In this week’s Dresden Drop, we celebrate the winners of the Fanfic Contest. But we have a bunch of other treats to share before the great reveal. Read on!
First, a very Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! A number of fans have sent us variants of this genius idea by VanillaStudio, and we had to share it, in honor of our favorite Jewish dino-wrangler. Behold Butters’ Hannukiah, the Menorasaurus Rex!
Pod Squad
Next, Jim appeared on the Mike’s Book Reviews vlog, uploaded this morning. We haven’t had the chance to listen yet, so check it out and get any scoops before we do!
Gettin’ Ficcy With It
And now, our featured story! Inspired by Harry’s birthday on Halloween, we challenged fans to write under-1500-word microfictions about either a birthday or a holiday, and y’all delivered in the greatest possible way.
Reading these stories was a treat, and we continue to marvel at the talent and creativity in every aspect of the fandom. Thanks to all who participated!
Grand Prize: PsychicScubaDiver for “Hogs Wild”
First Runner Up: Daniel Van Nostrand for “Easter Search”
Second Runner Up: Houston Southard for “Entity, Eggs, Ennui”
Honorable Mentions: Dina Navon for “First” and Eric T. Johnson for “Every Mouse Has His Day”
Extra special thanks to our team of judges, who spent countless hours reading and evaluating *67* sensational stories. They included Andrea Gonzales, Garrett Jones, Mandie Lyons, Jordan Walker-Key, Suzanne Solomon, and Priscilla Spencer.
The Grand Prize winner and two Runners Up will receive their choice of art prints from Worldbuilders. We’ll be in touch over the next week to get your preferences and your contact info!
And that’s it for this week! Visit Jim-Butcher.com every Tuesday in 2020 for weekly Drops of never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, contests, sample chapters for Peace Talks and Battle Ground, and other tasty tidbits in our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Dresden Files. Join our new mailing list and follow @jimbutchernews on twitter to ensure you don’t miss a moment, and check the announcement post to catch up on prior Drops.
Still need a copy of Peace Talks, Battle Ground, or anything else by Jim? Support your favorite local independent bookstore, or order in print, audio, or ebook through the Jim-Butcher.com Store.
Before we dive into this week’s main feature, we’d like to start with a link to Jim’s interview with The Dresden Files Podcast! The hosts cut right to the chase, asking original, detail-oriented questions that provoked fresh, intriguing, and at times astounding responses from Jim.
It doesn’t appear to have been transcribed yet, but folks are discussing the new bombshells here. Also, for folks who rely on transcripts, you can now enjoy a writeup of Jim’s appearance on the Legendarium Podcast a few weeks ago.
And now, the main event!
The holidays are fast approaching, but there’s still time to get Jim-inspired goodies for the fantasy fan in your life. In this week’s Dresden Drop, we’d like to spotlight some of the small businesses and artists producing officially licensed Butcherverse goodness, including some brand new pieces!
Badali Jewelry
This family-owned and operated small business has been creating officially-licensed, handcrafted jewelry for fantasy book series for over twenty years. Their line of Dresden Files pieces includes Harry’s shield bracelet, force ring, and pentacle (with optional ruby), plus other fabulous series goodies, like necklaces featuring Bob the Skull and Lasciel and Nicodemus’ coins.
They also feature lines for some of your favorite other series, including works by Brandon Sanderson, V.E. Schwab, JRR Tolkien, Patrick Rothfuss, Pierce Brown, Gail Carriger, and now Christopher Paolini.
And just in time for winter, they’re bringing back a limited run of the much-coveted Winter Lady Pentacle Variant AND announcing a new piece! The Bob necklace is now available in three color ways: two orange for Good Bob, two blue for Evil Bob, or one of each.
And it gets better: For Jim’s fans, they’re offering 15% off all orders sitewide with the promo code FUEGO15. Order by December 9th for Priority Shipping or December 14th for Overnight.
