Time for Plan C. I've Got a Plan C, Right?

I won't bore you with another "it's tough out there" rant, although I can't promise I won't bore you with it some other time. Lately, however, I've been on the hunt for a day job and it's been brutal. What's particularly depressing is that many jobs that fall under the category of "I can always get one of those when I'm desperate" are turning me down. Call center stuff, production work, customer care, all things that I've done plenty of times before in plenty of other places now don't find me qualified.

Bad economy. I'm old. I'm over / under qualified. Doesn't really matter anymore. The reasons are all just topics for discussion while the bills keep piling up. I can be somewhat charming in person, but the whole begging for more time routine is wearing thin with my landlord. Oh well. The only reason I bring it up is because today marks the start of training for a great job I thought I had LOCKED UP. Testing went well. The interview was awesome. I'm ideally located. My history is pretty good. But...nope. Very disheartening.

This topic, while not very cheerful or inspiring, seems appropriate today since it's Vincent van Gogh's birthday. Unappreciated in his time, poor and depressed. Hmmm. Seems vaguely familiar. Not that I think for a moment that my books will ever rise to the level of his paintings, but at least I can relate to the poor and depressed artist thing.

Wah-wahhhhhhh.

I promise to get back to the funnier stuff tomorrow.

Top 5 Ways to Cool the 'Ol Nerves

There's a lot going through my brain at any given time. I'd use the royal our brains here, but I've had too much experience recently to include EVERYone in the category of having active brain processes. So here we go (in no particular order):

- Video Games -- Nothing relieves stress better than parking your butt in front of a TV and ending the virtual lives of every digitized life form known to man. Personally, I prefer third person shooters for maximum satisfaction and Gears of War tops them all. It's bloody, chaotic and allows you to chainsaw people into chunks. I'd recommend headphones, however. That way, your neighbors can only hear your maniacal laughter and not the grinding of a chainsaw motor along with your victim's screams. Other good games (although not 3rd person shooters) include Call of Duty and Mortal Kombat. 

- Walking --  Step outside and get some fresh air. Lots of frustration comes from feeling stuck, so get out there and keep moving. It becomes tougher to focus on your problems as you get tired. Try not to grumble about your troubles however, unless you've got someone with you. Depending on how big of a city you live in, people walking alone and talking to themselves may or may not be much of an issue.

- Booze --  Hey, I'm a writer after all. We have a long history of intoxication to deal with being rejected, stressed, depressed, frustrated, overlooked, underpaid, dicked over...wait...why am I a writer again? Oh yeah. The craft. whatever. I recommend Jim Beam or Stolichnaya Vodka when you're feeling fancy. 

-  Screaming  --  Sure, it's simple, but it works. Put on some headphones, crank some metal and rage away. Ball your fists up real tight and howl along with other (albeit richer) angry artists like yourself. I recommend: Creeping Death by Metallica, Double Talkin' Jive by Guns n' Roses, Don't Let 'Em Grind Ya Down by Motorhead, The Rage by Judas Priest, or ANYTHING by Black Label Society.

-  Meditate and be a better person  --  Ha! Just kidding. These things are nice, but don't really make you feel better when you're still pissed off. Best to volunteer after you've calmed down a bit. Stick to the booze and screaming.

New me for 2015!!

Alrighty! It’s 2015 and time for some changes. First of all, I’m sure anyone who’s been to this blog before notices the different layout. I love black and all, but got sick of looking at the same backgrounds, etc on this page. Also, I want to dedicate this page to everything I write so a new look seemed to be in order.

Another change for me is the shift in focus as far as my writing goes. This entire industry has been knocked on its ass for some time now. Ebooks are awesome, but to paraphrase the Joker from Dark Knight, they’ve changed things…forever. And there’s no turning back. Man I love that movie. I want to watch it now. Be right back…

…Ok. Awesome flick. What was I saying? Right. Changes. With the rise of the ebook and the fall of so many brick and mortar bookstores, the industry is still in upheaval. That might not be as obvious to the readers. After all, there are still some bookstores out there. Books are still being printed. There’s stuff to read. The Kindle is coming out with new models all the time. (I desperately want one of the new Paperwhite Kindles by the way) Trust me, though, it’s crazy from the inside of this industry and only gets crazier as the months drag into years.

