What a Year its Been

Where to begin?

My daughter Athena was born this last august and she is doing amazing!

I accomplished a lot this year writing wise, I've had a personal goal for some time to have something creative of mine come out every single month in a year and I've finally done it.

Granted six months out of the year it was my ongoing serial, Walking Through Walls in the pages of Utah Geek Magazine but that is still more than 15,000 words in a novella getting in front of thousands of people locally - I'm hoping it pays off in the long run with some local fanbase - between you - my regular blog friends (because you are) I  haven't seen much in the way of that working out yet, but I'll at least finish the novella and self-pub it and I'm pretty damn happy with it.

Those other six months saw several collections of my stories and a new weird anthology project that I never planned on doing until right before I did it - Whispers Out of the Dust. That was the fastest I ever wrote in my life yet. about 56K in four weeks, eventually cut down to 53K but still.
I also released, The Mad Song in January and The Hand of Fate in June. I was a part of an improv  rock/spoken word album with the Freestyle Gargoyles II - my song was 'Read Em and Weep', and I've heard good things by those that heard it. I also contributed a few stories to an anthology put together by some writer friends - 5 Blades. 

And just in time to still meet my goal, I just put up on Kindle and Create Space - Gods in Darkness, a collection of sci-fi horror and prose. It has a 4 previously released stories and a few new ones and some dark poetry with a Lovecraftian flavor. I'll put up another post when I can actually see it on Amazon.

I also attended some great cons and will do so this coming year to an even greater degree - so good things are coming.

All the best to the rest of you and have a great New Year!

The Big Things in Life

I've neglected my posting for a bit now, but you know I have some good excuses.

My newest daughter (she's my fourth!)was born just three weeks ago. Her name is Athena Eve West, I wanted
something feminine and powerful and unique in that when she is in school there won't be a passel of others kids with the same name, That's my own hell with a good  but incredibly common name -I can't tell you other writers out there how many times I  pondered using a pen name for that very reason but at the same time I want everyone to know that I am me = ego wins.

That all said, despite the many sleepless nights (giving my wife all the breaks possible) this has been my most productive writing summer I have ever had. I don't have an exact count but I have probably nailed down about 70K words just this summer. And that is my personal all time best I believe. So progress has been good and I am working at keeping that drive and progress up and running.

Coming up very soon is Salt Lake Comic Con and I so hoped to have my latest quick project out but it won't quite make it - instead it will be available in time for October, which is fitting considering its ghost stories. Largely inspired by the weird tales I love by Robert E. Howard etc but also by a new favorite ghost story writer M.R.James, I'mm nearly thru all of his tales and think they are magnificent. His are all very English but I am borrowing a lot of his framing devices though set in the American West rather than the English countryside, a whole lot of found letters and the like  and a lot of this is really true, type verbiage. I'll have Whispers Out of the Dust available shortly.

Year in Review

2014, its been different.

I married my gorgeous wife just before Christmas last year - and we met through this very blog via my sharing a short parody video she made back in 2011.

By New Years last year me and the kids were living with her in LA, I fixed up the condo, we sold it for a very good price and by July we were in Utah, much bigger house and all of us starting over somewhere new. I haven't posted good pics of my new library/office yet but I will soon when I feel like I have my books put away just so...

So, I haven't read as many books this year as I used to, its been crazy busy most all year, and I didn't do as much writing as I should've but I did still get quite a few things out = Bless the Child my Spartan historical fiction was finally released, it hasn't sold as good as I would like especially considering ts for charity - but hey it is my wife's favorite work of mine, so that counts for something, I released Whispers of the Goddess and its gotten some favorable reviews, then my Weird Tales of Horror has done a bit better all things considered and I've sold quite a few of them at the local cons too. And lastly as far as my writing goes, I've the ongoing fantasy serial Walking Through Walls in UGEEK Magazine, it does feel good to be a pulpster. 

As for my favorites of anything, its a little tough to figure out.

Favorite fiction reads is real tough: I have to plug D.J. Butlers City of the Saints, - so good! 

 Half a King by Joe Abercrombie was amazing. I also greatly enjoyed Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International, Mark Lawrences King of Thorns, JP Wilder's novellete The Crusader, and I have so many other books by new friends I need to read and review and just couldn't get to yet this year.

