Under Review

Hey.

Did you read Hull Damage? Did you like it?

If you just grunted "yeah" at your computer, well, hey, thanks, I really appreciate that.*

Have you, perchance, written a review about your thoughts?

The internet is curious. Well, maybe not THE INTERNET, per se, but I'm curious and I'm on the Internet. Some portion of the Internet is curious. The T, perhaps.

Here's a link to the Amazon page, where people are most curious about your thoughts. Why not express them?

Thanks for taking the time. The internent thanks you too.

*if you didn't like it sod off

Daily Drabble (Day 6 & 7)

Really stuck to my guns on this one, didn't I?

I thought, for my final two, I'd do Bad Space related drabbles, to save me the trouble of inventing more characters and situations. The first one is an extremely direct sequel to Hull Damage – in fact, it picks up chronologically one paragraph after the ending of the book. (Spoilers, I guess?)

decamp [dih-kamp] verb
1. to depart from a camp; to pack up equipment and leave a camping ground
2. to depart quickly, secretly, or unceremoniously

The ensuing drink is enjoyed in silence, one last brew before they decamp away for parts and piracies unknown. Nemo finishes first, simply dropping the empty tankard onto the table with a clatter. Odisseus comes second, accompanied by a ribald Ortoki belch. Two-Bit Switch nearly can't swallow his entire share in one swig and only by repeatedly slapping the table does he manage to see the beverage through to the bottom. It's Moira Quicksilver who cares nothing for speed, who savors each gulp, until the anticipated bolt of ditrogen streaks across the Afterburn and strikes her square in the shoulder.

The second drabble is a prequel to GALACTIC MENACE (June 2014) and occurs some forty-eight hours before the book begins.

verisimilitude [ver-uh-si-mil-i-tood] noun
1. the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability
2. something, as an assertion, having merely the appearance of truth

When the door lock is overridden and the Imperium response squad, led by their Jhironese bounty hunter escort, swarms into the motel room, the moment's grim verisimilitude is broken mostly by the culprits' utter willingness to surrender. As expected, there are four present – two men, an Ortok and a woman – their eight hands upraised in compliance. Crates upon crates upon crates, each bearing the condemning “DOXYCHORAPHUM” label, are pushed into every available corner. The outlaw in the duster, the evident leader, steps an innocent inch forward and spikes an eyebrow. “Did you find the place alright?”

Come back tomorrow for the return of Iconine Iconine!

Hot Cakes

While we're on the topic of wild commercial success, I guess Hull Damage is climbing the Amazon Best Seller Charts!*

We're currently #27 – go check us out and maybe download an extra copy to keep us in place! I'm in such esteemed company as 80AD – The Tenket of Anuket (Book 3) and 80AD – The Hammer of Thor (Book 2).

Soon, I'll be snorting caviar and passing out in the diamond punch bowl.

*Well, Best Selling Free Science Fiction eBook Charts, but still.

Wild Commercial Success

As most of you know, Hull Damage is available for free from the vast majority of my retailers (Smashwords, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, Kobo, Diesel eBooks and our own humble website). I'm only too happy to give the book away, both as a marketing strategy and because I believe in free fiction.

Amazon, however, was a slightly different story.

The minimal price for an eBook there seems to be $0.99. Hence, the one place where I'm likely to turn a profit would be Amazon sales, at 35% royalties. 

Hence, as I currently have a single Amazon download, I've made $0.34 on Hull Damage's publication.

If I had a day job, I'd quit it.

The Prodigal Blogger

I know, I know, I know.

With the book's release, I've more or less been bunkered the past two weeks. As it's now June 2nd, I suppose it's safe to return to the blogosphere. I know you were worried.

In better news, book's out.

Visit www.whoisnemo.com and download HULL DAMAGE. For free.

Lemme know what you think.

Monday Morning Cartoons

In a similar vein to yesterday's post, I've found myself illegally streaming episodes of Batman Beyond, a show I only caught fragments of as a child on the famed CW, back when they still called it WB.

Not heard of it? Anime-inspired cyberpunk Batman.

Do you need any more convincing?

