Category Archives: Writing

July 22, 2015 · 6:00 pm

Thoughts on collaboration

I’ve been pretty quiet on social media this week due to my day-job. I’ve been working on a rather large presentation, and I had the gentleman due to give that presentation in my office this week to help me hash out the content.

Now, collaboration isn’t something I’ve done much of in my career. As a journalist, it was pretty much all on me when it came to researching and writing articles; those few times I’ve worked with other reporters, it was to divide-and-conquer the phone calls and research, then one of us would sit down and pound out the words.

And in my current role in corporate communications, it’s still been me sitting down and writing. Now, I’ve had a lot more folks with input — both before and after the creative process — but rarely during. Usually, there just isn’t the time or the resources to really dive deep into the words with someone.

This project is different, because it’s a really-big-deal presentation. Continue reading →

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July 17, 2015 · 5:30 pm

Author FAQ: Money matters for writers

A few months ago, I did a blog post/ranty-thing tackling the notion that you have to be a starving artist in order to truly be creative. (Spoiler: That’s a load of crap.) Nobody likes starving. If you have the means to avoid it, and most readers here presumably do, I think you have the obligation to, you know, not starve.

As something of a corollary to that, I’m often asked when I’m going to “make the leap” or “cash out” or whatever euphemism is used for leaving my day-job to write fiction full time. While many writers dream of such a thing, this is not a realistic goal for me. I work in the financial services industry, in marketing and communications, and frankly…they pay me quite well. Barring a sudden ascension in sales to the George R.R. Martin level, it ain’t happening.

And it really wasn’t my goal, anyway. In addition to the pay, I get benefits: really good medical/dental/vision insurance for my whole family, retirement savings, and the ability to save for my daughter’s college education. And here’s the kicker…I actually really like my job. I work with great people on projects that are interesting and challenging.

But I get it, that urge to walk away and just write full time. There are days, man, let me tell you, when I’m right there with you. And given that my wife is a freelance writer and aspiring novelist, I have some experience with balancing the desire to leave the office with the realities of cold, hard cash. So I’m expanding the Author FAQ here on the site to incorporate some money matters.

(Note that these opinions are solely my own, and I am not a financial advisor or planner. I’m just a guy who’s seen some stuff and throwing out ideas. If you have questions, talk to someone, you know, qualified.) Continue reading →

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July 15, 2015 · 6:00 pm

The conclusion of the Pathfinder tale “Crisis of Faith” now live!

It’s been a great run. Today, the final chapter of “Crisis of Faith,” my Pathfinder story about Jeddah Cailean, hapless priest of a drunken god, was posted on Paizo’s site. And this fellow to the right featured prominently.

Seriously. Flaming skeletons. Awesome.

I had a great time playing in Pathfinder‘s sandbox. It was a real throwback to my D&D days, which were instrumental in introducing me to the wide world of science fiction and fantasy literature. I very much enjoyed being able to give my take on some of those classic tropes. With beer, of course.

When I think about writing “straight” fantasy — and by that, I mean the traditional sword-and-sorcery stuff — I always want a different take on it. A brewmaster-priest was a great start, and the Pathfinder world has so much more to offer. It’s a neat setting with a lot of potential for unique stories. If you’re an RPGer and you haven’t checked out Pathfinder already…seriously, what’s up with that?

My thanks again to James and Chris for letting me play, and once again to the Twitter crew for making it possible. I hope you enjoyed my tale.

#SFWApro

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July 8, 2015 · 5:45 pm

Chapter 3 of the Pathfinder tale “Crisis of Faith” now live!

I’m really kind of hooked on the whole serial storytelling thing. The third chapter of “Crisis of Faith,” my Web serial set in the Pathfinder universe, is live today, and I’m totally getting how those cliffhangers I wrote work. (I think they work well, of course.)

The events of the last chapter really give this one the crisis at the heart of the story. Jeddah Cailean, priest of the drunk god Cayden Caliean, just isn’t the adventuring type, even though his god is. This whole quest thing hasn’t been working out well for him, and he’s been shaken in his faith. And now, in this chapter, Jed’s facing an even greater challenge….

