If you still need to purchase your membership, it’s easy! Pre-convention full weekend and one-day membership rates are available online through Saturday, February 8, 2020. To pick up your name badge and convention materials, come to Registration at the top of the escalator in the Harbor Foyer area.

On-Site Registration Hours

• Friday:  1:00 pm – 8:30 pm
• Saturday:  9:00 am – 6:00 pm
• Sunday:  9:00 am – 12:00 noon

Full Weekend Rates

• Adult Full Convention: $70
• Active Military: $50*
• Young Adult (ages 18-25): $25*
• Child (ages 5-17): $25*
• Kids-in-Tow: $0 (See Below for more information)

Adult Day Rates:

• Friday: $25
• Saturday: $50
• Sunday: $20

Young Adult (ages 18-25)*

• Friday: $20
• Saturday: $40
• Sunday: $20

Child (ages 5-17)*

• Friday: $10
• Saturday: $20
• Sunday: $10

All children (ages 7–12) who use Dragonslair services must be convention members. However, children who stay with their parents at all times are considered “kids-in-tow,” and need not have memberships. (“Kids-in-tow” do not receive any convention materials.) We are not able to offer babysitting through the convention.

At-Convention Membership Purchase

If you miss the online registration window, don’t worry! You can still purchase your membership at Boskone. Registration opens at 1:00 pm on Friday, February 14th. Don’t forget to bring a government-issued or school-issued photo-ID, such as a driver’s license, with you to pick up your badge.

Can’t remember if you purchased your membership already? Visit our membership search page to find out!

 

*ID may be required

With over 350 program items and nearly 200 program participants, there are a lot of things to keep track of at Boskone this year. But we have an app for that!

(Actually, we have your choice of two apps for that!)

With your smart phone, tablet, or computer, you can use the Grenadine Event Planner app or the KonOpas app to personalize your very own Boskone 57 schedule!

Online Schedules

The Boskone 57 schedule is online as a schedule that can be personalized as well as a text-only listing.

The Boskone Schedule Apps

Grenadine Event Guide is an (IOS or Android) application available on your phones and mobile devices. Grenadine is the database we use to set up the Boskone schedule. We have a schedule that can be personalized and can be connected with Grenadine’s mobile app. Once you have installed and launched the application, enter code “Boskone57” to download the correct schedule.

Note: If you have set up a Grenadine account in the past for organizing your Boskone schedule, you can reuse that same account. Otherwise you may need to sign up as a new user.

KonOpas is a web based online schedule that you can view in any browser and can be personalized to export and share with others.  KonOpas will store all its data in the browser so you can still view it when you have no internet connectivity.

Access the KonOpas schedule at http://schedule.boskone.org

Tweet Your Experience

Follow Boskone on Twitter at https://twitter.com/boskonenews, use the hashtag #boskone, and to share your thoughts on Twitter.

Boskone Internet Access

The hotel lobby offers free internet access so that you can keep up with any last minute schedule changes. So, please be sure to refresh your app before heading to the program area since the hotel does not make internet access available in those spaces.

What’s a kaffeeklatsch? It’s a chance to sit in a small group with an author, artist, editor, or publisher for a fun and lively discussion! Come join the discussion and ask them about anything under the sun or beyond the stars.  Kaffeeklatches are one of the gems of Boskone, so newcomers be sure to try one out!

This is your chance to ask that burning question about the new novel. Hear some interesting stories about the struggles of being a writer or making your first sale. You might even meet a new friend, discover some new books for your “to read” list, or compare notes during a critical discussion about a literary theory. These small group discussions are rewarding opportunities to get to know your favorite writer better.

Sign-up Is Required

Seating is limited! Be sure to sign-up early. The sign-up sheets will be available at Program Ops, which is near Registration in the Harbor Foyer at the top of the escalator.

• For kaffeeklatches on Friday or Saturday from 10am-1pm: Signup on Friday starting at 2pm
• For kaffeeklatches on Saturday from 2pm-5pm: Sign up Saturday morning starting at 9:45 am
• For kaffeeklatches on Sunday: Sign up Saturday starting at 1pm

KAFFEEKLATSCH SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

6:00 PM Errick Nunnally
6:00 PM Brendan DuBois
7:00 PM Julie C. Day & Erin Roberts
7:00 PM Tui Sutherland

SATURDAY

10:00 AM Ruth Sanderson & Dave Seeley
10:00 AM Charlaine Harris
11:00 AM John Kessel
11:00 AM Holly Black
1:00 PM Tonia Thompson
1:00 PM Adam Stemple & Jane Yolen
2:00 PM Mur Lafferty
2:00 PM Nicholas Kaufmann
3:00 PM Jeffrey A. Carver
4:00 PM Paul Tremblay
4:00 PM Karl Schroeder
5:00 PM Diana Rowland
5:00 PM Cadwell Turnbull
6:00 PM Joshua Bilmes
6:00 PM Bracken MacLeod

SUNDAY

10:00 AM Esther Friesner
10:00 AM Max Gladstone
11:00 AM Theodora Goss
11:00 AM Tabitha Lord
12:00 PM Beth Meacham
12:00 PM Jim Burns
1:00 PM Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
1:00 PM Cheshire Moon
2:00 PM David B. Coe/ D.B. Jackson
2:00 PM Brianna Wu & Frank Wu

We look forward to seeing you February 14-16 for Boskone 57 and another great convention! The complete program is now available both as a text-only list as well as a customizable schedule. Written below are some of Boskone’s highlights along with some informational tips.

Free Friday Afternoon Programming:
Programming on Friday, February 14th is (free to the public) from 2:00-6:00 pm. Memberships are required after 6:00 pm on Friday and throughout the rest of the convention.

Personalize Your Schedule
There is so much to do this year that you may want to download the mobile scheduling app for Grenadine or KonOpas. Instructions are available on Boskone’s Going Mobile page.

Register Today!
Buy your Boskone 57 membership today and don’t miss a moment of fun at this year’s convention. Full weekend memberships as well as day rates are available.

If you have any questions about programming, please contact our Program Committee at program@boskone.org.

Friday Highlights

3:30 PM (free to the public)
Welcome to Boskone (I)
Laurie Mann, Brenda Noiseux
Independence · 50 min · Docent Tour
New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a short discussion about what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet new people. Then join our docent for a stroll around the con.

5:00 PM (free to the public)
Young Adult Fiction Guest Interview: Holly Black
Holly Black, Kelly Link
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
Meet Holly Black! With over 30 fantasy novels for kids and teens, Holly has earned her place as one of YA’s most beloved authors. Get the inside scoop on what makes Holly tick in this special interview with her longtime friend Kelly Link. From new shoes to new books, the conversation is sure to wander into magical, unexplored territory that can only be navigated by two master storytellers who know each other well. Warning: There may be laughter.

