Way, way back in 2020, I was invited by Keith DeCandido and Wrenn Simms to contribute a story to their planned anthology The Four ???? of the Apocalypse. The idea was that the traditional Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death, Famine, War, and Conquest) could easily be personified not as horsemen but as…septuagenarians, cats, squirrels, […]
The writing process has been analyzed, dissected, and discussed to death. Obviously, everyone has their own style, and many successful folk have written books about how to write. Some have gone on to great acclaim and are worthy reads. My process is one born of training and a chance to channel my undiagnosed hyperactivity (trust […]
After numerous supply chain delays, the print edition of Above the Ground is on sale in finer bookstores around North America. This project has been percolating for a long while, so it’s definitely satisfying to see it come to fruition. Former Heavy Metal CEO Matt Medney first talked to me about the project in the […]
Every year, I look back at my reading, trying to find patterns, failing every time. It’s an eclectic assortment of contemporary fiction, classic fiction, science fiction and fantasy, nonfiction, and tons of graphic novels. According to my lists at Goodreads, I have read 252 books this year, 48 “real” books, and 202 graphic novels. Every […]
When the website was redesigned, we included the functionality for me to sell autographed copies of my books. Until this weekend, I never executed that because I needed to organize and complete an inventory. With that now completed, I call attention to my extensive booklist which features fiction and nonfiction for all ages. Quite a […]
I report back to St. Vincent Pallotti High School this morning, beginning my sixth year as a teacher there. Somehow, the ten-week summer break has evaporated and the 2022-23 academic year is poised to begin on the 29th. So, what did I do on my summer vacation? The big project was writing the second Above […]
I attempted to fund my homage to the golden age of pulp magazines, Thrilling Adventure Yarns in 2019, estimating I needed $4500 to pay the authors somewhat below market rates, a cover painting, and book designer. I was shocked to do 200+% better with 400 backers. Encouraged, I tried again with TAY 2021, which asked […]
Now that it’s public, I am excited to talk about the novel I wrote last year. As you may recall, I was asked to step in and complete Paul Antony Jones’ This Alien Earth trilogy for Aethon Books. They were happy enough with the finished product that I was recommended to Matt Medney, CEO of […]
The freelance life is beginning to take shape as projects are finally getting announced. As mentioned earlier, coming in March is The Phenomenons, the new super-hero prose universe masterminded by Michael Jan Friedman. Kickstarter backers have started receiving their copies and the response has been positive. Also now announced, is the Peter and Kathleen David-edited […]
It has to have been a year or so back when Mike Friedman reached out to me and Paul Kupperberg. “Guys,” he said, “I’m thinking of creating a prose superhero universe.” When we couldn’t talk him out of it, we provided feedback on his premise, ensuring it didn’t resemble the plethora of existing shared superhero […]
According to Goodreads, I have read 223 books in 2021, a whopping 40,198 pages. The shortest was 96 pages and the fattest was 706 pages with them averaging a 3.7 (out of 5) rating. That’s quite a bit read on paper, eBook, and audiobook. Taking out the graphic novels, I managed 51 traditional books, ranging […]
I find myself so overwhelmed with school work and home projects that having time for personal writing comes infrequently at best. Which is not to say I have not been productive. What’s weird is, I have all sorts of irons in the fire, projects that should all show up in 2022 so it’ll feel like […]
A freelance writer always likes to be invited in on the ground floor of something new because you never know what will click and what won’t. All too often, I’ve gotten excited by projects that were met with less enthusiasm. Yet, when I was invited to join Systema Paradoxa, I was delighted since it meant […]
We’re three weeks into the summer break and I realize I am not fully divorced from the classroom. Each morning I check my two school email accounts, I’ve read professional blogs, and attended a few video sessions on tools I use. So, maybe, it’s not entirely possible to be fully on break, just the priorities […]
This has been a challenging first five months of the year from the standpoint of being a writer. Much of that has to do with the lack of time for anything substantive as I rebuild the freshmen curriculum, constantly lesson planning new units for both the college prep and honors students. Some of my free […]
We are live in all formats! I had hoped to have Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2021 out for Farpoint, back when I was really wishing the con was in person. Covid-19 knocked those plans out of contention and then one of my writers was late, I mean really late, with the story. Since I had used […]
