This week, we celebrate two birthdays: Jim’s was yesterday, October 26th, and Harry’s is this Saturday, on Halloween! And accordingly, this week’s post is a DOOZY.
Contents including a new contest, the release of Tyler Walpole’s bookplates, a nomination in the Goodreads Choice Awards, an unmissable podcast appearance, and SO MUCH MORE!
Trust us, you’re going to want to read all the way to the end…
Goodreads Choice Awards
Peace Talks has been nominated in the Best Fantasy section of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards! Jim is in the running alongside some of the most beloved names in the genre, including N.K. Jemisin, Naomi Novik, R.F. Kuang, V.E. Schwab, and perplexingly Brandon Sanderson, whose nominated book doesn’t come out for another three weeks (Priscilla is counting the days. That series is phenomenal!).
The opening round of voting runs from today to Sunday, November 8th, so you have just shy of two weeks give all the nominees a shot and cast your vote for your favorite! Best of luck to all the contenders!
Bookplate Blowout
Tyler Walpole’s breathtaking bookplates for Peace Talks and Battle Ground are now on sale! These artist edition 5″x7″bookplates are signed by Jim Butcher and the artist and have an adhesive backing, so you can add them permanently to the interior of your book or the back of your e-reader, or put them in a frame to hang on your wall.
Act fast–the previous batch of Tyler’s bookplates sold out in under 8 hours!
A Conversation With Legendarium
Jim’s recent visit on the Legendarium Podcast contains a series of revelations, including plans for another Dresden novel between Battle Ground and Mirror Mirror! This interview features Jim at his most candid and personal, and it’s absolutely unmissable.
“It’s My Birthday Too” Fanfic Contest
Over the course of the year, we’ve recognized fanartists, cosplayers, and our canniest prognosticators. Now, for our final contest of the year, we’re celebrating Harry’s Halloween birthday with a spotlight on fanfic authors!
This month’s challenge: Write your own microfiction about either a birthday OR a holiday in the Dresdenverse! Entries are due November 24th. Three winners (one grand prize and two runners-up) will receive their choice of a Mika Kuloda Art Print from Worldbuilders!
A few ground rules:
- Keep it under 1,500 words–this is a bit shorter than Jim’s “Job Placement” microfiction.
- The principal characters in your fic should be named characters from the series.
- Must be PG-13. No explicit sex or gore. Take your cue from the stories Jim has contributed to multi-author story anthologies.
- Endeavor to keep your stories generally consistent with the world and story events of Jim’s novels. 1,500 words is not a lot of room to establish a high school AU. 😀
- Jim’s fanfic policy still holds. Jim will be playing NO ROLE in judging this competition and will NOT be reading any of the fanfics entered, to ensure he will have no knowledge of their contents. Any potential resemblance of story elements to later published works will be purely coincidental.
- We reserve the right to post our favorite entries on Jim-Butcher.com, but we will not monetize stories and we make no claims of exclusivity. You’re welcome to share your story wherever you’d post any other fanfic, provided you do not derive income from that platform. You also may not sell your fanfic. You still can’t profit off fanfic based on Jim’s work. This is like Fanfic 101. Be cool. Don’t make us regret doing this.
Submit entries (pasted text, attached MS Word document, or AO3 link) by November 24th to yearofdresden (at) gmail.com.
Jim’s Birthday Quoteathon
For Jim’s Birthday, we asked fans to share their favorite lines and moments from his two decades of novels, and we’d love to keep the lovefest going all week! If you haven’t yet, add your voice to the thread.
Happy Harry Halloween
Dressing up as a Dresden character this Saturday? Send your Halloween photos to yearofdresden (at) gmail.com! We’ll post some of our favorites in next week’s Drop.
(Please celebrate responsibly! Don’t feel the need to compromise your social distancing comfort level for the sake of a group shot, and we’d love to see PPE/masks integrated into your costume. Safety first!)
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. 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.
