I didn’t get anywhere near as much written in 2025 as I normally do. Part of it was the lack of opportunity, and part of it was that I prioritized other things over the writing. I mentioned my original fantasy novel, and I need to stress that I am giving it time to do it […]
As much of the country digs itself out of the storm, plans are being hastily rearranged from mundane household matters to major school decisions. We were closed Monday and Tuesday and are thankfully back in action today. We weathered the event just fine, thanks. As a result, I am mostly packed and ready to return […]
It’s been a hectic week as things wind up and head toward Winter Break. First, MICA concluded its fall semester on Wednesday, and my students gave final presentations on what worked and what didn’t in their 30-page stories. They also received a final round of peer feedback, and most everyone was quite generous with their […]
Launching a Kickstarter campaign with my already packed schedule always comes with risk, but I went ahead and went for it with Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2026. As I write this, we’re at 61% funded after one week, which is good and means I will likely make my goal and produce the book. Its slow momentum […]
Farpoint celebrates its 32nd anniversary with a con running this weekend. It is once again at the DoubleTree Hotel in Pikesville, MD and, of course, I will be on hand. Given my high school commitments, I couldn’t be on Friday programming but will be there to help set up the Crazy 8 Press table. On […]
The world Peter David leaves behind is a webbed one. Like Spider-Man, whom he wrote for several years, Peter spun a web trapping unsuspecting people, until we all found how connected we were to one another. Social media is filled, since news broke of his dying in his sleep Saturday night, with stories and anecdotes, […]
After missing Shore Leave, my favorite con, last year, I am eager to check out their new location in Lancaster, PA. As usual, I will be emceeing on the main stage, sitting at the Crazy 8 Press table, and appear on quite a few panels over the three days. One of the fun things about […]
It’s been a very busy July and it’s hard to believe we’re already rushing towards it conclusion. The crush has been fun and educational and tiring. As regular readers know, I attended Shore Leave 45 mid-month. I had a wonderful time, as always. At Friday night’s Meet the Pros party, I actually sold more books […]
My friend Howard Weinstein has been asking me to write something original, and my free time has dwindled once I added teaching at MICA to my schedule. So, as I wrapped up work on Above the Ground 3 (coming in 2026, if not sooner) last summer, I swore to everyone within earshot that I was […]
I really didn’t know what pulp magazines were until around 1970 when I was introduced to the Lancer collections of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. Somewhere along the way, as my comic book habit had bled into reading the fanzines of the day, I got to learn about the Shadow, Doc Savage, G-8, and […]
Well, my New Year’s Resolution about blogging at least once a week went out the window. It’s been just over two weeks since I posted, and I feel guilty. But wait, I have a good excuse. At long last, despite being in my school every class day since August 2020 and being exposed to waves […]
Anyone who knows me is aware I like to keep busy. That said, the last month and a half or so has kept me exceptionally active (and, and just when I thought I’d be coming up for air, I find myself getting even busier in the coming months (and I thought it was busy to […]
Farpoint was once October Trek and ClipperCon in terms of those who founded and ran each iteration of the media convention that was either in October or February. This year, Farpoint celebrates its 30th and rather than being seen as the little sibling to Shore Leave, it has forged its own identity. Their guest line-up […]
I report back to St. Vincent Pallotti High School this morning, beginning my sixth year as a teacher there. Somehow, the ten-week summer break has evaporated and the 2022-23 academic year is poised to begin on the 29th. So, what did I do on my summer vacation? The big project was writing the second Above […]
The freelance life is beginning to take shape as projects are finally getting announced. As mentioned earlier, coming in March is The Phenomenons, the new super-hero prose universe masterminded by Michael Jan Friedman. Kickstarter backers have started receiving their copies and the response has been positive. Also now announced, is the Peter and Kathleen David-edited […]
It has to have been a year or so back when Mike Friedman reached out to me and Paul Kupperberg. “Guys,” he said, “I’m thinking of creating a prose superhero universe.” When we couldn’t talk him out of it, we provided feedback on his premise, ensuring it didn’t resemble the plethora of existing shared superhero […]
I find myself so overwhelmed with school work and home projects that having time for personal writing comes infrequently at best. Which is not to say I have not been productive. What’s weird is, I have all sorts of irons in the fire, projects that should all show up in 2022 so it’ll feel like […]
We are live in all formats! I had hoped to have Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2021 out for Farpoint, back when I was really wishing the con was in person. Covid-19 knocked those plans out of contention and then one of my writers was late, I mean really late, with the story. Since I had used […]
So, come Friday night at the Meet the Pros event, I will be representedin not just Crazy 8 Press’ Thrilling Adventure Yarns, more on thattomorrow, but three other releases. eSpec’s Mike and Danielle Ackley-McPhail had some personalissues that slowed down their momentum and growing line of titles, the perilsof self-publishing, but they have gotten back […]
