The New Players: Origins novella is now available on paperback and ebook! It’s a collection of stories that explore into the beginnings of the Burnhelt family, Xax, Harry Mang, and more.
Check it out!
Great powers come at great cost.
A god of technology, a reality-warping entity encased in silver armor, two inheritors of peerless skill, and a hyper-powered duelist. Ed counts himself among these New Players as a nascent champion of his homeland. But he must first contain the dire inferno burning within.
Or it will incinerate him.
He must master the mighty torrent blazing from his very blood as he trains in the art of combat. At the harsh tutelage of his legendary mother. The lessons will be hard.
And lethal.
Learn how Ed and the other New Players master their skills in this anthology of short stories. And what they lose along the way. And the dark nightmares spawned by their good intentions.
You’ll love this collection of prequel material because of its illuminating connections to the main New Players novel and the sacrifices the characters make in order to keep their world bright.
Hi, everyone! I’m participating in the August Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Fair. Repenter and the Hidden Chapters books are part of the promo along with a bunch of other books. Over a hundred of them. All of them on the house. Check them out and enjoy!
I’ll be sending out a bonus email later this month with the details on the release of my new bonus content book, Players of the Game: Origins. It will be available in ebook and paperback formats. More on that next time.
In the meantime, the Game War’s first draft clocks in at 351 pages with about 99,200 words. Last month’s stats had me at page 305 with about 86,000 words. Decent, not great, but decent. However, I’ll like have 100k cracked in a day or two, which is another milestone.
Work in Progress Out of Context Quote of the Month:
Marcrinus: “Welcome to Crystal Keep. Don’t expect anyone else to thank you for helping.”
Recommendation Corner
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
I got this book in a white elephant gift exchange years ago at my writers’ group’s holiday party. Far and away the best such bonus gift I’ve ever received. A big concept of this book that has stuck with me is the concept of Resistance. It’s defined as anything that either hinders or completely stops you from continuing with your creative endeavor. It could be stuff in your life getting in the way, both good stuff and bad stuff. I definitely experienced plenty of both categories this month. Or it can just be the inner slog as you slowly chip away at your story or any other project. Yep. I had plenty of that this month too. The book’s big strategy is to realize that Resistance is always there and each writing/creative session is a new chance to either overcome Resistance or let it overcome you. Highly recommended for any creative person who’s looking for some inspiration.
Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+
This one is more of a half recommendation. I loved Ewan McGregor’s return to the character. It starts with him in a very dark place and very emotionally broken. It had some fantastic Force and light saber battles, especially in the final episode. It was hindered by characters making a lot of nonsensical decisions because the plot demanded it. So many people did not die because the victor of a battle just walked away or let something like a fire make an artificial end to a conflict. I was neutral on the Leia subplot. But again, Obi-Wan is a great character, and James Earl Jones still has the vocal chops for a menacing Vader, so I still call it worth watching.
To all my US-based readers, Happy Fourth of July. To all my non-US-based readers, also happy fourth of July.
Capitalization word play aside, I have once again been out enjoying the sun on walks through the neighborhood and doing yard work. I absolutely love this time of the year. It stays light outside late and everything is green and alive. And while I don’t necessarily care for excessive heat, I like it far more than the cold of winter. I’m am very much a summer baby, though my baby days are far in the rear view.
One thing that’s been constant regardless of my age is my sweet tooth. I’m a big fan of ice cream cones and malts this time of year. Marshmallow and Raspberry are among my favorite malt flavors. Blue almond and rainbow sherbet are my go-to ice cream cone varieties. What kind of summer treats do you enjoy either now, or in six months if you’re in the southern hemisphere?
Players of the Game Works in Progress
This month’s update for the Game War’s first draft clocks in at page 305 with about 86,000 words. Last month’s stats were page 253 with 71,700 words. Not too bad. Plus it’s a milestone to reach page 300 in about six months since I started in late December-ish. I’m likely around halfway there. Did I mention that I like to write epics?
Work in Progress Out of Context Quote of the Month: Vermillion: “I don’t tell people what they want to hear, Arms Master.”
