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 […]
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, […]
I look up and realize I haven’t posted in a while.I’ve had things happening, things to talk about, and the like but the long-term substitute assignment coupled with a busy freelance side has squeezed out a lot of leisure time.We’re in the final week of my assignment, already, and it felt good to be back […]
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, […]
This wasn’t the year I was expecting nor am I in a place I ever imagined for myself at 58 but if I have proven anything over time it’s that I can roll with the punches and keep moving.EducationIn the first part of the year, I watched my hopes for staying at Owings Mills High […]
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 […]
I don’t often get pushed as a writer, forced to write in styles or about subjects outside my wheelhouse. While I want to make each work better than the last, I don’t go outside my proscribed areas of comfort and/.or expertise.As a result, my few courses at Fairleigh Dickinson have been interesting experiences as each […]
Over July and August, I took two graduate courses for my Creative Writing and Literature for Educators Master’s Degree. These were Writing and Critiquing Fiction and Writing and Critiquing Drama, both requiring me to stretch.as a writer.With both courses over, and me catching my breath before the final course begins next week, I am takin […]
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 […]
My buddy Danielle Ackley-McPhail is launching her digital imprint, eSpec Books, with a fun concept: a flip book focusing on original super-hero stories. One side would focus on the good guys, the other spotlight the evil ones. The Side of Good/ The Side of Evil was launched via Kickstarter and I was thrilled to be […]
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 […]
I’ve been busy and away from my computer more than usual this summer which explains my relative silence here. But I’m surfacing to ask for some support.Growing up, I read all the DC and Marvel titles and watched heroes come and sometimes pass the mantle on to someone else, I’ve watched them die and be […]
I work best when I have deadlines and goals, routines and habits. Experience has shown me that without a plan I could fritter away my precious time off and that would never do.Unlike other stretches away from the classroom, this summer is packed and fractured. As a result, I’ve had to really sketch out what […]
Since March, I have been in touch with the Science Fiction Writers of America‘s membership, collecting, editing, and posting a series of posts in celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary. It was timed to ramp up continued interest in this weekend’s Nebula Awards ceremony. With Stephen Gould getting the last word, I got to wrap […]
I learned a great deal from working on the Sherlock Holmes project. Murder at Sorrow’s Crown is proving to be a more challenging experience than I anticipated and remain forever grateful that I am doing this with a partner, Steven Savile. One, it means I’m not going through this alone, and two, I have someone […]
I have gained an entirely new appreciation for research. For years, I reveled in the research I did for my various non-fiction projects, scratching my History itch and feeling pretty good about it. However, now that I am applying the necessary research to my Sherlock Holmes novel, I find myself constantly ill-prepared.As I mentioned over […]
School can be all-consuming but the writer in me continues to desire time at the keyboard for creative work. Thankfully, there are a few things going on that will scratch that particular itch.Announced a few weeks back but not mentioned here, I’ve penned an essay for Sequart’s forthcoming New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star […]
I miss writing.Sure, I still review at ComicMix and twice a month recommend interesting releases at Westfield Comics, but long-form creative writing is proving incredibly elusive. Of course there’s a good reason for that: school. It is taking up far more time than I expected it to, leaving me more enervated than I thought was […]
As I am finally getting a handle on my school work, my mind has increasingly begun to turn towards writing. I find I miss it and that those muscles cry for exercise. My heart leaps at the prospect of assignments or just getting back to the keyboard for something other email and lesson planning.My mind, […]
I had no idea how I was going to spend my summer at the keyboard. I knew there would be a story for the third ReDeus anthology but beyond that, I was uncertain. Had After Earth succeeded, there was a possibility Mike, Peter, and I would be quickly pressed back into service. Or a pitch […]
The whirlwind beginning of the year is slowing down, at last, and new routines are being established. Looking back, it’s astonishing we listed, sold, bought, packed, moved, unpacked and are settling in just four months. We’re far from done but it’s starting to feel like home.As you might imagine, my focus and ability to concentrate […]
Next week at Farpoint I will be doing a series of panels and workshops on being a writer. As a result, I’ve been giving the subject a fair amount of thought of late so I can sound like I know something useful. This morning, I came across a top ten list from Debbie Millman, a […]
While I await the spring hiring season for teachers, I’ve been focusing a lot on my freelance writing life. Knowing this period of time was coming, back in October, in time for the New York Comic-Con, I began a regular series of contacts with people I have done work for and others I’ve always wanted […]
Yesterday, a writer friend reached out and wrote, “Specifically, how do you handle thinking about opportunities that have gone south? I keep dwelling on all the chances I’ve had at the big dance —chances that have all started out promising, then fizzled for one reason or another. I mean no disrespect, but I know your […]
I haven’t said much about After Earth of late, but trust me, things are happening. First, the comic book prequel After Earth: Innocence will be out in a few weeks. For those who missed it in San Diego, now’s your chance for a look at this new universe.Also in October, the first of six short […]
When I completed the first draft of my third of the forthcoming After Earth prequel novel, I noted this on Twitter and Facebook which launched an interesting discussion with a variety of peers from a wide swath of my professional life.The argument boiled down as to whether or not printing out the work resulted in […]
The sun is setting a little earlier and the mornings have that first hint of fall coolness. During lunch, a school bus rumbled down the street, a practice run before classes begin next week. Suddenly the summer season has begun drawing to a close and honestly, it caught me off-guard. I knew it was August […]
One of the things about digital publishing is that sometimes you hit glitches that can baffle even the finest of mind. Last October, my short story, “A Matter of Faith”, was posted as a $.99 digital short at Nook and Kindle. It sat there like so many other books. But then in January, Nook pushed […]
As early as April, people begin asking, “Will I see you in San Diego?” This year, the answer was a routine, “Not unless a fairy godmother arrived unexpectedly.”Most years, she passes over my home but this year she made a stop. Over the last few days, the arrangements have been put into place and yesterday, […]
Here’s the deal, the folks at Sequart are pushing Mutant Cinema by making it available free on Kindle for five days, Tues to Sat (26-30 June). Publisher Julian Darius says, “If any book has failed to achieve what we know it’s capable of, it’s Tom McLean’s Mutant Cinema. It’s a great study of the X-Men film […]
I’ve been lamenting my educational career woes and haven’t really spoken much about the freelance life and there’s a reason for that: there’s precious little to talk about.For a month now, I’ve had some pitches sitting with the licensee and await confirmation to go forward and tackle what I expect to be my writing work […]
I like working at my desk. And this week at home reminded me how much I enjoy working at the desk, listening to WUMB stream over the Internet, and occasionally enjoying Ginger’s warmth on my lap. Of course, this has been a nice break from the routine so it could be a case of the […]
After toiling in other people’s universes, I have a pretty good idea as to how worldbuilding should be done. I’ve seen it handled well and seen it done not so well. I have certainly contributed to shared worlds such as the Latchkeys universe that is now here and worked within the strictures of the DC […]
The end of the year is a time to take stock, look back and figure out if this was a good year or a bad year. I think, for me, it was a transitional year.I began – and completed – a Master’s Degree program in education. I also did a full year’s internship at Darien […]