I did that???

I just got finished adding the synopses for all the Skinners books onto the new page on this blog. Had to type them in without the use of cut and paste because of some weird color/background issues. Anyway, after reading all of those, I was fairly impressed. Those actually are pretty good!

Heh.

Yes, I know this sounds egotistical but I talk enough trash to myself on every other day. Hearing some praise from the voices in my head is a nice change every now and then.

New me for 2015!!

Alrighty! It’s 2015 and time for some changes. First of all, I’m sure anyone who’s been to this blog before notices the different layout. I love black and all, but got sick of looking at the same backgrounds, etc on this page. Also, I want to dedicate this page to everything I write so a new look seemed to be in order.

Another change for me is the shift in focus as far as my writing goes. This entire industry has been knocked on its ass for some time now. Ebooks are awesome, but to paraphrase the Joker from Dark Knight, they’ve changed things…forever. And there’s no turning back. Man I love that movie. I want to watch it now. Be right back…

…Ok. Awesome flick. What was I saying? Right. Changes. With the rise of the ebook and the fall of so many brick and mortar bookstores, the industry is still in upheaval. That might not be as obvious to the readers. After all, there are still some bookstores out there. Books are still being printed. There’s stuff to read. The Kindle is coming out with new models all the time. (I desperately want one of the new Paperwhite Kindles by the way) Trust me, though, it’s crazy from the inside of this industry and only gets crazier as the months drag into years.

Someone like me who isn’t on the receiving end of a publishers’ marketing budget needs to hustle for work whenever possible to keep up with the ol’ rent. That means trying to line up contracts wherever possible that pay some sort of advance so I can make ends meet. I love ebooks and the sense of creative freedom that comes along with them, but they’re a gamble financially. If writing is my only source of income, waiting for royalties to trickle in is not a stress-free way to live. So, after years of fighting the good fight and busting my butt to survive within the publishing machine, I need to suck it up and find other sources of income. Does that mean no more books from me? Uhh…why would I redo this blog if I was gonna shut it off?

Actually, it means the opposite. Once I secure myself in a more traditional manner (see also: day job) I can stop jumping through so many goddamn hoops, begging for the attention of publishers who only want me to write stuff that resembles whatever other author is the flavor of the month, and scrambling to fit myself into someone else’s category. I never was good at that kind of thing and haven’t gotten any better as I ferment.

Pleasing so many higher-ups who barely even know what they want anyway is a good way to drive yourself insane. The good thing about being truly apart from the machine (and being insane, for that matter) is that you don’t have a lot to lose. I will no longer worry about taking a good idea and rearranging it to fit the current trend. I will now focus on writing what I WANT and not just what I need to pay the bills.

I’ve been told my vampires need to be more mysterious and sultry. I’ve been told that I need to adhere to the concrete rules as set forth in legends in regards to mythological creatures. Legends as FACT? Isn’t tweaking legend and playing within a genre the FUN part of fiction? I’ve been told horror is no longer a genre. I’ve been told Steampunk is dead. I’ve been told a lot of things and I don’t mind hearing people speak their minds. I also don’t need to change what I do just to satisfy a bunch of rules that will change in a day or two anyway.

Overall, it’s a scary time for me. It’s also an exciting one. There’s a big weight lifted off my back when I stop worrying about trying to please someone in an office reading my horror manuscripts who doesn’t even like horror in the first place. I’m doing my own thing again and it feels good. Check back soon and I’ll tell you all about it.

Breaking Borders

I know everyone even vaguely connected to the publishing industry has been commenting on losing Borders, but I feel like I have to say something as well. My initial reaction is, like many of you, that this is undeniably shitty news. I've always loved going into Borders, smelling the coffee, having a warm drink in the winter and perusing the shelves. I've had plenty of great (and not so great) signings at my local stores and they've always been very accommodating. I love seeing the books on the shelves, the whole sensory experience. Having some of these places taken away before was tough. Having ALL of them disappear now is brutal!

