ON THE FRONT

ELRIC: THE SLEEPING SORCERESS / Cover Pencils

2008-05-15T14:06:00.003-05:00

Been working round-the-clock on two covers these last several days. One of them is the cover for Michael Moorcock's ELRIC: THE SLEEPING SORCERESS, which will be the third of Del Rey's six-volume Elric series. Right now, I'm working on the final color version, but here's a look at the final pencil underdrawing. Pencil on Crescent illustration board, 14"x20". The other cover I'm working on is for ASIMOV'S. Editor Sheila Williams has given me a terrific story by Stephen Baxter called "The Ice War" and I'll share my work on this one soon, as well as the finished Elric cover, when it's all done and Del Rey gives the green light.

MYRIAD UNIVERSES

2008-05-08T09:24:00.007-05:00

Looks like my cover art for two STAR TREK: MYRIAD UNIVERSE books has leaked into cyberspace this week. So I guess it's OK to post it here. The top picture is the cover illo for a July release called STAR TREK: MYRIAD UNIVERSES -- INFINITY'S PRISM, which features alternate universe TREK stories by Christopher L. Bennett, William Leisner, and James Swallow.

The bottom one here is for an August release called STAR TREK: MYRIAD UNIVERSES -- ECHOES & REFRACTIONS, which features more goodness by Keith R. A. DeCandido, Chris Roberson, and Geoff Trowbridge. Marco Palmieri, Pocket Books' senior editor and STAR TREK overseer, sent me the following comment that Geoff dropped on a discussion board yesterday, "Whereas some artists work in oils or watercolors, Picacio's medium of choice is comprised entirely of awesome." I got a good laugh out of that one....much appreciated, Geoff. :) Shoutout to Keith for his recent Scribe Awards nominations, and add another notch in the Roberson/Picacio collaboration list, which always makes me happy.

Moorcock, Elric, & Me at GalleyCat

2008-05-02T19:29:00.002-05:00

Swell photo here of 2008 SFWA Grandmaster Michael Moorcock, courtesy of Del Rey's editor-in-chief Betsy Mitchell. This morning, GalleyCat posted Betsy's photo, along with a sizable article about Mike's honors and my collaboration with him on ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS. Pretty solid piece by Ron Hogan.....check it out!

Tor's New Website!

2008-05-02T18:02:00.006-05:00

Tor Books has been perfecting their version of the mother-of-all-websites, and as an incentive to build audience, they're offering free(!) desktop wallpapers from different artists each week. The wallpapers are available for one week only, and then they're replaced by another set. Starting today, this week's featured artists -- me and Bob Eggleton! My wallpaper is excerpted from my Tor cover art for L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL. Get it while you can. :)

John Berkey -- SF Hall of Famer?

2008-05-02T16:45:00.003-05:00

Well, not yet anyway. Sad news this week, well-chronicled by now -- one of sf's finest artists ever, John Berkey, passed away on Tuesday. Irene Gallo, Arnie Fenner, Bob Eggleton and others have posted nice remembrances of Berkey. I'm definitely one of the legions who revere his work, which I believe is more influential now than it's ever been. Jane Frank's THE ART OF JOHN BERKEY is one of my favorite art books and although Berkey was best known to many of us for his acrylic & casein sf images, he was a master of traditional landscapes, as well. The guy's work is timeless, and I wish I would've met him in person.

So as for the title of this post -- here's a thought: anyone out there a paid member of the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle? If so, then you have the power to nominate creators for induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Every year, a list is compiled from the suggestions of paid members, and that list is given to the seven jurors who then deliberate the merits of those individuals, and decide which four get inducted every yesr. I was honored to be one of the jurors for this year's class, and we selected legendary artist Richard Powers as one of this year's inductees. Happy as I am about that, I was secretly disappointed that Berkey was not even on the preliminary list given to us. I knew he was in failing health at the time, and I had hoped to lobby for him before he passed away. This year's HOF class of Powers, the Ballantines, Rod Serling, and William Gibson will be inducted on June 21, but it sure would be nice to see Berkey in next year's class, amongst the sf immortals, where he belongs.

