Top Ten Christmas Gifts for the Writer in Your Life

10. A cat video filter for her internet browser

9. A “Cliff Notes” version of a book on the craft of writing

8. A word processor that auto-corrects telling instead of showing

7. An instant-inspiration pill that is not harmful, habit-forming, or fattening

6. A mobile desk so she can pace and write at the same time

5. A voice-activated graphic design program that will take an infinite number of vocal commands to design the perfect book cover.

4. A music app that syncs up the type of scene she’s writing with the appropriate mood music

3. Special glasses that can scan people’s brains and instantly know whether they’ll be interested in her book or not

2. An automated candy dispenser that will only release a piece of chocolate for each time she writes another 1,000 words

1. A keyboard that makes typing feel like she's petting a dog

Silent Applause – The Worth of a Review to an Author

Last week I received a letter in the mail from one of my fans. It contained a thank you card which expressed her gratitude for the stories I have written and eager anticipation for more stories to come. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Of course, I’d received messages and e-mails from fans before, but this marked the first time I’d ever gotten a physical piece of fan mail. Besides, any word of appreciation and encouragement is golden to an author.

The life of a writer can often be a lonely one. As an artist who primarily works alone on projects taking up to a year or more to complete, the craft of storytelling is mainly a solitary process. Of course, a great deal of art -if not the majority of it- is created in isolation. It is in the sharing of completed art that the work and the artist can receive the appreciation that they deserve. But even then, not all artists enjoy the same degree of acknowledgment from their fans.

Picture an actor in a play. He’s worked for months in rehearsals, memorizing lines, learning his blocking, dealing with his fellow players, enduring costuming, and repeating the same few hours of play-acting until it invades his dreams and becomes a permanent fixture in his life-memories. Finally, opening night arrives, and he waits anxiously in the wings, listening to the audience’s gentle murmuring and squeaking seats. Then the lights go down, and before he knows it the show is over and he’s standing before a crowd of people clapping thunderously as he takes his bow. In a single, glorious surge of noise and communal acceptance, the artist receives all the confirming validation that he needs.

But what if the audience is somewhere else? What if they’re scattered throughout the world, watching the performance in little private showings all at different times over the course of many years. This is what it’s like for an author. Created in isolation, the writer’s art is enjoyed in isolation, and the author returns to their craft without fanfare or applause.

A written review is a one-man standing ovation. It is a declaration that not only was this a novel that touched the reader, but that other readers should also give a small portion of their valuable time to this carefully crafted story. Even if the review doesn’t have a five star rating, it validates the many long hours that the author willingly sacrificed in order to create something for someone else to read.

But as desperately as they may be needed, it’s not easy for authors to ask for reviews. Can you imagine an actor walking out onto the stage after a performance, looking directly at the audience, and saying “well, did you like it?” No artist wants to do that.

Of course, I realize that writing a review may not be among a reader’s perceived strengths. Even a professional writer like me struggles with the idea of putting my thoughts and reactions to a book into words for anyone in the world to see. But after seriously considering this subject, I’ve decided to make a goal. Before Christmas, I will write and post reviews on Goodreads for each novel I have read which was written by an author that I personally know. I’ll be posting my progress in the comments below. If you’d like to make a similar goal, please share how it goes.

Merry Christmas to all of you!


If you'd like to write a review for any of my books, please check out one of the following links to get started.

Lindsay's Amazon Author Page
Lindsay's Goodreads Author Page

Top Ten Lame Excuses for Not Writing Today

10. My cat is laying on my keyboard.

9. My knick-knacks need dusting.

8. I already wrote twice this month.

7. I’ve only got half an hour.

6. My neighbor is mowing his lawn.

5. I’m writing a sad scene, and I don’t want to make myself depressed.

4. My chair keeps squeaking and breaking my concentration.

3. I may have gotten an e-mail in the last hour.

2. I can’t snack and type at the same time.

1. I have to be somewhere inspiring to write, like France.

A Special Gift for My Biggest Fans

I’ve been thinking of a good way to reward the members of my street team since the group was organized. Calling themselves my Guild of Adventurers, these dedicated fans have embraced the call to share my stories with friends and associates. In addition to participating in monthly goals (or quests) given to the group, individual members have posted blog articles, spoken to schools and public libraries, loaned copies of my books to friends and families, and generally been an amazing bunch of fans who believe in me and the stories that I am sharing.

Dedication like that deserves an expression of sincere thanks, but I struggled to think of something that would be appropriate. After all, there are only so many free books that I can give away before they have them all! I wanted something that would be fun, unique, and ongoing. After some serious consideration, I realized that there was a way to combine my love for stories with my love of gaming to create a special gift for my biggest fans. I would organize an online role-playing game set in one of my worlds.

This game will be an informal, exclusive event hosted by me, and only active members of my street team will receive an invitation to participate. It’s up to the group which book’s world will be used for the game, though so far it looks like the clear favorite will be a game involving a group of hunters sent to Krendaria in the world of The Beast Hunter. The rules of the game will be developed by me, and will focus on role-playing and simplified dice rolls rather than complex diagrams and large handfuls of dice. My hope is that it will be fun for both avid gamers and fans who just want the unique experience of personally exploring a world that they’ve only seen in a novel before.

If you’d like to participate in the game, there’s still plenty of time. You can join the Adventurer’s Guild by signing up for my mailing list and writing an honest review for one of my books on Amazon. In fact, the December Quest for the guild is to get a total of ten reviews of my latest book, Magic, Mystery and Mirth on both Amazon and Goodreads, so you’ll already be an active member just for signing up! If we reach our goal, the game will take place next month in January using a free, online chatting platform.

I hope that many of my fans will take this opportunity to delve deeper into the world of The Beast Hunter and share their love of my stories with others. I’m very excited to interact with more of my readers in this unique way, and look forward to continuing this tradition if it’s successful. See you in Krendaria!

To learn more about my street team, click here.

