Are you ready to play?

From the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
The Ephemeris Science Fiction Role Playing Game has been around for a while, but there are still more supplements coming out in the future, and we have BIG plans for the game in the years to come...
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm
The year is 2185. The human race has gone to the stars, and found that they’re not alone. Local space is teeming with civilizations, some hostile, some friendly, and some indifferent. This is the universe of Ephemeris.
Ephemeris is a game of galactic trade and galactic conquest; of inter-species conflict and cooperation. Ephemeris is a science fiction role playing game. Here you will be able to take on the role of your favorite alien species and your favorite class. You will be able to trade, fight, negotiate, conquer, whatever you’d like to do with your fellow players. You can play the role of an Althani Trader, or maybe an Arbonix Cyber Wizard, or maybe even a Human Nanist. You can create a party made up entirely of one species and set out to upset the trade routes of a rival species. Or maybe you want to create a party with a variety of races that preys upon the trading routes of the various civilizations. Or maybe you want to explore the ancient ruins on long dead planets, ruins that clearly show that there were other species roaming the spaceways in the past…but where are they now? You can fight in great wars, negotiate grand peace treaties, and explore sections of the galaxy that no sentient has ever explored. Or maybe your party has joined with one of the interplanetary corporations; corporations whose motives are never entirely clear. These are just some of the possibilities open to you. The universe of Ephemeris is yours to do with as you please. What you now hold in your hands are the basic guidelines for the games. Here you’ll find the races, classes, abilities, skills, weapons, and ships that allow you to create your own Ephemeris universe.
Now, step inside for the greatest science fiction adventure you’ve ever been on…

Ephemeris Black Friday weekend sale

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
Starting today, and going through Cyber Monday, you can get all Ephemeris titles for 25% off at DriveThruRPG at http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/Nomadic-Delirium-Press.  It's time to stock up on the products you need to complete your game, or if you've ever wanted to start playing...now's the time!

My thoughts on NaNoWriMo

As an author, I've always thought that NaNoWriMo would be an interesting challenge.  I'd love to write a novel in a month, but the simple truth is that I just don't have enough writing time in my life now to really take on such a challenge.  I don't get to write every day like I would like to because of responsibility or overwhelming noise.  It's my hope that when the little one starts school next year, I'll have more opportunities to write, but that's still a long way off.
As an editor, I dread NaNoWriMo.  Many authors seem to believe that writing the novel is all they have to do.  A lot of authors don't realize that writing is as much about rewriting as it is about writing.  When I've written a novel, I've spent about the same amount of time rewriting the book as I did writing it in the first place.  Many novice authors finish their NaNoWriMo project and then immediately begin to submit it.  There aren't many authors that can pull off a masterpiece with their rough draft, but come December, January, and February, I start seeing a lot of submissions that are obviously rough drafts.  Even worse, many authors self-publish these rough drafts, watering down the market with works that don't deserve publication...yet...
So, basically I have very mixed feelings about NaNoWriMo, but I think I would like to try it some year...

A reminder about Disharmony of the Spheres

This is a project that's very important to me for a number of reasons, and I'd love to see submissions from a lot of the writers I know...
Nomadic Delirium Press is pleased to announce that we are reading for a new anthology...
Disharmony of the Spheres
Disharmony of the Spheres will be a science fiction anthology in which the main character must be battling some type of mental illness.  While we will consider stories where the character is dealing with an illness like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, what we really want to see is characters that are battling an illness like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, etc.  This is meant to be an uplifting collection of stories, so the characters must overcome their illness to defeat whatever they’re up against.  They don’t necessarily have to overcome their illness completely, but they must show that even when suffering from a mental illness, a person can still achieve great things.
Story particulars: We want stories that are 2,000 words or longer.  All stories must be science fiction, and they must fit into the guidelines as outlined above.
What we’re paying: We will pay $5 per story for one time rights, and we will also pay two contributor copies.  This is less than we would normally pay for an anthology, but half of all of the profits from this book will be going to the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention organization, which helps to battle teen suicide.  We will consider reprints for this anthology.
Where to send your stories: All stories should be sent to editor (at) nomadicdeliriumpress (dot) com.  The subject line should include “Disharmony submission.”
Response times: We will respond to all submissions within two months.
Other questions: If you have any other questions, please feel free to send them to the address above.

Happy 5th birthday

It's hard to believe, but today is Alexis' 5th birthday.  It seems like only yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital, and now here she is, a young lady.  Time goes by far too fast when it comes to kids.  Eryn's only a few years away from graduating from high school, Jul's about to start middle school, and if Lex had been born a few weeks earlier, she'd already be in school.  I really don't know where the time goes.
She's become such a unique little girl.  She loves her dresses, but at the same time she loves her Ninja Turtles.  When she's playing with dolls, they might be having a tea party, or they might be getting eaten by her big T-rex, you can never be too sure.  She has enough energy to power the sun, and she wears us all down just watching her, but she loves to sit and learn at the same time.
It's hard to say what she will be as she gets older, but something tells me it will be a unique adventure...

