Jennifer Brozek | May 2018

Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop

The month of May has been made up of me writing on the BattleTech novel, bookended by travel. At the beginning of the month, it was Crypticon where I got to meet up with some of my favorite people, speak on panels, and sell books. The end of the month will be taken up with the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop.

The Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop promises to be a blast. For a week, I will be out of my routine. Two days for travel and five days of the workshop in Laramie, WY. The workshop days are full. The schedule looks really interesting. I can’t wait to go and learn. I like writing science fiction and it’s good to brush up on real world science.

I probably won’t be on social media much during the week. At least, not actively looking at social media. I might post pictures of where I’m at and some of the sites. I’ve never been to Wyoming before. This will be a new experience. My main fear is getting lost on campus. Seriously, I get turned around a lot. If I don’t actually know where I’m going, I’m the anti-ask-for-directions or go-the-opposite-way person. I suspect it won’t be too hard to get around, but it is the one thing I’m nervous about right now. (You can bet I'll post about getting lost if it does happen.)

I have to admit, I’m looking forward to pretending to be a college student for a week. I think getting away from routine and staying off the internet will be good for me. If I can manage it, I’m still going to write in the mornings before class. But I’m not going to beat myself up if it doesn’t happen.

What I will miss is the Husband and the kitties. He’s promised daily kitty pictures. I can handle that. If history is any indication, the kitties will miss me and spend all their time trying to glom onto the Husband. That will make his life interesting in the short term. (He will miss me, too, and has already said such.)

Bubble & Squeek for 3 May 2018

This weekend, I'll be at Crypticon in Sea-Tac with Apocalypse Ink Productions and on panels. I'm going to have all of my new releases with me as well as some of the old favorites and my convention only book. If you can't come see me, I hope you enjoy the weekend.

Article: To Write the Good Fight over on Jimbo's Awesome SFF Reviews. I like to have a foot in game reality to write a ’Mech Battle. I do it with a little help from my friends.

Interview: +1 to Writing on TripleCrit. All about me as an author and an editor. This fun interview was all about me shifting between the different publishing roles.

Interview: I've got a new interview on MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape about my Arkham Horror novella, To Fight the Black Wind. I get to talk about my favorite scene in this one.

Interview with Loren Rhoads: 5 Questions for Jennifer Brozek. All about Arkham Horror: To Fight the Black Wind. This one touches on how my own dreams brought a bit of reality to the novella.

Released: Arkham Horror: To Fight the Black Wind has been released for almost a month now. Read the first chapter for free.

Review: From Jimbo’s Awesome SFF Reviews. It’s safe to say he liked BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident.

Crypticon Seattle Schedule, May 4-6

Dealers Room
If I’m at not a panel, I will be in the Dealers Room with Apocalypse Ink Productions. I will have copies of my newest books, including Arkham Horror: To Fight the Black Wind and The Nellus Academy Incident. Come by and see me.

  • Friday 4pm – 8pm
  • Saturday 11am -7pm
  • Sunday 11am -5pm


FRI 5PM    Cascades 9        Start Writing, Stay Writing (Mod)
Have you dreamed of writing your own stories? Dying to get published? Maybe you are looking for tips to keep you moving forward? A panel of writers will share their favorite tips on getting started, staying motivated and improving your work. Panel discussion is designed for beginner or intermediate writers across a variety of forms like short story, novel and screenplay. This panel will provide a foundation for other writing panels and workshops this weekend.
James Gillen, Rebecca Brown, Jennifer Brozek (M), Julie McGilliard, Jerome St. Martin


SAT 1PM    Cascades 9        Jennifer Brozek Author Reading (Mod)
I will be reading from TO FIGHT THE BLACK WIND. Psychologist Carolyn Fern is searching for the cause of a patient’s terrible nightmares that leave her both mentally and physically scarred.


SUN 11AM    Cascades 9        Crafting Compelling Protagonists (Mod)
So often great stories also have great protagonists. A protagonist can pull audiences in or leave them out in the cold. This panel of authors will discussion what makes a compelling protagonist and how to craft one in your short story, novel, screenplay or other creative work.
Jennifer Brozek (M), Cat Rambo, John Lovett, Jerome St. Martin

The Jennifer Award for April 2018

From now until I decide I want to stop doing this, I will be giving out a monthly “Jennifer Award” for the best new-to-me thing I read that month. This can be fiction or non-fiction. It can be an essay/article, a short story, a novelette, a novella, or a novel. It doesn’t matter when it came out. It only matters that this is the first time I read it and I thought it was the best thing I read all month. Yes, it is completely subjective and biased towards what I like to read.

The winner will receive a shiny digital badge and a $5 gift card.

April’s winner is Deep Roots by Ruthanna Emrys. This book is due out on July 10, 2018. I have it pre-ordered on the kindle, but Seanan was sweet enough to loan the ARC of it to me to read because I wanted it NOW. I look forward to rereading this one again on the kindle.

Like Winter Tide, Deep Roots has the same evocative, lush language that drew me into the “Innsmouth Legacy” story. It took a long time for me to read this novel—on purpose. This was a mental meal that I enjoyed one chapter at a time, putting it down so I could savor the story and the prose. And savor it I did. While Deep Roots didn’t have the newness of Emrys’ unique take on the Lovecraft Mythos, it expanded it in all the right ways. Deep Roots is a worthy successor to Winter Tide.

2018
Jan: Godfall and Other Stories by Sandra M. Odell
Feb: “When We Fall” by Kameron Hurley
Mar: The Alastair Stone Chronicles by R.L. King
Apr: Deep Roots by Ruthanna Emrys