Panel Time! We Got Movie Sign!: Mystery Science Theater 3000

On January 13, 2018January 11, 2018 By ronsonbeckIn EventLeave a comment

Starting in just 15 minutes:

We Got Movie Sign!: Mystery Science Theater 3000 – 10 PM – Burroughs (3E)

After a Kickstarter campaign that wound up becoming the most successful media-related effort in its history, Joel Hodgson brought his creation back to an audience starved for the opportunity to see puppets snark at bad movies. With new host Jonah Ray, the return of MST3K was an immediate success story for Netflix and precipitated a live tour. Join the discussion as we go over the new episodes, argue about the new cast, and speculate what a twelfth season might bring! Bob Chipman (m), Michael Bailey, Sidney J Hackney, Cassandra Lease, Dan Toland.

Arisia 2018 – Dealers Room is Closed

On January 13, 2018January 11, 2018 By ronsonbeckIn EventLeave a comment

That’s it for the day, folks. The dealers room is closed, but it will re-open tomorrow at 10 AM.

But that doesn’t mean the night is over! There’s still a lot going on, including my panel this evening:

We Got Movie Sign!: Mystery Science Theater 3000 – 10 PM – Burroughs (3E)

Arisia 2018 – Day Two Begins!

On January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 By ronsonbeckIn EventLeave a comment

My neighbors, Broad Universe. I’m in a great neighborhood.

Good morning, Arisia 2018!

The dealers room is now open for the day and will stay open until 7 PM. Come on down, say hi, pick up some signed books, and go see what my neighbors have to offer. You can find a full list of dealers here.

If you can, stick around after the dealers room closes and come check out my first panel:

We Got Movie Sign!: Mystery Science Theater 3000 – 10 PM – Burroughs (3E)

Weekly Update – December 19, 2017

On December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Well Behaved Women, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

It’s taken a while, but all of my books are now available for the Nook via Barnes & Noble.

This concludes phase one of my winter project to make my catalog available through non-Amazon sellers. I have identified a few other outlets and I’ll be working to tap those markets as well, since the Kindle Select program has lost its financial luster in a big way over the past year.

I realize that for a lot of you all this is no big whoop, but I encounter a fair number of people who, for reasons ranging from totally legitimate to completely ridiculous, hate Amazon and refuse to buy anything from them, so it’s in my best interests to diversify retailers.

On another important note, this will be my last blog post for the year. I’m going to take a couple weeks off from the grind of shameless self-promotion and enjoy my holidays. Crazy, huh? My regular auto-posts are still lined up but the weekly update will be on hiatus until January 2018.

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: I’m optimistic that I am past the continual mental blocks I encountered in writing the first act of book two and things will flow a little more freely from here on out. In the meantime, I continue to prepare for the cover photo shoot scheduled for March. I have three excellent models lined up, along with my photographer, cover artist, and costumer, so it’s just a matter of gathering the costume and prop pieces I’ll need.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – book four: First draft in progress.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: I got my edits back over the weekend, so I am spending tomorrow working on the final draft and formatting. I’m on-track for a late February release!

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Third draft written.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins (audiobook): Review completed, final editing in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

Friday, January 12 through Monday, January 15, 2018: Arisia 2018 at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. I’ll be back selling books and speaking on three panels: We Got Movie Sign! Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Saturday, 10:30 PM); Stage Presentation: A Minute or Less to Impress (Sunday, 11:30 AM); and Fight Science for Writers — Hands-On Demos (Sunday, 4 PM).
Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18: Boskone at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel (tentative).

MISC.

First, a reminder that the New England Speculative Writers group is still holding its open call for its first anthology. If you’re a New England-based writer, you’re eligible to submit a story. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2018. Go here to get the full details.

Finally, if you’d like to make sure you don’t miss any news from me, remember that I have a weekly newsletter that features some of the stuff you see posted here plus new, newsletter-exclusive material. Click this link to sign up.

Weekly Update – December 12, 2017

On December 12, 2017December 6, 2017 By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Well Behaved Women, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

Details for Arisia 2018 keep popping up on the official event website, and it’s shoving any holiday spirit I have right out the door and filling me with Arisia spirit.

Arisia recently posted a list of the folks who will be in the dealers’ room with me, and the list so far includes the talented women of Broad Universe, the always awesome Auntie Arwen’s Spices, the geeky jewelry and accessories of Emporium 32, and Tea and Absinthe, which has a lot of great teas but no actual absinthe.