6:00 PM
Great Website Designs & A Special Boskone Reveal
Deena Warner, Matthew Warner, Erin Underwood (M), Melanie Meadors, David Marshall
Harbor II · 50 min · Panel
Websites are essential marketing tools for authors and artists to connect with fans. What does it take to create a great one? What do readers want to see? How fancy or snazzy should it be? What information must you include? Get tips from the pros about how to design a site that fits your needs. Plus come see a special reveal of the brand-new redesign for next year’s Boskone 58 website.

7:00 PM
Hal Clement Science Speaker Interview Featuring Jon Singer
Jon Singer, Geri Sullivan
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
You might say that our Hal Clement Science Speaker this year is poly-curious … About science, people! Jon Singer is curious about all kinds of things relating to science. Long ago a tech writer for Apple and Microsoft, and more recently a researcher about, well, nearly everything, Jon will talk with his friend Boskone SMOF Geri Sullivan about a few things on his mind tonight. Possibly including but certainly not limited to lasers, ceramic glazes, food, roses, calligraphy inks, the role of science in all the above, and the polycentric ways that science intersects with art and life.

9:00 PM
Opening Ceremony: Meet the Guests
Holly Black, Jim Burns, Eric Coleman, Lizzie Crowe, Kim Stanley Robinson, Susan Weiner, Eric Wilkerson, Jon Singer, David G. Grubbs (M), Rick Kovalcik (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Galleria – Art Show · 15 min · Event
Welcome to Boskone, New England’s longest-running convention for fans and creators of science fiction, fantasy, and horror! Whether you are attending for the first time or the fifty-seventh, we invite you to join us in the Galleria to meet this year’s guests:

• GUEST OF HONOR: Kim Stanley Robinson
• YOUNG ADULT FICTION GUEST: Holly Black
• OFFICIAL ARTIST: Eric Wilkerson
• MUSICAL GUEST: Cheshire Moon
• HAL CLEMENT SCIENCE SPEAKER: Jon Singer
• NESFA PRESS GUEST: Jim Burns

9:15 PM
Boskone 57 Reception
Holly Black, Jim Burns, Eric Coleman, Lizzie Crowe, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jon Singer, Susan Weiner, Eric Wilkerson, David G. Grubbs (M), Rick Kovalcik (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Galleria – Art Show · 105 min · Event
Connoisseurs and philistines alike: welcome to the Boskone Art Show! Join us in the Galleria for an upscale social mixer. Meet our program participants while enjoying refreshments, stimulating conversation, and exceptional art that’s a feast for the eyes. Experience the music and festivities as Boskone celebrates another year of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in Boston. This year’s reception is co-sponsored by Tor Books in celebration of their new Tor Essentials line.

Saturday Highlights

10:00 AM
Welcome to Boskone (II) – Meet Up
Tim Szczesuil, Jackie Kamlot
Galleria – Meetup Spot · 50 min · Docent Tour
New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a short discussion about what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet new people. Then join our docent for a stroll around the con.

10:00 AM
Authors New to Boskone! Group Reading
Melissa Caruso, Sara Codair (M), Liz Delton, Cameron Roberson, Gregory Wilson, Isabel Yap
Griffin · 50 min · Reading
Each year we invite a number of fresh faces: authors attending their first Boskone as program participants. This morning’s special event highlights several. Each writer will read for 5 minutes. It’s a great way for you to get a taste of some innovative talents — and bring your questions for the Q& A at hour’s end.

10:00 AM
Official Artist Interview: Eric Wilkerson
Eric Wilkerson, Gerald L. Coleman
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
He’s created amazing art in film, TV, advertising, animation, publishing, and video games for everyone from Random House to Activision, Disney, Marvel, and Weta Workshop. You know you’re looking at a Wilkerson when you see dynamic diversity, light-drenched drama, and the strongest possible connection to the narrative moment. This conversation promises to be similarly stellar. Let’s find out as writer Gerald L. Coleman talks with our Official Artist, Eric Wilkerson.

1:00 PM
Special Fan Exhibit Tour (1)
David Ritter, Daniel Ritter
Galleria – Art Show · 50 min · Docent Tour
Take an informative stroll around the special fan history exhibit with the curator of this extensive and unique display of fandom’s history. It’s an item not to be missed if you enjoy all things fannish.

1:00 PM
Guest of Honor Interview: Kim Stanley Robinson
Gideon Lichfield, Kim Stanley Robinson
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
His masterful SF stories tackle big themes such as environmental sustainability and utopian plausibility. Yet they focus on the little daily dilemmas of his characters: a disabled shaman, a waterlogged New York building super, a pacifistic Muslim nuclear scientist, several Martian revolutionaries, or a strangely endearing starship AI. His work has won the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards, and more. He writes the best infodumps since Moby Dick. Tom Hanks blurbed one of his books … Expect a truly fascinating conversation as Gideon Lichfield, editor in chief of MIT Technology Review, speaks with our GOH, Kim Stanley Robinson.

1:00 PM
Guru of the Game Tournament
Bill Todd (M)
Harbor III – Gaming · 355 min · Gaming
The games: Ticket to Ride (1910), DC Universe Card Game (base), Wingspan, Puerto Rico.

Four games in 5 hours. Tournament starts at 1 pm. Please be in the game room by 12:30 pm. If I call your name and you are not in the room, you will not be allowed to play. Please be prepared to play all 4 games. Quitting the tournament gives a huge advantage to the other players at your table, so please stick with it.

Each game will end in 60 minutes, regardless of whether or not the game is actually over. You earn points based on how you placed. First place gets 10 points, 2nd gets 9, and so on. The top 4 winners get to pick prizes off the table. Once you pick a prize, you own it. You may trade your game(s) for others; however, due to hotel regulations, you cannot sell your game on hotel property. You can ask for help from other players but they are not required to tell the truth. You can ask Bill, who is neutral, but he will not play your game for you.

This is open to all, but you should have a working understanding of the games. Please attend a scheduled demo or see Bill if you need a quick refresher on a particular game.

4:00 PM
NESFA Press Guest Interview: Jim Burns
Jim Burns, Bob Eggleton
Harbor II · 50 min · Interview
He flew jets for the RAF. He contributed preproduction art for Blade Runner. And he’s won three Hugos (so far) over a long career creating sleek starships, convincing creatures, and compelling planetscapes to intrigue science fiction fans worldwide. Let’s see if Bob Eggleton can get Jim Burns to reveal how he crafts such photorealistic renderings — of things that don’t exist.

6:00 PM
Fan Fund Auction
Geri Sullivan
Marina 1 · 50 min · Other
Take science fictional treasures, entertaining tat, and various curiosities home from Boskone by supporting the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund (TAFF), the Down-Under Fan Fund (DUFF), the Otherwise Award, and other worthy fannish activities with your bids at the fan funds live voice auction. Come and exchange your cash for quality merchandise and unique items! (Geri Sullivan, Joe Siclari, Diane Martin, Murray Moore, Mary Ellen Moore)

6:30 PM
Boskone 57 Book Party
Sara Codair, Dave Seeley, Mike Squatrito Jr, Jeff Hecht, Clea Simon, Nicole Givens Kurtz, R.W.W. Greene, Steven Popkes, Gregory Wilson, Errick Nunnally, James Patrick Kelly, Kim Stanley Robinson, Christopher Paniccia, E. C. Ambrose, Jeffrey A. Carver, Erin Underwood (M), Rick Berry, Patricia Morgan Lang, Jim Burns
Galleria – Stage · 60 min · Event
Come join the fun at Boskone 57’s Book Party. You’ll meet the authors and publishers who have new books coming out at the con! This is your chance to see what’s new from writers you already love, as well as those you have yet to discover.

