Now that The Genre Mall has closed, you can find my two Sam's Dot titles at the SDP Bookstore.
My new novel, Red Moon Rising can be found at http://sdpbookstore.com/novels.htm#redmoonrising.
My illustrated short story chapbook, A Problem in Translation can be found at http://sdpbookstore.com/fiction.htm#translation.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Red Moon Rising as an e-book
Here are a few places where you can purchase the e-book version of my new novel...
Barnes & Noble...just click on the Nookbook link
Diesel e-books
Kobobooks should have it soon
Barnes & Noble...just click on the Nookbook link
Diesel e-books
Kobobooks should have it soon
Friday, April 01, 2011
Beyond Centauri 32
The new issue of Beyond Centauri, Sam's Dot's YA zine, has just been released and my story "The Martian Orphans and the Moons of Jupiter" is in it. This is my second attempt at writing YA fiction. A lot of people seemed to like the first effort, so hopefully they'll like this one as well.
There are a lot of stories about the Martian Orphans still kicking around in my skull, so there's a chance that these characters will be making a comeback in the future.
http://sdpbookstore.com/beyondcentauri.htm
There are a lot of stories about the Martian Orphans still kicking around in my skull, so there's a chance that these characters will be making a comeback in the future.
http://sdpbookstore.com/beyondcentauri.htm
March recap
It's been a crazy busy month, so I haven't been blogging much. Hopefully there will be more in the months to come.
I'm closing The Genre Mall
Big e-book sale
Meatless Marty's Existential Cafe
Your local bookstore
I'm closing The Genre Mall
Big e-book sale
Meatless Marty's Existential Cafe
Your local bookstore
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Your local bookstore
So, if the store you usually buy your books at isn't currently carrying my new book, Red Moon Rising, you can have them order it. Normally they just want the author and title, but if they need the ISBN, it's 978-0982897584.
And if you are a local bookstore, you can order as many copies as you'd like...
The publisher does offer normal discounts through Ingrams.
And if you are a local bookstore, you can order as many copies as you'd like...
The publisher does offer normal discounts through Ingrams.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Meatless Marty's Existential Cafe
This is one of my favorite settings from my new book...
The one redeeming quality of the area was Meatless Marty’s Existential Café, home of the best vegetarian food in all of Florida, especially their almost world famous tofu burger; Erik’s favorite meal. He’d first come to Meatless Marty’s when it had its grand opening, more than two and a half years ago. He’d come with Jeromie, and that memory always made him pause at the door before he could go in. He did it again this time.
The interior of Meatless Marty’s was almost always changing. Marty, who was almost always there, said he was constantly changing the restaurant as a direct challenge to the rest of society, which never changed. The tie-dyes that had decorated nearly every available inch of the restaurant two weeks earlier had been replaced with various paintings and photographs of wild animals doing what wild animals do, with an emphasis on wolves, whales, dolphins, and bears. Erik thought it was one of the best decors Meatless Marty had chosen so far. It was definitely better than the photos of the animals being butchered that had been up for a week four months ago. That décor had almost closed the place down. It would seem that even animal rights vegetarians hated to be reminded of why they’d made the choice they’d made, at least they seemed to hate being reminded while they were trying to eat.
Read the first chapter
Order from The Genre Mall
Order from Amazon
Order from Barnes & Noble
Order the e-book version
The one redeeming quality of the area was Meatless Marty’s Existential Café, home of the best vegetarian food in all of Florida, especially their almost world famous tofu burger; Erik’s favorite meal. He’d first come to Meatless Marty’s when it had its grand opening, more than two and a half years ago. He’d come with Jeromie, and that memory always made him pause at the door before he could go in. He did it again this time.
The interior of Meatless Marty’s was almost always changing. Marty, who was almost always there, said he was constantly changing the restaurant as a direct challenge to the rest of society, which never changed. The tie-dyes that had decorated nearly every available inch of the restaurant two weeks earlier had been replaced with various paintings and photographs of wild animals doing what wild animals do, with an emphasis on wolves, whales, dolphins, and bears. Erik thought it was one of the best decors Meatless Marty had chosen so far. It was definitely better than the photos of the animals being butchered that had been up for a week four months ago. That décor had almost closed the place down. It would seem that even animal rights vegetarians hated to be reminded of why they’d made the choice they’d made, at least they seemed to hate being reminded while they were trying to eat.
Read the first chapter
Order from The Genre Mall
Order from Amazon
Order from Barnes & Noble
Order the e-book version
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Big e-book sale
Smashwords is having a mammoth one week event where you can get big discounts on quite a few e-books. This includes all of the Sam's Dot Publishing titles, including my new novel Red Moon Rising. Simply go to http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samsdot and enter the code RAE25 at checkout.
This also includes most of the Nomadic Delirium Press titles, including my short story collection, Seedlings on the Solar Winds and my first novel, The Opium of the People. For these titles, go to http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/nomadicdelirium. Use the same code, RAE25, at checkout to get the discount.
Keep in mind that all of these titles can be read on your PC, so you don't have to have an e-reader to order any of them.
This also includes most of the Nomadic Delirium Press titles, including my short story collection, Seedlings on the Solar Winds and my first novel, The Opium of the People. For these titles, go to http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/nomadicdelirium. Use the same code, RAE25, at checkout to get the discount.
Keep in mind that all of these titles can be read on your PC, so you don't have to have an e-reader to order any of them.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
I'm closing The Genre Mall
With the new baby, a new job, and new responsibilities at Sam's Dot Publishing, I'm finding less and less time to write. Since I've always considered myself a writer, first and foremost, this is not a good thing.
