Interviewed by SF Signal

Posted on February 25, 2016 by bishopoconnell

I was recently interviewed by SF Signal, a Hugo award winning magazine. It was a fun interview, which you can probably tell from the length. The interviewer, Carl, was great and I’m proud to say he was rather taken with The Forgotten. He and I talk about how I got published, and some deeper points to my novels you might not know. It’s definitely worth checking out. While you’re there, browse around, you don’t win Hugo awards for having a mediocre magazine. Among other things, you can read some of the other interviews Carl has done

[GUEST INTERVIEW] Bishop O’Connell (AN AMERICAN FAERIE TALE) on Compelling Characters, Publishing and (of Course) Faerie Tales

Signing/Reading with Harry Heckel!

Posted on December 12, 2015 by bishopoconnell

Do you live in the Richmond Virginia area? If not, do you have access to transportation? Then you have no excuse not to be at The Fountain Bookstore this Tuesday at 4pm. I’ll be there with Harry Heckel (half of the infamous Jack Heckel). We’ll be signing books, maybe doing readings, and talking with the audience. Stop in, say hi, get books signed! I’ll even sign other author’s books! Seriously, I don’t care! Give me a pen and put a book in front of me!

For those of you who do not have access to transportation, and don’t live in the Richmond VA area, you can order signed copies of any of my books (and preorder Three Promises in paperback which will net you an EXCLUSIVE gift, did I mention it was exclusive?) and I’ll sign them and personalize them, if you wish. Just call into the store and they’ll take care of it for you. They’re very cool that way. So now you have no more excuses. Books make awesome gifts, and nothing says “insert appropriate message here” like a signed copy of The Stolen, The Forgotten, and/or (really just and) Three Promises, as well as a signed copy of Fairytale Ending (Jack Heckel). Yes, I know he misspelled “Fairy” but he’s a decent guy (or guys really) so I’m letting it slide.

News, Events, and a Treat

Posted on November 1, 2015 by bishopoconnell

One of the (many) things beyond your control when you get published is often when the information on your books gets released. When your publisher registers an ISBN number, it usually gets flagged on Amazon and GoodReads. If you’ve ever seen “UNTL” or something like it (I honestly can’t remember exactly, it means the book doesn’t have a title but it’s ISBN is registered. I recently saw Harper registered the ISBN for book four in the AFT series (third full novel). I had grand plans to announce the title, to great fanfare because I know you’re all waiting with bated breath. The time, it seems, is now. Book four in the American Faerie Tale series will be….

The Returned

*release confetti and balloons*

So, there you have it. You’ll just have to wait to hear what it’s about. However, I’ll say that like the previous books, this one takes place in a new city. This time, it’s New Orleans. Let your imaginations run wild!

This is also a good time to say my events/appearances page has been updated. I’m delighted to say I’ll be at Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) in Seattle WA. This is exciting since The Forgotten was set there. I might even stop by and say hi to Freemont while I’m there (read the book).

I’m also excited to have been invited to attend RavenCon in Williamsburg VA along with my friend and fellow Harper author, Harry Heckel (one half of the notorious Jack Heckel).

I don’t know yet what I’ll be attending at either con yet, they are a ways off still, but when I do I’ll update the page accordingly. So, if you’re in or around Seattle or Williamsburg, stop by and say hi. I promise I’ll be entertaining.

Lastly, in honor of Halloween, I’ve decided to share a treat with my readers. When I was at CondorCon, there was an author/artist working a booth near the bookseller I had camped at with. I ended up commissioning her, Cindy Diamond, to do character portraits for the main cast of The Stolen. I think she did a great job. For me, it’s how the characters would look in an animated movie of the book, along the lines of: The Secret of Nimh, Watership Down, etc.

Caitlin_Small Fiona_Small Edward_Small Brendan_Small Dante_Small

Happy Birthday to The Stolen!

