New Ventures and Old

Wow, lots going on.  I feel like I went from waiting around for things to happen to almost too busy.  A good problem to have.  That being said, I thought I'd take a moment just to give everyone some updates.  

Pillaging the Sun on Kindle Vella is doing well.  Top faved.  Top ten in many of its categories.  Great reviews.  New chapters are being uploaded by Minor Manor Press every week and thus far, I've been able to stay ahead.  It is definitely a different way of writing, and I'm not sure which I enjoy more.  It's fun to have you all along for the ride before it's all done.  With Scarlet, the story was done before anyone got a chance to read it, with few exceptions.  The Pillaging series is developing as you all read and that is both intimidating and exciting. 

My Dungeons and Dragons venture has become a full blown company and miniature store.  We've got a patreon, a website, the whole deal.  The company is call Androids, Aliens, and Wizards: 3D Adventures.  It's gonna be fun.  Hopefully we can expand from narrative story lines with accompanying miniatures to full settings and adventure guides.  We'll see.  Depends on how successful we are.

That of course also means that I have a lot of work to do turning the campaign I'm running with my friends and daughters into a narrative and continue building the adventure.  Its fun though.  If you haven't given TTRPG's a chance, I suggest you do.  I missed out as a kid, but it is truly terrific fun.

Hope everyone is keeping well and safe, especially with COVID surging again.  Take care.  Be kind.  

Brandon 

Virginia 8/2021

New Book: Channeling My Inner Dickens

 

All things old become new and visa versa.  It used to be, in the olden times, authors like Charles Dickens, Author Conan Doyle, Alexandre Dumas, even later authors like Ernest Hemingway had their novels first published by chapter.  From the Pickwick Papers to Farewell to Arms, books often used to see their first publication in such a format, as periodicals or in magazines like Scribners.  Now, Amazon is bringing that format back to the public.

The first novel in my new series will be published first on Amazon Vella.  Instead of waiting a year or more for the full novel to be edited, formatted, type set, approved, reproved, reedited, cover illustrated, copy edited, content edited... (you get the idea), you will be able to read nearly as I write it.  I say nearly, because of course my publisher will still be editing etc..., but as proof, the first chapters are already up and available and there will be a new installment every week.  So, how does it all work and what is the new book about.

Click on the photo or the links to Vella and follow Pillaging the Sun.  You'll be notified of new chapters (first three are free) and how to continue the adventure.  Be sure to review and give me a thumbs up—just like any other platform, that all helps.

Here's the promo blurb:

Having barely survived an apocalyptic rise in the earth’s temperature, humanity as only recently recovered a small portion of what they lost—of what they destroyed.   The ingenuity of Montgomery Camden's company Ouranos may have scrubbed the skies of carbon monoxide and given those that remain the shining city of Gaia, but if he can’t find a reliable source of power, all will have been for naught.  Harassed by religious fanatics, public riots, the weight leadership and threats to his family, he looks to the sun, sending settlers across the Great Desert.  Liam leads the expedition, hoping to build a new life for his family—hoping to provide the power the city so desperately needs.  But there is more at stake than just solar fields and onyx skyscrapers.  Even in a world where life is precious, when resources are scarce, there will always be those willing to steal to survive.  There will always be those willing to kill.  Filled with action, intrigue, and coming of age drama, Pillaging the Sun is a science fiction adventure that rings with cautionary truth about our own future, while leading readers on a wild, fantasy ride.

I hope you enjoy.  Be sure to comment and interact wherever you like best.  I love hearing from you all.

Brandon

Virginia, July 2021

And Then There Were Five

1.  Scarlet and the Keepers of Light
2. Scarlet and the Dragon's Burden
3. Scarlet and the Queen of the New World
4. Scarlet and the Barrier's Fall 

—and 5.  It has been almost two weeks since Scarlet and the Shattered Throne was released and thus far it seems to be hit.  Good reviews, some happy fans (one young lady had some very particular complaints regarding dragons), and great in person feedback.  A QUICK NOTE, IF YOU LIKE A BOOK, REVIEW IT.  IT REALLY HELPS.  I want to thank everyone who is continuing to make Scarlet a success.  It's been a long ride, but well worth it.  There are still some great things to come regarding Scarlet.  The paper and hardback copies will be on the way soon and there might even be some audiobooks read by yours truly—although the later is a great deal of time and work, so, we'll see.  A lot of that is out of my hand though so...Amazon Prime are you listening.  I'm definitely ready to strike a deal...

