Ian J. Malone

Character-charged sci-fi with a shot of Rock & Roll!

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Thanks for the memories, Harv

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I started watching NASCAR back in the late-90s because of friends. Obviously, the skill of driving a racecar wasn’t something I could personally identify with. However, the crew I ran with back then had such a ball watching the races — holy smokes, those were some amazing parties! — that one couldn’t help but get sucked into the NASCAR culture.
In the beginning, I was there for the shindig, the food, and the social aspect of the event, not the racing. As such, I had no allegiance to any driver, although the Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte fans in my life at the time tried like crazy to sway that.
Everything changed in February of 2001 when the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. aka “the Intimidator” passed away suddenly in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500. Naturally, the outpouring of thoughts and prayers from NASCAR Nation went mostly out to the Earnhardt family, as did mine. However, in the week following the crash, Earnhardt’s team (Richard Childress Racing) announced during a press conference that his iconic black Chevy would be painted white, the number 3 would change to 29, and a fresh-faced unknown driver from Bakersfield, California who was barely a year older than me at the time had been tapped to fill Earnhardt’s seat.
“No athlete in any sport should ever get their shot at the big leagues under these sorts of conditions. It’s just not fair.” That was my thought upon watching the RCR press conference live on ESPN.
Just over two decades have followed that day. Since then, the driver in question has gone on to win more races than Gordon along with the 2007 Daytona 500 crown and the 2014 Cup series title on route to what will undoubtedly go down in NASCAR history as a first-ballot hall of fame career.
That driver’s name was Kevin Harvick, and today he will announce his retirement from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2023 season.
It’s been a helluva ride, Harv. Thanks for the handshake at Dega and the 22 years of incredible sports memories.
PS – Seeing as how NASCAR is circling the drain these days, here’s hoping your descendants really do go on to own an interstellar mercenary company based out of Jacksonville, North Florida in the 23rd century. 😉 #SwampEagle

IJM LibertyCon 2022 Panel Schedule

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Hey gang. Looking forward to seeing lots of you at LibertyCon next weekend in Chattanooga, TN. Below you’ll find my schedule for the weekend. You can also visit the LibertyCon website to learn more about other guests and events happening around the con.

DayStartLocationName of Event
Fri4 PMCC – Ballroom EChris Kennedy Publishing – the Year Ahead
Fri5 PMCC – Ballroom EOpening Ceremonies
Sat10 AMCC – Ballroom ESalvage Title Universe Roundtable
Sat2 PMM – Plaza BallroomAutograph Session: Dr. Kevin Grazier, Ian J. Malone
Sun1 PMCC – Ballroom EFour Horsemen Universe (4HU) Roundtable and Mass Autograph

IJM InfinityCon Schedule (June 4-5 in Tallahassee, FL)

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Hey gang. Just a quick reminder that Nick Steverson and I will be serving as guests at InfinityCon in Tallahassee this Saturday and Sunday (June 4-5). Our panels are as follows, plus we’ll also have a table in the vendor’s room if you’d like to stop by.

Ian Panels:

  • Sat at 12 pm: How to Cope with Writers Block
  • Sun 2 pm: Tips and Tricks for Developing Good Stories

Nick Panels:

  • Sun at 12 pm: Boldly go… and build your sci-fi/fantasy world!

Read more about the various other things happening around the event at https://www.infinitycon.com/tally

We hope to see you there!

NASCAR President Malone unveils his 2022 Cup Schedule

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Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that while I’m most certainly (and proudly) a NASCAR old-schooler, I’m also not without a willingness to accept change so long as said changes make sense for the sport. What follows below are my thoughts on what a NASCAR Cup schedule should look like to grow the sport for future generations while still respecting its history, brand, and spirit to fans old and new.

First things first, if NASCAR is serious about growing the sport then the best possible thing to do IMHO would be to end the Cup season on Labor Day weekend. This achieves two major benefits:

  1. It moves the NASCAR playoffs, which are admittedly riveting, to a time on the sports calendar when mainstream fans and journalists have little else to watch beyond golf and baseball.
  2. It shifts Cup broadcasts out of the line of fire from football where they’re routinely bludgeoned in the ratings.

One immediate impact of this move would be a reduction in races, which the sanctioning body would have to recoup with mid-week races if it so desired (not part of the below schedule).

This shift would also create a dearth of NASCAR content from September through January, a hole that I’d fill by converting the Truck Series into a mostly regional property which runs its season in that time on the calendar (think XFL spring football but with any Cup or Xfinity series driver who opts to come race during their offseason).