There have been rumblings about this happening for a while now. I'm no economist and have no clue how this crap works. I seldom have enough money to get through my own meager existence, so why would I make it my business to know how millions or billions of dollars flow back and forth? As a consumer, though, there's been this lazy sort of "we'll always be here" attitude with big book stores and publishers alike. Both just seem to do the minimum amount of work and know the people will come back because where the hell else would they go? It was the same attitude with video stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. I know not all of these places stank and I know good people work(ed) there. I was one of them! I'm talking big picture here and those video rental places had bad prices, shitty customer care, policies that screwed customers and any number of little things that companies put into action when they know they've got ya. Then along comes Netflix. They nailed it and stuck it to the video stores. If the stores can't compete, they need to step up or step aside. That's the cruelty of Capitalism. Now, we've recently seen how Netflix decided to tighten the screws to their customers because they got us. Their time will come unless they treat the customers right.

Borders never treated me badly. Like I said, I love the places. As an industry, though, it's easy to see how they're getting it handed to them by ebooks and smaller presses. More and more, I'm seeing quality books on my Kindle that are written with love and would NEVER have made it past a bored NY editor's desk simply because it's not like something else that's selling like hotcakes. As a reader, I crave uniqueness and that's been tough to find lately. As a writer, I want to write unique things and believe me, it's an uphill climb. I'm definitely not the only one in this camp and when I see ebooks about giant crab monsters, superheroes, or something other than the four or five flavors of the month on shelves, I smile. So many of these books are written with love by authors who just want to have fun at work again. That benefits the readers too! Big stores are still looking for something that's LIKE something else. This lazy attitude was shown nicely a year or two ago when I went to a store (yes, it was Borders) and there was a shelf with the newest Sookie Stackhouse book on it. It said, "If you like Charlaine Harris...TRY THESE". Know what was on it? MORE Charlaine Harris!!! I've got nothing against Miss Harris or her books. This just shows the limited scope of an industry that should be about imagination and creativity.

I go to conventions and hear debates on which vampires aren't realistic enough or about conservation of mass in shapeshifters. This just makes me sad. It makes me wonder what future there is for writers when we can't even play with mythological beings. Then I see a fresh crop of ebooks put out there by authors who just want to write what they love or see turns in genre like steampunk and I smile again. There is freshness to be had, but it's been awfully hard to find in bigger stores.

Of course I also know that plenty of ebooks are crap. At least they're trying, though. There's money to be made and I'm sure the big publishers will step up to find a way to exploit it more than they are now. Plenty of others have said it and I agree: this isn't a bad thing. The publishing / professional editing process weeds out a lot of garbage. It's made me a better writer. Now if only they'd allow writers to flex their creative muscle a bit more. There's nothing wrong with writing pulp-style books, even if they're not big sellers. Good ideas don't happen because the ad execs in New York get a bug up their ass to drive zombies or whatever else into the ground for a while. If someone who loves their sub-genre wants to write about zombies or whatever else the big topic may be and they have a cool idea, LET THEM DO IT!!!! With the old system, they would have to wait for lightning to strike to get the book published and then MORE lightning to strike for a big store to actually put some work into selling them. Now, with ebooks, we're all on more equal ground.

I'm giving it a go as we speak. There are ideas that have been kicking around in the back of my head that I haven't been able to sell because of the market or an editor having a bad day or projected sales figures or whatever else. Now, I get to write the damn thing, put it out there and see if it'll fly. The ebook market is MILES ahead of where self published books used to be even a few years ago and authors in my same boat feel like we've got a real shot. Maybe my ideas never went anywhere because they suck. Maybe nobody wants to read them after all. There's one way to find out. At least they'll be out there giving it a go.
I'm a writer. I want to write.

Times are changing. If it was up to me, Borders would still be in business. It's not. I've taken my share of hits over the last couple of years as well and we all need to roll with the punches. I think ebooks are a roll in the right direction. Don't forget, this is America. If a business tries hard enough and adapts, it will be back.

Get Broken!!

For some reason, I was convinced that Skinners 5 was going to be released at the end of LAST month. I was even telling people, "Check it out at the end of April!" like some kind of moron. Once I realized that was wrong, I forgot about it almost completely. Every now and then I'd mention something on Facebook, but then I'd go back to having to check the back of a promo cover for the actual release date. Well, no more of that because THE BREAKING is finally on store shelves!!

WOO HOO!!!!

