Monday, April 28, 2008

Fantasy Festival 2008

Fantasy Festival 2008

 

 

Hello,

 

I heard Beowulf give a speech on Saturday. Yes, it was loud. The sound and power of Old English is amazing. Okay, so it wasn't the real Beowulf, but was actually a Beowulf scholar named Dr. Michael Drout. He's a J.R.R. Tolkien scholar as well, one of the leading ones in the world and has written several books on various subject. I heard him give two talks about Beowulf and Tolkien. Dr. Drout began the second one by walking in and reciting the first ten lines of the epic poem. Apparently, Professor Tolkien would do the same thing, except he would recite the first fifty lines! That would scare away a bunch of the students so he wouldn't have all those papers to grade.

 

I learned of all of these fun things at the Fantasy Festival in Salt Lake City. The one day festival brought together a bunch of interesting people who all have a love for fantasy. Gloria Jensen, the main organizer of the festival did a great job putting it together. She runs a non-profit group called Into the West and all the money went to help kids.

 

Dr. Drout and Gloria Jensen  (Visit Dr. Drout's website)

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Dr. Michael Drout and Author Paul Genesse

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I was able to have dinner with Dr. Drout and it was so great to be sitting beside a Tolkien scholar. He is so smart and learned a lot about Beowulf and Tolkien by listening to him. What an interesting career he's had and I'm looking forward to reading his book and to listening to his CD where he reads the entire Beowulf poem in Old English.

 

I had a table and displayed my books. It was the first time I had copies of The Golden Cord to sell. I sold a bunch and life was good. My writing classes were fun and had such a great time. I just get so excited when I talk about writing. Also, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com sold out of books in the first three days when the book came out. Life is good and the wonderful reviews have really helped. If any of you have read the book please post a review on Amazon and Barnes and Noble's sites.

About writing, the main point I made was about creating memorable characters. Check out the Writers Symposium Ezine for some excellent tips on characterization. We went through the whole seven elements of story taught to me by Kij Johnson, taught to her by James Gunn, the famous science fiction writer and teacher.

 

You know the seven point idea:

 

A character

in a context

with a conflict

who tries

and fails

which builds to a climax

and ends with a resolution.

 

I love the try/fail cycle idea. The whole thing is a basic idea, but it helps a lot when you're putting a story together from scratch. Read Jim Gunn's numerous books, articles, and writings to learn more, or ask me sometime and I'll talk your ear off.

 

Thanks for reading! And happy writing!

 

Paul Genesse, Author and Editor  www.paulgenesse.com

 

Author of The Golden Cord

Book One of the Iron Dragon Series

Friday, April 25, 2008

The Golden Cord Book Trailer Released!

Check out the book trailer. It features original music by revideolized

and was put together by Brad P. Beaulieu. My website has links to

their sites if you're interested, www.paulgenesse.com.

 

Paul Genesse, Author of The Golden Cord

Book One of the Iron Dragon Series

Monday, April 21, 2008

Ghosts, Ninjas, and Books! Oh, my!

 

 

Citizen Broadcasting - Blog Talk Radio

 

Hello

I was lucky enough to be the guest on a highly rated paranormal internet radio show on April 16, the night that my book, The Golden Cord, Book One of the Iron Dragon Series came out. It was so much fun. The blogtalkradio show is called Residual Hauntings, and it's run by Tom Carr and Russ Larsen. They're great guys and we had a fantastic conversation. They're into all the paranormal hot issues: ghosts, UFOs, and NINJAS!  Yes, they have a Ninja News segment on every show. It's pretty funny. I'm so glad they had me on the show an I look forward to going on a ghost investigation with them.

They had me on because I'm totally into ghosts and my novel prominently features ghosts. The main character is literally haunted by someone from his past. I love putting ghosts into my fiction and I've always been fascinated by movies, books, and shows about ghosts. I've also gathered a ton of ghost stories from the hospital where I used to work. The hospital is 100 years old and I've heard so many ghost stories and had a few personal experiences during the 10 years I worked there. That place is so haunted and I'm glad I don't work there anymore. If you want to hear some of the stories I had heard over the years check out the show, and also I tell a recent story, told to me by the security guard whose job it was to check the hospital after it was practically abandoned.

The show is live on Wednesday nights and please check it out. If you want to listen to the broadcast I was on follow the link to  Residual Hauntings and download the show from April 16, or stream it to your computer. I come on at around the five minute mark and my opening bit is funny, because I enjoy talking shit. I am a nurse after all . . .

Paul Genesse

Author of The Golden Cord

Book One of the Iron Dragon Series

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Golden Cord Released

 

GoldenCordCover

 

The Dragon King has risen at last . . .

