Amazon List

As a small press author, my books don't make people's Amazon lists very often, so when they do, I always wonder why.

I've made it on to a list called Some Science Fiction for June. The list creator's name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure why.

Usually if I'm on a list it's something like Small Press SF or SF You Might Overlook...but this isn't that kind of list considering the first three books listed are "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester, "The Essential Ellison," and "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov. Not exactly titles you're going to overlook, nor are authors like Gaiman, Card, or Sawyer.

My books listed near the bottom of the list, but it's still kind of cool to be considered in the same thought with those other books...

The last day at the real job

Yesterday was my last day at my "real" job. For the most part, I'm very happy about that. I hated the job...mostly because I was incredibly burned out. I'd feel much better about leaving if I had something else lined up, but we're still having issues with daycare...so there's still some stress...

The really cool thing is that the owner showed up just as lunch was starting and then took me to lunch. I've blogged a few times about what a great guy he is, but this really shows it. We sat and talked for about an hour, and it was a nice way to say good bye.

The move will be Friday and Saturday, and then Monday I start looking for some kind of work.

For now, good bye to Subway...

Packing and such

The move is just under a week away, and I've been busy with packing and everything else that goes into a move...which is why I've been a bit absent lately.

I have most of our services and mail and such transferred, and I'm now working on the actual packing. So far, I have more than two dozen boxes...and that's just books...and it's not even all of them...this move is going to be a real back breaker.

We're having some daycare issues, which is making looking for a job difficult, because I'm not sure who will actually be taking care of the girls.........

As I've been packing, I've found some stuff that I can't keep, but I don't really want to throw away, so I've set up more Ebay auctions. You can find them at http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/jerwine_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ.

So far, my cat has found the whole packing thing to be a lot of fun. She jumps in just about every box I put down, and she tries to run just in front of my feet every time I'm trying to carry a box somewhere. I'm sure if she knew what she was in store for, she wouldn't be enjoying herself so much. She's basically my cat, and my cat alone. She's the most loving and affectionate animal I've ever known, but only towards me. She growls and hisses at everyone else. So, not only is she going to have to adjust to Rebecca and her two daughters, but there's another cat involved...so it could be an interesting time in the new place.

That's it for now. I'll update with more as I have it...and obviously I haven't been doing much writing or editing lately. Hopefully once we're settled in I can get back to it.

Wedding Stuff

We think we've found the site for the wedding. It's a place called The Wildlife Experience. It's a museum a little south of Denver that's dedicated to teaching nature conservancy...something that's very important to both of us.

It's a neat little place that has exhibits about various habitats, art galleries, a theatre, a lot of interactive stuff for kids (including a miniature golf course that teaches kids about conservation.) The way they have it designed, you feel like you've walked into nature as soon as you step on to the property, and you no longer feel like you're in the city. The only problem I noticed with it is that it's located pretty close to Centennial Airport...so we may have some small jet noise to deal with since we want to have the ceremony outdoors.

They also have a reception hall, so we can have the reception there as well...and guests will have access to the museum.

Once we get moved, and things settle down, we're going to contact them to find out what all of the costs would be, and to find out what dates might be available.

Any Dungeons & Dragons fans out there?

As I'm getting ready to move, I've been coming across stuff that I'd love to keep, but I really can't. As a result, I'm going to have to sell a lot of my old Dragon Magazines and my old Dungeon Magazines. I've put up several lots at eBay, and they're priced to move.

Have a look at http://myworld.ebay.com/jerwine.

If you yourself aren't interested, please pass the word on to some of your gaming friends.

Thanks!!!

My Denvention Schedule

I'm only doing one panel at this year's Denvention, but since this will be the first WorldCon that I've ever attended, I'm happy with the opportunity to even do a panel. There's still a chance that I'll have a signing, and as I've said before, I'll probably be hanging around the Sam's Dot Publishing table in the Dealers' Room quite a bit...and maybe Tyree will even set up a signing for me there as well.

So, if you're going to the Con, look for me at...

What Makes SF Work? Characters, Society, or Technology on Thursday at 1:00 P.M.

I'm still not sure who's on the panel with me, but it should be fun...

