BaltiCon Schedule

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

BaltiCon will be all-digital again this year, and I’m happy to be on some programming, including a great focus on ttrpgs and gaming this year.

Here’s my schedule:

Saturday, May 29th

1pm – Mount Washington
Love the Setting, Hate the System

Lisa Padol, Christiana Ellis, Michael R. Underwood, Daniel M Ford, Adam Beaton

What are your options when you love the setting of a particular game, but the rules don’t fit with what you want to run? Let’s talk about system hacks, house rules, game conversions, setting-agnostic rulesets, and when to move on to something else.

4pm – Pride of Baltimore
Good First-Time RPGs (that aren’t D&D)

Christiana Ellis (moderator), Lisa Padol, Jennifer R. Povey, Michael R. Underwood, dave ring

Are you interested in trying role-playing games, but want to try something with simpler rules, more focus on narrative, or in a different genre? We’ll discuss great newbie-friendly RPGs that explore the range of playstyles and stories at the gaming table.

Sunday, May 30th

10am – Watertable
What Makes Video Games Genre?

Bugsy Bryant (moderator), Tee Morris, Michael R. Underwood, Phoebe Barton, Adam Beaton

Video games frequently tap into an audience’s love of science fiction and fantasy, but too often don’t go beyond superficial genre trappings (alien invasions, magical combat, etc.). What are the games that successfully engage with SFF ideas and themes through story and gameplay mechanics, and how can creators further develop genre storytelling in games?

2:30pm – Mount Washington
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

L. Penelope (moderator), Michael R. Underwood, Devin Randall, Mary Fan, Nicole Givens Kurtz

Marvel Studios has been pushing boundaries and navigating into uncharted territories with their Disney+ series, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is no exception, touching on everything from systemic racism to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to fan privilege. How has the series worked with MCU canon as it explores the direction of Captain America in a post-Rogers world? What themes does the series share with WandaVision, and what might the future hold for Sam and Bucky?

Flights of Foundry schedule

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

Here’s my (light) schedule for FLIGHTS OF FOUNDRY this weekend.

All times EDT:

Saturday, April 17th
3:30-3:50pm – Michael R. Underwood Reading

I’ll be reading from Annihilation Aria or maybe from the latest Genrenauts novella!

Sunday, April 18th
3:00 to 3:50pm – Branching into Multiple Media

Claire Rousseau, Brandon O’Brien, Michael R. Underwood, Moderated by RJ Theodore
For writers interested in branching out from their starting point, whatever that might be, panelists will share their experiences and advice about moving between short and long form prose, video, podcasting, novels, live-streaming, poetry, games writing, and a variety of non-fiction writing options.

The discussion will examine the motivations for switching it up or adding to their portfolios, from supplementing income to the quest for creative satisfaction.

Origins 2019 schedule

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Michael R. Underwood

Hello again! It’s still convention season, and Origins will be my third con in six weeks and the end of my busy period with travel for the summer. I’ll be moderating several panels and speaking on a couple of others, and you can also find me in the Origins Author’s Library section of the exhibit hall much of the rest of the weekend. So if you’re headed to the show, I hope you’ll swing by and say hello!

Thursday, June 13:

1pm-2pm: Career Expectations: What can you expect from a writing career? How do you decide if you’re a success or a failure? Mercedes Lackey, Jennifer Brozek, Michael R. Underwood (M), Robyn King

4pm-5pm: Next-level Worldbuilding for Prose or Gaming: Talking about power dynamics in worldbuilding, layering of history, cohesive/coherent worldbuilding that feels like it all connects, etc. Lucy Snyder, Michael R. Underwood (M), Doc Myers

Friday, June 14:

2pm-3pm: Pen and Pixels: Lessons from gaming for prose fiction and lessons from prose for gaming. Carlos Hernandez, Michael R. Underwood, Tracy Chowdhury, Gregory A. Wilson (M)

Saturday, June 15:

3pm-4pm: Branding & Marketing Yourself and Your Content: Running a podcast, releasing short fiction for free, blogging, Tweeting, etc. All the different ways to identify and bring more attention to your writing and your brand. Larry Dixon, Michael R. Underwood, Robyn King, Cat Rambo, Gregory A. Wilson (M)

Sunday, June 16:

1pm-2pm: Using Folktales, Legends, and Myths in Your Storytelling: Learning how to differentiate the different types of folklore and how to incorporate them into your worldbuilding. Mercedes Lackey, Doc Myers, Addie J. King, Michael R. Underwood (M)

Balticon 2019 schedule

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Michael R. Underwood

It’s BaltiCon time once more! My local con and excuse to hang out with friends while intermittently sitting on panels and talking about writing and business and gaming.

