Denvention Days 1 & 2

This is my first ever WorldCon, and to be totally honest...I haven't been there much. Now that I've suddenly become a dad, I've had familial obligations.

I got there Wednesday around 11 with the intent of hitting a couple of early panels...instead I stood in line at registration for about an hour. There were definitely some glitches.

After that, I hit the Dealers' Room...lucky I don't have any money. Along the way, I ran into Ian Brazee-Cannon, Laura Givens, Cynthia Felice, Rebecca Bates...and waved at a lot of other people I knew...all of whom seemed to be on their cellphones...I'm beginning to wonder if there was some kind of conspiracy. I also saw a lot of the big hitters, but they were talking with other people, and I don't think there's anything more obnoxious than people interrupting a conversation.

I made it to two panels yesterday. The first was an art panel, which I didn't think went very well because the moderator did most of the talking. After that, I went to a panel on the small press...which didn't really hold any surprises for me, since I've been in the small press for so long. I then went to the Opening Ceremonies, which I also thought were a major downer. That was it for the first day, and even though it might sound like it wasn't a great experience, I had a lot of fun talking to people...and that's what Cons are really about for me.

Thursday was going to be a nightmare. I had a panel and a signing...the only programming I'm doing at this year's Con, but we couldn't find any daycare...at all! Luckily, I have the most amazing fiancee in the world, and she was able to rearrange her schedule at work. She went in and opened...came home so I could make my panel and signing...and then went back to work to close. Did I tell you she's amazing???

The panel was What Makes SF Work? Characters, Society, or Technology? My co-panelists were the one and only Larry Niven, Ken Scholes, and Shanna Swendson. The panel was a really good time. I'd guess that we probably had 50-70 people in the audience...and yeah, I really believe they came to see me (that's sarcasm, by the way.) Even though we all agreed that the answer to the question was "yes," we managed to stretch it out to the full 75 minutes, with each of us getting plenty of time to talk. It was also nice that the four of us were different types of writers, so I think the audience got a good variety in the answers. And we had a good audience too...with no one trying to talk too much.

After that, I had my signing, which was a complete bust. Most conventions put the signing close to the entrance of the dealers' room, but Denvention had us set off to the side. So the only way someone would have noticed me is if they actually came looking for me. But I did run into Rose Beetem and Ron and Nina Else...all very nice people. The one nice thing about the signing was that I was sitting right next to Stanley Schmidt of Analog. It was fun to kind of pick his brain a little.

Tomorrow I will probably only make it to the masquerade because of more day care issues, but I'll blog about it as I can...

My WorldCon bio

I know I won't shut up about WorldCon, but I'm excited. This will be the first WorldCon I've ever attended, and the fact that I get to do a panel and a signing makes it that much more exciting...assuming we can find daycare for the little ones.

So, if you're interested in reading my bio, you can find it at http://www.denvention.org/programming/bios22.php#JAlanErwine.

Writing again...

...or at least revising again.

Most of my time lately has been focused on the move (and everything that went along with that), working on Ephemeris, and assorted editing projects...so my writing has suffered a bit.

But last night I pulled out the hard copy of Red Moon Rising and started working on it. There's going to be a lot of work to do on it, as I need to lengthen it dramatically, but at least I am working on it again. Right now I'm just making notes on the hard copy, but eventually I'll be back at the computer and actually working on the word count.

If you're actually interested in the process and the progress, I'll be posting more about it on my LiveJournal than I will here.

My WorldCon schedule

It's going to be a busy few hours on Thursday, and then that will be it...

1:00 What makes SF work? Characters, Society, or Technology
CCC - Room 505
Panelists talk about the primary elements of a SF story, and try to decide which are most important to our genre. What makes SF different from other stories? Does it have to include social or technical speculation to be SF?
J. Alan Erwine, Ken Scholes, Larry Niven, (m) Shanna Swendson


2:30 Signing (45 minutes)
CCC - Hall D
Adrian Bedford, J. Alan Erwine, Lee Martindale, Pamela Freeman

Not too intimidating

The pocket program for WorldCon has just been published, and I found out that the panel I'm doing will be with Larry Niven.

Yeah, that's not too intimidating...

Our first walk

Now that we've rested up some from the move, we took our first walk tonight. There's a bike path right behind our place, and it winds through a bit of nature cut off from town...so of course I took my camera along and snapped some pics...

A cascade that's in the center of our apartment complex


A creek that's just off the path, and almost right behind our place...


A lake and an unexpected neighbor.
There's a bird right by the edge of the lake, and in all my years living in Colorado, I've never seen one like him...


One of our neighbors


Some more of our neighbors


We do have cacti in Colorado


A warning about some of our other neighbors

The new place

We're now moved into the new apartment. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, but we're getting there. We really like this place even though it is a bit "cozy." We're having a lot of trouble finding where to put stuff...but we'll get it figured out.

Before we moved in, I took a few pictures, and here they are...

THE LIVING ROOM



THE DINING NOOK


THE KITCHEN


THE GIRLS' ROOM


OUR ROOM


THE VIEW
It was really hazy, so you can't tell, but those grayish lumps that you might be able to see are the mountains...
Yes, we have a mountain view.

Amazon List

As a small press author, my books don't make people's Amazon lists very often, so when they do, I always wonder why.

I've made it on to a list called Some Science Fiction for June. The list creator's name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure why.

Usually if I'm on a list it's something like Small Press SF or SF You Might Overlook...but this isn't that kind of list considering the first three books listed are "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester, "The Essential Ellison," and "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov. Not exactly titles you're going to overlook, nor are authors like Gaiman, Card, or Sawyer.

My books listed near the bottom of the list, but it's still kind of cool to be considered in the same thought with those other books...

The last day at the real job

Yesterday was my last day at my "real" job. For the most part, I'm very happy about that. I hated the job...mostly because I was incredibly burned out. I'd feel much better about leaving if I had something else lined up, but we're still having issues with daycare...so there's still some stress...

The really cool thing is that the owner showed up just as lunch was starting and then took me to lunch. I've blogged a few times about what a great guy he is, but this really shows it. We sat and talked for about an hour, and it was a nice way to say good bye.

The move will be Friday and Saturday, and then Monday I start looking for some kind of work.

For now, good bye to Subway...

Packing and such

The move is just under a week away, and I've been busy with packing and everything else that goes into a move...which is why I've been a bit absent lately.

I have most of our services and mail and such transferred, and I'm now working on the actual packing. So far, I have more than two dozen boxes...and that's just books...and it's not even all of them...this move is going to be a real back breaker.

We're having some daycare issues, which is making looking for a job difficult, because I'm not sure who will actually be taking care of the girls.........

As I've been packing, I've found some stuff that I can't keep, but I don't really want to throw away, so I've set up more Ebay auctions. You can find them at http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/jerwine_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ.

So far, my cat has found the whole packing thing to be a lot of fun. She jumps in just about every box I put down, and she tries to run just in front of my feet every time I'm trying to carry a box somewhere. I'm sure if she knew what she was in store for, she wouldn't be enjoying herself so much. She's basically my cat, and my cat alone. She's the most loving and affectionate animal I've ever known, but only towards me. She growls and hisses at everyone else. So, not only is she going to have to adjust to Rebecca and her two daughters, but there's another cat involved...so it could be an interesting time in the new place.

That's it for now. I'll update with more as I have it...and obviously I haven't been doing much writing or editing lately. Hopefully once we're settled in I can get back to it.

Wedding Stuff

We think we've found the site for the wedding. It's a place called The Wildlife Experience. It's a museum a little south of Denver that's dedicated to teaching nature conservancy...something that's very important to both of us.

