized, and so it focuses entirely on the fan experience. And the same fans come back, year after year to see their favorite stars and their chosen family members.
Several years ago, people started showing up early on Friday to see their friends and hang out before programming officially got started on Saturday. When I first started going, DragonCon was officially a Saturday-Monday convention. But more and more people showed up on Friday, and started the costuming and the party early. But then as the con got more and more popular, the tracks started scheduling programming on Friday as well. Until finally, con-goers started showing up on Thursday to hang out, etc. This prompted the phrase “Thursday is the new Friday”.
Well, fast forward to now. This year, we showed up on Wednesday to a party already in full swing. Tuesday, it seems, is the new Friday, and if that’s the case, then DragonCon runs from the Tuesday before Labor Day, through the Monday holiday itself.
Thus, DragonCon Week: my favorite week of the year.
Here’s how it went down in 2018:
“Y’all… this is WEDNESDAY!!”
One of the benefits of living close to a major metropolitan area is that it’s really easy to find a direct nonstop flight to Atlanta. My husband EZ and I boarded a plane early on Wednesday morning, and arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson just before noon. From there, it was an easy Marta trip to downtown, and a walk through pleasantly cooling rain to our hotel: The Westin Peachtree Plaza.
Every year I sing the praises of the Westin, and this year will be no different. The staff is always incredibly professional and helpful, the rooms are lovely and comfortable, and you really can’t beat the views. Though this year we stayed on a lower floor than in years past, but it’s still a good vista over the city of Atlanta.
We checked in with no problems and quickly decided to go find some food. We knew we would probably get the luscious truffled mac&cheese from Meehan’s once our friends the Wolfpack arrived, so we opted to walk over to Peachtree Center mall and check out the food court.
This year, the food court was under construction, which severely limited the available floor space for seating. HOWEVER, mad kudos to the Peachtree Center staff and to their liaison with the con, because honestly, it *felt* less full than it has in years past. They did a really great job of delineating traffic areas that were not to be blocked, and it was truly not any harder to find a seat than it was in years past… though we did opt to get take out quite a bit, due to the construction.
In any case, EZ and I had lunch, and then I asked him if he wanted to walk a 5K with me while we waited for our friends to arrive.
See, I had signed up for the RunDisney Virtual Shorts series, which is a series of 3 virtual 5K races to be done in the months of June, July, and August respectively. But August was super busy, and I hadn’t gotten my race done yet. The races can be run or walked, and while I ran the first two, I knew that walking was going to be my best bet if I wanted to get it done that day.
So, my beloved, amazing husband agreed, and we proceeded to tour all the DragonCon host hotels and refamiliarize ourselves with the ins and outs and secret (not really) passageways that lead from one hotel to the other. We also took the time to locate where badge pickup and most of my programming would be, as I was participating in four tracks this year, plus the Dragon Awards. As he said, he never would have expected that the first thing I wanted to do when I got to DragonCon was a 5K, but there you have it.
I’m full of surprises.
In the course of the 5K, we stopped by and picked up some beverages from the traditionally overpriced liquor store next to the Sheraton, as well as some room snacks from the CVS in Peachtree Center mall.
By the way, Mad Props to the staff of that CVS. As the main entrance to the food court was closed for construction, they had a steady stream of people using their store as a thoroughfare. And yet they were always pleasant and helpful, and restocked nightly to provide con goers with necessary drinks, snacks, and whatnot. Since their inception, that CVS has definitely had a positive impact on DragonCon, in my opinion.
Shortly after we finished our epic 5K, our friends the Wolfpack arrived. The Wolfpack consists of my coauthor, Marisa Wolf, and her entourage. In this case, her entourage consisted of her husband, Jeremy (whose last name isn’t Wolf, but he isn’t a writer or con pro of any kind, so I’m not going to tell you what it is). They got all checked in, and we decided to head down to Meehan’s for the aforementioned mac&cheese.
It was delicious as always, as were the beverages my party consumed. I rather think we might have been “that table” as we got louder and louder, especially after two of my other dearest friends arrived. Cassie&Casey hadn’t attended DragonCon in 5 years, due to real life military commitments, but this was their triumphal return. They met us at Meehan’s, and the party just kept going.
Eventually, someone (it may have been EZ, I’m not sure) kicked out the idea of a hotel bar crawl, and the rest of the group enthusiastically agreed. We paid our bill at Meehan’s, and headed down to the Hyatt bar for round 1.
