Monday

First off, an update on this whole PayPal thing.  Turns out, like any other business, you merely need to threaten to take your business elsewhere to get attention.  After sending them a couple of emails about the issue I was having, including the afore-mentioned threat, I got a call from them yesterday.  Now, I didn't answer, since the call came from Nebraska, and I know absolutely no one who lives there.  But, they followed up with a personal email explaining the situation.  Basically, you can't have more than one PayPal account linked to a bank account.  And since my wife has already linked hers to our bank for D20 Girls, my account couldn't be connected.  Long story short, the money will get transferred somehow.  But I am still done using PayPal for this kind of stuff.

Anyways, it's Monday, coffee is still being imbibed, and work has a few tasks that need to be cleaned up.  Oh, and I forgot my effing flash drive at home again!  So, no working on current projects.  But, that won't stop me.  I have some ideas that I might start exploring.  Plus, I have an essay due on Sunday.  But those are fairly easy at this point.  I just need to discuss a topic for less than five pages.  Seems like a lot of latitude, but I have personal standards (I try to write at least four pages, regardless).

Today happens to be Kate Mulgrew's birthday.  For those new to this blog, I count myself among that minority of Trekkies that loves Voyager.  It's a close second behind TOS, in my book.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love all of them (with the exception of Enterprise, as I never watched it).  And I have mentioned it a time or two here.  But for some reason, Voyager really struck a chord with me, more so than TNG or DS9.  I think I just really liked the characters.  And the idea that they were just out there all alone, with no Starfleet to back them up.

So, now my brain is in Star Trek mode.  A friend and I were discussing his misguided dislike for Voyager when he mentioned that he would like to see a show that focuses on the Klingons in a post TNG era, where they are trying to re-establish the Klingon Empire, and get out from under the Federation's influence.  A show about honor and the rebuilding past glory.  I think that would be brilliant!  Good idea, Andre.

Other than that, not much is going on.  My new ebook will be delayed until near the end of this month, as I have to wait for one of the stories to get out from under the KDP Select program.  Which is fine, as it gives me more time to do some revisions, and to figure out a cover image.  I am kind of particular about those.  I don't want any of my books ending up on those blogs and sites that make fun of crappy book covers.

Ah, Monday...

SASE is a No-Go

Ok, I am taking down the SASE page above.  Mainly for two reasons.

The first is that PayPal sucks ass.  I cannot transfer the money I have in that account because they keep putting the wrong routing number on my transfer requests.  The number they put in is from my old account, not my new one.  And no matter how many times I change it, it never takes.  Add to that the fact that when you call their service line, you get an automated system that just walks you through the steps like you can't read what's on the website, and doesn't give you an option to talk to a live person.  I'm done with PayPal.

The second reason is that, the one story that is there is going somewhere else very soon.  I have decided that I need to focus on longer works.  Novellas at the very least.  So, I will soon be taking down Pekra and Severance from Amazon, and combining them with Blood from Sand into a single collection entitled With a Silken Fist.  This collection will have a new intro where I discuss the origins of each story.  Additionally, I will revise all three stories to expand them and flesh them out a bit.  Once all three stories are ready, and I figure out a cover (that will be the hardest part), the new volume will go up on Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99.

I'm doing all of this because, while I like the idea of doing it all myself, I simply can't.  There are not enough hours in the day, nor do I have the proper resources at my disposal.  So, for now I will be relying on The Man for my self-publishing.  But, I won't be taking part in the KDP Select program anymore.  That has done me zero good, and it only prevents me from publishing through other venues.

So, in the end SASE was a cool idea, that just can't swim in these waters.  I will probably still use the name on my works (like Charles Gramlich does with his Razored Zen).

Game on!

Tonight we were supposed to have a make-up session for our ongoing D&D campaign.  We're at a pivotal point in the story, where my character (and the party, really) is about to gain a very special weapon to be used in the current war with the forces of evil.  However, real life being what it is, we won't be able to play tonight.  So, we're back on our regular bi-weekly schedule next week.

In the meantime, I and at least two other players (including my wife) are jonesing for adventure!  To that end, the other player who isn't my wife is thinking of starting a new campaign to "fill in the gaps."  I'm excited about this idea.  Probably more than I should be, or thought I would be.  This is the same friend that ran an all-day marathon session of AD&D for his birthday last year.  Now THAT was fun!

