Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 49

Shelley Wasn’t a Corpse-Stitching Necromancer

Spring is definitely ushering in a lot of change on my end. Allllllllll good, and forcing me to clean, reorganize, get situated, and uncover new opportunities where I can. I am reinvigorated by the sunshine! Today, though, I put on my serious face. Ready?

A long time ago, I got into an heated argument about author’s intent with respect to Frankenstein. I will never forget this discussion, because my professor claimed that intent didn’t matter. (Never mind that I was surrounded by all of my classmates. I, um… I’ve simmered down quite a bit since then.) She pointed to all the outside influences Shelley had, pointed to what might have inspired her, her past tragedies, building her case. And it was a good case, too. Victorian era life — especially for women — was not the romanticized life often popularized today. All that aside, Shelley wrote Frankenstein on a dare, and Lord Byron’s invitation sparked an idea, one that led to her signature work.

Do I feel that author’s intent matters? Yes and no. Varying degrees of intent will shape many things about a story, but what it can’t and won’t do is guarantee how that work will be received.

Hence the title for my post today, for there has been a lot of discussion lately about the more problematic aspects of fiction online. Namely, how rape, race, and gender are handled, and whether or not it accurately reflects the writer as a person. This is not a new conversation, mind. This is a very old conversation. Ancient. Most horror writers have had to put up with this — even me.

The conversation goes something like this:

“Why are you writing about cultists?”

“Because they’re a good fit for this story, and the cultist implies a certain–”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THE OCCULT? YOU MUST BE A SATAN-WORSHIPPER, ZOMG!”

“Um…”

Women? Yeah, we get it worse. Shelley was not someone who cut up corpses for funsies; she wrote her story on a dare. The comments about horror writers make me giggle, really, because I write in the genre because I like writing in the genre. Not because I want to do those horrible things in real life, nor because I’m promoting that horrible thing, either. There are writers who do promote their world views in their fiction, and some of them come forth and relay that. Even so, promoting a belief doesn’t actually make that person a terrible, evil person. Add in the layer of “I need to promote myself so here’s my shiny, new writer’s platform which is based on this stunningly outrageous belief so I get attention!!” and I need time to sort through that. (See also: a long, windy rant about writer’s platforms.)

And this is where I believe the conversation of author’s intent then deviates to how the reader interprets the work. Currently, this specific point is also where I’m having a huge disconnect, and where I get confused and tired and frustrated. I do think it’s a good idea to critique works and have those hard discussions. This is how the craft improves; this is how writers take new risks, too.

However, I’m not a fan of accusing the author of being a terrible, human being by default, just because they wrote or said something I don’t agree with. (The reverse is also true: popularity and success often excuses the worst sort of human behavior, so I don’t believe the person is an exemplary human being because I love a book that person wrote.) It’d be great if I could discuss certain aspects openly, without being afraid that the author will be attacked by others, or without that author believing I’m attacking her/him, or without someone turning around and doing the same thing to me.

Satan-worshipping is WAY easier than being a writer.*

*cues ominous music*

Now, if only those demonic rituals would conjure me up more words… Who is the Demon of Prose, anyway? Oh right, that’d be me.

* My sarcastic side is poking through. Heh.

Mood: I have coffee. Life is good.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Coffee is the blood that floweth through my veins.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Got sick. (Don’t ask.)

In My Ears: LOUD BRAIN IS LOUD.

Game Last Played: Samurai vs. Zombies and Samurai vs. Zombies 2

Book Last Read: An encyclopedia about the paranormal. Something, something.

Movie Last Viewed: The Matrix

Latest Artistic Project: CLASSES! But… Shoot. Need pictures.

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Mortal Remains

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, short stories, and novels.

