Original series and game narrative earn nods at two festivals

Too Hollywood a headline? Nah. Two projects of mine earned their way to some laurels this month. First up, THE ICE & TIMES OF RACHEL W. was selected as an Official Selection for Stareable Fest, celebrating web series and indie TV talent. Second, HOLOCRIMES has advanced to finalist in narrative at the Festival de Jogos do SBGames Recife 2020, a festival for the Brazilian games industry. I contributed to the narrative, but I promise I didn’t commit any of the crimes!

ICE & TIMES is a hybrid fictional/documentary short-form series intended to inspire women to pursue STEM fields. If picked up, the series would follow a young woman going on the adventure of a lifetime as she participates in research expeditions in Antarctica.

HOLOCRIMES: AR INVESTIGATION allows the player to participate in a remote investigation of crimes as a new investigator. Solving these crimes may unveil a plot that menaces more than just the victims. Available for any detective using an Android. In addition to its nomination for Best Narrative, HOLOCRIMES is also a finalist in the Best Mobile Game, Best Design, and Best Technology categories. Maybe crime does pay.

If you’ve had a chance to play the game, I’d definitely love to hear your thoughts! Drop a comment below.

Halo Redux: Speaking and signing in Anaheim this weekend

It’s the grand finale of Halo: Outpost Discovery! The traveling convention delivered the creatives behind the Halo franchise all over the US to give back to fans. I joined the crew in Chicago earlier this month to discuss the Halo comic I wrote. I will also be on hand in Anaheim all weekend for the last leg for signings and panels. Check out the schedule below!

Halo: Outpost Discovery Anaheim
Where: Anaheim Convention Center
When: August 30-September 1, 2019

Friday, August 30

3:15PM – 4:15PM “Women in Gaming – Halo Edition” Kiki Wolfkill, Jessie Thomas, Katie Jerauld, Jen Taylor, Anne Toole. – Moderator Nyxi

Saturday, August 31

12:00PM – 1:00PM Signing in the Post Exchange:  Cassandra Rose Clarke, Jeff Easterling, and Anne Toole

2:45PM – 3:45PM Panel at Main Mixer Stage:  “The Write Stuff: Part 1 – Comics, Short Stories, YA Fiction and more”  Cassandra Rose Clarke, Anne Toole, Frank O’Connor, Joseph Staten – Moderator Jeff Easterling

Sunday, September 1

11:00AM – 12:00PM Signing in the Post Exchange: Cassandra Rose Clarke, Jeff Easterling, and Anne Toole

See you soon!

Shipping characters and writing comics at SFCC – San Francisco Comic Con

Comic-con isn’t over, at least not in San Francisco. If you’ll be heading out to San Francisco Comic-con to see the likes of Jenna Coleman or Trina Robbins, come check out these panels on Saturday while you’re at it. I’ll be speaking on both!

SHIPPING AND WHY IT MATTERS
Saturday, September 3, 2016
10:30-11:30am, Pacific A
Bringing together passionate “shippers,” and writers, our panel will explore the reasons we ‘ship, why it matters, and how it affects the properties we love. After drawing 4.5 million votes in this year’s TV Couples March Madness Challenge, we at Zimbio know that many of the most vocal fans in TV, movies, and comics, are shippers. Following the controversial death of Lexa on the 100, this topic has never been more relevant. We will be joined by other fan writers in an interactive discussion on how ‘shipping changes the nature of the media we consume.

WOMEN WRITE COMICS
Saturday, September 3, 2016
1:30-2:30pm, Foothill E
There is more to comics than great art! A panel of women writers of comics and books discuss their craft. This panel features Trina Robbins, Dani Colman, Anne Toole, and Serena Valentino.

So come on over and share your favorite ‘ships, and find out about upcoming comics from a panel of awesome lady writers. See you there!

Worldbuilding at Dutch Comic-con!

I have modest ambitions this weekend. I’m going to teach how to build an entire world. A universe even. But I won’t be alone. I’ll be joined by several other writers with the equally modest goal of sharing how to create appealing worlds for the reader. If that’s not enough, I’ll also be speaking about the representation of women in games with several other writers of books, comics, and movies. If you’re interested in building worlds for your novel or game, or you’d like to hear about great representations of women in the media, come on down to Dutch Comic con this weekend!

World Building
When: Saturday, March 26th, 3:45pm-4:45pm
Where: Jaarbeurs Utrecht, Speakers Corner, Hall 8 by the American Book Center
Who:
Brian McClellan
Chris Ryall (Editor-in-Chief, IDW)
Adrian Stone
Me!

Bechdel Test Anno 2016
When: Saturday, March 26th, 5-6pm
Where: Jaarbeurs Utrecht, Speakers Corner, Hall 8 by the American Book Center
Who:
Corinne Duyvis
Marieke Nijkamp
​​Tisa Pescar
Ann Vandermeer
Jeff Vandermeer
Me!

If you find yourself near Utrecht in the Netherlands this weekend, join all of us at Dutch Comic Con!