Hey, folks... wow, it's been more than a week since my last post! Sorry for the delays... I've been busy busy busy!
Started my new job. I'm loving it so far... I like the location, the plant site, the guys I'm working with, and the job itself. It's less than ten minutes from my house! What could be better?
And oh, lest I forget (which I can't, because I'm obsessed at the moment...), the comic book challenge entry is DONE!!! And entered! And looks GREAT! The artist, Erick Marquez, really outdid himself. I can't sing this guy's praises enough... he did an amazing job bringing the characters and scenes I gave him to life. You can find our entry page in any of these locations:
http://lh5.google.com/image/RingOfAuberon/RmCylgpuTjI/AAAAAAAAAEA/zcCWo7S-G6U/RingOfAuberon.jpg?imgmax=512
http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon
http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Ring_of_Auberon/
Still no word from my agent... she's been in NYC for about a week, pitching my novels. I hope to hear something soon, either while she's still there or when she gets back. Fingers still crossed!
So anyway, sorry for the recent absence. I'll be sure to post more in the future.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sparse Blogging Lately
Well, I've been falling behind on my blogging chores lately. I have no excuse aside from general busy-ness.
The Ring of Auberon comic is coming along. More art has been posted on the MySpace site http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon if anyone is interested. The page we're entering has been completely penciled now, and partially inked. Color should be coming soon as well, and then it's back to me for lettering. 8 days til the deadline... getting nervous! However, on a positive note, I have scripted pretty much the entire first issue. It needs some tweaking, but the general idea of it is down. So, once we enter the contest, the plan is to really get moving on the art so that we can have a solid pitch to make assuming we're in the top 50.
The novel front is also still moving forward. My agent should be in NYC as we speak. I hope to hear back from her soon about how her trip went. With as many pitches for me as she's planning to make, I'm hoping one or two connect. I'll update you on that as soon as I have any more info.
And finally, I have a start date for my new job! Yay! Next Wednesday... the day before the Comic Book Challenge deadline... yipes! That means I'm going to have to really bust my butt, use up all my free time, once I have those completed pages. I'm very excited about the job, though. I've been trying to get on in computer services at this plant for a LONG time. It's so close to home, pays so well, and hopefully will be a stable enough job that I'll be able to really set down some roots again.
School's almost out... meaning my son will be heading to his mom's house for the summer very soon. I'm of two minds on the subject. A summer off from the responsibilities of being a single dad is looking kind of nice... but two and a half months without my son isn't really looking so nice. Ah, well... I've endured it before, I can endure it again.
So that's what's been going on. Busy, busy!
Oh, also... check out our dedicated MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon as well as our Picasa website at under the username RingOfAuberon. Thanks for the interest, and we hope we get your vote in the challenge!
The Ring of Auberon comic is coming along. More art has been posted on the MySpace site http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon if anyone is interested. The page we're entering has been completely penciled now, and partially inked. Color should be coming soon as well, and then it's back to me for lettering. 8 days til the deadline... getting nervous! However, on a positive note, I have scripted pretty much the entire first issue. It needs some tweaking, but the general idea of it is down. So, once we enter the contest, the plan is to really get moving on the art so that we can have a solid pitch to make assuming we're in the top 50.
The novel front is also still moving forward. My agent should be in NYC as we speak. I hope to hear back from her soon about how her trip went. With as many pitches for me as she's planning to make, I'm hoping one or two connect. I'll update you on that as soon as I have any more info.
And finally, I have a start date for my new job! Yay! Next Wednesday... the day before the Comic Book Challenge deadline... yipes! That means I'm going to have to really bust my butt, use up all my free time, once I have those completed pages. I'm very excited about the job, though. I've been trying to get on in computer services at this plant for a LONG time. It's so close to home, pays so well, and hopefully will be a stable enough job that I'll be able to really set down some roots again.
School's almost out... meaning my son will be heading to his mom's house for the summer very soon. I'm of two minds on the subject. A summer off from the responsibilities of being a single dad is looking kind of nice... but two and a half months without my son isn't really looking so nice. Ah, well... I've endured it before, I can endure it again.
