Year: 2015

Congratulations to Jim Butcher for his second Hugo Nomination, and his first in the Best Novel category! Yes, Skin Game made the Hugo short list! His previous nomination was in 2009 in the Best Graphic Novel category for Welcome to the Jungle–an award which went to the excellent Girl Genius, Volume 8.

Jim’s fellow contenders this year are:

• Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J. Anderson (Tor Books)
• The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Sarah Monette) (Tor Books)
• Lines of Departure by Marko Kloos (47North)

Also, major congrats to Jim’s editor, Anne Sowards, for her nomination in Best Editor (Long Form)! Anne’s illustrious client list also includes Patricia Briggs, Benedict Jacka, Anne Bishop, Ilona Andrews, Kat Richardson, Karen Chance, Jack Campbell, Rob Thurman, Devon Monk, Lisa Shearin, Myke Cole… Basically everyone you have ever loved. 😀

Check out the full list of nominees here! For a comprehensive guide to the Hugos, including the full history of the awards and instructions for how to vote, see the official site at www.thehugoawards.org.

APRIL FOOL!

As many of you quickly figured out, our post about an “all at once” publishing schedule was nothing more than a holiday gag.  Fear not!  We don’t yet have a date for Peace Talks (the May 2016 date floating around was fabricated by Goodreads and has no basis in reality), but we assure you that you won’t have to wait until 2027 to get it. 😀

For a good giggle, check out our pranks from 2011, 2012, and 2014.

INDEPENDENCE SIGNING

Also, the bit about the Trails West KC Library event was NOT a joke.  They’re now accepting free reservations for their May 9th Q&A and signing with Jim.  Due to space considerations, only 100 people will be admitted.  Call 816-701-3483 to secure your place.

Saturday, May 9th, 1pm
Trails West KC Library
11401 E. 23rd Street
Independence, MO

EUROPEAN TOUR

Speaking of signings, Jim is currently on his way to the UK for a tour of Great Britain and Sweden!

EasterCon: Friday, April 3rd, through Monday, April 6th
We have a tentative schedule for Jim’s events. However, please note that these are subject to change!

Friday, 3 pm – 4pm: Opening Ceremony

Friday, 6:45 pm – 7:45 pm: The Ultimate Urban Fantasy Panel. “Something nasty in your neighbourhood? Everybody wants to go to the big cities why not the supernatural?” with Charles Stross, Mike Carey, CE Murphy and Alice Lawson as Moderator.

Saturday, 11:15 am – 1215 pm: Watching The Detectives: “Private dicks, gumshoes, shamus, pinkertons, consulting detectives we love them all but aren’t they even better with a supernatural second job?.” With Seanan McGuire and Mike Carey, Alice Lawson Moderating.

Saturday, 3 pm – 4 pm: Jim Butcher GoH Interview with Charles Stross, followed by an Author signing.

Saturday, 6:30 pm -7:30 pm: The Game of the Book: “Adaption of Games from original source material how true can you be? Can you keep it playable?” with Marcus Rowland, Ann Stokes and Tom Parker.

Sunday, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Truth, Justice and The Home Offce: “We’ve all seen how supernatural and paranormal threats are handled by the hero. But how do the police and other authorities deal with them? Normal interrogation is difficult with a Troll, and the CSI team isn’t normally au fait with magical effects. There isn’t always a convenient Wizard in the local phonebook.The authorities can’t just ignore these things, but some modifications to their usual methods may be needed.”

Sunday, 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm: V is for Vampire: “The perennial favourite monster still isn’t going away, and keeps coming back in a new but irritating form.” With Freda Warrington, Charles Stross and Sam Stone (Telos Publishing) Moderating.

Monday, 11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Faeries. “The not so nice creatures at the bottom of the Garden, from the Dresden Files and October Daye to Lost Girl”. With Seanan McGuire.

Monday, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Closing Ceremony.

Forbidden Planet, London
179 Shaftesbury Avenue
London WC2H 8JR
Tuesday 7th April, 6pm

Waterstones Deansgate, Manchester
91 Deansgate
Manchester M3 2BW
Wednesday 8th April, 7pm

Waterstones Liverpool One
12 College Lane
Liverpool L1 3DL
Thursday 9th April, 6:30pm

SF Bokhandeln: Stockholm
Västerlånggatan 48 Gamla stan Stockholm
Saturday 11 April, 4 pm

SF Bokhandeln: Gothenberg
Östra Larmgatan 16, Gothenburg
Sunday 12 April, 3 pm

Edit: APRIL FOOL!  Hope you got a good laugh from of our silliness and enjoyed a fun, safe holiday.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY

Due to readers’ frustration with the wait between books, Jim Butcher and his editor at Penguin Random House are taking inspiration from one of their favorite film trilogies and declaring a temporary hiatus on publication of the Dresden Files novels.

