FenCon IX

I absolutely love FenCon, which starts today. I missed it last year due to a family obligation, and was absolutely determined not to miss it this year. With two small babies in tow, though, as well as a broken wrist, I’m having to curtail my activities quite a bit. I’ll be attending tomorrow and participating in two panels: a superhero movie overview at 10, and a random novel reading panel at 3. I’ll also do my best to say “hi” to old friends between those panels. I’ll be the one with the lovely wife, the double stroller, and the bright red cast on his right arm.

You can see my complete schedule here. (If it’s still showing a reading for me on Sunday afternoon, please disregard that—I’m not going to be able to make that.)

Hope to see you there!

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Comets and Criminals #2 is live

Just a quick reminder that my most recent Devil’s Cape story, “Star of St. Diable,” was published in the second issue of Comets and Criminals this month. It features Doctor Camelot and some armored combat on an oil rig.

The story will eventually be available on the Comets and Criminals site for free, but you can buy the whole issue in Kindle, epub, or PDF format for a mere $2.99 right now and get a bunch of cool stories. Tell ’em I sent you.

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Great Devil’s Cape review from Fantasy Book Critic

I’m getting ready for ArmadilloCon, but Mihir Wanchoo at Fantasy Book Critic posted a review of Devil’s Cape that I had to pass along right away.

Here’s an excerpt:

Random chance gave me another opportunity to read Devil’s Cape, and I’m very glad it did. Rob Rogers’ debut is a fantastic gem, the kind of novel that one fervently searches for, but rarely finds. In fact, Devil’s Cape has now become one of my favorite UF books of all time and I find it a cruel shame that the book is not more popular amongst SFF readers.

Obviously I’m very pleased with and grateful for the review.

You can read the whole thing here.

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My ArmadilloCon schedule

I’m going to be a panelist at ArmadilloCon 33 in Austin this weekend and am really looking forward to it.

I’ve posted my schedule below. For the reading, I’m planning to read a new Devil’s Cape short story starring Doctor Camelot. I’ll be interested to hear what people think.

Also, I’m moderating a panel Sunday afternoon about superhero movies. If you’ve got any questions you’d like me to ask the panel, or an particular movies you’d like us to address, please let me know.

ROB’S ARMADILLOCON SCHEDULE

Fr2000SA SF/F Movies of the 80s: A Look Back

Fri 8:00 PM-9:00 PM San Antonio

R. Clement-Moore*, A. de Orive, R. Rogers, J. Perez, L. Person, D. Potter

What sf movies were we watching when Molly Ringwald and Michael J. Fox ruled the box office?

 

Sa1000DR Signing

Sat 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Dealers' Room

L. Anders, K. Frost, J. Hall, K. Hoover, B. Mahoney, R. Rogers

Sa1400SB SF/F Mysteries

Sat 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Sabine

B. Denton, M. Dimond, M. Fletcher*, K. Hoover, C. Mills, R. Rogers

A discussion of good examples of this mixed subgenre and the special challenges of writing it.

 

Sa1900P Reading

Sat 7:00 PM-7:30 PM Pecos

Rob Rogers

Su1200SB Superhero Movies

Sun Noon-1:00 PM Sabine

B. Hale, R. Kelley, A. Martinez, J. Perez, L. Person, R. Rogers*

Many critics and journalists are calling 2011 the year of the superhero movie. Our panel discusses this year's films and looks back on classic good and bad examples of the genre.

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Come see me at FenCon!

FenCon is a DFW-based science fiction and fantasy literary and filk convention coming up this weekend. It will be held at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas in Addison. I’ll be there as a panelist and will also give a reading and sign some books, so if you’re in town, please come out.

Here’s my schedule for the con:

Friday

5 p.m.: Reading. Director’s area. I’m not sure what I’m going to read yet. I might read from my novel in progress or from a short story I’ve been working on. I had four people come to my reading at ArmadilloCon. They were wonderful people, granted, but I’d like to see a few more faces this time. Can anyone help me make it as many as five or six?

8 p,m.: Superhero fiction panel, Addison Lecture Hall. “Description: We will discuss novels with superheroes as main characters. How has this genre developed and evolved over the last few decades, and where do the pros think that it's going?” I’ll be moderating this one, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. Other panelists are Keith R. A. DeCandido, A. Lee Martinez, Beverly Hale, and Caroline Spector. Should be a great panel. I’m nervous. Come support.

Saturday

11 a.m.: Signing, Gallery. I’ll have copies of Devil’s Cape available and look forward to meeting new people.

7 p.m.: Random Novel Reading, Trinity VI Programming. “You won't believe this: Panelists read random passages from randomly selected books. Not for the fainthearted. Oxygen may be required. Be prepared to laugh uproariously.” I’ve got no idea what to expect with this one, but am looking forward to it. I enjoy reading and hamming it up, so there you go.

If you can make it to FenCon, please do!

For a complete list of activities (because obviously there's a ton more to do at FenCon than just see little old me), visit the convention site.

Technorati Tags: conventions,appearances,Devil's Cape,writing,superheroes,FenCon

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Saturday morning Watchmen

If you haven’t already seen it (it’s been all the rage on Twitter today), check out the Saturday morning Watchmen video here. Very, very clever and fun. Kudos to the creators for fine, funny work.

Technorati Tags: videos,superheroes,Watchmen,humor

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I think I owe someone at The Suffolk Voice a cheeseburger

I was very pleased to see a positive review of Devil’s Cape in The Suffolk Voice a while back, but I was surprised and thrilled to get a shout-out in a Watchmen review. I’ve been flattered in the past when people reviewing Devil’s Cape have mentioned Watchmen, but to actually see someone comparing Watchmen to Devil’s Cape is very, very cool (and yes, I realize it’s mostly a matter of timing and referencing a previous article, but I’ll take my thrills where I can find them).

Here’s a quote:

The heroes of Watchmen have a lot in common with the heroes in Devil's Cape. They have no superpowers, they drink, they smoke, and some are mentally unstable but they are all vulnerable to things like bullets, knives, arc welders, cancer, age and nuclear weapons.

And go here for the full article.

Technorati Tags: Books,Comic books,Watchmen,Devil's Cape,Reviews

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Awesome Bedlam images

I managed to win the HeroMachine caption contest for a thrilling second time (with a The Brave & The Bold joke—yay me)! The best part of winning isn’t gloating, though. It’s the image that Gentleman Jeff Hebert draws for you as a result.

Dr. Cain Ducett, also known as Bedlam, is one of my favorite characters from Devil’s Cape, so he was a natural choice for me to request as a character illustration. And Jeff, of course, did a wonderful job.

Check this out:

Incredible, yeah? Feels like he could jump off the page and kick your ass. And Jeff did a wonderful job of working with me to get an image very much like I pictured in my head.

Speaking of heads, here’s a close-up of Bedlam’s:

Gives me chills and nightmares both.

Thanks, Jeff, for a terrific image. I’m going to have to see about getting this colored someday.

 

Technorati Tags: Bedlam,Devil's Cape,Art,Books,Superheroes,HeroMachine

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