Recommendation Corner
Top Gun: Maverick
This movie was a really pleasant surprise. I wasn’t really expecting much from it. It’s a really fun popcorn movie. It’s also a very compelling portrayal of characters dealing with grief. I’d argue that Goose’s absence is the second main character in the movie, especially with the call back to the Great Balls of Fire scene from the first one. The mostly practical jet action was awesome with the double Death Star-style trench run. Plus they played Danger Zone at the beginning again. As you might have surmised from my email address, I have an affinity for that word.
Symphony of War
This Steam game is something I’ve been wanting for years and years. An homage to one of my all-time faves: Ogre Battle, the old strategy role playing game from the Super Nintendo days. The movement of groups of small teams, capturing towns, and outmaneuvering your enemy is just the bee’s knees. I wish some of the sprites weren’t so “meeple” looking, but that’s a minor quibble. Totally fun stuff if you’re into that kind of thing.
Things are on the upward spooling of the perpetual yo-yo that is life during the pandemic. I’m even going back into the office for one day a week, starting this week. More importantly, I’ve been out to see friends and family with far more frequency than I have in the past few years.
Sharing the same space with other people is vastly superior in certain circumstances, especially if you’re wanting to have an extended conversation with a meal thrown in for good measure. However, I will admit that I like exercising at home far more than I would have imagined back in 2019. My weekly Zoom writers workshop is also better than meeting in person because people can actually hear my low-pitched voice and we can screen share.
I’ve decided that hybrid peopling ain’t so bad. We’ll see if that opinion holds as time goes on.
Players of the Game Works in Progress
I’ve reached page 253 with 71,700 words on the Game War’s first draft. Last month’s stats clocked in at 212 with 60,000 words. A little less productive than I’d prefer. With increased peopling, there comes some productivity trade offs. I shall keep at it and see if I can do a little better next month. Plus, here’s a new sub-section:
Work in Progress Out of Context Quote of the Month:
Matt Burnhelt: “A joker? Always. Cocky? No. Cocky people brag. Ed never does that. He just does what is hard.”
Recommendation Corner
Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness
This movie is somewhat polarizing due to a subversion of expectations. I won’t spoil anything, but I absolutely loved it. Just watched it again tonight in fact. I’ll admit that I’m predisposed to liking it because it feels like a new Army of Darkness with the “Raimi-cam” shots and the slasher vibe from the main antagonist. I loved all the cameos. Especially one by a certain Bruce Campbell. Seriously, if the MCU wants to use him in place of the late great Stan Lee for the recurring guest cameo, I do believe I’m not the only fan that would greatly enjoy that.
Elden Ring
This game. This maddening effing game. I’ll admit that I sometimes find myself more hate playing it than actually enjoying it. Everything in this game wants to slay you. And they will succeed. Repeatedly. Why am I recommending it? Well, it’s freaking beautiful and it is incredibly gratifying to finally get the game changing weapon and/or incantation that gives you the smallest toehold on its unrelenting difficulty. It’s also a blast to team up with friends, which makes it much more surmountable. I’ll note that the developer made a really stupid system to “summon” other players from their own worlds. Way too much friction with that process. Still, it’s immersive and fun to just tear around the world on your horse-goat, outrunning most everything that wants to kill you, though those so-and-so’s still find a way. They’re very plucky that way.
In addition to the New Players: Origins bonus content that is coming this summer, I’m kicking off fun in the sun with an update to the ebook version of Repenter for subscribers to my reader group emails.
It’s free.
If you haven’t yet gotten an electronic copy of Repenter and the Hidden Chapters anthology, now’s the time to do it. Just enter your name and email address, and you’ll be subscribed to the reader group emails. Unsubscribe at any time.
In case you’re wondering why Repenter is still $0.99 on the Kindle store, that’s as cheap as I can make it through Kindle Direct Publishing. I have a decent number of readers who prefer to have a paperback version of Repenter, and in order to keep the paperback version, I have to keep using the Kindle store’s minimum price. Someday, I might switch to something like IngramSpark for paper publishing, but for now KDP is far easier.