7:00 PM
Reading: NESFA Short Story Finalists
Steven Lee (M), Bob Kuhn, David G. Grubbs, Kit Harding, Jonathan Bronico, Mary Alexandra Agner
Griffin · 50 min · Reading
The finalists in the NESFA Short Story Contest read from their submitted works. (If a finalist can’t attend Boskone, selections from their story will be read on their behalf.)

8:00 PM
Pictionary With the Pros
Bob Kuhn (M), Esther Friesner, Leigh Perry, Frank Wu, Deena Warner, Josh Dahl, Ingrid Kallick, Christine Taylor-Butler, Hillary Monahan
Galleria – Stage · 50 min · Event
Audience members will write down suggestions of speculative fiction movies, plays, novels, comic series, and TV series for our MC. Then, one suggestion at a time, one person from each of our two teams of speculative fiction pros will draw while the rest of their team tries to guess the answer before the other team. Which team of artists and authors will prevail? Come find out … and bring your fiendishly difficult ideas to offer.

8:00 PM
Saturday Night Events, Featuring Cheshire Moon
Susan Weiner, Lizzie Crowe, Eric Coleman
Harbor I · 20 min · Event
Come meet Cheshire Moon, our Musical Guest, who are the fanciful collaboration of trickster bird LizzieCrowe, musical mistress Susan Weiner, and crazed magician Eric Coleman. Cheshire Moon will kick off Boskone’s Saturday evening events with a short set before our annual Awards Ceremony.

8:30 PM
Boskone 57 Awards Ceremony
David G. Grubbs, Gay Ellen Dennett, Jane Yolen, Rick Kovalcik
Harbor I · 20 min · Event
Saturday night’s extravaganza begins with the New England Science Fiction Association’s Award Ceremony, in which we present our annual Skylark and Gaughan awards. The Skylark Award honors the work and personal qualities of an exceptional contributor to science fiction. The Gaughan Award is presented to a talented up-and-coming / emerging speculative artist. We’ll also be announcing the winner of the NESFA Short Story Contest!

9:00 PM
Musical Guest’s Concert, Featuring Cheshire Moon
Susan Weiner, Lizzie Crowe, Eric Coleman
Harbor I · 75 min · Concert
Cheshire Moon is the fanciful collaboration of trickster bird Lizzie Crowe, musical mistress Susan Weiner, and crazed magician Eric Coleman. Infusing flavors of punk, folk, and prog rock, Cheshire Moon’s otherworldly sound is brought to life as they weave song and story into old myths, new faces onto old gods, and telling the princess’s side of the tale.

Sunday Highlights

10:00 AM
Official Artist Presentation by Eric Wilkerson
Eric Wilkerson
Harbor II · 50 min · Solo Talk
Shining blades, blazing blasters; bold warriors, courageous kids; evocative emotions, diverse identities; intense eyes, luminous skies — the work is full of rousing detail and chromatic color. Join Eric Wilkerson as he shows off the imaginative images that made him this year’s Boskone Official Artist.

11:00 AM
Science Demo by Jon Singer
Jon Singer
Harbor II · 50 min · Solo Talk
What is Jon Singer doing? Come find out at this special science demo, where our Hal Clement Science Speaker expects to assemble (from preconfigured parts, as otherwise the demo would take about 6 hours and would be very boring) and operate an air laser. Jon may also attempt to use the output of the air laser to drive a very small organic dye laser.

1:00 PM
Boskone Book Club: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Bob Kuhn (M), Holly Black
Marina 2 · 50 min · Discussion Group
Join us for a conversation that brings con-goers together to consider one noteworthy work at length. This year we are reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, our Young Adult Fiction Guest. Boskone’s own Bob Kuhn will lead the discussion; Holly Black will join the group halfway through for a Q&A. To participate, please read the book and come ready with your thoughts and questions.

3:00 PM
Feedback Session
Erin Underwood, Rick Kovalcik (M), Tim Szczesuil, Priscilla Olson
Burroughs · 50 min · Panel
This con is over, people. (Except for Dead Dog Filking—and of course teardown, where we’d love to have your help!) But we’re already working on Boskone 58. Help us get a good head start with reports on what went right (or wrong) this time, and how to achieve perfection next year.

Happy Friday, All! I hope everyone has been enjoying the mini-interview this year! It is bittersweet for me to inform you that this post will conclude the Boskone 57 mini-interview series. No need to fret too long though! Because we are also less than a month away from Boskone 57! And to kick off this final set are Martha Wells, Erwin S (Filthy Pierre) Strauss, and Laurence Raphael Brothers!

Look forward to seeing everyone next month!

Martha Wells

Martha Wells has written many fantasy novels, including The Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads), the Ile-Rien series (including The Death of the Necromancer) as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, media tie-ins (for Star Wars and Stargate: Atlantis), and non-fiction. Her most recent fantasy novel is The Harbors of the Sun in 2017, the final novel in The Books of the Raksura series. She has a new series, The Murderbot Diaries, published by Tor.com, with a new Murderbot novel appearing in April 2020. She was also the lead writer for the story team of Magic: the Gathering’s Dominaria expansion in 2018. She has won a Nebula Award, two Hugo Awards, an ALA/YALSA Alex Award, two Locus Awards, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the BSFA Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List.

Visit Martha on their Twitter, and website!

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

I’ve only been to Boston once before, for the Boston WorldCon, and really enjoyed it. So I was glad for a chance to come back this year for Boskone.

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

The first convention I ever attended was ArmadilloCon 4, in 1982, when I was still in high school. I managed to talk my parents into taking me and a friend to Austin for the convention. It was a tiny convention at that point, held in a small motor hotel, and George Alec Effinger and George R.R. Martin were the guests of honor.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

I have a new novel coming out in April, Network Effect, a Murderbot novel that will be a sequel to the novella series. It’s published by Tor.com

*

Erwin S (Filthy Pierre) Strauss

Erwin S (Filthy Pierre) Strauss got into fandom and filking at MIT in the mid-1960s. He caused a stir there by publishing the MIT SF Society’s collection of underground campus songs. He’s gone on to be a fixture at East Coast cons, playing the piano at group-style filksings. In the mid-1970s, he started publishing a newsletter of SF convention listings, and continues that as a column in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. Also in the 1970s, he published the Microfilk, a compendium of every filksong he could get his hands on, in teeny, tiny type. It’s available free in electronic form (so you can blow it up to where it’s actually readable!). He produced his pastiche “The Enchanted Duplicator — The Musical,” based on the classic fannish story of the same name, on the stage at the Dublin WorldCon in 2019 (video available). He can be recognized by his iridescent “Filthy Pierre” badge and his mouth-powered organ.

