Year: 2020

We’ve got a lot of fun stuff this week, including Chapter Two of Peace Talks, additional book discounts, and a fun new contest, but first, a long-awaited message from a familiar friend!

Preorder Peace Talks and Battle Ground in audiobook through Penguin Random House.

And now, the rest of this week’s goodies…

Chapter Two

Chapter Two of Peace Talks is available to read now on Jim-Butcher.com!

This summer brings not one but TWO Dresden Files novels. Peace Talks arrives July 14th, and Battle Ground hits September 29th. We recommend that folks buy from their favorite local independent bookstore, though if that’s not possible, fans in the US can do the next best thing by preordering through Bookshop.org. You can order from a variety of other places and in audio and electronic formats through the Jim-Butcher.com store. Fans in the UK can order from a variety of retailers through Little, Brown or on Amazon UK.

Peace Talks Prediction Bingo Challenge

We were utterly charmed by TheNerdyNarrative’s Prediction Bingo video, and we’d like to make it a full-fledged challenge!

Here’s how it’s going to work:

1. Create your own 5×5 bingo grid with your predictions for Peace Talks ONLY (not Battle Ground–you’ll see why!).
2. Share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram with the hashtag #PeaceTalksBingo. Make sure it’s public, so we’ll be able to see it. Entries due June 30th at midnight Pacific.
3. After Peace Talks comes out and everyone has a chance to see how things really played out, we’ll pick our favorite–a combo of number of correct answers, humor, and the ambitiousness of your predictions–and award the winner an early copy of Battle Ground!

Note that predictions will be evaluated for Peace Talks ONLY. We can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of events in Battle Ground, because hello, spoilers! Individual “predictions” of events already seen in sample material (the chapters and the trailer) or confirmed by Word Of Jim will not be factored into judging. Abusive or excessively vulgar entries will be disqualified.

Side Challenge: Templates!

Artists, we’d love to crowdsource some fun Bingo templates this week! Our favorite design will also win an early copy of Battle Ground. Submissions are due this Monday, June 15th at midnight Pacific. In addition to sharing them on socials with the #PeaceTalksBingo hashtag, please email them to yearofdresden@gmail.com. We’ll post our favorites in next week’s Dresden Drop for folks’ convenience, then announce the winners of both challenges together at the end of the contest.

Make sure to include the following information:

• Peace Talks’ release date: July 14th, 2020
• The hashtag #PeaceTalksBingo
• Jim’s website, www.Jim-Butcher.com and our socials: @JimButcherNews on FB, Twitter, and Instagram

Please pick a light color for the cells, so fans who aren’t tech savvy can print your design, fill it out by hand, then scan or snap a photo of their entries.

Demonreach Pentacle Going Fast

The Limited-Edition Demonreach variant pentacle is more than 50% sold out after only a week! If you want this amulet with a gorgeous synthetic opal whose flecks of green and black conjure images of parkouring through the island’s crystalline tunnels, act quickly.

The Badalis are also running a fundraiser to help recoup the loss of income resulting from the cancelation of the con season. Three donors to their GoFundMe campaign will be randomly selected to receive a custom illustration of their favorite character from illustrator Adam Mathison-Sward. If you’re in a position to donate or buy a piece from any of their lines, please do! If not, they’d appreciate a signal-boost for their campaign.

Book Deals & Reminders

The Goodreads Read-Along continues this week with Ghost Story! Join us as we discuss Harry’s most perplexing murder case yet: his own.

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The Parallel Worlds anthology featuring Jim’s Goodman Grey-POV story “Monsters” is an Amazon Monthly Deal for June in the United States and Canada, so you can snag it on Kindle for 99 cents all this month!

The electronic edition of Blood Rites is on sale for $1.99 across US retailers through June 13th!

Penguin has released an ebook that collects Ghost Story, Cold Days, and Skin Game for 10% off the price of buying them all individually! If you’re still working on filling out your ebook collection, this is a good way to do it.

