Spoilers Be Damned...

So, of course I don't want to see spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. I'm going to do my best to avoid them of course, but no matter what I might accidentally stumble upon, there's no way I'm NOT going to see Endgame. Spoilers would obviously be annoying, but they aren't the thing I'll regret. The only thing I'll regret about Endgame is the fact that my Dad isn't around to finish the journey through this arc of the MCU with me.

My Dad was a huge influence on me. You wouldn't think it to look at the guy but Dad was a nerd. I mean, the guy read books on String Theory, Astrophysics and Quantum Mechanics not because he had to, he was just interested in the subjects. He even planned to write his own book on these subjects for the layman that he planned to call The Stuff of the Universe. Total nerd. And in being a nerd I absolutely take after Dad.

Dad was also into Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and he definitely passed the love of those genres on to me, which I've loved my entire life. Pretty sure it was Dad's idea to take me to the first movie I have any memory of seeing in the theater; The Original Star Wars back in 1977 when I was 2. That was my gateway drug into as I said, a life-long love of fantasy and science-fiction, genres I write in, another thing I owe to Dad.

Over the years I ended up going to a LOT of flicks with my Dad, and those are all cherished memories for me. The last movie we went to together before he passed away was Iron Man, the movie that kicked off the MCU.

All throughout my journey through the MCU, there have been several times when I really felt Dad's absence. "Dad would have liked that", or "Man, Dad would've gotten a chuckle out of that." Even subsequent viewings of Iron Man, Tony saying "I never got to say goodbye to my father"(I didn't either), it hits me.

But even though he hasn't physically been here, I feel like Dad's been with me every step of the way, and there's no way we're not going to finish this journey. Even if I do it by myself. As Black Widow said in the trailer, I feel like I owe it to the person who's not in the room.

So, spoilers be damned. In the next few days I will be in a theater, box of Milk Duds(our traditional movie snack) in hand, and I will finish this journey I started with Dad around 10 years ago. Whatever it takes, to the end. Love you, Dad. Wish you were here, and thank you.

Carry on smartly, my friends.

Gamer Savings Time: Beating Bethesda at its Own Game(s)

Anyone that's a video game fan has probably heard about the Homeric Odyssey of PR rocks and shoals Bethesda's been through in the past few months. Bag-gate, messing up a bottle of whiskey, Fallout 76's critical scorching all over the internet, a pretty significant data breach, just to name a few. It seemed like Bethesda couldn't go a week without some fresh PR hell. Well, it isn't getting better, not yet anyway, because it looks like 2 other studios are poised to out-Bethesda Bethesda. Yeesh.

First, we have Obsidian's upcoming game, The Outer Worlds. I'm very excited for that game. Judging from what's been shown of it so far, it looks like Obsidian just went ahead and made the game that a lot of folks were hoping Bethsda's Starfield was going to turn out to be. From what we've seen so far, TOW looks like Fallout, Borderlands and Mass Effect went to space, got drunk and had a whacky threesome while rewatching Firefly. Then, someone got in The Family Way and that glorious little sci-fi RPG baby will be The Outer Worlds. And to dump just a little salt in that wound, they had to take that little shot at Bethesda in the Game Awards trailer. It was a bit immature, but funny. I'll admit that I laughed.

As if that wasn't enough, the Ubisoft decided to come in and steal Bethesda's cake. I know that last year, I was hoping for a good post-apocalyptic title. I was uncertain, but I had some hope for F76. Yeah, that didn't pan out. Then Ubisoft stepped in, gave us a hug and said, "There, there. We understand. Don't cry, Little ones. Here ya go, Far Cry goes Post-Apoc. Far Cry: New Dawn. BOOM! You're welcome." New Dawn looks to be a damn good Post-Apoc game, another squirt of lemon on Bethesda's paper cuts. I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic games, so I'll definitely be keeping an eye in this one.

So, it does rather loom like Bethesda is getting beaten to the punch twice in 2 different games by 2 different companies. Ouch. I know it looks like I'm jumping on the Bethesda Hate Train, but that's really not what I'm doing. I'm actually hoping that Bethesda takes a hard look at all this, wakes up, smells the coffee and learns a lesson. I hope they take that lesson and realize they need to knock both Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 out of their respective parks. Then, I hope they keep that train a-rollin' and come up with a new Fallout game that equals or even surpasses New Vegas.

That's what I hope happens. It is possible, but given how lazy and cash-grab focused the AAA game industry can be anymore, I'm not going to hold my breath, and I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket, but I'll remain hopeful until I'm given a reason not to be. In the meantime, well, I'll just look forward to New Dawn and The Outer Worlds, I guess. Seems like a decent plan.

Mahalo, my friends.

Bookish Rumblings and Mumblings: The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt

I read a lot of fantasy. I write the stuff too. I've always been a huge fantasy reader. Hell, The Hobbit and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles are foundation stones in my geek sensibility. However, I also love sci-fi. The OG Star Wars is another foundation stone for me, as is The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by the late, great Douglas Adams.

The reason I say this is that not long ago, I realized that I'd been getting a bit burned out on fantasy, I needed a bit of a break. That, coupled with noticing that sci-fi's a bit under-represented in my personal library these days, I decided to remedy both of those things. So with gift card in hand, I headed off to a bookstore to both up the sci-fi section of my personal library and to pick up some palate cleansers to let my inner Orc recharge. Browsing the shelves, I happened to stumble across The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt, and I'm damn glad I did.