Here’s my schedule for this year. You can see the full details of my schedule here.

Friday, May 24

4pm – Freelancing in the Publishing Industry

Mount Washington, 4pm – 4:55pm

Saturday, May 25

2pm – Cyberpunk Remastered

Room 7029, 2pm – 2:55pm

4pm – Improving Your Pitch

Room 6017, 4pm – 4:55pm

5pm – Readings: Dodge, Underwood, Ward

St. George, 5pm – 5:55pm

Sunday, May 26

10am – RPG Worldbuilding Across Tabletop and LARPs

James, 10am – 10:55am

2pm – Worldbuilding for Fantasy and SF Novels

Kent, 2pm – 2:55pm

3pm – Autographs: Gail Z. Martin and Michael R. Underwood

5th Floor Lobby, 3pm – 3:55pm

Nebula Conference Schedule

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Michael R. Underwood

Next week I’ll be attending the SFWA Nebula Conference. The Nebulas have grown from a conference mostly focused on the awards ceremony into a full-blown professional conference with amazing programming and lots of opportunities for both networking and professional development.

Here’s my schedule of events. Hope to see you there!

Catalog Copy Dos and Don’ts: copy is not a blurb, learn your d*mn terms!

Thursday May 16th, 2:00pm @ A/B Salon

We spend hours trying to get the perfect cover that will catch our audience – but too often, we lose them with the cover copy. What are the dos, don’ts, and Tragic Mistakes of cover copy, and how can you nail it?

Mass Autographing

Saturday May 18th, 1:30pm @ Grand Ballroom

Come say hello and get books signed by a star-studded array of authors.

Structuring a Series

Sunday May 19th, 11:30am @ G/H Salon

We talk about beginning, middles, and ends, but a series contains a multitude of endings. What are the strategies for keeping a reader’s interest, while giving them a satisfying ending? How do you sustain tension across multiple works?

BFGCon Schedule

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Michael R. Underwood

This weekend, I’m headed to BFGCon, a regional games conference in Frederick, MD. I’m presenting on a few panels, but will otherwise just be hanging out and taking in the gaming goodness.

Friday

1300 – 1400 Turning Games into Art – A panel discussion

Ben Walker
Jess Comstock
Michael R. Underwood
Sarah Zeiter

Saturday

1430 – 1530 Next Level Worldbuilding — A presentation by me with lots of time for Q&A

Michael R. Underwood

Sunday

1300 – 1400 Social Justice Gaming – A panel discussion

Dan Layman-Kennedy
Jess Comstock
Michael R. Underwood
Daniel Laughlin

Confusion 2018

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Michael R. Underwood

This weekend I will be returning to Confusion, which is a great con to kick off the year. Here’s my programming schedule!

Friday

1pm – Isle Royale

Co-Writing For Fun and Profit

4pm – Isle Royale

Collaborating With Your Copyeditor

5pm – Interlochen

World-building Culture Beyond Aesthetics

Saturday

12pm – Keweenaw

Reading: Merrie Haskell, Michael R. Underwood, Mishell Baker

4pm – St. Clair

Autograph Session (4 PM)

Come meet your favorite authors, artists and musicians and have them sign things! (Please limit your signing requests to 3 items per person.)

5pm – Keweenaw

Disney Rules Genre Film

If you’ll be at the con, please feel free to say hello! When I’m not on programming, I’ll be hanging around in the common areas.

Norwescon Schedule

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Michael R. Underwood

Next week, for the first time, I will be attending Norwescon in Washington. Even cooler, I’ll be attending alongside my boss, Marc Gascoigne, representing Angry Robot Books as the Spotlight Publisher for the con. It’s kind of like being a Guest of Honor, but in a publisher-specific fashion. A number of our authors will be in attendance, as well. It should be a grand old time.

Here’s my schedule! I’ve left off the specific info on things that I’m not certain are open to the full attendance of the convention. It may be that some of those are in fact open, and regardless, I hope to see people during the con!

