Hey Friends! I’ll be in Durham, NC this weekend from 19-21 April 2024 at FantaSci. Here’s my schedule. If you’re in the area, come say hi!
The Queen’s Fixer is LIVE!
Welcome to the Ashes of Entecea
The first book in my brand new series, Ashes of Entecea is LIVE! I hope you love it, and if you do, please consider leaving an Amazon or Goodreads review!
I poured my heart and soul into this universe, and I’ve been waiting a long time to bring it to you. So go forth and enjoy, my friends!
Much love,
kc
Cover Art Reveal!
Isn’t it amazing? Artist Sam Kennedy really outdid himself. I can’t wait for you to read this first book in the Ashes of Entecea series. Look for The Queen’s Fixer on March 22nd, 2024!
A Long Overdue Update
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
I have been SO remiss. It’s been so long since I updated this blog and, dear friends, I have to be honest…
SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED! In fact, for ease of use, I think I’ll just go ahead and list it out, bullet-point style (Thanks USAF!) Some of this stuff you will have seen before, but I’m giving you the full list for your situational awareness.
- I started a job flying EMS helicopters in Richmond, VA at the end of 2022
- I got a new car
- I celebrated the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023
- I went to MarsCon in 2023 and had a blast
- I had a story come out in The Phoenix Initiative
- I went to LibertyCon and was announced as the 2024 Mistress of Ceremonies
- My husband got a job offer in Massachusetts
- We sold our house
- We bought another house
- I went to DragonCon in 2023 and it was amazing
- I then went to Hawaii with friends and family
- I quit my amazing flying job to write full time
- We moved to Massachusetts
- I had a short story come out in 13 Stories and one in Or All Will Burn
- I went to Utah for Thanksgiving, then South Dakota for Christmas/New Years
- I finished two novels in November for NaNoWriMo
- Down These Mean Streets, the third Noir Fatale anthology, came out on January 2nd
- I started the third novel in the Ashes of Entecea series with Chris Kennedy in January
- I went to Boskone 2024 for the first time ever. It was really fun
- We finished the third novel in the Ashes of Entecea series on Monday
And now you’re about caught up. ๐ I have amazing cover art for the first book in the Ashes series, but I’ll give it it’s own post because art like that deserves to be the center of attention.
In any case, I hope you’ll forgive my long silence, and help me celebrate all these changes and milestones. ๐ Remember, too, if you’d like more frequent updates, you can always sign up for my newsletter and get access to the private Discord where I hang out and work most days!
DragonCon 2023 AAR
Before I dive into this post, you should all probably know that I have a special relationship with DragonCon. Dragon was my first and favorite con. I first attended in 2001 with my best friend from pilot training, Tammy. We had no idea what we were walking into. ๐
As it turned out, back on Labor Day weekend of 2001, we walked into our “home planet”. See, Tammy was a sci-fi/fantasy geek like me, albeit a little less closeted at the time. I hadn’t yet learned that it was okay to let my geek flag fly, so I was shy about sharing my interests.
Walking into DragonCon was walking into a place where everyone shared those interests, and celebrated them, and that feeling of wonder and homecoming was one I’ve never forgotten.
Fast forward to 2023. DragonCon has grown by an order of magnitude, and spread over most of a week. It would take far too long to post a play by play of the whole week-long extravaganza here, but I’ll try to hit the high points for you.
We arrived on Wednesday and met up with friends right away. This year, we were back at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, which is my favorite of the con hotels. As always, the Westin staff were incredibly professional and kind and mostly very enthusiastic about the con. Shoutout to those who made our crazy fun weekend possible!
I didn’t have any programming on Thursday, so spent most of the day getting my badge and then giving blood. I try to participate in the DragonCon Blood Drive every year, and the folks at LifeSouth did an amazing job as always.
Friday and Saturday were my heavy programming days. I had panels for the MilSF Media Track, the SF Lit track, the Alternate History track, and for the first time, the Writers’ track. Oh, and one very silly, very sexy DragonCon After Dark panel for the Digital Media track. ๐ (IYKYK).
I cannot say enough good things about the ARMY of volunteers who made all of this amazing programming happen. DragonCon is a volunteer-run organization, and none of it could happen without the dedicated service of those volunteers, so if that’s you, please accept my heartfelt thanks. Thanks for creating such an amazing experience for all of us. We truly owe you a debt that can’t be repaid.
Sunday and Monday, I didn’t have any panels, so I was able to spend some time in the MASSIVE Dealer/Exhibitor halls at the AmericasMart, toured the Art Show, did some networking and a tiny bit of shopping, and just hung out with my friends I rarely get to see in person.
Overall impressions that stood out for this year: This year, we at REALLY well. ๐ Seriously, good food seemed to be the theme for this year. Between Atlanta Breakfast Club, Ray’s in the City, Atalia, and Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, I can’t remember a DragonCon where I ate so well. Thanks to everyone who shared a meal with me!
Thanks as well to all the DragonCon attendees who came to see me and my fellow geeks on panels, or who struck up conversations in line (or the elevator!). At the risk of sounding like a cheesy 1980s kid’s show, that’s really the magic of DragonCon: The friendships we make along the way. ๐
See y’all next year!
My 2023 LibertyCon Schedule!
You guys. I’m sooooooo excited to finally get back to LibertyCon after 3 years! The schedule came out last night, and it just really amped my excitement that much more. ๐ So in order to have some kind of outlet for this energy, I’m going to share my schedule with you!
