MileHiCon recap

Another MileHiCon has come and gone, and it was another great one.  The staff at the Con is always fantastic, and they do such a great job.
Friday started out with a panel about Copyright Law.  I know a little about this, but nowhere near as much as the other panelists, so I just chimed in when it seemed appropriate, but I think we gave the audience a lot of good information, and the panel was very well attended.  A couple of hours later, I had my reading.  This year I was by myself, so it was only sparsely attended, but those that were there seemed to enjoy the reading.
Saturday morning I did a panel about the future of gaming.  A lot of the panel talked about console and computer gaming, which I don't have a lot of time for (you know, family, job, editing, writing, game creation, and all of that kind of stuff), but I was able to talk quite a bit about RPGs and such.  It was another well attended panel, and the audience was great, and I hope we entertained them, which I think we did.  We had some serious clowns on that panel.  I then did a signing, which was more of a "here, take my card" kind of thing, but that's how it usually is for small press authors.  Later in the day I did a panel on the small press, which was a lot of fun, and again was very well attended.  We had a lot of fun with that one as well.
We then went to the masquerade, which is always a good time, but I think some of the costumes are getting a little out of control.  There are a lot kids in the audience, and I think some of the costumes are getting a bit too risque for kids, but I guess some people just want attention however they can get it.
Sunday I only had gaming with the participants, but we couldn't come up with enough people to get the game going, so that was a wash.
The kids had a good time, although I'd like to see the older two take more interest in doing things.  They just want to sit on the sidelines and watch other people do.  There's a family that has two boys that are a each a year or two older than our oldest girls, and we always spend a lot of time with them.  Alexis has really taken a shine to their oldest boy, and she always was looking for him, and enjoyed beating him up with a bat'leth.
Overall, a great Con.  Can't wait for next year!!!

Getting ready for the Con, and other stuff

We're just a few days away from MileHiCon, and I'm starting to gear up for it by deciding just what books to take and such.  I always bring way too many, always in the hope that I'll somehow sell out during my signing...hasn't happened yet...but it might.
I've been finishing up a new supplement for the Ephemeris RPG.  This one's The Cyber Wizard's Sourcebook, and it's helped to refresh my memory a bit on the game...just in case anyone shows up to play on Sunday.
We should start packing for the Con in a couple of days, but I always like to hold off on that for as long as I can, because let's face it, this is Colorado, and you can never be sure what the weather will do in October...or any other month, for that matter.
For those of you following my adventures with the health and insurance industries...we finally have approval from the insurance company for the CT scan.  That will be taking place on the 25th.  Stay tuned for more details.

Hopefully closing a chapter

Today was sentencing for the guy who held Rebecca up.  He will be going away for 20 years, and the DA says that he probably won't even be eligible for parole for 15 years.  By that time, two of our kids will be adults, and the youngest will be driving...that's a long time, and it's an amount of time that's difficult to comprehend when put into those terms.
I was very proud of Rebecca.  Even though this guy has changed her life so dramatically, she still found the courage to actually stand up in front of everyone in the courtroom, and tell him exactly what was on her mind.
This is what she had to say:
January 31st changed my life.  I was just doing my job to pay my bills and to take care of my three kids, when he walked in and pulled out a gun and robbed me.
Now I find it very hard to trust anyone, and all of my relationships with family, friends, and my husband have suffered as a result of this crime.  I can't cope with my life the way I used to, and I am trying to get back on track and deal with things the best that I can.  He took so much from me, and now I'm struggling to trust people again.  It's been almost nine months, and I'm still having anxiety attacks and I panic when I see people that look similar to him, or people who are in hats or hoodies.  It's going to take a while before I am myself again, and before I can see the world the way I used to.
I hope he sees how wrong he was, and I hope he wants to change.  He still has many years of his life in front of him, and it's my hope that he ends up being a better person.  I haven't forgiven him for hurting me, but one day I hope to.  I need to be able to move on.

After she'd expressed herself, he talked quietly to his attorney, and through the exchange, I could hear him saying that he wanted to say something.  Finally, he did actually say that he was sorry, and he was working to change his life.  Apparently he took to a life of crime because he'd gotten heavily into drugs.  It's not a valid excuse, but at least we now know why he did it.
As they were leading him away, he was crying.  Maybe he will change, but only time will tell...

Word Weavers

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...no, wait, scratch that.  A long time ago at a place called Myspace (you remember that place, right) there was a group called Word Weavers.  It was a group designed for writers to network and readers to find new writers.  Well, the group is back on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WeaversOfWords, and starting the week of Oct. 22nd, I will be the featured writer, so head over and like the page now.

My revised MileHiCon schedule

These things are always very fluid up until the Con starts, so here's my revised schedule for the Con...

