Are You a Fantasy or Sci-Fi Fan? You'd Love LibertyCon!

Benjamin Smith

Jul 2

Before attending LibertyCon, my experience at conventions had been mixed. While I loved attending San Diego Comic Con as a fan of manga and anime, I'd only ever been to one writer's convention/conference before my first LibertyCon in 2017. That other writer's convention wasn't what I'd hoped. I got to meet a few writers I'd always wanted to, but the overall feel of it was... It's hard to explain, but it wasn't what I'd hoped or liked.

LibertyCon, though, that's another animal! You won't find a more welcoming place, a place where fan and writer alike are considered family. Many people bring their whole families to it! I haven't been able to go since 2019 for various reasons, and I'm itching to get back. It's the con that helped get me to the point I'm at in my career, and that's no exaggeration. I can't recommend it enough!

But enough from me. Let's see a bit of an After Action Report from those who were actually there! The "What's New From Three Ravens" panel was a success, despite a few technical difficulties with the projector. There's a certain someone who shouldn't be near electronics, and William "Hillbilly" Roberts had to explain that to the crowd along with the other Ravens' Rules:

Thankfully, the projector wasn't smoking.

But not to worry! A laptop made up for the lack of the projector, and the panel went on without a hitch. There is a lot in the works at Three Ravens, from novels to anthologies (More on that later). At the conclusion of the meeting, there was a presentation of the Challenge Coins by William and his wife Meg, otherwise known as the Word Witch! Designed by William, these coins only go to those who have written and published novels with Three Ravens.

Hillbilly and the Word Witch. Without them, the company wouldn't be here!

Casey Moores, for his JTF-13 Novel "Witch Hunt"

Christopher Woods, for "Annoyed with Lloyd" of the B.E.N.T. universe

Jerry Harwood, for his novella "Twelve Hours on the Block"

Declan Finn for his "Love At First Bite" urban fantasy series

Michael Gants, for his JTF-13 Novel "Wavesong". Look for it soon!

Speaking of Gants, he got to see the cover art for Wavesong that day. While it wasn't up on the projector, he didn't let that stop him from getting a good shot of it!

And that's it from me! I only know what I heard and saw from everyone else's AAR's. It's my hope and prayer to be there for the next one! One thing's for sure: by this time next year, my household will be a lot closer to LibertyCon than we currently are, so that'll be a good thing.

Now, on to other stuff!

Let's Get Burning Roads to the Dragon Awards!

As many of you already know, Three Ravens Publishing will be handling the novelizations of Steve Jackson's Car Wars universe. And as most of you hopefully know, William Joseph Roberts has written one hell of an opener, Burning Roads, with more on the way from him and other authors you either know or will get to know soon. If you haven't yet submitted your Dragon Awards nominations, would you please consider pushing Burning Roads through the Sci-Fi category? William will be leading the charge for Three Ravens and Car Wars at DragonCon, so let's give him a big boost!

We're coming for you, Dragon Awards! ...Just as soon as we stock the beer fridge in the backseat.

Alien Invasion Time with Dragoon by Peter Stanley!

Peter Stanley's debut novel has been released into the wilds of Amazon! If you're a fan of XCOM (new and old!), Wing Commander, Space: Above and Beyond, Independence Day, and other alien invasion books, then you owe it yourself to pick up Dragoon: First Strike. Peter's already hard at work on book two, with many more planned! Now's your chance to get on the ground level of what will be an amazing universe.

It finally happened… and the aliens were out for conquest.

Amid a worldwide invasion, a secluded part of the world holds its own against the unwelcome intruders.

Flight Lieutenant Nathan Harvey, a helicopter pilot from the Royal New Zealand Air Force is recruited into the CAVDEV, an experimental powered armor unit.
He quickly finds himself leading the fight on the front lines against an overwhelming alien force.

Can Harvey and his clandestine unit of powered armor drive back the invading forces and secure a foothold for the human race?

More J.F. Posthumus novels on the way!

Fans of J.F. Posthumus, rejoice! We've got two more novels of hers in editing as I type this. First up is Taming the Night, sequel to Taking the Night. Fans of urban fantasy, superhero fantasy, and romantic fantasy will really enjoy this one! It's in William's capable hands for editing, and he's loving the hell out of it. If you're curious, check out the first novel. We know you'll love it!

Check out Book 1 here!

And next up is the start of a new series by J.F! We know many of you were hoping for the next Lady of Death book, but fear not! That is also in the works. For now, though, get ready for the start of a sci-fi crime series (with J.F's signature mix of romantic elements) that you're gonna devour. Scales of Injustice is the first of the Corruption series. I'm working my way through the edits of it, but we are only a few months away from its launch, if that!

For now, take a look at this wanted poster and blurb. Also done by J.F. How is she so talented?

Anthologies on the Way!

Lastly, we have two anthologies that are in the final stages and getting ready for release! Both are sci-fi of wildly different flavors, so get ready for an eclectic mix!

First up is Blood, Sweat, and Steel, a military sci-fi anthology edited by J.F. Holmes and William Joseph Roberts. The subtitle says it all: military sci-fi with an emphasis on mechanized warfare!

And the next is Tomorrow's Hope, edited by Bart Kemper and William Joseph Roberts. As the title suggests, it leans heavily into the hopeful side of science fiction, where technology is helping humanity launch itself into the stars and beyond. Stories in it are similar to what would appear in the Jim Baen Memorial Award contest, where the emphasis is on real science and technology and its positive impact on humankind.