Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire Review

If you want to get an MMORPG player passionately riled up, all you have to do is ask their opinion of one of three subjects (or all three—and be prepared to sit there for a bit): microtransactions, automated group finder tools, and mounts. Anyone who’s played any modern MMORPG for a length of time will have strong feelings about all three subjects.

It’s easy to understand why. All three are major game changers and can either dismantle or upgrade the worlds we’re comfortably immersed in. Let’s break it down:

Microtransactions: Let’s see. Do I want to click a couple buttons in a UI window and instantly pay real money to get a super cool item, appearance, or boost that could have been added to the game through other means (thus potentially taking away from the base game’s obtainable items and/or assets)?

Automated group finder tools: How about clicking a couple buttons to not have to communicate with players and instead be instantly and automatically paired with them to do this group activity that was initially created to encourage communication?

Mounts: Mounts look badass and make us feel badass as we’re romping through piles of bad guys on our way to Named Quest Mob #45, but they also act as a highway, letting us pass over and consequently ignore 75% of the world we’re invested in. Flying mounts are an even worse offender.

Year End Review and a Bright Start to 2017

Once-a-year blogs are totally okay, right? Sure, why not!

2017 is newly dawning, but I wanted to take the time to talk about 2016 first. 2016 in a lot of regards wasn't a fantastic year for my family-- especially the first half-- but the last half took a far better turn I'm happy to say.

2017 is looking to be an excellent year. I'm not big on resolutions, but I do have some definite goals I'm planning on achieving in the coming year. First, I wanted to talk about what I accomplished in 2016. Focusing on the positives is essential for looking and planning forward. Despite 2016 having a rough start, I achieved quite a bit.

I was hired for a position that's starting to open a whole lot of doors for me. I'm a digital marketing specialist for Legal InSites. We're a startup company that's had an extraordinary 2016 and have plenty of big plans for the future. I get to be creative, write, manage content, help clients get the word out about their legal practices, and take on some really interesting and challenging projects.

Here's one project I had the pleasure of working on which involved interviewing legal technology vendors and writing a fun article about artificial intelligence. Here's another where I babbled a whole lot about legal writing and the power of storytelling. I love diving into deep projects like these. I also love helping small practice lawyers get to do what they love-- help those in need have a voice.

I'm more confident than I've ever been regarding my writing skills, editing skills, project management skills, and leadership skills. Some projects I take on challenge me like nothing has in the past, and I find myself excited to take on new challenges each and every day. It's awesome.

I've also had my first professional rate short story fiction sale in 2016. It's one of my earlier stories (Trail of Stars) and one of my favorites. It's due to be published in an upcoming POC anthology that will be available in January on Amazon. It's science fiction and space opera-y and all kinds of fun.

I've written more fiction in 2016 than I have in the past couple of years. I haven't written as much as I would have liked to, but I'm happy to say I at least finished one new, large story, started a couple others, and continued submitting stories on a regular basis to professional-paying markets.

I started submitting Captive by the Fog to new markets as well. I've received two rejections thus far, but they've both been near miss rejections and include personal notes. That tells me that I will be able to find a permanent home for the novel if I keep trying. And I will. I'm getting very close.

On a more hobby-related note, I've taken up the reins of raid leader in World of Warcraft this past year. I've been a part of raid teams for years, but I've never actually tried leading. Leading lets me form the type of group I really want to form, plus it lets me bring together friends both new and old (shout out to Ben for the awesome pic edit above-- that's my bear!). We have fun, enjoy a truly cooperative, laid-back atmosphere, and we kick butt without taking the game super seriously. It's win-win for everyone.

It's also satisfying on a personal level. I never thought I could lead, but with the right company, a bit of help from my trusted friends (shout outs to Chantra, Megan, and Chris!), and a bit of courage, I find I do fairly well. Leading vocally also helps me feel less anxious speaking to others which helps in other aspects of my life.

Micah, Jeremy, and I have also started seriously creating indie 8-bit RPGs that we're aiming to place on the market. We're working on our first game with a few friends now. It's called Mender's Strife and will be available for PC and mobile platforms. I'm writing the story/script. I still sometimes wonder why the hell they trust me to write this stuff, but I just have to trust them. Writing a game script has always been one of my bucket list goals. It's awesome getting to see it through.

On that note, I've also made some decent strides in 2016 towards being "unapologetically me" so to speak. I've aimed to surround myself with those who support and care about me for who I already am-- not for some silly umbrella they think I fit under or want me to fit under. No one in the world is like me. I may as well be the best version of myself I can. That's the trend I plan on continuing in 2017.

Good things are to come. I can feel it.

Happy New Year, folks!

A Thanksgiving Update

I suppose I'm overdue for an update (maybe, possibly!). Thanksgiving seemed like a good time to turn some of the thoughts in my head into words as I summarize the past year in my usual list sorta way. The year's not over with, of course, but despite a bit of a slow start and some frustrations in the earlier half, the second half of 2015 has been, well... pretty damn good. Thanks to everyone who's close to me that's made this possible. Most of you know who you are already, but here's a rundown of who and what I'm thankful for this year:

I'm thankful for Debbie and Nana who support me in my writerly endeavors and always have my back even when my freelance jobs don't pay the best or turn out as expected. We ran into a few rough months this year money-wise, but we made it through just like we always do. I'm thankful for the patience you have with me, the strength you both show, and the support you offer in regards to me finding my happiness in all aspects of life. I know I'm not always easy to live with, haha.

I'm thankful for Amber, who's shown me sides of myself I hadn't even realized existed. You've given me the extra boost I've needed, babe, to keep moving forward at times and keep my fiction goals centered in front of my vision. You help ground me. You help remind me that I'm worth fighting for, that my future's worth fighting for, and that my voice deserves to be heard. You give me hope-- in us, and in myself. Thank you so much for making your way into my life.

I'm thankful for all my close friends and family members who continue to be supportive of me and my endeavors. Those who read my short stories and offer feedback, those who are just there to lend an ear when I get kinda mopey at 1 a.m. for no particular good reason (hey, tanking annoyances are srs business at 1 a.m... lol). Special shoutouts to Micah and Cav.

