Moe Lane's Blog, page 682
September 19, 2021
09/19/21 Snippet, ETERNAL NIGHT OF THE MOON-BEASTS.
Sass from the AI!
Patreon!“Sorry,” Tobias replied. “No, wait, that’s a polite fib. It’s too risky. I’m not sure if the ship’s contaminated.”
You said that before, too. Asenath was also getting better at using her speech software; the exasperation came through clearly. Now that you are no longer interposing this with crazed warnings about ravenous tentacles from the Stygian depths, could you explain what that ‘contamination’ might be?
Tobias started checking the cameras. “Have you gotten the telemetry from the hopper yet? And how are we talking, anyway?”
To answer your questions in order: no. There may have been damage to the data transmitter. I should be able to access it if you route the information through your own suit’s datalink. As to the other… you neglected to forbid me from launching a emergency comsat. Asenath now sounded, if anything, slightly smug. And I did not presume to remind you of any orders that you may or may not have wanted to give.
The MORGAN BAROD author copies are in!
No pictures, because I don’t know where my phone is. But I have enough to send out a few author copies and have a guaranteed supply for Fright Reads next month, so that’s cool. Still haven’t decided whether or not to do the Frederick Comic-Con in November, though. It’s fairly close to Thanksgiving.
In other news: work has started on the additional art for the Fermi Resolution RPG supplement! Once I get those assets and the limited editing job back, off the whole thing goes to a layout person. And then it will be off of my plate forever and ever, praise God. And huzzah.
My mini-review of JUNGLE CRUISE.
Short version: not half bad — but don’t think about it too hard, or at all.
Slightly longer version: JUNGLE CRUISE was entertaining, in a middling decent fashion. But… it had no tie-ins, no setup for the sequel, and no end credits scene. Are we sure it’s a Disney movie?
None of this is a criticism. I laughed at the funny parts, thrilled at the stunts, and liked how Johnson and Blunt had fun doing the entire ‘homage to pulp serials’ thing. But do yourself a favor and turn off the part of your brain that says “Hold on…” at the same time you’re turning off your phone. You’ll thank yourself later.
Moe Lane
PS: Entertaining spectacles have their place in the theater, too. They can’t all be ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD or ARRIVAL — or, freakishly, FREE GUY.
Patreon Microfiction: Mothership.
There is no excuse for ‘Mothership,’ besides the last sentence. I have the scene in my head right now, in fact. And it is glorious.
Patreon!September 18, 2021
Book of the Week: MORGAN BAROD.
MORGAN BAROD is the latest novel by new writer Moe Lane, and it’s a sword-and-sorcery romp through the post-apocalyptic wilds of New Jersey. And it’s out in print, too! Truly, this is the best news you’re going to hear this weekend.
09/18/21 Snippet, ETERNAL NIGHT OF THE MOON-BEASTS.
Useful panic!
Patreon!Most times, panicking in space is a prerequisite to death. Here, it saved Tobias’s life. He could dimly perceive something happening to the outcropping of rock his hopper had just vacated, but there was no time to look, and barely enough time to flee. And even running away wasn’t guaranteed, because the horror in his head was still there, if fainter.
The proximity alarms started screaming as Tobias pushed the hopper through the sky equally recklessly and randomly. They weren’t powered missiles or railgun rounds, though. Too slow. Are those… rocks? he thought as he fought the insidious urge to flee directly back to Heinlein Station. The idea of making a beeline back home horrified the precise same instincts that were keeping him alive, if on the ragged edge of panic right now. What is down there? Do I even want to know? Then three alarms screamed at once, and Tobias desperately tried to dodge the hopper out of the way.
In the mail: DAUGHTER OF THE LILIES, VOL 1.
I got this when DAUGHTER OF THE LILIES had its Kickstarter, and today it showed up.
It’s funny: my eldest kid asked me, “Does it have Jesus in it?” just to be a teenager* about it. He was dumbfounded, yet amused when I said, “…More or less?” It’s a good webcomic: I look forward to the next book.
Moe Lane
*Smartassery and sass in our house is a largely protected category of speech, with the caveat that learning when it’s appropriate is a core skill and we do not grade on a curve. It generally works out.
I am looking for Maryland book fairs in November/December.
I’m doing Fright Reads in October, so I know that one — but I’d like to get some more vending opportunities in this fall to sell my books. I’ve already seen the Silver Spring seasonal fairs, but I can’t afford to spend $300 on a table*. I’m looking for book fairs or cons that are FSF/Horror friendly, and preferably ones that are relatively easy to get to. Suggestions welcome!
Moe
*I’m not saying it’s a bad investment. I’m just saying that I’m unlikely to sell out my entire stock at a seasonal fair, which what it would currently take for me to make a profit under those circumstances.
