Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 in review

From a personal standpoint, 2015 was pretty much one for the crapper. The highlights would be Rebecca getting her troublesome gallbladder removed, something that had to be done to keep her alive...but now there seem to be lasting side effects.  Also a highlight would be me getting on medical insurance, since the Affordable Care Act actually made our insurance cheaper.  This allowed me to get on pain medication for the chronic pain that was pretty much destroying my quality of life.  There were other highlights like birthdays and Eryn being named an Aurora Scholar, but for the most part, 2015 sucked.
We had three visits to the ER, one surgery, and one extended hospital stay that even with insurance are costing us thousands of dollars.  We also had the custody battle, which is finally resolved, but that cost us thousands of dollars in legal fees.  Neither one of us makes much at our "real" jobs, so this has put a huge strain on us.  Now as the year comes to a close, we find out that Rebecca's company is being bought out by the end of next year, which means she may be out of a job by this time next year.  There were certainly times this year when the only thing that kept me going were the love of my amazing wife and our wonderful girls.
Professionally, this year was a mixed year.  I actually wrote a few stories, none of which have sold yet.  In a lot of ways, I feel like a new writer starting all over again.  As an editor, I edited a collection called A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk into a Space Bar, which has done fairly well.  It's not a bestseller, but we have made money off of the book.  I also edited Quantum Women by Tyree Campbell which came out towards the end of the year.  This year has also seen the growth of The Fifth Di..., a zine which I've edited for more than a decade.  Starting next year, the zine will actually be released in both electronic and print formats.  The coming year will also see the release of a collection by Laura Givens that I'm editing, a novel from Tyree Campbell, and two collections.  In the game design world, I've created several new supplements for the Ephemeris RPG, and there are some exciting new things coming for the game in the next couple of years.
So, out with 2015, and hopefully 2016 will be better...

Spaceports & Spidersilk January 2016

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog...
The new year is almost upon us, and that means it's time for a new issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/604005
Spaceports & Spidersilk features some of the best science fiction and fantasy fiction and poetry for kids of all ages. The January 2016 issue will take you to places you might never have imagined. It will appeal to your inner child, and hopefully take you back to the places you loved as a child…and if you’re still a child, it will open your imagination to all kinds of new worlds.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Great deals

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
There are still a few days left to pick up a PDF version of the January 2016 issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk for just 75 cents. You can get your copy at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/spaceports-spidersilk-january-2016/
While you’re at it, you can pick up all four 2015 PDF issues of Spaceports & Spidersilk for just $3 at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/spaceports-spidersilk-2015-bundle/
And if you’re getting all of that, you might as well grab all four 2015 PDF issues of The Fifth Di… for just $3 at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-fifth-di-2015-bundle/

Saturday, December 26, 2015

It was a good Christmas

Christmas has come and gone, and we actually had a very good Christmas this year.  Given how crappy the year had treated us so far, I was a little worried about the holiday, but things went well...other than Rebecca being sick, which because of all of the hours she's having to put in at work almost seems to be the norm.  The kids didn't get quite as many presents as usual, but they seemed to like them even more than usual.  We all ate too  much, played lots of games, and watched Harry Potter movies all day, so it was a good time.
Later in the night I was giving Eryn drum lessons, while the younger two tried to play with everything, and Rebecca refused to relax.  I kept telling her that I'd take care of the dishes, but she wouldn't listen...
Once the weather warms up, I'll be walking around in my Boba Fett letterman's jacket, and I'm walking around the house now in my R2-D2 slippers.  Most importantly, we enjoyed being together as a family, which is the most important part of the holiday season, no matter what holiday you celebrate.
Now reality has come back.  Rebecca is at work trying not to cough up a lung, and when she gets home, I'll be off to work.  Some things never seem to change.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

No force awakening for me for a while

I've been reading all of the posts from people who have seen the new movie, and if you don't know what movie I'm talking about, then move along, this is not the blog you're looking for.
I can't wait to see the movie, but we will be waiting anyway.  Rebecca deals with PTSD, and we're coming up on the anniversary of the day she was held up at gun point, so needless to say, a large crowd would not be good for her right now. In addition, we haven't been to a movie since that lunatic decided to massacre a bunch of people at the theater down the street from us...the theater where we had our first date. So, that aggravates her PTSD even more, and I won't do that to her...not even for Star Wars.  Yeah, folks, I love her that much!
Some people have asked why don't I just go by myself, but that's not what we do as a family.  We actually enjoy spending time together, so I will wait...probably not patiently...but I will wait nevertheless.
So, please, DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Two weeks to go