I'm also thankful to my more distant friends and family members who I may not speak to that often, but who I know are still there, always supportive, always keeping an eye on me. Yes, Angel, you'll always be protective of me and love me even with our distance. That fact's a comfort to me. 

I'm grateful to Ryan, Keith, and the rest of the guys at LogicForce Consulting who've given me a pretty great opportunity this year to become the company's person-who-writes-all-the-things even though I don't have a legal degree or tech degree. I'm also thankful for John, my Den of Geek editor, who gives me the opportunity to write about gaming stuff on the weekends and dive into MMOs that I still love even though I don't quite have the time for them I used to.

I'm grateful for my past which has fueled me into the person I am today as well as my future which I hope holds bright things. I'm grateful for hope. I'm grateful for having loved ones to depend on in times of need. I'm grateful for my memories, my health, and for having the opportunity to make each day as meaningful as I can. I'm grateful for continued brave moments and for watching others around me succeed in their dreams.

In short, if you're reading this, there's probably a good chance I'm grateful for you. Thank you. <3 

Oh, and yes, some of you might recognize the header image. That's indeed Ely lake. ;) I stole the pic from Aunt Sandy on Facebook one day.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and may the rest of 2015 and 2016 dawn bright for us all. 

Looking Toward the Sky

It's been a while since I've updated again, but I'm happy to say these past few months have led to a few truly awesome opportunities in my career. We decided to relaunch Junkies Nation last month and I was brought in as the Editor-in-Chief. It's been a while since I've been asked to spread my leadership wings of sorts, but I find I enjoy it immensely. My team of writers is fantastic and I've had the chance to reach out to various game developers which is a new learning experience for me-- but one I'm extremely grateful for.

I'm also able to write my big, long editorials again! I've missed that so. Here's the first I've published. All about WildStar, World of Warcraft, and the need for risk taking in MMORPG development. I have a couple more in the planning stages as well as another editorial that's due to be published in a couple of days (more on that soon!).

I find these long-winded projects tend to be the most satisfying for me. They allow me to dig deep and really sink my teeth into subjects that are near and dear to my heart. I'm still a gamer, obviously, but being able to blend together gaming, thinking about gaming in critical/objective ways, and sharing my thoughts with the community is super satisfying in a way I didn't really imagine was possible.

Here's to life, and all the strange, wonderful turns it takes.

Moving Forward

I know-- this blog has been overdue of an update for a while now. My career's taken a few sharp turns in recent months, and truth be told, I wasn't sure where these bumpy roads would take me. I'm still not sure, but most days I find comfort in the fact that I'm moving forward bit by bit and take it from there. I think that's all we can do at times.

I'm still writing for Rift Junkies and Junkies Nation when I get a chance to do so, but as some of you may have noticed, those chances haven't been that frequently lately. I've been having to spend a great deal of my time looking for copywriting/freelance work wherever I can find it. The good news is that I may have some good news regarding a new client (and a cool site) in a couple of weeks. For now, I'm trying to keep on keepin' on. I did finally add my portfolio link to this site, though!

In the realm of fiction writing, I've actually had a bit of a breakthrough in a side project I recently started. The piece I'm working on will probably end up a novel, but for now it's kind of taking the shape of an erotica-based series of stories. Yeah. Me, erotica, right? My protagonist's kind of like a female version of Indiana Jones but with a bumbling, goofy side. It's an adventure story, but also one embedded in romance and erotic elements. We'll see how it turns out. ;) For now, I'm content with the fact that working on that project soothes me like nothing else quite can.

I'm also in the groundwork phases of a new collaborative fiction project with a friend. It's shaping up pretty nicely. I'll toss out one hint: Outer space!

Oh, one last thing. If anyone's going to be playing The Elder Scrolls Online, lemme know. I'll be playing and writing a few guides along the way.

Giving Thanks... and an Update!

Turns out I'm still pretty awful about this whole "update the blog" thing. Whoops. In hindsight, I also realize that I mentioned writing goals back in January and never actually returned to those goals. Whoops again. 2013 isn't over yet, however, so I'm not going to make this a goal update just yet. You never know what awesome things December will bring! At least, that's my hope.

Instead, I will take a moment to offer out some thanks, because, well, Thanksgiving and all.

First and foremost, I'm thankful for my friends and family members who encourage me, put up with me, and put up with my "3 AM = writing time" oddities. I know I don't quite make it easy. Ever.

I'm thankful to the two dudes behind Junkies Nation/Rift Junkies who gave me a chance what, 3 years ago, now? Time passes so quickly. I was promoted to Senior Editor this year, and we also launched a main portal site that encompasses MMORPGs, console games, and all things lovingly geeky. I get to write lots of editorials and opinion-related columns that dig a little deeper now, and I love it so.

Speaking of which, I'm ever-so-thankful to my friends and family members who have shared and read my articles and short stories. I've had a few brave moments this past year and am discovering that I do have courage in me, after all. I did my first in-person developer interview earlier in the year. It was pretty awesome to come home and have a handful of groupies eagerly awaiting my article. I also got to help an indie game developer create a crafting system for a new browser game we'll be able to play one day.

This year's been pretty monumental in the fact that I've earned roughly three-quarters of my yearly income from writing alone. No, it hasn't always been easy. There were months where I had to write about silly things like rice cookers and party tableware and other odd marketing content to pay the bills, but for the most part I can say I wrote about things I loved and was passionate about (yay for video games!). I haven't wrote nearly as much fiction as I would have liked to this past year, but at the end of the day I can say I earn most of my living doing something I love, and that's something I'm immensely proud of. And no, I have not abandoned my latest fantasy novel project. I will make time for fiction.

I'm also thankful for quite a few poetical-sounding things like the sky above, the ground below, a beautiful dusk, and the chance to begin each day anew. I'm thankful to my parents who raised me to be me, even if that me is sometimes timid and not-too-graceful. My mom and dad live on in me and I'm grateful for that.

