Radiation Angels: The Chimerium Gambit Journal

Update #2
Whether you are returning or coming to this site for the first time, hello and welcome!
This site exists to promote my novel, due out in February. If you’d like to read a bit, feel free to take a peek to the left and click on ‘preview’.
Those of you returning, we have added an interesting little bit of background; a Radiation Angels Lexicon. You can also see the front cover, from concept sketch to finalized overview.
A short story, Radiation Angels: First Drop has been submitted for publishing and hopefully you can read it just before the novel is released in February (more updates on this will be forthcoming).
Also in the news: I did get married! We had a wonderful colonial style ceremony on September 4th. Everything went swimmingly and then we spent a week in at the Massanutten resort in the Shenandoah valley for our honeymoon.
If you have any comments or questions, I’d be happy to hear from you at RadiationAngels@aol.com.

Update #3
Well folks, it’s almost time.
Oh, yes, yes, yes… I’ve been welcoming people to this site for a few months now. I’ve been offering the first chapter of The Radiation Angels (link), and pointing to the beautiful cover (link), but now it’s almost time. February is just around the corner and the book will be roaring off toward shelves all across the country. The stress, the worry, and the giddy expectation are blending together into a cocktail very much like madness, I’d imagine.
I’ll be printing up postcards to give a last minute push to individual bookstores. If you have a suggestion for a store that could benefit from information about The Radiation Angels, feel free to send their address to me here (radiationangels@aol.com) and I’ll get it to them.

In any case, that’s enough business. I figured it was time that I let you in on a little bit of me.
Well, first off, my credentials. I’m not talking about my Bio (link), nor my publishing credits. I, of course, am speaking of the most important part of being a science fiction writer… my Nerd Rating:

<a href="http://merctea.com/nerdtest.html" target="_blank">50% of me is a huge nerd! How about you?</a>

Yes, I’m at least half nerd, and I’m slowly working toward 75%. I don’t think I’ll ever get higher since my math skills are largely underdeveloped. I do use the internet on a daily basis, however, and I come across things just too good to be true. I mean, I am constantly doing research for work, like finding out how MIT researchers close in on bionic speed, or figuring out which publishers are… less reputable (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/), or just finding one’s place in the great scheme of things (geekchartbig.gif (GIF Image, 1000x581 pixels)).
And sometimes, I just want to look into a word and wander around, rearranging furniture. (http://www.wordorigins.org/)

I’ll tell you more as time goes on, at least I will if I stay sane long enough to get published.
-JDR

Update #4
01.11.2006
Perpetuating the cycle…
You know, there is one thing the internet is good for: it’s making me look out of date. I mean, I was so hyped to find a website that does flash animations. Specifically 30 second animations that retell an entire movie… using bunnies. (http://www.angryalien.com/)
So there I am, emailing my brand, shiny new link to a friend or three, when every one of them kind of shrugs and goes ‘Oh, yeah, that’s cool. It’s been a round a while, now.’ In fact, everyone BUT me knows about this site, since Stars channel paid them to do a whole lot more of them.
Then I found this: (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117935453?cs=1&s=h&p=0)
And I crowed about it to all of my friends, hoping beyond hope that Futurama would be back from the grave… again to find out that everybody already knew this as well.
In fact, it was only after running into a few old friends from high school and enduring a few cryptic references to an old classmate that I found out one of us had made it big… (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005114/)!
Apparently I have been living under a very dark, very heavy rock… in very deep space. And that realization got me to thinking: There really isn’t enough minutiae in my life. I mean, I will browse news sites from time to time, especially the sillier ones I can find (www.fark.com) but I still seem to be behind the curve. Then I realize this is precisely the way it’s always been since I was, indeed, in high school and nothing has changed. So, if it hasn’t bothered me for the first 32 years, why should it now? In short: I had some ice cream and watched Conan the Barbarian. I felt much better about the whole thing until I realized that all of the links I am littering across my page are probably just as out of date to you….
Wow.
Well in any case, here’s some really neat stuff you’ve probably already seen:
A to-scale webpage picture of the solar system: (http://www.troybrophy.com/projects/solarsystem/index.html)
This is the true nature of warfare: A $150 booby trap made to defeat $1500 body armor and kill a priceless marine can be defeated with a $3 can of silly string (original www.cockeyed.com link has been overtaken by events): (http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051113/COLUMNISTS0301/511130351/1111)
Or if your CD collection is getting musty and you need something new and spicy, but you want someone you will like you can find some kind of map that links artists by genre. Like this one… (http://www.music-map.com)

Well, folks, it February, and if you’ve been looking you’ve probably noticed that RA:TCG is not on the shelves. Well, thereby hangs a tale… Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, the publisher has delayed the release of the novel for two more months. I have asked around, and found out that this is not unusual in the least, and I’m just hanging onto my sanity in any way possible while the time simply creeps by. I’m trying to open up new avenues for people to feel a part of The Angels and so The Radiation Angels PX is now open! You can find it at http://www.cafepress.com/Radiationangels.
I’ve been keeping myself busy at my day job, getting into flame wars online, and just trying to keep abreast of the changing world of technology.
One of the hardest things about being a sci-fi author in modern times is trying to outpace actual technology with realistic-but-fictional technology. There are books written less than twenty years ago that are already hopelessly out of date, and we giggle about the people who oohed and aahed about computers with mythical ‘gigabytes’. Picture phones, laptops, even full spectrum lamps are now becoming common. Even fantastical computer and communication technologies have been bypassed at an alarming rate. Since I’m writing a military science fiction novel I am especially interested in keeping in front of weapon technology but it really covers all aspects of technology.
I mean we can assume that sniper weapons like the DSR-1 Bullpup Sniper System could become even lighter, more accurate and reliable. But who amongst us would have foreseen something like the DREAD weapon system coming down the pipe? I mean everyone already puts lasers, blasters, or whatever, into novels, but what will the disadvantages be? How will they be better, and how will they be worse than lower tech solutions? Even more basic to science fiction is faster than light propulsion, because patience is all well and good, but you don’t want it a trip to Pluto to take 9 years. More importantly: Where are we going to put all the spaceports?
Even creepier is when you take some esoteric theoretical possibility of a quantum based computer and put it into a novel, only to find out that someone’s actually working on it. It’s not just about the toys we play with: Nanotech, DNA manipulation, and disturbing new pharmaceuticals, are not only pushing the human experience into areas we never even imagined they are going to change what we think of as life. When pushing that envelope, we are left with some interesting problems. So many ideas, so many staples have been run so deep the ruts have reached cliche status. The forbidding planet full of deadly creatures will always be Earth, the bad guy will always get sucked out a hole into space, in fact there are hundreds of interesting ideas that will be boiled down into a sentence that sounds incredibly, amazingly stupid. It’s almost sad. Is there any hope of convincing children that, if they just look hard enough, they can discover something new about the Moon?