Someone like me who isn’t on the receiving end of a publishers’ marketing budget needs to hustle for work whenever possible to keep up with the ol’ rent. That means trying to line up contracts wherever possible that pay some sort of advance so I can make ends meet. I love ebooks and the sense of creative freedom that comes along with them, but they’re a gamble financially. If writing is my only source of income, waiting for royalties to trickle in is not a stress-free way to live. So, after years of fighting the good fight and busting my butt to survive within the publishing machine, I need to suck it up and find other sources of income. Does that mean no more books from me? Uhh…why would I redo this blog if I was gonna shut it off?

Actually, it means the opposite. Once I secure myself in a more traditional manner (see also: day job) I can stop jumping through so many goddamn hoops, begging for the attention of publishers who only want me to write stuff that resembles whatever other author is the flavor of the month, and scrambling to fit myself into someone else’s category. I never was good at that kind of thing and haven’t gotten any better as I ferment.

Pleasing so many higher-ups who barely even know what they want anyway is a good way to drive yourself insane. The good thing about being truly apart from the machine (and being insane, for that matter) is that you don’t have a lot to lose. I will no longer worry about taking a good idea and rearranging it to fit the current trend. I will now focus on writing what I WANT and not just what I need to pay the bills.

I’ve been told my vampires need to be more mysterious and sultry. I’ve been told that I need to adhere to the concrete rules as set forth in legends in regards to mythological creatures. Legends as FACT? Isn’t tweaking legend and playing within a genre the FUN part of fiction? I’ve been told horror is no longer a genre. I’ve been told Steampunk is dead. I’ve been told a lot of things and I don’t mind hearing people speak their minds. I also don’t need to change what I do just to satisfy a bunch of rules that will change in a day or two anyway.

Overall, it’s a scary time for me. It’s also an exciting one. There’s a big weight lifted off my back when I stop worrying about trying to please someone in an office reading my horror manuscripts who doesn’t even like horror in the first place. I’m doing my own thing again and it feels good. Check back soon and I’ll tell you all about it.

Hello from the COOOOLD

Hey! The holidays are over. Whew. Is it just me or is every holiday a prolonged, agonizing trial anymore? I love Halloween, but now it starts in Sept and goes all the way through Oct with a non-stop shit storm of cutesy costumes, candy commercials and “spooky” put in front of everything on menus and billboards. And Christmas? I think it’s still going, right? Sigh. Anyway, I laid low for a spell and now I’m back.

I’ve been working on a few projects. I’ll have some new Ralph Compton westerns coming out under the Marcus Galloway pseudonym. Also my Doc Holliday series, The Accomplice, is being re-released in e-book format. On the horizon, I’m about to start in on the next Gillis Ledger book as well as another Skinners project. Of course I’ll be doing Book 8, but what would you guys feel about some stand-alone prequels? Maybe stories from Paige’s early career? That could be cool. I’m also circulating some steampunk and crime novels to various publishers and if they don’t get snatched up, I’ll be releasing them my own damn self!

In other news, my Dad called me today for tech support on his Kindle Fire. Why does this warrant a mention? About a year and a half ago, I took some work answering the phones at Amazon for Kindle support. I did fairly well in the knowledge and fixing stuff departments, but my customer service / warm fuzziness was lacking. Can you believe that? Fuck them, right? Heh. So when my Dad calls for help with a WiFi connection problem, I had all kinds of advice and steps for him to take. A real chance to impress the guy. Did I fix his Kindle? Of course I didn’t. Maybe someday I’ll find something I’m good at. Until then, take care!

The (hot) Dog Days of Summer

I'm finally getting pumped for The Dark Knight Rises. Of coarse I'm a Batman fan, but there hasn't been much in the trailers to really get me going. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman? Well...that gets me going, but not in a family-friendly way. Heh. I'm sure it will be great and I will be seeing it soon.

Just returned from a road trip to the Poconos to spend some time with family. That was fun. Had to buy two new tires for my Hyundai Blowabout. Not so fun. That little seating area in the Walmart auto care section is not a happy place. Everyone internally snarling at having to watch their car through a little window as it gets cranked by dudes in coveralls. One old man who was there with me had to wait for an extra hour because the mechanics dropped their screwdriver into his air filter and it landed out of their reach. Oy.

