Posts Tagged ‘IAMTW’

DISAVOWED is a Scribe Award nominee

Just learned (thanks to a Facebook post by my esteemed colleague Matt Forbeck) that my recent Locus Magazine #1 bestseller, Section 31: Disavowed, has been selected as a nominee for this year’s Scribe Award in the always hotly contested Best Original Speculative Novel category.

ST.Section.31.Disavowed.Cvr

If past experience is any guide, I’m not going to win, not in a field so rich with other deserving works by authors of great talent and experience. I mean, c’mon — my novel is up against works by Keith R.A. DeCandido (an IAMTW Grand Master), John Passarella, Greg Cox (one of the masters of the genre), Tim Waggoner (one of the best horror/fantasy writers around), James Sutter, and Christa Faust (a past Scribe winner for Best Novel – Adapted).

I know my book has no chance of coming out on top in a field this fierce. But once again, it’s nice to be nominated.

Also, a special shout-out of congrats to my pal James Swallow, whose novel 24: Deadline has garnered a nomination in the Best Novel – Original category. Go get ’em, James!

My heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all of this year’s Scribe nominees, in all the categories.

 

Meet the 2012 Scribe Award nominees

The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers (IAMTW) has just announced the nominees for its next round of Scribe Awards, which recognize excellence in the field of writing for media tie-in franchises (such as Star Wars, Star Trek, or any property that exists in another medium, such as comics, games, film, or TV).

This year’s big surprise: something I wrote actually received a nomination. Which means that when the winners are announced this July at the IAMTW’s panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, I will get to say the immortal words, “It’s an honor just to have been nominated.”

Here is the full list of this year’s nominees, by category:

Original Novel
Star Trek: The Rings of Time by Greg Cox
Tannhäuser: Rising Sun, Falling Shadows by Robert T. Jeschonek
Star Trek: The Next Generation – Cold Equations, Book 1: The Persistence of Memory by David Mack
Darksiders: The Abomination Vault by Ari Marmell
Pathfinder: City of the Fallen Sky by Tim Pratt
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Skein of Shadows by Marsheila Rockwell
Mike Hammer: Lady, Go Die! by Mickey Spillane & Max Collins

Adapted Novel
Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises by Greg Cox
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (YA novelization) by Stacia Deutsch
Poptropica: Astroknights Island by Tracey West

Audio
Dark Shadows: The Eternal Actress by Nev Fountain
Dark Shadows: Dress Me in Dark Dreams by Marty Ross
Doctor Who: Companion Chronicles: Project Nirvana by Cavan Scott & Mark Wright

My congratulations and best wishes go out to all the other nominees, especially my friends Greg Cox and Kevin J. Anderson.

 

Scribe nominees interview

What could be more compelling (aside from careful observation growing grass or drying paint) than an interview with six Scribe Award-nominated authors about their nominated works and their views on media tie-in writing? Nothing, that’s what! Click on over to Jonathan Maberry’s Big, Scary Blog to read his interview with the nominees in the IAMTW‘s most hotly contested award category, Best Speculative Original Novel.

My tome Star Trek Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire is on that list of nominated works, and I join fellow nominees Keith R.A. DeCandido (Supernatural: Heart of the Dragon), Matt Forbeck & Jeff Grubb (Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon), Sean Williams (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II), and Nathan Long (Warhammer: Bloodborn: Ulrika the Vampire) for a virtual roundtable discussion.

A sample of my loquacious genius in action:

BIG SCARY BLOG: What makes a really good media tie-in book?

DAVID MACK: Other than good writing and storytelling? A passion for the universe and characters is essential, in my opinion. More than that, I think it’s important to have respect for the source material one is working from. I won’t name the franchises, but I have on a few occasions turned down offers to write novels because I just couldn’t get excited about the core property, and I was concerned that my lack of enthusiasm for the material might come through in my writing. Licensors, publishers, and fans all deserve better than that for their money, in my opinion.

And there’s more where that came from. Go check it out and leave a comment so Jonathan will know you were there.

I’m a Scribe Awards nominee!

At long last I get to utter the face-saving banality, “it’s an honor just to be nominated.” My novel Star Trek Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire has been nominated for a Scribe Award, which honors excellence in the field of a movie/TV/game tie-in literature, in the Speculative Original category (in other words, an original narrative in the science fiction or fantasy genres).