The Wrong Stars takes place about 500 years in the future. Humanity has spread out to 29 other star systems and received many technological advances thanks to a race of aliens that humans refer to as The Liars because, well, they lie a lot. Captain Callie Machedo and the crew of The White Raven, an awesome bunch of space-going rouge-ish types, come across a derelict "Goldilocks" ship, colonization vessels humanity sent out centuries ago when everyone figured Earth was for. The ship is floating in Neptunian space, light years from where it should have been, sporting strange alien-looking modifications. When Callie and the crew bring the sole survivor left on board out of cryosleep, Elena wakes up screaming about First Contact with aliens. The crew breaks it to her that humans have been in contact with aliens for quite some time, but it turns out that Elena isn't talking about The Liars. The race that Elena is talking about could spell doom for, well, pretty much everyone.

The Wrong Stars perfectly fit the bill for me. It had awesome space-going action, a good deal of it really. It was the type of story and genre I was craving. I wanted a snarky Space Opera with some great writing, and that's exactly what I got. Pratt's writing is great and makes it a breeze to get through the novel. But what really shines for me is the interaction between the characters. Their interactions are top notch, and yes, there's a great helping of snark to be had. I could easily see the crew of The White Raven going out drinking and having a damn fine time with the crews of Serenity and the Raza. I really don't want to get too in depth about the book for fear of spoilers.

So I'll close this out by saying that if you're in the market for a kick-ass, fast paced space opera novel, then The Wrong Stars is for you. Tim Pratt's writing is a delight. In fact, I've put him in my list of Authors Who Are So Good, It's Irritating. Heh. My only real beef with it was that I burned through it too quickly because I couldn't out the damn thing down. Thankfully, the sequel is already out and I'm trying really hard to take a more sedate pace through that one. But yeah, gonna need Book 3, Tim. Hope you're on that. Heh. Seriously, jump on out and get this book.

Mahalo, my friends.

Gamer Savings Time: Resident Evil 2 1-Shot Demo

Just got done messing about with the RE2 Remastered, Rebooted, Reanimated, whatever they might be calling it. And I have to say that it did exactly what a demo should do. It got me interested in the game over the 30 minutes I spent with it.

I really didn't have much interest in the new RE2 previious to this, as I hadn't really cared too much about a Resident Evil game since 4. I played 5 and 6 a bit and did the demo for 7, but none of them really grabbed me. Yes, pun intended. Heh.

The new version of RE2 looks like Capcom went back, took a look at RE4 and said, "OK, we'll make RE 2 more like that, but with sharper, gorier graphics." And I'm absolutely fine with that. RE4 was one of my favorite games of the last console generation to the point where I went and dropped some cash for the remastered XBox One version for this generation.

The  new RE2 will have that same third person, over the shoulder perspective and a very similar control scheme to what got used in RE4. Also, it looks a hell of a lot, well, prettier isn't exactly the right word, but you can see the new hardware strength of the current generation at work.

Also, just from the demo it looks like the RE series has gone back to more of a horror game than an action game. Even in the 30 minutes I played there were a couple of times I just about jumped out of my skin, and that's something I have been missing from a Resident Evil game since 4. Nothing creeped me out like the regenerators in 4, but I was only playing what I guess is a very early level, so we'll see what happens when the full game releases in a couple of weeks.

I will say that I am looking forward to it now, even though it more than likely won't make me abandon my usual policy to not buy games right at launch. I may get it out of a Redbox if that's an option and spend a few days with it though.

If you decide to take a run at the 1-shot demo, just be aware that once you start playing, you're only going to have 30 minutes to play. Basically set aside a little block of time and make sure no one bugs you. Hehe. Some people might complain about the relatively short time limit, but I think that the demo did exactly what a good demo should do. It hooked my attention, got me interested and was a great little appetizer for the full game.

If you're a fan of survival horror, and you've got a bit of time, give this one a look.

Mahalo, my friends.

Gamer Savings Time: The Fall(out) of Bethesda...

Yes, I'm extremely late to the party when it comes to talking about what is probably the biggest dumpster fire in gaming news that was the reception of Fallout 76 and the way that Bethesda reacted to it, and indeed continues to react to it. Hey, I told you guys in a previous post that I'm not going to be an Out in Front type when it comes to gaming stuff. But basically, I just felt like running off at the fingers about this for a bit. And it's my blog, so I will. NYAH!! hehe.

Anyway, I'll preface this whole thing that even though it may look like it, I'm not jumping on the Bethesda Hate Train. I don't hate Bethesda, I'm not even really angry at the company, what I am is disappointed. I'll also give the caveat that I haven't played Fallout 76 myself and honestly I don't intend to. Not right now anyway. I may check it out at some point in the future because I WANT it to become a good game because I love the Fallout series. Hell, I love more than one of the series of games that Bethesda puts out. I've lost countless hours to Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and my all time favorite Bethesda Era Fallout, New Vegas(quick aside, I will say that I'm hyped as HELL for The Outer Worlds coming out this year from Obsidian. But that's another story for another time).

Anyway by now, you've probably heard about all the ways Bethesda has bungled the response to more than one PR disaster after another surrounding F76 so I won't repeat them here. If you haven't well, you can just go and find TONS of stories, YouTube videos and blog posts around about BagGate, RumGate, the 500 Atoms, what have you.

Like I said, I'm disappointed in what Bethesda's been up to for the past couple of months, apart from seemingly making one of, if not the, most lambasted game of the last few years. I'm not going to pile on. And if you're one of the people that actually likes or even loves Fallout 76, that's great! Seriously, I'm glad that you like the game. I don't want people to be disappointed in the things that they buy, and like I said, I really hope that they'll do something to fix F76 and make it an actually good game. Time will tell.

And I'm not particularly worried that this whole thing will kill Bethesda as a company. Although it seems like with the regularity with which they keep shooting themselves in the foot, PR-wise, I can't help but occasionally wonder if this whole thing as been some kind of odd, The Producers-esque scheme to get out of the business. I doubt it, but the idea has occurred from time, mainly because my brain loves a good Mel Brooks reference. heh. Anyway, it's been bad for them for the last couple of months or so, but they can take some comfort in the fact that people on the internet have VERY short memories and attention spans.

