I felt the need to talk about something uplifting. Fortunately for all of us, I don’t have to pick up a heavy object and then make an ‘uplifting’ joke. Some months back, I took part in “The Menagerie” in Alameda. It’s what’s called an “Oddities Market” – an event where…
I think a lot about words. What word fits here? Is this word better than that one? Hmm, what’s a new way to describe bodily dismemberment… We have so many wonderful words in English. Many other languages do too (Latin, French, German, Japanese, and so on). Tolkien believed language itself…
While reviewing my current work – “The Renaissance Compact,” Book 2 in the Stymph Sequence – I came to one of those famous “Author’s Dilemmas.” See, I had a character in the story. Let’s call him Frank. Frank’s a tertiary character. He has lines and does things that help the…
You can’t have a “Stymph Sequence” without Stymphs! The name’s short for Stymphalians in the stories. That name itself comes from a Greek legend – the Stymphalian Birds. Carnivorous birds with metal feathers, nesting in one area of ancient Greece & tormenting its countryside. They even devoured humans. A plague…
Something I’m certain you didn’t know…characters take work to develop. Obviously you want to develop the MAIN character, and the villain/villains. Readers want depth, lifelike depiction, conflict you can sink your teeth into! (Sorry, Stymph joke. Wait, not sorry.) When you’re dealing with dozens of characters per book though? All…
My first meta-fictional character has arrived! What is that? I’ll explain. Have a look at this cover: This is “The Richest Man in Babylon.” One of, if not THE greatest work on finance ever written. Its central character is a man named Arkad, the eponymous ‘Richest Man’ in ancient Babylon.…
Have you signed up to get “The Wrong Message?” It’s not too late! This is my author’s newsletter, in case that wasn’t clear. Yes, an author using email for communications. Writing. You’d never expect it, I know. I’ll begin sending it out soon; mid-August is the plan. Just quarterly to…
Fans of huge slavering monsters! Explorers of dystopian wastelands! Your next read is here and ready for download. “The Viscount of 2213” throws us into a future where humanity no longer rules Earth. The Stymph does…and it enjoys feeding on humans. In the story, we join a group of humans…
Name: GORGONOPSINAE TRIDENTEM Common Name: “Stymphalian” or “Stymph” Overall Length (not including tail): 5 to 7.5 feet Overall Height (average): 4 feet at shoulder Weight (average): 300-500 pounds The Stymphalian, or “Stymph” in common parlance, is a quadrupedal mammalian carnivore which feeds on predator species. The creature is akin to…
