Holiday deals featuring my stuff

There are two e-book deals from Nomadic Delirium that feature some of my work.  First of all, there's the fiction bundle, which has one of my novels, two short story collections, and three titles that I edited.  In total, you get 10 titles for $10.  Simply go to http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/65958/2013-NDP-Holiday-fiction-special-%5BBUNDLE%5D?manufacturers_id=2805.
Secondly, you can get e-book versions of both of the RPGS that I created for just $6.50.  That's Ephemeris and The Battle for Turtle Island.  Just go to http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/122758/2013-NDP-Holiday-gaming-special-%5BBUNDLE%5D.
Both of these deals last through Cyber Monday.

Submitting reprints

As I'm slowly getting back into the swing of working at home, I've started researching markets that accept reprints.  I've found a few that are actually open to submissions, so I sent off some stories yesterday.  It felt good.  I haven't submitted an un-solicted story in quite some time, so it was nice to get back to it.
Hopefully once Thanksgiving is over, I'll be throwing myself into writing some short stories I've been thinking about, and also get to work on one of the novels I've started.
Overall, working at home is MUCH better than working in the "real" world.

Keeping myself busy

Now that I'm free of the "real" world work, and working at home, I'm keeping myself quite busy.  I've started on a series of supplements for the Ephemeris game that will focus on the sectors of space used by each of the species.  I'm tentatively calling it the Ephemeris Encyclopedia Galactica.  I've also been doing a lot of editing, and formatting of zines and books.  I'm working on some new ideas that I might use for books or magazines for Nomadic Delirium Press, and I'm even doing some writing.
I'm also loving having time with the kids and Rebecca.  The little one has been so thrilled to have me home with her every day.
Now, I need to get back to work.

I'm free!

Today was my last day at the "real" job, and it couldn't have come soon enough.  I was really tired of people not doing their share of the work, and then catching crap from so called "superiors" when I busted my ass day in and day out.
Hopefully this will work out for us, but I suppose I'd better get to writing...

Happy third birthday

Today is Alexis' third birthday.  It's hard to believe that she's turning three.  In some ways it seems like she's been with us for so long, but in other ways, it seems like she was just born yesterday.
It's amazing what a little person she's become.  She's already trying to read (although with no success), and she often seems desperate to learn everything.  There are so many things about her that remind me of myself, and there are also so many things that remind me of my wonderful wife.
We're so happy to have her in our life, and we're looking forward to seeing how much she grows over the year to come.

The big news

Given the wild speculation going on on Facebook, perhaps this news isn't as big as I'd originally thought.  No, we are not expecting.  The no-longer-not-so-big-news is that I gave my two weeks notice at my "real" job.  I was pretty much tired of having to do extra work because others were either lazy or incompetent, and I was also tired of catching hell for things not being done, when I was busting my butt.  So, we talked it over, and I decided to leave.
I will be working as a stay at home dad now, while I'm also working on writing, editing, and publishing.  Money is going to be much tighter for us, but we're going to do everything we can to save every penny and try to make this work.
Other than the loss of money, everything else about this arrangement will work out better for us.  So, hopefully I will be writing some stories and books that will bring in a lot of money, and hopefully Nomadic Delirium Press will be publishing stories and books that will do the same...

I have some big news...

...but I'm not going to share it until next week...

October recap

My MileHiCon schedule
Tantrums
A new novel
My final MileHiCon schedule
MileHiCon recap
Having a blast
Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic Fringe

As you may remember, I did a panel at MileHiCon about science in science fiction called Lunatic Fringe.  There was a review article posted about it at Sciencefiction.com.  You can read it at http://sciencefiction.com/2013/10/29/much-science-science-fiction/.

Having a blast

Towards the beginning of the year, I left my position with Sam's Dot (as taken over by White Cat), and started focusing on editorial duties for Nomadic Delirium Press, and I'd have to say that I'm having a blast.  I like this whole working for myself.  I've created a couple of anthologies that I'm now reading for, and I'm even thinking about starting a new webzine.  We're beginning to see an increase in readership and the zines are filling up faster than they have in a while.  It would seem that people like the direction I'm taking NDP...or at least I hope they do.
No matter what, it really is a lot of fun to be an editor and a publisher, and I'd love to make it a full time thing...we'll have to see...