3.31.06
Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s getting close. As you can imagine I can barely contain myself. More good news: I have received my first review!
This was written by Glenda Woodrum. You may see this review and others like it at her site: http://www.glendawoodrum.com

Mundania Press LLC
6470A Glenway Avenue, #109
Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222
http://www.mundania.com
Trade Paperback: no pricing available as of this writing
eBook: no pricing available as of this writing

Okay, those of you that have been reading my reviews know that I don't usually rave about any of the books I've read. Well here's an exception. Radiation Angels: Chimerium Gambit grabbed my attention and held it with both power gauntleted hands. From the opening sentence right to the powerful end, I was wowed by this book.

It opens with a group of soldiers for hire and their impending assault on the fortress of the planetary president. From there it turns into a wild running battle complete with enough gunfights to keep even the most jaded military SF reader turning the pages.

Rich with vivid description of the battles, the book is an intense read that caught and held me hostage until I reached the end.

The inclusion of an extensive glossary of terms used in the book makes Radiation Angels: Chimerium Gambit accessible to someone new to the military SF genre without unduly slowing down the action for those familiar with such terms.

The one flaw I found in the early stages of this book-- and keep in mind I'm reading from an ARC-- was the fact that the cast of characters initially lacked enough detail to fix most of them in the reader's mind. There are a lot of names and some ranks used, but no real feel for the majority of the characters at the book's onset. It gives everyone introduced a sort of cannon fodder feel, and it leaves you saying, "Okay, so how does this one die now that he or she has a name?" The book could benefit from more detailed characterization, and a little more introduction on some of them before they face the inevitable end of their existence. All in all Radiation Angels: Chimerium Gambit was a damned fine read and left me hoping for a sequel. From the way this book ended I'm quite hopeful!

If you are a fan of the military SF genre, this is a not to be missed book. (Unlike another military SF book reviewed here on this site, this one is well worth the cover price.)

Oh, and the real kicker? Radiation Angels: Chimerium Gambit is told in first person point of view, which I normally don't care for, so Mr. Ross has scored with a real winner and made a fan despite my well known dislike of first person stories.

I thank Miss Woodrum for all the kind words, and I hope everyone can read TRA:TCG themselves soon.

I guess I write a lot about heroes with guns blazing and cannons firing. It hit me in the face that sometimes people have to be reminded of the quieter heroes that live amongst us every single day. I did. I also think everyone should be reminded that not every story has a happy ending. That’s why we have to cherish those that do.
My father is a crazy man. I mean a true, unadulterated kind of crazy. He doesn’t wear tinfoil hats, or parade in front of his house with a loaded shotgun looking for communists or anything. For over twenty years, my father ran into burning buildings on purpose. He was a firefighter. I don’t know if I can convey my middle-school confusion at learning that my dad was a fireman. I mean I understood the word as a red helmeted icon, but not the reality of it. That wouldn’t hit me for years. My father eventually became Fire Chief of Cincinnati after having worked his way up the ranks from Firefighter/1. It was only then that little bits of detail would escape this towering figure in my life, small brushstrokes that would fill in the white unknown of his professional life. He’d tell me about how many men it would take to control one of those cool fire hoses, and why the men looked like they were gang-tackling the thing (because for all intents and purposes they are). He’d mention grimly that the new fire suits might work a little too well, since when a firefighter went too far into a burning building in the old suits, he could smell (not feel, mind you – too much pain already for that) his ears start to burn and he’d know to turn around and escape. I found out that (screw John Wayne) the real heroes crawl into the swirling blackness without any points of reference save the burning fires and the camera friendly ‘gray mist’ smoke of TV fame is a cruel hoax. I learned from him that from ignition to uncontrolled blaze is a scant hop of four minutes. My father is a shutterbug, and has documented births, weddings and graduations with all the precision, care, and zeal of a white house photographer.
I know, you’re probably wondering where this is going. Well, follow me a little further.
I tell you all of this, as he pours over thousands of photos, some black and white photos dating back to the fifties that were old when he got them. He’s looking for pictures of my Uncle Billy.
My earliest memories of Billy, my mother’s youngest brother, was when I was staying at my grandparent’s house. We’d go for a visit in Harlan, Kentucky four or five times a year. My sister, my brother, and I would bounce around in the camper for hours, waiting to be unleashed upon all our cousins, aunts, and uncles. We’d go nuts all day, tromping through the bushes of the black mountains, running from copperheads real and imagined, catching frogs and crawfish in the creeks… almost everybody was there. Rowdy kin celebrating being together from spring to fall for years on end. But my memory of Billy was special. Almost secret. It feels secret.
I never got to see him except after he had woken up in the late morning. Soon, too soon he was off to work. You have to realize to we kids, he was the coolest thing that walked. Dude had a 58 chevy… He knew Karate… then he got a T top, go fast red, T bird. Billy had a motorcycle. Later, Billy had ATVs. I remember being 16 and stupid (who wasn’t?) and mentioning to him that I wanted a motorcycle. Well he got me on his bike, slapped a helmet on my head, and rode me around for a few minutes. For five minutes, I was the coolest kid in the world. Then Billy turned off onto the dirt path. He gunned the engine and we roared off into the hills, leaving my stomach long forgotten by the road. By degrees the gravel got scarcer and scarcer, the woods began to creep in on every side. Then he turns back to me and says: “Hold on! We’re going to leave the road!” ROAD? I thought. And then he turned right, slamming up a steep grade and brushing past the swatting hands of trees. He gunned it further and the world became a blur of up and down, leaning left and right, wet brush and sticky leaves slapping in from every direction. Then he turned off the motor, climbed off the bike, and I finally, finally, opened up my eyes. We were back home. I never mentioned the word motorcycle again, much to the relief of my mother. Until recently, I was certain they had planned it.
But that isn’t my secret and if you think that was a stalling tactic, you may well be right. Read gently.
I’m the youngest of three children. Quite often, I got left behind when the older kids did the cool stuff. When we poured into grandma’s house, filling it to bursting with an uncle and two aunts still living at home, I didn’t even get a room: I was left on the couch of the living room while the older kids got to stay up and talk all night. But sometimes, about once a visit, Billy would come home from work. He’d walk through the door in the dead of night. I’d come awake at the sound of his heavy, tired feet, carpet unable to absorb all the sound of his fatigue. He was wearing clothes that were uniform and nondescript, rendered anonymous by layers of black and gray dust. His boots were thick, heavy and workmanlike, he held a helmet under one arm… a helmet with a light attached. He had goggles, and their ghost hung about his eyes, silhouetted in soot. He’d meander up to the front of the house, where my grandparent’s general store was, and pick out a pizza from the frozen foods. By the time he walked back, I’d be out of bed. Mousy brown hair all a twirl, eyes bleary, pajamas askew, I’d wave hello. He’d hold up the pizza and ask “Hungry?”
When is a child not hungry for pizza?
So we’d sit, and eat. It was such a thrill, up later than the older kids, stealing time away from my makeshift bed as we talked about grown up things. What’s it like to kiss a girl? Have you ever hunted a bear? How many guns do you own? How fast can your car go? Is there a God? Have you ever seen a ghost? We set the ground rules early: I could ask anything I wanted. If he would answer, he’d answer truthfully. Year after year, we’d sit, eat pizza and talk. For just a little while, just a fleeting moment, I was the only kid in the world, not just one out of a dozen cousins, two dozen nephews and numerous and sundry extra kin (and if you think I’m exaggerating, you’ve never been to a Petra reunion.) I learned a lot from him. He was gentle. He was kind. He was generous. He was pious. I asked everything I could think of and now, two decades later, I know that whenever he answered, he told me the truth.
I know; I know you think I’m rambling; you’re not sure where I’m going. Bear with me. Just bear with me…
When I was young, Billy was a coal miner. That was why he came home so late from a 10 hour shift at the mine, 6 or 7 days a week. During his life, Billy was many things, studied many things, but eventually he returned to being a miner in order to feed his family. It is a dangerous job, with work that bows your shoulders as greatly as the billions of rock perched overhead. They drill through the cold, dark earth using multi-ton machines, oppressed on every side by the finality of stone. They know that every time they descend into the ground they were spinning the chamber on a revolver with a hundred chambers and pulling the trigger, each and every time. The black hunks of rock they relieve from the earth are magical, they are each a modern day Prometheus, bringing light and heat to the surface that would otherwise have none. People may curse the smoke it makes, but without it millions would starve, freeze, or wither and die. What they do is important, but that doesn’t stop it from being dangerous, or deadly.
You see, my father was a firefighter. He ran into burning buildings filled with deadly gasses, hungry fires, as well as treacherous deadfalls and pulled living people out. On 9/12/01 everyone in the country suddenly decided these guys are heroes. I guess all I can do is open up the doors for these people and welcome them to the party. Better late than never, I guess.
Well the reason my dad is up late, looking through old photos, is that we need them for Uncle Billy’s memorial.
It reminded me that there is so much important in life. The importance of traditions, even a few hours stolen from sleep to eat a frozen pizza; the importance of truth, the only currency of trust and respect in the eyes of a child; The importance of family, all family, working together as a whole to balance the world of a bright and shiny new mind. It also reminded me that sometimes the heroes we yearn for already walk humbly amongst us. Until they don’t.
On May 20, 2006 at or about 1:00am, there was an explosion at Darby mine #1.
There was one survivor.
It was not George William Petra.