For Non-Fiction, I think Rober McKee's Story wins it this year for me. But I really enjoyed Hunters S. Thompsons Songs of the Doomed, and David Mamet's Some Freaks. 

I'm also a bad friend in the non-fiction department because I actually gave a back cover blurb to Morgan Deane for his military history treatise Bleached Bones and Wicked Serpents and crappy friend that I am I have yet to publicly review the book - that's all on  me and being a flaky poster - sorry Morgan! 

I think my favorite movie of 2014 is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which surprised me because Cap just isn't one of my favorite characters. But to me it touched on the truth, a spy movie that happened to have super heroes.

I got to meet some really cool people this year including, Peter Beagle, Ron Perlman, Ivy Doomkitty, Kato, Frank Frazetta Jr, Donato Giancola, Brom, John Rhys Davies, Angie Everhart,

I also finally got out to multiple cons and its only gonna get better this coming year. 

All the best in New Year to you my friends and lets all get that creativity out of the bottle and into print! 

Happy Thansgiving

Regardless of anything going on in the world anywhere - all the good, all the bad and all the ugly I still take tine everyday with the wife and kids to talk about what I am grateful for and encourage them to do the same. I think it gives perspective and helps us all feel better and more positive about life in general, so....

Happy Thanksgiving

and thank you all for being readers, visitors and friends, I'm grateful you're out there.

Orc Wars/Dragonfyre

I'd been meaning to watch Orc Wars for quite some time, especially since I love fantasy and the director is a new friend of mine - Kohl Glass and lo! After some amount of time it was just recently released on Netflix and Redbox etc...

Never mind I actually got a signed copy from Kohl at Salt Lake Comic Con ( we traded - I gave him a copy of Weird Tales of Horror) I just watched it last night with the kids, and since they're my kids they loved it! Could be a bit gory (black Orc blood) and scary for others though. 

Now, I'm not going to say that this is the greatest movie ever - its not - its not Lord of the Rings, but its also not a Sy-Fy abomination either. Great acting and costumes and the premise was pretty solid. I liked that even the Orc's themselves had some interesting characters - Gorejaw and Fangmark!

Before I go any farther here is the back cover synopsis:

A battle-weary ex-Special Forces Operative buys a ranch in remote American West to flee from the world, and encounters a strange series of trespassers, including a beautiful elf princess and a Native American mystic and Orcs. When the Orcs invade his property, John must give up his isolation to become a hero, before the Orcs unleash their dragon god on our world.

The characters got me from the blind Indian mystic, Whitefeather played by the fantastic Wesley John to the princess Masiela Lusha, a powerhouse fighter in her own right. My wife would appreciate that - a proactive female protagonist. And Rusty Joiner plays the lead ex-soldier - John Norton, thrust into the middle of this crossroads of realms. 

I liked the action and suspense and even funny little asides and nods to weird fiction in general, I got kick out of the realty company that John Norton buys his out of the way home from ~ 

I had to tell Kohl I liked that. My kids were drawn in to the suspense of what the Orcs were doing coming into our world and we all dug the action and laughs. 

I also gotta mention a good friend of my wife's is in the movie as a redneck and as Gorejaw - Adam Johnson who I didn't realize was in it til I watched it - I met him at this last Comicon  (And had to relate the story of how he was somewhat involved in bringing my wife and I together) She directed some short parody vids Adam starred in.

But I digress....

I enjoyed the movie and look forward to watching more of Kohl's work and the others.

Fantasycon & Westercon Recap

I've shared a lot of these already but just going to put them here too for fun and a little more comment.

The Westercon 67 logo a Barsoomian landscape complete with a Thark and steampunk Porter Rockwell was done by the fantastic William Stout! More on him in a little bit...

Here I am signing books and having some good laughs with friends, Carter Reid (Artist extraordinaire of my Whispers of the Goddess cover, Space Eldritch 1 and 2, and the forthcoming The Mad Song and other Tales of Sword & Sorcery! I was on a couple of panels with him at Westercon and he is hilarious! Next is Dave Butler a phenominal writer and friend!, Nathan Shumate standing - he is behind Space Eldritch and designing my Bless the Child and Weird Tales of Horror cover, Seated is new fantasy writer and myth master B. Daniel Blatt, he does a wonderful reading of Beowulf in the original Old English!

 I met Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn, very nice guy, I got to spend a bit of time with him in the morning before panels, talking writing craft etc. He has some great stories...