Surf on over to Paizo and check it out. And as you can see here, we have a great image of Jed — beer-belly and all. He’s actually in better shape in this piece than I imagined him in my head, but Marek Madej did a fantastic job nonetheless.

Next week: The exciting conclusion!

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July 4, 2015 · 12:57 pm

Catching up post-vacation

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll already have seen some photos and tidbits from my vacation, which took me from Philadelphia to Burlington, VT, to Quebec City and back. It was an awesome week, full of great family time, much-needed relaxation, good food and beer, and a chance to get some writing done, too.

Some of the highlights:

On the quarterdeck prior to setting sail.

My Father’s Day gift was a cruise around the Delaware River aboard the privateer Lynx, a replica of an early 19th century schooner, as part of the Tall Ships Philadelphia-Camden festival. It was a fantastic ship with a great crew, and I even got to help hoist the foresail. My daughter gamely came with me, though admittedly it wasn’t her cup of tea. But having written three Napoleonic Era space opera novels with sailing ships, I was in full geek-out mode. And lo, my family is awesome for getting me such a great gift.

A goodly crowd at the Vermont SF Writer’s Series.

From there, we went north to Burlington, where I was one of six writers in attendance at the monthly Vermont SF Writer’s Series at the Fletcher Free Library, organized by Andrew Liptak. We had a great crowd, as you can see here, and the readings were all fantastic. Afterward, I walked over to Phoenix Books with assistant manager Kari Meutsch to sign some books and chat with the staff. It’s a great store, and if you’re in the area, it should be your go-to spot for all your book-buying needs!

This art installation in Quebec City resulted in my favorite photo from the trip.

We also spent time with family in the Burlington area, which was lovely, then took off for the Great White Francophone North. This was our second time visiting Quebec City, and this time we stayed outside of town in a tiny chalet in the woods. Perfect writing spot. It was cooler, of course, and we did have one rainy day, but overall it was amazing. I totally recommend biking around Quebec City’s parks, as we did, and stopping frequently for beer and poutine. (Despite the biking and general exercise on the trip, I’m still five pounds heavier, though. Fair warning.)

So what happened while I was gone? Well, here’s a quick roundup:

The Skiffy and Fanty Torture Cinema podcast, featuring our takedown of the movie Krull, went live on Monday. It’s a fun and funny listen, and while I picked the film, it turns out Shaun Duke loved it more than any of us, and now he hates us all for destroying it.
The second chapter of “Crisis of Faith,” my Pathfinder Web serial, hit the Web on Wednesday. The reception from Pathfinder fans has been really gratifying, especially regarding the treatment of one of the setting’s iconic deities.
Amy J. Murphy did a guest post here on her novel Allies and Enemies-Fallen, which is in the Kindle Scout program and needs your vote. Click here to give it a read and vote before July 15.

Finally, I wanted to mention again that I’ll be the guest at the monthly meeting of the Science Fiction Association of Bergen County on Saturday, July 11, starting at 8 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in Hackensack, NJ. I’ll be reading from The Venusian Gambit and generally chatting about my work. If you’re in the area, come say hello!

#SFWApro

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July 1, 2015 · 3:32 pm

Chapter 2 of the Pathfinder tale “Crisis of Faith” now live!

As of today, we’re halfway through my first Pathfinder short story, “Crisis of Faith,” featuring Jeddah Cailean, a priest of the drunk god Cayden Cailean. And our hero already managed to get himself into quite a pickle. Click here for the latest!

One of the things that struck me about Cayden as a deity is that his followers include adventurers — not the most predictable of folk — and those who brew ale. The latter are perhaps the most hidebound, painstakingly precise people you’ll meet. Brewing is as much chemistry as art, after all.

And here’s Jed, a precise brewer and, yet, also an adherent of a god of spontaneous adventure and, let’s face it, questionable choices. Obviously, Cayden’s chaotic nature is fine with this dichotomy, but it’s not always going to be easy for his followers to follow suit. Especially a homebody like Jed.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter two — and this fantastic image of Corogan, too!

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June 24, 2015 · 5:45 pm

Chapter 1 of “Crisis of Faith” Pathfinder story now live!

