Wednesday, February 27, 2008

An Amazon review

Marva Dasef posted an Amazon review of Seedlings on the Solar Winds. She really seemed to enjoy the book.

Cyberpunk? Really? I'll have to give that some thought...

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The missile test

So, the US shot one of its own satellites with a Navy missile to protect us all from the dangerous fuel. Now, does anyone really believe this was the reason, or are you like me and think it was some macho stunt by the current adminstration basically saying that "Ours is bigger than yours!"

I really can't wait for January so we can get these idiots out of office...granted, I'm not really impressed with the next possible presidents, but at least they're not Bush and his cronies...

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Eclipse

It was supposed to be cloudy here in the Denver area tonight, but it's cleared up enough that I was able to watch the eclipse. This was probably the sixth or seventh total lunar eclipse that I've seen, but I still think they're cool every time. This one was the darkest and most purple that I've ever seen, which made it different than what I was expecting.

As I'm watching the eclipses, I always like to think of what it might be like on another planet to watch an eclipse. What would it be like on Jupiter (somewhere in the upper layer of clouds) if you could watch any of the Jovians eclipse the sun. I remember seeing a recent piece of space porn that I think was a solar eclipse caused by Titan. I'll have to see if I can find it, then I'll post it here...

Anyone else catch the eclipse tonight?

Friday, February 15, 2008

You can now order stories from me

I've now made it possible for you to order individual stories from my website. Simply go to http://www.jalanerwine.com/stories/index.htm and you can order stories in groups of three or five. It's $2 for three stories or $3 for five stories. The stories will be delivered to your e-mail box as PDF files.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Promoting your favorite author

David Louis Edelman has a great blog today about the do's and dont's of helping to promote your favorite author.

I'd strongly suggest everyone read it...and then of course follow the do's for my books....

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Locus Awards

Tyree and J continue to tilt at windmills. This time we're thinking it would be worth the effort to try and get some nominations for the Locus Awards. These are annual awards that are put together by Locus Magazine. You can think of them as the number three awards behind the Hugos and Nebulas.

The good news is that you don't have to be a member of anything. You just have to fill out their ballot, making sure to use a real name and a real e-mail address. This is a very reputable magazine, so they aren't going to spam you if you give them your e-mail address.

All you have to do is go to https://secure.locusmag.com/2008/2008PollAndSurvey.html and fill out the ballot. For the titles we're about to recommend, you have to fill in the blank spaces, and be sure to fill them in just as the drop down menus are done.

Here are our recommendations...

BEST SF NOVEL:
The Dog at the Foot of the Bed by Tyree Campbell
The Guardner's Tale by Bruce Boston
The Poet by James Baker

BEST FANTASY NOVEL:
The Deadwalk, by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

BEST NOVELLA:
Living Stone by Edward Cox
Tales of Weupp: Little People Must Surrender, by Ralan Conley

BEST SHORT STORY:
Oh, Mallary by Rick Novy The Martian Wave
The Quinx Solution by Tyree Campbell The Martian Wave
416175 by Laura Sanger Kelly Aoife's Kiss
Siren of Rain by Edward Cox Between Kisses
Singer by Melissa Mead Hungur Magazine

BEST MAGAZINE:
Aoife's Kiss
Beyond Centauri
Illumen
Hungur
Sounds of the Night

BEST PUBLISHER:
Sam's Dot Publishing
Nomadic Delirium Press
Bedazzled Ink
LBF Books

BEST ANTHOLOGY:
Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 7 edited by J Alan Erwine
Potter's Field 2 edited by Cathy Buburuz

BEST SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION:
Seedlings on the Solar Winds by J Alan Erwine
A Nice Girl Like You by Tyree Campbell
Like Birds in the Rain by Marge Simon

BEST EDITOR:
Tyree Campbell
J Alan Erwine
Terrie Leigh Relf
Cathy Buburuz
David Lee Summers

BEST ARTIST:
Laura Givens
Cathy Buburuz
Mitchell Davidson Bentley
Lawrence Hollien
Marge Simon

Friday, February 08, 2008

Happy birthday Jules Verne

Along with H.G. Wells, Jules Verne is basically responsible for helping to create the field of science fiction. Verne is responsible for creating what would be modern hard SF, and writers like David Brin, Greg Bear, Mike Brotherton, and others owe him a debt of gratitude. I don't know if these writers were directly influenced by Verne's writing, but it was Verne that paved the way for the development of hard SF.

