As September gets rolling, I have some bestseller news to share. Over at Smashwords, my novel A Problem in Translation is the 3rd or 4th bestseller. It seems to alternate back and forth, which I assume means it's actually tied with the other book. Considering that the two or three books ahead of it are all part of a trilogy, that's almost like being the 2nd best seller. The complete list can be found at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samsdot/popular#published.
Also, for the second month in a row, The Martian Wave, Vol. 3, which I edited has made the bestsellers list at the Sam's Dot Bookstore. That list can be found at http://sdpbookstore.com/bestsellers.htm.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Looks like surgery
I met with a pain management specialist today, and he basically said that he didn't think there was anything he could do for me, because he had never seen anything like my condition, and since the pain is almost certainly related to my earlier surgery, he felt things have to be handled surgically.
So, now I'm waiting for a referral to a surgeon, and then we start this whole game all over again.
The one nice thing about today was that since he felt my appointment was a waste of time, he isn't going to charge us for it.
So, now I'm waiting for a referral to a surgeon, and then we start this whole game all over again.
The one nice thing about today was that since he felt my appointment was a waste of time, he isn't going to charge us for it.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Battle for Turtle Island needs your help
We're hoping for a December release of the new game, but if the Kickstarter is not successful, we might not be able to make that date, so we're asking for any help you can give to push the Kickstarter over the top.
No matter what, the game will be released, but it probably won't be as early as we'd hoped, and it's also doubtful that we'll be including any interior art without a successful Kickstarter, so what are you waiting for, please help: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-battle-for-turtle-island-buffalo-wars.
No matter what, the game will be released, but it probably won't be as early as we'd hoped, and it's also doubtful that we'll be including any interior art without a successful Kickstarter, so what are you waiting for, please help: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-battle-for-turtle-island-buffalo-wars.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
One giant leap for mankind...and then a stumble
Neil Armstrong passed away yesterday, a little more than 43 years after he was the first person to walk on the moon. That was a great moment in space exploration, but what have we done since then?
In the years since the Apollo missions ended, no human has left the orbit of the Earth. We've built a bloated and over budgeted space station, which although important, has taken up too much of the focus of the space programs. By now, we should have visited Mars, and yes, I think it's great that our rovers are out there doing the exploring for us, but human beings could do a better job. Yes, it's more expensive, but the benefits from the space program have been huge. And if you don't think so, think about the microchips that have been developed as a result of the space program...think about the pharmaceuticals that have been developed as a result of the space program...think about velcro!
The human race needs to go to the stars, and now the United States doesn't even have plans for manned missions in the near future. Our species can not survive as long as we stay confined to this tiny blue dot, and we need to move out to the stars, but the vision seems to have left us.
The loss of Neil Armstrong is certainly a sad event, but so is the loss of our goals to explore and colonize space. Without those, we will be in a lot of trouble...
In the years since the Apollo missions ended, no human has left the orbit of the Earth. We've built a bloated and over budgeted space station, which although important, has taken up too much of the focus of the space programs. By now, we should have visited Mars, and yes, I think it's great that our rovers are out there doing the exploring for us, but human beings could do a better job. Yes, it's more expensive, but the benefits from the space program have been huge. And if you don't think so, think about the microchips that have been developed as a result of the space program...think about the pharmaceuticals that have been developed as a result of the space program...think about velcro!
The human race needs to go to the stars, and now the United States doesn't even have plans for manned missions in the near future. Our species can not survive as long as we stay confined to this tiny blue dot, and we need to move out to the stars, but the vision seems to have left us.
The loss of Neil Armstrong is certainly a sad event, but so is the loss of our goals to explore and colonize space. Without those, we will be in a lot of trouble...
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Lance
So, Lance Armstrong has dropped his bid to clear his name against doping charges. Does this mean that he's admitting his guilt? No. Does it mean that he is really just sick of fighting a losing battle? Who knows.
The sad truth is that we'll probably never know if he really doped or not. There never was a positive test, and apparently some of the "witnesses" are being given lighter sentences for their own doping...which makes one question their credibility.