For the Love of Story

I’ve decided to keep Raymond Day in my novel. I feel the story is going to suffer greatly without it; he needs to be there. Day, who first appeared in The Queen of Crows, is a problematic character for a few reasons. First, his origin story dates back to the Westward expansion in the 1830s era. He is a vampire (not spoiling anything by telling you that) and how he became an undead being that can only survive on human blood is the stuff of nightmares. But that particular detail, mind, is tied to what happened historically. Yes, it’s alternate history. However, to make his Native American character believable, certain details reflect what happened at the time. I haven’t settled on a specific tribe yet, as he played a minor role in the short story, but thinking Cherokee might be the best fit.

I have a stack of books on the subject, and the one I started reading last night is by Peter Nabokov. It’s called Indian Running, Native American Testimony: From Prophecy to the Present 1442 – 1992. I’ve decided to take the academic approach, by reading first-hand accounts, to make Day’s character believable — but also handle one of the trickier bits about him. That is, often when Native American characters are presented in fiction (if at all), there’s a tendency to put them in a historical context as if they are invisible in the modern world. (This is a PolicyMic article that gives a brief overview of some of those issues.)

On the flip side, there is also a tendency to lump every tribe together, so a character becomes representative of all Native Americans; much like when whites are all lumped together and the distinction between the French and the English, for example, is completely erased. Saying that all tribes got along just fine is like saying all of Europe is one big happy family. Really, the lumping occurs from a lack of knowledge. It’s easy to categorize when you don’t know the details, and as a writer it’s my job NOT to do that.

Am I obsessing about research? Oh hell, yes. I’m going to get parts wrong, but at the same time? I would rather be smart about characterization, which is often embedded in the style of language and descriptions I use, than be like: “Oh hey, here’s this pulp-y character that comes along and is there to move the plot forward.” There are very few Native Americans in modern-day fiction. Few. I can’t remember the last time I saw one in a film; The Prophecy, maybe? Native Americans are not fantasy elves with mystical powers that have their own form of magic because of their deep connection to the land. Beliefs? Yes. Aliens from outer space? No.

And what of those beliefs? Well, you see this is the other reason why research is a requirement for me. No two tribes are alike, and beliefs vary widely. The vast majority of Native American beliefs don’t match European goals and thought processes, either. That’s where these accounts are helping me, because I am reading and seeing exactly what people from the era believed, what they experienced, and how they viewed the expansion. Hey, big hint folks: it’s not what Hollywood has depicted. Ever.

I’m lucky, I suppose, in that there’s no shortage of materials out there. I think the only reason I’m not (lucky), is because it’s going to take me longer to finish writing the book, but once I have his character down it’ll go much faster. I mean, sure it sounds like an excuse. Research can be a way to procrastinate, but the thing is: I’m not reading any of these books or diving in because I don’t trust myself as a writer, or because I’m freezing up, or any of those other “lets-beat-ourselves-up” reasons… I’m reading all this to internalize the information, so that I do the best job I possibly can. With so few Native American characters out there, that’s immensely important to me, and I’d never forgive myself if I was sloppy about it even though I’m writing fiction knowing what I know. Call it pride or whatever you like, but that’s just how it’s gotta be. I LOVE BEING A WRITER. And this? This research? It’s part of my job.

Mood: Strangely strange.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Quite a bit.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I moved. Well, kind of.

In My Ears: White noise. ZZZzzzzzz

Game Last Played: Ninjas versus Zombies

Book Last Read: Indian Running, Native American Testimony: From Prophecy to the Present 1442 – 1992

Movie Last Viewed: Kill Bill II

Latest Artistic Project: Art classes. SON OF A BISCUIT! That reminds me…

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Mortal Remains

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, short stories, and novels.

The Lowdown on Stuff I Like. Starting with 9.

Last week, I decided I’m going to blog on occasion about stuff I like. It’s the censored version, in the sense that there won’t be a lot of swear-y bits, but at the same time it’s not the “I’m kissing butt” or the “I’m boasting about stuff I’ve worked on” variety. (If you haven’t met me, well…I’m very bad at those two things. HAH!) I think of this more as a window into my world: how I research, what I respond to, why I’m analyzing a piece of work. And in the effort of FULL disclosure, yes the links will likely be affiliate-related — but as I am not in the top tier of wealthy writers yet? So it goes.