MileHiCon recap

We've been back for a few days from the Con, but this is the first time I've had enough down time to really sit down and write this blog.  As always, we ran around like crazy, trying to do as much promotion of my stuff as we could, while still making sure that the kids got to do a lot of fun stuff.
Friday we had a panel about Mars, which started off a bit slow because most of the panelists didn't know the answers to the first couple of questions, but once we got past that, we had a really great panel with a lot of good conversation about the future of Mars exploration.  That night we did autograph alley, which didn't seem to have as much traffic as usual, but still managed to sell one book, while talking with some old friends.
Saturday started out with a signing.  During that time, there must have been some great things going on because traffic was very slow, and I've never seen so few people roaming around.  That afternoon, I did the Lunatic Fringe panel about science in science fiction.  This was one of the best panels I've ever done.  We managed to get a lot of information out, while we had a blast.  I don't think I've ever been on a panel with such "colorful" guests.  A really great time seemed to be had by all.
Sunday started with a reading, which was pretty well attended.  I just read a portion of the first chapter of A Problem in Translation as anything I'm working on is still too rough to share.  That afternoon I did a panel about the new era of publishing.  This was another great panel.  There were four self-published authors, and me as a publisher.  Again, we shared a lot of great information, and had a great time.
These were some of the best attended panels and reading that I've done.  I had to admit that when I saw the panels I was scheduled for, I didn't think they'd be that great, but they were really were.
As an author I didn't feel this was that successful of a con, but for Nomadic Delirium Press, I think this was a very successful con.

My final MileHiCon schedule

Here's my final schedule, with rooms and panel descriptions:

Friday:
3:00 p.m. Grand Mesa A Dreams of Red

The Dutch organization Mars One says its wants to put humans on the surface in 2023. The Inspiration Mars Foundation plans to fly astronauts to Mars and back on a 500-day mission in 2018. And of course, science fiction writers have been dreaming of a visit to the Red Planet for centuries. But how does fantasy stack up to reality? 

8:00 p.m. Atrium Autograph Alley

Saturday:
1:00 p.m. 2nd Floor near Art Show Signing

2:00 p.m. Grand Mesa B&C Lunatic Fringe

How fuzzy can the science be and still be believable?  

Sunday:
11:00 a.m. Mesa Verde C Reading

3:00 p.m. Wind River A New Era of Publishing: Good, Bad, & Ugly

What does it mean for both readers and writers? Good as in new professional markets like 47North and more choices for authors as well as the fact that books stay available as e-books, so readers don't have to worry about book one in a series being out of print when they discover book three, as well as more books coming back into print because authors have the rights and are publishing their back lists. Bad as in mountains of garbage that gets dumped on Amazon and Smashwords, and what that means for readers—how do you find the good stuff and avoid the garbage? The Ugly: the widening rift between indie and traditional publishing and those who try to bridge that gap with a foot in both camps (hybrid) and why it shouldn't matter because readers just want good books. And the online distribution stampede, with prices set by the distributors.   

A new novel

Although I'm still toying with the YA novel I started, I broke ground on a new novel today, and this one certainly won't be YA.  Yes, I'm back to writing dystopic fiction.  The new novel is once again about an oppressive government and the struggles of the individual to not only survive amidst the oppression, but to actually attempt to overcome it.
I've had the idea for a while, and I even knew a little about the main character, but I wasn't entirely sure who he was until I wrote the first 1000 words of the novel today.  Now I have a much better idea of who he is, what he wants, and what he might be capable of, so now I can sit down and at least put a loose outline together, so that I don't get lost in the rest of the novel.
Life is still very hectic, and the "real" job is still wearing me out, so I have no idea how long it might take me to write this book, but I'm pretty excited about it, so I'm hoping it will flow quickly.

Tantrums

Imagine someone sitting in a corner, fingers in their ears, crying because they can't have their way.  Imagine someone throwing themselves to the floor and kicking their legs and flailing their arms wildly because they can't have their way.
Am I talking about my almost three year old?  No.  I'm talking about these so-called leaders that we elected to Congress.  Get over yourselves ladies and gentlemen, and get down to what we are paying you to do...work.  Govern as we tell you you should.  It's not government by the few, it's government by the people.  You, you selfish jerks, work for us.  You have no right to hold us hostage, so get over yourselves and do your jobs.
As long as I'm still paying taxes for my government to work for ME, you damn well better work for me.
Rant over.  I have work to do...

