1) Val Kilmer has admitted in several interviews as being bad at which of the following house hold tasks?

A) Taking out the Trash
B) Doing Laundry
C) Cooking
D) Feeding his pets

2) Which of the following is true of actor Dick Van Dyke?

A) Has a brother named Johnny, who is also an actor
B) Looks to Lou costello as a Comic Idol
C) Was too short to enlist in the Army Air Corp during World War 2
D) Has sung in the group called “The Vantastix”

3) In November of 2008, Christopher Lloyd’s house was destroyed by which of the following?

A) Earthquak
B) Flooding
C) Hurrican Katrina
D) The Montecito Tea Fire

4) Sean Schemmel originally auditioned for the role of which character for Dragon Ball Z?

A) Captain Ginyu
B) Frieza
C) Piccolo
D) Vegeta

5) Jewel Staite is the youngest of how many other brothers and sisters?

A) 5
B) 6
C) 7
D) 8

6) What animal does Rob Schneider love, but is allergic to?

A) Dog
B) Cat
C) Ferret
D) Hamster

7) Michael Rooker trained in which of the following martial arts, before establishing himself in Chicago theater?

A) Kung-Fu
B) Akido
C) TaeKwonDo
D) Jiu-Jitsu

8) What is Richard Dean Anderson’s favorite T.V. series?

A) Seinfeld
B) The X-Files
C) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
D) The Simpsons

9) Wil Weaton was a voice actor in which of these 1982 animated films?

A) The Last Unicorn
B) The Flight of the Dragons
C) The Secret of NIMH
D) Mighty Mouse in The Great Space Chase

10) Christopher Sabat’s favorite action figure he owns is of which of the following characters?

A) Yamcha
B) Edward Elric
C) Monkey D. Luffy
D) All Might

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answers:
1) C
2) D
3) D
4) A
5) B
6) A
7) B
8) D
9) C
10) A

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Utah Geek Magazine Issue 16

 is

Available NOW!

Find Utah Geek Magazine at your favorite local game stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and more!

Click HERE for a list of all 170+ locations!

PDF Download LOCKED

Can’t wait for the new issue?
Subscribe NOW and be among the first to get your print copy of future issues.

Utah Geek Magazine Issue 16

• In this issue:
• Convention and Event Calendar
• Feature: Dan Farr
  Salt Lake Comic Con Co-Founder and Salt Lake Super Hero
• Feature: Utah Haunted Attractions
• Cosplay Centerfold: Missy Moody, Heartless Alice
• Raising Geeks: Halloween Imperfect and Amazing
• Game Reviews: H.I.D.E and Planet Mercenary
• Geek Cred Pop Quiz
• The Zombie Nation

So why aren’t PDFs available at the same time as print?

Utah Geek Magazine is first and foremost a free community print magazine. In order to keep true to our identity, we thought we’d encourage readers in the community to visit their friendly local game store, or any of our 200+ locations, and pick up a copy. That way, readers can read it the way it was meant to be read. If you can’t visit on of our locations, or can’t wait a month or so for the PDF, you can always subscribe here.

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Utah Geek Magazine Issue 15

 is

Available NOW!

Find Utah Geek Magazine at your favorite local game stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and more!

Click HERE for a list of all 170+ locations!

PDF Download UNLOCKED

Can’t wait for the new issue?

Subscribe NOW and be among the first to get your print copy of future issues.

Utah Geek Magazine Issue #15

In this issue:

• Convention and Event Calendar
• Feature: Crimson Quidditch
  How the University of Utah’s fantasy sports team became a reality
• Feature: Who Needs Blood when You’ve Got Family?
  A Look into Harry Potter Family Dynamics
• Cosplay Centerfold: Zach Pickard, Quantum Entanglement Props
• Raising Geeks: Proud to be a Geek
• Game Reviews: Forbidden Island and True 20
• Geek Cred Pop Quiz
• The Zombie Nation

Errata

Well, I guess it was bound to happen at some point. We’ve made some minor errors in the past, but we overlooked some silly things this issue. We’re aware, we’re embarrassed, we apologize, and corrections have already been made on the online version available below.

The Cover – Yes, the cover. We misspelled the title of one of the feature articles. The text at the bottom right should read: “Who Needs Blood when You’ve Got Family?” instead of “Who Nees Blood when You’ve Got Family?”

