Salt Lake FanX April 2019

I'll be at Salt Lake FanX this Friday and Saturday. I've got one panel about Marvel's The Defenders series on Netflix (i.e. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, with a smattering of The Punisher thrown in there). That particular selection of programs is interesting to talk about, if only because there are such extreme highs and lows throughout.  If you're interested, check out the panel in Exhibit Hall 1831 at 6pm on Friday!

Otherwise I'll just be selling books at Bard's Tower, as usual. Come say hello and buy my amazing books if you haven't already.

Salt Lake FanX 2018

Hey folks!

I'll once again be at Salt Lake Comic Con this year, now named Salt Lake FanX, after San Diego Comic Con sued the convention for use of the term "Comic Con"....no comment there...

That, of course, isn't the only drama surrounding FanX this year. Check out this timeline of events for a more extensive summary, but long story short, FanX really bungled some accusations of harassment, and then bungled their responses to being called out on how they handled those accusations, and then bungled their responses to being called out on how they responded. Something of a mess, but basically, FanX (and a few key individuals specifically within FanX) really screwed up.

I signed the petition mentioned in the timeline along with hundreds of other authors. And, I'm happy to say, FanX has begun to handle each of those issues in respectable ways. For the record, I really like and appreciate FanX as an institution, and I really like, respect, and appreciate some people within the FanX infrastructure. There are a few people who really seem, at best, to create drama wherever they go, and at worst, actively harm others. I'm not interested in supporting an organization that does that sort of thing. So, while I am hopeful for the future of FanX, and hope that it can be an inclusive, welcoming, tolerant, open-eared and open-minded place, I am still pretty wary of everything involved in the situation, and I'll be keeping a close eye on things as they develop. If FanX bungles anything further, it's likely I'll withdraw my support and participation (which would be unfortunate, as I enjoy interacting with fans at FanX and selling my books, but it's something I'm definitely willing to do.)

So! All of that aside, I am going to be at FanX next week, and I'll be on four panels. See my schedule and descriptions of each event below. I'll also be hanging out at Bard's Tower when I'm not on panels, so if you're at the con and don't make it to one of my panels, by all means stop by Bard's Tower and say hello (and buy some of my books, signed)!

I'm definitely looking forward to interacting with the other authors and fans at the convention. I hope to see you there!

Friday 7 September

3PM (251A) - Old Magic vs. New Magic: The Evolution of Magic Systems in Fantasy

Join authors L.E. Modesitt of The Imager Series, Christopher Husberg of The Chaos Queen Quintent, Brian McClellan of The Powder Mage Series, Brian Durfee author of The Forgetting Moon, and Peter Orullian of The Vault of Heaven Series as they discuss the evolution of magic systems throughout fantasy.

4:30PM (Booth 401) - Christopher Husberg Signing at Bard's Tower

As I mentioned, I'll be in and out of Bard's Tower selling and signing books all weekend, but this will be the first of my "official" signing times.

7PM (150G) - The Super-Awesome Authors AMA

This awesome panel of pro writers are ready and willing to answer (almost) any questions you have about what it takes to make it as an author in the 21st century. Maybe you’re dreaming about publishing that first novel, but you’re not sure which way to go. Is it better to take the indie route? Aim for the traditional New York path? Will you need an agent? What about book marketing? How do you build an author brand? What’s the reality of selling books at comic cons? Will brick and mortar bookstores go the way of the dinosaurs? Is Amazon really the future? These questions and (almost) any other will be answered at this super-awesome author AMA! 

Saturday 8 September

2:30PM (Booth 401) - Christopher Husberg Signing at Bard's Tower

Once again, while I'll be in and out of this booth all weekend, this is another one of my "official" signing times.

6PM (255A) - Nobelbright vs. Grimdark, Nobledark vs. Grimbright

Noblebright: the polar opposite of grimdark. The traditional fantasy story in which good saves the world. But not every story fits neatly into one of those two categories. And what about the other two quadrants on the spectrum, nobledark and grimbright? You'll learn what each of those mean, and perhaps learn a new term to classify your favorite kind of stories and games.