Thurs

Opening Ceremonies
7:00pm – 8:00pm @ Grand 3 and Grand 2
Nancy Kress (M), Catska Ench, Cory Ench, Ethan Siegel, Ian McDonald, Marc Gascoigne, Mike Underwood

Friday
The Geek Life
11:00am – 12:00pm @ Cascade 9
Shannon (M), Shubzilla, Mike Underwood, Jason Bourget

Interview and Q&A with Angry Robot
1:00pm – 2:00pm @ Grand 2
Adam Rakunas (M), Marc Gascoigne, Mike Underwood

Saturday
Autograph Session 1
2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Grand 2

Autograph Session 2
3:00pm – 4:00pm @ Grand 2

What’s New at Angry Robot
5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Evergreen 1&2
Marc Gascoigne, Mike Underwood

The Evolution of Star Wars
7:00pm – 8:00pm @ Cascade 9
Spencer Ellsworth (M), Dylan Templar, David Fooden, Mike Underwood, Rob Stewart
Sunday
Closing Ceremonies
4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Evergreen 3&4
Rob Stewart (M), Catska Ench, Cory Ench, Ethan Siegel, Ian McDonald, Marc Gascoigne, Mike Underwood, Nancy Kress

Off to NerdCon!

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Michael R. Underwood

As this post goes, live, I am on my way to Minneapolis, MN for NerdCon: Stories, a two-day celebration of the power of storytelling (October 14-15th). I’m honored to be a Featured Guest for the con. I’ll be on a gaming panel, reprising my How To Hand-Sell Your Book presentation, and reading during a showcase event. You can check out my full programming schedule for the con here.

I’ll also be running a booth at the con all weekend with my friend Jay Swanson. If you’re coming to the con, please swing by (#817) and say hello! I will have a limited # of the paperback omnibus editions of Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection, as well as other books.

Here’s a quick guide to where you can find Jay and my booth during the con:

NerdCon booth directions

As a special bonus, the Ree Reyes novels (speaking of Nerds + stories) are still on discount through this weekend!

Amazon * B&N Nook * Kobo * iTunes

ree-reyes-series-small

NerdCon: Stories Schedule

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Michael R. Underwood

Hello, all!

I’m very excited to be a Featured Guest at NerdCon: Stories in Minneapolis, MN this October 14-15th. NerdCon: Stories is a new convention (in its 2nd year) celebrating stories and the power of storytelling. I couldn’t imagine a convention more up my alley if I started it myself. I heard great things about the con from several friends, and was eager to be a part of NerdCon: Stories this year.

The schedule for the con is up for all to peruse.

And here’s where you can find me during the show:

Saturday, October 15th:

11:00 AM – Room 101A – How To Hand-Sell Your Book

Author and publishing professional Mike Underwood shares lessons from seven years of hand-selling books to readers, booksellers, and sales reps. Learn how to put your work into a market context, showcase what makes it special, and connect with readers when selling at conventions, festivals, and more.

12:30 PM – Room 101 BCHI – Storytelling in Tabletop Games

Role-playing and other tabletop games are a fantastic catalyst for collaborative storytelling. Creating narrative frameworks and game rules that allow players to have enough control over both story and interaction can be a tricky business. How do game designers do this, and what makes a game truly great?

3:30 PM – Saturday Afternoon Variety Show

Hosted by Paul & Storm

Featuring:

A rapid-fire Q&A with Chris Rathjen, Eileen Cook, Joe DeGeorge, Jonathan Ying, Karen Hallion, Kevin MacLeod, Nalo Hopkinson, and Paolo Bacigalupi
A talk by Sara Benincasa
Daniel José Older and Nalo Hopkinson in conversation
Ms. Pacman vs the Patriarchy – a talk by Paul DeGeorge
A reading by Michael R. Underwood
A lip sync battle with Blue Delliquanti, John Scalzi, Paul Sabourin, Matt Young, Mikki Kendall, and Darin Ross
A talk by John Green

I’m very excited to reprise and further refine my How To Hand-Sell Your Book presentation, which I’ve given at the Nebula Conference and GenCon. The other programming looks fabulous, as well. Other than this official programming, you can find me in the Expo Hall all weekend! I’m sharing a booth with fellow author Jay Swanson (check out his cool real-time fantasy blog Into The Nanten). And if all goes as planned, I will have paperback copies of the Genrenauts Season One Omnibus!

You can register for NerdCon: Stories here.

Hope to see you there!