CNN.com - Five killed in Kentucky coal mine blast - May 20, 2006
In Memoriam, Dammit.

The Radiation Angels: The Chimerium Gambit, a science fiction novel by newcomer James Daniel Ross, has been released for sale in eBook form on the Mundania Press website (http://www.Mundania.com).

The rest of the press releases contains information otherwise available on this website, so I won’t repeat it here. Suffice it to say that it’s official: The countdown has begun.

The process goes like this: The book is done. By that I mean it has been edited, reedited, proofread, spun, dried, folded, and lightly scented. Because it is finished (let me say that a few more times to relish the sound), it can be published electronically, that is, over at the website at Mundania you can download a copy for a fee. Now: This same file has been sent to the printers, and they are chugging through it as we speak. In 2-3 weeks the first printing will be done, and the book will magically appear (due to the diligence of the publishing fairy, I am sure) in the book catalogs (Ingram and Fictionwise) where it can be ordered by you through any major bookseller. I think in ‘hipper’ (that being: more hip than myself) industries this announcement is called ‘building buzz’ or perhaps a ‘prerelease’. Here in Cincinnati, we just call it: I have to tell someone the wait is almost over before my brain begins to emulate fission.

What does this mean to you? Well, it means that if you show up at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks, or any of the thousand fantastic mom and pop shops across the USA, and give them this information:

ISBN 1-59426-210-1 (<Also an important bit.)
Author: James Daniel Ross (<Not as important of a bit but it will feed my ego.)
Science Fiction(<Not so important bit, but may direct lost clerks.)
Paperback(<Not so much an important bit.)
Mundania Press(<Just in case they are completely clueless.)

Available through Ingram or Fictionwise(<The ‘if-you-want-to-sound-in-the-know’ bit.)

- You, too, can order the best novel I have personally ever written… in about two and a half weeks. If you ask for it before then expect lots of blank looks from the staff, who will be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that you copied a number of the ISBN wrong.

In other news, a friend of mine contacted me and said she was producing a book of science fiction short stories. She read a copy of TRA:TCG and liked it, and so she asked me for a piece. I may have artsy-fartsied myself into a corner with my submission, but we’ll see. Also, sometime in the future, there should be a short story up on the Mundania website detailing Todd Rook on his very first mission.

Well, I’m rambling… and this was supposed to be the end of the update (I swear it was), but I got an email last night/this morning.

Now, I’d like to point out that Doug is in this update, being the update where I told everyone the book was coming out. This means that he found out that TRA:TCG was being released by checking the Mundania Press website, which means he cared enough to look, then to order, then to drop me a line of encouragement and support before I even got a chance to announce it to you fine people. That’s impressive enough, but he’s also been a fan for many years, and has even weathered the last 4-5 where I have released nothing for public consumption.

There’s a lot of time where this job is harder than anyone would imagine. You pound on yourself to be better, to wait longer, to write thousands of words a day no matter what, to not get too excited or too hopeful because there are so many good writers – writers who cast a shadow of talent in which I could not shine if I glowed like the sun itself – that never get the respect or attention they deserve. You work a day job to get money to pour into the book, so that you have bookmarks, postcards, advanced copies, ads, and rooms at conventions: All in the hopes that someone will notice and read. Little voices, like imps crawl into my ears and whisper needle-skinned doubts. They ask if these giants fall by the wayside like ships in a pirate graveyard, what chance do I have? I have to take it slow, I have to take it steady. I have to force myself to keep walking on one hand, and to not run on the other.

And then, someone like Doug comes out of the woodwork and tells me that I can. Doug will get the personal reply he deserves as a fan, more loyal than perhaps I deserve, but I hope he will forgive me if I hold him up as an icon for just a moment.

Statistics say we’re not going to get rich doing this. Personally I hope to be able to afford a house, and to send my kids to college in a decade or so. That’s really it. But to know that I can touch someone, to comfort someone, to inspire someone… to make them feel a little better, or help them through a bad time, to introduce them to new ideas or familiar characters…. That makes it all worthwhile.