Feel free to let me know what you guys think in the comments, or on social media.

AUTHROS’ NOTE: Dear NASCAR. Throw the handful of old-school fans you have left a bone and move the effing numbers back to center-door where they belong. We’ve already swallowed playoffs, stage racing, and an influx of new road courses, not to mention the proverbial “turd in the punch bowl” that is your move into political activism. Was leaving this one alone REALLY too much to ask? *smh*

President Malone’s 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

 Sunday, February 12 at 2pm ET — The Clash from Daytona (50-lap exhibition race on Super Bowl Sunday featuring the 2021 stage winners)

Tuesday, February 14 — New Smyrna Speedway (exhibition race for charity)

Thursday, February 17 — Duel at Daytona

Sunday, February 20 — Daytona 500

Sunday, February 27 — Homestead

Sunday, March 6 — Sanoma

Sunday, March 13 — Fontana

Sunday, March 20 — Las Vegas

Sunday, March 27 — Phoenix

Sunday, April 3 — COTA 400 (stop calling it a Grand Prix. That’s generally an open wheel term, not a stock car term. Pretending otherwise make you look like a wannabe B series, which reflects poorly on everyone involved.)

Sunday, April 9 — Texas

Sunday, April 17 — EASTER BREAK

Sunday, April 24 — New Hampshire

Sunday, May 1 — Dover

Saturday, May 7 — Stafford Speedway

Sunday, May 15 — Pocono

Saturday, May 21 — All-Star night race from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN (I’m not opposed to the football stadium/temp track concept. I just think it’s ludicrous to hold such an endeavor in L.A. where you’ll never have robust support for the event (see the XFL). By contrast, Knoxville resides squarely in the heart of SEC country, which should be a NASCAR priority. Plus, can you imagine the Volunteer Navy docking their boats outside the track for a massive tailgate on the river? Now THAT’S how you rock an all-star event!)

Sunday, May 29 — Charlotte Oval 300

Monday, May 30 — Charlotte Roval 300

(NOTE: A Memorial Day doubleheader honors the “600” legacy of the weekend while offering fans something fresh. Plus, let’s face it. Stage racing has destroyed this race as we know it.)

Sunday, June 5 — St. Louis

Sunday, June 12 — Kansas

Sunday, June 26 — Road America

Sunday, July 3 — Bristol Night Race (Independence Day weekend in the “Last Great Coliseum” would kick more ass than Brett Griffin on a three-day Fireball bender in Myrtle.)

Sunday, July 10 — Richmond

Sunday, July 17 — Talladega (regular season finale under brand new lights = INSANITY)

NASCAR Playoffs

(NOTE: As a reward for being the most consistent driver through 20+ points races, the regular season champion would receive an automatic transfer into the second round.)

Sunday, July 24 — Michigan

Sunday, July 31 — Cleveland 400 from Burke Lakefront Airport (NASCAR seems hellbent on running a street race, which is dumb anyway, but doing so in Chicago is pure lunacy. Cleveland, on the other hand, could be fertile ground for growing the fanbase, plus the wide-open space of running these cars on runways could, in theory, make for an interesting watch.)

Saturday, August 6 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway (The hope here is that by making Indy a cutoff race, it’ll make the on-track product more interesting… ON THE OVAL!)

Sunday, August 14 — Nashville Fairgrounds (NASCAR really needs this track.)

Sunday, August 21 — Atlanta

Saturday, August 27 — Martinsville (cutoff night race)

Sunday, September 4 — Darlington (crown your champ at the Southern 500)

IJM talks ‘Lasers and Lagers,’ sports with ESPN Northwest Florida

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Huge thanks to Dave, Old School. Boston Tim and the rest of the crew on ESPN Northwest Florida for letting me take over their show for an hour to talk all things Lasers and Lagers, the 4HU, FSU sports, and NASCAR. The old radio jock in me is forever grateful.

 

Watch the interview on Facebook at https://fb.watch/6M3KxR0oYk/

IJM and Chris Kennedy talk ‘Lasers & Lagers’ and more with the Unstacked Podcast

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I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Bay County Public Library in Florida on their “Unstacked Podcast” alongside my good friend and THE STREET SURVIVORS collaborator Chris Kennedy.

