Tee Morris

Writer, podcaster. and streamer

podcasting

Take Me to the River: The 2019 James River Writers Conference

Back in August, it was GenCon and the Key City Steampunk Festival. In September, it was TwitchCon 2019. Now in October, I am heading home to Richmond, Virginia, for the James River Writers Conference. Pip and I were guests at the event a few years ago, where we met Bill Blume who went on to appear in a trailer I shot on (truly) the coldest night on record that year…

This year “Twitch Dad & Twitch Mom” return to the James River Writers Conference, and we have a schedule. Here’s where you will find me (and my better half) throughout the weekend:

[Read more…] about Take Me to the River: The 2019 James River Writers Conference

Embracing the Dummie in Me

“Why would we need you? There are no dummies here.”

The year is 2006 and I had just wrapped for the day presenting at a conference, recording interviews for a client, and giving a seminar on the potential of podcasting. One of the things I had talked about at length was the podcasting community — really cool people who loved talking shop, meeting other podcasters, and making connections.

Then I met the charming fellow quoted at the beginning of this blogpost.

What had caught my eye was a sandwich board pointing to a podcasting class being taught at a different event in the conference center. I was always excited to connect with others and see what their approach to podcasting was, so I swung by the classroom to make a quick introduction.

My introduction did not go well. At all.

[Read more…] about Embracing the Dummie in Me

Getting My Writing Game On: GenCon 2019

Remember when I said I was going to get better at blogging?

Yeah. Good times.

It’s been an incredible few months, and a summer of change, of ideas, and of opportunities. I’m working now on two simultaneous projects. The priority project is the next novel in the Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven novel, Secret of the Monkey God. Once again, Verity is uncovering the mystery of her parents’ untimely deaths and the enigmatic mastermind behind them. The second is an idea I’ve been kicking around for a few years. Villainy LLC is a comedy set in a world of superheroes that maybe should not have quit their previous careers. It’s partially inspired by The Boys and Watchmen with a bit of inspiration from my new day job, so I will see where the story will take me. I’m also casually working on another Destiny-inspired short story/novella from my favorite video game, Destiny. Shadowkeep is just around the corner and I feel like exercising some creative juices in that world from Bungie.

And throughout all this, I’m hitting the road once again.

[Read more…] about Getting My Writing Game On: GenCon 2019

May Madness: From RT to Balticon

Memorial Day weekend. You know what that means?

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Grill time.

It also means showing respect for those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have cookouts in the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. Sometimes, you can forget why we enjoy the extended weekend. This particular one comes with a pretty powerful price tag, regardless of what the sales at Macy’s and Bed, Bath, & Beyond advertise.

But I digress…

AWARDThis May, as you saw in my previous post, has been pretty eventful. Pip made it home safely Monday morning, and when I got home Monday from the day job I was presented with the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Steampunk of 2014. Wellington, Eliza, Dr. Sound, Professor Axelrod & Dr. Blackwell, Tesla & Edison, and new friends Wild Bill Wheatley and Felicity Lovelace brought home the gold (or in this case, the crystal) with Dawn’s Early Light. It doesn’t feel quite real, you know? Two of the finalists have written for me and Pip, and another was a New York Times Bestseller; but we were presented with honors. It’s a little humbling and immensely rewarding.

The best part? No puppies of any demeanor were involved with this distinction. We earned this award. I’m more than good with that. [Read more…] about May Madness: From RT to Balticon

Achievement Unlocked: My First Con (DemiCon 25) as Guest of Honor

IMG_0556So Monday was the snap-back from my return to Richmond — RavenCon. It was a great weekend with an additional bonus of Pip and myself hijacking award-winner Elizabeth Bear to show her a few sights from my hometown. We left the con at 2 o’clock and didn’t return her until 6:15.

What did we do in four hours?

It was not only quality time with a friend, but a good sampling of what Richmond had to offer.

I plan to write about the weekend — especially on the exceptional KidsTrack which followed a S.H.I.E.L.D. Training theme — but presently I am looking ahead to this coming weekend: the Silver Edition of DemiCon. I’m feeling the butterflies kick as I’ll be reuniting with old friends, meeting new ones for the first time, and fulfilling a role I’ve never held before at a convention.

IMG_0271At DemiCon 25, I am being welcomed as the event’s Guest of Honor, or GoH.

Following my first year experiencing the con scene, I made the GoH distinction one of those “That would be cool…” goals in my career. Why? It would have been an indication that to the organizers and staff of a particular convention, my stories held a special place. Not a bad benchmark to reach for, I figured. After a few years of con-hopping, I assumed my first GoH would be an event I frequented. Maybe? Then, on going full time in writing, the notion fell to the bottom of my priorities list, beaten out by other items like new title development and paying bills.

Imagine my surprise when it was DemiCon, an event I attended only once, that would be the first to extend this distinction to me. Imagine my surprise growing when I found out it would be for their 25th anniversary.

No pressure there, Morris. [Read more…] about Achievement Unlocked: My First Con (DemiCon 25) as Guest of Honor

Dragon*Con 2012: Booksignings, Parsecs, and Unabashed Geekgasms

Yep. It’s here. Dragon*Con.

Tomorrow morning, Pip and I hit the Interstate system of the Mid-Atlantic, heading to the grand event where tens of thousands of geeks of movies, television, books, costuming, and just about anything else you can think of descend on the unsuspecting city of Atlanta. We’re facing our busiest Dragon*Con ever (see what happens when you go a few years without hitting an event like this — they make you work!), and the breakdown is here:

Thursday

  • We check in. We see whatever we can. We party a bit with Alex White.

Friday

  • The Retro-Cast: Steampunk Podcasting & More – 8:30pm in Westin Int’l BC (Main Room)

Saturday

Sunday

  • Steampunk Author Roundtable (Part 1) – Sunday 1oam in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)
  • Book Signing, Larry Smith Books, Sunday 12:00-1:00 in Marriott Booth 309
  • Book Signing, The Missing Volume, Sunday 1:30-2:30 in Marriott Booth 614

Monday

  • Social Steam: Steampunk, Social Media, and Making It Work – Monday 10am in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)
  • Steampunk 101 — Monday, 11:30 a.m. at Hyatt Embassy D-F
  • How Do You Take Your Steampunk — Light or Dark? – Monday 1pm in Westin Int’l A (Roundtable Room)

Once more unto the breach, dear friends.

Let’s see exactly what kind of trouble the two of us can get into this weekend. Pictures to come…