I'm selling some small press books and zines

People often send me or give me books or magazines, and now that I'm getting ready to move, I've found that I'm really not going to have room for them, so I've decided to set up an E-Bay auction. The opening bid is $9.99, and there are some great titles...

The link to E-Bay

THE TITLES:

Proverbs for Monsters by Michael A. Arnzen Signed Stoker Winner ISBN: 978-1-888993-54-7

Vectors By Charlee Jacob & Marge Simon Stoker Winner ISBN: 978-1-888993-53-0

25 Cent Rocket Ship to the Stars by G. Clark Signed ISBN: 978-1-888993-43-1

Defeated by S.D. McKee ISBN: 978-1-933016-23-8

Doomsdays by Jeffrey Thomas Signed ISBN: 978-1-888993-48-6

The Fisherman by David A. Sutton ISBN: 0-913045-15-2

Just Because: The Works of James Baker ISBN:1-4196-5782-8

Over the Darkening Fields by Scott Thomas ISBN: 978-1888993509

The Poet by James B. Baker ISBN: 978-1-4196-6578-3

Song of Silver by Laura J. Underwood Signed ISBN:978-1-888-993-44-8

Tango in the Ninth Circle by Corrine De Winter Signed ISBN:1-888993-42-1

Apex Digest Issue 10

Dreams and Nightmares Magazine Issues 74-75, 77, 78, 79.

Happy birthday George

Today would have been George Orwell's 105th birthday.


1984 and Animal Farm were two books which greatly shaped my view of the world, and although it is true that 1984 could never really happen as it was written. That doesn't take away from the book. Many people have argued that the book is unbelievable because no society would allow that sort of government to come to power, but we've seen many fascist states rise since this book was written. Even our own government here in the US has taken many steps towards this type of government...and although it's true that "Big Brother" may not be watching all the time...he can now legally check in on you from time to time.

The simple fact that I am now typing the words "America as a fascist state" will guarantee that I get several hits to this blog from government sites. I know because I'm watching them!

1984, along with A Handmaid's Tale, and Revolt in 2100 were huge influences on my writing of The Opium of the People. Like 1984, the events in the book probably couldn't happen the way I wrote them, but as speculative fiction authors, we really aren't trying to predict the future. Instead, in many ways, we're trying to prevent the future...or at least futures that we think are dangerous...and the destruction of freedom is dangerous.

So Happy Birthday George, and it's a damn shame that more people haven't listened to your message...

Memories

Stolen from Jay Lake...

“If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now,even if we don’t speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want — good or bad. When you’re finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.”

Because everyone else is...

I've seen a lot of authors doing these little word clouds of their works, so I decided to do the prologue for The Opium of the People



I like the fact that God came out kind of centered...sort of telling for the book...

You can click on the graphic for a better look.

Moving

Rebecca and I have found an apartment in Aurora...a southern Denver "suburb," and we'll be moving on July 18th and 19th. It's a nice place, set back away from the street with lots of trees and animals...so it will be a nice change for me. The rent is only slightly more than what I'm paying at my current place...and the new place is a two bedroom, as opposed to a one...so it should save me some money, although that money will go towards raising the kids.

Because it's so far away, I'll be leaving my job, which fills me with mixed emotions. I absolutely hate what I do for a living, but the owner of the franchise is one in a million, and I know I'll never have a better boss, so there's some good and some bad.

I also haven't lined up a new job, so that's kind of scary. Cross your fingers for me...

Even More Stories at Anthology Builder

I now have 10 stories listed at Anthology Builder...a build your own anthology site. You can pick some of my stories, and stories from numerous other authors as well. It's really a great way to sample new writers, while picking up stories from authors you already know you like.

My stories are:
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 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.

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?

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?

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."

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

The Lives of Billions
When a terraformer on Mars discovers that there’s really life on the Red Planet, what will she do to save that life?

Secret of the Coltao
Two young men on an icebound planet seek to learn the truth about the aliens that inhabit the world with them.

Harvest of Debts
As the American population ages, and American debt rises, the rich elderly find a new way to extend their lives…organ harvesting.

The Twin Sorceresses
Two young sorceresses find they must go to great extremes to protect their mother.