Clarkesworld Issue #20 / May '08

2008-05-02T16:16:00.003-05:00

Now available -- Includes an interview with yours truly, conducted late January/early Feburary this year, courtesy of Jeff VanderMeer, AKA The Hardest Working Man in Genre. (Bizarre -- how have I known Jeff this long, and only now did I notice that he capitalizes the "M" in his last name??)

More good stuff in CLARKESWORLD #20 -- new fiction by Catherynne M. Valente, who's also got a fresh new interview in the May issue of LOCUS MAGAZINE. Cover image (pictured above ) by an illustrator named Cuson. Plus much more...thanks to Neil Clarke and Wyrm Publishing for making it happen. Check it out. :)

Tribute to Michael Moorcock

2008-04-28T01:45:00.009-05:00

As mentioned in my previous post, I had the honor of presenting a tribute speech for Michael Moorcock before he was officially named the 25th Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Writers of America this past Saturday night. The phrase "With A Little Help From My Friends" definitely comes to mind. Many thanks to Neil Gaiman, Chris Roberson, Jeff Vandermeer, Jeffrey Ford, China Mieville, and Alan Moore for their contributions which were all composed from the heart within a few days of the ceremony. Here are my words and their words (minus all of my ad-libs), for those that weren't there:

"When I first heard that I'd be here celebrating Mike's Grandmaster Award, I was thrilled. And then came the horror...the realization that in the span of a few minutes, I'd have to do justice to one of the greatest writing careers we've ever known. Daunting, to say the least.

We can talk about Elric, one of the most popular creations in the history of fantasy, first published when Mike was barely 22 years old. We can talk about the Multiverse...Jerry Cornelius...the Eternal Champion...MOTHER LONDON...Hawkmoon...BEHOLD THE MAN...GLORIANA...THE CONDITION OF MUZAK...THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE. What about Mike's legendary ability to craft classic novels in a mere weekend so he could pay his NEW WORLDS printing bills? How about a lifetime of awards heavy enough to crack a house foundation...a 1967 Nebula Award for BEHOLD THE MAN; his shelf full of British Fantasy Awards; the John W. Campbell Memorial Award; the World Fantasy Award; the Guardian Fiction Award; the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award; the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award; his 2002 induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame...we can do this all night long, can't we? Michael Moorcock is, quite simply, a living legend. Period. And one who despises being called such, because he's still vital, still rebellious, still questioning...still writing. He keeps going, which brings us to the present.

We're here to celebrate Mike's recognition amongst the Grandmasters of the Science Fiction Writers of America. Heinlein, Leiber, Clarke, Bradbury, Del Rey, Pohl, Knight...a few of the names inscribed up on SFWA's Mount Olympus. Here's the part that'll make you dizzy though -- many great writers are measured by what came before them, but Mike's greatness continues to be measured by what has come after him. I'm not talking about his legendary Multiverse of characters and stories, but a multiverse of writers, artists, and creators worldwide that have either had their careers single-handedly launched by Mike, or been directly influenced by him at a primal level. That goes for many of you in this room, including myself, and I daresay, that includes some of tonight's nominees and winners.

So here's what we're gonna do...in recent days, I contacted a few friends and a few heroes. I asked them for their brief thoughts on tonight's occasion and I'm going to share a few of them with you right now.

Our first message is from the author of AMERICAN GODS, the 2002 Nebula Award Winner for Best Novel -- Neil Gaiman.

Neil -- "Mike Moorcock changed the inside of my head. I read STORMBRINGER when I was nine, and that was pretty much that. My pocket money went on Moorcock books -- which were gloriously being issued and reissued back then -- and I read them and took what I could from them. It's not long until you have a multiverse in your twelve-year-old mind, and you learn that every hero is the Eternal Champion, and suddenly you're puzzling over Jerry Cornelius stories, with your head going places it hasn't gone before.

