How to Succeed in Evil update — draft complete!
The draft of the next installment of How to Succeed in Evil is complete. You can see it over there in the progress meters. 73,000 of 70,000 words. 105% The thing is, I horribly mis-estimated. It’s now...
View ArticleI Just Heard the Bell
As a thoughtful person, I have come to recognize the times in which I live as rife with evil and injustice. As an educated person, one who strives to not be provincial in time, I can see past the...
View ArticleThe War With Santa
This may be my favorite piece from the Seanachai. And if you are having a hard time with the often difficult holiday season, this might be just the laugh you are looking for.
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A Good Miss
2014 was a big year for me. I tried some new things. I put down some old ones. I said goodbye to a good friend. And, as a result of all of this, I set a crazy goal. In August, I said, I’m gonna write...
View ArticleKatniss Everdeen: A Fashion Model with PTSD
Really, why not mock the Mockingjay? I’ve made some mistakes in my time, and reading the Hunger Games are at least three of them. These books are so bad the movies have more depth. It is such an...
View ArticleBoltac’s Guide to Haggling
The main character in my latest book is a formidable negotiator. I’ve assembled his wisdom for your benefit. EPISODE SCRIPT I wrote a book called the Merchant Adventurer. It’s a loving satire of...
View ArticleThe Futurist Manifesto
Commentary on and a reading of F.T. Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto in all it’s flawed glory. I believe that predicting the future is a fool’s errand. And the one thing you can know about anybody who...
View ArticleThe War Inside
As a writer, there is a war going on for soul my right now. And I don’t misuse the metaphor. Shit is flying everywhere. Things are getting destroyed and built and rebuilt at a frantic pace. There’s a...
View ArticleHow to Succeed in Evil Reviewed on U.K. Radio
Hey Lookie there. Some kind words on a very nice program. A locally-owned radio station. Wish we had more of that in the U.S. http://sinefm.com/a_z_of_shows/book_it
View ArticleA Post Containing Failure, Humility and Hope
So, I’m a little depressed. By the numbers, the revival of the Seanachai is a pretty abject failure. In the six months since I’ve resumed doing a weekly episode, I’ve seen no listener growth. It sucks...
View ArticleNew Book Released: The Soak
I am proud to announce that The Soak is done. Here’s the description from the Amazon page. It was the perfect plan, until it all went wrong. An aging, heavy heister goes for one last score. A boy...
View ArticleWhy Dashiell Hammett’s “The Thin Man” is remarkable.
I’ve been thinking about detectives stories a lot lately. So I’ve been revisiting the stories and novels from the genre that have had a great impact on me. As a writer, I think the genre is...
View Articlegood words (right order)
As some of you know, in 2005 I started helping professionals with their writing. This work involves coaching individuals, designing instructional materials and teaching classes. I work primarily with...
View ArticleThe Skeleton Key of The Zombie Apocalypse
The Zombie meme has so penetrated our culture that that you can walk up to a perfect stranger and have a conversation about the Zombie Apocalypse as easily as a traveling salesman of the 1950’s could...
View ArticleHaving Been the Victim of a Shooting
As a guy who has been the victim of a shooting, it seems incumbent upon me to make some kind of comment about the horrible events in Colorado. It’s a big deal, and the media is going to make it the...
View ArticleWriting for Wasteland 2
I’ve been hired to help write and develop Wasteland 2. If you’re not a gamer, or you haven’t played the original, some explanation of why this is so cool is in order. The original Wasteland was a...
View ArticleStory Included in ‘Walk the Fire’
The anthology just hit #8 on Kindle:SciFi:Anthologies. I’d like to say that the meteoric rise of this anthology was due to the fact that one of my stories is in it, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the...
View ArticleWasteland 2 and the Creative Process
Two weeks ago, I flew to Newport Beach and locked myself in a room with the rest of the Wasteland 2 design team. In this room was a three foot high copy of the complete game script, parts of which each...
View ArticleHow to Free Your Writing
I’ve been feeling trapped by success. And by that I mean, I have a lot of cool projects and great things going on in my life right now, which means that I have a lot I have to do. “Have to,” can feel...
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