B58 Mini Interviews with Brad Abraham, Gene Doucette, and Sarah Jean Horwitz

Welcome to the Boskone 58 Mini Interview Series! Get to know some of top authors, scientists, artists, and creators in the science fiction, fantasy and horror industry, why they’re looking forward to Boskone, and perhaps a sneak peek at what they’re working on next.

Our interview series culminates with our Guest interviews during the convention, including our Guest of Honor interview with best-selling fantasy author, Joe Abercrombie, moderated by Joe Hill.

Grab a cup of something refreshing and let’s kick off our Boskone 58 Mini Interview Series with Brad Abraham, Gene Doucette, and Sarah Jean Horwitz.

Brad Abraham

Brad Abraham is a multi-talented author, screenwriter and comic book creator with over two decades of industry experience. His film and TV credits include the horror comedy feature FRESH MEAT; the SyFy Channel’s smash hit TV movie STONEHENGE APOCALYPSE, and the cult classic SyFy miniseries ROBOCOP PRIME DIRECTIVES. His series work includes I LOVE MUMMY, NOW YOU KNOW, and THE CANADA CREW. His genre-busting urban fantasy novel MAGICIANS IMPOSSIBLE (St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books) was published in 2017 to broad acclaim, recipient of starred reviews in Library Journal, Booklist, and School Library Journal, and was named Best Debut Novel by Suspense Magazine. As a comic book creator he is best known for the acclaimed indie series MIXTAPE, currently in active development with Little Engine Motion Pictures. He lives in New England with his wife and son, his collection of vintage vinyl records, and piles upon piles of movie novelizations

Visit Brad Abraham on their Facebook, Twitter, and Website!

What you most looking forward to at virtual Boskone 58?

I’m most looking forward to seeing how this new reality we’re living in has impacted the SFF community. Sci-Fi in particular has liked to imagine pandemic scenarios through fiction; now we’re living through an actual pandemic. I am interested in learning how other members of the community have weathered this particular storm, and how Sci-Fi cons like Boskone are managing a world where face-to-face and in-person conventions seem to be on the endangered species list.

If you were planning a holiday or vacation and could visit any location, whether in the real world or fictional worlds, where would you go? Why?

I’d like to visit an alternate version of 2020 where COVID never happened and I got go on that vacation to England that had been in the works at the beginning of this strange year. How *was* that vacation? How did I find England, (beyond taking a right at Greenland)? I guess you can ask me that in 2022. I hope.

Authors, artists, and creators often listen to music while they work. If you have a playlist you’d like to share or an album to recommend, please add it here. We’ll be compiling a list of lists to help Boskone attendees get their creative juices flowing.

What are you currently working on? Any new releases that fans should know about?

Presently I’m hard at work on the pilot for the TV series based on my comic book series MIXTAPE, which is in active development with Little Engine Moving Pictures. It’s a non-sf story set against the backdrop of the alternative rock explosion of the 1990s, detailing the lives, loves, and fears of a group of teens moving through the early years of that decade. It’s easily the most personal thing I’ve ever written and am thrilled to be making it my next project.

Gene Doucette

Gene Doucette is a hybrid author, albeit in a somewhat roundabout way. From 2010 through 2014, Gene published four full-length novels (Immortal, Hellenic Immortal, Fixer, and Immortal at the Edge of the World) with a small indie publisher. Then, in 2014, Gene started self-publishing novellas that were set in the same universe as the Immortal series, at which point he was a hybrid. When the novellas proved more lucrative than the novels, Gene tried self-publishing a full novel, The Spaceship Next Door, in 2015. This went well. So well, that in 2016, Gene reacquired the rights to the earlier four novels from the publisher, and re-released them, at which point he wasn’t a hybrid any longer. Additional self-published novels followed: Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things (2016); Unfiction (2017); and The Frequency of Aliens (2017). In 2018, John Joseph Adams Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) acquired the rights to The Spaceship Next Door. The reprint was published in September of that year, at which point Gene was once again a hybrid author. Since then, a number of things have happened. Gene published more novels—Immortal From Hell at the end of 2018, Fixer Redux in 2019, Immortal: Last Call in 2020—and wrote a new novel called The Apocalypse Seven that he did not self-publish; it was acquired by JJA/HMH in September of 2019, and will be published on May 25, 2021. He’s also launched a new sci-fi line called Tandemstar. The first Tandemstar series is called The Outcast Cycle. Book one–Two Suns at Sunset–was published in September, 2020, and book two–The Madness of Kings–in December, 2020. Finally, Gene has also begun exploring the short story market. Schrodinger’s Catastrophe, a novelette, was published by Lightspeed Magazine in November, 2020, and a second short, Hypnopompic Circumstance, will be published by Lightspeed in early 2021.