The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game is now available on Switch, Steam, the App Store for Mac and iOS, Google Play for Android, and the Amazon Appstore for Kindle. Scales smoothly from 1-5 players in multiple play modes, including Solitaire, local Pass-and-Play, and Online Multiplayer.

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And that’s it for this week’s entry! 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, or 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. See you next week!

This week’s Drop includes the long-awaited launch of the Demonreach pentacle variant, a discount on Blood Rites and the Parallel Worlds anthology, and the first chapter of Peace Talks. Let’s do this thing!

Peace Talks: Chapter One

Chapter One of Peace Talks is available to read now on Jim-Butcher.com!

This summer brings not one but TWO Dresden Files novels. Peace Talks arrives July 14th, and Battle Ground hits September 29th. We recommend that folks buy from their favorite local independent bookstore, though if that’s not possible, fans in the US can do the next best thing by preordering through Bookshop.org. You can order from a variety of other places and in audio and electronic formats through the Jim-Butcher.com store. Fans in the UK can order from a variety of retailers through Little, Brown or on Amazon UK.

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Demonreach Pentacle Launches

Fans voted, and it’s finally here: Badali Jewelry’s 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Demonreach Pentacle! This gorgeous synthetic opal has flecks of green and black that put us in the mind of running (or parkouring) through the island’s crystalline tunnels.

The Badalis are also running a fundraiser to help recoup the loss of income resulting from the cancelation of the con season. Three donors to their GoFundMe campaign will be randomly selected to receive a custom illustration of their favorite character from illustrator Adam Mathison-Sward. If you’re in a position to donate or buy a piece from any of their lines, please do! If not, they’d appreciate a signal-boost for their campaign.

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Books On Sale

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The electronic edition of Blood Rites is on sale for $1.99 across US retailers through June 13th!

Additionally, the Parallel Worlds anthology featuring Jim’s Goodman Grey-POV story “Monsters LLC” is an Amazon Monthly Deal for June, so you can snag it on Kindle for 99 cents all this month!

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Reminders

The Goodreads Read-Along discussion of Changes continues! Join your fellow fans as we delve into the explosive volume that upended the series’ status quo.

The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game is now available on Switch, Steam, the App Store for Mac and iOS, Google Play for Android, and the Amazon Appstore for Kindle. Scales smoothly from 1-5 players in multiple play modes, including Solitaire, local Pass-and-Play, and Online Multiplayer.

We’ve expanded our social media presence! Give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and enjoy all the content that doesn’t make it into our Drops, like the Trailer Rewatch thread, the Quarantine House Game, and more!

Ebooks of Storm Front, Fool Moon, and Grave Peril are still on sale for fans in the US!

Storm Front at $2.99:

Fool Moon at $3.99:

Grave Peril at $5.99:

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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, or 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. See you next week!

Peace Talks‘ release is less than 50 days away! Have you preordered your copies of both novels in this summer’s Dresden Duology? Snag them through our store.

Want your books autographed by Jim? You can order a signed copy of Peace Talks from Barnes & Noble!

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A couple quick things before we jump into our feature story:

We have video of Pat Rothfuss’ interview with Jim from Thursday’s event, and it’s all kinds of fun!

Also, Badali Jewelry will be releasing their 20th Anniversary limited edition Demonreach pentacle on Monday, June 1st! The limited edition Molly pentacle sold out in a week, so you’ll want to act fast.

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Fan Film Spotlight

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You’ve seen the incredible creativity readers have brought to fanart and cosplay. Now, we want to celebrate some of the creators who have brought the Dresdenverse to life through fan films, including a fabulous new short that debuted THIS WEEK!

Industriosa Pictures

Jim-Butcher.com’s Priscilla Spencer helmed a Los Angeles-based crew largely composed of fans in the industry in this delicious-looking book trailer that includes moments from both Peace Talks and Battle Ground.

Dresden Files Fan Filming (or DF3)

This crew of fans based in Denver, led by director Christian Kennedy and actor Matt Merback, is best known for creating the book trailer for Skin Game. Though they dissolved shortly after it debuted, they leave behind an impressive collection of original Dresdenverse shorts. A couple standouts, selected by actress Mandie Lyons: The Other Guy and Hello Again.

