Help An Author Out - Read and Review My Work

As many of you know, I have been quite prolific in writing tons of pulp fiction - so much so that not only do I have my own Amazon Author's page, but one of my stories was published within the past few weeks. But like many authors, I'm also responsible for marketing my work, and want to generate some buzz...and here's where I'm asking for your help.

It's simple: I'm asking that, if you are willing, to review any (or all) of my work online. Whether it's a blog post or an Amazon review, I would greatly appreciate it. Let me provide some basics to get you started:

• First, you can easily order my work via Amazon - just click the author's link page above. Or check out the Where Stories Come From tag if you're looking for a story of a particular genre. 
  
• If you want a reviewer's copy, simply e-mail me via contact form. For my work for Pro Se Productions and Space Buggy Press, I can easily connect you with someone for a complimentary electronic copy. Airship 27 Productions does not provide review copies, but you can purchase my work for Black Bat Mystery Vol 3 and Legends of New Pulp on PDF for very reasonable prices. 
• If you receive a complimentary electronic copy, please follow the FTC's Blogger Disclosure guidelines. 
• I'm OK with reviews either on Amazon or in a blog - all I ask is that you please e-mail me a link. (I'm more than happy sharing your reviews via social media as well as this blog).
• Please give an honest review. If you love it, that's great. If you are meh, please share why you're meh. Hearing honest criticism allows me to grow as a writer, and no reviewer should feel obligated to provide a positive review.
• Finally...if you acquire a complimentary copy, Do Not Distribute It Via Bittorrent, Download, or other illegal sites.  Small indie authors like me rely on royalties...in fact, we write to earn money. You may think "Ideas are free, man, and we're helping you with exposure." I've ranted about digital piracy before in this blog, and quite honestly, I am willing to go full DMCA on someone who's pirating my work.

As a newly minted author, I'm always grateful to read reviews of my work...even the negative ones. But I also wish to get the word out about these great books, because not only am I featured, but there's some great writing by some really cool people. 

So please - if you can purchase and write a review, great. If you want to touch base and have me make a connection, that's even better. If you're not a reviewer, please feel free to forward this post via social media. 

And as always, thanks for reading! 

Who I Am At Work

Inspired by Siskoid's recent post, and influenced not just by my freelance work, but my various volunteer/extracurricular gigs as well.

Who I Am At Work:

Who I Wish I Was:

(For non-Who fans, the links will provide explanation; as someone who took a course in counseling & vocational psychology in grad school....I would rather take an assessment based on Who rather than some guy named Holland).

Kickstart THIS, Pal - TALES FROM LOST VEGAS

Fellow blogger PJ Perez has a really cool Kickstarter campaign up and running. There's 18 days to go as of this post, and it's....well, I'll let the video speak more eloquently about the project:


As everyone knows, I'm a sucker for community-minded comics-related projects, and quite honestly - this is well worth your time and investment.

Now, go. This Kickstarter ain't gonna fund itself, you know.....

My New Wetshaving Life

My weapons in the war against stubble

For this new change in my personal habits, there's only one thing I can blame: the Internet.

Very early on, I came across a gentlemen under the nom de post mantic59. Mostly, I would watch his YouTube videos while bored at my then-job. (He also had a great site which has now expanded into becoming....The Sharpologist! Soon to be a series on CBS!)

It was a strange world....a world where men embraced old school shaving. They would collect "vintage" razors, order blades from exotic places, and use brushes and special soaps in lieu of canned creams and plastic cartridges. (It's also a land where the facial hair of the Fab Four is fair game). It was a lifestyle that I yearned to embrace - after all, thanks to bad acne in my adolescence, I had relied solely on either electric razors or the can-and-cartridge method. Inside, I yearned to be a full-on wetshaver.

So thanks to Amazon.com, I ordered my first soaps and brush, and began learning how to lather. Immediately, although I stayed with the multiblade cartridges for awhile, I learned how to get that oh-so-smooth feel without the hazards of slicing off layers of skin or giving myself harsh rashes. But I was reluctant to spend money on a safety razor, and would content myself with this hybrid lifestyle.

Via bs_andreas on flickr

 

A few weeks ago, I found my dad's old Merkur Progress razor while trying to find nail clippers. Around my birthday, I ordered a sampler of double edged blades. This week, I began wet shaving in earnest.

And I absolutely love it.