This is one of the longest books I've ever written. Not such a landmark in itself, but there you go. There's a lot going on in this one and I think it's all pretty damn cool. I introduce some new creatures, some new Full Bloods, some new chaos into the world we all thought we knew, and you get to witness me unleashing my whole "what-if" wish fulfillment where monsters are concerned. It gets ugly, folks, but in a great way.


The UPS guy just showed up at my door with a box of new Skinners. This is the first time I've seen the actual finished book. Funny because some of you guys got to see it before me! I'll be digging in to my promotional attempts, but I wish I was better at that part. If I could just write new stuff and get it out there without worrying about PR, I'd be happy. I love this sort of thing as well as talking / emailing with readers, but the more official stuff isn't my thang. It's all part of the job, so I soldier on. Honestly, I feel bad sometimes for just talking about my books and harping on the titles, availability and all of that stuff. Stupid, but it's true. Most of that might come from an intrinsic belief that people don't care about what I say. The stories are one thing, but the rest.... Whether that's true or not, it makes it seem odd for me to get out there and promote as if anyone's listening. Welcome to my brain. Population: 87 (1 "eccentric" introvert and 86 other radically different voices that won't stop chattering about nonsense and evil plans).

In other release news, I hope you all have been checking out the Dead Man series of ebooks. The new one (The Dead Woman) is released today and you can get it on Kindle here or Nook here. The basics...
THE DEAD WOMAN is BOOK #4 in THE DEAD MAN saga, the action/horror series that readers and book critics alike are hailing as "an epic tale" that compares to the best of Stephen King and Dean Koontz...Matt Cahill thought he was alone with his torment, that he was the only one who could see the evil in people’s souls as rotting flesh. But in a small town in Tennessee, terrorized by a vicious serial killer, Matt meets a woman who may see what he does…and together they must confront a horrific and immortal terror that thrives on death. Amazing action in bite sized chunks and you all know I'm an expert in bite sized chunks. Heh. I'll let you know when my Dead Man book will be coming out.

Next...Books in 3D!!!!

So I finally broke down and bought a Kindle. As I mentioned on one of my recent posts, I've been very resistant to this whole ebook thing. Well, now that it's obvious it's more than a passing fancy (and that there are some VERY intriguing opportunities for writers to put their own stuff out there without all the Big Publisher bullshit) I'm interested.

It started off on a good foot. I ordered it through Amazon (the black one with 3G) and it arrived ahead of schedule. I turned it on and had glorious fun throughout the initial "WOW! New gadget" phase. Once that wore off, I realized I loved reading on the thing. First thing I did was look for a book that I haven't been able to find on shelves. BANG! There it was...and cheaper! I bought a few more things plus downloaded a bunch of free classics, but the true test was when I tried to import a text file from my computer. Another writer contacted me about reading a copy of his upcoming book so I could provide a blurb. He sent a computer file, but I really don't like reading comp files. Still, I didn't want to force him to print me a copy, so there you go. The Kindle didn't recognize the file's format and I had to email it to a Kindle address so they could convert it. A few minutes later, there it was! SWEET!!!

Now, I realize I'm behind the times with this but I'm blown away. Keep in mind, I'm still blown away by DVRs, Netflix and sensors on microwaves that know EXACTLY how long to nuke popcorn. Will I give up regular books? Hell no! Still love them, but this is a great companion. Will I write ebook exclusives in the future! Hell yes, but Big Publishers are still a necessary part of the biz. As with most everything, it's all about moderation. Some of one and a dash of the other. Also, it's about recognizing the writing on the wall. I know plenty of authors who still resist ebooks vehemently. This is turning our noses up at a potentially great creative outlet. I love my Kindle as well as anything that gets folks reading and makes things a little easier for writers. I knew I was in good hands when I logged on to the Kindle store and found Vampire Uprising first in line on my "Recommended for You" bar. Awww, Kindle. You rock.

One funny note...there has always been a little problem with the original font used for the title on the Skinners books. It makes the "k" look like an "h". I always point it out and they always change it. Sometimes it slips through on the title page inside the books so it looks like "SHINNERS". Funny. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so because the title page for the ebook version proves me right. Heh. Oh well. The Robot Overlords don't know EVERYthing!