Here’s the official press release from The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers (IAMTW), which sponsors and bestows the annual Scribe Awards:

The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers is proud to announce the 2011 Scribe Award nominees for excellence in licensed tie-in writing — novels based on TV shows, movies, and games – and this year’s Grandmaster, honoring career achievement in the field.

This year’s Grandmaster is Peter David, who has worked in television, film, books (fiction, non-fiction, and audio), short stories, and comic books. He’s the acclaimed author of over fifty novels, many of them New York Times bestsellers. His extraordinarily prolific output of consistently excellent books includes two dozen original Star Trek novels, three Babylon 5 novels and novelizations of such major motion pictures as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and The Hulk.

David is also one of the most successful and acclaimed comic book scripters in the business with popular runs on such titles as Supergirl, Star Trek, Wolverine and, in particular, his work on The Incredible Hulk franchise (in comics as well as books). His many awards include the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. He lives in New York with his wife Kathleen and their three children.

Our 2011 Scribe Nominees are:

GENERAL ORIGINAL
CSI: SHOCK TREATMENT by Greg Cox
BURN NOTICE: THE GIVEAWAY by Tod Goldberg
MIKE HAMMER: THE BIG BANG by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane
MURDER SHE WROTE: The Queen’s Jewels by Donald Bain
PSYCH: THE CALL OF THE MILD by William Rabkin
SAVING GRACE: TOUGH LOVE by Nancy Holder

SPECULATIVE ORIGINAL
GUILD WARS: GHOSTS OF ASCALON by Matt Forbeck and Jeff Grubb
STAR TREK: MIRROR UNIVERSE: THE SORROWS OF EMPIRE by David Mack
STAR WARS: FORCE UNLEASHED II by Sean Williams
SUPERNATURAL: HEART OF THE DRAGON by Keith R. A. DeCandido
WARHAMMER: BLOODBORN: ULRIKA THE VAMPIRE by Nathan Long

BEST ADAPTATION
FINAL CRISIS by Greg Cox
GOD OF WAR by Matthew Stover & Robert E. Vardeman
THE WOLFMAN by Jonathan Maberry

BEST YOUNG ADULT
ALPHA & OMEGA: THE JUNIOR NOVEL by Aaron Rosenberg
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: ALDWYNS ACADEMY by Nathan Meyer
THUNDERBIRDS: SITUATION CRITICAL by Joan Marie Yerba

The Fifth Annual Scribe Awards will be given at a ceremony and panel discussion held during Comic Con International in San Diego in July 2011. Details will be announced soon.

As you can see, my book is up against some impressive competition in the Speculative Original category. I’m flattered to find my work on the short list; I extend my congratulations and best wishes to all my fellow nominees, and I thank the Scribe judges for their consideration.

Tune in again in late July to find out who the winners are!

How hot is it out there…?

One hundred goddamned degrees, that’s how hot. I just made a short walk to and from the post office, and I felt as if I had been hiking across the sands of Tattooine, or through the southern wastes of Arrakis. I fully expected to be attacked by Tusken raiders on 30th Avenue or swallowed by a spice worm on 43rd Street.

And why, you might ask, did I willingly venture out into such scorching weather?

I was mailing out copies of my most recent Star Trek Mirror Universe novel, The Sorrows of Empire, to the headquarters of the IAMTW (International Association of Media Tie-in Writers) and the judges of its Speculative Fiction–Original jury for the Scribe Awards.

This is my fifth time entering a novel into the Scribe Awards, and I am hoping to continue my perfect record: four consecutive years and not a single nomination. This year I had a difficult choice to make: enter Sorrows, a work I am quite proud of that was published in January, or wait until October to submit my next Star Trek novel, Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game.

In the end, I decided that I wanted to give the judges plenty of time to consider why they were snubbing my work this year, so I elected to send them The Sorrows of Empire, and I look forward to seeing what books make the final Scribes ballot in its place.

All hail, Grandmaster KRAD

No, Keith R.A. DeCandido is not embarking on a career as a rap DJ. He has been chosen by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers to be honored this year as one of the group’s Grandmasters — the highest honor the IAMTW bestows.

From their web site: “The Grandmaster Award honors a writer for his extensive and exceptional work in the tie-in field.”

As the author of more than 30 media tie-in novels, including several best-sellers, Keith has more than earned this honor.

Congrats, amigo!