Friday 4:00 pm
Understanding the Impossibly Tortuous Galactic Copyright Laws

Friday 6:00 pm
Reading

Saturday 10:00 am
What's New in Gaming

Saturday 11:00 am
Signing

Saturday 1:00 pm
Small Press Onward

Sunday noon
Playing with Participants
A game of Ephemeris...

Insurance companies are doctors???

It would seem that our insurance company has decided that I don't really need a CT scan.  They're requiring that the surgeon that I had a consultation with call them and convince them that I need a CT scan.
It seems outrageous to me that we live in a country where insurance companies have more say in our health care than our doctors...but I guess this is what happens when political parties give in to big business.
So, as a result of this, I'm now in a holding pattern about what will happen to me in the future...so I guess I just have to continue being in pain...

My MileHiCon schedule

Things are still subject to change, but here's what my schedule looks like at the moment...

Friday October 19th 4:00 p.m.
Wind River A
Understanding the Impossibly Tortuous Galactic Copyright Laws
I may have to wing some of this one...

Friday October 19th 10:00 p.m.
Mesa Verde A
Blood, Vampires, & Murder: Late Night Readings
That's a lot later than I usually stay up, so that may be entertaining in and of itself...

Saturday October 20th 1:00 p.m.
Mesa Verde A
Small Press Onward
This one will be with those trouble makers Maggie Bonham and Carol Hightshoe, so this will be fun, to say the least.

Sunday October 21st Noon
Atrium
Playing with Participants
I doubt that I'll have anything ready for The Battle for Turtle Island, so I'll probably be running a game of Ephemeris.

The signings haven't all been assigned yet, so there's a good chance I'll have a signing as well.  I'll let you know more as I know more.

September recap

Some bestseller news

Cosmic Crime Stories

A surgical consult on the horizon

No kickstarter

I wonder why...

The surgical consult

A crazy October is coming

A crazy October is coming

Wow!  I just put together the family schedule and my writing/editing schedule for October, and it's looking nuts.  The highlights will be MileHiCon and Halloween.  The low lights will be a CT scan for me and physical therapy for Rebecca who hurt her knee at work.
Also on the list are a choir concert, days off for the kids, a week off for the kids, a birthday for some old fart, sentencing for the guy who held up Rebecca back in January, and the normal insanity that comes from being a family of five.
On the writing/editing side, I need to finish up a couple of supplements for Ephemeris, work on some revisions for The Battle for Turtle Island, finish putting a catalog together for Sam's Dot, and I really need to get a story written that I've been asked to submit to an anthology.  And of course there's the reading for three magazines, and all the other normal writing and editing stuff that comes about every month.
I guess I better get some sleep this weekend!

The surgical consult

I met with the surgeon today, and he seems to think that most of the pain is actually in the cartilage, even though I can tell you that there is definite rib pain...especially after the way he pushed and pulled on my chest.  We're going to do a CT scan in a couple of weeks to see if he can identify any definitive damage to the cartilage.  If he can't find any, then that means that the cartilage is being strained, and there is probably nothing that can be done surgically.
If that's the case, then I'm going to be stuck with taking pain medications for the rest of my life.  This is not the outcome I was hoping for...

I wonder why...

I was just looking at the stats for my blog, and I noticed that in the last week, almost 60% of my hits have come from Russia.  None of my work has ever been translated, so I'm not sure why I would be seeing so much Russian traffic.  I suppose it is possible that it's automated traffic, and not real people.

But I suppose if you are visiting from Russia, thanks for stopping by.  And please let me know what made you visit my blog...

No Kickstarter

The Kickstarter for The Battle for Turtle Island was a dismal failure.  I think a big reason was because I didn't have the time to really promote it like I would have wanted, but things are the way they are.

What does this mean for the game?  It will still be released, but it may not come out on Dec. 1st as we'd originally hoped.  Stay tuned to this blog for more details about the release as they become available.

A surgical consult on the horizon

It looks like I'll be meeting with a surgeon on Sep. 26th so we can start getting this thing going.  I don't imagine he'll be able to tell me much until there are more x-rays, and other sorts of scans...so I don't expect to set a date for the surgery, but we are heading in the right direction.

Cosmic Crime Stories

Cosmic Crime Stories is a science fiction magazine published by Sam's Dot Publishing that features stories about...well, crime, obviously.  It's sort of a blended genre magazine with a little mystery thrown into the SF.  The magazine has seen a couple of editorial changes, and it now has its third editor in its short little lifespan...me!  That's right, as if I didn't already have enough going on, I will now be the editor of Cosmic Crime Stories.

I'm looking forward to seeing some submissions in the near future from the usual suspects that have gotten to know my editorial style from The Martian Wave and The Fifth Di...

Some bestseller news

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.

August recap

A possible end to the pain

First revisions are done

Back to school

The Battle for Turtle Island

Ask away

Discounted e-book

Lance

One giant leap for mankind...and then a stumble

The Battle for Turtle Island needs your help

Looks like surgery

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.

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.

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...

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...