Seriously, if Bethesda could just avoid shooting themselves in the foot for a month, Hell, even a couple of weeks, I think most people would largely forget about all the cattywampus around Bethesda and Fallout 76, the whole thing would blow over, and they could get back to doing what they're supposed to do, and folks won't be kicking them in the teeth on a daily basis.

That's not to say that there won't be any lasting consequences from this whole thing. There will. Bascially, I think that Bethesda has pretty much burned up their entire stock of Community Good Will with their fan base. Basically, Bethesda REALLY can't afford to mess up again. Both of their main upcoming games, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, and probably at least a couple more future titles have to be simply awesome. I mean, I think they need to make Game of The Year contenders for at least the next 4 games they put out as a studio. That's about the only thing that's going to replenish that stock of good will at this point.

And I WANT them to succeed in doing that. I mean, I'm huge fan of Sci-Fi games so I definitely want Starfield to completely knock my socks off. I'm a huge Elder Scrolls fan. Hell, I bought Skyrim for the 360, bought all the DLC, and then got it AGAIN when it got remastered for the XBox One. And Skyrim has spent a huge amount of time living in my various consoles. It's a very rare thing when Skyrim spends more than a couple of weeks not loaded into my console. So yeah, please give me an awesome EC 6.

Basically, I'm disappointed in Bethesda, but I want to see that they've learned a lesson from all of this and they'll actually take that lesson to heart. Basically, I hope they've learned to stay in their wheelhouse. And their wheelhouse has always been engaging, single-player, story-driven RPGs, not Online-Only Multiplayer games. Please Bethesda, go back into your wheelhouse, make Starfield, EC 6, and at least your next few titles just gobsmackingly awesome. Not only should it be your goal anyway, I think it'd do a huge amount towards getting you back a lot of the good will that you had. Just my many cents. Heh.

Mahalo, my friends.

Gamer Savings Time: The Slow and the Slothful

So, I'm the type of gamer that the current AAA game industry couldn't give a wet slap about. I don't much care for multiplayer, I prefer story-driven single player games. I almost never pre-order, I tend to not buy special editions and season passes until they've been deep discounted for a holiday sale or something like that. I also avoid loot boxes and microtransactions like the digital plague they are. I mean, if I see something really cool that I can get with the game currency that I actually earn I'm game, then I may snag it. But I'm certainly not going to spend real money on it. No thanks.

I also have limited time and cash to game with, as well as actual adult responsibilities, so my income and time aren't disposable in a way the AAA industry would like. So when I review a game, it could he weeks, maybe even months after the initial release. But that could be a good thing, since I'll be talking about games from the perspective of a dude with limited time and cash, so is this game worth it?

Also, the fact that I'll be way later than other sites can be another good thing. Given the fact that more and more AAA publishers seem to have the philosophy of Release Now, Finish/Fix it Later, or Get Our Mod Community to do it, me waiting a few months means there's a better chance I'll be reviewing an actual, finished game. Hehe.

So if that interests you, pop back once in a while and look for the Gamer Savings Time label. It'll be some gooood eatin'! Hehe.

Mahalo, my friends.

Writer Tip: By Grabthar's Hammer! What a Savings!

I will admit that I'm absolutely addicted to notebooks. I mean actual paper notebooks, especially Moleskines. I adore Moleskines, and I've found that the combination of a Moleskine with a Uni-Ball Signo med. gel pen makes handwriting just glide across the damn page like wordy butter. It's glorious. I'll frequently write things out in a Moleskine that way, then type them into my laptop later.

Now of course the problem with Moleskines is that they're a bit on the pricey side. I personally think it's worth it because I love the damn things, but I'm always on the lookout for savings. Each year, I tend to get one of their excellent Daily Planners for the year and use it for a daily writing notebook so that I'll be sure to do at least a little bit of writing every day. And this year was no exception, my family got me yet another daily planner to scribble in. It was as I was scribbling(my handwriting is terrible) that I had an idea.

I remembered that Barnes and Noble tend to sell the year's daily planner for 50% off once New Year's Day has come and gone. and even though I already had one, I decided to see if B&N was continuing the practice. They were. Then it hit me, the "Well, DUH!" moment. Why not just go and get a couple of them with the Gift Card cash my wonderfully enabling family always gives me on gift giving occasions, ignore the Daily Planner aspect and just use them like regular Moleskine notebooks. It was a forehead slapper. Something that should have been incredibly obvious that I'd just never thought of before.

So the upshot is that now, I'm the happy owner of 2 Moleskine 18-Month Daily Planner Journals probably a good 3 times thicker than the standard Moleskine ruled hard cover journal for only a few bucks more than the price of one of those bad boys(which I still love, but this opens up so many new avenues, heh).

So, writer friends who like to hand write and are in search of a deal, go check out your local B&N! You may find a couple of these puppies hanging out on the shelves and BOOM! You've got some nice, thick, high-quality notebooks!

Here endeth the lesson. Hehe.

Mahalo, my friends.

New Year, New Content...

So we're into a new year, and I've decided that I'm going to try and keep this thing updated more regularly and alter the focus a bit. I'm not doing away with the Indy Author Takeover/Interview posts, I love that stuff, plus I like doing what I can to help out my Indy Author buddies in my small way. So that staff's sticking around, no doubt.

What I want to do around here is add more types of content, focused on the nerdy side of life, which is where I live. Heh. So there will be more reviews on books, movies, T.V., comics, and video games. And especially the gaming stuff, I'll be talking about it from a perspective that normally isn't all that represented in your usual nerd media. That of the guy who's pretty much a perpetual late-comer, due to the type of gamer I am. Planning to talk about that more either later today, or in the next couple of days.