When people ask me about my influences, I tend to forget Mike, much in the way that people listing the things that were important to them growing up, fail to list the earth, the air, and sunlight. He taught me that high culture and low culture were simply points of view, and that what mattered was the writing. His influence as an editor still reverberates today. We're lucky to have him."

Our next contributor is an author, an editor, and a publisher -- all award-winning, sometimes all in the same day. He's a Sidewise Award winner and one-half of MonkeyBrain Books -- Chris Roberson.

Chris -- "I was never quite the same after discovering the novels of Michael Moorcock in my suburban high school library. Elric, Cornelius, Bastable, and the rest of the multiversal gang expanded my brain into dimensions that I didn't even know existed. I wasn't the first to fall under his spell, and I won't be the last. As writer and editor Moorcock has changed the nature of fantasy itself, expanding the definition of what fantastic literature is, and the uses to which it can be put. He is the brightest light in my own personal constellation of influences and inspirations, and I continue to labor in his shadow."

Our next author has won two World Fantasy Awards and is the author of the brilliant CITY OF SAINTS AND MADMEN, as well as the proud co-editor of THE NEW WEIRD -- Jeff Vandermeer.

Jeff -- "Mike Moorcock is quite simply the most creative and most generous person I've ever met. It's Mike I think of whenever I'm approached by a new writer for help with something, because he embodies the idea of 'paying it forward'. He has also been an enormous influence in both the variety and the quality of his fiction, and his various editing projects. I admire his restless curiosity, his sense of humor, and his sense of perspective. It's been one of the great pleasures and honors of my life to know him. If only he could break his addiction to squid..."

Three down, three to go. Our next author is a four-time World Fantasy Award winner; a 2004 Nebula Award winner for "The Empire of Ice Cream"; and his latest novel is called THE SHADOW YEAR -- Jeffrey Ford.

Jeff -- "Every time I read a new slice of Mike's enormous fictional output, I'm inspired by the work's variety of style and form; its unbounded freedom of expression; it's ability to find the profound in pulp, and to dismantle the bureaucracy of literature with a capital L; its astute politics; and its cosmic sense of humor. His creative talent is truly a multi-verse. What's impressed me even more than his fiction, though, is Mike himself -- affable, generous, and an unerring failure to stand on ceremony. Right now, I can picture him rolling his eyes at my testimonial. Congratulations, Mike."

Our next message is from an author who, much like Mike, is never shy about defending what he thinks is right. He's a multiple Hugo Award nominee and the author of PERDIDO STREET STATION, a 2002 Nebula Award finalist -- China Mieville.

China -- "'Grandmaster' is inadequate. Moorcock is the monarchomach, the sensei of dissident fantasy. Mad skills, pirate prose, ninja critique. We deserve a lot, but we only just, on our best days, deserve him. Where there are rules he brings righteous chaos, for which all we can do is give our profound thanks, we who are fortunate enough to have our souls sucked out by his evil crooning typewriter forged from black metal, we who read sitting on the toppled idols he leaves behind, the rubble of genre left by his awesome paraliterary rampage, breakfasting gratefully among the ruins."

And finally, we have a few words from an author beloved by every creator I know...as a fellow professional once said, 'We all worship him as a god, but at the end of the day, he bows to Moorcock.' The creator of WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, and THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN -- Alan Moore.

Alan -- "Michael Moorcock is a wonder of the world, a colossus of Brookgate straddling his ancient city in a sentence. He's a literary zeppelin commander who has never lost his faith in, nor completely left, the underground; the ultimate outsider just by virtue of his altitude above the herd. He scattered universes, planted movements, sowed the seeds of all the authors who came after him, like dragon's teeth. His intellect and his inventiveness are only equalled by his insight, by his great compassion. From the deadline-plagued pulp sweatshops of his origins to Mother London's dizzy pinnacles, Moorcock is the Eternal Writer."