New covers 'n stuff

As always, I got a bunch of promo covers for the next Skinners. My offer still stands to send out autographed covers to anyone who would like one. This year looks to be especially lean on the convention front, although I will be attending at least one big one. World Horror is coming up in April, so I hope to see some of you there. Still don't know what I'll be scheduled for, but I'm sure it'll be cool. Anyway, I won't be out there doing many signings for a while so here you go.

Other than that, it's been a whole lot of trying to stay warm. The other day, I felt cold air blowing in through an electrical outlet. Yowza! Good thing my grandma still knits me these awesome slippers that magically fit my wide flipper feet just perfectly. Although some of you (including my grandma) might call these slippers "booties", I like to call them Yarn Shoes. Sounds more manly, plus I think of a whole different thing when I hear the word "booty".

Been working on some ghostwriting projects to keep me busy until the next round of edits comes in for Skinners 6. One of them is a Ralph Compton western written under my cowboy name, Marcus Galloway. If you're into westerns (I'm more of a Clint Eastwood as opposed to John Wayne guy, just so you know), look 'em up. I did two of my own series that I think turned out rather well.

Other than that, I've been leveling up in Call of Duty: Black Ops as well as Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. Also found a good price for the entire series of Wild Wild West on DVD. Talk about cheesy awesomeness!! Watching these shows brings me back around to why I want to write Steampunk so badly. If there's anyone who can write the hell out of cheesy awesomeness, it's ME!!

Head Asplodin'

Yesterday was pretty much filled with blizzard-force winds from 4AM - 3AM today. Right now, there's an eerie calm. It's quiet....TOO QUIET! Heh. Three degrees and snowy, but hey. It's December so what should I expect? Wrapping up the first draft of Skinners #6. It's shaping up, but there's a LOT to do in editing. Already talked about that and it comes up yet again. Welcome to MY WORLD!!

Still trying to get some business stuff done before the holidays. Technically, the holidays are already upon us, but there are still a few folks in their offices pretending to work, so I need to try and enjoy that while it lasts. Got a few more irons in the fire as far as some promising possibilities and I will let you know if anything pans out. Could be some new series or projects other than Skinners. I love Cole & Paige and don't plan on abandoning them, but a change would be nice for a while. Also, taking a small breather would allow some of the new Skinners stuff I've been coming up with to gestate into plot lines for other books. The more I write/edit #6, the more I want to do for #7 and beyond.

As far as those other projects go, I've always had interests in multiple genres. I got my start in westerns and have ideas for fantasy, science fiction and mystery. Of course, I've got other ideas for horror and urban fantasy, but that goes without saying. It's exciting to think of planting my flag in another section of the bookstores. Even for someone who's already published, the publishing industry works how it works without bothering to inform anyone like the writers (unless you're a massively popular writer who can write their own ticket, aka "not me"). So we just have to sit around for months (or years) and wait to see if we'll have a source of income next year. Ugh.

In possibly related news, I've been having these headaches for oh....about two or three weeks now. They're in my neck as well as specific spots in my skull that feel like a little knife is lodged there and occasionally twisted. Could be stress. Could be a tumor. Does thinking about a tumor give me stress? Can too much stress give me a tumor? Uh oh...I think something just popped.

Business time

Ok, time for me to get serious about marketing. Honestly, I hate this part. I'm a writer, not a salesman. That's why I've decided to make this fun for me which hopefully produces some cool results. Remember my plea for online reviews for Skinners books? Well I'm putting together a cool giveaway as an incentive. It's a badge / VIP Pass for Shimmy's Gentleman's Club (home to everyone's favorite dancer / muse Tristan) that I will sign and personalize with your name and a short inscription which I will send out for free if you help me out by putting some good reviews on sites like Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, or other major places like that. Just send me a link to your review along with your address and I'll get you your pass to nymph paradise. (Replica, of course, so don't sue me. If I had real passes to nymph paradise, I'd be there instead of sweating in another Midwestern summer.)

I should have the badges ready to ship out in a few weeks and will only have a limited amount. Who knows? Maybe they'll be collectible. Couldn't really guarantee that, but they should be pretty cool anyway. If this doesn't sound to your liking, maybe you'd prefer a bookmark or autographed sticker / book plate you can put in your copy of Skinners? Let me know. I just know I want to get more proactive with spreading the word! Let's do this!!

