SF&F Literati meet January 25! Come prepared to plan new reading exploits!

Date: January 25, 2016-7:00 p.m.

Title: If Then

Author: Matthew De Abaitua

Publisher: Watkins Media

Available from: Fine booksellers, including Barnes & Noble

Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor
11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

James has a scar in the back of his head. It’s where he was wounded in the Battle of Suvla Bay in August 1915. Or is the scar the mark of his implant that allows the Process to fill his mind with its own reality?

In IF, the people of a small English town cling on after an economic collapse under the protection of the Process. But sometimes people must be evicted from the town. That’s the job of James, the bailiff. While on patrol, James discovers the replica of a soldier from the First World War wandering the South Downs. This strange meeting begins a new cycle of evictions in the town, while out on the rolling downland, the Process is methodically growing the soldiers and building the weapons required to relive a long lost battle.

In THEN, it is August 1915, at the Battle of Suvla Bay in the Dardanelles campaign. Compared to the thousands of allied soldiers landing on this foreign beach, the men of the 32nd Field Ambulance are misfits and cranks of every stripe: a Quaker pacifist, a freethinking padre, a meteorologist, and the private (once a bailiff) known simply as James. Exposed to constant shellfire and haunted by ghostly snipers, the stretcher-bearers work day and night on the long carry of wounded men. One night they stumble across an ancient necropolis, disturbed by an exploding shell. What they discover within this ancient site will make them question the reality of the war and shake their understanding of what it means to be human…

Didn't read it? Come anyway! The conversation is always good.
Added Bonus! 
You have the power to influence what the group reads next! New selections will be chosen at this meeting!

IMAGE: Many thanks to Matthew’sFacebook page, for the cover image.

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.