New Haxan Story Published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies

"High Moon", my new Haxan story, is now up at Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Please, click the banner to read the story. Hope you like it:

New Haxan Story Published on The Western Online

Hooray! The hits keep a'comin', haha. My NEW Haxan short-short "Three Wise Men" was accepted and is now up at The Western Online.

This was kind of experimental for me. I don't often write short-shorts. This one clocked in at 1300-words, but I enjoyed writing it. I hope you like it, too. Please, click on the banner below to see the story and let me know what you think, or let the editor of the magazine know.

Thanks, guys! :)

New Haxan Story Published

The Western Online has just published my brand new Haxan story "In the Image of Our Maker". Yay! So please click on the link below to check it out, and I hope you enjoy the story. Thanks, guys! :)

New Story!

My Haxan story "Till Death Do Us Part" was accepted by The Western Online and it's up now if you want to read it. Hope you like it!

"High Moon" is Rising

Beneath Ceaseless Skies told me today my story "High Moon" will be published in December. It's a Haxan story (what isn't these days) and I hope you like it.

But until then, if you haven't had the chance, or if you are new to my LJ, please check out the original story "Haxan" and the podcast as well published at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

And don't forget the Haxan Page and Haxan Gallery for added content, character biographies and other neat stuff.

(Hey, you gotta get your Haxan fix someway, haha. Yes, I know I'm being silly, but it's that kind of night.)

My Interview at Whispering Dragons!

Susie Hawes of Whispering Dragons Digital Magazine interviewed me for the first issue. Click on the link below and download the PDF (it's free!) and check it out. Hope you like it! :)

Whispering Dragons Digital Magazine

Website Updated

I updated my website. There are new professional writing links, some new articles, and on the Haxan page "How I Created Haxan" that I hope you will enjoy. There's also a new Sample Story, "Ashes, Ashes!" first published by Cosmic Science Fiction in 2004 and I've posted the cover for the upcoming anthology Destination: Future by Hadley Rille books which will include my story "Rubber Monkeys."

Just click on the Haxan badge below and you'll be brought right to it.

Enjoy! :)

David Weber Interview

My interview of David Weber is now live at Strange Horizons. Give it a peek!

Wordcraft and War Fiction: An Interview with David Weber

Haxan Gear

I set up an account with CafePress and now have Haxan gear for anyone who might want mugs, tote bags, throw pillows, clocks or shirts. All kinds of cool stuff!

I've kept the price as low as possible. Not interested in making money, just having Haxan Gear out there for fans who have asked about it. I ordered a coffee mug first to make sure they look okay, and I have to admit they are great.

So if you're interested just click on the mug below and you can see all the Haxan Gear that is currently available. Hope you like it! :)

Haxan Gallery

For those who are interested, I've included a new page on my website, a HAXAN GALLERY. Check it out if you have time. I hope you like it.

I've also updated many other features of my website, including the News Page, with new writing links for those seeking to perfect their craft, and my essay titled "What I Learned in New Mexico", along with a brand new Sample Story called "The Perfect Quest" published by SDO Fantasy in 2004. It's another Sugawara story, for people who like his adventures. I've also updated my FAQ Page (with additional questions about Haxan I've been getting from people) and Links that you may like to follow.

Also included on the Haxan Gallery page is added content entitled "How I Tried to Find Haxan" for the fans. So there's lots for you to enjoy and browse around on if you are so inclined.

Have fun!

New Story in Drops of Crimson!

My dark fantasy story "The Gate Between Worlds" is now up at Drops of Crimson Magazine. HOORAY! This is their YA issue and I'm really happy to appear in it.

This is my story about the Buddhist Nun, and zombies, and fried chicken and honey biscuits. Now, c'mon, how many stories like that have you read recently?

Click on the banner below and read the story about Mama Luiz and her sixteen-year old Buddhist Nun charge, Lilith Boddicea (who tries to be a good Buddhist Nun but that whole "non-violence" thing is a sticking point). They solve crimes! They eat honey biscuits! And did I mention zombies?

Hope you like it!

Haxan Podcast!

My story "Haxan" is now offered as a podcast by Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Click on the banner below and you'll be taken to the page where you can either listen or download the story in an MP3 file. Hope you enjoy it!

WOO HOO! Drops of Crimson Accepted A Story!

Drops of Crimson accepted my YA dark fantasy story "The Gate Between Worlds"! This is way cool. I really love this story and I love the protagonist: a six-foot, sixteen-year old Buddhist nun who has difficulty living up to her vow of non-violence. Oh, and there's a New Orleans obeah with a degree in anthropology, a gruesome murder, a Fried Chicken King who sells honey biscuits, and one or two zombies in the mix.