There are only two weeks left in this miserable year, and I would certainly say that I'm very happy about that.  This year has been awful for our family.  We've had three ER visits, one surgery, and one extended hospital stay, which have all added up to a lot of medical bills, and even with the lower rates we got as a result of the Affordable Care Act, we still owe a lot of people a lot of money.  Add to this the fact that we racked up a lot of legal bills in Rebecca's recent custody battle, and things only get worse.
Even though I only work part time, my hours have fluctuated greatly throughout the year, and even though Rebecca has been putting in an insane number of hours, her company is merging and she could be out of a job by the end of next year.
At the beginning of 2015, we had talked about this being our year. We were going to finish up taking care of outstanding debts, and start putting aside money so that we could get a house in 2016, or maybe 2017, depending on the housing market.  We now find ourselves deeper in debt, and that dream of a house is now on the distant horizon.
So, 2015, you can get out of here as soon as you'd like.  We're done with you...

Sunday, December 13, 2015

The NDP fiction bundle

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
DriveThruFiction has a bundle of our fiction titles in PDF format that you can download for just $12.  You get two novels, two anthologies, and four short story collections.  That's more than 300,000 words of fiction for just $12.  Reading through all of this would be a great way to spend your holiday vacations!
http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/65749/The-NDP-Fiction-Bundle-BUNDLE


Friday, December 11, 2015

Exciting changes coming to The Fifth Di... in 2016

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
We're very excited to announce some changes that will be coming to our long-running zine The Fifth Di... in 2016.
First of all, the zine will still be available as an electronic zine, but it will also be available as a 6X9 print magazine.  Contributors will receive one copy of each.  It's our hope that adding the print format will allow us to eventually add more stories, bring poetry back, and increase our payments for contributors.
Second of all, we've changed our pay rates slightly.  We've lowered them for shorter stories, but increased them for longer stories.
For complete guidelines, please visit http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/fifthguidelines.htm


Thursday, December 10, 2015

The Fifth Di... 2015 bundle is now available from the Nomadic Delirium Press bookstore

All four 2015 issues of The Fifth Di... can be yours for just $3.  That's more than 40,000 words of fiction for less than the price of most novels...
http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-fifth-di-2015-bundle/

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

The Fifth Di... 2015 bundle

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
You can now pick up the PDF version of all four 2015 issues of The Fifth Di... for just $3 from DriveThruFiction at http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/167843/The-Fifth-Di-2015-BUNDLE

Monday, November 30, 2015

The Fifth Di... December 2015

The December issue of The Fifth Di... is now available...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/597019
The Fifth Di..., one of the longest running on-line zines continues on with four new stories. This month we feature fantasy and science fiction stories from Kate Runnels, James Van Pelt, Matthew Spence, and Robert J. Mendenhall.
Read a sample at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/tfdsample.htm.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Amazon author's page

While doing some "housecleaning" on a variety of websites yesterday, I realized that I hadn't updated my Amazon author's page in a very long time.  The page said that we have one cat, when we now have three, and it also only had 12 titles listed, which is a long way from being true.
So, I went through and updated everything.  Now most of the books I've been involved with should be on there...this includes my novels, short story collections (including the new one), Ephemeris supplements, books and magazines I've edited, and all of my individual short stories that I've released for Kindle, which now brings the title count to 99.  I guess I should put another short story up, just so that I'll have 100 titles.
Feel free to check it out at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0035AMA0A

Are you ready to play?

From the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
The Ephemeris Science Fiction Role Playing Game has been around for a while, but there are still more supplements coming out in the future, and we have BIG plans for the game in the years to come...
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm
The year is 2185. The human race has gone to the stars, and found that they’re not alone. Local space is teeming with civilizations, some hostile, some friendly, and some indifferent. This is the universe of Ephemeris.
Ephemeris is a game of galactic trade and galactic conquest; of inter-species conflict and cooperation. Ephemeris is a science fiction role playing game. Here you will be able to take on the role of your favorite alien species and your favorite class. You will be able to trade, fight, negotiate, conquer, whatever you’d like to do with your fellow players. You can play the role of an Althani Trader, or maybe an Arbonix Cyber Wizard, or maybe even a Human Nanist. You can create a party made up entirely of one species and set out to upset the trade routes of a rival species. Or maybe you want to create a party with a variety of races that preys upon the trading routes of the various civilizations. Or maybe you want to explore the ancient ruins on long dead planets, ruins that clearly show that there were other species roaming the spaceways in the past…but where are they now? You can fight in great wars, negotiate grand peace treaties, and explore sections of the galaxy that no sentient has ever explored. Or maybe your party has joined with one of the interplanetary corporations; corporations whose motives are never entirely clear. These are just some of the possibilities open to you. The universe of Ephemeris is yours to do with as you please. What you now hold in your hands are the basic guidelines for the games. Here you’ll find the races, classes, abilities, skills, weapons, and ships that allow you to create your own Ephemeris universe.
Now, step inside for the greatest science fiction adventure you’ve ever been on…

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Ephemeris Black Friday weekend sale

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
Starting today, and going through Cyber Monday, you can get all Ephemeris titles for 25% off at DriveThruRPG at http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/Nomadic-Delirium-Press.  It's time to stock up on the products you need to complete your game, or if you've ever wanted to start playing...now's the time!

