professional science fiction and dark fantasy writer
One of the things I have to keep reminding myself is writing a novel is a marathon. Another thing I have to keep in mind while working on this new project is "Don't hold back." As I write this I keep coming up against a mental block that makes me stop, and I have to …
Continue reading "This novel is a tough challenge, but that’s why I want to write it"
I was struggling with how to begin the new Haxan novel and got through that hurdle this morning. I see the opening now and I think I know how it should start. It's not going to be easy to write, though, but I have to be truthful to the story and at least give it …
Continue reading "My Challenge of Writing a New Haxan Novel"
I got a lot of work done on my trip to Caprock Canyon. I wanted to dovetail the preliminary stages of working on the new novel with the trip in the hope of synergy. It worked, better than I hoped. I came up with a lot of ideas and thoughts about the novel, characters, tone …
Got back from Caprock Canyon today. Had a good trip and it was very beneficial as far as doing preliminary work and story ideas for the novel, including seeing and walking over the land once inhabited by Native Americans. I'll talk more about it later, but I'm headed to bed now.
Headed to Caprock Canyon this morning. Looking forward to the relaxation and working on some notes for the new novel. Kind of eager to see if this idea will hold up. I think it has promise...but you never know until you actually start mapping out the story and ideas. One thing. The more I think …
Continue reading "Leaving for Caprock Canyon with a Very Dark Haxan Novel in Mind"
Thinking about going camping this weekend. A couple of reasons. It's getting late in the year and if I wait much longer it's going to get cold. I don't like the cold. I can deal with the heat much better. Just me. 😛 There are also the buffalo. I'd like to follow them around for …
Continue reading "Planning another camping trip…with writing a novel on the side!"
Just letting my readers know I added a Haxan web page to this blog. You can link to it from the side under "Pages" or click on the badge below, haha. It includes stuff like how I created the series, inspiration, and some character biographies. Hope you enjoy the extra content. Thanks, guys. 🙂
Beautiful music about a beautiful genre. God, how I love the west and all its mythic power, along with its ability to define us as human beings, and help us find our true place in the universe. All good stories do this, but I think westerns have a special ability, and affinity, to tap into …
Continue reading "Ennio Morricone – Once Upon a Time in the West"
I'm still trying to sort this out. I am wondering if certain genres rely more heavily on history and historical interpretations than others. I mean, I guess that's true to a degree for any genre, right? I've read lots of science fiction stories that either A.) took their ideas from history, or B.) were set …
Continue reading "The Importance of History to the Western Genre"
I have mentioned this before but I am seriously thinking about writing a Haxan prequel novel. I think this more than anything else will be my next big writing project. This would take place before Marwood goes to Haxan, while he was up in Montana Territory as a U.S. marshal. We know some things about …
Continue reading "I am Seriously Considering Writing a Haxan Prequel Novel"
OMG! ChiZine Publications wants to publish my Haxan novel! They are thinking about a release date in late 2013 or early 2014. Gemma Files, who writes for CZP, approached them and let them know I had a dark fantasy western they might be interested in. They requested to see it and liked it and now …
I hope to have some good news on the publishing front regarding Haxan. Please stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed. Thanks, guys.
Science fiction grew up in the New Wave era. That's when editors and writers began to push the genre past its pulpish roots and demand better writing, better stories, better literature overall. Readers responded. SF literature will never return to its past of Flash Gordon rockets and bug-eyed monsters in anything other than nostalgic retrospective, …
“You can find meanness in the least of creatures, but when God made man the devil was at his elbow.” --Blood Meridian Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West might be one of the top five novels of Modern American literature. I say "might be" because it is probably too soon to make that …
Continue reading "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy — a Review"
