Although the print version of the "Deadly Bargain" anthology has yet to be published, the Kindle edition has received a positive review which can be read here.
Regular readers of this blog know I'm not so egocentric as to only include reviews that mention my stories and name, so they shouldn't be surprised I'm including this one. My point of view is every positive mention helps whether I am singled out or not.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Alternative Theologies Reading Event (I won't be there).
As if I needed another reminder of why it sucks to live where the world of fiction writing is not well-represented, I received the following email regarding an opportunity to read my work along with other authors appearing in the "Alternative Theologies" anthology. Sounds great except for one thing:
It's in Seattle :(
"Alternative Theologies authors are invited to read (along with authors from Alternative Truths: Endgames and After the Orange) Friday, March 29, 6:30 p.m., at the University Bookstore (on “The Ave” near the University of Washington) in Seattle.
Please let me know if you would like to be part of this group reading so I can get our lineup to the bookstore’s promotions folks.
It’s on a Friday evening, which I hope will make it a bit easier for folks coming longer distances, perhaps from Eastern Washington.
Stephanie Weippert, Bruce Taylor, and John A. Pitts are signed up to read (they responded to my post on B Cubed’s Facebook page).
Apologies to those of you receiving this mailing who are not within driving distance of Seattle, who have received a duplicate mailing for authors also in Endgames — I wasn’t sure, and didn’t want to leave anyone out of this invitation."
Sigh.
I'm sure there's a lovely auto show or hockey game I can participate in instead...
Monday, February 18, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Latest Other Blog Post.
I've been remiss in my link-providing duties because I'm not used to having a second blog anymore. It's been several years and that other blog is no longer fit for public consumption. However, the new one is up and running. The most recent post is our take on the Bill Maher/Stand Lee/Comics non-troversey. We focus on who Maher is and why he seems so content with being a shriveled up little douche-nugget rather than getting deeply into what is already a proven quality medium.
Read it here, Comment there!
Read it here, Comment there!
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Official Release.
The "Deadly Bargain: A Colors in Darkness Anthology" Kindle Edition is now live and ready for ordering. This one features my short story, "Your Future for a Low, Low Price," a tale I'm rather proud of.
Order it here.
Order it here.
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Not Sure What This Says About Me...
As I've written recently, my run of luck in regards to getting published this still new year has not been encouraging. It didn't help that I went on my Amazon Author Central page yesterday and noticed a review of one of my short stories from about four years ago. It was a reader review. He clearly put a lot of thought into it and somehow found a single word that perfectly encapsulated his feelings:
CRAP.
I'm not the only one whose story he labeled with this cutting dismissal either. At least 80% of the anthology received what I call the other "C-word" in response to its offerings. I was a bit taken aback, having never seen a review with such negative finality before. Then I got a look at his picture and started laughing because, frankly, he looked like the comic relief in a certain type of film from a certain country that isn't known for its high-end cinema.
Still, my amusement aside, his hilarious appearance doesn't negate his right to have an opinion that doesn't make me feel good about my writing. I certainly would never want to curtail a person's ability to express himself as he sees fit as long as it's not abusive. Besides, the review was from three years ago and, as we say in the field, at least he took the time to write a review. Frankly, the positive reviews still outweigh the negative ones.
When I place my so-called run of bad luck into perspective, most of the stories that have been rejected were actually submitted in the final two months of 2018, basically right on top of one another. Of course they would start coming in the same way they went out! Besides, I have a short story and a piece in a non-fiction book both coming out in the next few weeks. So, how exactly is this a bad start to the New Year?
So, for now, I will cease and desist my whining. Oh, and no, I am not going to share a link to the "crap" review. Do your own research~
CRAP.
I'm not the only one whose story he labeled with this cutting dismissal either. At least 80% of the anthology received what I call the other "C-word" in response to its offerings. I was a bit taken aback, having never seen a review with such negative finality before. Then I got a look at his picture and started laughing because, frankly, he looked like the comic relief in a certain type of film from a certain country that isn't known for its high-end cinema.
Still, my amusement aside, his hilarious appearance doesn't negate his right to have an opinion that doesn't make me feel good about my writing. I certainly would never want to curtail a person's ability to express himself as he sees fit as long as it's not abusive. Besides, the review was from three years ago and, as we say in the field, at least he took the time to write a review. Frankly, the positive reviews still outweigh the negative ones.