I'm thankful for brave moments. I've finally been brave enough this past year to begin making progress toward ending this period of eternally-single-for-seven-plus-years that's a part of me I don't like to admit often. I guess I felt I needed to stabilize my own footwork before getting someone else intertwined and causing the two of us to go toppling over. That's not to say I've made a ton of progress-- yep, I'm still single-- but I'm enjoying getting to know new women, having a few brave moments, and learning more about myself in return.

And last but not least, I'm thankful for hope. Life wouldn't be possible without it.

Happy holidays, everyone! May your days and nights be filled with joy, hope, and a few brave moments.

I'm Penumbra's Rising Talent! Free Short Story - Currents

I have another treat for you all! As most of you know, I've been writing short stories for the past couple of years or so. I've always enjoyed writing short pieces, but since my rediscovery of the Writers of the Future contest and my hop back into the writing world fo' realz™, I decided I needed to seriously sit down and write a new speculative fiction short story every three months in order to submit to the contest every quarter. After all, what did I have to lose? 

Short stories are tough, man. My first couple of stories weren't the best. I was a bit rusty. Plus, you know, I've always been kinda wordy when it comes to writing (hence Captive by the Fog), so writing stuff that was, um, not wordy was hard. 

But I stuck with it, and I'm super glad to say that I've made progress! I've received two Honorable Mentions from the Writers of the Future contest now, which is pretty awesome. The contest is friggen' huge. Aside from submitting the stories to the contest, I've also been slowly getting in the swing of submitting my stories to other professional markets. I haven't had a professional sale yet, but I have had a near-miss, if you will. With benefits!

One of my favorite short stories, "Currents", was picked up by Penumbra as May's Rising Talent story. This is the same story I had quite a bit of help on from fellow WotFers, so I'm happy to have found a home for it. It also was thoroughly enjoyable to write and features one of my favorite things ever to write about-- descriptions of nature. Yep-- it's in the Oceans issue of Penumbra! Water's pretty awesome to describe. 

Okay, enough babbling. Go check the story out for yourself! "Currents" isn't in the May issue of Penumbra, but it is a free read on Penumbra's website. That means you're free to share it with all of your friends if you enjoy the piece.

Go take a look and tell me your thoughts! I start off the story with a brief, uh, babble-fest essay of sorts, as a warning. Just in case you haven't read enough yet. Or something like that.

A Musical Treat for Captive by the Fog Fans

So, as you may or may not be aware, I was originally planning to create a book trailer for the release of Captive by the Fog. The trailer never quite happened due to various reasons (I may still come up with one someday!), but one thing that did result from this idea is something I'm here to eagerly share with you guys.

My awesome friend for many years, Jeremy Jones, also happens to be a music composer. He mostly creates original tracks for indie and fan-made video games, but when I swung my crazy book trailer idea by him and gave him a couple sample chapters of the novel, he decided he was up for the challenge of attempting to compose an original musical track for Captive by the Fog.

What I have for you today is that track. It's an instrumental track that excellently blends together both the tension and constrictive refines found in the early part of the novel with that flicker of candlelight and hope (and romance!) that make up the latter parts of the story. I know, that's a goofy description, but if you've read Captive by the Fog, you're probably well aware that my descriptions can often be goofy. ;)

You can go here to listen to a preview and download it for yourself.

You can listen to the track by using the handy play button or download it. The download price is listed as "Name your price", which means that if you're willing to contribute a little something for the track, you're free to do so. If money's tight (no hard feelings-- I'm there myself), then the track can be downloaded for free.

If you enjoy the track, make sure to take a look at Jeremy's full-length album that's currently available for pre-order. It's entitled Origins, and you can find out more about it here.

Take a listen! Tell me your thoughts. :D I'm extraordinarily pleased with the track. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Oh, and if you still need to pick up a copy of Captive by the Fog, you can do so at Musa Publishing, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Dragonborn

Today I want to welcome a very special guest, Clarissa Johal, who will be chatting a bit about her not-so-secret love for Skyrim. Us writers who are also gamers gotta stick together, right? Slaying dragons FTW! I might be guilty of alt-tabbing in World of Warcraft while posting this, even. Ssh.

***

Dragonborn

by Clarissa Johal

Thank you for hosting me in your blog, Laura!

I’ve decided to disclose a little secret here because I knew you’d understand…I’m addicted to Skyrim.

Yep. The game was given to my younger daughter as a Christmas present last year. Up until then, I had never picked up an Xbox controller, or played anything remotely resembling a video game. Even when games like PacMan were popular in the ‘80s, I never had the inclination to play them because I was too busy partying (yeah, yeah, we won’t go there).

But when my daughter begged me to try her game, I did so willingly because I’m a mom and we do things like that. The moment I picked up the controllers, I knew my trepidation wasn’t unfounded.

I was able to design my character, not a problem, and kind of had fun doing that. But when it came to game play? My Dragonborn was looking at the sky, at her feet, walking into castle walls—basically making a ridiculous fool of herself. Several minutes of that and I was ready to throw my controller across the room. A bit frustrating.

I gave up and watched my 10-year-old play for the next few weeks, but I could tell that I had failed “cool mom” status. Big time.

One day while she was at school, I decided to give Skyrim another go. It took me awhile, but I finally got the controls down and…omg.

When my character found her first awesome sword—I was hooked. Frost trolls in Skyrim? Not a problem—I killed them. As disturbing as that was. A treasure chest full of gold, armor and potions? I stole it all. When Faendal the archer elf offered to be my follower, I snapped him up too.

My girls never completed the game and have moved onto other games since. But, I admit—I’m still hooked. I’ve completed it twice with two different characters, scramble like a little kid to buy the latest DLC, and custom made myself a Skyrim coffee cup that says “Faendal is my Hero.”

My girls won’t be seen with me when I use it.

But I don’t care. I’m the Dragonborn. And Faendal and I will save the world.

My paranormal novel, BETWEEN, was released through Musa Publishing on December 14, 2012. No dragons, but plenty of other paranormal happenings. I hope you’ll check it out.