Anyways, nothing concrete is in place.  In talking with him, he says he has a lot of ideas, and would need to hash out details of how it would work; what genre, what system, etc...  This, combined with Tim Shorts' Friday Question today, as well as an email from Scott Oden yesterday, has me thinking about gaming.

I think what I would like is a game that is focused on swashbuckling adventure with pirates on flying ships, and evil sorcerors, doing battle with dashing heroes, all for the hands of maidens in distress.  Something akin to Barsoom with magic and D&D races (elves, orcs, halfling, dwarves, etc.).  That would be cool!  Maybe Spelljammer, but confined to a single world.

Of course, I could be currently influenced by the fact that I am trying to finish up my Sword & Planet tale for Scott Oden's planned anthology.

Be that as it may, I have suggested a supplement for the Pathfinder RPG, Distant Worlds.  It looks awesome, and I really like Pathfinder as the successor to D&D 3.5.  I see it as an updated Spelljammer, with a Sword & Planet feel.  Sounds perfect!  Let me roll up my Elven privateer, so that he may clash swords with that dastardly villain, Blackskull!

Random Monday Musings

Since my brain is feeling a bit cloudy today, I thought I would try to rev it up with some writing here.

Last night we watched The Grey with Liam Neeson. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was pretty intense, and though you could see shit coming from a mile away, everything that happened still managed to startle me when it was supposed to. I thought the characters were well-done, and over all, it was a well crafted film. Except the ending. All of that build up, and then…cut to black. I felt robbed. Although, if you stayed until the end of the closing credits, there was a quick shot that alluded to an earlier scene. This kind of gave you resolution. But not enough. I give it a 7 out of 10.

In other news, based in part on Keith’s comment on my last post, an idea that has been lingering for a while came forward with some clarity. Look for a new eBook to come soon. On a related note, I have re-priced two of my longer stories. I figure if publications base their pay on your word-count, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to do the same with my self-publishing. And finally, after reading an article about non-fiction seeming to sell well on Kindle, I threw a couple of my academic history papers together and published them. They’re listed on my shiny new Amazon Author page, linked above. I also have a Goodreads author page, but I can’t link to it right now, as my work internet can’t translate that site very well (it’s a long story, involving an out of date version of IE that I can’t upgrade).

Now that the weather is starting to actually look like Spring (though the weather reports keep mentioning “chance for snow”), I am looking at getting outside more and being more active. Related to that, my friend gave me a punching bag that his kids had, but almost never used. It’s a good, heavy one. I need to drag it down to the basement, so I can hang it up and start taking out some aggression. Also, since it’s so heavy, I can wrap old belts around it, and make handles for lifting. Some good strength-training right there. My goal is to be in good enough shape that I can actually look like a superhero, should I choose to dress up for Wizard World Chicago in August.

Speaking of Cosplay, my wife is now an official “D20 Girl.” This is a group who organizes women cosplayers for pop culture conventions. But, rather than hired model “Booth Babes” who don’t actually know much about what they are promoting, these girls are authentic gamers and geeks. So, she will get free tickets to (relatively) local conventions, and will be required to wear costumes. She’s already planning on several options. This is way cool!

 

(By the way, this is not my wife.  Just a girl explaining what they do.)

Publishing options

When I first published Blood from Sand, I felt the need to share the event with a couple of friends.  You see, the world of Torin Pah was my idea.  But it was an idea that was going nowhere.  So, I shared it with these friends, who were also writers of fantasy.  Together we fleshed out my initial ideas, and laid the foundation for publishing an anthology set in Torin Pah, and featuring stories from all three of us.  Blood and Sand was to be my first entry for that, with two more stories planned.

However, things being what they are, we have all gotten busy with other things, and not just writing.  Long story short, the anthology has sat on the backburner for so long, the heat seems to have dwindled to almost nothing (though both have expressed interest in trying to get it done eventually).  Meanwhile, this story sat collecting virtual dust for several months.

I had a special place in my heart for this story, because it was actually my first attempt at a female protagonist, with mild romantic elements.  It was kind of a new direction for me, and I have been eager to get it out there and see what people think of it.  So, when the idea of SASE came up, I dug this story out, dusted it off, did a bit of fine-tuning, and put it out for the world to see.

Anyways, back to my friends.  One of them has recently published a serial of stories about a teeneage vampire.  His take is very not-Twilight (think more like World of Darkness).  And he made a couple of good points.  First, by eschewing Amazon, I was neglecting a large marketing opportunity.  This is very true, and I have to take that into consideration.  Second, he reminded me about Smashwords, which I had attempted with my first couple of stories, but backed out in order to take part in Amazon's KDP program (which has netted me nothing to date).

