Happy New Year from Boskone! Today we bring you two new mini interviews that are sure to put a smile on your face and kick off 2016 with a bang. Please welcome Esther Friesner and Grady Hendrix to the Boskone Blog. I think you’re really going to enjoy these two interviews.

Also, a quick note that Boskone’s pre-convention membership prices go up on January 19, 2016. So, please don’t delay! Get your memberships now while you can still take advantage of the lower price.

Esther Friesner

Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner is the author of over 40 novels and almost 200 short stories. Educated at Vassar College and Yale University, where she received a Ph.D. in Spanish, she is also a poet, a playwright, and the editor of several anthologies. The best known of these is the Chicks in Chainmail series that she created and edits for Baen Books. The sixth book, Chicks and Balances, appeared in July 2015. Deception’s Pawn, the latest title in her popular Princesses of Myth series of young adult novels from Random House, was published in April 2015. Esther is married, a mother of two, grandmother of one, harbors cats, and lives in Connecticut. She has a fondness for bittersweet chocolate, graphic novels, manga, travel, and jewelry. There is no truth to the rumor that her family motto is “Oooooh, SHINY!”

Visit Esther online by following her on Twitter and friending her on Facebook.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?

The thing I enjoy most about Boskone is the sense of camaraderie, being with so many people ready and willing to have interesting, fun conversations about just about anything.

What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today? 

I’ve had several “defining moments” in my life. Setting aside the important family-related ones, almost all of these have to do with stories. When I was little, my father’s idea of great bedtime story material was Walt Kelly’s POGO comics. That’s where I learned that language is a playground and that humor can talk about some extremely serious subjects, including extreme censorship (this from the McCarthy era strips where one character opined that there’s nothing quite so pretty as the sight of a brightly burning book). My mother filled long car rides by telling me stories from American literature, like “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I kept begging for more until she finally said, “Learn to read and you can have all the stories you want!” Both of them were right and I am so grateful!

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?

Right now I’m trying to get back to publishing more short stories while at the same time thinking deep and dangerous thoughts about doing something new as far as novel-writing goes. The latter is still in the think-it-through stage, which is both exciting and challenging since even I don’t know how it will all turn out, happy-ending-wise. It’s rather like riding one of those scary-huge roller coasters, but as long as I find joy and satisfaction in all parts of the writing process (and I do), it’s going to be a great ride!

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?

Much as I love the original Star Wars film, I’m going to be a rebel and say that my favorite Star Wars memory is the Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars special. And okay, putting the Adulting Hat back on for a second, I must think back to seeing Star Wars in the theater and beholding the opening chase scene where the Bad Guys’ ship just keeps going and going and going and GOING. That was pretty much when I knew it was going to be awesome.

Grady Hendrix

Grady Hendrix is the author of the novel Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA. It’s been translated into 14 languages and is being adapted into a TV series by Gail Berman and Charlie Kaufman. He is the screenwriter for the upcoming movie, Satanic Panic, and his new novel, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, will be published in May, 2016.

Visit Grady on his website, friend him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?

I’ve never been to Boskone before, so I’m really hoping that no one stabs me, locks me in a closet, sets my luggage on fire, or tells me it’s a “clothing optional” party and then I show up and everyone is fully clothed except me.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?

I just wrapped up my new novel, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, which comes out in May, 2016 from Quirk Books. It’s all about friendship, high school, demons from Hell, tapeworms, bodybuilders, possession, exorcism, and the Eighties. They say “Write what you know,” and I had to dig deep for this one. Except for the tapeworms, it’s all based on my high school experience, which is a bit uncomfortable.

If you could recommend a book to your teenage-self, what book would you recommend? Why did you pick that book?

The Physician’s Desk Reference. We all would have made so many better decisions about what we were ingesting, if we’d had one of these back then.

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?

My older sister saw Star Wars way before I did, and so I had to rely on her blow-by-blow of the movie which revolved entirely around the trash compactor scene for some strange reason. So for about six weeks I thought it was a movie about a long, hairy monster that lived in garbage on a Death Star full of garbage, and it had to protect itself from people who wanted to steal its garbage.

<In honor of Grady’s trash compactor Star Wars memory, here’s a little something you guys might enjoy! …and if you are one of the five people in fandom who haven’t yet seen any of the Star Wars movies, this video clip might be a spoiler. *grin*>

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U3Oti2L8S4]

~

Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates (good through January 19th):

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

As we head into the final days of 2015, Boskone brings you two new Mini Interviews that feature returning Boskone participants Janet Catherine Johnston and Jon Hunt. If you’ve walked through the Art Show in the Galleria at Boskone, you’re sure to have seen Jon’s work or if you have attended one of the science talks, you’ve probably heard Janet speak. However, you may not have had the chance to meet them. So, it is our pleasure to introduce you to Janet and Jon. When you see them at Boskone this year, be sure to say hello.

Janet Catherine Johnston

Janet Catherine Johnston is a published science fiction author, playwright, master costume designer, fashion consultant, private pilot, fortune teller, singer, Middle Eastern Dance performer/choreographer, seismologist, astrophysicist and engineer. She holds four degrees from MIT in four different disciplines. Born in Manhattan, she moved to Massachusetts in 1971; although she has visited or worked in over 45 countries, lived in New York, Virginia, London and Moscow, she always returns to her beloved Plum Island home, where she has lived since 1976. Her hard science fiction stories have an unsettling edge to them and have been described as “H.P. Lovecraft meets Arthur C. Clark.”

What is it that you enjoy most about Boskone?
The level of knowledge of the fans there. They have read such a wide range of authors, spanning many years of publication. I always come away with a new perspective on some science fiction topic and suggestions for reading new (old) books and authors.

