Spring 2017 Creative Corner

What have the Creative Friends of KaCSFFS been up to, lately? Quite a lot, as usual.

Mark your Calendars!
ConQuesT 48
Regional science fiction conventions are nearing--and not only KaCSFFS' own ConQuesT 48, although we think that one is particularly notable! Set for Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28, 2017, technically every guest, programming participant, and exhibiting artist is a Creative Friend of KaCSFFS! So don't miss it!

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live April 21-23

KaCSFFS' Creative Friend John Picacio invites us all to come to Spectrum Fantastic Art Live, as it returns to the Kansas City Convention Center for a weekend of the best speculative art in the world. We are incredibly lucky to have such an event in our city. The show has shifted from its previous third-weekend-in-May time recently, but it is important for as many attendees to follow it as possible. We want to keep it in town! See John in Booth #418. He's bringing new originals and longtime favorites to display and sell.

John Picacio will offer four of his new Loteria pieces, as well as others, at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live, April 21-23, 2017. Be there!

Our Creative Friends will be at 
other events in April and May, too! 
Here are some of them:
April:
StarFest Denver, Denver, CO (April 21-23, 2017): Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Festival of the Arts, Oklahoma City, OK (April 25-30, 2017): David Lee Anderson
Planet Comicon, Kansas City, MO (April 28-30, 2017): Rob Howell; Aaron Hollingsworth (selling his books and also swords, in association with Ziggy's West).
Art in the Square, Southlake, TX (April 28-30, 2017): Randal Spangler

May:
Ad Astra, Richmond Hill, Ontario (May 5-7, 2017): Rob Howell 
Downtown Edmond Arts Festival, Edmond, OK (May 5-7, 2017): Randal Spangler
DemiCon, Des Moines, IA (May 5-7, 2017): Ty and Jan Gephardt, Dora Furlong
Comicpalooza, Houston, TX (May 12-14, 2017): Bryan Thomas Schmidt 
Tulsa International Mayfest, Tulsa, OK (May 18-21, 2017): David Lee Anderson, Randal Spangler
ConQuesT 48, Kansas City, MO (May 26-28, 2017): EVERYONE. Be there!!
Art Market of Estes Park, Estes Park, CO (May 27-29, 2017): Randal Spangler
Paseo Arts Festival, Oklahoma City, OK (May 27-29, 2017): David Lee Anderson

Aaron Hollingsworth on Kickstarter

Folded Steel: More Tales of the Weird and Woeful is a collection short stories by local KC author Aaron Hollingsworth. The collection features tales inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith, with a loose theme of cruel irony. To cover the cost of printing and audiobook production for Folded Steel, Aaron is launching his first-ever Kickstarter Campaign. The campaign ends April 30, so if you want to back it, don't put it off!

Writer trio mounts regional book-signing tour

Little Green Men--Attack! co-editors Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Robin Wayne Bailey, both of whom also have stories in the collection, as well as James E. Gunn, who wrote another of the collection's stories, have been making the rounds of local book-signings in March and April.  

The anthology was released March 7, and in addition to work by Schmidt, Bailey, and Gunn, it includes stories by Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Allen M. Steele, Esther Friesner, Elizabeth Moon, Seanan McGuire, Jody Lynn Nye, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and many more.

What's it about? "From the far reaches of outer space they come--inscrutable aliens, malicious invaders, wacky tourists from another planet--to conquer, study, and tickle us. From the battlefields of the Ozarks to the marble halls of the Boston Library, from Central Park to the skies above Washington, on the moon and in the seediest bars of Kansas City--they're here. But do they really know who they're up against? Not hardly!"

James K. Burk, A.K.A. Rob Jackson
Another March release, this one from WolfSinger Publications, is The Long Way Home, by James K. Burk, writing under the pen name of Rob Jackson. It's a science fictional break from Burk's previous fantasy genre novels and short fiction.

In this story, "a handful of men escape a Russian POW camp and make their way to Poland to alert whatever governments are left that the Russians are planning a strike simply called Operation A. They discover a world that has changed, devastated by plague and war, but where some groups are struggling to rebuild civilization, others continue to serve dead ideologies. The group becomes 'Recon Nine,' and sets out to track down the higher command from the prison camp who are instrumental in Operation A."

David Lee Anderson, Actor

David Lee Anderson

Longtime fantasy and sf artist David Lee Anderson has in recent years turned to additional creative areas. As noted above in the April-May calendars he has recently been showing his work in juried art shows and art fairs, alongside more traditional artists.

He also has been attending classes at The Actor Factory and landing parts in movies shot in Oklahoma. His most recent movie project was a lead role in a short film titled Assisted Living. He has already started on a "lead role in another project." We'll keep you posted about release dates, etc. when we learn about them. This is by no means his only role; as we announced in February, he also recently wrapped up a role, "Homeless Man," in a feature-length Harvey Lowry film called Southern Christmas.

