CONduit and Denver Comic-Con

Well, I'm back from three weeks in Paris. I got plenty of writing done and am completely creatively rejuvenated. And, like a fool, instead of parlaying that rejuvenation into more writing, I'm doing conventions for the next two weekends.

I'll try to keep up on the writing, sure, but I'd have a hard time passing up seeing those of you who care.

CONduit is a Science Fiction convention held each year in Salt Lake City. Here's their website. They're  one of the oldest cons in Utah devoted to Science Fiction (possibly the oldest?) and I'll be doing four appearances.

• Saturday 11:00 am - Reading (I'll be reading a selection from Operation: Montauk and possibly a tease from my next book.)
• Saturday 2:00 pm - Signing (I'll be signing and selling books)
• Saturday 3:00 Geek Journalism (Bryan Young, Krystal Star & Danielle Uber Alles (Hello Sweetie)) 
• Sunday 10:00 Star Trek, Star Wars, and J.J. Abrams (Julie Henderson, Bryan Young, Stephanie Roberts, Carl Stark)

It takes places at the Downtown Radisson in Salt Lake City and starts on Friday, May 24 and ends Sunday, May 26.

For those of you in my hometown, I hope to see you there.

For those of you in Denver or heading to the Denver Comic-con, I hope to see you the week after. You can check out my page on their site here. Last year was their first year and I have to admit that it might have been one of the best conventions I've ever been to. This year they've got guys like Dee Bradley Baker, Stan Lee and Jim Steranko and geek girl icons like Felicia Day. The sixth Doctor will even be there.

And so will I.

I'd love to sign a book for you.

It takes place May 31st to June 2nd at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver.

I hope to see you guys at either of these events. Or both. 

Off to Paris

For as long as I've been a writer I've desired to see Europe. There's an old idea that women have a biological clock for having children, I think that's true of writer's and visiting Europe.

From the moment I read Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, Paris is something I knew I needed to see for myself and tomorrow I'm leaving on a plane to experience it for three weeks. I'll be largely disconnected to that time. I'm using the next three weeks to write a book and collect material for another, as well as drink in every sight I can imagine.

Paris is interesting to me as a filmmaker, too. I'm wondering what's caught the eye of so many of my favorite filmmakers and why they chose to set films in Paris.

I have no illusions about what Paris is. I know it's not going to be the Paris I read about at Hemingway's pen. I won't run into F. Scott Fitzgerald like Woody Allen would have me believe. It's not the old, charming city that Moulin Rouge told me it might be. No, I imagine it's like any other bustling, modern city, but with a little more character. Approaching it in that spirit, I'm hoping I can find enough there to inspire me and show me something different.

It's important, I think, as a writer, to seek out new experiences and this adventure is certainly going to be new.

When I return, I'll be putting the finishing touches on my forthcoming book, The Serpent's Head, which will be available in time for Origins.

I've got so much more going on, too, that I'm very excited to share with you. Erin Kubinek has been hard at work illustrating our presidential assassination book and it's looking fantastic. I've finished another manuscript and hope to finish yet another in Paris. Over the next couple of months I have more than a few pieces coming out in magazines and short stories in anthologies.

For all of those who read this space, this writing trip to Paris is a direct result of your support in my writing, and I thank you all for it. You've rewarded me with the enthusiasm about my work to keep me going and purchased enough books to send me. I won't forget that.

2013 is going to be the best year yet for me, and if you happen to like what I do, I think you're in for a treat, too.

(To keep up with me while I'm in Paris, I might be on Twitter and Instagram. Look me up: @swankmotron)

An Award

I was informed last week that I was to be the recipient of the Mayor’s Artists Award in the Literary Arts category, presented annually by the Mayor of Salt Lake City and the Utah Arts Festival.

Here's the pertinent portions of the press release:

Salt Lake City, UT: Since 1992 the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office has recognized individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the artistic landscape of the community. The Utah Arts Festival and the Salt Lake City Mayor’s office are honored to present the Mayor’s Artists Awards during the Festival on Friday, June 21st on the Festival Stage at 8:15 pm. 

This year’s five recipients are Karen Horne – Visual Arts; Mary Ann Lee – Performing Arts; Bryan Young – Literary Arts; Frank McEntire – Service to the Arts by an Individual; and RadioWest – Service to the Arts by an Organization. (Biographies below)
Bryan Young – Literary Arts 

Bryan Young works across many different mediums. As an author, he’s written the bestselling comedy “Lost at the Con,” the critically acclaimed pulp sci-fi adventure “Operation: Montauk,” and dozens of short stories in various anthologies. As a film producer, his last two films (“This Divided State” and “Killer at Large”) were released by The Disinformation Company and were called “filmmaking gold” by The New York Times. He’s also published comic books with Slave Labor Graphics and Image Comics. He’s a contributor for the Huffington Post and StarWars.Com, has a regular column in the Salt Lake City Weekly, and is the founder and editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot! The Chicago Tribune also named him one of the “Hottest Geek Guys of 2013.”

Andy Wilson wrote about this and other honors I've won over at Big Shiny Robot! Sean Means at the Salt Lake Tribune wrote it up also.

I hope to see at least some of you at the awards ceremony at the Arts Festival. I'm told I'll be given the award and a check.

I'll have more announcements about this and other bits of news surrounding this particular announcement soon.