After a lot of thought, I've decided that I'm going to close The Genre Mall. I've had a good time doing it, and we've sold a lot of magazines and books over the many years I've done it, but it just takes up too much of my time.
The official last day to make purchases at The Genre Mall will be March 31, 2011.
The Genre Mall
After a lot of thought, I've decided that I'm going to close The Genre Mall. I've had a good time doing it, and we've sold a lot of magazines and books over the many years I've done it, but it just takes up too much of my time.
The official last day to make purchases at The Genre Mall will be March 31, 2011.
The Genre Mall
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Want a signed copy?
I have a limited number of copies of Red Moon Rising available that I can sign and send off to anyone that's interested. When I say limited, I mean limited.
If you're interested in ordering a copy, please go to http://www.jalanerwine.com/signedcopies.htm, and order today. Please let me know if you just want it signed, or if you want it personalized.
Thanks for reading, and hope you're all enjoying the new book.
If you're interested in ordering a copy, please go to http://www.jalanerwine.com/signedcopies.htm, and order today. Please let me know if you just want it signed, or if you want it personalized.
Thanks for reading, and hope you're all enjoying the new book.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Charlie Chases Crows
I've had some people comment that Charlie Chases Crows' dialog in the first chapter of my new book sounds a bit stilted.
This is actually intentional on his part, as he explains later in the book. According to him, people expect Indians to act a particular way, either like savages, or like a "noble savage, so he chooses to be eloquent...or at least try...
This is actually intentional on his part, as he explains later in the book. According to him, people expect Indians to act a particular way, either like savages, or like a "noble savage, so he chooses to be eloquent...or at least try...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Red Moon Rising at Amazon
My new novel is now available at Amazon as well. You can find it at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982897588.
As of the writing of this blog entry, Amazon has not yet reduced the price, but I'm expecting that they will...especially given the huge discount that Barnes & Noble is giving.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Red Moon Rising at B&N
Barnes & Noble now has copies of Red Moon Rising available. This is a trade paperback, and the normal list price for the book is $12.00, but at the time I'm writing this blog entry, they have it listed for just $6.94. I don't know how B&N does their pricing, but I know that price could change at any time.
I hope some of you will pick up a copy, and I hope you'll enjoy the book.
I hope some of you will pick up a copy, and I hope you'll enjoy the book.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Red Moon Rising copies
For those of you who have ordered copies of my new novel, Red Moon Rising, copies should be shipping from the publisher by the end of the week.
For those of you who haven't ordered your copies yet, what are you waiting for? You can currently order them from The Genre Mall, and we should have an Amazon link very soon.
If you want to read the first chapter of the book, you can read it at http://www.jalanerwine.com/rmrch1.htm.
For those of you who haven't ordered your copies yet, what are you waiting for? You can currently order them from The Genre Mall, and we should have an Amazon link very soon.
If you want to read the first chapter of the book, you can read it at http://www.jalanerwine.com/rmrch1.htm.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Sam's Dot e-books
Sam's Dot Publishing is now diving into the e-book market, with me as the e-book editor. We've released two novels so far, but a lot more are planned for the future, and we may even start releasing some of our print zines as e-books.
All of the books we are doing right now are also available as print books, so we are not trying to become solely an e-book publisher.
The two novels we've released so far are:
The Guardener's Tale by Bruce Boston
and
Red Moon Rising by yours truly
To keep up with all of the future releases, please visit our Smashwords page at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samsdot.
All of the books we are doing right now are also available as print books, so we are not trying to become solely an e-book publisher.
The two novels we've released so far are:
The Guardener's Tale by Bruce Boston
and
Red Moon Rising by yours truly
To keep up with all of the future releases, please visit our Smashwords page at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/samsdot.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
A note about e-books
I've had several people tell me that they can't read e-books because they don't have an e-reader. This actually isn't a problem. Kindle makes apps available for pcs and a lot of other e-readers do this as well.
My older books, as well as my new book have all been set up as e-books through Smashwords. In addition to the normal e-reader formats, they also make books available in PDF, HTML, and text. Not everyone has a PDF reader (although that's hard to believe,) but everyone with a computer has the ability to read HTML (web pages) or text files, so there's no reason to avoid e-books.
So, go ahead and buy Red Moon Rising and let me know what you think.
My older books, as well as my new book have all been set up as e-books through Smashwords. In addition to the normal e-reader formats, they also make books available in PDF, HTML, and text. Not everyone has a PDF reader (although that's hard to believe,) but everyone with a computer has the ability to read HTML (web pages) or text files, so there's no reason to avoid e-books.
So, go ahead and buy Red Moon Rising and let me know what you think.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
The e-book is here
You can now get an e-book version of Red Moon Rising for $4.95 from Smashwords. In the coming weeks, the e-book will also be available from other distributors.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/40341
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/40341
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Red Moon Rising is here!
My new novel, Red Moon Rising is now available from Sam's Dot Publishing. At the moment, you can order copies from The Genre Mall, and they should ship by the middle of the month. In the next couple of days I will hopefully be posting links so that you can order the book from Amazon, or so that you can order the e-book version from Smashwords.
A little about the book...
J Alan Erwine takes you into a future environmental nightmare that is not only all too possible, but is in fact well on the way there. The air and seas are filthy with pollution and oil spills, the U.S. Government is an effete and toothless replica of its former self, and business decides which rules they will allow to be enforced. Corporations lie, people die.
