The real losers in this election

The ballots have been cast, and the votes have been counted. The media has told us who the winners are and who the losers are, but I'd like to take a moment to tell you who the real losers in this election are. It's actually a very simple answer...go look in a mirrror. That's right America, you and me, the American people are the real losers in this election.

Of the two main candidates for president, I do believe that the lesser of two evils won. I think we will be better off with Obama than we would have been with McCain, but I still don't think we're in good shape.

The simple reason for this is that both the Democrats and the Republicans are owned by big business, and it's big business that makes the decisions for these politicians. Whether it's the Republicans and the oil companies, or the Democrats and the pharmaceutical companies, these people are more interested in doing what is best for major corporations and for their own political careers than they are in doing what is right for the American people...the people who put them in power.

The system is stacked to favor the two party system. If you don't believe me, just look into what a third party candidate has to do to get on the ballot in most states. And forget about media coverage (which is what generally governs the American view of the world.) The media is too closely tied to the major parties to ever let a third party candidate get the kind of coverage needed to mount a serious charge. Have you ever wondered why you didn't see a Green or Libertarian candidate in the debates? Simple. The debates are owned and operated by the two major parties...thus locking out any chance for a third party candidate.

As long as we continue to have a corporate democracy as opposed to a representative democracy, it will be the American people who continue to suffer. So, in future elections, please consider the possibility of voting for a third party candidate.

Having said all of this, I offer my hearty congratulations to President-elect Obama. Of the two, I'm glad it's him. I hope he can restore some of the America that has been destroyed by the current administration, and I certainly hope that he will bring about some racial healing in this country...something that is still badly needed.

An entry about writing

And finally, an entry without pictures...

While at MileHiCon last week, I moderated a panel about getting inside the minds of non-human characters. It was a great panel...one of the best I've ever done...and it gave me a lot of ideas for the novelization of my short story A Problem in Translation.

So, earlier this week, I started on the revisions. Right now I'm just making notes on the manuscript itself, but soon I'll be back at the keyboard, and hopefully it will be good enough to sell...to a major market...

Halloween

Last night was my first Halloween as a dad. I think what struck me more than anything is the surprising number of people that don't give out candy. I can remember being a kid and going around one or two blocks and coming home with the mother lode of candy. But last night we had to drive around a lot just to find streets where people were actually giving out candy.

The kids still did well, because let's face it, they really don't need too much candy. I was also struck by the amount of candy that we threw out. Rebecca and I were both very cautious and we threw out anything that looked even slightly suspicious.

This year, the girls went as a bride and a unicorn...even though the unicorn had wings, which struck me as odd. We finally decided it was a pegicorn.

MileHiCon pics

Obviously I'm trying to get caught up on blogging tonight...

Here are some pics from last weekend's MileHiCon.

The Getting into the Minds of Non-Humans Panel
(picture courtesy of Ian Brazee-Cannon)


The girls made masks...



Then they got to go to make costumes out of scrap...




Then all of the kids got to pose with a working R2 unit...

The neighborhood

From previous posts, you've probably gathered that we live in an area that's rich in wildlife, even though we're still in the city. The other night as we were coming home, we came across three very large raccoons, who didn't seem to be the least bit afraid of people...and the other day while I was on my way to a job interview, I heard a rustling sound coming from the dry canal that runs close to us. I walked over to investigate, and there was a very large coyote strolling through the canal. He looked up at me and started walking a little faster, but he didn't run from me.

Here are some pics I've taken over the last couple of months...

Why can't we be friends?

As many of you know when Rebecca and I moved in together, we each brought a cat. I brought Mosi, and she brought K.J. To say that the blending of this part of our family has not been very successful would be an understatement. K.J. has tried to make friends, but Mosi usually chases him or attacks him for no reason...although I'm sure she thinks there's a reason.

Still, sometimes they get along better than they want us to know. One day when Rebecca was taking a nap while I was working at my computer, I turned around and saw these...

I'm back from MileHiCon

I've survived another MileHiCon, and it was yet another great experience. This year's Con was a bit different for me because I brought the family with me. None of them had ever done anything like this...in fact, they didn't even know this kind of thing existed.