When I place my so-called run of bad luck into perspective, most of the stories that have been rejected were actually submitted in the final two months of 2018, basically right on top of one another. Of course they would start coming in the same way they went out! Besides, I have a short story and a piece in a non-fiction book both coming out in the next few weeks. So, how exactly is this a bad start to the New Year?
So, for now, I will cease and desist my whining. Oh, and no, I am not going to share a link to the "crap" review. Do your own research~
Monday, February 4, 2019
A Different Kind of Published Piece
The beginning of 2019 has not been a stellar one for me in the short story acceptance arena. As the stories I submitted toward the end of last year have started getting read, they have not wound up finding a home at their intended anthologies. It's been a tad disheartening, especially considering the relatively good year I had in 2018. Fiction is my main focus as a writer but it's not all that I write. It's been a while since I had any non-fiction published, but that changed recently with the impending release of a collection that means a great deal to me.
The above pictured collection features something that means as much to me as any speculative fiction anthology. XTC has long been my favorite band and it's an honor to be included in a book by Mark Fisher with, among other things, recollections from the members as well as fan remembrances. To know that my name will now be forever linked with XTC...well, I have no words. Most likely you've never heard of them and while they're not for everybody, their influence can be felt everywhere.
You can preorder the book here.
You can preorder the book here.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The Best Comment I've Seen About Bill Maher so far
This one came from an comment on social media but it perfectly puts into perspective how comics fans should regard Bill Maher's insipid comments about the form:
"He's a pot head drug addict who bangs strippers looking down on people who find entertainment, comfort...escape...in ways that don't harm themselves or others"
"He's a pot head drug addict who bangs strippers looking down on people who find entertainment, comfort...escape...in ways that don't harm themselves or others"
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Without Further Ado, I Present the Blog that the World Doesn't Know it's Been Waiting For!!!
There was a delay but things seem to be moving forward in a relatively positive direction now, so the first post on the new blog is up and ready for your evisceration!
We wound up not starting with the Spider-Man animated film so don't be too disappointed!
Click here to immerse yourselves in the gooey goodness!
We wound up not starting with the Spider-Man animated film so don't be too disappointed!
Click here to immerse yourselves in the gooey goodness!
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Two Pop Culture Things that are Annoying me at the Moment
Every so often, something occurs in the genre sub-culture that reminds me I work way too hard for way too little. This week, thanks to finally watching a TV series on DVD that premiered a year ago, I wound up with two things rightly pissing me off instead of just one, which is my weekly average.
I'll start with the less offensive one because even though it's moronic and awful, it lacks the personal connection I require to really throw up in my mouth.
I'm not what one would consider a Trekkie. My mom was one of the original ones, but I grew up on "Star Wars," which basically became the blueprint for my life along with comic books. It wasn't until the first "Star Trek" movie was released that I realized this old, cheesy-looking show had more going on than I'd thought. I loved the movies and became much more appreciative of the original series because of them. I also enjoyed "The Next Generation" despite creator Gene Roddenberry's bizarre, L Ron Hubbard-esque approach to the franchise. Watch the documentary Chaos on the Bridge to find out just how batshit crazy he'd gone. Still, the show got better and I enjoyed the films it spawned as well.
Then "Deep Space Nine" turned out to be a giant turd and no series after it was watchable to me. Besides, the vastly superior "Babylon 5" had shown what a laughably naive vision Roddenberry's was. The franchise went into hibernation after the abortion called "Enterprise" went off the air a year earlier. I felt it was time for it to die but JJ Abrams revived it with his enjoyable alternate timeline films. Now there is another series that supposedly takes place in the original timeline and it is, quite possibly, the worst one yet.
The acting makes the early TNG days look Oscar worthy. The so-called "Klingons" speak phonetically as if being fed lines. The main character is an arrogant, unlikable Mary Sue who is also somehow inept. The effects work looks like a bad early 2000s video game and once again everything looks too advanced to be taking place prior to the Kirk and Spock years. This article goes into greater detail than I think the show deserves.
Bottom line: Aside from the "Kelvin Timeline," the Star Trek franchise has nothing left to say and needs to go back to sleep. It's become a shameless parody of itself.
If that sounded angry, you either don't know me or you should probably avoid this next part. I can't promise there won't be swears a'plenty!
First off, take a look at this:
That's right. Much like the STD that refuses to be cured, Rob "What's Human Anatomy" Liefeld has once again decided to spray his venom all over the Marvel Universe. It isn't bad enough that he gave us the most annoying character in comics history, namely Deadpool. It isn't enough that he didn't even create the definitive version of that crappy character yet takes credit in the noble tradition of Bob Kane of Batman fame. Easily one of the most hated comic artists in, well, ever, Liefeld's total disregard for practical physics and anatomy under the hilarious pretense of stylistic choice is the reason most people despise him. Well, that and his cocky, self-entitled attitude.