Also, I plan to do my damndest to get cooking a lot more diligently on my fiction writing this year, and I'm sure I'll chat about that here too. Probably with a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Heh.

Don't know how interesting any of this will be to people, but I used to blog pretty regularly and I've been missing it, so I figure the New Year is as good a time as any to dive on back in. If any of this interests you, awesome. Come along for the ride. If not, cool. Thanks for stopping by and I will say good day to you, sir or madam. I SAID GOOD DAY! Hehe.

Mahalo, friends.

Takeover Tuesday! World Building WIth Stacy Overby, Author of Tattoos...

Hello all and welcome once again to a Takeover Tuesday here on the Ol' Mountain Caller. Now with the great scent of pine for your additional enjoyment. Hehe. Today, our guest is Stacy Overby author of the Sci-Fi thriller Tattoos, coming to your hot little hands on December 15th. We've had Stacy here before, and I'm pleased to have her back(Guess I didn't annoy her enough to run her off last time. Heh) Let's check out the back cover blurb...

One hushed cry in the middle of the night, and Eli Thorson's life unravels. A highly trained Black Ops specialist, he is used to danger, but Eli's path forces him to confront the illusions he’s been taught his whole life -- ones that make him question all the good he thought he was doing.
Unable to work for a command that defiles the oaths he swore, he works to untangle the web of lies and deceit he finds woven throughout his worlds. The tattooed marks of his profession run more than skin deep. As a Specialist it is his duty to protect the people, the laws, and all the United Earth Government stands for, even if it means taking down the entire Black Ops division to do it.

Sounds pretty damn cool to me, gentle readers. Anyway, Stacy very kindly agreed to stop by the main offices of Mountain Caller Media, broadcasting to you from an undisclosed location, to give to you guys some tips for building worlds of your very own! So without futher guilding the lily, take it away, Stacy!

I had an interesting time with the world building aspects of my novel, Tattoos. Some things were great, others were a bit more challenging. Here’s are five things I wish someone would have told me when I created the Black Ops world.

1.      I don’t have to use a Judeo-Christian base to the world.

What does that mean? Hint, it’s not what you think. The most prominent piece of this actually comes from a rather entertaining aspect to the Black Ops world—the cursing. See, in the first draft, I used the curses I’m used to hearing. You know, standard American swear words. How many other military-esque novels and movies use standard American English curse words? But I had a dear friend and beta reader offer me a great piece of advice. Standard American English curse words are based in a Judeo-Christian worldview. Hell is derived from this religious structure, as is Christ, when used as a curse. That, my friends, is how much of the cursing in Tattoos is in Greek instead. There is some Standard American cursing because we are talking about multiple cultures and worlds, so it is conceivable these curses also survived, but they weren’t the only ones.

2.      Speaking of language, think about languages.

Even though the dialogue in Tattoos is in English, I did put some thought into the languages being spoken. There is a standard or universal language, which is essentially the English the characters use. But, through implication, and directly in later books, other languages show up. This is really about making sure readers are aware English is not the only language being used in a world where there are multiple planets and cultures. I would argue you don’t have to go so far as to invent new languages, like J.R.R. Tolkien did, but at least write as if those languages exist.

3.      Create new creatures.

This is something that should go without saying. After all, this is one of the things I love the most about writing in the speculative fiction genres. We get to create whatever we want, and it doesn’t have to be even close to real. But that being said, we do need to pay attention to ensure there is consistency and logic to what we create. That’s what makes these fantastical realms believable. If you create a massive creature, but then argue it’s as light as a feather, you’d better have a good explanation for it that carries through other parts of your world as well, or readers won’t be propelled into the story. Same thing goes for building creatures that are completely invincible. Everything has weaknesses, so make sure your creatures do to.

4.      Don’t get lost in the technology.

While Tattoos has some awesome technology in it, you’ll notice I did not make this a big part of the book. There are several reasons for this, but one of which is that it’s so easy to get lost creating all this cool technology that can do so many things. Think of the scene in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy where Trillian is showing Arthur around the Heart of Gold spaceship. She’s so excited by all the different technological gadgets that didn’t exist on Earth. While they’re cool, they are not what’s going to keep readers hooked into the book and they are not generally going to be the pieces that propel the story forward. So, even if you’re writing a hard science fiction piece, the technology still needs to be balanced with things like characterization, plot, and settings.

5.      Write it all down as you invent it.

This is probably the biggest thing I wish someone would have taught me before I got as far as I did with the Black Ops world. I found myself in the unfortunate position of having to constantly go back through the book looking for references to planets, to different pieces of technology, and even the curse words I mentioned earlier. This is even more important if you’re going to write more than one book, which I am in the Black Ops universe. Taking good notes about all the world building will save you a lot of time with making sure things are consistent within the book and across books.

            Bonus Tip: Science Fiction world building is a lot of work.

Yep, it is. Even though it’s a cool way to world build because you don’t have to worry as much about making sure specific details to real life places are accurate, it’s got its own challenges. See, because you can literally make it all up, there’s a type of paralysis that happens with it. A feeling of being overwhelmed by choices can happen. This means you have basically two approaches you can use. There’s the careful planner who will spend quite a bit of time detailing out all the aspects I mentioned and more before ever starting the story. Then there’s people like me. We just start writing and pray to whatever higher power that we don’t make too much of a mess with it. While the first method may produce elaborately detailed worlds and may resolve some of the consistency issues, the second can help generate a much more organic feel to the story. It also can help authors get to the story faster, though it does mean doing some research on the fly. Just make sure you don’t go into the story thinking science fiction world building is easy simply because you can make it all up. It’s perhaps some of the most challenging world building for that very fact.