7PM (250A) - FanX Debate: Was Thanos Right or Wrong?

Avengers: Infinity War is the first superhero film to gross over $2 billion worldwide, breaking numerous box office records and becoming the highest-grossing film of 2018, as well as the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time and in the United States and Canada, but the question remains: Was Thanos right or wrong with his actions in the film? FanX proudly presents a formal debate where this question will be presented, analyzed and defended on both sides of the issue. Come and join the fun by weighing in as our panel struggles to stay alive, keep from turning into wispy mulch, and look forward to the sequel coming out in May of 2019.

Salt Lake Comic Con Schedule!

Hey folks!

I'm excited to once again attend Salt Lake Comic Con in a week and a half! I have the pleasure of being on two panels this time around:

Friday 2 September at 2:00 PM (Room 253A) - "Young Adult Heroes in Film and Television"

YA literature, film, and television have a pretty awesome pantheon of heroes, and I'm excited to talk about everyone from Harry and Hermione to Katniss and Bella; from Elena, Damon, and Stefan to Tris, and many more. Oh, and you KNOW I'm going to bring up Clarke from The 100, too, because she's one of the best YA heroes to come around in quite a while. So, yeah, I'm definitely excited for this panel.

Friday 2 September at 6:00 PM (Room 253A) - "Writer's Retreat Part Two: Writing Your Novel"

Come join us for part two of the SLCC Writer's Retreat panel where we discuss best practices, tips, and tricks when it comes to the actual work of writing a book. It's gonna be awesome! (And, if you're interested in seeing the other parts of the "Writer's Retreat" series, check out Part 1 on Outlining or Pantsing Your Novel, and Part 2 on Revising, Editing, and Query Letters, both at 6:00 PM in room 253A on Thursday and Saturday respectively.)

Also:

7:00 PM (Booth 1807) - Duskfall Signing!

If you live in the area and missed my book launch event but still want to get it signed, come to my signing at Salt Lake Comic Con! Friday night at 7 PM! I'll have swag (stickers, post cards, wristbands, business cards, maybe even some wristbands), so come one, come all!


Other than those two things, I'll just be hanging out at the WordFire Press booth selling books, so if you find yourself at Comic Con, come say hi!

FanX in Review

The Salt Lake and Utah Valley areas are pretty awesome when it comes to nerdery. There are a lot of great conventions, conferences, symposiums, retreats, and pretty much anything else a budding writer/nerd enthusiast could want.

This past weekend was one of them: Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience!

FanX is sort of the younger sibling of the giant Comic Con in Salt Lake every fall--I think Comic Con caps out at around 150k memberships, while FanX is somewhere between 50-100K. But it is still quite the Con, and was a lot of fun.

I was on two panels (one on Joss Whedon and his protagonists, the other about Vampires), both of which were great! We had great moderators, great panelists, and of course great audiences. Between the panels and just wandering around the Con, I was able to meet a lot of great authors. That's one of my favorite aspects of these things--meeting awesome people. And did I ever.

So, FanX was definitely a success. It makes me look forward to World Horror (in Provo) and SL Comic Con that much more!

Now, enjoy this picture of me, looking somewhat professional and like I sort of know what I'm talking about:

Ta-da!

Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience!

Hey alls!

Salt Lake Comic Con's FanXperience is coming up later this month! It's basically an excuse to have another Comic Con event, and let me tell you the ones that these people put on are fantastic. There are tons of celebrities, lots of cool booths and shops and statue replica thingies and cosplaying and all kinds of other awesome events. Not to mention...I'll be on panels at this one!

I'm on two panels at FanXperience. Check 'em out!

Thursday 24 March at 3:00 PM (Room 151A) - "The Whedon Effect: Perfectly Imperfect Protagonists Then and Now"
Comic Con's description: "Joss Whedon is an undisputed master of the smart snarky hero/heroine that could really use therapy. Still they manage to save the world anyway, and we love them for every flaw. From Buffy and Angel, to Malcolm, River and the Firefly, and now to his grand twists on the Marvel Universe, Whedon has a way of changing the landscape and giving us worlds and characters we can't let go of... even years later. A discussion with authors and superfans of why we love these damaged characters and where Whedon seems to be headed next."