No, not the flesh-eating kind, but zombies as they were traditionally envisioned.

So. Yeah. Buddhist nun and zombies. Oh, and honey biscuits. What's not to like?

I'll post a link when the story goes live. Hope you enjoy it!

"Haxan" Podcast Poll

Beneath Ceaseless Skies is having a poll whether to podcast my story "Haxan" or some other story. If you have time could you please go over there, register as a member (it's free) and vote for "Haxan"? Thank you!


http://beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=285

New Haxan Banner!

wedschilde created an awesome Haxan banner for my website. I'd really like for you to take a look and tell me (and her) what you think. I believe she captured Haxan perfectly. And when you go to the website and click on the banner it brings you directly to the Haxan page. How cool is that? (George Jetson would be envious of the ease which surrounds our lives, although he does have that flying bubble car and automatic dog walker.)

Oh, other new stuff on the website, too, including a new sample story "Hour of the Tiger" which was my first Sugawara story ever published and some other little bits and pieces, links to other articles and stuff. But, imo, that Haxan banner rocks.

Man. If that's not reason enough to party right there then I dont know what is. Have a good Monday and a great Memorial Day! :)

CHECK OUT THE HAXAN BANNER!

"Sea Devil" Goes Live in Drops of Crimson!!!

Woo hoo! My story about Sugawara the samurai has just gone live in Drops of Crimson Magazine. Click on the link below and you can read how Sugawara takes down the sea devil. Hope you like it! Check out the other fiction in the magazine, too. :)

"High Moon" Sold to Beneath Ceaseless Skies!

Beneath Ceaseless Skies bought my story "High Moon" yesterday. It's one of the Haxan series and actually gives a little peek into Marwood's distant past. (Assuming he's just not slap crazy and imagining all this which is always a possibility.)

And there's more! I have three new character biographies on my Haxan webpage. Yay! Free content! So check it out, please, and read about Black Sky, Dr. Rex Toland, and Hew and Alma Jean Clay, all citizens of Haxan. (Some more reputable than others, thank you very much, but that's Haxan for you.)

So far so good this week. Patrick had a good baseball game yesterday with a hit and assist to tag out a runner on first base. They lost the game but he was excited about how well he played. I placed a Sugawara story with Drops of Crimson, sold a new Haxan story to Beneath Ceaseless Skies and have new Haxan biographies posted for fans. Later today I'll have BBQ chicken, chili hot beans, potato salad and vodka gimlets to celebrate.

Much excitement in the Hoover Clan! Woo HOO!

Sugawara Strikes Again!

My short story "Sugawara and the Sea Devil" has been accepted by Drops of Crimson. I'm pretty stoked about this. I like this magazine. It's gotten a lot of attention lately because the stories inside are, you know, good.

Personally speaking, I LOVE this story about Sugawara. It's without a doubt my absolute favorite. Partly, because he does some un-Samurai like things and there's lots of martial arts as well. (Well, okay, you got me. It's a Suguwara story. There's always martial arts.)

But one of the things he does is use a naginata to fight the "sea devil" because no other available weapon will give him the reach he needs from the platform he has to fight from. (Yes, that's a tease.)

Now I know what you're saying. Big deal, he's using a fancy spear. Except a naginata was historically a weapon intended for use by samurai women. (Yes, there were female samurai.) Some male samurai might eschew using a naginata even though it was studied by men, just not as much. But that doesn't bother Sugawara because he wants to stay alive. Or try to. Silly bastard.

Look for the story at the end of April. (I think.) Of course I'll provide links and stuff. Yay!

Colt Dragoon -- The Weapon

U.S. Marshall John Marwood primarily uses a .44-caliber Colt Dragoon. This is a single-action pistol. That means he has to cock the trigger back every time he shoots. He can't stand there pulling on the trigger and blasting willy nilly like the Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers or some other cartoonish character on television. He has to stand under the returning fire of his opponent, cock his gun and aim. And the guy across the plaza has to do the same thing. The type of six gun you see in Lone Ranger episodes and the like didn't exist until much later in the century.

Sometimes a man would "fan" the trigger, but this was rarely done because you couldn't really hit anything. Better to take your time, aim well, and fire. Though gunfights themselves were extremely rare in the West, the man who aimed the straightest often beat the man who drew the fastest. That was the reality of the world back then, even in the world of Haxan. Speed was helpful...but aim was better. And since Marwood uses a Colt Dragoon, a fairly heavy gun even for 1874, it's his aim and not his speed that wins the day. So far, anyway.

