Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 56

Nightmare Alley… With Nightmares from Yours Truly

An alien reality is infiltrating our world, replacing it piece by piece. Horrific creatures slink about unseen, stealing indiscriminately and leaving exact replicas in their wake. These simulacra are indistinguishable from the originals, and there’s no telling what will be the next target. It might be the fire hydrant down the street, the local post office, or an aged Merlot in a private wine cellar. A person can also be replicated and replaced… your neighbors, your friends, your family—anyone can be next. Even you.

There are a few men and women who can see the invaders creeping about our world. They wage a quiet war against the enemy while those who they struggle to protect recognize nothing of their sacrifice. They are the Anonymous, tragic heroes who risk more than just their lives in the struggle against the enemy; they risk their humanity.

Exquisite Replicas is a role-playing game of paranoia and horror where intolerable choices collide with the fragile hope of what it means to be human. The war must be won, but it is up to the players to decide at what cost.

A blast from my proverbial past, Exquisite Replicas is a game I had contributed to a few years ago. You can read my design notes on FlamesRising.com titled: “Initiation to Exquisite Replicas.”

For a few days, you can get a copy of this game and five other horror-related titles through the Bundle of Holding.

If you miss out, don’t worry! You can still find a copy of Exquisite Replicas on DriveThruRPG.com.

Scare thee well!

Link Salad. Caesar, not Garden.

I’ve pledged to blog more often than I normally do, but sometimes it’s hard coming up with “a” topic. Hence, today’s post is a link salad of some websites and articles I found.

Frankenstein – If you’re a Benedict Cumberbatch fan, you might want to check your local theatres for this 2010 performance. He alternates roles with Jonny Lee Miller and, based on the preview spot alone, it sounds like its an outstanding show.
Fiction is a Waste of Time – I found this article to be ironic, not because it plays into the whole “elitist” mindset that is so prevalent here in the states or that most writers are not rolling in the dough — but because a musician, a songwriter, made that claim. Songwriters tell stories! As a musician myself, I see a LOT of similarities between the two fields. Replace “literary” with “classical” and there’s kerfluffles even within that discipline. Sheesh.
Open Government Foundation – This was really interesting to me, because it’s a list of what legislation is going through the House. Sure, we’ve all heard of SOPA and PIPA, but this allows you to get in on the ground floor and see what’s being discussed.
Friends in Low Places – My new Episode is now number four on the hottest items list for DriveThruRPG.com. Many, many thanks for supporting my work. Huzzah!
Top 5 Excuses Stopping You From Finishing That Novel – And I quote: “Whatever the scenario, all of these aspiring authors feel frustrated and powerless by the writing process, rather than empowered. The more powerless they feel, the more frustrated they become. The more frustrated they become, the less they feel like writing. And, of course, the less they feel like writing, the less they get done.”
Dragon Age Legends Remix – This sounds so tempting, but I don’t want to play this blind. Have you? “Playing as Dragon Age Legends’ Viscount Ravi, players will learn about Ravi’s back story while fighting their way through hordes of demons and darkspawn. By completing levels of the Remix, players are able to earn gifts for their hero in Dragon Age Legends on Facebook.”
HWA Scholarships – Just dropping in a note that you, too, can apply for an HWA scholarship if you’re an active member. I used to be, but I believe I let that lapse for now.
The Problem With Medium – This post talks about content farms and offers a warning. It’s a model that does favor the publisher and tends to earn them lots and lots of money. Think what you will about them. Certainly, I’m not advocating for or against them. I just think if you’re a good writer who wants to make a career based off of selling your work — do THAT. Don’t give it away in a business model where someone else profits off of what you provide.

And that’s it for today’s link salad!

Mood: SO CAFFEINATED RIGHT NOW ZOMG

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Coffee plus a single Pepsi Max. Noticing how much caffeine hits me when I drink pop.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: For the ever-lovin’ wash… FOUR LOADS.