Players of the Game Works In Progress
I’m up to page 212 with 60,000 words on the Game War’s first draft. Last month’s stats were page 165 with 45, 500 words. I’m happy with that, especially considering that had a minor productivity dip in late April. I’m in the middle of creating some events that are a bit tough to write with some plot and character elements. As with all things in writing, killing your darlings sometimes is needed.
Recommendation Corner
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
This movie was just fantastic. Like lots of stuff in the MCU lately, it involves parallel realities. But the Daniels’ latest movie leans hardcore into surreal and silly, especially with the hot dog fingers dimension. The movie has a lot of heart and is ultimately about life is influenced by your relationships with family members and the decisions you make. Michelle Yeoh in particular does a fantastic job playing so many versions of her embittered character. I often make the case that the inclusion of a raccoon in a movie can only improve it. This movie only strengthens that argument. Give it a watch.
Day Zero by C Robert Cargill
This is a prequel book to Sea of Rust. Instead of featuring the guilt-stricken and haunted Brittle, this novel focuses on a stuff-animal tiger nanny bot named Pounce who finds himself on the losing side of the robot apocalypse when he makes the choice to keep protecting his boy, Ezra. It’s an exploration of free will and the bad choices that have to be made when the world falls apart. The audio book reader, Vikas Adam, also does a great job of giving Pounce a loving and gruff voice.
Spring is sprung. Maybe the last one in the US with Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time, depending on how things shake out. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about that. I love getting the extra hour of sunlight in the evening during the spring, summer, and early fall. I don’t like losing the hour, but it doesn’t bug me as much as other folks.
I will almost certainly dislike having standard time the whole year if we go that route. And parents will assuredly dislike sending kids to school in the dark if we keep daylight saving time year round. Someone is sure to be vexed. If I’m among them, I’ll suck it up. Because what else can you do? Maybe I’ll even grow to enjoy parts of it. Time will tell.
That’s right. I went there.
Players of the Game Works in Progress
I have reached page 165 with 46,500 words on the Game War’s rough draft. Last month, I was at page 105 with 30,000 words. That’s pretty decent for my typical output. With persistence and a little luck, I can hopefully reach at least page 200 by next month’s update. I’m enjoying laying down the groundwork for some big events later in the novel. I’m guessing it’ll clock in around 500-650 pages once I’m done with the first draft.
Recommendation Corner
The Expanse (The Books and the Amazon Prime Series)
I first discovered the Expanse a few years back on the television/streaming series first two seasons. I then listened to the audio books, and opted to wait until the series was done to watch the rest of it. It’s an interesting premise of soft sci-fi alien, physics-defying technology/biology invading a solar system of hard sci-fi where humanity is still limited to the confines of the solar system. Some have called it Game of Thrones in space, but I think it’s better than GOT. The crew of the Rocinante are the focal points of the series, but other stand out characters like Detective Miller, Gunnery Sergeant Bobbi Draper, and Under Secretary Avasarala really round out the politics of the books and show. I haven’t gotten to the end of the show yet, but the books’ finale stuck the landing. Good stuff.
Dark Deity
This Steam game draws heavily on other turn based tactics games like Shining Force, of which I am a big fan. The story is full of typical anime goofiness. There are a ton of characters, and you’ll end up not using about half of them, which is a slight demerit. However, the game play is incredibly fun for anyone who likes tactics games with each attack getting a little zoom in cut scene. It’s like comfort food for my brain, and I’m totally up for a little of that right now.
Let me open by saying I’m praying for peace in Ukraine and very much praying that things don’t escalate. This situation is good for no one. War is acid on stability and relationships among and between people within the conflicting countries. Donate to relief charities if you are blessed enough to be in such a position.
A century ago, the nickname for its third decade was the “Roaring 20’s”. After the first two years of this century’s third decade, I was wanting to it to ultimately become the “Boring 20’s”. Sadly, between the pandemic, ludicrous political divisions in the US, and now a land war in eastern Europe, I’ve landed on a non-rhyming, but at least alliterative, moniker: The “Trying 20’s”.
