All posts by Bob Greenberger

What I’m Working On: Russ Colchamiro

March 26, 2015 Bob Greenberger Leave a comment

It is totally ‘go time’ for Genius de Milo, the sequel to Finders Keepers.

The print version is finished, produced, and ready. The e-book is juuuuust about there.

I’m also in the process of lining up various convention appearances, book reviews, and blog posts to promote the newest book in my sci-fi backpacking trilogy, and if all goes according to plan, Genius de Milo will be officially launched within two more weeks.

So how’s that for busy?!

I’m also taking lots of notes for the third and final book in the Finders Keepers trilogy, which I’m hoping to have in your hands next year. So when Genius de Milo hits the stands, you can be rest assured that there’s more coming right behind it.

In between I’ll be writing my contribution to the Crazy 8 Press anthology Pangaea, spearheaded by our illustrious co-founder Michael Jan Friedman, who presided over the successful (woo hoo!!) Kickstarter campaign funding our project.

But for me it’s pretty much all cosmic lunacy all the time, with the Finders Keepers trilogy consuming most of my writing hours.

Once I have my convention schedule nailed down I’ll make a separate post about that, but so far it looks like I’ve got at least three appearances on tap so far, with hopefully a few more to follow.

I’d love to tell you more, but I seem to have misplaced that jar containing the Universe’s DNA, and if I don’t find it quick it’s bound to unravel the galaxy yet again.

You’d think I would have learned my lesson by now, but then, what fun would that be?

News

What I’m Working on: Bob Greenberger

March 2, 2015 Bob Greenberger Leave a comment

Ask an author what he’s working on and he will either be specific about whatever is on his computer right then and there or tell about every iron in the fire, from contracted works to pipe dreams. But our minds are always “on”, always looking at something and asking, “What if…?” There will never be enough time to write everything that occurs to us nor is everyone momentary cogitation worthy of development.

There is also the matter of the other distractions in our lives that may make some projects easier to focus on than others. Rarely can creativity be turned on and off so we all have partially completed works that await the right moment.

And there come times when the opportunity seems to have passed you by and the project no longer makes sense so its time to reluctantly put it aside.

Thankfully, I have a few things cooking that are real enough to talk about. First up, Voyageur Books has decided to release a softcover edition of my Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History. I’m not sure when it will be out but I’ll be sure to let you know.

Coming in the fall is The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Murder at Sorrow’s Crown, co-written with Steven Savile. This was certainly a creative stretch and I await my editor’s feedback in May to see if we were successful or not. I have to say, it was a challenge in a good way.

I also have completed one of Joe’s Books Cinestories, a graphic novel adaptation of the 2011 Winnie the Pooh movie. It was a good exercise in storytelling and I am scheduled to do at least one more for them.

On Thursday I received the happy news that a media tie-in anthology has been approved by the publisher. I have three story ideas in with the editors and we’ll see which one they select. It’s a new-to-me franchise and one that could be loads of fun.

Of course, I continue to review books and movies at ComicMix and recommend collected editions twice a month over at Westfield Comics. I have some upcoming articles for Back Issue! magazine and am completing a piece for the Doc Savage novel reprints.

But what about Crazy 8, you ask? Well, there’s my forthcoming contribution to Pangaea but after that, I will be writing my first solo ReDeus novel. I discussed this over at my own blog if you’re curious but I will be updating you here, too.

So, atop being a fulltime teacher, I manage to find time to get some writing done and trust me, it feels good.

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Welcome to Pangaea

February 7, 2015 Bob Greenberger 1 Comment

Throughout history, mankind has lived on many continents. In fact, our diversity as a species has been shaped by this fact. But imagine if we had all grown up on a single continent–a supercontinent, if you will.

There have actually been at least four such supercontinents since the birth of our planet. The one you’re probably familiar with is the most recent of them: Pangaea. Of course, Pangaea split up long before mankind’s first ancestor reared his head.

But…what if humanity had evolved before Pangaea split up? What if a supercontinent was all we had ever known?

It’s an interesting question. Interesting enough, we decided here at Crazy 8 Press, to make it the basis for an anthology. And what more appropriate name for this anthology than Pangaea?

But we didn’t want to hog the idea. So we opened up this anthology to some of the most vital imaginations in science fiction and fantasy. Imaginations like those of Michael A. Burstein, Adam-Troy Castro, Lawrence M. Schoen, Geoffrey Thorne, Kelly Meding, and the team of Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore.

Together, we’re creating a world that’s familiar in some ways and remarkably alien in others. A world we trust you’ll enjoy.

And to make it all possible, we’re asking for your help via a Kickstarter campaign. Check it out. See if it’s something you’d like to support–in return, of course, for a host of really nifty rewards.

We hope that you, like us, will want to be an enduring part of Pangaea.