Cosplay Centerfold – We didn’t place the usual cosplayer, character, and photographer credits. The credits are as follows: Cosplayer: Zach Pickard, Quantum Entanglement Props; Character: Destiny Titan (from the Destiny video game); Photographer: Chance Day, Day Media Photography

Board Game Reviews – The game titles are incorrect. We copy the previous issue’s source file and use it as a template, and we didn’t update the game titles to match the current reviews. The game titles should read: “Forbidden Island” instead of “Flash Point”, and “True 20” instead of “Swords & Wizadry”.

So why aren’t PDFs available at the same time as print?

Utah Geek Magazine is first and foremost a free community print magazine. In order to keep true to our identity, we thought we’d encourage readers in the community to visit their friendly local game store, or any of our 200+ locations, and pick up a copy. That way, readers can read it the way it was meant to be read. If you can’t visit on of our locations, or can’t wait a month or so for the PDF, you can always subscribe here.

The post Utah Geek Magazine Issue 15 appeared first on .

1) How many episodes of Star Trek (Across all series so far and including movies) have included Tribbles?

A) 5
B) 6
C) 7
D) 8

2) In League of Legends Lore, What is the name of Kled’s mount?

A) Skarl
B) Francis
C) Tahm
D) Kled

3) In the series OnePunch-Man, the hero for fun Saitama takes on which of the following characters as his disciple?

A) Bang
B) Sonic
C) Tatsumaki
D) Genos

4) In the Star Wars Clone Wars animated series, Obi-Wan Kenobi goes undercover as which of the following bounty hunters?

A) Rako Hardeen
B) Cad Bane
C) Hondo Ohnaka
D) Boba Fett

5) Warhammer 40k which was the first primarch found by the Emperor of Man?

A) Lion El Johnson
B) Ferrus Manus
C) Horus
D) Roboute Guilliman

6) In the Dragon Ball (Dragon Ball, Z, GT, Super) who was the first main character to die?

A) Yamcha
B) Goku
C) Tien
D) Krillin

7) Jason David Frank (The original Green Ranger) portrayed how many total rangers throughout the power rangers series?

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7

8) Wonder Woman made her debut in comics in what year?

A) 1939
B) 1941
C) 1942
D) 1944

9) In Guardian’s of Galaxy 2 we meet the short lived character “Taserface.” What race is he a part of?

A) The Kree
B) The Stark
C) Aspirants
D) Shi’ar

10) Which of the following transformations were not a part of Megatrons transformations in the original cartoon?

A) AK-47
B) Walther P38
C) Particle Beam Cannon
D) Telescopic Laser Cannon

Answers:

1) D
2) A
3) D
4) A
5) C
6) D
7) C
8) B
9) B
10) A

The post Geek Cred Pop Quiz Issue 15 appeared first on .

In the year 2005, the imagination of J.K. Rowling erupted from the pages of Harry Potter to the real world when quidditch, the sport that dazzled the minds of many Harry Potter fans, began at Middlebury College in Vermont by Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe. Since coming to fruition, quidditch has taken the world by storm. In 2007, the first Quidditch World Cup (now US Quidditch Championship) was held, with Middlebury taking the place of top team. Since then there has always been a national competition within the United States, where collegiate and community teams compete to be the best.

While the sport blossomed on college campuses such as University of Texas, University of California Los Angeles, and Bowling Green State University, community teams have become a huge part of the quidditch experience. One of the most well-known community teams is actually based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 2010, Nick Burk founded the Utah Hex, Utah’s first quidditch team. As a strong proponent of growth, Burk contacted Sequoia Thomas, organizer for the SLC chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, and they agreed the University of Utah needed a quidditch team of its own. Before the team was even fully formed, they held fundraisers for equipment and invited the press to cover a match between the soon-to-be University of Utah college team and the Utah Hex. Most importantly, they recruited new players as founding members of the University of Utah team. Thus, the Crimson Fliers were born.

George Williams, Matt Williams, and Kevin Engberson defend against Nick Burk in the first quidditch match in Crimson history. PC: Sequoia Thomas

The first series of games played by the Crimson Fliers occurred during the winter of 2010-2011 between the Utah Hex and Judge Memorial High School Bulldogs. At the end of the series, a brand-new team from Northern Arizona University was invited to compete, resulting in the Crimson Fliers’ first intercollegiate match in a four-game series with the NAU Narwhals. With a 7-person core lineup, the Fliers went 7-0 for the season and were crowned the first ever Snow Cup champions.

