My World Fantasy Con Schedule

Here's my schedule for the 2006 WFC in Austin, Texas this week.

THURSDAY -- I'm the Master of Ceremonies for the International Horror Guild Awards (8-10pm / Wedgwood).

FRIDAY

Fr1630A Interpreting REH's Fiction in Art
Fri 4:30 PM-5:30 PM Ballroom A
Gianni, Martin(m), Palencar, Picacio
Artists who have illustrated Robert E. Howard and other heroic fantasy present and discuss their work. What are the appeals and challenges of working with heroic fantasy concepts, especially Howard's worlds and characters?

Fr2000A Mass Autograph Session
Fri 8:00 PM-10:00 PM Ballroom A

Fr2100PF Art Reception
Fri 9:00 PM-11:00 PM Prefunction Area

SATURDAY

World Fantasy Awards Banquet (6:30PM-10PM)

SUNDAY

Su1430A Art in the New Millennium: What is an Original?
Sun 2:30 PM-3:30 PM Ballroom A
Deen, Dringenberg, Palencar, Picacio(m), Snellings-Clark
With computer technology and a new generation of good artists using these tools, what constitutes an original?

Pow, bam, boom

Yesterday's SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS featured a long article about graphic novels written by Robert Seltzer. There are a few quotes by me sprinkled through the piece. The paper included a photo of me and a detail of a shelf on my studio wall, but those aren't posted on the net. Nice to see Rick Klaw and San Antonio's Atomic Comics included in the mix as well.

SCI FI Magazine's 2006 Gift Guide

Good news -- SCI FI Magazine just released their 2006 Gift Guide issue and they've selected COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO as one of three art books to look for when you're giving (or receiving) this coming holiday season. Besides my book, they also shined the spotlight on REVOLUTION: THE ART OF JON FOSTER and THE ART OF RAY HARRYHAUSEN. I believe the issue just hit newsstands everywhere, so check it out, the next time you're at the bookstore. I found some pretty sweet Xmas gift ideas in the mag, and my fiancee devoured the article on Joe Hill, who is one of her favorite new authors. Thanks to Brian Murphy for giving me the heads-up!

Irene Gallo's Art Department

Irene Gallo, Tor's superstar, multi-Chesley Award-winning art director, just posted a fun little Thumbnail Interview with me over at her blog, The Art Department. Chances are real good that if you visit my blog, you probably already know about hers. If you haven't visited The Art Department yet though, get over there, for cryin' out loud! :) Her blog's a must-visit for all art afficionados, and it's one of the most fun publishing-related blogs on the net.

Alan vs. Goliath

So in the post below, I let everyone know about Borderlands Books and their special deal on COVER STORY. Need more proof why Borderlands is so great? Here you go.

Nice article that also gives shoutouts to the Other Change of Hobbit and Dark Delicacies.

October Savings at Borderlands Books

The fine folks at Borderlands Books in San Francisco are offering terrific value to anyone buying COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO during the month of October. Buy COVER STORY before Halloween and they'll ship it to you for a mere $1 extra, anywhere in the USA. I signed all of their copies at Worldcon, so get yours while they last.

Borderlands is one of the finest and most well-stocked genre bookstores in America, bar none, and it's a must-visit anytime I'm in the Bay Area. Alan Beatts, Jude Feldman, Jeremy Lassen and their entire staff are amongst the finest folks in this business and they treat people right. Spend money there. You'll be glad you did!

The Agony Column

Rick Kleffel has posted a brief interview with me over at The Agony Column. If you're not already a regular visitor there, definitely check it out. I'm not sure how Rick keeps his fingers on the pulse of everything in literary sf/f, but he does. His site's diverse, it's informative, and it's a must-visit on my bookmark list every day or so.

The interview was conducted shortly after the release of COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO back in May/June. With that in mind, a couple of quick addendums: I mentioned that I was doing a cover for a new edition of Robert Silverberg's SON OF MAN from Pyr. Pyr has pushed back that release for now, so I'll return to that work when they're ready. Just a bit of schedule-shuffling, so the release is a matter of "when," not "if". I also mentioned in the interview that I was sketching the cover for Chris Roberson's forthcoming X-MEN: THE RETURN. The finished art is pictured here if you haven't seen it already, and the finished mass market paperback releases from Simon & Schuster/Pocket in May 2007.

"We've got a good show for you tonight..."

This just in -- I'll be the Master of Ceremonies for this year's International Horror Guild Awards. The big night happens Thursday, November 2nd at the World Fantasy Convention in Austin, Texas. Should be a very fun evening and I can promise only that I'll keep the festivities brisk and punchy. I suspect I'll have no agonizing monologues to offer, and most likely no tedious off-Broadway efforts between categories. I suspect chest-grabbing won't be part of my routine either. If you don't know what the last sentence means, you're better off. Trust me.

We'll have a few laughs; watch some very worthy folks be recognized; dole out some hardware; and then go consume lots of celebratory beverages at the bar immediately thereafter. Sound like a plan? Cool. Be there! And check out the IHG site for a full rundown of this year's nominees, as well as the World Fantasy Convention site for further details.