E.S. Lell's Blog, page 2

Holy cow that was a lot of people!

I just got back from Denver Comic Con where we spent the weekend with Dryad Tea enjoying the thrum of the Denver geek population (and the thumping base of the ‘Rock Band’ game going on behind us). Not that I had terribly far to go, really, being a local. Still, I took the evening to decompress and get a little rest before posting. The first thing I would like to say is, thank you. To all the folks who stopped by our booth, or joined a panel to listen to me ramble, or even went so far as to pick up a copy of one or more books, again, thank you! And welcome, to all the new readers out there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was able to join six panels at the con, one Friday on working in the comic/publishing industry, Two Saturday on Author Co-Ops and creating stories, and three Sunday on Crowd-sourcing for authors, movie and book remakes, and space operas. I joined the likes of Kevin J Anderson, AZ Power Girl, Bryan Young, Peter Wacks, Guy Anthony De Marco, David Jackson, and more on the stage under the proverbial spotlight and had a great time chatting with them, and the audience about life, the universe, and everything.

 

Looking around the early morning-after rundowns from local news sources it appears that con attendance was somewhere in the neighborhood of 40,000-50,000 people this year. That makes DCC either the largest or second largest con I’ve ever attended. If memory serves, GenCon was around 45,000 or so people last year so it’s pretty close. The interesting thing about that though is this is DCC’s second year! That’s right, they’ve gone from 0 to 50k guests in one year!

 

On that point I would like to say a couple of things, then I’ll move on to book business. Firstly, if you did not know, the Denver Comic Con is a not-for-profit convention that uses all proceeds after making costs to support the Comic Book Classroom charity organization, enhancing and encouraging literacy skills in children of all ages. It was this program and dedication to educating our youth that got William Shatner to drop everything and make his way to Denver on two week’s notice to fill the void left by Stan Lee stepping back from the con this year (for scheduling conflicts, not health issues). I myself have used comic books as a gateway to the enjoyment of reading for my own children so I understand how effective a tool this can be and I fully support the goals and ambitions of this program, as is evidenced by Kalijor Press’s work on the Grow With Me RPG system and Kalijor: Kids RPG being done in conjunction with the full Kalijor RPG.

 

Second, for a convention that is in its second year and has experienced 100% year-over-year attendance increase I have to say that despite a couple little issues here and there, this was really one of the better run conventions I have ever attended. Granted, I am really just beginning to branch out and get into more cons and I wasn’t particularly enamored of our booth’s location, but the organization and level of support and professionalism I experienced at DCC this weekend was on par with that of GenCon and the folks in Indy have been doing that con for decades. So, my hat is off to the folks behind DCC. Amazing job. We have already pre-paid to attend DCC 2014!

 

Okay, now onto some Kalijor-related items.

 

The Kalijor RPG Indiegogo campaign finished up this evening. As of this writing we have about 16 hours and change to get those final pledges in. I am confident, and extremely happy to say that I think we will make it happen today. For this as well, I thank you all, my lovely, amazing supporters! I have already sent out all of the art assignments and I am getting finished pieces in almost every day now. The book is looking tremendous and the few final tweaks to the content are finishing up. All I have left to do is finish up the introduction and a couple other pieces, like the supporters page, and it will be ready for prime time (once all of the art is in). The Kalijor: Kids book is getting a few final tweaks as well, including a section containing some starter adventures for folks to kick off their gaming experience with.

 

Please, take a few moments to share this link one more time before the campaign draws to a close. Let’s see if we can do better than the goal and get some extra art, or copies, into the mix here!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kalijor-a-role-playing-game-for-all-ages?c=home

 

This week I will be sending out for the 6×9 prints that will go out to supporters, and readying the art for the larger prints for those of you who hooked into those tiers of support. After that I will be working to finish up those final bits of writing then get the books in for final editing and layout passes. It is my fervent hope that we will be ready to go to press mid-July so that I can get copies going and rewards in the mail to supporters before GenCon.