At the Hyatt, we found Kevin Ikenberry and Quincy Adams, as well as our friends Danielle and Charlotte and some other folks. I think EZ’s buddy Seth joined us there as well. He joined us at some point, at any rate. We enjoyed hanging out with them for a bit, and then headed onward to the Marriott via the sky bridge.
And the Marriott was already lit. I mean, the floor wasn’t as crowded as it would become on Friday and Saturday nights, but there were legit costumes to be seen, and people to see and hang out with. Around this time, Marisa coined the phrase that would be our rallying cry for the rest of the evening: “Y’all… this is WEDNESDAY!”
Indeed. Which meant that there were many, many more days of con goodness to enjoy. We continued on from the Marriott bar to the Hilton bar, where we learned about the price of tapwater and the importance of speaking to the manager when things aren’t quite right.
By then I was done, so we headed back, and I crashed out, excited about the prospect of the 5 days ahead.
“Thursday = Recovery Day?”
One of the benefits of not drinking alcohol is that I require significantly less recovery than those who do. 😊 Thursday morning, I woke up relatively early (before 0900, I believe) and texted Marisa to see if she wanted to hit the pool with me. I like swimming as a form of exercise at a con. It’s relaxing.
She agreed, and so we went through the labyrinthine procedures required to get to the Westin rooftop pool. It’s a lovely facility, and we enjoyed a relaxing swing and chatting with some fellow pool enthusiasts for about an hour. Then it was back to the room to clean up, grab the husbands, and decide what to do next.
I’m pretty sure we headed back to the Hyatt bar for lunch. Honestly, I’m not really sure. I know we spent most of Thursday hanging out with our various friends: Cassie and Casey again, as well as Mike Massa and his wife Lorna, Griffin Barber, Rob Hampson, Philip Wholrab, and Christopher L. Smith up in Speaker’s Speakeasy, as well as Bridget and Larry Correia. We also ran into Chris Kennedy and his wife Sheelah, Mark Wandrey and his wife Joy, Jon Osborne, and Christopher Woods and his wife Wendy. Oh, and John Ringo, of course. I’m almost positive I saw all of those individuals at some point on Thursday, but it really is a blur in my memory. I just know that I was hanging out all day and it was fun. It was like the DragonCons of old, before I started doing panels and other programming.
Originally, the plan was that Thursday would be a day of recovery, but not so much for this hard-going crew. We may be too old to push it up every weekend like we did back in our 20s, but damn if we can’t push it up for one week a year. 😊
We went back to Meehan’s for dinner, and this time, they put us in the back room. Which was awesome, because we continued to be rowdy and fun. We started applauding wildly whenever our server walked into the room, and whenever new people were seated back there with us. Another rowdy table joined in, and before you know it, we were singing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of our lungs.
Which, if you’re keeping track, makes this two years in a row for Queen sing-a-longs at DragonCon. 😊
After dinner, I think we went up to Speaker’s Speakeasy for more hanging out, but I don’t really remember.
I went to bed at some point. I’m not sure when.
“Friday. Game Face Time”
Friday morning started off with an 1130 panel for the Alt History track. It was a panel designed to be a track kick-off event, and I was honored to sit beside S. M. Stirling on it. I’ve met Steve before, but this year we had a number of panels together, which was a lot of fun. The man has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of a great many subjects, and he’s a real blast to talk to.
After that, we grabbed lunch, and I headed to Military Sci-Fi Writers & Creators in the Military SF Media track. This was a fun panel consisting of several talented creators, including my friend Van Allen Plexico and new friend Amy J. Murphy. I always love meeting new people.
Friday night’s dinner was… more food court? I’m not really sure. I’m pretty sure we met up with the CKP writing factory folks at the Westin Bar and hung out there for awhile. Again, I don’t really remember what all we did that night, but I know we walked around a fair bit and did a lot of hanging out and socializing.
After dinner, we headed down to the Fantasy Lit track’s new event: the Fantasy Gather. This was the brainchild of the new track director, Cisca Small, and it was a huge success. Fantasy writers came together in a ballroom with small tables to hawk books, hang out with fans and each other, and just really network and have a good time. Marisa and I bonded with the other members of our CKP family, and got to meet some new folks as well. I also got to see and give hugs to Monalisa Foster, Jody Lyn Nye and Todd McCaffrey, which was cool. It was a very well attended event that was a lot of fun. I hope the fans all gave it great feedback, so that we’ll see it return next year.