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

This time, I’m looking forward to screening the video of the performance of my musical play, “The Enchanted Duplicator — The Musical” as performed at the Dublin WorldCon in2019.

Filkers: Listeners often know your most popular music. Which of your other, less well-known songs, affects you deeply? What is it about that song that speaks to your creative spirit?

“That’s Science Fiction” (to the tune of “That’s Entertainment”) is a particular fave. It’s the opening number in my musical play “The Enchanted Duplicator — The Musical.” It includes the nine-way rhyme “The CREW, in a STEW ’cause a FEW fuses BLEW, is pulled THROUGH by a TRUE hero WHO quickly KNEW what to DO…”

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

My first con was PhilCon 1965. I remember sleeping on Harriet Kolchak’s floor, with her cats crawling all over us. I don’t remember many specifics about the program; just that I had a great time, and wanted to go to more cons.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

The stepping disks from Larry Niven’s Known Universe series — they would simplify the process of getting to and from cons so much!

*

Laurence Raphael Brothers

Laurence Raphael Brothers is a writer and technologist with five patents and a background in AI and Internet R&D. He has published over 25 short stories in such magazines as Nature, PodCastle, and Galaxy’s Edge. His WWI-era historical fantasy novel “Twilight Patrol” was just published by Alban Lake, and his noir urban fantasy novella “The Demons of Wall Street” will appear in 2020 from Mirror World. “City of Magic and Desire”, a sexy gothic novella set in 17th century Prague will be published later in the year by World Castle.

Visit Laurence on their Twitter or website!

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

I’m hoping to participate in panels on literature and technology topics. On the literature side, I’m especially interested in style, setting, character and emotion. As a techie I love talking about speculative technology within a realistic framework of what is plausibly possible.

Bonus: Up for a challenge? Give us a haiku or limerick about Boskone!

boston sun rises
diamond city glitters bright
overnight ice storm

Looking back, what was the first piece of work (whether it be from literature, cinema, art, music, video game, toy, or whatever it may be) that first made you love science-fiction and fantasy?

When I was little, my local library had their SF section mixed in with children’s books for some reason. And so I started reading SF classics very young. Of all those early reads, I think Andre Norton’s work resonated most strongly for me. If I had to choose one book, I think it would be her novel “The Zero Stone”, read at age 7 or 8.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

I have two novellas scheduled, and I’m excited about both of them.

“The Demons of Wall Street” is a romantic noir urban fantasy coming out from Mirror World Publishing in the spring. This novella, first in a series (sequel already written!), is a Nick-and-Nora-style mix of humorous and serious elements. The detective, Nora Simeon, is on assignment from the Commission, the secret council that governs sorcery in the New York City finance industry. Along the way she hooks up with an inhumanly beautiful partner who calls himself Eyre, and they bring to light a conspiracy of illicit demon-summoning, slavery, and murder.

“City of Magic and Desire” is a sexy gothic historical fantasy, also a series-starter, coming out from World Castle Publishing later in the year. This novella is set in a 17th century Prague in which a century-long Habsburg war with the Turks has been supported by sorcery on both sides after the fall of Vienna and the subsequent establishment of Prague as the new capital. Features alternating POVs of Franz Theophrastus, the much put-upon son of Prague’s leading sorcerer, and Nehemoth, an incubus/succubus summoned to harden Franz against the lures of love.

I’ll also be working on the sequel to “Twilight Patrol”, a WWI-era historical fantasy novel just released by Alban Lake Publishing.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

Resisting the urge to call on some item that conveys apotheosis or other really overwhelmingly powerful abilities, I think I’d have to go for the Lens from Doc Smith’s early “Lensman” space opera series, and not just because Boskone are the bad guys in the books. The artifact conveys superficial telepathic powers and also acts as a universal translator, but more importantly, it’s a vehicle for a form of personal transcendence that I find very appealing.

An alternative would be a set of trumps from Zelazny’s Amber series, because the fact that they work perfectly for me would imply that I could perhaps walk the Pattern and gain similar powers to the lords of Amber, which includes the ability to walk to any desired world. And what could a SFF author desire more than that particular power?

Register for Boskone 57 today!

Do you know what today is?! We are only 1 MONTH away from Boskone 57! To celebrate, we are interviewing Reiko Murakami, Nicholas Kaufmann, and Dr. Stephen P. Kelner Jr. who will tell you some of their favorite thing about attending Boskone each year!

Reiko Murakami

Reiko Murakami is a U.S. based concept artist and illustrator specializing in surreal fantasy art. With her expressive gesture drawings she focuses on capturing moments filled with unspeakable emotions. In 2013 she started a series called Resonance, a project that depicts complex emotional reactions through metaphorical representation of a figure. Her work has been exhibited at Nucleus Portland, Helikon Gallery, Krabjab Studio, Light Grey Art Lab and published in Spectrum, Infected by Art, ArtOrder Invitational: The Journal, Exposé, 2D Artist, and many others.

Visit Reiko on their Facebook, Twitter, and website!

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

I love attending Boskone because it provides a great opportunity to connect with authors, editors and fellow artists. Originally the appeal was mainly because I am local, but after participating in a few panels I found it’s a joy to communicate with the opposite end of the creative community of SFF. Also at Boskone, I get to meet many of the industry’s legendary illustrators. It’s inspiring to be there.

Artists: Fans love looking at the portfolio of artwork and asking artists about some of their most well known images. Which of your images, that receives less attention from fans, do you hold dear? What is it about the creation of that piece that makes it so special for you?

I’ve been making many small round pieces lately. My absolute favorite is the piece called “Flight”. It is a simple drawing of a dead bee on a white wall. This piece didn’t get much reaction on my social media, probably because of the unusual content, but I feel extremely passionate about this piece. This piece was based on the photo I took on one summer day, after finding there was a bee on a wall stuck and dead. The imagery reminded me how fragile our lives are. I projected myself as a struggling artist on the bee, which someone has stomped on it and got killed, but its final posture fixed it as if it’s frozen in the moment of flight.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

I’ve been working with DC Black Label for cover art of Joe Hill’s Basketful of Heads. Some have been published this year, but more to come in 2020! I’m also on some exciting NDA projects…a couple of video games and book covers!

*

Nicholas Kaufmann

Nicholas Kaufmann is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated, Thriller Award-nominated, and Dragon Award-nominated author of nine books, including CHASING THE DRAGON, DYING IS MY BUSINESS, IN THE SHADOW OF THE AXE, and the bestselling horror novel 100 FATHOMS BELOW with Steven L. Kent. In addition to his own work, he has written for such properties as ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS, THE ROCKETEER, and WARHAMMER 40K. He and his wife live in Brooklyn, NY.

Visit Nicholas on their Facebook, Twitter, and website!