What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?
The death of a man I loved. I became kinder and more tolerant. My eyes even changed color, I thought it was from all the tears, but if eyes are truly the window to soul then I have independent evidence I really changed.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I’m working on a screenplay based on my novella, “Lune Bleue,” (Analog 2013). It’s about 3 people struggling to survive on the Moon in the wrong place, at the wrong time, having to deal with creepy, autonomous robots, failing life support facilities, giant mutant rats, and World War III–and did I mention one of them is crazy? I thought this would be relatively straightforward after turning two of my short stories into one-act comedy science fiction plays that kindly were produced at Arisia last year, but a screenplay is yet a different animal!

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
Although much of my life philosophy comes more from Star Trek, the scene in Empire Strikes Back where Yoda raises Luke’s fighter out of the swamp after Luke exclaims ‘shuffling stones around is one thing but this (lifting the fighter) is totally different’. To this “It’s only different in your mind,” Yoda says and this is my favorite line. As a congenital amputee, I have tried not to let things that at first glance seem impossible discourage me from at least trying. Things like getting a pilot’s license and teaching Martial arts, or sewing and winning a worldcon masquerade…

Jon Hunt

​I work in both traditional and digital media for book jackets, storyboards and concept art, collectible card games, role playing manuals, music videos, and magazines. I freelance for Frombie where I work with a talented group of young artists designing collectible toys, comics, pins, posters and more. In addition to my freelance work, I have developed my own line of creepy character pins called EEPz. I also write a bi-monthly column called “Art Drone” for Art Hive Magazine and am an adjunct illustration professor at three colleges. For more information, visit Jon’s website, friend him on Facebook, and follow him on Instagram.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
I really enjoy the atmosphere. Boskone is one of the most laid back and conversation-friendly conventions I have ever attended. A bunch of us got snowed-in last year–which was annoying at first, but it actually ended up being a great experience (there’s no better way to end a long weekend than sleeping on a hotel room floor with 4 other illustrators and writers)! Since I am an illustrator, the Art Show is definitely a focal point for me. I can always count on being humbled by a diverse and inspiring selection of paintings and prints by some of the most talented and influential artists working in the genre. And this year’s guest list is stellar! I look forward to catching up with friends as well as networking with artists, art directors, editors and fans.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I teach illustration as an adjunct at the college level and I have been working on a variety of freelance illustration projects. This year, in addition to 6 book covers, I have done concept art for games and a comic, created a logo design for a clothing company and labels for beer bottles. I drew storyboards for TV commercials and old-school comic-style illustrations that were animated for a documentary about the dangers of fracking. I write a bi-monthly column on art and creativity for the arts and entertainment magazine Art Hive. The diversity of the subjects that I tackle in my freelance work is both exciting and challenging and really keeps me on my toes. It’s a good thing I love research!

From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?
I was disappointed with Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium, but I feel he redeemed himself with the quirky moral ambiguity of Chappie. I am especially looking forward to seeing what his unique take will be on the Alien property!

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
I was nearly 11 years old when the first Stars Wars (A New Hope) was released. I grew up watching Saturday morning Creature Features and science fiction movies from the 1940s-1960s. So, despite being a bit clumsy and cheesy by my adult standards, back in 1977 Star Wars was an epiphany for me on so many levels. Lucas’ film was the modern incarnation of everything that I loved from those old movies. When I walked out of the theater that afternoon in 1977, my fate was sealed: To this day, through my own art and writing I am still trying to re-live the wonder and awe that the film and the concept art of Ralph McQuarrie inspired in me.

~

Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates:

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

It is such a pleasure to bring two longtime Boskone favorites to you in this set of Mini Interviews. Whether or not you have had the opportunity to meet Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, authors of the much loved Liaden Universe®, they are two people you will enjoy knowing. So, without further ado, here are their Mini Interviews, which we hope you enjoy.

Also, be sure to pick up your Boskone 53 membership  before the price increase in January and book your hotel room before the block sells out.

Sharon Lee

Sharon Lee is one-half of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, best known for their collaborative work in the Liaden Universe®, a space opera geography of their own devising. Their latest novel — their 22nd collaboration; and the18th set in the Liaden Universe® — was Dragon in Exile (June 2015, Baen); upcoming is Alliance of Equals (July 2016, Baen). Sharon has also written a contemporary fantasy trilogy, set on the coast of Maine — Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas — published by Baen. Sharon lives in Maine with her husband, Steve Miller, and four Feline Companions — Maine Coon cats Belle, Sprite, and Trooper; and Scrabble, the office manager. Visit Sharon Lee online at her website, follow her on Twitter, friend her on Facebook, and check out her Live Journal.

What is it that you enjoy most about Boskone?

Well, I’ve always been fond of the Blizzard Betting Pool, but you can’t really say that it’s of, or about, Boskone.  The thing I enjoy most at Boskone is The Big Living Room.  I love the comfy chairs and the groups of people knitting, or reading, or talking, or all of the above, just like an extended family which has come together to celebrate a major holiday, and catch themselves up.

What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?

Well, let’s see.  I was in my early 20s, I guess, working full-time as a secretary at a university.  One of the benefits I received from my job was that I could attend classes at the university for free. I had determined to be a writer, and had written what I fondly believed was a Novel. A fantasy novel.

Now, I had a speech impediment; I stammered — not so much, by then, but occasionally, mostly when I was tired or nervous. In addition, unless I concentrated very closely, I got the words in my spoken sentences all in the wrong order, and it was sometimes quite a job of work to untangle everything into sense.  As a result, I didn’t talk very much, and when I did, I spoke briefly.  In fact, I had determined to be a writer exactly because, when you write the words down, they stay where you put them.