And so the summer rolls on. I recently tried a stout beer that's brewed with coffee. Little bit of whiplash with the sudden subject change? Sorry about that. It just popped into my head and I thought I'd share. That coffee brew was AMAZING! Speaking of great tastes that could have very easily gone the other way, I've got an idea for a new pizza! Sliced hot dogs under a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. And, instead of pizza sauce, Spaghetti-Os!!! I think it's either gonna knock my socks off or make me puke. I'm off to buy some crust and find out for myself.

Billy Goat...NO MORE!!

I realize I age like any other mortal. I creak. I ache. Now, I can't just eat anything I want. Ok, let's not panic here. I had a jalapeno and cheese bagel which disagreed with me the MOMENT I got it down. Why does this warrant a blog post? Actually, it doesn't. Next question.

Why does this show up on my radar? Because I  used to be able to eat damn near anything without more than a brief moment of discomfort followed by some gurgle or burp that made it all better. You know, like when the Tasmanian Devil swallows some dynamite, his stomach swells for a second and then he spits out some smoke? Just like that!! Ahh, youth.

Feeling this bit of mortal discomfort made me understand how Superman felt when he got slapped around by that trucked dude from Gremlins in Superman 2. Clark and Lois were at that little diner somewhere...was it in Metropolis or somewhere out in the arctic? I was never clear on where that place was. Hmmm. But when Clark gets tossed off of Gremlin dude's stool and sees the blood on his face, he has this expression that's a mix of shock, disbelief, fear and shame. I know how that feels now.

Or...could've been a bagel that would have turned anyone else into a pile of puking, diarrheal mush. Yeah! That's it!! Now I've found my conveniently placed power crystal that restores me in the event I step into the oddly placed chamber robbing me of my powers!!! If you don't know what I'm talking about, you really need to watch Superman 2.

The Good, the Bad and the Snotty

Time for scratchy throat / cough / headache season. Yippee. Let's weigh some of the pros and cons as far as hacking up bloody mucus every few minutes is concerned.

Pro - I get to take all kinds of medicines, some of which make me feel delightfully dizzy.
Con- All those meds combine deep within my digestive plumbing to form a noxious stew.
Pro - That stew tastes like honey and cherry
Con - I'm allergic to cherries
Pro - No, I'm not.

Con - My appetite is going down.
Pro - That's got to be good for me on some dietary level, right?
Con - Not really

Pro - I don't get funny looks for being in my pajamas and robe at 7pm.
Con - The robe has dried soup on the labels and crusty sleeves.

Pro - I get a little more time to blog
Con - The blog posts turn out like this one.

Back to bed.

Boot to the Head

Day 1,479 of being without the main TV in my life.
Ok...maybe it hasn't been that long, but it sure as hell feels like it! The lamp in my cool hi-def TV burnt out, so it's been waiting for repairs. Had to go back and forth with Panasonic, get them to honor the warranty without a receipt (since I threw it away without knowing they'd EXTENDED the warranty for my model), find a repair guy, get him to take the TV away, wait for the part to be ordered and now wait for it to be brought back. Hooking up my games and crap to an older TV has been a pain in the ass for no good reason, which means I haven't even been on XBox Live for weeks. ARGH!!!! Sure, this stuff isn't essential for survival but it sucks to be without it.

No hi-def graphics on my games. No Blu Ray movies. No surround sound system. Damn near had to go back to a freaking VHS player just because I didn't want to move my living room into the guest room. It'll be ok. I just don't get out much so this stings.

Been going to Borders to try and take advantage of those Going Out Of Business sales. The cafe was all shut down and the chairs were up on the tables. That was even more of a depressing sight than the shelves which all now look like they've been randomly jumbled. I saw a trade paperback I wanted, checked to see if I already had it on Kindle. I didn't, but I also found the ebook version was $8 less than the SALE price of the book store copy. I bought the Kindle version, feeling like I was putting my foot on top of Borders's head and shoving it even further beneath the water. Strange days for the publishing industry.

