Colorado Cons That Love Writers

From the wandering mind of Tamela Buhrke

If you've been reading my series on conventions, you know how much fun they are and how great they can be for your writing career. But what if you don't have the time or money for all that travel? Relax, I've got you covered. There are some awesome cons right here in Colorado.

Denver

Mile Hi Con - This is Colorado's longest running Science Fiction Convention. This year's toastmaster for the convention is RMFW's very own Mario Acevedo. The convention will feature 80+ authors, artists and speakers. For those you like fantasy gaming, get there early. There are workshops and panels for writers. There are parties and socializing is encouraged. There will be a costume contest, so drag out that Avatar costume you have hidden in your closet. Bring the kids! They can enter the Avistrum Academy, a magic school for witchcraft and wizardry.

When: Oct. 21 - 23 Where: Hyatt Regency Tech Center Cost: Weekend pass is $45 adults at the door, kids are half price. (Avistrum Academy is an extra $34) www.milehicon.org

StarFest - This is actually several "Fest" conventions rolled into one. The StarFest started as a science fiction convention but has grown into a celebration of media entertainment. HorrorFest celebrates all things horror. ComicFest is all things comic book related. RoboFest features robots from television and film. All these events are packed into one fun-filled weekend. Though each fest has it's own schedule of events and are priced separately (packages are available).

When: April 13-15, 2012 Where: Denver Tech area, hotel TBA. Cost: TBA (2011 prices ranged from $5 to $239 depending on package) www.starland.com

Denver Comic Con - Denver is finally getting it's own Comic Con! The founders of this con believe in the motto "Go Big!" They are taking over the Denver Convention Center. The goal is to make the Mile Hi City a big name in the Comic Con legacy. One difference with this con is that all proceeds will be donated to the Comic Book Classroom organization; a children's literacy campaign seeking to teach kids reading through comics.

The founders are comic book authors and illustrators who wanted to bring their love of comic books to Denver area schools. The event will feature those things you have come to love about Comic Cons, such as costume contests, artists, vendors, speakers, celebrities and much more. They will also be featuring local talent, vendors and speakers.

**As a new event, they are currently looking for volunteers, speakers and authors to participate. This is a great opportunity for debut authors! You can find more information on their website.

When: June 15 -17, 2012 Where: Denver Convention Center Hotel: Hyatt Regency Denver Cost: Weekend pass $45 www.denvercomiccon.com

Colorado Springs

COSine - This January will mark their 9th annual Science Fiction Convention in Colorado Springs. This con features a lot of gaming. There are also panels on writing science fiction and fantasy. Authors do readings and book signings.

When Jan 27-29 Where: Crowne Plaza Cost: Weekend pass $35, Kids $10

Galaxy Fest - This is Science Fiction Media & Literacy Convention. It is a charity event to sponsor the Colorado Literacy Foundation. The event features celebrities, authors, artists, gaming, anime, panels and around-the-clock gaming.

When: Feb 24-26, 2012 Where: Antler's Hilton Cost: Weekend passes range from $35 to $90, children from $17.50 to $22.50.

Author Mario Acevedo's Thoughts on Machine Guns, Vampires, and the Writing Life

Interview conducted via e-mail by Pat Stoltey

Mario, thank you so much for consenting to this interview for Chiseled in Rock blog. For those readers who haven’t met or heard of Mario before (and I’m sure there must be one or two), he is a handsome fellow with a dry sense of humor, author of the Felix Gomez vampire mystery series, and currently president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

Your website bio is fascinating, Mario, but our readers can go here to check you out. I’d like to dig a little deeper with my first couple of questions if I may.

Pat: At the time you requested a machine gun for Christmas, what did you plan to do with it?

Mario: Shoot holes in things, what else would you do with a machine gun? However, I didn’t shoot a machine gun until I was 17 and the experience was orgasmastic.

Pat: You flew attack helicopters for the Army. Was flying something you always wanted to do (like shooting machine guns)?

Mario: I was fascinated by flying machines since I can remember. I did become a pilot in the army where I flew Cobras. While I was a good pilot, I wasn’t a great pilot since I had a lousy sense of direction. I kept confusing up and down.

Pat: Let’s talk a little about one of my least favorite subjects: vampires. When did you develop the idea for the Felix Gomez series?

Mario: My big reveal: I’m not much of a vampire fan either. In fact, growing up, I didn’t like watching vampire, zombie, or supernatural movies. The special effects were cheesy and I never found them scary. I also didn’t read vampire novels and Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark was the first vampire book I ever read cover-to-cover. Loved it and learned I could reinvent the fantasy tropes to my liking.

