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, […]
Farpoint was once October Trek and ClipperCon in terms of those who founded and ran each iteration of the media convention that was either in October or February. This year, Farpoint celebrates its 30th and rather than being seen as the little sibling to Shore Leave, it has forged its own identity. Their guest line-up […]
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 […]
Finally, I am getting to once again walk the halls of the Hunt Valley Inn as I attend Shore Leave 42. Accompanying me will be a legion of authors, many of whom I have not seen in years. Me and the Crazy 8 Press gang will have a table and I look forward to chatting […]
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 […]
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 […]
Regular readers know how much I love Shore Leave, the largest fan-run con, now up to 41.6. Yeah, they’d playing with the numbers since this year is a virtual con. The good news for those not in the Maryland area is that you can now attend and see what you’ve been missing. All the details […]
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 […]
In late 1981, just about the time Comics Scene was debuting, I got a call from Jim Shooter, inviting me to lunch. The Marvel Editor-in-Chief met me with Jim Starlin in tow to discuss the company’s new creator-owned contracts, which enticed Starlin back to the company. The first work to benefit from this would be […]
Surprisingly, the annual Farpoint convention sort of snuck up on me in the sense that I have been so focused on school work that with just days to go, I have had to shift my focus and prepare to be a writer/editor/bon vivant once more. The show is tremendous fun, with lovely fans, but even […]
Mike Friedman doesn’t think small. He has envisioned worldafter world and one of his most ambitious projects was an alternate history. Some years back, he wondered how mankind would have evolvedhad Pangaea, the super-continent, neve shattered into the seven continents weknow today. He did some research, did some wishful thinking, then invited hisfriends to come […]
In 1981, I was working at Starlog Press and I received a call from my pal Howard Weinstein. He’d just been invited to be a guest at a new show called Shore Leave. It was their third outing and he thought I’d make a good (and cheap) guest, coming down to talk about SF movies […]
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 […]
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 […]
I was at the first few Terrificion’s when it was a newbie and my how it has grown. After hearing how cool last year’s show was, I angled to get invited to this year’s shindig. It’s this weekend at Mohegan Sun Casino in the wilds of Connecticut.What makes this year special is that it has […]
I’m tired, plain and simple.We were away in Italy for a pilgrimage, returning on July 4 and then on the 7th, it was the Shore Leave marathon. As a result, the late nights required by the con and a special event Sunday has left me worn out.But the con was good.Shore Leave remains a fun […]
It’s hard to believe it’s time for Shore Leave 39 already. I’ve been coming steadily since SL 3 back in the early 1980s and I delight at how it has grown but retained its intimate, fan-centric experience.I’ve got a rather packed schedule along with playing emcee most of the weekend. For those attending, here’s where […]
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, […]
Hard to believe it’s already mid-February and I’m off to Timonium for my annual visit to Farpoint. While smaller than Shore Leave it is no less fun with a more intimate environment. Fewer guests and fewer fans means more time for extended conversations.I’m really excited to see Nicholas Meyer there since the last time I […]
Away from social media, I am a political guy. Regular readers may recall all the work I did as an elected official in Fairfield. Not so much (yet) in Maryland but that doesn’t mean I don’t have political opinions. I normally keep them to myself on social media, with rare exceptions.Last week was one of […]
Thanks to the blizzard and the rapid advance of time, suddenly it is time for Farpoint. Once the little sibling to Shore Leave, the show has forged its own identity over the last few years. Small in size but packed with talent, the con is a relaxing and fun way to spend a weekend.My schedule […]
I enjoy worldbuilding. It probably has to do with growing up with the words “to seek new life forms and new civilizations…:” rattling in my head with great regularity.I loved playing with the DC Universe characters, helping reshape the universe in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths. I adored collaborating to craft new worlds […]