To write a review for Magic, Mystery and Mirth, click here for Amazon, and here for Goodreads

Top Ten Things I’ve Learned About Video Gaming

10. Nobody cares what difficulty you play a game at.

9. If you haven’t had fun with a game for a while, stop playing it.

8. If you feel that you need to start an RPG over again, don’t do it right away. Play a different game.

7. A great story will only make up for poor gameplay on the first play-through.

6. The most effective way to play a game is never the most fun way.

5. Games you have played with friends are never as good by yourself.

4. Nobody cares how many trophies, Easter eggs, or achievements you’ve unlocked.

3. Even among gamers, video games are a terrible topic for conversation.

2. If you like a game enough to play it all the way to the ending more than once, never sell, trade, or lend it out.

1. Play the way you want to. It’s your game!

Expressing Gratitude as an Author

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I’ve been thinking about all of the supportive people that I’m grateful for. They say that it takes a village to raise a child, and I think it must take a whole community to support a writer. Of course, authors do have some unique ways to express gratitude for special people. Many of our books start with an Acknowledgments page where we list a few specific individuals that were instrumental in seeing the project all the way to publication. We can also dedicate books to people who have touched our lives in a special way and who deserve more honors and accolades than we could ever provide.

Even so, I’m often worried that I’ll forget to mention someone that I’m truly grateful for. I’ll often do my best to compensate for this by thanking groups of people like my beta readers, street team members, and friends. While this may result in some person somewhere feeling slighted (though I sincerely hope nobody ever is) my hope is that I can better show my gratitude by the way that I treat my friends and fans on a regular basis. Sure, seeing your name in the front of a published book can be exciting, and having a book dedicated to you can be touching. But isn’t it more meaningful to have a relationship that demonstrates gratitude and appreciation? The kind of relationship that goes beyond the books?

I know that I could probably get more sales and reviews if I hounded my friends for them, but I prefer for my friends to be friends first and fans second. If they do buy a book or write a review, I would want it to be because they either liked the story or wanted to support me in my craft. That’s the sort of fan that I’m truly grateful for, and I want to express my thanks, once again, for all of you that have shared in this wonderful adventure thus far. I couldn’t do it without you.

Concept Art for the Magic, Mystery and Mirth Cover Image

During the book launch party for Magic, Mystery and Mirth earlier this week, we raffled off a poster-sized print of the cover's artwork. Today, I thought it might be fun to share a few of the rough sketches and concept art that went into making this wonderful piece.

Here's the very first rough sketch, done in a pocket-sized notebook.

This initial color concept was when I really started to get excited about this cover. Notice how some things, like the rider and alligator, remained very similar, while the genie here is very different from what ended up on the cover. We were even considering adding the puppet Lumpy to the image, but he didn't fit with the general theme and had to be removed. 

The alligator was drawn normally at first, with the dress added in later stages.

Similarly, the rider's cloak was added in later versions. 

The genie went through many iterations. Look how dapper he is in the bottom picture!

I like the design in this picture, but it didn't really suggest a genie, so we discarded it.

This was the last version of the genie before the final.

The dirigible in the mountains has always been my favorite part of this picture.

More dirigibles. 

The final version. I love this cover!

A Word for Professional Writers on Measuring Success

Earlier this week, I was tagged in a conversation that had been started by a writer friend of mine who was feeling a little discouraged. She was frustrated by the way our industry often encourages authors to aim for exposure over financial rewards. This often means giving books away in order to receive reviews, writing articles for someone else’s blog, taking a financial loss to speak at a writing conference, and a host of other common practices for professional writers.

As I followed the conversation thread, I could understand the frustration that my friend was feeling. I'm sure that all authors have felt it from time to time. It’s hard to know what sort of value we should place on the various types of work that we do. Should we equate everything to dollars? Exposure? What's the quantifiable value in each activity that a writer does?

I don’t think that there is an answer to this question that would satisfy every author out there, mainly because we’re dealing with the disparate worlds of business and art. There are benefits and blessings that come from doing what you love that are hard to define, let alone quantify. But in order for an author to share their work, there must be also a business plan, complete with tasks, budgets, and goals all designed to put books in the hands of eager readers. So where’s the balance?

I remember spending summers with my grandfather running trotlines in southeast Texas to try to catch enough fish for us to eat every night. It was all about consistent effort, trial and error, and lots of hooks in the water. We enjoyed the process, but we also knew that we needed real results. We also didn’t expect to catch enough fish to sell at market and buy more equipment. We kept our expectations reasonable, and measured success based on our efforts, not our daydreams.

Beyond that, there's something to be said for karma and good will. Sometimes you take a loss somewhere because you have faith that it’s the right thing to do, and hope that you will find success in the future. At the moment, I know that I'm doing much more free writing coaching work for disadvantaged high school students through the Educurious program than I am for paying clients, but there's a totally different reward system in that for me, and I'm happy.

For all you writers out there, remember that you're doing so many things right. I won't say not to get down, because you should have permission to have doubts occasionally. But don't let it paralyze you. Do what you love, and you'll find success, however you measure it.

Top Ten Frustrating Things about Role-playing Games

I’m a huge RPG fan. I love the storylines, the strategic gameplay, and the feeling of going on a journey that you don’t get with almost any other type of video game. But there are some things that will annoy me even as I play my favorite genre of games. Here’s the top ten things that bug me whenever I see them in an RPG.

10. Not enough gameplay

RPGs will almost always have more storyline than other genres. The point of the game is to play a role, after all. But when an hour or more passes by of walking from one cut-scene to another, I start to wonder why I’m not just watching a movie or reading a book instead. Games are supposed to be interactive. Let me play!

9. Extreme difficulty spikes

I’m not opposed to hard games. They give the player a real challenge along with a sense of accomplishment upon completion. But it’s annoying to spend hours developing my character through a bunch of small battles only to have him killed in one hit from a boss. Why am I the hero again? It seems like I’m not cut out for this career. Maybe I should switch to making crates and barrels. There’s always a market for those in these sort of games.

8. Abrupt endings

With the possible exceptions of either a novel or an entire season of a TV series, role-playing video games are the most immersive, long-term, fantasy escapist experiences. So why do so many of them wrap up over sixty hours of gameplay with a thirty second cut-scene? Is it a crime to give the player some closure? I’ve even seen games that have the player’s companions say their last farewells before the final boss battle, as if even they know that the developers are basically just going to drop everything and take a three-day weekend rather than give us any significant resolution to the storyline.

7. Too much post-game content

The other end of the spectrum of course are games that don’t stop after the ending, but don’t really go anywhere either. This isn’t like an open-world RPG that has tons of sub-quests to do after the main storyline is finished. These are the games that drop you right back into the world without any goals or tasks beyond endlessly continuing to farm levels. Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do, rather than start up a new game…

6. Useless level-ups

A good RPG makes every level-up a tiny victory for the player. A sign that not only are you doing well, but that your characters are going to be even cooler now. In a bad RPG, your current level might as well be a total-hours-played display, interesting to see how long you’ve been at this, but it has no bearing on the experience.

