Streaming on Twitch!

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

Promotional Image for Twitch.tv/TurboTango

I’ve relaunched my channel “TurboTango” on Twitch, which I’m hoping to use to stream both video games and some future TTRPG actual play.

In last Sunday’s re-launch stream, I played a run on Trials of Fire, a fantasy post-apocalyptic roguelike deckbuilder. It’s a recent favorite of mine, and I’ll be playing the game again (with a new scenario) this Sunday!

My current streaming schedule is as follows:

Wednesdays and Sundays, 1-4pm EDT – Games With Mike (Video games, mostly roguelikes and/or deckbuilders)

To get reminders when the streams go live, you can follow my page at Twitch.tv/TurboTango and turn on notifications.

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.

Upcoming Class on Action Scenes

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

Next month I am teaching a new class with Cat Rambo’s “Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers.” This one is about action scenes and emotional storytelling.

The class will be held on April 8th at 1 pm Pacific (4 pm Eastern) Daylight Time. The class will be two hours long and costs $99 USD ($79 if you have taken other classes at the Rambo Academy before).

Here’s the course description:

Characterization and the emotional arc of a novel don’t step aside when the blasters start firing or people start throwing punches. The best action storytelling uses chases, misadventure, and fight scenes to foreground emotion, to show characters making big choices based on their feelings. Instead, the best action stories include the audience in the emotional rollercoaster of the characters. This class will talk through techniques for using action scenes to advance the plot and the emotional journey of your characters and how to make sure that the scenes are far more than choreography and flashy explosions.

Sign up to take the class here.

This class draws heavily on the experiences I had writing Annihilation Aria and what I’ve learned as a reader in the past few years as well as through analysis of some of my favorite action scenes in media over the past decade.

Genrenauts: The Wasteland War

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

After a long break while other projects took precedence (from Born to the Blade to Annihilation Aria to drafting my next novel) and the world was especially hard (2017-2020), I’ve finally released a new novella in the r/fantasy “Stabby” Award-finalist series! The Wasteland War picks up a few months after the conclusion of season one and takes the team to the Wasteland region of the Post-Apocalypse.

Patrons at $3 and up get the book as part of their backer rewards, and the book is coming to retailers this Friday, March the 5th.

The cover for Genrenauts: The Wasteland War. A single butte in the open plain, with scattered clouds in the distance.

If you’d like to pre-order The Wasteland War on ebook retailers, here are some handy links:

Gumroad (available immediately)

Amazon || Apple || Barnes & Noble || Kobo

The Stabby-Award finalist Genrenauts series returns with a new short adventure across the worlds of narrative!

Exiled team leader Angstrom King has spent the past three months tracking the mysterious world-hopping gang that cost him his job. When an alliance goes sour in the Wasteland region of the Post-Apocalypse world, he may have found his chance.

Things get more complicated when the story breach attracts his former team, now under the stern command of a former friend. Can King help his team, solve the mystery, and keep off of the High Council’s radar? In a world where hope is more precious than water, he’ll have to fight for every chance to redeem himself—or die trying.

This short novella (~18,000 words) continues the beloved Genrenauts series of interdimensional adventures for fans of Leverage, Planetary, and Quantum Leap.

Expansive Futures Bundle

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

I’m very pleased to be participating in another SFWA bundle with StoryBundle. This time, Annihilation Aria is available alongside seventeen other books as a part of the Expansive Futures StoryBundle. You can get eighteen books for a contribution of $15 or more, and your money goes to paying the authors a well as benefitting SFWA, which has done great work during the pandemic to support authors in need!

New Speculate actual play series

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Michael R. Underwood

In case you missed it, I’m GMing a miniseries of Michael Dunn-O’Connor’s Rebel Crown for Speculate with my co-hosts Greg and Brandon and returning Speculate players Alex Acks and DongWon Song. You can watch the first episode now on YouTube.

From the game’s description:

Rebel Crown is a tabletop roleplaying game of courtly intrigue, obsessive ambition, and perilous conflict. One player takes on the role of the Claimant, former heir to the throne who was betrayed by their family and robbed of their rightful titles. Others play their most stalwart allies: wise chancellor, devoted knight, idealistic noble, vengeful soldier, or opportunistic outlaw. Conflicting duties and ambitions will push them into points of tension, but their commitment to the Claimant’s ascent ties them together.

