In a couple weeks, I will be at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH (June 12-16, 2013), the theme of which is “Superheroes.”

The author list at The Library this year is an impressive one:

Patrick Rothfuss (Yup. Him.)
Michael Stackpole
Timothy Zahn
Aaron Allston
Bradley P. Beaulieu
Maxwell Alexander Drake

I’ll do a post tomorrow detailing The Library, the full list of authors you can meet, and my panel schedule.

This post is to share a bit about this year’s Origins anthology titled HEROES!

Edited by Kelly Swails and with cover art is by Ed Beard Jr., HEROES! has original stories from XX authors, many of whom will be at Origins. This is a limited edition anthology (only 400 will be printed!) and will retail at the convention for $10. If you’re going to be at Origins, pick one up, bring it by The Library, and each author will sign their story in it.

First, the cover:


The Gamer God

Ed had this to say about the art on Facebook:

I have titled this painting "The Gamer God" as you may note there are many hidden and subtle game elements alongside the more obvious mighty D20 hammer!!

I will have limited editions large prints of this available at Origins at my corner booth in the exhibit hall art show area. I will also be please to autograph the cover with my art if one so desires.

Next, the table of contents:

Green Room by Aaron Allston
Hero’s Final Walk by Timothy Zahn
The Raven by Maxwell Alexander Drake
He Was A Marvelous Man by Janine K. Spendlove
A Blank Canvas by Patrick S. Thomlinson
Waking Up by Dylan Birtolo
Fellow Traveler by Donald J. Bingle
By the Seat of Your Pants by Sheryl Nantus
Invincible by Sarah Hans
Blue Boy by Daniel Myers
Bloom by Bradley P. Beaulieu
Memories Like Crystal Shards by Jennifer Brozek
The Caretaker of Mire by Gregory A. Wilson
The Commodore by Bryan Young
Sunny Acres Home of the Specialized Care of the Elderly by Addie J. King
A Fixed State by Aaron Rosenberg
Interview by R.T. Kaelin
By Blood and Fang and Song, We Call You by Jaym Gates
Bindings by Steven Saus
Cheshire Moon by Tracy Chowdhury
The One Where the Dad Dies by Kelly Swails
Field Trip by Michael A. Stackpole


And finally, a bit about my contribution to this anthology.

A somewhat tongue-in-cheek sort of story, “Interview” introduces us to young, wholly unglamorous Alex Butterworth (yes, there are syrup jokes). Currently working at the local Save-n-Shop where he bags groceries, Alex responds to an advertised job posting that he thinks is to be an assistant for the city’s greatest superhero: Lawman. The interview does not go as planned.

I had a lot of fun writing this short. Most of you know me as an epic fantasy author, so it was refreshing to break out of the genre and do something entirely different. In fact, I had so much fun writing Alex, that when approached by a someone (I can’t say who) to contribute a story to another anthology (I can’t say what), I continued the adventures of Alex.

So, without further ado, here’s a link to my other blog where a I have a quick excerpt from the 4900 word short, “Interview.”

I'd post it here, but formatting paragraphs in GoodRead's blog posts is a pain.

That's it for now. Hope to see you at Origins...