So, there you have it. Five things I wish I would have been told while creating the Black Ops universe. I even threw in a bonus tip for you. Science fiction world building is great fun, but also challenging. I hope what I offered here helps and, as always, let me know how it goes!

Awesome. Thanks, Stacy! *MAKES NOTES* So once again that's Tattoos by the Splediferous Stacy Overby, available for preorder now, releasing on Dec. 15th published by our good friends over at Our Write Side Ink.

You can get your hot little hands on a copy from Amazon Kindle HERE, from Smashwords HERE, and from Draft 2 Digital HERE.

Want to follow Stacy on the various Social Medias and let her know what a Hoopy Frood she is? Sure you do. You can do that...

                Website: www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com

                On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide

                On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011

                On Google+ at: https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby

                On Instagram at: www.instagram.com/mamawisper78

                and on Pinterest at: www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011

That's going to do it for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this Takeover Tuesday. We'll see you next time here on the Mountain Caller when I find something else to ramble about. Hehe.

Carry On Smartly, My Friends.

Author Takeover! Rebekah Jonesy Interviews Pitch From the Upcoming Clay and Blood!

Afternoon, all. Today here on The Mountain Caller, we're going to do something a bit differently. Today, the splendiferous Rebekah Jonsey is making a return appearance as part of her blog tour for the upcoming Clay and Blood, Mab's Doll Series book 2. But hey, why should I have to do all the work around here? So today, Beks is going to be interviewing one of her characters, the Kelpie Pitch. Should be fun. So take it away, Beks!

Hello everyone, my name is Rebekah Jonesy and I am here today on Mountaincaller to interview Pitch the Kelpie. To start things off I have to let people know that “Pitch” isn’t his real name. It is a name he has accepted to use during this time. Because you won’t give us your real name, will you?

*Pitch shakes his massive head, mane flapping around the room hitting the ceiling.*

Ok instead of having to crane my neck up to see your massive Clydesdale like head up there, could you maybe lay down or

*eyes go wide as Pitch shrinks in size and shape to resemble a small Greyhound dog*

*Pitch wanders around the entryway sniffing at shoes that have been placed neatly by the door before disappearing behind a cloak hanging from a hook on the wall*

Ok yeah, you could do that too. Uhm, what was I saying? Oh, anyway, we don’t know Pitch’s real name so we will stick with his username for the purpose of this interview.

*Pitch appears to think about it, then nods his head sagely before walking off slightly*

Ok, so, another thing about Pitch, he doesn’t talk. While kelpies can talk, they prefer not to do so. Right?

*Pitch looks over and sticks his tongue out and lifts his lip in disgust*

I’m taking that as a yes. That’s why I am doing most of the talking here. Having a bit of experience with him, I thought I would do a better job talking with and understanding Pitch. Or maybe translating is a better way of putting it.

So Pitch, you are a friend of Gillian’s the hero of the story Clay and Blood. Can you tell us why you came on this journey with her?

Pitch?

*Pitch lifts his head, just his head, up from behind the couch where he has wandered off to*

Did you hear what I said?

*Pitch nods and I have to wonder where his neck is*

Are you going to answer? Or give me a hint at least?

*With a snickering laugh Pitch shakes his head violently in denial, doing a good impression of a tea kettle being shaken on a stick as I finally see his pencil thin stretched neck*

Is it because Danu asked you to come?

*more snickers waft out from behind the couch along with some snuffling sounds*

I think that might be a no-

*more snickers*

Or a yes?

*a tiny rat shape trundles out from under the couch and wanders over to the bookcase*

I really hope that’s you, Pitch

*the shape on the floor stops and looks over a me, growing slightly in size until I can see the red vapor wafting around the eyes*

Yup, that’s Pitch. Unless Drew is using a very interesting and possibly radioactive bait for mutant rats. Ok if it wasn’t Danu that asked you join Gillian then why did you join? And how did you know where and when to meet with Gillian and Mab at the pier?

*Pitch’s grin stretched back farther than his face reached*

Are you going to tell --

*Pitch’s nose is now big enough that I realize he is growing it larger on purpose*

Oh you smelled them? You sniffed them out so you knew where they were.But how did you know that they would-- Pitch? Where are you-- Pitch I don’t think Drew would like that.

*Pitch stops pawing at the books on the bookcase to turn a baleful gaze on me*

Those are his books Pitch. His stories. That is how we humans share information and pass them on.

*Pitch turns back to the books and sniffs at them delicately. With a pleased smile he leaves them alone and walks off to wander around a desk*

Ok so back to … uhm. Oh, you and Gillian swam to shore in New Jersey where you met Officer Brown. He was the one that first suggested your usename. What did you think about him?

*Pitch sits down on his haunches to think about it. After a moment he lifts both front legs with his paws facing up in a way that proves that despite his shape his is no dog. He moves alternates both paws up and down as if he is weighing something.*

So not good or bad?

*Pitch goes back to sniffing around the desk*

Ok, how did you feel when you learned that he was being controlled by a siren?

*raucous laughter erupts from under the desk*

Why is that funny?

*Pitch struts out from under the desk. A gold championship belt is wrapped around his middle.*

Where did you even find that?!

*Ignoring the question Pitch grows in size and rears up on his hind legs until he is taller than I am when standing. Sitting he now towers over me as he flexes his front legs in an exaggerated pose framing the championship belt he has somehow managed to wear on his waist*

What are you doing?

*Pitch snarls and stomps around on his back legs, continuing to make silly strong man poses which look even more bizarre on his contorted canine shape then they do on humans*

That’s Drew’s trivia championship belt. We shouldn’t mess with that.

*Pitch laughs and shakes his head*

What do you mean no? That’s his. He made it, and won the rights to wear it.