Worldbuilders Market
Worldbuilders Market is a geek-centered nonprofit supporting humanitarian efforts worldwide. They carry a variety of awesome geeky merchandise from a wide range of creators from across the fantasy, science-fiction, and gaming community. Every purchase helps support their mission: to unite the geek community into a massive force to fund education, opportunity, and sustainable self-sufficiency for families and communities worldwide. You can jump directly to their Dresden line to snag posters, enamel pins, t-shirts, and even cell phone cases!
Other creators with fantastic merch at Worldbuilders include Mary Robinette Kowal, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Patrick Rothfuss, Kevin Hearne, N.K. Jemisin, Neil Gaiman, and Seanan McGuire. And don’t miss their legendary end-of year fundraising drive, including streaming events, auctions, prize draws, and more!
Evil Hat Productions
This independent gaming company believes passion makes great games, and fans agree: The Dresden Files RPGs swept the ENnies and won the Golden Geek and Origins Awards for Best Roleplaying Game of the Year. They also sell Dresden-themed FATE dice, because… dice. Dice, man. Dice need no explanation.
You can also tackle the surprisingly challenging Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game in physical or digital forms. The electronic edition, published by Hidden Achievement, is available for iOS, Android, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch, and can accommodate solo play, multiplayer in person, and multiplayer remote for all your social distancing needs.
Art Posters
Several official series artists are selling prints of their Butcherverse illustrations:
Chris McGrath defined the look of the Dresden Files, illustrating the main series hardcovers.
Dan Dos Santos created the covers for the Sci-Fi Book Club Omnibus Editions, including the fan-favorite illustration of Harry riding Sue into battle.
Tyler Walpole illustrated the Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game and provided additional imagery to the Dresden Accelerated RPG.
Adam Mathison-Sward illustrated the bookplates that accompanied Worldbuilders’ copies of Battle Ground.
Mika Kuloda provided artwork for the canceled LARP project Dresden Lives, but her images have since been repurposed as official merch for Worldbuilders.
Priscilla Spencer created the maps for Jim’s Codex Alera and Cinder Spires series. The Cinder Spires prints are particularly stunning, embossed in copper foil.
Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org is an online retailer with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. We wholeheartedly encourage folks to buy through them whenever possible! Check out our online storefront.
Because we know a lot of you are all caught up on Jim’s recent releases, Jim-Butcher.com site administrators Priscilla and Fred have created a list with a handful of our favorite books they read in 2020. Note that their deadline for priority shipping/UPS delivery by Christmas is December 16th.
And that’s it for this week! Visit Jim-Butcher.com every Tuesday this year for weekly Drops of never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, contests, sample chapters for Peace Talks and Battle Ground, and other tasty tidbits in our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Dresden Files. Join our new mailing list and follow @jimbutchernews on twitter to ensure you don’t miss a moment, and check the announcement post to catch up on prior Drops.
Still need a copy of Peace Talks, Battle Ground, or anything else by Jim? Support your favorite local independent bookstore, or order in print, audio, or ebook through the Jim-Butcher.com Store. We believe you may still be able to grab a signed copy of Battle Ground from Mysterious Galaxy and Barbara’s Bookstore (though we STRONGLY RECOMMEND confirming availability of signed stock before placing your order at either place) or a book with a signed bookplate from Worldbuilders.
Apologies for failing to publish this week’s post on time! A combination of personal obligations and Pandemic Brain effectively sabotaged yesterday’s efforts, but we’re back in business today, and we’ll be back to our usual Tuesday posting schedule next week.
In today’s Drop, we share a new interview with DragonCon Urban Fantasy track lead Carol Malcolm, plus the results of our call for images of your Dresden Files tattoos!
Checking In With Jim
DragonCon’s Carol Malcolm has launched a new author interview series, starting with Jim! This hour-long video includes all kinds of tasty new tidbits, including more details about the next Cinder Spires book and the newly-announced Dresden novel Twelve Months, plus significantly more Brutus and Fenris cameo time than the average Q&A. We recommend!