5. Battles we can’t win

I’m not talking about hard battles here. I’m talking about battles that are scripted for the player to lose. You are not allowed to win these fights, but they’re still treated like a regular fight. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned through all of my expendables items (doubly painful for me, as I’m definitely a hoarder gamer) only to die for the fourth time, check online, and find out that I should just stand there like a doofus and let the character kill me because the developers couldn’t be bothered to make this fight a cut-scene.

4. Battles we can’t lose

These are even worse. At least with the last issue you can get a sense of the helplessness of your character and the inevitability of defeat. But with these battles, it’s like the developers decided that I’m just too stupid to be trusted with the difficult task of playing their game. The worst example of this was a JRPG that would automatically resurrect any killed characters during the final fight of the game. Gee, I hope I win…

3. Puzzles that require a walk-through

I grew up in the heyday of adventure games, so I’ve done my fair share of trying to use a tuna-fish sandwich on a broken airplane, but I’ve never been a big puzzle fan. That’s why I play story-driven games where I can regularly kill monsters. At least the internet exists for people like me.

2. Too many useless NPCs

I realize that a game world devoid of people can be boring, but the solution shouldn’t be filling it up with dozens of villagers just wandering around all day. Often these people will only have one or two lines of dialogue, but in some games each citizen in each town has a different comment to make after every major plot point in the game. I never know how many of these people I should talk to for the ‘full experience’ before I just start racing past them all because it’s been over an hour since I last did anything that earned me experience points.

1. Invisible, arbitrary rules

This is the worst, and it happens all the time. “Don’t open those three chests or you won’t get the best weapon in the game later.” “Don’t talk to that merchant or you’ll miss a quest later.” “Don’t walk to the left of the screen or you’ll trigger a cut-scene.” None of these rules are ever intuitive, and often you have to reload the game or check a walk-through before you play through an area just to make sure you don’t miss things. Maybe some people like this sort of thing for replay value, but personally, I’d rather replay a game because I enjoyed the experience, not because I accidentally stepped on a butterfly on my first play-through that caused a hurricane that swept all the healing potions in the world out to sea.


Those are my personal top ten things that bug me about RPGs. If you’d like to read more about this style of game, check out my list of the Top Ten Character Tropes in Japanese Role-Playing Games.

My Time at Emerald City Writers Conference 2015

The greater Seattle chapter of the Romance Writers of America always knows how to put on a great event. This was my third year presenting at their annual writing conference, and it’s still one of my favorite events as both a presenter and an attendee. The atmosphere at the conference was equal parts welcoming, enthusiastic, and casual, and I’m so grateful to the organizers for inviting me back this year.

As always, the workshops were a great mix of craft, business, and research subjects. Sabrina York gave an incredibly insightful workshop on street teams, while University of Washington Law Professor Zahr Said clarified a variety of issues regarding copyright law. While I wasn’t able to attend my good friend Gordon Frye’s workshop on firearms, I did get to go to Tina Shrigley’s wonderful presentation on the real face of PTSD. The most exciting workshop was probably M.A. Taylor’s hands-on crime scene investigation presentation. It was morbidly fun to search for blood marks, fingerprints, and telltale clues in a variety of mock crime scenes.

While there were no bloody knives or guns at my workshops, everyone attending still seemed to have a great time. Nearly every seat was full, and we all had a lot of fun as I taught about revision techniques, beta readers, and deciding where to start your story. My favorite part was when I was answering questions after my first workshop, and one lady came up to ask me what my other workshop would be about.

“Who cares?” said another lady nearby. “It’s him! Just go to it!”

“I will!” the first lady responded. “I just wanted to know what I’m going to!”

While the Emerald City Writers Conference may be organized by romance writers, the truth is that nearly all of the workshop offerings would be of benefit to writers of any genre. Of course, it is still very much a romance writer’s party. Nearly all of the attendees are published romance writers, as are all of the keynote speakers and organizers. Still, if you enjoy great workshops and the company of friendly authors, then this conference would be a good choice for the Seattle area. And if you’re writing romance, then this should definitely be your first choice for an annual writers conference.

Magic, Mystery and Mirth is Coming November 10

Yes, my collection of fanciful short stories will be available for purchase in print starting on the 10th of next month. To celebrate the release of my third title, we’ll be having a launch party at the Tumwater Timberland Library from 5pm to 7pm. Planned activities include games and readings along with treats and maybe even a few door prizes. For more information, check out the Facebook Page for this event.

In anticipation of the upcoming book launch, I’m also actively looking to increase the number of people in my street team. With that in mind, if we manage to reach our target number of team members by November 1st, then every team member will receive a free pre-release PDF version of the anthology. To learn more about how to join my street team and what’s involved, check out the following link.

Great Opportunities for Fans

Exciting New Opportunities for my Fans and Readers

For a while now, I’ve been looking for ways to better connect with my fans and followers. I’ve also been exploring possible ways to help spread the word about my books and share these stories that I love so much with more readers. With that in mind, there are two new ways that my fans can stay connected and get involved. 

My New Mailing List

Using MailChimp, I’ve set up a list that anyone can subscribe to in order to receive a regular newsletter in their e-mail. These newsletters will include high-lights from some of my most recent and popular blog articles, upcoming book releases and promotions, and some of the details of my speaking schedule and author appearances. All information provided by subscribers is kept private, and the newsletter can be unsubscribed to at any time.

To sign up, just click the link below and enter your information.

Subscribe to Lindsay's Mailing List

My New Street Team

This is a place for people who love my stories and want to help spread the word. Members of this team will be entered into drawings for free books and goodies, receive invitations to exclusive parties, and have a special Facebook group where they can interact with myself as well as each other. In exchange, the street team will be given monthly goals to help promote and discuss my stories, spreading the word and sharing the characters and adventures that they have come to love. A typical monthly goal might be ten new book reviews on Amazon, or fifty new follows on my Facebook author page. Each time a goal is met, members of the team will be rewarded with additional goodies and events.

There will be no dues required to be a member of my street team. All that’s required is an enthusiasm for my stories and a demonstrated desire to help more people discover them. With that in mind, fans who are interested in joining my street team should include a link to an amazon review that they have written for one of my books when they subscribe to my mailing list. If the applicant is accepted into the street team, they’ll be added to the street team mailing list and will receive an invitation to join the street team Facebook group.