It's a neat little place that has exhibits about various habitats, art galleries, a theatre, a lot of interactive stuff for kids (including a miniature golf course that teaches kids about conservation.) The way they have it designed, you feel like you've walked into nature as soon as you step on to the property, and you no longer feel like you're in the city. The only problem I noticed with it is that it's located pretty close to Centennial Airport...so we may have some small jet noise to deal with since we want to have the ceremony outdoors.

They also have a reception hall, so we can have the reception there as well...and guests will have access to the museum.

Once we get moved, and things settle down, we're going to contact them to find out what all of the costs would be, and to find out what dates might be available.

Any Dungeons & Dragons fans out there?

As I'm getting ready to move, I've been coming across stuff that I'd love to keep, but I really can't. As a result, I'm going to have to sell a lot of my old Dragon Magazines and my old Dungeon Magazines. I've put up several lots at eBay, and they're priced to move.

Have a look at http://myworld.ebay.com/jerwine.

If you yourself aren't interested, please pass the word on to some of your gaming friends.

Thanks!!!

My Denvention Schedule

I'm only doing one panel at this year's Denvention, but since this will be the first WorldCon that I've ever attended, I'm happy with the opportunity to even do a panel. There's still a chance that I'll have a signing, and as I've said before, I'll probably be hanging around the Sam's Dot Publishing table in the Dealers' Room quite a bit...and maybe Tyree will even set up a signing for me there as well.

So, if you're going to the Con, look for me at...

What Makes SF Work? Characters, Society, or Technology on Thursday at 1:00 P.M.

I'm still not sure who's on the panel with me, but it should be fun...

I'm selling some small press books and zines

People often send me or give me books or magazines, and now that I'm getting ready to move, I've found that I'm really not going to have room for them, so I've decided to set up an E-Bay auction. The opening bid is $9.99, and there are some great titles...

The link to E-Bay

THE TITLES:

Proverbs for Monsters by Michael A. Arnzen Signed Stoker Winner ISBN: 978-1-888993-54-7

Vectors By Charlee Jacob & Marge Simon Stoker Winner ISBN: 978-1-888993-53-0

25 Cent Rocket Ship to the Stars by G. Clark Signed ISBN: 978-1-888993-43-1

Defeated by S.D. McKee ISBN: 978-1-933016-23-8

Doomsdays by Jeffrey Thomas Signed ISBN: 978-1-888993-48-6

The Fisherman by David A. Sutton ISBN: 0-913045-15-2

Just Because: The Works of James Baker ISBN:1-4196-5782-8

Over the Darkening Fields by Scott Thomas ISBN: 978-1888993509

The Poet by James B. Baker ISBN: 978-1-4196-6578-3

Song of Silver by Laura J. Underwood Signed ISBN:978-1-888-993-44-8

Tango in the Ninth Circle by Corrine De Winter Signed ISBN:1-888993-42-1

Apex Digest Issue 10

Dreams and Nightmares Magazine Issues 74-75, 77, 78, 79.

Happy birthday George

Today would have been George Orwell's 105th birthday.


1984 and Animal Farm were two books which greatly shaped my view of the world, and although it is true that 1984 could never really happen as it was written. That doesn't take away from the book. Many people have argued that the book is unbelievable because no society would allow that sort of government to come to power, but we've seen many fascist states rise since this book was written. Even our own government here in the US has taken many steps towards this type of government...and although it's true that "Big Brother" may not be watching all the time...he can now legally check in on you from time to time.

The simple fact that I am now typing the words "America as a fascist state" will guarantee that I get several hits to this blog from government sites. I know because I'm watching them!

1984, along with A Handmaid's Tale, and Revolt in 2100 were huge influences on my writing of The Opium of the People. Like 1984, the events in the book probably couldn't happen the way I wrote them, but as speculative fiction authors, we really aren't trying to predict the future. Instead, in many ways, we're trying to prevent the future...or at least futures that we think are dangerous...and the destruction of freedom is dangerous.

So Happy Birthday George, and it's a damn shame that more people haven't listened to your message...

Memories

Stolen from Jay Lake...

“If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now,even if we don’t speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want — good or bad. When you’re finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.”

Because everyone else is...

I've seen a lot of authors doing these little word clouds of their works, so I decided to do the prologue for The Opium of the People



I like the fact that God came out kind of centered...sort of telling for the book...

You can click on the graphic for a better look.

Moving

Rebecca and I have found an apartment in Aurora...a southern Denver "suburb," and we'll be moving on July 18th and 19th. It's a nice place, set back away from the street with lots of trees and animals...so it will be a nice change for me. The rent is only slightly more than what I'm paying at my current place...and the new place is a two bedroom, as opposed to a one...so it should save me some money, although that money will go towards raising the kids.

Because it's so far away, I'll be leaving my job, which fills me with mixed emotions. I absolutely hate what I do for a living, but the owner of the franchise is one in a million, and I know I'll never have a better boss, so there's some good and some bad.

I also haven't lined up a new job, so that's kind of scary. Cross your fingers for me...

Even More Stories at Anthology Builder

I now have 10 stories listed at Anthology Builder...a build your own anthology site. You can pick some of my stories, and stories from numerous other authors as well. It's really a great way to sample new writers, while picking up stories from authors you already know you like.

My stories are:
Living in the Styx
One family is driven to the brink of madness by odd events in their lives, but are the events real, or are they only in their minds?

The Galton Principle
In a fascist state ruled by eugenics, one young man realizes he's not as perfect as he thinks...nor is his society.

Who Listens to the Voices of the Past?
When humanity discovers a new sentient, but "less-developed" species on a new planet, will they make the same mistakes that were made when Europeans came to the Americas?

Seedlings on the Solar Winds
One man is driven to madness by what everyone else says are imaginary voices in his head...but are they just imaginary?

Lowering One's Self Before Fate
No one ever really knew what happened during the massacre at Kira Len until the day the story mysteriously "appeared."

The Opium of the People
The story that inspired the novel
When the radical Christian Right seizes control of the American government, one man is forced to make decisions he never thought himself capable of.

The Lives of Billions
When a terraformer on Mars discovers that there’s really life on the Red Planet, what will she do to save that life?

Secret of the Coltao
Two young men on an icebound planet seek to learn the truth about the aliens that inhabit the world with them.

Harvest of Debts
As the American population ages, and American debt rises, the rich elderly find a new way to extend their lives…organ harvesting.

The Twin Sorceresses
Two young sorceresses find they must go to great extremes to protect their mother.

Two pieces of news

Almost 20 years ago, I made the decision that I wanted to be a science fiction writer. The first story I ever seriously submitted to magazines was a story called Tranquility. It was bad...very bad...horrible...but there was an element of the story that has always stuck with me, and I eventually re-wrote it. Today, Tales of the Talisman picked it up for their Spring 2009 issue.

I thought that was big until I went to the Denvention website...that would be WorldCon for those of you playing at home...and found that they've listed the participants for this year's convention, and I'm on the list. That's right folks, this small press writer/editor will be doing panels at WorldCon!!!

The Phoenix has landed

I just watched the coverage on NASA TV of the Phoenix landing in the northern polar region of Mars. It was mostly just telemetry data, but it was still pretty cool. The probe will be doing a lot of things while on Mars, but of course, the most exciting is that it will be searching for water and evidence of past or current life in that water...and of course, the polar regions are where a lot of Mars' water is locked up.

For more on the mission, here's a video from NASA

Engagement pics

I thought my regular readers might want to see pics from the big engagement. The close-up of the ring didn't come out...unfortunately.

I'm Engaged

That's right folks, the guy who swore off women a little more than a year ago is now engaged. I popped the question to Rebecca tonight, and she was crazy enough to say yes.