Do I necessarily believe that Lance did nothing wrong? No, I'm certainly willing to believe that he did dope. A lot the riders that he was beating were doing it, so maybe he was...but I wasn't there, so I can't say one way or another. And everyone else who is spouting an opinion for or against him has to remember that those are simply your opinions...that doesn't make you right.
My biggest question is, if they do decide to strip him of his seven Tour titles, who are they going to give them to? Most of the riders he defeated have been disgraced for doping, and who knows how many dopers there were in the field at the time. Apparently it was a lot! So, just how far down the standings do you have to go before you find a rider that was clean at that time?
I think the most important thing that cycling fans need to do is to focus on the here and now. I've noticed that riders are having a lot more bad days than they did during the Armstrong, Ullrich, Pantani days. Hopefully this is a sign of clean riding...
The sad truth is that we'll probably never know if he really doped or not. There never was a positive test, and apparently some of the "witnesses" are being given lighter sentences for their own doping...which makes one question their credibility.
Do I necessarily believe that Lance did nothing wrong? No, I'm certainly willing to believe that he did dope. A lot the riders that he was beating were doing it, so maybe he was...but I wasn't there, so I can't say one way or another. And everyone else who is spouting an opinion for or against him has to remember that those are simply your opinions...that doesn't make you right.
My biggest question is, if they do decide to strip him of his seven Tour titles, who are they going to give them to? Most of the riders he defeated have been disgraced for doping, and who knows how many dopers there were in the field at the time. Apparently it was a lot! So, just how far down the standings do you have to go before you find a rider that was clean at that time?
I think the most important thing that cycling fans need to do is to focus on the here and now. I've noticed that riders are having a lot more bad days than they did during the Armstrong, Ullrich, Pantani days. Hopefully this is a sign of clean riding...
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Discounted e-book
Until the end of August, you can order the e-book version of my new novel A Problem in Translation for half price...that's just $2.50.
Simply go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/137568, and when you're checking out, use the coupon code HG25Z.
You can order the book in whatever e-book format you want, and you can even order it so that you can read it on your computer...no e-reader required.
So, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
Simply go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/137568, and when you're checking out, use the coupon code HG25Z.
You can order the book in whatever e-book format you want, and you can even order it so that you can read it on your computer...no e-reader required.
So, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Ask away
Things have been busy here with back to school and such, so I figured I'd open the blog up to questions. If you have something you'd like to ask me, now's your chance. Do you want to know something about the game I'm working on? Do you want to know something about a piece I've written in the past? Or anything else, now's your chance...
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The Battle for Turtle Island
What would have happened if the Medicine (magic) Native Americans had tried to use against the white settlers had been real? What if the Ghost Dance really could have protected Indian warriors from the settlers' bullets? And what if the priests that came to the Americas had really had the power of God (magic) behind them in their attempts to "convert" the savages?
This is the basic premise for the game The Battle for Turtle Island that I'm currently creating. The setting is the Americas when white settlers first came to America, and although historical in nature, the game asks the question, what if magic had been real?
If you'd like to help get this game going, you can contribute to the Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-battle-for-turtle-island-buffalo-wars.
If you'd like to read a very rough version of the beginning of the rulebook, you can go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/buffalowars.htm.
This is the basic premise for the game The Battle for Turtle Island that I'm currently creating. The setting is the Americas when white settlers first came to America, and although historical in nature, the game asks the question, what if magic had been real?
If you'd like to help get this game going, you can contribute to the Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-battle-for-turtle-island-buffalo-wars.
If you'd like to read a very rough version of the beginning of the rulebook, you can go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/buffalowars.htm.
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Back to school
It's hard to believe, but it's that time again. Our oldest started back today. Since she's in sixth grade, she's now a middle schooler, which is very hard to believe. To make sure she'd know the buses for this year, we let her take the bus this morning, and then we drove over to her school so we could see her off on her first day. She was very excited, but at the same time, very nervous. I don't really remember feeling that way when I was going back to school, but we moved a lot when I was younger, especially while in middle school, so every year seemed like a new adventure.
