Ketchup

So I'm not on the net too much. It turns out there's a great wide wonderful galaxy full of semi-pro Jedi stunt warrior dudes on YouTube, and a lot of them are producing remarkably good sequences like this one. We've also found some really, really bad ones with awful sound quality, clumsy sabers, terrible choreography, and ridiculous effects... I guess those are the amateur and fanfic equivalents who will only get better with time.

In the meanwhile, get a load of this crazy action!!! It's even got character and plot arcs, albeit small arcs that are subservient to the duel (and rightfully so).

Labels: Semi-Pro Jedi Warriors, wow, You Tube

"That doesn't make any sense. You'll be dead! Next time, think before you speak..."

Labels: YouTube Jedi Battle

It's stuff like this that keeps me going when the writing isn't coming easy or I'm up at 3 a.m. with the realization that if I'm even in the same ballpark as folks like Grisham and King, it's only as the guy who's selling hot dogs near the men's room on the third level of the stadium where you can't even see the scoreboard. :P

A fan recently emailed this photo of Plague War in stock among various nonfiction books on roughly the same subject. The photo was taken in the P/X on base where he's in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps dealing with WMD scenarios. So, you know, my novels are relaxing compared to his day job.

Thanks, man!

Labels: AAFES, Plague War, U.S. Army

Gah! I've been absent again for two weeks. Why? As always I've been busy writing, busy familying, and busy busying.

Some good news in the meantime. A lot goes into a book ahead of publication and one of the things that's beginning to happen is pre-press endorsements, which is especially fun and amazing. It's unspeakably good to hear other professionals say positive things about your work. Writing is a lonely business.

Alas, I'm a shameless tease. I still can't tell you what the book's about, but get a load of this...

[name censored], bestselling author of [censored] and the forthcoming major studio release [censored], read the work-in-progress and had this to say:

"I knew Jeff could write. I've been a fan ever since he unleashed the nano plague on the world, but this new book is exciting. It's a quantum leap in terms of storytelling. I love the concept unreservedly. Love the writing to the point of jealousy. This guy's so ridiculously talented he makes me want to poke my eyeballs out, so without hesitation I can promise a glowing blurb and my full support for [title censored]. It's going to be a phenomenon."

Wow!!! Ya gotta love the sentiment. But... really? That's what they're going to put on the cover???

"This book made me want to mutilate my face."

Nice. :)

Labels: Big New Thriller Novel, Jacket Blurbs, Pre-Press

So here's a 21st Century twist for you if you're eligible to vote for this year's Hugo Awards. No podcast has yet been nominated for a Hugo, but the award administrators changed the wording in 2009 to include "or the equivalent in other media," which makes a podcast eligible for an award. Apparently podcasts have always been eligible, but now it’s written in stone... so for your consideration, I'd like to point y'all toward the good people at StarShipSofa, not only for the excellent work they've done with my stories but for all the benchmarks they've hit with fiction, fact, interviews, and more.

There's a good article here on the subject.

As yet there is no particular category among the Hugos for a podcast, so I'd like to join in a nice little ongoing groundswell that's recommending StarShipSofa for Best Fanzine. Go nuts!

Labels: Hugo Awards, StarShipSofa recommendation