We're planning a May of 2009 wedding...and I can't wait!!!

Odd news story

The headline reads: "'Darth Vader' spared jail in Jedi church attacks." Yes, it's a real story. To read the whole thing, go to... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_fe_st/odd_britain_vader_raider;_ylt=AmY..tVLx4UoPL6O4TJ2.RehOrgF

A meme

I posted this on my LiveJournal, but I thought I'd post it here as well...for anyone who might be interested...

Recently, mmerriam posted a meme that I thought was pretty cool. I've been meaning to do his, but I've been a bit brain dead lately...so hopefully I will soon.

All you have to do is cut and paste the questions below into the comments and fill in the blanks with whatever you want, and then I'll try to answer the best that I can in a new post...


1. What do you think of _____________ ?

2. When did you last ____________?

3. __________ or ___________ and why?

4. What did you ______________?

5. What's your favorite ______________?

6. How would you ______________?

7. Who would you most like to ________ ?

The Magenta Equations at Allegory

My story, The Magenta Equations, has been posted at Allegory. This is what I would consider somewhat of a hard SF story, although the hard science I used was psychology, which makes for an interesting twist.

Also, the idea of hyperspace and madness is something that plays a big role in the RPG I'm helping to create...Ephemeris. It's always interesting how these things tie together.

Enjoy the story.

UFOs

It's all over the Nets that more strange lights were spotted over Phoenix again. By strict definition, these are UFOs...Unidentified Flying Objects...however, that does not mean that they are aliens visiting us from another star system.

I have several problems with UFO's. First of all, our radio signals have only propagated about 50-60 light years into our galaxy, which on the galactic scale is not very far. Statistically speaking, the odds are fairly low that there are any intelligent civilizations that close. There could be, but it's not likely. So, why would aliens be here?

In America, southern Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico have the highest percentage of UFO sightings. It's probably not a coincidence that this is also where a lot of top secret research is done by the American military. Many years ago there were pictures of strange objects that were spotted throughout this area...many people claimed these were conclusive evidence of aliens visiting Earth. Then we had the first Gulf War, and we all got to see the stealth bomber, and guess what, it looks EXACTLY like the pictures that showed conclusive proof of aliens visiting us.

Why would aliens come to Earth and not make contact, but make it obvious that they're here with all of their lights flashing and moving in our skies...

...oh yeah, the lights. Why in the hell would an interstellar spacecraft need lights???? Especially the big gaudy lights that we see on these UFOs. Space is huge. Even if there are thousands of civilizations out there, the idea that they would need lights so they don't bump into each other is absurd. Plus, at relativistic speeds, flashing lights aren't going to help a whole hell of a lot when you suddenly see a ship approaching.

Although I do think it's likely that there is some kind of alien life out there, until I see proof that they've actually visited, and I mean real scientific proof, I won't believe it. Sorry, but I'm a rationalist, I have to have evidence...just like I don't believe in ghosts, gods, or the Loch Ness Monster...I don't believe in little green men...

Happy Earth Day!

Personally, I think every day should be Earth Day. I think we're destroying this planet, and we should all be ashamed of ourselves. Whether you believe global climate change is real or not, I think most of you would agree that we have done a lot to damage this planet...and ourselves. Certainly some forms of pollution are having an adverse effect on humanity.

However, one thing that bugs me more than corporate polluters is hypocritical Hollywood types that show up one day a year trying to tell me how I should care more about the planet...like they do...

WHAT??? In this video, Lewis Black calls them on it...

Forgive Men Their Trespasses

My story Forgive Men their Trespasses has just been picked up by Afterburn SF. The story is set in the same universe as my novel The Opium of the People, but it's a stand-alone story set in Denver.

This will be my first appearance in Afterburn...and it's always nice to get a publication in a new zine.

Order The Opium of the People

For Joe

Like me, Joe was a cycling fanatic. We'd watch the Versus coverage of the races, and then e-mail each other and discuss the race. Even through all of the doping scandals, we were both hardcore fans.

So, these videos are a tribute to Joe's passion for cycling...





It won't be the same watching this season's races without you buddy. You'll be missed.........

Mortality sucks

Early Tuesday morning, my friend Joe lost his battle with cancer. I got the news while I was at work tonight, and I'm still stunned. Joe had been my supervisor at my real job several years ago, but we quickly became friends. He was one of the few people I'd ever met who was actually a cycling fan...most people just stare at me with dumb expressions on their face whenever I talk about the sport. He was a super nice guy, and a bit of a smart ass, which fits my wise cracking personality really well.

He was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, and he vowed to fight it like Lance Armstrong had fought his, but unfortunately, this time the cancer was too strong.

He was actually three years younger than me, so that's a slap in the face for me, and he was also very health-conscious, which just shows you that cancer can get anyone.

The worst part of all of this is that he had two young boys. I believe they were eight and four, and now they have to grow up without their father.

A sad day, a sad day indeed...........

If you were going to a Con...

...what kind of panels would you like to see?

Every year, MileHiCon asks its participants to suggest ideas for panels. This is one of the reasons why I love this Con, the participants get a lot of input into what's going on.

So, like I did last year, I thought I'd open it up to fans of speculative fiction and ask them what kind of panels they'd like to see.

So, how about it?

Still here

I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that I was still around. We're having a massive sale at the "real" job, and it has meant a lot of hard hours for me...so that's pretty much been the story of my life lately.

I've gotten some work done on Ephemeris the RPG, but not as much as I'd like, and I've gotten some editing done, but not as much as I'd like.

I did agree to help edit an anthology from Sam's Dot called Infradead. We'd started this project about a year and a half ago, but we didn't get much of a response...mostly because Tyree wanted novellas. We're going to re-open in May to submissions, but we're going to drop the lower word limit significantly, which should bring in some submissions. Obviously I'm quite crazy considering I already have so many projects going on. My girlfriend commented that as long as I was enjoying myself, there's nothing wrong with adding more to my plate...I then informed her that it wasn't so much a plate as a buffet.

I spent yesterday at the dentist watching them pull one of her wisdom teeth. All I can say is that I certainly can imagine more torture scenes for future books. Dentistry hasn't evolved much since the dark ages...

Hunted

The new issue of Tales of the Talisman features my short story "Hunted." This is a story that I've re-worked again and again for many many years, and now it's finally found a home.

It's not exactly one of my deepest stories, since I'd classify it as space opera...but that stuff can be fun to write too.

The Magenta Equations

My short story, The Magenta Equations, has been picked up by Allegory E-Zine. This will be my second appearance in this zine. They also published my story Entropy a while back.

Open forum

I should be posting more, but I don't have a lot to say right now...so I'll open this blog up as an open forum. Feel free to ask me questions...

An interview with me

Robert E. Porter, who is a frequent visitor to this blog, recently interviewed me for his LiveJournal. We talk politics, environmentalism, editing, and writing. I always like doing these interviews, especially when the questions are not your typical run of the mill variety.

You can read the interview by going to http://bearleyport.livejournal.com.

I've been Kindled

Two of my titles are now available for the Amazon.com electronic reader...the Kindle...

My new short story collection, Seedlings on the Solar Winds can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Seedlings-on-the-Solar-Winds/dp/B00166YE3Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1206038448&sr=1-3

And my novel, The Opium of the People can be found at http://www.amazon.com/The-Opium-of-the-People/dp/B00166YE0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1206038448&sr=1-1.

I've heard a lot of people comment that the Kindle is the best e-reader they've ever seen. I myself can't afford one at this time...but maybe in the future...although I've always really liked the feel of a book in my hand.