Friday 25 March at 1:00 PM (Room 255F) - "Buffy, Twilight, Vampire Diaries: Why Are Vampires So Popular?"

Comic Con's description: "Vampire lore has existed from the beginning of literature. Why does it remain so popular? What more can creators do to make them unique to their stories?"



I'm very excited to be on both panels. As you can see, both cover topics that I love to talk about. If you'll be at FanX, come check them out! Say hi! Get a business card (because I'll have official business cards)! It's gonna be awesome.

SLC Comic Con 2015 Schedule!

Hey alls! Long time no blog.

In short: my wife gave birth to a baby girl and I've been busy fathering. But more on that later, because tomorrow Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 begins! And I'm on paneling! Here's my schedule!

Logo courtesy of Comic Con website.

Thursday 24 Sept 4:00-4:50 PM (Room 151G): Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Icon and Heroine for the Ages
How. Cool. Is. This?!?!?!?! Me, on a BtVS panel! It's a good thing I did all that blogging earlier this year about it (and I guess that means I should probably finish the last BtVS blog post or two I've been meaning to write...). Anyway. Here's Comic Con's blurb for the panel:

There are a lot of fun, interesting discussions that can be had about Buffy. A conversation about Buffy herself and her impact as an icon is arguably more important than all of those discussions combined: Buffy means a lot of things to a lot of people. In this panel, her iconic status will be explored.

Friday 25 Sept 1:00-1:50 PM (Room 150G): I Ship It: Fandom's Favorite Couples
Man, someone must really think I have Things To Say about couples and relationships (considering I was on a "Romance" panel at CONduit and now this...). But I'm totally cool with it. Because you know what? I think I do have things to say. And I'm excited to say them. Here's how Comic Con describes the panel:

Troi and Riker, Harry and Ginny, Mal and Inara, Dean and Castiel...wait, what? Come for a discussion of what makes our favorite couples tick, why fans love to ship their own non-canon couples, and learn how to give some of those traits to the lovers in your own stories.

Saturday 26 Sept 2:00-2:50 PM (Room 151G): Welcome to Mystic Falls: Vampire Diaries and The Originals
I mentioned a few years ago some feelings I had about TVD--what I liked, and namely, what I thought they could do better. But the truth is, I've consistently watched the show for, what is it, six seasons now? There's a lot to like about TVD, and I'm excited to share my thoughts about it.

For fans of The Vampire Diaries, this panel will explore the characters we love (and love to hate), the plot lines that had us hooked, and the pitfalls the show has had to overcome. Come spend some time in Mystic Falls with us.

So there you have it! I'm very much looking forward to the Con, and to each of the panels I'm on. If you find yourself at Salt Lake Comic Con this year, drop by one of my panels, or just say hi! I'd love to chat!

#TBT and SLC Comic Con

I'm at SLC Comic Con FanXperience today, tomorrow, and Saturday. Today was great but exhausting. Some great panels, lots of creative costumes, and James Marsters. Yes, that's right, I spent just a wee bit of time with Spike today, and that was awesome.

The costumes got me thinking, though. I didn't plan on dressing up for this Comic Con because I wanted to present at least a vaguely professional front, but it did remind me of some fun times Raych and I have had dressing up for random stuff. So, while I have never done a #TBT before (throwback thursday, it's a thing), I'll try one now. Check it out:

The Joker. I can be creepy when I have a mind to be.

BRAINS NOM NOM

Raych and some friends as Trelawney, Rita Skeeter, and Bellatrix LeStrange, at the HP 7.2 premier.

Final Fantasy! Black Mage, Moogle, Aeris, Tifa, Cloud.

Making this Buster Sword may be one of the greatest things I've ever done.

The Avengers - Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, Thor.

Comic Con has def made me miss this hair....

So, there you have it. Proof I'm a complete nerd, and I don't care who knows it. Who am I kidding, you all knew that already.

So, yeah. I'm going to enjoy Comic Con. You may or may not hear from me in the next few days; if not, I've fallen into the black hole of conventions.........