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

This will be my second time as a program participant at Boskone. I had such a great time last year that Boskone instantly went on my list of must-attend conventions. The people, the programming, the hotel, it all adds up to a wonderful experience!

Authors: Fans often ask authors to talk about their favorite main characters, but what about the side characters? Who is one of your favorite sidekicks or secondary/tertiary characters who have had a lesser role in your work?

Renshu “Philip” Chen in my novel DYING IS MY BUSINESS and its sequel DIE AND STAY DEAD! He’s a member of the Five-Pointed Star, the magic-powered group that protects New York City from supernatural threats, and a vampire with superhuman strength, biting (ahem) sarcasm, and a “give no f*cks* attitude, which made him very fun to write. He quickly became one of my favorite side characters, and there were big plans in store for him if the series had continued.

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

My very first book event was in the year 2000: a reading and signing for an anthology I was in called BELL, BOOK & BEYOND, which was all stories about witches and witchcraft, and which contained my first published story “La Bete est Morte.” The event was at a Barnes and Noble in New Jersey. I can’t quite remember in which city, though. All I remember is how nervous I was and how terrible I was at reading aloud. I’ve gotten much better at it since then!

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

The TARDIS from Doctor Who. I would love to have a time machine/space ship that could go anywhere I choose. Of course, it couldn’t be the same TARDIS from the show because I would want it to actually work properly!

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Dr. Stephen P. Kelner Jr.

Dr. Stephen P. Kelner Jr. (“Steve”) is a motivational psychologist, a writer, and an assessor and developer of leaders, in no particular order. He is Managing Director and Co-Founder of Ascent Leadership Networks, which develops executive leaders in unique and measurable ways in extraordinary locations (like Skywalker Ranch!). He is published in nonfiction (numerous articles on leadership, capability, and motivation plus the book Motivate Your Writing!) and short fiction, and has a proposal for a book called Motivating Leadership based on his 30 years assessing and developing business and nonprofit leaders. He is married to his favorite editor, award-winning and bestselling mystery and urban fantasy writer Toni L. P. Kelner/Leigh Perry. They are parents to two highly artistic children (animation and music) and live on the North Shore.

Visit Stephen on their Facebook.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

Boskone brings together the best of SF to my mind: diverse and fascinating people talking about interesting things intelligently and provocatively – but without hostility. It uses its long history in places like the art show, but stays on top of the latest developments in speculative fiction. It’s also a chance for me to share things I know with people who can benefit from them.

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

Honestly, anything you are willing to let me talk about! As a motivational psychologist, I’m always up to discuss what makes people (or aliens) do what they do, and how to tap into that, whether for creative purposes or character creation. As an expert on organizational leadership, I’m interested in looking at the nature of leadership in SF, in real life, and speculatively. I’ve proposed talking about what the latest research says about gender (it’s a continuum, not a switch), race (biologically, it doesn’t exist), and IQ (it’s flawed at best) in contrast with how it has been used in SF, and I’m geared up for a battle on any of that. And given that I have a book proposal in play for motivating leadership (motivation of leaders and used by leaders), I am of course vitally interested in discussing that!

Bonus: Up for a challenge? Give us a haiku or limerick about Boskone!

Fictional empire
Now an SF festival
Helmuth speaks for us!

If you could be a fly on the wall during any scene or event in literature of film, which scene would it be and why? 

Too many choices…but perhaps on the Castle of Glass watching the climactic battle between Nodonn and Aiken Drum at the end of _The Nonborn King_, by Julian May.

Looking back, what was the first piece of work (whether it be from literature, cinema, art, music, video game, toy, or whatever it may be) that first made you love science-fiction and fantasy?

Truth be told, I think the Apollo program did more than anything else. I watched the Apollo 11 moon landing when I was six, and from then on was obsessed with anything related to space travel. I built multiple models of the Apollo spacecraft, then discovered Major Matt Mason (who appears to be getting a movie soon!) toys. The first book of SF I ever read was a Tom Swift, Jr. book, because it had a rocket on the cover. It was terrible SF, but I didn’t know that, and I was fascinated by the concepts. But when it came to the book that hooked me for got, it was _Have Space Suit, Will Travel_, by Robert A. Heinlein. After reading the last line and closing that book, I knew I had to find more…and so I did.

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

I think my first event was ChattaCon – IX or X, not sure which – which is still going, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the mid-1980s. It was great fun, and introduced me to many aspects of fandom I had never seen before. (I could have bought Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, too, but knowing it was a one-off joke, I didn’t bother.) I got to see editors on panels as well as a number of writers I knew, and many I didn’t!

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

The Lens of Arisia, from The Lensman Saga of E. E. “Doc” Smith. Because it guaranteed clear communication through telepathy as well as guaranteeing the integrity of the wearer, and we have little enough of either these days…

Register for Boskone 57 today!

Today we are interviewing William Hayashi, John Kessel, and Steve Davidson!

William Hayashi

William Hayashi is an award winning screen writer, and accomplished author of two speculative fiction trilogies, Darkside and Archangel-X, and several short stories. His Darkside Trilogy is in development for adaptation into a television show. He has been in and out of radio since the mid 1970 and has been the host of the Genesis Science Fiction Radio Show for the past eight years, interviewing Black creatives in science fiction, fantasy, and horror of all mediums (all shows are available as podcasts at no charge). He is also a frequent participant in science fiction conventions around the country, sitting on panel discussions on topics on diversity, science fiction media and culture, and specialized discussions about specific movies, trends, and other content creators throughout the industry.

Visit William on their Facebook, Twitter, and website!

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

Attending Boskone is a professional joy. The panels and discussions I’ve participated in have been interesting, informative, lively, and are often fun. The convention is professionally run, the volunteer staff are real standouts in terms of producing a truly excellent event, year after year.

Looking back, what was the first piece of work (whether it be from literature, cinema, art, music, video game, toy, or whatever it may be) that first made you love science-fiction and fantasy?

My father was a science fiction fan and had a library of hundreds of books written by the gients of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. One of my earliest memories was of reading Isaac Asimov’s original Foundation Trilogy. Shortly after that, I discovered Asimov’s Robots series – then it was off to the races. I read everything he had at home, then started taking a couple of books out of the library every other week, and this was at the age of eleven or twelve.

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

My first convention experience was at the 2016 WorldCon in Kansas City. As an independent author, up until I was persuaded to participate at WorldCon, I hated the though of sitting at a table and trying to sell books. It wasn’t until I sat on half dozen panels, moderating about half of them, that I saw a whole different side of the convention experience. I enjoy the experience of directly interacting with both fans and fellow creatives.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

In 2020 I will be publishing a new trilogy, The Archangel-X Trilogy, which is a sequel to my original Darkside Trilogy, which is currently being adapted for television. Also on the docket is my first Young Adult novel set in a dystopian, near future, the early chapters are available for review on my Patreon account page.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

Will anyone think less of me if I choose the Orgasmatron from the movie Sleeper? Because at my age, you sometimes you just don’t have the energy for anything more vigorous.