In April 2011, the Fliers travelled to Los Angeles for their first regional tournament, drawing a tough pool with then-undefeated and defending champions, the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Remarkably, with just 8 players, the Fliers finished pool play at 3-2, losing to Moorpark College and ASU, the eventual champions.

The Crimson Fliers with members of Emerson West at Western Cup 2. PC: Lillian McLeod

Later that year, the Fliers travelled to New York City for World Cup 5 with several Northern Arizona University players added to their roster. The team went 3-1 in pool and ended in a three-way tie for first with Kansas University and Hofstra University. After confusion ensued from bracket seedings, the Fliers were matched against arguably the most talented team at the tournament, Texas A&M. The Fliers lost the match 130*-0 and were eliminated in the round of 32. (For the uninitiated: 10 points per quaffle score, 30 points for snitch catch. * indicates snitch catch. ^ indicates snitch catch in overtime.)

In February 2012, after the Fliers won Snow Cup II, the team’s first era came to a close with the departure of George Williams, who left on a 2-year LDS mission, and Dakota Briggs, who left 8 months later. With the retirement of coach Kevin Engberson and Lillian McLeod moving back home to South Carolina, half of the Fliers’ original regional roster was gone.

With only 4 players left, the future didn’t look bright for the team in the upcoming regional tournament. Enter: a historic conglomerate of mercenary players. Powerhouse veteran quidditch players traveled across the country to fill roster and play for the Crimson Fliers at Western Cup 3. Now with a 13-person roster, the Fliers made a run to the semifinals, knocked out Arizona State University (the defending champions), and placed 3^rd of 19 teams. Ultimately, the Crimson Fliers were a catalyst for the national discussion about the need for roster rules.

The Crimson Fliers at Western Cup 3 featuring mercenary players. PC: Lyndi Lewis

Although regionals were a success, the 4 remaining Crimson Fliers wouldn’t be enough to keep the team afloat. After a heavy recruiting season at The U, the Fliers managed to field a 16-person roster for their first tournament, the Denver Quidpocalypse Cup 2012. The fresh-faced team came away with a tournament win and established themselves as the best team in the Rocky Mountain area. However, the success of the team was short-lived due to the first of many leadership struggles to come. Finding themselves at odds with the rest of the team, the two most experienced players left the team. In short, this was the least successful season to date. World Cup VI was the first and only US Quidditch Championship that the Fliers missed since the team’s inception.

In 2013, once again looking for new leadership, team manager Sequoia Thomas had to draw from a pool of relatively inexperienced players to lead the team. However, true to form, the Fliers managed to have a great recruiting season due largely to the hard work of the new leadership. At Western Cup 5, the team pulled out the win they needed to qualify for World Cup 7 in a snitch range game against Cal Quidditch. After the departure of the captain from the team a few months later, Edgar Pavlovsky took full captainship of the team for the journey to World Cup 7 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. With the return of veteran keeper George Williams, the team was finally ready to burst back onto the national scene.

The Crimson Fliers celebrate after their win against University of Miami 60*-50. PC: Courtney Savage

Drafted into a pool with South regional champions University of Miami and eventual World Cup finalists Texas State, the Fliers had their work cut out for them. However, after upsetting the University of Miami 60*-50 with the first of many historic Dan Howland snitch catches to come, the Fliers tied for first in their pool. On day 2, the Fliers were again pitted against Miami in the round of 32 and were eliminated on a snitch catch.

A new season under newly motivated leadership led to the rebranding of the team. The Crimson Fliers changed to Crimson Elite. The program was reorganized for more motivated players and included additional workouts and other meetups. With the new season came a new expectation: every player should be part of Crimson Elite, and the Crimson Fliers would be a B-team reserved for players who couldn’t fully commit.

As the season unfolded, Crimson Elite was rising to a higher level than the Fliers ever had, competing with top-tier talent at Crimson Cup, NoCo Cup, and Lone Star Invitational. Still, the season didn’t pass without incident for team leadership. Many players weren’t living up to the high expectations of competition that Pavlovsky set. As a result, a few weeks before the regional championship, Pavlovsky left the team. As Crimson Elite struggled to find its identity and deal with the leadership crisis, the team made its way to regionals.

At regionals, Crimson Elite had tough matchups against UCLA and ASU. At the time, UCLA was believed to be the better team, but playing them for the first game of the day worked in Crimson’s favor and the team came out with a win. Crimson won the next two games and went in confidently to the last game of pool play against ASU. It was, as usual, a game where the teams struggled to score, and it came down to a snitch catch. Crimson ultimately made a quick catch and went into the second day of regionals with a 4-0 record.

