Creative Corner: January 2016 Edition

What have KaCSFFS' Creative Friends been up to, lately? In the aftermath of the Christmas rush, not quite as much as in the recent previous months. But we do have some announcements from Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Mitch Bentley, and KaCSFFS' Hugo Awareness Project.

 

Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Bryan Thomas Schmidt has announced that later this year a story of his, Border Time, co-written with Kate Corcino, will be published in The X-Files Conspiracy Theories anthology. 

He will keep us posted when a publication date is announced.

Mitchell Bentley

Mitch Bentley of Atomic Fly Studios has alerted us to several new covers he's now free to announce, that will be published in 2016.

Alban Lake Publishing has released the January issue of Outposts of Beyond. It has undergone a format change and a new nameplate design. It will be shifting from its previous standard magazine format to a large 6x9” trade paperback size.

The January issue features Mitch's 2015 Calendar piece (also by Alban Lake), titled ElysAlian Fields. 

Sky Warrior Books will be releasing James K. Burk’s book, Redemption, on Audible audio book format, for which Mitch did the cover last year. The artwork is titled Confrontation.

Sky Warrior will also release several others in Audible format. Late last year, Mitch also converted the book covers we posted about in Creative Corner last August: Gate of Souls by Verna McKinnon, as well as Prophecy of Swords, Runestone of Teiwas, and Serpent Singer and Other Stories, all three by M.H. Bonham. 

Keep your eyes out for two titles from Yard Dog Books, with Mitch’s covers: Ancient Enemy by Lee Killough, and Dragon’s Tongue by Laura J. Underwood.

Both are redesigns, but the Dragon’s Tongue cover has a particularly interesting story. Mitch’s first Dragon’s Tongue redesign was for Sky Warrior to replace the Meisha Merlin cover by Matt Stawicki. He created a piece he titled Demon Attack. It was sold as an eBook through them, but never finished out as a trade paperback, though the art was ready.

Yard Dog has recently acquired the title, and though they liked the first version, they decided to change it yet again in order to have a clear separation of publishers, despite the earlier cover’s never having been printed as a trade paperback. The new version is a scene from much later in the book, titled Deadly Riddle. Mitch writes, “I have to say it has been an honor to be chosen each time for this same project!” 

Same book: two covers. L: Sky Warrior cover; R: Yard Dog cover.

In other news, Mitch also is finally stepping down as ASFA President. Elections will begin soon, but it looks as if Sara Felix will be the new driving force and President of ASFA. She has been the Secretary for the last year and has been instrumental in instigating several new programs for the Association. Mitch expresses every confidence in her abilities to move ASFA forward. 

IMAGES: Many thanks to Bryan Thomas Schmidt for the X-Files Conspiracy Theories cover, and to Mitchell Bentley for the cover illustrations in his section. 

Extremely Important KaCSFFS Meeting January 16, 2016!

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The WritersPlace

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, January 16, 2016

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.
6:30 Start of Important Business Meeting!

7:00 Program begins: "Not Your Parents' Board Games"

Food Theme: Winter Comfort Food

Assemble the members! We need to talk!

Before the Games Begin:

Every once in a while we have to conduct a business meeting, and January's is the most important to come along in a while. 

Dues-paid voting members will discuss and potentially decide between three different organizational strategies for the club's future. These options were developed as a result of research into establishing our tax status. Now it's up to the club to decide what to do. 

President Margene Baum describes this meeting as "mandatory for any member who wishes to have a say in the future of the club." 

Board game at the 2015 Thanksgiving meeting.

Then Let the Games Begin! 

The rest of the evening will be devoted to a program event coordinated by David Means, titled Not your Parents' Board Games. 

Our own David Means has proved in the past that he knows board games, and he also has shared some of the gems from his massive collection. David knows games, and he's put together a program of favorites, to help us relax after our heavy-duty decision-making. 

Come for the business meeting, then stay for the fun!

Bring your favorites to share!

Let Us Eat Comfort Food! 

It's January, it's cold outside, and we will just have been making important decisions--time for warm, comfortable tummies around the game tables! 

What's your favorite winter comfort food? Whether it's soup, cheese, chocolate, or something entirely else, Please bring some to share!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jan S. Gephardt for the photos of the assembled multitude at the March, 2015 meeting and the board game at the November 2015 Thanksgiving meeting. The "Winter Comfort Foods" image is courtesy of Our Valley Events, from Huntsville, AL.

For your winter reading: Two Dan Simmons novels, reviewed by Jon Moss

It's winter--a great time to stay inside and curl up with your favorite means of staying warm, to read great books new and old. 

Here are a pair of "50-Word Reviews" by our prize-winning reviewer Jon Moss (for more of her reviews, see her blog Misty Midwest Mossiness). 

Hyperion
by Dan Simmons (3 stars)

I’m disappointed. Just when I was getting pieces of the puzzle and a few of the questions answered, the story ends. Abruptly. Hyperion is a re-imagining of the literary frame tale, similar to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, but as science fiction space opera.

Seven pilgrims travel to Hyperion to petition the Shrike. Each pilgrim tells their tale in the hope  they will collectively  discover why they were chosen for the pilgrimage.  Between the tales, we eek out what’s really going on in the interstellar love triangle gone bad between the Hegemony (static humanity), the Ousters (evolved humanity) and the TechnoCore (AIs). 

(1989; won Hugo and Locus Awards in 1990)

The Terror (2007)
by Dan Simmons (4 stars)

I started reading this on a February evening, with snowfall predicted to commence after midnight. I sat shivering at the kitchen table while I read the first few chapters, even though my furnace kept my house toasty.  Brrrr..... Great writing by Dan Simmons, atmospherically speaking.

Simmons kept me riveted until the last few chapters, when he decided to take an extreme detour into arctic supernatural spirituality that left me, well, cold. Still, a great read by an outstanding author. I recommend lots of warm tea or hot cocoa and abstinence from long pork.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Wikipedia for the Hyperion cover, and to Amazon for the cover of The Terror.

Laser Rangers 2016 January Meeting

Spy Training

Date: January 9, 2016
Time: 4:50pm
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Classified
Food: Classy
Costume: Blend in



Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

Man From U.N.C.L.E. - MOVIE UPDATE

(2015, 116 minutes) Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, Hugh Grant

In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Kingsman: The Secret Service

(2015, 129 minutes) Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton, Michael Caine, Sophie Cookson

It follows the recruitment and training of a potential secret agent, Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), into a secret spy organization. Eggsy joins a mission to tackle a global threat from Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), a wealthy megalomaniac.-Wikipedia

Watch the trailer here!







The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!