Had real good times with Larry Correia, dinner etc talking shop and all sorts of hilarity ensued. His fans seem to think of me as a mini-me ---- That I could do without. But in relation, I was asked last minute to go and guest speak at a fantasy comparison panel at Fantasycon across the street from Westercon (two cons going on side by side at the same time) I wasn't on the guest list so when I went over there I told them I was Larry Correia and the old lady at security beamed happy that I had shown up. Larry laughed when I told him how I got through security, and asked if I would be interested in completing the next three weeks of his book tour for Monster Hunter Nemesis!

Met Ksenia Solo (Sy-Fy's LOST GIRL) She was very nice. I've met starlets who felt like they were doing you a favor -she was very down to earth, I've only watched the first season, but always enjoyed her on the program. I asked what her next projects were coming up and she said she couldn't say, hope its something cool.

My wife was excited about the Regency Dance Recital at Westercon hosted by Mary Robinette Kowal, I'm more of a Sword & Sensibility kind of guy but my wife had a lot of fun.

I've been a fan of Donato Giancola for a long time, love his work, I got a small print of the cover I have for an edition of Lord of the Rings and had him sign a pair of Red Sonja cards. He even showed me a new Red Sonja in progress!

Brom is another artist I have been a fan of for a good long time, so excited to meet him and get Snakeheart! I've been enchanted by this painting, but didn't want to buy And Their Memory Was A Bitter Tree, so much better to have a limited edition signed print!

 There were an awful lot of cosplayers, here is one of the better ones I saw.

 Huge smoking dragon in the central hall.

I finally got a big signed print of all the Space Eldritch contributors! Thanks Carter!

Another great artwork I grabbed by the phenomenal Eric Velhagen of Morgoth vs Fingolfin.

 And now some William Stout who I realized after seeing him around the con, quite a few times - that I love his art and made it a point to get the Kong print and his book titled Inspirations, he did a custome signature and it is full of pulpy goodness!

I got a copy of my friend Nathan Shumates cartoon book, and he customized the front of all them with different cartoons, he did a pic of Dave Butler riding Larry Correia in Dave's,(Larry signed that one too!) when I asked what I wanted, I was still gushing over William Stouts pinups and dinosaurs so he merged them for my copy.

And Carter Reids, Undeath and Taxes has become my kids favorite book I brought home out of all of them including signed books by Larry Correia, Dave Butler, Carter Reid, Nathan Shumate, Sara Seeley, Peter Beagle, Mark Ryan and Peter J. Wacks- Bloodletting,    I sold a few books, made a lot of new friends - too numerous to mention everyone, it was a blast of a weekend - can't wait for September's Salt Lake Comicon!

BLESS THE CHILD: This ones for the children

Few things feel as good as finishing a book. I'm talking as the one having written that book. You have accomplished something that so many others give up on. You have given birth to your own creativity and now its out there to share with the world.

One of the other things that feels so good in life is doing something for someone else. When I first heard about the G.A.N. Warriors I was floored. Here are some young little guys with a horribly rare disease, but they always smile and keep their chins up (good parents) and the whole community we lived in - in Montana and elsewhere, have rallied around them. So many people have donated to their cause and still are, this is an ongoing battle.
I was very tight on cash, tight on time away from home and so much other drama heaped on my shoulders, but I thought about a book that wasn't quite ready for anywhere else yet, a book that needed some polish and perhaps had just the right title to be a good donation toward their cause.

Bless The Child was begun in Primary Childrens hospital when my daughter Maddie was a month old. She had severe RSV and I truly thought I would lose her. I spent a lot of nights there, couldn't sleep, but I did start Bless The Child. The elements of loss were very real in my mind - I suspect you read the first few chapters and you'll know exactly what I was channeling for the Spartan.

Back to the ranch - this seemed like the right time and the right book to donate 100% of the proceeds toward Hannah's Hope Fund, the official arm of the G.A.N. Warriors and the handful of kids like them. GAN is an incredibly rare disease and these kids need all the help they can get.

So I am very pleased to release my sword and sandals historical epic: Bless The Child on their behalf. The kindle edition is available right now and I will have the print version up shortly as well.