Hate to beg, but....

It's been a while since I've checked my own books on Amazon, B&N or any of those other sites. Mainly, that's because I used to get extremely obsessive about watching the sales ranks rise or fall. Since I'm already doing whatever I think I can, there's no reason to keep fussing with it. Just keep writing and trying to promote and the rest will be there whether I look at it or not. Sounds like a level-headed approach, doesn't it?

Well, I checked the Amazon site yesterday. I was only there to see if they had the cover of Book 4 up already. Good news -- They did! Bad news -- Book 3 only had 1 review! Granted, it was a great review, but I see other books in genre series that are at the same point as I am as far as number of releases, etc and they've got like 50-60 reviews. Does this make any real difference? Do books with more reviews show up on more pages? Does 1 or no reviews place a book lower on the food chain as opposed to straight-up sales? I honestly don't know. I just figure that more reviews couldn't be a bad thing. More GOOD reviews would be awesome!

So here's the deal. I hear from a lot of readers how they like Skinners and I do my best to respond to you all any way I can. If you've got the time, do you think you could write up a review and place it on a site like Amazon, B&N.com, or any other place that might review the book? Word of mouth truly helps sales of any kind and this would be great. I never wanted to come out and ask like this before because it seemed cheesy. Still does, actually. Sorry about that, but I can only create so many fake accounts on Amazon before they realize it's me who LOVES Skinners. Heh.

Now, since I'm a firm believer in being grateful and showing it. I was thinking about offering free signed promo covers for any / all of the Skinners books, but I've been sending those out for free anyway and don't want to suddenly slap a price tag on it. Do you guys want something like that as a thank you for helping me out by writing a review? Maybe I could come up with something cool to give away. I've been working on a promo project recently, but it really won't make sense until Book 5 is published. Let me think it over. Maybe bookmarks? How about a signed VIP pass to Shimmy's? I can think of something. In the meantime, just let me know what you think of this whole campaign. I'm new to the whole "aggressive marketing" thing.

The Dirty Season

Not THAT kind of dirty! I'm talking about the time of year when all that pretty snow has been sitting around for too long, covered with too much dog spray, or turned over too many times by the plows for it to be pretty any longer. Sure, the trees are photogenic, but aren't all trees picture-worthy? They're like the Playboy bunnies of the nature world. We get it. You're attractive. Next. The ground is covered by several inches of stuff that's sort of white, filled with dirt, sprinkled with rock salt and aching to coat your car with a thick layer of filth. Ugh! Can you tell I didn't enjoy finger-painting as a kid?

Even though the ice is treacherous, it was still easy on the eyes. You know. Like a James Bond girl. Even when she makes you spin out and fall down whether you're in a car or on foot, you still gotta take a moment and admire the view. In The Dirty Season, it's more like those women in Bond films that are just sloppy, but not too dangerous. Hmmm. Are there women like that in Bond movies? Even that mannish lady in From Russia With Love was dangerous. I guess there aren't any benign, sloppy women in the Bond universe. Of course, there aren't any bald dudes who watch Price is Right every morning while flaking Toaster Pastries onto their shirts, either. I guess that's yet another universe where I'll be on the outside looking in.

I'm enjoying my new Droid phone. Getting used to the touchscreen and finally getting the knack of texting. I've still only scratched the surface of it, though. Used its Google Maps navigation features once, but that doesn't work out so well when driving. The alarm clock is nifty. Plus I tapped a few appointments into the calendar. Niiiiice! I'm also feeling the need to attach pictures to my contacts' Caller ID info. It's usually not their actual picture. Mostly photos of hand signals. It's a complex system.

Back to work on Skinners 4. Wound up taking yesterday off, but I should be done with draft 1 this week, then it's off to editing and in on time. Par-tay!

In the field

I'm writing this post from my laptop. Exciting, huh? I was worried about being away from my little workspace bubble during this trip, but it seems to be working out pretty well. It's not the first time I've gotten work done this way, but usually I'm editing on the unfamiliar keyboard instead of writing. Seems that things are going pretty well. We'll wait and see if I hit any "What the hell was I thinking when I wrote THAT garbage?" moments when I look over the stuff I came up with. Then again, I'm sure I would have hit plenty of those moments anyway. Bazinga.

