BANK ON IT! SOLD!

The short story I wrote for Eric Flint's 1632 e-magazine, The Grantville Gazette, has been accepted for publication. The story is titled Bank On It, a teaser for which is now up on the website.

I am blown away by how quickly things moved on this. It took a while to finish the story, if only because my knowledge of chemistry was not sufficient to move the plot along. But I finished it two weeks ago and now it's a done deal.

I am over the moon that this has happened. It's no novel, but it is getting paid for the written product of my mind, something I've wanted since I was 10 years old and first understood where all the books I loved came from. While I've been published for game modules and adventures, this is fiction, flat out, and that's a whole 'nother level of process.

I am very blessed to have friends who gave encouragement and guidance, for me as an individual and for the story in particular.  Thanks to: Chuck, Mark, Rob, Rick, Alistair, and most especially Alan, who, a few years ago, saw that a beat man might have more skills than those necessary to walk a beat. It was you that gave me that first glimmer of hope, that first spark of confidence. Thank you.

I hope you will read and enjoy the tale, and hope to write many more that see publication.

An End

So, last weekend I was running my Greedy Little Bastards campaign with a number of friends. As a life-long GM, I am pretty good at running a fair and fun night, else I would have no one willing to play in my particular sandbox.

That being said, I lost patience with one of the players and barked out a warning that I was tired, worked very hard to run a game all the players could enjoy, and that effort required respect, so please just comply with my ruling. After the below events, I checked in with the other players and the consensus appears that my ruling did not seem to warrant argument from the player.

I do not wish to detract from the fact that I shouldn't have shouted. That was improper and I regret it.

The player quit, then sent text after text to me for the next four hours, telling me my motives for treating him inappropriately. At the end, he told me that he was removing me from all his social media. I told him I felt that was a shame, that making such decisions at 0330 in the AM might lead to regret.

I regret his action. I regret losing my temper and shouting. Twenty-eight years seems a long time to simply toss in the dustbin over a disagreement regarding a game.

I have a number of buts I might place in here, but such would detract from what I am apologizing for.

I hope that there will come a day when we might say something like this to one another and to others:

Black Dogs, Great Friends

You faithful few know I've had some bad news of late. Not terrible, world-ending, I cannot go on-type news, just bad. On getting such news in the past, I have been known to let the black dogs in, that I might wallow in my self-pity with them.

This time was different. I have some problems, sure, but I also have a great kid, solid marriage and a job. Many cannot say that. Many are dealing with the rending torture of lives truly gone sideways. I recognized my bad news for what it was: something to be dealt with and processed.

Besides, after complaining about how long it took for the dish to be served, I can't very well send it back for being undercooked, can I?

Helping me through all this was the fact I also had some friends really come through for me; some with inspiring words, others with favors that have confirmed what I have long thought to be true; you just can't get through the challenges of life alone.

Peter V Brett, on hearing of the rejection, said, "It isn't over until you quit."

How very, very true.

No quitting here. Not now. Not ever.

On with the show.

Gee, But I Do Need My Friends

Battery charged and writing beast motivated, thanks to my friends:

RobN for his email last week and RobH with his call today! God, but the writing room of my mind isn't as dark as it has been for the last two months.

Thanks so very much!

Another Set of Signs I Have Great Friends

Got an email from a buddy last night. He's read through much of The Last Captain and had some great feedback. I needed the kick in the ass his letter gave me, not because he had lots of corrections, but because he was on it, doing exactly what I'd asked; finding those consistency errors. What's more, he was enthusiastic about the story and characters. This was quite a relief to me, and while the book isn't done, it has renewed my enthusiasm for it.

Then, this morning, I had an email from another friend, this one inviting me to a meal at one of the nation's finest restaraunts. Arriving out of the blue, as it did, I was suprised and very pleased at the invite. My reply was coarse and tongue-in-cheek, but the insecure writer in me couldn't just accept without trying to cover how very touched I am to be invited to dine with him.

As I've said before, I have greater friends than I deserve.

More Ick

Now I am taking horse-sized antibiotics for my sinus/upper respritory infection. I am tired of being sick. Really.

In other news: Kate Beckinsale is hot in leather and latex. Really, really hot.

In still more news: I got some writing done, both for The Last Captain and for Twilight 2013. Really.

And now for something completely different: I have played roleplaying games for 26 years now. Usually as a GM, running things, telling stories with a group of friends. It was and remains one of the easiest means of release for my creative energies. It is also cheaper and safer than drinking and hitting strip clubs, two other ways I could be spending time with buddies.

These players are my buddies. Most of the group has been sharing stories with me for five years now, one played with me in Geneva, where we met. Like a well-oiled team, they tackle most of what I put out there and add to it immeasurably. They are high-speed low drag roleplayers, able to take on most any challenge.

Just before the advent of the 2013 writing gig, I changed the group over to that system and started to run a campaign set in the Sierra Nevada. It is a slick system, but a bit numbers- and realism- heavy for some of my players.

