Welcome to the “Indie Writing Life,” my semi-regular blog series about my ongoing activities as a writer, i.e. – somebody running a business writing and selling books. My 2024 inaugural episode can be found here, if you’d like to start at the beginning. The last episode is here.
Conventions & Events
I’ve got two upcoming events:
- ComicLogic Fall Lot Con (Oct 26, 12 – 4 PM)
- Creative Writing Workshop (Nov 2, 1 – 4 PM)
ComicLogic is my local comic book shop in Ashburn, VA. They host two half-day-long events a year in the Ashburn Village Shopping Center parking lot, imaginatively called Spring Lot Con and Fall Lot Con, which I’ve been doing for the past three years. I mean, jeez, they’re held ten minutes from my house. If you like SF/Fantasy books, comic books, artwork of various types, or other craft items, check out this free event.
The second event is the Creative Writing Workshop, subtitled “The Basics of Writing a Story,” hosted by the Feral Writers Club in honor of the annual writing initiative formerly known as NANOWRIMO (“National Novel Writing Month”). They contacted me and asked me to be their Guest of Honor, so I’m giving a one-hour session on World Building. Other club members are presenting on the topics of Plotting and Creating Characters.
So, technically, this my first time being a “Guest of Honor” at an event. It’s not WorldCon, but it still felt pretty good being invited. Thanks for the “first,” all you feral writers out there.
Work-In-Progress (WIP)
I’ve been pushing hard on “Pivot Point,” which has surged to novella length with the recent additions. I think it’s evolving into a dynamite story, but it’s been kicking my butt, too. I mean, it’s a fantasy story set in an alternate 1800’s milieu where Napoleon conquered Europe, the Fey have rubbed shoulders with humanity for centuries, and magic works (though more effectively in the Faerie realms than in our world).
It’s got fantasy worldbuilding, which has to be integrated with the real-world details of the nineteenth century. It’s set in the Empire of France, so there’s a ton of historical research needed, too. Fortunately, I’ve got some SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to help me out here. On the other hand, they’ve been kicking my butt, too. Well, in a good way. It’s an ambitious story, and they’ve helped me improve it by leaps and bounds.
And, oh, how does a military fleet of magically powered airships conduct battles? Enter the Tropemaster, the incomparable Bill Aguiar. Gameplayer, Beta Reader, and convention volunteer extrarordinaire.
My previous WIP, “Banner Yet Waves,” ran into some worldbuilding issues (future science and tech stuff). I’ve set that aside temporarily until I can finish “Pivot Point” and a few other stories. Such is the life of a writer…
It’s starting to look like I’ll be releasing a bunch of stuff in 2026…
Lonesome October
It’s not too late to get caught up on Roger Zelazny’s last novel, A Night in the Lonesome October. The best Halloween novel, ever.
Every few decades when the moon is full on the night of Halloween (a very rare “Blue Moon”, meaning the second full moon in that month), the fabric of reality thins. Whenever this happens, a mysterious group of Players come together to participate in “the Game,” which culminates in a mysterious and unearthly magical ritual. Each Player is accompanied by a strangely intelligent animal familiar.
n the run-up to the ritual, the Players and their Familiars jockey for advantage, collecting arcane ingredients, making deals, forming alliances, spying on each other, and sometimes even killing their competitors.
The novel takes the form of a diary, written by the dog Snuff, one of the familiars. Lots of people, including me, like to re-read the book each year, a chapter a day.
Grab-Bag Topics
I love graphic novels, but I’m not a big fan of the sprawling expanse of superhero stories out there (nothing wrong with them, they’re just not my thing). I figure there are other people out there like me, so I’ve started posting a Graphic Novel Recommendation for each month. For this month, I’ve got…
- October Graphic Novel: Winterworld – Post-apocalyptic action in a frozen world.
I’m also in the process of getting my email Newsletter set up. My current snag is getting Google to recognize that I’m a legitimate Newsletter and not a spammer. Setup and configuration is all a technical mess, and an annoying distraction from writing. But necessary, from the viewpoint of the business side of writing.
Interestingly, my audience seems to break down into two main types of people:
- Book Readers: Interested in my books.
- Writers: Interested in my workshops, events and writing exercises.
On another note, I’m already working with Balticon on the Programming track for 2026. And I’ll also be in charge of the literary portion of the Workshop Track, as well, just as in recent years. By the by, Balticon will held over Memorial Day weekend, May 22 – 25, 2026.
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