Arthur C. Clarke

I've just learned that Science Fiction Giant Arthur C. Clarke has passed away.

If you want to read a brief article, click here.

Clarke was a good novelist, but he was a brilliant short story writer. And let's not forget that he and Stanley Kubrick created 2001: A Space Oddyssey...still, in my opinion, the greatest science fiction movie ever.

It's over

The vacation has come to an end. Tomorrow at 9 a.m. I have to be back at the day job. I know I've said this before, but I really think it's time that I start looking for something else. The sense of dread that I'm feeling right now is more overwhelming than anything I've ever felt before. I don't want to go back!

The owner of the company is a great guy, and I wish there was something else I could be doing for him, but where I'm at right now makes me hate life. I know I'm capable of so much more than what I'm doing, I just have to decide to go out and find something else.

Now I have to try to go to bed so I can wake up and go waste my day tomorrow doing something I shouldn't be doing...

A Problem with A Problem in Translation

I just put the finishing touches on what I'm hoping will be the final revisions for what was supposed to be my new novel A Problem in Translation. Unfortunately, the story is just too short. It comes in around 60,000 words, which makes it more of a novella as opposed to a novel. As most writers know, a novella is very hard to market. So, I've created a real uphill battle for myself.

The story is so tightly spun with events leading into one another rapidly that I really can't find a way to expand on it without completely destroying the flow...

The Game

We now have a name for the game...it's Ephemeris. If you're actually interested in the game, here's the first draft for the introduction page of the first rule book...

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 prey 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, 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…


If you're interested in following the development of the game, we've set up a MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/ephemerisrpg.

Vacation!

I am officially on vacation from the dreaded day job! One solid week just for me!

I'm going to spend Wednesday morning and early afternoon catching up on some small odds and ends. Then that night my girlfriend's oldest daughter has her birthday party. So it will be Chuck E Cheese with a bunch of first graders.

I'm going to spend Thursday doing nothing. I hardly ever do that, so I think I've earned it. I'll probably just watch lots of Babylon 5. I loved that show!!!

For the last five days, I'm going to really try to get some work done. I want to finish the revisions on A Problem in Translation and then start the revisions on (working title) Red Moon Rising. I'm also going to put in some serious hours working on the RPG.

Yes, it's a working vacation, but it's doing the work that I actually want to do...what could be better than that?

A sad day for geeks

Apparently Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax has died at the age of 69. He was apparently in bad health after suffering multiple strokes and heart attacks.

D&D is basically responsible for all of the RPGs that came later, and has given me many hours of enjoyment over the years.

If I can find more information, I'll post it...

Whatifers

Tyree Campbell of Sam's Dot Publishing has posted a rant...er...a commentary on the current election situation here in America. You can read his rant...er...commentary in his Tuppence at The Fifth Di...

Tyree, much like me, is arguing that the Democrats and Republicans no longer represent the people of America, and that it's time for us to take back our government. Like me, Tyree is arguing that we should be voting for third party candidates...and before anyone says it's just throwing away our vote, if enough people do it, we can send a wake up call to the powers that are, letting them know that the people want change (and not Obama change). Already at local levels third party candidates are becoming a force, and we now need to take this to the national level.

I agree with much of Tyree's rant...er...commentary, except that I disagree with voting Reform or Libertarian. I say vote Green all the way!

The Green Party

An Amazon review

Marva Dasef posted an Amazon review of Seedlings on the Solar Winds. She really seemed to enjoy the book.

Cyberpunk? Really? I'll have to give that some thought...

The missile test

So, the US shot one of its own satellites with a Navy missile to protect us all from the dangerous fuel. Now, does anyone really believe this was the reason, or are you like me and think it was some macho stunt by the current adminstration basically saying that "Ours is bigger than yours!"

I really can't wait for January so we can get these idiots out of office...granted, I'm not really impressed with the next possible presidents, but at least they're not Bush and his cronies...

Eclipse

It was supposed to be cloudy here in the Denver area tonight, but it's cleared up enough that I was able to watch the eclipse. This was probably the sixth or seventh total lunar eclipse that I've seen, but I still think they're cool every time. This one was the darkest and most purple that I've ever seen, which made it different than what I was expecting.

As I'm watching the eclipses, I always like to think of what it might be like on another planet to watch an eclipse. What would it be like on Jupiter (somewhere in the upper layer of clouds) if you could watch any of the Jovians eclipse the sun. I remember seeing a recent piece of space porn that I think was a solar eclipse caused by Titan. I'll have to see if I can find it, then I'll post it here...

Anyone else catch the eclipse tonight?

You can now order stories from me

I've now made it possible for you to order individual stories from my website. Simply go to http://www.jalanerwine.com/stories/index.htm and you can order stories in groups of three or five. It's $2 for three stories or $3 for five stories. The stories will be delivered to your e-mail box as PDF files.

Promoting your favorite author

David Louis Edelman has a great blog today about the do's and dont's of helping to promote your favorite author.

I'd strongly suggest everyone read it...and then of course follow the do's for my books....

The Locus Awards

Tyree and J continue to tilt at windmills. This time we're thinking it would be worth the effort to try and get some nominations for the Locus Awards. These are annual awards that are put together by Locus Magazine. You can think of them as the number three awards behind the Hugos and Nebulas.

The good news is that you don't have to be a member of anything. You just have to fill out their ballot, making sure to use a real name and a real e-mail address. This is a very reputable magazine, so they aren't going to spam you if you give them your e-mail address.

All you have to do is go to https://secure.locusmag.com/2008/2008PollAndSurvey.html and fill out the ballot. For the titles we're about to recommend, you have to fill in the blank spaces, and be sure to fill them in just as the drop down menus are done.

Here are our recommendations...

BEST SF NOVEL:
The Dog at the Foot of the Bed by Tyree Campbell
The Guardner's Tale by Bruce Boston
The Poet by James Baker

BEST FANTASY NOVEL:
The Deadwalk, by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

BEST NOVELLA:
Living Stone by Edward Cox
Tales of Weupp: Little People Must Surrender, by Ralan Conley

BEST SHORT STORY:
Oh, Mallary by Rick Novy The Martian Wave
The Quinx Solution by Tyree Campbell The Martian Wave
416175 by Laura Sanger Kelly Aoife's Kiss
Siren of Rain by Edward Cox Between Kisses
Singer by Melissa Mead Hungur Magazine

BEST MAGAZINE:
Aoife's Kiss
Beyond Centauri
Illumen
Hungur
Sounds of the Night

BEST PUBLISHER:
Sam's Dot Publishing
Nomadic Delirium Press
Bedazzled Ink
LBF Books

BEST ANTHOLOGY:
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 7 edited by J Alan Erwine
Potter's Field 2 edited by Cathy Buburuz

BEST SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION:
Seedlings on the Solar Winds by J Alan Erwine
A Nice Girl Like You by Tyree Campbell
Like Birds in the Rain by Marge Simon

BEST EDITOR:
Tyree Campbell
J Alan Erwine
Terrie Leigh Relf
Cathy Buburuz
David Lee Summers

BEST ARTIST:
Laura Givens
Cathy Buburuz
Mitchell Davidson Bentley
Lawrence Hollien
Marge Simon

Happy birthday Jules Verne

Along with H.G. Wells, Jules Verne is basically responsible for helping to create the field of science fiction. Verne is responsible for creating what would be modern hard SF, and writers like David Brin, Greg Bear, Mike Brotherton, and others owe him a debt of gratitude. I don't know if these writers were directly influenced by Verne's writing, but it was Verne that paved the way for the development of hard SF.