Mike, you've more than earned this night. On behalf of myself and the legions of readers and creators that you've inspired, enlightened, and championed, we cheer you tonight and we cherish you forever. Our most rebellious, heart-felt thanks, and congratulations on becoming the 25th Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Writers of America.

Back home from the Nebs

2008-04-27T23:51:00.005-05:00

(pictured above, L to R, back row: Kyrinn S. Eis; Chris Roberson; Sanford Nowlin; Linda Moorcock; Traci & me; foreground, seated: SFWA Grandmaster Michael Moorcock) Good times with great people at the 2008 Nebula Awards Weekend in Austin this weekend. Quality time with the Moorcocks, Chris Roberson, Joe Lansdale, Diana Gill, Liza Trombi, Anne Sowards, John Denardo, Sanford Nowlin, Jayme Lynn Blaschke, Robin Wayne Bailey, Brad Denton, Steven Gould, and many more. Nebula Awards winners here, but the highlight of the weekend for me was Mike Moorcock being named the 25th Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Writers of America. I had the extreme honor of presenting a tribute speech to him and was thrilled just to be in the room when he received the recognition. I'll post some of my speech in an upcoming post. Hats off to FACT for putting on a well-run Nebula Awards Weekend. For now, here are some pics from the banquet night.

L to R: Bruce Sterling; Michael Chabon; Michael Moorcock

Jasmina & Bruce Sterling

Me, clearly possessed by the spirit of a certain ruby-eyed albino during my tribute speech to Michael Moorcock

Mike Moorcock becomes the 25th Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Writers of America

Joe R. Lansdale and his daughter Kasey

2008 Locus Award Finalist!

2008-04-24T14:10:00.005-05:00

Hey, wow!! Found out this morning that I'm a Locus Award finalist in the Artist category! Hurray! Full list of nominees here. Fellow nominees in the category include Stephan Martiniere, Shaun Tan, Charles Vess, and Michael Whelan. I'm honored to be in their company. Congrats to all nominees in all categories, and a quick shoutout to Dan Simmons and "Muse of Fire" which is one of the finalists for Best Novella. Congrats, Dan. As recently announced on Subterranean Press' website, I'll soon be illustrating the cover for a hardcover edition of "Muse of Fire."

See you at the Nebs

2008-04-24T13:55:00.004-05:00

It's Nebula Awards Weekend, up in Austin this weekend. I'll be signing at Friday's Mass Autographing and I'll be one of the speakers at Saturday's awards banquet when Mike Moorcock is presented as the 2008 Grandmaster by the Science Fiction Writers of America. Other than that, I'll mostly be hanging out at the Omni's bar with people like Chris Roberson, Sanford Allen of Boxcar Satan, Jayme Lynn Blaschke, and any number of other young ruffians. If you're around, drop by and join us.

Saving Emru Townsend

2008-04-24T13:04:00.004-05:00

Emru Townsend is fighting for his life, and here's how we can help him. Emru's been diagnosed with leukemia and a condition known as monosomy 7. What this means is he needs a bone-marrow transplant in order to live. He and his family are actively seeking a donor match and their website is smart, with good explanations and great info about how to help Emru, and anyone else who may be in a similar situation. Tamu Townsend, Emru's sister, is one of the committee folks for Montreal's 2009 Worldcon, and Emru is a noted animation and technology writer, as well as the founding editor of Frames Per Second Magazine.

Jeffrey Ford at Joseph Mallozzi's

2008-04-23T10:56:00.004-05:00

Readers of Joseph Mallozzi's mega-popular blog are currently discussing Jeffrey Ford's THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM. Check it out. Looks like Jeff is also offering Mallozzi's audience a chance to help him create a short story. Ballsy! And it also looks like EMPIRE is getting ready to completely sell out (THE FANTASY WRITER'S ASSISTANT already has), so if you don't own a copy yet, don't wait around. :)

SON OF MAN / The Final Art!

