tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62024194994196178722024-02-20T22:12:03.028-08:00Michael Lane's BlogHome to Kodi Publishing. Reviews, writings and random bitsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-71387521500718455152013-05-25T09:47:00.002-07:002013-05-25T09:47:56.571-07:00Spring has sprung, and with it weirdness Sorry or the slowness of the update, but I'm stumbling through an interesting spring involving exploded hard drives, new full-time jobs and graduating children. On the plus side I've got the tickle of a really exciting and probably over-involved project. I'll just blame Mervyn Peake for it and not expand past that. Some of you will know what I'm on about, as it's his thematic concerns that attract me the most.<br />
That little, cowardly portion of my brain is nagging at me that this is an unsalable novel idea, but screw that noise. This is the book I really want to write, despite the time and anguish it will inflict, despite the fact that the form is one rarely used any more, and despite the fact that it's likely to be ridiculously involved.<br />
Writing has to be love, and I love what I'm thinking about.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-79164997617455490322013-05-10T09:17:00.000-07:002013-05-10T09:17:00.092-07:00I hate technology Not really, but bad news. My laptop's hard drive is now a briquette, so we're going to suffer a hiatus while I get another computer and reclaim my work from the cloud and the bad drive. On the plus side I very recently did full backups, both to the cloud and DVD.<br />
DO THIS OFTEN. That is all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-31980523911820198872013-05-07T14:17:00.000-07:002013-05-07T14:17:04.231-07:00Glassholes ahoy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www2.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/brin-featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://www2.macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/brin-featured.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Google Glass. No. Seriously, no. Please don't. Sergey Brin looks like crap in them, and so will you. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: right;"> We don't need<i> or want</i> yet another unnecessary piece of hardware that does what a cell phone does, and makes us look like a moron at the same time. Besides, why pay $1500 for something that begs for a mugging? Something that will be outlawed in cars before you can say "distracted driving"? Something that sits on your face like a lopsided tumor?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: right;"> It doesn't make you a cyborg. It makes you a dork, and hat's coming from a self-admitted nerd and geek of the old school. Think of the children. Just say "no" to Google Glass.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: right;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: right;"> (And, by the way, the first Glass wearer at a neighboring urinal who turns their head to televise my junk will, shortly thereafter, be broadcasting the view from inside their own rectum. Caveat emptor.) </span></div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-77062880924513310252013-05-06T10:33:00.004-07:002013-05-06T10:33:29.992-07:00Free Book Dude editorial Observations on publishing avenues, and what they have to offer for both authors and readers over at <a href="http://www.freebookdude.com/2013/05/getting-it-out-there-guest-post-from.html" target="_blank">Free Book Dude</a>. Stop in.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.freebookdude.com/2013/05/getting-it-out-there-guest-post-from.html">http://www.freebookdude.com/2013/05/getting-it-out-there-guest-post-from.html</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-90747647730254714302013-05-05T14:07:00.002-07:002013-05-05T14:07:40.824-07:00The experiment, she is launched That post headline should be read in a bad Mandy Patinkin Princess Bride-style voice. But yes, <a href="http://sideeffectsnovel.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Side Effects</a> is up and running. Now I'll just have to adhere to my weekly chapter updates and hope you, the reader, like what you see and tell others.<br />
It's a bit nerve-wracking to release content free and hope the little "donate" button does something, but I know how often I've clicked them on things I liked, so we'll see.<br />
There will be an edited final version of the book after the serial wraps. I may have to figure out a way to track major backers. I think they'll all deserve a final edition.<br />
<br />
Cheers, and keep smiling!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-37056664319200288712013-05-04T20:36:00.001-07:002013-05-04T20:36:26.047-07:00Side Effects: Sex, drugs and espionage<i> Side Effects</i> is up at Oh-dark-thirty. So check just after midnight over at <a href="http://sideeffectsnovel.blogspot.ca/">http://sideeffectsnovel.blogspot.ca/</a> and, assuming the auto update doesn't blow up, you will be able to read the first exciting chapter of many.<br />
Enjoy, comment, Tweet and all that.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-7043834789206914622013-05-03T11:18:00.002-07:002013-05-03T11:21:33.708-07:00Queer eye for the writer guy I have a lot of queer friends. Lots. That just occurred to me today. I started wondering why while watching a neat panel on non-binary sexuality (<a href="http://vimeo.com/61243479" target="_blank">this thing</a>).<br />