The Colt Dragoon was a popular gun during the Civil War and afterward. Wild Bill Hickock and other persons of that era also carried it. The gun wasn't loaded with cartridges you see on gun belts in movies. It was a ball and powder pistol fired with a percussion cap. Though the cylinder has six holes drilled into it, Marwood only loads his gun with five. The hammer is kept on an empty chamber for safety purposes. Only if he has time before he goes into action will he load that sixth chamber. (Most gunfighters did this. They figured if you can't kill someone with five rounds a sixth isn't going to help. You'll be dead by then anyway.)

As with most people who use a gun like this, Marwood reloads it every morning. Moisture in the night air can dampen the gunpowder and cause a misfire (Admittedly, this was less likely to happen in the desert where the humidity is low.) It was smart tactics to reload your gun every morning for the day. And as powder, conical slug and percussion cap cost about eight cents each, this added up to a lot of money, about $2.40 a month. That's not chicken feed, and when you add in the cost of practice then it really mounts up.

People often used rifles and shotguns to hunt and protect themselves back then, even in Haxan. But they were under NO illusion as to what a revolver was for. It was made to kill people. It had no other use and people of the West understood this. Guns -- revolvers -- were made to kill other human beings. That was their main function. Men, and not a few women, didn't purchase revolvers and plink away at cans and bottles just for laughs.

One last note. Often you see movies and old shows from the 1950s get the terms "gunman" and "gunfighter" mixed up. They aren't interchangeable. A "gunman" is a bad guy or someone who sells his gun for murder. A "gunfighter" is someone who is working on the side of the law. The men and women of the real West knew this difference and would never have confused the two terms.

Whether Marwood is a "gunman" or a "gunfighter" is left to the reader to decide.

Below is a pic of a Colt Dragoon. This is very similar to the one Marwood uses, except his sports a "yellow bone" handle. Once again, I'll leave it to the reader to imagine what kind of bone it might have been.

BCS Forum Post About "Haxan"

Some people have commented on the story in the Beneath Ceaseless Skies forum. They've been very nice. If you care to read their comments then CLICK ME HERE.

"Where do you get the names of your characters?"

"Haxan" Has Gone Live!

My dark fantasy story about a mythical Western town, "Haxan", has been published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine. Please, click on the link below the title and you'll be taken to the story. I really hope you like it.


HAXAN

Appearing NOW in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09.

And if that isn't enough. And don't you think it ought to be? There's a new biographical character sketch about Marwood on my webpage. Free content with the story. Now I ask you how can you beat that? Click here to read biographical material about U.S. Marshall John Marwood!



Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

Hell Is Invited To Supper

And Haxan thought it was a rough town. Find out how wrong they were TOMORROW!




HAXAN

Appearing tomorrow in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09.



Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

Marwood Rides Into Haxan

See what is waiting for him when he arrives. I'm sure everything will be okay. I mean, what could go wrong in Haxan, right? In TWO days!




HAXAN

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09.



Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

What Happened to the Gold Double-Eagles?

Find out where the money is in THREE days!




HAXAN

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09.



Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

Where is Magra Snowberry?

Find out what happened to her in FOUR days!




HAXAN

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09.



Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies Teases Haxan!

Beneath Ceaseless Skies has posted a snippet from the story. Give it a peek. Here's the link!:

HAXAN Tease

Three Stories in Three Days

I like to be challenged. I like setting goals for myself and seeing if I'm up to meeting them.

I had the idea of Three Stories in Three Days for several weeks. I wanted to see if I could do it. No immediate reason, other than the alliteration sounded good and I thought it would be a decent test of my artistic skills and endurance.

I'm telling you, it almost killed me.

I got up early every morning, had a big breakfast and coffee, and was working by eight. I often finished around eight or nine (I can't really remember) that night, with an hour or two (or three) of downtime. But even though I wasn't writing those hours I was thinking of the story at hand. It was all very intense, more than I realized it would be, I guess. I should have known better.

The problem was even though I was working on the first story of three, ideas for the other two kept popping into my head. So I had to deal with that and compartmentalize. It was a mental juggle. It didn't help that my nights were for the most part sleepless. Ideas (and some angst) kept intruding on my rest. Initially, that first morning, I had some trepidation. Was I insane? This was a really big project. Who was I trying to impress? What did it mean, if anything, that I wanted to do this? Not to mention I'm of the school a story is as long as it needs to be. Oh, no, what if a story had to be 40 pages? That's a lot of work for one day. Was I setting myself up to fail?

Eh, quit your whining, you fuck, and get to work. Failure is not an option.

By the second day I was 2/3 through the second story when I was faced with a decision. I could write a quick and easy ending or go for the gold and write the ending the story had to have. Which meant it would be longer and I would have to keep working. But I was so tired! If you read my blog with any kind of regularity you know me well enough to know what side I came down on. Story comes first. But when I was into it I was psyched. I kept getting up every couple of pages or so to work off some of the kinetic energy that was flowing from the story into me. When I finished I thought I had written something pretty special.

