“This is a rollicking good time” – Publishers Weekly on ANNIHILATION ARIA

Posted on by
2

The fine folks at Publishers Weekly have reviewed ANNIHILATION ARIA in the March 30th issue.

My favorite pull-quote is, as expressed in the title: “This is a rollicking good time.”

But the last few lines are pretty good overall:

The interpersonal dynamics are delightful, however familiar they may be, and the tightly constructed world, cinematic fight scenes, and ambitious scope combine to evoke a sense of wonder. This is a rollicking good time.

As a reminder, ANNIHILATION ARIA blasts off in ebook, paperback, and audio this July 21st!

Cover for Annihilation Aria by Michael R. Underwood. Art by Tom Edwards

Art by Tom Edwards

ANNIHILATION ARIA release date change

Posted on by
Reply

After consulting with the folks at Parvus Press, we’ve decided to move the publication date of ANNIHILATION ARIA to July 21st, 2020.

 

With so many bookstores temporarily closed due to the pandemic, and other related businesses shut down or slowed, it wasn’t viable to try to release the book in May. So as much as it saddens me that we’ll have to wait another couple of months for the book to get out into the world, I hope this delay means that it will be safer and easier to get the book in print as well as ebook and audio when it releases later this summer.

 

In the meantime, I am working with Parvus on promotional plans, including some especially fun plans that I think will work very well even in this weird new reality we’ve found ourselves occupying. I hope that later this year, if not in July, it will be safe to gather enough to have an in-person event to support the book and connect with readers, but I’d rather everyone be safe and am fine mostly promoting the book online through blogs, video events, etc.

 

And if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy, you can do that here:
Paperback:
Ebook
Audio

Announcing ANNIHILATION ARIA

Posted on by
2

I’ve been alluding to a [REDACTED NOVEL] for some time now, and I can finally drop the brackets and tell everyone what’s up!

My next novel is a space opera called ANNIHILATION ARIA, and it’s coming May 5th, 2020 from Parvus Press!

On Monday, Parvus tweeted this:

 

and this:

 

 

Which may or include zoomed-in sections of a soon-to-be-revealed cover. Who could say? 😉

Here’s the official announcement.

There will be more news about ANNIHILATION ARIA soon, from art to endorsements to some travel plans and more! This novel has been a long time coming, serving as a back-burner project for several years as I was wrapping up Season One of Genrenauts and as I was developing and writing Born to the Blade with the team and Serial Box.

 

Baltimore Book Fest schedule

Posted on by
Reply

Hi all! I’ll be appearing at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend alongside a bunch of fabulous authors.

The full books schedule is here

The Ivy Bookshop will be selling books by attending authors, so you can find some new favorite reads and meet amazing authors.

Please note that the SFWA activities are taking place at the USM Columbus Center on Pratt St. rather than the Rash Field location from the past few years.

 

Here’s my schedule:

Friday, November 1

3pm – Success and Goals for Writers
Elektra Hammond, K.M. Szpara, Michael R. Underwood

7pm – Genre-Bending
Lara Elena Donnelly, Jeffrey Ford, Bob Proehl, Michael R. Underwood, Donna Glee Williams, Sherri Cook Woosley

Sunday, November 3

12 noon – Sandman to Saga: Great Comics & Graphic Novels for Adults
Bill Campbell, Scott Edelman, Michael R. Underwood, Alison Wilgus

1pm – Book Signing with Sarah Pinsker and Michael R. Underwood

2pm – Steampunk, Zombies, & Other Glorious Falsehoods
Leanna Renee Hieber, Justina Ireland, Jon Skovron, Michael R. Underwood

Bridges to Hope – RAICES fundraiser

Posted on by
Reply

Bridges to Hope by Julie Dillon - An angelic figure holding up a flaming sword. The text reads "Bridges to Hope" and "RAICES FUNDRAISER"

 

I’m participating in a charity fundraiser for RAICES. Their mission is to help separated families, detained families, unaccompanied minors, and others who are seeking asylum in the United States. RAICES been a major force in responding to the appalling treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers, and this effort is one of many fundraisers to support them and other groups trying to help.

Donors will get a copy of Genrenauts: The Data Disruption as well as art, comics, discounts on prints, more short stories, etc. from more than 20 creators! This campaign runs through the end of the month, and be sure to claim your rewards if you do donate (we can’t host the files there forever, etc.)

100% of funds go to RAICES – there’s no overhead, no private profit, etc.

https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/2173437

I’d be very grateful for anything folks can donate, and of course please share this far and wide!

Origins 2019 schedule

Posted on by
Reply

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 by
Reply

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 by
Reply

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 by
Reply

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