It's not a conscious decision. I didn't sit up one day and declare that I would "have more queer friends" like I was collecting pogs. I don't introduce people as "my gay friend" in a failed effort to be topical and cool. So why? I'm boringly heterosexual, so it's not out of a hope of getting additional action.<br />
That means it has something to do with the queer personality. Something about self-defined people syncs with some portion of my psyche.<br />
(As a brief aside, I think I prefer queer as a term, as it includes the often ignored people in the middle who are bisexual, or who switch from one fascination to another throughout their lives.)<br />
So what is it about the queer mindset that resonates with me? It's probably just the fact that many labelled by one of the alphabet-soup LGBTTSPDQXYZ letters have learnt to take people for what they are. They're less judgemental, in most cases. More open to discussion and debate. Those are people I prefer to hang around with.<br />
Don't take that as a rule in all cases, though. People, regardless of sexuality, can be morons. I've met gays as homophobic as any evangelical preacher where bisexuals were concerned; "They're just fake gay, they need to choose a side" and other such high-hat bullshit. I've heard gay men damn another for "not being gay enough". There are always idiots.<br />
It may be that queer life experience forces <i>most</i> people to examine themselves, their beliefs and their drives with attention and effort. There's no cultural matrix for them, so they have to work it out on their own. That may be the real secret - that I best relate with people who actively examine their own persona. People who ask "why do I" and "why am I" rather than just taking the stock explanations provided by their peers.<br />
Also, there's the general contempt I feel for anyone who tries to dehumanize another person for something as silly as who they are in bed with, or what clothes they wear, or what music they listen to. That's a common failing among the ignorant herdbeasts that wander the world; hating a <i>person</i> rather than hating their music/dress/sexuality/politics/religion. I'm perfectly capable of hating your choice in music but still liking you. I may think that your partner, of whatever sex, is an absolute asshat, but that you're okay. I probably think your religious beliefs are a laughable set of self-delusions, but you are a nice person.<br />
Part of being a well-rounded human being is the ability to understand that the world is complex, with things you like and things you don't. Part of being an adult is to realize that your opinions don't matter to anyone but yourself, so investing your very <i>being </i>in them is a stupid move. Another, often ignored part, is to be able to shrug off the ridiculous opinions of others.<br />
Especially reviewers and militant evangelists of whatever faith.<br />
<br />
That's too much thinking for a Friday. Cheers all, see you this weekend.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-31766150508324267032013-05-02T13:59:00.000-07:002013-05-02T14:15:12.441-07:00Writer bread and recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvTZcyYqoRMsDPh08VHSsxikPzKAl5uDNYBxA0aDQqfhFq9rlfR5VIIKBMNsj30bAsheUQz32GtHIPKzxzVKEhLcQ_vPtrPBjnfhlCFMmh-Xi167t_rLil9ZjZpydzrDtYD3dPRaXH0UB/s1600/Bread!.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvTZcyYqoRMsDPh08VHSsxikPzKAl5uDNYBxA0aDQqfhFq9rlfR5VIIKBMNsj30bAsheUQz32GtHIPKzxzVKEhLcQ_vPtrPBjnfhlCFMmh-Xi167t_rLil9ZjZpydzrDtYD3dPRaXH0UB/s320/Bread!.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yes, sometimes it's better to bake than edit. At the end of an hour your accomplishment is far easier to weigh and, more importantly, smell and taste. So here's some bread. It's good bread. The recipe is below. Do yourself a favour and don't use a bread maker. There's a reason bakers use ovens.</div>
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<br />
<b>Writer Bread</b>*<br />
<br />
2 cups hot water<br />
add 1 tablespoon yeast and a spoon of brown sugar<br />
stir. Watch for a second, make sure the yeast is working (it'll make bubbles). Add a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil, stir.<br />
Stir in 3 cups flour for about 2 minutes.<br />
Add 2 more cups of flour, knead the mess for 10 minutes until it's a smooth, rubbery dough.<br />
Oil the lump, stick it in a covered bowl in a warm place until it doubles.<br />
Punch the dough down, then halve it and make 2 loaves. Lightly brush with oil. Drop them on a floured baking sheet, slit the tops, dust with rosemary and garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Let it rise again.<br />
Bake in a 375f oven for 20-30 minutes, pull them when they reach the desired brown-ness.<br />
Let them rest an hour.<br />
Be a pig and eat them.<br />
<br />
*Okay, it's really just french bread.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-65829852222657922892013-05-02T10:53:00.002-07:002013-05-02T10:58:09.089-07:00If you thought Stalingrad was bad American forefathers (or more accurately -mothers) had a rough time at Jamestown in 1609. The Smithsonian just dug up solid <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/01/us-cannibalism-jamestown-idUSBRE9400UY20130501" target="_blank">forensic evidence</a> that the settlers ate a 14-year-old English girl to survive.<br />
