Announcing the Dreidel of Dread Board Book!

June 3, 2024

DREIDEL OF DREAD is a funny, irreverent, and heartwarming story that melds the celebration of Hanukkah with the Lovecraftian mythos. Read or listen to the complete short story here.

There are so many Christmas stories, and so many “nerdy gifts” out there that make for wonderful stocking stuffers. But your options are far more limited when searching for a Hanukkah gift that will appeal to someone who loves science fiction/fantasy/horror books and movies. This board book will make for a perfect gift and a fun read all year long!

Also, Cthulhu and  ̶C̶h̶a̶n̶u̶k̶a̶h̶ ̶H̶a̶n̶u̶k̶a̶ Hanukkah are a perfect mash-up since no one is exactly sure how to spell either one of those things!


Written by Alex Shvartsman and illustrated by Tomeu Riera, this hardcover board book will feature 11 spreads (22 pages including cover and backcover) and will be released on November 26, 2024.

A Kickstarter campaign will launch in mid- to late July. To preview a lot more wonderful artwork, snag exclusive extras, and get your copy early please click the link below and sign up to be notified of the launch.

Click here to be notified of the launch.

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

National Read a Book Day – TV & Radio interviews

September 6, 2023

Happy National Read a Book Day!

I’m on radio 1540 WADK, Talk of the Town with Bruce Newbury this morning. You can listen at the link below and the interview will also play in again on his weekend show in the NY/VT area.

At 8:15 am Pacific Time I will be live on the CW affiliate KRCW-TV in Portland OR as well.

https://wadk.com/personalities/bruce-newbury

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Dragoncon 2023 Schedule

August 29, 2023

I’ll be returning to Dragoncon for the first time in nearly 30 years! My last visit was as a fan, and I spent a glorious weekend there, having just discovered LARPing. This time, I’ll be attending as a professional and participating on a bunch of panels and book-related things.

Here’s my schedule!

Fantasy Gather
Friday, 8pm
Hanover C–E (Hyatt)

Title: Awakening the Great Old Ones: Writing Modern Cthulhu Mythos Stories
Time: Sat 02:30 pm Location: Peachtree 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)
Description: Our panel of experienced writers explore the enduring appeal of the Cthulhu Mythos. Discover how to craft unique creatures, intricate plots, and characters that feel at home in the Mythos while still pushing its boundaries. *A signing with all of these authors will take place following the panel.
Panelists: Kenneth Hite(M), Richard Lee Byers, Chris Jackson, James Palmer, Alex Shvartsman, Esther Friesner



Title: Signing Showcase – Horror track
Time: Sat 04:00 pm Location: Overlook Westin (Length:1 Hour)
Description: Following the Awakening the Great Old Ones: Writing Modern Cthulhu Mythos Stories, the panelists will be featured in the Author Signings area.
Panelists: Kenneth Hite, Richard Lee Byers, Chris Jackson, James Palmer, Alex Shvartsman, Esther Friesner




Title: Xenoarcheologists Present
Time: Sat 08:30 pm Location: Embassy AB Hyatt (Length:1 Hour)
Description: An esteemed panel of experts from many worlds and disciplines examines archeological finds to help determine what they are, and what they were used for.
Panelists: Alex Shvartsman, Jody Lynn Nye(M), Esther Friesner, R.R. Virdi, Doug Burbey, Stephen L Antczak




Title: Many Tongues, 1 World: Using or Creating Languages in Literature
Time: Sun 01:00 pm Location: Embassy CD Hyatt (Length:1 Hour)
Description: We will be pulling in authors and a linguist to discuss using and creating languages for Fantasy settings. Sometimes they may pull from the real world, other times it might mean making things from scratch.
Panelists: Davis Ashura(M), Mera Rose, Mel Todd, Kevin McLaughlin, D.B. Jackson, Alex Shvartsman




Title: Striking a Balance: Humor in UF
Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)
Description: Our panel of authors will discuss the importance of humor in Urban Fantasy, and how they employ it in their work. Laughter guaranteed.
Panelists: R.J. Blain, Stacey Rourke, Richard Lee Byers, Alex Shvartsman, J. B. Garner, Jennifer Morris(M)



Title: The Mission: Protecting Humanity
Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length:1 Hour)
Description: The role of many Urban Fantasy protagonists is protecting the human world from supernatural or magical threats, & sometimes those protectors are not completely human themselves. Our panel of authors discusses the difficulties this situation may present for the protagonist, the community, & humans.
Panelists: Patricia L. Briggs, Jim Butcher, Delilah S Dawson, Alex Shvartsman, Jeanne C Stein, Carol Malcolm(M)

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

2022 Milford Readers and Writers Festival

September 15, 2022

I’ll be attending the festival in Milford PA this coming weekend, with loads of events on Saturday, alongside Randee Dawn, C.S.E. Cooney, and Nicholas Kaufmann.