Oh! Friday might have been the day when Marisa and I went with Bridget, Brandy, and Cathy to buy corsets and fun hats. We shopped at Timeless Trends and my all-time favorite milliner, The Blonde Swan. Bridget got an amazing red and black corset that she wore on Sunday night, and she looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous in it.
There are many, many beautiful things to be acquired at DragonCon if you have the cash. It is known.
“Saturday. The Busy Day”
Saturday was my heaviest day, programming wise. I started off with “Amazons and Assassins,” which was panel about using history as inspiration for fiction. I was late, thanks to running to the wrong room in the Hyatt at first, but the other panelists were gracious about it.
From there, I headed back to the Westin for an Apocalypse Rising panel called “Alternative Apocalyptic Weapons & Armor”, which (to my initial surprise) I moderated. This was actually one of my favorite panels. We had a fairly packed house, and both panelists (Mike Massa and Michael Z. Williamson) are good friends of mine. We spent about an hour talking about improvising survival gear (not just weapons and armor…oops!) with what you have around you. The crowd was interactive and it was a really good time. Kudos to Hans Eckman for running a great show.
After that, the Mikes and I hustled back to the Hyatt for the Baen Books Travelling Roadshow and Prize Patrol. The roadshow is always an amazing time, with Toni Weisskopf, Jim Minz and the Baen crew show off new cover art and give out free books. They also announce the winner of the Readers’ Choice Award for the Year’s Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction. The finalists are chosen from short stories released throughout the previous year and collected in an anthology edited by David Afsharirad. I was honored to have my story “Family Over Blood” included this year.
And it won. 😊
I was flabbergasted. I didn’t know what to say. I gave MadMike Williamson a hug, because I was sitting next to him, and because he was the editor of FORGED IN BLOOD, which is the National Bestselling anthology set in his Freehold Universe where “Family Over Blood” first appeared.
Then I went up, and David presented me with the plaque and prize, and I completely babbled into the mic because I couldn’t figure out what to say. Toni laughed at me and told me that was enough, and I went and sat back down. I felt foolish, but I seriously had no idea what to say.
So I blushed and went back to my seat, and enjoyed all the gorgeous art that happened next. I also enjoyed Dave Butler’s impromptu Witchy Eye singalong. And I got to talk about NOIR FATALE with Larry Correia, so that was awesome as well. The entire Roadshow was really cool, and I was a little sad when MadMike and I had to leave to go grab food before heading to a signing in the dealer room.
The signing was at The Missing Volume, the online/con bookstore owned by my friend Glennis. It was awesome to see her and her husband Tom for a few moments. Even if it was only a few minutes.
After the signing, my husband caught up with me, and we did a little shopping. We also got some food with the Wolfpack. After that, Marisa and I went up to the Marriott top floor for a reception for the Dragon Award Finalists. That was really fun, and it was awesome to hang out with my fellow finalists and some of the past winners.
Unfortunately, I had to leave *that* early, too. Because I was moderating a panel called “Temporal Temptations” for the Alternate History track. On this late-night, adults-only panel, the lovely Tamsin Silver, Marisa Wolf, and I read some naughty scenes from various time periods. We shared a lot of laughs with a really great audience, and it was an awesome time.
The last panel of the night (starting at 0100, if you’re keeping track – I told you Saturday was busy!) was a really interesting panel on the decadence of Weimar Berlin. Very cool discussion, and I got to hang out with Steve Stirling again, so that was fun.
And after that, I fell exhausted into bed. My husband, on the other hand, went out. And stayed out till 0600. He’s awesome. 😊
“Sunday – The Dragon Awards”
Sunday morning, I woke up and headed across the street to Pittypat’s Porch to enjoy the annual Baen Brunch. I got to hang out with Jim Minz and David Boop, as well as Marisa, Griffin, Bridget, Chris… and just a bunch of my Baen family. I also had the honor of meeting Toni’s gentleman caller, who we’re calling “Handsome Devil”. The food was delicious, as always, and it was a really great time.
After that, I headed back to my room and changed, then met up with some of my CKP family in the Hyatt bar. We hung out there until it was time to go to the Dragon Awards in the Hyatt. The Dragon Awards were a lovely ceremony, MCed by the masterful Chuck Gannon. Though I didn’t win, I was super psyched to congratulate Sarah A. Hoyt and Kevin J. Anderson for their win with UNCHARTED.