Since I got those free courses as a benefit of my employment, I was taking a creative writing course at the university.  Some months in, I screwed up my courage to ask my instructor if he would read my novel.  He said that he would, but the next time I saw him he told me that, because he was Iranian, he felt that he couldn’t do justice to the fantasy elements, which he felt might carry cultural cues with which he was unfamiliar.  He had therefore passed my work on to one of his colleagues, who taught long-form writing, and who was an American.  I should make an appointment to speak with her, he said.

Well, I did that.  I was very nervous, and the long-form professor was not, I felt, particularly welcoming.  She had me sit down in the chair next to her desk and proceeded to quiz me on what I had been trying to achieve with the novel, my perception of the character’s journey, what the magic symbolized in the story. . .  The easy questions, you perceive.

Long story short, I stammered, and got every single word in every single sentence in as compromising a position as possible, until the professor said, “I thought so,” reached into her drawer, hauled out my manuscript and slammed it onto the desk.

“I think you’d better leave,” she said, coldly. “I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but I do know that no one who speaks like you do could possibly have written this!”

Yeah, I grabbed the novel and ran.  My victory was that I didn’t cry, then, though I did, later.  I thought about how I was going to have to give up on being a writer, and, boy, didn’t that make me cry some more. . .

And then it occurred me, that speaking and writing are two different processes. That I wanted to be a writer precisely because I could build, on the page, those perfectly ordered and modulated sentences, which would convey exactly what I meant to say.

That I spoke so differently than I wrote?  That wasn’t a bug; it wasn’t even a feature.

It was *proof* that I was, and could be, a writer.

And so. . .here I am, forty years, 28 novels, and a bunch of short stories later — a writer.

Sometimes, y’know?  I think that I ought to try to find that professor — and thank her.

How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?

I do a couple of different things.  With Steve Miller — my husband and my co-author — I’ve written 23 novels, 22 of them are science fiction, and 19 of *those* are set in the Liaden Universe(R), which is space opera geography of our own devising.  We take the whole “opera” thing very seriously, in a let’s-have-fun sort of way.  The stories may be adventure, romance, intrigue — any or all.  They may be very large stories, involving the Fate of the Universe(tm); or they may be very small stories, involving the relationship between two people from very different, and possibly incompatible, cultures.

Our publisher, Baen, has made two complete Liaden novels available as free downloads, from their site (baen.com), and from Amazon:  The very first novel Steve and I wrote together in the Liaden Universe®, Agent of Change; and Fledgling, which is the beginning of a story arc within the Universe, and introduces a new character with troubles of her own.

Under my own byline, I’ve written a contemporary fantasy trilogy based in a Maine seaside resort town (Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas).  Those are a little less over-the-top sci-fi fun (though they’re still fun, of course).  They want to talk about the small magics, and the value of change, and the responsibility we hold for the land.  And? There’s a haunted carousel.

Steve Miller

Adopted Mainer Steve Miller is a lapsed journalist, publisher, con-running fan, poet, and librarian who writes SF professionally, mostly in the Liaden Universe® shared with Sharon Lee. Originally a Baltimore area convention and fanzine fan, writer, special collections librarian, art agent, and genre book store owner, he survived Clarion West and has participated in hundreds of SF conventions across North America including more than a dozen as a Guest of Honor. Recipient of Boskone’s 2012 Skylark Award as well as the Hal Clement Award for Best YA Novel, Steve was also an ebook publishing pioneer with his BPLAN Virtuals imprint in the late 1980s and early 1990s while his SRM Publisher imprint ran for 17 years and included chapbooks, mass market, trade paper, and hardcover originals. Locus Bestseller Dragon in Exile is the most recent of 25 novels, Liaden Universe Constellation No.3 the most recent short story collection, and the next of five contracted Liaden novels, Alliance of Equals, is due to hit the stands in July 2016. Visit him online on his website, follow him on Twitter, friend him on Facebook, and check him out at Patreon.

What is it that you enjoy most about Boskone?

Split decision here, fan-side and pro-side, but overwhelming is the sense of community, of coming home to friends.

I’ve been coming to Boskone whenever I could since the mid-1970s and so one part of me likes the fannish side with a great art show and dealer’s room, the generally low-key parties, and the chance to catch up with lot of old friends and meet new ones at those parties. The con’s at a good hotel so I’m pleased not be a commuter, and the feeling of community is a real plus, especially coming after the cabin-fever generated by Maine winters.

The Other side of me is the pro side and I appreciate the challenging programming and the chance to work with newcomers I’ve not met before. The constants — readings and signings and kaffeeklatsches  — are always well done and now that they’ve been merged into the living room environment alongside the art show and dealer’s room the feeling of community is reinforced.

What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?

Not a single moment, but a moment two months long. In July and August of 1973 I took leave from my stereo & carpeting sales position and traveled by Greyhound bus from Baltimore to Seattle, attended Clarion West (SF writing workshop) and returned to my home north of Baltimore, totally changed. The workshop itself was six weeks long, and I had my 23rd birthday there. I met and worked with Joanna Russ, Peter Beagle, James Salis, Ursula LeGuin, Harlan Ellison, Terry Carr, and Vonda McIntyre as well as my 20-some fellow workshoppers; I went from thinking I might want to be a full-time writer to knowing it. The intensity of writing six and seven days a week and getting high level reaction from some of the top writers in the field — wow!

I returned to my sales job for a few weeks, but clearly my heart was no longer in it and I began freelancing for a dozen small newspapers, quit selling stereos — and then got an offer to take over the new SF collection at UMBC as Curator.

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?