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Hey Kids, Comics! Comes to Kindle and Audiobooks

January 24, 2015 Bob Greenberger Leave a comment

Crazy 8 Press sees its first audiobook and what better title to work with than Rob Kelley’s loving trip down memory lane, Hey Kids, Comics!? The book and its three dozen or so essays talks about our personal love affair with comic books, from collecting them to storing and trading them. There’s a nice, diverse assortment of writers and finally, the book is now available as a Kindle eBook or an audiobook, narrated by Ross Landy.

As Rob writes at his blog, he is soliciting and collecting essays for a second must-read volume. But first, check out this book.

New Releases, News

An Update and Happy Holidays from Crazy 8 Press!

December 24, 2014 Bob Greenberger Leave a comment

We’ve been quiet here at Crazy 8 central but far from idle. All the members have been toiling away, some on projects to debut here in 2015 and some doing work for other publishers. But trust us, we’ve got plans for the coming year, everything from new titles from the individual members but a new collaborative project.

So, back over the summer, Crazy 8 Press released the paperback edition of our collaborative anthology, Tales of the Crimson Keep. It was tremendous fun for the original founders to revisit our first shared universe. Our subsequent members, Russ Colchamiro and Paul Kupperberg, also joined in and the volume debuted as our third anniversary present to readers.

And now, in time for last minute gift giving, the Kindle and Nook editions of the book are available at this link.

To date, the comments received online and in person have been gratifying, so much so, that we’re raising the stakes. Mike Friedman has spent all fall working on something that we’ll be revealing just after the holidays. It’s big, it’s ambitious, and has all of us very excited.

We’ll be discussing this when the team reconvenes in February at Farpoint in Maryland.

In the meantime, we’ve been tweaking things here and there. Working behind the scenes for the last year, Jennifer Rosenberg (yes, Aaron’s adorable wife) has been helping us out on our social media outreach. She’s got us up and running and is moving on to other challenges and we want to publically thank her for the efforts (and for putting up with us). Additionally, the website has been slowly evolving and credit goes to webmaster wunderkind Kate Cooke, so here’s a public thank you.

While we’re not quite ready to reveal titles for 2015, we can assure you that each and every one of us has something in the works, aimed at this site. Previously mentioned projects — such as Russ’ sequel to Finders Keepers or Peter David bringing his Sir Apropos series to C8 – are still happening. Other original works are in the world and some of those will be revealed in the coming weeks and months.

For now, though, we want to thank you for your support. Your purchases and comments continue to encourage us to strive harder and bring you things we want to write and think you’d enjoy reading. Have a safe, happy holiday season and we’ll be chatting again just after the New Year.

ReDeus

Me and my Character

September 19, 2014 Bob Greenberger Leave a comment

I’ve always wanted my own character. John D. MacDonald has Travis McGee and Arthur Conan Doyle has Sherlock Holmes. You know what I mean. They create a character that is rich and compelling, interesting to both the writer and the reader. Their personality and status quo allows for a rich variety of storytelling opportunities and like an old friend, grow old with them through time.

As much as I adore writing in other universes, and helped create one or two to share with others, I always thought I should have one or two characters to call my own. In the back of my mind, I guess I’ve been sending out a signal and have been patiently waiting to see who will walk out of the dim recesses of my mind.

At first, I thought it might be the young apprentice wizard I introduced in “Solo”, a short story that appeared Mob Magic a decade-plus back. And while I want to return to him, he hasn’t been insistently bothering me.

Instead, it appears that Gabriella Trotter, my protagonist in ReDeus has decided to inhabit my mind. When Aaron Rosenberg, Paul Kupperberg, and I began developing this shared universe, we each wanted our own character to roam with. Paul’s Junker George is out to slay the “false” gods and is hopping the globe to do so and Aaron’s cop Tom Duran seems content to operate in New York City, the one free zone on Earth.

But Gabbi is on the road. When the gods demanded worship, she knew them to be real but had trouble accepting them as true gods worthy of worship. Instead, she ignored them as best she could, covering the celebrity beat for the Seattle Times-Intelligencer, and hanging out with her girlfriends. Then, all of a sudden, everywhere she turned one god or another has been interfering with her, toying with her almost.

It was all designed to get her out of Seattle and on the road. Gabbi, who isn’t sure what to believe in, is on her personal vision quest and allows me to explore little corners of America we might not otherwise visit ion our anthologies and forthcoming novels. I like that she’s not perfect and is struggling to find a place for her in a vastly different world. Together, she and I are looking forward to seeing what’s next. On the other hand, unlike me, Gabbi’s always got one eye on the rearview mirror, uncertain when Coyote will turn up next.

Where did she come from? As Mike wrote earlier this week, Inspiration shows up unbidden and never on command. She arrived almost intact and the name quickly followed. When Carmen Carnero, now a rising comic book artist but a few years just at the beginning of her own career path, drew this first image of her, I thought she pretty much nailed her.

Gabbi’s first road trip ran here recently and soon there should be another installment from America’s highways.

Crazy Good Stories