Year: 2014

It’s a little over a month until the release of Skin Game, which means it’s time for some sample chapter-y goodness! We’ll be posting one chapter each week for five weeks, starting now! Look for new material Monday nights (Tuesday mornings) at midnight Eastern time.

4/22: Chapter 1
4/29: Chapter 2
5/06: Chapter 3
5/13: Chapter 4
5/15: Booktalk Nation event
5/16: Reddit AMA
5/20: Chapter 5
5/27: Skin Game arrives!

Preorder Skin Game in hardcover, kindle, or audiobook format through our store, or participate on one of our virtual signings!

Earlier this year Evil Hat Productions, publishers of the multi-award-winning Dresden Files RPG, thrilled us all when they announced that they’re partnering with Phoenix Outlaw to produce a Dresden Files themed Live Action Roleplaying Game titled Dresden Lives.

This evening, they’ve launched the playtest application! If you think you’ve got a group who can put in the time and give great feedback, hop on over to their application form right here.

You can learn more about Dresden Lives over at the Evil Hat website. Make sure to follow Evil Hat on Twitter or Facebook for the latest details on #DresdenLives (and all their other projects too).

Long live Harry D!

Dynamite recently announced the newest original Dresden Files graphic novel story “War Cry”, which will be released as a 5 issue series initially, with issue 1 in stores June 4th!

In War Cry, four months have passed since the events depicted in Dead Beat, the 7th novel in the Dresden Files series. A war is raging between the vampire forces of the Red Court and the White Council—a war the wizards are losing. So desperate are the Council that they’ve dragooned the inexperienced and the outcast to reinforce their thinning ranks of Wardens. One of these draftees is one Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only wizard for hire and a guy who’s long been looked upon with suspicion by the supernatural authorities. Now, he’s one of them, and his first big mission as a Warden is a doozy: take a small team of greenhorns to a frigid town in the middle of nowhere to rescue a handful of mortals who’ve been targeted by the Red Court. The question is, why exactly are these particular mortals so crucial to the outcome of the war? The answer will come only if Harry can keep them, and his team, alive for one very long night.

Says Jim: “The greatest frustration about writing the Dresden Files is all the stories I come up with that are too small or too straightforward to write into a novel.  One of the great pleasures I’ve had as a writer is getting the opportunity to tell some of those stories in a short-story format, and in graphic novels like this one!  WAR CRY is one of the stories I always wanted to tell but never got the chance to in the context of the novels, and I’m extremely pleased with how well it’s coming out.”

We encourage you to go to your local comic shop retailer and pre-order a copy today!

To find a comic shop near you go to www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.

Check out the listing on Previews (APR141129).

As a preview, we’re showing you the main cover, an alternate “steampunk” cover, and the first five pages (sans text). Feast your eyes on the pretties! Morgan and Luccio are really throwing down here — it’s a look at the front lines of the Red Court War. (Click each page to embiggen!)

We had so much to announce earlier this week, we had to split the post up. Here’s the other half! (And here’s Part 1, if you missed it.)

5. SIGNED COPIES OF SKIN GAME

Jim has signed over four thousand copies of Skin Game, and they’re being sent to awesome independent bookstores all across the country! Download the list of retailers here and contact one near you to reserve a copy.

If there’s nothing nearby, you could also order a signed copy at Barnes and Noble. Or if you prefer a personalized copy and don’t mind getting it a few days after the release date, you can participate in one of our:

6. VIRTUAL SIGNINGS

Although Jim is traveling to more cities this year than ever (in fact, more than the past two years COMBINED), there are bound to be fans who feel left out. Virtual signings allow fans across the country (and internationally) to preorder signed, personalized copies of Jim’s books. This year, two retailers are doing virtual signings with personalization: Dog Eared Books (shipped 5/27) and Mysterious Galaxy (in collaboration with Booktalk Nation, shipped 5/29). Preorder your copy today! Orders must be placed by May 19th.

7. AUDIO PREORDER

The audiobook of Skin Game, narrated by James Marsters, is now preorderable at Audible.com! Order yours today, and it’ll be ready for download May 27th, the same day as the hardcover release. The physical audio CDs will be released two days later, on May 29th.

We have so many news items today, we’re splitting the post in two! The second part will be posted tomorrow.

1. APRIL FOOL!

As many of you guessed, our recent post about a Dresden Files Broadway musical was our annual April Fool’s gag. You can revisit our jokes from 2011 and 2012 in our archives. (And any interested Broadway producers? Call us.)

2. EVIL FOR JULIE

Jim’s sister Julie’s husband had an accident around the home involving a chainsaw and his leg a grizzly bear that he fought off with his bare hands*. He is, thankfully, fine, but this is a family with six kids now facing skyrocketing medical costs.

*It was a chainsaw but apparently fighting grizzly bears sounds less embarrassing.

Julie’s community has raced to her assistance, offering up goods and services in exchange for donations. These include items of particular interest to writers, like manuscript edits and critiques, writing guides, and pitch sessions and drinks with authors and literary agents. There are also items of interest to readers, including Tuckerizations, signed books, swag, and AN ARC OF SKIN GAME. Check out the Writer’s Edition and Reader’s Edition.

3. AUSTRALIA

Jim is in Australia for a series of cons, beginning this weekend in Gold Coast. Check out the full list here!

4. #BINGEREADS

Jim is the featured author on Penguin Random House’s new #BingeReads platforms! Each day during the month of April, the Dresden Files series will be promoted with quotes, photos, and links to media, etc. Join the conversation on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram, and tag your Dresden-related tweets with the #BingeReads hashtag.