Including Erik Singer's brother Jeromie, killed while seeking evidence against an oil company regarding their spills in the Gulf. After five years, Erik has had enough of wallowing in loss and self-pity. Emboldened by the words and visions of a Native American environmentalist, Erik is ready to act.
And he has colleagues. The reluctant mayor of Tampa. The daughter of the most egregious industrialist. And a tree-hugging terrorist. Can just four people make a difference?
You can read the first chapter for free here.
A little about the book...
J Alan Erwine takes you into a future environmental nightmare that is not only all too possible, but is in fact well on the way there. The air and seas are filthy with pollution and oil spills, the U.S. Government is an effete and toothless replica of its former self, and business decides which rules they will allow to be enforced. Corporations lie, people die.
Including Erik Singer's brother Jeromie, killed while seeking evidence against an oil company regarding their spills in the Gulf. After five years, Erik has had enough of wallowing in loss and self-pity. Emboldened by the words and visions of a Native American environmentalist, Erik is ready to act.
And he has colleagues. The reluctant mayor of Tampa. The daughter of the most egregious industrialist. And a tree-hugging terrorist. Can just four people make a difference?
You can read the first chapter for free here.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Red Moon Rising back cover blurb
J Alan Erwine takes you into a future environmental nightmare that is not only all too possible, but is in fact well on the way there. The air and seas are filthy with pollution and oil spills, the U.S. Government is an effete and toothless replica of its former self, and business decides which rules they will allow to be enforced. Corporations lie, people die.
Including Erik Singer's brother Jeromie, killed while seeking evidence against an oil company regarding their spills in the Gulf. After five years, Erik has had enough of wallowing in loss and self-pity. Emboldened by the words and visions of a Native American environmentalist, Erik is ready to act.
And he has colleagues. The reluctant mayor of Tampa. The daughter of the most egregious industrialist. And a tree-hugging terrorist. Can just four people make a difference?
Including Erik Singer's brother Jeromie, killed while seeking evidence against an oil company regarding their spills in the Gulf. After five years, Erik has had enough of wallowing in loss and self-pity. Emboldened by the words and visions of a Native American environmentalist, Erik is ready to act.
And he has colleagues. The reluctant mayor of Tampa. The daughter of the most egregious industrialist. And a tree-hugging terrorist. Can just four people make a difference?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Red Moon Rising is coming
My new novel Red Moon Rising will be released by Sam's Dot Publishing in February. You can now read the first chapter of the book on my website by going to http://www.jalanerwine.com/rmrch1.htm.
Let me know what you think.
Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
E-book sale
Two of my books are on sale as e-books through Samshwords. You can get Seedlings on the Solar Winds for just $1.48. Simply enter the code ZH36J when you check out. You can also get The Opium of the People for just $2.48. Simply enter the code TT88C when you check out. Both of these books will be on sale for the rest of January.
My third book that Smashwords has available, Marionettes on the Moon is always available for just 99 cents.
My third book that Smashwords has available, Marionettes on the Moon is always available for just 99 cents.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Preditors & Editors
The annual Preditors & Editors readers poll has begun again, and although I've become a bit disillusioned by this poll over the years, there are still opportunities for people to vote for me...so of course I'm going to push for those votes.
Here are the categories you can vote for me or my stuff...
Author
Zine Editor
Book publisher...in this case, Sam's Dot Publishing
Bookstore-The Genre Mall
Magazine-The Martian Wave
Voting ends on Jan. 26th...
Here are the categories you can vote for me or my stuff...
Author
Zine Editor
Book publisher...in this case, Sam's Dot Publishing
Bookstore-The Genre Mall
Magazine-The Martian Wave
Voting ends on Jan. 26th...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
An Ephemeris update for February 2011
It's been a while since I've updated this blog about what's going on with the game, so now seems like a good time.
I'm currently finishing up The Bandit's Sourcebook, and we should have it out by the middle of February. Our second print title has also come out. You can now get The Ephemeris Species Compendium from DriveThruRPG. We will also soon be releasing Ephemeris: Critters and Pests in print as well.
A couple of other creators are also working on projects, so we will hopefully have those available in the coming months. We're still thinking about what kinds of projects to start on once all of the character sourcebooks are out, so if you have any ideas, please feel free to post them on the Ephemeris message board.
I'm currently finishing up The Bandit's Sourcebook, and we should have it out by the middle of February. Our second print title has also come out. You can now get The Ephemeris Species Compendium from DriveThruRPG. We will also soon be releasing Ephemeris: Critters and Pests in print as well.
A couple of other creators are also working on projects, so we will hopefully have those available in the coming months. We're still thinking about what kinds of projects to start on once all of the character sourcebooks are out, so if you have any ideas, please feel free to post them on the Ephemeris message board.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
3 for 3
My story, "And the Lamb and the Lion Shall Not Lie Down Together" has been accepted for the A Taste of Armageddon anthology that will be released by WolfSinger Publications. As I mentioned previously, I only wrote three short stories in 2010. This was the third one that I was waiting to hear back on...so that means that I went three for three in 2010.
All of the stories will be published later this year, and I'll post more information when they come out.
All of the stories will be published later this year, and I'll post more information when they come out.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
December recap
Another light month of blogging with the baby trying to adjust to Rebecca being back at work, and me trying to adjust to having a day job again.