I was initially going to go with something more negative and flippant, but I think “trying” in two senses of the word aptly apply. This decade has both called us to endeavor to be better and to endure through its adversity. The Trying 20’s are here, and we all must move through them as best we can.
Players of the Game Works in Progress
I’m starting a new section mostly to ensure that I keep up the momentum and productivity with my latest novel, the Game War. I’m up to page 105, right around 30,000 words. Last time I was at page 56 with 15,500 words. So I’ve added a reasonable chunk to this WIP. Not awesome output, but not bad either. As I’ve said in the past, I write carefully, not quickly.
Recommendation Corner
Chronophage by Tim Seeley and Ilias Kyriazis
I ordered this Humanoids graphic novel from my local comic shop without knowing a whole lot about it, save that I like lots of Tim Seeley’s other comic series, especially The Revival. This was such an outstanding surprise. It centers on a single mom named Chloe who meets an intriguing stranger named Heath, and they quickly click. It’s then revealed that Heath is consuming parts of the past from Chole and the people around her, editing her personal history, seemingly for the better. It’s a horror book, so there’s plenty of graphic scenes, well illustrated by Ilias Kyriazis. A fantastic story that has a lot to say about how threads of our pasts overlap and some bigger questions about how all moments might exist at once. Pick it up on Comixology or in print!
Valiant Hearts: The Great War on Steam or Switch
In light of the events in Ukraine, I’m calling out an older game that I played a few years back. I bought Valiant Hearts on a Steam sale, but then never got around to it until my cousin (Hey, Nick!) recommended that I fire it up. It focuses on a cast of characters on both sides of the Great War (WWI) from the beginning while it was mobile and its eventual descent into trench warfare. It has puzzles to solve and you team up with a likable dog to help with them. It also tricks you into learning about the Great War through the game’s events and factoids that pop up. It does a great job of showing the tragedy of that conflict and all others like it.
We even managed to get the Christmas decorations down. Granted, it was a just two days ago. But we got ’em put away, by thunder. Now, it is on to the, uh, cat days of winter? That stretch of time where my part of the world usual gets a least one or two polar vortices of insanely cold air. The year also usually starts to take shape with the various irons in my various fires.
My way of keeping all that proverbial metal hot involves a whole lot of to-do notes to myself. In the case of the latest work in progress, The Game War, I just write a sticky note with the page number goal that I intend to reach by the beginning of the next week. I’m sure I’ll falter during some weeks. But so far, I’m doing pretty decent for my usual output. I’m up to page 56 with about 15,500 words. I’m sure others have more copious output, but these incremental weekly goals help me to keep my head in the game.
What kind of techniques do you use to keep on task? Or if procrastinating is your thing, what’s your favorite way of wasting time? Mine is watching educational Youtube videos or playing indie video games. All things in moderation, right? Right?
Recommendation Corner
Immune: A Journey Into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive By Philipp Dettmer
This book is thoroughly interesting. It goes in detail, but not too much detail, on the inner workings of the immune system from the innate system (first responders), the complement systems (a bunch of bio chemicals that get activated like a security system), and the adaptive system (the parts that either studies the infection and puts together a tailored immune response with antibodies, or gets a massive assist from a vaccine doing all of the hard work first). Most everyone has heard of the spleen, but how about the thymus? It’s the organ in your chest that makes T cells, among many other things, and slowly withers as you age, which is why elderly folks are more prone to disease. This book really illustrates the unbelievable complexity of how a bunch of mindless immune system cells act quite smart in concert. I didn’t even touch on how stuff can go wrong with parasites, cancers, bacteria, and viruses. Highly recommended.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
My wife and I braved the theater a few weeks back to catch the new Spidey flick after the crowds had thinned a bit. I won’t spoil anything on this, but this had everything I hoped to see, and few surprises too. It’s the best Spidey movie so far, even better than Into the Spider Verse. Totally catch it in the theater if that’s right for you. And for the record: Dr. Strange was right.