Saw Captain America. Although I don' t agree with the folks who call it the "best comic book movie ever", it was pretty great. Red Skull looked perfect and the treat at the end of the credits nearly made me mess my pants with geek delight.

The wrong O word

Well, once again, South Park has knocked it out of the park. Ha. PARK. Didn't even mean to do that one. Their recent episode was about how everything starts sounding like / resembling shit after you hit a certain age. This is something that happened a while ago for me, but I've tried to ignore it. Sometimes I get cranky (ok..cranky-ER) but most of the times I go into newer stuff wanting to like it. Movies, TV shows, whatever. If I'm not trying to like something, I should just curl up into a ball and gripe. More often than I care to admit, this burns me.

It starts with music (as it did in South Park). Then comes everything else. My first encounter with this was MTV. I was a kid when it first hit cable and can clearly recall all the music videos as well as quality programming like Remote Control, The Young Ones, and the first few seasons of The Real World. I was going to college during the Beavis & Butthead years. In fact, I still suspect there was a camera hidden in the apartment I shared with my college roommate for Mike Judge to get inspiration for that show. FYI, my roommate and I switched off on who was Beavis and who was Butt-Head. Then came the decline (as illustrated by the rest of The Real World. That show is STILL on?? How much of the same angst can we watch??)

So, fine. MTV is for young audiences and I'm not young. I get it. I'm still kind of cool right? I did win a radio contest for a trip to attend the 1998 MTV VMAs. That's pretty cool! I was in the same building as Madonna and Marilyn Manson, for crap's sake! Personally, the Movie Awards were always my favorite. The last few years, they've devolved into the MTV Twilight Awards. So that's what the kids are watching. Great. Let 'em have it. I heard there was going to be a remake of Teen Wolf and my mind drifted back to the awesome movies. "GIVE ME...a keg...of BEER." Juvenile justice at the hands of gypsy curses. SWEET! I watched about five minutes of the new version and it was more angsty teens trying to be sexy and witty. And really, what the hell was I expecting?? The second half of this clip from The Soup pretty much sums it up. The first half is funny as well. I love this show (The Soup...not Teen Wolf)



Ugh.

So I'm old. This is yet another reminder. Whatever. Sometimes curling up in that ball is fun. Griping is fun too. I think I'll even start that as a new label for blog posts. Now, in order to pay my rent, I need to try and come up with a poignant, "edgy" yet sexy, socially conscious young character as well as a bunch of cute supernatural circumstances that amount to other characters looking even sexier and becoming even more sharp-witted. Let the zaniness ensue. Oh, and I can't forget the sweetie-pie nicknames for those supposedly horrific creatures. I'll jam those in with the 587,649th way to reference "that time of the month" when talking about a werewolf's transformation during the full moon. And you guys wonder why I take such pleasure in setting the Full Bloods loose in Book 5? Heh. Sweet catharsis.

The End of Everything on a Saturday? Naturally.

I'm always fascinated by predictions for the end of the world. Not that I buy into all of them, but I think it's funny how so many people are not only trying so hard to figure out the exact day we erupt into fire or ash or whatever, but that they really seem to be looking forward to it. I mean, they make signs, they march, they throw parties, they knock on doors. Wouldn't it be better to just schlep along and be pleasantly surprised by all the awesome demons popping out everywhere? Or if it's not so cool (like maybe another flood or something) wouldn't you still rather be surprised? Either way, it's not like we can prepare. What are those canned peanuts and bottles of water doing over there? End of the world survival kit? Smart!

I just heard about May 21st being the possible Rapture. Whenever I hear the word Rapture, it's usually in a pretty good context associated with heaving bosoms and such. Apparently, the real one isn't so great. Or is it? No more Kardashians. No more American Idol. No more Glee. I know, some of you like that stuff, but it all evens out. No more Fringe or Twinkies either. We all suffer. Happy now?

So what's your poison? Zombies? That apocalypse is poised to happen at any moment. First person shooters have made me into a head-shootin' killing machine. Bring it!! Nostradamus's Big Kablooey? That already came and went and some people STILL say he knew his crap. Skynet's Judgment Day? That passed back in 1997. I was working as a telemarketer back then, so that's pretty close to languishing in hell being watched by robot overlords. The Mayan's 2012 Bash? Yet to be seen. But, they couldn't even see the Spaniards coming, so I'll take that with a grain of salt. KABLOW!!! Any Mayans in the audience? All in good fun. You know I love ya!