So that's what's been going on. Busy, busy!
Oh, also... check out our dedicated MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon as well as our Picasa website at under the username RingOfAuberon. Thanks for the interest, and we hope we get your vote in the challenge!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Comic Book Challenge 2007: The Ring of Auberon
Well, I think it's time to start showing off some of the work we've done on the Ring of Auberon comic book pitch. I've put quite a few of the preliminary sketch work done by the artist up on my pics page, so check them out. I've also started a totally new MySpace page which will be our forum for posting new artwork, story synopsis, all that sort of thing. We'll have sample pages available soon, as well. So check it out, and tell all your friends about it! When the contest rolls around, assuming we make it past the preliminary rounds, the public gets to vote on their favorite... so we're going to need you!
The dedicated MySpace page can be found at http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon
The dedicated MySpace page can be found at http://www.myspace.com/ringofauberon
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Keeping Things Moving
Well, things are moving forward in several areas of writing for me.
First off, I've still been polishing the script for the Ring of Auberon. It's going great, and I'm beyond excited about it. The artist for the project is working on the excerpt page for the competition. And beyond that, my agent has said that if we don't win the contest, she would like to take a look at the project and possibly represent us in finding a publisher.
Secondly, my second pitch for the contest may be going forward after all. A very talented artist I met on MySpace, who was too busy before to work with me, has decided that he can possibly help me out. I'm working on a script page for him, trying to make it an exciting scene, and he's going to try and get it inked before the deadline. So if we can make it in time, I'll be involved in two collaborations for the competition!
And finally, my agent is getting ready to go on a trip to NYC to pitch projects face to face with several editors. She's made a lot of appointments with some of the major houses, and has already had a few requests for advance copies of The Gatehouse book 1 so they can familiarize themselves with it before she meets with them. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty promising to me!
So things are looking up on the publishing front. I'm pretty hopeful some good news will filter back to me soon.
On a totally unrelated note, I'm still waiting on an official start date for my new job. Why is it that these background checks take so long? There's nothing to show up on it... are they digging back to my elementary school days or something? I've never been arrested, never been in jail, never been accused or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, never so much as tried illegal drugs... I've only ever gotten one speeding ticket in my whole life! What's the deal?
First off, I've still been polishing the script for the Ring of Auberon. It's going great, and I'm beyond excited about it. The artist for the project is working on the excerpt page for the competition. And beyond that, my agent has said that if we don't win the contest, she would like to take a look at the project and possibly represent us in finding a publisher.
Secondly, my second pitch for the contest may be going forward after all. A very talented artist I met on MySpace, who was too busy before to work with me, has decided that he can possibly help me out. I'm working on a script page for him, trying to make it an exciting scene, and he's going to try and get it inked before the deadline. So if we can make it in time, I'll be involved in two collaborations for the competition!
And finally, my agent is getting ready to go on a trip to NYC to pitch projects face to face with several editors. She's made a lot of appointments with some of the major houses, and has already had a few requests for advance copies of The Gatehouse book 1 so they can familiarize themselves with it before she meets with them. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty promising to me!
So things are looking up on the publishing front. I'm pretty hopeful some good news will filter back to me soon.
On a totally unrelated note, I'm still waiting on an official start date for my new job. Why is it that these background checks take so long? There's nothing to show up on it... are they digging back to my elementary school days or something? I've never been arrested, never been in jail, never been accused or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, never so much as tried illegal drugs... I've only ever gotten one speeding ticket in my whole life! What's the deal?
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Strange week
So... it looks like I won't be doing the technology refresh in Evansville after all. You see, my drug test was fine, of course, but the background check was delayed... and then delayed some more... and then some more. For some reason, they couldn't get all the information they needed, and kept putting off my start date.
So then, Thursday of this week, I get a call out of the blue from a recruiter that has a job opening right here in Mount Vernon for the largest employer in town. It's for a PC break fix technician. The pay is only a bit less than the technology refresh, but it's a 3-month-to-direct-hire position as opposed to a temp position. It's also maybe ten minutes from my house. AND after 3 months, there's a full benefits package.