The first seven and a half minutes of the first film still sticks with me. The wonderful planet and moons scene giving way to a space ship grabbed me, and then there was the “that’s not a space ship, this is a spaceship!” moment of the Imperial cruiser closing in. From there to the escape of a droids — clearly science fiction flicks and expectations had entered a whole new era.

~

Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates:

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

 

 

It’s time for an extra bit of FUN! with the Boskone Mini Interviews. Today we bring you the delightfully fun James Patrick Kelly and Bruce Coville. Both Jim and Bruce are longtime Boskone favorites. So, while many of you may already know them, perhaps you’ll glean something interesting and new in their Mini Interviews that you haven’t yet uncovered about these two dashing characters…AND you even get to read their favorite Star Wars memories!

We hope you enjoy these Mini Interviews and may the Force be with you! Remember to pick up your Boskone 53 membership  and book your hotel room today.

James Patrick Kelly

James Patrick Kelly has written novels, short stories, essays, reviews, poetry, plays and planetarium shows. His short novel Burn won the Nebula Award in 2007. He has won the Hugo Award twice: in 1996, for his novelette “Think Like A Dinosaur” and in 2000, for his novelette, “Ten to the Sixteenth to One.” His fiction has been translated into eighteen languages. With John Kessel he is co-editor of a series of anthologies including Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology. He has two podcasts, James Patrick Kelly’s Storypod on Audible.com and the Free Reads Podcast. He writes columns for Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine and for Mothership Zeta is on the faculty of the Stonecoast Creative Writing MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine. Be on the lookout in 2017 for Mothership, his first novel in decades. Visit James Patrick Kelly online by visiting his website, friending him on Facebook, and following him on Twitter.

What is it that you enjoy most about Boskone?

Boskone was the first convention I ever attended and over the years it has become my home con. It’s like that bar in that sitcom – what’s it called again? — the place where everyone knows your name. I can’t say that I’ve made every single Boskone in recent years, but pretty damn near! Boskone gives me a chance to catch up with my writer and reader pals, sign some books, and talk about all things science fictional, both on panels and at meals and at the many parties. Probably my favorite thing to do at Boskone is to read my own work. Those who have braved a JPK reading will tell you that I give every story the full Shatner treatment.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?

Those eight or nine fans who have been following my career know that it’s been a while since I’ve published a novel. I can’t complain; the reception that pros and fans alike have given my short fiction has been gratifying – the stuff of a young writer’s dreams, actually. But I’m not a young writer anymore and my reputation as someone who only writes short has been feeling a little tight around the collar, recently. And the sleeves aren’t long enough! So I’m happy to announce that I’ve finished an 85,000 word novel that revisits a future I created for a couple of award-nominated stories, “Going Deep” and “Plus or Minus.” I have a new agent and I hope to have sold this book, called Mother Go, by the time we all meet up at Boskone 53.

How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?

My feeling is that if I could describe my work to strangers, then my career would have been a failure! I’ve always been a restless writer, and I deliberately try not to repeat myself. A couple of times I have returned to a world across several stories, but that has always been because I was trying to psyche myself into writing a novel set in that world. But I’ve published a lot of different stuff in a lot of different genres. Early on in my career, the cyberpunks tried to lump me into something called the humanist movement with my best pals John Kessel and Connie Willis and Stan Robinson. So I started writing cyberpunk stories just to show ‘em I could, and got one selected for official cyberpunk anthology Mirrorshades. When I was workshopping with Karen Joy Fowler and Carol Emshwiller and Kelly Link in the 90’s, I fell in love with magic of slipstream and published a clutch of stories in that mode.

I’ve written contemporary fantasy … um … urban fantasy … er … paranormal romance. I’ve been published in YA anthologies, humor anthologies, space opera anthologies, superhero anthologies, military sf anthologies … and I’ve edited six anthologies myself! My stage plays have been performed, my audio plays produced – hell, I even wrote a couple of planetarium shows! And I write a column on the internet for Asimov’s. So how would I describe my bibliography? Probably too scattered for my own good!

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?

It was eight years from the demise of Star Trek to the advent of Star Wars, and like most in science fiction, I spent that bleak time in mourning. I was waiting for another dramatic space opera that could be at once delicious and nutritious. My grieving ended with the opening shot of the first Star Wars, immediately after the Alderaanian cruiser flashed across the screen and I watched the Imperial Star Destroyer giving chase. As it passed over and over and over and kept passing over, I knew that this Lucas guy had got to me where I live and wasn’t about to let me go.

Bruce Coville

Bruce Coville has published over 100 books for children and young adults, including the international bestseller My Teacher is an Alien, and the Unicorn Chronicles series. His works have appeared in a dozen languages and won children’s choice awards in as many states. He has been a teacher, a toymaker, a magazine editor, a gravedigger, and a cookware salesman. He is also the founder of Full Cast Audio, an audiobook publishing company devoted to producing full cast, unabridged recordings of material for family listening. Mr. Coville lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife, illustrator and author Katherine Coville. Visit Bruce Coville online at his website and follow him on Twitter.

What is it that you enjoy most about Boskone?

The chance to connect with so many friends that I don’t get to see nearly often enough!

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?

I’m working on the third book of “The Enchanted Files” a series that is told in diary form from the point of view of a magical being, interspersed with “supporting documents.”. The first was about a cantankerous brownie, the second about a young griffin who runs away from his aerie. The one I’m working on now is about a female troll who is passing as a human male in New York City.

So at the moment I am writing first person transvestite troll, which, yeah . . . is a bit of a challenge. But it’s also enormous fun. Which has been true for all three of these books. I have to inhabit a completely different creature each time I do one.

