How to Host a Game Night – New Book in October

On By Erik ArnesonIn Board Games, How to Host a Game NightLeave a comment

My next book — HOW TO HOST A GAME NIGHT — is available for pre-order!

It’s no secret that I love board games, and writing HOW TO HOST A GAME NIGHT was an absolute blast. It’s packed with practical advice, incredible and funny stories about gaming, and reviews of some of the games I love best.

I wrote a piece for The Opinionated Gamers that talks a bit more about why I love this project so much.

Published by Tiller Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, HOW TO HOST A GAME NIGHT is scheduled to release on Oct. 27, 2020. Go ahead and order a copy from your favorite bookstore today!

Tiller Press is a fun imprint. Other Tiller books I’m looking forward to reading include:

Noir at the Bar – Virtual – May 21 at 7 p.m.

On By Erik ArnesonIn Anthony Neil Smith, Ashley Erwin, Dennis Tafoya, Hector Acosta, J.B. Stevens, Nikki Dolson, Noir at the Bar, Richie Narvaez, S.A. Cosby, V. CastroLeave a comment

This Thursday – May 21 – a great group of writers is getting together for a Virtual Noir at the Bar. You can join us by watching on Crowdcast! The fun gets started at 7 p.m. eastern U.S. time.

Host Dennis Tafoya will be joined by me and eight amazing authors (and perhaps a few special guests):

Join us! I hope to see you there.

Noir at the Bar – NYC on Sunday, Dec. 8!

On By Erik ArnesonIn Alison Gaylin, Jay Butkowski, Jen Conley, Lauren Wilkinson, Noir at the Bar, Preston Lang, Roger Nokes, S.J. Rozan, Scott Adlerberg, Shade BarLeave a comment

Shade Bar in New York City is one of the best-known locations for great Noir at the Bar events, and I’m thrilled to be part of the lineup this Sunday, Dec. 8.

Hosts Jen Conley (Seven Ways to Get Rid of Harry) and Scott Adlerberg (Jack Waters) have assembled an incredible group of readers:

That lineup includes two Edgar Award winners (Gaylin and Rozan), an author whose debut novel is on the short list for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and was included on Barack Obama’s 2019 Recommended Reading List (Wilkinson), an author with four books all rated 4.5 stars or better on Amazon (Lang), two editors at a hot new crime fiction magazine (Butkowski and Nokes)… and me.

Great authors reading great stories! Book giveaways! The greatest bartender in all of New York City!

Join us! I hope to see you there.

The Throes of Crime Ebook – FREE

On By Erik ArnesonIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I’m at Bouchercon 2019 in Dallas, Texas, having a great time listening to tons of fantastic authors talk about their books and writing processes.

Earlier today, I was on the Writing Compelling Short Stories panel and in honor of that appearance, the ebook edition of my collection of short stories (THE THROES OF CRIME) is available FREE all weekend long. Get it here:

The Throes of Crime Ebook

BONUS: If you’re at Bouchercon and you see me or my wife Beth, say something nice to us and we’re likely to give you a free copy of the print edition…

Betrayal Legacy is the Greatest Game Ever Published (No Spoilers)

On By Erik ArnesonIn Board Games, Rob DaviauLeave a comment

Betrayal Legacy is the greatest game ever published. You’re free to disagree, of course, but you would be wrong. And please note that I’m not limiting the discussion to board games. Card games, video games, lawn games, whatever games – Betrayal Legacy is the greatest of them all.

I recognize the fact that (though on some deep level I do not understand why) not everyone will enjoy Betrayal Legacy. Not everyone enjoys Citizen Kane, Don Quixote and Daredevil, either. That doesn’t mean they’re not the greatest film, novel and comic book series of all time.

No other game has so perfectly combined luck and strategy, theme and mechanics, agency and narrative. From the first time the components are spread out on the table, players take themselves on a wild ride through the history of one very haunted house. Generations of families will return to this place decade after decade, century after century, and they will discover mostly terrible things.

Read my complete review of Betrayal Legacy at The Opinionated Gamers.

Noir at the Bar – Hillsborough, NC – July 25

On By Erik ArnesonIn Angel Colón, Eryk Pruitt, J.G. Hetherton, Jeanne Scoggins Arneson, Jen Conley, Judy Marie, Noir at the Bar, North Carolina, S.A. Cosby, Suzanne Crain Miller, Tracey ReynoldsLeave a comment

Noir at the Bar makes its debut at Yonder Bar in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on July 25, 2019, and I’m thrilled to be one of the authors reading.

Hillsborough is about 3.5 hours east of Barnardsville, NC, where my mom grew up, and less than an hour east of Greensboro, NC, where we lived for a year or two around the time I was in kindergarten (we were in Greensboro between South Carolina and Pennsylvania, where I’ve lived since first grade).

The lineup of readers is amazing:

Angel Colón
Jen Conley
S.A. Cosby
J.G. Hetherton
Judy Marie
Suzanne Crain Miller
Eryk Pruitt (creator of the fantastic true crime podcast The Long Dance and, with his wife Lana Pierce, owner of Yonder Bar)

And, to top off that amazing list of talent, the whole event will be hosted by actress Tracey Reynolds.

Books, booze, and broken promises. What more could you hope for? Join us!

Letter to Amtrak’s CEO

On By Erik ArnesonIn Amtrak, Solari, Split-FlapLeave a comment

Earlier this week I mailed this letter to Richard H. Anderson, the CEO of Amtrak. More background on the issue I wrote about is available here.

December 17, 2018

Richard H. Anderson
Chief Executive Officer, Amtrak
60 Massachusetts Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002-4285

Dear Mr. Anderson,

Thank you for your service to the United States as Amtrak’s CEO. My father worked for Amtrak for many years, and I’m a loyal customer. I ride Amtrak whenever possible. I very much appreciate what you do.

Dad worked as an accountant in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. There is no building I love more than 30th Street Station. The building has a soul, and its soul is the split-flap timetable that has served more than 100 million travelers since it was installed in the 1970s.

In January, according to media reports, the existing split-flap board will be replaced it with video monitors. That breaks my heart, but it also sounds like there might be hope for a reprieve.

Anyone who has seen 30th Street’s split-flap timetable in person knows that it’s far more than a message board. It’s magic and beauty and hope and wonder and everything that’s good in the world. I vividly remember the feeling of awe I had when I first saw the Solari board as a young boy. Now, as a 47-year-old man, my eyes get more than a little dusty every time I think about the possibility that it will be replaced by video monitors.

Please do everything you can to keep a split-flap timetable in 30th Street Station.

We all need more magic.

Sincerely,
Erik Arneson