Monday, October 27, 2014

MileHiCon 46 recap

So, MileHiCon 46 has come and gone.  Even though my schedule was not as hectic this year as it was in years past, this con seemed to fly by much faster.  It seemed like we were leaving just hours after we got there...
After checking in on Friday, we went straight to my panel on how small press publishers choose their covers.  It was a great panel, with a lot of the usual suspects, and in many ways, it turned into the praise Laura Givens show (she was in the audience.) We had a lot of good laughs on the panel, and I think we may have actually said some important things...although you'd have to check with the audience on that one...
After the opening ceremonies, I had a signing as part of Author's Alley.  I sold some stuff and signed some things, but mostly it was a chance to talk to other authors.  Many of them were the usual suspects, while I did get a chance to catch up with a couple of people that I haven't seen in years.
Saturday's first panel was about world design in games.  We had some RPG people and some video game people, and at first it didn't seem like the mix was working that well, but it did seem to come together, and I think we once again imparted some wisdom upon the SRO crowd.
A couple of hours later, I had a panel on Kicsktarters, and I really felt that panel was informative, because I definitely learned some things...things that I will be trying to implement when I do the Kickstarter for A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk Into a Space Bar.  Watch for details soon.
That night we went to the masquerade.  Every year before the masquerade they allow kids up on stage that did masks at the mask making table.  This year, only two kids went up on stage...my two youngest.  Jul had made a rabbit mask, and did a shy rabbit pose.  Lex had on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt, and a red mask, so she did her best Raphael pose on stage.  The masquerade had some great costumes this year, but it seemed much shorter than usual...but it was still a good time.
After the masquerade, I managed to track Laura Givens down, and we hashed out the details for the cover of A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk Into a Space Bar.  I think it will look very cool, and I'm sure Laura will have something for me very soon to share with everyone.
On Sunday, I didn't have any panels, which I think is a first, so we took in parts of the Critter Crunch, and then we carved pumpkins with the Pumpkin King.  Eventually we ended up at Sci-Fi Name that Tune, and for some reason that I can't even begin to fathom, I volunteered to be one of the players.  I have to admit that my geek knowledge is much more specific than most of the fans, so I knew I was going to embarrass myself, but I did any way.  Before we started, I said it was my goal to get at least one right.  I doubled my goal!
After that it was the closing ceremonies, which are always a melancholic event, since it means that the Con is over.
All things being said, it was a great Con, but it went way too fast this year...

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

My revised MileHiCon schedule

I've had another panel added, so here's my revised MileHiCon schedule:
Friday 4 pm, Wind River A: How the Small Presses Choose their Covers
Friday 8 pm: Autograph Alley
Saturday Noon, Mesa Verde C: Creating Gaming Universes
Saturday 2 pm, Mesa Verde B: Kickstarter & Beyond: Successful Crowd-Sourcing

If you want a copy of Taurin Tales, make sure you track me down early, because I'm hoping to sell out fast!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Where the Fleet of Stars is Anchored is now available as an e-book

My new short story collection is now available as an e-book in all the formats you might want to read: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/486135.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Where the Fleet of Stars is Anchored is now available

My latest short story collection, Where the Fleet of Stars is Anchored is now available from Alban Lake Publishing.  Here's what they have to say about it...

Where the Fleet of Stars is Anchored by J Alan Erwine
More than anything else, science fiction deals with questions that begin, “What if?” You’ll find that distinguished author, editor, and publisher J Alan Erwine asks a lot of those questions in “Where the Fleet of Stars is Anchored.” What if your society requires you to kill 200,000 people? What if a new lobe should sprout in the human brain, and what would it make humans capable of? What if we had to choose between alien life forms?
The answers that Erwine provides will keep you thinking about them long after you’ve read this. And that, too, is the purpose of science fiction.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/where-the-fleet-of-stars-is-anchored/

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Taurin Tales is here!!!

The long-awaited release of Taurin Tales has finally arrived.  The book is now available in print and as an e-book.
What is Taurin Tales?
Taurin Tales is a shared world anthology featuring some of the top names in small press science fiction. The Taurins were created by science fiction writer, editor, and game designer J Alan Erwine. Once he had created them, he invited some of his favorite writers to play in the universe, and further flesh out these new aliens. Thus was born Taurin Tales.
The stories in this collection cover a large aspect of Taurin life…grand space adventures, small character studies, the tackling of difficult social issues, the past and the future of the Taurins.
Included in this collection, you’ll find David Lee Summers, D. Moonfire, Ian Brazee-Cannon, Tyree Campbell, Anna Paradox, Laura Givens, and Rick Novy.
Order the print or pdf version from us at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/taurin-tales/
Order the e-book at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472428
Order the print or Nook version at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taurin-tales-j-alan-erwine/1120310691?ean=9780980170399
Order the print or Kindle version at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N8AIN5S
Order your copy today!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Nomadic Delirium Bundles

Nomadic Delirium Press has released seven new downloadable bundles on their website.  Six of these feature things I've written, edited, or are part of the Ephemeris RPG universe.  These are some really great deals, and you should check them out at: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/shop/.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Taurin Tales is almost here

Wednesday will be the official release of Taurin Tales, so you only have a few days left to pre-order your copy...
Order the print version from us at: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/taurin-tales/
Order the e-book from Smashwords at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472428
Order the print or Nook version from Barnes & Noble at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taurin-tales-j-alan-erwine/1120310691?ean=9780980170399
Order the print or Kindle version from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N8AIN5S

Saturday, October 04, 2014

My MileHiCon 46 schedule

Looks like this year is going to be a bit of a light one for me.  Here's what I'll be doing (keep in mind, this is still tentative):
Friday 4 pm, Wind River A: How the Small Presses Choose their Covers
Friday 8 pm: Autograph Alley
Saturday Noon, Mesa Verde C: Creating Gaming Universes
I'll be attending other events, and I will, of course, have copies of Taurin Tales with me everywhere I go, so you can always buy a copy from me...and remember Ian Brazee-Cannon and Laura Givens will also be at the con, so you can get all of us to sign your copies.