This last week has been a long and tiring one. Our oldest started running a fever and generally felt like crap. We finally got her into the doctor and they confirmed that she had influenza A, and 96% of the influenza A cases in Colorado are H1N1, so the odds are that she had the dreaded swine flu.
Now that she's feeling better, I have to admit that were I kid, I would much rather have swine flu than the more garden variety of flu, because other than a sore throat, some congestion, and a fever, she had no other symptoms. She had a little bit of nausea at times, but that's where it stopped. I remember being a kid and having the flu. I also remember having to keep a trashcan by the bed.
I realize that at some point H1N1 might mutate into a very deadly flu strain, but the reality of the situation right now is that this flu is not that bad. If you look at the stats, fewer people are dying from H1N1 than die from the regular flu. This is another case of the media blowing things out of proportion...and yes, I realize it could get bad, but people certainly don't need to be in the state of panic that they're in at the moment.
In other news, this has slowed my progress on creating Ephemeris supplements. I was hoping to have the last of the species sourcebooks done in the next couple of days, but instead, I still have two more to finish. Still, I would ask that if there are any gamers reading this blog, check out the game at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm. I really think we've created a very fun game.
I should be receiving my MileHiCon schedule any day now, and once I get that, I'll post it here as well. I'm hoping that I'll be hosting a game of Ephemeris at this year's con.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
A condolence card
Yesterday we received a condolences card from the vet who has helped us with all of our sick dogs. Everyone from the office signed it. This one was for Thunder, and I assume we'll be getting one for Coco in the very near future.
Enclosed with the card was a poem on a sheet of paper with her paw prints. I found the poem very touching, so I searched it out on the internet to share with anyone who has ever lost a pet...
http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
Anyone who is a regular to this blog knows that I'm an Atheist, so I don't believe in what the poem has to say, but it was touching, nevertheless...
Enclosed with the card was a poem on a sheet of paper with her paw prints. I found the poem very touching, so I searched it out on the internet to share with anyone who has ever lost a pet...
http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm
Anyone who is a regular to this blog knows that I'm an Atheist, so I don't believe in what the poem has to say, but it was touching, nevertheless...
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thunder and Coco
I've been wanting to post about the dogs that we've lost in the last few weeks. For those of you new to my blog, our dog Spike contracted Parvo, and we spent a lot of money to pull him through that. Shortly after that, his sister, Thunder, also contracted Parvo. Unfortunately, it hit her a lot harder, and we couldn't save her.
Then last week, our oldest's 17 year old Cocker Spaniel, Coco, had to be put down because of old age. It might have been kidney failure, or it might have been liver failure, but at his age, there was really nothing we could do for him...
This is Thunder...
This was taken on our way back from Texas when she was about three months old. She was a very smart dog. We'd bring treats over and put them up on top of something, and after she ate her treats, she'd run over to wherever we had the treats hidden and start barking.
She would have made a really good guard dog. Whenever we'd come over, she'd get down on her belly and growl at us, until she realized who we were. Then she'd start jumping all over us.
She learned sit and stay pretty well for a young girl, and she was always full of kisses for us.
She will be missed.
This is Coco...
Even though he was partially blind and partially deaf...or maybe mostly blind and mostly deaf, he was still a very sweet boy. Whenever he'd realize we were around, he'd come up to us wagging his stub. When he first met Spike and Thunder, he wasn't really happy with them, but after a couple of weeks, he was jumping around with them, and even trying to jump on us...despite the fact that he was 17 years old.
My favorite story about him was that he used to jump on the bed of our oldest after he'd been drinking, and if you've ever had a Cocker Spaniel, you know that there ears get very wet. She never liked his wet ears, so she'd push him off the bed. He, of course, would jump back on the bed with his happy expression, and with his stub wagging, like he was saying, "I know you didn't mean to do that, so here I am again..."
He will also be missed.
This is Spike...
This was just taken last week. For a four and a half month old, he's pretty big. He thinks he's a 30 pound lap dog, always trying to sit on our laps and then trying to chew on our arms and ears.
He's a really good dog, and loves to play with us, but I think he's feeling kind of lonely because all of his friends keep disappearing. We're just trying to make sure that he knows just how much he is loved.
And because the cat gets jealous if I talk too much about the dogs, here is a picture of Mosi with her Homer...
Then last week, our oldest's 17 year old Cocker Spaniel, Coco, had to be put down because of old age. It might have been kidney failure, or it might have been liver failure, but at his age, there was really nothing we could do for him...
This is Thunder...
This was taken on our way back from Texas when she was about three months old. She was a very smart dog. We'd bring treats over and put them up on top of something, and after she ate her treats, she'd run over to wherever we had the treats hidden and start barking.
She would have made a really good guard dog. Whenever we'd come over, she'd get down on her belly and growl at us, until she realized who we were. Then she'd start jumping all over us.
She learned sit and stay pretty well for a young girl, and she was always full of kisses for us.
She will be missed.
This is Coco...
Even though he was partially blind and partially deaf...or maybe mostly blind and mostly deaf, he was still a very sweet boy. Whenever he'd realize we were around, he'd come up to us wagging his stub. When he first met Spike and Thunder, he wasn't really happy with them, but after a couple of weeks, he was jumping around with them, and even trying to jump on us...despite the fact that he was 17 years old.
My favorite story about him was that he used to jump on the bed of our oldest after he'd been drinking, and if you've ever had a Cocker Spaniel, you know that there ears get very wet. She never liked his wet ears, so she'd push him off the bed. He, of course, would jump back on the bed with his happy expression, and with his stub wagging, like he was saying, "I know you didn't mean to do that, so here I am again..."
He will also be missed.
This is Spike...
This was just taken last week. For a four and a half month old, he's pretty big. He thinks he's a 30 pound lap dog, always trying to sit on our laps and then trying to chew on our arms and ears.
He's a really good dog, and loves to play with us, but I think he's feeling kind of lonely because all of his friends keep disappearing. We're just trying to make sure that he knows just how much he is loved.
And because the cat gets jealous if I talk too much about the dogs, here is a picture of Mosi with her Homer...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
We lost another dog
On Thursday, we had to put our oldest's 17 year old Cocker Spaniel, Coco, down. He'd been in their family for four years, and he was a very sweet dog. Unfortunately, time just caught up with him. The vet thinks it was kidney or liver failure, but there really wasn't anything we could do for him at that age.
The oldest was sad, but she took it better than her mom and I did...and she definitely took it better than I did when my dog was hit by a car when I was in third grade. I missed something like three days of school because I was so upset...
The oldest was sad, but she took it better than her mom and I did...and she definitely took it better than I did when my dog was hit by a car when I was in third grade. I missed something like three days of school because I was so upset...
Saturday, September 12, 2009
I really have to wonder about people
I wonder whatever happened to common courtesy in this country. Because Rebecca's dad needed her van to go to Texas, we've been using his Blazer...which is a piece of crap. It has starter problems, the gas gauge doesn't work right, and I don't even know what else is wrong with it.
Anyway, on Thursday morning, we were taking the oldest to school. The Blazer stalled out at an intersection. For those of you familiar with Aurora, it was the intersection of Colfax and Tower...for those of you not familiar, this is a road with a speed limit of 55 and some very nutso drivers. We stalled in what would be the passing lane if people in Colorado actually observed the idea of a passing lane.
So, we sat there. Dozens of people drove by us, honking, yelling, and gesticulating. Nobody stopped. We couldn't even get the stupid car in neutral to push it off the road. Meanwhile, we're sitting in a car with people barely swerving to miss us as they try to get through green lights. How we didn't get rear-ended by someone doing 55 or more, I have no idea.
We finally got the car into neutral, and I managed to push us off the road...of course, no one stopped to help me. So we sat at the side of the road for a while, and still no one stopped. Finally, we realized we were going to have to get gas. So I walked half a mile to the gas station, bought a gas can, and lugged back a gallon of gas. While I was gone, one person actually did stop to see if my family was ok...but only one.
Eventually we got the car started, but it then died in front of our apartment. So, we have been without a car, which means that I've been taking the oldest to and from school by bus (which is expensive no matter what RTD might try to tell you.)
So, I have to ask again, whatever happened to common courtesy in this country? A family stalls out in a car, and they're more of an annoyance than someone who needs help. We often stop to help other people, but one has to wonder what's the point if no one else is willing to do this...
Because of all of this, I find myself once again way behind on work, and struggling to get caught up. It's really been a couple of crappy weeks.
Anyway, on Thursday morning, we were taking the oldest to school. The Blazer stalled out at an intersection. For those of you familiar with Aurora, it was the intersection of Colfax and Tower...for those of you not familiar, this is a road with a speed limit of 55 and some very nutso drivers. We stalled in what would be the passing lane if people in Colorado actually observed the idea of a passing lane.
So, we sat there. Dozens of people drove by us, honking, yelling, and gesticulating. Nobody stopped. We couldn't even get the stupid car in neutral to push it off the road. Meanwhile, we're sitting in a car with people barely swerving to miss us as they try to get through green lights. How we didn't get rear-ended by someone doing 55 or more, I have no idea.
We finally got the car into neutral, and I managed to push us off the road...of course, no one stopped to help me. So we sat at the side of the road for a while, and still no one stopped. Finally, we realized we were going to have to get gas. So I walked half a mile to the gas station, bought a gas can, and lugged back a gallon of gas. While I was gone, one person actually did stop to see if my family was ok...but only one.
Eventually we got the car started, but it then died in front of our apartment. So, we have been without a car, which means that I've been taking the oldest to and from school by bus (which is expensive no matter what RTD might try to tell you.)
So, I have to ask again, whatever happened to common courtesy in this country? A family stalls out in a car, and they're more of an annoyance than someone who needs help. We often stop to help other people, but one has to wonder what's the point if no one else is willing to do this...
Because of all of this, I find myself once again way behind on work, and struggling to get caught up. It's really been a couple of crappy weeks.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Ephemeris Update
We've been hard at work on Ephemeris materials. A couple of weeks ago we released Critters & Pests by Ian Brazee-Cannon. This is a look at some of the creatures that make space travel a challenge...to say the least.
Yesterday we released the first of the Species Sourcebooks. These will be guides that give more info about each of the species. The first one released was the Althani Sourcebook (by me), which features info on two new sub-classes, two alternative species forms, some new equipment specially designed for the Althani, and a martial art that can only be used by the Althani.
All of these are available as PDF files at the Ephemeris website at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/store.htm.
And all of the Ephemeris products are available as PDF files from DriveThru RPG at http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2805
Yesterday we released the first of the Species Sourcebooks. These will be guides that give more info about each of the species. The first one released was the Althani Sourcebook (by me), which features info on two new sub-classes, two alternative species forms, some new equipment specially designed for the Althani, and a martial art that can only be used by the Althani.
All of these are available as PDF files at the Ephemeris website at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/store.htm.
And all of the Ephemeris products are available as PDF files from DriveThru RPG at http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2805
Friday, September 04, 2009
Puppy update
It looks like Spike has made a full recovery. He's back to his usual puppy self, jumping on everyone and trying to love on everyone as much as he can. He's already put three pounds back on, and we were able to return him home yesterday. Before we did that, however, we spent five hours spraying everything in the back yard with a bleach solution...hoping to kill any of the Parvo virus that might still be there.
Unfortunately, it's not all good news...Spike's sister Thunder also contracted it, and it hit her a lot harder and faster. When we picked her up, I held her the entire way to the vet, and she just stared up at me, struggling to breathe. When we got her to the vet, she was running a fever and had a pulse of 200. The vet was also pretty sure that she was septic. We had no choice but to put her down. It was my first experience with this, and it has been a rough few days in our household.
We're certainly happy that Spike made it...but we really wish he still had Thunder to play with...........
