Robert Heinlein Had His Bad Days, Too
Robert Heinlein was the first science fiction author that I read. Not read as in one book or one story, but read as in going to the library (pre-Amazon days), finding every single piece of his work, and checking them all out early in the summer and using those long, hot days by the YMCA [...]
When New Magazines Go Old School
Here’s a point-counterpoint of the new and newer that’s left me scratching my head a bit. EPSPN Magazine and Stymie Magazine jointly announced a sports fiction contest, with the winner(s) gaining a highlight in ESPN, Stymie, or somewhere other than the tearsheet above the men’s urinal (or maybe there too, courtesy of the afore-mentioned bathroom [...]
Introducing Amphibimen Comics
Short form: My friend Erik and I both have day jobs, but have talked for years about starting our own comics business. He’s the artistic one, the creative spirit, and knows his way around the watercolor aisle at Jerry’s Art Supplies. I’m the nerd, the sci-fi hound, the content manager, the business guy, and the [...]
My Next Career Isn’t In Writing
I decided to spend some time working on writing projects as I’m between jobs. Seemed like a good idea – dust off some short story ideas, enter a few writing contests, polish up the blog a bit, and of course finish the mythical, much-discussed but oft-ignored hockey book. What I’ve really done is write two [...]
“Don’t Touch My Stuff” FanFic Entry
It’s been exactly a month since I was last employed full-time. One of my goals for the inter-gig session was to spend more time writing, and branching out from snarky blog entries and technical content in particular. I entered two short stories in the ESPN/Stymie Magazine sports fiction contest, and then only two days into [...]
Wheaton Unicorn Kitty Versus John Scalzi Orc
My wonderful wife and I often conclude a rather improbable, highly entertaining or four sigma to the right of center story with “You just can’t make this shit up.” For instance: What if Wil Wheaton, recently joining the ranks of my favorite authors, was riding a unicorn kitten (not a unicorn chaser, mind you, but [...]
Stymie Magazine and ESPN’s Fiction Contest
Stymie Magazine proclaims itself a journal of sport and literature. That’s not such a far-fetched concept; we love sports because we find stories in watching, playing, coaching and competing that we tell and retell to our family and friends. If there’s narrative, there’s something more than facts and figures. We’re captivated by stories, particularly those [...]
Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming
The opening line of Neil Young’s Ohio, written about the National Guard shootings of students at Kent State University, forty years ago today. I was a bit too young to understand the emotion, the civil unrest, and the extreme bravery of the students that led to “four dead in Ohio”; I’ve only known the lyrics [...]
SitePoint Podcast with the book trio
Had the pleasure of recoding SitePoint podcast #56 with Brad Williams and David Damstra, my co-authors on Professional WordPress. As usual, it was fun romp through the process of writing a book, some of our favorite parts, and what it’s like to write with people you never met in person (sort of the inverse of [...]
Kathryn Bertine’s “As Good As Gold” releases April 28
Anyone who has followed me for the last two years knows that I’m a Kathryn Bertine fan boy. It started with All The Sundays Yet To Come, and continued through her ESPN Insider tales between 2006-2008. She’s taken those articles as a starting point and knit together her 2-year effort to compete in the 2008 [...]