+3 on Research Checks

It's been a long time since I've been able to play much as far as pen and paper RPGs are concerned. Still, I love D&D as well as the World of Darkness games! How much do I love them? Read this interview on the D&D website to find out!

I completed this a while ago and forgot about it with all the other stuff going on. Also, I wasn't sure exactly when it would show up. But here it is and I am STOKED to be in any way connected to the granddaddy of all RPGs. Also, I have worked with Russell Davis and am friends with Matt Mayo. One additional layer of goodness....out three names together sounds like a cool sandwich. Maybe something with bacon and feta cheese.

But the files don't smell all musty

I've been reorganizing my books, trying to find some more to sell off and it makes me wonder if I should jump on board with this whole ebook thing. I've been resistant for a while simply because I like books. I like feeling them in my hands, turning actual pages, seeing the covers, and yes...smelling them. There's just nothing better than smelling actual books. Maybe that's a weird writer thing. I do the same with comics. Take one from the bag, study the covers, flip through quickly and take a long, lingering sniff before diving in to read in earnest. Not as creepy as it sounds. It's actually very comforting. Plus, I'm a slow reader, so carrying around one book at a time will more than do me when I'm out and about.

It seems that the ebooks have long since moved away from the "fad" phase. If they're good enough to put Borders out of business, there's something there, right? Sticking to the old ways now means I'm just stubborn and like them. Plus I have a lot of books that I need to read. Now that I've been looking into publishing some stuff straight to ebook format, I guess I should know how they work. Also, they have the cool tech factor. I've tried a Kindle and even an IPad. Believe me, if I had that much spare cash laying around, I would have an IPad. A friend of mine showed me how cool downloadable comics looked on there, but I would NEVER make that leap. Well...at least not for a long time. Ok...maybe I'd get comics that I don't want to keep. Even so, I'd still want the books. But ebooks....I think I'm ready.

As a writer, it's all the same. In fact, I'm really happy that ebooks are so popular because that means people are still reading! As long as that's the case, writers will be needed. One thing I love about ebooks is the possibility of cutting out all the BS and middlemen that are in the publishing biz who say they want something new as long as it's a lot like something else. UGH!!!

So I'll be looking around for a new device. On the other hand, the Nintendo 3DS is on its way. Mmmmmm....shiny!

Round 2...FIGHT!!

Ok, so the Valentine's griping is out of the way for another year. Sorry about that everyone. Today I was greeted with the news of Borders declaring bankruptcy and closing about 200 stores nationwide. At first, that seems like a really bad thing. If you're Borders, it is. Then again, a lot of people (including plenty of folks in the publishing / writing biz as well as Borders themselves) saw this one coming from a long ways out. Being in tough financial situations is nothing new to writers. Unlike the publishing houses and big booksellers, we're not used to seeing huge, juicy profits for everything out there. You need to be one of those few big-name authors, a cable semi-celebrity or a Kardashian to get the big literary bucks. Bazinga!!!

Anyway, in true Rocky fashion, these hard times have charged me up. I'm already working on proposals, so I've got renewed steam for that. More importantly, I'm taking steps in some new directions to get other projects going. More details later, but I'm really excited about it and that's a much-needed boost. Whew.

In other news, I picked up Marvel vs. Capcom 3. (Traded in some games and bought at a colossal discount. Hard times, remember?) I love fighting games, but am not very good at them. I used to kick some major league ass at Mortal Kombat 1 and 2. Even won a local tournament back in the day. Now I can't believe I memorized all those moves and multiple fatalities. The new MK is coming out soon which will be awesome, but MvC3 is pretty sweet as well. Amazing graphics. Very cool fighting. Pretty flashing lights (which they warn you about in the opening) and all around nerd-vana. I mean...being able to pit Doctor Doom against Dante from Devil May Cry?? YEAH!!! I tried going online, but was having trouble with the hosts. Probably got it all squared away by now. Most importantly, there are easy difficulty settings on Arcade mode to provide me hours of fun. Hopefully Webmaster Steve picks up a copy and we can throw down. We're at about the same skill level. Ok, he's better than me, but doesn't rub it in too badly when he wins.

So, energized and full of flashing light-induced brain trauma, I soldier on. What's my prediction for this fight? PAIN!!

Happy....whatever

When did holidays stop being fun? Obviously the first answer is when we grow into adults. That's when the cool parties at school stop and the true, tedious nature of things is revealed. It seems most second-tier holidays are either excuses to drink or get a day off of work. I've got no problem with drinking, but if you want to drink...just do it. Why wait for Hallmark to slap a color scheme on it and print a greeting card for you? If you're such a wild and crazy party animal, go do your thing. As for days off, well that's just what it is. Spare me the talk about the origins of a holiday or what it means to you. Just take your day off, sleep in and get on with life.