In My Ears: Water filter and drawbridge! (new fish tank)

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Research materials for work

Movie Last Viewed: Alice in Wonderland

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Friends in Low Places

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

New Release: Friends in Low Places

Sometimes meeting up with old friends in Serenity View is cause for celebration—but not this time. Over drinks, you and your Crew discover that Monty’s new wife Daisy has gone missing. Worse, your pal thinks that Virgil Morningstar, a Guild trader with a heap of Alliance connections, had something to do with her disappearance. By the time you find out Daisy ain’t the only one who’s vanished, you and your Crew’ll be neck-deep in trouble and hard-pressed to find your way out of it. Thing is, if you do unravel this little mystery, you’ll claim a big reward and be heroes to boot.

Friends in Low Places is part of the Echoes of War role-playing adventure series, which is centered on a common theme: the Unification War. Echoes of War adventures include basic rules to get you started. Main characters are found in the Serenity Crew, which is available separately. All releases in the Echoes of War line are compatible with the FIREFLY ROLE-PLAYING GAME, which is based on the television series by Joss Whedon.

I’m really excited to see this new Episode go live today. I had a lot of fun writing and playtesting this Episode with the following people in two, separate playtests: Matt M McElroy, Bill Bodden, Maurice Broaddus, Robert Farnsworth, Dylan “that bastard” Birtolo, Kelly Swails, Molly Findley, Donald Roberts, Mark Tassin, Douglas F. Warrick, Kyle S. Johnson, Danielle Friedman, and Gary Kloster.

What I found through GM’ing the Episode for two differently-sized groups, was that smaller groups might tend to hone in on the setting more, because there’s less banter happening at the table. This resulted in an enhancement to the Episode structure to address a concern Margaret and I had early on, about adding in setting. Since this is a very character-driven game, each location I developed incorporates a new character or “Extra.” Combined, those tweaks ensure that the setting helps flesh out the overall plot instead of distracting the Crew from their goal.

For larger groups, I saw how the system facilitated a full cast of nine players, and how important it was to clearly direct scenes. By using the phrase “cut to commercial” at the end of a scene, the group could wind down some while I managed the Assets and Complications on the table. Then, when we faded back in to the new scene, I offered the players a chance to recap what happened so far (to earn a plot point) and then set the next location.

So why all the playtesting? First, understand that while we do have a systems lead, I love this game and it’s my responsibility to be able to play/run scenarios so I can offer feedback from my perspective. The team did a fantastic job; the way the system was designed really, really lends itself to the feeling like you’re on the set of a Firefly television episode. Here, playtesting was a “must.” This Episode has five acts, true, but it also has a unique plot structure where (not spoiling anything by saying this) the players choose their allies over the course of the adventure. The decisions they make in their encounters with other characters, from the Prelude onward, impact the final showdown — and it’s a doozy!

I hope you have fun playing this Episode. There’s a lot more Firefly fun coming and I’m very excited to share with you what’s next for the line. The entire team has been head down for the past few weeks as we wrap up the corebook and continue working on the first supplement. Enjoy!

And the Changeth of Seasons-eth

First, before I say ANYTHING else… Some GOOD news! So far, you’ve helped raise over $2,000 to fight hunger through DriveThruFiction.com‘s Read and Feed charity drive. Thanks for downloading the bundle! If you haven’t, you have until the 20th. I’d *really* like to see this hit $5,000!

So how have things been going? It’s been a roller coaster these past few weeks, but thankfully everything’s beginning to normalize. I *really* don’t like to take my bad mood out on other people, but I’m grateful for the time spent with friends who understand that while I’m a strong-willed person, even I have awful days. But those are behind me, come hell or high water, I’ll make it so — it’s all about the ‘tude for me. Sometimes, I just need to hang upside down to catch a different perspective. Six impossible things before breakfast. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I’m happy that the government is back to it’s normal day-to-day operations; I have a lot of friends that were dramatically affected by the shutdown. I understand it’s a politically charged topic, like many issues are these days, but it is what it is: people I care about were directly affected by this. Some worked as contractors or in other public agencies associated with different branches of the government (e.g. outside of the 800,000 figure). Others had to go back into work with no guarantee they’d get paid for that time. Hopefully, things will go back to normal for them very, very soon.