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John Kessel

John Kessel has written the novels Pride and Prometheus, The Moon and the Other, Good News from Outer Space, Corrupting Dr. Nice, and Freedom Beach (with James Patrick Kelly), and the collections Meeting in Infinity, The Pure Product, and The Baum Plan for Financial Independence. His work has received the Nebula, the Theodore Sturgeon, the Locus, the James Tiptree Jr., and the Shirley Jackson awards. He holds an undergraduate degree in physics and English and a PhD in English. At North Carolina State University Kessel helped found the MFA program in creative writing, serving twice as its director. He lives with his wife, the novelist Therese Anne Fowler, in Raleigh.

Visit John on their Facebook, and website.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

I have not been to Boskone for a long time, but the 1970 Boskone was the first regional sf convention that I ever attended. There I met a number of people for the first time who were to become good friends, notably Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann–though our friendship was not to develop for another decade or so. Boskone (along with the 1969 Worldcon in St. Louis) was at the beginning of my association with organized sf fandom, which shaped my life and career for years afterward.

My pal and collaborator James Patrick Kelly is a regular at Boskone, and Kim Stanley Robinson, your author guest, is another friend, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to revisit the con.

Authors: Fans often ask authors to talk about their favorite main characters, but what about the side characters? Who is one of your favorite sidekicks or secondary/tertiary characters who have had a lesser role in your work?

My favorite secondary character from my recent fiction is the uplifted dog Sirius in my 2017 novel THE MOON AND THE OTHER. The novel is set on the moon in the 22nd century, when the intelligence of certain animals has been lifted to the point where at least some of them have gained important roles in society, though they are still second-class citizens without the legal rights of humans. Sirius is a media star (Dog Star!”) who has a political talk and interview show that is the most popular throughout my lunar colonies; I think of him as Sean Hannity as a Doberman.

Secretly, Sirius (his name comes from the 1944 sf novel of that title by Olaf Stapledon, about the life of such a superintelligent dog) resents his manipulation by his human creators, his short life span, his alienation from both human beings and from normal dogs. Though he is not a main character, Sirius plays a crucial role in the plot of my novel.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

I have completed a novella “The Dark Ride” which is about the assassination of President William McKinley at the Pan American Exposition, a world’s fair that took place in Buffalo in 1901, and an H.G. Wells-style trip to the moon based on a ride that debuted at the fair, the first true “dark ride” of amusement park history. It is the title story in a new story collection I have on submission.

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Steve Davidson

Steve Davidson is the publisher of Amazing Stories magazine, now in its second year of publication.

Visit Steve on their Facebook, Twitter, and website.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

Well, beyond its proximity (which has made it my “go-to” con for years), is the fact that the committee made a committment to expanding the reach and appeal of a traditional fan-run convention to both younger fans and to diverse fan communities and I get to watch the positive effects of that committment each and every year – more “kids” in attendance, more people of color in attendance, more LGBTQI people in attendance – all while managing to retain the essential elements of what makes a convention a real convention – the camaraderie, the celebration of literature, the shared community.

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

I love talking about the magazine of course, but I also love talking about both older works (film, TV, novels and stories) and newer works because at Boskone the audience is diverse enough to offer both – often with the same people.

Bonus: Up for a challenge? Give us a haiku or limerick about Boskone!

Appearing on panels is fun
so’s conversing until day is done
so long as I’m able
to visit the free table
before anyone else on day one

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

My first literary-focused SF convention was a Philcon in ’74 or ’75.I’d been attending Star Trek cons previously and found that I was more drawn to the dealer’s room and the SF magazine and book content there than I was the Trek stuff – after all, how many times can you watch the blooper reel?
At that first Philcon I was “attacked” by older fen for using the phrase “sci fi” (learned quickly why you don’t mimic fornicating crickets when talking about literature), spent quite a long time with Harry Stubbs (Hal Clement) and met Bob Madle who passed on to me a life-long love for the science fiction magazines.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

Amazing Stories is launching a line of selected novellas under the Amazing Selects imprint.Our first release (which may have been announced by the time this is read) will be Allen Steele’s Captain Future in Love, which was originally serialized in Amazing Stories.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

Either a working time machine or a working FTL drive.I so much want to experience many of the things I’ve read about over the past 50+ years, or at least experience their real world analogs.

Register for Boskone 57 today!

Happy New Years! We are almost one month away from Boskone 57 now! Today we are interviewing Darrell Schweitzer, Sharon Lee, and Paul Di Filippo!

Darrell Schweitzer

Darrell Schweitzer has published four novels, most recently THE DRAGON HOUSE (2018) and about 350 stories over the past forty-some years. He is a former editor of WEIRD TALES (1987-2007) and an active anthologist, having most recently edited MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS REVEALED (PS Publishing 2019), a “Lovecraftian global warming anthology.” THE BEST OF DARRELL SCHWEITZER (2 volumes) will appear from PS Publishing late in 2019. He is a 4-time World Fantasy Award nominee (and one-time winner) and has been a Shirley Jackson Award runner-up. He is a regular contributor to THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION.

Visit Darrell on their Facebook.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

A friendly & literate convention devoted to intelligent discussion without ideological bias.

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

SF history & criticism. This is pretty general. You always come up with good topics.

Bonus: Up for a challenge? Give us a haiku or limerick about Boskone!

It shall evermore be my intention
to attend every Boskone convention.
They’re always such fun
and admirably run,
your invite has got myattention.

Authors: Fans often ask authors to talk about their favorite main characters, but what about the side characters? Who is one of your favorite sidekicks or secondary/tertiary characters who have had a lesser role in your work?

I don’t have that many sidekicks in my work. One who stayed with me for six stories was Nick the Gaoler in the Tom O’Bedlam stories, who was originally rather cruel and petty, but once Tom was let loose and Nick became his companion on the road, then Nick was redeemed by enlightened lunacy. We should all hope to go mad just like that.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

A new PS Publishing anthology, SHADOWS OUT OF TIME, about Lovecraftian conflicts with time. Great Race of Yith optional.Lovecraft thought that the conflict with time was the most potent of all weird themes. I hope my authors can prove this.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

A STAR TREK transporter system. If you use it right, it is a fountain of youth. The signal can be edited. Remember that episode of NEXT GENERATION in which everybody suddenly became 12 years old, but retained their adult memories. As you approach 70, that becomes an attractive proposition.

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Sharon Lee

Sharon is most often seen writing as half of the blockbuster team of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, authors of the long-running Liaden Universe® space opera novels. Occasionally, however, she sneaks off and writes something on her own, such as the near-word fantasy Carousel Trilogy: Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, and Carousel Seas. Her latest novel, co-written with Steve, is Accepting the Lance, the 23rd novel in the Liaden Universe®, published by Baen in December 2019. Upcoming in 2020 is Trader’s Leap. Sharon is a member of the National Carousel Association and the United States Lighthouse Society. You can keep up with Sharon, Lee-and-Miller and their cats at http://www.sharonleewriter.com.