Ok, the first time I cut up my face - learning to hold the razor at the right angle, as well as adjusting the razor to be aggressive, but not too aggressive, turned out to be a challenge. However, I got a handle on the angle and the adjustment, and after three passes...I'm close to how I love my shave; just a bit of grit, but overall, smooth. There's no more pleasing sound than the slight scraping of a safety razor blade against a well-prepared, clean, well-lathered face.

(Plus, with a Merz Apothecary downtown, I can invest in all sorts of aftershaves, exotic soaps, etc, without paying those pesky postage prices of Amazon, so I can smell truly manly).

Maybe this post is a little too self-indulgent, but I don't care. Sometimes, having a major league change of lifestyle....is definitely worth it.

Help A Blogger Out!

Received an e-mail earlier this morning, and thought that rather than write another long-winded post, I would write a short, succinct call to action to help a fellow blogger out.

I don't know Tony Collett personally (actually, I think I may have "met" him through another blogger), but he's been really good about linking to my blog in the past. He writes Mah Two Cents, where he does little capsule reviews, talks about some personal issues, and sometimes, the occasional post-that-leads-to-money writing.

Much like my godson Logan, he's from Indiana (which does Illinois a favor in that it shields us from Ohio), and he's a pretty cool guy (based on his writing).  He's been good to me in the past - I'd like to return the favor.

Be sure to read his blog at http://www.mahtwocents.com, and subscribe to his RSS feed. I think you'll dig his work.

Your Post-SOPA Protest Reward

I may have posted this previously, but if I haven't, here's John Wayne in Angel & the Badman.


Because SOPA/PIPA appear to be on the ropes. Plus, Lefty Brown is returning to blogging.

Enjoy!

Surviving SNOWMAGEDDON: Assorted You Tube Goodies

...and now, to cap off this Friday night,

a little something something from the news portion of Comic Related:



A little piece of genius forwarded by Radio Free Skaro's Twitter account:



Two Marvel movie trailers posted by pal Rich:

And finally, proof that the Replacements improve anything:

Surviving SNOWMAGEDDON: Doctor Who 101 in Picture Form

Here's a really cool "infographic" originally posted here and forwarded via Laura at Bloggity-Blog-Blog. Enjoy!

Causing Trouble Online

Nerd-O-Ween Preparations 2010
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

First, just wanted to share the "next phase" of my Halloween costume (for tonight's Chicago Nerds Nerd-O-Ween celebration); I'll try to remember to bring a camera so that I can share it on my blog.

(Me, a fan of The Prisoner? Noooooo......although this photo may make Siskoid a little jealous)

I also want to congratulate Laura and Johnny Bacardi of eight years of blogging - they were both of a group of blogs I read when I first began getting interested in blogging, and it's actually cool that they're still around in one online form or another.

As for me, well, I'm still getting in trouble online - now, I'm creating Facebook pages for Chicago Doctor Who meetups.

Be seeing you!

Why You Should Read Mark Gibson's Blog

Because he posts things like this:

Loving Batgirl

How can you not like Steph as Batgirl? Do you have stone in your heart and ice in your veins?

It's statements like the one above that continue to convince me that fellow comics fan/Twitter maven Rich is my long lost cousin from England.

Much like our mutual love for Veronica Mars and our appreciation of the thespian talents of BRIAN BLESSED, we both share a great deal of joy from reading DC's latest Batgirl series.

It's also a book that you should be reading as well - in fact, it's one of the more under-rated Bat-books...and probably the better Bat-books written by someone without the words "Grant" or "Morrison" in their name.

Although I enjoyed the series when it came out, it is a completely run read. It's so much fun, in fact, that Chris Sims just needs to come out and admit that it's not "thigh pouches" that are scaring him off....he just doesn't want to read a fun comic involving a Bat-character, despite involving vampires and a Kryptonian punching things.

Seriously, though, despite the controversial nature of the character, this is a book that deserves to be read. It's breezy, entertaining, and quite frankly, deserves your attention.

Or to reiterate Rich's last point, "I mean, really, why aren’t you reading this?"

Two - Count 'Em, Two - Smart Guys Answer Your Questions

Yes, this is another reminder - I'll be recording a podcast at the end of the week, and so I'm more than willing to answer any questions you may have.

And if I can't, perhaps Roger - possibly the smartest blogger I know - will be of assistance in answering your queries.

Just send them our way, and we'll try to help.

A Pre-Xmas Gift to You

In all honesty, I'm very appreciative of anyone who comes to this blog - especially this year, when it has felt like I've been offline more than online. I wanted to do something for my readership (both long-standing and relatively recent readers), and had a brainstorm:

With my friends far and wide, given the fact that I receive more e-cards than conventional cards, I began using my Flickr feed with Big Huge Labs to create personalized calendars...this year, I decided to double my efforts in bringing you a pre-Christmas/Bogie Day/Serling Day effort.

