Ok, THIS Will Be My First Public Reading

Apr

2013

The MarCon event turned out to be more of a room party then an actual reading. That was entirely my misunderstanding. Still, we had a decent turnout, and it was nice to talk with Michael Haynes and Daniel O’Riordan again.

However, this coming weekend, on April 6th, there is another Sidekicks! related event planned. From 4PM to 6PM, several writers (self included), Sarah Hans, and Steven Saus will be appearing at Epic Loot Games and Comics in Centerville, Ohio. And this time, there will be readings.

The address for the event is : 9130 Dayton-Lebanon Pike, Centerville, OH. Please come out and say “Hi!”.

A Short Rant Regarding Reviews

Mar

2013

This has nothing to do with Sidekicks!. Promise.

No, what I’m upset about are reviewers who feel compelled to tell people that a “twist” exists in the plot of the book/movie/video game they are reviewing. It doesn’t matter if they reveal what the actual twist is. Once they’ve mentioned it, any halfway clever person’s brain will be on the lookout and will figure it out long before the artist intended. This severely diminishes the story’s impact, and as a side effect, the overall enjoyment of the thing. Continue reading →

About That Beer in the Title, Pt. 2

Mar

2013

I just re-read my last blog post. I kinda went off the rails a bit there. But that’s indicative of how passionate I get about beer. Beer geeks such as myself often draw a bit of scorn from the mainstream because of how we express our knowledge and love. And, yeah, I’ve seen some fellow beer lovers get obnoxious on forums. I try to avoid that. But, for me at least, here’s where some of that misplaced enthusiasm comes from.

Imagine a bully has been lurking around you your whole life. Continue reading →

ZOMG! My First Ever Public Reading!

Mar

2013

Hiya! Going to MarCon? If so, on Friday night at 6PM I’ll be performing my first ever public reading of one of my stories. Myself, Michael Haynes, and Daniel O’Riordan will all be reading excerpts from Sidekicks! from 6PM to 7:30PM. I don’t know yet what room we will be in, but there should be flyers plastered all over the place. Please come by to meet us, listen to us speak, and enjoy some refreshments! There will be no finer opportunity to see me panic in public.

Cue Dark Tower Victory Music

Mar

2013

It’s alive and out in the world! Sidekicks!, which features my story, “Fangirl”, is now officially released! (never mind that Amazon has been selling it for two weeks already)

It’s a fun anthology that’s got super-heroes and super-villains! We got cowboys and deputies! Trippy powers of prescience! Third-world problems! And post-apocalypse shenanigans!

You can find links to purchase it here.

I’m heading down to Millennicon tonight to celebrate! If you’re there, say “Hi!” to me.

Millennicon Update

Mar

2013

I’ve learned of a few Sidekicks! related events that will happening at Millennicon. On Saturday at 6PM, Matt Betts will be doing a reading. Matt’s story, “The Old West” is part of the anthology. At 7PM, Sarah Hans, who edited the anthology and is a fine writer to boot, will be doing a reading along with Steven Saus, writer and head of Alliteration Ink. At 9PM, there will be a book launching party. If you’ve got a paid membership to Millenncon, you’re welcome to come celebrate with us.

While I will be at the con on Saturday, I have no events planned. However you can count on me being at the party, pontificating about the glory of beer to anyone who is willing to listen.

About That Beer in the Title Pt. 1

Mar

2013

This week a class-action lawsuit was filed against Anheuser-Bush InBev. The complaint alleges that the corporation has been watering their beers down below the advertised 5% ABV. When I first read about the case, one of my first thoughts was, “How can they tell?”

Let’s be blunt. I love beer. I love beer to the point where a Joseph J. Manbag would sneer and proclaim me to either be a hipster, snob, or both. I prefer the term “beer geek”, myself. I spend hours reading over issues of Zymurgy and Brew Your Own, researching the history of beer. If I stumble across a documentary about beer on NetFlix, that’s it, I’m not doing anything else for the next few hours. And for the past 7 or so years, I’ve been brewing my own beer at home. Continue reading →

Sidekicks! Update

Feb

2013

Earlier this week, Alliteration Ink released the table of contents for Sidekicks!. Check it out here. As of right now, they are planning to release the book at Millennicon. There is talk of doing some readings at local conventions, along with other promotions. I’ll post news as I get it. Thanks for all the support!

Random Thoughts Regarding Editing

Feb

2013

January 29th was my last update? I fail. In case anyone checks this site on a regular basis, I apologize for not posting anything lately. The day job has sapped my will to live. Plus we’ve had the cold and norovirus rip through our household. If it wasn’t my turn to be sick, I was on Florence Nightingale duty. Still, you have to treat writing as a business, and two weeks is far too long.

I haven’t been completely idle, though. I’ve been writing, just not as much as I would like. I’ve mostly been editing older stuff that hasn’t found any publication love. Some of it is crap. Some of it is rough. And one of them, a novella, I think is the best thing I’ve written. Yet I always struggle with the editing process. Not because I’m afraid to murder my darlings. But because I can spend hours editing pieces and when I’m done, I feel like I don’t have anything new to show for it.

When writing a new piece, it’s easy to get a sense of achievement. You have a word count that you can post on Twitter with the hashtag “#amwriting”. When the story is done you have something you can share with the world. “Lookie what I created! An idea made whole!”

But editing? Ugh. Editing for me is a hard look in the mirror. It’s a reminder of my failures. A run in with the girl who rejected me.

It never ceases to amaze me how something I think is so brilliant at the time of its creation can read like the spawn of Garth Marenghi’s typewriter a week later. But that’s why editing is necessary.

On the upside, I think one of my stories is ready for submission. And I just may shop that novella around, finally. Wish me luck.

Sidekicks! Cover

Jan

2013

Alliteration Ink released the cover for the upcoming Sidekicks! anthology. And they chose Kristi, the protagonist from my story, “Fangirl”, to be on the cover! Check it out! She’s the blonde wearing the duster and gas mask! *Happy Dance*

The cover was done by Len Peralta. The publisher is shooting for a mid-March release for the book. Part of me still can’t believe it, but I’m happy. I’ll post more news as I get it.