Update 9
6.26.06
One step at a time…

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is out.
I can hardly believe it, but once I had gone to Amazon.com It finally became real. I even surfed to Borders, Waldenbooks, Barnes and Noble… all their internet stores have them, and…
And that’s where I have to end the happy monologue and speak frankly.
So far I have been contacted over and over by fans who are having trouble finding TRA:TCG on store shelves. They go into their favorite bookstore and ask the clerk for a copy and are only given weird looks, helpless shrugs, and apathetic stares. Perhaps there’s a bit of an explanation in order. Bear with me, most of this is second hand information passed to me from others but as I understand it this is how it went:
The Radiation Angels is a Print On Demand book. What this means is there is a high speed printing company out there with the book, fully typeset and ready to go, loaded on a CD. When you order one copy, the CD is loaded into the printing machine, they push a button, and out pops one book. If Boarders were to order five thousand, the skilled operator adjusts a few things, pushes a button and out pops five thousand. Because of this, there is no need for warehouses full of books, no need for massive amounts of back-stock. This lowers overhead and is a very exciting revolution in publishing. Unfortunately, it has also become a victim of unintended consequences.
Once everyone figured out that they could write their dream book and get it printed themselves… and to blazes with those know-nothing publishers who refused to see their genius! In short a lot of books went to print without sufficient proofreading, editing, or even thought. The books stores lost quite a bit of money on these substandard books. Thus, Print On Demand books have been painted with a wide brush, and every major book chain views them the same way, much like fairy tale stepchildren.
Unlike these unfortunate experiments, TRA:TCG was accepted by a publisher (not to drop names, but the same publisher that handles Piers Anthony… OK, so I’m dropping a name). It was vetted, accepted, edited, and proofread by no less than three editors and four proofreaders. This is a professional book, written by an actual author, and is starting to garner positive attention in the form of reviews on www.Amazon.com.
But still, some stores refuse to order them, others claim we (and thus they) are perpetually out of stock, still others use ordering software that deletes us from their listings just so they won’t be tempted to order something that might, possibly, could loose them money.
Now: businesses are in business to make money. I understand, respect, and admire that. On the other hand, they have also taken up a position contrary, or at best tangential, to reality in this case.
1) Any store who uses Ingram or FictionWise is capable of ordering this novel.
2) Those that don’t, can order directly through www.Mundania.com at standard discounts.
3) All Mundania books are Fully Returnable. (To stores, this is a get-out-of-jail-free card because if they don’t sell them they can be returned for a refund).
4) And as stated before, even if we have no stock on hand… as soon as you order it, the book will be manufactured and sent out.

So if it’s available, and they can order it, and they can even return it for a refund if they don’t sell it… why don’t they order it when you ask for it?

That is a good question.
One I would be sure to ask your local bookstore if I were you.

My publisher is headed to NYC here in the next few weeks to hold meetings with bookstore bigwigs in order to get their minds and policies changed. They’re good men, but they like to start at the bottom. I go right to the top: YOU.
Businesses must serve the public or they will never make money. You are the public. When you go into a bookstore and they stare off vacantly as you try to check on TRA:TCG, they are not serving you. And so, There are three things that we can do together to help ensure you get TRA:TCG and that it becomes a success:

Plan A Rally The Troops
As I continue to contact bookstores and work with the publisher to contact corporate offices, I have to admit that I could use some help from all of you. You are the most important part of any strategy for success. It’s more than just buying the book, it’s about letting people know what it is, where it is, where to get it, and how to get it. To that end, I have a few new downloads for you.
There’s a black and white poster that can be passed out or hung up at local science fiction conventions, gaming stores, and bookstores (it goes without saying that you should check with the owners to make sure it’s OK). There is a second poster patterned off of the ‘kittens to good home’ fliers, with tear off tabs containing the important ordering information on the novel (just cut the tabs for ease of tearing). If you could, please print up one or two and place them where ever science fiction fans congregate.
Why go to the trouble? Well, while internet sales are great for business, there’s nothing for expanding sales than having the books on the shelves of actual bookstores. That way, bookstore buyers and managers can see the book and maybe order a few more. Also, people who did not know the book exists can happen upon it and create whole new fans. So, if you can order from a brick and mortar store, please do. Also, if you get a spare second feel free to print a few bits of guerilla marketing and post away.

Plan B Get Converts to Gloat
Internet sales are fantastic, and I am glad that people can easily grab the novel wherever they happen to be. So, if you bought your copy from Barnes & Noble.com or Amazon, or even the Mundania website, I thank you. In fact you can even do comparison shopping using the Add-All Book Searching and Price Comparison website. (http://www.addall.com/New/Partner.cgi?query=1594262101&type=ISBN)
Once you have your copy in print, write to the corporate HQs of your favorite bookstore. Let them know you bought TRA:TCG (include author and ISBN) from an internet store, and that is money they forever lost due to laziness, stubbornness, and ignorance. With this tactic, hopefully the brick and mortar stores won’t be far behind to stock this novel.

Plan C Work Harder
As you can imagine, my excitement is building, and always I have to remember that this, like so many tasks, will be accomplished one step at a time… with a little help from my friends. This update is for you. All of you. I’d like to thank everyone for their kind words and support.
For my part, I’m working on signings in the Cincinnati area, writing feverishly on short stories, and the sequel. I already have created and purchased an advertisement for World Science Fiction Society / WorldCon which should be seen by the 30,000 attendees in LA.

And, if you can ONLY find it on the internet, and the cost of shipping is really putting you off, I’ll help how I can. Below, I installed a button that goes directly to the Mundania.com store. The Accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express. Where it asks for a coupon code, enter: Ross10
…and you’ll get 10% on any and everything you order during that visit.

And thanks to everyone again. This is the start, and I’m here for the long haul.

I haven’t updated this site in almost a month, but I have an excuse. Actually, I have dozens, but only a few will interest you folks at all.

Firstly, I have been trying to get TRA accepted into bookstores. This requires going through a long process of contacting stores, creating marketing packets, printing out packets, and getting them into the hands of store managers. To that end, I am placing the marketing packet in the downloads section so that if you work or own one of the thousands of bookstores I have not reached (yet) you can simply download, print and read my pitch.

Next, I have been working on the sequel, and within the next thirty days I hope to have it submitted. At that time I’ll put up the first chapter for everyone’s enjoyment.

In other news, I have become a Mundania best seller for June! July numbers aren’t available yet, but hopefully we can keep the momentum going. So if you haven’t bought a book, now is the time. If your friends haven’t bought a book, perhaps you can convince them. And of course if they are still resisting the idea of the best entertainment printed on dead trees, perhaps you can buy one for them?

And I gave an interview that is new available! Lynne runs a scifi podcast and asked me to do a short 2 minute spot for her listeners. Go there, sign up for the contest to win a signed copy of TRA:TCG! http://lynne.libsyn.com/

This got me to thinking that I haven’t been spreading around my (hopelessly out of date) links! For those of you who are new, they usually have an inane question, with a link to an answer of some sort. Observe:

And, thanks to the generosity of a close friend, I am now running around Paragon City and defeating evildoers as the lovable rascal Jim Benendanti! You can tell I’m near by my heroic battle cry: ‘Hey Ugly! Eat Boot!’ So, if you see me (Triumph server) say ‘hi’. Also, I’m looking for a super group full of super-groovy heroes who will keep my hair manageable and won’t leave me left wanting like so many others.

And, again, if you just stopped by and want to buy a copy with the fewest number of clicks, you can buy the book right now by clicking on the button below.

Once again a month has gone by, and my weekly updates have been MIA. Would it help to say that I’ve been keeping a promise?