I’ve dealt with ideological purity before and the destruction those beliefs can leave in its wake. I was reminded of this last night when I was looking at some of my b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bad poetry. Wrote this oh, a while ago, but it’s fairly apropos to how I’m feeling right now about all of this political mess:

Untitled

spinning in a square pattern

his spoken word one sad vibration

of logic and the one way

of naught perception, nay

so Truth spins wayward from his line

Statistics take their place up high

emotions fall the Great fall

failing his so smart conclusions

they die the silent death

of wind and water and angel’s breath

till no more Truth exists within him

a pile of data, just one more number

un-separated from a mass

who can not distinguish “eye”

from “i”.

Told you it wasn’t *good* poetry. Heh, heh. But, if I’m looking on the bright side… I’m happy Fall is officially here. Seems like just yesterday it was 70s and sunny — and now it’s 50s and cool. I am totally and completely in love this weather!

Now, back to my to-do list. Oh, is it ever a beaut.

Mood: Sunny side up

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Decent consumption

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Pesky Chores

In My Ears: Water filter (new fish take)

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Research materials for work

Movie Last Viewed: Alice in Wonderland

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

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

Fall, Fiction, and Feeding Heads

Phew! It’s been a busy last couple of weeks and I’ve neglected my blog. I should say “shame on me,” but if it’s any consolation, I haven’t even decorated for Halloween yet. Well, more than it already is, anyway. Oh, but this is my favorite season. Already made apple crumble, cinnamon rolls, and dirty chicken and gnocchi. I am eagerly waiting for the world to turn dark so homemade hot chocolate, chicken and dumplings, and pot pies are on the table. Finally got my pumpkins, but one of them has mold on it. Haven’t quite figured out what I want to carve, but I suppose at some point I’ll give in to the owl craze. Thar be paintings on my agenda.

In fiction-land… I’ve been taking an online short story workshop. Might have mentioned it before, but I’ll give a recap after we’re done to talk a little bit more about it. Some writers post about how they want to get “there,” to the point where they don’t have to hone or sharpen skills — I’m not one of them. I’m very self-aware about my work and how my emphasis on different forms of writing (or consumption thereof) affects my fiction. I’m with Michaelangelo on this one. It doesn’t matter where I am in my career or how many years I’ve written — “I am still learning.” The minute I think I’m “good” or get cocky about my abilities… Well, that’s when my work suffers. ‘Course, the opposite is true as well, because then I freeze up and the words just don’t flow. Yes, “word anxiety.” It’s a thing.

Here’s an exercise I wrote recently:

Deadwood was the kind of town that had everythin’. Well, almost everything. You see, it had a barber shop, saloon, pokey — and a whorehouse, too. What it needed was a doctor’s office: nothin’ fancy. Just a small house with one of dem picket fences and a purty l’il lawn. Instead, that good-for-nothin’ mayor cut a deal, the kind that folks are scared to talk about, on account of the people involved in it. Yep, that’s right. Mayor Wilkins went ahead and signed a contract with that good-for-nothin’ varmint: Jackson “Evil Eye” Miller. And what fer? To build a mall. Now, this mall weren’t just any collection of shops, it was built to attract them rich folk. Though the buildings were mighty plain, it was decked out like the President’s mansion when he welcomed that Japanese dignitary. E’erywhere you walked, fresh orchids and blood lilies spilled out of bronze urns. Fine silks were sewn into draperies and the names of all the stores were painted on the windows in gold and silver. If that weren’t enough frippery to impress the nobles, the stores themselves were top end. Why, there wasn’t a shop in that mall that didn’t have something interestin’ to offer folk, something unusual like sweaters made from alpaca wool or tea harvested from hibisucs. That mall was e’erythin’ gentile folk might dream of, which is exactly why Ma’s Diner was such an eyesore. Against such finery, who’d bother dropping by Ma’s dingy log cabin just to order a stack of greasy flapjacks?

I did… And my stomach’s still mighty queasy, too. What was in those pancakes? And what’s “Ma” stand for, anyway? By the way my guts feel, I’m startin’ to worry she’s actually Miller’s mom, bakin’ dead bodies in her l’il diner. Boy, I hope not. Deadwood may be a lot of things, but I shore hope folks ain’t takin’ its name too literally.

