Hexomancy is here!

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

At long last, Hexomancy has arrived!

It’s been over a year since Attack the Geek, the last Ree Reyes story, was released, and now Hexomancy closes out the first story arc of the Ree Reyes universe.

If you’re not familiar with the Ree Reyes stories, check out this series summary I wrote for XOXO After Dark to see if it catches your fancy.

For long-running readers, here’s what you can expect from Hexomancy: More Lucretia, more Drake, more Eastwood and Grognard, but also more of the Rhyming Ladies, and plots from the first three books to come back around for a reckoning. Expect Eastwood’s history to figure in a big way, and as always, there’s more of the patented Ree Reyes series pop-culture references, geeky jokes, and energetic action-adventure storytelling.

I’m really proud of Hexomancy – I think it’s the best novel I’ve written to-date, in terms of pacing, action, characterization, and interpersonal relationships. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Click here for links to ebook retailers to get your copy now.

Until next time, Geek on!

The Flurry Before The Storm

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

Hi folks! I know it’s supposed to be the calm before the storm, but sometimes I get too excited.

I wanted to give you all a heads-up that coming into next week, I’m going to be quite active with promotion for Hexomancy, the fourth Ree Reyes book, and that promo will eventually give way to promotion for Genrenauts: The Shootout Solution.

But first, here’s a bit of catch-up of what I’ve been up to over the last month:

At GenCon, Wesley Chu (now a John W. Campbell Award-winner) and I talked with Greg Wilson and Brad Beaulieu of Speculate! The Podcast For Writers, Readers, and Fans) about our publishing journeys, as the start of a new series of episodes.

Then I turned the mic and interviewed Greg and Brad on their journeys so far, their podcasting, hobbies, and life balance.

Tor.com released a free collection with sample chapters from each of the launch list of novellas, including the first Genrenauts story.

Audec-Hal was included in Bradley Beaulieu’s List of Top 10 Metropolis stories.

And right now, Shield and Crocus is on sale for just $1.99 in ebook – grab a copy if you’ve been holding off, or buy a copy for a friend if you feel so inclined.

Deb Stanish interviewed me for the Uncanny Magazine Podcast about my essay on representation in the Marvel & DC Cinematic Universes.

And there’s plenty more to come!

Sasquan Highlights

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

Last week, I traveled to Spokane, WA for Sasquan, the 73th WorldCon.

A lot of cool things happened that week – I got to hand-sell a bunch of Angry Robot books, hang out with our authors, and meet wonderful writers, readers, and fans. There were parties, publishing dinners, giveaways, and much more.

Here’s a quick Storify of highlights from the con, which is far easier than writing out a long con wrapup blog post.

What are your favorite memories of WorldCon? Share the joy in the comments below.

Tor.com Publishing Sampler

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

We’re exactly three months from the release of Genrenauts: The Shootout Solution, and to help promote the line, Tor.com Publishing has released a free sampler with previews of each of their launch list. In the two chapter preview of my novella, you get to meet Leah Tang and the Genrenauts, a group of interdimensional travelers that visit the home worlds of narrative genres to fix broken stories.

The sampler includes excerpts of novellas from:

Kai Ashante Wilson
Paul Cornell
Alter S. Reiss
Nnedi Okorafor
K.J. Parker
Angela Slatter
Matt Wallace
Daniel Polansky
Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
and
Michael R. Underwood (that’s me!)

I’ve read Matt Wallace’s novella Envy of Angels, which is excellent, as well as a couple of other samples. This launch list represents a great range of work, from anthropomorphic grimdark to interplanetary peril to magical caterers to an aging faerie on a desperate quest, and more.

Get the sampler for FREE right now on Kindle, Kobo, and direct from Macmillan. I presume it will arrive on iBooks and Nook shortly. And if you like your browsing visual, check out this cover roundup.

And once you’re done with the samples, please consider pre-ordering the full book for the stories where you enjoyed the sample. This new venture, presenting novellas once more as the full-fledged books they are, represents a widening of the field, creating a lot of opportunities for a wider range of fiction to get attention at a high level. Self-publishing helped re-popularize the novella format, and now Tor.com is looking to bring it to an even wider audience in a bigger way.

Writing a half-dozen novellas over the last year, I’ve come to appreciate them for their exciting hybridity. Novellas are long enough to introduce, develop, and investigate a world, to deliver on a premise and characters, but short enough to be efficient, to cut to the quick, to not linger or overstay their welcome. They’re an excellent form for commuter culture, giving you something to look forward to finishing, and then to finish shortly after.

I’m very excited to be part of this Novella Renaissance, and I hope you’ll enjoy the books. I have two Genrenauts novellas with Tor.com, but I have the first season planned out to six novellas (all drafted), and I’d very much like to continue the series with Tor.com, which will be dependent on strong sales for the first two books.

This fall, #NovellasAretheNewNovel, and you can be a part of it, starting now.

GenCon Recap + CELEBROMANCY deal!

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

My fellow Geekomancers and Genrenauts,

I write you from a airport brewery restaurant in Indianapolis, having been stranded overnight by weather in Chicago (cancelled the first leg of my flight).