Anthology rough draft
Anthology story
Great holiday gift idea
Sleep deprivation
Merry Christmas
2010 in review
Anthology rough draft
Anthology story
Great holiday gift idea
Sleep deprivation
Merry Christmas
2010 in review
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010 in review
What a year it's been. In May, Rebecca and I were finally able to get married after so many delays. Then in November we welcomed our new baby, Alexis. Our two older girls are thriving in school and growing up so fast. On a personal level, 2010 was the best year I've ever had.
On the writing front, it was a pretty good year as well, although not as productive as I would have liked. I finished (not wrote) two novels. One of them, Red Moon Rising will be released by Sam's Dot Publishing in February. The other is getting some serious consideration from another publisher...so hopefully there will be some good news in early 2011. I only wrote three short stories this year. Two of those stories will be published in 2011, and I'm waiting to hear back on the third.
I did a lot of writing for the Ephemeris RPG, and although sales on the game haven't been booming, we have seen fairly steady sales year round.
So, overall, I would have to say that 2010 was a damn good year!
On the writing front, it was a pretty good year as well, although not as productive as I would have liked. I finished (not wrote) two novels. One of them, Red Moon Rising will be released by Sam's Dot Publishing in February. The other is getting some serious consideration from another publisher...so hopefully there will be some good news in early 2011. I only wrote three short stories this year. Two of those stories will be published in 2011, and I'm waiting to hear back on the third.
I did a lot of writing for the Ephemeris RPG, and although sales on the game haven't been booming, we have seen fairly steady sales year round.
So, overall, I would have to say that 2010 was a damn good year!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas
Around here, we don't celebrate Christmas as being the birth of a god, or the birth of a son of a god. Instead, we just celebrate it as a time to be with family and friends. So, to all of my family and friends, Merry Christmas.
Here are a few Christmas songs you might like...
Here are a few Christmas songs you might like...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sleep deprivation
I'm having a lot of trouble adjusting to having the baby in the house and working early in the morning. My new job starts at 6 am every day, so I have to be up at 4:30, and of course, anyone who has ever had a baby will tell you that they don't sleep through the night.
At first, Rebecca was doing a lot of the staying up with her because she was still on maternity leave, but she went back to work last night...and Alexis was not too happy about it. We had a very rough night with her basically screaming for hours on end. So, I didn't get to sleep until Rebecca got home at midnight.
Tonight's been a much better night so far. Normally she wants to be held whenever she's sleeping, but I've been splitting time between that and putting her in the car seat next to my desk and gently rocking her. She hasn't had any fits yet, and she seems quite happy...so it seems to be working.
Needless to say, trying to adjust to her and the job has meant that my writing and editing have suffered a lot, but I'll get back into the swing of things in the next week or two, and then everything will be back to normal...or as normal as it ever is in my life...
At first, Rebecca was doing a lot of the staying up with her because she was still on maternity leave, but she went back to work last night...and Alexis was not too happy about it. We had a very rough night with her basically screaming for hours on end. So, I didn't get to sleep until Rebecca got home at midnight.
Tonight's been a much better night so far. Normally she wants to be held whenever she's sleeping, but I've been splitting time between that and putting her in the car seat next to my desk and gently rocking her. She hasn't had any fits yet, and she seems quite happy...so it seems to be working.
Needless to say, trying to adjust to her and the job has meant that my writing and editing have suffered a lot, but I'll get back into the swing of things in the next week or two, and then everything will be back to normal...or as normal as it ever is in my life...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Great holiday gift idea
If you're looking for a great gift idea for the science fiction or fantasy fan on your holiday list, might I suggest the Sam's Dot Publishing calendars? Not only do these calendars feature the usual holiday dates, they also feature important dates like the birthdays of some of your favorite authors, the dates of major literary and scientific achievements, and much more.
There are two varieties of the calendars, and here is the cover art for each:
You can find them at The Genre Mall. Just scroll down to the Sam's Dot Calendars.
There are two varieties of the calendars, and here is the cover art for each:
You can find them at The Genre Mall. Just scroll down to the Sam's Dot Calendars.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Anthology story
I finished the story I was asked to write for an anthology. The actual deadline was the end of November, but the editor is a nice person, and she gave me extra time since I was quite busy during November, and because I was losing a lot of sleep due to the new addition to our family.
I still feel like my short story skills are a bit rusty, but I'm two for two on the stories I've written so far this year, so maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.
Hopefully the story will be accepted. It would be a new publisher for me, and a publisher who puts out some good books, so I would certainly be happy to see my name in one of their collections.
I still feel like my short story skills are a bit rusty, but I'm two for two on the stories I've written so far this year, so maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.
Hopefully the story will be accepted. It would be a new publisher for me, and a publisher who puts out some good books, so I would certainly be happy to see my name in one of their collections.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Anthology rough draft
As I mentioned previously, I was asked to write a story for an upcoming anthology. I finished the rough draft a couple of days ago, and now I'm getting ready to start on revisions. I think the story still needs a lot of work, so these will probably be some long and tedious revisions...
November recap
A lighter month of blogging with the birth of the baby...
Writing stuff
Alexis
Getting back in the swing of things
Ephemeris holiday bundles
Happy Thanksgiving
Black Friday Specials
R-Complex
Cyber Monday Special
Writing stuff
Alexis
Getting back in the swing of things
Ephemeris holiday bundles
Happy Thanksgiving
Black Friday Specials
R-Complex
Cyber Monday Special
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Cyber Monday Special
DriveThruSciFi has a special bundle offer on four e-books from Nomadic Delirium Press. Three of the books are mine. You get Seedlings on the Solar Winds, The Opium of the People, and Marionettes on the Moon from me...and from James Baker, you get The Poet. All four e-books are just $5.