The winter of 1609 was a bad one and the settlers were on the verge of disaster. It's generally known as the Starving Time. Cannibalism has long been suspected, but the bones recently found are the first irrefutable evidence. Of 500 colonists, 440 starved to death. Imagining the horrified survivors watching the spring thaw finally arrive is almost beyond imagination. Almost, I say, because the evil writer portion of my brain is busily pondering a short story even as I write this.<br />
The story is a stunningly impressive one, with Captain John Smith forging a ceasefire with the aggressive Powhatan Confederacy of tribes, and managing to organize a trading agreement that allowed the colony to purchase the food it needed to survive. Then fate intervened, with Smith being evacuated to England following a serious injury and the tribes deciding that, without Smith, the treaty was off. The settlers were left starving, at war, and six months from the possibility of rescue in the midst of an unusually brutal winter. Most of the men were dead, killed by the tribes as they foraged, leaving the elderly, women and children to struggle to survive.<br />
If you pitched it as a movie plot people would accuse you of being unrealistically grim. All the greatest dramas exist in history. I wish we<a href="http://education-portal.com/articles/Do_Schools_Really_Need_to_Teach_History.html" target="_blank"> taught more</a> of that particular subject to our young. Or did it better.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-80132910605755250432013-05-01T12:39:00.004-07:002013-05-01T12:51:54.710-07:00KDP Select? Naw Yes, definitely dropping <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Behind-the-Ruins-ebook/dp/B00ATH92D0/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356596475&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Behind the Ruins</a> from KDP Select as of June 24. It's too limiting to be beholden to Amazon, with no access to Nook, Kobo, or other platforms like Screwpulp and Smashwords. The only bit of KDP that really annoys me horribly is that I have to let the 90-day enrollment run out. I suppose I could be a dick and just ignore Amazon's ToS, which would get it out quicker.<br />
Hmmm. I think I'll go examine that option. I'll update what I discover.<br />
<br />
Update: Well, on looking, it's unclear what repercussions that would have, other than Amazon deciding not to carry it in the main lists. Probably best left alone.<br />
<br />
Oh! If you have a book in KDP Select be damn sure to go in and click off auto-renew or it'll be there forever. They've made sure it defaults to "we have your book in perpetuity" unless you pay attention.<br />
<br />
It feels a bit greasy to me. I think <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Pizza-ebook/dp/B00C7IHSX0/ref=la_B00ATLCSA0_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367437851&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Tokyo Pizza</a> will opt out as well. Exclusivity isn't a good thing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-14772147913841828602013-04-30T12:11:00.001-07:002013-04-30T21:28:25.271-07:00The donate button and Side EffectsYou'll note a donate button over on the right-hand sidebar. That button is the start of something interesting. At the moment it's intended as a way to keep enough food in me to allow for writing to continue. Shorty, though, it's going to be a way to pay what you think things are worth.<br />
<br />
That's right, I'm going to trust you, reader, to pay what you think stories and books are worth that you download free here on the site. <br />
<br />
This will take a bit of time and thought on my part, but expect to see changes through the spring and summer. The first project that will use the button exclusively is a serialized novel-length sequel to the NaNoWriWee shortlister <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Pizza-ebook/dp/B00C7IHSX0/ref=la_B00ATLCSA0_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367349180&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Tokyo Pizza</a> currently entitled Side Effects (<a href="http://sideeffectsnovel.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">which has its own blog now</a>). Having a pop-culture satirical adventure yarn come out in discrete chunks isn't a new thought. It really hearkens back to the days of radio drama, but it is a new thing for me.<br />
<br />
I'm excited by the concept, but to make it work I'll have to make sure the wide world of the internet comes and reads and has fun. I'll also have to stick to a tough self-imposed writing schedule. The best way to make sure it works is simple. If you like it, and enjoy the stories, then share them with others. Tweet it, craft a short blog post, tell your friends at the pub.<br />
<br />
It's the wild wild west of publishing these days. Let's ignore the rules and make it fun.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-89937326626806317682013-04-30T10:49:00.000-07:002013-04-30T10:49:03.692-07:00Trolling GhanaYes, I'm one of those guys. When the email scammers send me notes, I have to try and troll them back. Today's was from Mr. Edward Effah the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank in Ghana.<br />
<br />