Unfortunately, it's not all good news...Spike's sister Thunder also contracted it, and it hit her a lot harder and faster. When we picked her up, I held her the entire way to the vet, and she just stared up at me, struggling to breathe. When we got her to the vet, she was running a fever and had a pulse of 200. The vet was also pretty sure that she was septic. We had no choice but to put her down. It was my first experience with this, and it has been a rough few days in our household.
We're certainly happy that Spike made it...but we really wish he still had Thunder to play with...........
Friday, August 28, 2009
A crappy day
When we went to get our daughters back from Texas this summer we brought back a puppy for them. His name is Spike. He's a lab mix who's very smart and one of the sweetest dogs I've met.
Lately he hasn't been feeling good, so we took him to the vet today. Turns out he has Parvo. We checked him into the hospital to get the best treatment they can give him. They're saying he has a 50/50 chance, but we're going to do everything we can for him...even if we can't really afford it. He's part of the family, so we have to.
Lately he hasn't been feeling good, so we took him to the vet today. Turns out he has Parvo. We checked him into the hospital to get the best treatment they can give him. They're saying he has a 50/50 chance, but we're going to do everything we can for him...even if we can't really afford it. He's part of the family, so we have to.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Crazy busy
It's been a while since I've posted because I've been crazy busy. The e-book versions of the Ephemeris RPG have really started to take off. We've got quite a demand for new material, so I've been trying to write stuff as fast as I can. In the next couple of days we'll even be releasing our first supplement from someone outside of the design team. For info about the e-titles, please visit DriveThru RPG at http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2805. We even have an introductory bundle posted which contains e-versions of the initial rulebook, a 1st level adventure, 54 1st level characters, and the Book of Tables. All for just $10. We wanted to price it low because anyone who games knows what it's like to drop $30 or $40 on a supplement, only to get it home and realize it's worthless, and if people decide they don't like our game, we don't want them to feel like they've been ripped off. And of course the best reason is that we really want people to try the game out, and at $10, you really can't go wrong.
In other news, I've been busy building furniture for the girls room (not from scratch), and my future Best Man was also in town, so I've been away from the computer quite a bit. In fact, yesterday was one of those rare days when I didn't even check my e-mail.
Both of the kids are under the weather, and crabby as hell...and I can now feel the creeping cruds creeping up on me...
In other news, I've been busy building furniture for the girls room (not from scratch), and my future Best Man was also in town, so I've been away from the computer quite a bit. In fact, yesterday was one of those rare days when I didn't even check my e-mail.
Both of the kids are under the weather, and crabby as hell...and I can now feel the creeping cruds creeping up on me...
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Got Game?
The Ephemeris RPG is now out and should be available wherever you buy books or games. If your local book, game, or comic store is not carrying the game, you can request it with the following ISBN: 978-0-9801703-1-3.
For more information about the game, or to order it (or Ephemeris merchandise) on-line, please use these links...
The Ephemeris webpage:
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm
The Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980170311
The Nomadic Delirium Press page at DriveThru RPG, where you can buy e-book versions of the rulebook and the first adventure:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2805
The Ephemeris merchandise page:
http://www.cafepress.com/ephemeris
For more information about the game, or to order it (or Ephemeris merchandise) on-line, please use these links...
The Ephemeris webpage:
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm
The Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980170311
The Nomadic Delirium Press page at DriveThru RPG, where you can buy e-book versions of the rulebook and the first adventure:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2805
The Ephemeris merchandise page:
http://www.cafepress.com/ephemeris
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Weekend Update
Friday was the big Twitter release party for the Ephemeris RPG...12 hours of tweeting is enough to drive just about anyone batty...myself included. We had a decent crowd in the morning, and then things thinned out later in the day. Overall, I'm hoping it was a success.
Even though the game is now out, we still haven't seen any copies. The printer has had some problems with the cover, but hopefully we'll be seeing them this week. I'm also hopeful that we'll have the Amazon link at that time as well, and I'll post that here as soon as I have it.
In other news, we're now 10 days away from the oldest starting 3rd grade. I think it will be good to get her back in school because she and the youngest are spending way too much time together, and any of you who have kids know what that means.
For those of you who have followed this blog for a long time, you know I'm a HUGE cycling fan, and of course today was the end of the Tour de France, and although they predicted it was going to be a hugely competitive race, it wasn't anything like I think the fans were hoping for. Maybe next year with two of the Contador and Armstrong on different teams we'll see a little more competition.
Watching cycling is kind of bittersweet for me anymore. Every time I see something interesting, I immediately want to e-mail my friend Joe to talk to him about it...then I remember that Joe passed away due to cancer a couple of years ago...
Now, I must get back to creating more material for Ephemeris...yes, even though the game is done, it's only one rulebook. We still have a lot of stuff to create...and maybe I'll even find some time for some fiction now.
If any of you are interested in ordering a copy of the game, please go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm.
Even though the game is now out, we still haven't seen any copies. The printer has had some problems with the cover, but hopefully we'll be seeing them this week. I'm also hopeful that we'll have the Amazon link at that time as well, and I'll post that here as soon as I have it.
In other news, we're now 10 days away from the oldest starting 3rd grade. I think it will be good to get her back in school because she and the youngest are spending way too much time together, and any of you who have kids know what that means.
For those of you who have followed this blog for a long time, you know I'm a HUGE cycling fan, and of course today was the end of the Tour de France, and although they predicted it was going to be a hugely competitive race, it wasn't anything like I think the fans were hoping for. Maybe next year with two of the Contador and Armstrong on different teams we'll see a little more competition.
Watching cycling is kind of bittersweet for me anymore. Every time I see something interesting, I immediately want to e-mail my friend Joe to talk to him about it...then I remember that Joe passed away due to cancer a couple of years ago...
Now, I must get back to creating more material for Ephemeris...yes, even though the game is done, it's only one rulebook. We still have a lot of stuff to create...and maybe I'll even find some time for some fiction now.
If any of you are interested in ordering a copy of the game, please go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
I'm back
We got back from Texas a few days ago, and I'm just now getting caught up to a point where I can blog again. Texas was about what I expected...flat, desolate, and hot. We were about an hour west of Fort Worth, and there doesn't seem to be much there, and the day we got there the high hit 105. I was more than ready to leave at that point.
We brought two puppies back with us. One for our girls and one for their cousin. They're lab mixes, and they're both very cute. Our girls named theirs Spike Joe, and at 9 weeks he was already 15 pounds...so he's going to be a very big boy. Spike Joe is currently staying with the girls' grandpa and uncle because we simply don't have room in our apartment.
The Ephemeris release is going to be Friday July 24th, and we will be celebrating the release all day on Twitter (10-10 EDT). If you're interested in keeping track, you just need to follow @jalanerwine or #Ephemeris. We'll be talking about the game, answering questions about the game, and even giving away a couple of copies. If you want to take advantage of the pre-sale price, you're almost out of time. Go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm, and order your copy before the price goes up!!!
I'm looking forward to the release...after it's over with, I can start focusing on fiction again...unless the game's a huge hit...then I'll have to write more material for it, but I won't mind that one bit!
We brought two puppies back with us. One for our girls and one for their cousin. They're lab mixes, and they're both very cute. Our girls named theirs Spike Joe, and at 9 weeks he was already 15 pounds...so he's going to be a very big boy. Spike Joe is currently staying with the girls' grandpa and uncle because we simply don't have room in our apartment.
The Ephemeris release is going to be Friday July 24th, and we will be celebrating the release all day on Twitter (10-10 EDT). If you're interested in keeping track, you just need to follow @jalanerwine or #Ephemeris. We'll be talking about the game, answering questions about the game, and even giving away a couple of copies. If you want to take advantage of the pre-sale price, you're almost out of time. Go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm, and order your copy before the price goes up!!!
I'm looking forward to the release...after it's over with, I can start focusing on fiction again...unless the game's a huge hit...then I'll have to write more material for it, but I won't mind that one bit!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
The Ephemeris Cover
I just got the final version of the cover for the Ephemeris RPG, and here it is...
Hopefully that will catch some eyes!
We're leaving in Texas in a few hours to pick up the kids. Hopefully I will be back by the end of the weekend. I doubt that there's Internet access there, but I will try to Twitter by phone when I can. Just follow @jalanerwine if you want to keep track of how miserable I am in the Texas heat...
Hopefully that will catch some eyes!
We're leaving in Texas in a few hours to pick up the kids. Hopefully I will be back by the end of the weekend. I doubt that there's Internet access there, but I will try to Twitter by phone when I can. Just follow @jalanerwine if you want to keep track of how miserable I am in the Texas heat...
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Happy 4th
Raining like crazy here right now, so I'm sure a lot of plans have been washed out. I didn't really have any plans, so no big deal for me personally. Rebecca is working tonight and the girls are still in Texas, so I was just going to sit on the balcony and watch fireworks if there were any I could see...but that was just an excuse to not work, so I'll probably work instead.
On Wednesday, we head to Texas to pick the young 'uns up, and then we should be back on Saturday.
On the marriage front, it looks like we probably have a restaurant to have our reception at. They've never done anything like this before, but the manager seemed receptive, and said they'd do it...but I still have some nagging doubts about whether or not it will really come to fruition.
On the professional front, I'll be hanging out on Twitter on Monday July 6th from 7 pm EDT - 8 pm EDT to talk about Ephemeris. I hope some of you will be able to join me for the conversation.
Other than that, things are status quo on the homefront. I may try to post again before we leave for Texas, but if not, you'll hear from me in a little over a week.
On Wednesday, we head to Texas to pick the young 'uns up, and then we should be back on Saturday.
On the marriage front, it looks like we probably have a restaurant to have our reception at. They've never done anything like this before, but the manager seemed receptive, and said they'd do it...but I still have some nagging doubts about whether or not it will really come to fruition.
On the professional front, I'll be hanging out on Twitter on Monday July 6th from 7 pm EDT - 8 pm EDT to talk about Ephemeris. I hope some of you will be able to join me for the conversation.
Other than that, things are status quo on the homefront. I may try to post again before we leave for Texas, but if not, you'll hear from me in a little over a week.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wondrous Web Worlds. Vol. 8
The latest edition of Wondrous Web Worlds has been released by Sam's Dot publishing. For those of you unfamiliar with this anthology, it features the best poems and short stories from several of Sam's Dot's on-line zines. Each issue is voted on by the fans, and the winners are placed in the anthology.
This anthology started out way back in the days of ProMart Publishing, and has been continued by Sam's Dot...with me as the editor every year.
So you can pick up a copy at The Genre Mall.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Not posting as much as I should
There hasn't been much to report, so I haven't been posting much. We're almost ready to release the Ephemeris RPG. The goal is still July 24th, and once we get the final artwork for the aliens, I'll be able to confirm that.
The hush hush project at Flying Pen Press is still rolling along. Hopefully we'll be able to make some more definite announcements about that in the next month or two.
Next week Sam's Dot Publishing will be releasing Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 8...once again edited by me. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to see the book.
That's about it for now...
The hush hush project at Flying Pen Press is still rolling along. Hopefully we'll be able to make some more definite announcements about that in the next month or two.
Next week Sam's Dot Publishing will be releasing Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 8...once again edited by me. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to see the book.
That's about it for now...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Iran
As most of you probably know there was an election in Iran recently. All indicators were that it was going to be a close election, and yet the incumbent won in a landslide. Not only that, but hand written ballots were counted about as fast as the US can count their electronic ballots. I think anyone that looks at these facts can clearly see that the election was a fraud...and certainly some of the people that have seen that have been the Iranian people.
The Iranian regime claims that there are no protests in Tehran, and yet pictures that are coming out of the Iranian capital clearly shows tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people protesting. Meanwhile, the government cracks down on the protesters and people are killed.
Meanwhile, here in the US, the revolution is not being covered by the media like I'd expected it would. It seems to get a mention on the news, but the true story is not being told...and I have to wonder why.
