Simplifying Speak Out with your Geek Out

I updated the description for Speak Out With Your Geek Out.

It reads:

    Take a positive stance against baiting nerd rage, geek elitism, negative stereotypes of geeks, and yellow journalism.

    Post about how much you love your geeky hobbies or vocation from Monday, September 10th, 2012 to Friday, September 14th on your blog, website, social media account or in a forum somewhere. Then come here and tell us about it. We’ll have a kick-off post where you can stand and be counted.

    Let’s show the world who we really are — passionate people who love a hobby so much we are willing to share it in a positive way with other people. This week, we will show our best side to remind others of that, too, and will actively avoid negativity and cheer each other on, instead.

Last year was a learning experience because people were fixated on specific words or phrases. Then there were the discussions of “I don’t want to read this.” or “I don’t think there’s a problem.” That’s fine, people. That’s your choice. But there is a problem whenever someone is passionate enough about “X” to want to say or do something about it. We get laughed at. Bullied. Shoved to the side. Embarrassed. On a high level, being more respectful of one another is what accepting geeks boils down to. That is also why I didn’t define what “geek” is, because many people feel ostracized regardless of whether or not they’re typecast as a comics/gaming/knitting/cooking/etc. sort of geek, too. We’re supposed to be about inclusion, not exclusion.

I cannot stress enough how simple this is supposed to be. This is not a corporate thing, a money-making scheme, or a movement to be manipulated. We live in a world of near-constant criticism and, all too often, we are baited into that negativity. All Speak Out With Your Geek Out really is? A week of happy. Of shiny. Of supporting one another and acknowledging that passion. Of not taking the bait and recognizing that sometimes we are the worst offenders because by defending our own interests we wind up putting other people down without realizing it.

Can we be happy for a week? Can we be cheerful on the internet for five days? Can we have a positive impact in spite of so much negativity?

We’ll find out. Guidelines next week.

July 13, 2012
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Sponsor Me for the Clarion Write-a-Thon

Cthulhu Scribe by Drew Pocza

Dear Readers, after reading a ton of books and poring through research, I have decided to up my word count. (Less thinky, more writey.) To do that, I’m going to participate in the Clarion Write-a-Thon. I’m not a Clarion attendee myself, but I know a lot who have graduated, and their experience with it sounded excellent! What’s more, is that The Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshop portion also has a support network, which is where the Write-a-Thon comes into play.

I am a big fan of the idea because I feel that every writer needs a cheering section. It can be tough (speaking from personal experience) when you are new or you don’t have readers giving you feedback. I am all over writing to help out attendees, so I’ve pledged to write 50,000 words in about a month, which is the same word count as NaNoWriMo. For me, it is about a month, because I have about a week-to-two week’s worth of travel for upcoming summer festivals and conventions.

Please consider sponsoring me for the Clarion Write-a-Thon. I am writing 50,000 words and am hoping to raise $250 to support the education of other writers.

Writing begins officially on June 24th and ends on August 4th, which are the same dates as the 2012 Clarion Workshop. I hope to raise $250 for the workshop. I hope you’ll consider sponsoring me on my quest to write on, write on.

June 22, 2012
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Readers! Ask Your Questions about My Vampires for New Hero Launch

The New Hero


I am excited to announce that the New Hero anthology from Stone Skin Press will debut on June 20th.

To celebrate the release of New Hero, edited by Robin Laws, I’ll be participating in a online blog festivale of literary goodness on June 20th. I’ve hinted that my vampires are different from those you might have read about before. You may have also seen an image of him on the New Hero cover illustrated by Gene Ha.

Now, I hand the reins over to you. Help me come up with questions or topics to promote the launch of this anthology! What do you want to know about “Fangs and Formaldehyde?” Me? The writing/editing process?

June 5, 2012
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Back from Balticon

This year, I took the trip to Balticon to promote Redwing’s Gambit on behalf of Galileo Games. My experience with literary conventions has been mixed so I had no idea what to expect.

I don’t want to turn this into a rant, but there were internal glitches that greatly affected my ability to promote myself at this show as an author. So, let me get this business out of the way first. Overall, I felt that the organizer’s attitude was very scattered and in some cases boiled down to: “Well, I don’t know who you are so you’re not as important as our other guests.” E-mail is one thing, but this was reinforced at the show. The organizers admitted there were problems this year, so I don’t hold it against them, as long as it’s fixed. Unfortunately, this was a common theme at this year’s show.

Despite the problems with scheduling, I felt there was a very positive, non-threatening aura at this show toward new guests on the floor. If new media has been suppressed in the past like a shy kid at a dance, here it was the belle of the ball. It’s pretty exciting to see established authors published through traditional media alongside podcasters, podiobook developers, e-book publishers, etc. This, in my mind, is where we can benefit one another as a community.

I was thrilled to run into C.J. Henderson and Keith R. A. DeCandido; both are established authors and have been so supportive and understanding of my work over the years. I really feel like when I connect with authors like these, it’s that little boost that keeps you going. I had the chance to babble incessantly to Brennan R Taylor, my publisher, J.R. Blackwell, my editor and photographer extraordinaire, and author/comic scribe/etc. Jared Axlerod. Many thanks for that, the stories, and the laughter.