A few months ago, a friend of mine sent me some old files from an aborted project from Misguided Games (www.misguidedgames.com). I volunteered to go over them and re-edit the work… a project that has fallen by the wayside. Well, a month ago a fan of mine asked me to finish my edits so that this old work could see the light of day. Today I kept my promise. The files for Northlands have been edited and sent back to the rules-guy for additions and expansions.

A week ago a friend of mine dug up some stuff I had written almost a decade ago for a web-zine called Ouro’s Forge. The game the original posts were written for has entered a new version. He has taken it upon himself to update the statistics and clean up the (admittedly atrocious) grammar and spelling. I got a warm feeling when it was announced on the gaming website and there were a few that remembered me, and remembered the posts fondly. It gives me a great hope for my current and future work.

It also made me curious where in the heck the ‘radiation furnace’ (suspiciously missing from the choices available) symbol (actually called a trefoil) comes from. As everyone knows, if you click enough… you can find anything on ‘teh internets’. (http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q1550.html)

I was also more than a little freaked out when something I had envisioned for a Shadowrun game session - light emitting textiles – has become a reality. (http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3457) So there you have it: Buy scifi books or technology will stagnate!

Join the Fight

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, I continue to charge forward, heedless of torpedoes, bullets, or random fruit carts in my way. I’ve been storming ahead on the sequel and arranging my first book signing!

Yes, if you live on planet earth you can show up at B Dalton and get your copy signed! I’m very excited, though I have been warned far in advance not to let my expectations swell up to epic proportions it hasn’t worked. I’ve always loved hanging out with roleplayers, science fiction fans, and recreationists, and some of my best friends I’ve met at the few conventions I’ve been able to attend. I’m really looking forward to meeting people and hearing what they think of TRA:TCG.

Maybe, maybe not. In any case, if nothing else, I found the perfect color of blue for a Radiation Angels unit patch tattoo. I’m mulling it over. Really.

And, if you can ONLY find it on the internet, and the cost of shipping is really putting you off, I’ll help how I can. Below, I installed a button that goes directly to the Mundania.com store. The Accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express. Where it asks for a coupon code, enter: Ross10
…and you’ll get 10% on any and everything you order during that visit.

Update 13 12.13.06
Coincidence, insanity, and all that jazz.

My thirteenth update on the thirteenth day. All is guaranteed to go well.

Well, there’s been no update on this website for far too long. In fact I think I’m just going to make a file with that as the title and use it to start every one of my updates. I’ve been very busy. I have a new short story called Not One Word that has been accepted in an anthology called Breach the Hull. I have a short story called First Drop that will be released in spring on the Mundania website. I have been revising the manuscript to The Radiation Angels: The Chimerium Gambit in order to correct some of the typos that can be found there. I have also been working on The Radiation Angels: The Key to Damocles, the sequel.

I’ve just gotten done with a signing (click here for photos) that went exceptionally well. I sold out every book B Dalton’s and sold five more of my own stock besides.

Then there’s been Christmas, Black Friday, and all that brings while working in the retail business.

I also bought four blocks of wood and had them turned down into Harry Potter wands for my kids, bought tons of fabric to make them robes, and have been preparing to go north for a day or two to visit them. I have a reunion at SCPA on Monday. I have to pay for this website before the 15th of January, and… well I’m swamped.
A few more websites for you to jump to:
Remember that little bit about killer satellites around earth? Well….
Making your own ‘Magic, the Gathering’ Cards
A history lesson nobody should forget
And if You Think You Have It Bad… some language NSFW, BTW.

More soon, as soon as I can find time to breathe.

Update 14 02.03.07
Patience

Well, the most oft asked question of a new novelist is, of course: how is the book doing?
And (as far as I can tell) the most oft given answer is: I don’t know.
You see, whenever a book is sold, the store has 90 days to return it for a full refund. Because of this, it is impossible to know if a book is really sold until the end of the quarter FOLLOWING the one in which it is sold. A little math says that it has to be sold for six months before it is actually sold, and I get paid for it. More than getting paid at this point, the numbers of copies sold will not appear until that time has passed. When will that be? Approximately 30 days ago. Now, publishers are busy people, and it takes time to tally reports, cut checks and so forth (because at the same time they are editing, printing and promoting books).
So here I am to tell you that if you want to be a writer: develop patience. I am not talking about waiting for the new season of Futurama to come on patience, or waiting for the Wii to be released patience. I’m talking about: submit a book and wait a year to be accepted patience, then wait a year until it is published patience, then wait another six months before you find out if you’ve just wasted two years of your life on a pipe dream or if you’ve really found your true calling patience.
I’m talking about serenity that borders on the GLACIAL.

So, there isn’t a lot to do but charge forward, doing my best to become a success even if I’m not sure if it will ever happen. To that end, I have been trying to secure signings. If you missed the last one, there are more on the horizon:

Tri County BDalton Feb 10th 2pm-5pm
Newport Barnes and Noble Feb 17th 7pm-9pm
Northgate BDalton Mar 3rd 11am-1pm
West Chester Barnes and Noble April 27th 2pm-5pm

Also, I’ve been in contact with Millenicon in Cincinnati, and Balticon in Baltimore to try to volunteer (read: beg) for a spot on various panels. More information on that as it develops.
In other news:
If you haven’t discovered World of Warcraft, Guildwars, or Youtube, now is the time.
And sometimes I am grateful I am an author rather than an artist of a more graphic nature.
Wondering about that magnetically driven weapon Logan uses in the beginning of the novel? Well it’s not that far off.
Odd optical illusion containing a big spanish castle
One day I hope to be big enough to have to make something like this for The Radiation Angels.
Sometimes, a single song can bring back all the memories of high school flooding back in an avalanche. In case you were wondering, this is my ‘that song’.
And, from the ‘you can find ANYTHING on the internet’ department, I used ot play this game at my Grandmother’s country store in Kenvir, Kentucky. I still die in twenty seconds, by the way.
Finally: the funniest thing on the internet, bar none, no contest. Period. Red Vs Blue

Update 15 2.13.07
And now a word from our sponsors

Well, another week, and another update. No, I haven’t been replaced by a body snatcher, there’s just a lot going on.
First: business! Last signing went well, with a lot of people hovering even though I only sold three books. On the other hand, the manager said that this was three times the normal number of books they normally sell during a signing! Also, they sold no less than four of them leading up to the event (a feat I attribute to my fantastic cover art, which is the province of my cover artist and web designer and he alone). This has buoyed my spirit, and given me great expectations for the next signing:

Newport, KY Barnes and Noble Feb 17th 7pm-10pm

Other upcoming signings:
Northgate B. Dalton Mar 3rd 11am-1pm
West Chester Barnes and Noble April 27th 2pm-5pm

Thoughts, Links, and Inspiration:
I have this weird habit of grasping onto something and indulging in nothing else for days. If you’re like me, this link may save your life.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur. Or: Mrs. Uhl would be proud I’m still studying Latin… kinda.
And of course, something less… uh… intellectual in the studying of languages venue.
The coolest picture of the space shuttle you are likely to see on this page today.
And this is a great site for military themed movies and pictures.
File this under ‘am I precognicient?’ there is a news story about building a DNA bank like the ones described on Mars in TRA:TCG.
Lastly in an act of supreme optimism, I sent a message to my future self reminding me not to be a jerk now that I’m a NYT best seller. Try it!