Posted on July 22, 2015 by bishopoconnell

It was one year ago that my first book, The Stolen, was published. It was a momentous event for me, marking my entrance into the world of being a published author. At times it’s hard to believe it’s been a year already, and at others, it’s hard to believe it’s only been a year. It’s been a remarkable ride, with some remarkable moments. Winning the cover of the year on The Qwillery was exceedingly cool. Getting a slot on John Scalzi’s blog (Big Idea) is still very cool to think about. The Forgotten got a spot too, so I suppose I’m becoming an old hand at it, and I’m safe in saying Scalzi and I are total BFFs now (I’m kidding, John, don’t release the hounds!).

I’ve covered a lot of my journey in my “Adventures in Being a New Author” posts, so I won’t rehash that here. I’ll simply say this:
Thank you, fans and readers, for buying the book. Thank you for reading it, for reviewing it, and possibly even for telling others about it. I hope this is the first of many years as a writer, and I hope you enjoy the other books yet to come.
Now, have some cake (Scalzi, you can have pie, of course) and if you haven’t yet, buy a copy of The Stolen! In fact, celebrate and buy two or three copies! And if you’ve bought one already, buy another! You deserve it!

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) 2015

Posted on May 2, 2015 by bishopoconnell

As you might’ve heard via: Twitter, Facebook, this blog, word of mouth, or my sky writing campaign, I was at the Chicago Comic Con this year.

I was invited to join in on a panel called “Out of this World!” It was a panel of science fiction authors, which made it doubly cool that I, a fantasy author, was invited to participate. The attendance hit a new record this year of 70,000, which I can only assume was because I was there. Two other Harper authors were there as well, Lexie Dunne (on my right) and Kelley Grant (on my left).

The panel was a lot of fun, with lots of audience participation. During which I got to meet Wesley Chu (who is insanely funny and a really nice guy) and Mike Shepherd (who might be the nicest man I’ve ever met). I also crossed paths with Naomi Novik again (I was on a panel with her in New York) and she even remembered me. That’s always an ego boost!

Like New York Comic Con, it was exhausting, but a lot of fun. The costumes were amazing! My personal favorite was in Attack on Titan gear, handmade no less.

Though without a doubt, the most original costume I saw was near the end.

Yes, she’s the house from Up!

It was great to meet new readers, and I spent some time at the Anderson’s Bookshop table, who was supplying the books (and might still have some signed copies of both The Stolen and The Forgotten on hand). I met some readers, and even charmed a few people into buying some copies.

But really, who could resist that face?

As was the case in New York, one of the best things about attending Cons is getting to meet authors. I got to meet Patrick Rothfuss who was incredibly gracious, and absolutely hysterical on his panel.

For me though, the highlight was getting to meet one of my all time favorite authors, Jim Butcher. I admit, I geeked out a little when I found out he was going to be there. Then I found out he would be signing immediately after me, at the same table. After some reaching out of my people to his people (yes, as it turns out I do in fact have people, who knew?) I was told he would be happy to meet me between signings.

We’re totally BFFs now. That was a joke, Jim.

He was incredibly down to earth, gracious, and friendly. He also accepted the signed copy of The Stolen I brought for him, with the page number noted of my nod to Harry Dresden. Like when I met John Scalzi, I was blown away by how friendly and approachable he was. He’s a bestselling author, had a TV show made out of his series (which is actually how I discovered it), and yet he took a few minutes out of what had to be an insane schedule to talk with me. Class act.

Overall, it was amazingly fun. I look forward to doing more Cons (if my editor or publicist is reading this, hint, hint), though I’m okay with them being spaced out. If you get the chance to attend, do it. Attend some panels, and if there are authors there, pick up their books and get them signed. You might not like them, sure, but you might just find a new favorite, and on behalf of us authors not quite to the level of Rothfuss, Scalzi, or Butcher, we appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Interviewed by Science Fiction and Fantasy World

Posted on February 6, 2015 by bishopoconnell

I was delighted to be interviewed for Science Fiction and Fantasy World (SFF World), one of the oldest genre magazines out there! You can read the interview here and read about The Stolen, The Forgotten, and all the other irons I have in the fire. While you’re there, be sure to peruse the site, it’s fantastic and packed full of good stuff.