The Golden Cord, Book One of the Iron Dragon Series officially released yesterday, April 16, 2008. Honestly, it's kind of surreal to have the novel out after so many years of trying to get it published. I started working on becoming a writer in April of 1998. Before that I was just thinking about it and fighting the need that burned within. Did I want to join the ranks of books on the shelf at the local bookstore? I kept saying, no. Finally, I gave in and started the journey. Now, after nine years of struggle, I'm an overnight success. (grin)

I remember writing a few pages in April of 1999, then putting it away for a while as I helped build a block wall in my backyard with my best friend, Patrick. Nine years ago was when I started to actually put words on the page, using my first computer. Writing the whole five book series took over three years and I've been waiting for almost two years since getting a "yes" for The Golden Cord. It's been such a long journey from writing it, to selling it, to seeing it come out.

So, last night my friends at the hospital and I had a little party to celebrate the official release. I love the people I work with so much and without them I could not write novels. At the party I showed them the actual book for the first time, as the publisher sent me a few copies. It was so odd to have it in my hands a few days before. When the author copies came in the mail, I was sleeping, and my wife Tammy woke me up and summoned me to the kitchen. Still groggy, I cut open the box and there was my book. There was no applause, no fireworks, or crazy rejoicing, just me staring and rubbing my eyes. It was just weird to be looking at the book that I'd been waiting for all those years.

The reviews have been great and the response from people all over the country has been amazing. The book is finally out and the big release party is in a few weeks, on May 10 from 3-9 PM (see my web site for more details). You're all invited by the way. I should have a larger shipment from the publisher by May 10, as there would be few books at the party if I held it now. Then the day after the party I'm going on my book tour of the West. The best thing about the book tour is that I'll be seeing friends and family that I haven't seen in a long while. Writing the book has given me a great reason to reconnect with the people I love.

I want to thank everyone who has been with me on this journey, to those from the very beginning, to those who have come more recently. All of you have helped keep me going and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

Paul

 

www.paulgenesse.com

Friday, April 11, 2008

VOYA Magazine Review of The Golden Cord

 

GoldenCordCover

 

Hello,

 

Yesterday, the publisher sent me my author copies of The Golden Cord. After so many years it's weird to hold the book in my hand. It looks fantastic and I'm excited to have it, but I didn't expect the copies to arrive yesterday.

 

Well, here's the review from the magazine that almost all the teen librarians in the United States read. I'm really excited about it and I'm so thankful to get such a good review from a major reviewer.

 

VOYA Magazine writes:

 

The Golden Cord: Dragons and Griffins are not the only dangers facing Clifton, a secret village in Ae’leron. The Dwarves enslave humans for their armies, forcing them into hiding. Drake Bloodstone, Clifton’s most vigilant guardian, would do anything to protect his people from Aevians and Dwarves. Ridiculed for choosing to guard instead of hunt, Drake realizes his destiny as a hunter when two Dwarves arrive in Clifton. The Dwarves seek a guide who will lead them on a quest to find their lost kin. Drake feels it is his sacred destiny to escort the Dwarves and volunteers to be their guide. After a few days, Drake discoveres the Dwarves are hiding their true purpose. They reveal that while they are in search of their lost kin, they are also Dragon Hunters and are tracking Draglune, the King of Dragons and the most Ancient Evil, who will bring a great war that will end the world. Drake knows he must do everything in his power to help stop Draglune and save his people. Book one of the Iron Dragon series is a rich and compelling fantasy full of adventure, danger, dragons, battles, revenge, magic, and more.

Readers will root for Drake, a strong character who struggles both physically and mentally with the sacred duty handed to him. Drake is becoming a man while learning to follow his heart and trust his enemies in order to save everything he loves. The plot is well constructed, the characters are wonderful, and the middle-ages setting creates an ominous feel. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for more of this great recommendation for fans of Lord of the Rings.

Sarah Cofer—VOYA Magazine

Monday, April 7, 2008

Official I-Con Report

Me. New York. Loved it!

Below is my official I-Con convention report (www.iconsf.org). Some names have been changed to protect the innocent, but more likely they’re changed because I can’t quite remember them all in my sleep deprived state. Now, I didn’t meet all 8,000 attendees, but I did meet a lot of them, and what fabulous people they were.

Being a guest of I-Con was such a great highlight for me, and an auspicious start to my book tour. There were just scores of great people at the I-Con convention in New York this past weekend.

It started with a great flight from Salt Lake to JFK airport. I met Chris, a woman going to meet her husband in New York and Robert, a businessman from Ireland who was a really fun fellow. We had a fabulous chat and the three of us talked the whole flight long. It was a lot of fun and time went so fast. There three of us became fast friends.