My idea for Felix Gomez began like this. I tried for years to get a novel published and after my sixth manuscript was rejected--a hard-boiled noir story--I decided to write the most ridiculous story I could think of: A detective-vampire investigates an outbreak of nymphomania at Rocky Flats. The concept was different and loony enough to get both an agent’s and editor’s attention.

Pat: Why vampires and werewolves instead of regular old people?

Mario: Nymphos was accepted on the condition that I write a series so I had to become an expert of the supernatural and weird--not a stretch as it turns out.

Pat: Is Felix the protagonist in all of the novels you’ve written since?

Mario: All the published ones. The other protagonists were ordinary guys in over their heads, much like me--minus the goons and gunplay.

Pat: How long did it take to write the first draft of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, and how many times did you revise it before you made the sale?

Mario: It took me about 2 1/2 years to write Nymphos. I can’t say how many times it was revised because the manuscript was in a state of constant revision as I wrote it. Maybe a gazillion.

Pat: Your bio says you have “six unpublished manuscripts gathering dust” under your bed. Do you plan to revisit any of those early projects, or are they hopeless?

Mario: Hopeless, I’m sure. It’s easier for me to start a new story than rework those valiant if failed crash landings. But the manuscripts do serve a purpose. My pet silverfish find them yummy.

Pat: You tried submitting them to agents or publishers with no luck. Did anyone give you feedback that helped in later projects?

Mario: Ironically, it was when I was first sending queries that I got the most productive feedback. Later on, the replies were more terse: Dear writer. You suck.

Pat: Were your earlier novels mysteries? Who were the characters you developed and why didn’t they work out?

Mario: I was all over the place with my characters. Lots of failed heroes and femme fatales. I guess the stories didn’t work because they stank.

Pat: (Wondering if Mario's first works are really that bad and wishing I could take a peek at one to see...) What's the title and subject of your most recent publication?

Mario: I have a short story, “No Soy Loco,” in the YA anthology, You Don’t Have A Clue, and my graphic novel, Killing the Cobra is available from IDW Publishing. I also have, ‘Cowboy Up” in the collection of essays on writing, An Elevated View.

Pat: What are you working on now?

Mario: A variety of top-secret proposals, that if they succeed, will make me filthy rich and insufferable.

Pat: You partnered with another vampire expert, Jeanne Stein, for the blog the biting edge. Please tell our readers, especially those who don’t love vampires, why they should follow your blog anyway.

Mario: Because we have the most awesome blog in the world. At least when I post. You’re taking chances when Jeanne writes something. (Thinking we need to interview Jeanne and see what she has to say about that...)

Pat: In addition to your other talents, Mario, you’re an artist. Your military paintings are my favorites. Do you paint from photographs or memory?

Mario: My memory is not that good and I’m not that good of a photographer, so by combining the two, I manage to paint a decent image.

Pat: As a combat artist during Desert Storm, did you have the freedom to paint what you wanted, or did the Army give you specific assignments for the Center of Military History?

Mario: I had the freedom to paint what I wanted. But whatever I did, it was going into the Army’s archives to hang with the work of many outstanding artists, so I had to not suck.

Pat: What led you to Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and how did this organization help you in your writing career?

Mario: An agent said I needed to work on my synopsis. Shortly after that, I found a class for synopsis writing sponsored by RMFW, which I attended. There I met Jim Cole who invited me to attend his critique group. Belonging to RMFW has been a great help and taught me to be wide-eyed about the batshit-crazy publishing business.

Pat: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about the writing life and the best piece of advice you can give to unpublished writers?

Mario: Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Grow a thick skin and above all, be completely delusional.

Mario, thanks again for being here today.

Thank you. You had great questions and I hope they helped. Happy fanging.

As part of the faculty for RMFW’s Colorado Gold Conference September 9-11, 2011, Mario will team up with Jeanne Stein and Warren Hammond for two workshop sessions, one on Writing Paranormal Worlds and the other on How to Keep Your Story on Track.

What's New from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers?

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers rocks and so do its members! Here are a few recent and upcoming releases:


"No Soy Loco" -- a short story by Mario Acevedo
You Don't Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens
Cortez, Sarah (Editor)
Arte Publico/Pinata, paperback, $16.95
Apr 2011. 336 p. (978-1558856929)

Excerpt from Book List starred review:

"A police whisperer, a girl with no memory, a boy who hears voices in his head—welcome to this generous collection of 18 mystery stories written by and featuring Latino authors and characters. Notable for the diversity of their vividly realized settings that range from Southern California’s Venice Beach to the mean streets of the Bronx, and for the authenticity of their Spanish-studded language (a glossary is included), the stories range from noirish to whimsical but all have in common teenage protagonists who find themselves in danger and often desperate trouble.