BETWEEN

by Clarissa Johal

Tagline:

How far would you go to redeem yourself?

Blurb:

As a young girl, Lucinda was able to see spirits, a gift that didn't come without its problems. Now, a dedicated young veterinarian, she is committed to the idea that every life can be saved.

After a devastating accident, Lucinda tries to escape her past by moving to a small town. There, she meets a newcomer and feels an immediate connection with him. But there is another mysterious stranger to the small town, one that stirs within her a mixture of unease and desire.

As Lucinda is drawn into a bitter tug-a-war from the forces around her, she is likewise pulled into a dangerous twist of past and present events. Forced to make difficult choices, she finds that the two men are locked in not only a battle for her life...but a battle for their salvation.

Excerpt:

A young woman stood beside the bed, anguish on her face. She looked vaguely familiar, though Lucinda couldn’t place her. The forgotten colors of her blousy dress had faded into indistinct shades of grey. The woman grasped Lucinda’s hand and pressed a key into it. Lucinda felt the jagged, metal edges pricking her skin. Somewhere in the distance, a car engine roared to life. The woman’s lips moved but the growling engine drowned out all other sound. The sound became louder.

Growling. Darwin was growling.

“Darwin?” Lucinda woke with a start.

The shepherd growled again and hopped off the bed, padding into the living room.

A quiet knock sounded from the front door. Lucinda rolled out of bed to answer it.

Pushing Darwin aside to open the door, she peered sleepily into the moonlit night. A breeze blew across the clearing, stirring the grass. Confused, she shut the door before the breeze could make its way inside.

“Come on back to bed, Darwin. Nobody there.”

As she pulled the blanket up to her chin, the knocking started again.

Lucinda slipped out of bed and walked back into the living room. The sound clearly came from the other side of the door, faint but unmistakable. She slid her hand quietly over the knob. At once, the knocking stopped. Turning the knob slowly, she pulled the door open a crack, heart pounding in her chest.

“Hello?” An icy breeze slipped by her thigh as the scent of ozone assailed her senses. Her heart beat erratically. “Darwin, no!” The dog tried to push past her, growling once more. Rattled, Lucinda closed the door with a bang and locked it.

Lucinda lay in bed and shivered, unable to get warm. A chill slipped under her covers, stealing up her spine. The smell of roses clung to her blanket, the warmth from their scent seemed to be at war with the cold. An hour passed and she finally dropped off to sleep.

For the remainder of the night, the two unseen presences in her room remained at an impasse.

Bio:

Clarissa Johal has worked as a veterinary assistant, zoo-keeper aide and vegetarian chef. Writing has always been her passion. When she’s not listening to the ghosts in her head, she’s dancing or taking photographs of gargoyles.

Clarissa shares her life with her husband, two daughters and every stray animal that darkens the doorstep. One day, she expects that a wayward troll will wander into her yard, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Author website:  http://clarissajohal.com/

Author Blog:  http://clarissajohal.blogspot.com/

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarissa.johal.9

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/ClarissaJohal

Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/klo2jq6

Goals, Thanks, and Flying Penguins

Yes, those are flying penguins. Flapping, rather. In midair, World of Warcraft style. What do they have to do with the new year? Nothing, really. But hey, I thought they were cute.

I used to write a huge journal entry every new year's eve. It was kind of a tradition for me, in which I moped a whole bunch about the past year, and had better hopes for the future year. It was never a resolution type of post, since I'm not a huge fan of resolutions per say, but goals? Sure, I like goals. In retrospect, it was also a tradition to not look back on those journal entries full of goals because I usually never completed them.

2012 has been a little different, I'm happy to announce. I did write up a goal post for the year, but it wasn't quite in the same tradition as my new year's eve posts. Less mopey for one, which was definitely a step in the right direction! I'm also happy to announce that I actually completed all of the goals, and even rose above them. I wanted to finish Captive by the Fog and start submitting it to publishers. I succeeded, and saw it published in the same year. :D

I've been a little quiet on the blog front after Captive by the Fog's release (See? I really am bad about this blogging thing). Part of the silence is due to starting work on a new, big project-- a four part series of novels that will feature a cool host of LGBT characters and a fantasy universe complete with teleportation between multiple worlds. The project's a little ambitious and I have began writing on it, but found myself backtracking a bit in order to do some careful character planning. But fear not, I will journey onward! 

I also wanted to take the time during this new year's celebration to thank some very awesome people who made a difference during the release of Captive by the Fog:

• Clarissa Johal, thank you for the promotion help and for the random email commentary we've been exchanging as you read through Captive by the Fog. I love getting to see your reactions. :D
• Lyman from Gamut, our Guild Wars 2 guild, thank you so much for your awesome comments! Rereading this comment-- "I loved it! It was creepy and fascinating and terrifying and hot in all the right places."-- still makes me grin like an idiot. 
• Thank you to Sandy on Facebook, who approached me out of the blue and asked to be my friend after reading my lil' novel and enjoying it. That seriously made my day. <3
• Special thanks to my sister, Debbie, and her best friend Kim, for devouring Captive by the Fog and sharing plenty of reactions, encouragement, and great feedback!
• Mitch Sanford, thank you for being so awesome and enthusiastic about the joys of being a newbie writer, and for leaving wonderful reviews everywhere!
• Corrii, thank you for being, well, you. ;) For carting me around to see flying penguins, putting up with my half-drunken 4 am babbling, and everything in between.
• And last but not least, thank you to all the people who bought Captive by the Fog or intend on picking it up at some point! You're my unsung heroes.

Now, back to those flying penguins. 2013 is looking to be a decent year so far, and I hope I'm able to pull off what I've got planned. I don't have my goals for the year written up yet, but within the next month I'll probably be able to figure some things out and do just that.

Penguins aren't supposed to fly, and it sometimes seems just as hard to make a living off this writerly stuff. I've still got a ways to go, but with some luck and a little persistence-- I'll try my best to spread these wings and take flight. I'll never match the cuteness of a flying penguin, but hey, that's fine by me!