From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN! I love the Frankenstein mythos, and I’m fascinated by the new spin they’ve put on Igor. Can’t wait to see this one!

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?

A memory I cherish is having been present for the opening night of the first film way back in 1977. It was a joyful, enormously excited crowd, filled with hope for what we were about to see — and then utterly delighted when our hopes were completely fulfilled.

~

Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates:

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

The Boskone Mini Interviews bring you two program participants who are brand new to Boskone: Wesley Chu and Flourish Klink. We are very excited to have them join the February fun, and we hope you enjoy meeting them both. If you have any questions or you just want to say hello, feel free to post a note in the comments below.

Also, remember to pick up your Boskone membership today and book your hotel room before they sell out.

Wesley Chu

Wesley Chu is the bestselling author of the Tao series from Angry Robot Books. He won the 2015 John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Alex Award and was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction. His newest book, Time Salvager, published by Tor books, was released on July 7th, 2015. For more information, visit Wesley’s website, follow him on Twitter, and friend him on Facebook.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
I love literary conventions. It’s a blast to talk to readers and meet (and drink) with other authors. I usually have a standard rotation of conventions I attend every year, so it’s exciting to explore new conventions. Each one always has its own unique flavor.

This year, I’m super excited to meet Richard Anderson, the Official Artist. I had the privilege of having Richard create the covers for two of my books, Time Salvager and Time Siege (they’re freaking fantastic) so I’m pumped to finally get the chance to meet him.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I’m currently working on the first book in a new trilogy based in the Tao universe called The Rise of Io for Angry Robot Books.

I’m excited about this project because in my Tao books, we had Roen, the lovable loser, and Tao, the experienced and competent alien. In the Io, I flip the narrative. The readers are introduced to Ella, a scrappy street smart con woman, who is inhabited by Io, a Quasing of breathtaking incompetence and questionable morals. The two of them have to forge an uneasy alliance in order to survive the war between the Prophus and the Genjix.

From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?
What upcoming movie/show/book am I most looking forward to? Okay, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a no brainer so I’ll give another answer. Before I say another word, no judging, okay? Bygones be bygones and all jazz, but I’m really, really excited to see Zoolander 2.

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
My favorite line from the Star Wars movie is from Han Solo.

Han: How we doing?
Luke: Same as always.
Han: That bad, huh?

Flourish Klink

My name is Flourish Klink. I’m a writer, producer and fangirl. I’ve been blogging in various places since 1999, most recently at Tank Lady. I grew up in the X-Files and Harry Potter fandoms. I’m currently into Outlander, Sleepy Hollow, and Elementary. I’m interested in the way that people use stories to figure out their own lives. I’m vegan. I’m Christian. I hold two black belts. I attended Reed College and MIT. I’m married to poet-programmer Nick Montfort. Some people call me Flor, Fleur, or Maddy (don’t try it). I was a partner in The Alchemists Transmedia Storytelling Co., and today I’m a partner in Chaotic Good LLC, a franchise development and production company. You might know me from Lincoln, NE; Sacramento, CA; Portland, OR; Cambridge, MA; or NYC.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
I’m looking forward to my first time at Boskone, so it’s hard to say exactly! Boskone has been an important convention for many of my friends for many years, but I’ve never made it, so I’m really excited to get to come for the first time. Lately I’ve gone to a lot of conventions that are more commercialized. Also, so I’m looking forward to getting a chance to get back to my fandom roots and spend time in a space that’s really by the community and for the community.

What event or experience stands out as one of those ‘defining moments’ that shaped who you are today?
When I was about five or six years old, I was very ill for a whole year, and my father brought home books that people at Tower Books in Sacramento, CA had recommended to him for me. One of them was The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones. I think that might have been the most defining moment of my life, because up till then I’d enjoyed fantastical stories but I’d probably been more engaged by books like Charlotte’s Web and A Little House on the Prairie.

I don’t remember if I read it right away (it would have been definitely old for me if I had). It was the book that got me into SF&F because at the local library Diana Wynne Jones was filed with the adult SF&F rather than in the Children’s section. So through seeking more DWJ, I experienced the grown-up books for the first time, and from there…that was pretty much all she wrote for my tastes thereafter.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I’m working on a lot of things! One that I’m most excited about is an ongoing project, my podcast with Elizabeth Minkel, Fansplaining. A lot of my job, working in the entertainment industry, is explaining fan culture to people who don’t have a lot of familiarity with it—and helping people make good decisions about what to do or what not to do with beloved shows and movies. But that means I spend a lot of time talking about the surface stuff: “No, not all people who consider themselves ‘fans’ think alike,” “Just because one’s a fan of something doesn’t mean they don’t have any critiques of it,” and so forth.

Fansplaining is a chance to talk about fandom in both a deeper and broader way. It comes out every two weeks (a transcript too) and we have guests from different parts of fandom—and guests who are fans but not “part of fandom,” like sports fans and music fans who don’t necessarily see themselves as having much in common with SF&F fandom, or even media fandom more generally. I think it’s a really important thing because the internet simultaneously makes it easy to find your tribe and also makes it easy to forget that there’s anyone out there who’s not part of your tribe. So, when people talk about “fans,” they usually just mean “their friends group.” Yet there’s some issues that all fans should be concerned about: copyright and trademark issues, the way we’re portrayed in media, which particular fandoms are considered “cool” and which ones are considered creepy and what that means, and so on. Fansplaining is intended to bridge those gaps. Or that’s the hope.

I’m also working on a variety of fanfic projects, but curiously enough, my most recent fandom is One Direction—not likely to be a big hit at Boskone! (Although I’m sure there’s some secret Directioners out there… come out of the woodwork, y’all!)