Wells, on the other hand, is responsible for creating what we consider soft SF, and as a writer, I owe him more of a debt of gratitude than I do to Verne, but I still love to read a good hard SF story, and some day, I hope to write a few as well.

I know that I read Verne when I was younger, but I honestly don't remember which of his books I've read, but I know he helped to get me into science fiction, and so I wish him what would be a happy 180th birthday.

On a personal note, today is also my dad's birthday, and since he reads this blog occasionally, I'll say happy birthday here...and remind him that at least Verne would be a few years older than he is...........

Romney's out

He said he was in it for the long haul, and now he's not anymore. What does it mean? Maybe it's true that he wants to help unify the party against the democrats, but in my very bitter and cynical view of politics, I'd say it means that either the GOP or McCain has promised him the VP spot on the ticket.

I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I was right!

My thoughts on Super Tuesday

Well, Super Tuesday has come and gone. The Republican race looks much clearer now, and the Democratic race hasn't even started to sort itself out. I didn't take part in Super Tuesday here in Colorado. As a registered independent, I wasn't able to participate in either caucus.

The results of Super Tuesday really weren't what's important to me. After all, anyone who reads this blog knows that I see both the Republican party and the Democratic party as parts of the same evil that now haunts the United States. I'm always encouraging people to vote third party and help us break the stranglehold the two main powers have over We the People.

So, my main interest is in the way the media has portrayed this thing. I haven't seen much national news lately, so instead I'll focus on some of the analysis from local "experts."

Many people are saying that a lot can be said for what will happen in November based on what we saw on Tuesday. They point to the fact that Colorado has a slightly higher population of registered Republicans as opposed to Democrats, and yet significantly more Dems turned out to vote. The experts say that this shows that a Democratic candidate could take Colorado this year.

I think there are two important factors they're missing. First, if Hillary gets the nomination, almost every Republican will turn out to vote for McCain, whether they agree with him or not. Second, fully a third of registered voters in Colorado are registered as Independents. We will be the ones to have the final say in November, and nothing in Super Tuesday can predict how we will vote. Granted, my vote won't make a difference because I won't vote for either party. I'm done with them, but other Independents will make a difference, and this is something the mainstream media has tended to ignore...or should I say marginalize? The people who aren't committed to one party or the other have a chance to make a big difference in this election, and now that Nader has thrown his name back in the ring, things have become even more confusing. And I'm sure there are a lot of Dems out there who are upset with him because they blame him and the Green Party for giving the 2000 election to Bush...but let's face it, if the Democratic party still believed as it used to, liberals and progressives wouldn't be looking for an alternative...

January's over

The month started out with that horrible bronchial thing I had going. I'm still coughing occasionally, and when I walk in the cold, I can still feel a bit of heaviness in my chest. I also worked a lot of strange hours at the job that's worse than death, so it's kept me a little off balance all month.

No story sales to report for January, but that's not much of a surprise. I only have a few stories circulating, since I've spent the last couple of years mostly working on novels. And on the novel front, I'm working my way through revisions on A Problem in Translation, and I hope to have them done in the next week or two, at which point I will begin the search for an agent...it might take me a few weeks to write that all important query letter...I really hate those things. Once those are done, it will be time for a major re-write on the new novel. There's a lot I really like about the book, but it still needs TONS of work.

Book sales are still trickling in, and at The Genre Mall Seedlings and Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 7 both made the Bestsellers list for January...which means that maybe I can treat myself to a fast food dinner one of these nights.

It's just a rock folks

There's been a lot of talk lately about the picture released by NASA of what looks like a Martian reclining on a rock...



I've got news for you folks. It's just a wind-shaped rock. The human eye has a tendancy to want to put familiar forms into anything we see. That's why we see patterns in clouds and in ink blots. This is just the same thing. There aren't humanoid Martians hanging out on the surface of Mars waiting for our rovers to drive by...nor is there a human face on Mars as so many people thought after the early Mars missions.

If, and it's a big if, there is life on Mars, it is probably microbial, or maybe small microbial colonies, and it would be beneath the surface where the UV won't destroy it.

Search inside Seedlings

Amazon now has it set up so that you can search inside of my new short story collection before you decide to buy a copy...and you know you want to buy one...

Simply go to http://www.amazon.com/Seedlings-Solar-Winds-other-stories/dp/0980170303/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1201198135&sr=11-1 and have a look around.

And if you don't want to go through Amazon, you can have your local bookstore order a copy by using the ISBN: 978-0-9801703-0-6.

More stories at Anthology Builder

I now have six stories available through Anthology Builder.

They are...

The Galton Principle
In a fascist state ruled by eugenics, one young man realizes he's not as perfect as he thinks...nor is his society.

Lowering One's Self Before Fate
No one ever really knew what happened during the massacre at Kira Len until the day the story mysteriously "appeared."

Who Listens to the Voices of the Past?
When humanity discovers a new sentient, but "less-developed" species on a new planet, will they make the same mistakes that were made when Europeans came to the Americas?

The Opium of the People
When the radical Christian Right seizes control of the American government, one man is forced to make decisions he never thought himself capable of.

Seedlings on the Solar Winds
One man is driven to madness by what everyone else says are imaginary voices in his head...but are they just imaginary?

Living in the Styx
One family is driven to the brink of madness by odd events in their lives, but are the events real, or are they only in their minds?

The site let's you put together your own collection with your own cover, and the book will be uniquely yours, so what are you waiting for?

A scary man

I'll be the first to admit that George Dubya Chimp scares the hell out of me, but comments by Mike Huckabee in Michigan recently have really worried me. He basically has said that he thinks it's ok to amend the US Constitution to better fit with the Bible. Never mind the fact that God isn't even mentioned in the Constitution. Never mind the fact that we're supposed to have separation of church and state in this country, this man wants to bring us one step closer to a theocracy.

He's a very scary man...please don't vote for him!

Read more, and see his comments

Anthology Builder

I'd read about the site Anthology Builder on several blogs, and I've finally had a chance to check it out for myself. The basic idea behind the site is that a reader can go there and chose from a variety of stories and build their own anthology, which comes to them as a print trade paperback. I think it's a great utilization of POD technology.

For a reader, they can pick and chose exactly what they want to read. They can chose from established writers and newer writers, thus trying out a new author without having to pick up an entire anthology from that person.

For writers, it's yet another way to expose people to your writing. The royalties aren't great, so if you're hoping to get rich from this site, it's not going to happen...but then most of us that write really aren't hoping to get rich...we're a little too realistic for that. Still, if someone happens to pick one of your stories, and they like it, they may pick up one of your books...exposure is great.

With all of this in mind, I sent them my story "The Galton Principle," and they've accepted it, so you can now build an anthology with one of my stories. What could be better than picking that story from Poe that you like so much, and including "The Galton Principle" as well. Like I said, it's a way to try and get more exposure.

Over the next few days, I'm going to send them some more of my stuff...maybe they'll want to include that as well.

For now, check out the site...then build your own anthology featuring some of my stories...

An update

I've been a little quiet here lately, so I thought I'd post an update on what's going on.

The bronchial bug I had seems to be in retreat now, although I'm still hacking crap up...that will probably go on for a while. My lungs were pretty thick and heavy during the worst of it.

Sales on Seedlings on the Solar Winds have been a bit sluggish, but that's kind of to be expected with a small press book. I have several review copies out, so if I can get a good review from a major source, it should help sell some copies...and if you want to buy a copy for yourself, there are links on the left side of this blog.

I filled out my application to be a panelist at Denvention3 today...that's WorldCon. I realize that the odds are kind of slim given the kind of talent that will be there, but I had to at least take a chance. I can only imagine what it would be like to do panels at WorldCon...assuming my anxiety about speaking in front of people didn't overwhelm me!

