So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Way back in 2010, I was chatting with my friend Tyler Dion about something we’d noticed and talked about: Vermont was home to a whole bunch of geek-related events — gaming days, literary events, author readings, museum workshops, and so forth — but there was no one place where you could find it all. Thus, Geek Mountain State was born. The site has been a fun experience in the time since it started, but now, it’s time for it to come to a close.

The reasons here are entirely practical: time. When we started this site, I was working a desk job and had plenty of free time in my off-hours to troll through the local corners of the internet to find neat things (I’ve always seen it as a micro-version of io9). Fast-forward nine years, and everything is completely different. I’ve left that desk job to become a journalist — really, doing some of the same things on a much bigger scale — I’m working on writing a book, I have a family, and have a bunch of other projects in the works and on my plate, and over the last couple of years, the site has become less and less of a priority. I haven’t been able to keep the site up and running to the extent that I’d want to, so the time has come to shut things down.

I’m not going to delete the site, but I am going to close down the @GeekMtnState Twitter feed and the Facebook page at some point in the near future. If you want to keep up with what I’m personally up to, you can follow me at @AndrewLiptak or on Facebook. You can follow Tyler on Twitter at @Blinovitch.

This site started as a sort of clearing-house for all things Geek in Vermont, but it became something else for me entirely. We ran a whole bunch of events with the Vermont SF Writer’s Series, had a bunch of in-person gatherings, promoted and helped run other events, and covered the ups and downs of the Vermont nerd scene. I’ve met a ton of people through local conventions, Twitter, our own events, and random encounters.

Through this site, I’ve met some of my best friends that I’ve ever had. It’s helped me learn how to write a lot of copy for the web, and helped me figure out how to write a short story or two. I want to think that we played a tiny role in helping connect fans to local authors, or to introduce someone to a game night or cosplay or something else that they now enjoy. It’s certainly done that for me.

Thanks for reading!

Joe Gunther #30: Bomber’s Moon

Archer Mayor has announced that his 30th (30th!) Joe Gunther novel will hit stores later this year, Bomber’s Moon, and that it’s available to preorder.

Here’s the synopsis:

The murder of a small-time drug dealer snowballs into the most complex case ever faced by Joe Gunther and his VBI team.

It is said a bright and clear bomber’s moon is the best asset to finding one’s target. But beware what you wish for: What you can see at night can also see you. Often with dire consequences.

Two young women form the heart of this tale. One, an investigative reporter, the other a private investigator. Uneasy allies from completely different walks of life, they work together—around and sometimes against Joe Gunther and his VBI cops—in an attempt to connect the murders of a small town drug dealer, a smart, engaging, fatally flawed thief, and the tangled, political, increasingly dark goings on at a prestigious prep school.

While Gunther and the VBI set about solving the two murders, Sally Kravitz and Rachel Reiling combine their talents and resources to go where the police cannot, from working undercover at Thorndike Academy, to having clandestine meetings with criminals for their insider’s knowledge of Vermont’s unexpectedly illicit underbelly.

But there is a third element at work. A malevolent force, the common link in all this death and chaos, is hard at work sowing mayhem to protect its ancient, vicious, very dark roots.

The book will hit stores on September 24th, 2019. Mayor noted in his latest newsletter that he’s already working on #31: The Deathwatch Beetle.

Upcoming author event: Katherine Arden and K. Chess @ Bear Pond Books

Bear Pond Books has an exciting event lined up later this summer: it’s bringing in Katherine Arden (author of The Winter of the Witch), and K. Chess (Famous Men who Never Lived) on Monday, August 19th.

Arden recently finished up her fantasy Winternight trilogy (The Bear and the Nightingale, Girl in the Tower, and Winter of the Witch), which is set in medieval Russia. Chess recently released her debut novel, Famous Men Who Never Lived, which is probably my favorite book of the year thus far.

Happening now: The Vermont Comic Creators Show @ the Fletcher Free Library

The Fletcher Free Library of Burlington is hosting the Vermont Comics Creators show until 4PM today:

Vermont Comic Creators Group is a statewide Comic Arts organization dedicated to the promotion, support of both Vermont Comic Creators group; a coalition of over 170 VT-based comic creators, the VT comics scene, grass-roots education and the comics medium in general. VTCCG engages in community outreach- offering workshops, creator meetups and other community projects for comic creators and cartoonist of all stages of development in their craft.

Members of the VTCCG gives creators from amateurs who are just getting involved in the art form all the way up to pros, an opportunity to share and network on our Facebook group page, attend monthly meetups and participate in special events like comic shows and community outreach and workshops.

Essex Cinemas running Batman Marathon

2019 is Batman’s 80th anniversary, and to celebrate, Essex Cinemas is launching a Batman marathon of sorts: over the next couple of days, it’ll screen the original Batman (May 4th), Batman Returns (May 6th), Batman Forever (May 12th), and Batman & Robin (May 14th).

The films will screen at 4:00PM (May 4th, May 6th, and May 12th), and 7:00PM (May 14th). Tickets for all screenings are $10 for kids, $12.50 for adults.

This weekend: The Vermont Sci-fi & Fantasy Expo!

Vermont has a new convention: the Vermont Sci-Fi & Fantasy Expo, which takes place this weekend at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Tickets range from Free (kids under 6) to $25.

The event will bring together a number of science fiction and fantasy writers, comic book artists, gamers, cosplayers, and more, with a full schedule of events that includes readings, panels, activities, and costume contests, as well as the premiere of Outer Rim, a science fiction anthology web series.

Full details can be found here!

The Outer Rim gets first look at VT Sci-Fi & Fantasy Expo

Jim Bray’s science fiction anthology project The Outer Rim will get its first look during this weekend’s Vermont Sci-Fi/Fantasy Expo at the Champlain Valley Expo. WCAX has a long piece about the project.

Bray and his wife Jodi have been working on the project for a couple of years now — it had originally started as a Star Trek fan film, and shifted into an original universe following some changes from the franchise’s corporate owners.

The pilot for the series will be screened during this weekend’s expo, and Bray and company will be on hand for a panel at 2PM.

This weekend: Swap Thing

Comic fans looking for a comic book event that’s a bit more in line with traditional comic show should check out Swap Thing tomorrow at Essex’s Memorial Hall. The event is described as an old-school comic event, where fans can check out bins and boxes of back issue comics.

The event will take place between 10AM and 4PM, and is free to the general public. RSVP on Facebook.