Captive by the Fog Released Today!

Yep-- today's the day! Captive's diving off into the unknown. :D It's hard to believe that little over a year ago, I often thought I'd never get any fiction published-- yet here I stand. Or rather, it stands. Looking all pretty and foggy-like. Parts of it really wrote itself, after all. It's all rather amazing.

I know I promised a book trailer, and I'm still working on making one, but it'll be a wee bit late for the launch of Captive, unfortunately. But don't worry! It'll still be awesome. Or so I hope, anyway.

This past week, I've been appearing on some awesome folks' blogs. I blabbed a bit, talked about Captive a bit. It was fun! At Clarissa Johal's blog, I babbled a bit about the stark contrasts often made in speculative and paranormal fiction, why I think they help those genres resonate with us as readers, and what types of contrasts I tossed in Captive by the Fog.

I also took part in my imprint's blog, Erato, and babbled about myself. If you've ever wanted to know some really goofy things about me, take a peak. As a bonus, I also talked about my next project I'm working on! Well, going to work on. Yeah. I've decided to try NaNo again this year. Eek.

Published today, I also babbled on Musa Publishing's blog. I took on the infamous "write what you know" statement that got me into so much trouble in college, and hopefully made some sense with what I came up with.

With all that babbling out of the way, I know you want more, right? Fear not! Captive's awaiting:

Captive by the Fog

That link goes to the buy link on Musa's site. It should be up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble soon-ish, but I strongly encourage folks to check out Musa's site and order it directly that way if it's not too much trouble. Why? My editors, cover artist, and I get paid a teeny bit more that way, due to third-party retailers charging publishing fees. Love to read? Support your writerly team!

Musa also sends you a nifty gift certificate when you sign up for the first time (check your email's spam folder if you can't find it the first time-- mine was hiding there), so it's worthwhile to do so just for that. Technically, you can get Captive for free that way!

If you're having trouble figuring out what ebook format you need to purchase, check out this guide on Musa's site. My non-technical guide may also help:

• If you have a Kindle, you want PRC. Nook? ePUB. You'll need to transfer the file over via USB cable.
• If you're using a smartphone and have a big enough screen to enjoy reading on it, you probably want ePUB, as I'm fairly certain that works for both Android and Apple phones. To view an ebook on a smartphone, you'll need to download a free app. I personally use Nook's, which can be found in both the app center or on Barnes and Noble's site. After which, you'll need to transfer the file over to your phone with either the USB cord or through email or whatever. 
• If you're going to be reading it from a computer, you have three choices-- you can either download the free Nook program (Barnes and Noble's site has it), download the free Kindle program (on Amazon), or use your free Adobe Reader program to view the PDF version. Most PCs come with a PDF reader of some type. Oh, and as a warning, I linked the reader versions for Windows. Both sites have Mac versions as well.
• You'll generally have to place the file in a certain folder in order for the program to register it (except for PDF). This folder is usually pretty obvious, and will read "ebooks" or some such. If you have any questions, you can try checking out the FAQs of whatever program you choose, or if in doubt-- poke me. I'm not expert, but I'll help the best I can! 

 All that said, please enjoy Captive if you do check it out, and remember to leave me feedback in one form or another (even if it's angry!). If you have questions, feel free to ask those, too! I love feedback, and since I do plan on making a serious go of this writer stuff, I need all the feedback I can get. I may be a nub now, but I hope to always improve.

There's a lot of... well, me, in Captive, and I'm sure you'll figure that out as you read along! I'd love some reviews if anyone's willing to share their comments publicly. Leaving a review on Musa's site or at Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes and Noble is a great way to get the word out on my little book. And yes, get the word out if you'd like to. Tell your friends, etc. I won't discourage that in the least!

Happy reading! And... go, Captive, go!

Finalized Blurg, Tagline, and Excerpt!

Sam is caught in a life she can't escape as the caretaker for her terminally ill homophobic father, but what she wants more than anything is to find the courage to escape and live her own life.

One fog-filled evening, Sam, her father, and a group of strangers are captured by beings from another world. Held prisoner by this mysterious race, the band struggles to hold on to the hope of freedom.

As Sam finds herself unexpectedly falling into a leadership role, she also falls for the shy smile of fellow prisoner Kisana. But as freedom continues to slip beyond the reach of their prison, the group must find the strength to carry on, maintain their humanity, and most of all—survive.


Excerpt: 


I needed a better look. I headed into the living room and to the front door. To my surprise, the door was wide open and the couch empty. I sprinted out the door and found my father sprawled out on the ground, half of his body on the sidewalk, the other half on the stairs.

“Dad!” I yelled, “What the hell are you doing? What’d you do, fall off the stairs?” I bent down to help him up, and then realized he wasn’t looking in my direction. He was frozen in place, staring directly at the sky. I followed his gaze, and I too, froze. My heart leapt inside my chest, scrambling to escape.

A huge, metallic, disc-shaped object hovered in the foggy darkness above the grass of a nearby park. Round portholes on the sides emitted silver beams of light that screamed soundlessly into the fog. Three large metal beams extended from the base and onto the ground. Landing pads. I didn’t see a door. Yet.

My breath caught in my throat. My vision almost glazed over, and I had an overwhelming desire to run and escape my body and what I was witnessing. 
“I—it…c-can’t b-be…It’s…It’s a…UFO…” The words tumbled out of my mouth, rolling over themselves like a rock slide.

I averted my eyes from the object, and saw my neighbors all out on their front doorsteps. Their eyes and bodies were rigid as they stared up at the spacecraft. Some were in their robes and pajamas. One woman two doors down lay in the grass after having fainted, her hair in curlers. 

Bruce still hadn’t moved or uttered a word. He swallowed hard and gave me a quick, terrified glance. His mouth gaped open as he attempted to find words. There were none to be found, and his jaw shook with tremors. His frail frame shuddered beneath my hands, and my insides felt just as shaky.

