Jim Is Off To DragonCon!

All vaccinated and feeling safe to travel? Jim will be at DragonCon in Atlanta this weekend!

Please note that all attendees who attend the live convention MUST show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of arrival before entering the convention. Additionally, appropriate face masks are required at all times inside convention venues regardless of vaccination status, in keeping with updated CDC guidelines and City of Atlanta requirements. You can keep track of their latest updates here.

Title: An Hour with Jim Butcher
Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: Regency VI-VII – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Interview & audience Q&A with the author of The Dresden Files, The Cinder Spires, & Codex Alera series.
Panelists: Jim Butcher, with Carol Malcolm(M).

Title: It Hurts Me More than It Does You: Character Deaths in UF
Time: Fri 08:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Authors share the experience of killing off beloved characters in their work.
Panelists: Carol Malcolm(M), Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Melissa F Olson, and R.R. Virdi.

Title: Author Signing
Time: Sat 01:00 pm Location: International Hall South 1-3 – Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: Terror & Beauty: Depictions of the Fae in Urban Fantasy
Time: Sun 02:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Our panel of authors discuss the various depictions of the Fae, exploring how often the attractiveness displayed by the beings & their world mask an underlying layer of menace & peril.
Panelists: Carol Malcolm(M), Jim Butcher, Cecilia Dominic, Isabelle Hardesty, Bishop O’Connell, and Kimbra Swain.

Title: Weaponized Magic
Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Within Urban Fantasy, magic often gets used as a tool or provides defense, but there are also those who wield it as an offensive weapon. Our panel of authors will discuss how their characters do the latter.
Panelists: Carol Malcolm(M), Jennifer Blackstream, Patricia Briggs, Douglas Burbey, Seressia Glass

Title: Epic Fantasy Tropes in UF
Time: Mon 01:00 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Despite their many differences in tone, setting, & approach, there are some distinct characteristics shared by both of these Fantasy sub-genres.
Panelists: Carol Malcolm(M), James A. Hunter, J.F. Lewis, Jody Lynn Nye, R.R. Virdi

A personal note from the site content manager:

Seriously, guys, please be responsible. Delta is no joke. Breakthrough infections are rare, but they can happen, and rapid tests can give false negatives. Plus, attendees will have contact with plenty of folks around the city and at the airports who haven’t been through DragonCon’s attendee screening process. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the event doesn’t result in some community spread.

Please keep in mind the countless overworked medical professionals and the ICUs across the country that are already at their limit and TAKE PRECAUTIONS. You should know the ropes by now. Wear a mask (ideally doubled or a KN95), wash your hands regularly, resist the urge to ask your favorite celebs for a handshake, and social distance like everyone around you is cooking up a Grade-A Con Funk. And if you start feeling sick, for the love of all that is holy, don’t go near other people! Spreading plagues is Nicodemus’ thing.

Be safe and have fun!

Farewell to 2020

At long last, we’ve reached the final Tuesday of 2020! Our year-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of Storm Front is complete. Thanks so much for joining us on this incredible journey! The Dresden Files will continue–we’re only at book 17 of an estimated 25, including the Big Apocalyptic capstone Trilogy–but for now, our weekly Dresden Drops are at an end, and Priscilla is going to take a well-earned nap. 😀

The main meat of this post is a STAGGERING compilation of all our Drops from this year, so you can catch up on anything you missed and revisit some of your favorite posts.

But first, we’re not going out without one final cause for celebration: This Friday, New Year’s Day, is the 20th anniversary of Fool Moon! Here’s how Harry’s second adventure looks around the world:

Congrats to Jim for having TWO books that are nearly old enough to drink!


And now, the main event. Today, we’re going to look back at all the incredible new material that got us through this tumultuous year!

