Crazy Colorado weather

Yesterday we had a high of 80. It was just three degrees short of a record. This morning at 7:30 I was awakened by the crack of thunder, which is kind of strange, since we rarely have thunder in the morning. It's almost always an afternoon phenomenon around here. So, I got up to look out my window, and it was snowing.

That's right folks, we're getting our very first snow of the season, and that makes me very happy. I love the snow. Of course, thunder snow is kind of a strange thing, but it's Colorado...what would you expect.

Today is actually my day off. Imagine that, a rare Sunday off. There will probably be a few more blog entries later in the day, as I try to clear some things from my cluttered mind.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the snow...

My final MileHiCon schedule

This should be my final schedule for MileHiCon Oct. 26th-28th.

Friday 8-9 in the Atrium
Autograph Alley

Saturday 10-11 Mesa Verde B
Get to Know the Small Press

Saturday 11-1 Mesa Verde B
Break out session...a chance to talk to editors from a variety of publishers. I'll be representing Sam's Dot Publishing.

Saturday 3-4 Dealers Room
Autographing along with Carol Hightshoe and Maggie Bonham

Sunday 2-3 Wind River B
Reading, along with Rebecca Rowe

Hope to see some of you there. If you need a copy of my novel, go to Amazon and order a copy.

Over 30,000

I broke the 30,000 word mark tonight. I'm still pretty sure that the rough draft will come up short of the 80,000 word goal, but as long as I come close, I should be fine. As I've often said, my writing is very sparse in the rough draft, so I should be able to go back through and add some detail to get more length. For some reason I'm still doing too much telling in this book. I'm going to have to work on that in revision. A lot of what goes on in the book is in the character's heads...what they're thinking is often more important than what they're doing. Maybe that's why I'm having the problem.

Still, at least I'm once again putting words to the page...

White House hypocrisy

Click on the title of this entry to read what I think is the ultimate in White House hypocrisy. The article basically talks about how Condi is pledging that the White House (and America) will support Russian activists because as she sees it, there is too much power concentrated in the Kremlin.

Don't get me wrong, I think she's right that the Kremlin has too much power, and I also agree that the way Russia has rolled back democracy is not a good thing, but in my humble opinion, there is now too much power concentrated in the White House. Even with the "democratic" Congress, Bush and his cronies are still basically getting whatever they want, and democracy has been rolled back in our country as well...maybe not as drastically as in Russia, but things can always change.

Let's keep in mind that the Patriot Act, and several Presidential Orders since the passing of the "Patriot" Act make it possible for the current administration to declare martial law in this country, and although it has always been possible to do this, they've made it much easier for themselves. If we ever have another massive terrorist attack in this county, we might well see that the White House is a lot more powerful than any of us can imagine.

MileHiCon addition

For those of you planning on attending MileHiCon, I just wanted to let you know that I have now been added to Autograph Alley on Friday night from 8-9. This is immediately after the opening ceremonies.

AA is basically just table after table of authors waiting to sign stuff. This is one I was really hoping to get...so I'm quite happy now!

New Story posted

I haven't posted a new story on my website in quite some time, so I decided I would change that...especially since there's a good chance that I'll see a huge jump in hits just prior to MileHiCon...as I always do.

This story has only appeared in a print issue of Aoife's Kiss, so there's a good chance that you probably haven't seen it yet.

So, click on the title of this entry, and read your little hearts out.

The new book

So, people have been asking me about the new book I'm working on. If you're actually interested in the subject, I'd suggest you visit my LiveJournal at http://jerwine.livejournal.com. I'm talking about it quite a bit there, and just a few minutes ago, I posted an excerpt of what kind of came out as stream of consciousness writing.

So, if you're interested, you know what to do...

The White House and Protesters

If you click on the tile to this entry, it will take you to an article from The Washington Post that talks about a manual the White House uses as policy for keeping protesters away from Bush.

I already knew that they did their best to keep him away from dissenting views. A guy I used to work with talked about going to a rally for Bush (he was pro-Bush,) and they were encouraged to shout down anyone supporting Kerry, to steal signs from people supporting Kerry, and to point them out to security so that they could be removed.

Now it is true that all politicians do their best to avoid protesters, especially when they're on the campaign trail, but to actually have such extensive policies in place seems absurd.

As an example:

"The manual offers advance staffers and volunteers who help set up presidential events guidelines for assembling crowds. Those invited into a VIP section on or near the stage, for instance, must be " extremely supportive of the Administration," it says. While the Secret Service screens audiences only for possible threats, the manual says, volunteers should examine people before they reach security checkpoints and look out for signs. Make sure to look for "folded cloth signs," it advises.

To counter any demonstrators who do get in, advance teams are told to create "rally squads" of volunteers with large hand-held signs, placards or banners with "favorable messages." Squads should be placed in strategic locations and "at least one squad should be 'roaming' throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems," the manual says."