Crimson Elite finishes pool play undefeated. PC Monica Wheeler Photography

Crimson Elite made it all the way to the semi-finals. There Crimson faced the Los Angeles Gambits, a team of powerhouse veteran players—and the team ex-Crimson player Pavlovsky now played for. The Gambits were truly too good for Crimson to keep the game in range. In spite of the loss, Crimson still received a bid to USQ Championship 8. It was the unbelievable success of that tournament that set the tone for the team’s identity and kicked off a full year of success for the historically up-and-down program.

Dan Howland catching the snitch that took down AZQC at Regionals. PC: Sofia de la Vega Photography

The rest of the season passed without much incident. Crimson showed up to World Cup 8, made the 24-team bracket, and fell in the first round to the Santa Barbara Blacktips. With the departure of Ben Reuling at the end of the season, the program was once again looking for new leadership. Two veteran players took over as captains, but after two tournaments, no one had taken the position of coach. A miscommunication with United States Quidditch lead to the forfeiture of Crimson’s first 8 games of the season, which was later known as Crimson Delete.

Despite these forfeits, the real story of Crimson’s early season was a new rivalry with a growing Northwest powerhouse, the Boise State Abraxans. In the first season of close competition, Crimson came away with 3 wins out of 5 matchups, including the last 2 games, while Boise won 2 of the 3 tournament championships. Additionally, the 2015-2016 season was the first year Crimson established an official B-team, which took on the identity of Crimson’s past: The Crimson Fliers.

As a result of the forfeited games, Crimson Elite’s ranking plummeted for the rest of the season, resulting in an effectual pool of death at both regionals and nationals. With the return of veterans George Williams and Dakota Briggs, Elite was able to stay in range with the LA Gambits in pool play for the first 19 minutes. However, they were unable to pull the snitch to win and keep the game in range, ending second in their pool after a convincing win over the second-ranked Santa Barbara Blacktips.

In the first round of bracket, Elite played a controlled match against the Silicon Valley Skrewts, and yet another snitch catch advanced them to a quarterfinal qualification game against the Lost Boys. Although the Lost Boys and the LA Gambits were expected to meet again in the finals, Crimson prevented the championship rematch by pulling the biggest upset in their program’s history—taking out the talented Lost Boys squad 60*-50.

Crimson Elite celebrates Dan Howland’s bid-clenching snitch catch to upset the Lost Boys. PC: Phillip Long

For the second-straight year, Crimson Elite advanced to the West regional semi-final and faced off against the ASU Sun Devils. In a long snitch range match, Crimson fell short once again of making the regional final.

Two months later at US Quidditch Cup 9, Crimson’s new pool of death would feature yet another eventual finalist in Rochester United—in addition to Lake Effect Maelstrom, University of Kansas, and University of Virginia. As the bottom-ranked team in the pool, Crimson ended up in a three-way tie for second with Kansas and Virginia, coming away with the third and final bracket spot from the pool. After a thrilling overtime win against George Mason University in the play-in round, Crimson fell to Lone Star Quidditch Club in the round of 32.

With new leadership for the fifth year in a row, the Williams brothers reunited to coach Crimson Elite for the 2016-2017 season. Much-needed talent joined the roster after the retirement of key players. After a competitive season, Crimson made it to the semi-finals at the 2017 West Regional Championship but fell to the Los Angeles Gambits 100*-20. However, Crimson secured a bid to US Quidditch Cup 10 in Kissimmee, Florida.

Crimson Elite at the starting line during West Regional.s PC: Michael Vong Photography

Crimson Elite after securing their bid to US Quidditch Cup 10. PC: Michael Vong

At US Quidditch Cup 10, Crimson ended pool play on the first day with 2 wins and 2 losses. One of the losses came from a very heated match against the Boise State Abraxans in overtime that came down to a snitch grab, making the final score 220*^-190. The second loss came from Mizzou Quidditch who demolished Crimson Elite 140*-10 due to a poor coaching decision during the game. After losing badly to Mizzou, Crimson had to play a play-in game to make it to the round of 32 against Central Michigan University. Unfortunately, Crimson’s run came to an end, losing 110*-50.