By now I was damn near running on fumes. The whole mental aspect of this was more draining than I figured it would be. I've written three days in a row before. I've written an entire story in one day. I've written 10.000 words in a single day. But the whole dynamic of Three Stories in Three Days was like nothing I've ever attempted before. Because day by day I had to shift into another gear. Often I would think, "I"m not going to be able to do this." But then I realized I did not want to fail. So I kept going. I pushed myself. It was all mental. That surprised me.

On Day Three I was dragging. It was zombie time. I had no reason to be ashamed. I could quit. I already had completed Two Stories in Two Days. But that's not what I set out to accomplish. I started the third story. It didn't want to flow. By noon I only had about four pages. I was running out of time and starting to panic. I recognized I was being held up more from exhaustion than anything else. I knew these characters and the setting. (Which is the reason I chose them to be all Haxan stories, because I thought that would make it easier. Haha. Fool that I am.) I pressed on.

By six o'clock the ending began to reveal itself, like slices out of an orange. I had to put them together. I have three Writing Rules: Tell a good story, persevere, and trust your instinct. I depended heavily on the last two. I instinctively felt the story was good, but I had to keep going and most of all I had to trust myself. I wanted to quit. I couldn't quit. I had to finish what I had started.

I did it. I wrote the story.

When I was finished I sat looking at the screen. I was beyond the point of being able to concentrate. I had lost that ability long ago. The past three days were a wild blur. It had been incredibly intense. I don't know if anyone else would have felt that way. Maybe their experience would be entirely different. But I am still amazed how personally intense those three days were with story, Story, STORY. Man. I still can't believe I actually did it.

Bottom line, I wanted to prove something to myself and I guess I did. It doesn't mean anything in the long run. But I learned something about myself, what I can do, what I am capable of. That was instructive.

And to answer a question you might have, No, I am NOT going to do this again, haha. At least not on purpose! Once was more than enough, believe you me. You can give it a shot!

I want to thank everyone who was cheerleading from the sidelines. That was a big help, more than you can ever know.

I'm still kinda stunned. Three stories in three days. Doesn't mean anything to you, maybe, but I was able to accomplish it. I set a goal and tested myself and met the challenge. Best part? The stories don't suck.

But, boy, did it ever wear my butt out.

Do You Night-Walk? The People Of Haxan Do!

Find out how they do it in FIVE days!




HAXAN

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09.



Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

Third of Three Stories Down! NONE Left in the Thunderdome!

I am so exhausted. Mentally and physically. It took everything I had to finish "Grand Guignol" today, all 3700 words.

It's a psychologically dark, claustrophobic and gritty story. Which means it's pure Haxan. But, man, it was tough. I was fighting myself as much as anything. After three days, switching gears from one story to the next to the third...it wore me out. That was the hardest part. Switching mental gears like that. But I'll write about that later, if you don't mind.

I am truly wiped out. Beyond the point of able to focus. But I did it. And I feel pretty good about that accomplishment.

Three stories in three days. I'm not bragging. It's just something I did, that's all. That's all.

Man. Am I ever going to sleep tonight.

See you guys later.


blood, wind, dust....

Second of Three Stories Down! One Left in the Thunderdome!

Started and finished "Wuthering" today. Came in at about 5000 words. This one is pretty dark. Surprised me how dark it turned out. And I loved the villain in this one and how Marwood must fix things aright. I think the resolution will come across as something of a surprise. Different even for Haxan. I hope so, anyway. (It surprised me. I didn't see this ending when I started the story at eight o'clock this morning. But what else can Marwood do with that kind of bad guy?)

And we learn some personal things about Marwood we didn't know before. Magra, too! (Jake Strop wasn't in this one. He was delivering government papers to Fort Providence, haha.)

One more story to go. Assuming I finish this I'll have a lot to say about what I learned writing three stories in three days. Because I did learn something.

Of course, it's not a given. Not yet. I've got one more to write. I think it'll be "Grand Guignol" because the way I'm seeing "Ozymandias" that one's gonna be kinda long. Which means it'll come in around six pages, lol. You can never tell about these things. I've long ago given up trying to see the future in stuff like that.

There's no profit in trying to second guess yourself.

Anyway, "Grand Guignol" tomorrow. Please, God, let me get it done on time and let it be a short one! (I could use the break.)

blood, dust, wind....
blood, dust, wind....

First of Three Stories Down. Two Left in the Thunderdome!

I started and finished "In the Image of His Maker" today. It came in at 4,000 words. I'm satisfied with how it turned out except I swear I have NO idea where I'm going to sell it. Grr.