I am currently working on a new Young Adult project.  The first book will be titled Pillaging the Sun.  My publisher and I have been toying with the idea of adding it to Amazon's new Kindle Vella before publishing the full book later on.  A bit like going back to the era of magazine serialization with a new technological twist.  So keep a look out.  Of course I will be shouting it from the rooftops once dates get reasonably close.  

I've also begun sharing my new D&D hobby with everyone.  The second installment is out and available to read on my new website https://www.westdnd.com.  Click over to continue the story or start from scratch if you missed the first episode.

As always, I'm happy to hear from you all and look forward to discussing Scarlet and D&D, or books in general.  

Till next time,

Brandon

Wringing out a Goblin

 1a.

 

Cricket Stonespur's goal had been the shores of Karrnath, where the marshal culture of discipline and stoic strength seemed an obvious choice to begin this journey of discovery and diplomacy.  After all, although an age apart from the Goblinoids who once ruled Khorvaire as the mighty Dhakaani Empire, the Goblins of Stonespur Island are still a warrior race.  In the ages that passed from the fall of the empire, they lived apart, marooned at first, but then blessed in their isolation.  They developed a civilization founded on honor, discipline, and respect; cornerstones of a great society they believe those on the mainland of Khorvaire lack.  Violent without purpose, emotional without cause, and fickle without good humor, the rest of the continent  is populated by barbarians.  Every two hundred years, an emissary is sent to engage in trade and diplomatic relations with the mainland.  None has ever returned.  What more evidence would the Goblins of Stonespur need?  Yet, still they try.  

 

Karrnath had been Cricket's goal, but Karrnath was not to be.  The great currents running through Death's Finger Channel joined forces with a storm from the Lhazaar Sea.  Cricket's small vessel was carried by the will of wind and sea, leaving him helpless to navigate its direction.  What should have been a week at sea became two. Weary from lack of food, water, and exposure, Cricket catch's sight of land on the fifteenth day.  The sea foams around the tiny vessel as the waves thrash him from bow to stern.  With one final crashing wave, he is thrown from his vessel and is encompassed by the cold waters of the bay.  The world is going black.  This is the end.  

 

No…he is a monk of the Hundred Stones.  He has been given a sacred mission by the High Muckmuck, Gargis the Wise.  He will not fail before it has even begun.  

 

He kicks and fights.  The waves batter his small frame to and fro—water fills his lungs, burning his chest.  His toes brush something soft, something solid.  They find purchase and with ten merciful steps, he flops onto dry land, coughing the salt water from his lungs.       

 

Book 5 and Some D&D

 On the 27th, the final book in Scarlet's adventure will be released.  Scarlet and the Shattered Throne marks the conclusion of her adventure, but not mine.  I have a new young adult series in the works and a series geared more toward adults (both fantasy) on the horizon. Of Course, hopefully there's still much fun and talk to be had surrounding Scarlet.  I can't wait to hear what you all think.  Additionally, even though Book five will be out on kindle the 27th, there is still the newly designed, hold in your hand, and put on you shelf set coming out in the next several months.

The Morning After Battle

To celebrate all of this and to provide something more interesting than reading me babble on this blog, twitter, and facebook, I've decided to serialize my D&D campaign on the blog.  I began playing last year (I  never played as a kid) and caught the bug.  I started DMing a campaign for my daughters, my brother, and my best friend earlier this year and it has been a blast.  This also give me an opportunity to explore some styles I might not have otherwise written in without the seriousness of a finished product.  I'll be posting the episodes to Patreon to keep costs low and offer some benefits beyond just the episodes.  It's supposed to be fun—for me at least—so while I welcome input and will correct as I go if people catch things...well, you get the idea.  