I’m also finalizing plans with the folks who will be sharing my table space in the dealers’ room, so look for an announcement there very soon!

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: Made it to the one-quarter point in the story last week. Things continue to take shape slowly. In the meantime, I’m nailing down the details for the cover photo shoot, and I hope to have everything set by the end of the year.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – book four: First draft in progress.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Fourth draft finished, in the editing process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Third draft written.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins (audiobook): Review completed, final editing in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

Friday, January 12 through Monday, January 15, 2018: Arisia at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. I’ll be back selling books and speaking on three panels: We Got Movie Sign! Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Saturday, 10:30 PM); Stage Presentation: A Minute or Less to Impress (Sunday, 11:30 AM); and Fight Science for Writers — Hands-On Demos (Sunday, 4 PM).
Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18: Boskone at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel (tentative).

MISC.

Weekly Update – November 28, 2017

On November 28, 2017December 4, 2017 By ronsonbeckIn Action Figures, Cheap Thrills Digest, Event, Novels, Strongarm & Lightfoot, Well Behaved Women, Writing process, Young AdultLeave a comment

All right, Nook owners, time to head on over to Barnes & Noble’s website and start spending!

The entire Action Figures series and Cheap Thrills Digest are now available on B&N, and December 9 is when the Nook editions of the entire Strongarm & Lightfoot series will drop.

Why December 10? Because the first book, Scratching a Lich, is still in the Kindle Direct Publishing Select program. December 9 is its last day of enrollment so I have to wait for that to expire to avoid getting in trouble with Amazon.

I’ll continue to add all my books to other platforms in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

WRITING PROJECTS

Well Behaved Women: Chipping away at the first draft of book two.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – book four: First draft in progress. I’m jumping back and forth between this and WBW as the mood strikes me.

Action Figures – Issue Seven: The Black End War: Fourth draft finished, in the editing process.

Action Figures – Issue Eight: Crawling from the Wreckage: Third draft written.

Action Figures – Issue Nine: Rough plotting in progress.

Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins (audiobook): Review completed, final editing in progress.

APPEARANCES and EVENTS

UPDATED! Friday, January 12 through Monday, January 15, 2018: Arisia at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. I’ll be back selling books and, hopefully, speaking on several panels — detailed below!
Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18: Boskone at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel (tentative).

MISC.

All right, folks, here’s where you’ll find me at Arisia in January…

We Got Movie Sign! Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Saturday, 10:30 PM)

After a Kickstarter campaign that wound up becoming the most successful media-related effort in its history, Joel Hodgson brought his creation back to an audience starved for the opportunity to see puppets snark at bad movies. With new host Jonah Ray, the return of MST3K was an immediate success story for Netflix and precipitated a live tour. Join the discussion as we go over the new episodes, argue about the new cast, and speculate what a twelfth season might bring!

Stage Presentation: A Minute or Less to Impress (Sunday, 11:30 AM)

A minute can seem so short when trying to put together a masquerade presentation, but it can feel like an eternity on stage. How do you use the time allowed to both entertain the audience and wow the judges? Can it be done in less than 30 seconds?

Fight Science for Writers — Hands-On Demos (Sunday, 4 PM)

Have you ever wondered how your fight scene would look acted out in real life? Here’s your chance to play with some toy soldiers, see your fight scene acted out with authentic weapons, and listen to our panel of martial artists and authors SHOW you what works vs. doesn’t work in your or other writer’s fiction. Submit your 800 word fight scene to fights@arisia.org for a chance to have your scene incorporated into the discussion, or just come watch.

Next, a reminder that the New England Speculative Writers group is still holding its open call for its first anthology. If you’re a New England-based writer, you’re eligible to submit a story. Go here to get the full details.

Rhode Island ComicCon!

On November 4, 2014November 4, 2014 By ronsonbeckIn Sharing The LoveLeave a comment

It was an off-weekend for me writing-wise, as I was in Providence to help my wife (Veronica of Storied Threads) work her booth at Rhode Island ComicCon.

It was a great weekend for her, and I had lots of fun communing with fellow geeks and, as always, grooving to some of the awesome costumes, starting with this kick-ass group doing “post-apocalyptic Wizard of Oz,” my favorite outfits of the show.