Photos from WonderCon 2024

For the first time in memory, WonderCon experienced rain showers. But that didn’t dampen the fun.

Pixies of some sort. Lovely cosplay.

Batman villain, Bane. Normal human for purposes of comparison.

Batman villains Catwoman, Bane, Poison Ivy, Penguin

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

Raiders from the Borderlands video game

A very cute Box Troll

Some fun monstrous pins

Portable corgi

The Corinthian from Sandman (left) plus two others

The unsung hero of pop culture conventions: cosplay repair dude

Some kind of demon. Reminds me of a demonette from Warhammer.

Who says Gandalf can’t have curves?

character from the video game Final Fantasy

General shenanigans outside

Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy

A more traditional Gandalf

Everyone’s favorite Dungeons & Dragons monster

My young adult fantasy author panel with (l to r) Jonathan Maberry, Jennifer Brody, Stacia Deutsch, and Cory Doctorow

Parenting According to Bluey panel with (l to r) Billy San Juan, Lorran Garrison, Brittani Oliver, me, Ariel Landrum

Writers Coffeehouse panel with (l to r) me, Scott Sigler, Elle Jauffret, Jonathan Maberry, Lisa Kastner

Indiana Jones and Marian Ravenwood from Raiders of the Lost Ark

Jedi Santa knows when you’ve been naughty

Jellyfish

Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Mario Brothers

Media tie-in author panel with (l to r) Kevin J. Anderson, Troy Denning, Keith DeCandido, Martin Ward, Brian Anderson

Poison Ivy from Batman

Professor Pyg and friend from Batman

Space Ghost

I have no idea. An X-man with cheerleaders

Announcing new YA urban fantasy / sci-fi anthology, WINK

I’m thrilled to announce an upcoming urban fantasy/contemporary sci-fi anthology, WINK. Each tale is a wink at a classic children’s story or novel, like Black Beauty, Frog & Toad, The Cat in the Hat, The Wizard of Oz, and so on, reimagined as young adult tales.

WINK features an amazing award-winning author line-up (including seven NY Times bestsellers): James Aquilone, Kendare Blake, Leah Cypess, Stacia Deutsch, David Gerrold, Tara Gilboy, Henry Herz, Nancy Holder, Alethea Kontis, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Wulf Moon, Henry Neff, Alex Shvartsman, and Maggie Stiefvater.

The gorgeous cover is by Abigail Larson, a character designer for the hit Netflix series, Blue Eye Samurai. Each story also has an illustration by the talented Adam Gustavson. Jennifer Brody crafted a lovely introduction, and I wrote a poem to complement Maggie Stiefvater’s story.

You can order an eBook here or paperback here. Published by Brigids Gate Press, the formal release date will be in June 2024.

The horror/humor graphic below from social media was my original inspiration for this project, although only a couple of the stories in WINK are very dark.

 

Announcing my new picture book, I AM GRAVITY

I’m thrilled to announce the impending release (April 16, 2024) of my informational fiction picture book, I AM GRAVITY from Tilbury House Publishing. Following the style of the acclaimed, I AM SMOKE, in this anthropomorphic autobiography, gravity explains how it works and its vital role to all life. Amazing artist Merce Lopez once again brings the story alive with her breathtaking illustrations.

Here’s what people are saying:

“Once again, Herz and López tackle the intangible and make it relatable. I Am Gravity poetically explores the one force that affects all matter while creating a launchpad for further exploration.”
– John Rocco, #1 NY Times bestselling author/illustrator and Caldecott Award honoree

“This brilliantly crafted book takes a nearly unfathomable force and somehow makes it understandable—and feel like a friend.”
– Ame Dyckman, NY Times bestselling author

“From a butterfly landing on a hand to the entire universe, the abstract concept of gravity is lucidly and lyrically explained and illustrated. Gravity as a forever “hug” — I like that.”
– Deborah Freedman, award-winning author/illustrator

“Holy moly. I think you’ve just written something even better than I Am Smoke.”
 – Betsy Bird, librarian and blogger for School Library Journal

“A compelling blend of science and poetry transforms a force we cannot see or touch into something relatable and beautiful.”
– Patricia Newman, Sibert Honor author and environmentalist

You can learn more about I AM GRAVITY here.

Announcing new charity sci-fi anthology: Red Stars & Shattered Shields

It is my pleasure to announce the release of RED STARS AND SHATTERED SHIELDS, an adult sci-fi charity anthology I co-edited with Maxwell Gold in response to the attack of October 7, 2023. The anthology features some very well-known and award-winning authors: David Brin, Jennifer Brody, Jennifer Brozek, Adam-Troy Castro, Leah Cypess, Keith DeCandido, David Gerrold, Elana Gomel, Jonathan Maberry Jody Lynn Nye, Cat Rambo, Alex Shvartsman, Susan Shwartz, Robert Silverberg, Adam Stemple, and Ian Randal Strock, as well as poems by John Baltisberger, Michael Bailey, Pedro Iniguez, Ngo Binh Anh Khoa, Vince Liaguno, Jessica McHugh, Lisa Morton, Lee Murray, John Palisano, John Shirley, Lucy A. Snyder, and Stephanie M. Wytovich.