A geriatric Bruce Wayne (pushing 70, I believe) conscripts a young man with a similar taste for vengeance to continue his legacy as Batman in the year 2039. Great premise, decent execution, diverting enough for a children's show and lots of juicy worldbuilding for continuity fans. Stockhard Channing as non-crippled Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon? Yes please. Hovercycle gangs wearing clown make-up and calling themselves, in a deliciously late 90s way, the Jokerz? Yes please. Giant snarling wolfhound stalking Wayne Manor named Ace? Yes, yes, please.

(Oh, before I forget, new content posted on www.whoisnemo.com - go meet Moira!)

She's Done, Jim

Well, it only took me 21 months, but she's done.

Now? I sleep the sleep of dead.

Day Six

Pages Edited: 329
Pages Remaining: 0

Assuming all goes according to plan, by this time tomorrow, my first novel with be finished.

Day Five

Pages Edited: 244
Pages Remaining: 85

Day Four

Pages Edited: 190
Pages Remaining: 139

Day Three

Pages Edited: 147
Pages Remaining: 182

Day Two

Pages Edited: 93
Pages Remaining: 236

Day One

Pages Edited: 47
Pages Remaining: 282

High Gear

Remember how productive I said I was several posts ago?

That was chump change. These days, I'm real productive.

This week I've been writing twenty pages of comedy screenplay each morning, editing three chapters of HULL DAMAGE every afternoon and writing several hundred words of GALACTIC MENACE each night.

After this week, I start my the dreaded Red Pencil Edit, in which I print the whole motherfucking manuscript off and go through her word by word. The last push, if you will.

Shit's coming to a head, my bonny chums.

You'd Think I'm Like, A Professional Writer Or Something

Whoof did I totally forget to blog tonight. Excuse me while I cheat the post's time stamp something awful. Remind me at some point to blog about being nocturnal.

In an odd bout of productivity, today I edited three chapters of HULL DAMAGE, I wrote a thousand words of GALACTIC MENACE, picked up another potentially paying screenwriter gig and even learned a new word!

amanuensis; which pretty perfectly describes the very kind missus today.

Tomorrow, I expect to lapse in lethargic atrophy.

Shiny New Content

Hey, it's technically Monday!*

You know what that means? That means there's new content (in this case an excerpt) posted to www.whoisnemo.com! Wanna go check it out?

Who am I kidding of course you do everybody does.

*I'm obviously gonna cheat and change the time stamp, to continue the illusion that I blogged everyday.

Free Press

It's a few days late, but if you haven't, check out this sweet interview Nostalgic Books & Comics ran about HULL DAMAGE!

Also, I'm currently in negotiation with a graphic artist to potentially pencil a HULL DAMAGE one-shot comic! Nothing's set in stone yet, the details are very much dependent on how well the IndieGoGo (whichisstillrighthereifyouwannadonate) goes, but finally! With a few hundred more dollars, I'd feel much more comfortable paying the good artist for her time.

Anyway. Back to Champloo.

Dyin' Day

I swear to Darwin, I'm finishing the fourth draft of HULL DAMAGE tonight.

I have three chapters left to jointly edit with the missus. I've already done two this afternoon and it'll take easily until 1 or 2 am to finish, but fuck it, I do not care.

By this time tomorrow, I'll be a freshly-minted corpse, with fourth draft of HULL DAMAGE clutched in hand and surrounded by the armada of cream soda cans what killed me.

Gotta Give Me Thinkbox Time To Percolate And Such

Was treated to a double feature of Lockout and The Cabin in the Woods. The first was stupid action movie fun, worth one watch and one watch only, but the second was confusingly thought-provoking.

I won't elaborate at the moment. Expect a post in the near future. Bradley Whitford's pretty bomb in it, though.

New content added at midnight. Come back and check it out? It was very nostalgic for me, I'll admit. Meet here or visit www.whoisnemo.com on your own speed.

Picture Pages

Remember web design?

Remember how much I didn't like web design?

Guess what's worse?

Graphic design. I am infinitely worse at graphic design than web design.

I'm writing HULL DAMAGE'S book cover commission for a graphic design firm I have a connection to (I know a chick who dates a dude) and I'm second guessing myself EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. Mockup is an arty word, right? And color pallet? What about inksplot? Splatterpunk? Colorsnacks?

I'm a word writer. Not a picture drawer.