PLUS, there’s a mega-ton of negativity out there, and really…less of that please. I mean, the entire reason why I wanted to write in genre is because it was fun — not because it felt like a chore or made me want to cry. Eesh. I’m also of the belief that if you (or I) love a work that much, it can be inspiring to apply the lessons learned to works of our own. Fans are the reason why I write, but the inspiration and the creativity I have doesn’t come out of thin air. It originates from everything around me: exhibits I go to, paintings I like — even books I consume or movies I inhale. Now, I might bore you with some of my comments about art or music in general, but I got the movies, comics, books, and games thing down.

So today, I start with a movie that came out nine years ago: 9. There might be some spoilers here, but as it’s been NINE YEARS (she says, unironically), anything I say is in service to my overall point. This didn’t air nine minutes ago (*coughs* Game of Thrones)!

9 was a problematic movie for me when I first saw it, because it debuted with a lot of hype. When I go into a film, thinking it’s going to be the next what-have-you, then I have a certain set of expectations. Here, this wasn’t a Tim Burton film persay. Not in the same way I was already expecting, mind. Not in that Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, or Beetlejuice operandus modi.

This movie begins with a short film by the creator, Shane Acker. The long form version originated out of a short form film by the same name, and you can find the original movie at the publisher’s website. 9 was groundbreaking animation at the time, and those visuals can dazzle me, but as I am married to story? There was a part of me that got suckered in to how great the film would be based on the chugga-chugga of the marketing train. When I saw it, I did enjoy it, but the experience was lessened by the hype.

Fast forward to today, where this movie was translated into Blu-Ray. I watched it again, this time paying attention to story. Animation has dramatically and significantly increased in production value since 2005, so the SFX and the hype are long gone for me. The story, to me, was about alchemy. That field, in an allegorical sense when applied to Western alchemists, as alchemy can be found in many different cultures, has elements of the Corn King or Christ myth. Sacrificing oneself to be resurrected later is a powerful theme, and here the scientist takes an action that allows that to happen.

In some ways, the main scientist’s character arc parallels Voldemort from the Harry Potter series. Here’s where they are different: the Scientist created something new and wondrous, and that science was co-opted by those who’d abuse it. Voldemort, on the other hand, has been presented as a boy/man unable to escape his fate, because of his lineage, his family. He never fights what he is, and he gets aggressive, manipulating other Hogwarts professors to split his soul *wink, wink* into Horcruxes.

That said, there are similarities between the two that I see. Voldemort’s pieces of soul both were and weren’t sentient. Contained in objects, each Horcrux had a kind of survival instinct. They chittered. And, when opened, the full brunt of his nasty soul came to bear. The journal, too, is possibly the best example of a sentient part of Voldemort’s soul, for when it was opened, a “shade” of his personality came out. How those shades manifested did vary somewhat, but they were all evil. In part, because the Horcruxes were made by committing acts of murder so that he could survive.

The Scientist in 9, for purposes of comparison, did something similar. Instead of acting on malice, his self-preservation was bound to his desire for redemption and to restore humanity to the world. When the Scientist split his soul, it was with the intent to save humanity. Each of his “Horcruxes” were rag dolls, with their own unique personalities, shapes, and — more importantly — motives. The conflict in 9 isn’t just an outward one, between the Matrix-like robots and the rag dolls, it’s also inward, too. The Scientist, in some respects, is fighting himself to survive.

What I liked about the film now, was the layers of storytelling present in the visual effects. Color, for example, is very important to this movie, as is texture and light and the shape of the rag doll’s eyes. There is a very specific attention to detail here, and I’m appreciative of that. I also really love the way that the alchemy was presented, because the whole point of this film is that the Scientist didn’t know if he was going to be successful. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know where I’m coming from if you watch the ending again. Too, that ending scene? Hugely important. Even the shape used — which forms a pentagram — is important in the overall scheme of things. (e.g. Fibonacci sequence, five wounds for the Christ figure on the cross, etc.)