It would seem that if you really want the truth about what's going on, you have to go to YouTube and Twitter. People caught up in the revolution are posting regularly, knowing that they will face sever repercussions if they're caught.
Here's a sample...
Let's hope that the Obama administration, and other governments throughout the world refuse to recognize the Iranian regime. For years, those of us in the United States have been wanting a regime change, but anyone with any intelligence knew that the change would have to come from within...and here it is!
And as for all the ignorant Americans who thought we should just nuke Iran because of the government's views, try to remember in the future that a government does not necessarily represent the views of the actual citizens. The people of Iran want change, and we should let them have it...
The Iranian regime claims that there are no protests in Tehran, and yet pictures that are coming out of the Iranian capital clearly shows tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people protesting. Meanwhile, the government cracks down on the protesters and people are killed.
Meanwhile, here in the US, the revolution is not being covered by the media like I'd expected it would. It seems to get a mention on the news, but the true story is not being told...and I have to wonder why.
It would seem that if you really want the truth about what's going on, you have to go to YouTube and Twitter. People caught up in the revolution are posting regularly, knowing that they will face sever repercussions if they're caught.
Here's a sample...
Let's hope that the Obama administration, and other governments throughout the world refuse to recognize the Iranian regime. For years, those of us in the United States have been wanting a regime change, but anyone with any intelligence knew that the change would have to come from within...and here it is!
And as for all the ignorant Americans who thought we should just nuke Iran because of the government's views, try to remember in the future that a government does not necessarily represent the views of the actual citizens. The people of Iran want change, and we should let them have it...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Tuesday Update
We had our big meeting at Flying Pen Press to discuss the project we're working on. Everything is hush hush at the moment, but hopefully we'll be able to divulge the details in the next month or two.
Speaking of Flying Pen, tomorrow marks the release of Riders of the Mapinguari. David Rozansky, the publisher, will be hosting a release party on Twitter...so if you're on Twitter, simply follow #FeralWorld tomorrow. There will even be chances to win some copies.
I'm continuing to work on the finishing touches of Ephemeris. Hopefully we'll have some artwork soon, and then it will be time to send it off to the publisher.
I'm not really sure why I'm feeling so tired, but I feel like I haven't slept in days...
Speaking of Flying Pen, tomorrow marks the release of Riders of the Mapinguari. David Rozansky, the publisher, will be hosting a release party on Twitter...so if you're on Twitter, simply follow #FeralWorld tomorrow. There will even be chances to win some copies.
I'm continuing to work on the finishing touches of Ephemeris. Hopefully we'll have some artwork soon, and then it will be time to send it off to the publisher.
I'm not really sure why I'm feeling so tired, but I feel like I haven't slept in days...
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Keeping busy
Seems like this last week just flew by...
We had Rebecca's birthday, and the two of us have been doing a lot of wedding planning. Yes, it's still 11 months away, but we want to get as much planned as we possibly can. My dad and brother were also in town over the weekend, so we met them for lunch one day. It was her first chance to meet anyone from my family, and she still wants to marry me...so I guess things went well.
I'm still working on the finishing touches for the Ephemeris RPG, and we're still running the pre-sale. What? You haven't picked up your copy yet? Well, you still have time, so go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm.
Over at Flying Pen Press, we're having a meeting this week to work out more of the details on the hush hush project we have going...and it should be a lot of fun once we get it going. This week we'll also be releasing Riders of the Mapinguari by Gaddy Bergmann. We're having a sale for 20% off up until the release date, which is June 17th...so if you'd like to pick up a copy of that, head over to http://flyingpenpress.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=34.
That should pretty much get you caught up on what's going on in my life. I'll try to post more as things start to come together...
We had Rebecca's birthday, and the two of us have been doing a lot of wedding planning. Yes, it's still 11 months away, but we want to get as much planned as we possibly can. My dad and brother were also in town over the weekend, so we met them for lunch one day. It was her first chance to meet anyone from my family, and she still wants to marry me...so I guess things went well.
I'm still working on the finishing touches for the Ephemeris RPG, and we're still running the pre-sale. What? You haven't picked up your copy yet? Well, you still have time, so go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm.
Over at Flying Pen Press, we're having a meeting this week to work out more of the details on the hush hush project we have going...and it should be a lot of fun once we get it going. This week we'll also be releasing Riders of the Mapinguari by Gaddy Bergmann. We're having a sale for 20% off up until the release date, which is June 17th...so if you'd like to pick up a copy of that, head over to http://flyingpenpress.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=34.
That should pretty much get you caught up on what's going on in my life. I'll try to post more as things start to come together...
Saturday, June 06, 2009
On Twitter the next couple of nights
Tonight and tomorrow night (June 6th and 7th), I will be hanging out on Twitter from 7:00 EDT until 8:00 EDT to answer questions about the Ephemeris RPG...or whatever else you might want to ask.
If you want to be part of the conversation, just be sure to follow @jalanerwine.
While you're waiting, pre-order your copy of the rules at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm. It will normally list for $19.95, but you can pre-order your copy for just $14.95.
If you want to be part of the conversation, just be sure to follow @jalanerwine.
While you're waiting, pre-order your copy of the rules at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm. It will normally list for $19.95, but you can pre-order your copy for just $14.95.
Monday, June 01, 2009
The pre-sale has begun
The pre-sale for the Ephemeris RPG has now officially begun. The first rulebook will be released in late July. When it is released, it will be a 6X9 trade paperback with more than 400 pages of information! Upon release, the list price for the book will be $19.95 + S&H...but during the pre-sale, you can order the book before it's released for only $14.95 + S&H.
So what are you waiting for? Go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm and order your copy today.
The cover shown here is just a mock-up of what the final cover could look like...but we needed something...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Catching up
I took a couple of days off so Rebecca and I could spend some time together, and now I'm playing a desperate game of catch-up.
During those days, we took a lot of walks, and while passing a stream, I caught a picture of this guy...
Since he's in shadow, it's kind of hard to see, but this little guy had more red in his fur than I've ever seen in a raccoon.
Now that I've been back to work over the last couple of days, I've updated The Genre Mall and the Sam's Dot website.
I'm not expecting things to ease up any time soon as tomorrow marks the official start of the Ephemeris pre-release sale...so there will be a lot of promoting to do throughout the day. Tomorrow I'll have the actual link to the pre-sale site, and I'll post it here so those of you interested in ordering a copy at a discount can do so.
During those days, we took a lot of walks, and while passing a stream, I caught a picture of this guy...
Since he's in shadow, it's kind of hard to see, but this little guy had more red in his fur than I've ever seen in a raccoon.
Now that I've been back to work over the last couple of days, I've updated The Genre Mall and the Sam's Dot website.
I'm not expecting things to ease up any time soon as tomorrow marks the official start of the Ephemeris pre-release sale...so there will be a lot of promoting to do throughout the day. Tomorrow I'll have the actual link to the pre-sale site, and I'll post it here so those of you interested in ordering a copy at a discount can do so.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A day of nothing
In all the time Rebecca and I have been together, we've never had a day where we didn't have something (or several somethings) to do. Tomorrow will be the first time that we are completely free...so we are going to relax.
If we get up early enough in the morning, we'll probably take a walk...probably to the little river that runs through the field behind us. After that, we're going to come home and watch all three Lord of the Rings movies (the Director's Cuts)...only taking breaks to call the kids and order take out.
I don't know if either of us will be able to handle not having anything to do...but we are certainly going to try!
If we get up early enough in the morning, we'll probably take a walk...probably to the little river that runs through the field behind us. After that, we're going to come home and watch all three Lord of the Rings movies (the Director's Cuts)...only taking breaks to call the kids and order take out.
I don't know if either of us will be able to handle not having anything to do...but we are certainly going to try!
Featured Anthology at Anthology Builder
The featured anthology at Anthology Builder contains one of my stories, "The Twin Sorceresses." This is my one, and so far only, story that would be categorized as a children's story. Yes, I know it's kind of scary that I might actually be writing stuff that could influence children, but there it is...
If you're interested in the anthology, which looks like it has some other great stuff in it, you can find it at http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=381.
If you're interested in the anthology, which looks like it has some other great stuff in it, you can find it at http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=381.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tranquility in Tales of the Talisman
My short story "Tranquility" is in the current issue of Tales of the Talisman. A much older version of this story was the first story I wrote after making the "decision" to become a science fiction writer. This story has some of the same elements as that original, but I made a lot of changes to it...which it desperately needed. Gone are the three pages of exposition at the very beginning of the story that explain the war...like I implied, I was a rookie.
The basic premise of the story is that there's a disgruntled main character who is in the military, serving on the moon. When war breaks out on Earth, he helps to put an end to it...but at what cost to his psyche?
If you're interested in reading the story, you can order a copy from The Genre Mall at http://www.genremall.com/zinesr.htm#talisman.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A very productive couple of days
I've been keeping myself very busy over the last couple of days, and as a result, I've gotten a lot done, including finishing up two major projects.
I finished re-working the main Flying Pen Press page. You can check that out at http://www.flyingpenpress.com.
Even more impressive, I finished the final revisions on the Ephemeris RPG. There's still formatting to do, and a lot of other work to be done, but it looks like we should be able to start the pre-sale during the first week of June.
On a more personal note, I found out yesterday that my dad will be coming out for a KMGH reunion, so this will be Rebecca's first chance to meet someone in my family. For the most part, I think she's excited, but since I told her that I get a lot of my weirdness from him...I think she's a little worried.
We also think we may have found the site for our wedding next year...but it's in a public park, so we'll have to look into the rules for that. It's kind of interesting because I had mentioned the place a few times, and she never seemed to enthused. But on Friday we were over by there, and I told her how I envisioned the wedding happening...now she loves the idea.
I finished re-working the main Flying Pen Press page. You can check that out at http://www.flyingpenpress.com.
Even more impressive, I finished the final revisions on the Ephemeris RPG. There's still formatting to do, and a lot of other work to be done, but it looks like we should be able to start the pre-sale during the first week of June.
On a more personal note, I found out yesterday that my dad will be coming out for a KMGH reunion, so this will be Rebecca's first chance to meet someone in my family. For the most part, I think she's excited, but since I told her that I get a lot of my weirdness from him...I think she's a little worried.
We also think we may have found the site for our wedding next year...but it's in a public park, so we'll have to look into the rules for that. It's kind of interesting because I had mentioned the place a few times, and she never seemed to enthused. But on Friday we were over by there, and I told her how I envisioned the wedding happening...now she loves the idea.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend update
Things have been crazy around the homestead. Yesterday was the last day of second grade for our oldest, and now both kids have gone to Texas to visit Grandma...and they won't be back until July. Things are sadly quiet around here.
The revisions on Ephemeris are coming along. With a little luck, I will actually have the final revisions done over this long weekend.
Over at Flying Pen we're talking about something that I think will be a great idea...but I can't really say anything about it right now...but we're putting together a team that might be creating some very fun stuff.
Feeling extremely sleep deprived at the moment, but hopefully I'll catch up on sleep soon.
In the meantime, enjoy a picture of one of our newest neighbors...
The revisions on Ephemeris are coming along. With a little luck, I will actually have the final revisions done over this long weekend.
Over at Flying Pen we're talking about something that I think will be a great idea...but I can't really say anything about it right now...but we're putting together a team that might be creating some very fun stuff.
Feeling extremely sleep deprived at the moment, but hopefully I'll catch up on sleep soon.
In the meantime, enjoy a picture of one of our newest neighbors...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Nobody's Home to Aoife's Kiss
My short short "Nobody's Home" has been picked up for the March 2010 issue of Aoife's Kiss. It's kind of hard to believe, but this is the last science fiction short story that I have circulating. Most of the last few years have been taken up with novel writing and game creation, so I've run out of short stories.
There are still a few in my collection, but they're so bad, they never deserve to see the light of day again...