Friday, November 20, 2015

My thoughts on NaNoWriMo

As an author, I've always thought that NaNoWriMo would be an interesting challenge.  I'd love to write a novel in a month, but the simple truth is that I just don't have enough writing time in my life now to really take on such a challenge.  I don't get to write every day like I would like to because of responsibility or overwhelming noise.  It's my hope that when the little one starts school next year, I'll have more opportunities to write, but that's still a long way off.
As an editor, I dread NaNoWriMo.  Many authors seem to believe that writing the novel is all they have to do.  A lot of authors don't realize that writing is as much about rewriting as it is about writing.  When I've written a novel, I've spent about the same amount of time rewriting the book as I did writing it in the first place.  Many novice authors finish their NaNoWriMo project and then immediately begin to submit it.  There aren't many authors that can pull off a masterpiece with their rough draft, but come December, January, and February, I start seeing a lot of submissions that are obviously rough drafts.  Even worse, many authors self-publish these rough drafts, watering down the market with works that don't deserve publication...yet...
So, basically I have very mixed feelings about NaNoWriMo, but I think I would like to try it some year...

Saturday, November 14, 2015

A reminder about Disharmony of the Spheres

This is a project that's very important to me for a number of reasons, and I'd love to see submissions from a lot of the writers I know...
Nomadic Delirium Press is pleased to announce that we are reading for a new anthology...
Disharmony of the Spheres
Disharmony of the Spheres will be a science fiction anthology in which the main character must be battling some type of mental illness.  While we will consider stories where the character is dealing with an illness like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, what we really want to see is characters that are battling an illness like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, etc.  This is meant to be an uplifting collection of stories, so the characters must overcome their illness to defeat whatever they’re up against.  They don’t necessarily have to overcome their illness completely, but they must show that even when suffering from a mental illness, a person can still achieve great things.
Story particulars: We want stories that are 2,000 words or longer.  All stories must be science fiction, and they must fit into the guidelines as outlined above.
What we’re paying: We will pay $5 per story for one time rights, and we will also pay two contributor copies.  This is less than we would normally pay for an anthology, but half of all of the profits from this book will be going to the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention organization, which helps to battle teen suicide.  We will consider reprints for this anthology.
Where to send your stories: All stories should be sent to editor (at) nomadicdeliriumpress (dot) com.  The subject line should include “Disharmony submission.”
Response times: We will respond to all submissions within two months.
Other questions: If you have any other questions, please feel free to send them to the address above.

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Happy 5th birthday

It's hard to believe, but today is Alexis' 5th birthday.  It seems like only yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital, and now here she is, a young lady.  Time goes by far too fast when it comes to kids.  Eryn's only a few years away from graduating from high school, Jul's about to start middle school, and if Lex had been born a few weeks earlier, she'd already be in school.  I really don't know where the time goes.
She's become such a unique little girl.  She loves her dresses, but at the same time she loves her Ninja Turtles.  When she's playing with dolls, they might be having a tea party, or they might be getting eaten by her big T-rex, you can never be too sure.  She has enough energy to power the sun, and she wears us all down just watching her, but she loves to sit and learn at the same time.
It's hard to say what she will be as she gets older, but something tells me it will be a unique adventure...

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

A new short story

I finished the rough draft for a new short story today.  Several years ago, this wouldn't have been that big of a deal, as I was writing stories all the time, but now I don't write anywhere near as much as I'd like to.  The simple reason for this is that editing and game design pay better, and they pay in a more timely manner, and simply put, we always need the money, so now finishing a story is a big deal.
I've really missed writing, and even though mounting medical and legal bills are sucking us deeper into our hole, the simple truth is that I'm a writer first, and an editor and a game designer second.  As such, I need to write.  As human beings, we can't deny the passions in our life.  If we do, what's the point of living, and writing is one of my greatest passions, so I will be doing more in the months and years to come.
Is this story going to make us rich?  Of course not.  My skills are rusty, and it clearly shows in the story, but with some work, I'm confident it will sell.  It may only make me enough to buy myself lunch somewhere, but in many ways, it feels like I'm starting over in my career, and that's ok.  I love writing, and I'm still confident that it will all pay off sometime in the future...