I was stunned to realize I would have three releases come out on the same day in October. Imagine my surprise to see three books coming out in March. Out first, is Biff! Bam! Ee-Yow! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman ’66—Season Two. Edited by Jim Beard, aided and abetted by Rich Handley, this […]
Growing up, I was consuming comic books by the pound, expanding my consumption to include science fiction, fantasy and superhero far on film and television. This widened to include fiction and it was the summer of 1970 I was introduced to Conan the Barbarian. From fanzine pieces, I gathered he was from pulp magazines, something […]
Writers accept assignments and agree to deadlines and then it is entirely up to the publisher what happens next. As a result, three different jobs, written at three entirely different times, arrive today for your reading pleasure. I began writing Flash: 100 Greatest Moments during the summer of 2019 with the book scheduled for a […]
Thanks to an adjustment to the academic calendar, teachers were granted three bonus days of summer. Alas, today is the final weekday of my summer break. I report back to school on Monday with the kids arriving a week later. A highlight of the summer was adding Albert to our family. He loves perching here. […]
As of today, I have one week left before I report back to school. A very different academic year awaits. In the meantime, Deb has suggested I throttle back and take more time for myself this week, which is most excellent advice. It’s been a very busy summer, all things considered. June was spent writing […]
Earlier today, I sent in the completed manuscript for Children of Tomorrow, the final chapter in the This Alien Earth trilogy, created by Paul Antony Jones. I scheduled myself to start on June 1 knowing there needed to be time to revise, time for a beta reader, final drafting, and then deliver by August 15. […]
So, in theory, we should all be gathering at the Hunt Valley Inn for Shore Leave, but you know, things happened. There’s a virtual version that will have some panels this weekend and throughout the next few weeks. However, Crazy 8 Press won’t be slowed down. As promised months ago, we are debuting our latest […]
I had never heard of Paul Antony Jones when my occasional collaborator, Steve Savile, mentioned him to me on March 25. Paul, as I subsequently learned, was a Welsh-born author who emigrated to Nevada with his wife and family. He was considered an indie SF writer, perhaps best known for his Extinction Point series. In […]
2020 is proving to be a year where you cannot predict what will come next let alone prepare for the future. The goalposts keep moving as the world writhes under normal events, a pandemic, and a racial debate that’s long overdue. While Deb and I have been sheltering in place, being as cautious as we […]
This was a transitional week for me. Technically, it’s finals week, but we canceled them. Instead, this week has been a hybrid between personal work and school work. At our faculty meeting on Monday, we were informed we’d know our contract fates next week after the Board of Directors meet. Teachers are ten-month employees on […]
This has been a much needed week, a break from the high-pressured adjustment to teaching online and working with the students along the way. It’s Spring Break and I have been enjoying it immensely. Yes, I’m still doing my part to flatten the curve but I like being home at the desk. While I cannot […]
As 2019 ends, and the final year of the decade begins (at least that’s how I count it), it’s time to take stock and judge the year as a whole. Deb and I had a relatively quiet, relatively good year. We saw plenty of television, a handful of plays and a bunch of movies, did […]
I completed the manuscript for The Flash: 100 Greatest Moments in mid-July, ahead fo schedule, and DC Comics was quick to review the manuscript. Their comments, delivered by Andrew Martino, an assistant editor who I knew long before through two different mutual acquaintances, were cogent and helpful. The manuscript is off to copy editing while […]
As you know, I have been spent much of my writing time thelast year or so on the 100 Greatest Moments series for Chartwell Books, adivision of Quarto. I have been deeply gratified by the largely positive responsethey have received from reviewers and readers. The sales were better than Quarto anticipated so after thefirst three […]
I first came up with the idea for what has become Thrilling Adventure Yarns in late 2017. It was generated in short order when there was concern among some of the Crazy 8 Press team that one of our other books might not make the schedule. While that crisis was averted, the notion of a […]
So, come Friday night at the Meet the Pros event, I will be representedin not just Crazy 8 Press’ Thrilling Adventure Yarns, more on thattomorrow, but three other releases. eSpec’s Mike and Danielle Ackley-McPhail had some personalissues that slowed down their momentum and growing line of titles, the perilsof self-publishing, but they have gotten back […]
