DarkCon 2012 – An Arizona Steampunk & Fantasy Convention [DarkCon]
If you like your ears pointy and your outfits steampunk-y, Mesa is hosting the perfect convention for you next month.
Gathering the valley’s role-playing, steampunk, and all-around fantasy nerds, DarkCon 2012 is happening in January 2012.
In addition to hosting workshops, gaming, and even LARPing, they’ll be hosting some guests of honor including: Jacqueline Carey, Doug Jones, Meg Foster, Bill Myer, Ruth Thompson, and John Wick & Ken St Andre.
- Going down on Jan 12th – 15th.
- At The Phoenix Marriott in Mesa.
- Attendance is limited to 1,200 – so get your tickets here.
- They’re $40 until the end of the year, and $50 at the door.
- (Group rates are also available. Just email them.)
- Like them on Facebook to stay up to date.
I’m sure costumes will abound, so I recommend gobbling up as much as you can from Evermore Nevermore before they close this Friday.
And if like this whole gritty-fantasy-steampunk flavor, the convention is hosted by the local fantasy group The Dark Ones, who you may want to check out.
Hinges – A Local Artist’s Clockwork Webcomic [I'm Digging It]
One of my favorite local artists, Meredith McClaren, recently started a hauntingly pretty new webcomic.
Her art and style are great, as usual, and with minimal dialogue (so far), I can’t help but absorb each page.
“Hinges follows a doll named Orio as she tries to find a place for herself and her impish companion Bauble, amidst the twisted streets of Cobble.”
Bauble’s only had a few pages so far, but you can already get a feel for his personality.
Start from the beginning of Hinges, or learn a little more about the inhabitants of Cobble.
And subscribe to the RSS to stay up to date.
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.