There are still a few in my collection, but they're so bad, they never deserve to see the light of day again...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I said I wasn't going to do it...
...but I did it anyway. I've now joined the masses at Twitter. If you're interested in following me there, feel free to drop by https://twitter.com/jalanerwine.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Keeping the family on their toes
For those of you who actually know me, you're probably well aware that I'm basically a disaster in the kitchen, but this is more because I just don't really care about cooking...as opposed to actually being incompetent.
Apparently my family seems to think that I don't know my way around the kitchen. I told the kids that we were going to make breakfast in bed for Rebecca, so when I got up, the oldest had a bowl and a box of cereal out. Both of them were quite surprised that I planned on actually cooking breakfast...and Rebecca was equally surprised when we brought it in for her.
Later in the day I made a traditional Chickasaw fry bread. It was the first time I'd ever made anything like this, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time that I've every actually made something from scratch. Even to my surprise, it turned out really good. The girls seemed to like it at first, but I think they changed their minds the more they ate it...but I liked it, and that's what matters.
I do so like to keep people on their toes.
Apparently my family seems to think that I don't know my way around the kitchen. I told the kids that we were going to make breakfast in bed for Rebecca, so when I got up, the oldest had a bowl and a box of cereal out. Both of them were quite surprised that I planned on actually cooking breakfast...and Rebecca was equally surprised when we brought it in for her.
Later in the day I made a traditional Chickasaw fry bread. It was the first time I'd ever made anything like this, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time that I've every actually made something from scratch. Even to my surprise, it turned out really good. The girls seemed to like it at first, but I think they changed their minds the more they ate it...but I liked it, and that's what matters.
I do so like to keep people on their toes.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
A Spring Walk
The oldest and I took a walk yesterday, exploring some of the "wild" around us that we hadn't seen before. On Thursday, we noticed that the prairie dog babies were starting to come out of their holes...so, the first shot I got was of one of them on its hole. He's kind of hard to see, but he's the off-colored spot on the fresher looking hole...
Normally, this field is very brown and sparse, but since we've gotten a few inches of rain in the last month, the field has really greened up. So, I had to get a shot of it...
Having prairie dogs around is a pretty cool thing, and I've been reading up on them, trying to understand why they do the things they do, and I've found that they have a complicated society, and actually seem to be fairly bright. Not only that, but they aren't the nuisance that most people claim they are...in fact, they're an important part of the ecosystem in this part of the country. There are hundreds of these guys in the field, and with the green, they stand out a lot more. So if you look at the other side of the river in this shot, all the little brown splotches are prairie dogs...
The most surprising part of the walk was when we came upon this young lady. I had no idea we had these so close to our place. This picture was actually taken within half a mile of our door...
Normally, this field is very brown and sparse, but since we've gotten a few inches of rain in the last month, the field has really greened up. So, I had to get a shot of it...
Having prairie dogs around is a pretty cool thing, and I've been reading up on them, trying to understand why they do the things they do, and I've found that they have a complicated society, and actually seem to be fairly bright. Not only that, but they aren't the nuisance that most people claim they are...in fact, they're an important part of the ecosystem in this part of the country. There are hundreds of these guys in the field, and with the green, they stand out a lot more. So if you look at the other side of the river in this shot, all the little brown splotches are prairie dogs...
The most surprising part of the walk was when we came upon this young lady. I had no idea we had these so close to our place. This picture was actually taken within half a mile of our door...
Monday, May 04, 2009
For Goodreads followers
I'm now cross posting this blog on my Goodreads site, so now you can read my entries here, or over there...your choice.
If there's anything specific that you'd like for me to talk about, please let me know...
If there's anything specific that you'd like for me to talk about, please let me know...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The first revisions are done!
I've just typed out the last of what are the first revisions on Ephemeris. The revised rules are almost 15% longer with quite a bit more detail. There's still a lot of work, as we still need to add more things for the characters to play with, but this is a significant step.
I feel like I've been working on this beast for years, and I actually have been, and it will be nice once we finally release the game. As of right now, we're shooting for an Aug. 1st release, but if all goes well (which it rarely does), we might be able to push that release up a little!
Stay tuned for more information as I have it.
I feel like I've been working on this beast for years, and I actually have been, and it will be nice once we finally release the game. As of right now, we're shooting for an Aug. 1st release, but if all goes well (which it rarely does), we might be able to push that release up a little!
Stay tuned for more information as I have it.
An update for the end of April
I've been very busy of late. I've had a case of the creeping cruds (no, it's not the swine flu...people really need to relax on that subject.)
We're nearing the end of the school year for the oldest, so she's had all kinds of events. I've also been putting a lot of effort into the revisions of Ephemeris, and I'm almost done with those. I've also been working on a bit of a redesign of the Flying Pen Press website...hope to debut that eventually.
We've also been working on trying to get all of our financial issues worked out. We were supposed to be getting married in a few weeks, but Rebecca's tax return was intercepted because of unpaid student loans, and now her wages are being garnished. Add to that me losing my "real" job, and things have been a struggle, and we've had to postpone the wedding until next May. By then hopefully the economy, and our personal finances will have improved.
In the next couple of days I will hopefully be posting an entry about finishing the first revisions on Ephemeris. At this point, we're hoping for a release date right around Aug. 1st, but there may be a pre-sale event even before that...so for those of you who have impatiently been awaiting the release of the game...it may actually be coming!!!
We're nearing the end of the school year for the oldest, so she's had all kinds of events. I've also been putting a lot of effort into the revisions of Ephemeris, and I'm almost done with those. I've also been working on a bit of a redesign of the Flying Pen Press website...hope to debut that eventually.
We've also been working on trying to get all of our financial issues worked out. We were supposed to be getting married in a few weeks, but Rebecca's tax return was intercepted because of unpaid student loans, and now her wages are being garnished. Add to that me losing my "real" job, and things have been a struggle, and we've had to postpone the wedding until next May. By then hopefully the economy, and our personal finances will have improved.
In the next couple of days I will hopefully be posting an entry about finishing the first revisions on Ephemeris. At this point, we're hoping for a release date right around Aug. 1st, but there may be a pre-sale event even before that...so for those of you who have impatiently been awaiting the release of the game...it may actually be coming!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Ken Rand
Back when I first started out this crazy endeavor of writing, I was published in several ProMart magazines. Around the same time, there was a guy named Ken Rand who was also being published alongside me. When I became an editor for ProMart, I had the pleasure of publishing Ken several times...often joking with him that his stuff was too good for what I was editing...and in some ways that was true.
Over the last few years, we've exchanged an occasional e-mail, posted on each other's LiveJournal from time to time...but overall we didn't keep in touch like we should.
I've just learned that Ken passed away yesterday. He'd been sick for a long time, and he often talked about the fact that he was outliving any of his own expectations for his health, but I guess his illness finally became too much for him. All I know is that I wished I would have kept in touch with him more than I did.
You'll be missed Ken. You were a great writing talent, but more importantly, you were a great guy...
Over the last few years, we've exchanged an occasional e-mail, posted on each other's LiveJournal from time to time...but overall we didn't keep in touch like we should.
I've just learned that Ken passed away yesterday. He'd been sick for a long time, and he often talked about the fact that he was outliving any of his own expectations for his health, but I guess his illness finally became too much for him. All I know is that I wished I would have kept in touch with him more than I did.
You'll be missed Ken. You were a great writing talent, but more importantly, you were a great guy...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Great experience during revisions
Normally, revising my work is something that I really hate doing. Last night, I had one of those great experiences while working on the revisions of Ephemeris. It was after sunset, and I was sitting in our living room with the sliding glass door open. Yes, true, we did just get almost a foot of snow just a few days ago, but that doesn't mean it can't be really warm a few nights later. During that storm, this area got a lot of moisture (we saw a lot of rain and snow), so the river that runs through the field close to our house is running high and running fast. Needless to say, it was quiet enough last night that I could hear that river running while I was working on the revisions.
There's just something about the sound of running water that seems to drive the creative juices. I've heard this from a lot of writers, and I know it's true for me. So, I sat for a solid three hours and just cranked out notes for revising the game. It was one of the best revision sessions I've ever had.
Sadly, with the dry heat we're now getting, the water levels are starting to drop in the river, so I might not get to repeat that experience for a while...at least not until we start getting our Summer deluges.
There's just something about the sound of running water that seems to drive the creative juices. I've heard this from a lot of writers, and I know it's true for me. So, I sat for a solid three hours and just cranked out notes for revising the game. It was one of the best revision sessions I've ever had.
Sadly, with the dry heat we're now getting, the water levels are starting to drop in the river, so I might not get to repeat that experience for a while...at least not until we start getting our Summer deluges.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The initial draft of Ephemeris is done
I've just typed the last of the 80,000+ words that is the initial draft of the Ephemeris RPG. This has taken forever and a day to get to this point, but as of late, I've been getting a lot done on it. Unfortunately, my partner in this has dropped the ball a bit, and I've had a lot more work to do than I expected...but it's done...it's done...it's done!!!
There's still a lot of work ahead of us. I have to go back through and put in all kinds of table. I have to work on the language to make it smoother. And I have to make some changes to the early part of the game because some of the rules changed half way through. Things just made more sense the farther into them that I got.
It shouldn't take anywhere near as long to revise the rules as it did to create them, so we're still hoping for a late Summer release. It would be so nice to finally have this beast out of the way...but it's been a lot of fun creating the game.
Now...I think I'll sleep. This last little push has left me with some severe insomnia...
There's still a lot of work ahead of us. I have to go back through and put in all kinds of table. I have to work on the language to make it smoother. And I have to make some changes to the early part of the game because some of the rules changed half way through. Things just made more sense the farther into them that I got.
It shouldn't take anywhere near as long to revise the rules as it did to create them, so we're still hoping for a late Summer release. It would be so nice to finally have this beast out of the way...but it's been a lot of fun creating the game.
Now...I think I'll sleep. This last little push has left me with some severe insomnia...
Thursday, April 02, 2009
An Ephemeris update
The RPG I've been designing, Ephemeris, is now very late in delivery. However, there is definite progress that is being made. Most of the initial draft of the rules has been written. My co-designer is supposed to be sending me the final chapter that I need very soon. At least, I hope he will be. If he doesn't, then I need to write that section. After that it will be some tweaking of the rules, and a whole lot of re-writing...but we are making progress.
I'm hoping for a release in late summer or early fall.
I'm hoping for a release in late summer or early fall.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Price on my Kindle books reduced
If you're lucky enough to have a Kindle, you can now get two of my books for just 99 cents!
The Opium of the People and Seedlings on the Solar Winds are both available from Amazon for a new low price. Here are the links...
The Opium of the People
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
The Opium of the People and Seedlings on the Solar Winds are both available from Amazon for a new low price. Here are the links...
The Opium of the People
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Why are you here?
Since joining NetworkedBlogs, I now have nearly 100 followers...and I know there were several of you here before I joined. I would imagine that quite a few of the people who are "followers" actually just excepted the Facebook invitation because that's what a lot of people do. But for those of you who actually do follow this blog now...or who have followed for quite a while, I'm curious as to what makes you read this particular blog? What do you like to hear me talk about?
This is your chance to give me some feedback...
Thanks...
This is your chance to give me some feedback...
Thanks...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Forgive Men Their Trespasses at Afterburn SF
My story, Forgive Men their Trespasses, is the featured story at Afterburn SF this week.
This story is set in the same "universe" as my novel The Opium of the People, although this one takes place in the Denver metro area. Those of you familiar with Denver might recognize a few of the places.
Hope you enjoy the story...
This story is set in the same "universe" as my novel The Opium of the People, although this one takes place in the Denver metro area. Those of you familiar with Denver might recognize a few of the places.
Hope you enjoy the story...
The Blizzard
As Colorado blizzards go, this one wasn't much of anything. We did have sustained winds of about 40 mph, and we did get about a foot of snow in this area, but anyone familiar with Colorado in March knows that that's not all that impressive.
