MEET THE RUBY FILES’ SEAN TAYLOR AND BOBBY NASH AT CONNOOGA THIS WEEKEND!

Bobby and Sean
at ConNooga 2013

The Ruby Files creators and authors, Sean Taylor and Bobby Nash will be guests at ConNooga this weekend (February 21 - 23) in Chattanooga, TN.

Always a fun show, the ConNooga Literary Track is incredible and Bobby and Sean are honored to once again be part of it. Their panel schedule was released today and is posted below. If you’re at the con, please stop by and say hello. They will also have table space somewhere in the dealer’s room with books to show off and sell.

BOBBY NASH'S CON NOOGA 2014 PANEL SCHEDULE:
4:00 PM Fri Con Center #15 Panel: Writing Believable Dialogue
10:00 AM Sat Con Center #15 Panel: Writing for Graphic Novels
1:00 PM Sat Con Center #15 Panel: Pulp Fiction - What is it?
5:00 PM Sat Con Center #15 Panel: The Writing Life and What it Takes
8:00 PM Sat Choo Choo  Gallery B  Plot or Die! It's a no-holds-barred Plot Off!
11:00 AM Sun Con Center #17 Panel: Writing Opening Lines and Hooks

SEAN TAYLOR'S CON NOOGA 2014 PANEL SCHEDULE:
10:00 AM Sat Con Center #15 Panel: Writing for Graphic Novels
1:00 PM Sat Con Center #15 Panel: Pulp Fiction - What is it?
8:00 PM Sat Choo Choo  Gallery B  Plot or Die! It's a no-holds-barred Plot Off!

Bobby, Andrea Judy, and Sean
on a panel at ConNooga 2013.

All of these sound like fun panels. The highlight of last year’s con was the Saturday night “Plot or Die!” panel. Doing a plot off with the other writers in attendance was the most fun and most laughs had the entire weekend, especially once everyone started trying to one up the others. If you can join us for that, I promise you will not be disappointed.

You can learn more about ConNooga here. Plus, keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter. The Con Nooga Lit Track can also be found on Twitter as well.

See you there.

[Link] From the Vault: Dangerous Curves Ahead

by Barry Reese

I gave a how-to writing class to a group of high schoolers about two years ago and one of the young men asked me how I wrote female characters. Having written several books starring female protagonists (The Damned Thing, Rabbit Heart and Gravedigger all come to mind), I immediately had a response. I said that you should always start thinking of your characters as people first and gender later. I told him that there is no one “type” of woman out there… there are women who cry at the drop of a hat but then there are women who are tough as nails. There are women who love to shop and wear pink… there are also women who love mixed martial arts and who can drink any man under the table. There are even women who love to wear pink, cry at the drop of a hat, are still tough as nails, love mixed martial arts *and* can drink any man under the table.

Women are people first. The same goes for different races or anything, really.

I also told him that if he were still worried, to look at the women around him — his friends, his family, his sisters. Think about how multifaceted those women are and then incorporate that into his work.

Continue reading: http://barryreese.net/2014/02/01/from-the-vault-dangerous-curves-ahead-4/

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR THE 2014 NEW PULP AWARDS (FORMERLY THE PULP ARK AWARDS)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

For the last three years The Pulp Ark Awards, awarded in conjunction with the Pulp Ark New Pulp Convention and Writer’s Conference have been the most comprehensive and only fan voted awards for the genre fiction identified as New Pulp.  According to Tommy Hancock, founder and coordinator of Pulp Ark and the Awards, although the Convention and Conference will not occur in 2014, the legacy of the Pulp Ark Awards will continue, though with changes, including a new name.

“The Pulp Ark Awards,” says Hancock, “were called such because of the associated convention.   With there being no convention it seems odd to call them the Pulp Ark Awards.  Also, because of a couple of other circumstances, the decision has been made to change the name of the awards. As these awards strive to represent the broad field that is New Pulp, it is only fitting that they should be the New Pulp Awards, especially since I, and several recipients and those involved with the awards were part of the group that in 2011 put together what has been referred to as The New Pulp Movement, a group of creators and publishers intending to promote New Pulp as a whole. So, from this point forward, the yearly awards will be known as The New Pulp Awards.”

Hancock also notes other changes.    “In the past, nominations have been open to the public, but voting was closed to only those who nominated during the allowed time.  This year, nominations will be open for a period of two weeks.  Then, voting will be open for a two week period.  Anyone can nominate and anyone can vote.  It is not required that a person nominate someone to be able to vote.  However,” Hancock clarifies, “an individual can only nominate once for each category and can only vote once in each category.”

Nominations for the 2014 New Pulp Awards are now open and will close at 5 PM CST on February 24^th, 2014. Anyone can nominate in any of the available categories for work that was published in 2014, either in print, ebook form, or in an established internet venue, such as an e-magazine.  Postings on personal blogs do not qualify.

