Arrrrr, Thar Be An Interview (And A Career)

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The folks over at Charisma Bonus interviewed me a few weeks ago, and in my haze of travel/vacation/writing/etc. I forgot to mention it. So let me rectify that right now, before I get back to my daily slog. Hop on over to The Ladies Table with Monica Valentinelli to read about my thoughts on horror, horror in gaming, and other fine inquiries.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to right myself to center, to re-align my thoughts with my goals, and figure out what it is my original stories mean to me on the pragmatic side of the equation. And I have one word, really, to describe it: career. Applying that? Whether it’s in a part-time or full-time capacity? Means many things, since folding my original work back into what I do professionally is really just a logical progression on the stairway to heaven.

Or, to quote The Princess Bride: “Fool!” cried the hunchback. “You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is ‘Never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well known is this: ‘Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.'”

    Mood: Okay, I just need to out with it. I’m hungover.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: There really isn’t enough.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Groovin’ and shakin’
    In My Ears: Macalania Woods Final Fantasy X-2 Soundtrack
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Origins
    Movie Last Viewed: MirrorMask
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press
November 14, 2012
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New Interview and Reviews for Paths of Storytelling

Hi folks,

I’m over at FlamesRising.com today along with the developer of Paths of Storytelling, Eddy Webb, and my fellow authors Jess Hartley and Kelley Barnes. This three-question interview offers all of us the chance to talk about this project from our unique clan perspective. I hope you drop by and read Author Interview for Paths of Storytelling on FlamesRising.com, because Eddy reveals yet another easter egg. Shhh!

Here’s a quote from our group interview:

MONICA: I felt that matching the voice and the feel of the setting was crucial to the joke’s believability, which was part of the reason why I dropped in signature characters like Karsh, El Diablo Verde and a few other familiar faces. It was really fascinating for me to map out, because the goal was to introduce Vampire: the Masquerade to a fictitious reader, all the while knowing that the person most likely reading it would be someone who knew the setting. So in this path, the reader doesn’t just become a Gangrel, they get introduced to Vampire: the Masquerade. — SOURCE: Author Interview for Paths of Storytelling

After you read the interview, a reader recently shared a review of Paths of Storytelling on DriveThruRPG.com. I thought the review was interesting, because the reviewer is correct: this format isn’t something White Wolf would publish professionally to represent World of Darkness, which is why it was billed as a rejected manuscript for April Fool’s. I was happy to hear he not only enjoyed it, but also recognized the amount of work we put into this.

Over at Gameolosophy, you can also read an in-depth review written by Raymond Frazee entitled RPG Game Review: Paths of Storytelling. His thoughts are really interesting to read because he talks about the theme from the perspective of a long-time fan and player of Vampire: the Masquerade.

For more information, read my announcement entitled: New Release! Vampire: the Masquerade Fiction.

Enjoy!

April 7, 2011
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My Guest Article at BookLife.com: Rolling the Dice in Freelancing

The Bones | To help promote THE BONES, a collection of essays about dice, Jeremy Jones is running a series over at BookLife.com about rolling the dice in freelancing. Jeremy is an excellent interviewer who writes “the best” introductions about people. Just recently, he talked about how Matt Forbeck was his hero in If You Play It Safe: Matt Forbeck on Taking Risks In Writing. (Mine, too.) After reading what he said about me, I was thinking about paying him to write my bio for me. Sheesh.

I first met Valentinelli at GenCon three years ago. I was immediately struck with her ability to distill a complex project down to its core elements and by her seemingly undying enthusiasm for whichever creative project she was working on.

Both as a gamer and as a freelancer, Valentinelli has rolled a lot of dice. Here’s what she had to say about the importance of taking risks in writing and freelancing. — SOURCE: Always Rolling the Dice: Monica Valentinelli on Taking Risks in Writing

To read what my responses were, be sure to check out Always Rolling the Dice: Monica Valentinelli on Taking Risks in Writing.

Not sure who else is slated for this series, but BookLife always has some great career advice for you to read. So don’t be shy and check the site out!

December 15, 2010
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My Interview with Suvudu.com

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to drop by and let you know that a new interview with yours truly went up on Suvudu.com. I’m pretty happy with the way the interview turned out.

One of the questions was about how a recent reviewer pegged me as a “fearless author.” Here’s part of my answer:

You know, I’m the type of author and game designer who loves to experiment with my work. In that way, I’d say that fearless is an appropriate description. I’ve had a lot of people look at me in shock when I tell them I included my first draft in this e-book. Several other pros told me before I even worked on this that authors would be crucified professionally for publishing less-than-superior work. To me, I think that some readers might find a first draft a fascinating read. I view writing to be a process and if it makes sense, why not clue a reader into what went on behind-the-scenes? — Source: Interview with Monica Valentinelli at Suvudu.com

If you get the chance, drop by and check out The Queen of Crows interview at Suvudu.com.

As always, I really appreciate your support! Happy reading!

September 24, 2010
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My Interview with Cerise Magazine

This month I was interviewed by a girl gamer after my own heart; JoAnna Gootee is an interviewer for a girl gaming webzine called Cerise Magazine whose mission statement calls out the need for a feminist publication:

We are a feminist publication and oppose all forms of oppression and the ways in which that oppression manifests itself in game communities in ways that hurt women, transgender individuals, queer-identified people, people of color, people with disabilities, and other marginalized individuals. We hope that our inclusive philosophy will propagate to help the game industry and culture at large become an environment welcoming to people of all identities.

Cerise Magazine Interview with Monica Valentinelli

The site features a monthly issue that has news, reviews, and other content targeted toward girl gaming. Be sure to check out some of JoAnna’s other interviews that includes names like: White Wolf freelancer Jess Hartley, Lady Fireeze of the Guild of Gaming Women and Sara Girard, Marketing Lead for D&D.

August 15, 2008
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