I know a couple of weeks ago I said I was only going to do a couple of appearance this fall – turns out I lied. I was asked recently to participate in MystiCon, presented by the Jackson County Public Library in October.
There’s a schedule full of speakers, lots of vendors, and contests for kids of all ages. It’ll be a good time in Ripley, so put it on your calendars!
Now that the award winning The Triplets of Tennerton is out and about in the world, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be doing some in-person events later this year where I’ll be selling and signing and other stuff, too!
The first stop is in my hometown, so it’s particularly special. I grew up in South Charleston and my father still lives there (only a couple of blocks away, in fact), so it’s a nice place to kick things off. I’ll be there signing and selling books.
Cicada is a cool little spot on the west side of Huntington. They’ve got a great selection of books (including lots from local authors) as well as a couple of neat nooks in the store for meetings or chats. The coffee is good, too, from what I’ve heard (I’m not a connoisseur). In addition to signing books, I’ll be doing some readings at this event, too.
Ticketing information for this event can be found here.
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to participate in this event, so I’m really excited to be back. Lewisburg is a cool little town generally speaking, but it’s even cooler when it’s filled with readers and writers and lovers of words. I’ll be in the Festival Bookstore. Much more going on that weekend, so check out their website.
Last (?) but certainly not least, I’ll be back at the West Virginia Book Festival after missing out last year. As usual, there’s a great roster of authors and other presenters during the day, as well as the famous library used book sale.
Come on out, say hi, and buy some books!
A couple pieces of “new” to let you know about.
First, I’m very happy to have a story in the debut volume of Old Bones, the new annual literary journal of Henlo Press.
The story is called “To the Sound of Birds.” It’s about a guy setting up to sell used pulp paperbacks at a swap meet in a high school parking lot when he starts to hear odd noises from the mountain across the highway. Naturally he investigates and discovers something beyond his wildest imagination.
For what it’s worth the inspiration for the story was just that – the high school parking lot where my local SCCA chapter used to autocross was across the highway from a pretty sizeable mountain and, one day, I heard something weird from over there. Didn’t check it out, though, so I suppose we’ll have to let my imagination run wild, right?
You can get a physical copy of Old Bones by clicking here or a Kindle version here.
Or, if you want not just a physical copy but a signed copy, you can come see me! On February 25 I’ll be at Henlo’s first Writers’ Block event at the community center in Barboursville, WV. Things kick off at noon and readings by some of the authors start about 12:45 – maybe you’ll get a chance to hear a chapter from my forthcoming Moore Hollow sequel. It all leads up to the launch of 304 Monsters by Stephen Bias, which looks pretty cool if you’re into the weird West Virginia thing (and who isn’t?). I’ll also have all my other books there, too, if you need to stock up.
It’s been a couple of years since I put any new music up, but I’m finally getting around to finishing some of the bits and pieces that have piled up since. The genesis of this one actually dates back to the year of the plague, but I didn’t start to really develop it until recently. It’s called “Chihuahua Junk Pixies.” I don’t remember specifically where the name came from, but I’m sure it had something to do with these two:
It’s bouncy and fun, at least in parts, and, if I may say so, kind of catchy. Enjoy!
Next Saturday – February 11, 2023 – I’m happy to say that I’ll be taking part in a new event in Charleston, DualCon.
It’s primarily a gaming convention (of tabletop and video varieties), but it’s also having various folks there who are writers, cosplayers, and other creators. I’ll be there along with John Russo (who co-wrote Night of the Living Dead with George Romero) and author/actor Gerry Lee Vincent.
Should be an interesting day, so stop by and say hi! Buy a book! Or ten!
It’s back! I’m back! We’re doing this!
For the first time since 2019, the West Virginia Book Festival is back in full strength, including the marketplace, which means I’ll be there, too!
As you can see, it kicks off this Friday and runs all day Saturday. In addition to the marketplace full of writers with great books, the Kanawha County Public Library is doing its traditional used book sale. And, of course, there are numerous presentations from several authors, including V.E. Schwab and C.J. Box. The schedule of those presentations and various workshops for the festival can be found here.
Drop by, grab a book, and say hi!
Holy hell, it’s been a while, huh?