I suppose I could drive up the psychological aspect a bit and blood it up some. That might open up some markets. I'll probably do that anyway. And if I'm really pressed I might be able to trowel some dark fantasy through there, but then that might end up changing the story into something it wasn't meant to be in the first place, and I'm loathe to do that.

Eh. What can you do. The story had to be written. I had to write it. Nothing I can do about that. I might be able to go back in a week or two and fiddle with it. We'll see. I can't obsess over that right now.

Tomorrow I start on "Wuthering" or "Grand Guignol" either of which will be a straight up dark fantasy. Yes, Haxan, too. They're all Haxan. Everything's Haxan. Blood, dust, wind.

Okay, tired now. Bed.

blood, dust, wind
blood, dust, wind
blood, dust, wind...

New Content on My Webpage! (As if we needed an excuse to party!)

've added new content on my web page. New Haxan stuff (biographical sketches!), a new sample story ("Joke Hell"!), new essay, and other fun stuff.

I'm especially excited about the new Haxan content. I'll be adding more characters sketches as time goes on. Marwood's character sketch will appear the day "Haxan" is published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Visit me! Bookmark me! And, please, check back regularly because more changes will be a'comin'. Yay!

Ego And Confidence And Why You Need Them To Write

Today I met my writing buddymjryan and while I didn't get any writing done we had a long and effective conversation about the writing process, ego and confidence.

It was very helpful for me to have her express where she's at both mentally and physically with her writing and I think she was helped by what little advice I could offer from the perspective of someone who has some things published. We mostly talked about the difference between Writer Wannabes and Writers. She's definitely in the latter camp but doesn't always see it or believe she's there or believe she's earned it. That's understandable.

One thing I got to thinking about was the confidence thing. I understand how some people have a problem with that. I did, too. Now in full disclosure I happen to carry around a rather large and unmanageable ego so there's very little writing-wise that I don't think I am capable of. I guess there's also a bit of experience on my side that gives me confidence. I mean, as I was telling my writing buddy, I feel I could write a straight up romance if I had to. That doesn't mean it would be very good, but I have the confidence I could do it if I wanted. Does that make sense?

In other words, there's no genre I feel I can't write. Maybe it's wrong to think that. I don't know. But that's how I feel, right or wrong. I have that much confidence in myself. Now to be fair I have no intention of writing something like that because there are other genres I prefer to work in.

I guess some of that confidence is earned. I have sold over thirty short stories and articles to professional and professional magazines, I'm a member of SFWA and have a membership pending with HWA and I sold my first novel in 2005. Pretty cool. Not the best in the world, maybe, and I'm not satisfied with just that, but not bad for now.

Nevertheless our conversation got me to thinking all about confidence and awareness and "paying your dues" when it comes to writing. Like I said, I'm maybe not a perfect candidate to use for a generalization about this because I am a bit of a lunatic to begin with. That probably colors my perception of reality just a tad. I admit that. But knowing you're a nut is half the battle of dealing with being a nut, so I feel I'm in a good place there, too.

Of course, on the flip side there's the whole "I'm a writer I'm not sure this is correct here's my angst pity me" which I'm also familiar with. Yes, I probably have WAY too much confidence for my particular talent pool. But that doesn't mean I also don't have a healthy dollop of angst mixed in as well to leaven that confidence.

Writers. Man. It's a wonder we function at all.

The last thing we talked about was believing in yourself. I think this can help you more than anything else when writing. I remember someone asked me many years ago "Have you sold a novel?" and without even thinking I answered, "Not yet."

Later he told me he was very impressed with that answer. He said it told him a lot about the mindset of a writer, how you had to believe in yourself even if no one else did. I guess that's what I'm trying to get across in this essay. You have to be all about the "Not yet, but I'm capable of doing it" rather than the "No, I haven't, I'm still failing."

Believe in yourself. Trust yourself. And never give up.

Do those three things, and even in the midst of a blizzard of rejections you will one day get that acceptance letter that validates the belief you had in yourself.

Or you could just be a whack job like I am and live in your own little fantasy world where you're the Superhero who saves the day. Hey, that works too.

I'm living proof of what straight-up lunacy will get you.

"Alpenglow" Finished!

Well, I guess it was nagging me so I sat down and finished "Alpenglow" and it came in right around 5300 words. I'm pretty happy with the way this story turned out. I had been fighting it a little so this afternoon I erased the final third and rewrote it cold. Of course an entirely new ending presented itself to me.

A better ending.

Isn't that the way it always works? *sigh*

One problem was I had a character doing something dramatic but the more I thought of it the more convinced I became the drama was entirely all on my side. (Me, Drama Whore!) The conflict was there and necessary to the story, but I let my own emotions come into play and force him to do something he would never do under any circumstance. At least...not this time.