Having been sick, I've mostly been focusing on the big things that I need to do, and a lot of smaller things have fallen through the cracks, but I'm starting to get caught up on them. Unfortunately, I have to go back to the job that's worse than death tomorrow at 5 a.m., so I'll start falling behind again. I really hate that place!

I haven't been doing much writing lately. I've decided that I'm going to do another round of revisions on A Problem in Translation, and then start circulating it among some agents. Once that's done, I'll start on the revisions of the newest novel...the one with global climate change at the core of the story...sorry, Jim...you might not want to read that one if I find a publisher for it.

Now that I'm feeling better, I'm hoping to start blogging more. I have some writing stuff built up in my brain, and I have a lot of political stuff running through my head that needs to be expressed...look out President Chimp, you're going to be a blog target again very soon!

The Hugos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM SAM'S DOT PUBLISHING:

We realize that the odds of this working are pretty slim, but we here at Sam's Dot have always prided ourselves on tilting at windmills.

Since many of our readers and contributors will be attending WorldCon in Denver this year, we've decided to make an effort to get ourselves on the Hugo ballot. Anyone who is a current member of the Con, or who becomes a member by the end of January is eligible to nominate for the Hugos, and we feel we should be represented in three categories.

If you're interested in nominating Sam's Dot titles and people, we ask that you follow these nominations:

FANZINE:
Aoife's Kiss
Beyond Centauri
Illumen
Hungur
Sounds of the Night

FAN WRITER:
Tyree Campbell
J Alan Erwine
David Lee Summers
Ken Goldman
Lawrence Dagstine

FAN ARTIST:
Laura Givens
Cathy Buburuz
Mitchell Davidson Bentley
Lawrence Hollien
Marge Simon

If you haven't purchased your membership yet, you can buy it at http://www.denvention3.org

Thank you for all of your support over the years, and please feel free to repost this like crazy!

The P&E Poll

I really hadn't planned on participating in this year's Preditors & Editors Poll. In the past, they've had numerous problems with it, and don't even get me started on the debacle that was last year's poll...but I just got an e-mail from someone saying that they'd nominated me in several categories, so I guess I'll try to garner some votes.

I'm nominated in several categories as both a writer and an editor, so just look for my name and vote. Also, please feel free to vote for anything nominated from Nomadic Delirium Press or Sam's Dot Publishing...they're good people. I also noticed that Laura Given's cover for Seedlings on the Solar Winds was also nominated in a couple of places, and she was nominated as best artist...so vote for her too.

The address is http://critters.org/predpoll.

Happy New Years

I just wanted to pop in and say Happy New Years to everyone. I'm still battling this nasty virus, so hopefully I'll get back to more frequent posting after the New Year.

As for my celebration, I'm going to take Ny-Quil and go to bed early. I feel like crap, and I have to be at work at 7 a.m., so it would be stupid for me to try and stay up...

Happy holidays

I'm about to go off to the girlfriend's to do the Xmas thing, but I thought I'd drop in briefly to wish all of you a happy...whatever you celebrate. While I'm gone, enjoy a couple of Weird Al Xmas videos...

Falling behind

The annual Carl Sagan Blog-a-thon recently happened, and I really wanted to participate, but with the book release, and the fact that I'm battling some nasty virus that just won't leave me alone, I simply ran out of time. Maybe after the holidays I'll post some thoughts on what Carl Sagan meant to me.

If you want to read my post from last year, it's here.

It's here!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM NOMADIC DELIRIUM PRESS:


Today is the official release date of Seedlings on the Solar Winds!!!

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 collection from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine.

Seedlings on the Solar Winds contains sixteen stories that will have readers question what reality really is, and wondering what the future of humanity might be.

"J Alan Erwine is a master at placing believable characters into plausible, and often dark, futures. In the process, he unflinchingly explores what is both base and noble about humanity." - David Lee Summers, editor Tales of the Talisman and author of Heirs of the New Earth.

"...Erwine always presents a banquet of plots and characters [not all of them human], generously seasoned with pith. You can relish him as the main course in your reading, or save him for dessert..." - Tyree Campbell, author of Nyx and The Dog at the Foot of the Bed.


Contains the stories:
The Opium of the People
Sad Grey Eyes on Tharsis
Sim-Shrink
Origins
A Chronic Mistake
Reality
A Singular Solution
Out of Plato's Cave
Lost in the Dark
The Limit of Tolerance
On the Word of Ancients
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
Living in the Styx
The Ancient Ones
The Mind of the Cat
Entropy

Order from us

Order from Amazon.com

You can also get your local bookstore to order the book by using the ISBN 978-0-9801703-0-6. They can order through Ingrams or Baker & Taylor.

Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 7

It's finally here. Sam's Dot has announced the release of our annual best of anthology Wondrous Web Worlds, which just happens to be edited by me...

The annual Wondrous Web Worlds series presents the very best science fiction, fantasy, and horror published online at Sam's Dot Publishing, and includes two dozen selections from The Martian Wave, The Fifth Di..., and Aoife's Kiss. The material in this seventh in the series deals with some of the fundamental questions raised in the genres.
What happens when you go mad from loneliness on Mars? If extra-terrestrials eat terrestrials, should you bring one back to Earth? Is it time to move on when you can't even entertain a rag-tag bunch of robots? What are the benefits of DIY terraforming?
Come experience the literary potential of zombies, and learn why the Bone Slayer needed help against the skeletile, and discover the true purpose of biwigglies out Alpha Centauri way.
You'll find some of the finest names in the genres between these covers: Richard S. Levine, Wendy Leeds, Marva Dasef, Tyree Campbell, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Keith P. Graham, Karen A. Romanko, and many more!
Home For Supper by Tyree Campbell
Alone on a Lake on Mars by Cathy Buburuz
An Asteroid By Any Other Name by David Lee Summers
Future Fourth by Bruce Boston
To Sit in Judgment by Amanda M. Hayes
Devoted by Julie Shiel
A Comic on Phobos by Richard S. Levine
First Tree on the Moon by s.c. virtes
Just a Kid by Derek J. Goodman
This Old Earth by Karen A. Romanko
Bone Slayer by Wendy Leeds
Zombies on a Roll by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Fish Story by Marva Dasef
Final Days by Aurelio Rico Lopez III
In the Mind of the Beholder by David Puro
The Raw Princess by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Unplugged by Keith P. Graham
Martian Vespers by Theodora Fair
Farewell, My Droidy by Karen A. Romanko
Judas Rising by Elizabeth Barrette
Geow-lud-mo-sis-eg by Jane Mitchell
Heart by Jaime Lee Moyer

Order from The Genre Mall

For my Atheist friends

This had me laughing out loud almost to the point of hysterics. This is, of course, a classic image, but look carefully for the one significant change.

If you're a believer, maybe you should move on to the next post...

Things to do...things to do...

I'm still trying to work on that pirate story I was asked to write. I'm having a lot of trouble with it...as in I haven't even started. I've made some notes, but nothing really grabs me as far as what I'd want to write about. I think the real problem is that the idea of space pirates doesn't appeal to me that much. Still, the editor who asked me to contribute has done a lot for me, so I fell like I should write the story for him. I know if I told him I just couldn't do it, he probably wouldn't care, but I feel like I owe him...even if he doesn't feel that way.

I finally heard back from a certain New York publisher about my novel A Problem in Translation. They apologized for the delay, and they said "Thanks, but no thanks." I think I really need to face the reality that I should be shopping the manuscript to agents and not publishers. So, I've decided that I'm going to go back through and do some revising on it, and then start looking for an agent.