For all these reasons and more, I feel that 9 is one of those movies where it’s worth watching again. If you see it on the first time, sure there’s a story there. But watch it on the second or third time, and more details come to light. The main plot IS clear; it’s not reinforced over and over and over again like some movies today are. I will say that if you’re watching on the first time, though, put down your phones, tables, and instruments of distraction. It’s a movie with an interesting message, and I’m glad I’ve added it to my collection.

New Release: Bucking the Tiger

Out in the black, a friend who pays back what they owe is as rare as a fresh strawberry. The Crew arrives on Renao just in time to witness the life drain out of Annie Foy’s body before she could settle up her debt. Sheriff Leonard Cao suspects the murderer is taking part in a high-stakes game of cards at the Shenandoah Rush casino and needs the Crew’s help to crack the case. Was it Sharklip Shen, the Triad gangster who controls the casino? Was Big Cassie Sagira, the Companion with a secret, responsible? Butch Guying, a known killer and Browncoat raider? Or perhaps Annie ran afoul of the mysterious Alliance officer known only as The Colonel?

New today, Bucking the Tiger is a brand new Echoes of War Episode for your gaming table. I developed this adventure, and Rob Wieland wrote it. Shiny!

Mo*Con and Writing the Other

Mo*Con is a gathering of writers and fans in Indianapolis that’s put together by my friend Maurice Broaddus. This year’s theme was writing the other. I had a wonderful time and was anxious to have the discussion about writing the other, because it directly impacts my original work. You see, this has always been important to me for many reasons, and I’ve struggled with the conversations that have been happening on the internet. There’s a lot of anger, hurt feelings, and strong opinions that come from many different perspectives in circulation, and few solutions. There are people who believe that I (meaning writers who share a similar background to myself), can’t and shouldn’t write characters who hail from different ethnic heritages or cultures. There are folks who think that I should step back, and just let a person of color write the story I want to write, and take a safer route.

I’ve heard a lot of arguments against writing the other. Too many. It’s forced me to freeze up on occasion, because what if I get it wrong. What if I piss somebody off. What if… And that anxiety that I have comes from a very personal, very challenging set of experiences that I have with the subject in general. Experiences that spur me to write about all different kinds of people, to spend the time on research and reading, to read and continue reading unique perspectives in storytelling, to pore through lots and lots of history books. Though all that may be true? None of that means anything because the most important thing — in fact the ONLY THING — that matters is how the other is reflected in the stories I write. All the research in the world doesn’t mean crap unless I’m applying that and, in the absence of telling stories, that’s what I do. Obsess and research and obsess some more.

What Mo*Con did for me, was to say: “Yes, write the other. But be considerate.” Okay, I’m pretty sure I have the considerate part down. “And, that includes thinking about your audience.” That little gem, which came from Chesya Burke, really nailed it for me. Who your audience is explains a LOT about the response. It isn’t just a story, mind, it’s a story that different people will identify with. This is what the internet has done. It’s highlighted that not all readers hail from the same demographic. If I am writing, and I picture my audience is mostly readers like myself, then I don’t have to worry necessarily about how an Italian-American woman will respond to a Jamaican character. I do, however, need to worry about how a Jamaican reader might react to seeing a character like her in my stories. To figure that out, it’s as simple as finding beta readers who can read those stories and tell me what I did right or wrong.

Avoiding stereotypes, to me, is just common sense because that’s the least I can do. But the idea that I shouldn’t write other and diverse characters because I don’t share someone’s cultural background is ludicrous. I am not afraid to write the other. I am afraid, however, to get it wrong — and guess what? I will. I will screw that up, just like I’ll screw something else up in my stories. Maybe I get a fact wrong or a translation or a character description. I’m not writing to be perfect, mind, I can never be that. Never. And I’m okay with that, really. I just don’t want to deeply offend anyone, but at the same time I’m not going out of my way to piss people off.