2008-04-19T11:22:00.004-05:00

Crazy, intense deadline crunches over here....here's one of my finished results. Presenting the final cover of Robert Silverberg's classic SON OF MAN, forthcoming in a fresh, new trade paperback from Pyr later this year. Below is the complete wraparound art, sans typography (and the prelims are here.) If you're not familiar with this novel, it's one of the trippiest books you'll ever encounter and for many Silverberg fans, one of his finest works to date. For whatever reason, I listened to Hendrix's ELECTRIC LADYLAND over and over this week while working on this. It just felt right.

Remembering Jamie

2008-04-16T21:15:00.004-05:00

It's getting late here after a long day, and it's gonna be a long night of work ahead. Still, I can't let this day pass without remembering Jamie Bishop. Virginia Tech dedicated today to the memory of those who passed in last year's tragedy, and Jamie was one of them. I never knew Jamie. We never met. He was a fellow cover illustrator for Golden Gryphon Press and his father was the sf author Michael Bishop. Fragile as those connections are, they were enough to really hit home with me as an sf illustrator myself. The single thing I will always associate with Jamie's memory will not be the Virginia Tech events, but this headline about him in a Roanoke newspaper: "Jamie Bishop: He talked about changing the world with art." I think about that on nights like tonight when I've got tight deadlines and the pressure's on. Here's to you, Jamie.

SON OF MAN / Preliminary Work

2008-04-15T21:48:00.005-05:00

Wow, I've been absent here for a while....a full two weeks. Definitely not a vacation, I can assure you. Been working on a ton of cover work and because of some intense deadlines, I've needed to stay focused on the art. I'll start to unveil some of my new work in the coming days. If the above post looks like a deja vu, that's because it was previously previewed on this blog. It's the rough sketch of my proposed wraparound cover illustration for Robert Silverberg's classic SON OF MAN, which will be a Pyr trade paperback release later this year. I'm showing it again, so you can compare it to the full pencils below, seen here for the first time. 14"x21". Pencil on cold-press Crescent illustration board.
I'm finishing the final color art for this right now, and I'll hopefully unveil it tomorrow (fingers crossed).

A+ for ELRIC!

2008-04-01T21:17:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my pal Jeff Lucas for giving me the heads-up on this. Check out pg. 76 of the April issue of SCI FI MAGAZINE where Adam-Troy Castro offers an awesome review of ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS and a brief sidebar interview with the Grandmaster himself, Michael Moorcock. SCI FI rates the book an A+!! Can't beat that.... :)

2008 Hugo Finalists!

2008-03-25T15:03:00.002-05:00

I was halfway across the country when the announcement went official this past Friday. So I finally get to say it here:

I'm thrilled to be a 2008 Hugo Award Finalist in the Best Professional Artist category and honored to be in the company of Bob Eggleton, Phil Foglio, John Harris, Stephan Martiniere, and Shaun Tan. Here's the complete list of 2008 Hugo Awards Finalists! Congrats to all nominees in all categories, and it's a pleasure to be amongst you. Needless to say -- I was already planning to attend Worldcon in Denver, but this makes the trip even more special. Hugo pro art nominees are now asked to provide three examples of eligible work from the past year, for voters' consideration. According to the site, online and printed ballots will be available shortly. My art selections are posted on the ballot, but you can also scroll down a full, easy rundown of my 2007 work on this blog, at the right, under "My 2007 Cover Illustrations". Thanks again for the kind consideration, and it's an honor to be a Hugo nominee!

SF Signal: Mind Meld

2008-03-25T14:43:00.002-05:00

SF Signal runs a popular feature called Mind Meld where they query sf/fantasy folks about general questions and issues. This time, they asked "As an illustrator, what was it that drew you to science fiction and fantasy to begin with, and what place do you feel illustration has in the science fiction and fantasy field?"