So, via Scribd, here's your very own printable 2010 calendar - feel free to use it however you see fit. Some of the images (being older) may look a little iffy, but please take this in the spirit in which it's presented.

Plus, it's free! What more can you ask?

Official Blog THIS, Pal 2010 Calendar    

Whither Indiana

You know, there's a very common sport in Chicago - at least, with my family and friends - that is well regarded.

And that, of course, is Indiana bashing.

Why, I have no idea - first, they're next to Ohio, which really doesn't do much for their reputation. Plus, any state that gives us Kurt Vonnegut and Avery Brooks gets bonus points in my view.

(Plus, my godson lives there with my cousin, so I can't really point the finger - recent photos included in the slideshow below)

But today, for no reason other than I can....I'm going to highlight some Indiana bloggers.

(And post pictures of my godson. Did I mention that?)

First, there's Mark Gibson, who writes a pretty cool blog of pop culture-type stuff. You might want to check it out, especially the fact that he seems to be pulling out of a tough period. (Plus, his writing is simply a hoot)

Then, there's mutual friend Tony Collett, whose blog has some nice, pithy little comments. (Just a heads-up; he uses one of those pay-per-post services, so you might have to wade through some "commercial" messages)

Then, one of my newest favorites is a young lady who blogs under the name, "Sea of Green". She writes about comics and other pop-culture type stuff, and although we disagree about "Justice League: Cry for Justice", she's still cool.

And no, I won't mention former co-worker/antagonist Andy, because he lives in Chicago now. Plus, he has my cell phone number, and will probably call me about personal hygiene, or something.

But enough of my rambling - pictures of Logan - for you!

The Not-So-Secret History of Comics

To be honest, I love urban legends. I love reading about not just the "official" history, but those stories that kind of lie in the back of people's minds. There's something about friend-of-a-friend tales that adds an added layer of mystique - granted, they're not always true, but I kind of wish they were. That's probablywhy I enjoy reading about trivia, and the not-quite-official record: there's something about folklore that's instantly appealing.

I have to admit, Comic Book Legends Revealed appeals to me in that spirit (in fact, that and Greg's writings are the only reason I read that particular site). So when Brian Cronin's book, Was Superman a Spy? came out, I ordered it and read it from cover to cover.

It's a pretty easy read - although the prose, at times, seems a little spotty, it's quite an enjoyable book that looks at some of the "hidden" history of comics, telling some well-known (and some not-quite-well-known) tales of comics history.

Unlike Comic Book Legends, Cronin's book avoids using a question-and-answer format, and attempts to share information in a more linear way. Unfortunately, although the book is a relatively simple read, there is a lack of flow to the book - it seems to jump around, and lacks a real cohesion. While I enjoyed reading the book as a way of exploring some obscure (and not quite obscure) facts about comics, there were times when the book was tough to read.

However, despite some relatively spotty writing, the book is really enjoyable. It's pretty much organized the way one would expect - first DC and spotlighting its major characters, then Marvel, then pretty much other companies. It's the kind of book that makes good commuter reading, and is also the kind of book that's worth sharing. I liked it a lot, despite my problems with the prose - however, it's also a book that is sorely needed.

And of course, it only means that more bloggers can write books. For example, I could see Rich whipping up a novel called Please Pertwee Don't Hurt 'Em. Or Mr. Bacardi writing a hard boiled pulp novel. Or even the ultimate: Mike Sterling's Complete and Utter History of Swamp Thing, Which You Will Buy And Love, Or I Will Come and Do Rude Things To Your Pets

But until then, enjoy Was Superman A Spy?

Hump Day Photo Challenge

A little something to help you get through the week - please decide which of these pictures is cooler:

Chef Bully, with some nice tasty treats:



Lola the Wonder Dog (via Rich):


Or a coworker's photo of Lazy Town puppets:

Welcome Back, Dave Campbell!!

Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.

Even if it does annoy Chris Sims.

(Photo originally appeared here)

Shout-Outs to Two Comic Lovin' Pals

With the holidays coming up, I wanted (in my own way) to give two shout-outs to two comic-lovin' pals; guys who have recently accomplished quite a bit, and whom I want to give some appropriate props.

First, my good friend Chuck has totally revamped Comic Related - if you go to the site, it has redefined the Platonic ideal of coolness. It's sharper looking, is a little more interactive, and quite frankly, is a great place to visit for news, reviews, and other cool things.