Having positive, supportive people around me does help, too, which is another reason I am deeply grateful for the Mo*Con experience. If anything, that’s quite possibly the most important thing to take away from this. It’s having the right people around me, to support my efforts and my writing, to not be so negative or dismissive. The internet can be a wondrous thing, but especially when it comes to topics like this? Comments (from both strangers and people you know) can introduce insecurity and more reasons not to write — and I think there’s quite enough of those, thank you. Instead, I seek reasons to say “YES!” starting with one story (and one reader) at a time.

Mood: Blargh.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um… Well, there was that one.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Snoring.

In My Ears: Noise-cancelling headphones are glorious.

Game Last Played: Ninjas versus Zombies

Book Last Read: A book I put down. It suxx0red.

Movie Last Viewed: Nine

Latest Artistic Project: Art classes. SON OF A BISCUIT! That reminds me…

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Mortal Remains

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, short stories, and novels.

Packing Up the Office

I am back from C2E2. Back from Mo*Con. Two new releases are debuting shortly, and I’ve got more in the hopper — but my free time is now occupied with packing, working out (after airport debacle starting a running program titled “YOUR CONNECTION IS IN 15 MINUTES”), and not getting burned by the day star. (Also, sending “Thank Yous” and other manners of social importance, for I am pre-occupied with many things that have nothing to do with the human space, but everything to do with story-based obsessions.)

To make light of this move, which requires going through my books and comics and games and toys and important worldly possessions? I shall post pictures of THINGS IN MY OFFICE.

To be super-timely… This poster of the Millennium Falcon has graced my walls since I first HAD a personal space to write. Yes, this is the original Star Wars Insider poster from longer-than-I-care-to-admit-ago.

I have many other things on my walls, but as I am lazy with Real LifeTM matters, decals allow me to avoid this thing called “painting.” Keith Haring is one of my favorite artists, and I picked up some wall decals from IKEA a few years back. Here are some iterations that are currently available for sale: Apartment Therapy’s Keith Haring Decal Recs. I can, however, vouch that IKEA’s Wall Decals do in fact stick. The space invaders kinda rock; although I’d like to see Tim Burtonesque scrolls on my walls.

That’s it for today. But yes, the next few months are FLASH! WHOA-OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Mood: I’m back in the saddle again.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I didn’t count. There may have been a martini or two.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Airport shuffle.

In My Ears: WHO IS SKYPING ME NOW ZOMG?

Game Last Played: Ninjas versus Zombies

Book Last Read: A book I put down. It suxx0red.

Movie Last Viewed: Scratches head. Cannot remember.

Latest Artistic Project: Art classes. SON OF A BISCUIT! That reminds me…

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Mortal Remains

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, short stories, and novels.

New Release: Mortal Remains for Hunter the Vigil

As the Prey Evolves…

Everywhere you turn, a vampire eats some poor factory worker. Werewolves shred cars. Witches curse the innocent. Serial killers devastate communities.

But what about the stranger aspects of the World of Darkness?

Mortal Remains picks up where we left off with Night Stalkers, Spirit Slayers, Witch Finders, and Slashers. In Mortal Remains, we explore the Vigil as it pertains to mummies, changelings, prometheans, demons, and sin-eaters.

So Too Must the Hunter…

Inside Mortal Remains, you’ll find:

Fiction and ideas for bringing these strange monsters into your Hunter: The Vigil chronicle.
New Dread Powers to represent their fearsome arsenals.
New Compacts and Conspiracies.
Conversions to adapt Hunter: The Vigil’s rules to be compliant with The God-Machine Chronicle’s rules updates.

Mortal Remains is available in digital at DriveThruRPG.com. The print edition will be released soon! I got the chance to edit this supplement and write/design the interstitial fiction for it. WOO!