I hope that all of my fans will take advantage of these great new opportunities. My ongoing goal is to continue discovering new and better ways to connect with my readers and have fun as a group. I look forward to hearing from you!

On Steamposium and the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2015

I recently finished what has been the most ambitious speaking schedule I’ve attempted thus far. Two days at Steamposium, the Seattle steampunk convention, and three more at the Chanticleer Authors Conference in Bellingham. Seven panels and workshops in five days on subjects ranging from the origins of steampunk to managing author marketing resources. It was intense, exhausting, a little scary, and very, very rewarding.

I started bright and early on Friday morning at Steamposium, manning my vendor table and selling books along with fellow authors Jeffrey Cook and Lee French. Over the course of the two days, I saw a variety of elaborate costumes and had many opportunities to discuss both the culture and literature of steampunk. My favorite part of the Con probably happened on the first day while sitting on the Steampunk 101 panel. As we chatted with the crowd before starting, I noticed a face in the audience that seemed familiar. It turns out that he had attended a similar workshop that I’d given at the Brass Screw in Port Townsend, and had been hoping to hear me speak again in Seattle.

Since I spent most of my time either at the vendor table or sitting in on panels, I didn’t get much of a chance to see many of the Con’s attractions. I did take the time to wander the vendor floor a few times, and was impressed by the vast array of artistic and mechanical talent demonstrated by the artists and vendors. It would have been nice to stay for the final day of the event, but I had a workshop to give at nine in the morning on Sunday in Bellingham, so I headed north.

The Chanticleer Authors Conference was both intimate and intensive. There were speakers and presentations nearly every hour of each day, mostly focused on the business of promotion and marketing. Despite giving several workshops myself, I found myself furiously taking notes during nearly every presentation and plan on making some significant changes to my own marketing plan as a result. Of course, it wasn’t all business. I made many new friends from both the States and Canada, including James Wells, a hard sci-fi author and the great-grandson of H.G. Wells. James was also kind enough to allow me to stay at his home throughout the event, which was a delightful treat for me.

There were many highlights at the authors conference for me. Hearing Robert Dugoni speak was one of them. Learning enough about promotion to feel a measure of confidence rather than intimidation was another. But the greatest part of the event had to be staying with James and his family. He showed me a clock that had belonged to H.G., as well as a book that was full of the classic author’s own penciled edits.

I wasn’t sure how I would handle the demanding schedule I’d created for myself, but I’m proud to say that I emerged from the experience with both greater knowledge and some amazing memories. Standing in the cool evening air on Sunday night and watching a red-tinged lunar eclipse with the great-grandson of H.G. Wells, I realized that I was having a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Here’s hoping that I continue to have similar experiences as I pursue my dreams and goals.

An image of H.G. Wells' personal notes on an early copy of The Country of the Blind provided by James Wells

My Thoughts on the Southwest Washington Writers Conference 2015

Recently, I was invited to give two workshops at the second annual Southwest Washington Writers Conference held in Centralia. I was very happy to accept the invitation, since I’ve felt for some time that the writing community in the South Puget Sound area often doesn’t get the kind of attention that it deserves. While the conference was just a one-day event, it was well attended and seemed to me to be a complete success.

As soon as I arrived at the conference, I felt very welcomed. Everybody from the bookstore staff to the event organizers were friendly, cheerful, and accommodating. It was clear that each volunteer had a passion for both writing and the local community. I was also pleasantly surprised that the event was carefully organized and scheduled. Workshops started on time, remained on topic, and even the keynote speakers were kept to a strict schedule. As a presenter I especially appreciated this. Too often, organizers will think that they are being generous when they let a speaker go over time without considering either the following speaker or the attendees that were especially looking forward to the next schedule block.

Speaking of presentations, I had a great time giving both of my workshops. There were plenty of participants for each, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed learning more about word choice and the four stages of writing a novel. We also spent some time discussing revision techniques and where to find good feedback, listing a variety of possible options as well as the positives and negatives of each. I’m always so glad when I can share insights to help to my fellow writers, and I hope that many of them take up my offer of a free, one-hour coaching consultation.

All in all, I have to say that I was very happy with my experience at this conference. The generosity and helpfulness of the organizers was amazing, and the conference offerings were on par with any of the big city events that I have attended. I look forward to next year’s conference, and hope that I will be invited to participate again!

Top Ten Reasons Why Writers Might Be A Little Crazy

10. We’re at our most successful when we hear voices in our heads.

9. No matter how much time we have alone, we still wish we could have more.

8. We will spend half an hour fixing one paragraph only to cut it and the rest of the chapter out the next day.

7. We work hard to get lost in our own little worlds.

6. We regularly ask for feedback without listening to any of it.

5. We go to classes to learn how to stop avoiding doing something that we love to do.

4. We agonize over pitching to agents and then ignore their requests for material.

3. We read every book that is similar to our own and then worry that our book sounds like everything else that’s out there.

2. We make people up and then ruin their lives to make them more “interesting”.

1. We measure success by how many strangers write short essays online saying how brilliant we are.

Balancing Storytelling and Gameplay in RPGs

After recently playing the Mass Effect trilogy along with other story-heavy RPGs, I wanted to try something a little different. I decided on Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition, having no prior knowledge of the game or the franchise other than constantly hearing that it had great combat mechanics, awesome loot, and a lackluster story. That was the consensus of nearly every review that I read before buying and playing the game, so while I was looking forward to the game, I was also mildly curious about this storyline which was supposedly the weakest link in the game.

After a couple of false starts, I played the game all the way to the end of the expanded campaign with a demon hunter, going as high as Torment III in my difficulty settings. I had a blast killing hordes of monsters, leveling up my character and equipping all the new goodies I was finding. And how about the story? It was minimal, certainly. In fact, I had considered at first doing a review of it, but to be honest there just wasn’t enough to really review. The characters are very minimal, the conflicts are clearly explained, and even the rare ‘twist’ is so clearly telegraphed that I was never even slightly surprised. But was that all a bad thing?

Not every RPG has to be a Final Fantasy or Star Ocean to be good. Ten minute cut-scenes and long periods of time spent “talking to villagers” don’t necessarily make for immersive gameplay or an engaging storyline. The truth is, a role-playing game needs a healthy balance between its mechanics and storyline. While one may be stronger than the other, a game needs both to be successful.