New friends, too, were formed out of the clay that is convention hob-nobbing. I’d like to give a special shout-out to Paul Alexander Butler for his great stories and his deep, deep love of games. He’s the store manager over at Games and Stuff and recommended some fun two-player games to try. (I’ll be putting that together in a separate post for all to read.) Secondly, author Simone Caroti who penned The Generation Starship in Science Fiction: A Critical History, 1934-2001, was awesome to chat with, too. The award for friendliest author is split between Guest of Honor (and fellow cat lover, it seems!) Jody Lynne Nye and new media guru Nathan Lowell who made me feel very welcome. There are others who I’m SURE I’m forgetting — such is the way of lost business cards. (Like lost socks, only instead of having a cold foot, I have a missed connection.)

I think the biggest thing for me that came out of this show was a better understanding of where I “fit” within the science fiction and fantasy genres. For me, I’m so heavily focused on story and characters that the details are only important in the service of that tale. Science fiction fans are very well-read and some are hyper-focused on the plausibility of the sciences postured within the context of a tale. I’m more focused on the anthropological aspects because, to me, how a character feels when faced with astronomical wonders, technological feats, and superior explorations into the furthest reaches of space is what shapes a story. If, in the service of a story, I have to sacrifice some scientific particulars? I’ll do that because I feel my job as a storyteller isn’t to relay a precise depiction of “X” — it’s to suspend disbelief. All this means, is that when I write science fiction, I shape my boundaries to hone in on characters and do my absolute due diligence on the subject when required.

That’s not to say the specifics don’t matter at all. I just feel that there’s a certain contingency of fans, in any genre, who get very upset when the details don’t perfectly jive in some beautifully-architected way. Sometimes the lack of detail-jiving is intentional; other times it happens by complete accident. If those bad details break a reader from their love of a tale and stops them from reading that’s one thing, but plots and story arcs and characters are entirely different aliens altogether.

For many reasons, I enjoyed the trip and the experience. I was blown away by scientists like David Allen Batchelor and their seemingly unlimited font of knowledge. I enjoyed being able to talk to people who were way, way, way smarter than me to understand a part of their world. My head is bursting with fresh ideas and optimism. If that doesn’t tell you a small thing about the calibre of the people at this show, then I have failed my job as a wordsmith.

Now, to plan for the next one.

    Mood: YAY! DUCKS!
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I was bad.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Does cat wrestling count?
    In My Ears: Errmm…
    Game Last Played: Battle Nations
    Movie Last Viewed: Indiana Jones as part of a marathon
    Latest Artistic Project: Crystal Cluster bracelet in gold
    Latest Release: “Don’t Ignore Your Dead” included in Don’t Read This Book for the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG
May 30, 2012
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My Balticon Schedule

Next week, I will be reading Redwing’s Gambit at Balticon in Baltimore, Maryland. I’ll also be bringing samples from Steve Jackson Games and will attend and speak on several panels. If you’re at this show, come say hello!

Here’s my schedule for Balticon 46:

G-2. Game Production from Concept To Reality
Friday at 5:30 pm in Parlor 3041

Have you ever come up with an idea for a game and wondered how to go about creating it, play-testing it, marketing it, and producing it? Come to this panel to talk to several game creators as well as someone from the manufacturing and production/marketing side of game design.

Moderator: Bill T. Levay
Speakers: Monica Valentinelli; Peter BL!X Bryant; Neal Levin; Art Blumberg

SE-9a. Friday Face Time: Meet the Guests — Mix and Mingle
Friday at 9:00 pm in Con-Suite

Mix and mingle with the Guests of Honor and Balticon 46 Program Participants.
Moderator: Con Chair Patti Kinlock
Speakers: Jody Lynn Nye (Guest of Honor)

R-67. The Generation Starship Concept As A Locus For Stories
Saturday at 10:00 am in Salon A

Since 1934, we have kept telling stories set inside those space arks, drawing a constant sense of fascination from the basic dramatic premises of the idea. Why? What is it that attracts readers and writers to generation starship stories? Also, what kind of generation starship stories would we like to write or read next?
Moderator: David Batchelor
Speakers: Monica Valentinelli; Paul D, Lagasse; Simone Caroti; Jody Lynn Nye (Guest of Honor)

G-6. What are The Best 2-Player Games?
Saturday at 2:00 pm in Parlor 3041

Do you have trouble finding more than 2 people to play games with? How many times have you looked at your game collection and wondered what game would work well for 2? Come find out what games can be great fun for only 2 players.
Moderator: Donna Dearborn
Speakers: Monica Valentinelli; Cathy Raymond; Art Blumberg; Eric B. (Hymie!) Hymowitz

Reading: Monica Valentinelli
Saturday at 8:30 pm in Pimlico
Monica Valentinelli reads from her works.
Speakers: Monica Valentinelli

R-68. The Nature of Faster-Than-Light Travel as An SF Trope
Sunday at 1:00 pm in Salon A

Some SF writers will not use it in their stories, because it may not even be possible and therefore smacks too much of the magical. Others happily use it, reasoning that what was considered impossible in the past is commonplace technology today, and the same will be true of FTL travel.
Moderator: Eric Raymond
Speakers: Monica Valentinelli; Simone Caroti; David Batchelor; Yoji Kondo/Eric Kotani

May 21, 2012
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