GenCon was, as expected, a glorious time. I was very pleased with my panels and the Writers Symposium, from the crowds to their questions to my excellent moderators. It was a great experience. I even got to do a tiny bit of gaming, leading me to put a few on my wish (Fortune & Glory, Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Fantasy Age, and others).

I was Angry Roboting most of the weekend, but I did get to hand out sampler chapbooks for Genrenauts: The Shootout Solution to spread the word, and met several fans that came up after panels or found me at the AR booth. W00t!

During the weekend, I was a guest/guest host on no fewer than five podcast episodes, which you’ll hear about in the coming weeks.

Another fun discovery during the weekend was that Celebromancy, the second Ree Reyes novel, is on discount right now on Kindle, just $1.99! If you enjoyed Geekomancy but haven’t moved on with the series, now’s your chance to do so and save some $ along the way. Remember, Hexomancy is just over a month (!) away.

Hermes permitting, I’ll be home tonight and then taking a couple of rest days to recover from the con and wrap up edits on my second Tor.com Publishing novella – Genrenauts: The Absconded Ambassador.

Catch you on the flip-side,
Mike

GenCon Schedule

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

When I was a teenaged gamer, GenCon was The Con. It was just an hour’s drive away, and I’d go every summer. I’d save up my money, then when I was working at a game store, I’d always sign up to work the booth at the con, or arrange with local game designers to demo their RPGs at the con. I’d go, I’d game, I’d work, and I would soak in the glory of the gaming industry’s biggest con.

And since then, GenCon has only gotten bigger. Now it sports an incredibly robust Writers Symposium, with craft and business-oriented programming throughout the weekend.

My primary activity for the weekend will be running the Angry Robot Booth in Author’s Alley – Table Z. You can also find me on the following panels in the Writers Symposium:

Thursday

9am – Writer’s Craft 101 – Room 245 (SEM1577055)
5-7pm – Once & Future Podcast MEGACAST (SEM1578894)
7pm – Writer’s Craft – Novel Outlines & Synopses – Room 244 (SEM1577118)

Friday

6pm – Worldbuilding: Mythology – Room 244 (SEM1577134)

Saturday

3pm – Worldbuilding: Creating Languages – Room 244 (SEM1577142)
4pm – Worldbuilding: Creating Religions – Room 244 (SEM1577143)

See you there!

HEXOMANCY on NetGalley

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

Hello, all!

For the reviewers among you, I’m very excited to share the news that HEXOMANCY is now live on NetGalley, ready for your requests and reading.

I’m very proud of this novel, as it brings together a lot of threads from the three previous Ree Reyes stories, and is the conclusion of the first major arc for the series.

Go forth and happy reading!

CONvergence schedule

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

Hello, all! I’m headed out to the Twin Cities this week for CONvergence, a large fan-run con that’s been running for more than 15 years. I first attended two years ago as part of an Angry Robot expedition with Lee Harris and Emma Newman, and was completely bowled over by how fun and well-run the convention is.

This year, I’m on four panels and an off-site event. Here’s where to find me!

July 2nd

2pm The Smurfette Principle in Marketing (DoubleTree Atrium 6)

3:30 pm Ebooks and the Marketplace (DoubleTree Atrium 7)

July 3rd

11:00 am Storytelling in Comics and TV (DoubleTree Plaza 3)

July 4th

11:00 am The Skiffy and Fanty Show Live: Space Travel and Its Discontents (Crowne Plaza A-E-I-O)

8-9 pm: “The Skiffy and Fanty Hangout” in the Doubletree Bar Area! — come play games (Sabacc, Koi Koi, and more!), hang with various members of the crew, and have a drink!

And – on Thursday, July 2nd, I’ll be at Source Comics & Games with several other writers for ‘Gaming with Authors’ – as fine an event idea as I’ve ever seen.

I also have a few other ideas up my sleeve, so keep an eye on Twitter.

GENRENAUTS cover reveal!

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

The fine folks at io9.com have exclusive cover reveals for four of the Tor.com novellas, including my own Genrenauts Episode 1: The Shootout Solution. Go forth and bask in the artistic marvel!

Big props to Peter Lutjen for a stunning design job on my cover – I love every single piece of it. And a reminder that you can pre-order the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes before it drops on November 17th.

GEEKOMANCY Daily Deal!

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

Hello, all – I’m excited to share the news that GEEKOMANCY has been selected as a Kindle Daily Deal today, on sale for just $1.99. This is a great chance to pick up a copy of the book, or to buy a copy for a friend (Amazon has an easy ebook gifting system).

You can find the book on sale here to get a copy for yourself for a friend.

Additionally, I’d love your assistance in spreading the word about the deal – on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Google+, etc. Please find below a Tweet-sized message for ease of use:

What it fandom was a magic system? GEEKOMANCY by Michael R. Underwood, a Kindle Daily Deal for just $1.99! http://www.amazon.com/Geekomancy-Ree-Reyes-Book-1-ebook/dp/B007SNRRP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432474904&sr=8-1&keywords=geekomancy

With your help, we’re hoping to get the word out about GEEKOMANCY to lots of new readers who can then enjoy the series as we lead up to the release of HEXOMANCY in September.

Geek on!