Megan's corporate Christmas party was fun. Since I don't get into the office world too often, it was strange to be around such peculiar things as work related inside jokes, professional references, and other people. Still, the food was great so why complain?

The signing at the St. Louis Borders is tomorrow. I'm hoping for a good turnout, but you can never tell with these things. Well, some writers can, but they're in a much higher tax bracket than me. If anyone reading this is in the area tomorrow (Dec. 8th) I hope you'll stop by.

It's back to work now. The one big plus with working on the laptop in St. Louis? Lunchtime at Jack in the Box. Fried mystery-meat tacos, here I come!!

Stuffin' mah face!

Just what I didn't need...a bunch of time away from my computer. Skinners #4 is rolling along, but so are the holidays. Megan, the dog and I are heading out to visit relatives for Thanksgiving and there won't be a lot of time for work. Even so, the laptop is coming along so I can get SOMEthing done in that time. Even though my fingers won't see the keyboard very much, road trips always do wonders for the creative juices. Whenever I take one in the midst of writing Skinners, I always come up with something good. I'll be sure to bring along some paper and pens.

So for all my readers who celebrate Thanksgiving, have a good one. For all the ones who don't, find some reason to have a big meal this week. You gotta eat, right? See you in a little while.

Turkey time...or lack of it. Time, not turkey.

This is a busy month. First of all, I'm digging in to Skinners 4. That brings more than enough baggage with it. Second, there's a lot of little events popping up here and there. Tomorrow I've got a radio interview on KAHI-AM in Sacramento at 10 AM Pacific Time. Tuesday is my signing here in Omaha. On Thursday, there's another interview scheduled. I'd post a link to that one as well, but radio interviews can be a little dicey. When I do them, they're a lot of fun. There was a streak for a while, though, where an interview would be scheduled and they just wouldn't call me back for it. Even worse is that they're normally early in the morning so I had to get up early just to sit in my office next to an un-ringing phone. The host from KAHI already called to confirm so it looks like I won't get stood up on that one.

The week after that is Thanksgiving. Megan and I are packing up the dog for a drive to see my family. Abby loves car rides, so she shouldn't be a problem. The big problem loops all the way back to my "first of all". I still need to work on Skinners! Sure I've got a laptop and I'll be doing work while away for Thanksgiving, but I won't be in my comfortable little nest...I mean professional workspace environment.

It'll be fine. Things are rolling right along, so there's no reason to complain. Howling Legion is out there and seems to be more visible than Blood Blade was during its first few weeks. I'm hearing from a lot more places that it's showing up on the New Release tables / towers / displays instead of just being snuck into the section. Hopefully my signing has a decent turn-out.

Panic attack...right on schedule

Only four more days until the release of Skinners 2: Howling Legion. As is the case for any series, the groundwork needs to be laid in the first installment and after that you really get to play. I sure did play a lot in Howling Legion. It's strange because my mind is already past Book 3 and Book 2 isn't even out yet. When I think about the next one hitting shelves, I feel a twist in my gut as all of the anxiety begins to play out.

The first one went over pretty well. Hopefully the next will be better.
A series needs time to gain momentum and there's only one out there. Be patient.
What if this one tanks?
What if this one skyrockets?
What if I go to stores and don't see many on the shelves? Does that mean they sold or does it mean the store didn't order any?
As you can see, the possibilities for driving myself crazy are even wider than normal.

I know I'm in rough shape when I barely pick up the XBox controller (or ANY controller). Here's how distracted I've been...I got Borderlands on release day and haven't even cracked open the box! There's randomly generated guns in there! Electrified shotguns!! Automatic, acid spewing rocket launchers! And it's not just games. My comic reading is suffering too. There are a few issues of Dark Avengers that I haven't even read yet. DARK AVENGERS!! What's wrong with me?

Unfortunately, it's only just begun. Once Howling Legion is out, I'll be waiting to see how it does. I'll be trying not to read reviews because that just works out better for my state of mind. Usually Megan or someone else will tell me about the good ones. As for the bad ones, I expect some stinkers. They're not going to make me change anything as far as how I write my series so I'll just let them do their thing and I'll do mine.