I had been tired of playing Dark Heresy and Warhammer, as the games required a bit more mental work preparing than Twilight 2013. I am intimately familar with all three settings, it was just getting hard to find something that entertained me and was relatively new for my players in Dark Heresy or Warhammer.

I was slowing down, not feeling very motivated, and working hard on my second novel.

At any rate, I switched us from Dark Heresy to Twilight 2013. I didn't ask the guys, I just did it. Eventually it became apparent that some of the players were dissatisfied with the change. With only one night every few weeks to play, some of the players rebelled. One up and straight up told me he wasn't going to play in my group again. The others slowed their responses, begging off and generally not putting in quite as much time with the group. It left me nonplussed, I had some players enjoying the game I was running, and some new blood joined us, filling in the vacancy left by the one player that left.

Today I had a good talk with one of my player friends. He told me what was up. I came to a few realizations from what he told me:

It is about friends and fun. Enthusiastic players and good friends make for fun games.

So it's back to Dark Heresy and catering to my players, to have more fun.

Really.

The Oral Board

Well, the second oral board examination of my career is in the bag.

I started the day with many concerns, not least of which was the ICK I have been fighting for the last week and how it might prevent me from thinking and responding clearly to the board's questions. I felt like anyone who is rung from a cold medication-induced slumber by the alarm. Clogged nostrils took some time to clear, my brain even longer. I flogged ny brain to figure out where I was, let alone what I was doing there. When I recalled I was sleeping apart in a belated attempt to avoid infecting everyone, I cursed my luck and lamented the fact that I was not healthy for the exam.

I dragged myself through my morning routine, eventually getting on the road.

Being one who has a desperate desire to never appear late to any function, I showed up two hours early. The group that was to take the exam before me went up to perform for their individual interrogators.

A few minutes later a woman who works for the county Department of Human Resources came down and asked me if I was there to take the exam. I nodded, to which she asked if I wanted to take it early.

"Sure," I replied.

I won't bore you all with the rigamarole we had to go through, but suffice to say we are read the riot act and some additional information, and then have to sign away our rights with regard to talking about he test during the testing phases ("First rule of Fight Club" and all that.) Then we get a packet that includes a fictitious officer's background and a report completed by the officer in question. There are glaring deficiencies in the report and additional ones in the officer's performance and background. We are then given a half hour to write out and plan a strategy to answer the eight questions of the board. We don't know the questions, though my study partner and I had a pretty good idea what they would be.

Well now, those of you who have slavishly read this blog will know that I had some friends over to help me with a mock board. The board was very useful in making sure we shored up our weak points and were aware of what we needed to work on. In keeping with the theory that one must train how one works, the mock board had given us sample fictitous officer's backgrounds and a report.

Long story short, my fictitious officer for the board and the one from my mock board were the exact same fucking guy! I had to bite my lip to keep from swearing at my good fortune when I read the officer's background! It was a tremendous boost to my confidence going in, knowing that I had already answered and been critiqued by some pretty impressive minds on what I should do with regard to this officer's performance.

So, I cranked out my notes and spent the half hour making sure I got everything necessary ready.

Then I go before the board, which ends up being an older white southern gentleman and an african american fellow perhaps a few years older than I.

I actually got both to smile and nod at the appropriate points in my disertation and responses to their questions. When not smiling and nodding at me, they spent the entire twenty-two minutes I hoarsely communicated my strategy for improving officer Kirkland's performance either scribbling rapidly or checking off boxes.

Long story short: I did the very best I possibly could. Now it's just a matter of whether they were as easy to please for the others they assessed (The dreaded curve) or I was sufficiently good on the day to get a stand-out score.

Again, thanks to my friends, I actually gave a hugely better impression than I would have otherwise.

I am insanely lucky in my friends.

A Few of My Amazing Amigos

Well, I am on the verge of my first paid writing gig. A friend hooked me up with both an introduction and a personal vouchsafe for my ability, rather unexpectedly.

I could not be more excited, and am chomping at the bit to engage in the project. This friend offered to get me into touch with the gentleman who needs a writer out of the blue, and without my prompting him. We will call this guy, a police officer with another agency, Amazing Amigo #3.

I am also in the final preparation phase for the Sergeant's oral exam. In order to best prepare, I decided to get some amigos together to form a panel and coduct as realistic an oral board as we could create.

I wrote a gentleman I know from Black Diamond Games and several conversations we had there. I asked him to be a panelist knowing he's a Lieutenant in another department. Most of the boards we will be reviewed by will be formed of Lieutenants from outside departments. He graciously agreed. Come to find out, he teaches and was directly involved in many similar processes for his own department. Amazing Amigo #2.

Amazing Amigo #3 also arranged, at cost to his previously-alloted family time, to participate on the mock board.

Black Diamond Games has been a nexus for me in my hobby and social life, and the owner-operator, Gary, has been a touchstone since he opened his store 5 or so years ago? Amazing Amigo #4

Amazing Amigo #1 is the guy who has been playing with me for years, who put me in touch with Amazing Amigo #3, and who has been very supportive of me and is generally an amazing guy. He also set aside other obligations to help me out.

Thanks, amigos!