IMAGES: The ConQuesT graphic is by Jan S. Gephardt and was created for use with KaCSFFS social media. The Spectrum Fantastic Art Live header is from the SFAL Facebook page. The John Picacio Loteria images are courtesy of John's Facebook page. The Folded Steel image is courtesy of Aaron Hollingsworth's Kickstarter page; it is the opening image in a short video about the project. Many thanks to Amazon for the cover of Little Green Men--Attack! The full, back and front cover image for The Long Way Home was provided by the author. The photo of David Lee Anderson is courtesy of his bio page. 

Creative Corner: Mid-Winter Edition

Here's what KaCSFFS' Creative Friends have been doing lately!

Randal Spangler's booth
at a show in Florida.

After the Christmas/holiday season our creative friends contributed less news than usual. But you can't keep 'em down for long! Here are the latest updates, from the depths of the mid-winter "not-so-blahs."

Artists' News:
Randal Spangler 
Fantasy artist Randal Spangler is just back from a three-show January art fair tour in Florida that took him to Ft. Lauderdale, Cape Coral, and the Tampa Bay area.

His only February show was the Ward Parkway Mid-Winter Art Fair in Kansas City, MO, Feb. 10-12, 2017.

Three of Jan S. Gephardt's new multiple originals.

Jan S. Gephardt 
Fantasy paper sculptor Jan S. Gephardt has recently updated her Etsy Shop, Artdog Paper Sculpture, and created a Gallery Page of her current artworks on her website and her blog.

She also has announced the creation of several new multiple-original editions of fantasy paper sculpture.

Mitchell Bentley
Science fiction and fantasy illustrator Mitchell Bentley is one of the artists participating in the ARTECH show, "a multi-faceted demonstration
of the symbiotic relationship between technology and art." Exhibit dates: February 6-December, 2017.

"The Susquehanna Art Museum has selected original, museum-quality works of art, including interactive animation, interactive video projection, 3D printing, and digital painting." Mitch's work in the show includes four paintings and a fly-through video, Safe Haven. In case you'd like to see it, here it is:


The VanGo! Museum on Wheels, which houses the exhibition, was created in 1992 "as a response to the needs of a rural student population with limited exposure to museum-quality arts and crafts, the VanGo! Museum on Wheels has since grown into a valuable resource for the Central Pennsylvania region. . . . The current VanGo! Museum on Wheels is a 31-foot Winnebago Sightseer retrofitted with a gallery space. Visits include tours aboard the bus, group assemblies, and a group interactive. Exhibitions rotate on an annual basis."

These four artworks by Mitchell Bentley also are featured in the ARTECH Show.

Mitch also recently delivered four book covers. The cover for Judas Gene, by Gary Moreau, is his tenth for Yard Dog Press. Tyree Campbell at Alban Lake Publishing acquired the rights to two compositions Mitch had created previously. Fertility Temple Offerings (from Mitch's 2017 Calendar, also published by Alban Lake) is the cover art for Outposts of Beyond, January 2017. String Nebula II (from the 2014 Calendar) will become the cover for Christina Sng’s Astropoetry, due for release in late February. Lastly, Mitch just delivered the artwork for Earth Gamers, for indie author D.B. Schrock. This book is still in production, possibly due for release this spring.

Watch in coming weeks for a post in which Mitch shares wrap-around images, plus more of the background and "behind the scenes" stories of these covers!

Artists turned Actors:

David Lee Anderson
Longtime fantasy and science fiction artist-turned-actor David Lee Anderson will portray Homeless Man, in a film being shot in Oklahoma called Southern Christmas. The film is directed by Harvey Lowry, and stars Bo Derek (10), Shelley Long (Cheers), JoeDon Rooney (of Rascal Flatts), and Brighton Sharbino (The Walking Dead), among others. This role, David Lee tells us, is "another one I get listed in the credits. My lovely wife Carolyn said I was born for this role."

Mitchell Bentley (Yes, again.)
As readers of Creative Corner are aware, Mitchell Bentley is a multi-talented guy. One of the non-artwork projects he's been involved with recently is stage work with Penn State's PenOwl Productions, working on fictionalized history for Black History Month.

A still from the new mini-series: Jaclyn Justice-Weyandt as
Dr. Lauren Fillipeli, Royce Essig as Capt. Royce W. McGregor,
and Mitchell Bentley as Cmdr. Gorin in Dark Operations.

Another new project has arisen for Mitch and his wife Cathie McCormick from previous work. Ten years ago Mitch acted in an indie sci-fi film, Dark Operations: A Dark Odyssey Begins. In that one, he played a leading role as Gorin the space pirate.

Rising Phoenix Productions has returned to this story. The company is currently filming and editing the first of three in a new mini-series titled Dark Operations: Terminus, Part I, Inferno. Some of the original footage will be incorporated in this new effort.