 

On the novel front, I have been receiving some tremendous feedback from test readers on the new novel and while it needs some work, I expect it to be better than anything I’ve done to date. I’m really looking forward to getting this one into your hands and hearing what you have to say about it.

 

While that re-write is going on, I am also continuing work on a couple new novels, as well as doing some clean-up and rewriting on some other books that are already done and might one day be potentially considered for publication. The simple truth is, I have too much rattling around in my head in terms of stories I want to tell, for the time I have available in the day to work on telling them. I’d say I hope the voices calm down one day and give me a little piece, but I’d be lying if I did, so I’m not going to. Instead, I am going to say that I hope the RPG takes off and novel sales pick up to the point that I can quit my day job and write/create full time!

 

And with the way things are going, I am more confident than ever that this will come to pass.

 

Okay, off to work now. Thank you all for your time and support and I hope you have an amazing day!

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

What is up?

Hello!

 

I just wanted to come up for air and offer a quick update before I dive in again. Lots going on here and time is dwindling!

 

First off, the Kalijor RPG fundraiser is going well, but could still benefit from your attention and support. We’re just under 75% funded with less than two weeks to go. I know we can make it, but it requires your help. Kick in a few dollars, if you can, but definitely share the campaign with everyone you know who may be interested. The Kalijor RPG system is a great way to get some family time, help educate the kids, or just enjoy an awesome RPG with your friends, no matter what age they are.

I’d like to offer a special thank you to all the folks who have sent money to support the project outside of the Indiegogo campaign. Not everyone is set up to support such things, and it is heart-warming to know that you are still willing and eager to help out. Thank you. And, thank you to everyone else who has contributed as well. You are making this game possible!

There are some great rewards for helping out, including art, copies of the game, your name immortalized on the supporters pages, and so much more. There are even a couple of unlisted rewards that I have been chatting up, including two free eBooks for anyone who pledged to the previous Kickstarter Campaign and moves their pledge over to the Indiegogo campaign, and another, still undisclosed reward valued at $20 for everyone who has pledged anything at all, but only if we make our $4,000 goal.

So, spread the word. Help out if you can. Let’s make this happen!

Here’s the address, so you can share it: http://igg.me/at/KalijorRPG/x/2984451

 

Still on the RPG front, but changing gears a bit, all of the art assignments are out and work is being done across the board! I hope to be getting some art in beginning later this week or early next. As soon as I do, I’ll share a couple pieces with you, my awesome supporters and fans. Also, a few more skills and some other tweaks have gone into the main book, but it is really beginning to firm up and get into launch mode. It’s looking amazing and I think you are all going to love it!

 

Next up is novel news. Not much to report here just now. Work on the RPG and con preparations have kept me from getting much time on the new novel, but that’s okay because ideas are still flowing like mad and I have been taking notes! Although, I did scrape out time to get all of the second editions finished and into print, so going forward, all novels I have at the table in conventions will be the second edition texts with updated art, including an amazing new cover for the First Key by David Magoun! I really look forward to getting back behind the keyboard on the new book just as soon as things settle down a bit here following Denver Comic Con.

 

Which brings me to, conventions! Denver Comic Con is right around the corner. On May 31 we’ll be in the vendor/exhibition hall in booth 1131. Dryad Tea will be there with us, selling the amazing Kalijor blends that you simply must try, and David Magoun will have art at the booth as well, for you to check out or take home with you. So, plan on swinging by to check it out. This is our first trip to DCC and we’re super excited about it.

Look! It’s us!

After that, we will be headed for GenCon in August. I know that’s over a month of lag between cons, but bear in mind that we have to finish three RPG books in that time and get copies to Indianapolis. It’s going to be a busy month and change, to be sure. After that we have Tacticon the last weekend of August, then the brand new MAL Con on September 27 followed by Mile Hi Con.

We’re already lining up Con appearances for 2014 as well. We’ve been announced at Anomaly Con next March and we have every intention of visiting Galaxy Fest, Genghis Con, StarFest, Anomaly, Hopefully DCC if we do well this year, and more. We’re looking at adding a few other cons as well. Possibly NDK for example, although I’m still trying to pull this all together so stay tuned for more info!