Still, I did promise some pictures to a few people, so here they are.
During the storm (a little dark because of the blowing snow):
The morning after:
No matter how much snow, the kids always have fun:
Still, I did promise some pictures to a few people, so here they are.
During the storm (a little dark because of the blowing snow):
The morning after:
No matter how much snow, the kids always have fun:
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Filed By
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm always trying to find a new way to promote my work. Today, I found Filed By...and I signed up, so please feel free to check out my page. It's currently a work in progress...
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The end of BSG
Last night was the final episode of Battlestar Galactica, and my thoughts on the final episode are about the same as my thoughts on the series as a whole. It had some great moments, and it showed a lot of potential, but ultimately it fell flat.
The whole series had a little too much "God" or "Gods" in it for my taste. I don't necessarily mind science fiction with a bit of a religion in it...as long as it's a good story. Watching last nights episode, however, left me greatly disappointed. In a lot of ways, I felt that the writers fell back on the old Deus Ex Machina, which seems to be something you can get away with on TV...but NEVER in print fiction. In the end, everything happened because that was how God wanted it to happen...what a lame rip off! And Starbuck? She was an angel? What does that say about this Cylon God, considering that Starbuck fracked half the guys in the fleet?
Overall, I would give the series and the final episode a C+. It had moments of greatness, but it fell back on literary cliches far too often. I imagine the writers thought they were being clever by having the Galactica end up at prehistoric Earth...but guess what guys? It's been done before...and Douglas Adams did it better!
I guess the good thing is that I now have an extra hour to work on Friday nights...
The whole series had a little too much "God" or "Gods" in it for my taste. I don't necessarily mind science fiction with a bit of a religion in it...as long as it's a good story. Watching last nights episode, however, left me greatly disappointed. In a lot of ways, I felt that the writers fell back on the old Deus Ex Machina, which seems to be something you can get away with on TV...but NEVER in print fiction. In the end, everything happened because that was how God wanted it to happen...what a lame rip off! And Starbuck? She was an angel? What does that say about this Cylon God, considering that Starbuck fracked half the guys in the fleet?
Overall, I would give the series and the final episode a C+. It had moments of greatness, but it fell back on literary cliches far too often. I imagine the writers thought they were being clever by having the Galactica end up at prehistoric Earth...but guess what guys? It's been done before...and Douglas Adams did it better!
I guess the good thing is that I now have an extra hour to work on Friday nights...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Flying Pen Press
I've just been named Senior Editor at Flying Pen Press. I will be taking over many of the editorial duties in an effort to free up the publisher to focus more on the things that a publisher should be focusing on.
Flying Pen already has several great titles out, and you owe it to yourself to check them out.
Flying Pen already has several great titles out, and you owe it to yourself to check them out.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A busy week at The Genre Mall
In a good month, I'll add about 15 new titles to The Genre Mall. In the last three days, I've completely blown through those numbers. On Monday, I uploaded 13 new titles, and today I uploaded another 10 new titles. Those numbers are unprecedented.
It was a pretty wide variety of titles, and I've also added a new publisher...Flying Pen Press. Please feel free to check out all of the listings at http://www.genremall.com/new.htm.
It was a pretty wide variety of titles, and I've also added a new publisher...Flying Pen Press. Please feel free to check out all of the listings at http://www.genremall.com/new.htm.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Syfy channel
By now, I'm sure most of you have heard that the SciFi Channel is planning on changing its name to the Syfy Channel. If you weren't already aware, I'll wait while you go read the article...
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/03/sci_fi_channel_aims_to_shed_ge.php
Is it just me, or were you insulted as well? I was particularly annoyed by:
“The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.
I personally embrace the term geek and nerd. I happen to be proud of those names, and let's face it, there are a lot of very successful people out there that are geeks and nerds...Bill Gates ring a bell?
When I first heard about this, I was thinking it was time for those of us that are geeks and nerds to band together and boycott the Syfy Channel...then I realized that they don't really show anything worth watching anyway...
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/03/sci_fi_channel_aims_to_shed_ge.php
Is it just me, or were you insulted as well? I was particularly annoyed by:
“The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.
I personally embrace the term geek and nerd. I happen to be proud of those names, and let's face it, there are a lot of very successful people out there that are geeks and nerds...Bill Gates ring a bell?
When I first heard about this, I was thinking it was time for those of us that are geeks and nerds to band together and boycott the Syfy Channel...then I realized that they don't really show anything worth watching anyway...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 8
Last night I finally finished the editing of Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 8, and I e-mailed it off to Tyree at Sam's Dot Publishing. I've already seen a mock up of the cover, which was done by Laura Givens, and it looks like it will be a very nice looking book. Once it's actually released, I will post a table of contents and an ordering link...of course.
I have two more days at the real job, and then it will be time to file for unemployment. I'm going to be sitting down with someone (can't say much yet) on Tuesday to talk about a job. It wouldn't be a job that would pay really well (yet), but it's a job with a lot of potential...and it's something I would REALLY enjoy doing. So, we shall see what comes of that.
I have two more days at the real job, and then it will be time to file for unemployment. I'm going to be sitting down with someone (can't say much yet) on Tuesday to talk about a job. It wouldn't be a job that would pay really well (yet), but it's a job with a lot of potential...and it's something I would REALLY enjoy doing. So, we shall see what comes of that.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A day at the ER
Yesterday was a fun day spent at the ER. Rebecca called me at work at 10:30 saying she was in intense pain and thought she needed to go to the hospital. I left work and quickly came home. She was having intense pain (she said it was worse than labor) in her back and abdomen.
So, we ended up going to the hospital. Seven hours later, we got the diagnosis we were expecting...kidney stones. She's not the type that does anything easy, however. She has them on both sides, and one of them is larger than normal...so it might not pass. I took today off from work to make sure the oldest got to school, and to keep an eye on the youngest, while I keep Rebecca doped up on pain killers.
Seven hours seems a bit ridiculous for a Monday afternoon at the ER. I know they have a triage system set up, but I don't think it works. There were a lot of people that got in before us who didn't even look like they were in pain...whereas she doubled up several times while we were waiting. If she'd had a severe kidney infection, those extra hours of waiting might have made a big difference in the final outcome.
After she was discharged, we went to get her prescriptions filled...that was the next part of the ridiculous day. Her anti-nausea prescription was $110 for 15 pills...and that was with insurance!!! Something tells me socialized medicine might not necessarily be a bad thing. The funniest thing about it was that her highly addictive narcotic pain killer was only $5. Yeah, the American health care system really works. I hate to imagine how much all of this would have cost us if it had been me...I don't have insurance. Even with her insurance, I'm sure this is going to set us back quite a bit.
The one sad part of the night was while she was in her room waiting, I saw the police bring a girl in who was probably 13 or 14. She was cuffed, and because they didn't have any empty beds, they were questioning her and giving her a breathalyzer in the hallway. I think she'd attempted suicide. In the two plus hours we were in the room, I never saw her parents show up...that's the biggest tragedy of all...
So, we ended up going to the hospital. Seven hours later, we got the diagnosis we were expecting...kidney stones. She's not the type that does anything easy, however. She has them on both sides, and one of them is larger than normal...so it might not pass. I took today off from work to make sure the oldest got to school, and to keep an eye on the youngest, while I keep Rebecca doped up on pain killers.
Seven hours seems a bit ridiculous for a Monday afternoon at the ER. I know they have a triage system set up, but I don't think it works. There were a lot of people that got in before us who didn't even look like they were in pain...whereas she doubled up several times while we were waiting. If she'd had a severe kidney infection, those extra hours of waiting might have made a big difference in the final outcome.
After she was discharged, we went to get her prescriptions filled...that was the next part of the ridiculous day. Her anti-nausea prescription was $110 for 15 pills...and that was with insurance!!! Something tells me socialized medicine might not necessarily be a bad thing. The funniest thing about it was that her highly addictive narcotic pain killer was only $5. Yeah, the American health care system really works. I hate to imagine how much all of this would have cost us if it had been me...I don't have insurance. Even with her insurance, I'm sure this is going to set us back quite a bit.
The one sad part of the night was while she was in her room waiting, I saw the police bring a girl in who was probably 13 or 14. She was cuffed, and because they didn't have any empty beds, they were questioning her and giving her a breathalyzer in the hallway. I think she'd attempted suicide. In the two plus hours we were in the room, I never saw her parents show up...that's the biggest tragedy of all...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Weekend update
Things have been hectic around here, so that's the main reason for the lack of posting of late. We had the in-laws staying with us for a couple of weeks, so that kept us busy with a lot of different things. Since they left, the kids seem to have forgotten how to behave, so that's made life interesting.
This coming week was supposed to have been my final week at my "real" job, but it looks like we're going to stay open for at least one more week. I've been able to pick up some extra hours, and as a result, I should now qualify for unemployment if I don't find a job...which I don't think I will right away. I've never liked the idea of government aid of any kind, and I've never had to take any kind of aid in the past, but times are changing for all of us, and stimulus or not, the economy pretty much sucks right now.
In the writing corner, I've had a small press publisher pass on Red Moon Rising, but they gave me some very specific things that didn't work for them, and offered to re-read it if I can make the changes. Given my crazy schedule, it will probably be a few months before I can get back to work on the book.
My main writing project right now is still Ephemeris. I'm making progress on the game, but it's very slow progress. For editing, I'm pretty sure we've read all of the submissions for Infradead, and we will soon be finishing that up. I feel very bad about that project because I haven't had enough time to devote to it like I would have liked. As a result, our co-editor, Scott Virtes has had to pick up a lot of the slack...and I feel very bad about that. I'm also working on Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 8, and I will hopefully be sending that off to Tyree at Sam's Dot in the next couple of weeks.
That's about it for now. I'll try to post more often as time allows it...but now I must feed the kids, and continue to try to find a "real" job.
This coming week was supposed to have been my final week at my "real" job, but it looks like we're going to stay open for at least one more week. I've been able to pick up some extra hours, and as a result, I should now qualify for unemployment if I don't find a job...which I don't think I will right away. I've never liked the idea of government aid of any kind, and I've never had to take any kind of aid in the past, but times are changing for all of us, and stimulus or not, the economy pretty much sucks right now.
In the writing corner, I've had a small press publisher pass on Red Moon Rising, but they gave me some very specific things that didn't work for them, and offered to re-read it if I can make the changes. Given my crazy schedule, it will probably be a few months before I can get back to work on the book.
My main writing project right now is still Ephemeris. I'm making progress on the game, but it's very slow progress. For editing, I'm pretty sure we've read all of the submissions for Infradead, and we will soon be finishing that up. I feel very bad about that project because I haven't had enough time to devote to it like I would have liked. As a result, our co-editor, Scott Virtes has had to pick up a lot of the slack...and I feel very bad about that. I'm also working on Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 8, and I will hopefully be sending that off to Tyree at Sam's Dot in the next couple of weeks.
That's about it for now. I'll try to post more often as time allows it...but now I must feed the kids, and continue to try to find a "real" job.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Recognized in public
A few weeks ago, my oldest took a copy of Seedlings on the Solar Winds in for show and tell for her 2nd grade class...a lot of the kids were very excited about it.
Then last week, Rebecca and I were shopping for birthday gifts for the youngest when I suddenly heard a voice from below saying "You're the guy who writes books!" It was one of the oldest's classmates, and he was very excited. You would have thought he'd met whoever it is that little boys think is cool these days.
Authors are rarely recognized in public, so this was pretty cool for my first time...
Then last week, Rebecca and I were shopping for birthday gifts for the youngest when I suddenly heard a voice from below saying "You're the guy who writes books!" It was one of the oldest's classmates, and he was very excited. You would have thought he'd met whoever it is that little boys think is cool these days.
Authors are rarely recognized in public, so this was pretty cool for my first time...