(I remember some weeks ago when I was at the coffee shop and I wrote this scene and told my writing buddy about it. She looked at me as if I were crazy. Even she knew it was wrong. God bless writing buddies!)

I wasn't being true to him. My fault. He knew it, I didn't. I finally came around to his way of thinking. He's happier now. Me, too.

Funny. I had every intention of taking the rest of today off. I went into the garden and drank a little raw whiskey while sitting in the sun like a lizard. It was nice while it lasted then I got up and went inside and made a beeline to my laptop.

Guess I wasn't finished after all. It works out well, though. It does free up time next week I can apportion to something else, writing-wise. That's good. Less stress is always welcome.

Huh. I feel I accomplished something significant today. Happy? Hm, perhaps.

More like relief.

Tie A Bow On It!

Long day today. I got a lot accomplished, not least of which was the second "High Moon" rewrite.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out. It's done. It's solid. I'll give one more pass tomorrow and send it back out.

Me tired now. Me sleep.

I get a shout out from Richard Parks! Woot! (Darn nice of him, I'd say)

Richard Parks blogged about the highs and lows of writing series fiction. He mentions my story "Haxan" which will appear in Beneath Ceaseless Skies later this month.

He has some thoughtful advice for writing a series which you should take to heart if you ever want to tackle a project like this. Then he ended up saying some awfully nice things about me and my writing. I want to thank him for that.

You should give it a look.

It's Not Rocket Science. Seriously, It's Not.

If a person of color has a problem with your story then you should listen. If a white person has a problem with your story then you should listen. If anyone has a problem with your story then you should listen.

That doesn't mean you have to write what only makes them happy. It means you should listen because they really do have better things to do than revisit their pain. That's all.

But if you do listen, don't pretend to agree to the person's face and then turn around and snark to everyone else you never agreed with her critique in the first place.

Come on. It's not rocket science. Seriously. It's not.

Monkey Writer Dog Can Solve Your Sex Woes!

I'm listed on the Internet Book Database of Fiction.

Mentioning this at a party is guaranteed to get you laid.
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(Okay, probably not. But it was worth a try.)

Racefail 2009 in the SF/F Community

I've never been one to shy away from calling people what they are. And I can't shy away now even though I'm only a tiny guppy in the SF/F pond.

What I'm about to link you to, in case you don't know, has been going on for quite a while. These are professional people, some of whom I've met.

Some of them I used to respect.

What am I talking about? Well, they're calling it Racefail '09. Actually, they're calling it a whole lot of things, but I like that term. It's got people angry. And for good reason.

Me trying to condense this SF/F fan/writer/editor/publisher shit storm into a coherent synopsis is beyond my puny mortal ability. Fortunately, you can read an excellent summary about it here.

The summary was written by popelizbet and I found it through kynn 's own LJ.

As for myself, if you've read my blog for even thirty seconds you know which side of this I come down on.

Monkey Writer Dog On The Razor's Edge

Flug. I'm right on the edge with this cold. It could fade away into a bothersome little head knocker kept at bay with Sudafed and black coffee...

...or degenerate into a horrific snot-fest accompanied with an overwhelming sense of gakking myself to avoid the misery.

It's like God is going to flip the coin in the air tonight and I'll see on which side it lands. But if this is the same God who gave me chickenpox on the night of my first communion, well, then I guess I know how it's gonna end. We'll see, though. He knows me pretty well. I don't react well when people (or deities) personally piss me off. I'm like an elephant. I have a long memory of past slights.

Anyway if it does get bad I've got an unopened bottle of rye whiskey in the freezer just begging to help me fight this cold. Then again, who needs the excuse of a cold to crack that soldier open?

I feel pretty good right now, but a little too lethargic to get up and do any work in my office. Bummer. I really wanted to start concentrating on my writing this month because February was such a mess. I guess can work from bed tomorrow, though. All I really have slated is to complete my synopsis for the novel and get that off the Five Star. If I'm able I'll also meet my writing buddy Tuesday for coffee.

I've gotten several nice emails about my story "Death Storm" which has just been published in Drops of Crimson. Really touching; I'm glad people seem to like it because this was one of my personal favorites, too.

"Death Storm" Appears in Drops of Crimson Magazine!

Click the banner below to read my new Sugawara story, "Death Storm" now appearing in Drops of Crimson!

Announcing Mark Hoover's SF and Fantasy Website!

I'm thrilled beyond words to announce the grand opening of my new science fiction and fantasy web site. I hope to attract lots of visitors (and prospective customers), so I invite you to visit my site at your convenience and let me know what you think about it. I value your input and I hope you find the personal and professional content to your liking. :)

Please forward this announcement to anyone who might be interested in reading genre fiction and to help me spread the word. To see my site, just click the "Visit My Site" button above!

