Moe Lane's Blog, page 142

The CREATURE COMMANDOS animated trailer.

DC has a lot better luck with its animated shows than its live-action. Which is annoying when you’re trying to watch live-action, but at least stuff like CREATURE COMMANDOS look promising. …Also, Weasel is just plain disturbing. I know that’s the idea, but still: well done, DC animators. Well done.

The ‘I wonder if this is just being very Japanese’ Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League trailer.

Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League! Now featuring a Yakuza-storm!

…Actually, Robin asked the exact same question that you just asked. And the answer? Well. It’s a storm. Made up of Yakuza.

I honestly don’t think they could have come up with a more descriptive name.

Anyway, I may or may not see this in theaters, but BATMAN NINJA was sufficiently cool that eventually I’ll see this. I mean, you folks know me by now. I’m easy to please. Plus: ninja.

Moe Lane

#commissionearned

Book of the Week: Ghosts on an Alien Wind.

I know, I know – but I can justify this one, honest! The paperback for Ghosts on an Alien Wind is headed for the online Barnes & Noble store (it is not heading for actual stories, more’s the pity). I just need for the website to finish publishing it. It’s an experiment! If I get sales there, I will reconsider my current KU-exclusive status for my digital books.

If I don’t? Ach, well, I tried.

#commissionearned

10/19/2024 Snippet, NEVER RETURN.

This will probably be finished next week; it’ll be more than 3K words, but not too long. I have about three, four scenes left to write.

Patreon!

In the spiky shadows of the ward and Curwin’s tonfa the attacker was no more definable than a haze, roiling and oozing around itself. But it was a directed, twisted haze that hinted at ancient hungers — and a terrible, voracious need. I was shocked, honestly. How could something this powerful still exist in the United States? We had Soothed our portion of the East Coast centuries ago!

Fortunately, it was also not subtle: the enemy’s first attack was an attempt to batter down my ward with sheer force, which is obviously the exact thing that the spell is designed to counter. I still almost staggered as a whip of cloud-curdled magic smashed against my ward, scoring the ground in front of it as it recoiled and drew back.

“Stay inside the ward!” I shouted, my free hand twisting as I assembled another spell. “It’s a manifestation!”

‘X-Files Theme Song.’

X-Files Theme Song

#commissionearned

GHOSTS ON AN ALIEN WIND will be coming to B&N. In paperback.

I’m keeping the e-version of GHOSTS ON AN ALIEN WIND off B&N because, honestly, I cannot give up the KU sales without better assurances that it’d be worth it. Amazon dominates the e-book market. This is a thing that is known.

I’m also in the process of seeing if I can get a good dust jacket out of this. I… do not know. Getting the paperback book prepped for B&N as it was was a right royal pain. But I’m also getting a smaller royalty from B&N than I will for Amazon*, so it might make a difference to have a hardcover with a dust jacket. We shall see!

Moe Lane

#commissionearned

*Why do it, then? Because some buyers don’t like Amazon. Like, a lot.

The WOLF MAN trailer.

I really need to sit down and watch INVISIBLE MAN. WOLF MAN is supposedly sort of in the same mode, and from the looks of the trailer, I might be here for it.

I also have some thoughts on a story that draws on the core assumption here, but that’s not really horror. Or, at least, the kind of horror as seen above.

#commissionearned

10/18/2024 Snippet, NEVER RETURN.

The joke may be too obscure.

Patreon!

Well, you know, ignoring a problem never makes it better. Especially when a by-product of the problem is a pile of rotting rats.

Although ‘pile’ was the wrong word: the poor things had formed a rough circle before they died, and at least it didn’t look like they had suffered much. Their limbs were untwisted and there were no remains of froth or blood. If it weren’t for the smell, you might even think they were slipping.

“Hrm,” mused Marsh. “Where are the flies? — Do not say a word, Sunshine!”

I restrained my smirk with some difficulty. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Horace. But you are right. There should be flies. Flies, gnats, lice… maybe even a worm or two. But nothing is alive in this chamber, save us.”

I closed my eyes, to see how far this effect extended  — then snapped them open, instantly. “Back the way we came, and stay together! Something noticed my presence, and it is… very large.”

Adventures in non-Amazon publishing!

Which is what I’ve been doing this morning. Conclusions: Draft To Digital is fairly comprehensive in getting a book together, including adding things like a table of contents or dedications for you, but their Extended Distribution royalty rates are horrible and I don’t think I can exclude Amazon from them. Barnes and Noble has a better royalty rate than I expected, but its book assembly process is far less useful than KDPs. I may still use it, but I’m first going to need to adjust the manuscript a good deal and possibly skip having a table of contents.

So that was what I did today so far. Illuminating, even if it made my brain a little sore.

Moe Lane

PS: Buy my books!

#commissionearned

The THE ELECTRIC STATE Netflix teaser trailer.

THE ELECTRIC STATE looks… pretty cool, actually. I like retro-future stuff. It also apparently is going to be less grim than the book, which… ah, well.

#commissionearned