He has a terrible issue with $13.5 million that he'd like my help with, and wanted my information. It's confidential, so I can't go into details. I decided to send him my own plan:<br />
<br />
<div>
<em>I have a counterproposal. In order to show your good faith and prove the reality of your claims, you can show the truth of your proposal by depositing a "good faith" amount of $10,000.00 (US$) into a PayPal account I will specify. The deposit will be returned to you upon the completion of your proposed arrangement, and will be lost should you fail to complete the arrangement.</em></div>
<div>
<em> </em></div>
<div>
<em>As a first step, please supply the following:</em></div>
<div>
<em> </em></div>
<div>
<em>1) A scanned copy of your personal photo identification</em></div>
<div>
<em>2) Your physical address</em></div>
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<em>3) A non-Webmail email address</em></div>
<div>
<em>4) Your PayPal account name for the return of the deposit</em></div>
<div>
<em> </em></div>
<div>
<em>Thank you</em></div>
<br />
I don't know why the idea of trolling some Ghana gangster amuses me, but it does. Besides, I'm curious to see if they're dumb enough to respond to a morphed version of their own horridly stupid shit.<br />
<br />
I am easily amused.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-23345657708753143542013-04-29T11:17:00.000-07:002013-04-29T11:19:26.531-07:00Amazon and free books<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This last six weeks has been an experimental period, during
which I attempted to assess the usefulness of the Kindle Select option through
Amazon. Some of the vote is still out, but early returns are in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For those not familiar with the program, Amazon gives you
the option to enter a book into the Select program, so long as you agree that
you will not sell it through any other platform. What they give you in return is
5 days in a three-month period during which you may give away the book for free
as a promotion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s it, really.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The results thus far appear to be largely ineffective.
Reviews are difficult to quantify, but I suspect I’m seeing one review per
500-1000 downloads. That’s unsatisfying, as reviews were really the only reason
I’d been interested in the program. I won’t say I was surprised. I suspect that
the vast majority of books downloaded for free are never read at all. People
just like to grab free things; it’s a monkey-brain reflex. You also run the
risk of people who really don’t like your genre reviewing you because it was
free – they’d never have downloaded your space opera, otherwise, and didn’t like
all the starships, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So is it worthwhile? No, I don’t think so, but the
experiment isn’t quite over. I think I preferred to run my promotions using Smashwords
coupons for reviewers, contest winners and the like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the end, we all value things relative to what we paid for
them; this is why the wealthy extoll Ferrari rather than Ford. I suspect that
mass free promotions devalue the quality of a writer’s work in the mind of the reader,
consciously or unconsciously. I don’t think they’re nearly as valuable as
Amazon would have us believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thoughts? Leave a comment!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-8431390289102398542013-04-28T10:07:00.000-07:002013-04-28T10:07:16.632-07:00Autotweets, how I hate thee You know those half-dozen tweets you send out every day? The boring ones that fill the spaces between the tweets about your cat or what Fox News/CNN just said in defiance of known fact?<br />
Wouldn't it be nice to just put those on a timer so you could write and deal with those "important" tweets? Well, don't look at <a href="http://www.dripita.com/" target="_blank">Dripita</a> for that. I've had nothing but trouble with that particular app. <br />
It's not like I've asked it to do much. One tweet every six hours from a rotating list seems like an easy enough task, but Dripita squeezes one out, then stops, unable to continue on. Or, more rarely, it kicks out two or three in a little, acidic clump - like those last three tequila shooters you just <em>knew</em> were a bad idea.<br />
Hateful thing.<br />
Does anyone know of a happier app? One that maybe, you know, <em>works?</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-86970165970523565992013-04-26T08:55:00.004-07:002013-04-27T10:23:27.029-07:00Tokyo Pizza FREE this weekend. Get your reading freak on.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s320/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJNv_aZ7AWns0MOrCh7vKzzMh2lG-8oI3ExlFM3t0X1UERLuDMSP0SfMgFwHhgOIYDriqFgq01TWZbZ-x_ZDCeBWg04zqHmcUn_P89zt-fODO_NfxvHWM8iFYrso-qyfKz507kBYHaAO9/s1600/CoverPizzaFinalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;" unselectable="on">
</div>
</a> That's right, this weekend is your chance to get <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Pizza-ebook/dp/B00C7IHSX0" target="_blank">Tokyo Pizza</a> for FREE over at Amazon. A lightly satirical thriller complete with public sex, private blackmail, odd humor, questionable plots, octopus pizza and other unmentionables.<br />
<br />
