In-Person Reading/Signing of I AM SMOKE at Mysterious Galaxy Books

Mysterious Galaxy Books hosted a reading/signing of my creative nonfiction picture book, I AM SMOKE.

Acclaimed middle grade author Chris Baron graciously “interviewed” me about my book. My faithful hound Iroh also showed great interest in the book. A good time was had by all.

The Case of the Murderous Alien

My paranormal steampunk homage to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, The Case of the Murderous Alien, appears in the SPIRIT MACHINE anthology from Air and Nothingness Press. Behold the stunning cover art!

San Diego Comic-Con 2021 Panels

I’m thrilled to share that I moderated two San Diego Comic-Con virtual panels.

The first, Young Adult Dark Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Horror, features bestselling authors Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns), Mylo Carbia (Violets are Red), Sarah Beth Durst (The Queens of Renthia), Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin), and Seanan McGuire (October Daye). They’ll share their insights into writing dark speculative fiction and the publishing industry, including book to TV/film.
The video stream can be viewed on YouTube.

The second panel is Meet the Creators and Cast of Netflix’s Norsemen. Norsemen is Netflix’s hilarious historical comedy series—think Vikings meets The Office. Participating in this Q&A are actors: Kåre Conradi (Orm), Trond Fausa (Rufus), Nils Jørgen Kaalstad (Arvid), Øystein Martinsen (Kark), Marian Ottesen (Hildur), and series producers/directors/writers Jonas Torgersen and Jon Iver Helgaker.
The video stream can be viewed on YouTube.

Henry Herz joins the editorial staff at Running Wild Press

I’m pleased to announce that I am now also an editor with Running Wild Press.

FAQs for 100 Writing Days of Summer

Summer officially begins on Monday, and with it begins the 100 Writing Days of Summer program. Summer is a time of dreaminess, hopefulness, even laziness. It is a time I like to write – because the living is easy. And after writing, I can engage in some of my favorite ways to think – BBQs, a dunk in the pool, a bike ride or a day at the beach. When you’re actively writing, all those activities can also be considered “writing” because you’re incubating your thoughts and ideas. And because when you’re having fun, your brain is open to solution finding, and ideas come more easily.

I’m hoping you want to write with us this summer. I thought this FAQ might help you make the decision. Thanks, and I hope to see you in there, writing your heart out. #100WritingDaysOfSummer

PS. I know it’s a weird summer that already feels too busy, though it hasn’t even started, but a Yes to the program is a Yes to your WIP. Join 100 Writing Days of Summer.

Where do I sign up? Right here!

What is the actual time commitment?

The total time spent writing together is 20 hours in 10 2-hour sessions. The rest is “free range.” You might set your own writing goal that creates a bigger commitment in our opening ceremony, or with a writing buddy.

What is the schedule for the Write/Coach/Write sessions?

The times were chosen to accommodate working people, and people on both coasts and in between. We’re meeting to write…

· Some Thursdays 5-7pm, PDT (8-10pm ET)

· Some Saturdays 8-10am, PDT (11-1pm ET)

What is a Write/Coach/Write session?

When we say Write/Coach/Write, we mean,

Write 45 minutes

Next 30 minutes, have the option of getting coaching help as a group for creative indecision, doubts or dread your brain is serving up with Julia Roberts, creativity coach

Write for the remaining 45 minutes.

Anyone who is on a roll can skip the coaching part, by turning off their speaker, and write on.

How much does it cost?

The price for the program is $299. If you prefer, you can pay over three months, each month at $109.

What do you get?

Every weekday, you get a beautiful email – with a writing tip and a Summery Picture Prompt. Tips were written for this program by the Author Panel, summarizing their experience, insights and best practices

The FB group offers camaraderie, a place to find an accountability buddy, and access to the Author Panel. One author is featured for 10 days at a time, all summer long.

You can also ask a coaching question of Julia Roberts, who is in the FB group every day.

There are 10 2-hour Write/Coach/Write sessions during the summer, held on Zoom.

Opening and closing ceremonies on Zoom

Giveaways

AND… New Writer friends, inspiration, help with your creative process, and a pile of new pages written by Labor Day.

100 Writing Days of Summer

This is still a funny summer. Things seem normal, but they still aren’t fully functional, right? Dining and stadiums seem to be back on track, but most of the writers’ conferences aren’t gathering in person this summer.

