General Update

Egads! I'm still here and kicking. The lull in activity is largely due to the birth of my third child. Yes, I actually convinced a woman to procreate with me not once, not twice, but three times. She's very resilient but always faults to my charms of whimsy. The kids are great. The wife is great. 'Nuff said. NOW! Let's get back into the writing world! While I have been able to maintain some smaller clients, I am once more in the market for that elusive Big Fish. That one client that really takes up all of your free time. The particular customer that needs a little extra rub. You know the one. Lots of feelers thrown out there, so we'll see what comes about. I'm thinking of starting a Linked-In profile just for freelance work. Whelp. Stating it was all the convincing I need. I'll create one today. Working on things again for Bad Tiger Studios, as well as Jungle Age. A collection of stories, Red Planet Rising, is on the way. I was hoping to get some backing for that, but having another baby pretty much killed that prospect, so I'll most likely just self-publish the thing. Got a job with a game company, writing events. Their system is...baffling, but lucrative. Is this the Big Fish? Hmm...

More from Bad Tiger Studios

The second comic strip for The Skull has just been posted, as well as the second installment of The Black Kingdom.

You should probably go read them. Just sayin'.

Bad Tiger Studios - site launch (and I have two things there)

CW Russette, a writer that I admire, has launched a new site dedicated to providing new comics and stories that feature some amazing talent. I'm among them, but I would not be so bold as to say that I'm amazing. That would be conceited. Of course, I wouldn't argue if YOU said I was amazing.

Bad Tiger Studios came online yesterday, and it does indeed feature some pretty awesome stuff. And, would you look at that, I happen to have two things posted there.

The first of which is a new comic strip featuring The Skull. Brandon Wilt did the pencils and inks, I did the script and lettering.

The second of which is a new ongoing sword and sorcery serial featuring Bolstagg Freilander. This guy's first adventure was so fun, I decided to write an ongoing prose feature.

So, go ahead and check everything out. Then use the word "amazing" a lot in reference.

The arrival of the arcanist

Well, would you look at that! Another paid story is posted at Jungle Age. Kindly go check it out and leave some feedback. This author would certainly appreciate it.

This story, entitled "iMage," features a new character named Master Eli. He is the world's foremost technomancer. I wanted to weave a story around the concept of blending magic and technology so seamlessly that it was hard to sepearte the two from each other. Eli battles abstract concepts locked behind the veil of Neverspace, which is a neutral ground between our world and the realm where demons have been shunned.

I might continue this guy's wacky adventures. We'll see how the story does.

Sword & Sorcery

I've dabbled in the sword & sorcery realm a little, and when King Conan of Summeria isn't kicking me out, I've enjoyed my tenure. Thus, with a soon-to-be-announced site I have landed a new prose serial series. This features Bolstagg Freilander, a swordsman of great skill and Nordic tradition, venturing into that Realm of Murk known famously as the Black Kingdom. His task is a difficult one, but with Frigia, a practitioner of the Way, at his side he cannot fail. Sort of.

Anyway, the serial should be somewhere close to 1K words every other week when the site launches. Which could be soon. Like, this weekend. If you can't wait until then, maybe you should check out his first adventure.

Grab a flagon of mead and your best wench, and enjoy the tales of a true unruly master of the blade!

The Skull - comic strip coming soon!

So, do we all remember my modern pulp hero, The Skull? His image takes up the header for this blog. Here's another reference for you:

There's a color version of that finished, but it will be used for promotion for The Skull's first book of collected short stories, as well as for his new comic strip.

What's that? A comic strip featuring The Skull? Oh, my, yes. Our buddy, CW Russette, is launching a new comics oriented fiction site. The Skull will have a strip like you would see in your weekly newspaper featured there! The first strip is completed and turned in, so when the site launches, you'll see it for the first time!

I'm super excited. Are you excited, because I'm excited. You should be excited.

General Update

What a busy world we live in! Or, at least I live in. I never seem to have a free moment, as all of this writing keeps my more active than ever. Toss in a full time job, a part time job, and my various freelance work and the sun seems to set sooner rather than later.

I have all of the stories compiled for an anthology I'm editing entitled, "Red Planet Rising." Here's the awesome cover art from our buddy, Brandon Wilt:

Six stories all centered on Mars. We have robots, dragons, truckers, pinkertons, and of course, Martians. Some Class-A talent here with Josh Reynolds, Curt Fernlund, and Ed Ainsworth weighing in! Should be exciting. Oh, and I have a story in there as well. Look for that release soon.

I'm also furiously writing up daily content for www.dealticker.com. Lots of goodies on their site, so go click something.

I've also worked up a little deal with Brandon Wilt to draw a comic strip that will appear soon at CW Russette's new online publishing company. More details on that soon, but it features The Skull, with me taking care of the writing duties.

Lots of polls being written by me at www.epicpolls.com. Maybe go check them out and cast your vote.

And many secret projects underway as well! Like I said, busy-busy.

God's Great Acrimony - now available!

Click here and comment to help out an aspiring/starving writer.

That's how the West was won!

On board with two more big clients! Cha-ching! More web content being slung out, so when you surf around the net, think about all those people (me) that write the garbage you're glossing over.

The Value of My Time

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how much is a thousand words worth? I know my rates, and I guarentee that they are below most others for the quality of content I provide, but does that mean I'm worth it?

Case in point: I got a job offer this weekend for CAD 3.00 / 250 words + research. They provide me with the topic and basic description needed, and I write up a summary based on my additional findings and whimsy.

Not only is this below my rate, but I also need to convert it to USD in order to, you know, actually spend it. I requested negotiation on the payment, so we'll see. Still, is that kind of an offer par for the course? Am I valued at that rate by clients even though I don't value myself that way?

This is just rambling, so feel free to ignore.