You can order a copy here.

Yuriko Publishing is donating the profits to American Friends of Magen David Adom (MDA). As a national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood bank service, MDA is Israel’s equivalent of the Red Cross.

Good times at the Superstar Writing Seminars

I had the pleasure of being one of the invited speakers at the Superstar Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs. Big kudos to Kevin Anderson, Marie Whitaker, and all the other staff and volunteers that made this fun event possible.

The event was held near Cheyenne Mountain, home of NORAD.

Bestselling author of The Parasol Protectorate, Gail Carriger with a very cool purse.

Bestselling author of The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher. Purse not included.

Delightful event staffer Chris Mandeville and her adorable dog, Oski.

Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson wants you to buy this book!

A delicious VIP dinner

 

More VIPs

Me with author Wulf Moon.

Bestselling author David Weber talks about character development

Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry talks about everything. 🙂

The delightful Shadow Mountain editor, Lisa Mangum

 

Vegas, Baby!

Some fun photos from a quick trip to Las Vegas, which included a nephew’s wedding featuring a pot bar prior to the ceremony, the bride entering to “Sympathy for the Devil”, and vows that included the Litany of Fear from Dune.

The “Eiffel Tower” outside The Bellagio Hotel/Casino

“Enchantment” fairy world installation at the Bellagio

Some interesting artwork for sale

The aptly named Red Rock National Park

Some fun Las Vegas-only signage

These are actually soaps, not treats. I won’t make that mistake again.

Silly stuff for sale

There’s actually a working gondola and fake sky inside The Venetian Hotel/Casino

Good Times at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con

Better late than never. Here are some fun photos from San Diego Comic-Con 2023 #SDCC2023.

Jinx from Arcade

Arwen and Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings

Henry Herz, Victoria Aveyard, L.R. Lam

Author panel (l to r): Marie Wells, Johnny Compton, Philip Fracassi, Holly Black, Catriona Ward

Blackstone Publishing booth with The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie anthology

Author panel (l to r):Miss Sugiura, Alex Bracken, Erin Craig, Amanda Linsmeier, Gina Chen

Enormous comic poster

With fellow picture book author, Dan Santat

Elfquest cosplay

Figurines

She-ra

Looney Tunes figurines

Life-sized Marvel figures

Slimer from Ghostbusters

Zombie garden gnomes

Crabapple: grumpy crab life

Inigo Montoya from Princess Bride

Uncle Iroh’s tea shop from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Jed Brophy, dwarf actor from The Hobbit

KidLit author social gathering

KidLit author panel (l to r): Dan Santat, Mark Fearing, Mac Barnett, Jonathan Case, Nidhi Chainani

Author panel (l to r): Wesley Chu, Lissa Price, me, Jonathan Maberry, Jo Whittemore, Stacia Deutsch

The Mask

Monster

Author panel (l to r): Nnedi Okorafor, Emma Mieko Candon, Martha Wells, Pierce Brown, Charles Soule

Huge Rhino-inspired cosplay

Rick and Morty manga

Rick Sanchez balloon

Author panel (l to r):Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Genevieve Gornichec, Lauren Bear, Emily Skrutskie, Evelyn Skye

Steampunk lady

Swedish chef and chicken

Author panel (l to r):Jim Di Bartolo, Laini Taylor, Vicki Johnson, Shannon Messenger, Alexandra Bracken, Margaret Owen

Creepy teddy bear

Tesla science magazine

Thanos cosplay from Avengers

Viking chariot

Walter White cosplay from Breaking Bad

Julie Vee, Ken Bobelle, Susan Lee, Cory Doctorow, Nidhi Chanani, and Diane Marie Brown

Me with author Holly Black

PJ Our Way’s Author Israel Adventure 2023

I was honored to be granted participation in PJ Our Way’s Author Israel Adventure in May 2023. In addition to the PJ staff, fellow author attendees were: A.J. Sass, Adam Gidwitz, Adam Lehrhaupt, Barbara Bietz, Liz Seneby, Jen Kam, Joanne Levy, Joshua Levy, Kathy Kacer, Nancy Churnin, Nancy Werlin, Richard Ho, Sabina Hahn, Sarah Aronson, Sofiya Pasternack, Terrie Libenson, Tracy Newman, and Vesper Stamper. Most of the photos are by professional photographer Danielle Mehler.

Machtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater) in the Negev Desert

Making breads and rugalach at the Lasha Bakery

Visiting the Indian-Jewish community from Cochin, India

Bedouin community experience

Sunrise hike through Nahal (wadi) Havarim in the Negev Desert

Ben-Gurion Educational Center

Met with Maktabat Al-Fanoos (Lantern Library) staff

Visited the Dead Sea

Visited the Old City of Jerusalem and the City of David

The Israel Museum including Dead Sea Scrolls

Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market (shuk) and Tali Friedman’s Atelier

Dug up 2,000-year-old pottery shards at the Beit Guvrin (a UNESCO World Heritage site) archeological dig

Maps at the National Library of Israel

Tour of the ANU Museum of the Jewish People (Tel Aviv) with SCBWI Israel

Tel Aviv

Fun at WonderCon 2023

I attended WonderCon 2023 in Anaheim, CA. Was on a couple of panels and saw tons of fantastic cosplay. Enjoy!

Some of the doomed Space Marines from Aliens

My Speculative Fiction in Alternate History panel. From L to R: Lissa Price, me, Stacia Deutsch, Scott Sigler

The panel audience

Scott Sigler reads a snippet from his story.

Aquaman and Wonder Woman

Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul: Theirs was a forbidden love.

Aang, Katara, and Aapa the flying bison from Avatar: The Last Airbender. “Yip, yip!”

Avengers: Hawkeye, Iron Man, Thor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Futrama’s Bender (on a bender)

The brest, I mean best Catwoman cosplay there.

Chainsaw Man. The convention staff actually bothered to safety tag his chainsaw blades.

Chewbacca

Cinderella

A reliable and helpful cosplay repair man.

Cousin It from The Addams Family

“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”

Dancing Stormtrooper with real boombox music

With David Gerrold, the man who wrote the tribbles episode of Star Trek, among many other things.

Doc Oc from Spiderman

Edna Mode from The Incredibles was VERY busy telling all the superheroes, “No capes!”

Elves from a video game.

Final Fantasy cosplay. Speak softly and carry a big sword.

A huge Master Sergeant from Halo.

Poison Ivy and four Harley Quinns.

My KidLit author panel with, L to R: Tara Gilboy, Reggie Brown, me, Dee Leone.

You might think this is just a cute kid in costume. But it is also the most horrific costume at WonderCon. Why? This junior canine astronaut’s spacesuit has red stars, making her a cosmonaut. The Soviets launched a mutt Laika on a one-way journey into space at the early stages of their space program. That’s cold.

Mandlorians

Middle grade author panel with, L to R: Greg Van Eekhout, Dan Santat, Cecil Castelucci, and Chris Baron.

Amazingly well rendered Poison Ivy from Batman.

Remote-controlled robot from WALL-E.

The villain Ronan from The Avengers

Star Wars cosplay

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts

At The Rings of Power panel, the signer for the hearing impaired wore elf ears.

Galactus

Wise Uncle Iroh from Avatar – The Last Airbender

Walter White from Breaking Bad

Wednesday from The Addams Family

A second version of Wednesday from The Addams Family

Zelda and Link from The Legend of Zelda

Good Times at the 2023 Tucson Festival of Books

I had a lovely time at the 2023 Tucson Festival of Books. Met some real-life friends, met some Facebook friends in real-life for the first time, and even got to meet some politics journalists, which pleased my inner political junkie.

Here’s the well-dressed #kidlit author/illustrator Adam Rex in action.

Award-winning picture book authors-illustrator friends: Juana Martinez-Neal, Molly Idle, Andrea Wang & David LaRochelle.

Good friend author and skillful picture book critiquer. Lori Alexander.

Got to meet the dynamic duo of Construction Night rhyming picture books, Sherri Duskey Rinker and AG Ford.

The wildly talented adult authors, Luis Alberto Urrea and Charlaine Harris.

A graphic novelist panel with Franco Aureliani, Scott Magoon, and Molly Mendoza.

With the talented picture book author-illustrators Matthew Cordell and Dan Yaccarino.

Monkeying around.

With political journalists Tim Miller and David Corn. Also got to meet Jonathan Lemire.

A giant heart blow-up structure for teaching anatomy.

The wonderfully warm kidlit author-illustrator, Zahra Marwan.

With the well-dressed, articulate, and kind picture book illustrator and graphic novelist, Scott Magoon.

With the gifted and hilarious picture book author, Carmen Agra Deedy.

A picture book author-illustrator panel with rock stars Matthew Cordell, Dan Yaccarino, and Carmen Agra Deedy.

A horror writer panel with Weston Ochse, Yvonne Navarro, Johny Compton, and Hiron Ennes.

With superb adult horror writers Weston Ochse and Yvonne Navarro.