You gotta hand it to anyone who seriously commits to an end of the world date within their lifetime. They're putting all of their credibility eggs into one basket. The sad part is when that day comes and goes and they come up with some lame excuses to save face. Oh, Nostradamus was looking at a comet instead of a star. He was CLOSE on some stuff. Close don't count in Doomsday!! I'll give these people a break. At least they get behind something. We'll see what happens tomorrow. If it does turn out to be the Rapture, that should be interesting and I don't have to mow my lawn. If not, at least it's the weekend. Bulls vs Heat.

If the end does come tomorrow, here's one more pro and con. Well, three cons if you count the demons and judgment. Bad news first) People like me will have to deal with a whole lot of smug doomsayers. Pro) With the dead rising from the grave, we could kill Osama AGAIN. USA!!!!!

[Editorial note - The spell checker isn't working. Must be a sign.]

A New (old) Addiction

Still loving my Kindle. In fact, I'm buying stuff left and right and reading more. The reading part is mainly due to the fact that I have a little free time lately and haven't been busting my hump quite as much as normal. I've also been reading from my ever-present pile of regular books so all is good. Two generations of literacy living in harmony. Contented sigh......

As for buying ebooks, it sure beats the hell out of going to this one Borders by my house that always plays depressing love songs through the loudspeakers. This way, I can shop around for new stuff, not pay sales tax and do so without pants and while listening to whatever music I want. Borders tends to frown on me wandering in there in that particular state of relaxation. Heh.

Speaking of taxes, I took that hit earlier this week. Didn't turn out as bad as I was fearing. There's one advantage to not being rich! It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was followed by the same sort of relief you get when you finally get that punch to the stomach after tensing your muscles in expectation for way too long. Thank you, Uncle Sam, may I please have another!!!!

Happy....whatever

When did holidays stop being fun? Obviously the first answer is when we grow into adults. That's when the cool parties at school stop and the true, tedious nature of things is revealed. It seems most second-tier holidays are either excuses to drink or get a day off of work. I've got no problem with drinking, but if you want to drink...just do it. Why wait for Hallmark to slap a color scheme on it and print a greeting card for you? If you're such a wild and crazy party animal, go do your thing. As for days off, well that's just what it is. Spare me the talk about the origins of a holiday or what it means to you. Just take your day off, sleep in and get on with life.

Of course, there are the top shelf holidays like Christmas and....birthdays? Do birthdays count here? Sure. Stuff like those, Hanukkah, Easter and even New Year...the big ones that actually mean something. I get what those are and why they're celebrated. Fine.

Today is Valentine's Day. I hate this one. I don't hate love. I don't mind telling someone special how I feel about her. I don't need pressure from every corporation out there to do so. Also, I don't like being required to express myself on ONE particular day. I know I'm contrary by nature. Maybe that's all there is to it. I don't mind buying flowers to make someone feel special. When it's required by law to be romantic NOW...or to open my heart and be sweet THIS INSTANT....I tend to get resentful. I'm pretty good the rest of the year, but the shit starts to fly if I don't perform up to snuff on one particular day? That's real love.

And then there's the professional side of my brain. I've been trying to get work done lately and it's been impossible for a few months. They can't return my call. It's Thanksgiving. Try back in ten days. TEN DAYS!! Then it's Christmas. That one shuts everything down for about a month. After that, there's the week-long New Year's thing. Now I can't get anything on Valentine's Day?? Guess who's had to work this whole damn time? ME!!

Thanks Hallmark. No wait...I mean GET BENT!!! Ha. Because greeting cards are bent. Funny.

New covers 'n stuff

As always, I got a bunch of promo covers for the next Skinners. My offer still stands to send out autographed covers to anyone who would like one. This year looks to be especially lean on the convention front, although I will be attending at least one big one. World Horror is coming up in April, so I hope to see some of you there. Still don't know what I'll be scheduled for, but I'm sure it'll be cool. Anyway, I won't be out there doing many signings for a while so here you go.