Afterwards, I got to chat with Laurell K. Hamilton and her husband Jon for a bit. They’re a super cool couple, and she sent me an amazing story for NOIR FATALE, so it was good to catch up with them and their awesome assistant, Shawn.
But then I had to head over to another panel on the fine distinctions between Magic, Psychics, and Superpowers. Another really cool discussion, with an engaged audience and some very cool panelists.
From there, I headed down to the Four Horsemen Universe panel, moderated by my buddy Speaker. This was a fun panel where we got to talk about how Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy took a cool military SF idea and turned it into an unstoppable phenomenon. That was a blast. We had a great time talking about the universe and showing off cover art, and then we all headed upstairs for the Corsets&Kilts party. Chris Kennedy decided to sponsor the party this year, and it was the standard rip-roaring good time.
And then it was time to head to Cruxshadows. It had been five years since I last jammed at that concert with my friends Cassie and Casey, and it was really great to be there beside them once again. At 0100 on Monday morning, the concert is always the harbinger of the end of the Con, but it’s also one last chance to really turn things up and (as Marisa would say) RAGE!
And then we had Waffle House, and then went to bed.
“Monday – The Last Tomorrow”
Despite Cruxhadows being the harbinger of the end, I actually had two more events on Monday. The first was an Apocalypse Rising survival Q&A panel. It was lightly attended, but still a lot of fun. Then I had a signing with John Ringo at Glennis’s at 1500. That was good, because I had an opportunity to chat with John about our upcoming collaboration with Chris Smith: GUNPOWDER AND EMBERS. It should be out sometime in the Fall of 2019, I believe, so that’s exciting!
Afterwards, all that was left was to pack out of our room, have a last really fun lunch with Griffin Barber and Doc, and head up to Speaker’s to say a last few goodbyes before heading to the airport in the afternoon.
Our flight home was delayed until quite late at night, and when we did get home, I fell, exhausted and happy, into bed.
“The Summary”
This was the best DragonCon I’ve had in years. And here’s why (in no particular order)
1. Arriving on Wednesday gave us two days of old-school just hanging out before programming started, which was ideal. It was like the way I used to do con, before I got the opportunity to sit on panels.
2. Cassie and Casey were there! I have missed them so much, and it was so fantastic to party with them once again.
3. Our group was big enough and diverse enough (and adult enough!!) that we could split up into multiple pairings and go and do the things we wanted to do without anyone getting butthurt. Which was great.
4. The traffic flow was fantastic. I can’t remember ever feeling totally crowded as I have in the past.
5. The programming was phenomenal. Special thanks go to the Alternate History, Fantasy Literature, Sci Fi Literature, Apocalypse Rising, and Military Sci-Fi Media tracks for all of their hard work. Thank you so much for letting me be part of your program. I hope you were happy with what you got. 😊
As always, we’ll be back next year, unless The Day Job™ has dramatic plans for our family. But until then, remember, you gotta keep DragonCon in your heart. 😉
DragonCon 2018 Tentative Schedule!
Hey lovelies!
As promised, here’s my tentative schedule for DragonCon 2018! I say “tentative” because all schedules at DragonCon are tentative until after the event has already happened! 🙂 For best results, I highly recommend the DragonCon app, which updates daily with the schedule changes.
But, for your situational awareness, here is what I’ve got so far:
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Title: Chronos: A Beginner’s Guide to Time Travel Fiction and Media
Description: More than a 101 for Alternate History or Steampunk, this primer is a very brief survey of the topics covered in our track. Alternate History and Historical Fiction, Steampunk, Time Travel media, and much more. This all-ages panel is for those who wonder, “What if?” and, “Where do I start?”
Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell, S.M. Stirling)
——————-
Title: Military SciFi Writers and Creators – Media Edition
Description: A roundtable with military science fiction writers and artists–whether in tie-ins or independent worlds–to discuss the genre, trends, real-world accuracy, and working within the complex worlds of Military Sci-Fi.
Time: Fri 04:00 pm Location: Chastain DE – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Georges Jeanty, Kacey Ezell, Amy J. Murphy)
——————-
Title: Fantasy Gather
Description: Celebrate the start of the Con & meet the voices of Fantasy literature. Authors will be here to meet you & sign books. Who knows what surprises & treasures you will find?