My MileHiCon 45 schedule

It isn't set in stone yet, as I'm hoping to add a singing, but here's my schedule for MileHiCon 45 as of now:

Friday 3:00 p.m.: Dreams of Red
Friday 8:00 p.m.: Autograph Alley
Saturday 2:00 p.m.: Lunatic Fringe
Sunday 11:00 a.m.: Reading
Sunday 3:00 p.m.: New Era of Publishing: Good, Bad, & Ugly

I'll post more details about each of the panels in a few days.  Hope to see some of you there...

September recap

Glad that week's over
We've lost another one
Another one of my crazy ideas
Maybe I should have said something
Water water everywhere
Back to the intense pain

Back to the intense pain

For the last couple of months, the chronic pain in my ribs has been hanging out around a two or three, with only an occasional flare up, but since Wednesday, we've been spending our time around an eight, with occasional shots of pain that go right off the scale.  Most of the 10+ pain incidents happen when I have to lift or move something heavy at work...unfortunately, this seems to happen quite often.
NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH: My guess is that the ribs have flexed into an unnatural position, which is causing them to strain everything around them, and until they "pop" back to where they need to be, I'm going to be in this intense pain.
Even taking heavy duty painkillers at night isn't really helping, and I'm exhausted from being woken up by the pain.  I'm so glad that the quack of a surgeon they sent me to couldn't find anything better to do than put me on medication that didn't work, and mostly made me want to blow my brains out.  Unfortunately, I'm currently uninsured, so I can't even go to my regular doctor.  I should have insurance again by the end of the year, but that's assuming that I keep my job, an assumption that isn't safe given the merger we're undergoing.
Some may think that Obamacare is the work of the devil, but as someone who suffers from chronic pain, I'm looking forward to it...especially given that insurance companies of the past could have denied me coverage.
For now, I'll suffer quietly, and hope that the little one stops trying to jump on me...

Water water everywhere

For those of you following the news, Colorado has been seeing some of the worst flooding ever, and some of you may have noticed that Aurora (where we live) has been hit quite hard.  So far, there's no reason to worry about us.  In our area, we have seen quite a bit of street flooding, and the creek near us actually came over its banks yesterday, but it's several hundred feet away from us, and a good thirty or forty feet lower than us in altitude, so it would take some incredibly substantial flooding for it to get to us.
We are expecting another inch or two of rain today, but after this, we're supposed to dry out, and we're all more than ready for it.
Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed or messaged me asking how we're doing.  Your concern is appreciated.

Maybe I should have said something...

Most of you will remember that at the beginning of the year, Sam's Dot Publishing was taken over by White Cat Publishing.  It was only a couple of months later that I left Sam's Dot.  At the time, I said that it was because I wanted more time with my family, and more time for writing.  There was some truth to that, but it wasn't the whole truth.  In actuality, I wasn't getting paid on time, I wasn't getting information on when titles would be published, and authors and other editors weren't getting paid at all.  I decided to take the high road at the time, and not discuss it openly, but I'm now seeing that another round of editors has quit for many of the same reasons, and the authors still aren't getting paid.
When I was with Sam's Dot and ProMart, we always made the writers a priority, and now I feel like maybe I should have said something when I left in the hope that some of the writers who are now going through hell with White Cat wouldn't have had to go through that hell.  I feel like I owed it to those authors, and now I'm sorry that I didn't give them a warning about the things I saw going on.
I hope that those authors will find homes for their work, and I also hope that White Cat will someday learn how to treat their editors and writers, but in all honesty, I'm not hopeful for the latter.  Considering that it would seem that we were all intentionally purged because we knew Tyree is quite ridiculous.  The publisher had a fully trained editorial staff in place, and could have been quite successful, but I guess that was never going to happen...

Another one of my crazy ideas?

As I'm working on expanding and growing Nomadic Delirium Press, the idea of doing novellas suddenly seemed like a good idea.  What I was thinking about was doing something like the old Ace Doubles.  Basically taking two very different novellas and slapping them together.  I'm not really sure if this is a good idea, or if this is just my sleep-deprived mind sending me some sort of hallucinations.
I'd be curious to know if anyone else thinks this is a good idea, or do I just need to get more sleep...