The back cover description:
Impelled by a quest for redemption, the man known only as The Spartan finds unholy work in The Holy Land. And work is good, there is no end of service amongst kings and robber barons for a man who sells his sword so well. But blood won’t wash away blood and The Spartan finds himself compelled toward something greater than himself. 
Bless The Child is a romance of redemption and glory. Numerous historical personages cross paths with The Spartan, including Solon, Nebuchadnezzar, the prophets Lehi, Jeremiah and Daniel, King Zedekiah and the poetess Sappho. 
Come back to 586 B.C. when Jerusalem burned and the life of a prince rested in the hands of the exiled Spartan. Can a mercenary trained only for war become an instrument of peace?

Getting Schooled: Robert McKee's STORY

The phenomenal Steven Pressfield always has fantastic advice to share over at his blog (as well as some of his friends too) he recently posted a piece here about how he still appreciates getting a recharge from the masters too. Mr. Pressfield has no ego and fully understands its about the art and that we never stop learning, (or at least we shouldn't stop learning) we can always keep progressing.

Namely the master Mr. Pressfield is referring to is Robert McKee, famed screenwriting guru, he calls him not just the best teacher of writing but the best teacher of anything.
Mr. Pressfield  highly recommended that all writers who care about their careers' go attend Mr. McKee's seminar. Pressfield says it will give you a veritable PhD in writing, and wouldn't you know it, now that I'm living in LA, McKee is holding a seminar not 15 minutes away from where I live in 3 days.

But...

Life being what it is, kids, home repairs, etc etc, I just can't make it. BUT thankfully, my ever loving wife has the audiobook of McKee's STORY and I've been listening to that the last few days and I gotta tell ya, it is heavy.

It might even be better for me that I can keep relistening to the audio tracks and digesting everything McKee himself is narrating. There is just too much for me to truly blog about just yet, but I wanted to mention that I'm digging this and will get to point where I can better write about it when I have had a chance to go through it multiple times, and again I want to stress the concept of forever improving and learning. All I can say just yet, is that it is amazing.

Happy Valentines to My Sweetheart

Gotta share a couple pics of my lovely wife for Valentines. She is kicking me in the can to get out there and write a bestseller, so more work is commencing shortly...tomorrow.

Book Review: Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns, by Mark Lawrence

I think I first read about this over at Keith West's Adventures Fantastic blog, and it sat in the back of my mind for awhile and I noticed several copies at my local used book store a month ago, but I decided to buy a brand new paperback copy a week ago rather than a trade paperback to get into in my Locke Lamora/Red Seas Under Red Skies withdrawals. Its just handier to read on the plane ride and I don't have to power down the kindle that I got from my girlfriend for my birthday - Thanks Babe.
SO  .  .  .
Prince Jorg, the Prince of Thorns is different, he is nastier and a definite anti-hero but we come to understand why he is the way he is and even side with him in his vengeful cause.
The book is gritty like Abercrombie and GRRM, but I never did feel like Lawrence was too gratuitous or took things too far - we get the idea and that's plenty.

The world building was enchanting and as we learn more we hunger to learn more about the history of the realm, you are in for some good surprises.

I really hate to give away too much, I suspect if you were already thinking maybe on this one, because of its similarities to those other fantasies, you will enjoy this very much. I'll be getting a copy of King of Thorns soon enough.

Book Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch

Any regular reader of mine knows I've been off my game this year and I decided I better throw something into the July spot before its gone and why not the best fiction I've read this year???

Indeed Lynch delivers an excellent sequel, I may have actually enjoyed Red Seas more than Lies of Locke Lamora, which was awesome. I read the book in about 5 sittings - almost all in the air jet setting to see my Lady in LA. A good book does make the flight go quick, so WIN, WIN, WIN.

We pick up right in the middle of tense action with Locke and his partner in crime Jean, in the coastal city of Tal Verrar and sevreal intrigues are in motion. They are planning a heist and as we meet interesting characters and witness some great world building, do our pair of heroes get the grief shoveled on them. Lynch is a master at keeping you turning pages and I think he outdoes himself with this sophomore effort.

I just don't have it in me to give more detail at the moment, other than to give this my heartiest recommendation for anyone who enjoys fascinating characters and gritty fantasy (not quite Abercrombie/GRRM gritty but still) all with great suspense and action and being a trilogy I don't think its too long for those who are reluctant to bite off on those massive fantasy series. I am gonna have to grab the third Republic of Thieves very soon.