Go to http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=65958 and order, because the deal is only good for one day.
Go to http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=65958 and order, because the deal is only good for one day.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
R-Complex
My short story "R-Complex" has sold to Aoife's Kiss. This is only the second short story I've written this year, and it's my second sale...pretty good run.
The story will appear in the June issue, which will be a very special anniversary issue. I can't go into details yet, but I do know that there are two VERY BIG authors from the SF field who will also appear in this issue.
The story will appear in the June issue, which will be a very special anniversary issue. I can't go into details yet, but I do know that there are two VERY BIG authors from the SF field who will also appear in this issue.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Black Friday Specials
Smashwords has three of my e-books on sale for 99 cents for Black Friday.
You can order Seedlings on the Solar Winds by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16551 and using coupon code TD26P.
You can order The Opium of the People by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16609 and using coupon code TX57H
You can order Marionettes on the Moon by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16865. This book is always 99 cents, but if you're ordering the others, you might as well order it too.
You can order Seedlings on the Solar Winds by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16551 and using coupon code TD26P.
You can order The Opium of the People by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16609 and using coupon code TX57H
You can order Marionettes on the Moon by going to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16865. This book is always 99 cents, but if you're ordering the others, you might as well order it too.
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S. A lot of Thanksgivings I use this blog to talk about something that's very important to me...Native American rights, but I'm going to forgo that this year and talk about the things I'm actually thankful for.
First, and most obvious, would be my beautiful wife Rebecca. And right along side her would be my three wonderful daughters, including the youngest, who will be celebrating her first Thanksgiving...although she's not actually aware of that.
I'm also thankful for my extended family, as well as my friends, who have been there through good times and bad, and supported me every step of the way.
I'm also thankful for all of my readers...all two or three of you :-). You guys make all the hours I spend away from my family at the keyboard worth it. I'd also like to say that I'm thankful to all of the editors who have supported my writing over the years. Without you guys, I wouldn't be anything.
So, make sure you let everyone in your life know that you're thankful for their being there, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
First, and most obvious, would be my beautiful wife Rebecca. And right along side her would be my three wonderful daughters, including the youngest, who will be celebrating her first Thanksgiving...although she's not actually aware of that.
I'm also thankful for my extended family, as well as my friends, who have been there through good times and bad, and supported me every step of the way.
I'm also thankful for all of my readers...all two or three of you :-). You guys make all the hours I spend away from my family at the keyboard worth it. I'd also like to say that I'm thankful to all of the editors who have supported my writing over the years. Without you guys, I wouldn't be anything.
So, make sure you let everyone in your life know that you're thankful for their being there, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Ephemeris Holiday Bundles
There are two Ephemeris bundles available at DriveThruRPG at special holiday prices. The two bundles are virtually the same, except that one features the core rulebook and the other does not. This way the bundles are good for the new Ephemeris players, as well as the seasoned Ephemeris players.
You can find them at:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=86038
or
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=86042
You can find them at:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=86038
or
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=86042
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Getting back in the swing of things
Life is starting to return to normal here...or at least as normal as it ever gets. Alexis is turning out to be a great little baby. She pretty much only cries when she's hungry. She had her first sponge bath yesterday, and didn't complain once. She really doesn't seem to complain about the things that most babies complain about, and we're happy about that. Her circadian rhythms seem to be off a bit, as she sleeps more during the day than at night, so we've had a couple of rough nights, but hopefully we're getting her rhythms shifted.
I'm finally starting to get caught up on the pile of work that has fallen on me. I've seen early proofs of my next book cover, and I can't wait to share it with everyone once we have a final copy. I'm putting together notes for a story I need to write for an editor who approached me at MileHiCon. I'm hoping to get started on that in the next few days. All the other little annoying things that take up my time are also being taken care of.
I realized that in my last post about Alexis, I didn't post a picture, although most of you have probably already seen her...so, here she is...
I'm finally starting to get caught up on the pile of work that has fallen on me. I've seen early proofs of my next book cover, and I can't wait to share it with everyone once we have a final copy. I'm putting together notes for a story I need to write for an editor who approached me at MileHiCon. I'm hoping to get started on that in the next few days. All the other little annoying things that take up my time are also being taken care of.
I realized that in my last post about Alexis, I didn't post a picture, although most of you have probably already seen her...so, here she is...
Friday, November 12, 2010
Alexis
Alexis Brianna Erwine was born on Monday Nov. 8th at 2:14 pm. She weighed in at 9 lbs. 3 ozs. and was 21 inches long. Although she is my third daughter, she is actually my first biological daughter. I've heard a lot of people talk about how you instantly fall in lover with your child when they're born, and I figured I knew what they were talking about...but believe me, this is one feeling that really does have to be experienced to truly understand it.
We got home from the hospital Wednesday night, and we were prepared for a long night, but she slept pretty well. She woke up a few times to eat, but went right back to sleep. Last night she was a little fussier, but overall she has been a great baby. She doesn't cry a lot, although she does have a little of her mom's attitude when she doesn't get her way.
So far there hasn't been a lot of sibling rivalry, although the cat wants nothing to do with her...but we pretty much expected that.
The hardest part for me has been that I came down with a rather nasty cold from sleeping in the air conditioned hospital room. As a result, I have to limit my contact with her...which I REALLY don't want to do. I told Rebecca today that as soon as I'm over this cold, I'm going to be fighting her to hold Alexis.
Rebecca came through the delivery amazingly, and she's now recovering well. I was so amazed at the birth that I have a whole new level of respect and love for my wife. She is truly an amazing human being...and together it looks like we've created a truly amazing "little" baby.