I arrived at JKF Airport and was met by a volunteer (Scott) from the I-Con convention, of which I was an invited guest because of my writing and role-playing game experience.

I-Con took care of everything: hotel, flight, food, and transportation. A volunteer driver, (another Scott), showed up and along with the two Gaming Guests of Honor from Wizards of the Coast: Bill Slavicek (head of game design, the big guy himself!) and Mike Mearls (one of the best game designers on the planet). Both Mike and Bill are heroes of mine and I was honored to be with them. They are so nice and after talking with them I can’t wait to read more about 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, I’m an uber Geek.

Scott, Bill, Mike and I took the 1.5 hour journey from JFK Airport to Stony Brook, New York, in Long Island. What a great trip. Getting to chat with Bill, Mike, and Scott was really cool.

After I dropped off my bags, Scott took me to the convention at Stony Brook University. He escorted me around and we hung out in the Green Room, the place where guests can get food and such. The VIP ribbon on my badge was my all access pass. Then I got to hang out with lots of cool gamers and fans in the Student Activity Center. The guy running it all, “Dregg,” was extremely cool, and all of the volunteers were awesome. I was quite impressed. They made me feel right at home and I’m so thankful for them. We hung out and made friends.

Later that night, I went with some of my new friends to watch the season premiere of Battlestar Galactica season 4. This is the final season. The first episode was so incredible. We watched it in a huge theater with several hundred fans. What an amazing experience it is to watch that kind of show with rowdy fans. We cheered, whistled, clapped, gasped! And had a wonderful time. Watching BSG on the big screen is incredible. My big screen TV at home does not do it justice. Sigh. Oh well. I got goose-bumps during the show a few times and the energy in the theater was invigorating. The whole vibe of the convention was great. People were so excited and many were in costume. I just love it when people can let out their true nature and be among friends.

There were lots more great chats on the bus ride to the hotel with some new friends who watched BSG with me. I loved it.

Finally, the first night ended after a stop in the Green Room for munchies at the hotel. They had a green room at the hotel and at the convention center. Life was good. The fluffy pillows were also good, but there was no little Tammy to share them with.

I should not have checked my email though. An agent declined to represent me with my current novel, Medusa’s Daughter. Oh well. Someone will eventually. Sleep finally happened as I tried not to think about the rejection from the cool agent.

Saturday was a blur of activity on little sleep. I had a panel up against Bill and Mike’s two hour 4th Edition D&D seminar. Needless to say, no one came to listen to me. No one played any games at that time either. Everyone filled an auditorium to listen to Bill and Mike describe the future of our beloved game. I made it down eventually myself and learned a lot. I think 4th Edition will be wonderful. I’m really looking forward to it.

Anyway, later that day I hung in the dealer’s room. Margaret Weiss Productions was there and they gave me a space at their table to display my stuff. I got to meet Jamie and Renae Chambers, a fantastic couple. Jamie wrote the BSG role-playing game and Renae is a great lady who I adore very much. She’s tough as nails and has my favorite kind of determination. She’s survived a lot of surgeries and her character is top notch. All of the people with them are great, especially Lindsay ______, an amazing artist, who was along with Jamie and Renae. I bought some of her art and I can’t wait to hang it on my walls.

Okay, on Saturday I ran a 3 hour Pirates of the Blue Kingdoms D&D game. It went so well and I had 10 players total. The game was really fun and they got right into the spirit of it. A few of them hadn’t played D&D before, but it didn’t matter. All of the players were fun people. The game ended in such an unexpected and cool way. It was very memorable for all of us. I’m happy to have met such nice people.

I signed some books and then went to the I-Con awards banquet with Cherise Fung, Mike Mearls and Bill Slavicek. Cherise is a very good person, and is the one responsible for inviting me to the convention. We were late, but the food was good and awards very entertaining. Harlan Ellison received the I-Conosphere Award and gave an extremely vulgar speech, that was quite entertaining. He did admit to writing an episode of the old TV show, The Flying Nun, but only because he wanted to have sex with Sally Field. Though he described it in a much more colorful way. Yes, he used the F-word a lot when describing this activity that he failed have with dear Sally Field.

I was seated with the co-recipients of the I-Con award for gaming: Wizards of the Coast (represented by Mike and Bill), and Margaret Weiss Productions (represented by Renae and Jamie Chambers). What fine people they all are and very deserving of the award. Both are leaders in the business and they bring so much fun to so many people.

After the show I went back to the con with the leader of the gaming track, a cool fellow who goes by “Dregg.” He drove me back to the con, which was a great perk. It was a highlight to meet him and we had a fun chat in the car. I just love talking with fellow lovers of fantasy and sci-fi.