Gee, can you tell I’ve been knee-deep in Firefly or what?

In other news, want a great deal on ebooks and feed the hungry at the same time? I’m guessing you do! DriveThruFiction.com is sponsoring a Read and Feed eBook bundle. It retails for $150 but you can pick up over 30 eBooks for twenty bucks. The proceeds will be donated to Feeding America. Both REDWING’S GAMBIT and Eddy Webb’s collection SLICES OF FATE are included in this collection, but there are several others, too! If you want more information, FlamesRising.com has more details.

Mood: Sunny side up

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Decent consumption

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Pesky Chores

In My Ears: Movie soundtrack mix

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Darn it… Can’t remember!

Movie Last Viewed: Alice in Wonderland

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels. Added an online writing workshop, too!

Coming Together

Tons to tell you about today, so I better get started!

The preview for the Firefly RPG line, Gaming in the ‘Verse: Gen Con 2013 Exclusive, will no longer be available at the end of this month. You can order print copies from www.margaretweis.com and a digital version from DriveThruRPG.com.

I just had a fantastic meeting with our Systems Lead, Mark Diaz Truman, to wrap up the corebook. We were talking about the overwhelmingly positive response to the Exclusive and how some folk’d be happy just with that. I said that the Exclusive sets expectations by giving them what they need, but the corebook? Gives them what they didn’t even know they needed. Will there be new material? How ’bout over 100,000 words worth?

Today, I’m developing the Episode for the corebook, which was written by Jack Norris. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m incredibly sensitive to sound. Sometimes, I can’t listen to anything with words in it when I need to concentrate because it slows my progress down considerably. Other projects, I go the opposite route and have an audiobook on in the background (I happen to adore the Terry Pratchett’s Discworld performances) or I have a movie on that I’ve seen a 1,000 times so I can tune it out. Music with words, though? Can’t do it. Not sure if the fresh air and open windows have something to do with it. Guess I’m just weird that way.

I try to stick to a theme when I’m listening to instrumental music and, for Firefly, it’s all about the Chinese traditional compositions — which is great because it’s something I’d listen to anyway. Lately, I’ve been putting the theme song for a fun, very relaxing puzzle game called Entanglement on in the background on repeat. I’m putting dueling banjos and old west-inspired fiddles on my list of tunes to research.

Not sure if I mentioned this yet or not, but I’m modifying a dress I already own (it’s a pink A-line) for Halloween with this patch and some beadwork. So, Etsy can yield some pretty awesome things and I have to say: Liz Miera Embroidery is phenomenal. The quality is great and the design is spot on. It can be REALLY hard to find sugar skull designs that aren’t…well, awful. Here’s a link to her Etsy store if you want to check out her inventory.

Heading out to my salon and will be asking for recommendations on hair. (They’re used to my crazy-ass requests by now. Hah.) I got a black wedding sash to take care of the girly bow problem. I may design jewelry for the overall costume, too, but if I do it’ll likely be a bracelet of some sort. Already have the rest of it. Now, if I can just get back into painting I’ll be shiny. I have a few I need to work on, but have to finish converting my office into a studio. Let’s just say moving our extraordinarily spoiled frog required some shifting — in a good way.

In domestic news, we watched The Gift last night with Cate Blanchett. What a fantastic film. ‘Course, I get Ryan Gosling confused with Giovanni Ribisi (BAD WRITER) but one of the things that I really loved about this, is the very realistic way certain townsfolk got addicted to Annabelle’s readings. She used what are known as “zener cards” which are cards scientists use to test psychic abilities. (You can follow that link to test yourself.) Anyway, I really dug this one because the psychic aspect, when combined with the small town aspect, added a lot of conflict to an already unique and very memorable cast of characters.

