Moe Lane's Blog, page 743
May 14, 2021
The “A Proper Picture for my ‘Pickman’s Model'” Kickstarter is moving along.
We have funded, and are on our way to the first stretch goal! I currently have two in mind, and I’m going to worry about a third one when the second one is reached. I’m pretty confident about hitting the first one, at least. Besides, this is still the first week.
That being said: tell your friends! Heck, tell your enemies if you’ll think it’ll help. Well, maybe not enemies — but rivals would be fine, surely.
05/14/21 Snippet, EMERGENCY SIRENS.
I know, it’s a very bad pun. Sue me. This month’s story, by the way.
Patreon!Gulf Coast
1983
The mermaid wore a bikini top and a hair scrunchie, although she was one of the ones that needed the latter more than the former. Both drylander products were ostentatiously colored in red, white, and blue; she also wore copper dog tags, showing her rank as corporal. Well, corporal-equivalent. Technically, she was just another member of the Auxiliaries. Practically, when she saluted me I returned it precisely like I would for a dryland US Marine. Best to begin as you mean to go, and all that.
“You’re the Lt. Commander Cook, yes?” The mermaid’s English was fluent, smoothly rich, and slightly tinged with a Gulf Coast accent. “I’m the Corporeal Twenty-Seven-Bravo-Niner. Pleased to meet you, ma’am: I’m here to escort you to the Colonel.”
In the E-Mail: Interviewing Leather: The Todd Chapman Interview.
Interviewing Leather is superhero fiction, and I’ve been waiting on Eric Burns-White to publish this sucker for going on decades, now. I remember it being very good, but when he wrote it self-publishing wasn’t really a thing. And now it is.
05/14/21 Snippet, Rescue from Chateau d’Aléatoire.
Annnnddd… done.
Patreon!Gerard announced his presence with a hearty, “Marcel! Hold up!” while moving very quickly, since he knew perfectly well that Tempeste would not give him more than a moment to act. But since at least he had that moment, he would have to improvise.
As he approached Marcel, Gerard thought of the best way to explain the situation. It was a very complicated problem, in its way, and Marcel was not exactly experienced enough in the way of things to understand subtlety. Clearly Gerard would need to be forthright.
Lieutenant Marcel did show a little startlement, but recovered quickly at the sudden appearance of Gerard’s confident stride out from the dark. He clearly at least immediately recognized Gerard, which would thankfully save valuable time in explanations. “Captain!” he exclaimed. “What keeps you up this late?”
Marcel flicked a slightly guilty look at Tempeste and unconsciously moved a little, as if to shield her from the captain’s presumably wrathful gaze. Evidently Marcel was more than a little conflicted about his present orders, too. “It is after curfew, to be sure, but I assure you there is no prob—” — and at that point Gerard was close enough to knee Marcel in the groin.
May 13, 2021
First 15 minutes of ARMY OF THE DEAD.
This part of ARMY OF THE DEAD is somewhat salacious, and certainly zombielicious. The age-restricted tag is there for a reason. You Have Been Warned.
It’s Race Night!
I missed a couple. But not tonight. Tonight I need to watch some Penny Arcade e-racing.
05/13/21 Snippet, Rescue from Chateau d’Aléatoire.
Almost done, for real.
Patreon!Gerard reflected that he was becoming quite the connoisseur of dragging unconscious people into rooms. The sergeant, for example: not as fat as Lord Philippe, but made up for it by being quite flatulent in his sleep. Pierre was, well, he looked frail but he was also damnably heavy. And when Gerard stripped off the unconscious man’s gloves in order to securely bind Pierre’s wrists, he blinked at the sight of those hands. Those are swordsman hands, he thought. Pierre here is no stranger to a blade.
By then Tempeste finished securing the other man, and was looking over at Girard. “Is something the matter?” she asked — and then gasped. Gerard looked around, instinctively, until he saw where her finger was pointing. There was a tattoo on Pierre’s wrist where it would be normally covered by a sleeve. A black diamond, broken in two…
He felt like gasping himself. Or maybe swearing. There were the Chambre Privilège swine, and then there were the Diamants Bruts. Those charming fellows were who the Emperor called on when he wanted the same sort of results as the Chambre, only not done sloppily. That Pierre was one of them, and likely using Gerard as some sort of cover for his own skulduggery, was exceptionally unwelcome news.
Tweet of the Day, Well, When You Put It THAT Way… edition.
I’m getting my second shot in a couple of days even without participating in the Greater Hershey Stupidity Tax*, but what the hell. I don’t particularly need the million bucks anyway.
Gotta admit this is kind of a brilliant outreach to people with absolutely no grasp of probabilitieshttps://t.co/6ZOzwqigFS
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 13, 2021
Moe Lane
*One of the most entertaining things about writing things set in Greater Hershey is that their leadership sees no reason to be inaccurate in their nomenclature.