Other than that, it's been a whole lot of trying to stay warm. The other day, I felt cold air blowing in through an electrical outlet. Yowza! Good thing my grandma still knits me these awesome slippers that magically fit my wide flipper feet just perfectly. Although some of you (including my grandma) might call these slippers "booties", I like to call them Yarn Shoes. Sounds more manly, plus I think of a whole different thing when I hear the word "booty".

Been working on some ghostwriting projects to keep me busy until the next round of edits comes in for Skinners 6. One of them is a Ralph Compton western written under my cowboy name, Marcus Galloway. If you're into westerns (I'm more of a Clint Eastwood as opposed to John Wayne guy, just so you know), look 'em up. I did two of my own series that I think turned out rather well.

Other than that, I've been leveling up in Call of Duty: Black Ops as well as Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. Also found a good price for the entire series of Wild Wild West on DVD. Talk about cheesy awesomeness!! Watching these shows brings me back around to why I want to write Steampunk so badly. If there's anyone who can write the hell out of cheesy awesomeness, it's ME!!

Jibber Jabbah!

Not a lot going on here lately. For all intents and purposes, Skinner #5 is done. I'm waiting for the first round of official edits for Skinners 6 to come back to me. In the meantime, I'm ghost writing a few westerns and working on some new proposals for other series. Of course that doesn't mean I'm moving away from Skinners. It's just that, unless you're one of the 0.8% of writers who get to do one thing and sit back to rake it in, you gotta hustle. I'm pretty sure only about 5% of professional writers JUST write for a living, and most of them ain't rich.

I was talking earlier about how much I love Steampunk, so I'm putting together some stuff for that. Shaping up to be VERY cool. Also have lines in the water in the science fiction and mystery genres. Yes, mystery! I know! I wouldn't imagine me doing this either, but I came up with an idea that I would LOVE to do so I'm giving it a shot. Maybe I have some sort of attention....something where my attention doesn't focus. Focus? It's something where I....I don't know. What was I talking about? Anyway, my mind comes up with a lot of stuff and I want to write it all. Hopefully some of it sells.

Been catching up on my DVR backlog of Fringe and Stargate Universe episodes. Yes, SG-U isn't the best, but it's grown on me. Someone out there said the ship has a stargate on it because it can't LAND. Huh. Just sounds silly when you put it that way. Oh well. Also catching up on some gaming and movies. Finally got around to seeing The Other Guys with Will Ferrell. "Gator needs his gat!!" Awesome.

Back to work for me.

Come on, now!

Yesterday was nearly pain-free as far as my constant headaches go. What was the stress-relieving combo (other than Ibuprophren), you might ask? I played a game called Da Blob on Wii and watched the Friday the 13th reboot from last year. Da Blob is a game where the world is colorless and you play a blob of paint that turns everything red, blue, or whatever by rolling around on everything. Sounds stupid? Well, it's actually very relaxing. The music is nice and it does my right brain some good to slap different hues on an otherwise drab world. Heh. Then there was Friday the 13th. I hadn't seen this when it came out and finally got around to watching the DVD. It was an awesome combo of hot girls being naked in a summer camp and a huge psycho chopping up said girls. We all know the story. Jason hacks up the guys too. Oddly enough, this was therapeutic as well. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

And then I went to bed. Apparently, my brain wants to escape from my skull because it's doing its best to crack it open. Ever have one of those dreams where you're back in school and you miss a class or test or something? I've had them where I go through an entire school year and remember I've spaced off going to a class all semester. Pretty common stuff dream-wise. Well, the relief comes when I wake up and realize I'm not in school anymore. Whew. Well, my brain got one ahead of me last night and gave me a dream where I had a bill for a little line of credit I don't normally think about too much, but haven't paid for the better part of a year. I've still got bills! I've got lines of credit!! Shit!!!! Is this real? Did I really forget about a bill for that long? It's possible. Things have been crazy around here lately. And because it's my brain doing the meddling, there are little doubts inserted into my thoughts regarding this fictional(??) line of credit. Come to think of it, I don't exactly remember paying ANY bills this month! Now, along with my splitting headache, I've got a nervous stomach going.

Thanks, brain. Love you too.