We've lost another one

Yesterday, Frederik Pohl passed away.  He was a very big influence on me.  From the time I first learned to put a subject and a predicate together, I've been writing stories...even then, mostly science fiction.  But it was after reading Gateway that I decided that I really wanted to be a science fiction author.  I loved all of the Heechee novels, and there was something in the telling of those stories that had a huge impact on me.
Like, love, or hate my fiction, Frederik Pohl is a big reason why my writing is out there for others to read. So, I thank him, and say goodbye.  He will be missed.

Glad that week's over

August started out well, but it faltered quite a bit at the end.  Last Monday, Rebecca got a call from her district manager telling her that they were transferring her to a new store effective Sep. 1st.  She had to leave all of the good friends she'd made at her old store, and wasn't thrilled about it...but she's a trooper, and she's going to make the best of it, and be the best damn supervisor her new store has ever seen.
About an hour later, she found out that her parent's dog, Missy, had to be put down.  Missy was such a great dog.  The first time she met me, she climbed onto my lap and tried to stay there all day.  She was a 70-80 lb black lab, so lapdog is quite the misnomer.  She was always very protective of our girls, and was one of the best dogs I've ever known.  She is definitely missed.
We have reason to believe that there is more crap headed our way, but hopefully it won't happen.  I can't really talk about it...

August recap

A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk Into A Bar

WTH Hell Amazon?

The Fifth Di... September 2013

The Fifth Di... September 2013

The September issue of The Fifth Di... is now available from Nomadic Delirium Press.  This is a zine I've been editing for more years than I can remember.  To order your copy, go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353191.

WTH Amazon?

Any of my regular readers know that I've had problems with the way Amazon does business, and in fact, a lot of authors have had problems with the way Amazon does business, but this new one really has me stumped.  Like most authors do, I was searching my titles on Amazon to look for reviews and such, when I found some of my titles listed with the word "Greenlight" in them.  None of these listings showed a cover, and when I clicked on them, they were listed as out of stock.  For some reason, these Greenlight out of stock titles are listed before the actual titles, so unless you scroll down, or even click to go to page two, you'll think that the books are no longer available.
I have no clue what they're doing, but I suppose it's just more of the games they like to play with authors...

A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk into a Space Bar...

I will be editing a new collection for Nomadic Delirium Press.  As you might be able to tell, it's a comedic science fiction collection.  I love funny SF that's actually good, so this should be a fun collection.
Interested in submitting, go to http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/comediccollection.htm.
I'm editing another collection as well, but that one's an invitation only collection, and I think it will also be very interesting once we get it put together.  I think it will bring something truly unique to the science fiction world...or at least I'm hoping it will...

July recap

A July update
The 2013 TMW cover
Breaking ground on a new novel
Pre-order the 2013 issue of The Martian Wave
Christmas in July
The Martian Wave e-book
A review of The Martian Wave 2013

A review of The Martian Wave: 2013

We've gotten our first review of the new issue of The Martian Wave, and it was a positive one.  Have a look http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=117289.

The Martian Wave e-book

The e-book version of the 2013 issue of The Martian Wave is now available through Smashwords.  You can get it at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/340361.

Christmas in July

DriveThruRPG and DriveThruFiction are both running Christmas in July sales, allowing you to get all of the Nomadic Delirium Press titles for 25% off. You can order the RPG titles, which include all of the Ephemeris titles, as well as The Battle for Turtle Island by going to http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/rpg_xmas_in_july.php?manufacturers_id=2805&filters=0_0_0_0_0_31815#selectpub, and you can get any of NDP's fiction titles by going to http://www.drivethrufiction.com/dtf_xmas_in_july.php?manufacturers_id=2805&filters=0_0_0_0_0_44595#selectpub.

Pre-order the 2013 issue of The Martian Wave

Amazon has the new issue of The Martian Wave available for pre-order, and at a discount.  You can find it at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980170370.  Who knows how long they'll keep it at this price...