All my thanks to everyone on my Flist who supported me, and all you lurkers out there! Bookmark me. Yay!

Mark Hoover

http://kennethmarkhoover.com

Sekrits! I Haz Dem!

Got a synopsis to write and a few other tidbits and I'll send Flashpoint Zero off to meet its fate in the big wide world all by its lonesome. *wipes away a tear* Fare-thee-well, little tale.

Hooray! Tomorrow I meet my writing buddy. I'm looking forward to it because I will have an opportunity to work on my short story "Alpenglow" and not worry about other things that keep crawling from the woodwork and being all demanding and stuff. Like I'll listen anyway.

Oh, and I have an announcement to make Friday. Hee.

*runs away to covet his special sekrit and hide it for another day*

Five Star

Five Star wants me to resubmit my mystery/thriller novel Flashpoint Zero. They have a new editor over there now and new submission guidelines. They passed on Red Widow, but asked me to resubmit this one, so I'll be busy this weekend getting that together.

HAXAN

Blood.
Dust.
Wind.

HAXAN

Appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

03. 26. 09

"Widdershin" Sold To Three Crow Press

Three Crow Press just bought my darkly erotic science fiction story "Widdershin" for publication in August or November. WOO HOO!

My Writing Buddy And Me

Here is the coffee shop where I write a couple of times a week with my writing buddy:


Here is my writing buddy, . She's shy.


Here she is writing. You should check out her LJ. She's smart and she knows stuff. When I talk too much she yells at me, though.


Here we are. She's actually writing. I'm pretending.


We often sit in front of the window so we can keep an eye on who's coming and going.


Eh, one of me.

Money Flows To The Writer

Next?

I got the rewrite for "High Moon" finished and sent it off. I believe I did a good job but was reaching a point of diminishing returns so I needed to get it out. I'm meeting my writing buddy again tomorrow and I'm thinking of starting a new story, except there's going to be a problem with that.

I've got some personal stuff piling up on me for the next month so I might not have much time for writing. Not much I can do; I can't get out of it. (I've tried.) So I don't want to start a story and then leave it hanging...but then again I don't want to take that kind of time off when I'm sort of in a groove of story writing.

So I guess I'll probably start the story and hope I can catch up to it and give it the attention it needs in the coming weeks. Like Pooh says:

"Oh, bother!'

Show Me The Money

While I maintain print was long overdue for a shake up, I don't view this economic downturn as any kind of validation for self-publishing.

Here's how it works: Money flows to the writer.

That holds true in all cases. I don't care how many magazines go under. Or how desperate you get to see your stuff published.

We're Writers. We Write.

I maintain the print magazines that are going under is a good thing in the long run for our industry. Let's face it. Print has needed a high colonic cleansing for a very long time now. The cobwebs needed to be cleared out. Heck, in the last couple of years I've seen changes in print magazines that were a direct result from economic forces manifesting themselves from online magazines.

Rejection return is one such example. I know I'm not alone here. Online magazines tend to have a faster turnaround for rejection/accepting stories. I saw print magazines make a real effort to catch up in this regard over the last two years. Same for payment and publication of stories.

I'm not pro-print or pro-online or anti- either one. I'm pro-WRITER. That's why I believe in the long run this will be a good thing for both writers and the publishing industry. It's capitalism, red in tooth and claw. In our profession magazines die and others take their place. Sometimes they prosper and sometimes they don't. Like the song says, the times they are a-changin'. Writers and magazines who adapt will succeed. Those that don't will fall by the wayside.

There are no guarantees in this brutal business. But you knew that before you jumped in with both feet. And if you didn't you just had a dash of cold water to the face which is also a good thing. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Especially in this industry.

Realms of Fantasy is just the first. I expect many more "Big" science fiction and fantasy magazines will go under as well. I can see the death rattle in two of them right now and if you pay attention to the markets like I do I'm sure you can, too. And don't think it will be confined to print because plenty of online paying magazines will go belly up as well. I'm not happy about it. I don't like it anymore than you do. But let's get real here. We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. The trick is to remember why we are here in the first place.

We're writers. We write. We would do so if there were no magazines whatsoever to publish in. At least I would and you probably would, too.

Yeah, it's bad right now. Downright nasty. And it's going to get worse. But in the long run lessons will be learned and other magazines will have the opportunity to fill the vacuum. I really do believe this will be good for writers and publishers in the long run.

Hang in there. And remember you're a writer first.

We'll get through this. We always do. And so will the magazines.