Gina Allyn and Ray Taylor competing together during the 2017-2018 season. PC: Badal Chandra

With the departure of some key players and coaches, Crimson’s upcoming season is revamping once again. The Crimson Fliers are moving from a community team to a college team and are officially associating with the University of Utah. Crimson Elite has a huge challenge ahead since the team will no longer be able to rely heavily on recruiting from the U of U. However, Gina Allyn, a 5-year veteran Crimson player, and Ray Taylor, a 5-year quidditch player with a year of Crimson experience, will be taking over as co-coaches for Crimson Elite and are looking forward to the new growth opportunity. They hope to achieve feats that have so far eluded the Crimson program—including making it to the final round at West Regionals and making it to the Sweet 16 at US Quidditch Cup. Of course, only time will tell how the upcoming 2017-2018 season will unfold. However, one thing is for sure. The Crimson program always has been, and always will be, a family—and if there’s one thing that many players have learned, it’s that this family can survive anything.

Written by: George Williams, Ray Taylor & Dan Hanson

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Facebook: Crimson Quidditch
Instagram: @crimsonquidditch
Twitter: @utahquidditch

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(Read more about Adrienne Monson on the main article page.)

There are thousands of vampire book out there. Many of them are great reads, but it can be a bewildering experience to try to figure out where to begin. Adrienne and I pick ten of our favorite vampire books and present them below. They are in no particular order. Some of these are obvious reads, but are important enough to the genre to always be included in any list of vampire themed must read books. A few are new, having been published in the last ten or fifteen years, that add great stories to the vampire mythos. They are all great reads in addition to Adrienne’s Blood Inheritance trilogy. Expand your vampire reading and revisit some of the below or check them out if you have not all. Do you have a favorite vampire book or two that you recommend that are not on this list. Are there some here you like or not like? Let us know! How would your list look? Find us on Twitter at @adriennemonson and @donkbrown and use the hash tag #GetSuckedIn.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

This is the book that popularized the dreaded Count in literary fiction. While works like The Vampyre and Carmilla appeared before Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula defined the genre. Dracula is about an aristocratic vampire who came to unlife, traveled to London and prowled the nighttime streets in search of blood and power. Most detail is given to the men and women who confront him. The story contains deep tones of love and loss, horror and death, and sin and redemption. Dracula also allows the modern reader to look back in time at the Victorian view of the world to see the period’s view of women and the stuffy English fear anything foreign.

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

This 1975 vampire novel by the master of horror became an instant classic. ‘Salem’s Lot takes the reader to the Maine township of Jerusalem’s Lot with protagonist Ben Mears. ‘Salem’s Lot is a scary, gripping and well told story of the arrival of a mysterious vampire and his human servant and how they quickly turn the town into a nest of vampires. Like Stoker’s Dracula, the reader never directly meets or sees things from the vampire’s point of view. But, the villain is ever present in the background, in a chilling and spooky manner. King stays true to the classic vampire themes and with his unparalled way to scare the reader. ‘Salem’s Lot is a fantastic vampire classic.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

This 1976 vampire classic introduces the world to the vampires Lestat, Louis and others in an expanded vampire underworld that spans two continents. In Interview with the Vampire the vampire Louis takes the reader on a journey from America’s south to Europe where he encounters others of his kind and details the tragedies of the vampire existence in disturbing and frightening detail. Interview with the Vampire is one of many of Rice’s Vampire Chronicles novels.

I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P.N. Elrod

Pat Elrod’s 1993 novel is a brooding, eerie and chilling tale of the book’s namesake vampire, Strahd Von Zarovich. I, Strahd is based on the wildly successful 1983 Dungeons & Dragons dark fantasy adventure Ravenloft. I, Strahd has excellent pacing and clear, strong prose that tells a great vampire origin story. Strahd is a compelling figure who is richly portrayed by Elrod, even though she wrote the novel in an existing fantasy setting she did not design. I, Strahd is one of several fantasy vampire novels in the Ravenloft series and is a must read. The author stays true to vampire lore and adds the perfect fantasy spin to the genre.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

The 1954 novella I Am Legend is one of the greatest vampire stories ever written. I Am Legend is a vampire and science fiction story set in dystopian Los Angeles and has spawned many film copies and started the genre for stories like Night of the Living Dead and other zombie and blood sucker tales in film and books. I Am Legend tells the harrowing story of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of an all-consuming vampiric plague. Matheson brilliantly describes scenes of loss, isolation, and confrontations with the monsters of the night.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Kostova’s 2005 novel is based in part on Stoker’s original Dracula, but Kostova adds a very fun, modern day adventure tale to the story. The Historian’s protagonist, Helen, becomes embroiled in the battle between good and evil when she takes up her father’s decades long investigation for who Dracula really was. The Historian is a smartly written book that Kostova took ten years to write and is a must read.