Time: Fri 08:00 pm Location: Hanover C-E – Hyatt (Length: 4 Hours)
(Tentative Panelists: )
——————-
Title: Amazons and Assassins
Description: Using elements of history and changing them in Fantasy novels, from the classic castle to genies and demons.
Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Embassy EF – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Eric Flint, S.M. Stirling, Hawkings Austin, Kacey Ezell, Jason Cordova)
——————-
Title: Alternative Apocalyptic Weapons and Armor
Description: In an apocalypse you will need to make or forage for weapons and protection. Our experts will lead the discussion on what to look for, replacements for defensive items we have today, and how to create your own tools.
Time: Sat 01:00 pm Location: Chastain F-G – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell, Michael Z. Williamson, Mike Massa)
——————-
Title: Prepping Lessons from Combat Veterans and First Responders
Description: “No plan survives contact with the enemy” is a long-standing military quote. This panel is your chance to find out what works and what doesn’t from people who have served and survived during military and domestic conflicts. A practical and tactical discussion not to be missed.
Time: Sat 10:00 pm Location: Chastain F-G – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell)
——————-
Title: Temporal Temptations: Erotica of Alternate Eras
Description: Authors and fans share some of their favorite seductive prose from history or their own imaginations. From samples of history’s raciest writings to original works, this one is sure to be quite the bodice ripper. Come with your smelling salts and your fans to ward away the vapors.
Time: Sat 11:30 pm Location: Augusta – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell, Eric Renderking Fisk)
——————-
Title: The Decadence and Liberation of Weimar Germany: An Explicit History Revue
Description: Much more than Berlin Babylon, the history of the Weimar Republic is one of sexual liberation, decadence, and depravity in the face of post-war economic collapse. Learn about the perverse, grotesque, alluring, and appalling times that are sure to shock and amaze from our fans of erotic history.
Time: Sun 01:00 am Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Austin Sirkin, S.M. Stirling, Kacey Ezell, Rox of Spazhouse)
——————-
Title: Third Annual Dragon Awards Presentation
Description: The winners of the Third Annual Dragon Awards will be announced.
Time: Sun 01:00 pm Location: Centennial I – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Larry Niven, Bill Fawcett, Tim Powers, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Eric Flint, Richard “Lord British” Garriott, Mike Capps, Katherine Kurtz, Steven Barnes, Peter Kelamis, Lou Ferrigno)
——————-
Title: Magic, Psychics, and Superpowers–oh My!
Description: There is magic, then there are superpowers and mutants. What is genetic–and is it still fantasy, or is it really science?
Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Embassy EF – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Myke Cole, Kacey Ezell, Cody Martin, Shawnee Small, Robert Jackson Bennett)
——————-
Title: The Four Horsemen: A Roundtable Discussion
Description: The Four Horsemen is a popular independent series with books & anthology taking place in a dynamic shared universe. The authors discuss the books, story, & how it all came to be.
Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Embassy AB – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Robert E. Hampson, Kevin Ikenberry, Chris Kennedy, Mark H Wandrey, Kacey Ezell, Jason Cordova)
——————-
Title: For Survival: Open Jam
Description: If you didn’t find the exact survival panel you wanted or didn’t get all your questions answered, a mix of our experts from the weekend return to answer your questions one last time. Open Jam is the 100% audience generated Q&A session on everything survival that you always dreamed of.
Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: Chastain F-H – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Michael Z. Williamson, Hans Eckman, Kacey Ezell)
Minds of Men is a Dragon Award Finalist!
My friends, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. Thanks to your votes and nominations, Minds of Men was selected as a finalist for Best Alternate History at the 2018 Dragon Awards!
I’m stunned and so, so, so thankful to have an amazing legion of fans. Thank you.
For those uninitiated, the Dragon Award is a completely fan-selected award that runs on a period of open nominations for a few months. Then they close nominations and the works with the most nods are named as finalists. And thanks to you all, Minds of Men is one of them.
So the next step is voting! If you haven’t done so already, you can sign up to vote here. Even if you choose not to vote for Minds of Men, please do vote for your favorites. Fan awards only work when the fans participate!
Once again, thank you so much for this honor. I cannot tell you how much it means to me.
Much love,
kc
Weaver is out!
True confessions: Weaver by me and Mark Wandrey has been out for almost a week. I didn’t post about it because I was busy drowning in the whirlwind of Liberty Con! But trust me, if you can manage to launch a book at Liberty Con, I HIGHLY recommend it. 🙂 We really had a blast at the party.
