GeyserCon Photo Tour!

GeyserCon 2019 in photos

GeyserCon, NZ’s 40th national SFF convention, came, and it went — in a blur of sci-fi & fantasy discussion, events, education, networking, crafting, hilarity and fun. I had a busy weekend. For me, there were many highlights, best shown in photos! Okay, the photos aren’t brilliant, but they’re all I have!

Kids’ Workshop – Super Heroes & Interactive Fiction

A.J. Ponder and I taught a large class of kids in the Young NZ Writers Big Day Out — jam-packed sessions on how to write superheroes and interactive fiction like Mystic Portal, Dragons’ Realm and Attack of the Giant Bugs!

It was lots of fun, with very cool kids who all shared enthusiasm for writing and reading.

Artist Janet Keen judges the kids’ art contest.

NZ Youth Laureate Award Book Launch

Editor Lee Murray and judge Piper Mejia, both of Young New Zealand Writers, did a fabulous job coordinating the NZ Youth Laureate Award, reading the manuscripts and coaching the winning authors.

Representing Phantom Feather Press, A.J. Ponder and I launched the NZ Youth Laureate books at GeyserCon with Young New Zealand Writers.

Winner: Emma Uren, It’s A Small World.

Editor’s Choice: Xiaole Zhan, The Extinct.

Eileen, editor, Lee Murray, Emma, Xiaole & A.J. Ponder

Lee Murray with Guest of Honour Kaaron Warren (both award-winning dark fiction authors), who is awarding finalist Denika Mead her certificate.

Emma Uren, Xiaole Zhan — Gorgeous covers! It’s a Small World by Australian artist David Schembri, and The Extinct, designed by A.J. Ponder.

Something Strange Happened in Rotorua – an anthology from Young New Zealand Writers included finalists from the NZ Youth Laureate Award

Click on a cover to order your copy!

6:30am in the Redwoods

Groan, not that early in the morning! Yes, it was worth it. Yes, we’re all bleary-eyed after little sleep the night before! The redwood forests in Rotorua were beautiful.

It was still dark outside… and cold. Brrr…

Yes, that’s geothermal steam in the background, not cloud! A sleeping dragon (taniwha) maybe?

Rotorua Redwoods are riddled with mountain-biking tracks

GeyserCon: Future of High Fantasy Panel

I had an interesting time moderating a panel discussion on the future of High Fantasy with fellow writers Laura VanArendonk-Baugh (Guest of Honour), David Hair, Mark Johnson and Dan Rabarts. This photo does not do the panel justice. Although the photographer only caught Mark Johnson laughing in this shot, we did have fun, and the audience did too. It was a stimulating discussion, first thing in the morning — a great start to the day.

Laura VanArendonk-Baugh (Guest of Honour), David Hair (thinking hard), Mark Johnson (laughing at David’s witty comment) and Dan Rabarts (listening)

GeyserCon: Marketing for Indie Authors

Yes, I did give a presentation and there is a photo somewhere on the internet on someone’s feed, but I don’t have it! Rumors said it was great though!

GeyserCon: Creating Fantasy Maps

Ava Fairhall teaches at Yoobee design school. I was lucky enough to meet her online in an international writers’ forum and find out she lived near me! Ava gave a fascinating presentation on creating fantasy maps. The huge coloured map on the left is Dragons’ Realm, the world of my Riders of Fire series.

GeyserCon: Masquerade

The fun kept going all weekend!

Make-up specialist AJ Josephs prepares a little dragon. He did an amazing session on cosplay make-up, where he made over half his face like Deadpool. Unfortunately, this is the only shot I got of him in action!

Ready to rock! Watch out for the guy in the back! He’s trouble (Darian Smith is a great writer of epic fantasy).

Told you Darian Smith was trouble. Those dragon eyes kept sliding around! Creeeepy.

Who killed the dragon? Horror writer Paul Mannering, who came back to life as a zombie, when the dragon got him back 1 minute later!

Cosplay Guests of Honour

Lauara VanArendonk-Baugh & Alena VanArendonk, our international cosplay experts, entice Lee Murray into a costume. Well, a hat anyway.

You’d never believe that in real life Alena (right) has really long hair!

Craft Corner

Victoria Dreyer had a fun time with kids (young and old) in the craft corner (writers have multiple talents). No prizes for guessing which piece of dragon-themed jewellery I made!

World Con 2020 – ConZealand

There was lots of cool news about ConZealand, WorldCon 2020! You can get more info here and confirm the rumours that George R R Martin is toastmaster and that great authors like Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon will be here in NZ next year!

Sir Julius Vogel Awards

It wasn’t my turn for an award this year, however here is the talented line up.

The 2019 Sir Julius Vogel Awards list is here.

More fun

Mr Col Slaw, aka Col, became the vege of choice and the official mascot for GeyserCon, although he was shredded after the awards ceremony, leading to many tears.

Guest of honour Alan Baxter presents Denika Meade with a prize during the young adult workshop. I’m lucky to have Denika, an accomplished author in her own right, as one of my Riders of Fire teen beta readers. Please note, that as well as being an excellent dark fantasy author, Alan is a Kung Fu black belt and is known known as “the cabbage shredder”.

GeyserCon is over

I met new readers, networked with writers, fantasy fans and friends. We also swam in the geothermally-heated pool, chatted in the bar, and to top it all off, had a pizza party in my room!

But, one last question: when a dragon’s not eating tacos or pizzas, what does it eat?

I look forward to ConZealand in 2020 and hope you join us for New Zealand’s first WorldCon!

19 October 2014

Sneak Preview – Twisty Christmas Cards

Our The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales artist, Geoff Popham, has worked his magic again, creating cool Christmas cards from four of the illustrations in The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales. Kids will love receiving a card along with their copy of the book when you tuck their stockings full of goodies this Christmas!