Friday, October 30, 2015

Ephemeris sale

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
It's time to stock up on all of the products you need for your Ephemeris game. Through Nov. 13th, get all Ephemeris titles for 30% off!
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/Nomadic-Delirium-Press

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

10% off sale

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
For the next two weeks, you can get several of our most recent e-books for 10% off at Smashwords.
Quantum Women by Tyree Campbell https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/575947. Use coupon code GJ82U.
The Martian Wave: 2015 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/561565. Use coupon code QQ84T.
A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk into a Space Bar https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/499752. Use coupon code LA97H.
Taurin Tales https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472428. Use coupon code WG32B.

Monday, October 26, 2015

MileHiCon 47 recap

Another year of MileHiCon has come and gone.  This year seemed to fly by even faster.  We think it was mostly because we didn't stay at the hotel this year because we just couldn't afford it.  It was great seeing a lot of our old con friends, but there were several people that we somehow never ran into.
This year I had three panels and a signing, but for Friday night, I didn't have anything.  We showed up a bit later than usual because there were other things going on.  We went to the opening ceremonies and Jul and I were recruited into getting crowd members to be part of the opening ceremonies, which were based on "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Saturday was a busy day for me.  I started out with a panel on the similarities and differences between game and book publishing, which went well, which I think was true of all of the panels I did this year.  We kind of got away from the main topic on this one, but we still gave out a lot of great info on game design and publishing.
Immediately after the panel, I had a signing.  Unfortunately, the signing table was not in the greatest place, and there was very little foot traffic in the area, so the signing didn't go well.  In the future, we're talking about trying to get a Nomadic Delirium Press table in either the dealers room or on Author's Row.  That might be a bit more than we can immediately afford, but maybe we can start selling a lot more NDP books in the near future.
Immediately after the signing, I was on a panel about what got us into science fiction and fantasy.  This was one of those fun panels, and there was a fairly large crowd.  We all seemed to have a great time, but once we got on the topic of YA books to get kids into reading sf and fantasy, I was pretty much left out, as I never have read many YA books.  I got into the field with some of the adult material.  Still, it was a fun panel.
Saturday night concluded with the mask parade, which the two younger kids participated in and the masquerade.
I only had one panel on Sunday, which was about trends in publishing.  This one was standing room only, and it was a great panel, although we certainly didn't agree on everything.
During the Con, I was able to talk to one person about a secret project that we're going to start working on next year.  It will be a long term project, and I can't discuss it yet, but I think it will be fun.  I was also able to talk to Laura Givens about doing a cover for "Disharmony of the Spheres."  We have a great concept, and we have the perfect model for the cover, a beautiful teenage girl who is a brave crusader for everyone suffering from depression.  I think it will be truly awesome!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Martian Wave bundle

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
DriveThruFiction is currently carrying a bundle of all three issues of The Martian Wave.  You can get PDF versions of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 issues for just $7.50. That's over 100,000 words about the exploration and colonization of space.  It's a deal you can't afford to pass up.
http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/117289/The-Martian-Wave-2013


Tuesday, October 20, 2015

My MileHiCon schedule

Here is what looks to be my final MileHiCon schedule for this year...
Saturday at Noon: Game Publishing/Book Publishing: Similarities & Differences
Saturday at 1:00 Signing
Saturday at 2:00 You Always Remember Your First...
What SF/F/H is the earliest you recall? Perhaps it’s Dr. Seuss, or The Twilight Zone, Maybe not the fairytales you were read––or maybe so––but the first you picked up on your own, the first that made an impression, that warped you forever. Our panelists share memories! 
Sunday at 10:00 Trends in Publishing...
Are magazines doomed? Will people even pay for content anymore? Are audio books making a comeback? What the heck do readers want these days? 

Hope to see some of you there...

Monday, October 19, 2015

Disharmony of the Spheres

From the Nomadic Delirium Press website...
Nomadic Delirium Press is pleased to announce that we are reading for a new anthology...
Disharmony of the Spheres
Disharmony of the Spheres will be a science fiction anthology in which the main character must be battling some type of mental illness.  While we will consider stories where the character is dealing with an illness like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, what we really want to see is characters that are battling an illness like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, etc.  This is meant to be an uplifting collection of stories, so the characters must overcome their illness to defeat whatever they’re up against.  They don’t necessarily have to overcome their illness completely, but they must show that even when suffering from a mental illness, a person can still achieve great things.
Story particulars: We want stories that are 2,000 words or longer.  All stories must be science fiction, and they must fit into the guidelines as outlined above.
What we’re paying: We will pay $5 per story for one time rights, and we will also pay two contributor copies.  This is less than we would normally pay for an anthology, but half of all of the profits from this book will be going to the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention organization, which helps to battle teen suicide.  We will consider reprints for this anthology.
Where to send your stories: All stories should be sent to editor (at) nomadicdeliriumpress (dot) com.  The subject line should include “Disharmony submission.”
Response times: We will respond to all submissions within two months.
Other questions: If you have any other questions, please feel free to send them to the address above.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