The Life Update

2013 was a great year for me professionally, but crappy personally. It did end on a high note, though, and there is that! But, the dread pirate Apathy sailed into town, and got stuck in the ice. Bad winter, terrible mood all around. Now that it’s well past Spring (and into 2014, already), I’ve been taking advantage of the thaw to kick Apathy where it hurts and blow a hole in his ship. Some changes, like my stepping down from my position as John Kovalic’s business manager, and my conscious decision to not highlight my “support” gigs, were decisions I made to focus on the reason why I’m here, alive, and kicking — writing. Everything else I’ve done and continues to do allows me to write, either full-time or part-time. Others, like f-bomb’ing moving, came up suddenly. Now I’m in a whirlwind of change, which is forcing me to focus on what really matters.

This is all a good thing. Apathy blows. Apathy is, by far, the worst possible beast to fight, because when I stop caring, I stop fighting, and some things are worth fighting for. Still, I think apathy also came into play, because there are SO MANY THINGS to fight for or about, and I hit decision paralysis. The thing is, I do care about what’s happening, but I don’t have time to participate in every discussion, and more and more there is always something to be outraged about. (As I mentioned yesterday.)

So instead, I plan on doing something about it. Being an online activist is not worthwhile for me, because I don’t feel it’s a productive use of my time, and I can have a bigger impact by focusing on what I can do in Real LifeTM. When I am near a computer, I have to write. That is my job. Instead, I am figuring out a battle plan to compartmentalize and choose “Yes, I want this!” and go forth and do. (See www.volunteermatch.org or www.micromentor.org for the general direction I’m thinking of.)

Right now though, I’m feeling like I’m being swept up in a tornado. Probably won’t get around to volunteering until the Fall, but so it goes. A lot of change on the horizon, and landing in Oz isn’t necessarily a bad thing — just… Whiny, I suppose. Whiny, because getting settled in is going to take a long while.

Thankfully, I am taking a break today and have a full day of art classes lined up. Then, I’ll be heading to C2E2 tomorrow to talk about Firefly, meet up with one of my comic publishers, see my artist, etc. It promises to be a good weekend, for sure.

Overall though, I’m feeling…disconnected a bit. Head is down, focused on this very specific list of things to do, and whatever kerfluffle is going on? That I can do without. But, I want to read what’s going on with folks, to stay on top of what’s happening, etc. Not sure if that means I need to do more conventions or just zero in on some patience for the next couple of weeks, but I’m here and I’m chug-a-chug-chugging. Seeing friends really helps. And cat smothering. But, um…

Yeah.

Mood: The day star is bright and it needs to go away WTF.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I think three.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: HAHAHHAHHAHHA

In My Ears: A nagging reminder I should feed my fish.

Game Last Played: Eternal Sonata (stupid onions)

Book Last Read: Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas

Movie Last Viewed: The Eagle or some Rome re-enactment movie with terrifyingly awful accents.

Latest Artistic Project: Art classes TO-DAY!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Firefly RPG corebook

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels.

Progress Report #4: Time Machine

If you’ve been following my progress reports, you’ve probably seen a lot about Firefly – with good reason. This has been the primary focus for my efforts last year. In fact, it was SO busy, I mis-numbered my progress reports, so you get a retro version of all that’s been happening.

Games

Last time, I mentioned I have a number of games and supplements in development. The ones listed here are either on my immediate “you must do this now” horizon, the second (or third) draft has been handed in, or it’s out in the wilds. I also pitched a video game, and hope to hear something back in a week or two on that.