The school system has instituted literacy tests for 1st through 5th grade, so our 2nd grader takes a test tomorrow morning, and then actually starts classes on Thursday. Given that she reads books like the Wimpy Kid Diaries, I'm not too concerned about her level of literacy...
Back to school is always a bittersweet time. It's great having the kids around during the summer, but at the same time, it's great having them back in school. Although that may sound strange, I imagine that almost every parent reading this will agree with me. We still have the little one at home, as it will still be several years before she's old enough to go to school, but with the way she's learning things, she'll certainly be ready.
The school system has instituted literacy tests for 1st through 5th grade, so our 2nd grader takes a test tomorrow morning, and then actually starts classes on Thursday. Given that she reads books like the Wimpy Kid Diaries, I'm not too concerned about her level of literacy...
Back to school is always a bittersweet time. It's great having the kids around during the summer, but at the same time, it's great having them back in school. Although that may sound strange, I imagine that almost every parent reading this will agree with me. We still have the little one at home, as it will still be several years before she's old enough to go to school, but with the way she's learning things, she'll certainly be ready.
Monday, August 06, 2012
First revisions are done
I've just finished the first revisions for The Battle for Turtle Island: Buffalo Wars, also known as the game I've been working on. The next step will be to send it off to game testers to see what they think.
Yay!
Yay!
Friday, August 03, 2012
A possible end to the pain
I don't talk about it much, but those who actually know me know that I've been dealing with chronic pain for more than a decade. Before I started high school, I had reconstructive chest surgery, and over the last decade, I've begun to have problems and I've begun to suffer from a lot of pain.
Now that I finally have insurance, we decided I needed to see a doctor. After a series of x-rays, they found that one of my lower ribs has actually bent, and this is causing the pain. We're going to start out by having me go to a pain management specialist, but I would imagine that eventually I will have to have another reconstructive surgery, but if it means an end to the pain, then I'm all for it.
Now that I finally have insurance, we decided I needed to see a doctor. After a series of x-rays, they found that one of my lower ribs has actually bent, and this is causing the pain. We're going to start out by having me go to a pain management specialist, but I would imagine that eventually I will have to have another reconstructive surgery, but if it means an end to the pain, then I'm all for it.
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
July recap
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tour de France recap
I'm going to take a break from the postings about the tragic events, and my usual badgering about buying my books to talk about sports.
Recent followers of this blog are probably unsure of what I'm talking about, but long time followers probably know I'm a huge cycling fan, and there's nothing bigger in cycling than the Tour de France, which ended on Sunday.
This year was a good race, but not for the normal reasons. This year the every day stages were very exciting, and the competition for some of the "lesser" jerseys was also quite exciting, but the competition for the overall yellow jersey was actually pretty boring. I've been following cycling for almost 30 years, and I'd have to say that Bradley Wiggins was quite possibly the most boring winner I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, he deserved to win, and he and his team rode a great race, but there were none of the attacks of Hinault, LeMond, or Armstrong. He just let his team do everything for him, and no one seemed to be able to do anything about it, which made the race for the yellow jersey kind of boring. Even with his teammate challenging him from second place, we didn't get any of the drama that we saw from the LeMond, Hinault battles. So, yeah, a boring, but well deserved victory for Wiggins.
It was nice to see Peter Sagan take the race by storm, and as Coloradoan, it was great to see Tejay Vangarderan win the white jersey as best young rider. At 23, the guy showed a lot of class when he was asked what he'd be thinking about when they reached Paris, and instead of any of the pat answers most athletes would give, he responded by saying that he'd be thinking about the victims of the Colorado shooting.
So, another year is gone, and hopefully we know who really won the race. I'm hoping that it was a clean race, but we might have to wait a year, or two, or ten...
Recent followers of this blog are probably unsure of what I'm talking about, but long time followers probably know I'm a huge cycling fan, and there's nothing bigger in cycling than the Tour de France, which ended on Sunday.