Breaking ground on a new novel

After a lot of plotting and planning, I've finally started actually writing my new novel today.  I even managed to get 1000 words written.  Yes, this was during the little one's nap.  That might be my only writing time for a while.
I've mentioned in a few places that people will be surprised by this one, and yes, I think they will be.  I'm actually writing a...wait for it...a YA science fiction novel.  Given how dark, and sometimes twisted my work usually is, this is a very big departure for me.
Considering that I'm now working full time, and taking care of the little one a lot, this novel will probably take a while to write, but hopefully it will be a fun adventure.

The 2013 TMW cover

Here's a look at the cover for the 2013 issue of The Martian Wave...

A July update

We're a week into the new month, and this is my first post of the month.  The "real" job has been keeping me really busy, and leaving me quite exhausted, so I haven't had as much time as I want for the important things in life.
In important news, I've finished the formatting of the 2013 issue of The Martian Wave, and it should be off to the printer in the next couple of days.  I've also been doing some mental outlining for the next novel, which will be quite a departure for me.  I think people will be surprised when they find out what I'm working on.
Other than that, there hasn't been much going on... just trying to get work done, and spend some summer hours with the kids before they go back to school...which will be here very soon.
Hopefully I'll have more to report in the coming weeks...

June recap

One final act of begging
Vacation
I'm back
Kepler e-book

Kepler e-book

As most of you know, I have a short story in a new anthology called, A Kepler's Dozen.  The book is now available as an e-book, and you can find it at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DCG4MZS

or at:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/325583
.

I'm back

I actually went back to the "real" job on Tuesday, but since Rebecca was off through yesterday, I decided to take some time away from the Internet and spend those last few days with her, since we really don't get to see much of each other.
The vacation was great, we went to the zoo, the Wildlife Experience, Idaho Springs, the Renaissance Festival, and the reservoir.  I think we wore my mom out, but I think she had a good time, and I know the kids had a blast...and so did we.
Now, back to editing The Martian Wave, writing, and the other nine million things I need to get done.

Vacation

I'm on a bit of a vacation at the moment, so expect limited blogging for the next week...not that I've been blogging that much lately anyway...

One final act of begging

They say that begging is good for the soul, well, here I am begging for help with the Kickstarter for The Martian Wave.  There are only a couple of days left, and we aren't hitting our goal yet.  We need whatever help we can get.  If you can't help financially, then please post the link.  This publication needs to be done with flourish.  It's always been such a great magazine, I'd hate to see it reduced in grandeur.
That Link...http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-martian-wave-2013
Some people also say that begging is pathetic...well...

May recap

A Kepler's Dozen

New pledge level for the Kickstarter

The press release for A Kepler's Dozen

The Alban Lake Bookstore

Please help

Please help

There are less than two weeks left in the kickstarter for The Martian Wave, and we haven't even reached the half way point yet.  We would hate to have to delay the release of the next issue, so if you're able to donate anything to the kickstarter, we would really appreciate it.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-martian-wave-2013

The Alban Lake Bookstore

The Alban Lake Bookstore is now open.  This store features all of the new titles from Alban Lake Publishing, and it also features much of the backlist from Sam's Dot Publishing, and it features many of the new and backlist titles from Nomadic Delirium Press.  This means that the store has a lot of my books.  Here are some links for you:
A Problem in Translation
Red Moon Rising
The Opium of the People
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
Marionettes on the Moon
The Ephemeris Science Fiction Role Playing Game
The Battle for Turtle Island: Buffalo Wars Role Playing Game

The press release for A Kepler's Dozen

I thought some of you might be interested in reading the press release for A Kepler's Dozen.  You can find it at http://www.noao.edu/news/2013/pr1305.php.
A pretty cool feature on the page is that there's an actual image that shows where all of the stars are in the story.

New pledge level for the Kickstarter

I've had people say they'd like to help out with The Martian Wave Kickstarter, but a $15 minimum pledge is too much at the moment, so I've added a $5 pledge level.  That level of pledge will get you a free e-copy of the September issue of The Martian Wave.  Hopefully this will make it easier for people to help us out.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-martian-wave-2013

A Kepler's Dozen

A Kepler's Dozen is now available from Amazon.  You can order it at http://www.amazon.com/Keplers-Dozen-Thirteen-Stories-Distant/dp/1885093683/.
A Kepler's Dozen presents thirteen action-packed, mysterious, and humorous stories all based on real planets discovered by the NASA Kepler mission. Edited by and contributing stories are David Lee Summers, editor of Tales of the Talisman Magazine, and Steve B. Howell, project scientist for the Kepler mission. Whether on a prison colony, in a fast escape from the authorities, or encircling a binary star, these exoplanet stories will amuse, frighten, and intrigue you while you share fantasy adventures among Kepler's real-life planets.

