For convenience, I'm including our panel listing in each post. Our Expert Panel We have assembled for this special conference several fine villains who have wreaked havoc throughout the known multiverse. Let's meet them: Virigar. King of the Great Werewolves and progenitor of the species, Virigar is the most-feared monster on all of Zarathan. A soul-eating, nearly indestructible being, Virigar's age is unknown, his full powers a mystery. He has killed gods and demons and men, shrugged off or consumed spells and energy weapons, and survived [ Continue reading... ]
Just for Fun: The Annotated Evil Overlord, Part 1
November 6, 2013 By 11 Comments
Back in the days when Usenet was the largest discussion forum on the Net, there was a discussion of all the things that an EFFECTIVE Evil Overlord had to do -- and NOT do -- that were often overlooked, or directly worked AGAINST, in many works of fiction. It became a thread of discussion titled "If I Am Ever the Evil Overlord...", and various people (including myself) contributed to it as it grew. Eventually it (and its successors/companion pieces such as If I Am Ever the Hero, If I Am Ever the Sidekick, etc.) was gathered together and [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Teaser Chapter: _Paradigms Lost_
November 1, 2013 By 4 Comments
My vastly expanded and revised version of Digital Knight, titled Paradigms Lost, will be released next year. Here's the first chapter. Readers of the original will note there are already a few subtle differences -- not the least of these being an explicit date for when everything starts... ----- Part 1: Gone in a Flash April, 1999: Chapter 1: Dead Man Knocking I clicked on the JAPES icon. A second picture appeared on the Lumiere RAN-7X workstation screen next to the digitized original, said original being a [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Covers/Cover Art
October 21, 2013 By 3 Comments
The first thing anyone sees of one of my books (well, except for my beta-readers!) is the cover. The cover is the living embodiment of "first impressions", and it's proven that a bad cover can be death to a book's sales. I've been fortunate in my covers, so far, and hopefully I will continue to be. How the Covers are Made Different publishers approach this in different ways. Some publishers have historically directed the art completely separate from the author – the author never knows anything about the cover [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: My Top Ten Villains!
October 14, 2013 By 6 Comments
While, at least in theory, we cheer for the victory of the heroes, it is often the villains that define a work, and certainly the villains tend to get the best lines, best music, and commonly the coolest "style" in a work. This probably partly stems from the fact that villains are more "free" than the heroes; they get to do what they want rather than what they should or must. In addition, the villains tend to be in control, the ACTIVE force, in the story, at least up until the end; the heroes spend much of their time reacting [ Continue reading... ]
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