We got home from the hospital Wednesday night, and we were prepared for a long night, but she slept pretty well. She woke up a few times to eat, but went right back to sleep. Last night she was a little fussier, but overall she has been a great baby. She doesn't cry a lot, although she does have a little of her mom's attitude when she doesn't get her way.
So far there hasn't been a lot of sibling rivalry, although the cat wants nothing to do with her...but we pretty much expected that.
The hardest part for me has been that I came down with a rather nasty cold from sleeping in the air conditioned hospital room. As a result, I have to limit my contact with her...which I REALLY don't want to do. I told Rebecca today that as soon as I'm over this cold, I'm going to be fighting her to hold Alexis.
Rebecca came through the delivery amazingly, and she's now recovering well. I was so amazed at the birth that I have a whole new level of respect and love for my wife. She is truly an amazing human being...and together it looks like we've created a truly amazing "little" baby.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Writing stuff
Assuming the baby doesn't make an appearance in the next 12 hours, I should be finishing up a new short story. This will only be the 2nd piece of short fiction I've written this year, but I'm hoping to place it in a special edition of one of my favorite zines. After I get that sent off, I'm going to start working on the story I've been asked for for an anthology. I will say it's nice to be writing short fiction again.
On an editorial note, I'm in discussions with a publisher about the possibility of editing a new anthology...more on that as it's available...
On an editorial note, I'm in discussions with a publisher about the possibility of editing a new anthology...more on that as it's available...
Monday, November 01, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
E-book sale
Now through the end of November, Smashwords has two of my e-books on sale for 25% off the usual cover price. This deal is being made available only through my blog.
Seedlings on the Solar Winds use coupon code JM58Q at checkout
The Opium of the People use coupon code BK29K at checkout
Seedlings on the Solar Winds use coupon code JM58Q at checkout
The Opium of the People use coupon code BK29K at checkout
My short fiction muse
I'm trying to find my short fiction muse. Over the last year, I've spent most of my writing time finishing up two novels and writing material for the Ephemeris RPG. I've actually only written one short story in that time, but I obviously need to write more.
While I was at MileHiCon, I was approached by an editor who wants me to contribute to an anthology that she's working on. In addition, I had another editor (who was not at the Con) tell me that he's holding a spot open for me in a very special issue of his magazine. This means that I need to write two short stories and soon. Most non-writers don't realize that there's actually a big difference in how you go about writing short fiction as opposed to novels, but there really is, and now I need to get that part of my brain back into shape and get it working.
I would love to make an appearance in this anthology and in this zine, so I'd better get to work. Of course, there's also the matter of the baby who should be making an appearance any time now...
While I was at MileHiCon, I was approached by an editor who wants me to contribute to an anthology that she's working on. In addition, I had another editor (who was not at the Con) tell me that he's holding a spot open for me in a very special issue of his magazine. This means that I need to write two short stories and soon. Most non-writers don't realize that there's actually a big difference in how you go about writing short fiction as opposed to novels, but there really is, and now I need to get that part of my brain back into shape and get it working.
I would love to make an appearance in this anthology and in this zine, so I'd better get to work. Of course, there's also the matter of the baby who should be making an appearance any time now...
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
MileHiCon Day 3
Sunday came up on quicker than any of us could have expected. We didn't really have much going on in the early part of the day, so we decided to do some of the kids stuff.
We started out with "Carving with the Pumpkin King." The girls got to do some great relief pumpkins (even thought it was really the adults doing all of the hard work). I've never really been a big Halloween person, but I have to admit that this was kind of fun. After carving, the girls had a "Ranger" meeting. This is kind of like a LARP game just for the kids. They go on missions throughout the con trying to solve problems in the hopes of protecting their kingdoms. I think it's a great little thing for the kids to do, and I'd love to see it expanded, although that could be hard on the parents.
My final panel was "Villains: An Author's Best Friend." We had some great panelists on this one: Hilari Bell, Rachel Caine, Gary Jonas, and Katherine Kurtz. Since there were two of the Guests of Honor on this one, we drew a pretty big crowd, and I think we all had a really good time...and hopefully we imparted a bit of wisdom along the way. We bounced around in the discussion from Hannibal Lecter to Lando Molari, and on to Hitler. We were kind of all over the place, but it was one of the best panels I've ever done.
After this was the closing ceremonies, and it was time to say "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"
Rebecca didn't feel all that well through the whole con, but we still had a great time. I think the ConCom outdid themselves this year, and this was one of the best MileHiCons I've ever been to. And I'm not just saying this because I know that Rose sometimes reads my blogs, but Rose really did a phenomenal job with the scheduling this year and deserves several hearty rounds of applause. Thanks, Rose!
I can't wait for MileHiCon 43, but for now, I'll just be waiting for the birth of our baby...
We started out with "Carving with the Pumpkin King." The girls got to do some great relief pumpkins (even thought it was really the adults doing all of the hard work). I've never really been a big Halloween person, but I have to admit that this was kind of fun. After carving, the girls had a "Ranger" meeting. This is kind of like a LARP game just for the kids. They go on missions throughout the con trying to solve problems in the hopes of protecting their kingdoms. I think it's a great little thing for the kids to do, and I'd love to see it expanded, although that could be hard on the parents.