Visit Sharon on their Facebook, Twitter, and website.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

Steve and I try to attend Boskone every year.We have missed a few in the 30 years that we’ve been living in Maine, which makes Boskone our “home” convention — because or prior commitments, or health issues, or — ahem — day-job issues, but more often than not, if it’s mid-February, we’re at Boskone.This may seem an odd choice, given what the weather is typically like in the Northeastern US in Feburary, but Boskone is worth getting on a train at way-too-early on a frigid February morning, and gambling with the weather.

For long-term attendees, like Steve and me, there’s the obvious draw of a winter party attended by a sizeable number of our friends and colleagues in the science fiction community, but Boskone has a lot to offer new attendees, as well, which is one of the things I’ve always liked about it.In addition to its welcoming atmosphere, there are several tracks of thoughtful — and frivolous — panels, discussions, and demonstrations. Attendees have the chance to meet artists, authors, experts, musicians, other fans; to tour a really splendid art show; shop in an extensive dealer’s room; listen to filk music; and to talk — or listen — as mood and temperament dictate.

If I had to pick one thing that I, personally, like most about Boskone — it would be the Big Living Room; a grouping of comfy chairs, sofas,and tables, where people can sit and read, or knit, or chat, put together jigsaw puzzles, bead, or just decompress.It’s a splendid space and eloquent of Boskone’s “fan family” philosophy.

Bonus: Up for a challenge? Give us a haiku or limerick about Boskone!

Grey sky, icy wind
Friends inside mingle and meet
Will it snow, or not

What was your first book event or literary convention? Tell us about it! Perhaps you even have a photo to share?

Well…if I’m going to talk about my first book event or literary convention, that would have been Book Expo, back in…2005, I think.Instead, I want to talk about my first science fiction convention, which was BaltiCon 10, held in Baltimore (I’m originally from Baltimore).I was an attendee by accident, sort-of.I didn’t know anything about science fiction conventions, and if I had known anything, I wouldn’t have attended because I was Much Too Shy and did not voluntarily seek out large groups of people.

I did, however, want to be a writer, and BaltiCon 10 sponsored a short story contest, the winner to receive a free membership to the convention, a cash prize, and an opportunity to meet the convention’s guest of honor who was, that year, Isaac Asimov.Since I did want to be a writer, and a writer of science fiction, I entered the contest*.

I also won the contest.And so I attended my first con, met Isaac Asimov, spent my winnings in the dealer’s room, met a handful of convivial people, and in general had a confusing, but exhilarating, adventure.I didn’t make it to BaltiCon 11, but I did attend BaltiCon 12, where Anne McCaffrey was guest of honor, and the rest is, as we say — History.Even, Ancient History.
__________
*I may have also, maybe, gotten a little impetus to compete because my then-boyfriend’s best friend had determined to enter, also, and was, loudly and obnoxiously, IMHO, assured of his win over a field of “amateurs,” and I, well…thought not.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

Oh, let’s see…March 2020 will see the re-issue, in mass market paperback, of the third-ever Liaden Universe® novel, Carpe Diem.Toward the end of the year, Trader’s Leap, the twenty-third novel of the Liaden Universe®, will be published….Leap is the…companion novel to Accepting the Lance, which came out in December 2019.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

Oh, look! A barrel of fish.Obviously, I would import the autodoc from the Liaden Universe® by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, primarily because Fuck Cancer, though there’s nothing wrong with getting a broken arm healed by spending a couple hours in the ‘doc, either.Mind you, we’d have to figure out a way to keep this technology from falling into the hands of those who would exploit it for their own profit, ignoring the suffering and shortened life expectancies of those who can’t pay. . . but that’s another story.

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Paul Di Filippo

Born in 1954 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Paul Di Filippo discovered fandom in 1973 by attending his first convention, Torcon II. He went to Rhode Island College, where in 1976 he met Deborah Newton, his life partner ever since. In 1982, his long-simmering desire to become a professional writer could no longer be denied. Adopting Ray Bradbury’s advice to write a story a week, he did so for a year or more without selling any. Then he began to click, landing two near-simultaneous sales. In the subsequent four decades he’s amassed over 200 short fiction sales, and accumulated them, plus his novels, into over forty books.

Visit Paul on their Facebook and website.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

Boskone is a bastion of fannish tradition and fantastika classicism, while still exhibiting that vaunted and beloved stefnal openness to new ideas, new faces, new themes and new fun!Run by bighearted and knowledgable people, this con blends the best of the old with the best of the new.

If you could be a fly on the wall during any scene or event in literature of film, which scene would it be and why? 

I want to watch Anita Ekberg frolic in the Trevi Fountain during the filming of LA DOLCE VITA.

Looking back, what was the first piece of work (whether it be from literature, cinema, art, music, video game, toy, or whatever it may be) that first made you love science-fiction and fantasy?

The year was 1961, the summer between first and second grades, and one of my relatives–probably my indulgent grandmother–bought me a 25-cent Dell Giant titled MIGHTY MOUSE IN OUTER SPACE.That sealed the deal.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

I think the “portable holes” from Warner Brothers cartoons would be very useful.

Register for Boskone 57 today!

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What better way to end of 2019 and start 2020 than with another set of Boskone 57! Today we are interviewing Trisha J. Wooldridge, Dr. Tom Easton, and Gregory A. Wilson!

And remember! Be safe out there tonight!

Trisha J. Wooldridge

Trisha J. Wooldridge writes grown-up horror, dark fantasy, SF, and weird short stories and poetry—some even winning awards! Her publications include stories and poems in all of the New England Horror Writer anthologies, Gothic Fantasy Supernatural Horror, The HWA Poetry Showcase Volume 5 and Volume 6, Nothing’s Sacred Volume 4, the Pseudopod podcast, Wicked Weird, and The Book of Twisted Shadows. As child-friendly T.J. Wooldridge, she’s published three spooky kids’ novels, poetry in The Jimmy Fund charity anthology Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, and will be in the upcoming New Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (HarperCollins 2020). Under her business, A Novel Friend, she’s edited over sixty novels for a variety of publishers and independent authors, six anthologies, is editing the next New England Horror Writers anthology Wicked Women, and she works with independent bookstores on publicity and events. She’s a member of SCBWI, SFPA, HWA, New England Horror Writers, New England Speculative Writers, and Broad Universe. Join her adventures at http://www.anovelfriend.com.

Visit Trisha on their Facebook, Twitter, and website.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

Boskone is a convention with a good mix of intellectual and fun panels. There’s also a diverse attendance of pros, guests, and vendors, which is something I strongly support. I’ve found so many authors and artists I hadn’t known before and now am a fan of; I’ve had the most amazing and enlightening conversations on panels and in social settings; and I feel very welcomed at the convention on all levels: concomm, fellow vendors and panelists, and attendees.

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

I had an absolute blast on a panel talking about being neuroatypical and a creator at Boskone last year, so I hope I get to be on that panel again. Even if I’m not on it, I want to attend it because I learned so much and felt supported and “seen.” I also have had awesome workshops with people when I teach Tarot and Writing or Self-Editing. I haven’t made it to as many of the growing horror and dark fantasy panels as I would have liked in prior Boskones, but I’m hoping to hit them this year because I’ve heard excellent things from my friends who have attended or paneled for them. Also, I always learn something new or find a new authors to follow on the various panels that cover underrepresented demographics.