In any case, I wanted to let you all know that the book is out, and readers seem to really be enjoying it, which is great news. I hope you’ll consider checking it out, and if you do, I really hope that you’ll write a review and let me know what you think!
LibertyCon 2018 AAR
Tuesday:
Yep, you read that right. I started my Liberty Con journey on Tuesday. As some of you may know, I’m working on a new trilogy with John Ringo and Christopher L. Smith. Since John lives in the vicinity of Chattanooga, I decided to head down a few days early to work with him on the project. So Coriel and I hopped in the car and made the 12 hour drive. Aside from a speeding ticket (damn speed trap on 81 got me) and some raging thunderstorms (RAAAAAGGGEEEE) we arrived safely and checked in just in time to get some food and sleep.
Wednesday:
Woke up with Coriel and used the gym at the Chattanooga Marriott. We had a good little workout and got to spend a little time together. Then we got cleaned up, met up with Nico who traveled in, and got in touch with John. I abandoned Coriel and Nico to go to work with John, and I think the two of them took a stroll in downtown Chattanooga together.
Meanwhile, John and I went to Rembrandt’s, which is a really cool coffee shop in the Art District of Chattanooga. We ate and talked while he sprinkled magic fairy dust over what Chris and I had written so far. After the heat and the sun started to get to us, we changed venues to Chattanooga Billiard Company.
Yep. The secret’s out. John Ringo writes books in a pool hall. 😊
In seriousness, it’s a very cool pool hall, and the patrons and staff I spoke to were really great people. We had a productive session and made a lot of progress.
Afterward, we met back up with Nico and Coriel and John took us on a walking tour of downtown Chattanooga. It’s really a very cool town, and one I’d like to check out aside from a Con.
Thursday:
Nico, Coriel, John and I met back up and went to City Café for breakfast. The one near the hotel was closed, so we headed out to another location across town. There I got my much anticipated waffles with ice cream. We also got trapped by a series of storms, so I jokingly directed John to pull out his laptop and get to work. To my surprise, he did, and I unknowingly started one of the jokes of the weekend. Apparently, I’m quite the taskmistress when I want something done. Who knew? 😊
In any case, I ran Nico and Coriel back to the hotel and just missed seeing Speaker by about 5 minutes. Then I headed back to City Café and picked John up. We then repaired to his bunker/office for more work. I got to say hello to the lovely lady Miriam, which was amazing. John and I got more work done and decided to head back to the hotel at around 5pm.
And we walked in to DragonCon.
Okay, not really. But bear with me for a bit. For several years at DragonCon, Thursday was known as “the new Friday”. Meaning that the wise and/or lucky con goers would arrive on Thursday to hang out and pregame with their friends before programming began on Friday. Last year at Dragon, programming began on Thursday, and EZ and I joined the legions of smart and/or lucky congoers arriving on Wednesday… which has officially been dubbed “the new Friday” at DragonCon.
But DragonCon has 70K attendees over 5 hotels in Atlanta! Liberty is limited to one percent of that in one hotel in Chattanooga! And yet…
Thursday was definitely the new Friday this year at Liberty Con. Because despite the flooding storms that still poured down over Chattanooga and played havoc with people’s travel plans, nearly EVERYONE arrived on Thursday. Old friends, new friends, friends we hadn’t yet met… it was overwhelming and insane and really, really cool.
I met up with Coriel, Nico, and Marisa Wolf. We had our “Push Up Badass” dinner with Cathe Smith and her fiancé Mike, Toni Weisskopf, and Christopher Ruocchio. We got to see Toni’s amazing sword room, which was 100% worth every breath of hype.
Afterwards, we headed back and socialized with so many people. I saw Speaker, finally. And EP and Doc and Jeremy (aka Stitch) and his new bride Emily (aka Lilo… seriously guys, they’re perfect together!), Joseph Capdepon and his lovely Bonnie, Jamie and Michelle Ibson, and Chris and Madi Smith arrived. We spent a few minutes hanging out with Griffin Barber and Chuck Gannon in the hotel bar, as well as Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey with Keven Ikenberry and Jon Osborne and Chris Woods… and so many others I cannot possibly list them all. Please don’t be offended if I’ve left your name out. There was much mingling and saying hello and roaming around to see different people. I think I went to bed around 1am, but I honestly don’t remember.