This is your chance to see why Pizza was a shortlisted finalist in HarperCollin's 30-hour Novel competition.<br />
<br />
Tokyo Pizza. It tastes a little different.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Pizza-ebook/dp/B00C7IHSX0">http://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Pizza-ebook/dp/B00C7IHSX0</a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.freebooksy.com/freebooks/2013/4/26/three-thrillers-free-on-kindle.html" target="_blank"><img alt="I'm a featured author at Freebooksy" src="http://i.eho.st/pg49wbvp.gif" style="border: currentColor; height: 150px; margin: 8px; width: 180px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-89041836746951354212013-04-25T19:47:00.003-07:002013-04-26T08:57:29.145-07:00Shadowrun Returns - gaming nerdgasm<a href="http://www.shadowrun.us/imgs/shadowrun.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://www.shadowrun.us/imgs/shadowrun.png" width="320" /></a> An unsolicited squeal of glee for <a href="http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/" target="_blank">Shadowrun Returns</a>. We'll be seeing it very shortly, and anyone who remembers the great cyberpunk-meets-fantasy pen-and-paper roleplaying game should drop by the Harebrained Schemes website and poke around.<br />
I've loved the setting since FASA (R.I.P.) brought it out, and it's nice to see the guys managed to float a successful kickstarter and make this game happen.<br />
For those who have no idea what I'm on about, Shadowrun is a SF/fantasy alternate near-future setting where your elite computer hacking black-ops specialist might be an elf, and your heavy weapons thug could be a troll, with the heat of the action occuring in a very different, yet oddly familiar, Seattle.<br />
It's a LOT of fun.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-12325366294345945282013-04-24T18:39:00.001-07:002013-05-04T20:21:32.643-07:00Stone Sky teaser<span lang=""><em>Just a first-draft bit of one of the two novels I currently have underway. It's a fantasy piece, but not the standard sort. No dragons, unicorns or zombies. This is copyright Michael Lane 2013.</em><br />
<br />
Verrin sat on the stone bench outside the Westarch barracks and watched three casteless youths beating an older scavenger with silent, bloody-minded attention.<br />
<br />
The trio were doing a job of it. Two held the target’s arms, while the third, a sallow-faced dwarf with a short, forked blonde beard, hammered at the victim’s face with a fist slick with blood. They’d run him down in the street, sandals clattering, just as Verrin had gotten comfortable.<br />
<br />
The barracks’ iron gate squealed open and Verrin glanced to his left. Another dwarf, clad in mail identical to his, took a few steps into the street and stopped, staring at the fight.<br />
<br />
"Kolosh," Verrin called. The newcomer glanced over, offering a sketchy salute and walking over to take a seat on the bench. <br />
</span><br />
<span lang=""></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span lang=""><br />
"Sergeant Verrin. You off duty?"<br />
<br />
Verrin winced as the bloodied dwarf’s head rocked back and a pink bubble of mucus and blood popped in the pulped mess that had been his nose.<br />
<br />
"I was. Now I have these idiots," Verrin sighed, rising and tugging at the broad belt that encircled his waist. He laid a hand on the hilt of the short, broad-bladed sword that hung there. He drew it and handed it hilt-first to Kolosh.<br />
<br />
"Hang onto that for a minute."<br />
<br />
"Right." Amusement colored Kol’s voice. Verrin knew the other guards thought he was a soft touch, always worried about disorder and crime among the lowest classes; a group usually ignored by anyone with a family name. They were right. Verrin didn’t like bullies, no matter who the target was. It was a handicap for a guardsman, but also a silent point of pride for the young dwarf.<br />
<br />
He strolled toward the fight, eyeing the three speculatively. All were clad in the ragged leather smocks common among the casteless, and the three doing the beating all wore necklaces threaded with knucklebones; showing membership in one of the houseless gangs that substituted for clans among the lowest orders. The victim didn’t seem to be wearing any such mark of allegiance. Verrin wondered if he were a solo.<br />
<br />
The two holders were too busy keeping a grip on the struggling victim to notice the arrival of a mail-clad guardsman behind the one doing the punching. Verrin grabbed his arm when he drew back for another blow and the ganger spun, his eyes wide, blood dotting his face and flecking the gold of his beard.<br />
<br />
"Mahran’s teats, I will <i>kill</i> your ass if you touch me again," he began, before noting the House Narrel badge affixed to the breast of Verrin’s mail shirt. <br />
<br />
"No, you won’t," Verrin said patiently. Up close the ganger smelled of badly cured leather, old alcohol and <i>Jhik</i> root. His eyes were heavily bloodshot, a hallmark of root-chewers. The root made dumb people dumber, Verrin had always found. The ganger was no exception. Wound up and half-stoned on <i>Jhik </i>and blood, he decided arguing was a good play.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-32046178417720392892013-04-24T16:54:00.002-07:002013-04-24T16:54:35.270-07:00From the future-past Anyone with an interest in radio shows or experimental entertainment should check out "Found in the elevator" <a href="https://soundcloud.com/#ddex2496/found-on-the-elevator" target="_blank">here</a>. I didn't find it - William Gibson tweeted about it and Wil Wheaton posted about it on<a href="http://wilwheaton.net/2013/04/found-on-the-elevator-side-one/" target="_blank"> his blog</a> this week, which you should also go read. <br />