 

Well, I think that’s about it for now. I should get back to it so I have new products and stories to share with you all going forward. Thank you again for your support and I very much look forward to seeing you all at con, or wherever we may meet!

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

Thank you all. Let’s keep the momentum building!

Greetings!

 

I know it’s been a little bit since my last update, but things have been busy around the office here. Work has been progressing on many fronts with the RPG text getting tightened up, some new tables going in to help streamline character generation, and artwork being worked on by numerous amazing contributors.

 

I started outlining plot for another book yesterday, and got well into it before the evening ran out of steam. It is based on a campaign one of my test groups is running for the Kalijor RPG and is proving to have some great twists and turns that I think readers will really enjoy. I’m looking forward to writing the book once I have bandwidth to do so.

 

The RPG funding project is sitting at right around 50% and it still really needs your assistance to make it go through. I am resolved to making it happen, and I will do so. But there are funding options I really would rather not invoke. Which is why I’ve turned to you, my amazing fans and readers. By pledging your support to the Kalijor RPG Funding Program, you not only will help this great project get off the ground, but you’ll also receive some amazing rewards for your contribution. They range from bookmarks all the way through special edition hard cover copies of the finished books and they are all a steal considering what you will be helping make happen!

 

But, the way these programs work is by word of mouth and strong recommendations. More than your financial contributions, we need you to spread the word. If ten people pledge $10 each, we don’t get as far as we would if 100 people pledged $5 each. Numbers make all the difference here and with your help, we can gather the numbers to make this work!

 

Now, on the subject of funding drives. A great friend of mine has put together an amazing book of poems and primers by reimagining many classics from greats such as Mother Goose. She’s wrapped these recognizable oldies in fresh visions of geekiness and fun for a new generation and she also needs our assistance to make her vision come to life. But more than that, she and I have created a sort of umbrella organization to draw all of our efforts up under and present a united front at conventions and other events. On the strength of our products and goals we not only secured a place at GenCon 2013’s Entrepreneur’s Avenue, but we were also awarded one of only six fellowships by the con and their supporters.

 

I implore you to check out her funding campaign on Kickstarter. Contribute, if you can, and share the news of it far and wide. The two of us will be at GenCon this year with our new books, The Surreal Mother Geek, The Kalijor RPG, The Kalijor: Kids RPG, The Kalijor Grow With Me RPG, and The Surreal Mother Geek Grow With Me RPG. We’ll have dice sets for children (huge dice in primary colors so kids can learn to use them, recognize colors, recognize numbers, and still not choke on them), baby blankets, dice bags, and swag bags with geek culture references embroidered on them, and so much more. So, please, help us get to GenCon in style. Help one, or both, of these projects get funded!

 

The Surreal Mother Geek:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1998767725/the-surreal-mother-geek-a-perfect-primer-for-proge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kalijor RPGs:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kalijor-a-role-playing-game-for-all-ages?c=home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s about it for now. Thank you for listening to me ramble. I have to get back to work on thee amazing new books now, but I trust you will click on over to the links above and help us help the next generation of geeks grow up right. J

 

Have an awesome day, and thank you for your contributions, whether they be financial, emotional, energy, encouragement, or just plain old appreciation for what we’re working toward!

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

Updates

Hello, world!

 

I have a few updates for you all before I get on with my day, and you, I am sure, get on with yours.

 

First, the Kalijor RPG IndieGoGo campaign is sitting at 50% funded with just over 30 days to go. There will be a bit PR campaign spinning up on Monday to try and generate some more interest, but you can help now by telling everyone about this great game system. I spent some time yesterday firming up the rules and character sheets for the kids 4-8 version of the game and I think it is going to be huge. Very simple rules, no adding bonuses or other math for the younger players, and easy to use ‘tick’ boxes to track health and the couple of other metrics in the game. I’ll be posting more in an update to the campaign today or tomorrow, so stay tuned.

