A video review of the Ephemeris Role Playing Game

A more or less positive video review of the Ephemeris Role Playing Game...
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DNQS6mRdkdzQ&ct=ga&cad=CAcQAhgAIAEoBDACOAFArpWp9QRIAVgAYgJlbg&cd=uZ6W5RPzQzs&usg=AFQjCNHncCGKjbdBpkZ56evu0sXvRvsoaQ

I'm very happy that he took almost thirteen and a half minutes to talk about the game, and I agree with quite a bit of what he saw as issues with the game...most of which were more with the design of the core rulebook, as opposed to the actual design of the game.

I hope he reads this blog, because I'd like to say thanks!

My third novel has sold

Many years ago I wrote a story entitled "A Problem in Translation." This story was picked up by Alternate Realities, and was then later turned into an illustrated chapbook by Sam's Dot Publishing. I later wrote another story in the universe that was published by Hadrosaur Tales. The stories fit so well together that I decided to expand on them and turn them into a complete novel.

I'm now very happy to say that the novel has been picked up Sam's Dot Publishing and will be released in the Spring. As more details come in, I'll be sure to let all of you know...

MileHiCon 43

Another year's con has come and gone, and this one seemed to go faster than any in the past. I got an opportunity to talk to all of the usual suspects...and you know who you are...that I usually hang out with, and met lots of new people. Everyone was, of course, in love with the baby. She mostly stared at people at the beginning, but she eventually opened up and started smiling and waving at people.

Friday started out with a panel on the state of publishing, and we basically determined that it's in a state of flux, although I was surprised to learn that David Dvorkin in pushing for the grammerpocalypse (you had to be there.) In looking at my badge, I was surprised to learn that I was going to be a part of autograph alley, so I went to that after opening ceremonies. As I wasn't sitting with the main guests, I spent most of my time catching up with David Lee Summers, Gary Jonas, Carol Hightshoe, and Dana Bell.

Saturday was more or less an off day for me with no programming. I spent a lot of time doing the family stuff with the kids, and then took a break to sign at the Wolfsinger Publications table. They published one of my stories in their new Tale of Armageddon anthology. That night we went to the Smashy Claw concert. We've always been big fans of Odd Austin, so we were curious to see what this new project was. Unfortunately, the mix was off, and it was difficult to hear the vocals, so we still aren't sure what it's about. The baby really loved the music, however. She was dancing around in her stroller, and generally going crazy. Everyone sitting around us was laughing at her. After the concert was the masquerade, which had several good costumes, and several that seemed to be re-hashes of years gone by.

Sunday was my crazy day. Did a panel early in the day about fiction and RPGs. We had a good discussion, and we seemed to keep the audience entertained, which is always a good thing. The panel was moderated by my friend Ian Brazee-Cannon. This was the first time we'd ever done a panel together, so I had to have some fun at his expense. Next time you see him, just ask him if he's done any LARPs lately. I then did a reading and a signing, neither of which was well attended, and then concluded the day by moderating a panel on Mining in Space. I was the least qualified on the panel, which is probably why I was moderating it, but I think we put out a lot of good information, and hopefully the audience learned something.

MileHiCon is always so well done, and the entire staff deserves several rounds of applause, but especially Rose Beetem who does the programming. She always does a great job, and this year was no exception.

Updated Mile HiCon schedule

Here's my updated schedule for the Con, along with more information than was in the previous post...

Friday 4:00 pm
The New Landscape of Publishing
Grand Mesa B-C
Dan Dvorkin, Stephen Graham Jones, Eileen Schuh, James Van Pelt

Saturday 3:00 pm
I'll be signing at the WolfSinger Publications table.

Sunday 11:00 am
RPG Games: Fiction vs. Playing
Wind River B
Ian Brazee-Cannon, MT Fierce, Joseph Paul Haines, Christopher Salas

Sunday 1:00 pm
Author Reading
Mesa Verde C
Reading with Paul Cooley

Sunday 2:00 pm
Signing
Autograph Table
with Paul Cooley

Sunday 4:00 pm
Mining in Space
Wind River B
Dan Dvorkin, Rebecca Lickiss, Alastair Mayer, Wil McCarthy
I'll be moderating this panel, and there are actual rocket scientists on the panel...so it should be very interesting...

Nomadic Delirium Press is looking for novels

Nomadic Delirium Press is now open for novel submissions. We're looking for a couple of science fiction novels that we can release in 2012. For more information, visit http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/novels.htm.

A Taste of Armageddon

A new anthology, entitled A Taste of Armageddon has been released by WolfSinger Publications. The lead story in the anthology is by little old me. If you'd like to pick up your copy, you can find it at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936099306.

Smashwords also has the e-book, and you can find that at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/83785.

The write-up for the book looks like this:
Advances in modern war techniques have led many to "cleaner" and "cleaner" weapons.
Countries have created missiles that can pinpoint a room within a building - greatly reducing the risks to
non-combatants in a war zone.