Sunday, February 08, 2009
And of course the Hugos
Hugo balloting has also opened. If you attended Denvention or if you're already registered for Anticipation, you are eligible to vote. Simply go to...http://www.anticipationsf.ca.
If you're eligible, then you should certainly take advantage of it and vote. I wish I could attend Anticipation this year, but with the wedding and everything, we simply can't afford a trip to Montreal this year.
If you're eligible, then you should certainly take advantage of it and vote. I wish I could attend Anticipation this year, but with the wedding and everything, we simply can't afford a trip to Montreal this year.
The Locus Poll
Locus Magazine has started their annual readers poll (although you don't have to be a subscriber to vote. This is a great way to vote for some of your favorite titles from last year, and it's also a good way to show support for Locus (one of the best resources in the speculative fiction field.) If you're interested in voting, simply go to https://secure.locusmag.com/2009/2009PollAndSurvey.html. The poll has drop-down menus for the items they consider worthy of voting for, but you can write-in a title or editor as well.
Should you be interested in voting for me, you can consider the following:
Short Stories: The Magenta Equations from Allegory E-Zine and Hunted from Tales of the Talisman. You can also consider me for editor...although I don't expect to beat out any of the people on the list...I am a realist as well.
Some other people and titles to consider:
Editors & Writers:
Tyree Campbell
David Lee Summers
Artist:
Laura Givens
Zines:
Aoife's Kiss
Tales of the Talisman
The Fifth Di...
The Martian Wave
Publishers:
Nomadic Delirium Press
Sam's Dot Publishing
Should you be interested in voting for me, you can consider the following:
Short Stories: The Magenta Equations from Allegory E-Zine and Hunted from Tales of the Talisman. You can also consider me for editor...although I don't expect to beat out any of the people on the list...I am a realist as well.
Some other people and titles to consider:
Editors & Writers:
Tyree Campbell
David Lee Summers
Artist:
Laura Givens
Zines:
Aoife's Kiss
Tales of the Talisman
The Fifth Di...
The Martian Wave
Publishers:
Nomadic Delirium Press
Sam's Dot Publishing
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Aliens
As many of you probably know by now, I'm helping to create a new science fiction role playing game. One thing that should be different about this game as opposed to others is that, for the most part, we are trying to use plausible science in the creation of the game. Granted, we are using hyperspace, but who wants to play a game where relativity has to be taken into account? In other ways, we're trying to make it believable. Think more along the lines of Babylon 5 as opposed to Star Wars.
Most of the "encounters" that characters are going to have will be with the major species of the game, but we'd still like to include some "monsters" in this thing. With that in mind, we're wondering about vacuum based lifeforms. What do you think they would need to survive, and how would they have evolved?
Obviously, they need to be able to "breathe" in some completely new way, they need to be able to function in vacuum, they need to be able to survive the extreme temperature fluctuations, they obviously can't have blood like we have...
...what else do you think we need to take into account when we create these critters?
Most of the "encounters" that characters are going to have will be with the major species of the game, but we'd still like to include some "monsters" in this thing. With that in mind, we're wondering about vacuum based lifeforms. What do you think they would need to survive, and how would they have evolved?
Obviously, they need to be able to "breathe" in some completely new way, they need to be able to function in vacuum, they need to be able to survive the extreme temperature fluctuations, they obviously can't have blood like we have...
...what else do you think we need to take into account when we create these critters?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Regime Change
Here in the US today we had our peaceful transition of power. Out with the old (and it's about time), and in with the new. Anyone who has read my more political postings on this blog has to know that I was never a big Bush supporter. My personal feeling is that he was the worst thing to happen to this country in my lifetime...and maybe ever. So, seeing him get on that helicopter today really felt good.
I'm glad to see Obama in office. I think he will make a much better president (but then so would my cat), but I don't hold the overwhelming optimism of so many Americans. First off, he's a politician, and it's very difficult to trust politicians in this day and age. Secondly, he's shown several times that he's willing to compromise what he says are his beliefs in order to gain favor (like most politicians.) Still, I don't think he will do anywhere near as much harm as Dubya did.
I watched his speech, and I thought he had some good things to say, but like most speeches, it was filled with ideas but no real plans. We'll have to see how he plans to make those ideas a reality in the coming months. I was very put off by the amount of times god and religion were mentioned...although it was nice to hear him say non-believers. Not sure if I've ever heard a president comment on what is a growing percentage of the population...and it was also nice to hear him say that he wants to put more emphasis back on science...something that has suffered horribly under the Bush regime. It was also nice to hear an American president that can actually use the English language. I haven't yet heard Obama say nuclear, but I'm willing to bet that he will get the pronunciation right.
The best part of this day was the fact that there is now a non-white male running this country. We're way behind many other countries, but that at least gives me hope. I can now point out to my kids that, like them, he's mixed, and even they could be president...although we still have to elect a woman.
I will say that I am cautiously optimistic about the future of this country under Obama's leadership, but I think his supporters are setting him up to fail. There is no way in the American political system that he can bring about all of the Change that he is talking about...but he will do better than Bush.
Goodbye George! I won't miss you even in the slightest.
And Good Luck Barack!
I'm glad to see Obama in office. I think he will make a much better president (but then so would my cat), but I don't hold the overwhelming optimism of so many Americans. First off, he's a politician, and it's very difficult to trust politicians in this day and age. Secondly, he's shown several times that he's willing to compromise what he says are his beliefs in order to gain favor (like most politicians.) Still, I don't think he will do anywhere near as much harm as Dubya did.
I watched his speech, and I thought he had some good things to say, but like most speeches, it was filled with ideas but no real plans. We'll have to see how he plans to make those ideas a reality in the coming months. I was very put off by the amount of times god and religion were mentioned...although it was nice to hear him say non-believers. Not sure if I've ever heard a president comment on what is a growing percentage of the population...and it was also nice to hear him say that he wants to put more emphasis back on science...something that has suffered horribly under the Bush regime. It was also nice to hear an American president that can actually use the English language. I haven't yet heard Obama say nuclear, but I'm willing to bet that he will get the pronunciation right.
The best part of this day was the fact that there is now a non-white male running this country. We're way behind many other countries, but that at least gives me hope. I can now point out to my kids that, like them, he's mixed, and even they could be president...although we still have to elect a woman.
I will say that I am cautiously optimistic about the future of this country under Obama's leadership, but I think his supporters are setting him up to fail. There is no way in the American political system that he can bring about all of the Change that he is talking about...but he will do better than Bush.
Goodbye George! I won't miss you even in the slightest.
And Good Luck Barack!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
The date
In my year in review blog I mentioned that one of the biggest things I'd be doing this year is planning our wedding. Turns out it won't be as much work as I'd thought. After looking over our finances and realizing just how expensive a wedding and honeymoon would be, we quickly became aware that we had limited options.
Our original plan was to get married this May, but we wouldn't be able to afford the wedding...so we were going to postpone it to August. By doing that, we'd be able to afford the wedding, but not the honeymoon. So, we were faced with the option of pushing the wedding back to May of 2010. At that point, we both realized that it was more important that we get married...ceremony or not.
So, we will be having a courthouse wedding on May 21st of this year. After that, we will be honeymooning in Taos. This is also easier on us because we were already planning on having the kids spend part of their summer with their grandma.
For our first anniversary, we're thinking about having a second ceremony, which would be more like a traditional wedding...including all of the guests...
Our original plan was to get married this May, but we wouldn't be able to afford the wedding...so we were going to postpone it to August. By doing that, we'd be able to afford the wedding, but not the honeymoon. So, we were faced with the option of pushing the wedding back to May of 2010. At that point, we both realized that it was more important that we get married...ceremony or not.
So, we will be having a courthouse wedding on May 21st of this year. After that, we will be honeymooning in Taos. This is also easier on us because we were already planning on having the kids spend part of their summer with their grandma.
For our first anniversary, we're thinking about having a second ceremony, which would be more like a traditional wedding...including all of the guests...
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Preditors & Editors
This is an annual poll that has had some major problems in the past. It looks like they might have everything going right this year, so if you're interested in voting for me, I've been nominated in the following categories:
Author
Science Fiction Short Story: The Magenta Equations
Zine Editor
Also, please feel free to vote for any Sam's Dot Publishing or Nomadic Delirium Press listings that you might see...
And The Genre Mall is up for bookstore...
http://critters.org/predpoll
Author
Science Fiction Short Story: The Magenta Equations
Zine Editor
Also, please feel free to vote for any Sam's Dot Publishing or Nomadic Delirium Press listings that you might see...
And The Genre Mall is up for bookstore...
http://critters.org/predpoll
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Lost domain
Apparently my domain name expired, and nobody bothered to tell me it was going to...so I've lost my website.
I'm working on rectifying the situation, but it might take a while...
I'm working on rectifying the situation, but it might take a while...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Year in Review
On a personal level, this year, like every other year, had its ups and downs, but the ups far outweighed the downs. Rebecca and I got engaged, which was a huge up...we moved in together, and I suddenly found myself the father of two great girls...all ups.
The biggest downs for the year would be that my friend Joe lost his battle with cancer early in the year, and my three year old niece was diagnosed with leukemia just before Christmas.
The "real" job news was also both up and down. I finally got away from the job that I've been hating for years, but then it took me months to find a new gig, and then that place went into liquidation one month after I started. So, even though I'm still working, I might not have a job much longer.
In writing news, I've mostly been focusing on longer works, so I haven't written much short fiction. I did finish the drafts on two novellas, and did quite a bit of writing for the Ephemeris RPG, but no major victories on any of these. I've already sold (or permanently retired) much of the short fiction I've written, so I only had two publications in 2008. One with Tales of the Talisman and one with Allegory. Overall, I didn't write as much as I'd like, but I imagine that is because of adjusting to the new family and spending so much time trying to find "real" work.
In 2009, the biggest thing I'm working on will be the wedding. Planning for that is going to take up a lot of time, and obviously I have to find a new job. I'm hoping to write more, with the emphasis still on longer fiction, and I'm really hoping we will finally finish Ephemeris and get it out on the market...
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
The biggest downs for the year would be that my friend Joe lost his battle with cancer early in the year, and my three year old niece was diagnosed with leukemia just before Christmas.
The "real" job news was also both up and down. I finally got away from the job that I've been hating for years, but then it took me months to find a new gig, and then that place went into liquidation one month after I started. So, even though I'm still working, I might not have a job much longer.
In writing news, I've mostly been focusing on longer works, so I haven't written much short fiction. I did finish the drafts on two novellas, and did quite a bit of writing for the Ephemeris RPG, but no major victories on any of these. I've already sold (or permanently retired) much of the short fiction I've written, so I only had two publications in 2008. One with Tales of the Talisman and one with Allegory. Overall, I didn't write as much as I'd like, but I imagine that is because of adjusting to the new family and spending so much time trying to find "real" work.
In 2009, the biggest thing I'm working on will be the wedding. Planning for that is going to take up a lot of time, and obviously I have to find a new job. I'm hoping to write more, with the emphasis still on longer fiction, and I'm really hoping we will finally finish Ephemeris and get it out on the market...
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Help Ed Bryant
I got this from Jason Sizemore's LiveJournal, but I don't think he'll mind that I'm stealing it.
His message:
It has come to my attention that noted writer and critic Ed Bryant needs our help. Due to financial complications surrounding recent heart bypass surgery, a limited income, and some assholes who took advantage of his kindness, he has been struggling to buy the insulin needed to keep him alive (Ed is a Type I diabetic) and nearly lost his home to foreclosure.
To that end, a third party trust fund has been set up for Ed at the Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities. The PayPal donation button below goes to an account administered by the Colorado Fund. Please consider helping Ed by donating funds to the third party trust using this button.
More information can be found at http://www.friendsofed.org.
