First Sale (for real this time)

Last September, the amazing Julie Czerneda, opened a call for submissions for an anthology set in her Trade Pact Universe (A Thousand Words for Stranger, et al). I wrote and submitted a story about the younger days of Thel Masim, a secondary character that appears in several of the books. The Trade Pact universe is a wonderful place and I’ve been hooked on it since I first encountered it, so the opportunity to contribute to it was irresistable.

On 27 October 2017, a day that will live in infam–I mean a day that will live in history (or … more

Fantasy Restaurant Menu

I am considering a new venture. A restaurant. First the menu…

Soup

Stone ° Cream of Mandrake ° Broccoli cheddar ° Blood soup (no nutritional value for vampires)

Appetizers

Dragon Wings

  • Barbecue
  • Garlic
  • Medium
  • Buffalo
  • Hot
  • Dragon’s Breath

Kraken on Crackers Canned flaked Kraken, delicately seasoned. Served with Kraken bone-meal crackers.

Calamari
Thinly sliced Kraken tentacles battered and deep-fried. Served with lemon wedges, tartar and Cockatrice sauces.

Entrees (choose 3 sides)

Kraken Steak Wild-caught, frozen*

  • Blackened
  • Cajun
  • Lemon Pepper

*Fresh Kraken available with 60 days notice and for parties of 2,000 (deposit and insurance required).

Phoenix … more

An Imaginary Conversation: Thikair-Robinson

So I’m re-reading David Weber’s Out of the Dark, and a particular scene sparked this…thing. I can’t honestly call it a story. Perhaps vignette is the best description. It is a snippet of conversation between the highest ranked individuals on both sides.

A Conversation Between Deceased Antagonists

FCT> Fleet Commander Thikair, of the Shongairi Empire, commander of the colonization ( i.e. invasion ) fleet sent to KU-197-20 (Earth), as authorized by the Hegemony Council in the year 74,065 of the Hegemony.

RAR> Rear Admiral James Robinson, Naval Network and Space Operations Command. Possibly the highest ranking officer in the United States … more

How do you spell relief? 1st draft finished

I just finished the first draft of a 30K-word novella. It’s taken about eight months to finish this draft, even though this was a story near and dear to my heart. I kept getting stuck, mostly on how to get from where I was to the next section that had already written. I had put it aside and worked on other things, going back when the itch got too much for me.

Now it gets put on the back burner to simmer for a while. After the flavors have mixed and melded and the scents have wafted around a … more

NaNoWriMo 2015

I won’t be participating this year, however in the spirit of encouragement and congratulations (hey, you should be congratulated just for trying!), I present the NaNoCheer….

Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah!
Twist your brain and make it squeak!
Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah!
Pound those keys and make them speak!
Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah!
Mash those words until they beg!
Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah!
December 1 go tap a Keg!

Now with that sound track running through your head, imagine a 57 year old man in a mini-skirt; tight, sleeveless sweater; jumping … more

First Novel Back from the Editor

Well, my first novel is back from the editor. This was a successful NaNoWriMo ’06 effort and ‘finished’ by June of ’07. It was tweaked off and on for the next oh, four or five years and shelved when no agents were interested. Either the idea was *ahem* crap or the proposal was.

I finally decided to take the plunge and self-publish, probably as ebook only. The decision was triggered when a tweeter I follow mentioned his editor had some open slots. We talked, and he agreed to take on the manuscript.

Three days ago I received the file back. The editor thought … more

Why do I write?

They say that dreams are the sleeping mind’s way to integrate the events of the day, I wonder if stories are the waking mind’s way to integrate the events of dreams? Even dreams you can’t remember.

Perhaps stories are like waking dreams. Dreams you can direct and control.

So you dream to make sense of the day’s events, and you write to make sense of the dreams. Occasionally the events of the dream, but more likely the feel of the dream.

A vicious cycle. Well, maybe not vicious, but a cycle anyway.

23 in ’13 final

John Anealio issued a challenge in January of 2013: do 23 creative ‘things’ in 2013. John was very flexible about what ‘counts’ to meet the challenge (read his post for details). This is the announcement of my totals.

Excluding this post, I have created 44 new pieces, comprised of 18 short stories and 27 other blog posts; a combination of reviews and various ramblings. However, 8 of the 45 were partial works. Chuck Wendig (you are reading, his blog, right?) issues a flash fiction challenge every Friday. The latest one was a five-parter.

Chuck’s five-part … more

Fiction: Stewart (part 5 of 5)

Chuck Wendig’s Latest Flash Fiction Challenge. Part five of Meagan Wilson’s story of demon summoning. I think someone titled it “Stewart”, possibly in one of the other threads. I’m kept that here just for the sake of convenience. Total word count: 979

Part 1: Meagan Wilson

“Yes, this penthouse view is quite breathtaking,” I turned to the luscious blonde before me, “but not nearly as lovely as—”

A thunder clap, and then I was standing in a small, glowing circle, surrounded by a gaggle of chanting fools in robes.

“Oh great Sorasel im Palat, lord of fire and … more