Last year I tried out a JRPG called Lost Odyssey for the Xbox 360. I still remember the evocative storyline and immersive world with its engaging characters and subplots. I never finished the game, and sometimes I still yearn to return to that amazing, fanciful world. But then I remember the gameplay. The combat was horrible. Every normal attack was a quick-time event, all mage characters were incredibly over-powered, and the leveling system was a convoluted mess. For me, this game’s engaging story just couldn’t make up for the terrible gameplay, and I put it away forever as a result.

So, what about Diablo III? Did the gameplay make up for its storyline? For me, definitely. While earlier versions may have had some mechanical issues, the Ultimate Evil Edition has perfectly balanced difficulty, engaging combat, and an addictive leveling system. Actually, my favorite aspect of the game is also the biggest break of the fourth wall. All earned gold, stashed equipment, and character progress above level 70 is shared between each of my created characters. Because of this, I started the game over with a new character just a day after beating the game the first time, something that I’ve never done with an RPG before.

I think the difference here is that it’s much easier for an RPG to be good with minimal storytelling rather than minimal gameplay. A perfect example is Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo. Look up any list of the best RPGs ever, and you’ll find this game as either number one or close to it. Because of the limitations of the system it was developed for, this game has to tell its story without the benefits of voice acting, lengthy cut scenes, or huge game worlds filled with dozens of NPC interactions. And yet the story is both beautiful and complex, with every line of dialogue crafted carefully for maximum efficiency.

I’m not saying that there’s too much story in all of today’s games. After all, one of my favorite series of games is Uncharted, which often feels more like an action movie than a video game. But no matter how good the story might be, a video game also has to still engage the player with its interactive elements, whether that’s combat, puzzles, or actual decision-making role-playing. In short, storyline needs to serve the gameplay just as gameplay needs to serve the storyline, and that’s often easier to do with minimal story telling rather than minimal gameplay.

The Different Faces of Good Writing

My last article on the craft of writing focused on contrasting different types of casual writers with professional writers and examined how their craft varies depending on the intended audience. This week, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the different types of quality writing that professional authors will do for their respective styles and genres.

Too often, the concept of ‘good writing’ for professional authors is overly simplified by well-meaning industry professionals. For example, I attended a recent workshop on setting description where the presenter gave multiple examples of lengthy, image-heavy scene description. Her attitude was that these were all examples of good writing, while other, less detailed descriptions, were examples of bad writing. What she failed to mention was that depending on the type of book and the scene involved, there are many times when drawn-out descriptions are the wrong choice and will break the narrative’s flow and pacing.

My point is that there are many approaches to writing which are often presented as absolutes, when in reality, their effectiveness is relative to the type of story that the author wants to tell. Let’s use the idea of long descriptions vs. short descriptions to illustrate.

If I were writing a scene in a literary novella where an old man is sitting on a park bench in winter and is thinking about mortality, that would be a perfect time to use some complex imagery in the description. Details like the cold, silent snow and the low clouds pressing down on the world like death shrouds add to the poignancy of the moment and evoke some real emotion.

But what if the same old man in the park is actually sitting there waiting to make contact with one of his undercover agents in a thriller novel? The reader doesn’t need to know any details about the park, except perhaps that it is cold and uncomfortable but there’s no one around, so it’s the perfect place for this sort of meeting.

Neither of these two approaches is wrong despite their significant differences, and a good author will know what approach is best for each scene and story. Of course, good writing does tend to share some characteristics, regardless of the approach. It’s important to stay focused on the primary purpose of the scene, for example, just like an author should be mindful of common problems like excessive wordiness or failing to establish any setting at all. But a skilled writer will be able to remember all of those important principles while still using the approach that works best for their story and intended audience.

Anthology Update for August 17, 2015

You may have noticed that several of my recent blog posts (including this one) have been somewhat sporadic and/or off schedule. This is partly due to a lot of traveling that I’ve been doing this summer, but it’s also due to the heavy workload I’ve been dealing with lately to get my upcoming short story anthology ready for my beta readers.

That being said, I’m happy to announce that the anthology is now in the hands (or inboxes) of my test readers, and that the rest of August will be spent receiving and implementing their feedback. If all goes according to plan, September will mainly consist of revising and formatting the manuscript for an official release sometime in October. Hopefully we’ll also be able to have a book release party around the same time.

Thanks to all of my friends and fans for your encouragement and support during this process. I couldn’t do it without you!

The Different Faces of a Storyteller

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the different types of people who tell stories. People write stories for a variety of reasons, so it only makes sense that the necessary qualities of a good storyteller would vary with the type of story being told. With that in mind, I thought I’d list a few of the different types of creative writing out there, and talk a little about what makes them different.

Hobby Writing

There are a lot of hobbyist writers out there. I find one in nearly every large gathering of people I encounter. Or rather, they find me. These are the people who come up to me and say “Oh, you’re a writer? Me too! I’ve got this great idea for a story…” and it goes on from there. Now don’t get me wrong. I know that writing is a long, laborious process, and that the first novel can take an especially long time to perfect. But a hobbyist writer isn’t writing with that kind of goal in mind. Hobby writing is more like someone who does watercolor or plays the guitar for their own amusement. They’re not intending to sell their books one day, though they might daydream about it. Hobby writing is focused solely on the pleasure that comes from the initial creative process, as opposed to the difficult but equally rewarding revision process afterwards. A hobby writing storyteller has no limitations and no expectations, and can be said to enjoy the creative process simply for the love of creating art, rather than trying to share it with anyone.

Social Writing

Similar to hobby writing, a social writer isn’t working with the end goal of publication in mind. The difference with social writing however is that it is done as a group effort with similarly-minded friends. Interestingly, I’ve noticed a trend when I’ve spoken to social writers who are also interested in professional writing. When I’ve asked them if they’ve gotten any writing done they’ll often respond with “Not really. I mean, I write with my friends every week, but that’s just for fun.” Unlike the daydreaming hobby writer, the social writer seems to know that their style of storytelling is not targeted towards publication. Instead, a social writer needs to be both flexible and collaborative, willing to share their ideas and implement the ideas of others to create a story that they can enjoy together as a sort of fantasy-life experience.

Fan Fiction

Many professional writers have a very negative view of fan fiction writers, claiming that the work isn’t worth anything because it isn’t original. The truth is that good fan fiction writers know that they’re not trying to compete with professional writers. The content that they create is meant to be viewed and enjoyed by other dedicated fans who love a specific story and set of characters so much that they will take every opportunity to immerse themselves in that particular world. A good fan fiction writer needs to be willing to fully embrace their source material, rather than using this as a self-indulgent fantasy. Fan fiction is written for the fan community, and so the fan fiction writer must be focused on the needs of others before themselves.