Todd Lockwood, Dave Seeley, Jeremy Geddes, Donato Giancola, Glen Orbik, Bob Eggleton, and I responded. This Mind Meld post went out Wednesday, but I'm only now getting to read it for myself. If you haven't read it either, check it out! :)

VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL

2008-03-25T13:20:00.002-05:00

While I was in Seattle last week, L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s new hardcover collection VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL was released from Tor. Cover illustration by me. I saw the finished book for the first time when I did my signing at University Bookstore. I'm very pleased to say that while I was away, I received three emails from folks saying they bought the book because of my cover art. Thanks! :)

This book's a heckuva "greatest hits" short story collection from Modesitt and the stories span the length of his career. Modesitt fans will love it. Hard sf readers will love it. Folks who believe "God is in the details" will love it. I wish I could remember who did the design on this jacket, but when I receive comp copies, I'll look for the name on the jacket flap. The finished print job (gloss vs. matte decisions, especially) turned out very nice....so hat's off to the designer and I'll blog again about this when I get your name. Final note: I would've posted the finished book art with the type, but I noticed that Amazon's thumbnail image has whacked-out color and looks weird. So rest assured, the book looks good, and looks like the image seen here.

Home again, home again....

2008-03-24T23:27:00.012-05:00

....jiggedy-jig. Traci and I are back home after an unreal and amazing week in Seattle. A few highlights:

1. Our 1st anniversary -- March 17th: we arrived in Seattle. Pike Place Market was even more fabulous than we expected. Il Bistro was as romantic as it gets. However, our highlight was the Six-Seven at the Edgewater Hotel. Yes, it's the place where the Beatles famously fished out of their hotel room window. However, Traci and I will instead remember it for its picture-perfect views of Elliott Bay, great happy hour drinks (homemade gin and tonic!), elegant modernism, and the super-cool Edward Scissortree decor.

2. Three days of food, sun (yes, sun in Seattle in March), and sights -- A few Seattle faves on our 1st journey there: Serious Pie (fabulous wood-fired gourmet pizza); the Dahlia Lounge (decadent triple coconut cream pie); Seattle Mystery Bookshop; Seattle Paperworks in Pike Place Market; Piroshky Piroshky (smoked salmon pate piroshky -- we lust for these pastries even now); the amazing Zanadu Comics flagship store; and the mind-blowing Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum (thanks, Therese!!). :) Monorail and EMPSFM pictured above.

3. University Bookstore: the great and powerful Duane Wilkins calls the shots for sf/fantasy at this super-mecca. One of the most diverse and thoughtful selections you'll see anywhere, as well as one of the most badass graphic design shelves I've ever seen in any bookstore. I signed there Wednesday night along with Patrick Rothfuss, Naomi Novik (in town for her first-ever GOH appearance -- go, Naomi), and some very cool new friends (mad shoutouts to them below).

4. Norwescon 31 Highlight #1: Jeremy Lassen (or as he prefers -- Jeremy Fuckin Lassen)...Jeremy and I have known each other a lot of years but Friday night at Norwescon was downright surreal. I still doubt it actually happened...probably a waking dream. It went something like this: I dreamed that I was in a sprawling labyrinthine hotel and there was a huge con going on, full of costumed freakery floating through the halls. Jer was pimping large in one of his signature zoots and he and I were trolling the halls together looking for friends and parties. We encountered the following sights along our journey: an auction for slaves and chocolate (WTF?); a hotel room where nurses in tight-fitting uniforms offered handmade sushi; across from the nurses, a blacklight room with pounding techno music and lots of black leather in the shadows; a party with a sign on the door that required a $50 cover charge for entry and when we opened the door, a guy sat on his bed staring at his TV (we promptly pivoted and scurried away...fast); a generous and festive Radcon room party; and a visit to Maxi's atop the hotel where we were completely alien to the R&B clubbers, yet Jer was ogled approvingly by the ladies in the house for his pimp threads. However, none of this could prepare us for The Party At The End of the Universe at the La Quinta Across The Street. One word -- bacchanalia. Sheer. Unadulterated. Bacchanalia. Heaven help the poor souls in this hotel that WEREN'T attending Norwescon. This wasn't a party; this was an Animal House techno-rave in Wonderland, and Alice lost her mind five drinks ago. Imagine dark, pounding goth/techno dance floors packed with costumed flesh, connected to a gigantic outdoor party tent where a lone barman serves all manner of libations to more costumed masses unleashing their inner freak. Lots and lots of costumes, and lots and lots of inner freak. Like I said, it probably didn't really happen and in fact, was all just a dream....

