Max Brooks News » Conventions

David Petersen FINALLY Knows Who I Am!

Max Brooks — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:43:38 +0000

At C2E2 in Chicago I had a chance to meet David Petersen, the creator of “Mouse Guard”. Again. And when I stopped by his booth to say hello (for the third year in a row), he had no idea who I was. Again.

George R. Martin tried to cheer me up. “I’ve met Stan Lee five times,” he told me, “and never remembers me.” This time, during a panel talk, I asked those present to stop by Petersen’s booth and tell him what I do. The next day, when I asked Peterson to autograph a copy of his role playing game I said, “Could you make it out to Max?” And he responded with, “Would that be Max Brooks who writes the zombie books?” Victory!

Belated Rue Morgue Festival of Fear/Toronto Fan Expo 2009 Update

Max Brooks — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:52:31 +0000

As great as the convention was (I’ve never had to have my line capped before), the most memorable experiences have to do with two women. The first is Kelly Armstrong, author of “Bitten” (and a whole lotta others). I’d never met her before and was lucky enough to be on a panel with her. Kelly (if I can call her that) is the kind of writer I want to be when I grow up. She’s deeply passionate, disciplined, and driven, with 10 books in 9 years! She’s also phenomenally humble. When asked about our contributions to the genre of horror, she answered, matter of factly, “nothing”. She loves to write, pure and simple. Anyone thinking of a career in words should look to her for inspiration. The second woman I’ll simply call “Ana 09″. On the third day of the convention, I autographed a book for a girl who gave me a picture she’d said she drew for me. It was a portrait of an undead woman in surgical garb. I’m not exagerating when I said it was genius! I asked if she was a proffessional artist. She blushed and said she was only 13. David Marks, second in command at Avatar comics, was equally blown away, as was the man in line behind her. We were in the presence of something as inexplicable as it is rare, genuine God given talent. I asked if she would autograph her portrait for me, and all she signed “Ana 09″.

Comic-Con ‘09

Max Brooks — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:06:43 +0000

Always fun, always exhausting. As great as it is to meet my fans, it’s equally fun to change roles and become one myself. Last year I made a point of meeting David Petersen, the creator of the comic book series “Mouse Guard”. I was blown away by the level of detail Petersen puts into his work. It reminds me of the “Gnome” books I read as a kid. Any man who creates an entire world gets my respect and “Mouse Guard” is at the top of my list. It was humbling, to say the least, when I finally met the man and he had no idea who I was. Oh well. This year I figured it’d be different, maybe he Googled me or something. Nope. This year he didn’t even remember me from last year. Maybe it’s what I need after hours of signing books and soaking up praise. Did I mention that he asked if I actually paid for the book he was autographing to me? David Petersen: decongestant for a swelled head.

Comic-Con – Signing schedule

Max Brooks — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:54:02 +0000

Wednesday July 22

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Thursday July 23

11:00 am to 1:00 pm
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Saturday July 25

1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Sunday July 26

11:00 am to 3:00 pm

Wizard World proposal

Max Brooks — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:24:37 +0000

I got to my first signing at 10AM and found there was already a line. The guy waiting in front asked me to inscribe a copy of WWZ to his girlfriend then ask if she would marry him. He then turned to the woman behind him in line, got down on one knee and presented her with the book and a ring. Thank God she said yes. That could have been really awkward for the people behind him in line.