Oy

Finally done with the first draft of Skinners #6! Whew!!!! Now I can take a few days off and collect myself before editing. There's a lot going on in this one, which I can't really talk about since Book 5 isn't even out yet. Oh well. Take my word for it. It's cool.

Looking forward to watching some movies over the weekend. Probably just some mindless special effects festivals like Prince of Persia or The A-Team. A-Team looks perfect for me right now. Lots of stuff blowin' up and things gettin' shot. Sign me up for that.

Christmas is almost here. To be honest, I'm looking forward to when it's all over. Just fast forward me to January 10th or so, let me know if anything cool happened in those previous weeks and get on with 2011. Remember those other prospects I mentioned earlier? Still nothing about them, which isn't a huge surprise. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but no news is better than bad news, so I'll take it. Not that I wouldn't mind some good news right about now. Don't want to jinx anything.

Speaking of good news, Skinners made the Barnes & Noble list of Best Paranormal Fantasy releases for 2010!! Here's the link: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Explorations-The-BN-SciFi-and/The-Best-Paranormal-Fantasy-Releases-of-2010/ba-p/760466. YAY!!!!! Thanks B&N!!!

I'm off to plop in front of the TV for...ohh...about two or three days. Later.

Head Asplodin'

Yesterday was pretty much filled with blizzard-force winds from 4AM - 3AM today. Right now, there's an eerie calm. It's quiet....TOO QUIET! Heh. Three degrees and snowy, but hey. It's December so what should I expect? Wrapping up the first draft of Skinners #6. It's shaping up, but there's a LOT to do in editing. Already talked about that and it comes up yet again. Welcome to MY WORLD!!

Still trying to get some business stuff done before the holidays. Technically, the holidays are already upon us, but there are still a few folks in their offices pretending to work, so I need to try and enjoy that while it lasts. Got a few more irons in the fire as far as some promising possibilities and I will let you know if anything pans out. Could be some new series or projects other than Skinners. I love Cole & Paige and don't plan on abandoning them, but a change would be nice for a while. Also, taking a small breather would allow some of the new Skinners stuff I've been coming up with to gestate into plot lines for other books. The more I write/edit #6, the more I want to do for #7 and beyond.

As far as those other projects go, I've always had interests in multiple genres. I got my start in westerns and have ideas for fantasy, science fiction and mystery. Of course, I've got other ideas for horror and urban fantasy, but that goes without saying. It's exciting to think of planting my flag in another section of the bookstores. Even for someone who's already published, the publishing industry works how it works without bothering to inform anyone like the writers (unless you're a massively popular writer who can write their own ticket, aka "not me"). So we just have to sit around for months (or years) and wait to see if we'll have a source of income next year. Ugh.

In possibly related news, I've been having these headaches for oh....about two or three weeks now. They're in my neck as well as specific spots in my skull that feel like a little knife is lodged there and occasionally twisted. Could be stress. Could be a tumor. Does thinking about a tumor give me stress? Can too much stress give me a tumor? Uh oh...I think something just popped.

(Insert frustrated grunting sound here)

After lugging around that colossal pile of paper that was my copy edits for Skinners #5, it's time to send it back to New York. After this step of the process, there's just looking over the final run before publishing and Book 5 is in the books! Or...it IS a book. Whatever. It's almost done. It also gave me a chance to look over the stuff I wrote leading into Book 6 which helps me in that writing process. Very "Circle of Life"-esque.



I've decided to go with UPS this time as my little protest against the whole Post Office experience. You know the one. I go there, find a line of 45 people waiting because there's only 1 window open and that person is just milking time before they go on break. Or where I go to the automatic teller, punch in the ZIP code 4 times, swipe my card, tap 57 screens and then get to the last screen that tells me the machine just broke, jammed, or ran out of paper so I need to hop into the line I was trying to avoid. Or the one where I send my package 2-day delivery, pay extra and have it get there in 6 days. Fun.



In other transit news, I'm seeing all this stuff about the outrage regarding airport security searches and privacy issues. Since I rarely fly anywhere, that usually doesn't get a lot of attention here but I'm planning on visiting family over the holidays (wow...real unique there, huh?) and will actually be flying. As cool as the big X-ray machine was in The Running Man (or was it Total Recall?) I'm not sure about it here. I mean, the airport is still afraid of excessive amounts of shampoo and now they've got head-to-toe radiation generators and strip search VIP rooms? Ugh.



