Thursday, August 30, 2007

Epoch Site is Up!


Great news! The website for Epoch, created and designed by my wife Violet, is now up and ready for your viewing pleasure. You can see it by clicking on this sentence.

Check it out!

More Con Photos





I promised photos from last weekend's Sci/Fi Expo, so here they are! Enjoy.





This is me with Monica S. Kuebler, creator of Burningeffigy Press and editor of Section K.




Here I am, defending myself from the villainous Cobra Commander and Destro. Where are the Joes when you need them? Hawk? Flint? Duke? Gung-Ho? Roadblock, maybe? Hell, I'll even take Tripwire or Rip-Cord.











These are the buttons Monica made to help promote Section K. They were a big hit at the Con, because they were free!




One last shot of Violet and me.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Sci-Fi Expo

I'm happy to report that last weekend's Sci-Fi Expo at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre was a smashing success for me, my wife Violet, and my books. In total I sold twenty (!) copies of Epoch, nine copies of Attack of the Intergalactic Soul Hunters, and six copies of Section K. All in all, a most rewarding (and profitable!) weekend.

Money aside, I was just happy to get the word out about myself and my work. That's what you've got to do in this biz! I'm feeling so good about it, I might just sign myself up for Con*Cept in Montreal this October!

Here are some pictures from the event:


That's me at my table, doing my author thing.













This is my reaction to a truly horrible cup of convention tea. Ugh!








This is me wearing a 'Jayne' hat. All you Browncoats out there know what I'm talking about. For the rest, it was the hat sent to Jayne from his mother on the fantastic series, Firefly. Someone was knitting those hats and selling them, so Violet picked one up. Don't I look grand?










This is my lovely and adorable wife, Violet, wearing the Jayne hat. Isn't she cute?








Violet and I, at the table, selling lots of books.









More pictures to come.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Half-Baked Rules

I'll start this post on a positive note - I'm feeling much better than I did when I last posted. Today I'm winning the battle against despair and negative thoughts.

Good though I'm feeling, I did just get some bad news. This weekend is the Sci-Fi Expo, where I'll have a table to sell Epoch, Section K and Soul Hunters. I thought a great gimmick would be to have baked goods on my table. A friend of my sister is an excellent baker, and she was all ready to make me 100 of the most mouth-wateringly good treats you can imagine. And I just found out the convention people have a rule against exhibitors giving away food at their tables.

That was a bit of a blow. Still, I have plenty of other tricks up my sleeve. I have no doubt this weekend will be a smashing success.

Unless, of course, I blow all my money on stuff. Which is always a danger at these things.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Is It August Already?

Yes, apparently it is. Blogging has taken a real back seat for me lately. I've been working in a mailroom, which involves a lot more rushing around than I'm used to. I enjoy the work more than most other jobs I've done, but when I come home the last thing on my mind is blogging.

The past year has been a real test for me. I went from one job I didn't like into one that started well but quickly went to hell. My cat, the Moosh, passed away, and I went through four months of unemployment. I made a commitment to being positive, and found that promise harder and harder to keep.

This should have been a great year for me - Violet and I celebrated our second year as a married couple, and I launched not one but two novels. Today, my niece Imogen turns 2. Plus, I have an adorable kitten. And there's finally a live-action Transformers movie (I've seen it three times, so far). There's not a whole lot to be miserable about.

I've read The Secret and many books like it, and have seen evidence that positive thoughts can change a person's world for the better. So why is it so hard for me to be positive?

Today started badly - I was in a horrible mood, for no obvious reason. I spent my writing time just staring at my notebook, not even wanting to open it. Then, as the day wore on, I started to feel better. Then I felt depressed that I let myself fall so far.

This is the challenge for me, for this stage of my life. I have all the tools I need to conquer my sadness. I just need to learn how to use them.

Woah. I didn't intend for this post to get so depressing when I started - I just wanted to do a simple update. I promise my next post will be more uplifting, and fun.