Update 16
02.19.07
Success and being a persistent cuss.

Well, the signing at Barnes and Noble was a rousing success, even with the snow and a few hiccups with the distribution line of books. I talked to a few science fiction fans, a few proto-writers and a whole lot of confused people (sooooo… you’re some kind of cult, right?) We sold seven books, nearly half the stock they had on hand, and signed the rest so if you need one you can find them at the Barnes and Noble at Newport!
In other book news, the first editions are almost gone! We are at this time preparing to move to second edition to fix those niggling little typos we missed. This one of those good new/bad news things.

GOOD NEWS: Soon, all new books on the shelf will be corrected.
GOOD NEWS: I can finally sleep at night without the word ‘Zifles’ haunting me.
GOOD NEWS: All of those 1st editions will be a part of a very limited set, and if I ever become super-uber-famous, they will be worth massive amounts of money.

BAD NEWS: There is no bad news.

No, really. No bad news. OK, well if you don’t buy a 1st edition, then you won’t be annoyed by the few typos, but you also won’t have it when someone like me is willing to pay gobs of money to buy a signed first edition. To be fair, though, it might take 200 years for that to happen.

The dedication in The Radiation Angels says: it is not the first ten thousand words, a writer make, it is the last ten thousand. My next one should say that success is about being in the right place at the right time, so be everywhere. To that end, I will also be signing at:

Northgate B. Dalton Mar 3rd 11am-1pm
West Chester Barnes and Noble April 27th 2pm-5pm

Now, I know people have been coming back to look at what crazyness I’ve netted from ‘teh interwebs’, but I realize I haven’t actually put out too much of my own. In the interest of fairness, I have added a new file to the downloads page. It is a piece I did for Children of the Sun. It is many years old now, and it does have its issues, still it is near and dear to my heart. In fact, the main character, ‘Gunman’ I like to think as a first generation Captain Rook. It was my first attempt at a character composed of mainly skill and leadership qualities instead of massive powers and clueless charisma. In any case, feel free to read. If you like it, it was originally printed by the guys (and gal) at www.demonground.org so stop buy and read some of their e-zine!

But, lest you think my surfing habits have been dull, let me say to thee: nay! I hast gazed across the kingdom of the world wide webisphere and gleaned… uh… really I’m not sure what I was going for there. Let’s just say I have brought for you, my dear readers, videos:

OK, I may be a nerd, but please tell me that Batman plus Alien plus Predator does not equal TASTY
And though we move forward in our geekdom, it is good to look back and appreciate how we got here.
And let’s face it: geeks of all kinds love doing crazy crap, and then making fun of ourselves for it.
That’s not to say others won’t make fun of us, too...
But we probably don’t need any help.
But apparently we did need ‘nerdcore’ Rap. (language NSFW)
And I knkow I am not alone in sending praise to the Almighty that we have our own channel nowadays. Those long years without were so, so cold.
And this got me thinking of movies, and I found some nerdish movies… and then I discovered many are done in LEGO.
Ah, LEGO.
Do you realize I still own a whole tub of LEGOs that I can’t bring myself to give to my eight year old son? I mean let’s face it: I’ve bought him his own…and he’ll never appreciate mine as much as I do. But apparently I don’t appreciate them as much as these people do:
Remember the Numa Numa kid?
And when I was a kid, playing army was more of an Outdoor activity
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE! I have found the point at which LEGO and nerd intersect perfectly.
Me being me, every time I hear the theme music for this particular Master Chief, I get chills.
And I was influenced by Metal Gear very heavily during my formative years, but not as much as this guy.
They even do movies with recognizable, spider themed heroes. (quite good)
And let me say that there is only one MATRIX movie. The first one. The others were simply figments of your imagination. Move along, now. Move along.
And apparently I am not the last man on earth who loves techno/house/trance, what have you.
And that got me back onto the subject of Music videos…
A good song, but in a sad way.
For reasons that would be sinful to try to put into words, this is my favorite song.
And for purely technical reasons, this one blows me away. How does he sing so fast! (I want to Machinima, too :( ).

Thanks for reading, everyone.

     Broken collarbone…
           Cracked Skull…
   Smashed tibia…
Fractured rib…
        Punctured lung…
    Dislocated Shoulder…
       Compressed Vertebrae…

     Second degree burns…
  Pulled muscle…
          Torn Ligaments…
  Dehydration…
             Exhaustion…
        Concussion…
Shattered Wrist…

All in a days work.
Read the first chapter, free, at: http://www.RadiationAngels.com/
The Radiation Angels: The Chimerium Gambit
by James Daniel Ross
Science Fiction/Trade Paperback
ISBN 1-59426-210-1
Join the Fight

Update 17

03.12.07

Hello, hello, hello!

Welcome everyone, and it is good to see you (so to speak). After a few weeks of updating this site every single week, I gave myself some well deserved time off. I have a new review from www.readerviews.com (just look under Ross, James Daniel) which is very flattering. I also received an email from the Barnes and Noble that hosted my signing last month!

Dan, Thanks so much for coming out to the store. It was a pleasure having you. I also wanted to tell you that you were on our store's top ten list of items sold. I think you were #9. It is calculated each week for the title that sold the most copies. Thanks for such a great event. See you at our next author's night,

In addition, I am going to attend Millennicon this week at the Ramada in Sharonville, Ohio. I will be on at least three panels:

Friday 7 pm -- Inventions someone needs to invent

Sat 3 pm -- Getting started writing SF

Sun 2pm -- the physics of Super Heroes

Unfortunately, because of a conflict of schedules, the signing at the West Chester Barnes and Noble as been delayed from April to March. When I have the date, I’ll be sure to let you know.

And now, linkages:

I am a huge fan of games that are online and Free!
But flash can do so much more. I have not only learned how to Cook, but exactly why heat + meat, or butter + cookies = tasty.

You can learn how to design a house full of hidden passageways, and if you can find something more cool than that, I will eat my hat.

But mostly I find silly games, with weird premises and play them until I’m nearly blind.

pdate 18 3.28.07

Wow, everybody. I’m about ten seconds away from throwing myself a pity party the size of a New York New Years Eve party where all the signs say something-999. No numbers yet (no idea how many books have been sold), horrible week in the offing, a store canceled a signing, out of money because of promotional efforts (plane tickets, fliers, adverts, etc.), I had a guy stick a camera down my throat and so forth.

I’m just having the royal crap kicked off of me.

It’s easy to take a spill in this business. My instrument is fickle. The smallest jostle will cause it to go out of tune pretty easily, and this last few weeks has been like stripping off the casing and throwing it into a wrestling ring all pink and naked.