I'll be breaking up the chapters in bite sized pieces.  Starting with a little 3rd person limited perspective, present tense (for all you word nerds).  I usually write 3rd person multiple perspective in the past tense. 

I hope you enjoy.  Feel free to share and follow me wherever you prefer.  

Please keep in mind, that while the story is original, Dungeons and Dragons was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.  The rights are currently owned by Wizards of the Coast.  The world I am using for this campaign is Eberron as presented in Eberron: Rising from the Last War. 

The majority of my referenced D&D collection is from my account and purchased material with D&D Beyond.  Including: 

Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt. (2019). Eberron : rising from the last war.Wizards Of The Coast.

Mearls, M., & Crawford, J. (2014). Dungeons & dragons player’s handbook. Wizards Of The Coast.

Mearls, M., & Crawford, J. (2014). Dungeon master’s guide. Wizards Of The Coast.

Mearls, M., Crawford, J., Schwalb, R. J., Sernett, M., Townshend, S., & Wyatt, J. (2014). Dungeons & dragons. Monster manual. Wizards Of The Coast.

Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. (2020). Tasha’s cauldron of everything. Wizards Of The Coast Llc.

Crawford, J., Mearls, M., & Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. (2017). Xanathar’s guide to everything. Wizards Of The Coast.

Poseidon Guards the Moon

 Poseidon Guards the Moon

I often watch—

from below, as you wax and wane,

As you hide and show.

How potent—

from above, well beyond my reach 

As you push and shove.

I swell and shrink

I rise and fall

I surge and ebb,

I rage and lull.

Deepest passions find peace

Beneath your silver sway,

Or apathy churns to threaten far shores,

While you play coy with clouds of grey.

But I don’t mind 

Being a vassal under your reign,

Let your reflection be my shrine to you,

Happiest at your mercy, I am swain.

30 Day Health Experiment (w/ before and after photos)

 Last month I hurt my knee, or it hurt it self, the exact cause is still a mystery, but regardless I was forced to stop running and gain as much holiday weight as possible.  It was obligatory.  Now that the holidays are over, and unfortunately my knee is still weird, I have had to find a new way to get into shape and attempt to see my abs.

For thirty days I took our puppy for a 2.5 mile daily walk and every hour, for 12 hours a day, I did 20 pushups.  I did this while recommitting to a plant based whole food diet.  What were the results at the end of that thirty days?...

As you can see by the pictures below, there was a remarkable increase in muscle mass and overall vigor.  What most surprised me, however, was the increase in height.  One does not expect, over the age of forty, to get any taller, but as you can see, there is clearly 4 inches gain in height.

In conclusion, I highly recommend those looking for a more humane, healthy way of eating, to give WFPB a try and get to walking.

The Dwayne Johnson Rule

 I would like to enact the Dwayne Johnson rule.

It's really quite simple and I hope will bring some much needed peace and tranquility to our world.  But before I explain this glorious tool for future communication in the digital world, first let me briefly explain why we need such a rule. 

The internet, and social media in particular, has become a license for us to be our worst selves.  Not unlike when you are in you car, alone, and the idiot two lanes over cuts you off without a turn signal.  You proceed to curse and yell, informing this hapless driver of all the imaginative things you think of him as a person, only to realize you are going to the same place.  You then awkwardly and politely walk by as you pass him on the way into the supermarket.  On social media, this same effect of semi anonymity allows us to feel safe to rant and rave, to spew hate filled tirades, and to splinter into factions fueled by falsehoods and conspiracy theories.  Although road rage has its own not so innocent consequences in some cases, most of the time these rants in your car go unheard.  Perhaps chalked up to simple cathartic expression.  This is not so with social media.  People are listening.  Your voice is going beyond the metaphorical car and out into the world.  And as recent events have clearly shown, there are consequences.

So, the Dwayne Johnson rule...  

