I’ll be at Salt Lake Comic Con 2016 this week, all three days in the Artist Alley (come check out my new comics) and also on a couple of panels Thursday evening:
Thursday September 1
6:00pm – Ghost in the Shell: An Anime Classic Goes Live Action (Room 255C)
8:00pm – A Farewell to Penny Dreadful (Room 255F)
Hope to see you there!
I’ll be at Salt Lake FanX 2016 next week and I’m super excited for my panel schedule this go around. In case you’re wondering, FanX is the more pop-culture-oriented convention (in contrast to Salt Lake Comic Con which is more comic-focused). It’s huge and the guest list and expected attendees for this year’s FanX look to both be record-breaking.
I’ll be at FanX all three days (Thursday, Friday, & Saturday). Here’s my panel schedule:
Thursday March 24
8:00pm – From Night of the Living Dead to The Walking Dead (Room 255E)
Friday March 25
11:00am – The Jedi Path – The Parallel Journeys of Anakin and Luke Skywalker (Room 151A)
7:00pm – So Bad They’re Good: Sci-Fi B-Movies (Room 255E)
8:00pm – The Slasher Craze of the 1980’s (Room 255F)
Saturday March 26
7:00pm – Supergirl: The Panel (Room 255B)
The eBook version of Psychopomps: Shepherds of the Dead (that includes my short story Little Bundle of Death) was released last week and you can get it here. The print version should be out in about a week or so. Many have asked what my story is about so I’ve included an excerpt of the first few pages to give you a little taste of what you can expect:
I knew I only had a few hours left until my life was going to be ruined, or at the very least, massively inconvenienced.
My eyes fluttered open when I realized I might not even have a few hours. My baby brother might be born even sooner.
The hospital waiting room smelled like cleanser and body odor, but the body odor was coming mostly from me. I laid uncomfortably on a bright orange couch with fake leather. My skin stuck to the plastic as I lifted my head and glanced at the clock on the sterile-white wall.
12:14 a.m.
The clock had this loud ticking sound that had be- come annoying hours ago. “Sheesh,” I shouted at the ceiling. “Mom’s been in labor for almost twelve hours.”
My best friend Mel lay on the couch that lined the opposite wall of the lime-green tiled room. The only other adornments in the cramped space were a dust-cov- ered plastic fern wilting in the corner and a couple of ancient vending machines on the back wall.
“Yeah, when’s that baby brother of yours going to come out?” Mel smiled deviously, then blew a bubble with her pink chewing gum.
I twisted my long hair into a bun and laid back on it to get some extra padding against the metal armrest of the couch. Why didn’t this hospital have comfortable seats? Didn’t they know people were stuck here for ex- tended periods of time against their will?
“Having a brother wasn’t my idea,” I said.
I liked being an only child. Mom and Dad sprung the news on me about the little rug rat only after it was too hard to pretend Mom had the flu any longer and of course, by then, it was too late for me to have any say in the matter.
“Well, you’re on your way, at least,” Mel said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mel gave me a sly look. “You’re the older sister. It’s your job to hate your younger brother.”
“Ha…ha…,” I said. “Seriously though, I’m wiggin’ out waiting here. Aren’t you bored?”
Mel held up the Bop Magazine she’d been reading. A giant picture of Tom Selleck graced the cover. He wore red short-shorts, his trademark Detroit Tigers blue baseball cap, and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt that revealed his tanned chest.
“Magnum P.I. is keeping my mind occupied.” Mel ogled the pictures. “Man, he’s gorgeous.”
“Gorgeous and hairy.”
Mel nodded. “Gorgeous and hairy…but mostly gorgeous.”
My knees popped as I stood up. I’d been laying down for so long, my head felt dizzy. I walked over to the wait- ing room’s entrance and peered into the dimly lit lobby. The hospital was eerily quiet at this time of night. Only a dull hum coming from the florescent lights cut the silence.
The lobby was empty. Even the nurse at the information desk was gone. I leaned my cheek against the cold, metal doorjamb and tried to keep from dozing off.
The automatic entrance doors swooshed open, rousing me. I waited for someone to enter but no one did. Something must have tripped the sensor outside. A gust of wind picked up, swirling dried leaves into the lobby and then a flash blazed as if lightning struck. A burning smell wafted through the air.
“You wanna go for a walk or something?” Mel asked, still loudly chomping on her gum and completely unaware of the strange weather phenomenon invading the lobby. Mel called my name, wondering why I hadn’t responded to her. “Cleo?”
“Hold on,” I answered. Just as the automatic doors were about to close, something emerged.
I leaned in to get a better look. A bird, nearly twice as tall as the biggest rooster I’d ever seen stepped through the doors. It had a bright red beak and long sil- very-black feathers. Its eyes were a strange yellowish color that seemed to swirl as if the pupils were filled with smoke.