Sadly, however, LibertyCon is sold out for this year. But if you’re going to be there, please find me at one of these events and say Hi! ๐
Featured Guest at MarsCon!
Hey Friends! This coming weekend, I’ll be a guest at MarsCon in Norfolk, Virginia! If you’ll be in the area, come hang out and see me hobnobbing with the likes of D.J. Butler, Mark Wandrey, Marisa Wolf, and Chris Kennedy!
It should be a fantastic time!
If you can’t make it, no worries. Watch this space for an AAR of some type, whether it be a convention Vlog or a more traditional blog-style after action report. I haven’t decided yet! ๐
Hope to see you there!
Introducing “Kacey Ezell Writer Life” on YouTube!
Hey Friends! I started a YouTube Channel! Mostly because I wanted another way to reach out and continue building this awesome community of fans and friends. After doing some research, I realized that if I added YouTube to my existing newsletter and private Discord server, I could really up the interaction quotient and have a good shot and upleveling this community!
So here’s what you should do. First, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter! Not only will you get 2 free short stories, but you’ll also get the magic link to the private Discord server where I interact with my fans on the daily. In that server, you’ll also find a channel where you can post questions I’ll answer during my weekly live chats.
Then, I would love it if you’d head over to my channel: Kacey Ezell Writer Life, and check out a few videos! Maybe gimme that Chuck Yeager Thumb’s Up (ie. hit the “like” button!) and see if you’d like to subscribe! I anticipate using this channel to document my transition from full time pilot to full time writer, and all the stops in between!
As always, my friends, I’m so happy you’re here. Thanks for being part of my community and supporting me as I work to make it something even bigger and more awesome than ever!
Much love,
kc
New Website, Who Dis? :)
Hey Friends! What do you think? I decided it was time to change things up a bit and implement a sleeker, more modernized look! Big thanks to Rob McClellan at ModFarm Designs for doing the heavy lifting!
One of the advantages of this new design is that it’s easier than ever for me to make these blog posts. So let me know, is that something you’re interested in seeing? As a reminder, if you want weekly content from me, you are always welcome to join my newsletter! You’ll get my weekly update email, as well as two free downloadable short stories. Please check it out, We’d love to have you at the Cool Kids’ Table! ๐
much love,
kc
PS. If you DO decide to join my newsletter, you’ll also get the link to my private Discord server. Come hang out with me and the super cool community of fans, writers, and other creative types there! We do writing sprints, ask journaling questions, and just generally talk about whatever is on our minds. I LOVE it, and I think you will too!
Come Hang Out With Me On Discord!
Hey Friends! So I’ve discovered a new favorite method of virtual interaction! Have you ever heard of Discord? Discord is a sort of virtual space where people can hang out and chat via text or voice, play games, have discussions, and just generally be themselves. I have found that next to my newsletter emails, it’s my absolute favorite method of interacting with my community of friends and fans.
Wanna come join us? My server is called “Between Lost And Found” and we talk a lot about living a creative life and all the ups and downs that go along with that. We also run writing sprints and challenges there, and talk about upcoming conventions and books and all kinds of stuff.
I’m not going to post an open invite here on the website because… you know… it’s the internet. But if you’re interested in coming to hang out, I’ve got invites in every single issue of my weekly newsletter. So if you haven’t signed up yet, please do! You’ll also get two free short stories. There’s a signup link in the sidebar.
Come join us in the spaces Between Lost and Found!
CKP Series Starter Giveaway!
That’s right, Cool Kids! I’m hosting a giveaway! It will run from 24 May 2021 to 31 May 2021, and it’s totally free to enter. You just need a valid email address, and you could be one of two winners selected to win SIX signed copies of some of Chris Kennedy Publishing’s bestselling series!
(Serieses? Whatever.)
But that’s not even the best part. The best part is this: when you enter, you’ll be signing up for the Cool Kids’ Table, my community of readers and fans. You can expect weekly updates about what’s going on in my life and writing, and a download link for TWO FREE short stories.
And get this, you ALSO get a chance to get to know the other five authors as well! They’re really great people and phenomenal storytellers, and rumor has it they might have some freebies for you too. ๐
So good luck with the giveaway! I really hope you win!
Much Love,
kc
Murphy’s Lawless: Watch The Skies!
So I’m a little late in announcing this, but for all of you Murphy’s Lawless fans out there, Beyond Terra Press has kicked off the second season of Murphy’s Lawless with my novella Sundown, released back in March. It’s the story of what a dangerous man will do to protect the people he loves. I’m stoked to report that critics and fans alike loved it! If you haven’t checked it out yet, please consider doing so, and if you love it as much as they have, please leave a review!
Kevin Ikenberry followed up in April with Desperado, a beautiful tale of love and choices, and it’s currently going strong over on the ‘Zon. Kevin really leveled up with this story, and I’m super proud to recommend it. Just like above, go check it out and please, if you love it (like I know you will–it’s super good!) leave a review!
Finally, look out for Shadows, by William Alan Webb. Bill is a newcomer to the Murphy’s Lawless series, but I’ve gotten a few sneak peeks at his story and believe me, it’s one you don’t want to miss. The entire Murphy’s Lawless project and Chuck Gannon’s Caine Riordan universe in general is something so cool and synergistic. I cannot wait for you to read Shadows and the other novellas that will be following it!
Have you checked out Chuck Gannon’s Caineverse yet? If you’re a fan of hard SF mixed with James Bond-type adventure, you really should! It’s fantastic, and the first one is free!