When I haven’t been in the classroom, I have been home, at the desk, writing and editing. There have been the usual Westfield Comics columns and reviews over at ComicMix, but there have been some projects occupying my time. Back in February, the Kickstarter campaign for Thrilling Adventure Yarns came to a rousing conclusion. Since […]
“A re you sure you want to go that high?” Mike asked me. “Absolutely. Given what Kickstarter takes, and what my fixedcosts are, I need $4500.” “Okay, let’s see what happens.” And with that, my Quixotic campaign began, seeking $4500 toallow Thrilling Adventure Yarns makesome advance money, allowing me to buy rights to an unpublished […]
Back in late November, I received a call from my publisher atChartwell Books. Apparently, sales have been so strong, and the reviews so superlative,on the first three 100 Greatest Momentsbooks, they negotiated a deal with DC Comics for three more books. She wantedto know if I was interested in writing them. What do you think? […]
I’ve often spoken of discovering comics when my mother gaveme an issue of Superman (or maybe Action) when I was six. In short order,I began devouring larger-than-life heroes in earnest. Thankfully, DC and Marvelwere able to keep up with my growing appetite and it wasn’t long before myfather convinced me to add actual books to […]
My school year was done at the beginning of June and the students report tomorrow morning for the first classes of the new school year. I’ve been back in the building since last Wednesday and will admit that I was lesson planning in bits and pieces throughout the summer.But it was also a time to […]
At Farpoint in 2017, we were enjoying our usual Crazy 8 Press panel, when somehow the event ended with the team agreeing to write an anthology where every author would find some gruesome way to kill our member Glenn Hauman.You have to understand, we love Glenn. But, he can’t get out of his own way […]
I have not planned to let so long pass without writing here.As usual, life gets in the way. Deb recently described me as having two jobs and I really never saw my freelance as a second job. While teaching, I always see it as a way to stay creatively engaged, stretching muscles I wouldn’t be […]
Hard to believe, but it’s already February which also means it’s time for Farpoint. It happens to be a little different this year, their 25th. First, they’ve relocated to the Marriott Hunt Valley Inn (no matter who owns it or what they call it, that’s how we all refer to the venue). Second, it’s a […]
Work has been progressing on Justice League: 100 Greatest Moments, the first in a three volume set from Chartwell Books. Design work on the interiors has been continuing since I first announced the project, but now I have a DC-approved cover to show off.It’s a fine illustration of the current incarnation and should look just […]
I love having Goodreads’ Reading Challenge to help measure the kind of reading year I’ve had. I upped my challenge from 2016 to 75 and then midway through the year made a fundamental change in my comics reading.It became increasingly obvious that my comic book writing work has not been about contemporary matters so didn’t […]
With 2017 winding down, I am taking some time to look back and evaluate what sort of professional year it was.As the year began, I was out of work, seeking a school that wanted me fulltime and subbing most days at St. Vincent Pallotti. March saw me do a four-week stint at New Town High […]
You can’t buy it yet, nor is there a final cover, but over at Amazon, my next project has been posted. The title they have is The 100 Greatest Moments From The Justice League, which has since been modified to Justice League: The 100 Greatest Moments. It’s a 304-page hardcover from Chartwell Books, showing a […]
As you know, my Captain America novel has been out a week. I haven’t heard any feedback yet but I wanted to have this available to those curious to the various shout outs, references, and details. I had fun mining the Marvel mythos for people, places, and events. Hopefully, it makes for a better read […]
I first pitched a Captain America novel on October 31, 2016. The first notion was considered too political and controversial, as was the tweaked second pitch. I finally tried something entirely different and that met with approval from Marvel. A revised outline was submitted for review in January and in February, an expanded outline was […]
One reason I have failed to write here with more regularity is that I have been busy. Not only am I coming up to speed on teaching in my new environment, but I have been writing as time has permitted, tidying up old and existing projects.As a result, I thought it appropriate to update my […]
I had just hit the show floor at the Baltimore Comic-Con when I received word that Marvel had approved the cover art and copy for my forthcoming Captain America novel, The Never-Ending Battle.Since covers sell the book and entice you to read it, I present it to you now.