So, no brainer... I said sure, I'll interview. The company called me up that afternoon, very interested, and gave me a phone interview. I talked to the recruiter about an hour later, and was offered the job. I'd still heard nothing back about my background check at the other place, so I only had to think about it for a few minutes... I said absolutely, I'll take it.
Well, Friday I got a call from the other company. My background check was complete, and they were ready for me to start on Monday. I gave the recruiter the bad news, that I had accepted a position with another company, and explained why it was a better opportunity.
And he was TICKED. Big time. He told me I should have informed him that I was interviewing for other positions, and that it was unprofessional. He told me that they'd put a lot into getting me that position, and that I shouldn't have told him I'd take it if I were considering other offers. Basically, he tried to bully me into changing my mind and working with them.
At that point, I stopped the guy and explained to him that I had NOT been interviewing with other companies at the time I'd accepted the job. In fact, if I'd been able to start on the day I was supposed to... 4 days before... then it wouldn't have been an issue. I explained that it was a very sudden thing, that I'd gotten the call about the job and gotten the job offer in the space of two hours, and that I would probably not have taken it if I'd already been working for them. (That wasn't necessarily true... it's a GOOD opportunity.) Regardless, I told him that there was nothing underhanded going on, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
Well, he calmed down a little bit at that point, but he was still pretty ticked off. He made it clear to me that his company, and the company he represented, would not work with me in the future if I happened to be looking for a job again.
So I'm a little upset about the whole deal. Here I am, out of work, out of money, and I'm supposed to wait indefinitely while they keep pushing back my start date even if a better offer comes along? I think not! But it bothers me a lot that I've now got the label of "undependable", at least with one contract company out there. That's a bad thing, since the kind of work I do is almost always handled by contractors these days.
But what was I supposed to do? This new offer was from a place where I've been trying to get on for years. It's hard to get your foot in the door out there, and I couldn't pass up this chance now. This is the kind of company that people retire from, not the kind where they work for a few years and then move on.
Ah, well. Hard choice to have to live with, but an easy one to make, I suppose.
OK, rant over. Now let's talk about writing.
I've been scripting and synopsizing like mad for the Comic Book Challenge. I never did find an artist for the second pitch I had in mind, which is too bad, because it would have been a good one. But the artist I'm working with on the fantasy pitch is very talented, and he's got a great feel for where I'm going with the story. I'm really looking forward to working with him. So far, I've sent him two script pages, one from early on in the story and another from the climactic moment. I've also scripted out about ten other pages, working in order from the beginning. The story is coming along nicely, and I think it's something that will appeal to a lot of readers. So wish us luck! And stay tuned... if we make it to the finals, we're going to need all of your votes!
So then, Thursday of this week, I get a call out of the blue from a recruiter that has a job opening right here in Mount Vernon for the largest employer in town. It's for a PC break fix technician. The pay is only a bit less than the technology refresh, but it's a 3-month-to-direct-hire position as opposed to a temp position. It's also maybe ten minutes from my house. AND after 3 months, there's a full benefits package.
So, no brainer... I said sure, I'll interview. The company called me up that afternoon, very interested, and gave me a phone interview. I talked to the recruiter about an hour later, and was offered the job. I'd still heard nothing back about my background check at the other place, so I only had to think about it for a few minutes... I said absolutely, I'll take it.
Well, Friday I got a call from the other company. My background check was complete, and they were ready for me to start on Monday. I gave the recruiter the bad news, that I had accepted a position with another company, and explained why it was a better opportunity.
And he was TICKED. Big time. He told me I should have informed him that I was interviewing for other positions, and that it was unprofessional. He told me that they'd put a lot into getting me that position, and that I shouldn't have told him I'd take it if I were considering other offers. Basically, he tried to bully me into changing my mind and working with them.
