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Come See Me at Lilac City Comicon
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Come See Me at Lilac City Comicon

On May 14th, I’ll be attending one of my favorite conventions: Lilac City Comic Con in the distant hamlet of Spokane, Washington! It’s a fantastic event with a great crowd. And, just like last year, I’m happy to say I’ll once again be sharing a table alongside the incredibly talented artist: Josh Montreuil. Josh will be bringing a bunch of prints and will be taking sketch requests. You should come by and say hello!

My side of the table will be pretty full. I’ll be bringing copies of The Stars Were Right, Old Broken Road, and the latest book in the Bell Forging Cycle: Red Litten World. I’ll also have Bell Caravans patches as well as a ton of free swag (including those new stickers I posted about a few weeks ago.) Lilac City Comic Con isn’t really a ribbon convention, but I’ll have the Caravan Master, Roader, and Shambler ribbons that I brought with me to Norwescon. If you want to draw a ribbon from THE BOX OF CHOOSING™ just ask and I’ll be happy to let you try your luck. (Full details on the badge ribbons can be read here.)

Josh and I will be lording over our small empire at table D10, which is clearly the best table and there is none better. It is known. Use the map below to see where we’re at or look for the big Bell Forging Cycle banner. You can’t miss it.

Lilac City Comicon 2016 Map - Small

We had a great time last year, and I’m looking forward to LLC once again. There’s a ton of great and talented people participating; you can check out the full guest list and complete exhibitor list over at the official Lilac City Comicon site. So mark your calendars Spokane, I’ll see you there!

New Stickers for 2016
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New 2016 Stickers

I ran out of stickers (and buttons, actually) at Norwescon, which is great. I love that people love my swag, it’s why I make it. Plus, it allows me to expand the world of The Bell Forging Cycle beyond the page.

However, I felt a few of the stickers were looking a little dated. They just weren’t as cool as the others, so since I ran out, I used this opportunity to refresh a few of the sticker designs. For those who aren’t familiar, stickers are available in my free swag packs, or you can get them by purchasing any book from my store, and of course all are available for free at conventions (along with a bunch of other stuff) as long as my stock holds out.

Let’s take a look at the new designs!

The Stars Were Right Sticker Set

The Stars Were Right Stickers

There have been two new updates with The Stars Were Right set, the St. Olmstead sticker has been completely redone and now includes the logo’s lockup. I’ve also added a new skeletal maero hand, taken from the mysterious Fig. 12. It’s very metal.

Old Broken Road Sticker Set

Old Broken Road Stickers - Click here to purchase a signed paperback copy!

The Old Broken Road sticker set got a pair of updates as well. This is the first time everyone is getting to see the City of Syringa seal. As with Lovat, Syringa is built upon the site of another city and there’s a reference to it in their seal. I’ve also included The City of Lovat Caravan Authority badge, the same mark that officially recognizes the Bell Caravan patches. Since Old Broken Road is about caravans I felt it was fitting.

Red Litten World Sticker SetRed Litten World Stickers - Click here to purchase a signed paperback copy!

The Red Litten World sticker set is only six months old, so it doesn’t have any updates for 2016. But I love it, and its awesomeness is a big reason why I felt like I needed to update the previous sets. Plus I wanted to include it in this post so you can see all sets side by side.

That’s the update for the stickers this year. The outdated images on my store should be updated sometime this weekend. Remember, I give away these stickers and more in my free swag packs, just hit the Free Stuff page and learn how you can get your hands on ’em. (All I ask is you pay for shipping.)

Thoughts? Judgments? Hatred? Why not leave a comment below and tell me what you think?

A Norwescon 39 Debriefing
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A Norwescon 39 Debriefing

This past weekend I attended Norwescon 39 in SeaTac, Washington. This was my second year attending and like last year I had an outstanding time. As readers of my blog know with all my convention appearances, I like to do a debriefing wherein I recap the events, share photos, and talk about what I experienced during the con. (Check out my debriefing from last year.)

It was a wild weekend. I ran my table, sold a bunch of books, sat on six panels, and did a reading. Somewhere in there, I tried to get some sleep. Thankfully, unlike last year, I was not alone for the fours days; this time, I had assistance. My friend and fellow author, Steve Tontounghi came out on Friday and Saturday helped me out at my table and talked to people about his forthcoming novel, Join. And my wife Kari-Lise stepped up and pitched in Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was fun hanging out with them both. With their help, there weren’t any eleven-hours-on-my-feet days for me to deal with like last year. That alone made my time significantly more enjoyable.

