There must be something in the air today. Paizo (which publishes Dragon and Dungeon magazines, among other endeavors) would like your input on a survey too.
Keillor Nails It
Garrison Keillor (of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion) hits the nail straight on the head when he says “Writers, Quit Whining.” If anyone out there catches me complaining about what I do for a living, feel free to give me the metaphorical smack upside the head.
Even on its worst days, writing novels and creating games makes me one of the luckiest people around. That’s not meant as a boast but an expression of gratitude. Many thanks to all of you who buy my games and books and make it possible for me to make a living at this wild and crazy excuse for a career. I couldn’t do it without you!
These Are a Few of My Favorite Games
The fine folks at Pelgrane Press have compiled a list of game designers’ favorite, underrated roleplaying games. Simon Rogers (of ProFantasy Software fame) is kind enough to name-check me near the top, but you’ll have to scroll down a bit to find my answer to his question.
Survey Says?
GAMA needs your help. In partnership with Ohio State and the Wargamer, they’ve set up a website through which they hope to survey adventure gamers of all kinds. If you qualify, be sure to take the survey and be counted!
Scribe Awards Now Open
The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers just announced the opening of its first Scribe Awards. If you, or anyone you know, has a tie-in novel due or already out this year, be sure to submit your work for these inaugural awards. As a charter member myself, you can be sure I’ll be putting my books in the judges’ hands.
Because of a lack of sufficient entries, the Origins Awards won’t have a fiction category this year. The Scribe’s Speculative Fiction: Original category fills that gap perfectly. You authors of game-related novels out there, get yours in!
York’s Minions
J. Steven York, author of the Stygian trilogy for the Age of Conan, just launched a new website celebrating the efforts of minions everywhere. Seems appropriate for May Day (which was yesterday) somehow.
Prey on the Way
Human Head Studios shows its hard-core tabletop gamer roots with some of the special bits to come with its limited edition of Prey: three pewter miniatures sculpted and cast by Reaper Miniatures. They even have shots of the greens available in a 360°, rotatable view.
Ah, to have an Xbox 360 or PC gaming rig and the hours to spend on it… Fortunately, I got to play some of the game back when I worked at the studio. It rocks.
The Palladium Plot Thickens
It seems that some of the people who heard of Palladium’s plight wanted to find out if Kevin Siembieda was telling the truth about his company’s troubles. They did some digging and found out the name of the perpetrator who harmed the RPG publisher so badly. Kevin got wind of this and issued a reasonable statement about it, urging people to leave the guy alone. It’s a horrible tale of trust and friendship gone wrong.
Signing in Rockford this Saturday
Just a reminder that I’ll be at the Barnes & Noble in Rockford, Illinois, tomorrow (Saturday, April 29) to meet readers, chat, and sign books. I’m scheduled to be there from 3—5 PM, so please stop by and say hi if you’re in the area!
Queen of Death Done and Gone
I just turned in the manuscript for Queen of Death, the third and final book in my Lost Mark trilogy for the Eberron world. This started with Marked for Death, which hit stores in March of 2005, and continued in Road to Death, which saw print in January of 2006. The whole thing should wrap up this October, and I can’t wait to see it happen.
This also marks the first time in what seems like forever that I’m caught up on all my deadlines. Between the novels for Wizards and the Black Library, working on Marvel Battle Dice and REVs for Playmates, tackling countless smaller projects, and helping raise five young kids, it felt like I might never get back on track again, but here I am!
My next novel isn’t due until mid-June, and since it’s a shorter book (my next Knights of the Silver Dragon installment), I should be able to get that done on time. Woot!