Things may seem quiet on the Veil Knights front, but as it turns out, we’ve been quietly biding out time.When the dozen of us comprising Rowan Casey planned our launch, there were compelling reasons to go exclusive with Amazon’s Kindle publishing program. By going that route, we had a really strong sense of how we […]
Once the chapter by chapter outline for Captain America; The Never-Ending Battle was approved by both Marvel Comics and Joe Books, I set myself a schedule to ensure that I could have the book done in time for at least one beta reader and still meet the June 15 deadline.I allocated 20 writing days for […]
Out today is the seventh volume in the Veil Knights saga, White Mountain Rising. As you know, Rowan Casey is pseudonym used by the dozen writers behind the series and we have been working in a very collaborative manner.Working with the team has been an education as they parse and analyze marketing ideas and sales […]
So far, keeping this year’s New Year’s Resolution has proven challenging. I had decided that in addition to whatever other writing assignment I had, I would also carve time out for at least one short story, figuring that 12 new stories by year’s end would be lovely.It hasn’t quite been working out that way.In January, […]
Between January and July, I have five different projects coming out, which makes me sound busier than I feel.We had Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone kick off the year to much acclaim and (hopefully) good sales.In March, Sequart’s long awaited Bright Eyes, Ape City: Examining the Planet of the Apes Mythos.Then, […]
I’m into my second week at home after the long-term sub gig and I have been rather busy. As I discussed last week, I am writing a Captain America novel. Currently, I am closing in on the completing the first third of the book and might be closer to half-done by the weekend.Just announced this […]
Once I met the Marvel Super-Heroes as a series of animated adventures playing weeknights at 7 p.m. on channel 9, I quickly fell in love with them. Ever since, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, sticking with them through great stories and downright lousy […]
I like to be busy. There are some stretches where time hangs heavy without an active project, and I find that I procrastinate rather than really use the time for personal projects. That’s certainly one of the reasons I resolved to write a short story a month, something to keep me focused.Then there are days […]
Way back in ancient history, the 1990s, Brian Thomsen had left his editorial post at Warner Books to go freelance where he wrote and edited and packaged collections. We struck up a friendship when he worked a mere floor above DC Comics so when he saw I was starting to sell prose, he invited me […]
Today is the book birthday for Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone. I’m incredibly pleased with how well my story turned out and feel I am in some most excellent company.As it says over at Amazon:The 1968 Planet of the Apes film has inspired generations of authors. Now a who’s who of […]
I don’t usually make New Year’s Resolutions, but as I enter 2017 without a fulltime job, I realize I have many hours at my disposal to write, seek out jobs or writing assignments, and write while also waiting for Opportunity to seek me out. So, as 2016 was thankfully on its way out the door, […]
According to Goodreads, I have read and logged exactly 100 books in 2016. The Reading Challenge was set at 65 books so I am something like 154% ahead of goal.The list does not segregate graphic novels from short eBooks from massive tomes but I’m cool with that since reading is reading. Some have been required […]
So yesterday, I hit the end of the first draft for my contribution to the Veil Knights project. Along the way, I learned some new things and have other matters to consider before I tackle a second draft.When I began drafting the novel, it was late summer/early fall and I was working strictly from notes […]
Some of the benefits of being part of the Veil Knights collective is that I get to see how they approach not only the writing of their novels, but how they market themselves and their works. (I also have a whole host of new authors to sample in my “spare” time.) When Rowan Casey, our […]
One of the reasons I have been pushing for people to sign up for a newsletter is so when something major happens, you won’t miss the blog post. However, too few of you signed up keeping it a work in progress.As Steven Savile and I were winding down the final stages of our Sherlock Holmes […]