So, that night I laughed my butt off watching a promo DVD for the game Demon Hunters. It was an orientation DVD for new recruits and so incredibly funny.

Then I ran another Pirates D&D game from 11 PM to 1 AM. Six of the ten players from earlier came back for more, and one new player came for the game. We ran part two of the adventure and it was so funny my stomach hurt from laughing. We all had a wonderful time. A guy named Shane hijacked the game while playing the salty Sea Dog, Codfrey Saltpans, known as “Cod.” It was just too much fun. It was just sidesplitting entertainment and we ended about 1:00 AM.

After about five hours of sleep, “Dregg” drove me, Bill and Mike to the convention and I proceeded to buy art. Yes, it’s an addiction. I just can’t help myself.

But I met some great artists: the famous Ken Kelly, Lindsay Archer, Scott Grimando, Maurine Starkey, Mike Okamoto, and I bought art from Chimera Publishing. The guy who owns Chimera is a close personal friend of Ciruelo Cabarl, my cover artist. I had a wonderful time.

After the goodbyes, Scott drove Bill, Mike and myself to the airport. It was too quick of a trip, but it was a great one. I look forward to next year and hope they’ll invite me out again.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Paul Genesse

Author of The Golden Cord

Book One of the Iron Dragon Series

Five Star Books, April 2008

Thursday, April 3, 2008

THERE WILL BE DRAGONS!

THERE WILL BE DRAGONS!

. . . at Paul's book release party, Saturday, May 10 from 3-9 PM, the day before I leave for my book tour.

This party is a thank you for all of the wonderful support that I have received over the years, and to celebrate the release of THE GOLDEN CORD, BOOK ONE OF THE IRON DRAGON SERIES, releasing April 16 from Five Star Books.

 

GoldenCordCover

Please bring your friends and family, kids welcome. Check out the art gallery featuring over 70 fantasy art prints, have some food, and be one of the first people to get the book: $20 for one beautiful hardcover and only $15 for each additional. Free posters and bookmarks for everyone!

If you can't attend please send me your mailing address and I'll send you a free 11x17 inch poster and a few bookmarks.

RSVP via email: pgenesse(AT)msn.com by April 27 and let me know how many are coming and how many books you want.

WHERE WILL THE DRAGONS BE?

The House of Genesse (Paul and Tam's house, grin)

9543 South 4240 West

South Jordan, UT 84095 (a suburb of Salt Lake City)

801-282-5393

Visit www.paulgenesse.com to read chapter one.

The book has gotten some really good reviews and thank you all for helping me along the way. The book is available for pre-order online at all the major booksellers. Check it out on Amazon.com or get an autographed copy on my website.

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Cord-Book-Iron-Dragon/dp/1594146594/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207243229&sr=8-1

The release of my first novel is such a huge moment for me. Thank you for your support. I truly appreciate it and hope to see you all soon. If you can't make the party, please come to the signing at the Sugarhouse Barnes and Noble on June 6, or visit me during my book tour.

Please forward this to your friends, post on your blogs and call your local libraries and ask them to order a copy. If you call your library in the next week I will be forever grateful. (big smile)

I hope to see you all soon.

 

Paul Genesse, Author and Editor

Editor of the Writer's Symposium Ezine
www.paulgenesse.com/writerssymposiumezine

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

World Horror Convention Recap

 

Attending the World Horror Convention was amazing. I met so many cool people and had a lot of fun. Charlie (Charlene) Harmon and her team did a spectacular job organizing and pulling off the convention. It was one of the best conventions I've ever attended. The horror writers know how to have a lot of fun. The gross out contest was so incredibly disgusting and funny. Also, the readings I attended were very memorable. These writers are so dramatic and they pulled off their readings will flair and panache.

The Stoker award banquet was really great. Jeff Strand was the toastmaster and was incredibly funny. I sat at a table with Stoker award nominee Michael Carvillo, nominated for his book I Will Rise, as best first novel. I was also sitting beside JoSelle Vanderhooft, a local friend nominated for her poetry collection Ossuary. The awards went to other people, but both Michael and JoSelle are winners.

The most fun I had was just meeting so many new people. It's inspirational to meet writers who have followed a path and carved out a little place of their own in the genre that they love. In this case, it's horror. I write mostly fantasy, but I've always loved horror and there is an element of horror in a lot of my work, like in my story Almost Brothers, which is the lead story in Fellowship Fantastic by DAW Books. It's the horror that makes that story so evocative.

I learned a lot from this convention and would love to attend again someday. What a great experience it was. It's just too bad I had to sleep, as I didn't want to miss a thing.

 

Paul Genesse

 

Author of The Golden Cord

Book One of the Iron Dragon Series

www.paulgenesse.com