*Pitch shrugs and nods*

So it’s his.

*Pitch shakes his head again.

Yes it is. This is his place. All of this is his.

*Pitch shakes his head again*

How is it not? We’re at his place doing this interview now --

*Pitch shrinks in size, the belt sliding off. Using his back feet he scrapes at the carpet, kicking the belt away and continuing to scratch at the floor*

“I’ve seen my dog do the same thing when another dog has been in the… yard… Pitch.. Oh no. Tell me you didn’t.”

*Pitch laughs uproariously and prances around the room scratching at the floor near every place he has stopped*

“You’re removing his scent. Which means you used your own scent to mark… Oh. Oh no.”

*Pitch dashes around the room, jumping on furniture and laughing his fool head off*

“Please tell me kelpies mark like cats with their cheeks and not like dogs!”

*Without responding Pitch laughs again and races to the door, knocks the door handle down, and bolts outside. His laughter can be heard fading into the distance*

Uhm so that’s all we have time for, folks! We’ll get out of Drew’s lair here, hopefully before he gets back. And before I have to pay for a carpet cleaning. Uhm, in case anyone is wondering… uh… being marked by a kelpie is considered good luck. Yeah! Yeah it is. Yup. Let’s not tell Drew about that just in case he doesn’t know though. Ok? Ok. So thanks for listening, watching, whichever, I’m not really sure what happened here and if you would like to read more about this and the others characters, I promise Pitch isn’t making any more stops in anyone else’s homes this tour, please check out my book Clay and Blood.
books2read.com/u/mqZk6v

And please join me on the rest of the stops on my book release blog tour for Clay and Blood. I did a lot of fun interviews, different flavor for each one. I also wrote character spotlights and articles that I thought were a lot of fun. So check out ourwriteside.com for those links or my blog http://rebekahjonesy.blogspot.com/ for the list, that’s also where I post glowing reviews on all of JD’s works so far. I will also be posting the links on my reader group on Facebook where I let my geek flag fly proudly and talk about my books and writing. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864

Dang it, you guys! It's a mess in here! Hmmm, I may have to rethink letting other people in here. Well anyway, check out Rebekah online and go get Clay and Blood when it comes out on Halloween! And be sure to check out the other stops on Beks' Blog Tour. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the carpet steamer...

Blogside Chat: Stacy Overby, author of Scath Oran,,,

Back once again with the blog behavior, friends. And today we have another Blogside Chat with a really cool author I know. Today, our guest, hitchhiking in from beyond that Gagralacka Mind Zones is Stacy Overby, author of the upcoming fae poetry collection Scath Oran, available on September 22, 2042. No, wait, I meant 2018. Hehe. Anyway, let's get to it!

-What got you into the world of pure imagination that is writing?

                A childhood of avoidance. Writing is an ultimate form of dodging things. Seriously, I was pretty introverted as a child and grew up in a family where books and writing played a big part. My dad taught me to love sci-fi and fantasy through the books he bought and passed on to me to read. My mom would come into my elementary school classrooms with stories she’d written for whatever recent holiday. The stories would feature all the kids in the class. I loved it. These things probably didn’t help my introverted tendencies much. Getting old and ornery did a much better job of addressing those introverted tendencies.

-Tell us a bit about Scath Oran.

                This poetry collection takes readers on a journey through the Otherworld. Some of the denizens there you may recognize, such as the banshee and the fae themselves. There are others, though, who are not quite as well known, such as cait sith and the merrow. Even Death himself puts in an appearance before you find the doors back into our world, safe on this side of the Veil. The question is, what will you find when you take this journey?

-What inspired you to write Scath Oran? One too many viewings of Labyrinth? Kidnapped by the Fae as a child? Fae Curse?

                No picking on Labyrinth! I love that movie. I don’t think I was ever kidnapped by the fae as a child, though if I grew up a Changling Child, would I know it? I do sometimes think there are some fairies I pissed off somewhere that have cursed my life—you know that whole “May you live in interesting times” thing. Wait, that’s a Chinese curse. It still applies, though.

                Shoot. I did it again, didn’t I? Squirrel moment. Anyway, Scath Oran came about as a cross between poetry lessons and a challenge I couldn’t back down from. An amazing classical poet friend was giving lessons in things like meter and form—stuff I struggle with since I am a thoroughbred pantser—in one of my writing groups. About the same time someone else threw out a challenge of seeing through an entire project. Throw in the love for all things Celtic I hold, and I ended up with what would become Scath Oran. Which, at least from what I could find online, is a cross of Irish and Scots Gaelic for shadow song.

-When you sit down to write, what’s your process for getting yourself into the groove?

                *Hangs head and cries while muttering “why do I always get asked this???* Wait, you heard that? As you can tell, my process is rather minimal as an organized process. Between running a teenage co-occurring treatment program and a six-year-old at home, processes tend to be impossible to keep for long in my life. I write in between meetings, during swim lessons, while staying up way later than I should. You get the picture. One trick I use, though, is music. I have a variety of playlists for different stories and such I am working on. So, while I’m in the car to and from the various places I need to be, I have that on. Let me tell you, it’s pretty cute to hear my son singing most of the words to songs from the likes of Shinedown, Linkin Park, and Breaking Benjamin. I also tend to compose quite a bit in my head and pray to the writing powers I don’t forget what I’ve got worked out.

-Do you know where your towel is?

                Always! As with all good hitchhikers, I never leave home without it. Never know when it may come in handy. Just ask Ford and Arthur.

-What is your favorite Fae creature?