A new short story

I finished the rough draft for a new short story today.  Several years ago, this wouldn't have been that big of a deal, as I was writing stories all the time, but now I don't write anywhere near as much as I'd like to.  The simple reason for this is that editing and game design pay better, and they pay in a more timely manner, and simply put, we always need the money, so now finishing a story is a big deal.
I've really missed writing, and even though mounting medical and legal bills are sucking us deeper into our hole, the simple truth is that I'm a writer first, and an editor and a game designer second.  As such, I need to write.  As human beings, we can't deny the passions in our life.  If we do, what's the point of living, and writing is one of my greatest passions, so I will be doing more in the months and years to come.
Is this story going to make us rich?  Of course not.  My skills are rusty, and it clearly shows in the story, but with some work, I'm confident it will sell.  It may only make me enough to buy myself lunch somewhere, but in many ways, it feels like I'm starting over in my career, and that's ok.  I love writing, and I'm still confident that it will all pay off sometime in the future...

October recap

Royalties, royalties, and more royalties
My preliminary MileHiCon schedule
Ecotastrophe II
More ranting about mental health issues in America
Disharmony of the spheres
My MileHiCon schedule
Martian Wave bundle
MileHiCon 47 recap
10% off sale
Ephemeris sale

Ephemeris sale

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
It's time to stock up on all of the products you need for your Ephemeris game. Through Nov. 13th, get all Ephemeris titles for 30% off!
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2805/Nomadic-Delirium-Press

10% off sale

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
For the next two weeks, you can get several of our most recent e-books for 10% off at Smashwords.
Quantum Women by Tyree Campbell https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/575947. Use coupon code GJ82U.
The Martian Wave: 2015 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/561565. Use coupon code QQ84T.
A Robot, a Cyborg, and a Martian Walk into a Space Bar https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/499752. Use coupon code LA97H.
Taurin Tales https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472428. Use coupon code WG32B.

MileHiCon 47 recap

Another year of MileHiCon has come and gone.  This year seemed to fly by even faster.  We think it was mostly because we didn't stay at the hotel this year because we just couldn't afford it.  It was great seeing a lot of our old con friends, but there were several people that we somehow never ran into.
This year I had three panels and a signing, but for Friday night, I didn't have anything.  We showed up a bit later than usual because there were other things going on.  We went to the opening ceremonies and Jul and I were recruited into getting crowd members to be part of the opening ceremonies, which were based on "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Saturday was a busy day for me.  I started out with a panel on the similarities and differences between game and book publishing, which went well, which I think was true of all of the panels I did this year.  We kind of got away from the main topic on this one, but we still gave out a lot of great info on game design and publishing.
Immediately after the panel, I had a signing.  Unfortunately, the signing table was not in the greatest place, and there was very little foot traffic in the area, so the signing didn't go well.  In the future, we're talking about trying to get a Nomadic Delirium Press table in either the dealers room or on Author's Row.  That might be a bit more than we can immediately afford, but maybe we can start selling a lot more NDP books in the near future.
Immediately after the signing, I was on a panel about what got us into science fiction and fantasy.  This was one of those fun panels, and there was a fairly large crowd.  We all seemed to have a great time, but once we got on the topic of YA books to get kids into reading sf and fantasy, I was pretty much left out, as I never have read many YA books.  I got into the field with some of the adult material.  Still, it was a fun panel.
Saturday night concluded with the mask parade, which the two younger kids participated in and the masquerade.
I only had one panel on Sunday, which was about trends in publishing.  This one was standing room only, and it was a great panel, although we certainly didn't agree on everything.
During the Con, I was able to talk to one person about a secret project that we're going to start working on next year.  It will be a long term project, and I can't discuss it yet, but I think it will be fun.  I was also able to talk to Laura Givens about doing a cover for "Disharmony of the Spheres."  We have a great concept, and we have the perfect model for the cover, a beautiful teenage girl who is a brave crusader for everyone suffering from depression.  I think it will be truly awesome!