Role-playing

Whether you’re a GM or a player, if you’ve ever done pencil & paper role-playing then you’ve participated in this unique type of storytelling. This is especially true of GMs, who not only come up with the main storyline, but flesh out their game with side-quests, puzzles, and all of the NPCs that the players encounter. Like fan fiction, the GM is constrained/assisted by the existing lore and world building that was done by the original writers. There are also similarities to social writing, since the storytelling process is shared with the players. What sets this type of storytelling apart is the random element introduced by the rolling of dice, which means that all of the players -including the GM- can be surprised at an unexpected outcome. For this reason, a role-playing storyteller needs to be able to think quickly on his feet and be ready to be spontaneously creative, a talent which is largely unnecessary for any other type of storytelling.

Professional Writing

I’ve written enough about professional writing that I don’t really need to give a detailed description here, except to say one thing. This style of writing is very different from every other type that I’ve described, since it’s the only style that is targeted to the paying reader. As a result, the quality of writing needs to be held to a higher standard, which means that as much time is spent in the revision process as the initial first draft, if not more. This isn’t to say that professional writers are better than any other kind of storyteller, just that the needs and requirements for their style of writing is different. A skilled role-player may not be able to do professional writing, just as a professional writer might struggle with social writing.


Did you find this article helpful? Did you think of any other types of writing that I missed? Leave a comment below and don’t forget to check out my other articles on the craft of writing.

The Top Ten Worst Reasons to Write A Novel

10. “I can’t handle the rejection in a normal job.”

9. “I want to finance my retirement.”

8. “I’ve always wanted to write an entire book in my own made-up language.”

7. “I love receiving praise from strangers.”

6. “It’s the easiest way to kill people I don’t like.”

5. “I need something to do during video game load screens.”

4. “I want to see how many times I can use the word ‘actually’ in a 300-page story.

3. “The world needs to be able to buy my Twilight/My Little Pony crossover fan fiction.”

2. “I want something to do before bed, and I hate to read.”

1. “How hard can it be?”

Reflecting on the 2015 PNWA Writers Conference

Last week I attended the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s annual writer’s conference in Bellevue Washington. I’ve been attending this conference since 2009, and have always been impressed with the scale of the event as well as the variety of writers and presenters.

At this year’s conference I presented a new workshop that focused on the various subgenres of fantasy and science fiction. Rather than a lecture on the technical definitions of each offshoot within speculative fiction, I chose to focus on the terms and definitions that are most commonly used by the readers of these genres. It was a lot of fun, and I was happy to help my students understand how to anticipate the expectations that their readers would have based on a story’s label.

Of course, I spent most of my time at the conference as an attendee rather than a presenter, even if I didn’t personally get a whole lot out of the presentations that were offered. This wasn’t necessarily the fault of PNWA, however. As a full-time author and writing coach, I feel like I already have a firm grasp of the basics of both the craft and business of writing. This year’s conference seemed to be focused on introductory-level workshops, and while I found several of them entertaining, I can’t say that I really learned anything new. Of course, there were half a dozen workshops going on simultaneously at all times throughout the conference, so it’s very likely that I simply chose workshops that ultimately weren’t targeted to me.

In addition to workshops on craft and marketing, the conference also offered pitch blocks and panels including a variety of agents and editors. Since I’m interested in being both traditionally and independently published, I did my share of pitching this year, and am happy to say that all the agents I spoke to invited me to query them. This included one agent that I pitched to in an elevator, which means that I can now say that I have successfully given an actual elevator pitch.

As my writing career has progressed, I’ve added more and more organizations and conferences to my growing list of contacts and events. I still have three more writing conferences that I’ll be teaching at this year, not to mention additional Cons and fan-focused events. But the PNWA conference will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first such event I’d ever been to, and I hope to return and teach there again next year.

Game Story Review - Mass Effect Trilogy

As promised, here is my review of the storyline spanning the entire trilogy of this epic, sci-fi adventure series. First, let me just say that I played the bundled trilogy without any additional DLC or outside media (web comics, etc.). My Commander Shepard was a male soldier with an average rating of about 90% Paragon and 10% Renegade. I played every side-mission in each game, and finished each game’s storyline, loading my character from one game to the next until the final credits rolled.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get to it.

Premise

This series of games follows Commander Shepard, a human space marine in a universe where humans are the new kids on the block among more than a dozen distinct alien races and cultures. The primary storyline is focused on the Reapers, synthetic lifeforms that are set on subjecting or destroying all intelligent organic life. Shepard’s adventures begin with the discovery of the Reapers and end with a final battle over the fate of the universe. Along the way, Shepard makes many friends and enemies, and gains a reputation as the most capable lifeform in existence.

Review

An alien invasion intent on destroying all life is certainly nothing new. What sets Mass Effect apart is the mind-blowing variety and variation that has been pre-scripted into it. Every major choice (and quite a few minor choices) have long-term effects throughout the entire series. For example, there’s an alien bounty hunter that you can recruit in the first game. At one point, this alien becomes a danger to the team, and it’s up to you whether you kill him or talk him down. I chose the diplomatic option, and was rewarded with this alien not only making appearances in later games, but playing a major part in several subplots, all of it fully voice-acted and scripted. This is why I felt the need to explain exactly how I had played the games, since it had such a large effect on my personal experience.

That being said, I think that there are a few comments I can make on the game that will be true regardless of what specific choices are made by the player. For example, the characterization, both in dialogue and motivations, was amazing. I won’t go into too much detail on the dialogue system since I’ve already dedicated an entire article to the subject, but I will say that I’ve started playing another Bioware RPG since finishing Mass Effect, and I already miss the organic conversations of Mass Effect rather than the one-sided monologues delivered by voice actors that are desperately trying not to sound like they’re having conversations with themselves.

In addition to the writing, there’s a lot to be said for the cinematography and overall presentation in the game. The lighting, camera angles, and music all work together to create appropriate emotional responses to each scene, whether it’s a humorous argument or the death of a beloved character. Speaking of character death, the game really excels at portraying the sweet poignancy of the death of a friend, and it’s a tribute to the writers, actors, and developers that I got a little choked up during each of those scenes.

OK, now that I’ve praised the game a little for its amazing storyline, let’s address the elephant in the room. While gamers and reviewers have raved about the amazing writing and storytelling of Bioware games and the Mass Effect series in particular, the ending of the trilogy has garnered reactions ranging from mild disappointment to violent outrage. Ever since I started reviewing the storyline in games, I’ve been getting requests to give my own opinion on this sensitive subject.

