Upcoming Appearance (This Weekend!) at ArmadilloCon 45

ArmadilloCon 45 starts tomorrow! If you’ll be in the Austin, TX area and can attend the con this weekend, stop by and say hello. It’d be great to see you there! You can purchase tickets for the con here.

The guests of honor this year will be:

  • Writer Guest: Sequoia Nagamatsu.
  • Special Guests: Cory Doctorow and Gabino Iglesias.
  • Editor Guest: Rick Klaw.
  • Toastmaster: Tonia Ransom.
  • Artist Guest: Gonzalo Alvarez.

The con will feature many panels focused on writing, film, TV, comics, RPGs, and other topics as well as an art show, dealer’s room, autographs, readings, and gaming. This year’s schedule is packed with plenty of fun and interesting events and activities, so come check it out!

Health Policy: Travis County’s COVID-19 risk is currently low. Even so, the con aims to keep everyone safe and healthy, asking that all attendees, participants, and volunteers agree to follow the con’s health pledge. Self-testing is strongly recommended before attending the con. Masks will be available at the ArmadilloCon registration desk and are encouraged. Hand sanitizer will also be available. The con suite will have a high-quality air purifier. So, let’s do our best to keep the community safe!

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be a panelist at this year’s con. Here’s my schedule of events:

Saturday, August 5:

11:30 am – 12 pm CST: Reading – C.L. Irwin
Conference Center
C.L. Irwin

7 – 7:45 pm CST: House of the Dragon: Feminist or Not?
Ballroom F
Beth Anderson (moderator), Aaron de Orive, C.L. Irwin, Laura Galán-Wells
The success of HBO’s House of the Dragon, the long-awaited follow-up series to Game of Thrones, proved that there is more TV life in George R.R. Martin’s world. While the show centers on multiple strong and ambitious female characters, the series also depicts a society in which women’s power and even, at times, their very lives, are controlled by men. Is HOTD a feminist show or not? Should fantasy stories move on from depicting feudal, male-dominated societies like the GoT universe?

8 – 8:45 pm CST: The Terrifying Future of Social Media
Southpark A
D.L. Young (moderator), A. Lee Martinez, C.L. Irwin, Laura Galán-Wells, Paige E. Ewing
Twitter has been on a slow-implode for the past year, various alternatives never found solid ground, and somehow Booktok is incredibly influential. How can creatives handle the separate full-time job of Social Media Manager while still having time to do the actual work they want to do?

Sunday, August 6:

12 – 12:45 pm CST: Silo/Wool Omnibus: TV Series vs. Book Series
Ballroom F
William Ledbetter (moderator), Aaron de Orive, C.L. Irwin, Abby Goldsmith
A discussion of the similarities and differences between the TV series and book series, including any fan service changes made to the show. We will also cover the various thematic concerns of the series.

1 – 1:45 pm CST: How to Build a World Bible: Methodologies, Infrastructure, & Tools
Ballroom F
Marie Brennan (moderator), Marshall Ryan Maresca, Sara A Mueller, C.L. Irwin, Eleanor Haglund
A discussion of world bible building “best practices,” which will also include a brief overview and comparison of various world bible building systems and software like Scrivener world bible templates, World Anvil, Campfire + worldbuilding add-on pack, Scapple, Plottr, Aeon Timeline, Obsidian.MD, etc. We will also discuss the pros and cons of each method and/or tool.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

-C.L.

A Tale of Two Book Series

My current work-in-progress (WIP), Atrikaran Fairy Tales (Book One), is a grimdark epic fantasy series set in the fictional universe of Atrikar. Unlike many traditional, prototypically medieval epic fantasies, the Atrikariverse won’t be populated with the usual smattering of dragons, elves, or faeries. However, it will feature a cast of humans—magical and non-magical alike, along with a murderous murder (pun intended😉) of giant, anthropomorphic, magical crows. This series is intended to be a trilogy, although I’ve also mapped out yet another series of prequel novels set in the same universe, which has also been planned as a separate trilogy. These two series will be able to be read independently of one another. 

Book Description:

“A book of nightmarish fairy tales for adults, filled with strange and fantastical creatures that haunt the realm of imagination. These audacious tales are too scary for children and possibly also some adults.

A brother and sister grow apart, and the result of their fallout has dire consequences for an entire kingdom. Who is good and who is evil, or is that just a matter of opinion depending upon who’s telling the tale? If history is written from the perspective of the victor, then aren’t we only getting half of the story? What happens to the stories of the defeated?

This story is one part nightmare, (that is, if Edgar Allan Poe had written fairy tales), one part family feud (brother vs. sister in an all-out battle for dominance), and one part feisty heroine breaking all of the rules. It’s definitely NOT a romance. So, if you’re a fan of dark, unsettling tales–filled with magic and mythological beasts unlike anything you’ve ever seen before–and laced with an air of mystery and a liberal sprinkling of magic, chaos, murder, and disappearing corpses, with a possible light at the end of the tunnel, then this is the book for you.”

The next project in the queue is a science-fiction novel, set in the Tauron Galaxy, a fictional galactic system located outside the known observable universe. This novel began as a hard science fiction story but has since morphed into a space opera with hard science fiction elements. Add a few dollops of pre-apocalyptic tension, several heaping spoonfuls of action-adventure, a dash of time travel, and a pinch of “two-geeks-in-love” style romance, and you have what is now known as Earth Searcher. This project is a stand-alone novel but very well may turn into a possible duology. It’s too early yet to say.

Book Description:

“Can a woman go back in time to find her missing brother AND stop the destruction of Planet Earth? She and her motley crew face impossible odds: Not only must they go head-to-head with an intergalactic crime syndicate with far-reaching influence but also must face off against unexpected forces of the future. Throughout it all, she discovers that her past and her futureand the people closest to heraren’t what they seem. Whom can she trust, and how far will she go to save her brother and the planet she loves?”

Welcome!

Welcome to my author website and blog! Here, I’ll discuss my fiction and share my thoughts on all things writing-related, including insights into my experiences with the creative and business management aspects of the writing process. I’ll also provide updates on upcoming book releases and related events.