Martian Wave bundle

Taken from the Nomadic Delirium Press blog:
DriveThruFiction is currently carrying a bundle of all three issues of The Martian Wave.  You can get PDF versions of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 issues for just $7.50. That's over 100,000 words about the exploration and colonization of space.  It's a deal you can't afford to pass up.
http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/117289/The-Martian-Wave-2013

My MileHiCon schedule

Here is what looks to be my final MileHiCon schedule for this year...
Saturday at Noon: Game Publishing/Book Publishing: Similarities & Differences
Saturday at 1:00 Signing
Saturday at 2:00 You Always Remember Your First...
What SF/F/H is the earliest you recall? Perhaps it’s Dr. Seuss, or The Twilight Zone, Maybe not the fairytales you were read––or maybe so––but the first you picked up on your own, the first that made an impression, that warped you forever. Our panelists share memories! 
Sunday at 10:00 Trends in Publishing...
Are magazines doomed? Will people even pay for content anymore? Are audio books making a comeback? What the heck do readers want these days? 

Hope to see some of you there...

Disharmony of the Spheres

From the Nomadic Delirium Press website...
Nomadic Delirium Press is pleased to announce that we are reading for a new anthology...
Disharmony of the Spheres
Disharmony of the Spheres will be a science fiction anthology in which the main character must be battling some type of mental illness.  While we will consider stories where the character is dealing with an illness like schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, what we really want to see is characters that are battling an illness like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, etc.  This is meant to be an uplifting collection of stories, so the characters must overcome their illness to defeat whatever they’re up against.  They don’t necessarily have to overcome their illness completely, but they must show that even when suffering from a mental illness, a person can still achieve great things.
Story particulars: We want stories that are 2,000 words or longer.  All stories must be science fiction, and they must fit into the guidelines as outlined above.
What we’re paying: We will pay $5 per story for one time rights, and we will also pay two contributor copies.  This is less than we would normally pay for an anthology, but half of all of the profits from this book will be going to the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention organization, which helps to battle teen suicide.  We will consider reprints for this anthology.
Where to send your stories: All stories should be sent to editor (at) nomadicdeliriumpress (dot) com.  The subject line should include “Disharmony submission.”
Response times: We will respond to all submissions within two months.
Other questions: If you have any other questions, please feel free to send them to the address above.

More ranting about mental health issues in America

A while back I posted a blog entry talking about how mental health issues are treated differently than physical health issues.  Well, I'm going to go on about it again, as this is an issue that's very important to me.  I've dealt with depression off and on throughout my life.  Rebecca still deals with PTSD as a result of being robbed at gunpoint.  Other members of my family have dealt with affective and anxiety issues, and earlier this year a dear friend of mine was hospitalized because she was having trouble dealing with gender identity issues, so mental health is something that I'm always thinking about.  It probably also doesn't hurt that I hold a degree in psychology either...
One thing I've noticed is that if someone tells another person that their child has been admitted to the hospital because they're undergoing testing for something like cancer, people react differently than if you were to say that the child was undergoing psychiatric evaluation and testing for depression.  Why should this be different?  Both are ailments, and both children deserve our sympathy, but the child being tested for depression is more likely to be looked at as being weak, or the parents are going to be looked at as if they've done something wrong.  An important thing to remember is that most psychiatric disorders have a physical and biological cause.  Most cases of depression are caused by a neurotransmitter imbalance, but somehow this is viewed as being different than abnormal cell growth causing cancer.  Both of these illnesses have a very physical causative agent.
It's true that life choices can exacerbate an already existing psychiatric condition.  For example, continuing to date someone who is abusive can make a depressed person's depression worse.  So, should we judge these people because their choices have helped contribute to their illness?  Before you say yes, keep in mind that a lot of physical ailments can be exacerbated by our life choices as well.  How many health issues, especially in America, are made worse by our eating habits?  We usually don't judge people for making decisions that helped lead to their cancer (except maybe for lung cancer) or any other ailment, so why should we do it with mental health issues.
Once again, until America wakes up and realizes that mental illness is an illness, not a weakness, we are not going to be able to solve many of our problems.  And things like gun violence are only going to get worse.
Please don't judge someone who is dealing with a mental health issue.  You have no idea what they are going for, just as you don't really know what someone with a severe illness is going through unless you've dealt with it yourself.  There's no difference whatsoever between physical health issues and mental health issues.  No difference at all!

Ecotastrophe II

Borrowed from the Nomadic Delirium Press website:
We're now looking for submissions for a new anthology...
ECOTASTROPHE II
In 2006, Sam’s Dot Publishing released an anthology about the effects of global climate change on humanity called Ecotastrophe.  Now that it’s been almost ten years since the release, and global climate change still seems a possible threat to humanity, Nomadic Delirium Press has decided to release Ecotastrophe II.  Like the original collection, this one will be edited by J Alan Erwine.
What we’re looking for: We want science fiction stories between 3,000 and 10,000 words that look at the effects of global climate change (preferably the extreme effects) on humanity and the other creatures of Earth.  We’re not looking for stories about the change, but rather the effects of the change.  Although we’d love to have a lot of stories that look at the hard science of climate change, we also want stories that look at the soft sciences.  It’s important that the stories focus on the people, rather than the science, but we still want the science to be plausible.
What we’re paying: We will pay $10 for first rights to any story.  We will also pay two contributor copies.  If possible, we will increase this payment…but we can’t guarantee that.
Where to send your little gems: All submissions should be sent to editor (at) nomadicdeliriumpress (dot) com.  Your subject should be “Ecotastrophe Submission”.
Response times: We will respond to all submissions within two months.
Publication date: We are shooting for a mid-Summer 2016 release.
Other questions: If you have any other questions, please send them to the submission address.