5. Norwescon 31 Highlight #2: New friends....The-Force-of-Nature-That-Is-Cherie Priest; her super-cool husband Aric; Mario Acevedo (homeboy! See you down the road for sure); Kat Richardson and husband Jim; Richelle Mead; Caitlin Kittredge; and Mark Henry.....you folks are a pleasure to be around. You know you're with pros when you hear the following...."I've gotta get back to my room and work on my workshop material" (Caitlin Kittredge transitioning seamlessly from partyhopping-to-business at 12:30am...damn, that's pro....); "....so, yeah, after I finished my second masters degree...." (super-cool Richelle Mead gracefully and graciously lets me know that one of us is probably a member of Mensa, and it's not me); and "the titles of my books so far are X-RATED BLOOD SUCKERS, THE NYMPHOS OF ROCKY FLATS, and THE UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA" (none other than Mad Mario Acevedo). You people rock. Holler anytime....

6. Norwescon 31 Highlight #3: Jon Armstrong....pictured left in a psychic staredown match with editor/publisher Lassen at the PKDs....his book GREY (Night Shade Books) was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Awards on Friday night, along with six others including Adam Roberts' GRADISIL (Pyr) and Sean Williams' SATURN RETURNS. Jon didn't win on this night, but I suspect he'll have awards victories aplenty in future. A hilarious guy, and a pleasure to hang out with all weekend.

7. Norwescon 31 Highlight #4: Jay Lake and Ken Scholes....Jay was awesome as always. That was a fun dinner at Roasters!! (Special shoutout to the guy that covered the tab for the whole freaking table of 12....his name was Scott, right? Scott (if I have his name correct) also managed to sport one of the coolest utilty belts ever, with flasks of prime whisky at the ready....I salute you, sir.) Congrats to Ken on his forthcoming first book from Tor....go, man, go.

8. Norwescon 31 Highlight #5: Adrienne Loska....who raised over $3400 at Norwescon, for Alzheimer's research with her Match-It-For-Pratchett efforts. Wow.....way to go, Adrienne!

9. Norwescon 31 Highlight #6: Dan and Karen Simmons....Traci loved Dan's book THE TERROR and we very much enjoyed our quality time with these good folks. Great meal at Dave's Diner on Sunday night and Traci and Karen even managed to escape the con and hit the Seattle Art Museum on Saturday (for which I was very jealous).

10. Norwescon 31 Highlight #7: WEIRD TALES' 85th Anniversary Party....congrats, WEIRD TALES!!! Good times.

Whew....Norwescon 31 was a blast, and the con's smofs and conrunners know how to do a show the right way. 3000-plus attendees this year and going very strong. Doug and Pat Booze -- you put on a terrific art show. William Sadorus, Sunny Jim, and Tracy Knoedler -- you made everything look easy, and Traci and I can't thank you enough for your hospitality. Jordan Orr and Walt Thomas -- thanks for making the slideshow work smoothly! Don Glover -- that's one of the classiest con booklets I've ever seen. Top to bottom -- this con was a joy and worth the effort to travel all the way from Texas. Maybe we can do it all over again another year soon!

The SPECTRUM 15 Artist List

2008-03-11T13:54:00.003-05:00

Via Irene Gallo, I've seen the artist list for SPECTRUM 15, edited by Arnie and Cathy Fenner. Good news -- I'm on the list! :) Not sure which piece was selected, but I'll know in due time. Congrats to everyone else who made the cut as well.

Coming soon to Seattle

2008-03-07T10:23:00.003-06:00

Hey, Seattle -- I'll be there soon. Here's where you can find me:

Wednesday, March 19th / 7pm
PRE-NORWESCON AUTHOR PARTY
University Book Store
4326 University Way NE / Seattle / WA / 98105 / 206-634-3400 (Event made possible by the mighty Duane Wilkins of University Book Store....see you soon, Duane!)