In the Star Trek episode "A Taste of Armegeddon" Captain Kirk challenged that war had to be messy so that
people had a reason to avoid it. In this collection 11 authors will look at ways that warfare will advance in the future
- from a war that has determined safe zones that cannot be attacked to a virtual war where a law still exists that can
require one-tenth of the population to be killed to a closed meeting room where world leaders order the destruction
of their own people to show just how far they will go in attacking the enemy.

Whether you agree with war or not, these stories will cause you to pause and think about the ways in which war is
waged.

And the contributors:
J. Alan Erwine
Grig Larson
David Lee Summers
Henry L. Lazarus
David Turnbull
RA Fitzgerald
Joyce Frohn
Dana Bell
John Lance
Frank Taveres
Ryan Kinker

A Red Moon Rising sequel?

My publisher was telling me that he sold a copy of Red Moon Rising to a convention goer recently. Apparently the guy bought the book on Friday, read it over the weekend (how anyone finds time to read at a convention, I'll never know), and returned on Sunday asking if there was a sequel available for the book.

This surprised me. I wrote the book as a stand alone novel. The main story in the novel is the main character trying to come to terms with the death of his brother, and I think I wrapped that up pretty well. At the end of the book, it is clear that the main characters still have goals and things they want to accomplish, but their main goal has been achieved, and I never really thought that the other possibilities would be interesting to readers. Perhaps I was wrong.

At this time, I'm not planning on writing a sequel, but it is nice to know that someone enjoyed the book enough to want to read more.

My MileHiCon 43 schedule

MileHiCon is almost here, running October 21st-23rd. Here is my schedule, and although it's still subject to change, this should be where you can find me...

Friday
4-5
The New Landscape of Publishing

I have no programming on Saturday, but Sunday should make up for that...

Sunday
11-Noon
RPG Games: Fiction vs. Playing
1-2
Reading
2-3
Signing
4-5
Mining in Space

I'll post room information in a later blog, and I'll also let everyone know if there are any changes. I certainly hope that many of you can make it to most or all of these panels.

I really miss writing

2010 wasn't the most productive year for me, and 2011 is looking like it will be even less so. Although I have done some work on a new novel and I've written a lot of supplemental material for the Ephemeris RPG, there hasn't been much else.

The arrival of Alexis has obviously taken up a lot of my time, and I certainly wouldn't want to give up any of that time, and the job is also taking up a lot of my time, especially since Rebecca and I work opposite schedules, which doesn't leave much free time for writing. The job would be something I'd be willing to give up, although there's that whole money thing...we just can't seem to do without it, even though we've tried.

Hopefully as 2011 winds down, and 2012 starts, I'll find the time to write again...it's always good to hope, right?

September recap

Eventually I'll start blogging as much as I used to, but time's just not allowing it right now. Here's what I was talking about in September...

The Goebbels Churn The Company vs. Red Moon Rising

Ephemeris e-books Now Available at Smashwords

Ed Bryant needs our help

The first issue of The Martian Wave

The first issue of The Martian Wave

I recently learned that the first issue of The Martian Wave has sold out completely. I hope you were able to get a copy. From what I've seen so far, the second issue is selling even better, so if you want a copy, you'd better order soon...

http://sdpbookstore.com/tmw.htm

Ed Bryant needs our help

Anyone reading this who is involved in the literary genres almost certainly knows Ed Bryant, and any of you who have actually met him probably have stories to tell about what a great guy he is. Well, Ed has had some health problems, and he's in need of help from all of us in the writing and genre communities. Please visit http://friendsofed.org to learn more, and while you're there, you can donate at the bottom of the page.

Ed's a regular at MileHiCon, and I had the good fortune of having dinner with him on one occasion. Even given his "renown," he is a very humble gentleman and he gave me a few small nuggets of advice that I've at least tried to put into play in my own career.

So, if you can help, please do...

Ephemeris e-books now available at Smashwords

After a lot of furious formatting, I'm happy to announce that the Ephemeris core rulebook and most of the Ephemeris RPG supplements are now available at Smashwords. In the weeks to come, they will also be available at a number of other e-book retailers.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/nomadicdelirium

The Goebbels Churn: The Company Men vs. Red Moon Rising

This is the rather long title of the latest of Tyree's Tuppence in the new issue of The Fifth Di.... For those of you not familiar, Tyree's Tuppence is a quarterly editorial that Tyree Campbell writes for The Fifth Di....

In the September issue, Tyree looks at the portrayal of big bad business in film and in literature. For his literary sample, he uses my latest novel, Red Moon Rising. He has some interesting points to make, and what author doesn't like it when someone references their work to make a point?

Read the Tuppence

August recap

No WorldCon for me

What have I been up to?

The Bandits' Sourcebook

The Martian Wave as an e-book

Our trip to Farmington, NM

Ephemeris e-books

Ephemeris e-books

The core rulebook for the Ephemeris RPG has now been released in a variety of e-book formats through Smashwords. You can buy it in whatever format you need at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/83508.