<br />
It's fascinating and reminds me of why I go on old radio drama binges. It's basically a message from the future found sans explanation in our present. It has a strange 70s scifi feel that I like. Something like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and THX1138 crossed with Brazil.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-30624852835953586172013-04-23T10:51:00.002-07:002013-04-23T11:49:43.985-07:00Strip Search
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's not like the lumbering internet colossus that is <a href="http://penny-arcade.com/" target="_blank">Penny Arcade</a> really needs my help, but I have to point people to their oddball
reality show <a href="http://penny-arcade.com/strip-search" target="_blank">Strip Search</a>, in which a group of aspiring web comic artists
battle for cash and a slot in the Penny Arcade machine for a year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not big fan of a lot of “reality” shows. I will watch
the occasional Hell’s Kitchen episode because I like to see Ramsay’s face go
red, and I like feeling that I can cook better than half his wannabe chefs. Strip
Search is a different sort of deal, or has been thus far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Contestants are likable, for starters. They haven’t
descended into the usual metagaming backstabbery that forms the grist of most
reality TV, and if that reduces drama, it increases the emotional weight of the
eliminations. You want ALL these people to win. That’s a neat trick, and one
the “real” reality genre might want to take note of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Additionally, challenges are interesting and thus far tie in
well to the skills a web comic author needs. So far they’ve avoided having
contestants bob for hand grenades or chase greased Vietnamese pigs in a
Wal-Mart parking lot. Instead, they draw, market, and deal with Twitter trolls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">PA creators Mike Krahulic and Jerry Holkins are amusing as
the bastard offspring of Simon Cowell and a Labyrinth goblin, and eliminations
are lightened by their transparent attempts to throw competitors off their
game. And, my god, the smoothie. Anyone who’s watched knows what I’m on about.
Holkins, you are a terrifying force for random ingestion. Robert Khoo does a
fine job wearing his Producer’s hat, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So go waste some time. Watch the first few – it gains speed
and sucks you in by the fourth instalment – and see what a reality show can be
in a world where people aren’t scripted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-64210968695567754102013-04-22T11:37:00.001-07:002013-04-22T11:37:28.267-07:00Omnibus angst I read a lot of omnibus editions. <br />
Three book series and the like tend to be handier for shelving as a single volume, and I usually fall prey to the nice new covers while wandering through the bookstore, so I buy them.<br />
They're great, until you get home and are reading one in bed, where, let's be honest, most reading is done. You crack open your mammoth tome, wriggle into the pillow, and find yourself spending the next half-hour trying to discover a comfortble way to hold eight pounds of wood pulp in a position that doesn't kill your wrist, smother you or mangle oversized trade pages. If you are sleeping next to someone else, they'll likely not be impressed by the light or the constant crackling of paper and mumbled curses.<br />
I like the smell and feel of a book. I like it a lot. But I'm beginning to think the e-reader is edging it with its sheer convenience.<br />
And they tend to be under a pound.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-87779263903733538612013-04-20T12:17:00.002-07:002013-04-20T12:18:29.837-07:00Writing tips for the month<br />
This will be short and sweet.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO NOT use <strong>ellipses</strong> (...) unless showing a section of a
quote from which words have been excised by an editor.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO NOT use <strong>exclamation points</strong> outside quotation marks, and
try to avoid them within, unless someone is screaming.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO NOT confuse<strong> its and it's</strong>. The first is possessive, the
second a contraction.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO use <strong>short sentences</strong>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO use <strong>simple language</strong>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO learn the difference between a <strong>colon and a semi-colon</strong>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
DO <strong>read more</strong>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Finally, DO weight <strong>story and character</strong> over everything else.
Description, plot, theme, language, tone, everything else is a distant third.