Rather than attending as many panels as I usually would, I did a lot of the kids track this year, and that was very fun and different for me.

As far as my programming, I started out Friday doing a panel on Dystopias/Utopias, which went pretty well. We batted around a lot of ideas, and had a lot of fun in the process.

On Saturday, I did a panel called Meet the Small Press. There was a lot of talk about e-books, which I really don't know much about, but I contributed on the topics that I could, and I plugged Nomadic Delirium Press and Sam's Dot Publishing as much as I could.

Sunday was a very full day for me. I started off with a signing, which actually went pretty well. I did a lot better than I thought I would. After that, I had a reading with Gary Jonas, but other than my family, there were only two other people in the audience, so it was a bit of a bust. My panels ended with a panel called Getting Inside the Head of Non-Human Characters. We had Tim Powers on the panel, and I imagine that, plus the interesting topic, left us with a standing room only audience. This was the first time I ever moderated a panel, and it went really well. We had some great discussions on the panel, plus some great questions from the audience towards the end of the panel.

And as always, I got to talk to a lot of people I've known for years, talk a lot about writing, and generally have a really good time.

The best thing about the Con was that the family really enjoyed it, and they want to go back for more...

Off to MileHiCon

I'm about to leave for the Con. If I have time, I'll post updates over the weekend, but it could be Monday before you hear anything more from me.

Hope you all have a great weekend?

I've done my part for democracy

I mailed in my ballot today, so I guess that means that I have every right to gripe about whatever the idiots in power do for the next several years.

In other news, the weather is definitely changing here. We're getting rain, thunder, lightning, wind, and steadily dropping temps. If this keeps up, we'll see a little snow by morning. Yay!!!

I have the best fiancee in the world

Normally I really hate my birthdays, but she made this one very special. She made a nice breakfast, a great dinner, and then an amazing cake with ice cream. On top of all of that, she got me tickets for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show here in Denver this December.

TSO is my favorite band, and I've been wanting to see them for years, but something has always interfered...now I'm going to get to see them!!!!!!!!

Busy, busy, busy

Things have been pretty hectic around here lately. On Saturday, we took the girls to the Pumpkin Festival that's just across the field from us. It was the coldest day we've had so far this season, and none of the women of the house seem to enjoy the cold. They had pumpkin chunking, master carvers, a hay ride, and lots of other stuff. It was a lot of fun, although the walk home seemed a lot longer when I was carrying both of the girls' pumpkins.

On Sunday, we went to The Wildlife Experience to talk to them about possibly hosting our wedding. We're both really excited about it, but we're still trying to figure out how we're going to come up with the deposit. Money won't be an issue after the first of the year, but it's a major issue right now, and we're both afraid that we might have to postpone the wedding. After talking with the representative, they let us take the girls around the museum for free...and they loved it.

Other than that, I'm still trying to find a job that will work around my limited schedule, still trying to write and edit when I can, and trying to adjust to family life.

I should also note that today I am officially 365 days away from 40, and I'm not thrilled about it. Rebecca is walking around the apartment with a big grin on her face, and I've seen her with bags that I'm not allowed to access, so obviously she's planning something. I guess that means I can't sit around and mope like I usually do...

When Living is a Crime

My story, When Living is a Crime has sold to Tales of the Talisman. It's set to appear in the September 2009 issue.

I'll be sure to remind you when the issue comes out...

My MileHiCon 40 schedule

It looks like I'm going to be nice and busy at MileHiCon 40. I have three panels, a reading, and a signing.

For those of you planning on attending, here's where you can find me:

Friday 3:00-4:00 Dystopias/Utopias Grand Mesa B-C

Saturday 3:45-5:00 Meet the Small Press Mesa Verde B

Sunday 11:00-Noon Signing Dealers' Room

Sunday Noon-1:00 Reading Mesa Verde C

Sunday 1:00-2:00 Getting Inside the Head of Non-Human Characters Wind River B

Hope to see a lot of you there. I will have some books with me, but it's always a good idea to get copies before the Con...just in case. For ordering info, go to http://www.jalanerwine.com.