My message:
I've known Ed for years. He's a major force in the speculative fiction culture here in Colorado, and a major force worldwide. Ed and I went to the Henry Rollins show many years ago, and he's always been a very nice guy. He's always offered advice to up and coming writers and does a lot of workshopping here in Colorado...so it would be nice if we could all help him out...
His message:
It has come to my attention that noted writer and critic Ed Bryant needs our help. Due to financial complications surrounding recent heart bypass surgery, a limited income, and some assholes who took advantage of his kindness, he has been struggling to buy the insulin needed to keep him alive (Ed is a Type I diabetic) and nearly lost his home to foreclosure.
To that end, a third party trust fund has been set up for Ed at the Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities. The PayPal donation button below goes to an account administered by the Colorado Fund. Please consider helping Ed by donating funds to the third party trust using this button.
More information can be found at http://www.friendsofed.org.
My message:
I've known Ed for years. He's a major force in the speculative fiction culture here in Colorado, and a major force worldwide. Ed and I went to the Henry Rollins show many years ago, and he's always been a very nice guy. He's always offered advice to up and coming writers and does a lot of workshopping here in Colorado...so it would be nice if we could all help him out...
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Martian Wave
Some of you may know that for years I've edited an on-line zine called The Martian Wave. In 2009 we're turning The Martian Wave into a biannual print zine and I've just posted the guidelines over at the Sam's Dot website. The zine is a science fiction zine, with an emphasis on stories about the exploration and colonization of space.
If you think you might be interested in submitting, please go to http://samsdotpublishing.com/tmw/guidelines.htm.
If you think you might be interested in submitting, please go to http://samsdotpublishing.com/tmw/guidelines.htm.
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Solar Sea
I don't often plug other books on this blog, but I wanted to let my readers know about a book that will be coming out soon. The book is The Solar Sea, and the author is David Lee Summers. I had the opportunity to be one of the early readers of this book, and I even wrote a blurb for it, which reads as follows:
"In The Solar Sea, David Lee Summers creates a page-turning yarn with some of the most dramatic characters I've read in years. You won't want to put it down, and when you're done, you'll only want more." J Alan Erwine, author of The Opium of the People.
So, if you're looking for a great book to read, I'd recommend pre-ordering the book now. You can find it at http://thesolarsea.com. Plus, I'll also add that I really like the site they've set up for the book...
"In The Solar Sea, David Lee Summers creates a page-turning yarn with some of the most dramatic characters I've read in years. You won't want to put it down, and when you're done, you'll only want more." J Alan Erwine, author of The Opium of the People.
So, if you're looking for a great book to read, I'd recommend pre-ordering the book now. You can find it at http://thesolarsea.com. Plus, I'll also add that I really like the site they've set up for the book...
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Happy Holidays
Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, I hope it has been...or will be a very happy one.
Tonight we drove the girls around to look at lights, and they loved it. On the last street we were going down, there were three houses packed together that looked like they were having some kind of contest to see who could be the most dramatic. One of the houses was a clear winner. They had all kinds of lights, and decorations. It was a lot of stuff, but it wasn't really tacky. We drove to the end of the street and then turned around because Rebecca wanted to get a picture from her side of the car. As she was readying to take the picture, she noticed someone walking in front of the house...and who was it? None other than Santa Clause himself. Both of the girls were very excited, and the guy actually walked down to the sidewalk, laughing a "Ho Ho Ho," and calling over "Merry Christmas." I think this made the girls night. We let them believe it was the real thing (still not sure how I feel about the whole lying to kids).
Now it's time to wrap the last of the presents, and since I started a new tradition last year of posting a tasteless video, I leave you with this...
Tonight we drove the girls around to look at lights, and they loved it. On the last street we were going down, there were three houses packed together that looked like they were having some kind of contest to see who could be the most dramatic. One of the houses was a clear winner. They had all kinds of lights, and decorations. It was a lot of stuff, but it wasn't really tacky. We drove to the end of the street and then turned around because Rebecca wanted to get a picture from her side of the car. As she was readying to take the picture, she noticed someone walking in front of the house...and who was it? None other than Santa Clause himself. Both of the girls were very excited, and the guy actually walked down to the sidewalk, laughing a "Ho Ho Ho," and calling over "Merry Christmas." I think this made the girls night. We let them believe it was the real thing (still not sure how I feel about the whole lying to kids).
Now it's time to wrap the last of the presents, and since I started a new tradition last year of posting a tasteless video, I leave you with this...
A review of Harvest of Debts
Like a lot of authors, I use Google Alerts to keep me informed about what people might be saying about my work. Today I got a review of Harvest of Debts, a short story I wrote a long time ago. The review was posted at Anthology Builder. For those of you who are new to this blog, Anthology Builder is a site that allows readers to put together their own anthology with a variety of stories from the site.
This was actually a five star review, and I don't even know who the reviewer is. If you'd like to read the review, you can find it at http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_all_ratings.php?story_id=769.
This was actually a five star review, and I don't even know who the reviewer is. If you'd like to read the review, you can find it at http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_all_ratings.php?story_id=769.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
An open question entry
Since adding the NetworkedBlogs application on Facebook, I've added quite a few new readers, so I thought I would open up this blog to some questions and answers.
So, this is your chance to get to know me better as a writer and editor...
...ask whatever you'd like...
So, this is your chance to get to know me better as a writer and editor...
...ask whatever you'd like...
Monday, December 22, 2008
It was one year ago today...
...that Seedlings on the Solar Winds was released. Overall, sales haven't been quite what I'd hoped for, but I think most writers would say that about their books...unless, of course, they're Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. Still, this little book has made its way into a lot of hands, and overall, the response has been quite good from the people who have read it.
Interestingly enough, and maybe this is true for a lot of small press titles, sales through the publisher have been significantly stronger than sales through Amazon and other on-line sources.
I'm still very pleased with this book, although a lower cover price probably would have been a good idea, but small publishers just don't have the same resources that larger publishers have...
Interestingly enough, and maybe this is true for a lot of small press titles, sales through the publisher have been significantly stronger than sales through Amazon and other on-line sources.
I'm still very pleased with this book, although a lower cover price probably would have been a good idea, but small publishers just don't have the same resources that larger publishers have...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A blog about writing...believe it or not
Other than the people who personally know me, I think most of the visitors to my blogs are interested in my posts about writing...either because they've read my work, or because they're considering reading my work. For those people, the last several entries probably weren't that interesting...so now I'm going to talk about writing.
The idea for the next novel (it better be at least 80,000 words) is formulating itself in my mind. It's going to be a space opera, with hyperspace, traders, and maybe even a war thrown in. Not exactly pure science fiction, but the ideas coming to me sound like they'll be fun to write...and hopefully fun to read. In some ways, the book seems like it would fit well with Ephemeris, the RPG I'm currently working on. I don't know if I'll write it as an Ephemeris novel, or as a more general novel. Once I start doing some outlining, I'll probably have a better idea.
I have a small press publisher who might be interested in my long novella, Red Moon Rising. I say might because they want some changes made to it. The changes, however, are stylistic in nature, and I'm not sure if I'm willing to make them, since it might change my "voice" in the story. Something for me to think about...
The idea for the next novel (it better be at least 80,000 words) is formulating itself in my mind. It's going to be a space opera, with hyperspace, traders, and maybe even a war thrown in. Not exactly pure science fiction, but the ideas coming to me sound like they'll be fun to write...and hopefully fun to read. In some ways, the book seems like it would fit well with Ephemeris, the RPG I'm currently working on. I don't know if I'll write it as an Ephemeris novel, or as a more general novel. Once I start doing some outlining, I'll probably have a better idea.
I have a small press publisher who might be interested in my long novella, Red Moon Rising. I say might because they want some changes made to it. The changes, however, are stylistic in nature, and I'm not sure if I'm willing to make them, since it might change my "voice" in the story. Something for me to think about...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A sale at NDP
Nomadic Delirium Press is having a holiday sale. This is a chance to get several of my books at a pretty good discount, so check it out soon...
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/holiday.htm
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/holiday.htm
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The weather outside is frightful
Current temp is zero and we have light snow. The snow I can deal with, but I've never really liked the BITTER cold...
Thought I'd post a few more pics...especially since someone mentioned that the cats weren't in the last batch.
The girls with the tree:
Rebecca decided to get a shot of the falling snow and the lights on our balcony. The lights didn't show up very well, but she got a cool flash effect off of the snow:
KJ wonders why there's a tree in his house:
Mosi says get the &%@* out of her face:
Thought I'd post a few more pics...especially since someone mentioned that the cats weren't in the last batch.
The girls with the tree:
Rebecca decided to get a shot of the falling snow and the lights on our balcony. The lights didn't show up very well, but she got a cool flash effect off of the snow:
KJ wonders why there's a tree in his house:
Mosi says get the &%@* out of her face:
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Some Xmas stuff
Wednesday night Rebecca's dad came over, and he and the girls decorated the tree while Rebecca and I went shopping for Xmas presents. This was the first time the girls had ever had a real tree, so they were pretty excited about it. We didn't want to do anything extravagant, so we went with a small tree...although I think we could have used a few more ornaments.
Here are some pics...
The tree before:
The family with the tree:
The tree after:
The next night there was a gorgeous sunset, so I had to go on to our balcony and get a shot of it:
Here are some pics...
The tree before:
The family with the tree:
The tree after:
The next night there was a gorgeous sunset, so I had to go on to our balcony and get a shot of it:
Why is the universe trying to crap on my Xmas?
I thought it was a bad thing when I found out that I might be losing my job after the holidays. Very Scroogish of my employers...but I just got off the phone with my mom, and she told me that my three and a half year old niece has been diagnosed with leukemia. Kind of put things in perspective for me...
For a young child to have to suffer like that seems pretty cruel of the universe, but for it to happen to a family less than two weeks before Christmas seems completely unfair...but then I've never thought the universe was a fair place.
Rebecca's brother battled leukemia when they were both teenagers...unfortunately, he lost his battle. We're all thinking positive thoughts for my niece, and we're hoping she gets a diagnosis of one of the forms that is easier to treat.
I'd appreciate it if you could all think positive thoughts for her as well.
For a young child to have to suffer like that seems pretty cruel of the universe, but for it to happen to a family less than two weeks before Christmas seems completely unfair...but then I've never thought the universe was a fair place.
Rebecca's brother battled leukemia when they were both teenagers...unfortunately, he lost his battle. We're all thinking positive thoughts for my niece, and we're hoping she gets a diagnosis of one of the forms that is easier to treat.
I'd appreciate it if you could all think positive thoughts for her as well.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Damn jobs
Anyone who reads here frequently knows that I had one hell of a hard time finding a job when we moved here. Most likely it was because of my availability, but I spent close to three months looking before I got my current job. I've now been there for close to a month, and today we were all told that the store was closing and that we are going into liquidation.
That means that in the next 6-12 weeks, I will once again be out of a job. I might be able to get a transfer, but there are no guarantees. It does give me time to look, but it's not easy to find something at holiday time...so to say that the timing of this sucked would be quite the understatement. This is one of the main reasons why I don't like "real" jobs, but unfortunately, writing and editing is still very hit and miss on money for me.
Since I like to report on nature sightings I have, I'll mention that while I was standing out in the cold waiting for our oldest to get out of school, a large bird flew over me. I was expecting it to be a goose, since there are so many of them near her school, but I didn't hear any noise. When I looked up, I realized that it was a bald eagle. That's about the only good news I have from the day...
That means that in the next 6-12 weeks, I will once again be out of a job. I might be able to get a transfer, but there are no guarantees. It does give me time to look, but it's not easy to find something at holiday time...so to say that the timing of this sucked would be quite the understatement. This is one of the main reasons why I don't like "real" jobs, but unfortunately, writing and editing is still very hit and miss on money for me.