And yes, I do differentiate plot and story. A story is "what if men could
fly at will" while a plot is a boring mechanical framework someone
stretches that question over like a bloodied hide, forcing it into an unnatural
shape.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Keep writing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-80747935960313169142013-04-19T15:17:00.002-07:002013-04-19T15:17:22.455-07:00Fantasy vs SF There's been a long running, sometimes venomous debate as to the relative merits of science fiction versus fantasy. The discussion dates back to the letters pages of Weird Tales and Astonishing SF during the pulp era, so one would assume there's something to it; something meaty to fire up the century-long flamewar.<br />
You'd be wrong.<br />
SF and fantasy are buttonholed into discrete genres, and it's a mug's game. It's a nonsensical definition between make-believe settings utilizing make-believe powers in some way that has a measurable impact on the plot or characters of the work. it reminds me of the bickering between the deeply religious and the coldly scientific among the legions of talking heads.<br />
What the speculative fiction genre (a much better descriptor) does is put characters in situations against a background divorced from our daily reality. That helps to highlight the characters and their motivations, in my mind at least. I'm sure others could argue.<br />
Good speculative fiction is immensely satisfying. <em>Moby Dick. Rendezvous with Rama. The House on the Borderlands. The Road. The Shadow of the Torturer</em>. The list goes on and on. Readers, please avoid limiting your book consumption to just one of these two "genres" - if you do that you'll miss out on half the buffet of wonderful literature before you. If you gravitate toward one end of the spectrum, step back and choose somethiing outside your comfort zone. Explore.<br />
Do read with discernment, though. There's a lot of utter crap burying genre fiction shelves, which is due to a whole host of problems, some of which I may go into in the future. If a book does nothing for you, put it down. Leave a bad review. Warn your children. If it's good, do the opposite. Blog it, talk it up, leave reviews.<br />
Get out there and read.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-49836245890999599612013-04-18T15:30:00.000-07:002013-04-18T15:30:25.150-07:00A message to terrorists <div style="text-align: center;">
Wherever you are, and whatever your cause is.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnqCmx1aS2sflSSH_jvr1XV8kbBjEoeQyiI8_X5C4GXRi3abDc5phIdCSwdmpfg-jEoWvOaGW6f0GGOdYW1sSRx-8fMDh1-gZA1pUIf1yzuFkXHsfwzOUjbILrN-Qa_RsscrccnB1Vl8G/s1600/happy-kitty-90097128734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnqCmx1aS2sflSSH_jvr1XV8kbBjEoeQyiI8_X5C4GXRi3abDc5phIdCSwdmpfg-jEoWvOaGW6f0GGOdYW1sSRx-8fMDh1-gZA1pUIf1yzuFkXHsfwzOUjbILrN-Qa_RsscrccnB1Vl8G/s320/happy-kitty-90097128734.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That is all.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-66731009058024165882013-04-17T14:26:00.003-07:002013-04-17T14:26:48.762-07:00Visiting with villains <em> I like a good villain. They're generally the most interesting when they're real people with a bit of complexity to them - what actual villain thinks they're the bad guy, after all? I'm sure Stalin thought he was a great Russian hero.</em><br />
<em> As a treat, here's a brief visit with Creedy from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Behind-the-Ruins-ebook/dp/B00ATH92D0/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356596475&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Behind the Ruins</a> (which you should pick up and review if you haven't):</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
They had a year or two, Creedy thought. If they weren’t established somewhere in Canada by then, the band would be in trouble. There was little enough room to go further west, and the south was a patchwork of dug-in cartels, cults, gangs and warlords that would unite to kill any interloper quickly. It would have to be the north. There he’d have the space and the time needed to explore future plans. <br />
<br />
Creedy had reached the reception hall of the building, with its sandbagged windows and trio of guards, when Gregor appeared at his side.<br />
<br />
"Sir? A moment?" Gregor asked. His face and arms were stippled with tiny droplets of blood. <br />
<br />
"Certainly, Gregor."<br />
<br />
"Harris has received the ordered punishment, Mr. Creedy. He’s unconscious now. I took him to the infirmary, and the doctor says he should live. Also, Max told me that the new staff are in the west wing, in the old classroom, and he’d appreciate it if you could spare a minute to okay them. Any further orders for me?"<br />
<br />
"Go inform Max that I’ll be there within the half-hour, then get cleaned up and take some time off. I’ll see you in the morning, Gregor."<br />
<br />
"Yes, sir."<br />
<br />
Creedy watched Gregor depart. The factotum’s shoulders, swollen from obsessive weightlifting, almost eclipsed his head, and his silhouetted form combined with his shambling gait was trollish.<br />
<br />
The three watchmen on duty had stood to silent attention when Creedy had entered the hall, and he took a few minutes to inspect their weapons and chat with each, offering a few words with a perfect facsimile of interest. <br />
<br />