My preliminary MileHiCon schedule

Here is my preliminary schedule for MileHiCon.  It's still subject to change, and I'm also hoping to add a signing.  I'll post a complete schedule when we get closer to Con time...

Saturday at Noon: Game Publishing/Book Publishing: Similarities & Differences
Saturday at 2: You Always Remember Your First - get your minds out of the gutter...it's not what you think...

Sunday at 2: Trends in Publishing

Royalties, royalties, and more royalties

September was one of those months when quite a few royalty payments showed up in the last couple of weeks, and although none of them were especially large, they did add up to what seemed like a decent chunk of change.  The royalties did, for a while, make me feel like this whole writer/editor/game designer/publisher thing was actually working out.  Then I stopped and thought about it and realized that all of those royalties together were less than what I make in one paycheck from my awful "real" job, and then I was sad.
Truth is, my income from all of these endeavors is increasing every year, although it's a gradual increase.  Let's just say that if you were graphing them, I'm nowhere close to my income being asymptotic, but it's an increase nevertheless.  At this rate, I should be able to support myself some time around my 200th birthday, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to support my family before my 400th...

September recap

Not much blogging last month

Busy, busy, busy

So much for that more blogging thing

So much for that more blogging thing

I'd hoped to do more blogging this month, but that idea has gone completely out the window...
There's so much more to do in life now that we have a high schooler in our home.  In addition to that, Rebecca is still working an insane amount of hours.  She may be facing 19 straight days without a day off, and now my hours are starting to go up at my "real" job as we head into the Halloween season.  Add to this the fact that I'm always so tired because of the medication for my chronic pain, and it's been hard to get anything done, and unfortunately, blogging is pretty far down my list of priorities.
I am excited that in two days Nomadic Delirium Press will be releasing Quantum Women by Tyree Campbell, and later in the month we will be releasing Crisis Averted by Laura Givens.  Still, I have a long to-do list, and it seems like every time I cross one thing off, there are suddenly six more things on the list.  One of these days I might catch up...

Busy, busy, busy

I had planned on doing more blogging this month, but so far, that has been a complete failure.  Life has just been too crazy busy of late to get stuff done.  Eryn is doing marching band this year, and her first football game was last week, so we of course went to that.  Then on Saturday she had her first competition, which meant being at her school at 7 in the morning.  By the time we got home, it was almost 11 at night.  Her band finished last in the competition, but they were also the smallest of all of the bands performing.  Her school just doesn't have the funding to put together a really strong band, and I think this is a perfect example of yet another failure in American culture.  We pour tons of money into the schools for football, basketball, and other sports, but ever time something has to be cut, the first thing that is attacked are the arts.  This is a huge failure.  While sports are important, the arts are even more important, but American culture no longer recognizes this.
In addition to all of Eryn's band stuff, Juliah started back to school, which of course means tons of shopping, tons of preparation, and in addition to all of this, Rebecca is still putting in a lot of hours, most weeks working six days, and while I'm not working a lot, I am working opposite of her schedule, which is stressful, since we're the type of couple that actually likes and wants to spend time with each other, so that puts a strain on both of us.
I have managed to get one of the books formatted that I needed to do, and I've started work on the second book that I need to get done, but I still haven't managed to make it to the post office to send off copies of The Martian Wave: 2015, but I am trying.  Hopefully this week or next I will be able to get there.
The meds that my doctor put me on are helping with the pain, but unfortunately, they're still making me dizzy, and this reached a bad point yesterday when I was going to switch out some laundry.  As I got to the door, I felt very dizzy, so I grabbed onto the door frame.  The next thing I knew, I was on my back with my head bouncing against the floor like I was having a seizure, and my foot in the litter box.  Apparently I blacked out.  The worst part was that the only person that was here at the time was Alexis, so if I'd really been hurt, I might have been in trouble.  I'm not sure if this means that I should try to switch meds, because I really don't want to.  These meds are working, and even though I still have pain, it's nothing like I used to have.  I actually feel like a functional human being again.
I guess I've wasted enough time on this post.  Now I need to get back to work...