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.

~

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.

~

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! If you have been to Boskone, you know we love our filk, which is a wonderful combination of folk music and speculative fiction themes that will hook you. We are especially excited about this year’s Featured Filkers. So, without further ado, please help us welcome Vixy & Tony to Boskone 53.

Bio: Vixy & Tony started when the founding members found filk; Tony at California filk and sci-fi conventions, and Vixy at house filks and conventions in Washington. If they’d both stayed home, they might never have met, but, being wandering souls, they met in the middle at Orycon in Portland, Oregon. After a couple of successive Orycons spent listening to one another, they came together by chance in concert at one fateful Baycon in 2005 (“wanna sing with me?” “sure, why not?”) and have been performing together ever since.

Singer and songwriter Vixy is formerly of the filk group Escape Key, originally formed with her husband Matthew on guitar and their friend Audrey Eschright on flute. Their 2001 album, Shadowbeast, contains the Pegasus Award-winning song “The Girl That’s Never Been”.

As luck would have it, just as Matthew decided to quit guitar in order to spend more time on mad science and wilderness adventures, Tony relocated to Seattle. He brought with him a guitar, a golden ear, and a dream of producing an album, and Vixy & Tony was born. The first tangible result of this union, Thirteen, was released in April 2008, and was met with glowing reviews, as well as another Pegasus for the song “Emerald Green”. Thirteen also contains the long-awaited studio rendition of the popular Firefly anthem “Mal’s Song”, a brilliant blending of the TV show’s theme song with new verses written by Vixy.

Over time, Vixy & Tony expanded into a quartet, joined by cellist Betsy Tinney and violinist Sunnie Larsen, though they are keeping the band name unchanged. Now, in addition to performing at filk and sci-fi conventions, Vixy & Tony, joined by Betsy and Sunnie, can be found playing at coffee shops, bookstores, and other venues in the Pacific Northwest. Their easygoing style, catchy songs, accessible lyrics, and energetic performances can be enjoyed by both sci-fi fans and mainstream music fans alike, all of which earned them the Best Performer Pegasus Award in 2008, and the Best Writer/Composer Pegasus Award in 2009.

Disguised by day as Michelle Dockrey*, mild-mannered officemouse, and Tony Fabris, mild-mannered codemonkey, they spend their evenings and weekends in a secret underground lair known as Monkey Brains Studios, plotting world domination through audio recording. Or playing Rock Band. Whichever.

For our members who aren’t familiar with “filk,” how would you describe it to them?

Filk is the folk music of sci-fi and fantasy fandom. It’s been a tradition at SF cons for more than 50 years, and it happens naturally whenever you’ve got fans who are also songwriters. Filk songs can be serious or funny, original or parody, and can be set in a variety of different styles and instrumentations. Song topics are frequently about SF books or shows, but can really be about any topic that fans identify with. At cons, after the regular programming is done, we filkers gather in a circle with our guitars, and share our songs with each other late into the night. It’s wonderful because in filk, there are amazing songs and performers you can’t find anywhere else. Filk means different things to different people, and the songs vary widely in style, but the main commonality is that the members of the filk community self-identify as such, and we all feel at home in a filk circle. The definition of a filk song is “any song written by someone who calls themselves a filker”. The Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filk_music has more information, and is quite comprehensive.

Musicians often play a variety of genres. What is it about filk and the speculative fiction genre that inspires you?

The stories. Much of filk is about telling a story. Either re-telling of a story from existing SF/F properties in song form, or, coming up with new stories in the same universes. A lot of filk is much like Fan Fiction in that regard. For instance, we wrote a song called “Apprentice” which speculates why Inara from the TV show Firefly made the life choices she made, since it was never explained in the series. Sometimes the stories are about the shared experience of fandom itself, such as Bob Kanefsy’s “False Alarms at Baycon”, a parody song about an incident at a con hotel.

Where do you go or what do you do for musical inspiration?

We get our inspiration from other filkers of course, and also close friends who are filkers or musicians in other genres, and from modern and classic folk, pop, and rock music. We are good friends with Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, filkers from California who play a half-and-half mix of serious music and brilliant song parodies, and who are a constant inspiration to us (and who were Boskone guests last year). We’ve done a lot of great shows with SJ Tucker and Tricky Pixie, and we share a cellist with them.

I (Tony) am a fan of classic rock and progressive rock like Rush and Yes, and Vixy has a wide musical background, having come from a family of musicians. Vixy loves old standards, musicals, and classic rock. Current folk artists we love include Dar Williams, the Indigo Girls, and Show of Hands.