Year of Dresden Retrospective

Image from "Everything the Light Touches" micro-comic. Mister sleeps contentedly on top of Maggie.
The Alphas react to Harry's proclamation that they're in the midst of an apocalypse. Director Cameo, woohoo!
Q&As

Cons & Virtual Tour:

Podcasts, YouTube, & Radio:

Other:

Cropped cover of "We'll Always Have Parish" Dresden Accelerated supplement
Art Spotlight
Other Fun

Other-Other Fun:


That’s All, Folks

And that’s it for the Year of Dresden! After 53 straight weeks of producing free, original content to honor the series’ 20th birthday, it’s staggering to finally be finished. Thanks so much for joining us on this unprecedented endeavor! We didn’t realize back in January how much we would all need an escape this year, and it’s been a pleasure and an honor to be able to provide a brief respite every week to the countless thousands who love Jim’s work. With chaos and loss surrounding us at every turn, we’re glad we could give fans a little something to look forward to. This project brought structure and purpose to our lockdown, and it had the side benefit of helping us keep track of which day was Tuesday. 😀 Win-win!

We extend special thanks to all the fans who participated in our contests, discussions, and calls for entries. We’ve loved seeing your creativity, your talents, and your evil brilliance. Your work has been an inspiration! Likewise, thanks to the tireless team of judges that helped evaluate those entries, including Suzanne Solomon, Skye Starr, Adam Mathison-Sward, Craig Page, Garrett Jones, Mandie Lyons, and Jordan Walker Key, with an extra-special shout-out to Andrea Gonzales. You are a force! Massive thanks also to illustrator Adam Mathison-Sward for being my not-so-secret weapon, creating fabulous illustrations and comics to complement a wide array of stories, as well as to Luke Schroder and Tyler Walpole for dazzling us with your images and allowing us to share them with our audience. To the cast and crew of the trailers, I will love you forever, and I am eternally indebted to you for helping make my dream a reality. Thanks to the Solomon family and Amy Gruss for keeping me sane and covered in dogs and for being my COVID double-bubble buddies. And thanks to Jim’s team at Penguin for their role in the promotional blitz!

And finally, dropping the plural, thanks to Jim for entrusting me with such an immense responsibility. Planning, prepping, and executing 53 weeks of original content while supervising post-production and crafting VFX for two live-action book trailers was crazymaking at times (read: ALL times), but it’s thrilling to know I could pull it off without sacrificing quality. I hope you’ve enjoyed the work as much as I have!

Thanks for everything.

Priscilla

Illustration by Adam Mathison-Sward

Microfiction #6: The Good People

Christmas is almost here, and we’re bringing a gift for everyone, regardless of whether you celebrate. Our second-to-last Drop in the “Year of Dresden” celebration is our sixth new microfiction! This Molly-POV story takes place concurrently with “Christmas Eve,” so expect Battle Ground spoilers aplenty.

Read “The Good People” and enjoy an illustration of Molly by Stjepan Sejic, drawn for Priscilla at SDCC 2015. (Man, remember cons? We can’t wait until it’s our turn to get the vaccine.)

Simple yet striking brush pen illustration of Molly's face, looking self-assured and ethereal before a snowy backdrop.

We wish all our fans a safe and joyous holiday season, no matter the distance that separates us, filled with good health and renewed appreciation for what truly matters in life.


The Year of Dresden is almost at an end! 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. The mailing list is also the best way to be alerted about upcoming books, short stories, and other goodies in the Dresden Files and Cinder Spires series. The Dresden Files doesn’t end here!

Still need a copy of Peace TalksBattle 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.

Battle Ground: On Sale Now!

Congratulations, Fanfic Winners!

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!

A "Menorasaurus" -- a Hannukiah made by gluing candle holders to a plastic T-Rex, mounting it on a wooden base, and spray painting the whole thing gold

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”

You can read the winning stories here!

Harry and Thomas laugh together over a couple beers. Harry is holding a slim book titled "The Butcher Files." Illustration by Mika Kuloda.

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 TalksBattle 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.

Battle Ground: On Sale Now!

Holiday Gift Guide

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.

Badali Jewelry Dresden Files Line, including Harry's Pentacle and Shield Bracelet, a Bob necklace, and Lasciel's coin

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 TalksBattle 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.

Battle Ground: On Sale Now!