What you see here is not just the first peek at a cover for Redwing’s Gambit, but a representation of a scene from my science fiction novella penned for the Bulldogs! RPG. I designed this story like a pilot episode to help you get to know a very large cast and crew. Talus, the ship’s mechanic looms over Fang while a politician named Vincent Twist sneaks around the corner.
I can’t wait to share this story with you!
Valentine’s Day is coming up quick! We just launched a Sparkly Good Fairy promotion at Warehouse 23 and it inspired me to check and see what others were doing.
One of the coolest offers I’ve seen is from Sanshee.com, who designed the Game Love Necklace pictured here.
100% of the proceeds from this necklace will be donated to the Child’s Play Charity along with 10% of their entire store. You can read about the Valentine’s Day Child’s Play Fundraiser at Sanshee.com.
I already placed my order and I’ll take pics when it comes in. Still wondering whether or not I could make enough moolah to launch an Adult’s Play Charity someday… Hrmmm…
Growing up, I was an avid reader who loved to explore and stretch my limits in both fiction and non-fiction. My time at UW-Madison allowed me to dive deeper into a broader variety of fiction and that included a study of Black American authors. This experience was profound for me because I was a suburbanite — my first experience and knowledge of slavery was through Alex Haley’s Roots and my history books. It’s billed on the website as “the book that changed America” and I absolutely agree with this statement. Watching those atrocities on film… It still appalls me that we’d stoop to treating other human beings that way.
Regardless, there is a deep history — a recent series of events and struggles — for those considered “black” in American society. Mind you, it’s easy to paint someone “black” and lump them into a single category, but that’s only the color of someone’s skin. That does not reflect that person’s culture and family history therein. If anything, I hate the word “black” because it feels like just another stereotype. I say “I’m Italian!” and what immediately jumps to your mind. Super Mario Brothers? Snooki? Yeah, you get my drift. I’m definitely not a Jersey girl. 🙂
For myself, I have found that the only way I can be tolerant of other people is to listen to what they have to say — through their words, their pictures, their art, and even their food. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone. White, gay, Black, handicapped, Native American, female, Christian, Chinese, male, Muslim, whatever. I don’t know if I’m smart enough to learn everything there is to know from what these stories have to offer, but I’ll keep on collecting (and writing) them and hope I absorb something about what it means to be human.
For Black History Month, here is a collection of stories that greatly impacted me.
Our Nig: Sketches of the Life of a Free Black – Written by Harriet Wilson. An autobiographical slave narrative that addresses many cultural implications including bi-racial relationships and indentured servitude at the time.
Their Eyes Were Watching God – By Zora Neale Hurston. Spent a lot of time discussing what this particular story meant for female empowerment. It’s on several required reading lists for Black American fiction.
Brown Girl, Brownstones – This story was about Barbadian immigrants who moved to New York and was written by Paule Marshall. It’s often billed as a coming-of-age story, but I remember being drawn to this because of the cultural focus on being an immigrant in a strange city.
Sula – By Toni Morrison. A tale of friendship between girls over many years in spite of how their lives diverge and converge again. Perfect for any woman who has either felt like the “good girl” or the “pariah.”
Hunting for additional options? Visit the Smithsonian’s List of Black History Teaching Resources or check out the Norfolk Public Library’s Reading and DVD List (PDF).
Packers didn’t make it to the Superbowl this year, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the ads. Here’s a compilation of the 25 best Superbowl ads of all time. The squirrel ads just kill me.
Okay, so the title is a little misleading, because this really isn’t a series of lamentations. I’ve been thinking about how to best promote Munchkin Conan and I really just like the way the word sounds. Lah-men-tay-shuns. OMMMMMM… Yes, I’ll be using that in a story soon. *evil grin*
At the moment, we’re prepping for a Steve Jackson Games booth appearance at New York Toy Fair. This is a trade show, not a regular convention, but there still are a number of pieces that we have to do as a company to prep for the event. Convention planning is, in short, a logistical nightmare that has to be sorted in any number of ways. First, you have to figure out how big the booth is. Then, what comes with it and what you’re allowed to hang. (Yep, you heard me right.) Some cons allow you to hang banners from the pole on the back; others don’t. For that, you need some way of standing a banner and you have to determine how much room that’ll take up.
After you figure out what rules you have to follow and how you’re displaying everything, you then have to deal with people logistics. What show floor hours can you reasonably work? How are you going to get your gear to the hall? How close is the hotel to your destination? That part can be “fun” all by itself. Then? There’s the extras that you have to hand out when the hall is open. Promo material, sure… But what’s effective at a trade show? That can take the form of catalogs, sell sheets, flyers, business cards, samples, etc. Demo material and prototypes are pieces we also have to include.
We will have two presences at this show; one for meetings and one at our booth. That requires additional planning to make sure both areas have what’s required when it’s needed. Toss in access to food, water, electricity, etc. and now you’re setting up a business that will be torn down in a couple of days — and I haven’t even broached the subject of conventions where you have to sell, demo, and interact with fans!
Luckily — and I mean this with every Cylonic fiber of my being — Kevin is doing a smashing set up for booth planning and configuration. I have pieces I’m working on, too, but it’s a lot more manageable since I have a great team and we all have a sense of humor.