My final panel was "Villains: An Author's Best Friend." We had some great panelists on this one: Hilari Bell, Rachel Caine, Gary Jonas, and Katherine Kurtz. Since there were two of the Guests of Honor on this one, we drew a pretty big crowd, and I think we all had a really good time...and hopefully we imparted a bit of wisdom along the way. We bounced around in the discussion from Hannibal Lecter to Lando Molari, and on to Hitler. We were kind of all over the place, but it was one of the best panels I've ever done.
After this was the closing ceremonies, and it was time to say "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"
Rebecca didn't feel all that well through the whole con, but we still had a great time. I think the ConCom outdid themselves this year, and this was one of the best MileHiCons I've ever been to. And I'm not just saying this because I know that Rose sometimes reads my blogs, but Rose really did a phenomenal job with the scheduling this year and deserves several hearty rounds of applause. Thanks, Rose!
I can't wait for MileHiCon 43, but for now, I'll just be waiting for the birth of our baby...
Monday, October 25, 2010
MileHiCon Day 2
Saturday was to be the crazy day for me, but unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be as crazy as I'd hoped it would be.
I had a 10 am reading with Dan Hoyt. Readings in the morning are always hard to get people to come to. A lot of people party late into the night (or is it early into the morning), and they're not ready for readings at 10 am. Nevertheless, we had about 8-10 people, and I read the first chapter of Red Moon Rising, and the whole time I was wishing that the book had been released so that I would have had copies.
After the reading, I had a signing, which didn't draw much of a crowd. Last year they moved the signings out of the dealer's room and into the atrium. I'm guessing that the logic was that people were more likely to see the writers in the atrium, but I've noticed a definite drop in sales since we've moved to the atrium. I think more people might see the authors, but in the dealers room, more people who want to spend money will see the writers, and I think that works better.
After that I did something called "Speed Date an Author," and no, I was not cheating on Rebecca. The idea behind this was that there was a room full of authors and readers or author-wannabes could come in and talk to us. They had three minutes to talk to us, then a bell went off, and they moved on to the next author. I think it was a great idea, and I had some great (but very short) conversations with a lot of people. I'm hoping that I was able to pass on some good advice to a few of the author wannabes, and I'm hoping I gained a few new readers. I think if they do this next year, they need to lengthen the time to five minutes and have better organization of the movement of the readers.
Later in the day I was on a panel called "DM Bootcamp." This was a panel with Doris Beetem, Laura Givens, and Daniel Peak. As you can probably guess from the title, this was a panel about running RPGs. We had a lot of fun on this panel, and I think we gave out some good information to a rather large crowd. There seems to be one token gaming panel every year, and this is the second year that I've been on it. One thing the large crowd made me realize is that there seems to be a lot of interest in gaming at the Con. I noticed a lot of people playing games throughout the Con, and maybe they need to embrace the gaming aspect a little more...maybe even bring in a gaming guest of honor...if money allows.
After this panel was what I'd really been looking forward to...I was going to run a new adventure of Ephemeris. Unfortunately, a lot of people were grabbing dinner before the masquerade started, and the belly dancers next to the gaming tables seemed to draw a lot of people's attention away from the games, and I couldn't get enough players, so we couldn't debut the new adventure. Since we couldn't play, I was able to watch my oldest in a sword fighting contest. She'd never done anything like this before, but she made it to the third round...where she was knocked out by an adult who teaches sword fighting. Still, we were all very proud of her!
The night ended with us attending the masquerade. There were a few good costumes this year, but not as many as usual.
Rebecca was having a lot of problems during the Con. She wasn't feeling good, and being 38 weeks pregnant, she was very uncomfortable. Still, we did manage to get a few photos taken, which I've posted on my Facebook page. I noticed a lot more cameras flashing around me this year than in years past, so I'm sure more horrible pics of me will show up somewhere in the near future.
I'll post about day 3 tomorrow...
I had a 10 am reading with Dan Hoyt. Readings in the morning are always hard to get people to come to. A lot of people party late into the night (or is it early into the morning), and they're not ready for readings at 10 am. Nevertheless, we had about 8-10 people, and I read the first chapter of Red Moon Rising, and the whole time I was wishing that the book had been released so that I would have had copies.
After the reading, I had a signing, which didn't draw much of a crowd. Last year they moved the signings out of the dealer's room and into the atrium. I'm guessing that the logic was that people were more likely to see the writers in the atrium, but I've noticed a definite drop in sales since we've moved to the atrium. I think more people might see the authors, but in the dealers room, more people who want to spend money will see the writers, and I think that works better.
After that I did something called "Speed Date an Author," and no, I was not cheating on Rebecca. The idea behind this was that there was a room full of authors and readers or author-wannabes could come in and talk to us. They had three minutes to talk to us, then a bell went off, and they moved on to the next author. I think it was a great idea, and I had some great (but very short) conversations with a lot of people. I'm hoping that I was able to pass on some good advice to a few of the author wannabes, and I'm hoping I gained a few new readers. I think if they do this next year, they need to lengthen the time to five minutes and have better organization of the movement of the readers.
Later in the day I was on a panel called "DM Bootcamp." This was a panel with Doris Beetem, Laura Givens, and Daniel Peak. As you can probably guess from the title, this was a panel about running RPGs. We had a lot of fun on this panel, and I think we gave out some good information to a rather large crowd. There seems to be one token gaming panel every year, and this is the second year that I've been on it. One thing the large crowd made me realize is that there seems to be a lot of interest in gaming at the Con. I noticed a lot of people playing games throughout the Con, and maybe they need to embrace the gaming aspect a little more...maybe even bring in a gaming guest of honor...if money allows.
After this panel was what I'd really been looking forward to...I was going to run a new adventure of Ephemeris. Unfortunately, a lot of people were grabbing dinner before the masquerade started, and the belly dancers next to the gaming tables seemed to draw a lot of people's attention away from the games, and I couldn't get enough players, so we couldn't debut the new adventure. Since we couldn't play, I was able to watch my oldest in a sword fighting contest. She'd never done anything like this before, but she made it to the third round...where she was knocked out by an adult who teaches sword fighting. Still, we were all very proud of her!
The night ended with us attending the masquerade. There were a few good costumes this year, but not as many as usual.
Rebecca was having a lot of problems during the Con. She wasn't feeling good, and being 38 weeks pregnant, she was very uncomfortable. Still, we did manage to get a few photos taken, which I've posted on my Facebook page. I noticed a lot more cameras flashing around me this year than in years past, so I'm sure more horrible pics of me will show up somewhere in the near future.
I'll post about day 3 tomorrow...
MileHiCon Day 1
Friday was the start of MileHiCon. We spent the first few hours getting checked into our room, and then the Con. After that we just hung around for a while talking to old friends we hadn't seen in a year or so.
My first panel was titled "Small Press & Ezines: Finding the new Markets." There's always at least one small press panel at MileHiCon, and I seem to almost always be on it, but that's ok. It's a fun topic. On this panel we had Betsy Dornbusch, Ron Sering, David Lee Summers, and James Van Pelt. It was a good panel, and we talked about a lot of different things, but like many panels, we only had 50 minutes, so we couldn't go into as much detail as we would have wanted. On James Van Pelt's blog http://jimvanpelt.livejournal.com/294443.html, he mentioned that he thought we may have glossed over the e-book versus print book numbers, and I would tend to agree with him. A lot of times for a small press author, a shift of 30 or 40% in either direction is actually only a few books. Looking back, I agree with Jim that I wish we would have gotten into that more.
Immediately after my panel were the opening ceremonies, which were lead by toastmaster Paolo Bacigalupi, and with a theme like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (this was MileHiCon 42, after all) we were in for a great time. The Con was set to be demolished in 48 hours by a Vogon Destructor Fleet.
We closed out the night by going to the Floatilla, which is handmade boats raced in the pool. Not the most exciting part of the weekend, but the kids seemed to enjoy it...at least until they got too tired to keep their eyes open.
I'll report on days two and three later...
My first panel was titled "Small Press & Ezines: Finding the new Markets." There's always at least one small press panel at MileHiCon, and I seem to almost always be on it, but that's ok. It's a fun topic. On this panel we had Betsy Dornbusch, Ron Sering, David Lee Summers, and James Van Pelt. It was a good panel, and we talked about a lot of different things, but like many panels, we only had 50 minutes, so we couldn't go into as much detail as we would have wanted. On James Van Pelt's blog http://jimvanpelt.livejournal.com/294443.html, he mentioned that he thought we may have glossed over the e-book versus print book numbers, and I would tend to agree with him. A lot of times for a small press author, a shift of 30 or 40% in either direction is actually only a few books. Looking back, I agree with Jim that I wish we would have gotten into that more.
Immediately after my panel were the opening ceremonies, which were lead by toastmaster Paolo Bacigalupi, and with a theme like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (this was MileHiCon 42, after all) we were in for a great time. The Con was set to be demolished in 48 hours by a Vogon Destructor Fleet.
We closed out the night by going to the Floatilla, which is handmade boats raced in the pool. Not the most exciting part of the weekend, but the kids seemed to enjoy it...at least until they got too tired to keep their eyes open.
I'll report on days two and three later...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Ready for the con
The oldest's fever has broken, and we also went to the Dr. for Rebecca today, and she said that it's not likely that she will go into labor this weekend, so it looks like we're ready for MileHiCon.
This will be the first year that we stay in the hotel, and the girls are really excited about it. I think it will be a good thing for Rebecca too, so she can retreat to the room if she gets too tired...which she usually is.
Hope to see some of you at the things I'm doing. Of course, if you see me Saturday night, I will probably be pretty worn out as I have quite the schedule for Saturday...but I'm happy with it. I think we've figured things out well enough that it shouldn't stress Rebecca too much...at least we're hoping...
This will be the first year that we stay in the hotel, and the girls are really excited about it. I think it will be a good thing for Rebecca too, so she can retreat to the room if she gets too tired...which she usually is.
Hope to see some of you at the things I'm doing. Of course, if you see me Saturday night, I will probably be pretty worn out as I have quite the schedule for Saturday...but I'm happy with it. I think we've figured things out well enough that it shouldn't stress Rebecca too much...at least we're hoping...
Monday, October 11, 2010
Book orders
I've had a few people e-mail me about where to get my books before MileHiCon starts. I will be bringing a few copies of most of my works with me, but if you wanted to order something ahead of time, here are some links for you...
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
The Ephemeris Science Fiction Role Playing Game
The Opium of the People
Lowering One's Self Before Fate
A Problem in Translation an illustrated short story book
Future Syndicate an anthology that I edited
The Martian Wave Issue 1 a magazine that I edit
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 9 The best of Sam's Dot's webzine anthology that I also edit
Seedlings on the Solar Winds
The Ephemeris Science Fiction Role Playing Game
The Opium of the People
Lowering One's Self Before Fate
A Problem in Translation an illustrated short story book
Future Syndicate an anthology that I edited
The Martian Wave Issue 1 a magazine that I edit
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 9 The best of Sam's Dot's webzine anthology that I also edit
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