I hope the holiday season has gone as well as it can. This one was little choppy for me and my family. It wasn’t all turbulence thankfully, so I’ll count my blessings where I can.
On the smoother end of the spectrum, I finished the latest draft of Players of the Game Book 4.5: The Breakers: Jagged Pieces. It was originally a novella, but it ended up expanding into a full sized bonus novel. I’ve started writing Book 5: The Game War. The blank page didn’t really bug me on this one. I pretty much jumped right in.
I also did a deep dive on the series’s timeline with a codex I put together on an Excel sheet. I tweaked a few minor details and fleshed out more details that I intentionally kept a bit hazy. I’ll likely put some version of the timeline up on the stelfire.com website at some point.
And I plan to release Book 3.5 The New Players: Origins sometime in the first half of the year. More to details to come in future emails.
Recommendation Corner
Billy Summers by Stephen King:
This was much more of a thriller than a horror novel. the title character, Billy, is a highly skilled assassin who specializes in sniper kill shots. He plays dumb in order to keep the people with whom he works at arms length. It also allows him to repeatedly indicate that he only kills bad people. When he embeds in a community with a novel writing cover story, he starts to wonder if this job is as simple as his crime family handlers would have him believe. Things complicate from there. It’s a very compelling read and even has a few little call backs to the Shining in parts of it.
The Witcher Season 2 on Netflix:
Last time I recommended the Wheel of Time series. And while that was quite good, the Witcher is better. I think the story is tighter and the characters are little more fleshed out. Geralt and Ciri’s relationship is very endearing as a surrogate father and daughter. Yennifer’s own struggles with losing her magic is also well done (though I really dislike that name). And Jaskier/Dandelion has another good song where he laments his falling out with Geralt from last season. Give it a watch if you enjoy grim-dark fantasy.
“Everyone makes mistakes, that’s why they put erasers on pencils.”
The sage Lenny once said this on a memorable Simpsons episode with Frank Grimes.
And oh, my. When one writes hundreds of thousands of words in a series of novels, the mistakes will add up. I swear I know the difference between their, there, and they’re. But the wrong words, the wrong grammar, and the wrong style will indeed sneak in.
I usually make several edit runs through my novels as I write them. I read them in a weekly writers workshop group on Zoom, which is totally great because you can share your screen while you’re reading aloud. Additionally, I make use of an editor for my novels who finds all kinds of oops items. (Hi, Sarah.)
And just this past week, also I bought an editing program called Pro Writing Aid. It’s caught a lot of errors that hid in plain sight and that I flat out made the wrong choice without knowing it. I’m absolutely sure that errors will make it into my works, which isn’t ideal, but by no means immutable. That’s the glory of indie publishing with ebooks and print on demand. If you find mistakes, you just correct them, and upload an updated version.
The ultimate aim is to get it right the first time, but like the pencil in Lenny’s quote, editing is the eraser to fix that mistake.
Recommendation Corner
Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime:
I had read the first five books in Robert Jordan’s magnum opus about 25 years ago. I liked them a great deal, and I know they influenced my storytelling, but I decided I wanted to wait until Jordan finally finished them. When Brandon Sanderson took them over and finished them, my brother and a couple cousins told me it was all quite good, but I just didn’t have the motivation to dive into them again. I do now. The new streaming series is most engaging after the choppy first episode. It’s like Game of Thrones, except magic is much more of a thing and friendship is valued more than political maneuvers, at least initially. I didn’t care for a particular character’s actions that deviated from the books, but it’s a minor quibble. I’m enjoying it so far.
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie:
I do love this series despite all the terrible things that happen to some characters and the worse things that others inflict. The Great Change sweeps in a revolution that starts like the American one, then devolves into something worse than the French one. King Orso continues to be my favorite character with his fatalistic good humor. Rikke is also a strong character in this installment. She makes a lot of right choices that still lead to pain. The narration by Steven Pacey is varied for all of the characters on the audio book version. As long as Abercrombie keeps up this level of excellence, I will continue to recommend all the books in this series. Fantastic yarns, one and all.