“I think Peter Jackson had the right idea with the Lord of the Rings movies,” Butcher explained. “The trilogy took eight years to make. You can’t expect an audience to wait that long between installments. It made more sense to film all three movies simultaneously, then release them back to back. That’s what I’d like to do.”

He continued, “I mean, these books take a long time to craft.  Each novel is its own challenge with new complexities, and ‘Skin Game’ was almost double the length of ‘Storm Front’.  Brandon Sanderson was kind enough to hook me up with the xenobiologists who grew his hybrid army of alien writer clones, but until these pupae mature, I’m just one man.”

Jim will be writing case books 16 through 20ish all at once, then releasing them six months apart.  Then, taking inspiration from Jackson’s treatment of The Hobbit, Butcher will split the final Apocalyptic Trilogy into fifteen books, also written simultaneously and released on the same schedule.

Look for “Peace Talks” on April 1st, 2027.

Discuss this news on the forum.

In non-publishing news, Trails West KC Library begins accepting free reservations today for its May 9th Q&A and signing with Jim.  Due to space considerations, only 100 people will be admitted.  Call 816-701-3483 to secure your place.

Saturday, May 9th, 1pm
Trails West KC Library
11401 E. 23rd Street
Independence, MO

Your requests have been answered! The audio version of Ghost Story has been rerecorded by James Marsters. Although we’re indebted to John Glover for first bringing the book to life (or, y’know, afterlife), we’re thrilled James was available to bring continuity to the series!

Listen a sample clip on SoundCloud, then preorder the new edition on Audible!

For fans of John Glover’s excellent performance, be aware that the original recording will be retired on April 21st, so now’s your chance to nab a copy before it’s gone!  Find it in the Jim-Butcher.com store.

Hail, faithful citizens of Jimlandia! We’ve got a trio of news items for you today.

Paranet Papers Preorder Begins!

Evil Hat Productions’ Dresden Files RPG supplement, The Paranet Papers, is in preorder now! If you preorder the book today, you’ll get the PDF as a free extra right away (as soon as your payment clears).

Better yet, if you’d prefer to support your local game store by preordering the book from them, the same offer exists! Point your FLGS of choice at this run-down of how to make it happen — or keep your receipt from the preorder and contact Evil Hat to get the PDF direct from them.

The PDF is only available as part of a preorder of the physical book right now. Evil Hat says they’ll release the PDF as a stand-alone product closer to the book’s shipping date in June.

Down Town #2 Lands Today

Harry and Molly’s battle against sorcerer and slime continues today with the second issue of Down Town, an original comic story from Jim Butcher & Mark Powers.

Something large, ruthless and possessed of supernatural power is smashing its way through Chicago-not to mention some of its residents. Harry and Molly are desperate to end its trail of destruction, but first they need to figure out what the blasted thing is.

Further complicating matters is the involvement of “Gentleman” Johnny Marcone, the city’s most powerful mob boss and recent signatory of the Unseelie Accords. Marcone is determined to find the creature, too—and if he has to go through Harry, so be it.

Read the details and catch a preview of the first few pages over at Dynamite’s site.

Jim Hits the UK and Hopefully It Doesn’t Hit Back

We have a tentative itinerary for Jim’s first trip to the UK (and a little bit of elsewhere).

Jim will be appearing, along with Seanan Mcguire and other guests of honor, at Eastercon 2015 from April 3rd to April 6th. Learn more details over at the Dysprosium/Eastercon 2015 website!

For up-to-date information about his appearance at bookstores in the UK, please check out this post on Orbit, covering appearances at Forbidden Planet London, Waterstones Deansgate Manchester, and Waterstones Liverpool One from April 7th to the 9th. Other dates or adjustments may show up on the schedule, so make sure to sign up for updates over at Orbit if you’re looking to catch Jim while he’s there.

We also hear he’ll be flying over to Sweden afterwards, making appearances at SF Bokhandeln in Stockholm on April 11th, and SF Bokhandeln in Gothenburg on the 12th. Both should be evening-ish appearances, but you’ll need to contact the bookstores themselves to get confirmation of the schedule at this time.

That’s it for today — we’ll update you when we learn more. Long live Jimlandia!