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman

This 1992 novel by British author Kim Newman is an alternate history to Stoker’s original. Anno Dracula explores what would have been if Dracula had survived his confrontation with Van Helsing and Jon Harker and married the queen of England. Other characters from literature enter the scene and get new spins, especially Jack the Ripper. Even Lestat de Lioncourt makes a cameo. All of this makes for some very entertaining reading. London is terrorized in a uniquely imaginative way in Newman’s retelling.

Enter, Night by Michael Rowe

Canadian journalist Michael Rowe entered the vampire genre with this 2011 novel that is a creepy thriller set in a backwater Ontario mining town. Enter, Night has a unique style as it explores the events of a place called Parr’s Landing after the events happened by virtue of a manuscript that is later found. It reads like a well-researched news story of the time, 1976, when something is discovered to have been sleeping in the area’s caves. While not widely known, we expect Enter, Night to become popular vampire fare for readers of the genre.

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

This 2004 novel by author Lindqvist, referred to as the Swedish version of Stephen King, not only explores the supernatural themes of vampirism, it also tackles some very dark issues of human existence. Set in a 1981 Swedish suburb, Lindqvist mixes fantasy with reality in a gut-wrenching, frightening, and tragic tale of love and revenge. Let the Right One In was a best seller in Sweden, and sure to be a hit with vampire and horror fans everywhere.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

This 2010 instant classic is a pseudo-biographical, alternate history novel wherein Abraham Lincoln becomes embroiled in the war with vampires that seek to create a vampire nation in the fledgling United States after being kicked out of Europe. Grahame-Smith masterfully weaves history and fiction in this adventurous, frolicking tale of vampires and the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter has tragedy and triumph as Lincoln spends his life fighting the scourge of the undead.

The post Adrienne and Don’s Favorite Vampire Books appeared first on .

Mother. Author. Heroine. Three words that best describe talented, local writer Adrienne Monson. The Utah native sat down with me after FanX17 and we talked about everything from family, to convention-going to writing. Adrienne is a professional writer and a dedicated, full-time mom and wife, which makes her own story more compelling. She is the author of the paranormal romance novels Dissension, Defiance and Deliverance, which form The Blood Inheritance trilogy. She also wrote the paranormal regency novel Eyes of Persuasion. Adrienne earns heroine status because she wrote these novels and more as a wife and full-time mother of two kids. She continues to manage family and be a successful professional writer. It is no easy feat and she credits her success to planning and sticking to a routine.

When asked why she writes, Adrienne says she has always dabbled in writing. “I’d get bored in school if the subject didn’t intrigue me,” she says. “My brain would go to stories. I would entertain myself by making up stories in my head. And I became obsessed with reading. I’ve always loved reading. As I matured, I learned that reading and writing go hand in hand. If you’re a voracious reader you tend to be a writer, too.”

Reading was and is key to Adrienne as a writer. She lived among books as a youth. “My dad had a library of books,” she explains. “If any of us kids wanted a book to read we would go to dad and he’d say, ‘what are you in the mood for?’ We’d tell him and he’d say, ‘okay, let’s find you a book.'” She confesses that she was introduced to Stephen King while in seventh grade. “My dad handed me Carrie and I read it and loved it. Now that I have kids,” she explains with a laugh, “there is no way I’d let them read Stephen King as children.”

As usually happens life took over after school. Adrienne says, “I went to work in a corporate office and did not have time to read, let-alone write.” She said she was working ten and twelve-hour days and reading and writing became a fuzzy memory. She was fortunate enough to get serious about it again when she became a stay-at-home mom. “I quit work six months after my son was born and started to read again and decided to write.” Her freshman novel, Dissension, was published in 2013.

Time is still her biggest challenge to writing and it is a common thread for many authors. With four books over the last four years, I asked when she does her writing. “Well, I sacrifice sleep,” she says, laughing. “I am not a morning person, but I get up at 6:30 am to give myself sixty to ninety minutes before my kids wake.” When I suggested that I am going to tell the world she is not a morning person, Adrienne laughs again and repeats, unequivocally, “I am so not a morning person! I would love to sleep in till eight o’clock.” However, she sets apart this precious morning time and another block in the afternoon for writing. Writing is her craft and she is dedicated to it. To that end sleep and much beloved late morning snoozing is out. “If you do not make time you are not going to do it,” she says. “Now that I’ve started on this path of being an author I feel like I can’t stop. Readers are constantly asking for books and I don’t want to disappoint them. If I’m going to have a career as an author I must treat this in a professional manner. So, I’m up early writing.”