A Skin Game
In the past several weeks, we asked you to send in photos of your Dresden-inspired tattoos, and you delivered! Thanks to all who submitted their ink–citations below. We also included several we found online that were too good not to show off, so the information isn’t always complete. Fellow fans, if you can fill in any of these gaps, we welcome any corrections at yearofdresden@gmail.com.
Robert Finchum // Mike Shultz, Ink Therapy Tattoo Studio (Plainfield, IN), based on artwork by Chris McGrath and Leo Nickolls.
Andy Tripp // Adam “Birdie” Bethea, Skin FX Tattoo Studio (Monroe, LA), based on artwork by Andy Tripp.
Steven Middlemas // Aryn Fox, Body of Art Tattoo (Dayton, KY)
Kayla Huffman // Artist Unknown
Unknown // Tom Beste, Eternal Tattoos (Eastpointe, MI), based on artwork by Dan Dos Santos.
Ian Cubberley // Artist Unknown
Ryan Smith // Artist Unknown
Redditor Sukidarka // Artist Unknown, based on design by Badali Jewelry.
AnorakNerd2000 // Artist Unknown
Redditor LascielTheFallen
Mollie Thiet // Chris Norden, One Life Tattoo (Brainerd, MN)
Hymn_to_Sanity // Unknown
Alecia Kadera // Unknown
Jon Sparkman // Aaron King, Top Tattoos, based on artwork by Claire Nicole Sparkman.
Jim’s long-awaited interview with The Dresden Files Podcast folks has been rescheduled for this Friday at 11am Mountain Time! A link to the stream will be tweeted when it starts. If you miss it, no worries! We’ll link to it in next week’s Drop.
Fanfic Contest Update
Y’all submitted SCORES of stories, which will take a LOT longer than our previous contests to judge! I’ve recruited a team to help distribute the work. Expect the results to be announced toward the end of the month. Thanks so much to all the entrants and my awesome judges!
And that’s it for this week! Visit Jim-Butcher.com every Tuesday this year for weekly Drops of never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, contests, sample chapters for Peace Talks and Battle Ground, and other tasty tidbits in our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Dresden Files. Join our new mailing list and follow @jimbutchernews on twitter to ensure you don’t miss a moment, and check the announcement post to catch up on prior Drops.
Still need a copy of Peace Talks, Battle Ground, or anything else by Jim? Support your favorite local independent bookstore, or order in print, audio, or ebook through the Jim-Butcher.com Store. We believe you may still be able to grab a signed copy of Battle Ground from Mysterious Galaxy and Barbara’s Bookstore (though we STRONGLY RECOMMEND confirming availability of signed stock before placing your order at either place) or a book with a signed bookplate from Worldbuilders.
In this week’s Dresden Drop, we catch up on Adam Mathison-Sward‘s delightful Paranet Pals fan comic!
But before we dive in, we have a couple pressing reminders and one exciting announcement:
Love for Battle Ground
Congratulations, Jim! Battle Ground has been named one of Amazon’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy novels of 2020. Check out the full list. It makes for a fantastic holiday buying guide for all the SFF lovers in your life. Congrats as well to all the other authors who made the cut!
Microfiction Contest Ends TONIGHT
Today is the LAST DAY to submit to the microfiction contest! We gave our fans this prompt: Write about either a birthday OR a holiday in the Dresdenverse. You have until midnight Pacific tonight to enter your <1500 word ficlet to yearofdresden(at)gmail.com.
Read the full rules in our Double Birthday Spectacular post under the “It’s My Birthday Too” subheading. Three winners (one grand prize and two runners-up) will receive their choice of a Mika Kuloda Art Print from Worldbuilders!
Folks have until November 30th to cast their ballots. Regardless of whether you voted in the prior rounds, this is a fresh slate and you can vote again. Check out all the excellent nominees in all categories and make your voice heard!
And now, today’s featured treat:
Palling with the Paranet
For the last several weeks, illustrator Adam Mathison-Sward has been creating a delightfully silly fan webcomic called The Paranet Pals.
Follow Adam on twitter or instagram for more. New installments every Sunday!