If you are going to voice something on social media, whatever it might be, personal opinion, political position, your stance on race relations, how much you hate tofu, whatever it is, stop and imagine yourself saying it to the Rock's face.  Actually picture yourself, no doubt for most of us, looking up into his face and saying "Mr. Johnson, I think, I feel, I believe _____"  If you think that you would not have a problem doing that, then by all means, carry on with your post.  If not, keep it to yourself.  Perhaps seek some therapy or snuggle with something warm and fuzzy instead.  I suggest a labradoodle.  

Now, I love the Rock, but it doesn't have to be him.  You can alter the rule to make it a better fit for you.  You could imagine John "the Bones" Jones, or perhaps a friend of a friend who happens to be a navy seal. Think outside the box.  You could imagine voicing your opinion in a crowded barber shop or in front of a platoon of marines. Just be sure, when applying the rule, you are alone.  It doesn't count if you are picturing yourself with your fellow Nazi buddies or your local Stalin MMA club.  Group think, as social psychology tells us and mobs and riots show us, can be just as bad.

Now go out there and post with confidence knowing that with the simple application of the Dwayne Johnson rule, you are no longer contributing to the downfall of our society.  

The Wait Is OVER!

 

Scarlet and the Barrier’s Fall

Book 4 of the Scarlet Hopewell Series!

With strange new alliances, Charles Hopewell has finally found away to get to Scarlet…bring down the barrier that separates the two worlds.  But it’s a decision fraught with danger and unforeseen consequences and the army he and Xavier hoped to built is far from complete.  Scarlet herself must decide whether Aiden Thanerbos, the young man she had once thought of as her mortal enemy can be trusted.  She wants to believe.  She is desperate to save the people who look to her for guidance and protection.  Busy cleaning up the mess from the siege on Washington’s Haven, a battle that nearly cost her everything she holds dear in the New World, she is more desperate than ever to fulfill the destiny of the For Tol Don.

In this fourth installment of the Scarlet Hopewell series, worlds collide in grand scope as the final battle between good and evil looms.  Filled with romance, magic, and grand adventure, everything is about to change as the barrier falls.

It has been a long wait...but the day has finally arrived.  Stars have aligned—all the right things have fallen into place—and all with my first and fabulous editor, Miranda Ottewell, and the designers at Minor Manor Publishing, including the beautiful cover designed by Krister Swartz.  I'm sorry it took so long, but I am hoping, and in fact am pretty confident, it was worth the wait.  The great news for all my fans who have stuck with me and the new fans to come, Book 5, Scarlet and the Shattered Throne, is finished and in the final stages of publishing.  So you won't have to wait long for the conclusion to Scarlet's story.  

 

Twisted Legacy

Twisted Legacy

Why do you speak in lies, so damning your countrymen to strife?

Why does not a desire burn to leave a legacy of a kind, caring life.

Of prosperity to those who will outlive your aged vessel, 

Having gained the riches of kings and stood on the pedestal.

Your sickness spreads to the ignorant, the misguided, the desperate,

Toward an epidemic of further pain and neighborly war without respite, 

With themselves, with the very principles of our nation

Disguised in the veil of rights and freedom, while the face is a twisted mutation.

Narcissus, his face distorted by the cruelty of his soul,

Looks at the clear pool and blames his ugliness on the bowl.

“Yes, it’s the water my lord, it’s the water,

Let me drain it and build a more flattering altar.” 

The world burns, the ocean gasps, trees fall as the air begins to kill,

And adding to sickness, comes sickness, and blood of a nation is spilled.  

Burden

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and grandmothers.

Burden

A mother’s love, from which that first breath given

through pain and sacrifice, is a burden carried.

A burden cherished, a burden bestowed to women,

for no man’s heart for nine months so wearied. 

Cherished weight! When after that first breath taken,

with first steps, first words, first pains and cries,

Love grows as new instincts awaken,

And the young wife becomes the singer of lullabies.  

Then lilting songs once sung to tuck in bed,

Become hard lectures of how to navigate

An uncertain road we all must tread,

With fullest heart and a steady gait.

So, from that first breath until our last,

With trust, to mother’s love we hold steadfast.

