Avengers: Endgame
Noise from me: “eeeeeee….”
Honest Work (and an excerpt)
I’m moonlighting with a great team at one of NZ’s premier government departments. They’re good people, doing excellent work, and made me feel right at home (despite my transitory nature and hobo stubble). I’ve kept the writing up a couple days this week too. Can I keep up the target of 5,000 words/day on the days I’m not at a Real Job™? I’m there three days a week, leaving two for lying writing. It turns out, yes. Yesterday, I minted over 5,600 words, and Today’s allotment was just under 4,900. I’d like to try writing during the Real Work™ days too, but things are too busy right now. Let’s see if that’s achievable once things settle down some. Since you’re here, how about a small excerpt? Here’s Chad and Saveria, at a megaplex in San Francisco. No idea if this Read More …
Cold Snap Brings In Otters
This rain-slicked creature came in about twenty minutes ago, attacked my hand, the dog, my toes, and then fell asleep. She doesn’t object to the current writing studio, because the normal office is cold, and her basket isn’t as good at drying her off as, say, me.
Dragon’s Bargain Is Out!
ICYMI, Dragon’s Bargain is out, and you can get it for 0.99 (US/UK) for a limited time. Actually, quite limited because I forgot to mention this until today, and the special window is collapsing like a badly-made wormhole. This is the best way to get more Grace Gushiken in your life. [GET DRAGON’S BARGAIN]
Fanart: The Rogues Edition
I got these from a fan. They’ve read the Empire’s Rogues stories, and minted Grace and Nate for you 🙂 Want to see more like this? Follow @KayKayMonkey13 on Twitter. I love these – KayKay’s fantastic at capturing the heart of our heroes. BRB, finding a color printer…
Rewriting The Fall of Reason
I sometimes re-write chunks of work, because it sucks. Most of the time I do this once the first draft is finished, but on starting the finale in the Tyche’s Fallen trilogy (Tyche’s Crusade), I figured it was not what it needed to be. Because I like self-flagellation, I present you with both takes on The Fall of Reason. Neither of these are edited. This is horrible, horrible first-draft stuff (so bad, I threw one version out). But no writing is wasted! You get to join in the suffering with me. The Hard Fail Version “Ash is a nice shade of gray.” Nate pressed his face to the air car’s window, staring down at the streets of San Francisco as they scudded by. The city was still on life support. While buildings no longer burned, shipping new ash into the Read More …
Things Will Be Quieter Around Here
This week, I’m heading out for some honest labor. I’m working with a great bunch of people at one of NZ’s cooler government agencies (I’m not sure at what level I can talk about it yet, hence the vaguebooking approach). It’ll be hectic for the first four weeks; after that it’ll calm down some. Expect a lower level of frenzy from this site and other comm channels in the short term. This may fill you with elation or dread, or perhaps both; I have the number of a good therapist, if you need one. If it makes you feel better you can still email me, but I’ll probably delete it by accident while I’m remembering how corporate systems work.
Reversing Awkward 😕 to Groovy 😎
This is one of my world-famous emails, originally sent Sunday, 24 February, 2019. You can get on the list here. It’s New Release Time Remember that time at bandcamp when I asked you* to not buy my books? This is not one of those emails. This week: The Empire’s Rogues, with a launch special; A couple book reviews you may have missed; and Some interviews. * ICYMI: here. The Empire’s Rogues They’re out! Well, some of them, anyway. This is my foray into writing YA fiction, which naturally I know everything about having been a YA in my earlier laps around Sol. The first three stories are live, and … I’m actually nervous. It took a while to build the thin veneer of confidence I show around space opera and cyberpunk. How will the masses take my young Nate & Read More …
Bookshine and Readbows Reviews The Empire’s Rogues
If you want to check out what they thought, hit the magic linky: [The Empire’s Rogues @ Bookshine and Readbows] “Parry effortlessly blends futuristic tech with more traditional pirates and thieves in a way that is both new and familiar, and (in Nate’s stories) can bring a smile. Grace’s path is a more emotional one, as she struggles to maintain a professional detachment against her clear longing for personal contact and companionship; balancing her assassin skills against her empath gift.” You can check out The Empire’s Rogues Volume 1, or start on the first story, Ganymede Steel.
Speak: About a Very Special Dog
When I sat down to read Speak, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Familiar with Paddock’s work by way of Postcards from Gliese, I suspected it’d sucker-punch me right in the feels. I wasn’t disappointed. I think we should start with what this book is like, or maybe who might have written it. It reads like a Gaiman novel – the way the prose rolls of the page feels very much like The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It’s urban fantasy, but not with vampires (sparkling or otherwise): Speak is about people you might know, in a town like that small one you vacationed at last year, doing marvelous things. The story starts with Ellen in the firm grip of her ordinary life. She’s got a father who makes military school instructors look like Barney. Her mother Read More …