Bonus: Up for a challenge? Give us a haiku or limerick about Boskone!

Friends and strangers share
impassioned, odd, beautiful
true things at Boskone.

Looking back, what was the first piece of work (whether it be from literature, cinema, art, music, video game, toy, or whatever it may be) that first made you love science-fiction and fantasy?

The first thing that I remember being definitively science-fiction that changed me for the better was Joanna Russ’s THE ADVENTURES OF ALYX. I’m pretty sure we picked it up at a yard sale, where i got most of my books, and I probably read it while I was still in elementary school. It was different than anything I’d ever read and had a kick-ass female lead that was fighting against things I could find similarities too in my life–before I even knew there was a thing as “feminism.” I knew stuff was unfair for girls in a lot of ways, and this was a character doing more than rebelling on a school level. While I normally skew toward fantasy and horror, this book was the first overtly speculative thing I can remember reading.

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

I have a lot I’m excited for in 2020! While I’m at Boskone, I’ll be in the throes of reading submissions for WICKED WOMEN, the next anthology from the New England Horror Writers, and getting art and poetry ready for the 2020 Blackstone Valley Art-Poetry show. Of course I’ll be reminding attendees to submit, and if anyone is near or will be passing through Central Massachusetts after Boskone, I’ll have art and poetry in a variety of libraries and stores. Later that year, NEW SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK will be coming out, and I am beyond thrilled and honored to be part of that! As for still-in-progress stuff, I am shopping around one middle grade novel called THE CIRCUS UNDER THE BED, and will be finishing two other adult novels–a paranormal adventure thing and a dark high fantasy thing. Hopefully I’ll have more details on those at Boskone, too.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

I need a TARDIS. Like, REALLY need one. I mean, probably everybody does…except, boy-hooey, that could be a disaster. But I would totally be a responsible TARDIS owner and just use it to get all the things done I want to do, write all the books and poems, get out to the barn and play with my horse and the chickens more often…and then stop time and catch up on my sleep. Totally boring, non-world-breaking things. If David Tennant or Jodie Whitaker want to come by and borrow it for actual universe-saving stuff, that’s cool too.

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Dr. Tom Easton

Tom Easton is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a well-known science fiction critic (he wrote the SF magazine Analog’s book review column for 30 years), and a retired college professor. He holds a doctorate in theoretical biology from the University of Chicago. He writes textbooks for McGraw-Hill on Science, Technology, & Society and Environmental Science. He started publishing science fiction in the 1970s, and since then he has published about sixty science fiction and fantasy short stories, ten SF novels, and several anthologies, of which the latest, coedited with James D. MacDonald and Judith K. Dial, is Horror for the Throne (Fantastic Books, 2020).

Visit Tom on their website.

What is it about Boskone that makes this the convention you choose to attend each year?

Or if this is your first Boskone, what attracted you most to Boskone this year?

I’ve been coming to Boskone since about 1980. I had reached a point in my writing career when cons made sense, and Boskone was the closest. It was also be best!

If you could be a fly on the wall during any scene or event in literature of film, which scene would it be and why? 

In the movie TROY, a view down an alley shows livestock being taken to shelter. Among the hers are llamas.I would love to witness the chewing out the director gave–or should have given–the flunky who was told to “get us some livestock.”

What will you be working on in 2020? Any new releases or dates that fans should be looking forward to hearing about?

With coeditors James D. MacDonald and Judith K. Dial, I just handed in to Ian Randall Strock’s Fantasic Books HORROR FOR THE THRONE: ONE SITTING READS. We’re hoping for a Boskone launch.

Later in the year, look for DESTINIES: ISSUES TO SHAPE OUR FUTURE, a collection of short essays from B Cubed Press.

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Gregory A. Wilson

Gregory A. Wilson is Professor of English at St. John’s University in New York City, where he teaches creative writing, speculative fiction, and various other courses in literature. In addition to academic work, he is the author of the epic fantasy The Third Sign, the graphic novel Icarus, the dark fantasy Grayshade, and the D&D adventure/sourcebook Tales and Tomes from the Forbidden Library. He also has short stories in a number of anthologies, and has several projects forthcoming in 2020. He co-hosts the critically acclaimed Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans (speculatesf.com) podcast, is a member of the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium and other author groups, and is regularly invited to conferences nationally and internationally. Finally, under the moniker Arvan Eleron, he is the host of a successful Twitch channel focused on story and narrative, with several sponsored TTRPG campaigns. He lives with his family in Riverdale, NY. His virtual home is gregoryawilson.com.

Visit Gregory on their Facebook, Twitter, and website.

What topics are you most looking forward to talking about at Boskone?

I’m really interested in talking about both the art and craft of speculative fiction, particularly in the ways the field is shifting over the past twenty years. I’m also increasingly interested in other forms of narrative, including those represented in games and tabletop role-playing systems; I run a number of TTRPG campaigns on my Twitch channel, and I find the intersection of narrative, gaming, and live streaming–sort of a collaborative storytelling–to be fascinating.

Authors: Fans often ask authors to talk about their favorite main characters, but what about the side characters? Who is one of your favorite sidekicks or secondary/tertiary characters who have had a lesser role in your work?

There’s no question that Rig, the solar (kind of a large, lava-resistant dog with two tails) in my graphic novel series The Longest Fall, is somewhat of a fan favorite with my readers. I originally imagined him as kind of a sidekick character for Jellinek, one of the main characters in those books, but as time has gone on I’ve come to see him as more of a main character, whose presence has an enormous impact on everyone within the book and who has his own will and experience. As he does within the narrative, becoming more of a part of the story, so he has become more a part of my conception for the series over time. (And if anything serious happens to him as the series continues, I already know I’m going to have a lot to answer for. People always root for animals, even two-tailed lava resistant ones!)

Looking back, what was the first piece of work (whether it be from literature, cinema, art, music, video game, toy, or whatever it may be) that first made you love science-fiction and fantasy?

I know it’s cliched, but it’s also the truth: J.R.R. Tolkien, and specifically The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, really fired my imagination as a kid, both through their characters and the prose. I had an old dog-eared copy of The Hobbit from my father, who had marked it with his own reactions in the margins (when we first meet Gollum: “DON’T TRUST HIM!” my father wrote in the margin), and reading it was almost like reading along with him. I even had an NPR audio version on tape which I would listen to over and over again, especially on winter nights when the storm was howling outside the house. I fell in love with the genre because of those books, and I’ve loved speculative fiction ever since.

If you could bring any object or device into the real world from fiction or film, and it would work perfectly, what would you choose? Why would you choose that item?

The glaive, from Krull, because that was the coolest freaking thing in the world when I was ten years old. And it worked against evil…so considering some of the bullying I went through, I could have imagined its usefulness.

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