Them and We

Them and We

When will we rise above this you and me, 

A constant obsession with them and we?

When will we grow bigger than our tribes,

Our separate Peace and our separate lives?

A land of isms divides us, as we wallow in our individualism.

Our conservatism and nationalism, our liberalism. 

Our criticism, our sexism, our racism.

A land grasping, desperately clinging to the edge of our schism. 

Me, I’ve never seen a white man; Or a man with skin that’s black.

But I’ve cheered a sportsman with dark braided hair as he scrambled from a sack.

My wife gave birth to an auburn-haired child, with skin the color of crème.

And I’ve listened to the words of a caramel toned man and thought my country redeemed.

I’ve never seen a white skinned man; I’ve never seen a black one.

Only humans whose ancestors received different embraces of the sun. 

Sun’s grace be damned—we cling to alternate facts.  

I belong, you do not.  I am white and you are black.

A shot rings out, and children fall,

Little ones, learn to corner and crawl.

A grown man drives his car in fear,

Be ready to smile, wide and placid till all is clear.

A gay man hides, lives life alone,

Ignore the hate, it’s all sticks and stones.

A woman suffers her role as prey,

So stay in groups, cover up, go out only in day.  

How do we cling to such ignorance,

Meet such injustice with complacent acceptance?   

When all of science, the work of the learned are at our beck and call.

When with eyes and ears we experience events that should appall?

My God, my rights, 

My clung to vice,

My money, my party,

My self-righteous army.

How dare you try to lump us all together,

When I’m ahead and your people wore feathers.

When I came first, well, second, or third,

But I came with guns and the written Word.

And yet as I call shame upon those and them,

I fear my own hypocritical right to condemn,

What privilege in rhyme do I intone,

From a middle class and sheltered throne?

I don’t know the answers, and my voice is my voice.

To stay quiet is to condone, that shall not be my choice.

While I bear no guilt for the events of the past,

I must share the burden of injustice still vast.

I care not your skin tone, only such that the greatest art comes in all shades.

I care that you listen, that you think, that you cause no one to be afraid.

I care that you are kind, that you are noble.  

That you nurture and love our children and let them rise and grow hopeful. 

Solar Melody

No explanation needed at this point.  When under stay at home orders, poetry I write.

Solar Melody

Why am I so captured by your beauty?

Not that which catches the eye, shining like radiant sun, to steal breath at a view,

And cause good sense, faced with celestial countenance, to mutiny.

I speak of the soul’s majesty that too often doesn’t realize its virtue.

Why, when so logical in thought, applied with success I’ve done

To others of less impact to my heart’s rhythm,

On knees, reverent before brightest sun

Do I find myself a worshiping pilgrim?

Is it, perhaps, not venerated light but tempting melody?

Of two instruments merged, with each moment a new symphony evolved;

Our Duetto building tension with dissonant harmony, 

Always searching for consonant chord’s resolve.   

If no answer comes for my query, I shan’t appose.

Let me be the satisfied musician, who plays on, bathed in the sun’s warm grace.

And may that music we, joined, composed

Play until all questions depart unanswered, all doubts by song replaced. 

So all that remains is music and light,

Euphony for my soul, as your radiance to my sight. 

More Poems

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all are staying safe and are as well as can be expected.  Hope you are all enjoying the poems, although I do realize they are a sorry substitute for the next book (in my case, not in the case of all poetry).  If you are looking for something a little more refined, you should check out Patrick Stewart's facebook page.  He is reading a sonnet a day and it is delightful.  But first, read on my friends:

Steady Tread

I’m jealous of time, inexorable, surging, even when our paths are cruelly diverging.

And me, left missing you, clinging to the moments united that time rushes through, 

As this demon mocks with a viscous pour in moments apart, a teasing tilt of the sand filled jar.

Tell I of how little it cares, unaware, nonchalant in its flippant theft of youth so fair.

Should I focus instead, on the wisdom its steady tread brings the most hapless abed survivors of plump hours bled?