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
I wrote a book report on The Courtship of Princess Leia when I was in fifth or sixth grade (does that novel even count as being part of Star Wars any more now that the Extended Universe has been decanonized?). I remember very distinctly trying to express to everyone why it was the very coolest thing. Nobody else understood why I was so obsessed. I remember my teacher trying to convince me that perhaps I should read something else, something that was a little more literary, something that would actually challenge my reading skills. But never mind what she said; that was the first time I’d really geeked out on something, and even if nobody else understood why I was so interested in it, I wasn’t going to be dissuaded! (Although looking back on it, man, that book wasn’t great; my teacher was right, I could’ve found something better… oh well.)

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Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates:

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

Winter may be coming, but so is Boskone 53 and that means the Mini Interviews are back! We’re excited to bring you our first two mini interviews, featuring Robert J. Sawyer and Cerece Rennie Murphy. We hope you enjoy meeting Robert and Cerece, and we’ll see you at Boskone in February 2016!

Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer has won the best-novel Hugo Award (for Hominids), best-novel Nebula Award (for The Terminal Experiment), and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for Mindscan), plus the Aurora, AnLab, Galaxy, and Audie Awards, among others. According to the Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards, he has won more awards as a science-fiction or fantasy novelist than anyone else in history. He was the 2014 recipient of NESFA’s Edward E. Smith Memorial Award (the Skylark), and that year was also one of the initial nine inductees into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. His 23 novels include Calculating God, Rollback, Wake, Triggers, and Red Planet Blues; his next, Quantum Night, comes out March 1, 2016, from Ace. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name, and he was one of the scriptwriters for that series. Rob — who holds two honorary doctorates — has published in both the world’s top scientific journals, Science (guest editorial) and Nature (fiction). He lives just outside Toronto. For more information, visit his website, follow him on Twitter, or friend him on Facebook.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
It’s been a dozen years since I’ve last been to Boskone (although in 2014, NESFA was kind enough to give me its “Skylark” award). I very fondly remember the quality of the programming, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with old friends.

What are you working on now? What excites or challenges you about this project?
I’m just finishing up the copyedit on my 23rd novel, Quantum Night, which will be officially published March 1, 2016 (although I’m hoping to convince Ace to free up a few advance copies for Boskone). One of my personal definitions is that “science fiction is the literature of intriguing juxtapositions,” and in this novel, I combine quantum physics and experimental psychology, two of my favorite fields but also disciplines that would almost never interact outside of SF. I’m an optimistic author, but never want to be thought of as Pollyannish or naïve, and Quantum Night is my attempt to wrestle with why there is so much evil in the world while still lighting the way to a better future.

How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?
I’m a hard-SF writer, heavily influenced by the best of Frederik Pohl (I consider his Gateway to be the finest novel our field has ever produced). I’m also liberal, even by Canadian standards, and a rationalist, a secularist, and a humanist (Humanism Canada gave me their first ever “Humanism in the Arts” award) — and my work embraces all those things. I mostly do near-future or present day stories, usually set on Earth, with a strong philosophical bent. My prose is pellucid (much more Arthur C. Clarke than Gene Wolfe) and my tone usually upbeat.

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
Honestly, I’ve never been the biggest Star Wars fan — I’m much more a classic Star Trek guy — and I do feel the public’s perception of science fiction has been diminished by Lucas’s contributions; we’re seen as adventure and escapism rather than a vehicle for rational extrapolation. But, not to be a party-pooper, my favorite line is, “So this is how freedom dies — to thunderous applause,” uttered by Padme in Episode 3, and just about the only time in the first six films that Lucas gives us what I think science fiction is supposed to provide: social comment and a reflection through a distorting mirror on current events.

Cerece Rennie Murphy

Cerece Rennie Murphy first fell in love with science fiction watching Empire Strikes Back at the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC with her sister and mother. She was only 7 years old, but it’s a love affair that has grown ever since. Mrs. Murphy’s love of the written word has grown throughout the years, evolving from reader to author of the best-selling Order of the Seers science fiction trilogy and the early reader children’s book, titled Ellis and The Magic Mirror. In addition to working on the 2nd book in the Ellis and The Magic Mirror children’s book series with her son, Mrs. Murphy is currently developing a historical adventure and a 2-part science fiction thriller set in outer space. Mrs. Murphy lives and writes in her hometown of Washington, DC with her husband, two children and the family dog, Yoda. To learn more about the author and her upcoming projects, please visit her website, follow her on Twitter, and friend her on Facebook.

What are you looking forward to at Boskone?
I love sci-fi conventions. For me, it’s a chance to connect with people who are just like me – weirdos, geeks and nerds who are inspired by fairies, aliens and super powers. It’s such a wonderful community, so I’m just looking forward to meeting new people and fully geeking-out without having to be concerned with whether or not anyone else thinks it’s strange.

From a fan perspective, what new book, film, TV show, or comic are you most looking forward to seeing/reading?
This year is an incredible fan year for me. We’ve got the new Star Wars movie coming out AND the new X-Files season on the horizon, so it pretty much doesn’t get any better for me. Star Wars got me into science fiction and the X-Files inspired my first piece of fan fiction, which got me on the road to writing my own science fiction. 🙂

How would you describe your work to people who might be unfamiliar with you?
Well, I’d have to say that as a science fiction writer, I enjoy exploring themes of community, individuality and spirituality within stories that have a lot of action and suspense. I like some romantic love in there, too, but just a bit. I’m also likely to write in any genre that suits me at the time. I just finished a children’s book with my son and I’m writing a time-bending love story now. After that, I’ll be writing a 2-part space opera and the 2nd book in my children’s book series.