When I haven’t been in the classroom, I have been home, at the desk, writing and editing. There have been the usual Westfield Comics columns and reviews over at ComicMix, but there have been some projects occupying my time. Back in February, the Kickstarter campaign for Thrilling Adventure Yarns came to a rousing conclusion. Since […]
“A re you sure you want to go that high?” Mike asked me. “Absolutely. Given what Kickstarter takes, and what my fixedcosts are, I need $4500.” “Okay, let’s see what happens.” And with that, my Quixotic campaign began, seeking $4500 toallow Thrilling Adventure Yarns makesome advance money, allowing me to buy rights to an unpublished […]
Somehow we’re already one month into 2019 and just days away from the first convention. I, along with most of Crazy 8 Press, will be at Farpoint in lovely Hunt Valley, Maryland. The big thrill for me personally is having the chance tohear and hopefully meet Wallace Shawn. While beloved for his work in The […]
I’ve often spoken of discovering comics when my mother gaveme an issue of Superman (or maybe Action) when I was six. In short order,I began devouring larger-than-life heroes in earnest. Thankfully, DC and Marvelwere able to keep up with my growing appetite and it wasn’t long before myfather convinced me to add actual books to […]
My school year was done at the beginning of June and the students report tomorrow morning for the first classes of the new school year. I’ve been back in the building since last Wednesday and will admit that I was lesson planning in bits and pieces throughout the summer.But it was also a time to […]
In 1981, I was working at Starlog Press and I received a call from my pal Howard Weinstein. He’d just been invited to be a guest at a new show called Shore Leave. It was their third outing and he thought I’d make a good (and cheap) guest, coming down to talk about SF movies […]
At Farpoint in 2017, we were enjoying our usual Crazy 8 Press panel, when somehow the event ended with the team agreeing to write an anthology where every author would find some gruesome way to kill our member Glenn Hauman.You have to understand, we love Glenn. But, he can’t get out of his own way […]
Hard to believe, but it’s already February which also means it’s time for Farpoint. It happens to be a little different this year, their 25th. First, they’ve relocated to the Marriott Hunt Valley Inn (no matter who owns it or what they call it, that’s how we all refer to the venue). Second, it’s a […]
With 2017 winding down, I am taking some time to look back and evaluate what sort of professional year it was.As the year began, I was out of work, seeking a school that wanted me fulltime and subbing most days at St. Vincent Pallotti. March saw me do a four-week stint at New Town High […]
One reason I have failed to write here with more regularity is that I have been busy. Not only am I coming up to speed on teaching in my new environment, but I have been writing as time has permitted, tidying up old and existing projects.As a result, I thought it appropriate to update my […]
Between January and July, I have five different projects coming out, which makes me sound busier than I feel.We had Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone kick off the year to much acclaim and (hopefully) good sales.In March, Sequart’s long awaited Bright Eyes, Ape City: Examining the Planet of the Apes Mythos.Then, […]
I’ve heard good things about the Great Philadelphia Comic-Con so when my pal Phil Guinta arranged for Crazy 8 Press to be invited as guests this year, I jumped at the chance.As it turns out, I will be joined this weekend by Peter David, Aaron, Rosenberg, and Russ Colchamiro instead of the full seven-member team. […]
Hard to believe it’s already mid-February and I’m off to Timonium for my annual visit to Farpoint. While smaller than Shore Leave it is no less fun with a more intimate environment. Fewer guests and fewer fans means more time for extended conversations.I’m really excited to see Nicholas Meyer there since the last time I […]
I like to be busy. There are some stretches where time hangs heavy without an active project, and I find that I procrastinate rather than really use the time for personal projects. That’s certainly one of the reasons I resolved to write a short story a month, something to keep me focused.Then there are days […]
I don’t usually make New Year’s Resolutions, but as I enter 2017 without a fulltime job, I realize I have many hours at my disposal to write, seek out jobs or writing assignments, and write while also waiting for Opportunity to seek me out. So, as 2016 was thankfully on its way out the door, […]
This wasn’t the year I was expecting nor am I in a place I ever imagined for myself at 58 but if I have proven anything over time it’s that I can roll with the punches and keep moving.EducationIn the first part of the year, I watched my hopes for staying at Owings Mills High […]
At the end of ReDeus: Native Lands, several of the recurring characters in our Crazy 8 Press series find themselves in New York City, 2033. All the gods from all the pantheons returned to Earth twenty years earlier. New York City was neutral ground and the United Nations was now a place where the gods […]
I have fallen out of the blogging habit, something I mean to correct starting here.Shore Leave 38 is now a fond memory and as usual, I had a wonderful, albeit tiring, time. The show remains a fixture in the Hunt Valley Inn and it has become a gathering spot for my fellow author, many of […]