"It will tell the end of the long story arc, beginning with the trial of the surviving Captain from the original film," Mitch explains. "I am reviving my role as Gorin, who is now Ambassador Gorin of a previously-exiled pirate nation."

He adds: "The Rising Phoenix crew has learned a lot in the intervening 10 years, so this new series promises much higher production quality, with high quality acting and vastly improved editing. Both Cathie and I are also recording sound on set, and Cathie will be doing the film’s sound design, even as she finishes out her PhD. at Penn State on this very subject within the school of American Studies."

Writers' News:
Book Signing March 25, 2017
Robin Wayne Bailey, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, and James Gunn
The Barnes & Noble Booksellers location on the Kansas City Country Club Plaza (420 W. 47th St., Kansas City, MO 64112) will host a book-signing for the humorous science fiction anthology Little Green Men--Attack!  on March 25, from 1-3 p.m. 

Available to sign autographs will be co-editors Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Robin W. Bailey, both of whom also have stories in the collection, as well as James E. Gunn, who wrote another of the collection's stories.

The anthology is set for release on March 7, when it will be available in bookstores and online.

William Mark Simmons
The third book in William Mark Simmons's Dreamland Chronicles series, The Woman of his Dreams, is now available in Kindle format--the first time ever as a separate volume. It also marks the full release of all three books in individual Kindle editions.

The "virtual boxed set" offers all three Kindle volumes for the price of two, meaning the third book is basically free. However, Mark adds, "please feel free to buy all three separately: more royalties for the author!"

James K. Burk
Production is in progress for James K. Burk's post-apocalyptic action/adventure novel The Long Way Home. Publisher WolfSinger Publications has not yet announced a release date.

IMAGES: The photo of Randal Spangler's booth in Florida is courtesy of Randy himself. The photos of artwork by Jan S. Gephardt and Mitchell Bentley were provided by the artists. The video Safe Haven was shared from Bentley's YouTube Channel. The still from Dark Operations is from the Rising Phoenix Productions' Dark Operations Facebook Page. The Capricon 37 poster is courtesy of the convention's website. Many thanks to Amazon, for the cover images for the Little Green Men--Attack! anthology, and for William Mark Simmons's The Woman of his Dreams. 

Creative Corner--Holiday edition!

'Tis the season for book promotions, holiday studio open-houses, and more! Here's what some of our Creatives have been up to!

"Scintillating Starts" Contest closes December 1

Sponsored by the 20-year-old site Writer Advice, this contest closes soon, and it might be of interest to some of our local writers. 

Submit up to 1,000 words of any unpublished novel, memoir, or other long prose work's opening paragraphs. An entry fee of $15 gives you a chance to see your work win and be showcased, receive constructive comments, share in the prize money, and gain a contest-win credit for your CV or cover letter.

Coordinator B. Lynn Goodwin explains it this way: "Working on a novel, a memoir, or other long prose? Drafting something for NaNoWriMo? Grab and hold us with your opening paragraphs. We’ll read from works in progress as well as finished manuscripts in Writer Advice’s Scintillating Starts Contest. Submit up to 1000 words of any unpublished memoir, novel, or creative nonfiction by 12-01-16."

More details and a "Submit" link are available on the Writer Advice opening page. Email here with questions. 

Announcements from Writers

Robin Wayne Bailey 

“Black Dust,” a story by Robin Wayne Bailey is included in the new anthology, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress 31, edited by Elisabeth Waters. It is available in trade paperback and three standard e-formats.

For over two decades, the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, best-selling and beloved author, discovered and nurtured a new generation of authors. Volume 31 includes stories by Pauline J. Alama, Marian Allen, Robin Wayne Bailey, Lorie Calkins, Steve Chapman, Suzan Harden, Rose Hill, Melissa Mead, Catherine Mintz, Michael H. Payne, Deborah J. Ross, L.S. Patton, Jonathan Shipley, Dave Smeds, Laura Davy, Pam L. Wallace, and Julia H. West.

James K. Burk

You have two ways to enjoy FREE stuff when you order Burk's latest anthology, Mirror, Mirror and Other Reflections, from Amazon. The Kindle version is free with Kindle Unlimited, and free shipping applies with other qualifying offers. 

What's it about? "Fall into the looking glass," the description suggests: Here’s a collection of eerie tales of suspense that will captivate the reader from the very first story. 

Creative friend and Honorary KaCSFFS Member Rob Chilson wrote of the collection, “Smooth entertainment from a born story-teller. Burk’s works are a pleasure to read. He gives you believable people in unbelievable circumstances. This creates an assured tone that tells you to relax, he knows what he’s doing. And you do relax, until he brings out the dentist’s drill. For a good time, read on!” 

