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?

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

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!

Kickstarter update + BaltiCon Schedule

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Michael R. Underwood

First up, I have some fun news to share if you haven’t seen it already:

Kickstarter funded

That’s right – the campaign has passed the original funding goal, and now we’re pushing on for the audiobook editions of Episodes 3 and beyond! There’s still time to check out the campaign and get involved. (I’ve added some whimsy-based goals, as well as a limited edition hardcover level).

Also, I will be at BaltiCon this weekend, and if the site is to be trusted, this is my schedule:

Friday May 27, 2016
5:00 PM
Readings: Michael Kangal, Gary L. Lester, Christie Meierz, Michael R. Underwood
Renaissance – St. George
Christie Meierz | Michael Kangal | Gary L. Lester | Michael R. Underwood
Reading 52 minutes

Saturday May 28, 2016

5:00 PM
Sarah Pinsker, Alex Shvartzman and Michael R. Underwood Autographing
Renaissance – Autograph Table 1
Sarah Pinsker | Alex Shvartsman | Michael R. Underwood
Autographs 1 hour

Monday May 30, 2016

10:00AM
Monday Gimungous Autograph Session
Renaissance – Kent
Autographs 1 hour 30 minutes

12:00 PM
What’s Hot Short Fiction?
Renaissance – Parlor 8029
Sarah Pinsker | Michael R. Underwood | Jean Marie Ward | Scott Edelman | Alex Shvartsman
Discussion Panel 50 minutes

World Fantasy Schedule

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

I’m in Saratoga Springs for the weekend, attending the World Fantasy Convention. I will primarily have my Angry Robot hat on, but I do have an event tonight for my writing.

Tonight, you can find me at Northshire Bookstore:

Originally, I was scheduled to have a reading on Friday at the convention, and was planning to participate in the Mass Signing, but when the original anti-harassment policy was released, I let the WFC staff know that I would not be comfortable participating in programming unless they drastically improved the policy. They have changed the policy to a degree, and I am grateful for that, but I am still not satisfied with the policy as it stands now, and have decided to remove myself from programming.

I apologize to anyone who was looking forward to my reading. I hope to see you at the event tonight. If not, please feel free to drop me a line on Twitter @MikeRUnderwood during the con so we can be sure to meet up and chat during the convention.

World Fantasy Kick-off Event

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

I’m headed up to Saratoga Springs next week for the World Fantasy Convention, and if you’ll be there on Wednesday, I’d love to invite you to come to Northshire Books, where Tor Books/Tor.com Publishing is hosting an event. I’ll be there (possibly even with copies of The Shootout Solution!), along with many other fabulous authors.

Click here for more details!

New York Comic-Con Schedule

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

If you’re heading to NYCC this week, here’s where you can find me doing official-type things! I’ll also be walking the show floor, attending panels, and scouring artists’ alley all weekend. Ping me on Twitter if you want to meet up!

Thursday, Oct 8th

Signing!
2pm – Booth #1828

In-booth signing with fellow Pocket author Kristi Charish. S&S is providing rare bound galley copies of GEEKOMANCY which we’ll have for me to sign and send home with readers.

Saturday, Oct 10th

Books to Movies Wishlist
4pm – Room A101

The Martian. Foundation. American Gods. Redshirts: So many iconic SFF novels are finally scheduled to hit the big screen, thanks to the rabid fandom of recent dramatizations of Game of Thrones, Outlander, The Hunger Games, Divergent. But what’s on the big screen wish list of this Panel of bestselling speculative fiction superstars? They all agree that the obvious franchises have been done already – and now, they want to discuss with NYCC Attendees what lesser-know/cult fave titles should invade theaters and march into cable programming! Join us for a nerdy-fun discussion about which science fiction and fantasy must-reads would really make celluloid magic!

Panel:

Charlie Jane Anders
Christopher Golden
Chuck Wendig
Jennifer Armentrout
Clay Griffith
Susan Griffith
Michael R. Underwood (Moderator)

Post-Panel Signing
5:15pm-6:15pm WORD Bookstore 1-B

Come and get books signed by the panelists, and me! We’ll have a very small # of the left-over Geekomancy galleys for people at this signing.

Baltimore Book Festival schedule

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Michael R. Underwood

Hi all! One of the best things about being a writer in Baltimore is that the city’s book festival every fall. SFWA runs an entire mini-convention throughout the festival, and I’ll be there this weekend (as well as splitting my time with the Baltimore Comic-Con, checking in with my comics friends).

Here’s where you can find me at the book festival:

Friday, September 25th

11am – The Revolution Will Be Science Fictional and Fantastic

What to read in SF/F and where to find it! Our panel looks at the latest trends in SF/F and the books people are talking about this year.

Emmie Mears, Cat Rambo, Fran Wilde, Michael R. Underwood

12pm – Comics! Science Fiction! Fantasy!

POW! BAM! See how comics, science fiction, and fantasy inform each other. Are superhero stories fantasy, science fiction, or both? Which non-superhero SF/F comics should you be reading? What’s up with novels about superheroes? From Saga to Ms. Marvel to Kavalier & Clay, our panel will discuss it all.
Bill Campbell, Anne Gray, Cat Rambo, Michael R. Underwood

1pm – Reading Group 1 – Superheroes, SF, and Action!

Sit down and discover your new favorite author! Four writers, one hour.
DH Aire, Tom Doyle, Cat Rambo, Michael R. Underwood

Saturday, September 26th

12pm – Dangerous Voices Variety Hour

A fast-paced quiz show in the vein of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me! brought to you by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Win free books and learn things you never knew about your favorite authors.
Tobias S. Buckell, Sarah Pinsker, Michael R. Underwood, Diana Peterfreund

6pm – Meet The Authors Social

Rub elbows with your new favorite science fiction and fantasy authors at this annual event.
All the Attending Authors

Here’s a map of the festival:

The fine folks at Ukazoo will be handling book sales, and I’ll be bringing some swag for my various books, current and upcoming. See you there!

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.

Baltimore Book Festival

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Michael R. Underwood

This weekend is the Baltimore Book Festival! Normally held in the Historic Mt. Vernon district, this year the festival is happening in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which should lead to even more foot traffic, assuming the weather holds.

I’ll be participating in events over the weekend, mostly at the SFWA tent. Here’s my schedule!

Saturday, September 27th

12PM-2PM — Dangerous Voices Variety Hour with Marissa Meyer and Charles Gannon

The Dangerous Voices Variety Hour takes its cues from NPR’s “Wait, Wait Don’T Tell Me” quiz show and Orson Welles’ original War of the Worlds broadcast. It features readings, trivia, great prizes, irreverent author interviews, and more fun than you thought you could have at a reading.”

Participants: Marissa Meyer and Charles Gannon. Co-hosted by Sarah Pinsker and Michael Underwood.

4PM-5PM — How can I get my writing noticed? A Must-Do Panel for Writers in the Modern Age

You’ve finished a story or book and now you’d like to get it published and start buzz about your work. But in this modern age, the avenues for publication and promotion are dizzying, and they often tangle together. What are your options? What will bring you the most word of mouth? The most reviews? The best pay? Should you go it alone or seek a major publisher? Come talk with publishers, editors, con organizers, and reviewers about your options.

Panelists: Scott Edelman, Elektra Hammond, Don Sakers, Peggy Rae Sapienza, Mike Underwood, Jean Marie Ward