We writers don’t have a way to get together right now and get help, get inspired, and get writing. I like to write in the summers, and I know a lot of writers do – maybe because school’s out, or just because the days are longer, or because office hours are often shorter. We can write in the woods, at a table on the front porch, or even on a dock at the lake. Summers and writing just go together.

Would you like to be writing a novel or memoir this summer? There is help, camaraderie, and expert inspiration that you can tap into all summer long. It is a writing program called 100 Writing Days of Summer (#100WritingDaysofSummer) and I’m very pleased to be a part of it.

• It starts June 21 and runs all summer long.
• A panel of eight established, successful authors are all going to share their best ten writing tips, so you can turn a corner on problems you might be facing in your current WIP
• The Author Panel’s expertise ranges from award winning and bestselling novelists, memoirists, YA authors, Children’s book authors, fantasy, and flash fiction.
• Julia Roberts – the organizer – is a creative process expert and coach, and she will be your summer mentor in the FB group, on Zoom calls and in the daily emails. Julia Roberts is also the founder of DecodingCreativity.com, the Write Without the Fight Facebook group & 5-Day Challenge, already taken by thousands of writers since its inception 3 years ago
• Each email contains an expert writing tip or writing mindset advice, a picture prompt, and group updates.
• Julia will also host 10 2-hour writing sessions and coaching for anyone in the group who gets stuck or frustrated.
• The Pop-up FB group will be our own “Conference Rom B,” where we can meet other writers, socialize and connect.

100 Writing Days of Summer (#100WDOS) has all the elements of a writers’ conference, combined with the benefits of coaching and a writing retreat. I hope you can join me, Julia Roberts, and the other Authors of the Panel to learn, connect and write!

I hope you can join us and write this summer! Go here for more information. And feel free to hit reply and ask me any questions.

Looking forward to a productive summer,
Henry

WonderCon 2021 Panels – Norsemen, Middle Grade Authors

I was thrilled to organize and moderate two panels for #WonderConAtHome 2021. The first features the cast of the hilarious Netflix historical comedy series, #Norsemen. You can learn more about the show from my essay at Interstellar Flight Press and my Norsemen fan site. Then do yourself a favor and go watch it on Netflix.

The 45-minute WonderCon Norsemen panel online premieres at 5pm PST on March 27. It features actors Kåre Conradi (Orm), Øystein Martinsen (Kark), Nils Jørgen Kaalstad (Arvid), Marian Ottesen (Hildur), Trond Fausa (Rufus), Bjørn Myrene (Torstein), Silje Torp (Frøya), and Jon Øigarden (Jarl Varg). Learn about who was the biggest prankster, what it’s like working on set with a spouse, and what big thoughts Arvid thinks.

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The second WonderCon panel featured successful Middle Grade novel authors Bruce Coville (Aliens Ate My Homework), NY Times bestseller Stacia Deutsch (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Jr. movie novel), NY Times bestseller Nancy Holder (Wonder Woman movie novel), Rajani Larocca (Red, White and Whole), and Henry Neff (Tapestry series).

The 39-minute panel online premieres at 10am PST on March 26. It features the authors sharing their insights into the publishing industry, how to get started, and lessons learned on the journey to publication. Good times.

Announcing our dark YA anthology, THE HITHERTO SECRET EXPERIMENTS OF MARIE CURIE

I am pleased to announce that Blackstone Publishing has bought a young adult project edited by me and Bryan Thomas Schmidt, The Hitherto Secret Experiments Of Marie Curie. The anthology will comprise 18 dark stories of science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror set during Marie Curie’s high school years in Poland. What might she have done had she applied her genius in darker directions? The rockstar cast of award-winning and bestselling authors is: Scott Westerfeld, Jane Yolen, Mylo Carbia, Alethea Kontis, Jonathan Maberry, Scott Sigler, Stacia Deutsch, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Beth Durst, Lissa Price, Christine Taylor-Butler, Jo Whittemore, Dee Leone, Susanne Lambdin, Emily McCosh, Steve Pantazis, myself, and Bryan Thomas Schmidt & GP Charles.

The project is scheduled for 2022 release simultaneously in print and audio. We hope to include real science and history, while also having fun with the subject matter and the fascinating character of one of the most important and well-known female scientists in world history, a double Nobel Prize winner. The art below is NOT part of the project, but it conveys a sense of the tone.

Creative Nonfiction Markets Open to Submission

S. Kalekar at Authors Publish has compiled a list of 24 creative nonfiction markets that are open to submission.

28 Themed Submission Markets

Here are some themed short story submission markets compiled by S. Kalekar at Authors Publish.