Friday
I remember waking up at 0730 and wondering why on earth I was awake so early! But I got up and got some breakfast with Marisa and Nico, I believe. My first panel was at 1pm, and it was a blast. We talked about the future of the Black Tide Rising series, and John and his co-editor Kelly Lockhart hammed it up as usual, and John first started telling people about me keeping him chained in the basement while he worked on our project. 😊 The panel was followed by an autograph session, which was a ball as well.
After that, I assume I ate lunch, but I can’t really remember. I do know that the next event was the Homo Stellaris panel, where Les Johnson and Speaker talked about their upcoming anthology that addresses the question: who do we have to become in order to colonize the stars. I have a small story with Doc in that anthology, and it was fun to sit together and talk about our contribution. Unfortunately, that meant I missed my friend Nico’s reading, since it was scheduled opposite.
Following that, I got tagged to sign a bunch of 4HU books for sale, and so was tied up for a while until it was time for first dinner. Marisa and I had a late 4HU dinner planned, but we knew we were going to need something before 2115 that night, so we grabbed a bite in the hotel bar with John F. Holmes and his lovely partner Karen, along with Doc. It was great to see them, and we made a new friend as well. Paul Sparks found himself at our table and joined in the conversation, so that was cool.
That’s part of what makes Liberty the great con that it is. Random strangers become good friends. It happens ever year. I hope it never stops.
That night, Jamie Ibson hosted the BADASS party (Books and Drinking, Authors Signing Stuff) along with Nathan Balyeat’s Completely Random Cocktail Hour. Marisa and I put in appearances at both parties before we had to head off to the Galactic Governors dinner for the supporters of the 4HU Challenge Coin Kickstarter Campaign. That was really great as well, and fun to meet and spend time with a few fans of the runaway series.
After that, more circulating and hanging out. I may have sung “Possum Kingdom” a capella into a microphone and done makeshift karaoke to NIN’s “Closer”. No big deal. Griffin and Karen Barber, Marisa, Mike and Lorna Massa, and Jim Minz won’t tell on me. I think… 😉
At some point, I went to bed again.
Saturday
Saturday’s panels started off with the Four Horsemen Roundtable, which was a blast! We got to award red shirt coins to the people we killed off in our stories and answer questions about what we’ve written and what’s going on in the future. Following that, I sat in on the panel called “All The Shades of Noir” with Larry Correia, Cedar Sanderson, and Ed McKeown. I had a particular interest in this panel, since I am co-editing a Noir anthology with Larry for Baen books. I ended up running a microphone for the large crowd’s questions.
After that, I had to go try to give blood. I had a 1315 appointment, but they were so backed up with their processing that I didn’t get a chance to donate before I had to head off to my next panel. Maybe next year.
My next panel was the Baen Roadshow, which is a centerpiece of the con in many ways. After LibertyCon last year, Monalisa Foster approached me about cosplaying a member of Tom Kratman’s Amazon Legion, and between us we hatched a plot to ambush him and present him with a Balboan flag at this year’s Roadshow. Thanks to our inside woman, Toni Weisskopf, and to my fellow Amazonas: Monalisa, Emily, Tara Urbanek, Melanie Boyd, and my daughter Coriel. We were able to pull off what Tom himself described as “Well that’s just fucking cool”. 😊 There’s video floating around, so if someone wants to post it in the comments, that would be amazing. (Thanks to Gerry and Jamie and all the videographers!)
But it turned out that Toni had more than one surprise up her sleeve. As soon as the Amazonas marched back to our staging area behind the air wall, Toni called me back out again and revealed the preliminary sketches for the cover art for NOIR FATALE! I confess, I squealed and jumped up and down like a little girl. Not exactly the military image the Amazonas are known for, I confess. 😊 But still, it was an amazing moment, and having cover art revealed at LibertyCon was a bit of a dream come true for me. 😊 Achievement Unlocked!
After the roadshow, we had the Sha’Daa:TOYS roundtable. I was able to read a part of my story with Marisa Wolf called “Underneath”. Unfortunately, I had to bail early, because I had to change and get ready for the next commitment: the Baen dinner.
Every year, Baen generously puts on a dinner for its writers/artists and editors. This year, I had the opportunity to meet artist Guest of Honor Jon Picacio. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hang out with him as much as I would have liked, but I hope we’ll meet again.