All nominations that are made that fit the qualifications of New Pulp will be placed on the final ballot, regardless of the number of nominations any one work or individual receives. NO CREATOR MAY NOMINATE HIM/HERSELF OR HIS/HER WORK FOR A NEW PULP AWARD. Publishers may, however, nominate works from their own publishing houses as long as the Publisher is not a writer or artist involved in the nominated work. This is also a change from previous years.

To determine if a work or creator qualifies for these awards the definition for works that qualify is as follows-New Pulp is fast-paced, plot-oriented storytelling of a linear nature with clearly defined, larger than life protagonists and antagonists, creative descriptions, clever use of turns of phrase and other aspects of writing that add to the intensity and pacing of the story.

Hancock also states, “We will also give a Lifetime Achievement Award again this year as well.  A Ten Person committee selected from well-known Creators in New Pulp currently will decide the recipient of this award.  This award is given to someone who has contributed to Pulp, not necessarily just New Pulp, but to the continuation of the interest and promotion of Pulp in all its forms.” Last year’s winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Charles Boeckman.

The New Pulp Awards will be awarded as a part of MidSouthCon, in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 23^rd, 2014. For more information on MidSouthCon, one of the premiere Pop Culture conventions in the South, go to www.midsouthcon.org.

The only works eligible for the 2014 New Pulp Awards are those produced between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. Anyone can make a nomination and anyone that makes a nomination will receive a ballot on February 25th and voting will be open until 5 PM CST on March 11, 2014. Also, ballots will be posted on www.NewPulpAwards2014.blogspot.com and available for anyone who wishes to cut and paste and email the ballot to NewPulp2014@yahoo.com. Each ballot must contain a link to a Facebook page, a Twitter account, an email profile, or some other verifiable source by which the identity of the voter can be affirmed.

Although Hancock will still be the Coordinator of the New Pulp Awards, there will be a body of a total of five individuals who will have full access to all information, including the received nominations and votes throughout the process.

The Categories open for Nomination until 5 PM CST February 24, 2014, are as follows.  Only One Nomination allowed per person per category in-

1. Best Novel (This includes E-books as well as print books and length must be 40,000 + words)

2. Best Collection/Anthology (This includes single author story collections and multi author anthologies.  This includes E-publications as well as print books)

3. Best short story (this includes stories that appear in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and e magazines. If from an e-mag, the story must appear on a site identified as an e-magazine, not simply be posted on a site or blog. It includes e-publications as well as traditionally printed works. Length must be 17,500 words or less.)

4.  Best Novella (this includes stories that appear in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and e magazines. If from an e-mag, the story must appear on a site identified as an e-magazine, not simply be posted on a site or blog. It includes e-publications as well as traditionally printed works.  Length must be 17,500- 40,000 words)

5. Best Cover Art (This is restricted to prose book publications, including e-books)

6. Best Interior Art (This is restricted to prose book publications, including e-books)

7. Best Pulp Related Comic (This refers to a series, complete run, one shot, etc. This award is for art, writing, and all other work associated with the nominated comics and the winner. This includes e-publications as well. )

8. Best Pulp Magazine (This award is for art, writing, and all other work associated with the nominated comics and the winner. This includes e-publications as well, but the e-publication must be identified as an e-magazine on the site supporting it. )

9. Best Pulp Revival (The Revival nominated must be published within the calendar year of 2013 and relates specifically to characters featured in Pulps when they were originally created. This includes epublications as well.)

10.  Best New Character (This must be a character that debuts in a New Pulp work published in 2013.  This included e-publications as well)

11. Best Author (This reward refers to the author and any author with work published in 2013 is eligible, including novels, short stories, etc. This includes e-publications as well).

12. Best New Writer (To be nominated, a writer must have been published for the first time in the pulp field in the calendar year of 2013. This includes e-publications as well).

Send all nominations or any questions to newpulp2014@yahoo.com.

Tales of The Rook Volume Two Is Here!

NOTE: This volume features my tale of the female hero to bear the name The Rook, set in the groovy 1970s, baby.

TALES OF THE ROOK VOLUME TWO DEBUTS EXCLUSIVELY ON KINDLE FROM PRO SE PRODUCTIONS

A leading publisher in New Pulp and Genre Fiction, Pro Se Productions announces the debut of its newest title exclusively on the Kindle for a limited time.

The Rook Lives Again! Well known Genre Fiction author Barry Reese created one of the seminal characters of New Pulp when he penned ‘Lucifer’s Cage,’ an engaging adventure story starring Max Davies, troubled millionaire who also fought crime of all colors as the masked vigilante, The Rook! Once more Reese opens the doors wide into the rich, varied universe of his best known character and welcomes a host of authors to tell their own takes on Max Davies and company in TALES OF THE ROOK VOLUME TWO from Reese Unlimited and Pro Se Productions!