As a writer, however, I despise him because he thinks he can write and he sucks as a visual artist. Entire pages have been devoted to his lack of talent. For example, click here and here.
Here is Liefeld's description of the character and his origin:
“When we were coming up with the team, I said look, back in 1991 I was jamming with two guys: Jim Lee on X-Men and Whilce Portacio on Uncanny X-Men. We were the three engines running that office in the early ‘90s when all the launches happened,” Liefeld says. “So I just reached out and said Whilce, I’m having a party, it’s called Major X, could you join? I sent him the plot, and we got him for a key chapter in the story. I’m a giant Whilce Portacio fan, fans were jamming on him and the stuff he was doing on Uncanny in the ’90s, and when he sent the pages, I could not be more thrilled. It’s 1991 again, I’m jamming with Whilce, we’re making X-Men comics. It’s myself, Brent Peeples, and Whilce. We are handling the art. I’m the bookends, and then Brent and Whilce are the middle chapters. There’s a pride of ownership when you go this is my team, we’re gonna introduce Major X and these new concepts. Marvel gave me six issues to tell the story, and I’ve seen three so far. It’s explosive, it’s jam-packed.”
Leaving the aside the ridiculous hipster-laden speech pattern, what really grinds my nuts is Liefeld's obvious total lack of growth. This guy had over two decades to mature and improve and all he could come up with is a thinly conceived character that's an obvious mish mash of Cable and Bishop with alternate universe theory switched out for time travel? And the character looks like the abandoned love-child of Boba Fett and Deadpool. Naturally, he has the requisite square-barreled handguns that probably never need to be reloaded and the samurai sword because...who the hell knows?
Then there's the ridiculous concept that sounds like an early draft of the New Universe character Justice. An entire universe of nothing but mutants? Seriously? What the fuckety fuck!? Does he not realize that they're no longer mutants if they're the only thing that exists? And where the hell is the dramatic tension? Why would we care if he wants to bring his universe back to life? And what is with that goddam sword on his back!?
ARGH!
This is the kind of hackery that gets rewarded. Liefeld was just about the highest paid comic artist at one time yet almost no one can say why. Even Todd MacFarlane realized he needed to concede his writing duties to someone more qualified.
Someone very important to me recently said I needed to lower my standards so I would be delighted when I saw things. Well, I am delighted when I see things: GOOD things. They do exist. For every Liefeld, there's a Brian Michael Bendis or Geoff Johns. But I have to work way too hard just to get the small opportunities I get to sit back with lowered standards while marginally talented assclowns keep puking their half-digested horseshit into the mainstream.
Okay, rants over.
Gonna go lie down now.
I'll start with the less offensive one because even though it's moronic and awful, it lacks the personal connection I require to really throw up in my mouth.
I'm not what one would consider a Trekkie. My mom was one of the original ones, but I grew up on "Star Wars," which basically became the blueprint for my life along with comic books. It wasn't until the first "Star Trek" movie was released that I realized this old, cheesy-looking show had more going on than I'd thought. I loved the movies and became much more appreciative of the original series because of them. I also enjoyed "The Next Generation" despite creator Gene Roddenberry's bizarre, L Ron Hubbard-esque approach to the franchise. Watch the documentary Chaos on the Bridge to find out just how batshit crazy he'd gone. Still, the show got better and I enjoyed the films it spawned as well.
Then "Deep Space Nine" turned out to be a giant turd and no series after it was watchable to me. Besides, the vastly superior "Babylon 5" had shown what a laughably naive vision Roddenberry's was. The franchise went into hibernation after the abortion called "Enterprise" went off the air a year earlier. I felt it was time for it to die but JJ Abrams revived it with his enjoyable alternate timeline films. Now there is another series that supposedly takes place in the original timeline and it is, quite possibly, the worst one yet.
The acting makes the early TNG days look Oscar worthy. The so-called "Klingons" speak phonetically as if being fed lines. The main character is an arrogant, unlikable Mary Sue who is also somehow inept. The effects work looks like a bad early 2000s video game and once again everything looks too advanced to be taking place prior to the Kirk and Spock years. This article goes into greater detail than I think the show deserves.
Bottom line: Aside from the "Kelvin Timeline," the Star Trek franchise has nothing left to say and needs to go back to sleep. It's become a shameless parody of itself.