Internet Issues

Earlier this week I had some major problems with my ISP...as a result, they've been dropped, and I'm currently on dial-up.

I should be back up with high-speed by the middle of the week, but until then, you can probably expect to hear very little from me because dial-up is enough to drive anyone batty...

700 billion dollars of BS

Our economy needs a bail-out of some kind...there's no doubt about that, but the plan being pushed by the Bush administration is a joke. There's no help for the common joe like you and me, so who does benefit?

The CEOs of these companies are going to get massive pay-offs...for basically doing a crappy job. I always thought quality work was supposed to be rewarded.

Let's face it, the current parties and their asinine policies are what has brought us to this point. Do we really think it's a good idea to continue to let them try to fix it?

If you're interested in reading part of the proposal, click here. Please pay special attention to the statement...

"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

If you feel like me, that there has to be something better than this, please contact your Congresspeople...not that I feel it will really do any good...

Contact your Representative

Contact your Senator

Trying to get back on track

I've been out of the loop for a few days now. For the last two weeks, I've had a bad bronchial infection and the worst sinus infection I could ever imagine. For the last four or five days, I haven't done much more than watch (or more precisely, listen) to TV. Normally I don't use covers when I sleep until it cools way done, but I've been curled up under three blankets, with a fiancee on one side and a cat on the other.

TV is quite disappointing. I've never been a big fan of the idiot box, but being forced to endure it because I couldn't keep my eyes open because of my swollen sinuses made me realize just how bad TV is, and just why our society is the way it is.

Hopefully I will be healthy enough tomorrow to start something close to a regular schedule, because I am way behind on a lot of things.

I need to get back to work on the WIP, get a ton of editing done, send out some manuscripts...and I probably should find one of those job things...

Snow on the high peaks

I woke up this morning to look out at our wonderful view and was quite pleased to see that there was snow on the high peaks of the Rockies. This can only mean that it won't be much longer until there's snow here in Denver. I love snow, so I'm very excited about the prospect of it coming our way.

We're all still battling a bad case of the creeping cruds, so hopefully we'll all be feeling better soon...

Another WIP

Now that my novella that should have been a novel is making the rounds, I've decided to get back to work on another book that seems to have the same problem...not enough words.

This is an expansion of my short story "A Problem in Translation," that I've mentioned several times in the past. This book is most definitely a space opera with lots of aliens, but it has a lot of underlying moral questions. So, here is my wordage so far...

57,961 / 80,000 (72.5%)

If you've read the short story in the past, I'd love to hear if you have any ideas of what you'd like to learn about the Lemec, since they're the primary antagonists in the book...and if you haven't read the story, you can always order a copy of the illustrated version by clicking on the cover below...

Featured Author at Anthology Builder

This month I'm one of the featured authors at Anthology Builder. What this means is that if you build an anthology that contains one of my stories, you get a $1.00 off the normal price. Simply go to http://www.anthologybuilder.com/authordetails.php?byline=J%20Alan%20Erwine and you can start building your anthology today.

At the moment, I have ten stories on the site, so you should be able to find something that appeals to you...

Stories

Regular readers of this blog probably know that I have several stories listed with Anthology Builder. It seems that I'm actually starting to make some sales through the site...which is quite a pleasant surprise. So, if you're interested in reading some of my stories, and you might want to include them in an anthology with some other authors that you may, or may not know, please go to http://www.anthologybuilder.com/authordetails.php?byline=J%20Alan%20Erwine and check out what Anthology Builder has to offer.

If you're interested in picking up some of my previously published work as an e-file (PDF), you can visit http://www.jalanerwine.com/stories/index.htm.

An Ephemeris Update

As many of you may know, we'd hoped to have Ephemeris out by WorldCon, but we obviously missed that goal.

I've been busy with getting engaged, moving, and suddenly becoming a dad, so I haven't had the time I've needed to really work on the game like I should. My co-conspirator has also been busy...and maybe a little lazy...

I've made tremendous progress on the initial rules over the last couple of weeks, and we're now hoping for a release date sometime around MileHiCon. Granted, life often gets in the way, so it could still be early next year...but we're really shooting for late October.

