Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction

The Digital Aesthete published today!

November 14, 2023

Today’s software can only imitate art, but what about tomorrow?

Will true artificial intelligences be able to appreciate or even create art? Explore dystopian societies, where AI generates most of the content and human artists must eke out an existence, and utopias, where artificial minds help unlock and enhance human creativity.

Delve into the minds of robot painters, AI poets, drone forgers, and electronic theater curators. These and other possible futures are imagined by award-winning and bestselling human authors from the USA, UK, China, Ukraine, Chile, Japan, Madagascar, Brazil, Czech Republic, and Sri Lanka.

Publisher’s Weekly review

Purchase links:

Amazon
B&N ebook / paperback
Kobo
Apple

You will also be able to read the stories FOR FREE at www.future-sf.com!

One story will be unlocked every week through February 2024. You can read the introduction and stories by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Jane Espenson upon release!

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Kakistocracy Release Day!

October 17, 2023

Book 2 in the Conradverse Chronicles is out today! Many of the digital retailers are still onboarding the audiobook but you should be able to buy the paperback and ebook in all the usual places, and the audiobook in several outlets already.

Here are a few of the vendors where you can find it:

Amazon (print, ebook, audio pending)
Barnes & Noble (print, ebook, audio)
Bookshop.org (print)
Spotify (audio)
Chirp (audio)

Listen to the complete chapter 1 of the audiobook on YouTube:

Read some of the early reviews of Kakistocracy:

Book series live and die by word of mouth. Please read/listen, share the book with others, and post a review or even just a rating. It will help ensure there’s a book 3!

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Capclave 2023 Schedule

September 28, 2023

Here’s where you can find me this weekend. This is also everyone’s first chance to get their paws on KAKISTOCRACY!

Friday, 7pm: Anthology Builder panel – Washington Theater
Saturday, 2pm: Signing (Dealers Room Foyer)
Saturday, 4:30pm: Reading (Monroe)
Saturday, 5:30pm: Book Launch: Kakistocracy
Saturday, 8:30pm: Mass Signing
Sunday, 1pm: Artificial Intelligence 101 panel – Washington Theater

Schedule at the official Capclave site

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

Murderbugs & Vampire Survival Guide

September 16, 2023

Two new anthologies are live on Kickstarter as of today! Murderbugs and Vampire Survival Guide are both edited by Mike Jack Stoumbos and will be published in 2024.

If the campaign reaches a $6000 mark I will write a story for the Vampire Survival Guide tentatively titled “Hemotherapy” (not a typo.) Intrigued to see what advice I might have for vampires to survive in the cold and uncaring human world? Pledge some cash to the campaign!

Those who pledge in the first 24 hours will also get a stack of additional e-books, including David Hankins’ hilarious new novel Death and the Taxman as well as my own Funny Horror anthology!

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Posted by Alex Shvartsman

WVMT Radio Interview

September 12, 2023

You can now listen to my WVMT radio interview with Bruce Newbury, talking about speculative fiction and the forthcoming Kakistocracy novel!

https://post.futurimedia.com/wvmt/playlist/listen-1547.html

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Albacon 2023 Schedule – Virtual

September 8, 2023

Albacon is upon us this weekend, but this year I will only be there in spirit (and also in Zoom, or whatever widget they use to host virtual panels.)

Here are my panels:

Sat 10:30 AM 1 Hr 15 Min Meeting B 24 I Used to Be…
Sun 10:30 AM 1 Hr 15 Min Meeting A 41 Crowdfunding For Print
Sun 12:00 PM 1 Hr 15 Min Meeting B 21 Artificial Intelligence VS the Creative Professional

Now, if only they could figure out a way to teleport some treats here for the ice cream social…

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KRCW-TV Everyday Northwest interview

September 7, 2023

Here’s the TV interview from yesterday where I talked to Ashley Howard about National Read a Book Day!

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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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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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Unexpected Questions interview at Amazing Stories

August 17, 2023

There’s a fun interview at Amazing Stories where I talk about Very Deep Things, such as whether it’s better to be a mermaid or a dragon, and whether I’d rather fight 100 duck-sized robots or one robot-sized duck. You know you’re curious!