Bonus Question:

What is your favorite Star Wars memory, scene, or line? What is it that that memory, scene or line that continues to stick with you today?
(It could be a moment from within any of the films, a moment associated with the films, or something inspired by the films. – My favorite scenes from Star Wars are all the scenes between Luke Skywalker and Yoda from Empire Strikes Back. I remember watching theses scenes in the theatre when I was 7 years old. They literally changed my perception of God, my place in the world and my potential. I realized then, as I still believe now, that we’re all Jedi, we just don’t know it. Watching Luke’s fear and doubt keep him from fully accessing his own potential was powerful for me, even then. I don’t think you can sum up the human condition any better than that. “Luminous beings are we….not this crude matter,” I really believe that the healing of our entire world could begin with this statement.

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Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates:

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

The annual Boskone Book Club continues in 2016! Join us for a conversation that brings con-goers together to consider one noteworthy work at length. This year we are reading Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Guest of Honor Garth Nix.

Boskone’s own Bob Kuhn will lead the discussion; Garth Nix will join the group halfway through for a short Q&A about the book. To participate, please read the book and come ready with your observations.

Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Book 4, a prequel to the New York Times bestselling Old Kingdom series.

Award-winning author Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom with a thrilling prequel complete with dark magic, royalty, dangerous action, a strong heroine, and flawless world-building. This epic fantasy adventure is destined to be a classic, and is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones.

Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen and, most important, to the King. She dreams of living a simple life but discovers this is hard to achieve when a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city, her parents want to marry her off to a killer, and there is a plot brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan.

When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers.

Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage, and save the King?

If you wish to join the Boskone Book Club discussion, please read the book, and come ready with your observations. We look forward to seeing you at Boskone 53!

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Register for Boskone today. Join us February 19-21, 2016

Registration Rates:

• Adult rate: $50
• College student rate: $35
• K-12 student rate: $25
• Friday: $25; Saturday: $45; Sunday: $25

Are you planning to stay at the Westin Waterfront Hotel when you come to Boskone this year? If so, please remember to book your hotel room soon since the hotel block is sure to sell out, and you don’t want to miss out on getting your room and taking advantage of the special Boskone room rates.

Westin Waterfront

425 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
(617) 532-4600

Boskone Rates

• Single/Double rate: $162
• Triple rate: $172
• Quad rate: $182

These rates are available until January 18, 2016.

• Reserve a Standard Floor Room
• Reserve a Party Floor Room

If you have any issues with your hotel reservation, contact hotel@boskone.org as soon as possible.

The Boskone Guest Interview Series concludes with our Official Artist Richard Anderson. In most cases, it’s fairly unusual for a convention to feature a concept artist as a guest. However, Boskone is known for its art program and Art Show, and we are constantly striving to bring in exciting, talented artists like Richard–who you should definitely get to know. Not only is he a talented and creative artist, but he’s an incredibly nice guy. We are excited to bring him to Boskone this year.

We hope you enjoy the last of our Guest interviews. Please be sure to stop by and say hello to Richard and all of our Guests at Boskone in Feburary!

Bio: Richard is a senior artist working in the entertainment industry for over 10 years. His projects range from film, games, commercials, and publishing. Richard’s clients have included: Marvel studios, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, 20th Century FOX, Disney, NC Soft, Studio Canal, Samsung, Psyop, StarDust, and Random House.

He started out by moving from Montana in 2000 to go to school at the Art Institute of Seattle and graduated in 2002 with a associates of applied arts in animation. He started my first job at Arena Net on the first Guildwars game in 2003, where he worked for the next 8 years. In 2011, Richard was given a opportunity to move to London and work at the effects house MPC on a few projects including Ridley Scott’s Promethius and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Richard then moved to the art department at Framestore in 2012 where he worked on Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Edge of Tomorrow. In 2013, he was given the opportunity to go back to games, working for Rocksteady Studios on the Arkham Knight, where he works today. Visit Richard online at http://www.flaptrapsart.com

For people who are unsure of what the term means, how would you describe your work as a concept artist? Also, how do you go about developing your ideas for a new project?

Good question, I always have to re-explain kinda what I do to my dad quite a bit (with a smile). The role of a concept artist is really to solve visual problems, and to inspire the people working on the team. Bringing a lot of creative in a more visual sense. Ideas are developed for new projects by meetings and discussions with other members on the team. Usually we will produce a guide line and reference panels to run the idea off of.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist? Once you realized that art was your passion, what steps did you take to pursue or prepare yourself for a career in art?

Like all children, I enjoyed creating and drawing, and I feel like I had a natural passion for it, rather than talent. It also helps when people believe that you should be an artist and help drive you in that direction. I went to art school in Seattle, since it was the closest city to were I grew up in Montana, started animation school and surrounded myself with like minded artist who worked hard and helped to push each other to grow and learn more. I didn’t know at the time that you could be a concept artist. Once I researched more, I knew I wasn’t good enough to start out that way. So, I studied 3D modeling and texturing and got a job in the industry painting ground textures and modeling rocks. It was great, and it got me into the industry. About 5 years later, I was put into a full-time concept position.

What has been your favorite art project so far? What was it? What did you love about it?

My favorites have be Guildwars. It was my first. With the guys I worked with and my art director, we had a blast and learned a ton. Plus, it was a really fun game, good memories. Another one would be a few of the book trilogies I’ve been able to work on (always a goal to work on book covers), including, the Orbit series, Books of the Shaper by John R. Fultz and art directed by Lauren Panepinto, and also The Dinosaur Lords series I’ve been working on by Victor Milan and art directed by Irene Gallo for Tor publishing. Anytime you get someone like George R.R. Martin to say “what a cool cover,” it kinda goes into your favorites. Ha! Last would be Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a dream to work on movies and this was a great learning experience and I was proud to be apart of it.