Visit Gene Doucette on their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tumblr, and Website!

What you most looking forward to at virtual Boskone 58?

One thing I learned from the 2020 Nebulas (which were virtual) is that I’m MUCH better at interacting and mingling remotely, whether in panels or breakout rooms. My default introversion evidently doesn’t kick in when I can just log out, am sitting in my own house, and may not have on pants. So I’m looking forward to seeing what Boskone is like when my wallflower tendencies are disabled.

If you were planning a holiday or vacation and could visit any location, whether in the real world or fictional worlds, where would you go? Why?

So I know this question is about visiting a fantastical place like Middle Earth, Narnia or Hogwarts, but coming as it does at the end of 2020–when none of us could travel ANYWHERE, all vacations were staycations, and a trip to the grocery store was a mini epic–the first place that popped into my mind was Las Vegas. I’d love to stay in a ridiculous hotel surrounded by ridiculous people doing ridiculous things, while spending too much for food I definitely shouldn’t eat. It’s not very SFF of me, but there you go. Give me something tacky and crowded.

What are you currently working on? Any new releases that fans should know about?

I’ve got a lot going on! I’m writing this the day before the second book in my self-published series Tandemstar–it’s called THE MADNESS OF KINGS–is being released. I’m working on the third book (THE OCEAN IN THE SKY) right now and hope to have it out by late July.

Meanwhile, on May 25th, my standalone sci-fi novel THE APOCALYPSE SEVEN will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It’s already picking up some great early buzz.

I also have a short story called HYPNOPOMPIC CIRCUMSTANCE that will be published in Lightspeed Magazine’s May edition. And an earlier short of mine–SCHRODINGER’S CATASTROPHE–was published by Lightspeed in November 2020, and has already been selected for one Best-of-2020 collection. It’s being reprinted in translation by Science Fiction World (in China) in January.

I have a few other things going on, but I can’t talk about them just yet…

Sarah Jean Horwitz

Sarah Jean Horwitz grew up next door to a cemetery and down the street from an abandoned fairy-tale theme park, which probably explains a lot. She is the author of the middle grade steampunk fantasy series CARMER AND GRIT. Her most recent novel for middle grade readers is THE DARK LORD CLEMENTINE, which was an Amazon.com September 2019 Best Book of the Month and received favorable reviews from the New York Times Book Review, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and more. She currently lives near Boston. Find her at sarahjeanhorwitz.com.

Visit Sarah Jean Horwitz on their Facebook, Twitter, and Website!

What you most looking forward to at virtual Boskone 58?

I am looking forward to connecting with online writer and reader friends I made during this crazy year, as well as hearing from some of my favorite creators. This is my first virtual convention, so I’m excited to see how it goes!

If you were planning a holiday or vacation and could visit any location, whether in the real world or fictional worlds, where would you go? Why?

This is a very 2020 answer, but right now, the place in the world I’d most want to travel to is…*drumroll*…New Jersey. My parents live there and it has been over a year now since I’ve seen them. It would be a dream come true to be able to hug them again. After that, we’ll re-do Christmas in Hogsmeade.

Virtual girl group K/DA has some great tracks to write fantasy/action sequences to!

What are you currently working on? Any new releases that fans should know about?

I’m currently working on two projects. The first is my first novel for adults; it’s a fantasy romance and has DRAGONS and lady detectives and dragon lady detectives, and some kissing. The second is a middle grade fantasy novel told partly from the point of view of a demonic sword. No new releases coming up at the moment, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a sale in 2021. In the meantime, do check out my 2019 middle grade release, THE DARK LORD CLEMENTINE.

Curious about who else is coming to Boskone 58? With 3 days of over 100 top-notch items paired with top authors, scientists, artists, and creators in the science fiction, fantasy and horror industry, you won’t want to miss out. Join your fellow fans and writers by registering today!

Don’t miss out! Register for Boskone 58 today!