For those of you who haven’t played the series, let me explain what happens. After two games of building up the Reapers as the ultimate threat to life in the universe, the third game focuses on the desperate struggle to survive the invasion and culminates with Shepard standing at the heart of the Reaper’s control center. Dozens, if not hundreds, of little decisions have been made by the player to get to this final moment of confrontation. And that’s part of what makes this ending so disappointing.

The final outcome of this unprecedented, branching space epic comes down to three choices that are totally unaffected by anything the player has done up to that point. Whichever choice you pick here determines your ending, which, to be honest, isn’t all that different from the other endings. I’ve heard that there’s DLC to pad out the epilogue, but as I said, I’m reviewing the original game series without considering the damage-controlling bandages or purposefully withheld plot elements that developers charge additional money for.

So, what’s my reaction? Well, first I have to say that I was anticipating some kind of stumble at the finish line, just because of the amount of attention that it got in the gaming world. As a result, I felt myself inwardly flinching as the game came to its conclusion, and I probably didn’t have as violent of a reaction as those who finished the game without prior warning. That being said, I will admit that while I was frustrated with the abrupt ending, I think that the final game in the series made a bigger mistake than wrapping everything up with a “Choose Your Ending” conclusion.

As I mentioned earlier, the majority of the third game is focused on trying to confront the Reaper menace. Nearly every mission, side-quest, and conversation is focused on building your war assets as you strengthen your coalition forces for the final confrontation. I loved this idea of mustering the troops, and I worked hard to get every last soldier, resource, and ship for the war effort. By the end, I’d maxed out my navy strength bar, and the game told me that my assembled forces had an even chance of winning an outright battle with the Reaper fleet. This was especially rewarding since so many of the war assets that I’d acquired were the results of decisions I’d made in the previous games, giving the sensation of unexpected dividends for wise choices made in the past.

And yet, when it all came down to it, the game ignored all of my hard work. I was brusquely informed that my navy was not strong enough, and that the fate of the universe would all come down to a trench warfare section and a MacGuffin device. In my opinion, this was worse than the final, three-choice ending. The developers effectively negated all that I had done over the course of the three games, just to shoehorn in the climax that they wanted to use. For a game series that had been so open to player interpretation up to that point, this felt like a betrayal, and I played the final mission with the begrudging petulance of a child in the backseat of a car headed to the grocery store instead of the promised game store.

I guess the only remaining question was whether this ending ruined the entire trilogy for me. The short answer is no. I put over a hundred hours into the world of Mass Effect, and I felt like I was well rewarded for the most part. The fact that it ends on a sour note is unfortunate, but the overall experience was good enough to bring me back for another play-through some time in the distant future. Don’t be surprised if I stop before that final mission though.

What was your experience with this series? Do you agree with my observations? Leave a comment below and suggest another game storyline that you’d like to see me review.

A Look Back at GEAR Con 2015

Last weekend I attended GEAR Con in Portland, a steampunk-themed convention embracing the art, literature, and music of this unique subculture. Not only was this my first real Con, but it was also my first author appearance outside of Washington state as well as being my first time running a vendor table. Luckily, I wasn’t alone. I shared my table (well, half a table, more on that later) with veteran authors Lee French and Jeffrey Cook. Lee and Jeff were great fun to hang out with, and I tried to learn as much as I could about Cons and the art of selling my books in person.

Speaking of selling books, this was my first time running a vendor table over a three-day period and it was definitely a learning experience. First off, we found out after arriving at the Con that we would only have half a table to display nearly twenty different titles. While our table-sharing neighbors were very polite, it was difficult to use our limited space effectively and for once I was grateful that I only had two different books to display.

If I had to pick just one lesson that I learned from the vending experience, it would be the value of selling other authors’ books. While this may seem counter-intuitive, the truth is that our customers seemed to respond much better when we praised each other’s books, rather than trying to compete with each other. I think that our customers appreciated that we really tried to find the best book for each person, even if that book wasn’t one of our own.

By far, the most memorable encounter at the vendor table came on Saturday afternoon. A pleasant looking fellow came up to us, glanced at the table, and said “I’ll take one of each!” We laughed, since we’d heard this joke several times already, and asked him what sort of book he was looking for. He then picked up one of Lee’s books and asked what it was about. She got about one line into her pitch and he said “I’ll take it.” Then he picked up The Beast Hunter.

“What’s this about?” he said.

“Well, it’s the story of a steampunk monster hunter who-”

“I’ll take it.”

He did this with each book on the table, slowly building up a pile of titles until he finally had one of each. He then paid for it all in cash. I talked with Lee and Jeff about it, and both of them agreed that they had never seen anything like it before.

Of course, I did a lot more than stand by our vendor table for the whole event. Over the course of the Con, I had the opportunity to give several workshops, sit in on a couple of panels, and do a reading from The Beast Hunter. My favorite presentation was on Sunday when I was invited to take part in a panel that included a variety of steampunkers from a multitude of backgrounds including writers, artists, musicians, and game developers. Sitting there among my peers, I was struck again by the feeling of community and acceptance that seemed to permeate the entire Con. I felt like I was part of a group that managed to be close-knit without being exclusive, as everyone I met was both friendly and excited to be there.

I really enjoyed my time at GEAR Con, and I’m sure that I’ll be doing more Cons and steampunk events in the near future. If you’d like to keep up to date on my ever-changing schedule, then be sure to follow this blog and keep an eye on my workshop and appearances page.

My Writing Playlist

I was recently asked by another writer in one of my author networks if there was any particular type of music that I listen to when I write. Actually, as an avid music collector for many years, I have an ever-evolving list of songs that I listen to while I work. So today, just for fun, I thought I’d share what types of music I prefer to listen to for various types of writing.

Dialogue – 60’s Pop

I grew up listening to the Oldies, so there’s always been something soothing for me in the upbeat, simple melodies and messages in this style of music. As well as just making me feel better, I find that everything from the British Invasion to Motown makes it easier for me to formulate responses between two or more people in a written conversation.

Description – New Age

Whether it’s Clannad or Yanni, I really prefer tranquil music when I am trying to translate a breathtaking visual scene in my head into written words on a screen.

Sad Scenes – 70’s Soft Rock

Much of pop music in the 70’s took on a subdued tone after the tumultuous 60’s, which is often well suited to writing melancholy scenes.