And that’s it for this week! Visit Jim-Butcher.com every Tuesday this year for weekly Drops of never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, contests, sample chapters for Peace Talks and Battle Ground, and other tasty tidbits in our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Dresden Files. Join our new mailing list and follow @jimbutchernews on twitter to ensure you don’t miss a moment, and check the announcement post to catch up on prior Drops.
Still need a copy of Peace Talks, Battle Ground, or anything else by Jim? Support your favorite local independent bookstore, or order in print, audio, or ebook through the Jim-Butcher.com Store. We believe you may still be able to grab a signed copy of Battle Ground from Mysterious Galaxy and Barbara’s Bookstore (though we STRONGLY RECOMMEND confirming availability of signed stock before placing your order at either place) or a book with a signed bookplate from Worldbuilders.
A quick note before we get into the meat (har!) of this week’s post: Peace Talks has made it into the FINAL ROUND of the Goodreads Choice Awards!
Folks have until November 30th to cast their ballots. Regardless of whether you voted in the prior rounds, this is a fresh slate and you can vote again. Check out all the excellent nominees and make your voice heard!
We know many of our American readers will either not be celebrating Thanksgiving this year or doing so in a more limited way for the safety of their loved ones. With that in mind, we thought we’d fill that culinary void by sharing some fun and delicious Dresden-inspired recipes! And don’t forget to submit your microfictions and photos of any Dresden tattoos. Details below the feature.
Dresdenverse Dining
Need a new quarantine challenge? Recreate some of your favorite dishes from Mac’s and other parts of Harry’s Chicago in the (increasingly stir-crazy) comfort of your own home! Catherine Barson Eastis of The Gluttonous Geek has you covered.
Check out the Dresden dishes on her website, including the debut of a new addition to her Dresden recipe collection, then read our interview with Catherine below!
Priscilla: What inspired you to start creating recipes for fictional worlds, and how long have you been at it? What was your first dish?
Catherine: I had been playing in the kitchen since I’ve had access to the one in my ex-boyfriend’s apartment back in 2009. It was during the recession and we were both underemployed, so I had to get creative with whatever we had in the pantry or freezer. Funnily enough, he and his friends were also the same folks who introduced me to the Dresden Files. Technically my first geeky recipe was when I made a bourbon chocolate cake and decorated it (badly) to look like the Tardis for one of our friend’s birthdays.
Starting six years ago, though, my curiosity reignited when I received A Feast of Ice & Fire, the Official Game of Thrones Cookbook, as a wedding present. Between playing with that, creating my own recipes for our own last-minute premiere feast, competing in local geek bar Battle & Brew’s cookie competitions, and creating recipes for my geek fashion blogger (The Lady Nerd) roommate’s “Dinner and a Movie” segment I was hooked.
The ideas would not stop flowing, and my English major brain could not stop translating story analysis into food. So I did it. I started the blog in May 2015 and premiered with recipes for Borsht and Ratatouille inspired by Red from Orange Is the New Black. I’ve learned a lot since I started with a crappy point-and-shoot camera and an inflated sense of arrogance. I’m honored that ya’ll have stuck around with me on this journey as I’ve worked to develop my art and my role as an artist.
Three of the items used to summon Molly in Peace Talks are Nutella, a Ring Pop, and Dr. Pepper. What food items could Harry use to summon you?
Single malt Islay Scotch whisky, white cheddar or blue cheese, cured meat, shiitake mushrooms, yellowtail sashimi, rosemary flavored anything, and Spaghetti-os. Honestly, though? Putting out a charcuterie board at a party will summon me faster than Toot-Toot on a deep-dish. The Denarians could probably win me over with some really good cheese.
Which of your Dresden dishes was your favorite to create, and which would you most encourage fans to try?
My two favorite to develop were the Kringle Cookies and the Bob the Chocolate Skulls because they just felt snarky and fun — they were probably my least favorite to craft because making anything cold ingredient-based in the South is a nightmare. Curse my warm hands!