Making a buffalo chicken pizza today. Figured you might be interested in the recipe, because it’s SUPER EASY. And this is where I’ll leave you… With the NOM NOM NOMs…

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

(1) tube refrigerator pizza dough

4-5 Frozen buffalo chicken tenders

1-2 Carrots

1-2 stalks Celery

1/4 to 1/2 cup Bleu Cheese dressing

1 cup cheddar cheese

Fresh cilantro, chives, or parsley for garnish

Cook buffalo chicken tenders according to instructions and set aside. When cool, cut up into smaller pieces. Roll out the pizza dough. Spread bleu cheese dressing across the bottom of it. Add the chicken pieces and scatter cheese across the top. Bake according to the crust’s directions. While the pizza’s in the oven, chop up the celery and use a potato peeler to make ribbons of carrots. When the pizza is done, top with your veggies and garnish.

Voila! A tasty pizza!

Mood: I am a grasshopper who is focusing.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Hit it really hard yesterday. Tired.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walked!

In My Ears: Entanglement soundtrack

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Amphigorey

Movie Last Viewed: The Gift

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels. Added an online writing workshop, too!

Rolling Along

I am super-excited today. Well, this week actually… You see, it’s official. Halloween decorations are JUST starting to crawl out of the woodwork and make their way into the public eye. Sure, some folks like Christmas, but Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have always loved the atmospheric nature of Fall as it slides into Winter. The shadows, cobwebs (provided a spider doesn’t jump out at me…), pumpkins, love, love, love…

This year, owls are everywhere as the primary theme. It’s also the twentieth anniversary of Nightmare Before Christmas, too! I wound up picking up this light-up cup at Walgreen’s of all places.

Apple crumble, coffin-shaped cookies, KAH tequila (which comes in a sugar skull-painted bottle), ravens, and jack-o’-lanterns… I love it all. Hee. Finally decided on a costume; I’m going to go with a modernized rockabilly outfit.

Don’t really have anything to whine or complain about. Things are going really well and it’s just a matter of buckling down. Not having a ton of travel has been great, because it’s allowed me to settle into the season and concentrating muchly; I know I also owe a folks a progress report that’ll happen sometime next week.

The big news on the release front right now is that my new comic, Last Man Zombie Standing, will be available in print. The publisher is debuting a limited edition anthology with all the digital comics in the UNFASHIONED CREATURES anthology; there will also be a standard version. Mine will be in both! I’ll post about pre-orders and the like when they’re available in October.

Let’s see… What else? Well, I decided to turn off comments on the blog and am pulling back on how/when/where I’m connected. It’s just gotten to be too much to manage with everything else that I’ve got going on. I’m keeping up with the chatter for anything related to work, sure, but outside of that? Some, but less. The politics, the latest kerfluffle… I just don’t have the bandwidth to keep up on what’s happening minute-to-minute. I mean, that’s part of the reason why I stopped watching television, so I can use my spare time to research and focus on doing the background work for upcoming projects.

Speaking of research… I’m starting some background work on the witch trials. I’ve dived into those details before, but I wanted to refresh my memory because I’m using the material in a different way. All I have to say about that is: horrifying and baffling all wrapped up into one strange emotion.

Anyway, I’m focused on wrapping up the Firefly RPG corebook at the moment and about to put up my Halloween decorations, so I’d better get back to it.

Mood: So mellow…

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I need all the coffee. Really.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walked around some.

In My Ears: Alice in Wonderland

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Amphigorey

Movie Last Viewed: Alice in Wonderland

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels. Added an online writing workshop, too!

Celebrating Banned Books Week

This year, Banned Books Week lasts from Sunday, September 22nd through Saturday, September 28th. If you’ve read my blog, you know I support literacy and I do not condone banning, censoring, or burning books of any stripe. The list of banned books may surprise you, for they are oft-lauded tomes ranging from classic stories like Shakepeare’s Romeo and Juliet to genre tales like Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

You can find a wealth of resources on the Banned Books Week website and through the American Library Association.

I’ll be reading!

Mood: Caffeine, caffeine, caffeine.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Want, want, want, want, want!

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Does sitting on my bum count? Long work day.

In My Ears: Traffic, caused by… Traffic.

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: An Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demons. Title is misleading; it’s a scholarly tome about the witch trials that occurred up through the 18th century.