                Oooo. Tough call. I love the origin stories of the banshee, but cait sith and cu sith are cool. Though, the selkies tend to draw me back. There is something about the way the shapeshifting takes place with the selkies that fascinates me. I’m not sure I’ve run across a shapeshifter who, as a natural part of the process, dons or shed skin to transform. Plus, rather than being this terrible or cursed existence, the selkies tend to be one of tragedy. However, there is one variation I used in Scath Oran. This myth talks about the selkie wife who returns to the sea when her husband’s ship is wrecked in a storm. She gives up her happy life on land to save his life. I know this is still somewhat a tragedy, but there’s a brighter ending in that the selkie saves her husband’s life. I think some of the unusualness of the selkie myths—the tragedy rather than horror and trickery, the gentleness rather than blood and war—are what hold the selkies apart for me. Plus, they’re not a very common creature to read about in fantasy right now.

-When the mischievous Fae descend on you and steal your motivation, what do you do to get your mojo back?

                Go have some fun. Fairies will sometimes steal things when you’re in a foul mood. When you let go of that, they’ll give it back. See, they like having fun and music and such—at least the nicer fairies. If it’s the darker fairies who stole my mojo, then it’s a whole different story. They won’t give it back, so I have to conjure more mojo to replace what they stole. Movies and music are good starters for me. I have a whole board of prompts on Pinterest to play with in the hopes of conjuring mojo. I’m also a fidgety person, so going for a walk, riding my bike, cleaning, or most anything where I can move will help as well. Worst case scenario when these things aren’t working? I take a break, conceding the Fae may know more than me at that point.

-Describe your perfect writer's hideout. Cabin in the forest made of enchanted books? Candlelit room in a tall tower? Faery glade?

                All of the above. But they’ll be on the edge of an ocean in a place where the weather cooperates with me most of the time. I don’t like the cold that much, but snow is a must in the winter. It also has to have room for the family, but enough stuff to keep them occupied so that when I’m writing they’re happy and leaving me alone. I’d need a scribe, too, so I can hang with my family but still dictate stuff—ooo, better yet, a mind reader who only can tell what my story is and can get it written down for me.

-Which magical realm would you pick to retire in?

                Hmmm. Tough call. My first thought is to pick Middle Earth because it’s Middle Earth. Nothing else needed to say there. However, there are so many other cool realms to explore. Bishop’s three realms from the Black Jewels series is amazing. Then there’s Narnia with the animals and fairy creatures and all. But I also like some of the more sci-fi worlds like L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Stargate-Atlantis, and Star Wars. Can I just build a realm hopping machine so I can visit them all?

-Where can we find you on the interwebs?

                I can be found at: www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com

                On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide

                On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011

                On Google+ at: https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby

                On Instagram at: www.instagram.com/mamawisper78

                and on Pinterest at: www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011

-Lastly, what do you think the question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe and Everything is?

                Everyone knows the answer is 42, but it’s the question that’s so tricky, isn’t it? I think the Ultimate Question is “How many stuffed animals will it take for my son to settle down and go to sleep?”. Yes, he insists he must bury himself with stuffed animals before going to sleep. Life, the Universe, and Everything depends on that, trust me. (And yes, I know it is really “What is six by nine?”).

Thanks, Stacy! Hope you all enjoyed this latest Blogside Chat! Now, off you go to preorder Stacy's book. And if you read it and you like it, one of the best things you can do is to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads and places like that. Really, we authors love that! Until next time, Carry on smartly, my friends.

Blogside Chat: Robert Cano, author of The Dark Archer...

Back once again with the Chat behavior. Today, we've got Robert Cano, author of The Dark Archer, coming out on July 26th. So let's get into it, and see what Robert has to say...

-So this book of yours, The Dark Archer. Tell the folks at home a little something about it. And really sell it, get them clamoring to attain a copy!

Well, The Dark Archer is focused on Bene, who we last saw at the very end of The Suffering.  Bene was once a captain of the guard, highly ranked in the Kingdom of Preju.  He held a high station, and he was charged with the protection of the princess whom he helped to raise when she was sent away to neighboring kingdom.  What came of that, we see in TS.

However, what I really wanted to do with TDA was expand out the world.  I wanted the world to start getting much bigger, and not only for my characters, but for my readers.  So often, we find ourselves contented to live out our day to day lives, in our small little corners and neighborhoods, many times never leaving the cities in which we grew up.  Sometime we never leave our neighborhood.  This tale is not about that.  It’s about both the beauty and the danger of everything we rarely, if ever, have the courage to see.

I have long believed that the things most worth fighting for, the things we find most beautiful in our world, are often the scariest, or most dangerous.

In the end, the story is about Bene.  But what we get to see through his eyes, as he sees it...well, I hope it takes your breath away.

-What got you into this whole madness we call being a writer? Were you rummaging around in your grandparents’ attic and discover a strange, dusty old leather tome called “1,001 Weird Fantasy Plot Ideas?” Or did you just think, “Hey, that’d be really cool to do?

Madness is right!  So, my writing began with poetry, at the ripe old age of 19.  Now, I’ve long had the gift of writing, I’d argue, but to think I could actually pen something worth reading?  I think that’s a way different beast.

My imagination is always running.  I remember being a kid in middle school, where I spent the majority of my time grounded, in my room, without even being allowed a book to read if it wasn’t for school (my parents knew reading for me was an escape, a passion, so they could never use it as a punishment).  And so, because my time was spent staring off into the blankness of four walls, I had to conjure a way to make it through… and that’s exactly what I did.

-What got you into fantasy? Did a wizard show up at your door and make you cook for a bunch of hungry dwarves? Did an owl drop off a mysterious letter? Did a dragon steal your lunch money? What are the deets, man?

Definitely the wizard.  That doggone Maia came at me bro.  I fell in love with The Hobbit at a very young age, thanks to my mom.  That led to reading everything I could by Tolkien, and this led to a lifelong love of fantasy.  