April recap

The Martian Wave Kickstarter

The Ephemeris Omnibus 2013

What's been going on?

What's been going on?

Things have been kind of quiet here on the blog front.  I wanted to write a long post about what happened in Boston, but I never could quite get it to sound the way I wanted.  It basically read like me being pissed...I think we've seen enough of that.
I've been putting in some extra hours at the "real" job, including some 5 a.m. shifts, so that has left me a bit tired.  Rebecca and I also went to the Bon Jovi show a few days ago, and that left me even more exhausted.  I guess I'm too old for late nights any more...
Now that I've left Sam's Dot, I've been putting a lot of work into Nomadic Delirium Press, and it seems to be paying off.  There's a lot more interest in the publisher than there was a few months ago, and we've already started releasing some new titles, including a huge Ephemeris title and the first issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk (at least the first for NDP.)  I've also been having to field a lot of questions about what's going on with Sam's Dot, but I'd rather not get into that.
I've been putting a lot of effort into the Kickstarter for the next issue of The Martian Wave, and we're about one third of the way there, but we still need help... http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-martian-wave-2013.
I'm hoping to eventually start posting more, but life seems to be taking a toll on my free time, so at some point, it will happen...

The Ephemeris Omnibus 2013

I've been working on this massive rulebook update for the Ephemeris game for quite a while now, and I'm very happy to say that it has officially been released.  This Omnibus features the core rulebook (with some rule changes, including multi-classing), as well as all of the rule supplements that have been released through the end of 2012.  That's all of the character sourcebooks, all of the species sourcebooks, and Critters and Pests integrated into one rulebook.  All of the class supplements show up in the class listings to create the most comprehensive rulebook ever written for the Ephemeris RPG.

You can find it athttp://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/113551/The-Ephemeris-Omnibus-2013.

The Martian Wave Kickstarter

The Kickstarter for the 2013 issue of The Martian Wave is now underway.  Nomadic Delirium Press is hoping to raise $700 to fund the project, and any help readers and writers out there can give is greatly appreciated.
If you'd like to check out the Kickstarter, please feel free to visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-martian-wave-2013
Thanks for all of your help!

March recap

The Battle for Turtle Island is here

A 12th birthday

I'm leaving Sam's Dot

There's something waiting for me in my dreams

Table of Contents for A Kepler's Dozen

Table of Contents for A Kepler's Dozen

Here is the table of contents for the upcoming A Kepler's Dozen collection:

• Middle Ground by Mike Brotherton
• Turtle Soup by Laura Givens
• The Gloom of Tartarus by Gene Mederos
• A Glint off the Glass by Rick Novy
• Omega Shadows by Carol Hightshoe
• Daniel and the Tilmarians by Doug Williams
• Exposure at 35b by Mike Wilson
• Hot Pursuit by David Lee Summers
• Tracking the Glints by Anna Paradox
• An Eternity in Limbo by J Alan Erwine
• A Mango and Two Peanuts by Steve B. Howell
• The Company You Keep by M.H. Bonham
• Kokyangwuti by Melinda Moore

The collection can be pre-ordered by going to http://www.hadrosaur.com/kepler.html

There's something waiting for me in my dreams

When doctors put people on medications that manipulate the neurotransmitter levels, they don't really tell you about the side-effects...or at least my doctor didn't.  And he certainly didn't let me in on what I'd go through after I was off of the medication.
I've been off of the meds for almost a week and now I'm suffering from some extremely severe insomnia.  Even worse than the insomnia is when I do sleep.  I have horrible dreams and nightmares about the death of loved ones, and other equally horrible things.  Needless to say, this leaves me quite exhausted by morning, and that along with the withdrawal symptoms leaves me feeling very unlike myself.  Luckily, I know that it's the meds doing this, so I'm not suffering the depression that this could easily cause, but I'm certainly not feeling like myself.
Not to worry anyone though, I'm not planning on doing anything stupid...just waiting impatiently to be myself again...