So, here's a possible revised plan.  I will continue to publish stories here, on my SASE page.  However, I will also publish at Amazon (removing them from KDP) and Smashwords.  The price point for all of my stories will go up in those areas to $1.25, as well.  I'm fairly confident in saying that I think my stories are of better than average quality, and deserve to be priced a bit higher than they have been.

Thoughts?

As a related aside, I am currently working on a third Gortek and Pekra story, this one more focused on Pekra, and the renegade dwarf, Bofdak (if you haven't read Pekra and The Orc Way, you should).  I gave the verbal pitch to my wife, and she is excited to read it.  I also have ideas for the sequel to Blood from Sand, as well as one for Blackskull's Captive.

With recent events in my personal life, I have a renewed motivation to start scheduling writing time.  So, here's to hoping I can get more organized and start acting like a writer.

Tom's Brain

Not to be confused with Spock's Brain.

So, this morning I found myself looking at my web-presence, specifically blogs, and what I would like to do.  Right now I have two blogs, this one and Fighting Man's Fitness.

This blog is more or less a dumping ground for all the crap that goes through my brain.  Here you get a slice of my life, some of my musings, my ideas, my dastardly (and not so dastardly) schemes, and generally just all kinds of stuff that interests me.  I try to keep these posts focused, at least a little, on writing and associated interests.  But I know I stray a lot.

Fighting Man's Fitness started out as a way of holding myself accountable for getting myself in better health, and better shape.  To that end, it was a bit cathartic at first to purge myself of a few demons, and organize my thoughts on the whole idea.  But now it has fallen off my radar, for the most part.  And whenever I open my Blogger Dashboard, I find myself wondering why I even have it.

So, I'm thinking of getting rid of the exercise blog, and substituting it with a Gaming blog.  This new idea would be where I discuss the gaming that I do (or want to do, or wish I could do) in all forms.  From Tabletop RPGs to Video Games to Online MMOs.  It would also be a place where I talk about one of my other passions, game-designing (specifically for Tabletop RPGs).

Oddly, this would be about the fourth blog I have started here, aside from my main one (which you are reading now).

Anyways, in other news, I am working on some ideas for writing Pulp Adventure stories.  Not specific stories, or even characters yet, but rather the methods and mechanics of what makes a good story.  Lester Dent, creator and prolific writer of Doc Savage stories back during the late Pulp Era, was famous for using a "formula" for all of his stories.  This is what allowed him to crank out literally dozens of stories in a relatively short period.

I have taken his formula, and boiled it down and defined it in terms that I can get around, personally.  My next step is to come up with a cool Hero, a cast of recurring characters and villains, and some plot devices.  Then I plug that all into the SuperComputer, and presto! PULP ADVENTURE!!

Ok, I'm not going to actually do "paint by numbers" stories.  But the idea intrigues me, and I think it would be a good springboard for some dashing adventure fiction.

I also have a 250-word Abstract on my Term Paper due on Sunday.  I suppose I should get started on that whole mess this week too.

Writing Fantasy Heroes - Review



Click to see at Amazon

 Writing Fantasy Heroes: Powerful Advice from the Pros [Paperback]
Ed. Jason M. Waltz
Rogue Blades Entertainment
216 Pages total

Review:
I have probably read my bodyweight in advice books on writing. The usual fare is all about how to navigate the publishing world, how to write for editors and agents, and how to get and develop ideas that will sell. And while this is all good advice, sometimes a writer needs advice on the less tangible ideas; like how to create engaging characters that will fit your chosen genre. And that’s where this book comes in.

First, the physical. This isn’t some doorstopper tome, stuffed with every piece of advice on writing known to man. This volume is a slick and slim work, sliding in at 216 pages. With a beautiful cover illustration, off-white pages that don’t hurt the eyes, and interior text that is highly legible and clean, Writing Fantasy Heroes is a wonderful achievement in publishing aesthetics.

As to the meat of this fine cuisine, let me say there is probably a choice morsel for every writer of every sub-genre of Fantasy, regardless of where they are in their career. Whether you are going for world-shaping epics, ala Tolkien, or smashmouth Sword & Sorcery adventure, ala Howard, there will be something in here for you. And if you are like me, there’s probably a LOT of somethings.

All in all, I am very happy with this purchase. And I will be marking pages and probably highlighting text for a long time to come. If I were to teach a class on writing Fantasy, this would be a required textbook.