Several of the stories are as mysterious as they are mysteries, featuring paranormal elements like a boy who hears strange voices in Mario Acevedo’s “No Soy Loco” and the amazing results of a henna tattoo in Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s “The Tattoo.” ... This excellent collection—enriched by a thoughtful foreward by YA scholar James Blasingame—gives faces to Latino teens in a most original way."
— Michael Cart

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Tea Leaf Reading for Beginners: Your Fortune in a Teacup by Caroline Dow
Llewellyn Publications, March 2011
Paperback $12.44 (978-0738723297)

From Caroline's website:

"Tea Leaf Reading for Beginners is an eclectic work that also discusses related pastimes, including how to host a tea party to show off your newly acquired teacup divination skills and where to enjoy taking Afternoon Tea around the world. Facts about tea as a health drink, herbal teas, and tea as a culinary ingredient add to the reader’s stockpot of data. Customs, superstitions and legends connected with these diversions add spice to the blend."

"Caroline Dow learned to read tea leaves at her Great Aunt’s knee (well, actually, her skirt), and has been practicing this alluring art ever since. She has delivered tea leaf reading workshops around the world, and has been featured on Consumer Advantage Network TV and at The Rocky Mountain Tea Festival for the last ten years."

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"Fatal Fish Flop" by Beth Groundwater
Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology
From the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime
Wildside Press, March 23, 2011
Paperback $14.99 (978-1434430809)

"Fish Tales, The Guppy Anthology, casts a wide net across the mystery genre, delivering thrills, chills, and gills. This water-themed collection features locked room puzzles, police procedurals, cozy characters and hardboiled detectives.

With a pool of motivations ranging from greed and revenge to loyalty and justice, these stories will lure you in with killer hooks and fishy characters. Come on in, the water’s fine. But be careful, or you might find yourself sleeping with the fishes."

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Rogue Patriot: A Clay Holt Thriller by Gerald Meunier
Praxis imprint of Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing Inc., May 10, 2011
Hardcover 396 pages $28.95 (978-1936214358)

Jacket flap copy:

"Washington, DC FBI agent, Clay Holt, thinks he has a normal life--a loving wife, two beautiful children, a great career, and a nice home--until the night his wife wakes him up with fear in her eyes. She worries that terrorists will cross the Mexico border to attack DC and insists that they move elsewhere for their children’s safety. The next day, she is killed by an illegal. Blaming politicians for her death, Clay tells his partner that he can no longer 'live a lie' working for the government.

His wife’s fears prove to be well-founded. Iran sends Islamic extremist, Assim Badaseri, to America via Mexico with a plan to detonate a dirty bomb in Washington. Badaseri is sworn to kill any infidel who discovers his presence here.

Clay is determined to fulfill the deathbed promise made to his wife to protect their children. But, while visiting his parents in Colorado for Christmas, fate steers him into the path of Badaseri. The Iranian thinks he’s been discovered. He tries but fails to kill Clay, who escapes and returns to Washington unaware of what he’s up against. After another failed attempt, this time at Clay’s house, Badaseri kidnaps his children to keep him quiet.

Haunted by his wife’s death and facing the loss of his children, Clay overcomes his contempt for the government and asks his former boss for help. If he does not find Badaseri before he attacks Washington, his children will die."

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Where Danger Hides by Terry Odell
Five Star, June 8, 2011
Hardcover $25.95 (978-1432825126)

From Terry's newsletter:

"Hiding behind the public façade of a private investigation firm--Blackthorne, Incorporated--are a band of elite covert operatives.

Dalton (just Dalton—nobody dares call him Ambrose), is one of Blackthorne's best. A charming Texan, he prides himself on blending in, and there's no one he can't scam. But his obsession with putting a Colombian drug lord out of the picture threatens to endanger his life and the lives of his team. When Dalton nearly blows a simple undercover assignment at a fundraising gala, it convinces his boss to tether him to a dog-and-pony-show case at a halfway house. Instead, Dalton finds death, drugs, and danger.

Street-smart Miri Chambers wants nothing more than to help everyone at the Galloway House shelter lead new and productive lives, but residents are disappearing without a trace. An unexpected meeting with Dalton at a gala turns into an assignment for him, but Miri doesn't think he’s taking the job seriously. Trust doesn't come easy to Miri. When the situation escalates into a combat zone, can she trust Dalton with her life … and her heart?"