Tower of Turtles

This Dallas-based fan filming crew led by Suzanne Solomon, Landon Solomon, Amy Gruss, and Bill Teel think big! They’ve created two original full-length Dresdenverse movies, Night Light and Red Sun, which are well worth a watch. Or if you’re in the mood for more bite-sized entertainment, we love A Carpenter Christmas and their 2014 April Fool’s gag. They’re now branching into original projects, so keep an eye out for High Gear!

Heath Harper

Angeleno Heath Harper directed and starred in a spectacular 10-minute fan film that debuted earlier this week, including a scene shot in quarantine! In this short, the past haunts Harry as he’s grilled by Chicago PD.

This Is War

This fanvid blows our minds. Editor frequentsmiler dug through dozens of movies to find the perfect clips of actors fancast to represent major and minor characters alike, going head to head against apocalyptic monsters representing millions of dollars’ worth of VFX. If only a Dresden TV show could have a budget like this! Jim says he watches it whenever he needs motivation to write.

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Reminders

The Goodreads Read-Along continues this week with Changes! Join us as we discuss the explosive volume that upended the series’ status quo.

The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game is now available on Switch, Steam, the App Store for Mac and iOS, Google Play for Android, and the Amazon Appstore for Kindle. Scales smoothly from 1-5 players in multiple play modes, including Solitaire, local Pass-and-Play, and Online Multiplayer.

We’ve expanded our social media presence! Give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and enjoy all the content that doesn’t make it into our Drops, like the Trailer Rewatch thread, the Quarantine House Game, and more!

Ebooks of Storm Front, Fool Moon, and Grave Peril are still on sale for fans in the US!

Storm Front at $2.99:

Fool Moon at $3.99:

Grave Peril at $5.99:

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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, or 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. See you next week!

Our biggest story today is the results of our Cosplay Contest, but that’s not all we have in store. Keep scolling for details about a live interview between Jim and Pat Rothfuss, an exclusive edition of Storm Front, a sale on Dresden ebooks in the UK, a link to Jim’s appearance on The Great Fantasy Debate, and more!

Peace Talks‘ release is less than two months away! Have you preordered your copies of both novels in this summer’s Dresden Duology? Snag them through our store.

Want your books autographed by Jim? You can order a signed copy of Peace Talks from Barnes & Noble!

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Cosplay Contest Results

Jim’s fans never fail to amaze us with their talent, dedication, and spectacular nerdery, and this contest was no exception! You made it incredibly difficult to choose our winners, and we offer our thanks and appreciation to everyone who submitted. We’ll be reaching out to the grand prize winners and runners up for their shipping information and prize preference this week.

BEST COSPLAYER/GROUP

Grand Prize: Congratulations to Nicol Thompson, who handmade a trio of Dead Beat costumes for her sons Steven (the Erkling) and William (Butters) and boyfriend Kyle (Harry)! Standout elements include the Erlking’s EVA foam helmet, cardstock Sue head, and One-Man Polka Band Suit from a dismantled drum set. Not to mention, y’know, the Wild Hunt of three horses (Lester, Ikaika, and Moose) and Zoey the Great Dane! Photographer: Nicol Thompson.

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Runners-Up:

Andy and Becky Tripp have been creating hilarious and inspired costumes and mashups for the DragonCon Dresden Files Cosplay Meetups for years, and the addition of new daughter Josie has made their group cosplays a trillion percent more adorable. Costumes featured here include The Gatekeeper, Ivy, Masquerade Ball Harry, Mid-Transformation Deirdre, Small Favor-era Harry, and a Wizard of Oz mashup (including Jordan Walker Key as Thomas/the Tin Man and Katherine Ann Key as Lea/Glinda).

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Jacob Womack is another regular of the DragonCon Cosplay Meetups, most frequently appearing as Lord Raith (both Blood Rites and White Night costumes by his fiancee Ayla Ocasio). He’s added other characters to his repertoire, crafting an Erlking costume from EVA foam and assembling a Ghost Story Bob outfit, which is a deep enough cut to earn our respect.