And then there's the signings I need to set up. You can see those at the top of the page and I'm working on more. Conventions too. We're kicking around the idea of heading out to the World Horror Con in the UK. It's been too long since I've been to England and this would be a great time to go. That's a long haul, so we still need to do some figuring. Even so, I'm leaning toward the "Life's short. That's what credit cards are for" line of reasoning. Good for the economy, right? Riiiiiight.

So that's that. If you're reading this blog and don't appreciate the mental anguish of a man releasing his works into the wild, then I apologize in advance for some other blog posts to come. If you enjoy that sort of thing...well...you're in luck! Seriously, though, I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been buckled in and ready for this ride since I was a little kid scribbling monster stories onto that tan, lined paper designed for learning your cursive. Does anyone say "cursive" anymore or is it just "handwriting"? You know the paper I mean, though. It's that kind with the wide space and the dotted line in the middle? Reminds me of the days when snacks were on the official schedule. That's the good stuff.

Total eclipse of the brain

I took a few days off after finishing a manuscript. Fine.
Now it's time to get back to work and my brain just won't do it. I pull up the file that needs editing and stare at it. I start to type, but then I flip over and browse for DVDs on the internet. I don't need any more DVDs!! But hey, wasn't it cool to pick up that set of Dungeons & Dragons cartoons from the 80's? Yes it was. HEY! Stop it! I need to work!!!

Ok. Focus.

You want to see when that new Farscape set is coming out? It's the whole series. Really? I love that show. No!! DEMON!! Out, I say!!!

Focusing.

Why don't you write a new blog entry? It's been a while. You're right. I probably should put something up to--NO!!! Damn you!!! WORK!!!!!

Year(s) of the Full Blood

Seems like the newest supernatural bandwagon for the entertainment press to jump on has been werewolves. I've heard this since the beginning of the year, with all the cool kids discovering shapeshifters and MTV putting them on the air. Here's one of those articles that says once this stuff hits, it'll on for lycanthropes.

For me, the Year of the Werewolf has been roughly 1981-present. That's an advantage to being consistent. You wear the same thing for enough years in a row and odds are it'll eventually drift into fashion for a little while. And speaking of 1981, American Werewolf in London will be hitting Blu-Ray later this month. YESSSS!!! So glorious. I haven't been floored by the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray enough to start replacing my collection, but I gotta get this one.

I'm genuinely thrilled to see things like this article proclaiming the Year of the Werewolf. With all of these upcoming movies and projects in the works, it's more for me to watch. Sure, there are a few must-misses in there, but I like the trend. Skinners: Book 2 is coming out on Oct. 27th and with a title like Howling Legion, you know there will be plenty of Half-Breed / Full-Blood goodness going on. That's the thing about trends. You can't really count on them to be there for you but when they are, it's pretty nice. I've got my fingers crossed that this will help Skinners keep on rollin'.

The pause that refreshes

Megan and I went to St. Louis to visit the families for Easter. It was a good trip and the dog came along. Abby did very well in the car, sitting on Megan's lap the whole way while avoiding the temptation to jump on me while I was driving. She did great at my Mom's place and behaved in the new surroundings. We started wondering what could be the drawback to this little mutt? I mean, there had to be SOMEthing that took away from her stellar marks. If the dog was perfect, where does that leave ME??

Then Abby met my sister-in-law's dog, Olive. Now, Olive is the sweetest dog I've ever met and she politely sniffed Abby upon our arrival. And then...Abby proceeded to morph into a tooth-flashing, snarling demon straight out of...well...one of my books. It had the potential to get ugly. Abby was like Joe Pesci from Casino, but without a handy pen to stab someone for no good reason. Things worked out eventually and it was a great trip. My thanks to Jenny for putting up with the little demon-in-a-box masquerading as a 13 pound Rat Terrier mix.

This trip also came in the midst of writing Skinners 3. That's been going pretty well. I've got the pieces I need, but hit a snag in transitioning from one spot to another. I was a little miffed at having to drop everything and drive to St. Louis, but that turned out to be just what I needed. My body may have been behind the wheel, but my brain was still chugging away. It even came up with just the stuff I needed to get Skinners moving again along with some bonus stuff to make the whole series better.

