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Trapped in a Star Wars Nightmare

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This is my “2 years later” look at The Last Jedi, a film made by a director dedicated to shitting on everything that was handed him, including a large number of set-ups by JJ Abrams. A second (less emotional) look made me see the whole thing as petty and spiteful. He didn’t just ignore these “mystery boxes,” he purposefully destroyed their capacity to provide an interesting plot twist. Did JJ band Rian’s wife or something? Or is it just that Star Wars as a whole offended Johnson? You can get my newest book, Eyes in the Walls, for 99 cents…

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Change Something Once a Year – Growth through change and stress

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As we come up on the new year, it’s a good time to talk about MEANINGFUL growth and change. 1) Growth is a response to stress. Nobody expects their body to improve by sitting around on the couch avoiding the stress of exercise. Same with intellectual and spiritual growth. There are limits to this obviously, but seeking a carefree, stress-free life will make you stagnate. Worse, it will weaken you.Don’t avoid stressful things if they are part of you reaching your goals.  2) Change something MEANINGFUL about your life once a year. Change jobs. Move. Have another kid. Write a book. The bigger…

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The Force Awakens, 4 years later

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It’s been 4 years since I watched and reviewed The Force Awakens, or “Star Wars Episode 7.” I did a few videos (below) to re-examine it absent my emotional reactions and with my gains in perspective over the last few years. I discovered some interesting things First, the movie still sucks. It actually sucks worse, since the visual impact is reduced (due to me having already seen it and watching it at home) and that just leaves the nonsensical story to focus on. Second, I realized that my original assessment of it as a fan film is right on point…

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Mandalorian Chapter 6: Space Jailbreak (video)

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Newest Star Wars video, where I talk about what works and what doesn’t with the newest Mandalorian episode. In this episode, we have a classic jailbreak set-up, but rather than cowboys storming a train to free the outlaw, we attack a jail transport in space. High point – making characters unlikable before punishing them Low point – they take their time in what should be a high-tension affair. By the way, my newest book is out! Get it here:

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Triskadekaphobia

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It means fear of the number 13 and things associated with it. I actually learned this word tangentially today: And yes! Eyes in the Walls is finally live in all formats. But this got me thinking – why are people “superstitious” and what does “superstition” really mean? Oddly, I think if you look at Pagan history, particularly that of antiquity, the concept is almost an inversion of what we think of today. Pagans viewed rituals as something that created outcomes via the attention of the gods – you made a sacrifice, Jupiter looked favorably upon your military campaign. You keep…

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City of Silver Now Available in Ebook and Paperback!

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My newest book, the first in the Moonsong Series, is now available in ebook and paperback on Amazon. Right now, the book is part of Kindle Unlimited, which means Amazon is the only retail outlet where you can get the ebook, but you can also read for free if you have the Kindle Unlimited subscription. Buy it here – 99 cents for the ebook, 6.25 for the physical. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YXP263K   BTW, if this post seems rather, shall we say, stripped down (no cover art, for example), its because my site is not functioning right now. Of course it happens when…

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Planning your book (Writestream University)

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“Writestream university” is in full swing – last night’s livestream focused on book planning (phase 1 of my four phases of book creation). Find the planning document above and feel free to use it however you want.

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Voices of the Void – How I wrote it, and what’s in it (video)

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Here’s a video I did talking about how I wrote my newest book, Voices of the Void, as well as what sort of story it is. You can pre-order it now!

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Karen the Moneywasher (Dialogue Demo)

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The following is a short scene and a half of a story created on my livestream for the purposes of demonstrating dialogue writing. It begins with two characters who banter, revealing their character traits and also through that dialogue reveal the basic elements of a plot goal – Karen needs to launder money. The second (incomplete) scene introduces a third character, exposes his traits, and further develops the main plot goal. It was quite a bit of fun! Check out the entire stream here, then view the file below:

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Crown of Sight – scene 2

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Prince Darathel leaned over the table. His sword, made for his father’s hands, banged against the ancient wood and he moved it behind him nervously. Covering the table was an immense map drawn on canvas. Ghostly glowing points and clouds hovered over the surface, indicating where the enemy was camped and where its soldiers moved. The lamp above, filled with the ethereal light of the prim, flickered out for a few moments, dimming the relief of the castle and outer walls, leaving the blue-white of the enemy army on the map as the sole source of light in the room… or nearly so.

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