Book tour! March 30, 2012

I’ll be doing a bit of traveling to mark the release of Invincible.  Here’s where I’m headed at this point -

Wed, May 2nd – Barnes & Noble in Tigard, OR [at 7pm PST]

Thurs, May 3rd – University Bookstore in Seattle, WA [at 7pm PST]

Fri, May 4th – Borderlands Books in San Francisco, CA [at 7pm PST]

Sat, May 5th – Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA [at 3:30pm PST]

These aren’t just signings.  I’ll mingle and talk to people as much as I can.
Later on in May I’ll be at Balticon in Baltimore, and then in August in Chicago for the World SF and Fantasy Convention (aka Worldcon).  After that I’ll be at Capclave in DC.  I hope anyone interested will be able to find me at one of these locations.
John G. Hemry/”Jack Campbell”

Armored anthology March 20, 2012

On 27 March a new anthology named Armored will come out.  I have a story in it (Hel’s Half-Acre) as do such fine writers as Tanya Huff, Jack McDevitt and David Sherman among many others.  The anthology is edited by John Joseph Adams and you can read all about it here http://www.johnjosephadams.com/armored/

Upcoming travels March 19, 2012

It looks like I’ve got some appearances coming up on the West Coast.  At this point I’m confirmed for University Bookstore in Seattle, WA on Thursday, 3 May, Borderlands Books in San Francisco on Friday, 4 May, and Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Saturday, 5 May.  With any luck there will be a couple more appearances worked out to promote the release of Invincible on May 1st.

John Carter March 18, 2012

I finally got the chance to watch the new John Carter movie today, and I liked it a lot.  They did a good job of converting the ERB books into a movie (John Carter covers the first and parts of the second ERB books about Barsoom).  The changes made served the story well, IMO.  Dejah Thoris was made into a very believable princess for the 21st century.  (I figure before long someone will bring out t-shirts with her picture on them and the caption “Yes, as a matter of fact I am a scientist.”)  Most importantly, the movie caught the breakneck pace of a ERB story but did so while also giving the hero more than one dimension.  The movie’s John Carter knows that other options exist than being a hero, and he has been deeply scarred by war, but still he can’t resist doing the right thing when someone needs help.  That makes his heroism all the greater in the battle with the Warhoons.  Go see this movie.  It’s good.

Virginia Festival of the Book March 14, 2012

Just a reminder that I’ll be at the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, VA on 23 and 24 March  http://www.vabook.org/index.html/

So Random Thoughts March 6, 2012

There is a program on the Disney Channel called So Random which reminds me (in a good way) of the old TV series Laugh-In.  Of course, being on the Disney channel the stars of So Random are teens rather than adults.  Like the legendary cast of Laugh-In they are all very talented and play lots of different roles in skits.  But it’s not just the talent and the clever writing that I really like about So Random.  It’s that (like on Laugh-In) the cast gives the strong impression that they are all having a good time and are all pulling for each other.  The cast all seem to believe that helping another actor get a laugh is just as big a reward as getting a laugh themselves.  Need a laugh, or just want to admire some great performances and comic writing?  Try So Random.

First Chapter of Invincible is Up March 1, 2012

As promised, the first chapter of the upcoming Beyond the Frontier – Invincible is now up on my website at www.johnghemry.com   Just click on the cover of Invincible shown on the home page.