This year was a good race, but not for the normal reasons. This year the every day stages were very exciting, and the competition for some of the "lesser" jerseys was also quite exciting, but the competition for the overall yellow jersey was actually pretty boring. I've been following cycling for almost 30 years, and I'd have to say that Bradley Wiggins was quite possibly the most boring winner I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, he deserved to win, and he and his team rode a great race, but there were none of the attacks of Hinault, LeMond, or Armstrong. He just let his team do everything for him, and no one seemed to be able to do anything about it, which made the race for the yellow jersey kind of boring. Even with his teammate challenging him from second place, we didn't get any of the drama that we saw from the LeMond, Hinault battles. So, yeah, a boring, but well deserved victory for Wiggins.
It was nice to see Peter Sagan take the race by storm, and as Coloradoan, it was great to see Tejay Vangarderan win the white jersey as best young rider. At 23, the guy showed a lot of class when he was asked what he'd be thinking about when they reached Paris, and instead of any of the pat answers most athletes would give, he responded by saying that he'd be thinking about the victims of the Colorado shooting.
So, another year is gone, and hopefully we know who really won the race. I'm hoping that it was a clean race, but we might have to wait a year, or two, or ten...
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The vigil
Rebecca and I have just returned from the vigil for the victims of the theater massacre. It was the first time I'd ever attended something like this, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it did seem to have a healing effect, even if I'm not one for prayer. One thing I did while I was there, was I took a lot of time to look at other people that were there. It was a diverse group, cutting across all racial groups, all ages, and all religions. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only atheist there, but for me it wasn't about the prayer, it was about being with people that might be feeling some of the things I'm feeling.
I think the most touching moment happened even before the event began. There were several naval members standing behind us, obviously friends of one of the victims. A member of Aurora SWAT was walking down the sidewalk, and he cut across the grass, walking at least 40 feet to shake their hands and tell them he was sorry for their loss. This was a guy who was probably on the scene at the theater, and he still felt like he had to say something.
When the families came out there was of course a huge round of applause to support them. Several of them waved at the crowd to acknowledge the support, even as they cried.
Next to the military and the families, Gov. Hickenlooper got the biggest round of applause when he said he wouldn't refer to the shooter by name, but would call him Suspect A. This is how it should be. This guy doesn't need to be known. His name needs to be erased from history, and we need to only remember the victims.
I have to admit that I'm not necessarily a big supporter of President Obama, but he was in town just before the vigil, and rather than going for the cheap political opportunity of showing up at the vigil, he instead chose not to. He met with the families beforehand, and then left. I think he deserves big props for that. For those of you not in the area, you might not know that both candidates have pulled all of their political ads for a few days, seeing that it's not the right time for these things.
And so the healing begins...
I think the most touching moment happened even before the event began. There were several naval members standing behind us, obviously friends of one of the victims. A member of Aurora SWAT was walking down the sidewalk, and he cut across the grass, walking at least 40 feet to shake their hands and tell them he was sorry for their loss. This was a guy who was probably on the scene at the theater, and he still felt like he had to say something.
When the families came out there was of course a huge round of applause to support them. Several of them waved at the crowd to acknowledge the support, even as they cried.
Next to the military and the families, Gov. Hickenlooper got the biggest round of applause when he said he wouldn't refer to the shooter by name, but would call him Suspect A. This is how it should be. This guy doesn't need to be known. His name needs to be erased from history, and we need to only remember the victims.
I have to admit that I'm not necessarily a big supporter of President Obama, but he was in town just before the vigil, and rather than going for the cheap political opportunity of showing up at the vigil, he instead chose not to. He met with the families beforehand, and then left. I think he deserves big props for that. For those of you not in the area, you might not know that both candidates have pulled all of their political ads for a few days, seeing that it's not the right time for these things.
And so the healing begins...
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Trying to make sense of it all
By now, just about everyone has added their comments to the web about what happened here in Aurora early Friday morning, but I feel I need to comment on it as well.
Colorado has seen it's share of tragedies, with school shootings and fires, but this one is so much more intense for us. Part of it, I'm sure, is because Rebecca and I are both a lot more emotional about crimes committed with guns after she had one pulled on her earlier this year, but it's more than that. This horrible tragedy happened at our theater. Rebecca and I had our first date at this theater, and we've seen a lot of movies there...possibly even in the theater where this happened. When I stand on our balcony and look up the hillside, I can see the sign for this theater. This was almost literally in our backyard.
