Author Archives: pkemner

Safari – a Khempunk Adventure – Chapter 01

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Back in 2011, my friend Josephine Boone & I wrote a weekly serial on a steampunk website. Set in an alternate late-1800’s Egypt, it featured ancient and future tech in a land where the ancient Gods are still active. Chapter 01 – The Taxi Ride by Josephine Boone & Paul Kemner AROOOOOGAAAAAAHHH!!!! SCRRRREEEEEEECH!!!!! Horns blared and tires squealed, punctuated by a raspy voice cursing and shouting in Arabic. Josephine and AP cowered … Continue reading →

Forgotten anime: Dragon’s Heaven (1988)

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Here’s an OVA you’re not likely to find outside of youtube or a streaming site: Dragon’s Heaven. (It took me a while to find it, because I’d heard the title as “Dragon Seven” :p It’s the story of an AI mech, created to work with a human pilot to fight a war against rebellious AI robots. After his pilot died and the war ended, he was left behind and put … Continue reading →

Spice and Wolf (2008) – an unusual fantasy anime.

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For a decidedly different anime series, try Spice and Wolf. It’s set in a medievalesque world, but it lacks the staples of magic swords, elves, orcs, or bratty princesses. Instead, it’s the story of Kraft Lawrence, a merchant who’s working as a traveling trader to gain funds, experience, and contacts to eventually open his own shop. One evening he meets Holo, an ancient wolf goddess from the North. Generations ago, … Continue reading →

My panels at Penguicon 2016

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The schedule for for Penguicon is out. Here’s what I’m doing: Writer’s Block ( Saturday, 4/30 6:00 ) I’ll be reading from A Wrecking Bar, a Chocolate Bar, and a Ka Offering for Na-Nefer-Ka-Ptah, and signing copies. The book will be available for sale at the con bookstore. This is a wonderful program for authors who are involved with the con! Life track: How to Poison Your Muse: The Toxic … Continue reading →

FB for authors? Nope, not as a primary outlet.

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I recently ran a free book day promotion for my novelette A Wrecking Bar, a Chocolate Bar, and a Ka Offering for Na-Nefer-Ka-Ptah to get some reviews and ratings on Amazon and Goodreads. I posted notices several places, including some forums, Tumblr, and Facebook. One of the FB pages I run has almost 1,200 likes/subscriptions, and it’s reasonably on-topic for this story. It’s a great place for me to post … Continue reading →

Wrecking Bar – front cover

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Here’s the front cover for my novelette. I wanted something cute and fun, reminiscent of anime/chibi style. Britt “Ram” Williams, of K2Color, did a spectacular job! The only disadvantage I’ve seen so far is that people who aren’t familiar with anime (and recent SF and fantasy) assume it’s a children’s story. But they’re not my primary audience. What do you think?  

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Cons for Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors – Part 04

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In part 3, we finished our discussion of what you might find at a typical literary con. Now it’s time to plan our visit! In previous posts, I mentioned that conventions promote themselves by going to other cons. They throw room parties, leave flyers, and sell memberships. Volunteers who work at one con may help with others too. Con committees and staff network with other cons, and they always have. … Continue reading →

Anime suggestion: Crest of the Stars / Banner of the Stars

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I’ve decided to add recommendations for anime series I’ve watched (got to do something during my lunch at work). They won’t be full reviews, just some quick impressions to pique your interest. The first one is a collection of 4 series in the Space Opera genre. It starts with Crest of the Stars, followed by Banner of the Stars (I, II, & III). The series features young Jinto on his … Continue reading →

Cons for Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors – Part 03

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In part 2, we talked about things you might find at a typical con. Time for more. A further mention of the literature track programming: Many, many SF and Fantasy fans are curious about writing, how their favorite books get written, and what it’s like to be an author. And, of course, many people wish they had a book published. That makes writing panels popular. At some cons, you can … Continue reading →

Cons for Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors – Part 02

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We had an introduction to SFF cons in part 01, now I’ll talk about things you might find at a ‘typical’ con. Cons usually feature several Guests of Honor (GOH‘s). One or more authors top the list, but cons will invite GOH’s to support their other tracks as well. These often include science, literature, art, computing, game design, music (filk), and fandom. The GOH’s help bring a focus to the … Continue reading →