However, I read all sorts of genres.  Some of my favorites being The Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice, particularly those stories where we go back in time, like Blood and Gold, or the Vampire Armand.  I love Thomas Harris, Steinbeck, Hawthorne, and many others.  And I would have to say that each of these authors have contributed to my writing in one way or another. But fantasy is the one thing I always came back to.  I read through Tolkien’s works every year.  I enjoy Sanderson, Brooks, Jordan, McCaffery and many others.  I love comics, where the idea of superheroes really lends itself to thinking big.  And then there is one of my first loves, mythology.  The myths and legends of our own world are so rich and diverse and extraordinary, that using them just made sense.

-If you could form a dream team of fictional archers, who would get the nod and be drafted by Team Cano?

First one?  Bene.  Hands down.  The bow and arrow isn’t necessarily his only weapon, as he’s proficient in many weapons, but with his skills as a wraith… he don’t miss.  Second would have to be Green Arrow.  Then Legolas.  And then Sylvanas Windrunner, of Warcraft fame.

-What would your ideal Writer’s Fortress of Solitude look like? A lonely room at the top of a tall castle tower? A roadside inn? A nicely appointed cave in the middle of the Fae forest? Paint me a word picture.

I’ve always dreamed of having a tower with a view.  With tempered glass making the walls of the tower, up to a circular office space with 360 degree views of the world around me, complete with a decent balcony all around.  Perhaps one, perhaps not…  But that would be amazing.  And this tower can be jutting out of the top of my home, resting above the second or third floor, depending on what I decide to do.

-If you could go live in the fictional world of your choice, where would we have to forward your mail to?

Obviously, Arda is on that list.  For those who aren’t as massive Tolkien lore nerds as I am, that’s the world where Middle Earth can be found.  Valinor is the other huge continent, which is also called the Undying Lands. 

I also wouldn’t mind GRRM’s world, as long as I’m not too far north.  Or a part of a major family.  Or in the politics at all.

I hope you and many others will want to adventure in my world of Arduil.  In The Dark Archer, we get to see a glimpse of Tylirion, which is one of the continents (one which we will get to see more of later), and we spend the most of our time in Aariad.  Even with expanding the world, there are great swathes of land we will yet have to get to.  Tales coming.

-Apart from being a writer, what’s something that the folks at home and out there in Webland should know about you?

I am actually an archer myself.  I’m a father, a job I take super seriously, and I enjoy probably more than anything.  My girls are my world, and some of my biggest fans, even if they can’t read my works just yet.  I also love to teach both poetry and writing, and I do a fair bit of editing.

I’m pretty easy-going.  I just love to live life, enjoying my time with my girls.  While I would say I have a good number of friendships I’ve cultivated over the years, people I’ve come to love and admire, it is like pulling teeth trying to get me out of my house.  I much prefer to be behind my screen, writing, or watching a good movie, or just having a quiet night, uneventful and without craziness, or, much like you, escape to books, since reality sucks.  The addled life of an introvert.

-When those wicked, tricksy and false Doubt Hobbits steal your One Ring of Inspiration and hot-foot it towards a volcano to chuck it in, what are some of the things you do to cut those nasty little flat-foots off at the pass and get your mojo back?

Simple answer?  Live. Let me explain.  I’ve found that when the well runs dry, it’s either from doing too much not associated with getting my creative juices flowing, or it’s from running out of things to write about.  So I go out and live a bit.  I taste the world again.  I chase down those nasty hobbitses and have a riddle battle with them, maybe enjoy some potatoes with them. 

Our world, our universe, is all the inspiration I really need, but sometimes us writers get stuck and forget to go visit the world beyond our windows.  So I’ll take time off from writing.  I’ll learn, I’ll live, I’ll put it all together and figure out how to better myself.

-If we were to give you the bow of your dreams, what would you want? Old English longbow? Mongol Warbow? The God Gorgon of Brave Raideen? Choose your weapon, sir.

I’d probably go with the Crimean Tatar bow.  It was a composite bow, recurve design.  There were other types of recurves, but the longer design of this particular recurve allowed for more kinetic energy.  The kinetic energy output from a bow is different from the speed.  We’re talking about penetration power vs pure speed. 

Compound bows are okay, but they’re created for speed.  What I want is for my arrows to shatter bones, should they come into contact with them.  With the right broadhead, my quarry will bleed out in short time with just a decent shot...doesn’t even have to be perfect.

And I’ve won tournaments with my shooting skills.  hehehe.

-Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what’s your favorite writing playlist?

Yes!  I kinda have to.  I have ADD, and the music helps me focus.  With that said, I usually pop on YouTube and listen to the Mixhound Chillstep 24/7 livestream.  Most of the time the music is exactly what I need to get my fingers flowing. 

Specific artists that I love include: Ferven, Michael FK, AK, Phaura, Skrux, Headphone Activist, and many others.

-What can we look forward to in the future from your fingers and brain?

Well, I have this series I’m working on, with the sequel to TDA, The Shadow Cult, coming hopefully next year.  The Shadow Cult continues the adventures of one or more of our heroes from TDA, and it explores in more depth the darker elements that had left us with only questions at the end of TDA.  

Also coming from that world are:  

The Fall
The Great War
Aurelle
Reyvyn’s Dance
Reyvyn’s Song
Reyvyn’s Sorrow

From my science fiction series:

A Mother’s Love
A Daughter’s Hate
Death’s Widow

-Lastly, let the folks know where they can find you on the InterTubez.

You can find me on my blog at www.shadowyembrace.com

Twitter and Instagram are both @shadowyembrace

And feel free to follow me on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/RobertECanoII/

Awesome. Thanks for being here, Robert! Remember to check out The Dark Archer on July 26th. And thanks to all the folks at home for tuning in and checking out another Blogside Chat. Hehe. Until next time...