The Blood Inheritance series is in the paranormal romance genre and Eyes of Persuasion is in the paranormal regency genre. “These genres are pretty straight forward,” Adrienne explains. “These are stories with any kind of paranormal element like witches, ghosts or vampires with romantic overtones. The regency genre, of course, represents stories in that era – 1800s England, with the paranormal element being a psychic character.”

We talked about genre because several panelists at the 2017 Life, the Universe and Everything writing symposium suggested that potential authors need not worry about choosing a genre. One panelist stridently said, “Let Amazon worry about which genre to put your book in!” I found that notion confusing and Adrienne sympathized. “Letting someone else choose can be a waste of your time and money,” she says, “because allowing someone else to choose your genre can potentially expose your writing to the wrong audience that may hate your work. And, you may waste time trying to get book sales you’re not going to get.” So, for the budding authors out there, pay attention to genre and consider where your audience is and where they may browse for books relative to genre.

Adrienne has other advice for aspiring authors. “When you get to college,” she says, “get a business degree or marketing degree or something in entrepreneurial studies. You’ll get an education in writing from reading, writing and going to conferences.” Adrienne grows serious when commenting on knowing the book business. “Whether your self-published or traditionally published you need to understand how the book business works. Ask people who write to help you navigate this business.”

Reading is the second piece of advice Adrienne shares with new authors. She echoes exactly what author Rick Riordan of Percy Jackson fame told me, “You write what you know. As an author you must read as much as you write.” Expand your knowledge and interests by continually reading.

We also discussed conventions and writing conferences. She sees them as a great way to meet fans, get a pulse for what folks are looking for and as a tremendous way to market one’s self. Adrienne offers a word of caution for authors at the convention scene. “You need to budget,” she emphatically says and shares a real-life example. “Say you go to ComicCon. As an author, you should host a table or a booth. But remember that you must buy your books for the convention ahead of time. Then you must factor in gas and food. And this is important: be wary of going all out with offering candy and buying costumes portraying a person from your book. At the end of it all the new author will have spent too much money on this convention experience and only net a few hundred dollars in sales and wonder why they only broke even or maybe lost money on the event.” This kind of thing really happens, Adrienne says.

With that said, however, Adrienne enjoys conventions and writing conferences and has often been a panelist to discuss all aspects of the craft. She would like to see more panels that deal with the business side of the writing profession. “I don’t think the business aspects of writing have been touched on enough.”

Adrienne’s latest project is writing as one of the Fairy Tale Five, in which she and four other authors put new spins on the old fairy tales. Most recently they’ve released a retelling of Beauty and the Beast called Fractured Beauty. Her character in the series, Arabella, explores an enchanted castle where she intends to pay her father’s debt. But, Arabella encounters a mysterious beast in this paranormal regency story featuring werewolves and witches. The Fairy Tale Five’s next installment shall be a retelling of Cinderella expected in January 2018 and the Little Mermaid the following summer.

Adrienne shares some of her reading interests. “I really enjoyed The Strain,” she says. This 2009 book by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan one of a series, followed by The Fall and The Night Eternal and popularized by a television series of the same name in 2011 on FX. “They’re not your obvious vampire books. I like to read things that are a little bit different and The Strain series is certainly that,” she says and encourages readers to check them out.

She also likes Christopher Pike’s 1993 novel The Season of Passage, a blend of science fiction and vampires. “This book,” she explains, “is a futuristic book that takes place in 2014, which is pretty cool.” Adrienne admits, “Pike was actually one of the first vampire authors I fell in love with in fifth grade.” This is a common refrain from many of Pike’s readers and puts this book solidly on Adrienne’s must-read book list.

Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series also makes her list. “I love what Sherri did with her vampires in that series,” Adrienne says. She also has praise for and recommends Kim Harrison’s The Hollow series.

Of course, there are the classics that we both recommend and you can see a larger list of vampire must-reads below.

Keep up with Adrienne on social media as described below and read The Blood Inheritance trilogy for starters. It has a very unique and interesting vampire origin story and is a great read.

www.adriennemonson.com where you can send her an e-mail

On Facebook at facebook.com/adriennemonson

On Twitter as @adriennemonson

On Instagram as adriennmonson

On GoodReads.com as Adrienne Monson

What are Adrienne’s and Don’s other favorite books? Find out here.

