Neal Stephenson To Speak At ASU Next Weekend

Hey everyone, just a quick heads up:

Reader Layal tipped me off that author Neal Stephenson will be speaking next weekend at ASU.

I first read Snow Crash a few years ago. It’s a superbly fun book that (arguably) helped pave the way for ideas like Wikipedia, Second Life, and Google Earth.

Plus its main character is named Hiro Protagonist…

Catch Neal and other forward-thinking folks at ASU’s Emerge 2012 March 3rd.

9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Neeb Hall, ASU Tempe Campus.

7 Questions With Local Fantasy Author Kevin Hearne [Spotlight]

I’m trying to be better at raising awareness of not only the great things to do in geek culture around here, but the creators and contributors to that culture as well.

Last night I was able to get a hold of the gracious Kevin Hearne and shoot him 7 questions about himself and his Iron Druid novels.

(I should really start doing 8 questions with people – you know, with the whole octopus thing.)

Kevin writes modern fantasy that takes place right here in Arizona. In fact, he made a pretty cool Google Map detailing some of the locations in his stories. (I haven’t read them yet, so I don’t know if the map is spoilery or not.)

I ordered a copy of Hounded (the first book) on Amazon this morning, so hopefully I’ll have the first one read pretty soon.

For now, enjoy 7 Questions with Kevin Hearne:

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So, tell us a little about the books you write.

My books are urban fantasies heavily laced with mythology. The main character is a 2,100-year-old Druid hiding out in Tempe from some Irish gods who want to kill him. Once the gods find him, he decides to fight instead of run as he’s always done before, and that’s where the series picks up.

What kind of personal connection do you have with the Irish Folklore you explore in your books?

A good portion of my background is Irish; there are Sullivans on my father’s side of the family.

Bragging time: Your books seem to get a lot of positive reviews. What aspect of The Iron Druid seems to connect the most with readers?

The answers to that depend on the reader. Local people enjoy recognizing Mill Avenue, Papago Park, and other east valley locations in the books.

Some people really enjoy the mythology and the magic system; others dig the single vampire in the series.

Most everyone seems to like Oberon the Irish wolfhound though.

What do you think is the most important part of telling a compelling story?

Characters are the most important. A good character can carry a recycled plot, but it’s hard to recognize or appreciate a brilliant plot when the characters are either boring or unlikeable.

What have you had to really work on when it comes to writing?

Description, more than anything else. I’ve written four books now, and every single time I turn in a book, my editors ask me to pay a little more attention to describing this character or that setting.

Where do you feel like you fit in best in Geek Culture?

Geeks have a culture?

I remember when being a geek was not cool at all, and I’ve kind of gotten used to not fitting in. But I’m a pretty easy going fella, so I’ll be happy to fit in wherever people let me.

Tony Chu

Salacious Crumb

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A very hounded, hexed, and hammered thanks to Kevin for being spotlighted!

I’m looking forward to reading Houded this weekend.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter and he’ll be signing books at The Poisoned Pen on Dec 11th.

Bite Into CopperCon This Weekend [Conventions]

Some geek conventions tend to focus on SF & Fantasy books, and tabletop gaming.

Case in point: Arizona’s CopperCon, of which the 31st manifestaion is presenting itself this weekend.

Although things like Anime are still a part of the experience, guests, panels, and events tend to focus on writing. This year’s theme seems to dwell on things that go bump in the night, like werewolves and sparkle-resistant vampires.

I’ve never been to a CopperCon, but I am a big fan of nerdy books – although less so of the vampire/werewolf variety.

Bite into these details if you’re interested:

• This weekend Sept 2nd – Sept 5th.
• At the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Avondale.
• Prices skew a bit high – $55 for the whole weekend, with daily rates as well.
• (Also, they only accept cash, FYI.)
• They’re bringing in some bigger authors, as well as spotlighting locals.

As I wrote about last year’s then-upcoming CopperCon:

I really like the idea of a convention that focuses less on promoting movies, TV shows, and video games, and instead dives deeper into books, writing, gaming, and the core of SF and Fantasy – ideas.