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scop (noun): Old English – bard, minstrel, storyteller

Game On!
Exclusive Preview of a New YA Adventure

Yes, it’s been a while. But I’m back. Blogging again.

I’ve never been one to balance professional writing and webpage management. When the two compete, the latter goes untended. Not that I’m complaining. The past two months have centered on some exciting projects. And now that most of those deadlines are either met or within reach, I’m hoping to drop a few long-overdue posts.

At left: Concept art by Jeffrey Harris for YA novel Game On! 

First up is the latest news on Game On! – my new YA novel that’s part of a franchise entitled The Minutemen that’s being developed by brother Christopher Connolly and film producers Jonathan Sanger and M. Jones (whose recent film Marshall stars the late Chadwick Boseman). The book is being illustrated by artist Jeffrey Harris, and many of his preliminary drawings are featured in an animated preview to be screened next month at the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts.

Although usually held in Orlando, Florida, this year the conference will be an all-virtual event, featuring readings, presentations, and panel discussions hosted by some of the top names in the fantastic. Special guests include Jeff VanderMeer (author of Annihilation) and Stacy Alaimo (professor of English and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon).

Other participating authors include Tobias Buckell, Ted Chiang, Joe Haldeman, John Kessel, Nancy Kress, James Morrow, Nalo Hopkinson, Sarah Pinsker, and Cat Rambo.

Authors will be presenting works in a variety of formats, including live readings, PowerPoints, and prerecorded video presentations. In addition, the program will feature live Q&A sessions for discussing the works. I’ll be taking part in one of those, where I’ll be joining Dana Chamblee Carpenter, Bryan D. Dietrich, and Rick Wilber in a session moderated by James Patrick Kelly.

Among the conference’s attending scholars will be Gina Whisker of the University of Cambridge, who will be presenting a discussion of “Margaret Atwood’s Feminist Eco-Gothic Challenges to the Anthropocene.” Dr. Whisker also co-edits the literary journal Dissections, where I’ve been honored to serve as a member of the editorial board since 2006.

I’d love to be able to share the video preview of Game On! with you here, but for now, the only way to see it is to become a virtual member of this year’s conference. To that end, I hope you’ll consider joining us next month when ICFA goes live. More information about the event and how to join are available here.

I hope to post additional updates about Game On! and the MinuteMen project in the days ahead … as soon as I report on a few of the other things that have been keeping me offline since November. Among them: the long-awaited English edition of Nightmares from Gauntlet Press, an all-new audio novelette at The Wicked Library, a new book exploring the life and stories of Ambrose Bierce, the upcoming release of Season Two of Prime Stage Mystery Theatre, and pre-production of my new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  Yeah, I’ve been busy … but I’m blogging again, and I hope to return with a new post tomorrow. Check back then and see if I make it. I’ll hope to meet you here.


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