Here’s where you can find us:

Sci Fi Choose Your Reality Panel – 11am-12pm – 608 Broad St., Foundation Room

Book Signing – 2pm – 4pm – 307 Broad St., Golden Fish Gallery

Author Reception – 5pm – 7pm – Parish Hall, St. Patrick’s Church

Books and Brews – 7pm+ – 608 Broad St., Foundation Room
(includes a reading at 8pm)

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

New Flash Story and Early May News

May 2, 2022

Loads of news and links to share, with more coming as I ramp up publicity for THE MIDDLING AFFLICTION. Here goes:

  • There will be a launch party for the book at Balticon (in Baltimore, MD.) It will take place on Saturday, May 28 and feature raffles, food and drink, and the chance to buy copies of the book, of course! More details on this in the coming weeks.
  • I’m the guest on The Fascinating Podcast this week, talking about the book with some very smart and kind hosts.
  • If you won’t be in Baltimore, please preorder the book soon, in your favorite format! You can get it from all the usual sources, as well as request that your local store or library order it for you. Some helpful preorder links below:
    – Amazon
    – Barnes & Noble
    – Bookshop.org

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My Worldcon 2021 Schedule

December 15, 2021

Here’s where to find me at Worldcon this week!

Thursday
2:30pm – Signing – Autographs 3

Friday
10am – Legal and Actuarial Supernatural Hypotheticals panel – Forum Room
11:30am – Reading – Capitol Room
1pm – Lost (or Gained) in Translation? VIRTUAL panel – Older
4pm – Translation Slam panel – Cabinet Room

Saturday
11:30am – Finances of Running a Small Press panel – Forum Room
2:30pm – Pre/Post Iron Curtain Fiction in Eastern Europe panel – Calvert Room

Sunday
11:30am – Assembling an Anthology panel – Blue Room

Otherwise the best way to find me in the wild is to visit the dealers room during its operating hours. I will be spending as much time as possible at the Caezik Press/Arc Manor booth.

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Future SF Issue 10

March 13, 2021

The latest issue was just emailed to subscribers. The table of contents is as follows:

“The Second Celeste” by Alberto Chimal (Mexico), translated by Patrick Weill.
“The Two Festivals that Cannot Coexist” by Liu Cixin (China), translated by Nathan Faries
“The Office Drone” by Nic Lipitz (USA)
“Perfect Date” by Jelena Dunato (Croatia)
“The Final Test” by Ti Sha (China), translated by Judith Huang.

#SFWAPro

The issue will be live at http://www.future-sf.com on March 15 and the stories will unlock, one per week, until the entire issue is free to read by mid-April. Or you can subscribe for as little as $1/month via Patreon or directly.

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Space Force season 1 review

May 30, 2020

Space Force on Netflix is well worth watching. Spoiler-free review below.

This sci-fi comedy manages to avoid many of the low-hanging fruit inherent in the setup and should be fun for viewers of all political stripes. Which isn’t to say it’s devoid of potshots at the current administration, but it savages the Democratic leadership pretty good as well.

Instead of a goofy and shallow political satire I expected, the show manages to serve up engaging story lines and surprisingly deep and likable characters.

Although I’ve never been a huge Steve Carell fan, he delivers a solid enough performance, but is far outshined by John Malkovich who steals every scene he’s in. Lisa Kudrow is… also in the show. The supporting cast is very solid, especially Jimmy Yang (of Silicon Valley fame), Tawny Newsome (Superstore) and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Rec).

My one quibble is that the Chinese are consistently presented as stock Cold War villains without much redeeming humor and warmth, which the show managed to present so well in the one Russian spy character. They somewhat balance this by having a major Chinese American character on the show (played by Yang), but not quite enough.

There are moments of dry humor that made me laugh out loud mixed with some slapstick and loads of potshots at government bureaucracy and inefficiency. But it’s the character arc that kept me binging the show.

Season 1 is ten 30-minute episodes on Netflix. Warning: ends on a huge cliffhanger.

#SFWAPro

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Reviews for Eridani’s Crown

February 15, 2020

There have been some wonderful reviews for Eridani’s Crown and I’ve been sharing them on social media, but I realize that I haven’t actually posted/linked them from the blog. Here they are:

Strange Horizons

The Indie Athenaeum

Publishers Weekly

These are some of my favorites, though there are a number of other solid reviews from The Independent, Quella, and many others. The novel remains available in print, audio, and electronic formats!

#SFWAPro

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Told You So

May 23, 2019

 

On April 28 I wrote a blog post predicting how Game of Thrones would end. And I mostly got it right. (Spoilers below!)

I figured the Iron Throne would be destroyed, figuratively if not literally (check and check.) I also figured the nature of how the Seven Kingdoms are governed would have to fundamentally change, with some combination of the survivors (good guys and bad) ruling as a council. While I did not get that exactly right, nor did I predict Bran’s ascension to the Wheelchair Throne, I feel as though I came pretty close. The Westeros elite arrived at something like their version of the Magna Carta and the monarchy is no longer hereditary. I feel like the finale definitely implied the Small Council having more power than it did during the previous reigns. So, I’m pretty pleased with how close I came. After all, I did spend three years writing a novel in a grimdark medieval fantasy world recently (more on that very soon, I promise!) and that comes with some finely honed plot instincts. 🙂

There have been a lot of dissatisfaction with this past season and I do agree that many of the elements felt rushed and many of the plotlines were left unresolved, but it was still a great show to watch and then to discuss around the water cooler as well as on the blog and social media. I’m thankful to everyone who was involved in creating the show that I’ve enjoyed for the past eight years or so. Kudos!

#SFWAPro

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