Featured guests include Mario Acevedo / Warren Hammond / Richelle Mead / Naomi Novik / John Picacio / Cherie Priest / Patrick Rothfuss / Bruce Taylor

I'll be signing copies of ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS as well as my hardcover artbook COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO.

Following that, I'll be at NORWESCON 31 (March 20-23). My schedule:

THE INVERTED FANTASY HERO / Thursday 9pm / Cascade 4
Panel discussion about turning "bad" character types and monsters into sympathetic protagonists and why we still love anti-heroes.
Mario Acevedo (M), Michael Ehart, Christopher Konker, Mimi Noyes, John Picacio

FROM PAGE TO SHELF / Friday 1pm / Cascade 9
Panel discussion of the publication process and timeline in major SF/F publishing.
John Picacio (M), Steve Winter, Dan Simmons

AUTOGRAPH SESSION / Saturday Noon / Evergreen 1 & 2

JOHN PICACIO SLIDE SHOW / Saturday 2pm / Evergreen 4

Seattle's a long way from here, so unfortunately, I don't make it there often. If you're in the area, don't be a stranger. :)

Philcon Calling!

2008-03-07T10:11:00.003-06:00

Great news! I'm the Artist Guest of Honor at Philcon 72, the Philadelphia Conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy, November 21-23, 2008. Philcon's the longest-running literary sf con in America, and I'm proud to be a part of it this year. I've never been to Philly before, so if anyone has recommendations (eats, shops, sights, etc.), let me know. More on this show, as details solidify....

Chimaeracon 2008

2008-03-05T10:30:00.004-06:00

I'll be there Saturday, March 15. The con is billed as a "South Texas Gaming Fest" which is generally not the kind of con I attend. However, Gilder McCarroll was kind enough to invite me and since it's in my hometown, why not? Should be good times. I'll have a dealers table and some assorted works for sale. If you live here in San Antonio or the surrounding area, come check it out as this is the only 2008 appearance I've scheduled for SA (for book signing and such, that is). :)

Here's to you, Richard Powers

2008-03-03T14:02:00.004-06:00

...and to all of your fellow 2008 Inductees into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame -- Ian & Betty Ballantine, Rod Serling, and William Gibson. If you think that's Richard Powers the novelist, you've got the wrong Powers. I'm talking about Richard Powers, the seminal sf artist about whom John Clute said: "When we think of 1950s science fiction, we may see Kelly Freas, but, when we dream, we dream Richard Powers." Powers' art is bar none, amongst the most powerful and influential work in sf history. His work expanded the possibilities of sf art beyond the limits of pulp.

And yet despite his mighty influence on the trajectory of sf cover art for the 50's, 60's and beyond, Powers was never formally recognized by any of sf's major accolades, including the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. I'm not an expert on Powers, and his career long preceded mine, but I suspect he probably didn't care much about awards. So perhaps it didn't matter to him that the field for which he gave so much, never formally recognized his body of work.

Fast forward to 2007 -- I was asked to be one of the judges for the Science Fiction Hall of Fame's 2008 class of inductees. I was not only honored to be in the company of my fellow judges, but delighted to make the case for Richard Powers. He wasn't inducted by me. He was inducted by our whole team, as were the other inductees, which were sometimes fiercely, but thoughtfully debated. It was a team effort -- Charles Stross, Ellen Datlow, Nancy Kress, Michael Cassutt, Ellen Asher, Robin Wayne Bailey, and me; that was this year's judging crew. Congrats to all of this year's inductees and their families; I was proud and humbled to be part of this process. Richard Powers -- wherever you are -- as of June 21, 2008, you'll forevermore be a Science Fiction Hall of Famer, the formal recognition your work deserved all these years, and will now deservedly have.

(pictured above: Richard Powers' cover illustration for Edmund Hamilton's THE STAR OF LIFE)