More ranting about mental health issues in America

A while back I posted a blog entry talking about how mental health issues are treated differently than physical health issues.  Well, I'm going to go on about it again, as this is an issue that's very important to me.  I've dealt with depression off and on throughout my life.  Rebecca still deals with PTSD as a result of being robbed at gunpoint.  Other members of my family have dealt with affective and anxiety issues, and earlier this year a dear friend of mine was hospitalized because she was having trouble dealing with gender identity issues, so mental health is something that I'm always thinking about.  It probably also doesn't hurt that I hold a degree in psychology either...
One thing I've noticed is that if someone tells another person that their child has been admitted to the hospital because they're undergoing testing for something like cancer, people react differently than if you were to say that the child was undergoing psychiatric evaluation and testing for depression.  Why should this be different?  Both are ailments, and both children deserve our sympathy, but the child being tested for depression is more likely to be looked at as being weak, or the parents are going to be looked at as if they've done something wrong.  An important thing to remember is that most psychiatric disorders have a physical and biological cause.  Most cases of depression are caused by a neurotransmitter imbalance, but somehow this is viewed as being different than abnormal cell growth causing cancer.  Both of these illnesses have a very physical causative agent.
It's true that life choices can exacerbate an already existing psychiatric condition.  For example, continuing to date someone who is abusive can make a depressed person's depression worse.  So, should we judge these people because their choices have helped contribute to their illness?  Before you say yes, keep in mind that a lot of physical ailments can be exacerbated by our life choices as well.  How many health issues, especially in America, are made worse by our eating habits?  We usually don't judge people for making decisions that helped lead to their cancer (except maybe for lung cancer) or any other ailment, so why should we do it with mental health issues.
Once again, until America wakes up and realizes that mental illness is an illness, not a weakness, we are not going to be able to solve many of our problems.  And things like gun violence are only going to get worse.
Please don't judge someone who is dealing with a mental health issue.  You have no idea what they are going for, just as you don't really know what someone with a severe illness is going through unless you've dealt with it yourself.  There's no difference whatsoever between physical health issues and mental health issues.  No difference at all!

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Ecotastrophe II

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press website:
We're now looking for submissions for a new anthology...
ECOTASTROPHE II
In 2006, Sam’s Dot Publishing released an anthology about the effects of global climate change on humanity called Ecotastrophe.  Now that it’s been almost ten years since the release, and global climate change still seems a possible threat to humanity, Nomadic Delirium Press has decided to release Ecotastrophe II.  Like the original collection, this one will be edited by J Alan Erwine.
What we’re looking for: We want science fiction stories between 3,000 and 10,000 words that look at the effects of global climate change (preferably the extreme effects) on humanity and the other creatures of Earth.  We’re not looking for stories about the change, but rather the effects of the change.  Although we’d love to have a lot of stories that look at the hard science of climate change, we also want stories that look at the soft sciences.  It’s important that the stories focus on the people, rather than the science, but we still want the science to be plausible.
What we’re paying: We will pay $10 for first rights to any story.  We will also pay two contributor copies.  If possible, we will increase this payment…but we can’t guarantee that.
Where to send your little gems: All submissions should be sent to editor (at) nomadicdeliriumpress (dot) com.  Your subject should be “Ecotastrophe Submission”.
Response times: We will respond to all submissions within two months.
Publication date: We are shooting for a mid-Summer 2016 release.
Other questions: If you have any other questions, please send them to the submission address.

Monday, October 05, 2015

My preliminary MileHiCon schedule

Here is my preliminary schedule for MileHiCon.  It's still subject to change, and I'm also hoping to add a signing.  I'll post a complete schedule when we get closer to Con time...

Saturday at Noon: Game Publishing/Book Publishing: Similarities & Differences
Saturday at 2: You Always Remember Your First - get your minds out of the gutter...it's not what you think...

Sunday at 2: Trends in Publishing


Saturday, October 03, 2015

Royalties, royalties, and more royalties

September was one of those months when quite a few royalty payments showed up in the last couple of weeks, and although none of them were especially large, they did add up to what seemed like a decent chunk of change.  The royalties did, for a while, make me feel like this whole writer/editor/game designer/publisher thing was actually working out.  Then I stopped and thought about it and realized that all of those royalties together were less than what I make in one paycheck from my awful "real" job, and then I was sad.
Truth is, my income from all of these endeavors is increasing every year, although it's a gradual increase.  Let's just say that if you were graphing them, I'm nowhere close to my income being asymptotic, but it's an increase nevertheless.  At this rate, I should be able to support myself some time around my 200th birthday, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to support my family before my 400th...