The campaign is at: http://igg.me/at/KalijorRPG/x/2984451

 

Next up is news from the Novels side of things. I sent out copies of next year’s novel to several test readers and I am already getting some excellent feedback. If everything else goes alright this summer, there should be no trouble getting this one out the door in time for the 2014 cons! I continue to write in the new novel on and off, although I’ve slowed down a bit to get work on the RPGs done.

 

Last for this update is some news about Denver Comic Con. We just got some official word from the con team that all is well and starting to seriously gear up. Booth design is well underway, and Kalijor Press will have Kalijor Novels (all the new second editions with the refreshed and new cover art), a wall of art by David Magoun, the man responsible for all the new book covers, and a table full of Dryad Tea, featuring the eight amazing blends inspired by the characters int eh Kalijor novels!

We’ll be in booth 1131, just a few paces away from ‘Artist’s Valley’. Come on in and see us if you can make it to the con!

 

That’s about it for now, so have an awesome day and I’ll talk to you all later!

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

Post-StarFest breakdown!

Well folks,

 

We had an awesome time at StarFest! The table was hopping most of the time and we had plenty of great conversations and fan interactions. We met loads of new people and said hello to some familiar faces. I sat in on a panel on Sunday and got to hang out with some local authors that are becoming very friend-like… *ponders*

Seriously though, people like Peter Wacks, Guy Anthony De Marco, and David Boop, and others, are making themselves available to help me get through some of the more interesting pitfalls of the writing and publishing world. For this, and their companionship and energy at con, I am extremely grateful, and eternally thankful.

And to all you readers and fans out there, words cannot express how thankful I am for you! Without all of you, there would really be no point to anything else I am doing here. It is your energy and interest that truly sustains my efforts. I hope that I continue to improve in my story telling and writing abilities and that you all feel good about your support!

 

Next up, the RPG Kickstarter. We didn’t quite make it in the 30 days we had. It was largely just a case of not enough people knowing about it to make it happen. I’m moving pretty quickly and the issue with that is I haven’t quite reached the required critical mass of followers/supporters to make that happen in a timely fashion. That said, I am not to be deterred! I have moved the campaign over to Indiegogo.com with a restructured rewards offering and a lower goal. Fear not, however. The lower goal means two things. First, art for the Kalijor: Kids book will be coming from existing manga-style image stock that I have already purchased, with a few new pieces here and there to fill in some gaps. Second, we will not have the funds to print the initial 300 books that I had budgeted into the Kickstarter.

Other than that, this lower goal will still provide everything we need in order to make the RPG happen. That is, art, publication costs, proof copies, and campaign rewards/fees. This just means a slightly slower start, but we are still starting!

So, please, head on over to the campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kalijor-a-role-playing-game-for-all-ages?c=home

Help out with a pledge, if you can. If not, then please spread the word as far and wide as you can. Every single effort is greatly appreciated.

 

And on that note, I must run. I will update again soon with more fun news that I have about some little things in the product pipeline.

Thanks again for your support, and for the awesome time at StarFest, and I’ll talk to you later.

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

Kickstarter Update (lower tier rewards increase)!

Hello, everyone!

First off, let me begin by saying thank you to those of you who have pledged your support for the Kalijor RPG Kickstarter project. It is through your generosity and support that it will see fruition.

That said, I want to let you know how things are going. We are currently sitting at just over 25% funded, with a little over two weeks left to reach our goal. This means we need to generate interest enough to pull together another $6,000 of support in about 16 days. I know we can do it, but we have to work together to make it happen. So what I am going to do in order to help, is increase some of the rewards at the lower tiers of support. Unfortunately, I cannot make the change to the Kickstarter directly, as there are already supporters in those tiers, so I’m making an announcement and asking you all to spread the word.

So here it is. I am adding a set of bookmarks to the $10 support tier. This is five bookmarks, including one each of Riana, Katrina, Exodus, and Jumah, all rendered by Kalijor novel cover artist, David Magoun, and the fifth is an anime/manga style image with a bunch of the main characters from the books. This fifth image is going to become the cover for the Kalijor: Kids RPG book when it goes to press.

At the $25 level, I am adding a 6×9 card stock print of some Kalijor art. I haven’t decided on the final image yet, but it will be something David Magoun has done for the Kalijor world and, while it will not be a limited edition print like those at higher tiers of support, it will be a high quality, frame-able piece of art that you can proudly display in your home or office.

 

In other news:

StarFest is right around the corner! Two weeks to go until the official release of the Fifth Key of Kalijor to the public.

I am super excited about this release as it marks both the culmination of my very first major story line and, I think represents a tremendous new level of writing quality and production value. I have learned so much on this journey (and I’m not done learning yet) and I have you all to thank for that opportunity. I look at where my writing was in 2007 when I released the First Key and compared to today, well… there really is no comparison. The quality of the writing is up. The quality of the story-telling is up. And the quality of the layout and physical design of the book is up.

So, to say thank you, I spent last night pushing out the digital versions of the Fifth Key. I am still waiting on some approvals (Apple can take a while), but those of you who use a Kindle, or the Kindle app on another device, can now purchase your eCopies of the Fifth Key of Kalijor on the Amazon Kindle marketplace! I will make additional announcements as the book is released on other platforms.

The next novel, ‘Kalijor: The Aegis Protocol’, will be going out to test readers soon! Probably just after StarFest. I am giddy at the prospect of having the next novel completely done well before StarFest next year. The book is written, and is even in second draft. I was thinking about it this morning and I want to make a couple more tweaks, but it is ready to go out to test readers and then to editing (after some revisions from test readers). This book is Daray Bowen’s origin story and I am really looking forward to sharing it with you.

After that, we have Alina’s origin story, ‘Kalijor: The Turin Gambit’ (also already written but in need of more cleaning up before it gets shared), and then a whole story arc involving Daray, Alina, and a couple other folks we’ve met in the Keys of Kalijor story arc. The nice thing is that the majority of these stories are already written and just need revising and cleaning up. This means that the next few novels are already on standby and I can take some time to focus on new projects, such as the role playing games, the graphic novels, and some other things I have waiting in the wings to share with you all.

The last bit of news is that I have just completed the outline for another new novel that takes place long after the final pages of ‘The Fifth Key of Kalijor’. I can’t tell you much more than that, because I don’t want to give away anything in the Fifth Key, but I am really eager to get to writing on this one. It will be a fresh new take on things with new characters (and some cameos here and there from old friends), new plot twists, and what I hope will be a slightly more ‘mature’ feel to it.

 

Okay, I think that’s about it, folks.

Thank you again for making all of this possible, and please, share the Kickstarter link with everyone who will listen. Sure, we can get all of this done without the Kickstarter campaign, but we can do much more, much sooner with the support of such a program!

 

Have an awesome day, everyone!

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

Kalijor RPG Kickstarter Campaign, now looking for your support!

Hello, all you amazing fans out there!

 

Yes, the time has finally come. I know, I’ve been talking about it for months now, but all of the myriad pieces have finally fallen into place and the Kickstarter funding campaign for the Kalijor RPG is now in full swing. Our initial goal is $8,000, which will cover the cost of art, both cover and interior, publication, the legal bits involved in publishing a book of any kind, the printing of 150 copies (of each book), and subsidization of all of the various and sundry fees and rewards associated with a Kickstarter campaign.

There are a ton of great rewards to be had for your support, including copies of the RPG, art prints by the artists signed on to work with us for the books, your name immortalized as a supporter of the project in the pages of the finished book, copies of the Kalijor novels, and even some amazing new Kalijor-inspired tea blends from Dryad Tea!

Before I link you over, I want to say that this endeavor is not just about the Kalijor RPG. Rather, it is about a gaming system that is designed from the ground up to help kids grow up learning critical thinking, reasoning, social, and mathematical skills. This system is designed to help families enjoy gaming together and will have versions of the system for kids 4-7, 7-14, and 14+, all using the same basic core rules and just layering on complexity and ‘realism’ as kids learn the rules and grow up with the game.

As mentioned many times before, people who are playing the game, are loving the game, and their feedback has been invaluable toward improving the game for everyone.

This isn’t just a new RPG. It is a new concept in Role Playing Games. Designed to leverage new technologies and involve whole families in productive, fun time together.

Of course, it’s also an amazing new RPG for anyone who loves RPGs.

 

Okay, so without further rambling from me, here’s the link. Please, spread the word to the whole world and help us get this great new gaming system into publication!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kalijorpress/kalijor-the-role-playing-game

 

 

Quick Update

Just ordered $800 worth of books to stock up for StarFest. This includes 2013 event books, and copies of the Fifth key in hard cover, and soft cover.

While the new novel is not technically published yet, it is done and will launch officially at StarFest!

Now, on to the Kickstarter PRG project. See how much I can get done today…

COSine Post-Con Breakdown

So,

 

Cosine was great. I had an awesome time, met some great people, and really enjoyed sharing thoughts and processes on the panels I was lucky enough to be able to attend. There were some great thoughts and questions offered up by the audience and other attending folks. We welcomed several new readers, signed some books, and had a generally great time. I was very pleasantly surprised, considering the attendance of the cone was around 300 people. It never ceases to amaze me how awesome the sci-fi/fantasy community is.

 

All of that made it a bit sad to hear that this may be the last COSine convention! The folks that have been running the con for the past 10 years have been doing so as a labor of love. There is no profit for them in organizing this convention, aside from being able to see other folks enjoying the fruits of their labor. Having been party to the running of numerous such major events in my life, I can tell you that it is not easy. There is a lot to do, and so many little details that must be attended that there is no time to enjoy the event once it’s up and running. To do all of the prep work, which can take months, to a year before the event, then soak up all your time at the event, is a monumental task at the best of times and I laud their efforts. Alas, it seems they have grown tired of the frenetic pace and wish to slow things down a bit, which is certainly understandable. However, it also seems that despite their numerous efforts to find someone to take over, no one has stepped up to do so. My understanding is that they are still looking and have not officially put down the con yet. Rather, they are putting the con ‘on hiatus’ pending the transition of the event to another person or group who can carry it forward.

So, what’s the point of all of this? Well, if you are in the Colorado Springs area and are a lover of Science Fiction/Fantasy literature, and are looking for a rewarding project to take up, please get in touch with the folks over at the First Friday Fandom and chat them up about the future of COSine. I know a couple hundred folks who will be extremely thankful of you if you do!

 

Next up, the Fifth Key of Kalijor.

Finished edit is back from the editor and I will begin revising the manuscript tonight. It is my intention to push hard on it this week and get it done and back out to test readers by this weekend. Now, that’s 600 pages in 6×9 format, so it’s no small feat, but it needs doing if we’re going to have the book ready for StarFest. That said, please understand if I am not terribly communicative this week as I will be up to my eyeballs in revisions! One of the artists I use for the novels has already turned in her pieces for the book (that’s the black and white title graphics and so forth inside the book) and David says he has a couple variations of the cover to show me so we can pick one and get the final under way. It is my fervent hope that we are going to be able to pull this one out by the promised date, folks. We’re working at top speed to make it happen but we’re also trying hard to make sure nothing is missed or set aside in the process.

 

The Kalijor RPG.

The manuscript is in pretty solid shape. Play testing continues and the refinements are growing smaller and smaller so it looks like this one is getting pretty close. To that end, I have begun setting up to run the Kickstarter Campaign. As mentioned previously, all four of the artists I have contacted to take part in the campaign, and to contribute art to the book have all agreed and are sending pieces over to be used as rewards for contributors! It’s looking great so far and I am getting super excited about this book! Look for more news in early February as we spool up the campaign to fund the art!

 

More projects.

We have a lot going on that won’t be visible, or even talked about in much more than whispers, until later this year. Suffice to say we are working hard to bring amazing new products, stories, and adventures to everyone!