What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?

I’m not sure how to answer that really, but I think getting through school was probably the hardest thing I’ve done.

What new projects are you working on now or looking forward to tackling soon?

Well, we just finished Arkham Knight and will be moving on to something new. So, that’s exciting! Also, working on finished The Dinosaur Lords trilogy, so will be starting that soon. Besides that, I’m trying to work on my own book project. Hopefully, will find time for that.

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You can also visit the Boskone 53 website anytime to purchase your Boskone membership at the pre-convention rate. We hope you enjoy this interview, and we look forward to seeing you all at Boskone in February 2016!

The Boskone Guest Interviews continue with this year’s NESFA Press Guest, Bob Eggleton. A long time and much acclaimed SF/F artist, Bob is a wonderful addition to Boskone’s Guest list this year. From dragons to giant lizards and killer landscapes, you will love seeing what Bob has in store. We’re honored to have him at Boskone and thrilled to bring you this interview.

Bio: Bob Eggleton is an award winning science fiction and fantasy artist who works on publishing projects and film concept work (such as Jimmy Neutron and most recently, The Ant Bully). He also has a passion for landscape work, small paintings, and exploring the properties of paint. He has won multiple Hugo Awards, Chesley Awards, The 1999 Skylark Award, and 2 Locus Awards. His art can be seen on many magazines and books. He has been elected as a Fellow of The International Association of Astronomical Artists (FIAAA), and is a Fellow of The New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA). Bob has also appeared as an “fleeing” extra in the 2002 film GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA. You can keep up with Bob’s work via his blog Bob’s ART du Jour.

You have been attending Boskone for a majority of your career. When was your first convention? Did attending Boskone or any other SF/F convention affect you as a young artist?

Yes it did. I went for the day to Boskone 16 in 1979. It was an artist named Eric Ladd who, at the time was getting a lot of acclaim for his work. He took a liking to my meager efforts and recommended the show. It was a freezing freezing cold day, I’ll never forget it, and I walked from the bus to the Sheraton Boston. The day admission was a whopping $6. I saw some amazing work in the art show. I had corresponded a bit with Ellen Franklin, who was running it then. She was very nice and friendly. I didn’t enter because I just….well, was going for the day (I did end up entering work in NOREASCON 2’s show and winning some nice awards, my first). But I saw up close Michael Whelan’s then-new THE WHITE DRAGON painting, among many great artists works–Don Maitz, Carl Lundgren, Larry Blamire, etc. I had then decided this was what I wanted to do. The Sheraton was a whopping $39. a night to stay during that convention, someone told me. Has it really been 36 years???

Looking back over your career, is there anything you wish you would have known sooner or done differently?

I wished I drew “better”. I could draw really well, but I wished it was better. Granted in those days there was very little going for the up and coming artists. We did not have online communities. Art schools schooled the idea of this post-60s non-representationalism and they scrapped the fundamentals of drawing, this is just how it was then. It was really dumb. But, we had the SF con art shows and it was like an oasis of sanity. Back then, the SF bookshelves were like going to a museum of the best covers and art imaginable. Those yellow-spined DAW Books had amazing and fun covers as a good example. I also liked comic books a great deal.

Who has had the biggest influence on you as an artist? In what way did he/she influence you?

Where do I start?? I would have to go back to the classic artists such as JMW Turner, Gustave Dore, John Martin and Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky. Of course, my “SFnal Dad” was Kelly Freas. I loved that man. His spirit and energy. In the SF field too many artists to mention!!!! I decided to go back to basics and look at what inspired people like Frazetta and others I admired… rather than copy their work. There was a lot of copying of styles going on. My idea is that you find who inspired who you love and build your own style on that. In school I had a cool guy who lived in the Hyde Park area and was in a gallery on Newbury St, Enrico Pinardi. He was very much a fine artist different from my way but he was amazing to talk with, he taught me alot about thinking about art. He also showed me some of HR Giger’s work. This was just as Giger had gained some great fame here for ALIEN designs.

In a 2006 interview, you mentioned that pencil was your favorite medium, followed by oil. Does this continue to be true? What is it about pencil that you enjoy most? In what way does pencil allow you to tap into your artistic vision?

Pencil is the first mark. It can be changed. It is the first way of getting your idea down on paper. And pencil is such an ignored medium. Geniuses like Alan Lee and Allen Williams do wonders with it. Just working in pencil. I tend to work VERY quickly in pencil if the idea is exciting I like to get it down in one hit. At that point I know if it will work as a painting.

Artists often have “periods” that represent the work that they do during a specific period of time. Picasso had a variety of periods from his Blue Period to his Cubist Period, his Surrealist Period, and others. How would you describe the various periods of Bob Eggleton’s work?

Okay….starting off, very spotty, then, VERY airbrushy and slick, and, then getting more painterly and even recently more loose. I’d say I am really happy with my look now. It took a long time to get to that.

Bonus Question: What are you working on now?

Too many things. I finished a successful issue, totally painted of GODZILLA IN HELL for IDW. I finished a plate for an HP Lovecraft book AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS to be published by Centipede Press. I am working on comic covers for a new series called PROJECT NEMESIS, and some Christopher Paul Carey books which are extensions of Phillip Jose Farmer’s ERB pastiches and are lots of fun. I have several paintings for ME that I am working on and some work with Baen and some private commissions and more FAMOUS MONSTERS covers.

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You can also visit the Boskone 53 website anytime to purchase your Boskone membership at the pre-convention rate. We hope you enjoy this interview, and we look forward to seeing you all at Boskone in February 2016!