The four illustrations featured on the cards come from these stories:

A Modern Kiwi Christmas by Kerrie Ann Spicer
Rumbled by Eileen Mueller
New Neighbours by Anne Wilkins
Jimmy’s Night In by Lyn McConchie

We can’t tell you which card matches which story, because we don’t want to give away any spoilers! Have some fun this Christmas! Surprise kids with matching cards and great NZ Christmas stories in The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales!

You can order these cards The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales on Pledge Me – a cool fundraising system that helps kiwis get behind projects they love.Pop over here and order your copy now! E-books, cards, and many more exiting rewards await you.

As part of the team at Phantom Feather Press, I’d like to say a special thank you to all of our wonderful supporters so far, for providing some fairy dust to help our Christmas wishes come true this year. Please share our Pledge Me campaign with your friends, encourage more children to enjoy great kiwi literature this Christmas, and support the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Zealand.

18 October 201418 October 2014

The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales

It’s been an absolutely frantic year, and I seem to spend most of my time running from one project to another, while juggling several others at the same time. This link will take you to a fun movie trailer for one of those projects, The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales, with sneak previews of some of the book art and lots of cool info about the project.

The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales - 31 stories by 27 authors including Joy Cowley, David Hill and Dave Freer — The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales – 31 stories by 27 authors including Joy Cowley, David Hill and Dave Freer

The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales is looking good! You can order your copy online now at the Twisty Christmas Pledge Me site or if you’re in Wellington on Thursday 13 November, you can come along to our book launch at 6p at The Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie. (I’ll post more launch details soon.)

Remember some of New Zealand’s most famous children’s authors feature in this anthology. For a full list go here or here. Every book purchased supports the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Zealand. So, join us for a fun ride on Santa’s sleigh, as our reindeer gallop full tilt into a frenetic fantasy world of kiwi Christmases.

2 July 2014

Lost in the Museum Hits the Headlines!

Te Papa stories — Tim Jones and Eileen Mueller are Lost In The Museum, or outside it! Photo by Ross Giblin, used with permission of Fairfax Media NZ – 629542114.

Lost in The Museum was featured in the Dominion Post last weekend, on the Capital Day page. Both Tim Jones and I had fun in the glaring sun with the fresh Wellington wind creating new hairstyles and making our eyes water! What a photo! Brilliant!

The Cook Strait News also ran an article last Monday. I know that Dannevirke News mentioned Lost In The Museum with Lyn McConchie featured as their local author and that other newspapers are also keen on this quirky collection which is is set in our national iconic museum, Te Papa Tongarewa — NZ’s home of national treasures.

Behind Lost In The Museum is a great team who has put in long hours, selecting stories, editing them, formatting, proof-reading and typesetting. I’d personally like to thank Alicia Ponder and Lorraine Williams for accepting my stories and providing great editing feedback, to Mary MacCallum for her editorial input and keen eye, and to everyone who helped in the book production.

Our cover artist, Geoff Popham, did a brilliant cover. Everyone comments on it! We look forward to working with such a talented young artist again. William Carden-Horton added richness to the anthology with his offbeat illustrations.

Thanks to all the authors. It’s an honor to have my work in an anthology with yours!

Check out the articles! Or this review on Beattie’s Blog. Lost In The Museum can be purchased from NZ bookstores, or from Amazon.

Lost In The Museum DomPost — Lost In The Museum in the Dominion Post

Cook Strait News features Lost In The Museum

1 June 201424 May 2016

Lost In The Museum – Review

Copies of Lost in The Museum are zipping off the shelves.

Lost In The Musuem — Lost In The Museum by Phoenix Writers, quirky YA fantasy stories in Te Papa, NZ’s national museum.

Beattie’s Blog, the cornerstone blog of the New Zealand literary world, has just posted a great review of Lost In The Museum by Lee Murray! Pop over and see it!

Lost In The Museum is available from all good bookstores. Retrospace in Auckland and The Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie, Wellington are two of my favourite stores that stock Lost In The Musuem!

Join in the fun and read some great work from Wellington authors, new and famous! Enjoy these mad capers, zipping around Te Papa!

Ebook

Just in case you’re not one to lug around paper books, the ebook will be out next Monday, 9 June 2014!

A huge thank you to Phoenix Science Fiction Society and Wellington Creative Communities for their support.

Back Cover Blurb

Get lost in the museum where past, present and future collide.

What does Weta’s giant mechanical baby do after hours? Who is altering the time space continuum? Where or when has James gone? And what secrets is Tui Merriweather hiding?

Dive into mayhem at a well-known Wellington waterfront destination. Going to the museum will never be the same again.

Authors: Tim Jones, Tracie McBride, Lyn McConchie, Glynne MacLean, Phillip Mann, Rob Campbell, Lillian Hetet, Jenny Hammond, John Homes, Eileen Mueller, Jeena Murphy, A.J. Ponder, Vic Scott, Jean Stevens, Lorraine Williams

19 April 201419 April 2014

Lost in the Museum – Cover Art.

Lost in the Museum is coming soon!

Last year I joined Phoenix Writers (the Wellington-based arm of Phoenix Science Fiction Society) just as they were closing submissions for this collection of crazy capers in Te Papa – NZ’s national museum. My stories squeaked in before the deadline and were accepted. Over the past two months, I’ve spent some time helping this book come to life.

Geoff Popham has created beautiful artwork for the cover (this is not the final version, but close.) He is one talented graphic designer and illustrator. We’re lucky to have him for Lost in The Museum.

Stay tuned for launch details and a sneak preview of the final cover art!