Balticon, Suave Rob, Crudrat, and Free Will
Contrary to rumors that have been floating around, I did not, in fact, get swallowed by a giant monster crab under the streets of Baltimore at Balticon. I did, however, have a brilliant time, and the summer has flown by so fast and so packed that I haven’t even posted my post-mortem. This’ll be brief, cause there’s news on all the other fronts, too:
Balticon
So much fun this year. Got to meet Pamela Gay and Mark Jeffry in person, had a blast talking business with new writers and podcasters, catching up with Sigler and Morris and Ballantine, and falling on my face attempting to live-narrate a new Antithesis short story called Colombian Dark. Thanks everyone for the fabulous time–and a special thanks to Dave Robison and Doc Coleman, who bought headshots and helped finance the trip!
Suave Rob
A little over two years ago, I released a short novel called Suave Rob’s Double-X Derring Do, about a far-future transsexual Evel Kenevel who longs to surf a supernova. It’s done fairly well in print and ebook, but I got to thinking that the audience that would REALLY love it are the kinds of people who listen to Escape Pod, where I sold Chicken Noodle Gravity a few years back. So, a little over a year ago, I sent it off. This past February I heard back from Norm Sherman, saying they’d love to buy it, and since then we’ve been trading paperwork during our copious free time (note the sarcasm–the world seems intent on eating every spare second). Well, he finally has his contract, and I finally have my check, so I can now happily announce:
Suave Rob will be on Escape Pod as a special extra-long episode (or series) sometime…in the future. I’ll let you know when I get the air date. I don’t know who’ll be reading it yet, though I’ve made a recommendation I hope they take, cause it’d be a perfect match. Either way, I’ll keep you posted!
Crudrat
The Gail Carriger Kickstarter project is still going. One of the ways the world eats time is by making hard drives crash. A lot. We’ve lost three hard drives on this project–in each case, we managed to not lose any data, but the recovery time and headache in replacing the hardware, restoring from backups, etc. has been a killer.
We’re now finally doing post production on the last two short stories. One is with Schadey at his place in Peru, where he’s working his magic with the music. The other is waiting in the queue right behind it. In the meantime, we’re powering ahead here with the video features and blooper reels, because this project really needs to wrap soon.
Free Will
Which brings me to Free Will (and The Next 10k Hours). The podcast wound up in the back seat with all this crowdfunding stuff, because (simply put) the crowdfunded project is a debt, and the podcast is a gift, and I’ve got a thing about paying debts off. So, Free Will will return late this year after everything is wrapped on the Crudrat project. I’ve wrestled with this for a long time, but I just can’t think of a way to put time into Free Will without shortchanging both it and the Crudrat stories–and I’d rather arrive late than arrive with sub-par quality. It’s a personality quirk.
Last Update
We’re finally getting our distribution in order at AWP, which means that by year’s end you’ll be able to find Predestination, Down From Ten, Crudrat, The Gail Carriger Short Story Bundle, and maybe also some of my short stories in audio format at Audible, Audiobooks.com, and several other fashionable marketplaces.
Building an empire is a slow process, but we’re getting there. Thanks for bearing with us!
Antithesis Live!!!
So, the illustrious Chris Lester of The Metamor City Podcast has graciously invited me to piggyback on his novel’s launch party to do a full-cast reading of a brand new Antithesis short story, Colombian Dark.
Join us from 8pm to 10pm in Parlor 1026 for the fun. Chris will do his book launch reading first, and then we’ll run Colombian Dark afterwards–probably actually going live at around 9pm or a little thereafter.
–UPDATE—
Doh! I forgot the day. That would be Sunday, 8pm to 10pm in Parlor 1026
Balticon Photo Session Booking
Since I am going to be at Balticon, with my camera kit in tow, I am available for photo bookings.
What I Can Do
I can shoot:
If what you want is not on this list, and not on the “won’t” list below, ask. We can probably swing it.
What I Can’t Do
Though I would love to drive, I suspect I’ll have to fly instead. Thus, the gear I can bring is pretty limited. I can’t, for example, bring much in the way of lighting equipment (though I’ll have my light painting brushes, my flash unit, and some gels). This means we’ll have to shoot with available light, or with lights that you bring. Fortunately, there’s a lot of good light around the hotel at Balticon, and (if memory serves) the lights in the rooms are pretty easy to reconfigure. I have some fast lenses for shooting in low-light conditions, which I’ll be bringing.
Similarly, I can’t bring much in the way of props, costuming, or my FX makeup kit. If your shoot requires these things, consult with me in advance, and I can help you put together the kit we’ll need.
