Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Tomorrow


September 22nd will mark my fifth wedding anniversary to my lovely and talented wife Kim. She has been my best friend and biggest supporter for seven years now. She bore me a beautiful bouncing baby boy and she puts up with the tons of crap I shovel in her direction every day. If there is the possibility for sainthood for a god-fearing Christian woman married to an impossibly heathen man, then she is prime pickings.

She means the world to me and I cannot conceive of a world without her...

I love you, honey.

Happy Anniversary.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Bookwatch Part 2


Ghosts of Albion: Accursed

From Amber Benson and award-winning author Christopher Golden comes a supernatural thriller with demons, secret agendas, and spectral warriors, set amid the deadly slums of nineteenth-century London. Based on the smash BBC web series that took England by storm, GHOSTS OF ALBION is a horror adventure laced with dark humor and darker lusts. William and Tamara Swift are Britain's protectors against the supernatural.
Having inherited the role from their grandfather, they're joined by his greatest allies: Bodicea, the warrior queen, Admiral Lord Nelson, and Lord Byron -- the Ghosts of Albion. When a plague infests the slums of Victorian London, it releases hideous creatures who feed upon the innocent. If the Swifts can't stop it, all of England may fall prey to this unholy invasion.
400 page Trade Paperback
ISBN: 034547130X
Published by Del Rey

Bookwatch Part 1


MAIL TO THE UNIVERSE by Robert Anton Wilson

The range of Robert Anton Wilson's expertise is always astonishing. In email to the universe he tackles a dazzling array of subjects including: The Passion of the Antichrist; The Celtic Roots of Quantum Theory; Paranoia; Black Magick & Curses; LSD, Dogs & Me; Left and Right: A Non-Euclidean Perspective; Sexual Alchemy; Cheerful Reflections on Death and Dying; The Relativity of "Reality" and a whole bunch more. Bob's description of his campaign to become governor of California (as the candidate of the Guns & Dope party, no less) will have you rolling on the floor.

ISBN 1-56184-194-3 256 pages $16.95

Friday, September 16, 2005

Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy,sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Monday, September 12, 2005

The REAL Nemedian Chronicles

This a little something that creeped up on Yahoo's Robert E. Howard Comics Group that I'm a member of. I share it here now and hope that it tickles you the same way it did me...

EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE CONAN TALES

When you think that a naked wench cavorting in the snow is too good
to be true - you're probably correct.

Giving someone flowers is rightfully considered a hostile action.

The Vilayet Sea is apparently the only known natural source of
Simian Growth Hormone.

It is never a good idea to give in to the impulse to flaunt your
Ophidian Ring-Bling before the servants.

Judges in any day and age just don't understand that the legal
phrase "contempt of court" might not have as passive a context as
they'd prefer.

The "Uni-bomber" existed in the Hyborian Age; his name was Thoth-
Amon.

Forgiveness is for wussies. All scores should be settled in
bloodletting. Or cesspool tossing.

A severed head is considered an aphrodisiac.

I bet Conan gets a sympathy twinge in his wrists every time he has
to ask an innkeeper to "put him up" for the night.

The quickest way into a girl's pants is to crush the air out of her
while covering her lips with kisses. For some odd reason this isn't
considered sexual harassment.

Thog would be a big hit at B&D and S&M soirées.

Stygian pythons are the cats of the Hyborian Age world.

Pampered princess's have a more highly developed danger sense than
wilderness bred barbarians.

White Boo-tay is to die for.

That old fantasy where a "giant python" is jutting from between your
legs doesn't seem as funny when it turns and looks at you.

"First Mate" is the job's actual description, and you get a free lap
dance as a signing bonus.

"A sponge soaked with gall-spiked wine? Luxury! I hadda make do with
a mouthful of bloody vulture feathers, and I was glad for it!"
(apologies to Monty Python)

**************



Originally posted by Dale Rippke

Saturday, September 10, 2005

The Fall TV Season

OK, I'll admit it. I watch tv. Lots of it. Too much actually, but hey, when you're wrangling a 2 year old, it's not like you can read a book or write one for that matter. So, that being said, what am I looking forward to?

The return of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Survivor, and the Amazing Race.

Rome on HBO has already started and is quite good.

And the newbies:

The Night Stalker (with Stuart Townsend), Supernatural (two kids looking for their dad while battling the preternatural), Bones (with David Boreanz), Reunion (muder mystery following '86 grads over the course of 20 years), Surface (underwater mystery), Threshold (alien menace), Invasion (aliens among us), and Ghost Whisperer (with Jennifer Love Hewitt).

Of these I have high hopes for Supernatural (which had a great first episode), Reunion (which also came out of the gates strong), and I'm anticipating a strong showing from Townsend in Night Stalker.

Happy viewing...

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Grindstone

I spent Labor Day with the family at the Indianapolis Zoo. It was the first time I'd been there since 1974... Oddly enough it was very different from what I remembered :)

The stars of the show: the Sea Lions, a Polar Bear, two massive Kodiaks, the underground Dolphin dome, and my son's personal favorite... the Penguins.

It was a great day. It's always a treat to get to spend the day with Kim and the kids. If you add writing time, I spend about 60 hours a week working. The chance to let my hair down (metaphorically) with the family is something I don't get to do as often as I'd like.

I received the galleys last night from Black Death. This is the final step before printing. So with correction sheets in hand I'll tackle the book once more, looking for last minute mistakes.

The back cover copy is great. They tweaked it a bit from what I wrote and the improvements were stellar. I like the interior format and font choice. Very pleasing to my eye. I am so excited. I can hardly wait to get my hands on it. This is what I've been working toward for the past few years. Nice to see it finally paying off.

They added a nice interior title piece and used art by Joanne Ellen Mutch which pleases me. She worked her @$$ off illustrating Cairnwood a few years back and it's good that she'll get a nod in the book. She deserves it and more.

Back to the Grindstone. Following the Cairnwood edits, I have to edit Autumn Moon and the Book of Secrets (which I finished a couple of nights ago) and then tear into my Christmas story for Wicked Karnival.

Don't forget to look for Wicked Karnival #5 featuring my contest winning take on Little Red Riding Hood: Seeing Red. Should be released in early October.