I was so astounded, all I could blurt out was, “Bird.”
“Bird?” Mel asked, thinking she’d heard me wrong.
The animal turned its head towards me as if it were a gun turret aiming at me and my chest burned like I had eaten a combination of jalapeños and Red Vines. My muscles felt weak and I had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to wake myself up, thinking that I must be dreaming. But when I opened my eyes again, the bird was still there, staring back at me…
If this peaks your interest, you can get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01592FZGW
I’m super excited to announce that, Little Bundle of Death, my newest short story was just published in the anthology Psychopomps: Shepherds of the Dead. Even more exciting, my story was chosen to be the opening story in the anthology. I’m very honored to be among so many other great authors.
Psychopomps or “guides of souls” are those entities who escort the nearly or newly dead to an afterlife realm.
This anthology is a collection of short stories about things like grim reapers, ghosts, and spirits. Perfect for Halloween just around the corner.
Anthology Synopsis: This gripping ‘graveyard read’ features tenuous yet tasteful tales of those intermediaries, supernatural beings, mythic creatures, deities, and other figures or forces rumored to attend one’s final departure.
The story is called Little Bundle of Death and it tells the tale of a teenage girl’s fight to save her newborn brother from the phantom of death who seeks to steal her brother’s soul.
It’s thrilling, a little scary at times (but fun scary), and appropriate for ages 10 and above.
Available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01592FZGW
eBook – The eBook edition is available now for $5.99
Paperback – The print paperback version will be available in about a week.
I had a lot of fun writing this story. Hope you have as much fun reading it!
I’ll be at Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 September 24, 25, & 26 (Thu, Fri, & Sat). I’m super excited to be moderating two panels and this year, I’ll also be at the CrankLeft booth in the Artist Alley (Row Gold 5).
Here’s my panel schedule:
7:00 pm – So Bad, They’re Good: The Sword and Sorcery Movies of the 1980’s (Room 151G)
Adventure and hilarity await. Come celebrate the B-Movie brilliance of this quirky era in film history. From Conan the Barbarian to Krull, we’ll cover all the sub-genres with lots of video clips and bizarre film moments. Going to be a lot of fun.
6:00 pm – A Guide to the Mad Max Universe (Room 255E)
What a lovely panel this will be. Fury Road set a new standard in the action genre this year but it also built on the world that the previous films had created in a big way. We’ll talk Mad Max movies, comics, & video games. We’ll cover it all with lots of video clips and insider info.
Last weekend was Salt Lake FanX 2015 so here’s a few highlights as well as photos of some of my favorite cosplay.
Loved seeing so many friends as well!
I shared a few favorites on my Instagram feed: @BenLaneHodson but here’s a few others that I really liked as well:
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Ant-Man
How to Train Your Dragon
Inspector Gadget
Harry Potter cast
Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Marv – Sin City
Ash – Evil Dead / Army of Darkness
Captain Planet
Jafar – Aladdin
Wreck-It Ralph
I wrote a science-fiction short story that was recently published in the January issue of Radarstation Magazine. The magazine is a collection of art from super talented painters & illustrators and also features a short story in each issue.
You can get your own issue in either print or digital here:
http://www.indyplanet.com/front/?product=118567
With this short story, I had a lot of fun playing with the conventions of the science fiction genre and hopefully adding my own weird take on that universe. The story is very much like an old Twilight Zone episode and I hope it works as both a story & a deeper philosophical level as well just like the best Twilight Zone episodes do.
Here’s a short excerpt for the first few paragraphs of the story:
Sixteen months was a long time to be asleep. Lynch slowly opened his eyes and little black spots appeared where the cryo-pod’s alarm lights blinked at his pupils. A deep throbbing was already developing in his forehead. Waking up from cryosleep was the equivalent of being hit in the face with a sledgehammer.
He tried to wet his dry lips but his tongue had turned to sandpaper. As captain, it was his job to wake the rest of the crew up. It was time to get the mission underway. His joints creaked as he attempted to shake the grogginess.
The murk cleared from his vision and Lynch went stiff when he saw the bloody handprint stamped on the cryo-pod glass, just inches from his face.
Chilled oxygen steamed as the cryo-pod’s lid automatically raised and a rush of putrid air filled his nostrils, metallic and rotten. Lynch warily sat up as the lights stuttered on in the bay. He held his breath and peered over the side. A woman lay covered in crusted blood, her face caved in. Lynch scrambled out of the pod. She was unrecognizable but he could clearly read the name-tag on her company-issued uniform, Gwen Peters, his first mate.
She was cold to the touch and stiff, rigor long since setting in. He had kept his distance from his crew, always making sure he was the outsider but with Gwen it had been different. Their connection had been the closest thing to a friendship he’d ever known.