Topics discussed include:

  • The Street Survivors, the 4HU
  • The Lasers and Lagers book event happening June 29 in Panama City, FL
  • Craft and Publishing
  • Creating new universes vs. writing in somebody else’s
  • What makes a CKP book?
  • Better Rock Era: 70s, 80s, or 90s?
  • How Ian and Chris became friends then collaborators
  • Ian and Chris favorite reads
  • The importance of supporting libraries in 2021
  • Where is the scifi/fantasy genre headed in the future?

Ways to watch/listen:

  • YouTube
  • Web Player
  • Also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and most major platforms.

Visit the Lasers and Lagers website or FB event page to learn more about our event. Otherwise, we hope you enjoy our interview with the Unstacked Podcast!

 

NEW RELEASE: The Street Survivors

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Brothers look out for brothers. Usually…

With the Merc Guild opening up contracts again, it’s Zuul eat Zuul to get one as there are far more companies looking for work than there are contracts to be had. So when Taylor Van Zant gets an inside line on a 30-million-credit contract for Swamp Eagle Security, he races to Karma to throw his hat in the ring.

Unfortunately, Taylor arrives to find that the other North Florida mercenary company—the River Hawk Defense Group —is also bidding, and Taylor is forced to watch as they steal the contract out from under the Eagles. Which might have been a good thing, Taylor finds out later, as the River Hawks return beaten and bloodied from it.

But only half of the River Hawks returned…the other half disappeared. And if there’s one thing Taylor stands for, it’s solidarity with his mercenary brothers, even when they may not have done him a good turn to start with. So, with only a fraction of his company available, Taylor decides to go find out what happened to the missing people. It’s what brothers do.

But what he finds will make him rue that decision and draw him firmly into the Guild Wars.

Grab your copy of THE STREET SURVIVORS on ebook or paperback today on Amazon!

IJM panel schedule for FantaSci 2021

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Hey gang. I know several of you are planning to attend next weekend’s FantaSci convention in Durham, NC (May 21-23). So, I figured I’d drop a quick line with my panel schedule for those interested. You’ll find that as follows:

  • “Soundwaves: How Music Shapes the Writing Process” (Friday at 1pm in the Rose Room)
  • “Jump Shot: A Discussion of Sports and Genre” (Friday at 2pm in the Rose Room)
  • “Radio Waves: The Rise of Author Podcasting and Streaming” (Saturday at 1pm in the Rose Room)

FYI, despite only having three panels I’ll be around the hotel all weekend for anyone looking to catch up with me. That includes the 4HU Dining Out event on Saturday night.

I’ll also be spending quite a bit of time at the Chris Kennedy Publishing sales table in Author’s Alley since I won’t be manning an author table of my own this year. So, if you want to catch up, get a book signed, or buy a book THEN get it signed, that’s where you’ll find me.

Cheers, y’all. Travel safe next weekend and can’t wait to see you at FantaSci!

Ian

PS – The guys and I will be interviewing FantaSci convention chair Joel Lyons on next week’s episode of The Dudes in Hyperspace Podcast to discuss all things FS 2021 (panels, guests, pandemic safety procedures, etc.). We’ll also be recording some exclusive content on-site for release during con weekend, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. to catch that. (Click here for a full list of the platforms where you can find the show.)

IJM and others join forces for ‘Lasers and Lagers’ book event

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Have you ever wanted to belly up to the bar with your favorite science fiction or fantasy writer and throw back a pint for a good cause? Now’s your chance!

Come join me and a team of mega-bestselling scifi authors June 29 at 5 pm CT for the first-ever Lasers and Lagers book event at the Lie’brary on Beck craft beer and wine bar in sunny Panama City, Florida!

Attendees will enjoy a wide array of activities ranging from casual meet and greets with authors to book signings and readings plus the myriad beer and wine options offered nightly by the Lie’brary staff.

Guests will also get to participate in a raffle to win signed books, memorabilia, and other prizes with all proceeds going to benefit the Friends of the Bay County Public Libraries non-profit organization!

Confirmed Authors Who are Attending:

  • Chris Kennedy (The Four Horsemen Universe, the Theogony series)
  • Ian J. Malone (Free Bird Rising, the Mako Saga)
  • Kevin Steverson (The Salvage Title trilogy)
  • Nick Steverson (The Salvage Title Universe: Coalition series)

Follow Lasers and Lagers on social media using #LasersAndLagers then be sure to “like” our Facebook Event to keep tabs on the latest news and announcements.

You can also follow the Lie’brary on Beck via Facebook and Instagram for info on drink specials, food, and other events happening around the bar.

Happy Friday, y’all! We hope to see you on the beach this summer!!!!