Two pieces of news

Almost 20 years ago, I made the decision that I wanted to be a science fiction writer. The first story I ever seriously submitted to magazines was a story called Tranquility. It was bad...very bad...horrible...but there was an element of the story that has always stuck with me, and I eventually re-wrote it. Today, Tales of the Talisman picked it up for their Spring 2009 issue.

I thought that was big until I went to the Denvention website...that would be WorldCon for those of you playing at home...and found that they've listed the participants for this year's convention, and I'm on the list. That's right folks, this small press writer/editor will be doing panels at WorldCon!!!

The Phoenix has landed

I just watched the coverage on NASA TV of the Phoenix landing in the northern polar region of Mars. It was mostly just telemetry data, but it was still pretty cool. The probe will be doing a lot of things while on Mars, but of course, the most exciting is that it will be searching for water and evidence of past or current life in that water...and of course, the polar regions are where a lot of Mars' water is locked up.

For more on the mission, here's a video from NASA

Engagement pics

I thought my regular readers might want to see pics from the big engagement. The close-up of the ring didn't come out...unfortunately.

I'm Engaged

That's right folks, the guy who swore off women a little more than a year ago is now engaged. I popped the question to Rebecca tonight, and she was crazy enough to say yes.

We're planning a May of 2009 wedding...and I can't wait!!!

Odd news story

The headline reads: "'Darth Vader' spared jail in Jedi church attacks." Yes, it's a real story. To read the whole thing, go to... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_fe_st/odd_britain_vader_raider;_ylt=AmY..tVLx4UoPL6O4TJ2.RehOrgF

A meme

I posted this on my LiveJournal, but I thought I'd post it here as well...for anyone who might be interested...

Recently, mmerriam posted a meme that I thought was pretty cool. I've been meaning to do his, but I've been a bit brain dead lately...so hopefully I will soon.

All you have to do is cut and paste the questions below into the comments and fill in the blanks with whatever you want, and then I'll try to answer the best that I can in a new post...


1. What do you think of _____________ ?

2. When did you last ____________?

3. __________ or ___________ and why?

4. What did you ______________?

5. What's your favorite ______________?

6. How would you ______________?

7. Who would you most like to ________ ?

The Magenta Equations at Allegory

My story, The Magenta Equations, has been posted at Allegory. This is what I would consider somewhat of a hard SF story, although the hard science I used was psychology, which makes for an interesting twist.

Also, the idea of hyperspace and madness is something that plays a big role in the RPG I'm helping to create...Ephemeris. It's always interesting how these things tie together.

Enjoy the story.

UFOs

It's all over the Nets that more strange lights were spotted over Phoenix again. By strict definition, these are UFOs...Unidentified Flying Objects...however, that does not mean that they are aliens visiting us from another star system.

I have several problems with UFO's. First of all, our radio signals have only propagated about 50-60 light years into our galaxy, which on the galactic scale is not very far. Statistically speaking, the odds are fairly low that there are any intelligent civilizations that close. There could be, but it's not likely. So, why would aliens be here?

In America, southern Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico have the highest percentage of UFO sightings. It's probably not a coincidence that this is also where a lot of top secret research is done by the American military. Many years ago there were pictures of strange objects that were spotted throughout this area...many people claimed these were conclusive evidence of aliens visiting Earth. Then we had the first Gulf War, and we all got to see the stealth bomber, and guess what, it looks EXACTLY like the pictures that showed conclusive proof of aliens visiting us.

Why would aliens come to Earth and not make contact, but make it obvious that they're here with all of their lights flashing and moving in our skies...

...oh yeah, the lights. Why in the hell would an interstellar spacecraft need lights???? Especially the big gaudy lights that we see on these UFOs. Space is huge. Even if there are thousands of civilizations out there, the idea that they would need lights so they don't bump into each other is absurd. Plus, at relativistic speeds, flashing lights aren't going to help a whole hell of a lot when you suddenly see a ship approaching.

Although I do think it's likely that there is some kind of alien life out there, until I see proof that they've actually visited, and I mean real scientific proof, I won't believe it. Sorry, but I'm a rationalist, I have to have evidence...just like I don't believe in ghosts, gods, or the Loch Ness Monster...I don't believe in little green men...