And secondly, a double shout-out to Rich of Comic By Comic, who not only has a new addition to his household, but who also celebrates a birthday today! In that spirit, given his and my appreciation of the talents of one Ms. Kristen Bell...here is a clip that shows off those talents. In church.



Happy birthday, Rich!

A Parable (Of Sorts)

(The following story you are about to read is true. Any similarity to recent events is purely coincidental)

Several months ago, I was checking out the stats for the blog - I admit, I'm a data geek, and so I am curious about who visits. Of course, I find that I'm getting a ton of hits from a forum specifically discussing film theory.

When I get there, basically, I'm being trashed - people were critical of what I had said, but in a nasty, name-calling way. So of course, the first thought that entered my mind - all out war. I would write a blog post angrily decrying the very people who were mocking me, and how dare they do so; I would mobilize my Twitter pals to flame and storm them; I would make damn sure that they never did that again.

Of course, I then remembered the major principle of social interaction online: be nice.

It would have been easy for me to stay at that web site for hours, allowing my resentments to build to a crescendo. Instead, I chose to let it go and move on. As someone who works in social media (and who's been online seemingly forever), it would be ironic - and hypocritical - for me to engage in flaming or disrespectful behavior. (And when called out on it, I admit it and try to do right.). I harbor no illusions about who I am - a blogger who writes posts that a small group enjoy reading. I like having conversations on shared interests - Nothing more, nothing less. If I offend someone, I prefer a private e-mail to snarkiness or a cold shoulder - it's just the adult thing to do.

Looking back at that moment, it seemed unfair for me to head in and fight, or even try to have a one-to-one, with that group - it would have been disruptive and unnecessary. So I went and made myself a sandwich. It was actually peanut butter, but I kind of wish it had been ham - because a ham sandwich is better than pointing a finger.

And now, an NSFW Kids in the Hall sketch to put it in perspective:

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Roger Green & Superman

I have to admit, I really enjoy meeting my blogging brethren. Every once in awhile, it's good to get out from behind the keyboard and get some fresh air.

Fortunately, I've not only met a few of my fellow bloggers (like Scott, Redhead Fangirl, and Chuck), but also have had old friends like Andy and fellow tough guy Brian as blogging aficionados. So when the mighty Roger Green asked if I would be willing to join him for a Cubs game, I heartily agreed. Given our mutual admiration for Fred Hembeck and Rod Serling, it only seemed natural.

(Of course, I also had my doctor prescribe some ulcer medication. One set of grandparents were Cubs fans, and the other were White Sox fans. Living in St. Louis helped me develop a love for the Cardinals. Some relatives still will not talk to me because of this.)

Of course, events conspired to keep us from meeting - part of it was Roger taking the wrong color train line (which - let's face it, CTA - you might want to have clearer information for tourists in time for the Olympics), and part of it was misinterpreting a coworker's directions. (The Harry Caray statue is at Addision & Sheffield; claiming it's the "southwest corner" of Addison & Clark isn't quite accurate). So I made my way past the ticket scalpers, the peanut vendors, and the merchants selling t-shirts with such enlightened slogans as "Horry Cow" and "Green Gay Fudge Packers", and made my way to the statue, hoping to catch a glimpse of Roger.

(Of course, my camera's batteries were low, but not low enough to prevent me from taking some video. Wish I had filmed/snapped the vendors, though).

But soon, Roger and I (and several of his coworkers) all sat and watched the Cubs get defeated by the Houston Astros. All in all, it wasn't a bad game - the windy weather meant plenty of fly balls, and Roger and I engaged in some playful banter. (Enough that I think he and I should take it on the road - after all, it's only been done once before). But he and I discussed many issues - the joys of blogging, the frustrations of dealing with local government, the proper length of a podcast (which we both decided was 45 minutes), and most importantly, how we missed a mutual friend because he spent so much time with his gaming friends.

But all in all, it was a very fun time - we even caught the Red Line heading back into the Loop. And I'm sure that he will have plenty of fun this weekend, deleting e-mails, although there was one item I wish I could have talked to him about:

Recently, through Written World, I read about the attempts to rehab and preserve the house of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. As someone who enjoys architecture and older buildings, I think this is a really cool idea. (Both Roger and I discussed the appreciation - or lack thereof - of local history). And if anyone involved in the effort is reading - I'm more than willing to provide free ad space on the blog, because I think it's worth it.

And now, since you've been good - shaky footage from outside Wrigley Field!