We are also inspired by musicians in the Geek Folk category who, though not always directly involved much with filk, are often beloved by filkers in general: Jonathan Coulton, Marian Call, The Doubleclicks, the PDX Broadsides, Molly Lewis, and others. We have been fortunate to have been able to play shows with some of our musical inspirations on that list. Vixy and I are of course quite fond of our fiddler Sunnie Larsen and our cellist Betsy Tinney; we love the music that they make, and they are an inspiration to us every moment that we are playing together.

Do you have a favorite song that you have written and or performed? What is it about that song that stands out for you?

Most recently, we quite like the song “We Are Who We Are”, our song about what it means to be a geek, or to be “different” in some way, and about our uphill battle to make the world a better place. It’s not on an album yet, but you can find us playing it on YouTube.

You’ve done “covers” before (such as the theme song from Firefly), what covers are out there that you would like to tackle next?

The theme song is a special case, because what we perform is really a medley, only part of which is the theme song. Vixy heard the theme of the TV show, and noticed it sounded like it was incomplete. It sounded like just the chorus of a song, rather than a full song. Since no verses existed to the song yet, she wrote some, and the result is “Mal’s Song“, which is a medley of the TV show theme’s choruses, and Vixy’s original verses.

Our next album (currently in production) is slated to contain covers of two well-known and Pegasus-award-winning filk songs: “Dawson’s Christian” by Duane Elms, and “Uplift” by Andrew Eigel. But really, we have the most fun at live shows when we cover classic rock songs. When we are able to perform with Betsy and Sunnie in the band, it gives us enough instrumental flexibility to be able to do acoustic-folk versions of interesting songs that we loved from our childhood. One of our favorites is to cover Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”, and really blow the roof off with it. Our arrangement is just acoustic guitar, fiddle and cello, and a djembe for the drum part, but the song has an amazing energy that comes through even with the acoustic-only instrumentation. And its lyrics could be interpreted as a Doctor Who filk, if you squint a bit.

We like to cover songs referred to as “found filk”: Songs which, though not originally written as filk songs, fit perfectly in the genre. A good example is “’39” by Queen: it’s a song about Einsteinian time dilation during space travel, smack dab in the middle of Queen’s most popular rock album. The lyrics are well-disguised enough that most people hearing the song don’t notice what it’s really about until you point it out to them. It makes even more sense when you learn that the songwriter, Queen’s guitarist Brian May, is an astrophysicist.

I don’t know what cover we’ll tackle next, but we’re pondering ideas. I’d love to be able to learn something like Yes’ “Roundabout”, but it’d probably kill me in the process; some songs are just out of my league.

~

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 our Special Guests Cathy & Arnie Fenner. We are looking forward to having the Fenners with us this year and are excited to share their interview with you.

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!

Bio: In 1993, Cathy and Arnie combined both their personal and professional interests in the fantastic arts to form Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art—but that has not been the limit of their celebration of the field. They have written, designed, and edited a series of titles devoted to the works of Frank Frazetta, Jeffrey Jones, Jon Foster, Robert E. McGinnis, John Jude Palencar, Dave Stevens, and many others that have been published by Underwood Books. The Fenners have also co-curated (with Irene Gallo and Gregory Manchess) two Spectrum exhibits at the Museum of American Illustration in New York City and have sponsored numerous student scholarships for aspiring artists. Together they’ve received ten Locus Awards and been nominated for the Hugo Award. Cathy and Arnie are constantly thinking of ways to expand the public’s awareness of and appreciation for the fantastic arts and the people who create it; they’re currently working on a new book about the history of the field. In addition, they are the head organizers of the annual event, Spectrum Fantastic Art Live. (from the Spectrum website.)

For people who are unfamiliar with Spectrum, how would you describe it? What inspired you to start Spectrum?

Spectrum is an annual competition for “the best in contemporary fantastic art” that began in 1993. Modeled after similar competitions for the illustration field, artists, art directors, and publishers submit work for consideration. Entries are divided into eight categories—Advertising, Book, Comics, Concept Art, Editorial, Institutional, and Unpublished—and a jury of their peers selects what they consider “the best” for inclusion in the full color Spectrum book. The jury also presents a Gold and a Silver Award in each category for art they consider exceptional. The Spectrum annual has become a valuable resource for art directors and collectors looking for talent and also serves as a visual history book for the F&SF field.