Disappointed in the revisions

Having just completed the most recent round of revisions on what I'd hoped would be my next novel, I have to admit that disappointed isn't even the right word. Even though I did add a lot, I also cut out some stuff that didn't seem to be working.

As a result, I fell well short of the 80,000 words I was shooting for. I'm sure that even if I have people read it before I actually start to submit it, they aren't going to find enough places to add the kind of wordage that I would need...so it looks like I'm stuck with a novella.

Now I just have to figure out where I can actually submit a novella...yeah, more than a little disappointed.

The actual final count:

55,392 / 80,000 (69.2%)

WorldCon video

Someone has put together a short video showing some of their highlights from WorldCon. Personally, I think it's a bit heavy on the masquerade, but it's still a good video and worth watching...

Denvention Pics

Here are some pics from my panel with Larry Niven at Denvention...the World Science Fiction Convention. These are from the collection of pics that have been put together by the Con. To see all of the pictures, please go to...http://www.flickr.com/photos/arwensouth/collections/72157606586226770.

Denvention Day 5

Today was the last day of WorldCon. I made it down early enough to catch a panel called Making a Living Telling Lies. The panelists were Bill Mayhew, Connie Willis, Jay Lake, and Jo Walton. I figured it would be a good panel because putting Connie and Jay together is bound to spark something interesting, and I wasn't disappointed. I don't know if I necessarily learned anything, but I was definitely entertained.

After that, I just wondered around talking to people about whatever we felt like talking about. I handed out a lot of my cards, which will hopefully lead to some sales for me, Sam's Dot Publishing, and The Genre Mall.

There were a few people I'd met in the past that I was hoping to get a chance to talk to, but it didn't work out. I never did see Maggie Bonham, and I passed Mike Brotherton and Frank Wu a couple of times...but they were always quite busy.

I was also hoping to meet Lawrence Schoen who I've edited in the past, but I've never met in person. I saw him once in the hall, and he was on a cellphone, so I never had a chance to introduce myself. I was also hoping to meet Bryan Thao Worra, but I don't think he even made it.

After the morning panel, I was hoping to introduce myself to Jay Lake, but he had to leave before the panel was over...so I never had the chance. I also wanted to meet John Scalzi, but other than when he won the Hugo, I only saw him when I was in line for registration...and he was with a big crowd, so I didn't want to push my way in. I find it so rude when people interrupt my conversations, and I'm sure it happens a lot more to him.

I also went to the closing ceremonies, which had some good moments. At the end of it all, it was kind of sad. This was my first ever WorldCon, and I didn't get to see as much as I wanted. Had it been for any reason other than family, I would have been very frustrated...but I can't complain about missing a Con because I have kids to take care of. They're good kids, and I certainly want to be there for them.

I'd love to think that I'll make it next year to Montreal, but I kind of doubt it. Australia also seems pretty unlikely...but maybe I'd better get back to writing so that I have even more reason to go to WorldCons in the future.

I'll try to find some pictures to post tomorrow!

Denvention Days 3 & 4

Day 3 was pretty much a bust for me. Because of daycare issues, I was only able to make it to the masquerade...which really wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. There were definitely some great costumes, but I expected a lot more from a WorldCon. Still, it was worth it just to see Frank Wu's costume. You can find it here.

Day 4 was good. I got there at a fairly decent time and spent a lot of time reacquainting myself with a lot of people.

The first panel I went to was about the evolution of SF, which had quite an impressive list of panelists: Ben Bova, John Stith, LE Modesitt, Robert J. Sawyer, and Shoshana Glick. It was interesting to hear what people from across the generations of SF had to say.

After that, I went to a panel on self-promotion, which really didn't teach me anything I didn't already know. Then it was off to dinner with Hobbit and talking to more people along the way.

The night ended with the Hugos. I don't usually like award shows on TV, but the Hugos were fun...and I still think it would be great to stand on that stage holding one of those statues. I guess I'd better work on getting much better at what I do as a writer and an editor.

Now, it's time to get ready for the final day. I mostly want to go down and meet some people I haven't met...except on-line. That's my main goal for the day.

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!