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

So much for that more blogging thing

I'd hoped to do more blogging this month, but that idea has gone completely out the window...
There's so much more to do in life now that we have a high schooler in our home.  In addition to that, Rebecca is still working an insane amount of hours.  She may be facing 19 straight days without a day off, and now my hours are starting to go up at my "real" job as we head into the Halloween season.  Add to this the fact that I'm always so tired because of the medication for my chronic pain, and it's been hard to get anything done, and unfortunately, blogging is pretty far down my list of priorities.
I am excited that in two days Nomadic Delirium Press will be releasing Quantum Women by Tyree Campbell, and later in the month we will be releasing Crisis Averted by Laura Givens.  Still, I have a long to-do list, and it seems like every time I cross one thing off, there are suddenly six more things on the list.  One of these days I might catch up...

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Busy, busy, busy

I had planned on doing more blogging this month, but so far, that has been a complete failure.  Life has just been too crazy busy of late to get stuff done.  Eryn is doing marching band this year, and her first football game was last week, so we of course went to that.  Then on Saturday she had her first competition, which meant being at her school at 7 in the morning.  By the time we got home, it was almost 11 at night.  Her band finished last in the competition, but they were also the smallest of all of the bands performing.  Her school just doesn't have the funding to put together a really strong band, and I think this is a perfect example of yet another failure in American culture.  We pour tons of money into the schools for football, basketball, and other sports, but ever time something has to be cut, the first thing that is attacked are the arts.  This is a huge failure.  While sports are important, the arts are even more important, but American culture no longer recognizes this.
In addition to all of Eryn's band stuff, Juliah started back to school, which of course means tons of shopping, tons of preparation, and in addition to all of this, Rebecca is still putting in a lot of hours, most weeks working six days, and while I'm not working a lot, I am working opposite of her schedule, which is stressful, since we're the type of couple that actually likes and wants to spend time with each other, so that puts a strain on both of us.
I have managed to get one of the books formatted that I needed to do, and I've started work on the second book that I need to get done, but I still haven't managed to make it to the post office to send off copies of The Martian Wave: 2015, but I am trying.  Hopefully this week or next I will be able to get there.
The meds that my doctor put me on are helping with the pain, but unfortunately, they're still making me dizzy, and this reached a bad point yesterday when I was going to switch out some laundry.  As I got to the door, I felt very dizzy, so I grabbed onto the door frame.  The next thing I knew, I was on my back with my head bouncing against the floor like I was having a seizure, and my foot in the litter box.  Apparently I blacked out.  The worst part was that the only person that was here at the time was Alexis, so if I'd really been hurt, I might have been in trouble.  I'm not sure if this means that I should try to switch meds, because I really don't want to.  These meds are working, and even though I still have pain, it's nothing like I used to have.  I actually feel like a functional human being again.
I guess I've wasted enough time on this post.  Now I need to get back to work...

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Not much blogging last month

Last month was a very light month of blogging for me.  Mostly because there were a couple of weeks there where I wasn't able to focus much.  I had a nasty respiratory infection for a while that included a high fever, even forcing me to miss work (which I try my best not to do).  Shortly after that, I went to the doctor about my chronic pain.  We were able to get a referral to a surgeon, so hopefully at some point I'll be able to get in and see him, and maybe we'll get some answers.  In the mean time, my doctor put me on a new med for the pain, which actually seems to be having an effect.  However, and there's always a however, the medication has some difficult side effects.  For one, I'm dizzy quite often.  So much so that I actually did black out at one point, and at other times, I get these crazy tremors as I'm trying to regain my balance.  In addition, I'm also much more tired than usual.  All of this made for many unproductive weeks.
Now, I have to play catch up.  I still need to get the copies of The Martian Wave sent out.  I have two short story collections I need to edit for Nomadic Delirium Press.  I have e-books to format, and who knows what else.  It's going to be a busy September as I try to make up for everything I didn't get done in August.

Monday, August 31, 2015

The Fifth Di... September 2015

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press website...