First HUMBUG of the season!!!!!!

Anticipation

There are lots of reasons for me to chew my nails lately. Skinners 4 will be hitting store shelves in a few weeks, Skinners 5 is with my editor getting its first once-over, and I'm hard at work on Skinners 6. That's a whole lot of Skinners! Also, I'm putting together a few other projects that I've been excited about for a while now. All this AND the Jonah Hex movie hits DVD this week! Ok, so maybe that last one isn't really a nail-biter, but it looks like a fun flick and I do want to see it.

It's a slow, trudging weekend here. Remember my great mood during the last post when I got a little taste of autumn? Well that lasted for about a day before the temps hit the upper 80's again. According to the weather gadget on my phone, it should be in the 70's this week and those weather predictions are never wrong, right? Yeah. Sure. Oh well. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

The new Medal of Honor comes out this week. They're taking the Modern Warfare route and doing...well...modern warfare. Looks really good. There's been a bit of a commotion since multiplayer battles are to be between US and Taliban forces. That means players get to play as the Taliban and shoot US guys. First of all, it's just a game. Secondly, hasn't this already been done in other games? Pretty much any modern military shooter with multiplayer has SOME side shooting at the US. This just seems like one of those little bouts of ruffled feathers that comes along with plenty of games regarding violence, language or any other sort of non-issue that's clearly marked on the package of said game beneath the big "M for Mature" rating on the cover. My view on this topic? See the first point. Just a game. No actual soldiers were harmed in the single or multi-player arenas. Plus it was already mostly solved by calling the Taliban "opposing forces" in multiplayer. Does having those guys shooting US troops make it all better? Who cares. Next.

Gearing up for World Fantasy at the end of the month. My first big con, so I'm excited. The deal is that any guest (apart from the Guests of Honor) get to do one panel or reading and one only. Makes sense, since it's such a big convention. A few months ago, I got an email asking which of the panels I'd like to be on. I responded and waited to get the schedule. Last week, I get another email asking which panel I'd like to be on and did I get the first email? I respond again, saying I'm sure my first email was accidentally spammed or overlooked. No biggie. I'm fully expecting to show up at the convention without being on any panels because they never got my responses. All too often, I get to experience the crappy parts of being invisible without any of the perks. In other words, nobody knows I'm there unless I try to walk into the women's locker room at the gym. Should be a fun convention whether I get to be on a panel or not. Hope to see some of you there!

Ahhhhctober

I love autumn. I know it's not exactly an original sentiment, but being able to open the windows and have a cool breeze come in just brings a smile to my face. My build / complexion makes me a natural for wearing flannel shirts over standard issue t-shirts. Plus, how could you NOT love flannel sheets? I guess those are more of a winter thing. Anyway, October brings to mind such scents as burning leaves, pumpkin pie, apples and fun-sized candy. Those are a welcome replacement for summer scents like hot tar, body odor, bug spray and misery. Ok, that's a little harsh but you get my drift.

October is also a busy convention month. Just got back from Archon in St. Louis, which was great. Even had some folks show up to my signing which was amazing! Thanks for stopping by! Gave away a bunch of stuff, talked to some readers, plus I had some Jack in the Box tacos afterward. JOY! At the end of the month is World Fantasy. I won't lie to you, I'm a bit nervous for that one. It'll be the first time I've ever been to a con THAT huge. On top of that, I'll be a guest at a signing and a panel. Whew. Vampire Uprising will be hot off the presses by then. By the way, I just got my first advance copy of the book and it looks GREAT! Everything in this paragraph represents what we professional writers call "the fun part" of our job. We must savor these moments while we can because it's a tough business.

Just got back from picking up the new Nightmare on Elm Street DVD. Didn't see it in theaters, so I'm buying it on faith. The first one's a classic and this looks like a good, scary installment of the series instead of the many goofy Freddy movies that came out over the years. Gotta get back to work. There's stuff to write, new TV shows to watch, new games to play. I LOVE this time of year!!!!