Movie Last Viewed: Lilo and Stitch

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work and novels. Added an online writing workshop, too!

My Number One Wish For The SF&F Community

To varying degrees, I feel what’s happening today in the science fiction and fantasy genre is the same thing that has happened before. Veterans, who have been around in the industry in multiple capacities, understand the machinations of both publishing and fandom. New people, whether they have a vested interest in business or not, bring in fresh perspectives and speculate on how the industry can change. Lines are drawn in the sand and both sides hunker down. It’s “You haven’t been around long enough to understand how changes are implemented.” versus “You’ve been around so long you aren’t willing to change.”

That was a gross generality, mind you, presented for my next point. I see a lot of calls to modernize the industry and make it more welcoming to new folk. A few recent topics of discussion have been diversity in science fiction and fantasy, proposed changes to WorldCon, and addressing personal safety issues at cons. Internet discussions are both exacerbating these topics and highlighting their varying aspects for all the world to see — but this industry is not unique. These same discussions are happening (and have been) in comics, games, music, etc. for some time.

I care, very deeply, about the future of the entertainment industry as a whole and how I will be able to fare long-term in my career. These discussions aren’t going to go away, nor should they. Due to the volume of chatter and emotional tension, though, it’s hard from my perspective to sort out what the proposed solutions are. I feel the way forward is to a) recognize there’s a problem b) come up with satisfactory solutions and then c) work towards them.

So, I’d like to start with one of my own. If there was a “single” change I’d like to see happen now, this would be it.

Mentorship Program

There are many flavor of folk in this industry from fans to support staff to full-time writers, editors, etc. Some of us are in this particular industry part-time; others make a living here. Our experiences vary widely and it is my personal belief that we could benefit from each other’s knowledge.

How? By kicking off a mentorship program. I think this can happen in a few different ways by either building off of what’s already out there or through new efforts. For example, here’s three possibilities that come to mind:

One-on-One

Mentorship could occur on a one-on-one basis where a barter system is deployed for an exchange of services. An example of this would be one party teaches the other how to format an e-book; the other individual provides guidance for incorporating more diversity in their particular story. The barter system can work really well provided it takes on some business-related aspects or involve a certain amount of accountability.

If these relationships are too casual, I can see how this won’t be as effective, but that’s also partly due to my own bias. I prefer to build relationships by starting small and finding common ground.
Coordinated Panel Programming

An easy enough “fix” would be for an introductory-level series of panels designed to help individuals go from their current status to the next level. These panels, with their descriptions, instructions, and materials could be hosted on an organization like SFWA’s website, or on an individual writer’s blog, for folk to use and employ across multiple conventions.

Now, to give credit where credit is due this is not a new concept and some of this already exists. Just recently, I moderated a panel John Klima suggested based off of Nick Mamatas‘s idea.

I’m proposing that we take that concept a step further (if it’s not being done already) because it’s extraordinarily useful for new writers to have access to veterans in a format like that. What I’m suggesting here, is that to build more bridges, we leverage existing convention programming through better coordination. For example, there could be materials for anyone ready and willing to use them housed in a particular location, guidance on how to run these panels, etc.

Spotlight on Resources

As I alluded to earlier, there are a lot of resources out there already that were designed address specific grievances or help new-to-industry folk get acclimated. Many are happening on the author level, but there are conventions, organizations, publishers, website, etc. that are also doing good works.

It’s impossible to find those without serious research right now because the links often get lost on social media or in the midst of a rant. (I will spare you my rant about semantic and social search.) It’d be great if we could get a neutral party (e.g. not a particular writer or editor) or industry-facing organization to collate those. That way, it becomes a destination. “Oh, you’re new to the industry? Hey, here’s a website or web page where you can go to find out the basics.”

Propose Your Own

None of what I’ve said here may be “the” solution, but each one is “a” solution based on my perspective. When I first came to the genre, it was because I loved every bit of it, not because I hated its flaws and couldn’t stand them any longer. I am excited about what the future holds and I hope to read, hear, and see more reasons to be incredibly happy about the industry as the years progress.