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn RPG – Ironically, Mr. Sanderson was at Gen Con but we never connected. I haven’t received feedback yet, but my understanding is that this new supplement is still on the horizon.
Echoes of War: Friends In Low Places – Will be running this at brand new Nexus convention in Milwaukee.
Free Interactive Crew and Ship Sheets – Offered this for fans recently. Free download!
Firefly RPG – Digital is out. Waiting for feedback on print.
Echoes of War: Freedom Flyer – Debuted Winter 2013.
Echoes of War: Bucking the Tiger – Next adventure in the hopper. We’re potentially looking at a May release for this one.
Things Don’t Go Smooth – Planning a GenCon release for this one.
Echoes of War: Volume 1 – Collects the first four Echoes of War releases into a print edition. Also looking at a GenCon release.
Vampire the Masquerade: Red List – Working on it! Writing, writing, writing.
Hunter the Vigil: Mortal Remains – Waiting approval right now. I wrote and designed the interstitial fiction for this supplement; I also edited this book.
World of Darkness: Dark Eras – Wrote the Hunter: the Vigil supplement for this book for 1690s Colonial America. Waiting feedback on third draft prior to approval.

 

Comics

Lots going on here, but nothing new to announce just yet. I turned down a comic that…well, let’s just say the contract was not good.

Last Man Zombie Standing – This came out! The anthology it’s featured in will be available at C2E2.

 

Fiction

Nothing to announce just yet. I am focusing on long form, but have opened up to anthology invites.

 

Consulting

This will be the last time you see a consulting update from me. I am continuing to work behind-the-scenes at Onyx Path Publishing, but I’ve since stepped down from my role with John Kovalic. Any support positions I take on will be invisible, primarily because I’m focused on writing and continuing to find work in that creative sphere. That doesn’t mean I won’t do consulting, it just means that in terms of highlighting all that I do, I’m focused on sharing what I write with readers like you. I’ve learned, the hard way I suppose, that there’s a difference between being in a support position and a creative one. The two don’t play well together reputation-wise.

Next time, though, I’ll talk about the conventions I’m attending. ‘Til then? Here you be!

Because Art is about Connecting

Haven’t been blogging lately and I do apologize for that. I’ve been dealing with life, the universe, and everything in the form of GenCon deadlines, upcoming move, getting ready for C2E2 and Mo*Con, and thinking the mighty thoughts about my personal work. Also, trying not to get pissed off about things like this (while this happened), this, or the 1,000 other things that are happening right now. Because, let’s face it…there’s no shortage of crap to get pissed off about.

This article, however…this is good.

Social equality activists argue for more representation of minorities in fiction. There are many good reasons to do this, but for any creator, the biggest reason should be “to make better art”. When the same old characters are dancing to the same old plots choreographed with the same old tropes and the same old twists, only the same old segment of society is allowed to see themselves reflected in art. And even that segment is only allowed to get the same messages they always have about themselves. The mirror is cracked and the reflective backing is faded. It ceases to be useful even for the intended audience. — SOURCE: Reflected in Ice: An Aspergers Review of Frozen

Somewhat related to the topic, sharing a few links. This is awesome. (Explore the site, by the way, there’s a series shot for Women’s History Month, too.) And this, which was a recent discovery, followed by this (which probably means more to me than to you).

And now that I’ve shared a few links that aren’t Hulk smash-y smash-y, that are worth checking into? I need to get back to writing, to reading, to creating instead of consuming, by falling into the TRAP that is social media. TRAP! After all, I am here to write my proverbial bum off. Either way, I rather like sharing kick-ass things to check out that aren’t a) viral, temporal b.s. and b) rage-inducing. Hrmm…note to self: do more of that. Also, wear a mood ring. APPARENTLY.

Well, butter chicken first…because really, what is life without butter chicken? This may be the greatest mystery in the history of the modern era.

Mood: [F-bomb] times 1,000. Pissed at self for getting distracted. Then double-pissed because I got distracted because I got pissed. [F-bomb] squared!

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Um…do I REALLY NEED TO DISCLOSE THIS?

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Um…

In My Ears: Too much peripheral noise caused by panicked screams. Yes, those are coming from me… Really… NO RY’LEH.

Game Last Played: Eternal Sonata

Book Last Read: Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas

Movie Last Viewed: In Time

Latest Artistic Project: National Craft Month

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Firefly RPG corebook

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels.