Jason Arnett's Blog, page 11

2015 In Review

It's been an interesting year. Full of trials and tribulations; packed with wonderful experiences and memories.

I shared dinners and drinks with very close friends, made new friends, met some very cool people and one of my heroes.

Live music experiences were shared with my daughter and my son. I travelled a bit.

The love of my life loved me and I loved her more than ever before. We laughed and cried and saw movies, ate wonderful food. She spoiled me and I took care of her as best I could.

I wrote a lot but not as much as I wanted. I toyed with some ideas and tossed out dozens more. Several have solidified and I'm continuing to explore them. A lot of what entertained me was suggested by others. It puts me in mind to seek out other things on my own. To recreate the path of my young adulthood.

As weird as that might sound.

This isn't my typical year-end summation. It's fragmented because that's how my year went. Bits and pieces swimming up to the top, demanding my attention RIGHT NOW and BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT.

So this little therapy helps me put perspective on some on it. It's not for anyone but me.

To you I wish a Happy New Year. May all the good things overwhelm and overtake the not so good things. Tell everyone about the things that make you happy. Acknowledge the things that make you nuts or cringe or angry then do something about them. Don't sit and wait for others, do what it takes to make the world a better place. Do what you can. There are important decisions coming and you can, yes you can, affect the outcomes. Belief is a powerful thing.

Here some things I enjoyed this year:

 
 


 



And here are a couple of things I'm really looking forward to in 2016:





Be good to each other. You are loved, you are cherished and you have value. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Do what makes you happy, don't hurt anyone. Love all you can, give as much as you can but don't trust too much. Be skeptical, wary and on your guard. Not so much you lose sight of what matters though. You got this.
More to come. 

Obstacle Course

The leaves are off the trees. The cold wind whistles outside. First flurries of snow are expected soon. Must be deep fall. Welcome to the eastern edge of the west.

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James Young, some writer, Suzanne Dome, A.R. Crebs and Todd Hunter
at Wichita's very excellent Air Capitol Comicon. Photo by Trevor C. Welch.
I was on a writer's panel at Air Capital Comicon and one of the questions was typical of such things:

What's the biggest obstacle to getting published?

My immediate response was "finishing your stuff". I guess I was channeling Chuck Wendig but it doesn't change the truth of the statement. These days you can publish easily through the Internet so the only thing that really is holding you back is your own fear or ignorance of how to do it.

But the key is to publish well. Do everything that needs to be done to make your story as good as it can possibly be. That means:


Beta readers to tell you how the story goes for them. You don't have to take their advice but you do have to consider it.Your own time editing the piece as best you can. But realize that you will not catch everything. You're WAY too close to it. And you've read it already a thousand times or more.Professional editing. This means paying someone to give it another read for the things you've used beta readers and your own time for. Don't skip this step.A good cover. Yes, you have to pay for that too.Formatting and design. Do you know how to set up your book to go live on the Internet? You can learn if you choose to invest the time. Are you familiar with the concept of book design? Do you know someone who is? Because this stuff matters.So I'm here to tell you that writing is hard. There's a lot of work that goes into it. A lot of time beyond just slinging words on the digital page. All the stuff publishers do still needs to be done by you, the independent publisher.
But what's the biggest obstacle? Finishing. Don't give up. Keep going. Get the work done. All that stuff in the list is easier when you've got something to show for it.
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I've been turned on to a couple of podcasts this week that I want you to know about. The first comes from my friend Rob who listens to a wide variety of stuff and he tends to point me at things he knows I'll like. So far he's never been wrong.

So in turn I recommend to you that you check out The Message podcast. It's got elements of X-Files, Warren Ellis science fiction, War of the Worlds and NPR's Serial. Here's the pitch:

The Message is a new podcast following the weekly reports and interviews from Nicky Tomalin, who is covering the decoding of a message from outer space received 70 years ago. Over the course of 8 episodes we get an inside ear on how a top team of cryptologists attempt to decipher, decode, and understand the alien message.
Each week she’ll bring you the latest chapter, so it’s important to listen in starting with Episode 1.

The Message is a co-production between Panoply and GE Podcast Theater, unlocking the secrets of healing with sound technology.

If you're like me then you might cast a doubtful eye at GE producing a podcast. There's a long history of corporations putting together art for the sake of art in the early days of radio and television. They of course are recognized for being involved and not all of them embedded commercials in the stories but many did.

This podcast doesn't. It does connect to GE through the disclaimer that they're working on science similar to what's used in the show. That's all the background stuff.

As for the story itself, it's put together in short installments that have dropped weekly. The last episode comes out Saturday and I'm excited for it. This isn't a huge investment of your time and I think it's a worthwhile way to spend about an hour in a cool story.

The other show I'm joining already in progress is The Black Tapes Podcast. Creepy stuff that taps into   primal fears, then twists them around bony fingers. It starts out rocky, like most podcasts do, but seems to find its legs pretty quickly. I'm digging deeper into it because the beginning of it captured my attention and imagination.

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It's a good time for entertainment in general, isn't it? I mean there are maturing and mature means to tell stories. Black Mirror. Marvel's TV series. The CW's DC adaptations. HBO. AMC. The above mentioned podcasts. Welcome to Nightvale.

Then there are authors like Richard Kadrey, Robert Reed, Nnedi Okorafor, Connie Willis, Jo Walton, Liu Cixin, Ann Leckie. Comic creators like Gail Simone, Kelly Sue DeConnick, G. Willow Wilson, Mike Carey, Gabriel Hardman.

Look, even SyFy is re-rebranding. They're moving through into the realms of science fiction again, and not just silly stuff. Hell, CBS has a superhero show on in primetime. We nerds have it good. The future sure looks bright for genre.

We owe a debt of thanks to George Reeves, Nicholas Hammond, Lynda Carter, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno for stoking the fires all those years ago. And to Glen Larson, Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, Gene and Sylvia Anderson, the team at BBC, Jack Webb, Steven Spielberg.

Even Andy Griffith for Salvage-1. I fully embrace the full range of genre, good and bad. It's formed me into who I am.

Yeah, it's a good time for genre. But it always has been. It's easier to find now. That's the only difference.

I've rambled a bit too long maybe. More next time. 'Til then, be good to each other.

The Cold Distance

Rainy and cool here on the eastern edge of the west. The leaves are composting in the yard, everyone around us is preparing for a festive holiday of shopping and trampling one another. For my own part, I will stay home, drink whisky and watch Jessica Jones on Netflix.

Welcome.

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NOT the actual cover.
I've begun planning things for next year. That means I had to pick a date for releasing the novel out into the wild.

July 26th, 2016. It'll be available for you to read.

More to come.

A World of Words

Hello there. Today has been a gorgeous fall day that allowed me to take a long walk, do some work in the yard and have the house open. A warm trend is on tap for the eastern edge of the West and we're ready for it.

Welcome to the world of words.

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Baseball season is over. For the last month or so we've been in postseason playoffs and the Kansas City Royals are in the World Series. They've been magnificent all year and this run against the New York Mets is full of devil magic and miraculous comebacks.

My Twitter feed and Facebook are filled with memes and photos and hair pulling during the games. It's exciting. It reminds me of my youth when baseball meant a lot because of my grandfather. I listen to Denny Matthews on the radio as much as I watch games on TV. Every time I listen I can feel my grandfather's presence around me. On fishing trips we listened to games on whatever AM station was close.

The last three years of Kansas City baseball have been exceedingly special in that way that only your home team being good can be. All my friends who aren't into sportsball have been very tolerant of my posting about how great the Royals have been. I'm appreciative. It's almost over. Maybe tonight but certainly by Tuesday.

Hang in there. The postseason won't go on too much longer. It's been a wild ride that promises a fantastic finish.


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I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo this year. A group of writers who I love dearly are doing it again this year, hosting the local events as they always do. I feel like I've done it for seven or eight years and I've gotten an awful lot out of it. I have learned how to write fast, how to slap the story down on the page and then go back and hammer it into shape.

I've learned how to make room for new ideas by throwing words out. I've learned how to pace myself, to work steadily every day no matter what. (Well mostly.)

What I haven't learned is how to write a solid First Draft. NaNo is great for the Zero Draft. Really great. But it doesn't teach me how to organize my ideas coherently. It doesn't teach me how to write a good novel. Rather it teaches how to write a passable story or a treatment. Which is much more its purpose.

So I'm not doing NaNo for the second year in a row. Doesn't mean I won't do it again but I feel like I've learned as much as I can from it. That said, I am going to try to get out to the write ins because the energy there is aMAZing. It won't hurt me to soak up a little of that.


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This past week I turned in the third Evolver book called, for now, Acceleration. It's cool to have completed a trilogy of stories that appeal to young readers. Like any good writer I left plenty of room - PLENTY of room - for more stories but essentially the origin is complete.

In this story, Jackson must face off against the man who murdered his father. Meanwhile, the reason for the power behind him is revealed. It's full of twists and turns and it's got a bit of Dr. Moreau in it.

Here's hoping it finds some traction somewhere. If it doesn't, I'm glad for the experience. It was really too much fun.

Also I'm working in earnest on a short story that will be published next year. Stay tuned for information on that one. It's very cool.

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Finally, I'm nearly ready to send this novel I've been tinkering with out to beta readers. This will be an extensive revision of the NaNoWriMo novel from 2011 so a couple will have read it before. I'm so close to being ready to put it out into the world I can taste it. I can't wait for everyone to read it. I hope it's as good as I think it is.

We'll find out. Watch for announcements here.

In the meantime, I'll be at Air Capital Comicon on November 14. I'll have the first two Evolver books, the first Agent of DANGER book, and I'll be writing Velocity Stories for you too. Come find me in Artists' Alley, will you? There are a lot of us who love to talk to people.

And that's all from the rolling hills atop the prairie, where a little baseball team can make a big noise and the plains can generate fantastic visions. Glad you stopped by.

OH! Here's a little thing. Just a bit of fun.

Tinkering

Hello there from the plains of the fantastic. The hills here are alive with something that's not music. The godamned mites are chewing us up and asking for more when we work outside.

Whew, it's been a while, hasn't it? Only a few weeks but it seems like a lifetime. I've got a glass of Jameson here and some things to mention.

#*# I finished a manuscript that's been languishing on my desktop far too long. Months, really. I began working on the revisions about three weeks ago and it took two weeks longer to get them done than I thought. A couple reasons for that: 1) I've developed some bad habits while I wasn't writing every day and 2) I couldn't stop tinkering with the damn thing.

While this year has been tough for me personally, I could have been writing more. Perhaps it would have helped. The bits of writing I did accomplish in the spring and summer I was proud of. But along the way I've gotten off track, let my focus dissipate. I'm much more easily distracted by social media and TV than I was before say, February. I will open a story and do a couple of things then flip over to Facebook or Twitter and stick my beak in where it shouldn't be. The net result is that I wasn't writing and I was making myself crazy. Over the last few weeks I've tried to do that less. Some days it works.

So when I finally turned off the static I printed a copy of the story and got out my red pen. The manuscript looked like someone spilled a gallon of blood on it. Red everywhere. Everywhere. On all the pages. It wasn't going to be a revision so much as a rewrite. This reenforced that I can get a story down fairly quick but then I have to go back and beat it into shape. And likely more than once. I wish I was a better writer and could produce a more polished manuscript on the first go but I'm not. Maybe I will be someday. Until then, I need to build that revision time into my work.

#*# At the beginning of October I ventured off to St. Louis with a couple of friends to attend Archon. At which we hoped to meet Harlan Ellison. It was a great road trip with two good mates. We all love Harlan for different reasons that are the same when you get down to it: the words. Great writers make it look easy. Harlan makes it look effortless. The way he explores an idea makes his work inspirational. 
The panel he was on about the future of science fiction was enlightening. It made me want to go back to the hotel and write. Immediately following the panel we were at the front of burgeoning line to meet him. I thanked him for the stories and told him I did my live-writing Velocity Stories because of him. He showed me how Leo and Diane Dillon worked his face into the covers for Paingod and other paperbacks in the same series. 
And I did write back at the hotel. I wrote some interesting things. Some which you may have seen, the rest is part of three pages of handwritten notes.
Writing for the future because of Harlan Ellison. Well, partly anyway. Thank you again, Harlan. You're always an inspiration.
#*# I became aware of Connie Willis because Harlan mentioned her in an interview ten years ago. I've read some short stories but this week I started reading Passage . It's about Near Death Experiences and as I get deeper into the story I marvel at her world building. It's the kind of thing that gets taken for granted when a story is rooted in the nominal present day. In the first couple of chapters Willis takes the reader into a hospital to see how it works, how the people interact. It's brilliant. I'm enthralled and lose myself in the pages. The writing is so good that the average reader won't notice it. I recommend you find a copy for yourself. 
And that's all I've got, though I've been tinkering with other things too. I've got some thoughts on things that are divisive and of course the election is swinging like a pendulum over the electorate strapped to a concrete slab. But that's for another time. 
All is well on the eastern front of the west. Looking forward to see you in Wichita at AirCap Comicon. Do the right things. The world is a happier place when you do.

Wishes

I wish for more books and the time to read them.

I wish cancer was gone. Completely and forever.

I wish the stories could leap from my head onto the page.

I wish my daily stress level was lower.

I wish my health was better.

I wish I could see all my friends every day. I miss you all.

I wish I was rich in things that mattered to the world and not only in the things that matter to me.

I wish I was better.

I wish I could travel freely. My wife would like that too.

All these things are possible with the application of time and determination.

All these things are possible.

I wish it were so.

Catching Up

Hi.

I'm gonna roll a couple things into one post here because I'm pretty busy with the day job, writing (finally!) and reading (thank goodness!). So, here we go.

ITEM

Today is my parents' 47th wedding anniversary.

This last year may have been the most difficult of their marriage but they're still together, still loving each other. They set great examples of what a marriage really is: lots of work, lots of forgiving, lots of sacrifice and lots and lots of love.

Back in 2002, I made a comic in an effort to take September 11th back for them. I think I was successful and they have a copy of it in their living room. The originals hang in the KU Memorial Union and that makes us all proud. (Forgive the crappy scans.)

 

I love you, Missy and Carl. I hope you're having a wonderful day. I will be in touch later today.

ITEM

As I mentioned above, I'm writing and reading again. I feel great when I write and read and I haven't felt great much of the year. Yeah, it's related to the rough year my parents had but I'm not talking about that here. It's been difficult. The experience of being invited to Kansas City Comicon was the point where I felt like things were finally breaking my way again. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

So I'm working on finishing up Evolver III (the second Evolver book  is available here) and doing another revision on my novel, writing a short story for Ed Bickford's Robot Pulp, revisiting a couple of other short stories and just generally WRITING.

I finished a book for the first time in MONTHS last week and started another (Alex Grecian's THE HARVEST MAN and Neil Gaiman's TRIGGER WARNING, respectively.) I'm reading a book a friend has written and have two more to read over and critique. I'm participating in a workshop/critique session this weekend and reading for that. It's a great time and I've got a lot of catching up to do. Can't let myself get overwhelmed though. Just keep swimming, right?

ITEM

One of the ways I managed to start coming out of the doldrums that consumed me for three quarters of the year was the release of Failure's magnificent The Heart Is A Monster. I've been harping on this all summer so I don't need to continue but it's a great record you might like if you listen to it.

I saw the first night of their first tour in 18 years with my daughter on my Mom's birthday. I saw them six weeks later with my son, which was his first live concert experience. I've never been happier than at those two shows. Failure is one of my daughter's favorite bands, as they're my favorite band. What a great time. I'll remember both shows for the rest of my life for being with my kids.

So I owe the band a great deal of thanks for this summer. You helped me pull out of a serious depression and I got to share you with people I love. I couldn't ask for anything more but you gave us a new album that we all love too. You guys are awesome.

ITEM

So things are good. Busy. Busy. Busy. The Failure shows really helped bookend the summer session, the KCCC was a wonderful middle section and at the end of all of this I've come out on the other side ready to face whatever the hell is coming next.

Stay with me. I'll update when there's something to tell.

Thanks for reading. I hope you all are well and know that there are people around you who love you. I'm so damned lucky. You are too.

Happy Anniversary: From the Glad to Be Alive Dept.

Seeing Failure live in July made me the happiest I've been all year.I'm gonna keep this short. (Relatively.)

Two years ago today I nearly died. No kidding.

If you want to read about it, here is the original post describing what happened as I understood it then and here's last year's recollection. You don't have to read them. Most of you know the story anyway, but just in case.

Massive Bilateral Pulmonary Embolism. "Near fatal" the docs say now when I visit with them. Probably caused by an aggravation of Irritable Bowel Syndrome that was diagnosed only the month previous to me landing on the floor and then in the hospital. What aggravated it? A colonoscopy. A colonoscopy I should have had two years before that because I was showing signs of IBS.

But I was a baby and didn't go for the procedure. I chickened out like a stupid Man.

Could all this have been avoided? Maybe. Not for sure but maybe. Likely the IBS was caused by undue, extreme stress. What caused the stress? I don't know. All this began five years ago, or longer so it's kind of hard to remember. A combination of things including work, depression, fear of failure. Probably lots, lots more. Poor eating habits. Too much extra weight. All of that contributed, I'm sure.

So from five years ago I was in bad shape but I didn't know it. I was walking a lot, I'd been able to maintain my weight. What went wrong?

All that stuff above.

So when this calendar year started off with some extra stress I did the same thing I did two years ago: I hid. I stopped exercising. I ate more. I drank more. I coped as best I could. Everything built up and built up and more stress piled on. I couldn't focus, I couldn't write.

That was the worst part, not writing. I really needed to get things done but people close to me... well, it was scarier than when I was dying myself.

And it went on through June. So six months lost to stress, extra weight added and nothing to show for it except that everyone has turned out to be all right or is recovering nicely. Or holding steady. It's taking a longer time than I would like for me to feel like I'm better, or even closer to 'normal' but it's happening.

Today I'm glad to be alive. The stress isn't quite gone or has been replaced by other stressors but I'm working steadily towards where I was before.

Where I'll pay more attention to what my body tells me, I'll be more aware of what I'm putting in it and why. Especially the why part.

So on the anniversary of my near fatal event, I'm resolving to be better. Again. I can't waste what I've got ahead of me. Again . I'll cherish the things and the people that make me happy and try not to worry so much.

Glad you're all with me. Hope we can be together a long, long time.

Inside The Gap

I'm a huge nerd for the band Failure. They have a new album out, The Heart Is A Monster (which you can stream here and buy at your favorite music outlet), they're on tour and I'm in heaven. Anyway, this very short tale is inspired by some Failure songs. I won't tell you which ones but a fan should be able to pick them out. The references aren't all that obscure.It's also an example of a Velocity Story*, the kind of thing I will be doing when I'm at the first ever Kansas City Comic Con August 7 - 8. I took the words "Inside The Gap", a lyric from a song on the album Magnified and started from there. So if you're going to be at the show, come see me in Artists Alley and I'll do a story for you. Especially if you're a fan of Failure.
INSIDE THE GAP
The frog spoke. “Stuck in a decaying orbit is NOT where I wanted to be tonight.”“Yeah, well, me neither.” All the instrument readouts floated in front of me in perfect marching order. None of it was good news. My training dictated I run through all the possibilities and I couldn’t stop myself. The satellite was going down with us in it.A speaker above the comm satin crackled and hissed. That’s all it had done for the last couple of months. No one answered when I called even though I reached out every hour I was awake. If not for the frog, I wouldn’t have had any company at all here at the end. Houston was long gone.“Seven orbits left,” I said, “until we burn up.” I let out a long sigh and wiped away the useless screens. My eyes unfocused and I stood mute. My fate was sealed.This ancient satellite was more than twice my age. It far outlived its manufacturers and their expectations. For twenty years it was my home and more than twice my age. We’d gotten old together and I fully expected to be recalled two years back but that didn’t happen. Budget cuts, Houston said. No money for the program, no money for a rescue. Sorry.With help from one of the friendly voices I reprogrammed the printer to make food that was technically edible and I kept the garden up. I learned through trial and error to maintain the life support systems. Sometimes the frog supervised me but he never assisted.A week ago the last cleaner bot gave up the ghost. Dust began to settle everywhere. The frog didn’t notice.“You want some of the red ones?” The frog perched in the command chair, darting his eyes to my right. The medical bag sat on a powered down console, zipped closed. “These last orbits are gonna be rough.”“No,” I said. My gesture was emphatic. “I’m going to the garden.”“Better take your helmet,” the frog said. I think he was trying to be helpful.I wanted to see the roses. They’re a variety bred especially for the watcher program. They’re supposed to be soothing. They were dying. Lack of water killed them the same as what crops I had been able to salvage.Still, they had a certain beauty. They, like me, were relics of a more romantic time.“Four orbits,” the frog said over the intercom. Maybe I should have asked him his name. It didn’t matter now.The satellite lurched. I fell into a bed where sad-looking cornstalks bent under my sudden weight. Then I was floating. The artificial gravity had gone out.I looked up. The frog was with me, sitting on the edge of the garden. “This is it.”My helmet floated out of my hand as I relaxed. The heat grew. 
I saw the sun.
*Velocity Stories are hand-written flash fictions. Each is unique and tailored to the person who suggested it. 'Velocity Stories' is the new brand for Velocity Readout. I'm in the process of changing all the references so forgive me if there's any confusion. They're the same thing. See you at the show.

The Bastards Got Me

Wanna know what kind of real impact stress can have? Here's the list of things I have not done because of extraordinary amounts of stress over the last six months:


Slowed my finishing a draft of my novel. Kept me from proofing said novel to send to beta readers. Depression associated with the stress contributed to that, too. "It sucks." - MeSlowed me reading a friend's book. I've promised her a critique and I'm working on it but most of that work has come in the last three weeks or so. And it's still slow.I have books from two other friends that I owe crits on too. The last Evolver book needs to be proofed and edited before I send it to the publisher. It's written and has been written but it needs a polish before it goes out. Haven't been able to focus on that.The second Agent of DANGER book needs to be written. Can't even think about that, yet.Six or seven short stories have been kinda sorta outlined but not even attempted.And don't even talk to me about my To Read pile. It includes Trigger Warning and The Harvest Man, two guaranteed great books but my concentration is shot.I'm serious. Trying to concentrate on anything the last six months has been hell. The stress has been from family illnesses and lots of trips to hospitals. Nothing that hasn't turned out good in the end but there were a lot of dark days in there where I wasn't sure which direction I was headed. I foolishly made promises I truly wanted to keep but which all fell by the wayside.
To those whom I promised a critique or a piece of writing: I am sorry you don't have it yet. 
But the last couple of weeks have been much better. Health situations have dramatically improved and my life is beginning to return to what normal was back in early December. Getting out of the house to go see Failure last week was a watershed moment. Sort of the end of the heavy stress.
I've got a lot of work to make up. Instead of worrying about how it's ALL going to get done I have to prioritize what's most important, what can get out into the world fastest and what is most meaningful.
What I'm getting at here is that sometimes Life Takes Over. You have to roll with it and work as best you can. I don't think my day job suffered other than I was gone quite a bit for various things. That was my focus because that's what pays the bills. The creative stuff, despite what I hoped and promised, just ended up litter on the side of the highway. 
Time to put on my safety vest, drive back out there and start picking up after myself. 
More when there's an actual update to talk about. 
Except I may write a bit about how much Failure means to me. Or I may not. I may just keep that one to myself. We'll see. Getting any bit of writing accomplished right now feels pretty damn good. That's why I'm typing this. 
But time to go now. See you soon.