He climbed to the second floor, smelling the stale fish oil from the lamps that lit the corridors, and found Max waiting.<br />
<br />
Creedy used Max as a recruiter. The little man was glib and harmless looking, with flyaway white hair and watery blue eyes. He smiled at Creedy and held the door for him.<br />
<br />
"Afternoon, Mr. Creedy," he said.<br />
<br />
"Max." Creedy scanned the three women, one was old and two were younger. All looked scared. The youngest, on the left, was the prettiest, with reddish hair and a body the shapeless smock she wore couldn’t quite hide.<br />
<br />
"What’s your name?" Creedy asked her. <br />
<br />
"Sam. Samantha Jakes," she responded, blinking. Her eyes were hazel, he noted. Max coughed theatrically. "Sir," she added, remembering.<br />
<br />
"Miss Jakes, can you write?"<br />
<br />
"Yes, sir, I can."<br />
<br />
Creedy nodded. "Good. I think you’ll do. I need a girl for my office - someone to do correspondence as needed, fix tea, perform whatever duties I require. Do you have any questions?"<br />
<br />
She blinked several times. Creedy smiled.<br />
<br />
"Well, sir, what other duties? And for what pay?"<br />
<br />
Creedy gestured and Max escorted the other two from the room. They’d be taken to the kitchens and shown to the dorms. When they’d left, Creedy closed the door and moved to stand looking down at the girl.<br />
<br />
"You’ll be housed, fed, clothed far better than what you wear now. You’ll find that I reward service with gifts as well." He cocked his head to the side, watching her hands as she knitted the fingers together tightly in her lap. "Do you prefer straight answers, or romantic ones?"<br />
<br />
"I guess the truth’s the best way. Sir."<br />
<br />
"Good. I expect you to do whatever I tell you for the next year; two at the outside. Anything. If it’s to wear velvet dress and be on my arm for a headman’s meeting in some dirtball town, or to mop my office floor, or to get down on your knees and suck my cock in front of the assembled troops."<br />
<br />
She paled, but kept eye contact. That surprised Creedy.<br />
<br />
"If you do just that - obey me - you’ll find your life will improve dramatically. If you say you will, but decide not to - if something I ask of you seems too much - I’ll beat you until you find it less objectionable. If that fails to convince you, then I’ll probably give you to the troops as a fuck toy."<br />
<br />
"Well," the young woman said, voice trembling a little. "My gran told me that’s about what I could expect. How long before you kill me?"<br />
<br />
Creedy laughed. <br />
<br />
"I don’t waste people. I understand my last girl, Dania, bought a saloon in Wenatchee. I expected a lot from her, and I paid her for it when I tired of her. Money is not an issue for me." Creedy paused, staring at Jakes. "You wanted it straight, there it is."<br />
<br />
"And if I turn you down, right now?"<br />
<br />
"You go work in the kitchens for a two-year stretch like the other pair. You will receive food and a cot and a piece of silver once a month. Keep this in mind: If you say you’ll work for me, and you run, I’ll find you, bring you back and kill you. Slowly."<br />
<br />
Creedy clasped his hands behind his back and waited. Samantha bowed her head for a moment before lifting her gaze to his waiting smile. Tears made her eyes shine.<br />
<br />
"All right, I’ll do it. For the money. For my own farm. For the money to buy some papered stock, I’ll do whatever you want. Sir."<br />
<br />
Creedy smiled. He reached out, ran a fingertip along the curve of her jaw. He felt her flinch. <i>They always sell themselves</i>, he thought.<br />
<br />
"Welcome to our little family, then, Sam. Let me show you where you’ll sleep, and get you out of that potato sack and into something more fitting."<br />
<br />
Outside, the first flakes of snow swirled on the darkening air of November.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6202419499419617872.post-10280848088814827252013-04-16T07:57:00.001-07:002013-04-16T07:57:09.860-07:00Boston bombings and other painful truths I was torn. I had almost decided that I would avoid the mandatory after-action blog post on the bombing in Boston. The internet will be full of them. They'll all say how awful the attacks were, how well Boston's emergency services reacted, and the annoying ones will go on to Monday-morning quarterback the poor bastards in charge of event security.<br />
<br />
Bombers piss me off, because they are cowardly and indiscriminate. Drones piss me off for the same reason, and clusterbombs, mines, chemical weapons, etc. They're the sorts of weapons frightened children would gravitate to, while adults risk arrest and worse to climb onto a soap-box in a square and make their political demands the old-fashioned way.<br />
<br />
When I step back from those normal, unavoidable emotions, though, and put the bomber in context, I realize something about our world-view that's shocking.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, in the US, three died in terrorist attacks<br />
Yesterday, just on average, 45 people were murdered in the US<br />
Yesterday, on average, 230 people were forcibly raped in the US<br />
<br />
The inexplicable part? That we should be horrified by the first number, and largely unconscious of the other two. No one deserves to be listed as a statistic in any of these categories.<br />
<br />
Hang in there, Boston.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10891185865185632971noreply@blogger.com0