 

Next Conventions…

GalaxyFest

Colorado Springs, Antlers Hotel, February 8-10

We’ll be there selling books and participating in panels as well as running Kalijor RPG games. We don’t have the schedule yet, but it should be coming to light soon. I’ll let you know as soon as I get it!

 

Genghis Con

Aurora, Red Lion, February 15-17

I will be at Genghis Con running Kalijor RPG campaigns to get the word out and get more feedback from players.

Games can be found in the con program book and are at 9am and 2pm Saturday and 9am Sunday, if memory serves.

 

StarFest

Denver, Tech Center Marriott, April 19-21

We’ll be there on Author’s Alley, and I am working on getting on some panels and maybe to run a game or two. If you have any thoughts on a panel you’d like to see, let me know and if there is one, I’ll try to jump on, or if there isn’t one, I’ll get one going!

 

Okay, I think that’s about it for now, so I’ll let you all go and get to revising the Fifth Key!

 

End of Line…

 

Paul

 

Coming Right Up!

Heyas, everyone!

So, still loads going on here. Busy, busy, busy, all the time. But, that is a good thing.

I just finished the major rewriting on the Kalijor RPG material. I went through and did a broad-stroke reformatting to get the table of contents up to date and the font sizing and basic look and feel consistent throughout the book. It is now in a very solid shape and has been sent out to additional groups for play-testing at a more in-depth level. I’m sure we’ll add a couple skills and maybe a few other small things here and there, but the book is now in a very solid shape and I should be done making major content changes/additions.

On the same subject, all four of the artists I was hoping to contribute to the RPG project have agreed and are on board both to contribute to the book, and to be involved in the Kickstarter campaign. This means that not only will I be revealing their names and showing off some of their art in the campaign video, but I will also be offering some of their art as rewards for contributors! So, we ~will~ have both digital, and physical pieces to offer as rewards for helping fund the Kalijor RPG art, and a few of them will be one-off, pre-production sketches/works that will not be available anywhere else. In point of fact, a couple of the artists that work almost entirely digitally now, have offered to do actual physical sketches just for the purpose of offering rewards!

 

The Fifth Key is still behind schedule, but now much less so. Work continues at a fervent pace as we attempt to get it back where it needs to be and ready for April!

 

On the heels of the above, I will be at COSine in Colorado Springs this weekend. I’m on a few panels and will be participating in the mass signing on Saturday as well as doing a reading on Sunday. I’d love to see folks there and am really looking forward to participating and hanging out. I’ll have a few books there for purchase, but I’m not sitting a table so if you want to get copies from me, you’ll have to track me down or, you know, email me and ask me to stop so you can chat me up and get your copies. I do check my email like, every twelve and a half seconds, so if you take that route, you stand a good chance of nailing me down.

FRIDAY

6 – 7pm    Rampart    “Pagan Influences on Fantasy and Science Fiction”

SATURDAY

5 – 6pm    Pikes Peak Ballroom    “Author Reception, Raffle, and Mass

Autographing”

7 – 8pm    Breckenridge   “Deus ex Magica”

…

SUNDAY

1 – 2pm    Telluride    READING – Paul Lell

After COSine, I have GalaxyFest, also in the Springs, from Feb 7-10 where I WILL be sitting a table and selling books as well as participating in a few panels and running a Kalijor RPG campaign on Sunday. Then Genghis Con the following weekend in Aurora where I’ll be running two games on Saturday and one on Sunday, but again, I won’t be sitting a table.

April is StarFest, and late May/June is Denver Comic Con, where we are confirmed in the vendor area for a whole booth and will be setting up with books, art, and more. I’d like to have pre-release copies of the RPG there, but I don’t want to rush it, and we may not have art by then, so we’ll have to see what we can work out for that one.

http://www.denvercomiccon.com/2013/kalijor-press/

I’m now going to leave you with a couple images from one of the artists that has agreed to join us for the Kalijor RPG project. Please, enjoy!