"High Moon" Rewrite

Beneath Ceaseless Skies wants a rewrite for "High Moon" one of my Haxan stories. The editor really had some good suggestions. Now it's up to me to see how I can make them work. If I can, I definitely think the story will be better overall and the conflict between Marwood and Bull Hod that much sharper.

It won't be easy, but I like challenges. Now I HAVE to finish "Alpenglow" in the next several days so I can hit this rewrite hard. I'm excited. Not so much about the almost-sale, but how the story will be so much stronger in light of the changes the editor wants. He really did have some good suggestions and I was flattered he took the time.

Oh, and tomorrow I meet my writing buddy. That will help. Maybe I can bounce ideas off her.

A little more reading for tonight and I'm off to bed....

Words

I'm doing some reading today. I did the little corrections on the story last night (they had to do with the timeline of Sacajawea's life and the controversy surrounding it) and wrote another page or so. I'm set up good for when I meet my writing buddy tomorrow and work on the story. It's coming together and as I as lying in bed last night I saw the ending really taking shape.

I'm still on track to finish "Alpenglow" this week. Got some reading to catch up on today, though, so I'm setting aside time for that.

My foot still hurts and I'm not moving around much. Shame, because it's nice outside and I'd like to go for a walk.

Leftover pizza for lunch today, I think.

Me Productive

I had a bad migraine the last day or so and it cut into my ability to work on my story. I need to be more productive this weekend which means I want to meet the goal of finishing my new story. That's my goal. So I must buckle down and write, write, write.

Now, where did I put that comic book...?

Queries and Tigers and Bears, oh, my!

One thing I would like to see is some sort of standardization with queries. Seriously. Some agents want a query letter and synopsis and first three chapters. Some want query and synopsis. Some want just the query -- email only, please. Some want query snail mailed. Some want query, a three page synopsis and first ten pages of the manuscript. Some....

Well, you get the idea. A writer friend of mind was telling me how she was mailing out queries and practically every agent she was contacting wanted it done differently. "Jump through that hoop, monkey writer dog...."

Of course, I don't know how you would implement said process. Even though we have standardization in format for manuscripts the query thing would be more difficult to enforce since it reflects agents' desires. I get that.

But, yeah, anything that makes *my* life easier I'm all for.

Keep going, baby. You know you like it.

I was talking to my writing buddy today at the coffee shop about show don't tell in fiction. And it got me to thinking.

I have a problem with over description in my stories. I can just describe, describe, describe a scene in the most exquisite (and therefore exhausting) detail and be happier than a spanked monkey in a rainstorm. I love delving into detail. Minute detail. Tiresome detail. To the detriment of the quality, and salability, of my fiction.

Fortunately, I recognized this fault early on and made a move to address it. But it's a constant battle. When I'm writing today I'm always aware of word count. I can look back on ten-thousand word stories I wrote ten or fifteen years ago and now see if I wrote them today they'd be half the length. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

To make her point my writing buddy was talking about Lord of the RIngs and how Tolkien went into detail of describing every blade of grass. It made her put the book down and lose interest, she said. But I loved that stuff in LOTR because it was scratching that description itch between my shoulder blades I constantly battle.

Ideally, there has to be a balance. I'm trying to find that balance in all my fiction, particularly the Haxan stories. In one of the stories I used a descriptor of how the moon was like an orange lantern in the sky. A couple of people said they really liked it. I liked it, too, but I remember sititng there when I wrote that wanting to tell how the light was playing on the desert and cactus, giving it an unearthly quality. You know. Go into minute detail. Slap the reader across the face with it. But I held back, recognizing that the original description of the moon as an orange lantern did that already.

Live and learn, right?

I'm not big on minimalism, either, but it has its place. When it's done well it can be more effective than a dense block of descriptive text. It's just hard to do, imo.

Even so I can't help but remember a friend many years back who said to me, "Wow, you really know how to paint a picture. It's one of your strengths. You're very good at description."

Me: "I know."

Unfortunately, I've never gotten the humility thing licked.

"Alpenglow"

It's a nice sunny day so I sat out on the deck and started a new story, "Alpenglow". It's another Haxan tale and the idea I had percolating for "Samsara" but just retitled.

I've got four pages done. Not bad, I guess. I'm starting to see where it's going and the direction looks promising so far. Maybe it won't entirely suck once I'm done. This one is shaping up to have heavier fantasy elements than the others, though. We'll see how it comes out in the wash.

I might do a little more tonight, but this is a decent start. I'm satisfied.

Oh, and I think I'm going to make spaghetti and homemade focaccia bread for dinner tonight. Yum!

Resolutions

I"m going to concentrate on short stories again this year. But if a big project comes along and interests me then I might do it. I'm leaving myself open to that possibility which is something I didn't do last year.

But mostly short stories, I think.