I majored in psychology in college, but I can't even begin to fathom what was going on in this guy's mind to think this was the "right" thing to do. Understanding criminal insanity is often hard, but as a writer, I've learned to put myself into a criminal's mind and try to come up with reasons for why they do the things they do, but I'm stumped on this one. I really just don't understand.
Worst of all, before bed last night, our seven year old started crying, saying that she was worried that someone was going to come in and kill us during the night.
This guy has hurt so many people, and I'm certainly hoping there will be justice.
Colorado has seen it's share of tragedies, with school shootings and fires, but this one is so much more intense for us. Part of it, I'm sure, is because Rebecca and I are both a lot more emotional about crimes committed with guns after she had one pulled on her earlier this year, but it's more than that. This horrible tragedy happened at our theater. Rebecca and I had our first date at this theater, and we've seen a lot of movies there...possibly even in the theater where this happened. When I stand on our balcony and look up the hillside, I can see the sign for this theater. This was almost literally in our backyard.
I majored in psychology in college, but I can't even begin to fathom what was going on in this guy's mind to think this was the "right" thing to do. Understanding criminal insanity is often hard, but as a writer, I've learned to put myself into a criminal's mind and try to come up with reasons for why they do the things they do, but I'm stumped on this one. I really just don't understand.
Worst of all, before bed last night, our seven year old started crying, saying that she was worried that someone was going to come in and kill us during the night.
This guy has hurt so many people, and I'm certainly hoping there will be justice.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Battle for Turtle Island - The Kickstarter has begun
We've officially kicked off the fund raising for the new game The Battle for Turtle Island: Buffalo Wars through Kickstarter. Simply go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521750492/the-battle-for-turtle-island-buffalo-wars, and you can donate whatever amount you'd like.
There are certain donation levels that will get you PDF copies of the game, or print copies once it's released, and for the really big spenders, there are some really great rewards.
So, please help launch this new game. I think, in my oh so humble opinion, that it will be a lot of fun for players, and I'd really like to make it as big of a debut as I can.
Plus, donations will help to pay artists and game testers...
There are certain donation levels that will get you PDF copies of the game, or print copies once it's released, and for the really big spenders, there are some really great rewards.
So, please help launch this new game. I think, in my oh so humble opinion, that it will be a lot of fun for players, and I'd really like to make it as big of a debut as I can.
Plus, donations will help to pay artists and game testers...
Monday, July 16, 2012
Reviews-revisited
Since I've been on vacation, I haven't really had much to blog about, but I thought while I had a moment during my final hours of freedom, I'd re-post a blog entry that got a lot of feedback a couple of years ago. So, here it is:
This entry is geared more towards readers than writers and editors, but I think most writers and editors would agree with what I have to say.
When a reader finishes a book, the most important thing they can do (especially if they liked it) is go to Amazon, or any other site, and review the book. Reader reviews do more to help a new book than any promotion, especially with small press titles. With large presses, a new book might have a couple of months to gain a following, but in the small press, the time is much shorter, and all small press writers are dependent upon people reviewing our work. Sometimes even a bad review can help, but obviously we prefer the good reviews. If a potential reader can read a well thought out review from an objective reader, they're much more likely to take a chance on a small press book. Most readers assume that if it's small press, the author must not be very good, but this isn't always the case, and a well thought out review can convince them to buy the book.
I think it's also important to actually review the book...not just rate it. Giving a book a star rating without saying anything about it doesn't really help...especially one and five star ratings because that just makes other readers think that someone was either being a prick (one star rating) or is a friend of the author (five star rating).
Those are just my thoughts on book reviews, so if you've read something that you liked recently, please go and review it. One review can do a lot for a small press author and several reviews can make a career...so help the small press writer out, even if it's not me...
This entry is geared more towards readers than writers and editors, but I think most writers and editors would agree with what I have to say.