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Utah Geek Magazine Issue 14

 is

Available NOW!

Find Utah Geek Magazine at your favorite local game stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and more!

Click HERE for a list of all 170+ locations!

PDF Download UNLOCKED

Can’t wait for the new issue?

Subscribe NOW to get immediate access to this issue, and be among the first to get your print copy of future issues.

Utah Geek Magazine Issue #14

In this issue:

• NEW Convention and Event Calendar featuring Wizarding Dayz
• Feature: Tracking the Infinity Stones through the MCU
• Feature: Runes: Ancient Alphabet of the Germanic People
• Cosplay Centerfold: Eric Allan Hall
• Raising Geeks: Star Wars Chicken
• Game Reviews: Flash Point, Swords & Wizardry
• Geek Cred Pop Quiz
• The Zombie Nation

So why aren’t PDFs available at the same time as print?

Utah Geek Magazine is first and foremost a free community print magazine. In order to keep true to our identity, we thought we’d encourage readers in the community to visit their friendly local game store, or any of our 170+ locations, and pick up a copy. That way, readers can read it the way it was meant to be read. If you can’t visit on of our locations, or can’t wait a month or so for the PDF, you can always subscribe here.

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1- In the Harry Potter series, before becoming the Headmaster, what class did Dumbledore teach?

1. A) Transfiguration
2. B) Defense against the Dark Arts
3. C) History of Magic
4. D) Herbology

2- How old was Dumbledore when he died?

1. A) 115
2. B) 130
3. C) 145
4. D) 160

3- Gandalf was one of how many Istari (Wizards)?

1. A) 3
2. B) 5
3. C) 7
4. D) 9

4- What ring did Cirdan give to Gandalf?

1. A) Nenya, the Ring of Water
2. B) Vilya, The Ring of Air
3. C) The One Ring
4. D) Narya, the Ring of Fire

5- In the Dragon Lance Novels, What color robes did Raistlin Majere first wear?

1. A) White
2. B) Black
3. C) Grey
4. D) Red

6- What Wizard had plotted to take over Raislin’s body?

1. A) Fistandantilus
2. B) Grindlethorpe
3. C) Duulket Ariakas
4. D) Ankholus

7- What profession did Dr. Stephen Strange have before he was the Sorcerer Surpreme in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

1. A) Psychiatrist
2. B) Neurosurgeon
3. C) Professor
4. D) Cardiologist

8- Which of the following movies does not have a direct reference to Dr. Strange?

1. A) Thor: The Dark World
2. B) Thor
3. C) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4. D) Avengers: Age of Ultron

9- In Harry Potter, the Prophecy telling Harry being “The One” could have also applied who?

1. A) Draco Malfoy
2. B) Filius Flitwick
3. C) Neville Longbottom
4. D) Seamus Finnigan

10- Who forged the three elven rings found in the Lord of the Rings?

1. A) Celebrimbor
2. B) Thrandull
3. C) Elrond
4. D) Sauron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answer Key:

1) A

2) A

3) B

4) D

5) D

6) A

7) B

8) D

9) C

10) A

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Utah Geek Magazine Issue 13

 is

Available NOW!

Find Utah Geek Magazine Issue 13 at your favorite local game stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and more!

Click HERE for a list of all 170+ locations!

PDF Download UNLOCKED

Can’t wait for the new issue? Subscribe and be among the first to get your copy.

Utah Geek Magazine Issue #13

In this issue:

• Feature: Live Action Role Playing
• Feature: Choose Your Own Apocalypse
• Cosplay Centerfold: Liezle Stephensen
• Fiction: Walking Through Walls Chapter 13: This is the End
• Raising Geeks: Scouting Out Opportunities
• GirlsGoneGeek: Alyson Peterson: The Original Princess Of Garfel
• Game Reviews: Thieves’ World (RPG), Paperback (card game)
• Geek Cred Pop Quiz

So why aren’t PDFs available at the same time as print?

Utah Geek Magazine is first and foremost a free community print magazine. In order to keep true to our identity, we thought we’d encourage readers in the community to visit their friendly local game store, or any of our 170+ locations, and pick up a copy. That way, readers can read it the way it was meant to be read. If you can’t visit on of our locations, or can’t wait a month or so for the PDF, you can always subscribe here.

The post Utah Geek Magazine Issue 13 appeared first on .