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The Magic of Windlier Woods by N. R. Williams
Heidi Thomas, Editor
Short Story -- Kindle edition at $.99

"Newert, an erbit of Windlier Woods, is concerned. The magic of his world is seeping away. He struggles to open a portal to another world, believing that this will restore the magic of Windlier Woods.

Assuming the big red truck is magical he returns to his world with the truck and its driver. Thus begins Newert's misadventure. What will happen next?"

This story is also available free from Smashwords.

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Compiled by Pat Stoltey

What's New from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers?

By gathering bits and pieces of publishing news here and there, I've come up with this first list of recently- or about-to-be released books and e-books from the authors of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. If you're looking for a good read, or a last minute Christmas gift, you might find what you need right here.

Check back each month for more authors and titles available from this great group of writers.

AVAILABLE NOW

Book 5 of Mario Acevedo's Felix Gomez mystery series, Werewolf Smackdown, is available at online booksellers and many bookstores.

"WEREWOLF SMACKDOWN puts undead PI Felix Gomez right in the middle of a supernatural battle for power, one that will wake the ghosts of Charleston and could destroy both human and undead if he’s not careful. A civil war is brewing between rival werewolf factions and Gomez will do anything he can to ensure this conflict doesn’t turn into an all out battle that will make the supernatural underworld explode."

The Father's Child by Mark Adair is available in a Kindle edition.

"John Truman, a bright, introverted, college student belongs to the New Dawn...he just doesn't know it yet. The 300-year-old, Oxford-based, secret society designed him, created him, and built their organization to interface with him. They cannot survive without him; he cannot survive without them. All he wants is to survive today; all they want...is to rule the world."


Teresa Funke's well-known collection of stories about the women of World War II, Dancing in Combat Boots, is now available for the Kindle.

"2007 Colorado Book Award Finalist. 2007 EVVY Award winner for fiction -- Based on true stories… When the going got tough during World War II, America's women got going. By the millions, they stepped into factories, offices, hospitals—anywhere capable hands were needed. The eleven fictional stories in this remarkable collection are based on real women whose experiences were at once typical and extraordinary."

Jennifer Morey is the author of The Librarian's Secret Scandal, now available from Silhouette Romantic Suspense in mass market paperback and a Kindle edition.

"Fifteen years ago Lily Masterson was Honey Creek's bad girl—until she fled with a terrible secret. She's now a responsible librarian, but no one believes she's changed—except handsome sheriff Wes Colton. And though she's determined to keep her secret, she and the sheriff certainly give 'em all something to talk about…."

I won't even try to list all of the stories Terry Wright has published in Kindle editions, but the most recent is Riches to Rags, from the Justin Graves horror series.

"Justin Graves travels to the Caribbean to roundup a gang of lawyers and accountants who’d killed an old lady for her estate money, a multi-million dollar fortune she’d bequeathed to a cat rescue organization."




COMING SOON

Carol Berg's new release, The Soul Mirror: A Novel of the Collegia Magica, is scheduled for January 4, 2011.

N. R. Williams has announced that The Treasures of Carmelidrium will soon be available at the Kindle Store.

Authors Blog and Bloggers Write

You'll find regular articles at this site from our contributors about the pros and cons of blogging, when a writer should start her blog, and how to build a following. But what do writers blog about? How to write? How to query agents? Living with vampires? Living with elders? You'll find a wide range of topics if you check out the blogs I've listed below.

I'm gathering information to create an RMFW blogroll for Chiseled in Rock. Here are just a few authors/bloggers I've discovered so far who belong to Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

Vampire experts Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein at The Biting Edge
December 12th post She's Talking About If Walls Could Talk

Kenn Amdahl at The Wordguise Alembic
December 12th post A Review of Jumper and the Bones

Author Mike Befeler (geezer mysteries)
December 12th post on Volunteering and Anti-oxidants

Peg Brantley at Suspense Novelist
December 11th post on Criminal Profiling

Beth Groundwater (mysteries)
December 9th post on Writing "How-To Books" (a golden oldie)

Lynda Hilburn at Paranormality (vampires)
December 13th post New Year's Giveaway

N. R. Williams, Fantasy Author
December 13th post The Crazy Holiday Blogfest etc.

Terry Wright's Blog (Zombies and Other Dead Things)
December 7th post Ginger

I hope you'll check out these fine blogs and visit them often. We'll be adding more RMFW bloggers as time goes on.

Pat Stoltey