Utah authors at Salt Lake Comic Con Day One

Did you know that there are 82 authors in Utah. And that’s an above normal concentration of literary talent, apparently.

Utah’s an anomaly, said Jessica Day George. I think that’s lucky for us. With a large, and growing, community of authors, it helps create a great culture for books, literature, and learning.

With so many great authors in one place (think, in addition to George, Brandon Mull, David Farland, Larry Correia, James Dashner, and others), what better place to catch up with them than Salt Lake City’s first Comic Con?

So I set off to see what I could find…I mean, besides finding lots of fun fodder for people watching, because I’ll tell you what: there are some interesting people who show up at Comic Con, and it sure is interesting to watch them.

Larry Correia

Yes, Larry Correia is even nicer in real life than I had heard, and he’s always got a smile that says “I get paid to do this?” on his face. In addition to writing some fantastic (and fantastical) novels (ten in print, I believe), his Monster Hunter International is under contract with the guys who are doing The Walking Dead…a show with no small following. If you’re looking for a good read (with lots of zombies, monsters, and general end of the world menace met only with hot led and high levels of explosives), don’t miss his Monster Hunter International series. (Or his Grimnoir Chronicles, either, for that matter. It’s a 1930s period piece that combines magic, steam punk, and epic battles…it’s pretty awesome).

Jessica Day George

I’ve only read Tuesdays in the Castle, but Brittany is a big fan of everything else Jessica Day George has written. Books like Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow and the Dragon Slippers series. She’s fantastic in person, and but for her panel (something about the Whedonverse–apparently Jessica has watched a lot of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She’s great to talk to, and a fantastic person in addition to a very creative writer.

James Dashner

James Dashner, ladies and gents and members of the The Dashner Army. A most excellent guy, and the only male author I ran into who had hair. Just sayin’.

Dashner the author of The Maze Runner, a book we reviewed earlier this summer and which will be released as a motion picture by Fox in February. It’s a cross between Lost and Lord of the Flies, and it’s hard to put down.

Brad Torgersen

This is Brad R. Torgersen who, sad to say, I had not heard of before I sat in on a panel of which he was a member. He was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell, though, and that’s a great place to start for me. (Turns out he benefits from the same hair condition as I do, to boot, meaning, primarily that we don’t have much of it). More about him later–I’ve bought his book, Lights in the Deep, and look forward to reviewing it here on Attack of the Books!

Howard Tayler

If you haven’t heard of Schlock Mercenary or its author/artist Howard Tayler, you’re missing out. In addition to a daily online comic, Howard is one of the members of the Writing Excuses podcast, a must listen for the aspiring writer. Entertaining, generous, and always articulate, Howard’s a must meet at the Comic Con (and he’ll do a free sketch for you, too).