If that sounded angry, you either don't know me or you should probably avoid this next part. I can't promise there won't be swears a'plenty!
First off, take a look at this:
As a writer, however, I despise him because he thinks he can write and he sucks as a visual artist. Entire pages have been devoted to his lack of talent. For example, click here and here.
Here is Liefeld's description of the character and his origin:
“When we were coming up with the team, I said look, back in 1991 I was jamming with two guys: Jim Lee on X-Men and Whilce Portacio on Uncanny X-Men. We were the three engines running that office in the early ‘90s when all the launches happened,” Liefeld says. “So I just reached out and said Whilce, I’m having a party, it’s called Major X, could you join? I sent him the plot, and we got him for a key chapter in the story. I’m a giant Whilce Portacio fan, fans were jamming on him and the stuff he was doing on Uncanny in the ’90s, and when he sent the pages, I could not be more thrilled. It’s 1991 again, I’m jamming with Whilce, we’re making X-Men comics. It’s myself, Brent Peeples, and Whilce. We are handling the art. I’m the bookends, and then Brent and Whilce are the middle chapters. There’s a pride of ownership when you go this is my team, we’re gonna introduce Major X and these new concepts. Marvel gave me six issues to tell the story, and I’ve seen three so far. It’s explosive, it’s jam-packed.”
Leaving the aside the ridiculous hipster-laden speech pattern, what really grinds my nuts is Liefeld's obvious total lack of growth. This guy had over two decades to mature and improve and all he could come up with is a thinly conceived character that's an obvious mish mash of Cable and Bishop with alternate universe theory switched out for time travel? And the character looks like the abandoned love-child of Boba Fett and Deadpool. Naturally, he has the requisite square-barreled handguns that probably never need to be reloaded and the samurai sword because...who the hell knows?
Then there's the ridiculous concept that sounds like an early draft of the New Universe character Justice. An entire universe of nothing but mutants? Seriously? What the fuckety fuck!? Does he not realize that they're no longer mutants if they're the only thing that exists? And where the hell is the dramatic tension? Why would we care if he wants to bring his universe back to life? And what is with that goddam sword on his back!?
ARGH!
This is the kind of hackery that gets rewarded. Liefeld was just about the highest paid comic artist at one time yet almost no one can say why. Even Todd MacFarlane realized he needed to concede his writing duties to someone more qualified.
Someone very important to me recently said I needed to lower my standards so I would be delighted when I saw things. Well, I am delighted when I see things: GOOD things. They do exist. For every Liefeld, there's a Brian Michael Bendis or Geoff Johns. But I have to work way too hard just to get the small opportunities I get to sit back with lowered standards while marginally talented assclowns keep puking their half-digested horseshit into the mainstream.
Okay, rants over.
Gonna go lie down now.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Pre-Order your copy of "Deadly Bargain" NOW!!!
The Kindle edition of "Deadly Bargain: A Colors in Darkness Anthology" is now available on Amazon for pre-order. The rule for this one was simple, so of course I almost didn't do it correctly. Basically, the stories needed to involve a bargain struck with a stranger that turns out badly for the protagonist. In other words, just enough detail but not so much that the act of creation becomes an act of constriction.
However, it wasn't until I was three-quarters of the way finished that I realized I'd missed one final detail: The bargain supplier had to be the same guy in every story. Normally that wouldn't be a problem if not for that fact that my contrary ass (apparently even on an unconscious level) had created a character who could not have been more opposite in appearance and national origin.
In a flash of inspiration (or desperation, if you prefer) I came up with a solution to what turned out to be a tiny problem. The point being made about hatred of the other carried even more weight now and, because I despise preachy fiction, I chose not to dwell on it for longer than a few sentences. What resulted was a story I consider one of the better ones I've written in the past year, my so-called "comeback" period.
Click here to learn more!
However, it wasn't until I was three-quarters of the way finished that I realized I'd missed one final detail: The bargain supplier had to be the same guy in every story. Normally that wouldn't be a problem if not for that fact that my contrary ass (apparently even on an unconscious level) had created a character who could not have been more opposite in appearance and national origin.In a flash of inspiration (or desperation, if you prefer) I came up with a solution to what turned out to be a tiny problem. The point being made about hatred of the other carried even more weight now and, because I despise preachy fiction, I chose not to dwell on it for longer than a few sentences. What resulted was a story I consider one of the better ones I've written in the past year, my so-called "comeback" period.
Click here to learn more!
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