I also need to start on the revisions for (working title) Red Moon Rising. That's going to be a major re-write for the second draft and will probably have me pulling my hair out before I'm half way through the revisions.

I also have the release of Seedlings on the Solar Winds coming up on Dec. 22nd, which means that I have a lot of promotional stuff to do...although I may have already lined up my first signing for the book.

Then of course, there's the "real" job, the holidays, one of my best friends moving, and a dozen other things I don't even have time to think about.

I always say that I like being busy...but maybe I'm getting a little carried away.

And I almost forgot to mention that the new edition of Wondrous Web Worlds, which I edited, will also be released next week...more promotion...

Writing humor

Thanks to Tyree Campbell for sending this my way...

We have a book

Nomadic Delirium Press has announced a special pre-sale on my new short story collection, Seedlings on the Solar Winds. Up until the release date of Dec. 22nd, the book is just $7.99 with no shipping charges. The normal list price will be $12.99.

Want a description...

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 collection from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine.
Seelings on the Solar Winds contains sixteen stories that will have readers question what reality really is, and wondering what the future of humanity might be.
"J Alan Erwine is a master at placing believable characters into plausible, and often dark, futures. In the process, he unflinchingly explores what is both base and noble about humanity." - David Lee Summers, editor Tales of the Talisman and author of Heirs of the New Earth.
"...Erwine always presents a banquest of plots and characters [not all of them human], generously seasoned with pith. You can relish him as the main course in your reading, or save him for dessert..." - Tyree Campbell, author of Nyx and The Dog at the Foot of the Bed.

For ordering info, click on the title of this entry...that will take you right to the Nomadic Delirium Press website.

Visualization of the Orion Nebula

If you're an astronomy geek like me, you'll probably love this video...

The cover

Nothing has been finalized yet, but here's an early look at the cover for my new short story collection...

The Title

There was no clear cut winner in my quest to put the title of the new collection to a vote, so I've decided to go with one of my favorites. The title will be Seedlings on the Solar Winds and other stories. I think it fits me and my writing pretty well.

We should have an actual book in hand by the end of the year. Once I have it, I'll post ordering info...

Title for the new collection

Almost all of the responses I've gotten back about naming my new collection have said that I should use the title of one of the stories. So, I thought I'd open it up for voting and debate on my blogs and on my LJ account. No guarantee that I'll use the winning title, but I would like to hear what people think is catchy, because let's face it, I want to sell books!

There are going to be sixteen stories in the collection. I've ruled out the use of The Opium of the People as the title, since that's the name of my novel, but below you will see the other possibilities. Please feel free to comment with what you think is the best title...

Sad Grey Eyes on Tharsis
Sim-Shrink
Origins
A Chronic Mistake
Reality
A Singular Solution
Out of Plato's Cave
Lost in the Dark
The Limit of Tolerance
On the Word of Ancients
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
Living in the Styx
The Ancient Ones
The Mind of the Cat
Entropy

Cover art

Still talking about the new collection here. We've been discussing cover art with the artist, Laura Givens, who will be doing the new cover. Laura did the cover for The Opium of the People, and she had a suggestion for the new cover. In the past, I've done some "modeling" for her, and she suggested using something with me for the cover.

In some ways, I liked this idea, especially with the way she presented it, but at the same time, it seems like the height of arrogance to put yourself on the cover of your own book! What do you think.

I've also been looking at her space art, and I really love it, and I'm thinking I might want to use something like that. You can check out her work at http://www.lauragivens-artist.com/.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on all of this...thanks for reading...

Titles

I'm working on putting together a new short story collection, and I've been thinking a lot about titles. My first two collections were Lowering One's Self Before Fate, and other stories and Marionettes on the Moon, and other stories. In both cases, I used one of the stories in the collection as the main title, but I'm not sure if I want to go that route this time.

So, I thought I'd throw it out for discussion, what sounds better to a reader...a title incorporating one of the stories, something that tries to sum up the theme (although there really isn't one), or something a little more random.

Your feedback is valued...

Nomadic Delirium Press' Holiday Sale

From now until Christmas, NDP has reduced the price on The Opium of the People and Marionettes on the Moon. You can get one for $9.99 and the other for $5.95...and even better, there's no shipping & handling on either title!

Click on the title of this entry to go to the special sale page...

John Scalzi visits the Creation Museum

Fellow author and rationalist John Scalzi recently paid a visit to the newly opened Creation Museum. He has an extremely detailed report about it on his blog. Click on the title of this entry to check it out.

In reading through his report, I have to admit that I think I'd be on the ground laughing before I was finished with the second room. Some of the things these people are trying to push on people as science are a joke. For example, there were dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden and they were all herbivores before Adam ate of the apple. I just have this image of Adam and Even with their fig leafs chilling with a T-Rex. Absurd.

It's a great post from John, however, and he tries to examine the "museum" with as open of a mind as he could possibly have.

A blast from the past

I was doing a Google search of my name...I do it to look for reviews of my work...no, really I do...when I came across an old article I had written for the very first Halloween issue of Expressions Newsletter. This was many, many, many, many years ago. Since it's about writing, I thought I'd share it with my blog readers...

WRITING'S HORRORS

By J Alan Erwine



The door creaks open slowly as you turn the key, knowing that what you don't want to see is there. You take a deep breath as you reach in, hand trembling slightly. Suddenly, breath held in terror, you pull out that which you feared. It's a manila envelope, and it feels thick. Your story is back with a rejection.

All of us have felt this at one time or another...some of us have experienced it so many times, we're now immune to the feeling. So, what do you do?

What you don't do is write the editor telling him or her how you feel about them and their entire lineage. That's a sure-fire way to get yourself black-balled from that publication, and possibly many others. Remember, a lot of editors know a lot of other editors! The only thing you really can do is read the rejection letter, take what you can from it, make any changes to the story you need to, and send it back out. Then, you sit back and wait for the cold sweat to return again as you wait for the next time you're going to stick your hand in that mailbox.

Something that's very important to remember is that editors aren't evil demons sitting behind a desk waiting to reject you, your story, and your progeny (at least, most of them aren't.) An editor is just a person whose doing a job that they hopefully enjoy. Their main goal is to put out a quality product, and as such, they can be your best friend...or at least someone who can help you.

One thing many authors fear is the cover letter. When you write the cover letter, the most important thing is to let a bit of your personality show through. Don't send a letter that sounds as stale as last month's bread. Your cover letter reflects your abilities as a writer, and some publishers don't get past the cover letter. If you don't grab them right away, get ready for rejection.

By the same token, don't try to oversell the story. Don't tell the editor that the story they're about to read is the greatest masterpiece since Hemingway. Nobody likes a braggart, and if you're like 99.999% of the writers out there, your story will not be better than Hemingway.

Give a simple sentence on what the story is about, and why you wrote it, but like I said earlier, let your personality show through. If you don't have one, go to a costume shop and rent one.

The biggest fear of any writer, and you won't realize this until it happens to you, comes about when your wonderful story comes out, and it's been completely butchered by the editor. I speak from personal experience as one of, what I consider my best stories, had this very thing happen to it. There were numerous typos, and even two paragraphs left out. They weren't necessarily important paragraphs...it was only the climax of the story.

What do you do when this happens? Rant and rave, but don't kick the cat or dog...they will get even! Then, you sit down and write a polite letter to the editor. Keep all the anger inside because it's not going to help any. If they don't do anything to correct the problem to your satisfaction, don't ever submit to that publisher again.

In my case, the publication folded before they put out another issue. I'd like to say that I didn't take joy in that, but I'm only human.

I could go on about avoiding ghoulish publishers, but maybe that will be for another issue. For now, remember that as an aspiring author, you're going to encounter more tricks than treats early on, but once you start receiving those treats, they're better than anything you can imagine.