A new issue of The Fifth Di... is now available, and it's still just $1!!!!
The Fifth Di..., one of the longest running on-line zines continues on with four new stories. This month we feature fantasy and science fiction stories from Fredrick Obermeyer, Tim McDaniel, Kate Runnels, and Thomas Canfield.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/573600

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The Ephemeris Encyclopedia Galactica: Sectors Forty-Two & Forty-Three

The exploration of "Deep Space" begins.
These sectors are home to many Julahmo colonies, and of course, wherever the Julahmo go, the Ernya and the Khruntha are sure to follow.  There's a lot of unexplored areas, and only partially explored areas, plus there are a lot of mysteries waiting for brave...or foolish explorers...
Start your exploration of "Deep Space" by ordering at http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/155085/The-Ephemeris-Encyclopedia-Galactica-Sectors-FortyTwo--FortyThree

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The Martian Wave: 2015 is here!

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
Today is the official release of The Martian Wave: 2015!!!
The Martian Wave: 2015 brings you stories and poems that look at humanity’s exploration and colonization of space, with a special emphasis on our solar system. Within these pages you’ll find stranded astronauts, potentially dangerous aliens, people struggling with dangerous indigenous life, and dangerous thoughts from their own minds, plus much much more.
You can order from us at: http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-martian-wave-2015
You can order the e-book at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/561565
You can order from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0120XUMR0
You can order from Barnes & Noble at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-martian-wave-j-alan-erwine/1122344012?ean=2940152042474

Saturday, August 08, 2015

One week until release

There’s just one week left to pre-order The Martian Wave: 2015.  Go to http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/tmw.htm, and order your copy today.
The Martian Wave: 2015 brings you stories and poems that look at humanity’s exploration and colonization of space, with a special emphasis on our solar system. Within these pages you’ll find stranded astronauts, potentially dangerous aliens, people struggling with dangerous indigenous life, and dangerous thoughts from their own minds, plus much much more.

Tuesday, August 04, 2015

Pain update

Regular readers of this blog know that I suffer from chronic pain, and I do get an occasional e-mail asking how I'm doing, so I figured an update was in order. The simple answer is...not well.  The pain has gotten quite a bit worse in the last couple of months with an average day being around a 3 on a ten point scale.  Although that might not sound bad, that's constant pain no matter what I'm doing.  At best, I occasionally have a day where I'm at a 1, but those are becoming more and more rare, and I never have a day where I don't deal with pain.
The last week has been especially bad with the pain level being up around a 5, and last night I overdid it at work while helping to move some boxes around.  After I was done, I actually almost blacked out from the pain, and this morning I'm up around a 6 or 7.  If I stop moving and breathing, it helps ease the pain, but I don't see those as viable options at this point in time as a long term cure.
Now that I have insurance again, we're trying to get me in to our doctor, but so far, he hasn't had appointments that fit our schedule.  We're both working, and we have back to school for the kids, so there aren't many options for us at this time.  Rebecca absolutely has to go to the appointments with me since this is going to certainly have an impact on her, since I'm now pretty much convinced that I will eventually have to go under the knife, especially as long as I continue to work in retail, where lifting is almost a must.
I've looked into the rules for qualifying for disability, and it's like jumping through flaming hoops, and since I have a college education and could be retrained, it would be much harder to qualify...although I have to be able to work opposite of Rebecca's day job so that one of us is always here for the kids.  It kind of sucks that if I'd dropped out of high school and had no skills, I might be able to get help...
For now, I soldier on, and try to do my best to not make the pain even worse...and that's not easy, considering I've popped ribs by sneezing...

Friday, July 24, 2015

Christmas in July

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
For the rest of July DriveThruFiction and DriveThruRPG are running a Christmas in July sale.  During this time, you can pick up our titles for 25% off.  This is a chance to pick up some of our fiction, or any of the Ephemeris titles that you might need to complete your collection.  Simply go to http://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse/pub/2805/Nomadic-Delirium-Press or http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/Nomadic-Delirium-Press.  The sale prices are already programmed in.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Mental health treatment in America

A few days ago, the Aurora theater shooter trial came to an end with the accused being found guilty on all counts.  No doubt this creature was crazy...after all, no one in their right mind would think about doing what he did, but clearly the jury decided that he was not insane, which is a legal term and not a psychiatric term.  Basically, even though he was nuts, he was well aware that what he was doing was wrong, and that's the reason why he will either get life without parole or death.
The biggest problem I have with this whole scenario is that even though this creature was seeking treatment, he obviously never got all of the help that he really needed.  And for that, the fault lies with insurance companies and the way that Americans view mental illness.
That might sound crazy, but stay with me for a minute.  Many insurance companies do not cover mental health issues the same way they do physical health issues.  For many, they pay a smaller percentage, leaving he patient to pay high bills, and mental health treatment can be expensive.  In addition, many insurance companies severely limit the number of caretakers in their network, also making it harder for people to seek treatment.  Major hospitals might be in the network of an insurance company for physical health issues, but not mental health issues.  This doesn't make sense to me.  Mental illness is just as real as physical illness.  In the majority of cases, there is a biological reason for the mental illness, but somehow it's different in the eyes of the insurance companies.
This difference probably comes from the way that Americans view mental illness.  A large number of Americans think that the mentally ill are weak.  Basically saying that a person who suffers from depression is weak and just needs to grow a backbone, or some other stupid comment that you might expect to hear from people.  This is like saying that a person who gets cancer is somehow physically weak.  We don't shun and shame people with cancer, why should we do it with people suffering from mental illness?
I've known a lot of wonderful and a lot of strong people that have suffered from depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses, and it wasn't their fault, and yet America somehow blames them.  This is wrong in so many ways, and this, in addition to the insurance BS, is a big reason why people who are suffering never seek treatment, and this can lead to the creation of monsters like the Aurora Theater shooter.
Wake up, America! Mental illness is no different than physical illness, and it's about time that we start treating them the same.