My favorite to cook was the Red King Conchinita Pibil because I can just set it to slow roast while leisurely making the mango salsa and sipping margaritas. As far as what to try? Well, that depends on your level of experience and patience.
Are there any Dresden dishes you’d like to tackle in the future?
Last year I went to Chicago to go to all the places and eat all the things I could associate with The Dresden Files. A week was not nearly enough time to sample the diversity this city has to offer! It also taught me that this series’s main character is not just Dresden. It’s also Chicago. The tensions and relations we see between the human and supernatural communities are in some ways similar to the city’s real history of immigrant and racial communities. Their presence, though, makes a city like Chicago and a series like The Dresden Files all that more unique.
With that, I want to figure out some more ways to incorporate these influences while remaining respectful to the culture they originate from. This recipe for Red King Conchinita Pibil was an example of that since the Yucatan peninsula’s cuisine (where Chichen Itza is located) has its own distinguished elements within Mexican cuisine. Then, of course, I want to tackle some more Chicago favorites like soft pretzels and Southside-style fried chicken. I already have ideas for the donuts with sprinkles.
I’ve been working on developing a couple of Hog’s Hollow recipes inspired by Ebenezer McCoy. My experiment with a BBQ rub, sauce, and pork ribs based on Scottish flavors paired with Memphis and Kansas City style BBQ worked out really well. Admittedly my re-read of the series is taking longer than expected, which is why I have been slow to release more DF recipes. Like my redux of the famous steak sandwich, I want to get things right.
And finally, which Pokemon do you think would be most delicious?
It’s funny you mention that since my fandom food blogger friends and I have explored that question on many occasions.
In my experience, Farfetch’d is delectable seared with slices of its green onion and served with a plum wine sauce thickened with a roux of its own fat. Torchics are excellent stuffed with cheese and deep-fried Nanban-style. And finally, Paras legs are delightful steamed in sake or chopped up over mushroom biscuits and topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce.
…
Thanks so much to Catherine for sharing her recipes! Check out her website for a collection of delectable dishes from all across her favorite fandoms. And now, Priscilla is really craving some of that cochinita pibil she fell in love with on a trip to the Yucatan in 2016. Craving like… hmm. She should probably make some before this gets out of hand… (Featured: Badali Jewelry’s original prototype Harry Dresden Ruby Pentacle, because Priscilla is just that nerdy. Unedited digital infrared image.)
Reminder: Show Us Your Tattoos
We’ve seen some absolutely STUNNING Dresden tattoos lately, and we’d love to include a compilation in an upcoming Drop. If you have any Butcher-inspired ink you’d like to show off, send your photos to yearofdresden (at) gmail.com by Sunday, November 22nd.
Please include your name, your artist’s name, a link to where folks can contact the artist or find more of their work, and what pronouns we should use for both of you.
Reminder: Microfiction Contest
ONE MORE WEEK in our Microfiction Contest! Submit your own microfictions (<1500 words) based on the following prompt: Write about either a birthday OR a holiday in the Dresdenverse. Submit entries to yearofdresden(at)gmail.com by November 24th.
Read the full rules in our Double Birthday Spectacular post under the “It’s My Birthday Too” subheading. Three winners (one grand prize and two runners-up) will receive their choice of a Mika Kuloda Art Print from Worldbuilders!
And that’s it for this week! Visit Jim-Butcher.com every Tuesday this year for weekly Drops of never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, contests, sample chapters for Peace Talks and Battle Ground, and other tasty tidbits in our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Dresden Files. Join our new mailing list and follow @jimbutchernews on twitter to ensure you don’t miss a moment, and check the announcement post to catch up on prior Drops.
Still need a copy of Peace Talks, Battle Ground, or anything else by Jim? Support your favorite local independent bookstore, or order in print, audio, or ebook through the Jim-Butcher.com Store. We believe you can grab a signed copy of Battle Ground from Mysterious Galaxy and Barbara’s Bookstore (though we STRONGLY RECOMMEND confirming availability of signed stock before placing your order at either place) or a book with a signed bookplate from Worldbuilders.