I've found another way to waste some time

I recently joined a site called Goodreads.com. It's a site for readers and authors both. I, of course, signed up as an author. If you want to check out their website, you can find it at http://www.goodreads.com. It doesn't seem anywhere as annoying as MySpace, so you don't have to be worried about that.

If you do join, please feel free to add me by going to my profile.

In other news, I've just finished seven straight days at the place worse than hell. I'm looking forward to a couple of days off!!!

Aargh! I be writin a pirate story...

I was recently asked to contribute a story to a science fiction pirate anthology. This is a new type of venture for me. I've written stories about criminals in the past, but never pirates. I've never really given much thought to space pirates. I've always thought of it as a possibility, but I've never thought of it as something I'd want to write about.

However, the editor has always treated me very fairly, so I figured I should at least give it a shot. There's no guarantee of acceptance, but I'll write the best damn story I can come up with. Since this is something I'm a little blind and dumb about as I go into it, I've decided to try to put together some kind of outline for how I want the story to work. This isn't my normal writing style, but I've used it successfully in the past, so we shall see...

Rough draft is done...more or less...

I've just typed the last word, "water," in the rough draft of the new novel. The book came out much shorter than I'd hoped, mostly because I deleted an entire section halfway through. It just didn't fit with the rest of the novel. I have, however, come up with a new sub-plot that I'll introduce. I just haven't decided yet if I'm going to go back and put it in this draft, or just work it into the second draft.

That plus adding in all of the description that I tended to leave out should give me the word length I need.

All I know is that I'm happy to be done! Now I'll take a break from the manuscript for a few weeks, and attack it with a fresh perspective later.

Big Brother Jared is spying on me

I was just noticing that someone in the last hour or so did a search on this little blog for the term "Subway." I can only assume that this would be one of my bosses or co-workers...so, hi, whoever you are. I know you've been here, and I'll be watching for you again...

I've done my civic duty

I mailed in my ballot for this year's election today. Democracy in action!

Granted, I live in a very small town, and there were actually only two things on the ballot, but I voted nevertheless. Voting is the most important thing we as Americans can do, and so I've done my part.

The LOL cats meet Star Trek

MileHiCon artist guest of honor and crazy man Frank Wu has been combining the LOL cats with Star Trek on his LiveJournal. If you click on the title of this entry, it will take you over to his journal. You can scroll through his entries and read them. Some of them are hilarious.

If you've never watched Star Trek, you won't get them, but since there are so many SF geeks and cat freaks who read this blog, I thought I'd pass it along.

Now, back to work for me...

Catching up

I've spent the last few days trying to get caught up. I went back to work on Tuesday, and we were very busy. Today I had to finish the Sam's Dot update, which is now up, and I've been trying to get everything else done that I need to get done.

I've done a little writing, but not as much as I'd like.

Expect more comment from me here once I get a a few (or five or six) thousand words written...

Final wrap-up of MileHiCon

Well, it's probably not the final wrap up, since I'm sure I'll have more to say about specific things that happened. So, what were the highlights of the weekend?

I was really happy to finally get a chance to meet Tony Ruggiero. After all the years of exchanging e-mails, it was nice to actually get to talk to him in person, and to reflect on what Jim meant to both of us.

Meeting Frank Wu, was just like, really cool! Too bad the Rockies didn't get their Glory and Redemption. Frank was a great character, and he really livened up the Con. I won't ever forget before the masquerade they gave him this very large glow stick so he could see the ballots...between his absolute amazement that he could make the colors flash and his decision to use it as a light sabre, we were all very amused.

It was great to see old friends that I hadn't seen in a while like Mike D'Ambrosio, Maggie Bonham, Carol Hightshoe, and all the rest. And it was also great to meet a lot of new people, including people I'd only known through MySpace. Yes, the networking actually works!

I learned a lot, and I always enjoy a chance to speak to the fans...not necessarily mine...but fans of SF.

There was one thing that I walked away with a negative feeling on...and this is one of those personal sections that I never post about, so feel free to skip to the pictures if you'd like. Throughout the Con, and especially as it drew to a close, I realized how great it would be to have someone to share it with. In general, I like being alone, but there are times when it might be nice to have someone else...but enough of the emotional drivel.

ON TO PICTURES...


The small press panel


Selling books at my signing


From the Masquerade


Before my reading


My reading with Rebecca Rowe

There are more pictures posted at http://www.jalanerwine.com/milehicon39.htm

MileHiCon Day 3

MileHiCon has now come and gone, and I feel like it flew by. This year's Con was a very good time, but I have to admit that by not staying at the hotel, I feel like I missed out on a lot. Next year, I will hopefully stay the entire weekend...although with WorldCon here in August, I'm going to have to sell a lot of copies of The Opium of the People, and my other books, in order to make it work.

Before I get into day 3, there was one thing I failed to mention about day 2. I had the opportunity on a couple of different occasions to talk to Tony Ruggiero. Tony had been publishing with ProMart Publishing when I first started out as a writer, and then I published a couple of his stories when I started editing for ProMart. In a lot of ways, James Baker, the founder of ProMart, was as instrumental in starting Tony's career as he was in starting mine. I hadn't realized that Tony had actually dedicated his short story collection to Jim. We talked a lot about how much Jim had meant to both of us, even though neither of us actually met the man.

Anyway, on to day 3...I started out by going to the Guest of Honor Speeches, or the Frank Wu and Friends Show as many of us were thinking of it. I like the fact that unlike a lot of Cons, MileHiCon just lets the guests talk about whatever they want. Frank used his time...well, actually it wasn't his time, but he talked about how baseball is like life, and the importance of "Glory and Redemption." Believe me, if you'd been at the speeches, you'd be laughing your asses off right about now...

Frank later went on to talk about microbes in space, while the other guests talked about more mundane things. Ed Bryant, who is a brilliant individual, and has his own quiet sense of humor, made a great foil for Frank. I think they should take the show on the road.

I then went to a panel about SF pirates. It's normally not my kind of thing, but David Lee Summers is doing an anthology on the subject, and he's invited me to contribute...so I figured I should find out a little on the subject. Unfortunately, I thought the panel was very one sided, with one person hogging most of the spotlight, and with way too much feedback from the audience. I'd have to say that Con audiences are great because they love their subject matter so much, and because they really are interested in what people in the field have to say...but sometimes I think they get a bit too exuberant in their desire to participate. Still, con guests are some of the best people in the world!!!!

After the pirates panel, it was off to do my reading. I read two different section from The Opium of the People. I'd have to say that I don't think the audience was ready. The other author with me was Rebecca Rowe, and I could literally hear her cringing at some of the imagery I used. Yes, one of the scenes I read was the torture scene from early in the novel. Rebecca then read a Halloween short story, which was very enjoyable. She's a brilliant writer, and I see big things in her future.

After the reading, I decided to go to a panel about cover art. My main reason for wanting to do this was because Frank Wu and Laura Givens were both on the panel. Given their, shall we say vibrant personalities, I figured the universe wouldn't be able to handle the excitement. It was definitely a great panel. Unfortunately, Frank had to leave early because he had tickets to this little baseball game here in Denver, and he was hoping that the Rockies would find "Glory and Redemption." After he left, Laura and the other panelist, Deb Taber, forged on and I thought they did a great presentation. Deb is the art director for Apex Digest and Laura is the art director for Tales of the Talisman. Both of them really knew their stuff and did a great job of explaining what works and what doesn't work.

I will have a wrap-up of the Con a bit later. I'm dead tired and can barely think straight...which means it must have been a GREAT con!!!