Of course, there are the top shelf holidays like Christmas and....birthdays? Do birthdays count here? Sure. Stuff like those, Hanukkah, Easter and even New Year...the big ones that actually mean something. I get what those are and why they're celebrated. Fine.

Today is Valentine's Day. I hate this one. I don't hate love. I don't mind telling someone special how I feel about her. I don't need pressure from every corporation out there to do so. Also, I don't like being required to express myself on ONE particular day. I know I'm contrary by nature. Maybe that's all there is to it. I don't mind buying flowers to make someone feel special. When it's required by law to be romantic NOW...or to open my heart and be sweet THIS INSTANT....I tend to get resentful. I'm pretty good the rest of the year, but the shit starts to fly if I don't perform up to snuff on one particular day? That's real love.

And then there's the professional side of my brain. I've been trying to get work done lately and it's been impossible for a few months. They can't return my call. It's Thanksgiving. Try back in ten days. TEN DAYS!! Then it's Christmas. That one shuts everything down for about a month. After that, there's the week-long New Year's thing. Now I can't get anything on Valentine's Day?? Guess who's had to work this whole damn time? ME!!

Thanks Hallmark. No wait...I mean GET BENT!!! Ha. Because greeting cards are bent. Funny.

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!!

Jibber Jabbah!

Not a lot going on here lately. For all intents and purposes, Skinner #5 is done. I'm waiting for the first round of official edits for Skinners 6 to come back to me. In the meantime, I'm ghost writing a few westerns and working on some new proposals for other series. Of course that doesn't mean I'm moving away from Skinners. It's just that, unless you're one of the 0.8% of writers who get to do one thing and sit back to rake it in, you gotta hustle. I'm pretty sure only about 5% of professional writers JUST write for a living, and most of them ain't rich.

I was talking earlier about how much I love Steampunk, so I'm putting together some stuff for that. Shaping up to be VERY cool. Also have lines in the water in the science fiction and mystery genres. Yes, mystery! I know! I wouldn't imagine me doing this either, but I came up with an idea that I would LOVE to do so I'm giving it a shot. Maybe I have some sort of attention....something where my attention doesn't focus. Focus? It's something where I....I don't know. What was I talking about? Anyway, my mind comes up with a lot of stuff and I want to write it all. Hopefully some of it sells.

Been catching up on my DVR backlog of Fringe and Stargate Universe episodes. Yes, SG-U isn't the best, but it's grown on me. Someone out there said the ship has a stargate on it because it can't LAND. Huh. Just sounds silly when you put it that way. Oh well. Also catching up on some gaming and movies. Finally got around to seeing The Other Guys with Will Ferrell. "Gator needs his gat!!" Awesome.

Back to work for me.

Taking a quick peek at the rest of the world

Funny thing about DVRs. Although it's great to have shows to watch whenever you want with the ability to skip commercials, I find myself both in sync and behind everyone else. I hear about a new show like Bob's Burgers and can find it, tape it and watch it right away. Wow! Then there are shows that slip through the cracks for a while and I watch months later to be thrown off by stale ads. Wait a second! New Hell's Kitchen ALREADY?? SWEET!!! Oh, that's an ad from last season. Doh.



I swore I wouldn't watch American Idol after...I don't know...sometime a few years ago. To be honest, I can't even tell you who won the last few seasons I did watch. That useless knowledge gets instantly purged after it passes my eyes. You know...like the emergency number to the police or what my allergies are. Idol has a new season and new judges. Mainly I wanted to see how Steven Tyler would do. Personally, I was a big fan of Simon and loved watching him rip apart people who couldn't sing and have "always been dreaming about this moment". Seriously? ALWAYS? When you were a child, you stayed awake at night daring to dream about standing in line at a hotel and screeching in front of celebrities? Diff'rent strokes. My fear with the new judge lineup was that (since they are performers) they would be extra lenient in letting people get through. From what little I saw (meaning the first episode) I may be right. They really do fall for the sob stories. I'll tell ya, those don't usually work. I've been rejected plenty of times by editors who didn't give a rat's ass about my history. I'm just waiting for the intro to Hollywood Week when Ryan Seacrest says, "Of the 13,000 people who tried out, only 11,437 remain. WHO will be the NEXT American Idol?"





Eh, whatever. I recommend Bob's Burgers and Archer for you animation fans. I still love Fringe with all of my heart. Hawaii Five-O is cool. And then there's The Cape....sigh. Don't get me started on The Cape.