Monday, July 20, 2015

The Martian Wave: 2015 table of contents

For those of you that have been wondering what the new issue of The Martian Wave will have in store for you, here you go:

Stories
From an Unnamed Rock by Jerry L. Robinette
On the Bridge by Matthew Spence
Mars Ride Along by EJ Shumak
I’ll Take the Moon by Andrew L. MacDonald
Red Sleepers by T. Fox Dunham
I’m a Little Teapot… by Robert P. Hansen
Greenie by David Castlewitz
Uhlanga Regio by Glen R. Stripling
Binaurals by Josh Brown
Fathers of Mars by David Wright
Earth Camp by Alicia Cole
The Tulku of Titan by Mike Morgan

Poems
Rip van Winkle on Mars by David C Kopaska-Merkel
The Star Chaser by Christina Sng
Observations From The Black Ball Line Between Deimos And Callisto by Alexandra Erin
Within a Flotsam Web by WC Roberts
Like A Drunken Cosmonaut by Alan Ira Gordon
A Star-Struck Night by Robert P. Hansen
Some Things Come Unbidden by Lisa Timpf

Pre-order your copy today at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/tmw.htm




Sunday, July 19, 2015

The Martian Wave: 2015 pre-release

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
The official release date for The Martian Wave: 2015 is August 15th, but you can now pre-order your own copy.  For the moment, the only place to order a print copy is directly through us at http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/blog/product/the-martian-wave-2015/.  Amazon and other retailers will have the book in the weeks to come.  The book will list for $10, but if you order from us before the release date, your price will be $9.
If you'd like to order an e-book version, you can order through Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/561565, or you can order the Kindle version at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0120XUMR0.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Featured e-book for July 18th

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
The featured e-book for today is Seedlings on the Solar Winds and other stories by J Alan Erwine.  You can get this e-book for 50% off for the rest of the month by going to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16551.
America as a fascist state, soldiers driven to terrorism, insane computers, insane humans, insane aliens, these are just some of the things waiting for readers in the pages of this new short story collection from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Featured e-book for July 14th

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog...
Today’s featured e-book is A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk into a Space Bar. You can get it for 50% off for the rest of the month by going to: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/499752.
A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk into a Space Bar is a serious literary work of science fiction and fantasy stories that looks to delve into…who are we trying to kid? This book is a collection of comedic science fiction and fantasy stories written by some truly talented authors.
The book includes stories from Francis W. Alexander, Lou J. Berger, Wayne Carey, James Dorr, Laura Givens, Alan Ira Gordon, John Grey, Carlos Hernandez, Gilda A. Herrera, Ahmed A. Khan, Sheryl Normandeau, Robert Lowell Russell, John Skylar, Glen R. Stripling, and Scott Virtes.
You’ll be taken to alien bars, alien planets, and any funny place these authors could come up with. You’ll meet meddling appliances, aliens with strange habits, and aliens trying to live on or visit Earth. There are even time flies and a cloned genius. This collection has everything you need to tickle your funny bone.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Featured e-book for July 10th

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
The Ephemeris Omnibus is the featured e-book for July 10th.  You can get it for 25% off at Smashwords by going to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306292.
The Ephemeris Omnibus 2013 features the Ephemeris core rulebook (with some rule changes, including mutli-classing), and all of the rule supplements that have been released as of the end of 2012. All of the species and class supplements have been blended into the core rulebook to create a massive (over 200,000 words) rulebook that will allow you to play the most extensive Ephemeris game you'd ever want to play.

Friday, July 03, 2015

Smashwords e-book sale

Smashwords is having an e-book sale for the entire month of July, and many of my titles are available for up to 50% off.  There are a couple of my short story collections, one of my novels, several titles that I've edited, and all of the Ephemeris titles.
Check it out today at: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/nomadicdelirium