What I Won’t Do
Although I’m a pretty open-minded guy, I have a few limits. Here they are:
- I won’t do a shoot with any subject who does not consent (so if your husband really doesn’t want to be photographed and you buy him a session, that’s your problem. Grudging consent is okay).
- I won’t shoot anything that might get me arrested. Security-restricted government installations and underage nudes are high on this list. Crime scenes that the cops haven’t arrived at are another one. Fortunately, because of the first amendment, this isn’t a long list.
- Unless we already have an established personal or professional (i.e. as model and photographer) relationship that involves a high degree of trust, I will insist that you bring an escort/chaperone to any shoot involving nudity.
Credibility
I’ve done professional photography and cinematography for over 13 years. In that time, I’ve done stage plays, behind-the-scenes photography on movies, a lot of concert photography, headshots, portraits (family and individual), weddings, fine art nudes, book covers, movie posters, botannicals, wildlife, astronomicals, and pretty much pointed my camera at anything I can pull focus on fast enough to capture.
My work has appeared in Jeff Vandermeer’s The Steampunk Bible and Gearhearts Steampunk Glamor Review, and it headlines Gail Carriger’s Retro Rack site. Nobilis Reed’s professional headshot is one that I shot last time I was at Balticon.
Basically, I’ve been around. If you still doubt my awesome powers, you can take a gander at this work-safe gallery and this not-so-work-safe gallery.
The Deal
I’ve got two packages on offer–if you want to do something these don’t cover, talk to me and we’ll work something out.
The first is a straightforward Headshots package, which I’m offering at $100. If you’re an actor or an author or just someone who wants some smart-looking portraits, this is the one for you. Headshot sessions run 15-20 minutes, and there are six or seven locations around the Balticon hotel that make excellent backdrops for them.
The second is the “anything goes” package, at $300/ea. For this you get me for 1-2hrs, for a group, a couple, a family, or a single, at any location in/around the hotel or easily accessible by car in the time slot.
In either case, we will confer in advance on the nature of the shoot, your desired setting, etc., take care of the photo releases, and schedule a time slot.
At the con, at the scheduled time, we’ll do the shoot.
A week after my return home, I’ll provide you a private online proof sheet, and from that you can choose up to six shots to have retouched/otherwise enhanced. I will then deliver to you all the shots, and, once they’re finished (anywhere from a day to a week later), I will deliver to you the package of retouched photos.
One Final Note
- If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and want either of these packages, I am perfectly happy to shoot locally and throw in all my other equipment, props, etc.
Join Me
Order your photo session here:
Headshot Session
Full Photo Session
Let’s make some art together!
Remember, if you want autographed books, I’m bringing those too.
Balticon Preorders
Hi, everyone!
Dan is hard at work putting the finishing touches on Crudrat and prepping for Balticon.
If you will be at Balticon, and would like a signed J. Daniel Sawyer book hand delivered to you, please order through our online store by 6:00 PM PDT, Wednesday, May 14 (we to order by that evening to ensure our order ships to the event in time)
Select the “Regular” option instead of “Autograph” (we won’t need the extra charge as we are only shipping once) and “Balticon 2014″ as the shipping option.
Order the short story collections here
Order the Clarke Lantham Mysteries here
Order a stand-alone novel here
Order nonfiction here
Thanks!
Kitty
Balticon Schedule
Well, it’s official: I will be at Balticon, and I’ll be profaning the place with my presence on panels.
- When to Stop Revising and Move on to the next project (Panel) (Participant), Fri 22:00 – 22:50, Salon B (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Grief, Loss, and Death in SF/F (Panel) (Participant), Sat 11:00 – 11:50, Salon B (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Breaking the Mold – Branching Out to Other Media (Panel) (Participant), Sat 12:00 – 12:50, Chesapeake (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Satellite Recording (Panel) (Participant), Sun 09:00 – 09:50, Parlor 1026 (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Full Cast vs. Straight Read (Panel) (Participant), Sun 14:00 – 14:50, Derby (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Handling The Technical Side: Writers & Their Fact Checkers (Panel) (Participant), Sun 16:00 – 16:50, Parlor 1041 (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Narration vs Voice Acting (Panel) (Participant), Sun 18:00 – 18:50, Parlor 1041 (Hunt Valley Inn)
- How to write Polyamory and not a train wreck (Panel) (Participant), Mon 09:00 – 09:50, Chase (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Beta Readers (Panel) (Participant), Mon 12:00 – 12:50, Chesapeake (Hunt Valley Inn)
- Why Writing Can’t Be Taught And How To Teach It (Panel)
(Participant), Mon 13:00 – 13:50, Parlor 1041 (Hunt Valley Inn)
In addition, I’ll be hosting a Clarke Lantham Mysteries themed party, location and time TBA in the next few days.