If there was any Doubt as to how I feel Lately

Almost the only writing I have been able to do as late are these...

In The Garden
I thought I was Adam and you were Eve
Blaming the serpent, that he did deceive
Forgetting that there was another
Lilith, that first wicked mother
But Eve, she stood by her man
You, just turned and ran
Each of us into the wilderness cast out
I pray for rain and you curse the doubt
Lies your cloak and despair your hood
Truth, your bane and doing what you should
Now I wipe the children’s tear’s
And chase away your demonic fears
The flaming sword, I would lay down
and return to you, your exalted crown
if you could but be my Eve
but No, you chose to leave

The Empty Throne
You sat beside me in the Temple and ruled our home,
but you stole the scepter and dashed the crown,
all so you could roam.
Will I ever trust you again?
Not while every lie you speak, pierces my heart and steals my life.
Not while you try to play upon me like a fife.
Not as you proclaim love but plant pain,
you seed hate and reap one great black stain.
Can I ever love again?
With every truth spoken and my fired soul awoken.
With every fiber of my being, I’ll gain a queen and be a king.
And the throne beside me will be empty no more,
free from you, my dirty little whore.

To A Woman
After the silken threads that you spun
and the cords you’ve woven come undone
the lines you drew without care but rage
they will combine to craft your gilded cage
For the lies you told are freedom not
but slavery holding fast til you rot
An anchor round your slattern neck
driving you to your fated wreck
Satan has no servants but slaves alone
You are foremost his, soul, body and bone
Doom holds thy deceitful hand and black heart
with a curse upon your lips and tainted parts
You, the bride of darkness, despair and fear
fully selfish and cowardly, it is quite clear
Play the tortured soul, haunt the dark places
Weep crocodile tears and toy with many faces
But you shall stay and will ever be
the most evil person known to me

Karma is a Bitch and So is She
She lies and she lies
She cries and she cries
My hopes rise and they rise
But my heart dies and dies
I know what I want is what I want
I know what I deserve ain’t what I got
I know that I seem to be asking a lot
And I know that she is going to rot
Karma is a bitch and so is she
Thinks she can keep up the charade
Thinks she can keep me hanging onto her strings
I was blind but now I see
She thinks I’m broken but I’m remade
She thinks I’ll be waiting keeping her rings
No, Karma is a bitch and so is she
A lie must exit her mouth
A stab must enter my heart
Someday, someway she will see
The damage done her life gone south
Our union ends and my life will start

Two Reasons
Two reasons you can’t sleep:
Either you have a soul and conscience, and twist about at night in the agony of what has been done…
Or you are bereft of soul and conscience and thusly not even fit to dream…
I know which you are…

Let's See IF I Can't Win It Again

Back in summer of 2000, I was security for our local Church's annual Boys Camp. This entailed an awful lot of logistics from SLC, Utah out to the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

One of my best friends in the world was heading up the operation and I had a rather relaxed duty. Hunt down any trouble that comes along and take care of it.

I felt uniquely qualified over some of the more respectable Church Elders who came along, because I know what a trouble-making teenage boy is actually going to go do. If boys were missing I knew where to go along the beach to find them (where the girls are). When some boys insanely shredded hot dogs in an effort to "bear-bait" I tracked them down - (they were sent home early)

And I also had my sympathies for the bad boys, I used to be one.

When several were caught and got a royal browbeating from the Elders, I stepped in and whispered for them to look "Sorrier" and say sorry to get it over with. I didn't fault them for looking for a good time, it's what I would have done, it's what I did.

But there is a time and a place for everything.

I was later awarded by the boys, Bachelor of the Year: Boys Camp 2000.

At the time it was bittersweet, I was flattered they thought of me like that, but I was 29, single and thought my prospects were gone (we are stupid in our youth, we are always stupid) - you get like that some times when you realize all your best girlfriends are already married, whores or dead.

But I was married come two years later and that trophy then sat somewhere on the book shelf gathering dust.

Ten years, four months later it is time to take down the trophy and dust it off, because I am forced to start 2013 as single father.

It ain't gonna be easy-but it's what she chose. Not I.

I'm going to throw everything I've got in 2013 into my kids (who will stay with me) and my writing which I hope will stay with YOU.

I will have my own kingdom and my own queen to sit beside me someday, even if today I am full of gigantic melancholies.