I haven’t written in two weeks and it feels like the final dregs of my talent are swirling around a white, watery porcelain heaven…if you catch my drift. But it’s not true.

I have talent.

I have drive.

I have a level of determination that would give pause to barbarian hordes.

At least that’s what they tell me.

Now the funny thing is: Seeing oneself clearly is nearly impossible even in the best light. The soul has no mirror. All you can do is gather people you trust to your side and ask them their honest opinion. Sometimes what they will have to say is kind. Sometimes it will be hard, but as long as it is honest, you are ahead of the curve in the friends department. The last few weeks have been one car wreck to the genitals after another. I think I owe a thank you to the people who carried me the last few days on their backs.

I’d like to tell you all about them, but I respect them too much. I don’t have the right to delve into their lives on the internet to fill some spaces on a site where basically I’m shilling my book. It would be a violation of my love for them as much as it would be a thank you for all their help.

Well, maybe there is a way to let you catch a glimpse of them:

I’d like to thank them all: Wickett and James Scott, Eric Duckworth, Michael Royce, Jennie Hunter and Tony Lomen. Tim, Kevin, Bart, and the rest at the Friday game as well as Zach Miller, CJ and James Smith. Russian Joe and Mike Chiseck…thank you all, mentioned and not.

Thanks for kicking my ass until I get on my feet.

Update 19 04.15.07 999 and counting

OK, a few things:

I had a fantastic time at Millennicon, and after a celebratory spate of self pity (don’t ask, really), I am back in the saddle. I have finished another chapter, reviewed the first third of the second book, and have continued to contact every convention and bookstore in order to get my name in the public eye. It isn’t easy, but hell if I wanted easy I would have made sure I was born rich. Then again that doesn’t always work out either.

And of course in my spare time, I try to stay sane. I play airsoft, paintball, video games of all kinds, but not many people know I am a (very) amateur…um…something. I am not an artist. I do not claim to be an artist, but at the same time it becomes necessary for me to try my hand at one sketch or another in order to express to a hired artist what I mean when getting work done. Lately I found it gives me a sense of zen. I’m not good at it, but I try to do the fore-shadowing or back-shading or whatever they call it, but it’s this suckage that gives me a certain level of freedom. More than anything, it helps me visualize items outside of my head, to give them a permanence of sorts that I can refer to. In any case, here’s some examples of my ‘work’.

In other news, my wife has done a fantastic job of keeping my myspace account (my myspace account? Ah, ze English, she is a harsh mistress.) updated with cool videos and interesting bits. In fact, she’s managed to get over a thousand friends check it out if you get a moment.

I know, a small update this week. But I can announce that I will be attending Balticon 41! Come up and see me some time.

I am really hoping to get in the same deal with PHILCON since I (fanfare!) have a new collaborative effort premiering there! I wrote a short story, called Not One Word, that follows Captain Todd Rook during his early career and submitted it for acceptance.

Good: The editors liked it and put it in an anthology called Breach the Hull.

Better: It has been accepted for publication!

Even better yet: It is available for preorder!

If you liked The Radiation Angels, you can have a little more, plus work from many other fine writers. Copies can be had in Hard Cover, Soft Cover, or E Book.

Update 20 04.21.07

The pause button on shameless self promotion

Alright, I spend a lot of time talking about myself. It helps having an ego the size of your average star cruiser, a wit so sharp it can score armored plates, and good looks that get me dozens of phone numbers at any gay bar I enter (which is no end of amusement for my wife - hey I like the techno alright?). But every once in a while, one must find a moment of perspective or else degenerate into unabashed and unabated ass-hattery, douche-baggery, or even full scale jerk-offery.

I’m a nerd. I like being a nerd. Every movie or TV show shows ‘successful’ nerds as mega computer geeks, boob crazed maniacs, science fiction lore spouting dorks, psychotic computer gamers in dire need of anger management, or…Well…whatever. But it is worth noting that the divide between normal and geek is drawing closer every day. Things we love are becoming mainstream, even if we occasionally take them a little too far. And we do make the transition into mainstream more and more…even if it isn’t always flattering, and even if there are things ‘normal’ people do that makes us wince just as hard.

Overall, though, I think there is something that all people with an above room temperature IQ can agree: There are brave men and women in harm’s way overseas. Surprisingly enough, some of them are nerds. I suppose that it’s inevitable, statistically probable, that some of those fine souls would be indoctrinated into geekdom. Still, it nearly broke my heart to find out that these OD-green dice-slingers, so far from home, are collecting everything they need to hold their very own sci-fi & gaming convention. It is called Ziggurat Con. Billed as possibly ‘The World's First War Zone Game Convention’, if you ever wondered what ‘whistling past the graveyard’ meant, gaming in a warzone fits the bill. It takes guts, style, and panache the likes of which I can nearly imagine. It does have its problems.

I quote:

‘The largest problem with running a Con in Iraq, of course, is that there are no local stores or game publishers, and few game books on the post. Even dice are in short supply, with many soldiers breaking the unwritten taboo held by many gamers and (gasp!) sharing dice.’ (emphasis mine)

Software: Microsoft Office I’ve got a guilty little secret. I buy new dice for every new character I play. I buy new dice for every new game I play. I buy new dice for every new game I run. I buy dice for every set where one gets lost. I buy dice to cheer myself up after a crappy day at work. Let’s just say I have DICE.

NOW THEY HAVE DICE!

After setting aside a few sets, I got the rest of my collection together and boxed up: They’re going to the sandbox. I’ve included a copy of Children of the Sun, CotS: Southlands, and my last two copies of The Radiation Angels I have on hand.

We’re supposed to give terrorists a ‘New York turn signal’ any chance we get. I can’t think of any way better to show them we are unyielding than to have a bunch of dice monkeys laughing like madmen and slinging character sheets like ninja stars, but that’s not why I’m talking about them here.

The truth is: They are there on our behalf.

Whatever your feelings on the war effort, we—through our representatives—sent these men and women into harm’s way. It’s hot, it’s miserable, they get shot at, and bombs go off all the time. Ladies and Gentlemen, I think the least we can do is make sure that these men and women in uniform have a few moments of relief.

Join with me in sending all your spare books and dice to these brave soldiers. Donations can be made here:

SPC David Amberson
A Co 86th Sig Bn
APO, AE 09331

For those in the Cincinnati Area, we are contacting local gaming stores to get special rates for books purchased, and trying to contact the military to find a better way than UPS to send the gifts.

Direct, unembedded link so you can post it on your own site:

http://www.gamegrene.com/node/790

Update 21 05.01.07 Motivation

I picked a hell of a week to try to quit smoking…again.