My gaze drifted back toward the spacecraft, almost in slow motion. My mind tried to force my body to look away as if I were watching a horror movie, and the zombie was about to jump out of the shadows. A garage door-sized hull opened on one side of the UFO, and a large, metallic cube floated out. It was about the size of an RV, but had no windows or wheels. Instead, it had discs on the bottom that emitted blue beams of light down toward the ground. It hovered in the air through the power of that light. A single huge, mechanical arm extended from the front, and next to the arm were two mechanical jaws clenched shut. It reminded me of a trash truck—only sterile, alien, glistening, and unquestionably life-threatening. 

The door on the UFO snapped shut, and the smaller craft rotated toward us. It began to whirr, creating the revving noise I had heard. I could see what looked like a spotlight on the very front of the mechanical jaws. It twisted around and sent forward a bright beam of yellow light that cut through the fog like a knife slicing butter. The fog had little choice but to disappear in its path.


In order to survive, a prisoner must confront the darkness or crumble with the world around her.

Captive by the Fog

October 26 2012

And We Have a Winner!

I know-- I'm a bit slow with the news, but I went out of town this past weekend to meet up with a good friend and cause some early Halloween mayhem at Knott's Berry Farm. Much fun was had! And now for the big news: Congratulations to Cia Nordwell for winning Captive by the Fog's Musa anniversary giveaway!

Yep, that was my grand ol' method of choosing a winner. I love dice. I collect dice. So, why not put them to good use?

Cia, I'll be sending you an email! Everyone else who entered, thank you for entering, and for the comments and well wishes about Captive's release. The weeks are counting down, and it's exciting to have friends and fellow readers and writers along for the ride!

Oh, and for the news about the winner of the Kindle (though you probably know already!), check out this page.

Happy Birthday, Musa!

One year ago, Musa Publishing was just finding its way into the wide, wide world of e-publishing. The folks in charge were (and still are!) talented individuals, with experience, writerly know-how, and a whole bunch of ambition. They then opened their arms to us loonies-- er, writers, and what do you know-- it's now Musa's first anniversary, and our books are a force to be reckoned with.

Well, everyone else's, anyway. Mine hasn't been released yet, but it will be soon! How soon, you ask? October 26th soon! Before I tell you about my soon-to-be-released novel, let me babble a bit more about Musa, and why, to me, their books are a step above.

My reasoning is simple-- Musa takes chances. Captive by the Fog, my debut novel, wouldn't be readying to dive into the reader universe if it weren't for Musa. The novel deals with an odd mixture of subjects, including but not limited to: aliens (yep, have a spoiler-- free of charge!), grief, friendship, self-esteem, LGBT issues, illness, disability, creativity, love, happiness, desperation, dreams, captivity, and more that my readers may hopefully one day point out to me. And ALIENS. Did I mention that?

Now, when I first began pitching around my synopsis (which looked far different from my current blurb), the reactions I received were, well, odd. I think most folks thought I was crazy. And hell, maybe I am. But I honestly don't think many publishers would have given my goofy-sounding novel a chance, let alone read the entire thing. People need to take chances to see the true bounds of happiness. Books need to take chances.

Lesbian science fiction and fantasy is a rare breed. And I intent on helping to change that. Musa was that first step.

Seriously, take a look at some of the excerpts and blurbs for the books listed under Musa. Musa takes chances. And for that, I wish them years and years of good luck and hawt books. Okay. Back to Captive, and the reason you're probably here-- phat loots (yes, I'm a gamer-- I'm all about the shinies).

Captive by the Fog

Earth has been captured by an alien species, and one prisoner, Sam, must confront the darkness as well as her own dreams-- or watch the city crumble.

Release date: October 26, 2012

Genre: Modern day science fiction, LGBT

Formats: All popular E-book formats


Here's a not-so-final version of the blurb:


Sam feels like a prisoner within her life until one foggy evening, when she is captured by beings from another world along with a group of strangers. As they are held within San Francisco, Sam and her fellow captives are told they are under surveillance, and that in order to survive, they must trust these creatures who won't show themselves. 

The group has no choice but to do so, and cling to the tiny pieces that make them human--hope, curiosity, courage, and love. Sam befriends Kisana, a shy woman with a captivating smile, and despite the harsh conditions, they find strength in one another--and love. Both are needed when Sam begins experiencing strange, prophetic dreams about the city around them being blown apart.
 
Will love--along with the power of Sam's foretelling dreams--be enough to ensure their survival after the fragile trust with the aliens is shattered, the city falls, and the fog of desperation rolls in?


See more information about Captive, including a rather long excerpt (which may still change), here. 

Now, for the blog hop details. Since my release date isn't until October 26th, I'm going to be promising a copy of Captive to the winner of my hop. That copy won't be delivered until October 26th, unfortunately, but the second I'm able to grab a copy, I'll send it in an email!

Don't also forget, of course, that by posting a comment to this blog post, you'll be entered to win our awesome grand prize-- a Kindle Fire!

To enter the Captive by the Fog Musa Anniversary giveaway, please do the following:

• Include a comment with your email
• Do ONE of the following: Follow this blog (check the sidebar on the right), or follow me on Twitter. 
• If you've already done both, no worries, just toss me a comment and your email. I'll know who you are! :D 

As the weeks to Captive's release count down, I'll be providing as many updates as I can! I also have a Facebook page, which you're welcome to check out and friend me on.

Thanks for stopping by! To get back to the original Musa Anniversary Blog Hop page, go here. Alternatively, here's the full list of participating blogs:

Captive by the Fog Cover Reveal!

Huzzah! This is the cover for my debut novel, Captive by the Fog, due out October 26th. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Pretty nifty, eh? I'm pretty dang happy with it. In the information I provided the artist, Kelly Shorten, with, I just kinda babbled about the San Francisco skyline, ruins, fog, a lamppost, and a whitish/blueish technological "sheen"... and well-- wow, major props to her for somehow being able to decipher my random items and come up with this. The color scheme's exactly what I'd imagined!