I did meet up with my self-proclaimed BFF Bridget Correia. We hung out together until I had to run down to do a reading for Tom Kratman’s Carreraverse anthology. The reading was well attended and, I think, produced some enthusiasm for the project as a whole, which is excellent.
Next up:
My book launch party!
Did I mention that I launched a book this weekend? WEAVER, cowritten by me and Mark Wandrey, released on Friday. It’s the story of a pair of unwanted beings who found love and purpose in one another. It’s a deep dive into the life of a Tortantula/Flatar pair, and another look at the Mercenary Life that underpins the structure of the Galactic Union in the 4HU. Initial reviews are favorable, so if you haven’t read it yet, please consider picking it up. I hope you love it!
So, yes, I went to the book launch party. It was packed and a lot of fun. Mark and I gave a signed copy of WEAVER to David Weber. I hope he enjoys both the story and the signatures, which were meant in the spirit of fun. 😊
I hung out with Griffin some more, as well as Massa, John Ringo and Kelly Lockhart, and the one and only Jack Clemons. Oh, and the lovely Jenny Ringo! Who I was so excited to see.
I think I went to bed around three. Again, I don’t really know.
Sunday
Once again, I woke up early. I have no idea why. I was scheduled for the Kaffeklatch, but Rich Groller told me that I should feel welcome to skip it if I needed to, since I had a particularly heavy programming schedule. So I did, and got breakfast with Marisa and Nico in the hotel buffet.
Then Risa and I headed off to the Chris Kennedy Publishing Year Ahead panel, where we talked about our various projects with the members of our CKP family, witnessed Jason Cordova finishing a book, and Risa talked up the Dragon Awards.
Then I had two hours of Author’s Alley scheduled. During which time I tried not to hit Dan Hoyt with my rack (😊), was photographed (along with Marisa Wolf and superfan Brian “Bubba” Gnad) by the supremely talented Oleg Volk, and sold and autographed a ton of books. That was a lot of fun, and apparently everyone but me sold out of copies of ASSASSIN. Good weekend! 😊
By 3, the con was over. I missed the closing ceremonies because I had to clean up my Author’s Alley. Once that was done, I damn near collapsed in Speaker’s suite surrounded by my chosen family. I rallied to go to the traditional “meat faucet” with Coriel and everyone, but not before I stole 5 min to talk magic and magic systems with Dave Butler.
Afterwards, I really did collapse in Speaker’s suite. I was exhausted on every level, but I felt so full of love for the endless parade of friends and family. I’m sure I was not fit company on Sunday, as I couldn’t really form coherent words very well, but I appreciate my cabal for taking care of me. We laughed and played games and shot nerf guns in Speaker’s suite until about midnight, when I finally gave up and went to bed.
Monday
Drove home. 11 Hours. No ticket this time, though. So that’s a bonus. 😊
Final Thoughts.
- I now know what my upper limit for programming for a single weekend is. 😊 I had such a fun doing all those panels and round tables and whatnot, but damn… I was spent.
- LibertyCon 32 sold out in less than 6 hours. 6 HOURS, y’all! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. LibertyCon is The. Best. Networking. Con. Around.
- My kid is awesome.
- My friends are awesome.
- My coauthors are awesome.
- My publishers are awesome.
- I love you all. See you next year!
New Review of Minds of Men
I just got a terrific review of Minds of Men, from the fabulous Jimbo’s Awesome Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Reviews, and I wanted to share it with you, my friends. 🙂 Here’s my favorite part:
It’s umm… Alternate history. And I’ve got a history degree. And if one of my old professors were to find out that I read a book that they’d consider to be historical fiction, I’d be in deep doo-doo. If they found out I enjoyed it, I’d be in even deeper doo-doo. And if they found out I featured it on my blog and encouraged others to read it, I’d get to find out if it was possible to impeach me and take my degree away. So, I mean, yeah, Minds of Men kicks ass, but if you talk to any history professors from Oakland University (where I got my BA) especially, or Wayne State University (where I did some graduate work but never finished) then you didn’t hear how good this book was from me. K? I mean, you can still say you read and enjoyed it if you don’t mind the inevitable backlash. Just don’t tell them it’s my fault. I’ve got kids.
HA! Thanks Jimbo! 🙂 I really appreciate it. He actually goes on to leave a pretty in-depth review of the story. You can check out the rest of it here.
And if you haven’t yet picked up a copy of Minds of Men, what are you waiting for? We even have it in audiobook now!