Fancy writer weekend.

I was like, Mr. Fancy Writer Guy, or something this week.  All I did was hang out with writers and other creative types, and I wasn’t even at a Con. 

On Thursday Michael Z. Williamson (Freehold, Better to Beg Forgiveness, The Weapon) was passing through town with his family. He had a layover in Salt Lake, so Howard Tayler (Schlock Mercenary) and his wife Sandra, picked them up, and we all met over Chinese Buffet.  There was much discussion of zombies, publishing, and roadkillings.

Then on Friday night I went down to Provo and recorded a couple of episodes of the Writing Excuses Podcast with Howard Tayler (again!), Brandon Sanderson (Elantris,  Mistborn, WoT), and Dan Wells (I’m not a Serial Killer).  We got through 2 episodes before we ran out of time. I don’t know if I was much use on the first episode (Plot vs. Character driven writing) but I knew all about the second. (self publishing as a springboard to a writing career).  I’ll be going back to do some more with them too. (Guns in Fiction! Yay!)  

Afterward, I didn’t have anything going on, so I followed Howard over to his Friday night D&D game at Dragon’s Keep, (very cool game store) where I ran into another writer, Dan Willis (4 books in the Dragonlance series).  Dan and I have been on panels before, and I really like him, so we started shooting the bull about our current projects.  He’s got an awesome Steampunk project, so I told him about Grimnoir, (which isn’t punk, because everyone wears ties, but I suppose would technically be Dieselpunk if you had to make it something-punk).  Dan and I got a little animated, so I think I interupted their game. (Apologies to the crew there if I did).

Then Saturday was a book signing at the Sugerhouse Barnes & Nobel. It was me, John Brown (Servant of a Dark God), Paul Genesse (Dragonhunters, the Golden Cord), Mettie Harrison (Princess & the Hound, Princess & the Bear), and Jessica Day George (Princess of the Midnight Ball, Dragon Slippers).  We did a panel where we answered audience questions, then we sold and signed books.  I ended up buying a bunch of books, including 2 that have Princess in the title. (which caused Mrs. Correia to wonder what had happend to her Manly-Man Husband)

Apparently the hot sellers right now are books that have Dragon or Princess in the title, which is why I’m proud to announce the upcoming Monster Hunter Princess Dragon Princess Force.  Then somebody shoplifted one of John’s books, and a bunch of my friends who I haven’t seen in forever dropped by to visit.  Good stuff.  

Afterward we went over to Noodles Company for lunch, where we ended up meeting some more writers, including Dan Willis and Howard Tayler (man, that’s 3 days of Howard!), my friend, Julie Frost (has sold a bunch of short stories), and Daniel Alonzo (not published yet, but working hard at it).

So apparently you can’t swing a dead cat in Utah without hitting a writer.  

I was supposed to be editing together my and Nightcrawler’s halves of Dead Six last night, but I figured I would read a few pages of Servant of a Dark God.  Damn it, John, 170 pages later I realized that I’d been sucked in. Thanks a lot man. (seriously, though, it is a really good book).  I’ll post a review when I’m done.

Servant of a Dark God - Review & free book give away! 🙂
Sugerhouse Event and Writing Excuses Podcast

12 thoughts on “Fancy writer weekend.”

  1. Hell’s Teeth!
    Howard Tayler, Larry Correia, and Brandon Sanderson under one roof? A veritable nexus of awsomeity. Being a writer has some very interesting perks!

    Also, by your description, Grimnoir would definitely be dieselpunk, which is not necessarily punkish in the modern sense. But in this situation the wearing of ties only increases the punkness. Have you ever heard of Ska? The Mighty Mighty Bosstones?

  2. That’s certainly great! Hanging out with fellow writers is a fun and productive way to hone your skills in writing. In conversing with fellow writers, you learn a lot from each others experiences. Not only that, you gain a whole lot of friends, too.

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  3. I helped Larry create Grimnoir and have read the rough draft. I don’t like branding it “dieselpunk”. It’s a stupid marketing term. And Grimnoir is nothing like your stereotypical “-punk” piece.

    A lot of “punk” genres incorporate 1990s or early 2000s eithics and culture into a different technological time period. This isn’t the case in Grimnoir. It’s the 1930s and everyone acts like it’s the 1930s. Larry put a LOT of effort into researching history to get things right.

    It’s pulp, but with fanciful elements.

    1. Mike, publishers like to be able to put books into neat little genre boxes, and it is a popular genre right now, so I’ll take it. Whatever helps sell more books. 🙂

      But men wear ties and hats. Always. I had one scene where a man didn’t wear a hat. It didn’t turn out well.

  4. Someday, I too shall hang with the Koole Peepol in a fabulously nonchalant, impromptu, and professionally advancing manner.

    Not yet.

    But some day. (smirk)

    Sounds like a great three days. Glad MHI and its related projects are rolling forward for you.

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