Compelled through dark dreams to hunt down and destroy evil wherever it might hide! Assisted by loyal friends and a vast array of allies from the annals of Classic and New Pulp as well as Comics of a bygone era, The Rook’s escapades have been a hallmark in the world of New Pulp!

TALES OF THE ROOK VOLUME 2 features stories by David White, Sean Taylor, Jim Palmer, Russ Anderson, and Adam Lance Garcia, as well as a new interview with ROOK creator Reese, a script for an unproduced ROOK cartoon short, and an updated timeline of the Reese Unlimited Universe. TALES OF THE ROOK VOLUME TWO takes Reese’s original creation to all new heights, to places not even The Rook has gone before.

“The TALES OF THE ROOK concept,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “was born out of Barry’s desire to see how others would handle his character, how other writers would play in the Reese Unlimited sandbox. I thought it was a fantastic idea and still do. The batch of writers Barry has brought on this time to tell their own tales of Max and company are some of the best in the business today and take The Rook in some really fun directions. Different styles on an established character are always fun.”

TALES OF THE ROOK VOLUME TWO is debuting as a Kindle exclusive initially and will be available in print in coming days.

“We are seeing,” says Hancock, “a great number of sales in ebooks, particularly Kindle, so debuting the latest Reese Unlimited book as a Kindle Exclusive for a while as well before the print edition makes a bit of sense. It also gives us the option to offer a special promotion or two along the way and Amazon Prime members can actually borrow the book for free, which is a neat thing.”

TALES OF THE ROOK VOLUME TWO features a wonderful cover by Grant Miehm, logo design and print formatting by Sean Ali, and Ebook Formatting by Russ Anderson. Get Your Kindle Copy today for only $2.99.

For review copies of this title, interviews with the authors and creator, and other information concerning this book, contact Morgan Minor, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations at MorganMinorProSe@yahoo.com.

For More Information on Pro Se Productions, go to http://www.prose-press.com and like Pro Se on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

A GRIMOIRE OF ELDRITCH INQUESTS is accepting submissions!

Occult Detective Monster Hunter A GRIMOIRE OF ELDRITCH INQUESTS
Call For Submissions:

A murder has been committed and another about to be. A fortune has gone missing, a letter and map have mysteriously appeared and something is frightening the children at night. Nothing is quite clear and the only thing for certain is that a detective is needed. But the first detective got a glimpse of what the children are afraid of and left without so much as a word…

And so a different kind of detective is needed—one who understands or at least accepts that not all answers or threats will be human or even physical. What this situation calls for is the Occult Detective.

Van Helsing, Carnacki and Thunstone are classic examples. Harry Dresden and Anita Blake are popular contemporary versions. And now we want to read about yours.

Give us your best, most fascinating and eccentric characters, or continue the adventures of a character in the public domain. It’s up to you.

Just make certain that they are investigating something, be it murder by monster, death by curse, blackmail, fraud, theft, extortion, kidnapping, child endangerment, alimony payments, or anything that makes up a compelling mystery…

And make certain that the mystery is supernatural in nature, or at the very least appears to point in an otherworldly direction, even if it ends with a gang of thieves using hallucinogens, a mastiff covered in phosphorescent paint, or even teenagers pulling off a villain’s mask.

Occult Detective fiction reaches back to at least 1855, and now we want to continue the tradition in grand fashion with A Grimoire of Eldritch Inquests!

Edited by: Josh Reynolds and Miles Boothe
Submission Period: 2/1/14 through 8/1/14
Reading Period: 8/2/14 through 9/7/14
Acceptances will be announced 9/7/14
Tentative Publication Date: December 2014
Payment: $25.00 and 1 trade paperback and electronic copy of the book upon publication.
Word Limits: 2000 to 8000 words. Please query if longer.
Format: Submissions should be .doc (.docx is fine) or .rtf formats. The entire text will be reformatted, so no need to worry about margins, spacing, etc. Please use a standard font.
Genres Accepted: Dark Fiction, Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy. No poetry accepted for this volume.
Reprints Accepted: Yes. Please include a history of publication with your submission.
Simultaneous Subs: (submitting to Emby and another press at the same time) can be avoided by requesting an early response.
Multiple Subs: Each author may submit up to 2 stories. Only one story per author will be accepted.
Exclusive Rights: The contract will stipulate 1 year exclusive worldwide print and electronic rights. However, the contract does also state that under certain circumstances, Emby Press will consider granting permission to the author to place the story with additional publications.
Submit stories here: Submit to Emby Press