I'm finished with Captive's edits (special thanks to Megan Embry, my fantastic editor who somehow put up with my noobness!), and am now heading into the final stretch before publication. I've got some nifty Captive-inspired projects in the works, including a book trailer, an amazing instrumental song composed by my awesomely-talented friend, Jeremy Jones, and a slew of guest blogs that I'll be babbling on-- er, appearing on-- as the countdown to October 26th nears. 

I'm also going to be taking part in Musa Publishing's 1st Anniversary Blog Hop, which is starting in October. I'll be giving away a free digital copy of Captive by the Fog during the blog hop, but since my release date's after the hop ends, it'll pop up in the winner's email box when the novel is released. Think of it as a pre-order, but free! Expect to see more information on the blog hop this coming Sunday.

In the meantime... huzzah x2!

Journeying Into a Writer's World - One Year Later

I'm not normally one to talk about myself. I'm not sure if my random seven and a half Twitter followers know anything about me. I think most of my family members and Facebook friends see me as a weird, quiet reader who plays video games and kind of leave it at that. It's all true, of course. I am quiet, and generally content observing and listening. I am weird, but not as a result of my quiet nature. I'm just me-- at times goofy, eccentric, and nerdy, yet oftentimes lost inside my own head. I am, of course, a reader and gamer.

And I am also a writer. This part still causes me to blink a bit, which is odd, really, when you consider the fact that I have a B.A. in English. I've been writing since middle school, yet not consistently, and not professionally, until July of 2011. Now, at age 30, more than a year later, I finally have the confidence to say, "Yep, I'm a writer." There are a lot of reasons behind both my natural position of disbelief and my late-in-life acceptance. For me to explain those reasons... well, you're going to have to put up with a bit of my blabbing.

The years following my time spent at U.C. Davis were a bit unusual from the normal 22 year-old career-aspiring graduate. I didn't spend them frantically job-hunting or searching for internships. I didn't concentrate on my writing career at all. Or any career, for that matter. I didn't fall in love and get married. I spent them taking care of my mother-- the most kind and generous woman ever to have graced my life-- until she passed away in 2007.

Less than a year after that I also found myself burying my father, who died of cancer after I spent his last month with him as we watched old black and white Westerns stream across his television set. It was just him and I and the outrageously terrible medical care he received, even as a former Vet. I don't regret a minute of the time I spent taking care of both my parents during their final days, but let me tell you-- that year, and the following years-- were the darkest in my entire life, and will always be.

It took me until July 2011 to finally have the courage to face the world outside my grief-colored box and remember what the hell it was I wanted out of my time on this planet. If it weren't for my three lifelines-- my sister Debbie and my friends Angel and Chris Kyler-- I may never have braved the sunlight.

 

Now, my journey back to the world of the living-- and writing-- was kind of ironic, in a sense. I took my love for getting lost in video games and MMORPG worlds and finally... did something with that passion. I saw an ad and offered to become a writer on a popular RIFT fansite, Rift Junkies. The position was paid. I doubted myself for days, and was sure I'd be no good, yet I tossed out the application anyway. And somehow my editor had faith in me. And still does more than a year later.

I've since gone on to become a writer on multiple sites within the same network. I toss out new content between the three sites on a 5-night-a-week basis. My editor offers me all the freedom I could ever want, and along with that freedom, the job has given me one very precious gift-- confidence. That's not to say I, uh, am truly confident yet. I still struggle with confidences issues daily, but I am on the mend.

During the past year, that confidence gave me a glimmer of hope, and with that glimmer, I reached out and grasped my true writerly passion-- fiction writing. I've finished one novel, fully edited it, and had it accepted at Musa Publishing. I've also written about five short stories, four of which are currently circling the speculative short fiction market. I have quite familiarized myself with the concept of a form rejection this year, and I've yet to have a short story accepted for publication, but hey-- I'm on the mend.

Captive by the Fog, my upcoming novel, will be released October 26, and I'm excitedly awaiting its high dive jump into the wide, open world. A huge part of me rests in between the pages of Captive along with a large host of goofy characters, an alien species, a blossoming lesbian romance, and an encompassing hope for freedom. For those of you who plan on picking it up, I hope you enjoy the leap.

In the months to come, expect some pretty cool updates about Captive. In the meantime, I've got some more journeying to do, and I hope everyone who reads this has their own journeys to continue, begin, or lovingly recall (or all three!). Remember, the journey is everything. And yep-- everyone better have a Journey song in their head right now (A Jerry Maguire song's acceptable, too).

Featured Musa Book: Day Dreamer by Devin Hodgins

In the spirit of learning all things awesome about my fellow Musa authors (Wut? I'm an author? Oh... right! One day it'll hit me. One day!), I'm going to be starting a monthly feature of some of the fantastic Musa books I've been reading. Yeah, just when I didn't think I had enough to read, I discovered there's actually quite a cool collection of fantasy and sci-fi goodies by Musa authors!

First up, "Day Dreamer" by Devin Hodgins!

                                                       

I was awarded "Day Dreamer" in my first-ever meandering during a Musa blog hop last month (which was pretty nifty, by the way). It's not a full novel, but rather, a novella. Perfect for a quick read, and priced at just 99 cents. The true genre of "Day Dreamer" is a bit two-fold, I thought. It definitely has a speculative fiction edge, but that edge is curved, wrapped around the mysticism that accompanies nighttime dreams, which are interestingly enough, a blend of reality and fantasy.

The dreams themselves, which in "Day Dreamer" are brought into daylight and propel the story forward, encompass the main character's entire, young life. Through his dreams, a very realistic and thought-provoking story about two characters who share a resonating and artistic bond forms. I refuse to go into spoilers! You'll just have to read it for yourself!

All this becomes quite interesting when you consider how short the book is. I definitely felt like I wanted more-- yet I was still satisfied by the scope of the story-- which to me, personally, is a trademark of great short fiction. And hey, short fiction's damn hard to write (I say as I scowl at my pile of short stories that have awarded me with quite a stack of market rejections).