She shouldn’t have been awake yet. Lynch breathed heavy and something welled up in his throat but he swallowed it back. There’d be time grieve later. He needed answers…
That’s only the first few paragraphs of the story so if this sounds intriguing, definitely pick up the latest issue of Radarstation Magazine!
Special thanks to editor Ron Evans for believing in me as a writer and liking my story enough to include it in his excellent publication!
I’ve been graciously invited back for Salt Lake FanX 2015. For any that might not know, Salt Lake City has two big “geek” conventions each year. In the late Winter, there’s FanX which is more focused on pop culture, movies, and TV shows. Then in the late Summer, there’s Salt Lake Comic Con which is more focused on comics & comic-based movies/TV shows.
FanX is happening this coming week: Thursday (Jan 29), Friday (Jan 30), and Saturday (Jan 31). I’ll be there all three days. If you are going to be at the show, let me know. I’d love to say “hi” and meet up!
Here’s the schedule of panels I’ll be appearing on this week:
Thursday Jan 29
4:00pm – Religion in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Ballroom C)
Friday Jan 30
1:30pm – The Films of Christopher Nolan (Ballroom B)
Saturday Jan 31
12:30pm – Why the Prequels Make the Classic Star Wars Trilogy Better (Ballroom B)
2:00pm – The Science of Interstellar (Ballroom C)
3:30pm – The Future is Here: What Back to the Future Part II Got Right About the Year 2015 (Ballroom B)
See you there!
Since releasing Tales of the Macabre West earlier this week, several people have shared a concern that since they don’t have a Kindle eBook reader, they wondered how they could read Tales of the Macabre West’s digital eBook. There seems to be a misconception that you need to purchase an Amazon Kindle reader in order to read the digital eBooks you buy from Amazon but actually. that’s not the case.
I’ve got some good news. You don’t need a Kindle to read an Amazon eBook.
Amazon has apps for nearly every mobile device available whether it be your mobile phone or your iPad or your Samsung Galaxy. So just because you don’t actually own a Kindle, you can still read on any of these devices. Here’s what you need to do to be able to read an Amazon eBook on your phone, iPad, or whatever mobile device you have:
1) Download the Kindle app – Download the Kindle app for your phone, iPad, or other mobile device. It’s a free app and available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as well. (Also available for Windows Phone). Just search “Kindle” on the app store or you can use this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/kcp-landing-page
(There’s even apps for your computer – both Windows and Mac so you don’t even need a mobile device to read a Kindle book)
2) Login to the App – Login to the app using your Amazon.com login. As soon as you login, the app will immediately sync down any eBooks you own to your app, ready for you to read.
3) Buy an eBook on Amazon – If you’ve already previously bought books on Amazon.com, you will see them in your Kindle app immediately after you login. Any books you buy in the future will be automatically sync’d to your app the next time you open the app. If you haven’t bought an eBook on Amazon.com yet, go find a book you’d like to read by searching for it on Amazon.com.
You’ll notice on the right side (if you are logged into your Amazon.com account), that you will see an option to Buy with 1-Click and a drop down to choose which app you want to have this book automatically delivered to (don’t worry, you can deliver it to as many devices as you like after it’s purchased if you want it in more than one place).
As soon as you purchase the eBook, it will be sent to your Kindle app and you’ll see it appear the next time you open the app on your mobile device.
If you’d like to read the eBook edition of Tales of the Macabre West, here’s a quick link to get to it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Macabre-West-Ben-Hodson-ebook/dp/B00QQL6XEE/
Tales of the Macabre West is now available in both paperback and digital eBook editions! This book has been a little over a year and a half in the making and I’m really proud of how it came out. I’ve received some tremendously positive feedback from Beta readers and I’m excited to hear what all of you think.
Here’s the links to buy of Tales of the Macabre West on Amazon.com:
Buy the paperback edition on Amazon.com
Buy the Kindle edition on Amazon.com
Here’s a couple of reasons why you might consider picking up your very own copy:
The book contains several illustrations that depict important moments in the stories. My brother, Bryant Hodson, did all the artwork and we created it in a style similar to etchings you might find in books from the late 19th century (in which the book is set in). Here’s a sample of some of the excellent illustrations.
I drew inspiration, especially in terms of the mood of the book, from countless books, movies, and comics. If you liked movies such as Unforgiven (1992), The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966), and True Grit (both versions), then definitely check out Tales of the Macabre West. If you liked books such as Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy or The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, then check out Tales of the Macabre West.
Here’s a quick description of what’s included in the book: Five thrilling tales of death in the Old West. Set in the rugged American west of the late 19th century, Tales of the Macabre West is filled with tales of black magic, Native American ghosts, demons, death, and redemption.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!