It's difficult for me to imagine most politicians going to these lengths. Yes, they have their private dinners, where only hand-picked people get in, and I'm sure other politicians do their best to discourage dissenters from being at their speeches, but I seriously doubt that any of them are as serious as this!

It makes you wonder if they're trying to protect the president from knowing that people don't like his polices, or if they're trying to make the rest of the world think that there are no dissenting voices in America...it's probably a combination of both, as well as several other factors.

Neil Young's Let's Impeach The President

You might have to watch the video a couple of times because there's a lot going on in it. Although the song has some great things to say, I can't say I really like it that much...but the message makes it worth posting...

My MileHiCon schedule

I just got the preliminary schedule for MileHiCon, and it looks like Saturday is going to be a very busy day for me!!!

Here it is...

Saturday 10-11 Get to know the small press

Saturday 11-1 Break-out session (this is an opportunity for people to talk to small press editors and publishers)

Saturday 3-4 Book signing

Satuday 6-7 Reading

I'm still hoping to get a seat at Autograph Alley on Friday night, but it's already pretty packed, so we'll have to wait and see...

Over 10,000

I blew through the 10,000 word mark on the new novel today. At this rate, I'm pretty sure I'll have the rough draft done by the end of the year. I always love the creation part...it's the revision that seems to kick me in the butt.

10,724 / 80,000 (13.4%)

The King Arthur Test

Even though I don't watch very many movies, I've obviously seen this one far too many times...

Your Score: King Arthur

You scored 85Worthiness!

You're King Arthur. Charged with the nobel task of finding the grail by God himself. You know exactly what you're doing and you're on top of every situation. "It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot. King of the Britons, defeator of the Saxons, sovereign of all England!" "The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king!"

Link: The Monty Python & The Holy Grail Test written by Silent_Tiger on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

The Covey Awards

Voting for the Covey Awards for October has now begun. This is a monthly contest that judges books by their covers, and this month, The Opium of the People, and its great cover by Laura Givens are nominated.

Go to http://thenewcoveyawards.blogspot.com You can vote for "Most Eye Catching" and "Most Relevant." Laura and I would appreciate your votes in both categories...and of course, you should also buy a copy while you're at it!

Let's talk about sex!

I've just finished a rather steamy love scene in the book I'm working on, and I was wondering how people feel about sex in their books.

My own thoughts are that it's ok as long as it's not just put their for thrills. If it actually moves the plot along develops character, then I think it can be a good thing. Other thoughts?

The scene I just finished does let us learn a little more about one of the characters, and we get into her mind a bit as her lover sleeps. Of course, the scene could also be seen as gratuitous because the lovers are both women...and let's face it, this will appeal to most male SF readers...

Copyright question

Perhaps there's someone reading this who can help me on this. In the book I'm working on, I'd like to include an excerpt of some song lyrics. I've spent a good portion of the day researching copyright law, and all I can find is what's called "Fair Use." Basically it says that I can use an amount that is fair to the creator. Does anyone have a better answer than that for me?

Another 1000+ words

Cranked out more than a thousand words again tonight. I'd like to think that I can keep doing that each day that I work, and then crank out three or four thousand on my days off, but I know that the job will interfere at some point. Still, it feels damn good to be writing again. It's kind of like a drug, you really miss it when you're not getting it, and then it's such a rush when you start doing it again. Still, I have no delusions, I'm sure there will be some "bad trips" in the future with this book. If writing was easy, everyone would be doing it, right?

For now, I'll just enjoy the rush of a new story.

Writing again

Since returning to the horrible "real" job, I've had a lot of trouble writing. I can honestly say that other than the occasional ranting blog, I haven't done any real writing in months, but that all came to an end tonight.

Many many years ago, I wrote what I guess would be considered a novella about a young man struggling with the death of his brother, and struggling with the environmental damage of the world around him. I can honestly say that it was some of the worst writing I've ever done...absolutely horrible!

However, I was always attracted to the story, and I thought there were some good characters in it...especially a secondary character who was an Indian and environmental activist. I honestly think that this character was the best character I've ever created. Ever since I went to Taos a few years ago, he's been screaming in my head to get out...



Over the last couple of days, I've torn the novella apart and figured out how to turn it into a novel. Other than the characters, there probably won't be much of the original story left...and tonight I started writing the book, and I cranked out more than 1200 words, which I don't think is too bad for my rusty brain and fingers.

Stayed tuned for more updates.

Buying Opium in bookstores

I've had some people ask me about buying The Opium of the People in bookstores. Although it's only currently carried in a couple of stores, most stores should be able to order it, as it is listed with Baker & Taylor.

If you want your local bookstore to order a copy for you, simply give them the ISBN 1-4196-2588-8. They should be able to get it that way.

Another Opium Excerpt

I thought I'd post another excerpt from my novel. As a set up for this scene, the main character, Edward, has recently been taken into custody by the Charismatics because of his behavior at a recent book burning. It's also important to note, because of one of his statements, that Edward is Jewish.