The prose in this novella has a very natural, dream-esque flow to it, which heightened the themes of the story for me. The descriptions are beautiful and sensory. Devin Hodgins, the author, told me that for him, "Day Dreamer" was a different sort of tale to write, and that struck me as very interesting. As writers, when we dive off into the unknown, that's sometimes where our best ideas come from.

Enough prattling from me, though! Check out Devin's website for more information about the author and his current projects. For more information about "Day Dreamer," make sure and check out its page on Musa Publishing's site.

Oh, and hey, for other Musa authors out there that foray into science fiction, fantasy, GLBT fiction, and other regions of speculative fiction, if you'd like me to give your book a read and babble about it a bit, let me know here, on Facebook, or on Twitter. I'll buy the books, of course! I'm currently looking for new reading material. :D

(And yeah, yeah, I'm also due for an update about Captive and my other writing goodies! I'll update you guys soon, I promise!)

Big news! I uh, guess I'm an author now?

Oh, yeah, new site design, too! Finally got tired of the kinda-customized, default mountain-looking design. So now I made a slightly-more customized, weirdo star-themed design. I hope you like green.

Um, right. You're probably still wondering what I meant by the title. See the little "author" word in my banner? Yeah, that's right. Captive by the Fog, the novel I finished a couple months ago, is getting published! It tied for second place in the contest, which granted me a contract.

I actually heard the news a couple weeks ago, but was waiting to find out more details before I made a big announcement. It will be published through Musa Publishing, and will be published in e-book form. I signed the contract, and am now waiting to begin the editing process. I was told they're looking to release Captive during late October of this year, but that may change.

Exciting news! I'm still not completely sure I believe it, sometimes. I'd been throwing around short stories, thinking that if one of those hit a wall and stuck to it, that I'd maybe have a shot at one day stepping up to novels. But uh, seems the novel stuck first... the goofy LGBT alien novel based on a really silly dream about my dad, San Francisco, a hot girl, and well, aliens. This just in-- I'm going to be really bad at promoting this thing...

But yeah. That's my big news. The folks at Musa seem pretty awesome, so far, and I'm looking forward to digging my heels in the experience, and finding out about all the work that goes into publishing a book. I'm really looking forward to the editing process. Since I haven't had much exposure to professional critiques or editing, I'll finally be able to learn a few things about what I need to improve on. And well, that's important. I'm not done yet. Not by a long shot.

My next big project is already taking shape, in fact. I'm going to finally novelize the world that Quest was based on. What's Quest, you say? The fantasy world my friend, Heather, and I created back in high school. Originally, it was kinda based on a bunch of various books and sci-fi shows we loved, but as the world grew, and I realized I liked to write stuff, I started making Quest its own universe. And yeah, shaddup-- I know the name's silly. It's not staying!

It will probably take the shape of at least a four-part series of novels. I have the first two books loosely plotted out, and hope to start the first soon. Its tentative name is Wardens of Wandering, but that may change later down the road. It'll be awesome seeing the unique host of characters come to life.

I'm still planning on continuing submitting stories to WotF quarterly, but other than that, I think my focus will remain on these novels. Novels may definitely be my forte. I've always found it easier to work on longer pieces-- projects if you will. I love the idea of sinking down into the process of extensive world building, involved character subplots, and all that jazz.

Anywho, that's my update. I'm gonna be a published author! I'll keep everyone updated on Captive's progress!

Hay Look, a Novel

Been a while since I've updated. Luckily, it's been a busy March, and I feel like I've made some good writerly progress during it.

I submitted three things at the end of the month. One was my 2nd quarter WotF submission. Fun little story to write. I'm not entirely sure how it'll do as far as the contest goes, but I'm honestly not stressing it. I know it's a decent piece, and may have a home elsewhere.

I also dug out an old, old story of mine from college, reedited major parts of it, and sent it off to a small press-type anthology. I'm not entirely sure how that piece will do, either, but I'd really love to find a home for it. It was my first fiction piece I wrote after coming out as bisexual, and features an interesting mix of a raw coming out story and an edgy, kinda experimental narrative structure. The narrative structure by itself may make it a hard piece to sell, but eh, I'm gonna try a bit. I have a few other markets in mind, too, if it doesn't fly for this one.

My novel, Captive by the Fog, also finally got finished. Yes, finished. Big news, I know! After a year and a half of randomly chucking it aside, then turning back to it and furiously editing, yet leaving off the end unfinished... I finally finished the dang thing. Luckily, thanks to my half-year spent editing the first three-quarters, it didn't need much polishing after it was complete.

One of the small publishers I've had my eye on held a fiction contest for their LGBT imprint, and that, well, that was the reason I finally buckled down and decided to finish it. I think deadlines are good for me. That really isn't too surprising, though, considering the rate I used to write essays/stories during college... BREAK-NECK LAST MINUTE 3 AM WRITING, GOOOOOO. Sigh. Some things never change!

Anyways, the contest will have two rounds. First round, the public gets to cast votes on our queries. Second round, the five queries with the most votes get to submit their full manuscripts to the editors. Those are judged by the editors, and results are given. The top three get published. I figured what the hell. If anything, it'll give me a good reason to finish the dang thing. And so it did.

Voting is currently underway, and will continue until the end of this week. Feel free to check out my query, the contest, and vote for it here. Thank you so much if you decide to vote!

I have a couple projects in mind for April, too. I kinda like this whole projects with deadlines thing... It's working.

BioWare, SWTOR, and Same-Gender Content

Wanted to pop in and briefly plug my latest Star Wars: The Old Republic editorial. It's about one of those close to home subjects for me - LGBT content in video games. There isn't much of it out there unfortunately, so when BioWare announced that same-gender companion romances werre going to be featured in SWTOR, it was exciting. Then it... wasn't placed in the game for release. Instead, BioWare promised to add the content in a post-launch update.

Now it's, well, post-launch, and the community hasn't received an update. In my editorial, I go a bit into the matter, and discuss ideas in which the content can be added. I also talk discuss some of BioWare's other games that feature same-gender content.

Anywho, if you're into gaming at all, check it out!

Here's the link to it: Patiently Waiting for Same-Gender Content