Guest Post

Posted on January 29, 2015 by bishopoconnell

So all this month I’ve been the featured author at Drey’s Library. She’s been a gracious host, and you should certainly check out the site as a whole. So far, she’s interviewed me here, I’ve talked about some of my favorite reads here, and she’s reviewed The Stolen here.

Now, as my time as her featured author comes to a close, I’ve written a piece about considering your audience in your writing. Have a look here, and be sure to peruse the rest of Drey’s site.

My Favorite Books

Posted on January 23, 2015 by bishopoconnell

As part of being the featured author in January on Drey’s Library, you can read the original post here, this week I’m talking about some of my all time favorite books. It wasn’t easy to get the list down to something manageable, but I did. The giveaway is going on for another week, the details are here. If you’re outside the US, don’t fret, you can enter as well!

Review of The Stolen and a giveaway

Posted on January 19, 2015 by bishopoconnell

As I noted in a previous post, here, I’m the featured author in January on Drey’s Library. Drey did a review of The Stolen and is holding a giveaway (two copies within in the US and one international). The giveaway last until the end of the month. While you’re there, be sure to look through the page for other excellent reviews, interviews, and giveaways.

It’s Official!

Posted on January 12, 2015 by bishopoconnell

The race is done, and The Stolen has won The Qwillery’s 2014 Debut Author Cover of the Year!

From the first time I saw the cover art for The Stolen, I was blown away. I freely admit that I was worried I wouldn’t like the cover. This was after all my first book, and authors really don’t get much say in their cover art, and rarely a veto if they don’t like it. In short, the artists and designers at Harper Voyager (Tom Egner and Patricia Barrow) knocked it out of the park, and into low orbit! When it won the best debut author cover for July, I was ecstatic. Now, I’m almost speechless. Though I’m elated, I’m also keenly aware that The Stolen won because of my fans, whose energy and tenacity kept them voting until the very end. I’m well and truly humbled by the response this vote drew. The previous year’s challenge garnered a total of 396 votes. This year’s total was 2045! That is an incredible turnout! All of you have my deepest gratitude. Thank you, sincerely and truly, from the bottom of my heart for this.

The competition was incredibly stiff for this challenge, and in the end the win was by six votes. Yeah, six! For those curious, that’s .29 percent. Every author in that challenge deserves kudos and I’ll be picking up a copy of each of their books. Every author who was in this challenge was a debut author, and won best cover for the month their debut novel was released. As new authors, we’re all trying to establish ourselves, and I’m fairly certain getting published was a dream come true for all of us. I know it was for me. As I said, I’ll be picking up a copy of each of their books, I hope you will at least look them over, and pick up a few (if not all) of them. Amy Impellizzeri, author of Lemongrass Hope was the my closest competitor, and the results could’ve gone either way up until the end. Her book has some incredible reviews, and I’m looking forward to reading it. She and I exchanged some emails prior to the challenge’s completion, and she was a delight to talk to. I received her congratulations today, and I hope my reply was even half as gracious as her message was. And yes, as promised in an earlier post, in the near future, I’ll be giving away three signed copies of The Stolen, which will be open to anyone, inside or outside the US.

I also want to thank The Qwillery, specifically Sally, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the New York ComicCon. The Qwillery is a fantastic site that supports debut authors and helps introduce them to the world. There are reviews, interviews, and cover challenges every month. Stop in regularly to see what’s new, and vote for authors who are just emerging into the published world. I’m sure you’ll find a book that you might not otherwise have found, and perhaps you’ll find a new favorite title and/or author.

So thank you, again, to everyone. Be you family, friends, colleagues, or complete strangers, it was your support that did this. Go raibh míle maith agat (thanks a million!).

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