What about you? What solutions do you propose to help the industry flourish? How will you bring about positive change? What bridges can we build to bring the community back together?

Mood: Passportitis

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Successfully managed. I’ve impressed myself.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: The house. It cleans itself!

In My Ears: Lose Yourself To Dance Random Access Memories

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines.

Movie Last Viewed: Trance

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

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

On the Firefly, Unfashioned Creatures Launches, and Beyond

Phew! I know I haven’t posted a while and for that I apologize. This’ll be a longish blog post, but I’ve got a lot to share with you!

Browncoats Assemble

The Firefly RPG launch has gone really well and feedback has been very positive. Fans have shared with us that this cinematic-style game feels like they were characters on the show. Since this was one of our major design goals, I’m happy to hear they’re having this experience at their gaming table. I’m always on the hunt to hear more actual play experiences, so if you’re diving into a session, don’t be afraid to reach out and let me know how it goes.

Our release plans began when we launched the Wedding Planners Classic Set for fans of that system. Then, we published the Gaming in the ‘Verse: Gen Con 2013 Exclusive and ran over twenty full-length demos at Gen Con.

Just this past week, we launched Echoes of War by publishing the stand-alone editions of Serenity Crew, Wedding Planners Cortex Plus, and Shooting Fish.

We have been clear about our launch plans all along. By releasing the combined and standalone versions of these Episodes, we’ve provided folks with options that work for them. If you picked up the Exclusive (which is not available through regular channels of distribution) you don’t need to get the three latest additions to the line. These releases are to launch the digital Echoes of War line, which is separate but compatible with the corebook and upcoming supplements.

In development, we’ve got several new Echoes of War adventures in varying states. We’re also knee-deep in the corebook as well. As of this morning, I’ve got over 100,000 words already in various states and there’s more coming. Now that the Exclusive is out, we’ve gotten a few questions and we’ll be answering those for clarity in the structure. For example, equipment and other details in the game is in line with the television show. They are there to serve the story through the characters you play. For this system, a bad ass gun or ship is only as useful as the characters who wield or fly ‘em. A chair in Jayne’s hands is a much different weapon than if that same chair were in Kaylee’s.

We’ll be offering more examples in the corebook; there’s a few that we’re picking out for that reason.

It’s A-LIVE!

The digital launch for UNFASHIONED CREATURES has gone better than I expected it to as well. My story, Last Man Zombie Standing, is one of several in this Frankenstein-themed anthology. I’ve also got my first comic review! Huzzah!

Here’s a little bit more about my first comic. You can catch a comic preview on DriveThruComics.com or on Red Stylo Media‘s website.

Hey, you got Zombies in my Frankenstein! In the midst of an undead apocalypse, one scientist tries to sustain the human race by cloning himself (again.) Unfortunately, things don’t work out exactly as planned. But then, do they ever?

Writer Monica Valentinelli and artist Josie Pi Grant bring a modern twist on the first, great literary zombie. The digital download includes a BONUS page from “Monsters and the Monsters Who Make Them,” a mini-series written by James McGee and illustrated by Alex Cormack. — Last Man Zombie Standing

Through the Forests of Fear and Beyond…

Ah, creepy dark forests. How I love thee. So, this Friday is the 13th. FRIGHTENING I KNOW.

But ain’t Zakar cute?

That’s really all I wanted to say about that. Hee. I’m deliriously happy with the way everything’s going right now, but my back end administration and general houseliness needs some serious attention. That combined with deadlines, new art projects, pending trips, and the impending Halloween season of doooooooooom, I’m a little behind right now. Working on it, though! And that begins with disconnecting in 3… 2… 1…

Mood: Moody Monday

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Attempting a limit of two. Feeling groggy with a side of bleh.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: The house. It cleans itself!

In My Ears: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack

Game Last Played: Dragon Age II

Book Last Read: Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines.

Movie Last Viewed: The Score

Latest Artistic Project: *Still* *still* *still* need to take pictures… It’s on the list!

Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing

Latest Game Release: Serenity Crew , Wedding Planners Cortex Plus , and Shooting Fish

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