Wells, on the other hand, is responsible for creating what we consider soft SF, and as a writer, I owe him more of a debt of gratitude than I do to Verne, but I still love to read a good hard SF story, and some day, I hope to write a few as well.

I know that I read Verne when I was younger, but I honestly don't remember which of his books I've read, but I know he helped to get me into science fiction, and so I wish him what would be a happy 180th birthday.

On a personal note, today is also my dad's birthday, and since he reads this blog occasionally, I'll say happy birthday here...and remind him that at least Verne would be a few years older than he is...........

Romney's out

He said he was in it for the long haul, and now he's not anymore. What does it mean? Maybe it's true that he wants to help unify the party against the democrats, but in my very bitter and cynical view of politics, I'd say it means that either the GOP or McCain has promised him the VP spot on the ticket.

I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I was right!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

My thoughts on Super Tuesday

Well, Super Tuesday has come and gone. The Republican race looks much clearer now, and the Democratic race hasn't even started to sort itself out. I didn't take part in Super Tuesday here in Colorado. As a registered independent, I wasn't able to participate in either caucus.

The results of Super Tuesday really weren't what's important to me. After all, anyone who reads this blog knows that I see both the Republican party and the Democratic party as parts of the same evil that now haunts the United States. I'm always encouraging people to vote third party and help us break the stranglehold the two main powers have over We the People.

So, my main interest is in the way the media has portrayed this thing. I haven't seen much national news lately, so instead I'll focus on some of the analysis from local "experts."

Many people are saying that a lot can be said for what will happen in November based on what we saw on Tuesday. They point to the fact that Colorado has a slightly higher population of registered Republicans as opposed to Democrats, and yet significantly more Dems turned out to vote. The experts say that this shows that a Democratic candidate could take Colorado this year.

I think there are two important factors they're missing. First, if Hillary gets the nomination, almost every Republican will turn out to vote for McCain, whether they agree with him or not. Second, fully a third of registered voters in Colorado are registered as Independents. We will be the ones to have the final say in November, and nothing in Super Tuesday can predict how we will vote. Granted, my vote won't make a difference because I won't vote for either party. I'm done with them, but other Independents will make a difference, and this is something the mainstream media has tended to ignore...or should I say marginalize? The people who aren't committed to one party or the other have a chance to make a big difference in this election, and now that Nader has thrown his name back in the ring, things have become even more confusing. And I'm sure there are a lot of Dems out there who are upset with him because they blame him and the Green Party for giving the 2000 election to Bush...but let's face it, if the Democratic party still believed as it used to, liberals and progressives wouldn't be looking for an alternative...

Friday, February 01, 2008

January's over

The month started out with that horrible bronchial thing I had going. I'm still coughing occasionally, and when I walk in the cold, I can still feel a bit of heaviness in my chest. I also worked a lot of strange hours at the job that's worse than death, so it's kept me a little off balance all month.

No story sales to report for January, but that's not much of a surprise. I only have a few stories circulating, since I've spent the last couple of years mostly working on novels. And on the novel front, I'm working my way through revisions on A Problem in Translation, and I hope to have them done in the next week or two, at which point I will begin the search for an agent...it might take me a few weeks to write that all important query letter...I really hate those things. Once those are done, it will be time for a major re-write on the new novel. There's a lot I really like about the book, but it still needs TONS of work.

Book sales are still trickling in, and at The Genre Mall Seedlings and Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 7 both made the Bestsellers list for January...which means that maybe I can treat myself to a fast food dinner one of these nights.

Friday, January 25, 2008

It's just a rock folks

There's been a lot of talk lately about the picture released by NASA of what looks like a Martian reclining on a rock...



I've got news for you folks. It's just a wind-shaped rock. The human eye has a tendancy to want to put familiar forms into anything we see. That's why we see patterns in clouds and in ink blots. This is just the same thing. There aren't humanoid Martians hanging out on the surface of Mars waiting for our rovers to drive by...nor is there a human face on Mars as so many people thought after the early Mars missions.

If, and it's a big if, there is life on Mars, it is probably microbial, or maybe small microbial colonies, and it would be beneath the surface where the UV won't destroy it.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Search inside Seedlings

Amazon now has it set up so that you can search inside of my new short story collection before you decide to buy a copy...and you know you want to buy one...

Simply go to http://www.amazon.com/Seedlings-Solar-Winds-other-stories/dp/0980170303/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1201198135&sr=11-1 and have a look around.

And if you don't want to go through Amazon, you can have your local bookstore order a copy by using the ISBN: 978-0-9801703-0-6.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

More stories at Anthology Builder

I now have six stories available through Anthology Builder.

They are...

The Galton Principle
In a fascist state ruled by eugenics, one young man realizes he's not as perfect as he thinks...nor is his society.

Lowering One's Self Before Fate
No one ever really knew what happened during the massacre at Kira Len until the day the story mysteriously "appeared."

Who Listens to the Voices of the Past?
When humanity discovers a new sentient, but "less-developed" species on a new planet, will they make the same mistakes that were made when Europeans came to the Americas?

The Opium of the People
When the radical Christian Right seizes control of the American government, one man is forced to make decisions he never thought himself capable of.

Seedlings on the Solar Winds
One man is driven to madness by what everyone else says are imaginary voices in his head...but are they just imaginary?

Living in the Styx
One family is driven to the brink of madness by odd events in their lives, but are the events real, or are they only in their minds?

The site let's you put together your own collection with your own cover, and the book will be uniquely yours, so what are you waiting for?

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

A scary man

I'll be the first to admit that George Dubya Chimp scares the hell out of me, but comments by Mike Huckabee in Michigan recently have really worried me. He basically has said that he thinks it's ok to amend the US Constitution to better fit with the Bible. Never mind the fact that God isn't even mentioned in the Constitution. Never mind the fact that we're supposed to have separation of church and state in this country, this man wants to bring us one step closer to a theocracy.

He's a very scary man...please don't vote for him!

Read more, and see his comments

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Anthology Builder

I'd read about the site Anthology Builder on several blogs, and I've finally had a chance to check it out for myself. The basic idea behind the site is that a reader can go there and chose from a variety of stories and build their own anthology, which comes to them as a print trade paperback. I think it's a great utilization of POD technology.

For a reader, they can pick and chose exactly what they want to read. They can chose from established writers and newer writers, thus trying out a new author without having to pick up an entire anthology from that person.

For writers, it's yet another way to expose people to your writing. The royalties aren't great, so if you're hoping to get rich from this site, it's not going to happen...but then most of us that write really aren't hoping to get rich...we're a little too realistic for that. Still, if someone happens to pick one of your stories, and they like it, they may pick up one of your books...exposure is great.

With all of this in mind, I sent them my story "The Galton Principle," and they've accepted it, so you can now build an anthology with one of my stories. What could be better than picking that story from Poe that you like so much, and including "The Galton Principle" as well. Like I said, it's a way to try and get more exposure.

Over the next few days, I'm going to send them some more of my stuff...maybe they'll want to include that as well.

For now, check out the site...then build your own anthology featuring some of my stories...

Sunday, January 13, 2008

An update

I've been a little quiet here lately, so I thought I'd post an update on what's going on.

The bronchial bug I had seems to be in retreat now, although I'm still hacking crap up...that will probably go on for a while. My lungs were pretty thick and heavy during the worst of it.

Sales on Seedlings on the Solar Winds have been a bit sluggish, but that's kind of to be expected with a small press book. I have several review copies out, so if I can get a good review from a major source, it should help sell some copies...and if you want to buy a copy for yourself, there are links on the left side of this blog.

I filled out my application to be a panelist at Denvention3 today...that's WorldCon. I realize that the odds are kind of slim given the kind of talent that will be there, but I had to at least take a chance. I can only imagine what it would be like to do panels at WorldCon...assuming my anxiety about speaking in front of people didn't overwhelm me!

Having been sick, I've mostly been focusing on the big things that I need to do, and a lot of smaller things have fallen through the cracks, but I'm starting to get caught up on them. Unfortunately, I have to go back to the job that's worse than death tomorrow at 5 a.m., so I'll start falling behind again. I really hate that place!

I haven't been doing much writing lately. I've decided that I'm going to do another round of revisions on A Problem in Translation, and then start circulating it among some agents. Once that's done, I'll start on the revisions of the newest novel...the one with global climate change at the core of the story...sorry, Jim...you might not want to read that one if I find a publisher for it.

Now that I'm feeling better, I'm hoping to start blogging more. I have some writing stuff built up in my brain, and I have a lot of political stuff running through my head that needs to be expressed...look out President Chimp, you're going to be a blog target again very soon!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

The Hugos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM SAM'S DOT PUBLISHING:

We realize that the odds of this working are pretty slim, but we here at Sam's Dot have always prided ourselves on tilting at windmills.

Since many of our readers and contributors will be attending WorldCon in Denver this year, we've decided to make an effort to get ourselves on the Hugo ballot. Anyone who is a current member of the Con, or who becomes a member by the end of January is eligible to nominate for the Hugos, and we feel we should be represented in three categories.

If you're interested in nominating Sam's Dot titles and people, we ask that you follow these nominations:

FANZINE:
Aoife's Kiss
Beyond Centauri
Illumen
Hungur
Sounds of the Night

FAN WRITER:
Tyree Campbell
J Alan Erwine
David Lee Summers
Ken Goldman
Lawrence Dagstine

FAN ARTIST:
Laura Givens
Cathy Buburuz
Mitchell Davidson Bentley
Lawrence Hollien
Marge Simon

If you haven't purchased your membership yet, you can buy it at http://www.denvention3.org

Thank you for all of your support over the years, and please feel free to repost this like crazy!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

The P&E Poll

I really hadn't planned on participating in this year's Preditors & Editors Poll. In the past, they've had numerous problems with it, and don't even get me started on the debacle that was last year's poll...but I just got an e-mail from someone saying that they'd nominated me in several categories, so I guess I'll try to garner some votes.

I'm nominated in several categories as both a writer and an editor, so just look for my name and vote. Also, please feel free to vote for anything nominated from Nomadic Delirium Press or Sam's Dot Publishing...they're good people. I also noticed that Laura Given's cover for Seedlings on the Solar Winds was also nominated in a couple of places, and she was nominated as best artist...so vote for her too.

The address is http://critters.org/predpoll.

Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Years

I just wanted to pop in and say Happy New Years to everyone. I'm still battling this nasty virus, so hopefully I'll get back to more frequent posting after the New Year.

As for my celebration, I'm going to take Ny-Quil and go to bed early. I feel like crap, and I have to be at work at 7 a.m., so it would be stupid for me to try and stay up...

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Happy holidays

I'm about to go off to the girlfriend's to do the Xmas thing, but I thought I'd drop in briefly to wish all of you a happy...whatever you celebrate. While I'm gone, enjoy a couple of Weird Al Xmas videos...