In the weeks to come, it should be available from a wide variety of e-book sellers. We will also be releasing all of the game supplements for other retailers as well.

Our trip to Farmington, NM

A week and a half ago, Rebecca's Uncle Joe passed away, so we loaded into the mini-van on Wednesday night and headed to Farmington, NM. The trip down was pretty uneventful, other than my mother-in-law almost falling down an embankment in the dark.
We'd heard that the Motel 6 in town was cheap, but decent, so we booked two rooms there. The cheap part was true, but the place was a complete craphole. When we got there, there was no hot water, and after more than nine hours in the van, we all really wanted hot water. With that not being an option, we headed to lunch. On our way home, we were hit by a huge downpour. When we got back to the motel, my in-laws' room had flooded, and all of their funeral clothes had been drenched. The motel was more than happy to move them, so they moved them into a room with no air...and we still didn't have hot water.
The manager was gracious enough to offer us discount coupons for our next stay at Motel 6. I informed him that we would not be staying at Motel 6 any time in the future...so they refunded both of the rooms for the entire stay...I still feel like we got ripped off.
The funeral was a big affair, and I think most of the town was there. Joe had lived there most of his life, and he'd been a Navy veteran and a former Fire Captain, and he was very popular in the community.
Since he'd been in the fire department, the funeral procession was escorted by two fire trucks, and as we passed the main fire station, all of those left on duty were standing outside saluting the procession...a very touching gesture. I noticed a big difference about funerals in small towns as opposed to funerals in larger cities. For one thing, as the procession was passing through town, cars on the other side of the road were pulling over, and men were taking off their hats. In the "city," funeral processions seem to be seen as an impediment to traffic, and most people are quite rude in dealing with them. Also, the cemetery was right next to a park. As we passed the park, everyone stopped what they were doing and silently watched the procession...and it was a long procession.
Our return home was as uncomfortable as the trip down...you can only fit so many people into a mini-van. The highlight of the trip home was when were on I-25 just north of Walsenberg. Rebecca looked up a hillside, and started shouting "There's a bear." And sure enough, a small black bear was making his way down the hill. It was the first time I've ever actually seen a bear in the wild. I just hope he stayed off the highway.
We're now very exhausted, and we have to start back to work, with Rebecca going in very early today, and me going in very early tomorrow. I also have a lot of catching up to do as well.

The Martian Wave as an e-book

Sam's Dot Publishing has released Vol. 2 of The Martian Wave, which I edited, as an e-book.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82388

What's in this issue?

This issue of The Martian Wave includes six evocative tales and five thought-provoking poems that will launch you into escape velocity! Bear witness to first contact with the starship crew of Molly Brown and an alien observer as they communicate via music in “Grand Ol’ Opry” by Laura R. Givens. Join Captain Anjela Stewart and her first mate Chris Lockwood of the Venture Forth, in Robert J. Mendenhalls’s “Full Moon”, as they, and other refugee ships, are turned away from Beta and Moon Base, seeking sanctuary in the wake of earth-destroying asteroid XF11. There are other unique and breath-stealing tales. . .from Robert N. Stephenson’s “A Miner Delay” where AI 7-12 Silva argues with his human-centered boss that he deserves to be sent to earth for an emotional and physical upgrade; Douglas A. Smith’s “Hydrogen” takes you on board the Sir Francis Drake while the crew wrestles with a sudden incapacitating illness. . .Is it connected to their propulsion systems? Dan Thompson’s “Terminator”, propels you into imminent disaster with Engineering Architect Ben Gage and Colonel Katerina Petrovna Mayakovski as they attempt to reform an asteroid to house refugees from the Belt Confederacy and the United Nations of Earth war--amid the imminent threat of an Assassin attack!; and N.E. Chenier’s “Latency”, where research vessel Naut-47 is investigating HRK-a for developers of human colonies. The science crew discovers that not only is the planet suitable for habitation, but there’s something in the environment that expands their latent potential exponentially—but at what cost?
Poets Lee Clark Zumpe, Kristine Ong Muslim, W.C. Roberts, and Shelly Bryant extend their creative tethers across space from “gilded captivity” in an alien zoo to a space trader who sells his organs to survive!

The Bandit's Sourcebook

It's taken a lot longer than we ever wanted it to, but The Bandit's Sourcebook for the Ephemeris RPG is now available...

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=94051

What have I been up to?

Regular readers of this blog have probably noticed that I haven't been posting much lately, so what have I been doing with my time?

I've been desperately trying to get The Bandits' Sourcebook for the Ephemeris RPG ready, and I'm happy to report that it should be available from DriveThruRPG some time in the next week.

I've been trying to get caught up on submissions for The Fifth Di... and The Martian Wave, which I was way too far behind on, and I'm happy to report that I'm not caught up.

I've also been busy formatting books and e-books for Sam's Dot...that battle never ends.

And on a personal note, I've been busy watching our youngest grow up so fast, and of course our older girls started back to school...so busy times indeed!

And of course I've been working at the "real" job...

Now, if I could just find some time to write...