The players did a great job bringing their characters to life and taking bold action. I’m very pleased with this beginning and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Also – Speculate patrons get some behind-the-scenes materials as well!

NASFIC Schedule

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Michael R. Underwood

This weekend is online NASFIC, and they’ve pulled together a schedule for an online con very quickly. I’m very happy to be a participant on a couple of panels as well as doing a reading. Attendance is totally free – find out how to join in on the fun here.

All three of my programming items are on Friday the 21st (all times EDT):

5pm
COVID-FX: Selling Your Wares – How has the pandemic affected our SF/F professionals and creatives who’ve relied on foot traffic to sell their wares? Join our panel as they share impact stories and strategies.
Panelists: Alison Scott, Michael R. Underwood, Valerie Estelle Frankel, Wendy Van Camp

7pm
Librarians, Booksellers, Collectors, Oh My! – Panelists discuss the different roles that librarians, booksellers, and collectors play in keeping science fiction alive.
Panelists: Isabel Schechter, Merav Hofman, Michael R. Underwood, Misha Stone, Sarah Loch

8pm
Reading: Michael R. Underwood – I will read from ANNIHILATION ARIA, my found-family space opera adventure.

ARIA audiobook pub day!

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Michael R. Underwood

The audiobook for Annihilation Aria, published by Dreamscape Media and performed by Chris Andrew Ciulla and Caitlin Kelly, is now available!

You can get the audiobook as a digital download, mp3 CD, and as a traditional audio CD.

It’s available on:

Audible
Bookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
Apple

and more!

Here’s the first chapter as an excerpt to whet your appetite!

And if you’ve already read Annihilation Aria, please consider writing a short, honest review at your retailer of choice and/or Goodreads! Reviews help readers decide which books are and aren’t for them and makes it more likely that Aria will find readers that will enjoy it. 🙂

Cover of Annihilation Aria by Michael R. Underwood. A spherical spaceship flies through the rubble of a ruined planet and toward a golden temple.

Annihilation Aria Week One in Review

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Michael R. Underwood

Annihilation Aria has been out in the world for one week now, and it’s been a fabulous whirlwind. I started writing Aria in the spring of 2015, and worked on it on and off for several years before making the final revisions and selling it in 2018.

The book’s road to publication has been longer than most (the longest for me being Shield & Crocus, which started as a short story at Clarion West in 2007 and published as a novel in 2014). I’m so glad to have the book out in the world, and especially to have something fun and diverting and hopeful to offer during this ludicrous hurricane of a year.

Annihilation Aria is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Kobo, Apple, Indiebound, and wherever else books are sold. The audiobook edition (digital audio, CD, and mp3 CD) will release this Friday the 31st.

Here’s a quick roundup of all of the activity from the last week. There was a lot, and it’s easy to miss things given how hectic life is right now for a lot of people.

My Favorite Bit essay at Mary Robinette Kowal’s blog.
The Big Idea essay at John Scalzi’s blog (whatever.scalzi.com).
Launch day chat with Gregory A. Wilson (from Twitch.tv/ArvanEleron).
Guest Post at Cat Rambo’s blog.
What I Love About Annihilation Aria (by Aria’s editor Kaelyn Considine).
Ask Me Anything at r/Fantasy on Reddit (concluded).
Live Reading & Interview with Parvus Publisher Colin Coyle.

Cover of Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes.

This Wednesday (tomorrow) I have an online reading & discussion with fellow author Valerie Valdes (Chilling Effect, Prime Deceptions), hosted by The Ivy Bookshop. Starts at 6:30pm Eastern Daylight Time. If you haven’t already bought your paperback of Annihilation Aria, please consider getting a copy from The Ivy in appreciation of their support!

And *next* Wednesday, I have an AMA at r/Books on Reddit, kicking off at 1pm EDT.

In the weeks following, we’ll be continuing the Blades in the Dark miniseries “The Case of the Cindered Seal” at Twitch.tv/ArvanEleron as well as (hopefully) some other actual play excitement.

And as a reminder – if you’ve already read the book, please consider writing a short, honest review at your retailer of choice (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.). Reviews help readers decide whether a book is right for them and allow the book to better find its way into the hands of the folx that will most enjoy it!

Thanks to everyone that has bought, read, tweeted about, and/or Annihilation Aria already – you helped make this last week an amazing and exciting time, and I’m very eager to see the book continue to make its way in the world.