Shore Leave 38 kicks off on Friday and it will feel, once more, like a family reunion as I reconnect with my far-flung writing peers and see old friends. The schedule is chock full of panels I want to be on or sit in on, far more than time allows.Barring last minute changes, here’s my […]
I have grown up exploring strange new worlds. The thrill of discovery never grows old and I think that is one of the main reasons why I continue to enjoy writing fiction.While at Farpoint last week, I posted a series of questions to Mike Friedman, getting him to elaborate on the thinking behind life on […]
On the one hand, small shows are great. You have more time to chat with fans or friends, there is less stress on your schedule, and it’s easier to maneuver through the hotel. The flipside, though, is that if you plan on signing and selling a lot of material, your chances diminish. With fewer than […]
If it’s President’s Day weekend, then it must be time for Farpoint. I’ll be back in Timonnium this weekend to see fans, friends, and hopefully sell some books and talk up new projects such as Pangaea.The committee has decided to work me hard so here’s my schedule:FridayFarpoint Book Fair, 10:00-Midnight, Dulaney 1-2SaturdayBob Greenberger, 10:00-11:00 AM, Greenspring […]
One of the most interesting books I’ve read was Medea: Harlan’s World where Harlan Ellison, Jack Williamson, Larry Niven, Frederik Pohl, Thomas Disch, Frank Herbert, Poul Anderson, Theodore Sturgeon, Hal Clement, and Robert Silverberg created their own world. This grew out of a seminar Harlan and company conducted back in the 1970s with the lovely […]
It’s hard to believe that this will the 21st Farpoint convention but I am looking forward to it as I always do. Now that’s its local, it has a slightly different vibe for me and I have kiddingly offered my students extra credit for attending (I’ll be curious who I may actually see there).Meantime, my […]
I miss writing.Sure, I still review at ComicMix and twice a month recommend interesting releases at Westfield Comics, but long-form creative writing is proving incredibly elusive. Of course there’s a good reason for that: school. It is taking up far more time than I expected it to, leaving me more enervated than I thought was […]
I had no idea how I was going to spend my summer at the keyboard. I knew there would be a story for the third ReDeus anthology but beyond that, I was uncertain. Had After Earth succeeded, there was a possibility Mike, Peter, and I would be quickly pressed back into service. Or a pitch […]
There have been all manner of technical issues that kept me off the website last week so this week I’ll be playing catch-up with a bunch of posts.The last time I attended a Balticon, it was primarily so Kate could have lunch with Neil Gaiman (that Deb and I also attended the meal seems entirely […]
Farpoint is the convention that thrived after OctoberTrek and ClipperCon rose and fell. Organized and run by many of the same people, it become a generational con, started by the first generation of Baltimore-area Star trek fans and gradually taken over mostly by the second generation. And now, as the show celebrated its 20th Anniversary […]
Tag: I’m it.Welcome to my first blog hop post. What is a blog hop? It’s a virtual event that helps readers discover new authors. The first author tags five others whose work he or she admires, who each tag five more, who each tag five more, and so on. These memes float around the internet […]
Like you, I’ve been following Kathleen David’s reports on Peter David’s progress since Sunday’s stroke. Now comes the appeal for help, finally something tangible we can all do. She wrote this morning:Even though we have health insurance we have co-pays and the like. And since this stroke fell at the end of the year, we […]
One of the things about digital publishing is that sometimes you hit glitches that can baffle even the finest of mind. Last October, my short story, “A Matter of Faith”, was posted as a $.99 digital short at Nook and Kindle. It sat there like so many other books. But then in January, Nook pushed […]
Shore Leave 34 was very wise and moved out of its traditional July weekend so as not to compete with San Diego Comic-Con for fans and guests. As a result, it will be this coming weekend and I don’t think I’ve had a busier schedule, which is fine by me since I actually have a […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about marketing of late. Over at Crazy 8 Press, we continue to try and figure out how best to get the word our when we have new material to offer. There are five of us with Facebook pages, blogs, and Twitter accounts plus our C8 website and Twitter feed. Still, […]
I have been totally remiss in discussing my lengthy work with peers in creating a brand new universe. No, not the After Earth movie, but something brand new.As many of you know, I am a member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, it says so right on the right side of the page. […]
The nicest thing about Farpoint is just how relaxed a convention it can be. For whatever reason, this weekend was one of the best con experiences I’ve had in a long time. First, the storm that threatened to spoil the show never materialized. Second, the guests had a great time and shared their enthusiasm with […]
The end of the year is a time to take stock, look back and figure out if this was a good year or a bad year. I think, for me, it was a transitional year.I began – and completed – a Master’s Degree program in education. I also did a full year’s internship at Darien […]
With all the focus on school and graduate school, I’ve had all too little to say about my freelance life. All year long, it has taken a back seat to my other obligations but remains a daily constant.This week we should, at long last, send the Animal Planet project for Silver Dragon Books to the […]