The two prime inspirations for Spectrum were the 1978 art book Tomorrow and Beyond: Masterpieces of Science Fiction Art edited by Ian Summers, and the Science Fiction Exhibition at the Museum of American Illustration co-curated by Wayne Douglas Barlowe and Michael R. Whelan in 1984. Both highlighted the depth and diversity of the Fantastic Art community, but were limited to one book and one show: we believed that there was enough interest to sustain something annually and, fortunately we were right.

But another inspiration was the desire to help promote the creators and this type of art and, hopefully, grow the awareness and appreciation for it. Until Spectrum, artists were often working in anonymity and genre art was often overlooked (if not derided) in other competitions. It tended to be ignored in both the illustration and gallery markets as a whole: not anymore. Spectrum helped provide a rallying spot—a community—in which the artists could receive recognition and their voices could be heard.

What has been the most satisfying achievement, moment, or memory in in your career?

That’s a difficult question! Overall, it would be finally taking the plunge and starting Spectrum—after too many years of talking about it—and having it embraced and supported by the artists. For something more specific, it’s probably the night we hosted the first live Spectrum awards ceremony in 2012. Up until then, the jury awards were announced and mailed to the various recipients without much fanfare, but when we sponsored the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live convention we were able to present them at a gala event with all of the glitz we’ve always felt the art community deserved. We rented a historic theater, featured live performances by Android Jones and Quixotic Fusion, and put the presenters and honorees on a gigantic stage with their art projected onto a 30 foot screen in front of an audience of their friends, families, and peers. It was the artists’ time in the spotlight and was, as they say, a night to remember.

If you could work with any artist (alive or dead) on an exhibit of your choice, who would you choose? Why that person?

Wow! That’s another hard one: there are so many. Maybe Howard Pyle, widely considered “the father of American illustration,” simply because he was so influential, as both an artist and educator, when it comes to narrative art. Maybe Rose O’Neill because she was a pathfinder for many women illustrators today and by all accounts incredibly eccentric (which would make working with her interesting). And it would be nice to organize a comprehensive show devoted to the work of Leo and Diane Dillon; their contribution to our field is under appreciated and people would be surprised at both the variety and the quantity of their art. Plus, it would be fun to wrestle with Harlan Ellison—a close friend of many years—to persuade him to loan some of the major Dillon paintings in his collection for a show.

Diversity in SF/F is a very hot topic right now. While we’re seeing more diversity in fiction, is there equal attention being paid to diversity in art? Is there anyone who stands out as a rising star?

The arts community is more diverse than ever and continues to expand. Which is understandable, really. Race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or location don’t matter when it comes to being an artist; having an imagination, skills, and the driving passion to succeed is all that’s necessary. New rising stars seem to emerge every year, each special for their own unique reasons. Karla Ortiz, Jeffrey Alan Love, and Cynthia Sheppard are just three of a veritable army of young artists who come to mind that we’re sure will become icons in the coming years.

What projects are you working on now or looking forward to in the future?

We’re working on a definitive collection of Virgil Finlay’s art for Underwood Books as well as gathering material for Spectrum Paradigm, a sort of who’s-who and what’s-what for the F&SF art field. We’ve also got plans for an art magazine despite all the pitfalls and challenges that face the print format in the digital age—but if vinyl can make a comeback and find a viable audience, there’s no reason why we can’t, too. And we’ve put our heads together with John Fleskes, our successor as Spectrum Director, in planning the fifth Spectrum Fantastic Art Live convention.

This year, the Boskone Blog is hosting a special interview series during the month of September that features each of Boskone 53’s guests. We thought it would be a fun way to introduce our guests to you and to start the fun a little earlier than usual. You can also visit the Boskone 53 website anytime to purchase your Boskone membership at the pre-convention rate (and save some money).

To kick off the Boskone Guest Interview Series, we bring you Boskone 53’s Guest of Honor: Garth Nix. We are delighted to have Garth with us at Boskone this year. For those of you who haven’t yet had the chance to read his work, you are in for a treat. We hope you enjoy this interview, and we look forward to seeing you all at Boskone in February 2016!

Bio: Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. A full-time writer since 2001, he has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth’s books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen; Clariel, a prequel in the Abhorsen series; the cult favorite teen science fiction novel Shade’s Children; and his critically acclaimed collection of short stories, To Hold the Bridge. His fantasy novels for younger readers include The Ragwitch, the six books of the Seventh Tower sequence, the Keys to the Kingdom series, and A Confusion of Princes. His books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the Guardian, and the Australian, and his work has been translated in forty languages. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children. For more information, visit Garth’s website, friend him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.