Since I like to report on nature sightings I have, I'll mention that while I was standing out in the cold waiting for our oldest to get out of school, a large bird flew over me. I was expecting it to be a goose, since there are so many of them near her school, but I didn't hear any noise. When I looked up, I realized that it was a bald eagle. That's about the only good news I have from the day...
Thursday, December 04, 2008
The TSO show
To say that the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show was amazing would be an understatement. Great music, a phenomenal light show, and a great crowd made for a great night...not to mention the great company.
The first part of the show was put together as a story, which was pretty much the same as their Christmas Eve and Other Stories album. After that, they jammed, and that was the best part of the show. Moving lights, stage sections that rose, electric violins...it was definitely amazing. If you've never seen them live, you owe it to yourself to go.
Before the show, Rebecca wasn't sure if she would enjoy it, but she had a blast.
Possibly the best part of the show was the fact that the members of the band are real class acts. Before the show, they donated more than $17,000 to local charities, and after the show, they set up tables in the hallways so they could sit and talk with their fans. You definitely don't see that with most bands. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stay...maybe next year.
Again, if Trans-Siberian Orchestra is coming to your town, you need to go see them. If you really appreciate good music, you will not be sorry.
The first part of the show was put together as a story, which was pretty much the same as their Christmas Eve and Other Stories album. After that, they jammed, and that was the best part of the show. Moving lights, stage sections that rose, electric violins...it was definitely amazing. If you've never seen them live, you owe it to yourself to go.
Before the show, Rebecca wasn't sure if she would enjoy it, but she had a blast.
Possibly the best part of the show was the fact that the members of the band are real class acts. Before the show, they donated more than $17,000 to local charities, and after the show, they set up tables in the hallways so they could sit and talk with their fans. You definitely don't see that with most bands. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stay...maybe next year.
Again, if Trans-Siberian Orchestra is coming to your town, you need to go see them. If you really appreciate good music, you will not be sorry.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Going to the TSO show
Rebecca and I will soon be leaving for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. This is something that I've been waiting for for years now...and, it's hard to believe, but this will be Rebecca's first ever concert.
No matter what, this will be a great show...enjoy some vids...
No matter what, this will be a great show...enjoy some vids...
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Noises in the Night
Sunday night after Rebecca came home from work, we both heard strange noises coming from outside. At first, I thought it was kids laughing on the stairs, but why would kids be out at almost 11 at night? Yeah, some parents are ok with that...
As we listened more closely, we realized that the noises were coming from the field behind our place. We went out on the balcony, but couldn't see anything, but it was obvious that the sounds were being made by coyotes. Shortly after that, someone went over to the field with a flashlight and they took off...we did see one of them running through the trees. Our guess is that they'd chased something into a thicket that's over there because we went over to investigate the next morning and didn't find any signs of a kill in the snow.
We've known that we had coyotes in the area. I've seen them on two different occasions, but this was the first time that we'd heard them...and they were only about 50 meters from our place.
In other news, we're having the typical crazy Colorado weather. I walked to work this morning at 6 in howling winds, but because the winds were out of the west, it was 50 degrees...and it warmed up close to 70 today. However, tonight the winds are supposed to shift to coming out of the north, which means that the temps will drop, and we have a chance for snow. You have to love Colorado's weather...
As we listened more closely, we realized that the noises were coming from the field behind our place. We went out on the balcony, but couldn't see anything, but it was obvious that the sounds were being made by coyotes. Shortly after that, someone went over to the field with a flashlight and they took off...we did see one of them running through the trees. Our guess is that they'd chased something into a thicket that's over there because we went over to investigate the next morning and didn't find any signs of a kill in the snow.
We've known that we had coyotes in the area. I've seen them on two different occasions, but this was the first time that we'd heard them...and they were only about 50 meters from our place.
In other news, we're having the typical crazy Colorado weather. I walked to work this morning at 6 in howling winds, but because the winds were out of the west, it was 50 degrees...and it warmed up close to 70 today. However, tonight the winds are supposed to shift to coming out of the north, which means that the temps will drop, and we have a chance for snow. You have to love Colorado's weather...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Damn word counts
I don't know why, but my works tend to fall around the 60,000 word mark. That's too long for the few novella publishers out there, and it's too short for the novel markets. Granted, if I was writing mainstream fiction it would be fine, but for SF, most markets want at least 80k.
I finished the latest revisions of the novelization of A Problem in Translation, and it came in at 61,574 words. I guess that means it's back to the drawing board with it. I suppose I need to find several new scenes to add...but I'm just not sure where.
For now, I'll probably set it aside for a few weeks, and let it stew in my brain.
I finished the latest revisions of the novelization of A Problem in Translation, and it came in at 61,574 words. I guess that means it's back to the drawing board with it. I suppose I need to find several new scenes to add...but I'm just not sure where.
For now, I'll probably set it aside for a few weeks, and let it stew in my brain.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday is over
My original plan had been to title this entry "I Survived Black Friday," but then I read about a Wal-Mart employee in New York being trampled to death by crazy shoppers and I decided that would be a tasteless title.
Come on people. We're talking about saving a few bucks...is it really worth killing an employee over? I'm sorry but when hundreds of people run the poor guy over...and then step around his broken body, you can't call it an accident, and all of those shoppers should be deeply ashamed of what they did today.
As for my Black Friday, we were busy, but nothing like that. The first two hours, we were crazy busy, but then after that, it was just more of a steady busy. No matter what, we definitely earned our paychecks today.
Thanksgiving went well here. Rebecca made a fabulous dinner. She'd never done a turkey before, and she was absolutely convinced that she was going to ruin it, but in all honesty, it was one of the best turkeys I've ever had...now we have tons of leftovers.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
Come on people. We're talking about saving a few bucks...is it really worth killing an employee over? I'm sorry but when hundreds of people run the poor guy over...and then step around his broken body, you can't call it an accident, and all of those shoppers should be deeply ashamed of what they did today.
As for my Black Friday, we were busy, but nothing like that. The first two hours, we were crazy busy, but then after that, it was just more of a steady busy. No matter what, we definitely earned our paychecks today.
Thanksgiving went well here. Rebecca made a fabulous dinner. She'd never done a turkey before, and she was absolutely convinced that she was going to ruin it, but in all honesty, it was one of the best turkeys I've ever had...now we have tons of leftovers.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Black Friday
For my 30+ years on this planet, I've managed to avoid Black Friday like the plague. I don't generally like crowds, and I really hate them in stores or malls, so I've never seen a reason to partake in the festivities.
However, now that I have a retail job, I find that I will be working on Black Friday, and not only that, but I have to be in at 5 a.m. I'm really not sure what to expect, as our location is pretty slow, so there might not be very many people coming in. Still, I think we will be busier than normal, so I would guess the day will pass quick. After that, it's one short day on Saturday and then two days off. I'm hoping to use that time to finish up the revisions on the novella/short novel that I've been working on...but it isn't turning out like I'd hoped, so it probably won't be the final revisions like I'd wanted them to be...
However, now that I have a retail job, I find that I will be working on Black Friday, and not only that, but I have to be in at 5 a.m. I'm really not sure what to expect, as our location is pretty slow, so there might not be very many people coming in. Still, I think we will be busier than normal, so I would guess the day will pass quick. After that, it's one short day on Saturday and then two days off. I'm hoping to use that time to finish up the revisions on the novella/short novel that I've been working on...but it isn't turning out like I'd hoped, so it probably won't be the final revisions like I'd wanted them to be...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thanksgiving
Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving here in the U.S. For me, this holiday has always brought up mixed feelings. Since becoming an adult (at least in age, not necessarily in maturity) I haven't really been a part of a family. Yes, I have been in relationships during the holidays, but they've always been highly dysfunctional...to say the least.
This year, I suddenly find myself with a family. Rebecca and I have been together for a little over a year, and our little family will be celebrating Thanksgiving together, and as the cliche requires...that makes me very thankful.
Some other things I'm thankful for would be the rest of my family...who are scattered all over the States, my friends (including the childhood friends who I've just started to re-connect with), my readers (you're the ones that make writing worthwhile), and of course the end of the Bush administration.
One thing that has always bothered me about this holiday is that in a lot of ways it seems to celebrate the exploitation of the Native American population. Let's face it, most of those early colonies would not have survived without the help of the local Indians...and it's a disgrace how they were repaid for their help. Knowing that some of my ancestors walked the Trail of Tears always makes me a bit morose on Thanksgiving.
So, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and I ask that you please try to take a few minutes to remember the atrocities committed against the Indian people after that first Thanksgiving.
This year, I suddenly find myself with a family. Rebecca and I have been together for a little over a year, and our little family will be celebrating Thanksgiving together, and as the cliche requires...that makes me very thankful.
Some other things I'm thankful for would be the rest of my family...who are scattered all over the States, my friends (including the childhood friends who I've just started to re-connect with), my readers (you're the ones that make writing worthwhile), and of course the end of the Bush administration.
One thing that has always bothered me about this holiday is that in a lot of ways it seems to celebrate the exploitation of the Native American population. Let's face it, most of those early colonies would not have survived without the help of the local Indians...and it's a disgrace how they were repaid for their help. Knowing that some of my ancestors walked the Trail of Tears always makes me a bit morose on Thanksgiving.
So, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and I ask that you please try to take a few minutes to remember the atrocities committed against the Indian people after that first Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The aStore
For those of you not reading this in an RSS feed, you've probably noticed that there's a new widget at the top of my main page...it's also on most of the pages on my homepage.
This is an Amazon aStore widget. The aStore I've created features a number of the books I've written or edited. Unfortunately, it doesn't have most of the Sam's Dot titles I've worked on because they're not available on Amazon...which is the one thing keeping Sam's Dot from being one of the major small press markets.
Yes, it's just one more attempt by me to try to make more money off of the hard work I've put into my writing and editing...
This is an Amazon aStore widget. The aStore I've created features a number of the books I've written or edited. Unfortunately, it doesn't have most of the Sam's Dot titles I've worked on because they're not available on Amazon...which is the one thing keeping Sam's Dot from being one of the major small press markets.
Yes, it's just one more attempt by me to try to make more money off of the hard work I've put into my writing and editing...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Still undecided
I've been debating back and forth whether or not I'll see this when it comes out.
Now that I've seen this preview, I can honestly say that I'm still undecided. Parts of it look good, and other parts look ridiculous...
Now that I've seen this preview, I can honestly say that I'm still undecided. Parts of it look good, and other parts look ridiculous...
Friday, November 14, 2008
SNOW!!!
I woke up this morning to get ready for work, and found that it had snowed overnight. It wasn't a lot of snow...just enough to almost cover the grass, but it was the first measurable snow we've had in Denver so far this Fall. According to my memory, which isn't what it used to be, this is the latest first snow we've had since I've lived here.
Of course, the sun came out and melted it all away, but at least I finally got my snow.
Of course, the sun came out and melted it all away, but at least I finally got my snow.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The job search is over
For better, or for worse, I once again have a "real" job. Tomorrow at 6 a.m. I report for duty at Office Depot, where I'll be doing stocking and sales.
It's certainly not my dream job, but it is a job. Given the limited hours I'm actually available, I'm reasonably happy to have this. At least it's not food. I don't know if I could have handled another food job.
Looking on the bright side, I will hopefully get a discount on things like paper and mailing supplies...that's always a good thing for a freelance writer.
Also, today is Veterans' Day here in America, so I would like to take the time to wish every veteran a Happy Veterans' Day, and thank them for their service. Be sure you're all doing the same.
It's certainly not my dream job, but it is a job. Given the limited hours I'm actually available, I'm reasonably happy to have this. At least it's not food. I don't know if I could have handled another food job.
Looking on the bright side, I will hopefully get a discount on things like paper and mailing supplies...that's always a good thing for a freelance writer.
Also, today is Veterans' Day here in America, so I would like to take the time to wish every veteran a Happy Veterans' Day, and thank them for their service. Be sure you're all doing the same.
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