“How much have things changed at the lab?” Edward asked.
His friend Bill smiled a half smile. His weathered black face showing some of the life it once had. “We’re still doing research, but it’s nothing like we used to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Edward,” his friend said glancing around, “Do you really think we should be talking about this? Didn’t you just get interrogated a couple of days ago?”
Edward waved his hand in the air. “They can’t arrest me for asking innocent questions.” Bill just looked at him. Edward laughed. “Okay, maybe they can, but I think it’s alright.”
He glanced around as well. The street was well lit and fairly crowded. It was market day, and many of the vendors had yet to pack up their belongings for the evening. People walked around in their most colorful clothes, laughing and smiling as if all was right in the world. The vendors called out the names of their goods in loud voices trying to drown out the competition. Many of the items being sold were useless in Edward’s opinion. How many different types of prayer beads could one person own? Some of the vendors brought food items in from the country. There was nothing like farm grown chickens or milk from a hand-milked cow. Edward noticed a man in a black uniform two stalls behind them, looking over some fabric. As Edward watched, the man glanced up and looked right at Edward and his friend.
“Maybe it isn’t safe.”
Bill followed Edward’s gaze. He shook his head and sighed. “They don’t hide most of their research from the public, so we can talk about that. I wouldn’t talk about the top secret stuff anyway.”
“Bill,” Edward said, glancing back and noticing that the Charismatic was still behind them, walking slowly, seeming to make sure he was two stalls behind them. “Is there any real research still going on?”
Bill shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I mean, we really are doing research, some of it’s even scientific, but it’s only research that will help the government.” He laughed. “It’s really not a whole lot different than it was with the old government, just a little more philosophy and dogma thrown in.”
The two men stepped up onto the sidewalk as a car came down the market street. Cars were rare, so everyone stopped what they were doing and watched it go by. The windows were opaqued, but the car bore the gold cross of the Charismatics on the driver’s door, and Edward assumed on the passenger’s door as well. As if that were necessary. Only the religious drove, so who else could it have been?
“What do you mean about philosophy?” Edward asked once the noise of the street had returned to normal. No use in making it too easy on the Charismatic who was obviously listening in on their conversation with some sort of device.
Still he worried; maybe Bill was a traitor. Edward had seen it happen a number of times before. Even a few of his friends had betrayed people they’d known for years, decades even.
“Well, there’s one whole group that’s trying to determine what Jesus’ last words were.”
“How could anyone know?”
“Like I said, it’s philosophy, but it’s an interesting question. What would He have said before dying?”
“Ouch!”
“Careful Edward…that could get you killed.”
“I know, but I’m sure his last words weren’t ‘Damn the Jews,’ like so many people think.”
“What’s going on with you, Edward? I’ve never seen you this wound up before.”
“I guess it’s just…” Edward didn’t finish his sentence as he suddenly made out a face in the crowd, walking parallel to them, but in the opposite direction, and looking right at him. The face belonged to a man in his late twenties, who was tall and thin. The man smiled, and Edward saw there was a gap between the two front teeth.
“Edward?” Bill said.
Edward turned to face Bill, suddenly realizing where he’d seen the man. He’d been in the store the day the Charismatic had followed him. Not only that, but Edward was sure he had seen the man on campus before the Ascension.
“Everything okay, Edward?”
“Yeah,” he said, turning back towards the man from college, but he was gone. Edward turned and saw the Charismatic was still keeping pace with them. “I just remembered I need to get home. Adriana wanted to talk about something.” He had no idea why he was lying. The last thing he wanted was to see Adriana, and the last thing he could do was go chasing after phantoms with gap toothed smiles, but if this man might be looking for him, he might go to Edward’s home. It was a crazy thought, but Edward didn’t think the meetings were chance.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Edward said, turning and heading for home. The Charismatic stepped aside as Edward almost ran him over. He hadn’t walked this fast in a long time. It felt good. Edward turned around and saw the Charismatic talking into his radio. “Wonderful,” Edward muttered to himself. He’d probably get arrested for almost knocking the idiot down.


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My Dream Home

Your home is a Time-Lord's Mansion Your kitchen consists of dilithium-powered food replicators, manned by obedient robot slaves, who are sure to never, ever rebel. I mean, it's preposterous to even consider it. There's a Chocolatessin, a word you made up yourself, but that is beginning to catch on among your wealthy neighbors. Your master bedroom is the size of a small barn, with carpet thick enough to reach your ankles. Your study has every science fiction title ever written. One of your garages contains a life-sized X-Wing fighter, and KITT. (KITT was a gift from a well-meaning uncle.) Your home also includes a robot repair bay, where your mechanized servants are routinely fitted with new restraining bolts. (It's just a precaution.) Your guests enjoy your animatronic replica of the cantina at Mos Eisley. Outside is your radio telescope, listening constantly for alien transmissions. Especially invaders. They'll come eventually, even if nobody believes you. (Nobody does.) And, you have a pet -- a doberman pincer named "Warren". Below is a snippet of the blueprints:

Find YOUR Dream Home!