If you could read any book right now, what book would it be and why?

Right now, I am reading old books, filling in gaps. For example, I’d never read any Anthony Trollope, so I read most of his books last year. So right now I would like to discover a writer I’ve never heard about before, perhaps from the late 19th or early 20th century, who has half a dozen books I can wallow in for a while. I read very widely, so it wouldn’t have to be genre. It could be non-fiction too, since I often go on a non-fiction reading spree for a while.

You have worked in nearly ever facet of the publishing industry. How has that experience affected your career as a writer?

It has helped me greatly, because understanding how the book business works makes it somewhat more possible to get the most out of opportunities and to work more effectively with key partners: my agents, publishers and booksellers. It also helps me put both successes and failures into an overall perspective and move on from them, which is necessary for continuing to concentrate on the writing.

Many of your books are written for Middle Grade or Young Adult readers. What do you enjoy most about writing within these genres and for these readers?

I think there is a distinct difference between children’s books and Young Adult books, the former are for children (but the good ones will also have a lot to offer adults), the latter are not for children but are for adults beginning with younger ones, but are not limited by the age of the adult.

They offer different attractions as both a reader and writer. I guess I like children’s stories partly because of the purity of story, and the necessity to keep the prose sparse without necessarily sacrificing beauty. I probably like Young Adult fiction because it typically concerns a young adult and their first adult experiences, choices and consequences. But I tend not to analyze the category of what I write, I make up stories and somewhere along the way it becomes clear how they can most effectively be sold. This is not the same as who they are for, because in my mind, all my stories are for everyone once they are mature enough to safely comprehend the particular content, themes, action and so forth. This may be an intellectual/emotional age of four or fifteen or anywhere in between, depending on the story, with no upper limit.

In all of your books and stories, do you have a favorite character? Or a character who has stuck with you after the story was published? What is it about this character that has made him/her so compelling for you?

I don’t have favorite characters as a rule. I like them all, or at least all the ones that end up in the final manuscript. I have cut out characters that while being perfectly personable and interesting, haven’t added to the story or worse, have actively distracted from the story. I guess I am much more focused on the overall story than I am by character. The characters have a story purpose and to fulfill that purpose, must seem as real as I can make them, but I tend not to think about them once the writing is done. Until I need them again, of course, for a sequel or related story!

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished a completely unexpected and unnecessary (in the sense no one is waiting for it) children’s novel, with a title that must remain secret for now. But I am also working on the next novel in the Old Kingdom series, which picks up pretty much from the end of Abhorsen and the novella ‘The Creature in the Case’. It has a secret title too, and is simply known as Old Kingdom #5. And, as always, I am noodling about with some short fiction and a screenplay or two.

FAN QUESTIONS:

Is there a particular book/story/piece of artwork that started you on the path of your career? (Valerie Alberti)

Not one in particular, but I would say that many books and artworks had a huge influence, particularly the ones I read between the ages of say seven and sixteen. A forensic literary detective (if there was such a thing) would find many very important influences in my work, including but by no means limited to Tolkien, Le Guin, Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander, Alan Garner, C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, John Masefield, Rosemary Sutcliff, E. Nesbit, Dickens, Asimov, Ronald Welch, Georgette Heyer, Joy Chant, Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson, Sheri S. Tepper, Barbara Leonie Picard, J.P. Martin, Roald Dahl . . .

What are your comfort reads? (Daniel Pelletier)

All of the above! Plus many more. I like to re-read favorite books. The good ones have many layers of meaning and can offer new things as well as the comfort of the old, because as a reader I will have changed (though perhaps only a little) between readings.

~

Special thanks to Garth Nix for taking the time to help us kick off the Boskone Guest Interview Series. Stay tuned for our next guest interview and be sure to visit the convention’s website to learn more about Boskone 53.

September is here and we’re already hard at work planning next year’s convention, which is happening a week later than normal. So, mark your calendars for February 19-21, 2016 at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA. Over the next few months, we’ll be:

Posting fun interviews with this year’s guests.

Posting more mini interviews with our program participants.

Sharing special Boskone Book updates.

Giving you the inside scoop on events & program highlights.

AND…

Planning more Free Friday Afternoon events for Boskone 53.