I’ve been writing and getting published since the 1980s, but this may be the first time I have had a work reviewed in the influential Publisher’s Weekly. And yet, a few weeks after the release of Murder at Sorrow’s Crown, we get a nice capsule review. Here’s what they wrote:By making Dr. Watson a plausible active partner […]
At the end of ReDeus: Native Lands, several of the recurring characters in our Crazy 8 Press series find themselves in New York City, 2033. All the gods from all the pantheons returned to Earth twenty years earlier. New York City was neutral ground and the United Nations was now a place where the gods […]
So, the Sherlock Holmes book has been on sale for four days and we already have two sterling reviews over at Amazon and GoodReads.Check these out:Lyn writes, “I love Sherlock Holmes stories and Mr. Greenberger and Mr. Savile have truly captured the wit and meticulous wisdom of Holmes and Watson.“They kept me reading far into […]
Followers here know that this novel has had a long, tortured birth process but, today, you can finally judge for yourself if Steve Savile and I did a good job. Titan Books has released The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Murder at Sorrow’s Crown and what follows is something we wrote for Westfield Comics back […]
What feels like a million years ago but was actually more like three, I was invited to be one of 117 authors to contribute essays to a book in ATB Publishing’s Outside In series. They’ve done other media properties but tackled Star Trek aiming to have this mammoth work out in time for the 50th […]
I was so preoccupied with the action at Baltimore Comic-Con, I didn’t have a chance to proper promote my forthcoming contribution to Titan Books’ Planet of the Apes prose anthology. I knew there was a title and cover being approved, but Titan announced it via 13th Dimension before editors Rich Handley and Jim Beard could […]
I’m taking two grad school courses this summer. One is Writing & Critiquing Fiction and its interesting being asked to write a short story without a premise or anthology theme. It was kind of freeing and also kind of scary as I not only wrote something from scratch, on deadline, but then submitted it to […]
Matt Baker: The Art of Glamour by Matt BakerMy rating: 4 of 5 starsI have known of Matt Baker and his work for decades but before reading this book, I knew nothing about the man. Yes, I knew he was African-American, which was a rarity during the Golden Age, but to be homosexual as well […]
I have been thrilled and delighted to see the work John Ostrander, Luke McDonnell and I did on the Suicide Squad is finally seeing some DC love. Last year a volume collecting the first eight issues of our run was released and then, just in time for Christmas, they released Suicide Squad Volume 2: The […]
I last wrote something original in June. Since then, the second half of 2015 was spent revising my story for The Side of Good/The Side of Evil or Sherlock Holmes.By December 11, when I sent off Holmes to Steven Savile for his final polish, I was exhausted from school, grad school and revising. I swore […]
I am finally coming out of the wilderness and returning to a more manageable life.When I started the fall, I knew I had a full plate with my third year of teaching now coupled with a graduate course. What I didn’t anticipate was having a massive revision of Sherlock Holmes: Murder at Sorrow’s Crown to […]
Over at the Hasslein Books blog, Rich Handley has revealed the complete line up of authors contributing to the untitlted Planet of the Apes prose anthology. Rich edits this with Jim Beard and it should be all manner of fun. I mentioned recently that I begin 2016 by penning a story set during the POTA […]
Given the new school year, my graduate course work, and having to find time to fit in the revision to Sherlock Holmes, I have not been very focused on my writing. I do admit to missing it and keep looking forward to finding that all-too-rare time.I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to come next […]
Those who pre-ordered Sherlock Holmes: Murder at Sorrow’s Crown may have received a notice indicating the December 1 publication date has been changed to September 13, 2016.Over at Facebook, my collaborator and friend Steven Savile tried to take all the blame but I refuse to accept that. It was a unique set of circumstances from all […]