K.B. Shaw
KaXFEN may remember K.B. Shaw as the first author featured on our KaCSFFS Reviewers' Reading Circle series last September. Just in time for Christmas, he has a new offer available, via Amazon. His YA novel From the Shadows is available on the Kindle for 99 cents and as a paperback for $9.99. 

What's the story? Set in a peaceful future where a giant corporation has created computers with an AI (artificial intelligence) at their core, a technological innovation threatens to disrupt the world's economy. Two precocious teens find their lives entangled with those of a technology reporter and a former child prodigy in a race toward their destiny--oblivious to the dangers that lie ahead. 

From the Shadows has received high praise from reviewers. Now you (and/or a YA reader of your choice) can enjoy it at a discount.

The Reviewers' Reading Circle returns in January, featuring
P.R. Adams' Momentary Stasis

In December, the KaCSFFS Reviewers' Reading Circle will formally announce that Momentary Stasis by P.R. Adams is our January-March 2017 selection. It is the first in the Rimes Trilogy, a military science fiction series. At the follow-up March meeting, Adams will appear for a live interview via Skype or FaceTime.

As with previous selections, Momentary Stasis will be available for free to all dues-paid KaCSFFS members as a reviewer's copy, in your choice of PDF and two e-book formats. If you download it, that means you are willing to consider writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or other venues, including (Please!) The KaCSFFS Blog!

The KaCSFFS Reviewers' Reading Circle is actively seeking a new author to feature, ideally to announce at the March 2017 meeting. We'd like to continue to offer new selections at roughly quarterly or bimonthly intervals after that. What is the Reviewers' Reading Circle? Watch for a Page Tab on the Blog with more details, or scroll back to the October and September meeting posts about the authors we featured then.

'Tis also the Season for Art Open Houses and new prints!
Deb Pellicano
Dec. 4, 2-10 p.m.
The Twelfth Annual (well, almost) Home Studio Art Show is coming soon! Wonderful art by Ladyelf (Debbi Pellicano), great food and drink, mingling, Holiday Cheer, and just a generally good time for everyone. 

Artwork will be for viewing and for sale at 201 SE Topaz Drive, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063. Call 816-522-6197 if you need directions. Please RSVP! Hope to see you there!

Randal Spangler
Dec. 3 & 4 and 10 & 11.  
Randal Spangler will be hosting his Annual Christmas Open House at his home at 610 St. Andrew's Drive, Kansas City, MO 64145.  Come enjoy the season with cookies, coffee, Christmas music and a beautiful Christmas tree! 

There will be new artwork, older pieces and some originals.  Look for his marked down pieces that are "travel-worn."  Saturdays open 10a-5p, Sundays 11a-4p. Park on the street or in the driveway.

Lucy A. Synk
Dec. 10 (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) 
If you're in the Chicago area, check out the St. Giles Family Mass Community's Holiday Gift and Art Fair at McDonough Hall, 1101 Columbian (2nd floor), in Oak Park, IL. Longtime fantasy artist and former Kansas Citian Lucy A. Synk will be one of 16 artists participating, along with two Fair Trade organizations, Harambee and North Central College Alternative Trade Project (a portion of all sales benefit these organizations). Admission is free.

Keith Russell
Kansas City artist Keith Russell has announced the availability of two new prints.

Arterial Trees (above, copyright 2016 Keith Russell). 8 x 10" prints are $24.00 each, 11 x 14" prints are $40.00 each, via his Synthetic Sky Studios.

The other new print is Becoming (In) Human (at L, also copyright 2016 Keith Russell), acrylics on panel. Prints are the same price: 8 x 10" $24.00, 11 x 14" $40.00, also from Synthetic Sky Studios.

Xenofera Kickstarter campaign is funded!
In the October edition of Creative Corner we shared the announcement from ConQuesT artist Jeff Porter that he and his partner Liz Gattra were launching a Kickstarter campaign for their new strategic science fictional card game Xenofera. They are delighted to announce that the campaign was funded. Pre-orders are now open, via the website, and run through Dec. 31, 2016. Production on the game should be finished and available for purchase this spring.

IMAGES: The "Scintillating Starts" title is from Writer Advice website. The cover for Sword and Sorceress 31 is courtesy of the MZB Works website. The cover image for Mirror, Mirror (art by Brad Foster) is courtesy of publisher Yard Dog Press. The cover art for From the Shadows is courtesy of iPulpFiction. The Momentary Stasis cover is courtesy of the author, P.R. Adams. The Deb Pellicano artwork is courtesy of Dennis Young, via Facebook. Randal Spangler's image The Reading Tree is courtesy of his website. Lucy A. Synk's image Checking it Twice is courtesy of the gallery on her website. The images of Keith Russell's two new prints were provided by the artist. Jeff Porter's "party animals" art is courtesy of the Xenofera Facebook Page. Many thanks to all!