So, be sure to pick up your Boskone 53 membership and get ready for fun. Here are some quick links to get you started:

• Buy Your Membership
• See if you have Purchased a Membership 
• Volunteer for Boskone
• Contact the Program Committee
• View the List of Program Participants

The Chesley Award nominations are out for this year’s award, which are awarded at WorldCon (aka Sasquan) in August 2015. It’s a tremendous list of people and spec fic art work and all of the nominations are well deserved. Congratulations to our Boskone participants and community members who have received a nomination this year.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Chesley Awards, “each year ASFA gives out the Chesley Awards, which are named for the great astronomical artist, Chesley Bonestell. The Chesleys were started in 1985 as a means for the SF and Fantasy art community to recognize individual works and achievements not otherwise recognized by the Hugo Awards, during the previous year.” (from the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists’ website)

Good luck to everyone!

Best Cover Illustration / Hardcover
Julie Dillon, Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology edited by Brandon Sanderson; Dragonsteel Entertainment, June 2014
Jon Foster, Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi; Subterranean Press, 2014
Todd Lockwood, The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan; Tor, March 2014
John Picacio, Endymion by Dan Simmons; Limited Edition, Subterranean Press, December 2014
Michael Whelan, Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson; Tor, March 2014

Best Cover Illustration – Paperback
John Harris, Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie; Orbit October 2014
Jon Sullivan, The Return of the Discounted Man by Mark Hodder; Pyr, July 2014
Raymond Swanland, The Lady by K.V. Johansen; Pyr, December 2014
Danielle Tunstall, Unseaming by Mike Allen; Antimatter Press, October 2014
Raoul Vitale, Nebula Awards Showcase 2014 edited by Kij Johnson; Prometheus/Pyr

Best Cover Illustration – Magazine
Julie Dillon Analog April 2014
Matt Dixon, Clarkesworld #90 March 2014
Wayne Haag, Interzone #253 July/August 2014
Patrick Jones, Analog March 2014
Jae Lee, Batman/Superman #14 DC Comics October 2014
Peter Mohrbacher, Lightspeed #48 May 2014
Dan Dos Santos, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #3 Dark Horse, March 2014

Best Interior Illustration
Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso, “Ekaterina and the Firebird” by Abra Staffin-Wiebe; Tor.com, January 2014
Galen Dara, “A City of Its Tentacles” by Rose Lemberg; Lackinton’s #1 February 2014
Julie Dillon, Imagined Realms: Book 1 July/August; Kickstarter December 2014
Scott Gustafson, Classic Bedtime Stories; Artisan, September 2014
Karla Ortiz, “The Walking Stick Forest” by Anna Tambour; Tor.com May 2014
John Picacio, Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza; Tor.com October 2014

Best Gaming Related Illustration
Noah Bradley, Drown in Sorrow Magic card, Born of the Gods; WotC, Feb. 2014
Eric Deschamps, Ephara, God of Polis Magic card, Born of the Gods; WotC, Feb. 2014
Michael Komarck, D&D The Rise of Tiamat; WotC, Oct. 2014
Peter Mohrbacher, Pharika, God of Affliction Magic card, Journey into Nyx; WotC, May 2014
Karla Ortiz, Ghoulcaller Gisa Magic card, Commander 2014; WotC, Nov. 2014
Chris Rahn, Ajani the Steadfast Magic card, 2015 Core Set; WotC, July 2014

Best Product Illustration
Frank Cho & Brandon Peterson, Fast Food New York ComicCon 2014 art print
Donato Giancola, George R.R. Martin Song of Ice and Fire 2015 calendar Bantam, 2014
Patrick Jones, Conan The Conquered Illuxcon promotional art
John Picacio, La Calavera Loteria card Lone Boy
Raymond Swanland, One with the Light Limited Edition Giclee on canvas Acme Archives 2014

Best Color Work – Unpublished
Linda Adair, Dragonsbride oil
Michael C. Hayes, Alegretto oils
Reiko Murakami, Giving Name Photoshop
Mark Poole, Omens oils
Dorian Vallejo, Crossing oil on canvas
Annie Stegg Gerard, The Lady of Lorien oil on linen

Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished
Kristina Carroll, “Dragonslayer” charcoal
Sean Murray, “Gateway: The Storkfriars” graphite
John Picacio, El Venado, graphite
Olivier Villoingt, “The Soul of War” graphite & acrylic
Allen Williams, “Sphynx” graphite
Rebecca Yanovskaya, “Wisdom” ink & mixed media

Best Three-Dimensional Art
Dan Chudzinski, The Mudpuppy, resin & mixed media
David Meng, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King
Michael Parkes, Meditation, bronze
Forest Rogers, A Fish from Versailles, Kato polyclay
Virginie Ropars, Morrigan, polymer clay & mixed media
Vincent Villafranca, Modernity’s Squeaky Child, bronze & steel

Best Art Director
Lou Anders, Pyr
Shelly Bond, DC/Vertigo Comics
Irene Gallo, Tor & Tor.com
Jeremy Jarvis, Wizards of the Coast
Lauren Panepinto, Orbit Books

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award
Kinuko Craft
John Harris
Gregory Manchess
Iain McCaig

Note: This post has been updated to correct the title and mention when the Chesley Awards will be announced.