Okay, let’s get to those highlights:

Books, Readings, Swag, and More

  • Once again, I sold a ton of books. Many were to new readers who seemed excited about stories set in a post-Lovecraftian world, and many were to my current readers who loved my books and wanted more. It was wonderful hearing directly from so many people and very encouraging.
  • I love when folks stop by and tell me how much they love my covers. I take a lot of time and effort to make sure they are something you’ll be proud of having on your bookshelf and knowing you notice means a lot.
  • This was the first year I handed out badge ribbons. I brought along three: Roader, Shambler, and Caravan Master (the rare one). I made a bet with my buddy Ace that he wouldn’t be able to collect all three. (I only allowed people to draw once.) He won. *grumble grumble* It was fun, and I think it might become a thing for everyone. Still trying to plot out how to make that work.
  • So many people came to my reading! As many of you know, I had the readers of this very blog choose what I read. As decided by the voters with 56.25% of the votes, I read the prologue from Red Litten World. People enjoyed it in all its grisly details. The next day quite a few attendees came to my table and bought a book because they liked what they heard. That made my con right there.

Friends & Fellow Authors

Oh, The Panels!NWC39_Set4

  • The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Battle Royale was easily the best panel I was on, I know I’m not alone in thinking this, here’s proof. It was hilarious, snarky, and a total blast. Big thanks to Matt Youngmark for putting it together and keeping things organized. The format was a bracket-style who-would-win-in-a-fight “discussion” in the end it came down to Rey from The Force Awakens and Marvel’s Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. I was on team Rey in the final matchup, and sadly by popular vote, she lost. Maybe next year. #ReyWasRobbed. Agree? Feel different? Leave a comment and let me know why!
  • The horror track was really well put together. I was lucky enough to sit in on four different panels and had some incredible conversations about location, inspiration, and how horror is often a reflection of the time in which it is written. The first panel, expertly moderated by Logan Masterson, was about horror’s fantasy roots and stood out as the best of them, a lot of intelligent discussion.
  • The last panel I attended was ‘Level Up Your Self-Publishing Skills’ moderated by Elliot Kay. It was packed, and there was a lot of great questions from those in attendance. I wish it could have been more than an hour. There’s so much more all of us authors on that panel could have said, I wish we had more time. If you ever have a question about self/indie publishing you are always more than welcome to email me at hello@kmalexander.com. I’m happy to offer tips or advice where and when I can. As always, the best advice I can give is this: keep at it, write what you love, and never give up.

Cosplay & Norwesconners

  • Have I mentioned the incredible cosplay, yet? Well, as always it was fantastic, people put in a lot of time and effort, and it showed.
  • Tiny Rey was easily the most adorable cosplayer I saw. Let me go on record saying that I am so stoked to see another female character in Star Wars that young girls can emulate. Mad props to the writers for making that decision. It was needed.
  • Rorschach and I recreated out selfie photo from last year. Here was the photo from Norwescon 39 and the photo from last year, Norwescon 38. Kari-Lise pointed out that they are mirror images of each other. Not intentional and kind of funny.
  • I got a quest from an NPC. It was hilarious. That card is now pinned to my cork board above my desk. Someday I’ll find you drunken ghost.
  • I mentioned this last year, but it’s worth mentioning again. It’s remarkable to see the diversity, openness, and acceptance between Norwesconners. The world outside of a convention can be mean. It’s nice to see a place where everyone is super considerate and goes out of their way to be encouraging and welcoming. Norwescon is unique like that.

Little Incidental Highlights

  • The Philip K. Dick Awards, I had a panel and was running a table, so I didn’t get to attend. But congratulations to Ramez Naam for his novel Apex winning the award. Also, congratulations to the special citation winner, Marguerite Reed for her novel Archangel.
  • Sunday’s cello accompaniment was lovely. Is this a regular thing? I remember there was music last year as well.
  • The green room staff, wonderful people there. They made the room a nice respite before and after panels.
  • The Norwescon staff were all really great. Thanks to everyone for making the event such a success. It’s a lot of hard work. Next time you see a volunteer, thank them.

It was a packed weekend, but so worth it. I’m already missing the whole buzz of the convention halls and the enthusiasm from my fellow attendees. There were a few times I wanted to get into the nitty-gritty details of writing horror and time just didn’t allow it. It would have been great to have sat in on a panel that was specific to cosmic horror/weird fiction and Lovecraftian mythos, but that might be too narrow for a general sci-fi/fantasy convention like Norwescon.