Appearing with him in these photos are Jordan Walker Key as Thomas, Allison McDaniel as Margaret LeFay, Andy Floyd as Malcolm Dresden, and Ayla Ocasio as Lara.

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Kaja Bowman became the Rag Lady, reenacting a One-Woman Rave and the conversation at Denny’s. Photos taken by Zane Bowman.

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Three Runner Up slots weren’t enough! Christine Sorrentino‘s sensational Toot-toot cosplay is better than pizza. Photos taken by Ryan Walton.

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BEST COSPLAY PHOTOGRAPH OR PHOTOMANIPULATION

Grand Prize: Andrea Gonzales is a legend in the Dresden cosplay community, orchestrating the annual DragonCon Cosplay Meetup as well as themed and private shoots throughout the weekend. Her passion for the books and her fantastic sense of humor are readily apparent in her work.

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Runners-Up:

Cosplayer Jack Flash by photographer Scott Terra created this gorgeous series of images with titles that made us snort out loud with laughter: “Does This Staff Make Me Look Deep?,” “Stay Down, It’s The Staff Police,” and “Maybe I Just Have An Annoying Smile.”

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Rachel Hackett created this striking, minimalistic image of Murphy’s encounter with the bridge troll in Restoration of Faith while sheltering at home. Three cheers for creativity during lockdown!

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Cosplayer Kelley Nymph and Vision Knights Photography collaborated on this breathtaking image of Queen Mab.

Honorable Mentions in Both Categories:

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Kids Spotlight:

We can’t let the contest end without celebrating the awesome young people who submitted!

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Thanks again to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winners!

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Penguin Book Club this Thursday

Penguin’s inaugural Book Club event is in two days, and they’ve enlarged the audience capacity so everyone can join us! See Patrick Rothfuss interview Jim and celebrate the book that started it all, Storm Front. Thursday, May 21st, at 7pm Eastern. Free registration required to watch live. Registrants can also submit questions, which will be compiled and vetted before the event! Look for an email from Eventbrite.

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Great Fantasy Debate

Last Tuesday evening, Penguin posted Jim’s first appearance on The Great Fantasy Debate! See him square off against Pierce Brown as they argue which fantasy world is the best place for a vacation?

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Storm Front Exclusive Returns

It seems Jim’s publisher won’t be attending any cons this year, so they’ve dropped the “Con” from the “Con Exclusive Edition.” This anniversary edition of Storm Front includes a new cover by Leo Nickolls and a foreword from Jim. Order your copy here! You can use the code BOOKLOVER20 to get 20% off and free shipping. AVAILABLE THROUGH 10PM EASTERN THIS THURSDAY ONLY.

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UK Ebook Mega-Sale

Fans in the UK, rejoice! The first five Dresden novels are available in ebook format for £0.99 each through May 24th! Fill in your back catalogue or hook all your friends. Get purchasing links through Little, Brown:

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Reminders

The Goodreads Read-Along continues with Small Favor!

The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game came out on the Switch last week! It’s also available on Steam, the App Store for Mac and iOS, Google Play for Android, and the Amazon Appstore for Kindle. Scales smoothly from 1-5 players in multiple play modes, including Solitaire, local Pass-and-Play, and Online Multiplayer.

We’ve expanded our social media presence! You should already know about the JimButcherNews Twitter feed, but we’ve also added accounts on Facebook and Instagram as well. Give us a follow and enjoy all the content that doesn’t make it into our Drops, like the Trailer Rewatch thread, the Quarantine House Game, and more!

Ebooks of Storm Front, Fool Moon, and Grave Peril are still on sale for fans in the US!

Storm Front at $2.99:

Fool Moon at $3.99:

Grave Peril at $5.99:

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Visit Jim-Butcher.com every Tuesday this year for weekly Drops of never-before-seen artwork, microfiction, interviews, contests, sample chapters for Peace Talks, or 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. See you next week!