Consider the blessings of watching the ever-changing beauty of growth, decay and rebirth rearranging, cycling through stacked years progressing?

How can I, dignify acceptance when even best days are marked by good-byes?

But in you, I ponder wisdom behind the glacial prisms.  The laugh lines that hint at the edges from the smile I fall always victim.

What of the poise, to which all might aspire, that throve from naïve beauty into the woman I so much admire?

Can I be angry at such a force, be adverse when no matter how unyielding, it composes such glorious verse?

I can not.  Although, might I ask it to multiply or perhaps it could slow, be languid, when you and I entangled.

For given time to reconsider, even when away, rush not the days or minutes; for my mind and soul finds you within it, and even longing is worth delay. 

Corona Poetry?

So, apparently, when trying to nail down the ending for my latest book (a new series that is geared more toward adults), I like to amuse myself by writing poetry.  Who knew?  Good or really bad, at least it gives me something to share.  It's also better than my forcing the ending.  It is going to be a large series and I'm adamant that I will give each book a proper ending and not just a set up to the next novel.

The Viral Siege

The pregnant pause, gravely unspoken

as we now live in the perilous space between.

Our foe swarms wearing Hades Helm

and we wait to bear arms until foe is seen.

Yet bear we must under siege.

We struggle by lonely survival suffered,

wanting in ways comical

to those whose compared need it seems absurd.

Middle aged, we hoard in our collective panic,

lashing out at beloved players,

whose wealth we gladly gave for our amusement,

but now deride, the new scape goat Ayers. 

Heedless, leaderless, guided by a barking clown,

our young, once heroes of our future,

act as petri dish revelers.

Dancing throngs waltzing the aged to butcher.

The learned ones, with exponential models,

with their experiments, and evidence, and epidemics,

with their distancing, and isolating,

with graphs of curved pandemics.

Why hear their call for sanity?

When all is a hoax and we shop for our brand

of fact, of figure, of talking personality,

to tell us truth we shout from our own social newsstand.

Somewhere, between logic and love,

between Gautama and Theodore,

are all the provisions to endure the siege, 

and claim victory of this viral war. 

A Dabble with Poetry

Hello out there.  I have been noticing a bit more traffic to my page, no doubt hoping for new books, but finding nothing new and that is a definite failing on my part.  The books I can't do anything about; publishing is a bit complicated, but I promise books four and five of the Scarlet series are coming.  That being said, I thought I should at least share something.  So here is some poetry.  I'm not really a poet, except in the sense that we all are somewhere in our deepest souls, but I like to dabble.  Forgive the COVID bunker ambiance of the video.  I didn't really think about the visuals until after I recorded it.  Be safe.  Take care of one another, from 6 feet away if possible.  Eat your veggies.  And be kind.

Words.

Words that express.

Words that cherish.

That bring us close,

And give life to laughter.

What words would I have for you,

if in their expression

I could explain my heart?

If in their expression

I could gain passage into yours.

Words.

Words of rage.

Words of contempt.

That render,

Making fluid our morality.

What words would I have for you,

If in their speaking

They could give you my pain?

If in their speaking

I could take back my stolen time.

Words.

Words of kindness.

Words that elevate.

That give us hope

And make promises that might just be kept.

What words would I have for you,

If in their uttering

I could heal with compassion?

If in their uttering

I could forgive and be forgiven.

Words,

So inadequate for love,

Much too powerful in hate.

Words.

Give our inadequate love words power with deeds.

Rob those hate words with our furious grace.

Quick Thought: United States of Rome

As a boy, I believed that the United States of America was eternal. In fact, it seemed such a permanent thing that I didn’t really give it much thought, only grew into adulthood in the secure feeling of stability a world superpower provides. As a middle-aged man, faced with current events, my mind wanders to ancient Rome, and boys and young men who grew into their adulthood in one of the greatest, most powerful civilizations to ever grace the planet, and how permanent it must have felt. How their home managed to survive as their republic was taken away, to be replaced by the Tiberiuses, Caligulas, Neroes, and Commoduses. And yet, still the great empire endured—until it didn’t. 