So...lots of food, a road trip, the chance to get some Jack in the Box tacos after watching my dog freak out, creative juices flowing, AND Reeces Peanut Butter Eggs!!! Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

The eagle has landed

Just a little bit of patience. Yeahhhh.

Minus the whistle solo, Guns 'n Roses had it right. I just needed to wait a bit before seeing Blood Blade on the shelves. Well, I had to wait and some of you out there didn't. I got a few reports from far and wide that my book was located and even purchased. Thanks to everyone for not only giving Skinners a read, but also letting me know it was out there on the shelves while I pestered hapless clerks.

Now, I'll need to know if anyone sees it on a New Release tower at Barnes & Noble. That's uncharted territory for me, even counting the two western series written under another name. I've been on the New Release table at Borders, which is very cool, but have never shown up on those four-sided beauties you find at Barnes & Noble. Well. . .I did see Blood Blade on one of those towers, but it doesn't really count because I swung by and put it there myself. A hollow victory, but still kind of cool.

In other news, Hell's Kitchen starts tonight. The Resident Evil 5 demo has been downloaded to my XBox 360. Fringe still kicks ass and the McRib is back again. A very good week, indeed!

Brrrr. That's more like it!

Ok. Now I’m in the spirit. The temperature dropped about 40-50 degrees and is in the single digits. It’s gray and a little snowy outside, while it’s warm inside. The tree is up and lit. The Santa stuff is hung around the house. It feels good. Last night, I went to a Christmas party thrown by my wife’s work and had a good time. All in all, a complete turnaround from yesterday’s blahs.

I’ve been reading about the recession and how it’s supposed to hit the entertainment industry. There’s an actor’s strike upcoming, which seems like very poor timing on that union’s part. When the whole industry is expected to cut back anyway, this isn’t really the time to threaten to walk away on purpose. Closer to home, lots of publishers are making layoffs and cutting down. Since I’m not an executive or any sort of power player (I don’t even own stocks), all I can do is sit back like everyone else and just keep doing my job. Being a writer doesn’t exactly have much stability in the best of times, so we’re always half-expecting to get cut back or sized down or whatever other term is used for not having a contract anymore. It sounds depressing, but that’s just the way it goes. There’s not much to do about it but keep chugging along and hope for the best. It sounds like that’s pretty much how it’s going to be the story for most everyone for a while. Keep working. Keep hoping for the best. Keep dealing with what comes our way.

In better economic news, I snuck one by The Man today. Had a coupon for $20 off Mercenaries 2 for the Xbox at Best Buy. It went on sale and the coupon wasn’t supposed to work in addition to the sale price, but would still be a good deal if taken off the normal price. Lo and behold, I checked out and got $20 off the SALE price! YEAH!!! Take that, Recession!!!!

Hey, get your thrills wherever you can.

Not always as cool as you might think

Working at home. Most of the time, it's great. I get to make my own dress code, keep my own hours and take snack/latte breaks whenever I want. Instead of sneaking outside for a smoke or wasting time in the break room when nobody's looking, I can watch bits and pieces of a Basketball game in between work.

Then again, there are some definite drawbacks. One set of annoyances come about just because I'm home when nobody else is. That puts me on the top of some folks' lists for when they need a ride to the airport or somewhere else during business hours. Need someone to get your mail or pick up a prescription? Call Marcus. He's home and doesn't have anything else better to do. Arrrggghh. The only reason this came up today is because we had a bunch of guys working on repairing some storm damage. Remember this big wind storm from the summer? Well, it messed up our siding and now it's being fixed. Took a while, but that's fine. It's great they're getting to it. What isn't great is that they come around right when I'm working, pounding on the wall RIGHT outside my office and yelling back and forth at each other. I can't decide what I liked more...their radio, their hammers or when they frequently hit their fingers with their hammers and screamed a torrent of profanities over the radio, directly into my office and living room.

I'm griping a little, but I know I've still got it pretty good. Another drawback is not having co-workers or a water cooler to share petty complaints. When I don't feel like whining to my wife, I blog about it.

Thanks for hanging in there. I'll take a break for a few rounds of Mortal Kombat and then keep writing until about 3AM or so.