The first chapter of my new Pathfinder Tales serial, “Crisis of Faith,” went live today. In it, Jeddah Caliean, brewer-priest of the beer-and-adventuring god Cayden Caliean, has a tough decision to make — one at the core of his faith.

Yes, the tenets of Cayden’s faith are few — they’re kept on something called the Placard of Wisdom, usually found hanging above the bar — but hey, even the simplest faith can be challenged. Hence the title. I hope you enjoy the story.

And the art! Pictured here is Silvestrae, a half-elf with a few tricks up her sleeve and a taste for beer, naturally. Marek Madej is doing the art for this series, and it’s a real treat indeed to see characters I’ve written come to life like that.

The four-chapter series will run every Wednesday over at Paizo, so bookmark the story here and come back for more!

Again, my thanks to James L. Sutter and Chris Carey for letting me play in their sandbox. It was a real joy to write the story and go back to my RPG roots. And, of course, thanks to my friends on Twitter for getting me the gig in the first place!

Given that the story is about a brewer, I wonder if this means all my homebrewing gear is now tax-deductible. Hmm.

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June 23, 2015 · 6:00 pm

Fantasy Faction reviews The Venusian Gambit; audiobook available now!

In paying homage to Napoleonic Era naval adventure, I’m well aware the Daedalus series is treading on beloved ground across the pond in the United Kingdom. So I’m doubly proud of this review of The Venusian Gambit from Fantasy Faction, written by one of my favorite Englishmen, Dan Hanks. His conclusion:

The Venusian Gambit is everything you could want in a finale. Bigger, better, darker and with more at stake than ever before, it’s a thrilling climax to a fresh, but delightfully old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure – the type of story we were sure they didn’t make any more.

You can read the whole thing here. My favorite quote, though, is this: “When a French zombie army marching across the English Channel to conquer our green and pleasant land isn’t the craziest event in a book, you know you’re in for a treat.” I’m quite grateful to Dan for the review, and for all the support he’s shown for this series. Rule, Britannia!

Also today, the Audible audiobook of The Venusian Gambit is now available for download! What’s more, the Audible page has a sample of Kristin Kalbli’s fine narration, so head on over and check it out.

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June 18, 2015 · 5:30 pm

The Pathfinder story “Crisis of Faith” is coming next Wednesday

So maybe this week is kind of quiet, but next week will be a whole lot of fun. In addition to the launch of the Audible audiobook of The Venusian Gambit next Tuesday, the good folks at Paizo confirmed that my serial Pathfinder tale, “Crisis of Faith,” will begin it’s run starting Wednesday, June 25, over at Paizo.com.

There’s a couple of neat things that make “Crisis of Faith” really rewarding for me. One, Paizo commissions a piece of art for each installment of the story — which means I’ll get to see the characters I’ve created brought to life visually. That’s a rare treat.

Second, the story is about a cleric. And not just any cleric — a priest of the god Cayden Cailean. Now, if you don’t know your Pathfinder mythos, click here for a good rundown on this particular deity.

Why, yes, the Pathfinder universe has a god of beer. And if you know me at all, you’ll know that including Cayden, or at least his priest, was pretty much a no-brainer. Had to be done.

And that’s all the spoilers you get for now. I’ll be blogging and tweeting links as each part goes live, so stay tuned.

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June 16, 2015 · 5:45 pm

One week to go before The Venusian Gambit is released in audio

Once again, my thanks to everyone who’s been reading and enjoying The Venusian Gambit. I’m really heartened at how well it’s been received, and appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to leave reviews on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc. Those things help.

Just as a reminder, the Audible audio release of the final Daedalus novel is coming on June 23 — one week from today. You can pre-order it now and get it all set up in your queue. I’m really glad we kept the narrators on for all three books; they’ve done a really fantastic job.

And one more book note: The folks at SFCrowsnest reviewed the latest issue of Apex Magazine, featuring an excerpt of Gambit, which prompted the reviewer to get the first two books in the trilogy. Job well done, there!

Otherwise, I’m here plugging away. I have some vacation coming up at the end of the month after the Vermont SF Writer’s Series, and I’m working on the Next Thing, which you may hear about later this summer. My Pathfinder serial should be gearing up in a few weeks, and Cthulhu Fhtagn! comes out in August with my short story therein.