A Far Out Fantastic Site

I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was groovy. I just spent it with the family, which is good enough for me. I was sure to look out for giant man-eating turkeys and I hope everybody else did too. It was a super day of giving thanks for the many good things we have, which is often a lot more than we think. So many people think too much about what they don’t have. Some think they don’t have enough money, enough friends, enough recognition . . . The list can go on. But you can add to that list that some feel there’s not enough high quality science fiction literature out there. That may be true to some extent. One person who feels that sci fi literature for the past two decades has been poor, in the science part particularly, has a website out that addresses the problem. That website is called Atomic Rockets which you can check out at http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/ . It is a resource for both science fiction writers as well as readers who want accurate science ...

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com I'm so behind on my upcoming short fiction collection, The Hidden . I still have several stories to revise for it, and then the cover illustration to make   in which I'm planning on coming out with two versions of: a pre-release version that will be hand-made, and when I say “hand-made” I mean drawn and painted by yours truly with “old school” tools such as a pencil and coloured pencils; and the final release version which I will digitally produce. Why two versions? Personally, because I believe that digitally produced art cannot replace the natural energy and human spirit that goes into freehand art. And so I still respect and empathize with that small niche audience out there who prefer freehand art. But I don't discriminate against the majority either. If they’re willing to pay for digital, photorealistic art on book covers then I'll provide them that option, even though it’s not my thing. This reminds me of George Lucas’s issue w...

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com I said several weeks ago that I would talk about some writing techniques I learned of when I attended Sinister Creature Con back in October. Even though this con emphasised special cinematic and make-up effects in the horror genre, I picked up on three good tips there that can be useful in any media of horror fiction including books, movies, TV and games. In fact, these tips can be used in other genres besides horror. So doing the following can enhance your fiction writing: 1      1)  Determine an end point to your piece. Fon Davis of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects company for the Star Wars films, talked in his panel about doing this when he discussed his work on model building and sculpting. He said that many special effects artists like to make their work perfect by making it appear real to the last detail. That’s always been my case when it comes to writing fiction (and so now you know why I run so behind...

I hope everybody had a far out Halloween! I know I did. It started with a trip to Empire Comics Vault in Sacramento where they had a Halloween mini con and a big sale to go with the occasion. Unfortunately, I got there too late for the con, which only lasted until 3 PM. But the sale was still going, including the free comics they were giving away which I definitely took advantage of both yet without going much over five dollars.  In the evening I attended a family Halloween party and then came home and watched Dr. Terror’s House of Horror , starring Christopher Lee, on a VHS tape I bought at a con several years ago. And, of course, not long after the clock struck the witching hour, I looked up the winner of the sweepstakes who was selected by good ol’ Rafflecopter. And the Winner Is . . . . . . Alex Cavanaugh! I, again, congratulate Alex. He receives a book package consisting of novels The Queen of Darkness by Miguel Conner and Blood Moon by M.R. Sellars, plus a signed cop...

Happy Halloween, everybody! If there’s anything I like better than Halloween, it’s Halloween on a Saturday! Which means most of us don’t have to return to boring reality until moanday Monday. So I’ve decided to extend the Halloween sweepstakes to midnight tonight, PST. Therefore, once the clock strikes the witching hour this giveaway turns back into a carved pumpkin (and so is over). So enter your chance to win free books now! All you have to do is answer this question: What is your favorite book to read or movie to watch around Halloween? You may leave your answers in the comments coffin below if you’d like. But whatever you do, you must leave them in the sweepstakes box above that in order for your entry to be acknowledged by Rafflecopter (where this giveaway generates from). Please see last week’s   post for more important details on how to participate and for important terms and conditions. Again, I hope everybody has a Happy and safe Halloween! Until...

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com Update, October  31,  2015, 10:00 PM: Because the sweepstakes deadline has been extended (see below), the winner will not be announced until next weekend's blog post but he/she will be notified before that at the contact information they provided. Update, October  30,  2015, 10:59 PM: The sweepstakes below has been extended to midnight, November 1 (PST)! What do you get when you put witches’ brooms together with vampire hunters’ and witch hunters’ artillery? You get sweep stakes , or more like sweepstakes . That is, the Far Out Fantastic Halloween Sweepstakes that you can enter for a chance to win a big treat! No purchase necessary. The treat: a three-book set consisting of a copy of the short fiction collection, The Fool’sIllusion , and two novels! This set approximately totals an original retail value of $33. All you need to do to enter is answer the question at the end of this post. This giveaway begins at...

Sinister Creature Con was a blast. I was there most of the day. Even though it catered more to the cinematic special effects and make-up crowd, I found a lot of great inspiration and motivation for my own art, the art of words particularly. I want to share with you that inspiration and the tips that came from it but it’s been a long day, so tonight’s not the best time. I would do it next week but that’s when I want to give you a chance at winning a giveaway through a Halloween contest and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to fit both in that weekend, especially since I have a family gathering to go to that evening. So it will probably be either Halloween weekend or the weekend after. But I would like to share some photos* with you that I took at the con which you’ll find below. Most are of attendees who came in costume which theirs and many others’ were really out’a sight! Two furries (or hairries?) Three cousins in costume, from left to right: Michael J...