Unfortunately, our civilization, that began as an experiment in democratic republican government, is not eternal. There is no inevitability to our success and future. Like all worthwhile endeavors, it must be earned, renewed, and sacrificed for. We cannot allow people to exploit the freedoms our government and constitution provide for greed, power, hate, and misguided individualism. 

"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it."
-John Adams

London's Calling

Checking in—this time with a bit more than the usual books and tv.  I made it over the Atlantic to London in addition to what I've been reading and playing, so I have some pictures for this post.

I thoroughly enjoyed the city that I can best describe, no offense meant by the disparity in historical ages, as an amalgamation of New York and Washington D.C.  Due to rebuilding after the bombing in World War II, London has a very modern city vibe, skyscrapers and all, with that financial, busy people doing business things energy.   At the same time, there are scores of tourists crowding the streets and around every corner is a monument, statue, or building that speaks to the city's place as a capital and the United Kingdom's storied and lengthy history as an Empire, Kingdom, and nation.

I had the Rick Steeve's book for London and he mentioned that for Americans traveling to London, and England in general, there is a sense of the familiar, almost a coming home.  I can definitely relate.  Despite some obvious differences, plenty for those like myself who relish the cultural nuances experienced when traveling, there is a great deal of comfort and ease about traveling in London.  There is of course a shared language, but it goes beyond that.  For many Americans, England provides our roots, not only in heritage, but in the formation of our country, its laws, and certainly in our culture.  In addition, I have seen London so many times on big and small screens, read about it through 56 Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and heard about it in history books, the whole trip had a visiting relatives feel about it.

And Summer is Knocking

June is upon us: the end of school, outdoor pools have opened, heat has arrived, and I, like many, am reminded that I'm on the wrong end of getting in shape.

Anyway, been a couple weeks and I thought I check in.

Reading


I'm going to start here because in addition to finishing Mythos, I also read Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Landsing, and the later turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read—certainly one of the best non-fiction.  Not to take anything away from Mythos.  If you enjoy the Greek myths, it really was a terrific way to hear the stories of the God and Titans and Stephen Fry is as witty and funny as always.  Despite showing a remarkable knowledge of the subject, his book is very accessible.

As for Endurance, if you don't already know about Shackleton's Voyage to Antartica, don't look it up.  Just buy Endurance and start reading.  You will be riveted by what is not only fantastic writing—the whole book reads like the best of adventure fiction—but by the thoroughly researched true story.  Tears welled up in my eyes at the end and I am not, by nature, a crier.

Currently, I'm onto fiction and at the suggestion of my best of friends (the same friend that introduced me to Joe Abercrombie) I am reading Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

Television

Check In

In order to make it easier for me to stay in touch, I thought I would borrow a bit from some other other authors and just try and write a bullet style check in once a week.  That way, if you are at all interested, we can stay a bit more connected even if I don't necessarily have something particularly insightful to say or perhaps, I'm busy doing other things and don't feel like I have the time to write a blog post.  This takes away many, if not any, excuses.  Feel free to contact me and gripe up a storm if I don't follow through.  Please.  There is nothing like fan driven pressure.

Without further ado, let the bullets begin:


Writing:
Currently I have three ideas in various stages of conception—I say conception because none of them have risen to draft status as yet.  One is a new young adult trilogy and the other two are not.  Of the adult books, one is contemporary, the other fantasy more along the Abercrombie/Martin line.

As to Scarlet, I am at the mercy of the publishing world at the moment.  Both book four, The Barrier's Fall and book five The Shattered Throne are written, however both are still in editing and post production.

Television:

Like most of the world I currently have Westeros taking up a great deal of headspace in my monkey brain.  While I very much wished I could have waited for the books to finish, the HBO series is just too compelling and I am weak.  Like you, I await the conclusion this coming Sunday with great anticipation and bit of sadness.  Hopefully, someday soon, the Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring will fill the void.

My wife and I are currently binge watching—for us that is the same show, one episode a night—West World.  At this stage, I'm fascinated, but impatient.  Verdict is still out.