By the time you read this, the brave soldiers planning to attend ZigguratCon will have about ten pounds of dice and several books winging their way from my gaming group – whose generosity makes me proud to call them friends – to make sure they can have just a little bit of home to make the sandbox more bearable.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

If you have not given all ready, please send a gift or two their way. These are the games they are planning to run:

Send to donations to:

SPC David Amberson

A Co 86th Sig Bn

APO, AE 09331

GURPS
Shadowrun
XCrawl
Magic Tournament
Rifts
Babylon 5 RPG
White Wolf System-Vampire
White Wolf System-Werewolf
Starship Troopers
MechWarrior Miniatures Demo
Cyberpunk 2020
Historic Miniatures Battles

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

So here we are, another month along. I have finally received my sales numbers from six months ago. I am way ahead of where I should have any right to expect to be. I am ready to make sell through in my first three quarters, and while it’s not a best seller yet, it is still a fantastic achievement. I thank all of you who have ordered a copy, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the story. My first royalty check is in my hand, and my life is becoming clearer and clearer all the time. I’m a writer. It isn’t really what I do. It is who I am. Now if I can just convince a few million readers of that, I’ll be good to go.

Yes, I know chances are slim. It is times like this that ignorance is a virtue. Actually there are a few other times when ignorance is actually preferable: When taking about how many germs are on any given everyday surface, when discussing the chances of failure of your dreams, and what goes on in your parking lot while you sleep.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

But it’s not just about numbers, or sales, it is about clarity. I have found something I am reasonably good at, and people may be willing to give me money. Now I just have to bridge the gap between working a day job and struggling to put words down on paper, and putting out my goal of two novels a year and living off of royalties. I have to knuckle under. I have to make time. I have to continue to struggle and I must absolutely, positively, succeed. I fear that there is yet another decision to be made: give up a job I like to follow a calling that is as necessary to me as breathing.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

But I’m doing very well! I am on track to match the performance of more experienced writers. While this does not mean my name in lights or a slot on the best seller’s list, I am still slowly building up a following that will sustain me through other releases. It will build like a thunderstorm, and carry me through my career.

My American-Indian name will be Dancing Clouds.

I CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90? am on the first steps and it is important to realize that without the first step the last step can never be…and then I realize that I sound too much like a fortune cookie and change metaphors. Eventually I come to understand that even if I one day become Darth Vader, I have to start out as a whiny kid named Annie, if you catch my drift.

And, of course I have friends to help me buoy my spirits to the surface. I know I talk a lot about them, but they are really amazing people. I mean you’ve never laughed as hard as I have when you get a devout Christian and a Viking Pagan in the same room, drunk and discussing theology.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

I’ve treasure this group of people, who I could gather together, point in any direction, and yell CHARGE…and never have to look back to know they were following.

Don’t get me wrong. They have their quirks. Some quirks quirkier than others, and some may even border on mental illness. They’re gamers – you have to expect that. But let’s face it. They’re friends with me, and that’s got to eat away the sanity points off of anyone’s character sheet.

But I have to admit, every one of them will come through in a pinch.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

I have come to rely upon them more and more, but I have also noticed we have hit another milestone of life. The youngest of us are getting married, some are buying houses, others are having babies. We are beginning to drift apart, like after high-school when everyone went off to college, jobs and the four corners of the world. The same thing happened in my twenties, when the first spate of wedding/pregnant/housing/career demons came along and devoured my greatest friends. I wonder if this happens once a decade, and I wonder more how people in their eighties retain their sanity. And then I realize that people probably have a lot fewer weddings, jobs, and babies by the time they are eighty.

Tomorrow, next year, next decade, eventually everyone leaves. You can either get all Nine Inch Nails about it, or you can realize the control you seem to exert over the world is just smoke and mirrors. I mean I know that all I really have is my talent, and all other forms of control are an illusionary elixir of strength, perception, and reach, but I feel my life entering a state of uncontrollable flux, and it eats at me.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

And while hanging out with them is like a crazy cross between living at a militia compound in Bohemia, an episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and that movie where guys are always yelling “CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!”…

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90?

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 90? …sometimes, after thousands of hours of hanging out, talking, crying, and laughing, you distill it down into a few words of wisdom. Then you find a way to put it in a motivational poster.

Sadly, it will still sound like a cheesy fortune cookie.

Three things to enhance your zen:

Think about a series you enjoyed… and the network didn’t.

Consider Robot Attack coolness.

Meditate upon, and then motivate people about your own life!

Yes, ladies and gents, in a day or two, I am flying from Cincinnati Ohio to Baltimore Maryland for Balticon 41. I have never been before, but many of my Author contacts rave as one of the best times to be had without a warp drive.

Being the type of guy that could talk the ears off a statue, the kind staffers at Balticon have allowed me a stage to talk to (everyone else’s) fans (and try to make a few converts).

FRIDAY
Garden Room, 5 PM -- IS IT REALLY WORTH THE EFFORT TO WRITE A BOOK?
Derby 11 PM -- APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO YOUR CHARACTERS

SATURDAY
Belmont, 4 PM -- AUTHOR AND ARTIST EXPERIENCES IN COLLBORATION Derby, 6 PM -- HUMOROUS SF IS NOT AN OXYMORON!
Derby, 9 PM -- NO MORE ORCS!
Belmont, 11 PM -- WRITING HORROR:

Derby, Midnight -- ROMANCE, LOVE, SEX AND EROTICA IN SF

SUNDAY
4 PM – James David Ross autograph session (huh?)

Derby, 5 PM -- SKY FINANCES:
Garden Room, 10 PM -- SEXY VAMPIRES??

Belmont, 11 PM -- ALTERNATE LIFESTYLES IN SF & FANTASY

MONDAY
Chase, 11 AM -- DOES SPACE OPERA STILL HAVE A PLACE IN PRESENT DAY SF LIT?
Derby, Noon -- CREATING THE PERFECT VILLAIN
Derby, 1 PM -- WHICH HAS MORE IMPACT ON AUTHORS' MORALE AND BOOK SALES

Come by, say hello, buy a book. If you buy it early enough and don’t like it, you can even spit in my face before I leave the con! Who can beat that?

While I am exited beyond words to go to Balticon, I am terrified of flying. This means for the last week I have been completely out of sorts. I have dropped enough plates of food to feed a third world nation, have walked into numerous door jams, and my feet couldn’t find the floor if they were nailed there. Yeah, I’m not a great flier until the fourth bottle of Baileys arrives at my seat. I am brain dead, simply unable to concentrate as I go through my day. Often I start on a thought and just drift…

What was I saying?

Well, anyway, in that spirit I went to go see 28 Weeks Later. While I was not horribly impressed with the way the writer or director treats the military, it was at least half enjoyable. At least the company was nothing short of excellent.

In honor of this zombie-thriller, and my current mental dysfunction, I have gone to the ends of the web to find some games to keep you busy while I’m off having the time of my life (until the left hemisphere tells the right hemisphere that if I fly out I have to also fly back next week).

Zombie Survival - 2 Flash Games

Flash Games - Zombie Horde

Zombie Grinder 60000 Flash Game

Zombie Survival Flash Game

Boxhead More Rooms - ebaumswo

Honor, integrity, & Courage

Join the Fight

Newport, KY Barnes and Noble Feb 17th 7pm-10pm