Sunday night Kari-Lise and I came home exhausted but feeling accomplished. Monday morning, I rolled right from convention mode back into work mode. No rest for the wicked. I’ll see you again Norwescon, until then, it’s back to writing. Time is wasting, and I have many more stories to tell.

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Come See Me at Norwescon 39

You are all probably aware by now that starting this Thursday I will be attending Norwescon 39 in SeaTac Washington, and it’s going to be a busy four days. Not only will I be running a table on Writer’s Row, but I will also be on quite a few panels, and I’m doing a reading Saturday night. Come on by and say hello!

You can click here to view my full schedule of panels. If you’re a Guidebook user (and you should be, it’s a handy app), you can find me on there as well. When I’m not on a panel, look for me at table 43. I’ll be beneath a big Bell Forging Cycle banner. You can also click the image below to see where I will be hanging out most of the time.

Come see me at Norwescon 39

On Friday the 25th, my good friend and fellow author Steve Tontounghi will be helping me out at my table. His incredible debut novel, Join, comes out in a little under a month (April 19th) make sure to ask him about it. He has some cool custom badge ribbons and a few advanced review copies of Join to giveaway. So keep and eye out for him!

My table is going to be full! Like last year I will be bringing copies of my books and all three The Stars Were Right, Old Broken Road, and Red Litten World can be purchased at a special convention price. Plus, I’ll also have Bell Caravans patches for sale as well. As with previous cons, there will be plenty of free swag: stickers, bookmarks, buttons, and my super cool badge ribbons.

Finally, until Wednesday, you can still vote for which book I’ll read from Saturday night. Right now Red Litten World is ahead, but The Stars Were Right is close right behind it. Nothing like listening to me read some Lovecraftian urban fantasy right before your evening starts. If you haven’t already, click here and vote.

Norwescon 39 starts in 4 days! Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

I'm Doing a Reading - Help Me Pick the Book
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I’m Doing a Reading – Help Me Choose Which Book

Norwescon 39 is just over a week away, and on Saturday night, the 26th of March I’ll be doing a reading! (9:00 PM in Cascade 1, Come see me.) Hooray! In the past I’ve read the prologue from The Stars Were Right, I mean, it’s the beginning, right? It’s a good place as any to introduce people to the world of The Bell Forging Cycle. But I was thinking, Red Litten World has been out now for five months now, and while each book builds off of each other they have been written to be standalone novels, the books can be read in any order. So I don’t have to be worried about spoiling anything. That has tempted me to read the Red Litten World prologue instead.

Instead of hemming and hawing over the decision myself. I figured why not ask you, my community of amazing and loyal readers! Which book do you think I should read? Should it be the introduction with the anur spectacles dealer from The Stars Were Right, or should it be the prologue with the creepy evangelist from Red Litten World? Use the poll below and vote. Voting will continue for a week and end next Wednesday, the 23rd. Whatever book wins will be the book I read at Norwescon!

You can see my full Norwescon 39 schedule over here. Make sure you stop by my table on Writer’s Row and say hello. We can talk about Lovecraft, horror in general, sci-fi, fantasy, the world of the Territories, whatever! I’ll have all three books available for purchase (at the discounted convention price.) You can pick up some free swag and make sure to ask me about how you can get one of my badge ribbons. There is a lot of stuff going on and I can’t wait to hang out with everyone. So vote and I’ll see you at the convention!

"He... is coming. Can't you smell it on the wind?" — bellforgingcycle.com
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Thrums… Thrums in the Deep

It’s been a while since I have offered up something new on the Free Stuff Page. So over the weekend, I cranked out a new desktop background for the fans and readers of the Bell Forging Cycle featuring a quote from my latest novel in the series: Red Litten World.

hicSample

Strange words are oft-uttered beneath a shattered sun. This ominous bit of prophecy, spoken by one of the characters within the book, hints at sinister developments. Unlike other backgrounds, I was trying to play this one a bit more subtle, so I hope everyone likes it! Download this background from any of the links below, or click through to the Free Stuff page and check out the other free offerings.

1280×800 • 1366×768 • 1440×900 • 1680×1050
1920×1080 • 2560×1440 • iPad Air/Mini • iPad Pro
iPhone 5 • iPhone 6 • iPhone 6+

Love my books? Hate them? Leave an honest review! (Consider: Amazon or Goodreads) As I’ve said before, I can blog, tweet, and shout from the rooftops, but it’s you, my readers, that make all the difference when it comes to spreading the word.