Boskone is interested in knowing what you think. Whether you attended Boskone 52 or not, we would love to hear about what you want in a convention and what we can include that would make your experience better.

So, we have put together a short survey for our community members. This is your chance to help us to improve upon what we are doing well and to change what isn’t currently working.

We’d be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to complete our survey and share your thoughts with us. After all, Boskone is your convention and we want to make it the best convention possible. Thank you for your help.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America are pleased to announce the nominees for the 2014 Nebula Awards (presented 2015), nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Novel

• The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Tor)
• Trial by Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)
• Ancillary Sword, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu ( ), translated by Ken Liu (Tor)
• Coming Home, Jack McDevitt (Ace)
• Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer (FSG Originals; Fourth Estate; HarperCollins Canada)

Novella

• We Are All Completely Fine, Daryl Gregory (Tachyon)
• Yesterday’s Kin, Nancy Kress (Tachyon)
• “The Regular,” Ken Liu (Upgraded)
• “The Mothers of Voorhisville,” Mary Rickert (Tor.com 4/30/14)
• Calendrical Regression, Lawrence M. Schoen (NobleFusion)
• “Grand Jeté (The Great Leap),” Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer ’14)

Novelette

• “Sleep Walking Now and Then,” Richard Bowes (Tor.com 7/9/14)
• “The Magician and Laplace’s Demon,” Tom Crosshill (Clarkesworld 12/14)
• “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai’i,” Alaya Dawn Johnson (F&SF 7-8/14)
• “The Husband Stitch,” Carmen Maria Machado (Granta #129)
• “We Are the Cloud,” Sam J. Miller (Lightspeed 9/14)
• “The Devil in America,” Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com 4/2/14)

Short Story

• “The Breath of War,” Aliette de Bodard (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 3/6/14)
• “When It Ends, He Catches Her,” Eugie Foster (Daily Science Fiction 9/26/14)
• “The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye,” Matthew Kressel (Clarkesworld 5/14)
• “The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family,” Usman T. Malik (Qualia Nous)
• “A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide,” Sarah Pinsker (F&SF 3-4/14)
• “Jackalope Wives,” Ursula Vernon (Apex 1/7/14)
• “The Fisher Queen,” Alyssa Wong (F&SF 5/14)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Edge of Tomorrow, Screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Guardians of the Galaxy, Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Interstellar, Written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan (Paramount Pictures)
• The Lego Movie, Screenplay by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller  (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

• Unmade, Sarah Rees Brennan (Random House)
• Salvage, Alexandra Duncan (Greenwillow)
• Love Is the Drug, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
• Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, A.S. King (Little, Brown)
• Dirty Wings, Sarah McCarry (St. Martin’s Griffin)
• Greenglass House, Kate Milford (Clarion)
• The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Leslye Walton (Candlewick)

About the Nebula Awards

The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of SFWA. Voting will open to SFWA Active members on March 1 and close on March 30.  More information is available from http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/how-to-vote/.

About the Nebula Awards Weekend

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s 50^th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois, June 4 through 7, 2015. The weekend will include tours and workshops, including workshops on self-publishing and IP law and other legal issues of interest to writers.

For a very limited time you can buy your Boskone 53 membership at the special Boskone 52 rate. The special rate won’t last long so visit the Boskone Membership page today.

Special Boskone 53 Membership Pricing:

• Adult Full Convention: $40
• College Student Full Convention: $30 (school ID required)
• K-12 Full Convention: $20 (school ID may be required)

We are also pleased to announce the guests for Boskone 53, which will be held the weekend of February 19-21, 2016 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Mark your calendars now.

Boskone 53 Guests:

• Guest of Honor: Garth Nix
• Official Artist: Richard Anderson
• Special Guests: Arnie and Cathy Fenner
• Featured Filkers: Vixy & Tony
• NESFA Press Guest: Bob Eggleton