When a reader finishes a book, the most important thing they can do (especially if they liked it) is go to Amazon, or any other site, and review the book. Reader reviews do more to help a new book than any promotion, especially with small press titles. With large presses, a new book might have a couple of months to gain a following, but in the small press, the time is much shorter, and all small press writers are dependent upon people reviewing our work. Sometimes even a bad review can help, but obviously we prefer the good reviews. If a potential reader can read a well thought out review from an objective reader, they're much more likely to take a chance on a small press book. Most readers assume that if it's small press, the author must not be very good, but this isn't always the case, and a well thought out review can convince them to buy the book.
I think it's also important to actually review the book...not just rate it. Giving a book a star rating without saying anything about it doesn't really help...especially one and five star ratings because that just makes other readers think that someone was either being a prick (one star rating) or is a friend of the author (five star rating).
Those are just my thoughts on book reviews, so if you've read something that you liked recently, please go and review it. One review can do a lot for a small press author and several reviews can make a career...so help the small press writer out, even if it's not me...
Friday, July 13, 2012
The robbery, an update
Some of you have been following the story of Rebecca getting robbed at work, and all of the court visits we've been through since that horrible night. Well, much of that came to an end yesterday.
The thug who did this agreed to a plea bargain yesterday. He's going to be facing 20 years in jail, but at least we don't have to go to trial now. While the judge was explaining everything to him yesterday, he broke down and started to cry...at times, even bawling his eyes out. This was a radical change from the guy who used to stroll into the courtroom like he owned it, and it may sound horrible, but I was glad to see him cry.
The DA had said that one of the victims was in the courtroom, and the only people in the courtroom other than the legal people who had to be there were me and Rebecca, and he kept looking at me, and I just kept starting back at him. Rebecca had herself hidden around a corner, so I'm not sure if he knew she was there or not.
When he was being led back to jail, still crying, he turned, not really looking at me, but rather in looking in my direction, and yelled, "I'm sorry." He wasn't supposed to do that, but he did it anyway.
Formal sentencing will be in October, and it will be at that time that Rebecca will have the opportunity to actually say something to him...if she wants. I think, no matter what, that she is going to write something, and even if she can't say it, she'll have the DA read it for her.
The deputy DA who has worked on this case and the victim advocate have been wonderful. They've done everything they could to help Rebecca get through this, and I'm glad we've had them on our side.
The thug who did this agreed to a plea bargain yesterday. He's going to be facing 20 years in jail, but at least we don't have to go to trial now. While the judge was explaining everything to him yesterday, he broke down and started to cry...at times, even bawling his eyes out. This was a radical change from the guy who used to stroll into the courtroom like he owned it, and it may sound horrible, but I was glad to see him cry.
The DA had said that one of the victims was in the courtroom, and the only people in the courtroom other than the legal people who had to be there were me and Rebecca, and he kept looking at me, and I just kept starting back at him. Rebecca had herself hidden around a corner, so I'm not sure if he knew she was there or not.
When he was being led back to jail, still crying, he turned, not really looking at me, but rather in looking in my direction, and yelled, "I'm sorry." He wasn't supposed to do that, but he did it anyway.
Formal sentencing will be in October, and it will be at that time that Rebecca will have the opportunity to actually say something to him...if she wants. I think, no matter what, that she is going to write something, and even if she can't say it, she'll have the DA read it for her.
The deputy DA who has worked on this case and the victim advocate have been wonderful. They've done everything they could to help Rebecca get through this, and I'm glad we've had them on our side.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Kickstarter approved
I received word yesterday that Kickstarter has approved The Battle for Turtle Island: Buffalo Wars. This means that we will now be able to try to raise funds to produce the game. I've been debating when I wanted to kick off the fund raising...I'd thought about doing it immediately, but Rebecca and I are both taking some time off from work this week to take a little mini-vacation. I'm not sure what we're going to be doing, but I probably won't be on-line as much as I usually am, so I wouldn't be able to send out annoying posts asking people to donate...so I will probably have it go active on Tuesday, which is when I have to go back to the "real"job.....................
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