For the first time since the COVID pandemic hit, I’ll be taking part in a convention, the annual HerdCon at Marshall University on Saturday, March 5.*
It’s full of fun stuff related to pop culture – cosplay, panels, games, and lots of vendors. I’ll be there with a table full of books, including my latest, Widows of the Empire.
The fun starts at 10am at the Memorial Student Center. See you there!
* Fun fact – my wife got me a nifty collapsible cart to help haul my books around with for Christmas of . . . 2019. Now I finally get a chance to use it!
Next month, Marshall University in Huntington is hosting its (second?) annual pop culture convention, HerdCon! On March 14 the Marshall Student Center will be taken over with all kinds of vendors, presenters, and other folks.
And, yes, I’ll be one of the vendors! I’ll be there with books, of course, but there’s also folks there with art, collectibles, and other neat stuff. In addition, there’s a day full of panels on a variety of pop culture topics, one of which is being done by my writer niece and her professor boyfriend (and two other people I don’t know) on “Loss of Body, Mind, and Spirit: Cultural, Familial, and Political Trauma in Japanese Manga and Anime.” I have no idea what that really means, but I suspect I’ll find out!
Come by and check it all out.
Now that Gods of the Empire has been loosed upon the world, it’s time for me to loose myself (that sounded better in my head). Over the next month or so I’ll have a pair of local appearances where you can stop by, say “hi,” and get a signed paperback copy of Gods of the Empire.
First up is the annual the West Virginia Book Festival in Charleston on Friday October 4 and Saturday October 5.
I’ll be in the marketplace both days along with lots of other terrific authors with books catering to just about every kind of reader. In addition there are workshops and talks by other authors, including this year’s big name, James Patterson.
Then the next month I’ll be in South Charleston for the Mountain State Pop Expo on Saturday November 9 and Sunday November 10.
I was last there a couple of years ago and it’s certain to be filled with lots of interesting stuff and people, with lots of different activities throughout both days.
See you there!
I’m breaking cover from working on Widows of the Empire (it’s progressing nicely, thanks for asking), to let you know about an upcoming appearance. Not only will I be selling books, I’ll be speaking words to people!
I’ve been part of the bookstore at the Lewisburg Literary Festival the past few years. This year, I’m really excited to be doing one of the workshops that will be going on during the Festival. A workshop on what, you ask?
I promise this is not just a chance for a lawyer to yell at laypeople about how messed up Law & Order was (although it does come up). It’s one of those “just as easy to get right as wrong” things that I think is helpful for writers to be familiar with. I hope it’s kind of amusing, too.
Like it says, I’ll be speaking on Saturday morning, August 3. I’ll also be in the bookstore the rest of that day and on Friday August 2. There’s lots of other great stuff to check out during the Festival, too (Sarah Vowell! Tobias Wolff!), and it’s all free. Get off your ass and get down there!
I wanted to let folks know about a couple upcoming appearances I’ll be making – getting out of the office and into the bright light (hopefully) of day!
First, on October 26 and 27 I’ll be at the West Virginia Book Festival at the newly renovated Charleston Convention Center (formerly known as the Civic Center). I’ll be in the marketplace both days (11:30 to 6:30 on Friday, 8 to 5 on Saturday) selling books, signing them, and just generally chatting people up. In addition to the marketplace there’s the annual used book sale, lots of workshops and such, and loads of great authors. Come check it out.
Then, on November 17, I’ll be part of the West Virginia Writers fall conference in Flatwoods, West Virginia. I’ll be doing a pair of workshops:
Lines in the Speculative Sand – When Genre Matters in Fantasy & Science Fiction (and When It Doesn’t): Is my story fantasy? Is it science fiction? Does it even matter? Dive into the weird world of speculative fiction and learn some of the rules of the road (so you can go break them if you want).
Law 101 for Writers – Getting It Right When Your Character Goes to Court: Into every character’s life a little law must fall. Even if you’re not writing legal thrillers, there’s lots of reasons for characters to wind up in court. Learn some tips and discover some valuable resources to make your legal writing feel real.
There will be lots of other workshops, too, from marketing on the cheap to short play writing to ekphrastic poetry (I had to look it up, too). Something for just about every writer, in other words. Find out how to register at the WVWI website.
JD Byrne 