Moe Lane's Blog, page 31
August 23, 2025
Book of the Week: Contrarian: A Novel in the Grand Illusion.
They finally lowered the Kindle price on L.E. Modesitt’s Contrarian: A Novel in the Grand Illusion to something realistic. Look, I’m just not going to subsidize the traditional publishing industry’s inefficient book-making process. I have intimate experience now in how much it costs to self-publish, and I also know that… :click click click: …Tor has access to economies of scale that I don’t. Stop trying to make me pay eighteen bucks for a .epub unless it’s got something unique about it that I’d value.
I have spoken.
#commissionearned
08/23/2025 Snippet, BANSHEE BEACH.
And that takes care of Chapter 11.
“Beach next?” I asked Lucas, after I switched out my rum-and-not-coke for a perfectly reasonable beer.
He surprised me by shaking his head. “Can you handle it without me? I’m kind of wondering what our friends from the capital needed an Adventurer for. That’s worth checking up on.”
That made me squint at him, maybe a little sloppily. I don’t drink my lunches nearly as much as the Lore might make you think. Then again, I was on vacation. “I thought you told them it was none of your business.”
“Oh, it’s not.” Lucas laughed. “So what? Besides, it’s just none of my business now. You know how quick that can change.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.” A thought occurred to me. “While you’re skulking about, find out more about our old friend Alan. Just to make sure he’s not refreshing a grudge.”
“Smart,” Lucas conceded. “But isn’t the phrase ‘nursing?’”
“Nah. Alan’s the kind of guy who likes to slam them back. I figure that he can’t do much down here, but every little bit hurts, right?”
“Words to live by,” Lucas nodded. “I’ll add the Matter of Alan to the research list, then. Dinner at the Xanadu? You can bring Betty, if you like,” he went on, with a wave. “She’s lovely company.”
And off he went, once again mistaking my sudden panic attack for something a lot more fluffy. The worst part? The wronger Lucas was, the safer he’d be. He’d even thank me for keeping him in the dark, assuming he survived the heart attack that would come from that particular big reveal.
I shook off my worry and got to my feet. It was time to hit more beaches. Hopefully this one wouldn’t try to swing back.
Patreon!
This looks better, right?
I mean, I think it looks better. Based on some feedback from Constant Reader Rockphred:
Keep in mind that a lot of this is about me playing with Affinity Designer. I’m never gonna be really good at it, but it doesn’t hurt to be good enough to draw concept sketches for the real artists. Makes it easier to get commissions done the way I want them done.
Guess what TIME it is!
That’s right!
THE SPICE MUST FLOW pic.twitter.com/k9hg6CsESH
— Ogiel (Moe Lane) (@Ogiel23) August 23, 2025
Moo hoo bwah hah.
August 22, 2025
I crashed.
For, like, two hours. The school schedule starts back up next week, and my brain has been helpfully reminding me that it’s time to wake up at 6 AM again, although it is not in fact time to wake up at 6 AM again because my eldest is going to community college and my youngest is perfectly capable of getting himself out the door on his own. So I’ve been a shuffling zombie all day, until I just lay down and turned a twenty minute nap into a full zonk-out.
I probably needed it.
August 21, 2025
‘Crimson and Clover.’
Crimson and Clover, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
#commissionearned
I need to do a roadmap for the next few months.
I know that BANSHEE BEACH simply has to get finished up, and there’s the monthly Patreon obligations, and November looms (I absolutely must reset my head and get another novel at least blocked out). I wonder whether I should have done the novel before the TTRPG… no, probably not. That was hanging over my head something fierce, all on its own, and I needed to get it done for my own pride’s sake. I still have to recalibrate how I do stuff, though. Yay.
Moe Lane
PS: Check out my LinkTree! …Yeah. This, too, is recalibration.
Tweet of the Day, That’s TRACTION Park To You, Dave edition.
It’s just… it’s just so damned beautiful.
The spirit of NJ’s Action Park lives on in ‘Nam https://t.co/7TsF6RrYQO
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) August 21, 2025
I’m just not sure that this sings as a new logo.
I dunno. Does it sing as a new logo? pic.twitter.com/emSHLjHoLr
— Ogiel (Moe Lane) (@Ogiel23) August 21, 2025