Action Scenes – Hair Metal

The 80’s were filled with music that was equal parts ethereal and powerful. With driving rhythm sections and soaring guitar solos, these songs provide a perfect backdrop to the type of other-worldly battles that seem to happen so frequently in my writing.

Line-editing – Classical

I’m not normally a classical music fan, but I find Mozart and Bach are very stimulating during the sometimes brain-numbing process of fixing grammatical errors.

Proof reading – Anything Loud

By the time I get to the proof reading stage on a story I’m usually so familiar with the manuscript that I could recite it from memory, making last-minute troubleshooting very difficult. At this point, I find that it helps to crank up my music as loud as I can stand it so that I really have to focus in order to see what I’m reading, forcing me to pay close enough attention to spot any lingering mistakes.


Do you have a special playlist of music that you listen to while writing? Leave a comment below!

A Taste of My Own Medicine

As a writing coach and frequent presenter at writers’ conferences and workshops, I sometimes feel like I should never have any major problems with my own writing. This is ridiculous, of course. All writers deal with problems in their writing, and I’ve always been a writer first and a teacher second. Besides, if I never experienced a major issue with my writing, that would only mean that I was either ignoring it or missing it completely.

This has all been on my mind since a few weeks ago when I posted an article announcing the upcoming release of my first short story anthology along with an update on the sequels for The Beast Hunter and Lost Under Two Moons. While I was happy to announce that the anthology and the follow-up to The Beast Hunter were both going well, I was less enthusiastic about commenting on the condition of the Lost Under Two Moons sequel.

Let me say up front that I have definitely been working on this piece for a while now. I started the sequel to Lost Under Two Moons back in 2012, and had been steadily adding hours and words to the project ever since. In fact, I’d recently passed the 55,000 word mark, and while the manuscript was still a little short for a full length novel, I was planning on finishing up the climax in the next month or so and then beginning the revision process. That was the plan.

What’s actually happened is that I’ve steadily gotten fewer and fewer words done on this project each week for the last six months. While I do often experience fluctuating output on various projects depending on what I have ideas for, the Lost Under Two Moons sequel was consistently the poorest performing project. It eventually got to the point that I hated working on this project and yet couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. All I knew was that I never had any ideas, and that working on it was never as much fun as writing on any of my other projects. In short, I had come to resent this story, and no amount of either time away from it or forcing myself to work on it was helping.

In the end, I had to take some of my own advice. A month or two ago I had posted an article for writers about how to tell when it was time to completely start a project over. I remembered writing the article, but I couldn’t remember what my advice had been. I’ll admit that I felt a little silly going to my blog to read one of my own articles to get help, but I’m glad that I did.

In the article, I’d mentioned that an author should start a project over when the premise for the story was broken. With that in mind, I took a long, hard look at my problem-project, and realized that my premise was in fact very broken. Everything from the set-up to the climax was wrong. I’d just been working on it for so long that I couldn’t see that I was riding a train going nowhere.

Since making this discovery, I’ve really taken a step back from the project and asked myself what would need to happen to repair my relationship with this failing story. In the end, I’ve decided that I need to start the project over with a new premise and plot. While no writer looks forward to starting a project over again, there is a bright side here. I’ve got 55,000 words of material that I can cut, shape, and steal from to create my new story.

Even more importantly, I’m excited to work on this project again, something that I haven’t felt in over a year. It’s still a little embarrassing to admit that I made the mistake of working on the wrong story for so long, and I know that fans of Lost Under Two Moons will be disappointed to hear that the sequel won’t be coming out as soon as we were all hoping. All I can say is that the version of the story that I had been working on would not have been up to either my standards or those of my fans, and I think we all would have been disappointed if I had published it. I hope that my fans will support me as I continue to work and strive to write the best stories that I am able to, and that my students will appreciate that every writer has permission to make mistakes and get better.

Top Ten Things Not to Say at a Steampunk Convention

With the Brass Screw Confederacy behind me and GEAR Con in Portland coming up next month, it seemed appropriate to do a steampunk themed top ten list this week. Leave a comment if you can think of any more!

10. Does it bother you that most people have no idea what you’re talking about?

9. Dirigibles sure are stupid.

8. Technically, your outfit is still historically inaccurate.

7. You realize of course that almost everything here would not work in real life.

6. So steampunk is basically sci-fi for people who don’t understand science, right?

5. Why would you wear goggles above the brim of a top hat?

4. I didn’t know Nerf guns were in the Victorian Era.

3. I loved Wild Wild West, except for all those weird gadgets.

2. Is it true that you’re all just goths wearing brown?

1. Is Twilight steampunk?

Anthology Announcement and Sequel Update

Hello friends and fans! I’ve decided to publish a collection of some of the short stories that I’ve been accumulating over the years. These stories will be a combination of shorter pieces that were once available to read on www.lindsayschopfer.com and longer pieces that I submitted at one time or another to various small presses and genre contests. While I hate giving myself a deadline, I’m guessing that the anthology should be available sometime this coming fall.

So why did I decide to publish an anthology of short stories? For one thing, I stopped submitting these types of stories to small presses years ago, and I really have no interest in continuing to feed the submission mill. Genre magazines have all but been replaced by online e-zines, and the poor payment and lack of real exposure just didn’t justify the amount of time and effort it was taking to find these publishers, research them, submit pieces, and then track those submissions.

Despite that, I still really wanted these stories to be read and enjoyed. I found myself talking about them all the time with my fans. After talking with some author friends of mine, I realized that an anthology would be the best way to expose my readers to a more varied selection of my work. While nearly all of the stories in this collection will be some type of fantasy, nearly each story will be a different sub-genre, including strange tales, parody, and magic realism. As a side benefit, this anthology will also ensure that I have a 2015 release, since it’s not looking like any other project will be ready before the end of the year.

Which brings me to the subject of sequels. I realize that many of my readers are wondering when I’m planning on releasing sequels to Lost Under Two Moons and The Beast Hunter. The good news is that I have been working steadily on both of these projects, and will continue to work on them even as I prepare the anthology. I anticipate that one (or perhaps both) of these sequels will be published sometime in 2016. The Beast Hunter sequel is going particularly well, and I think that fans of the first book will find a lot to love in the follow up.

I realize that all of my fans have already been very patient in waiting for these sequels, and I hope that they feel that the wait will be worth it. In the meantime, I’ll be announcing more about the anthology as we get closer to the release date. Follow this blog and my social media profiles to stay updated!