Blog research and resurgence.

In a search for what makes a good blog I googled "Best sc-fi blogs". The first list of 100 I came across had io9 at number one. They come from the future.

It was a good find to say the least. On the main page, I came across an article What it’s really like to fight with giant suits of computerized armor. Now this was interesting to me because A, that’s cool and B, the plotline of the Fixer story I am currently working on, involves Neal working alongside a small team of men in suits of armor trying to free their country from oppression.

To my surprise, the articled mention a book, coming out on the 27th of this month, Armored,

that has an introduction by Orson Scott Card and stories by authors like; Dan Abnett, Jack McDevitt, Alastair Reynolds, Ethan Skarstedt and Brandon Sanderson to name a few. The article also has a full story from the collection, Jungle Walkers by David Klecha and Tobias S. Buckell.

Another great blog I came across in my studies was that of Michael J. Winegar. I have also had the pleasure of meeting Michael and talking with him about projects, motivation, and games. He has a review up now for Dan Wells recent release, Partials.

Wallo’ing (Redefining terms)

So the Dead Wasp has appeared to be dead as of recent, (recent being for close to the last year) but as the best dead wasps do, it lives on. If that sounds confusing, no worries, it should, or at least probably will.

Actually, what it means is I have settled in to a wonderful new job as well have been working on a new Doctor Wallo story. And yes, it took close to a year for both of those things to happen. The new story is the telling of Neal’s first mission with Designation Eight and the his earning of the Fixer / Doctor title. So it’s kind of one of the first Wallo stories but that’s only considering a linear progression of time, and who does that anymore? Regardless its about halfway done.

Dead Wasp Fiction is alive and transmitting again. Neal and I both appreciate your patience. So keep checking back for updates and posts. Not that Neal is real or anything...

Bay City, Where Shadows Lie

I just finished Bay City, Where Shadows Lie by my good friend J.E. Cammon. Now let me first say I had the chance to read the first half or so over a year ago as J and I were in a writing group together. It is good to see all of the key elements I enjoyed then are still intact after publication, as well it was great to finally get to finish it.
This book marks the beginning of a saga in which a werewolf, a vampire, and a magician of sorts are compelled to work together by circumstance as well as commonality. At its core the book gives a depth of character that one can easily immerse themselves in. Cammon doesn't shy away from getting inside the mind of the darker complex characters any more than the younger naive ones. By its end you will find yourself rooting for both. Well paced fun times as well a satisfying ending are all easy to come by in this read. There is just enough to have you ready for more of the saga.
Get it now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com or through Cammon's blog.

Combining fiction, film, and fingers.

Over the past few years, the video game industry has surpassed the film making industry in dollars made. So what does this mean for writers? I don’t think it took these resent statistics to cause anyone to think a writer has a better chance at writing for a video game company than a having the book made into a movie. However, with the success of recent games such as Halo Reach and the multi-platform Call of duty Black Ops. It should be easy for anyone to see the chance at a writer’s chance to be involved with successful franchises.


Award winning fantasy writer, Naomi Novik, is a founding board member of a site called Organization for Transformative Works, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the fair-use rights of fan creators. The site has a section dedicated to video games with thousands of fan-written stories for titles ranging from Assassin’s Creed to Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. And although fan fiction has a reputation for being, less than marketable, in some cases, there is a market for it. Author and good friend, J.E. Cammon, recently post a story on Fictionaut. It is a fiction story about a kid who suffers seizures and plays a video game comparable to Eve online (A MMORPG, with over 300,000 active players reported in March of 2010.) The story is called Forerunner, enjoy.



Meanwhile, as you’re writing, think of your game on the small screen with a controller in your hand, instead of the big screen with popcorn in your mouth. That is unless you have a really big screen. If you do…, you’re probably the guy who keeps shooting me in the back on Black Ops, and I hate you.

Dragon*con killers

Welcome sci fi fans to the event of the south! And as Chris Burns twitted; "What the hell happened? I had like two drinks...and Dragoncon is over."

The convention is over and it flashed by at light speed. The highlight for me was meeting an author of one of my recently reviewed and favorite books I Am Not A Serial Killer, Dan Wells. He is by far the nicest guy that I know who might possibly be thinking about how to kill you. So check out his book or I might help him kill you. Again the event has come and gone and hopefully you don't have too many blisters on your feet and didn't blow all your cash in the vendors' room or on drinks. Check back here because we'll be doing some polls and asking for feedback on what you think could be different for the convention in the future. Again, or we might kill you.

Just kidding, I am planning to order a shirt like that right now. Plus this was my favorite costume of the entire event, so I couldn't be a serial killer... right? 

Time to get Wallo'ed

Doctor Wallo is up and has three chapters for you to enjoy. Check it out and tell your friends.

Dragon*Con

The time nears again. The four day Sci Fi event of the south starts September 3rd. Here's the info.

Dragon*Con

How Stuff Works: Dragon*Con