At that point, I stopped the guy and explained to him that I had NOT been interviewing with other companies at the time I'd accepted the job. In fact, if I'd been able to start on the day I was supposed to... 4 days before... then it wouldn't have been an issue. I explained that it was a very sudden thing, that I'd gotten the call about the job and gotten the job offer in the space of two hours, and that I would probably not have taken it if I'd already been working for them. (That wasn't necessarily true... it's a GOOD opportunity.) Regardless, I told him that there was nothing underhanded going on, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
Well, he calmed down a little bit at that point, but he was still pretty ticked off. He made it clear to me that his company, and the company he represented, would not work with me in the future if I happened to be looking for a job again.
So I'm a little upset about the whole deal. Here I am, out of work, out of money, and I'm supposed to wait indefinitely while they keep pushing back my start date even if a better offer comes along? I think not! But it bothers me a lot that I've now got the label of "undependable", at least with one contract company out there. That's a bad thing, since the kind of work I do is almost always handled by contractors these days.
But what was I supposed to do? This new offer was from a place where I've been trying to get on for years. It's hard to get your foot in the door out there, and I couldn't pass up this chance now. This is the kind of company that people retire from, not the kind where they work for a few years and then move on.
Ah, well. Hard choice to have to live with, but an easy one to make, I suppose.
OK, rant over. Now let's talk about writing.
I've been scripting and synopsizing like mad for the Comic Book Challenge. I never did find an artist for the second pitch I had in mind, which is too bad, because it would have been a good one. But the artist I'm working with on the fantasy pitch is very talented, and he's got a great feel for where I'm going with the story. I'm really looking forward to working with him. So far, I've sent him two script pages, one from early on in the story and another from the climactic moment. I've also scripted out about ten other pages, working in order from the beginning. The story is coming along nicely, and I think it's something that will appeal to a lot of readers. So wish us luck! And stay tuned... if we make it to the finals, we're going to need all of your votes!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Yay me.
Well, there's going to be a new impediment to my writng career. I got the job.
I'll be a contractor involved with a PC technology refresh for one of the area hospitals. Basically, I'll be checking out the old equipment, determining if it meets the criteria to need replacement, and then determining the needs of the user for their new computer system. After new equipment is ordered, I'll be setting up the new PC, delivering to the user, and giving basic instruction in use.
OK, so it's not glamorous. Kind of baby steps compared to what I'm used to. But I'm more than qualified for it, and it pays better than my last job, even if it is a short term contract. No benefits, but eh, I'm healthy right now.
But I absolutely refuse to let this interfere with my writing. Yeah, I'll be busy during the day, but I'll have time in the evenings... on weekends... lunch breaks... whatever. I wrote my first book while working a full time job. I can do it again. It'll even give me motivation. ;-)
So congratulate me. I'll finally be getting a paycheck again.
I'll be a contractor involved with a PC technology refresh for one of the area hospitals. Basically, I'll be checking out the old equipment, determining if it meets the criteria to need replacement, and then determining the needs of the user for their new computer system. After new equipment is ordered, I'll be setting up the new PC, delivering to the user, and giving basic instruction in use.
OK, so it's not glamorous. Kind of baby steps compared to what I'm used to. But I'm more than qualified for it, and it pays better than my last job, even if it is a short term contract. No benefits, but eh, I'm healthy right now.
But I absolutely refuse to let this interfere with my writing. Yeah, I'll be busy during the day, but I'll have time in the evenings... on weekends... lunch breaks... whatever. I wrote my first book while working a full time job. I can do it again. It'll even give me motivation. ;-)
So congratulate me. I'll finally be getting a paycheck again.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Life Update
You know, MySpace is really getting on my nerves. Sometimes it takes me half an hour to get a blog posted there. I keep getting "Sorry, an unexpected error has occurred". Some days, I can't get a blog to post at all! But I have quite a few dedicated readers over there, and I'm in several writers and comic creator groups, so I don't want to just abandon it as a forum. (sigh)
Ah, well. Enough ranting.
Things are going well here. I've finally got a handle on the revisions my agent asked for (except for that pesky prologue, which I can't help it... I don't agree with her on that!). So book 2 is moving ahead, with several changes made. I'm now going through the methodical process of making sure the changes I made are reflected later in the book. It'd be embarrassing if in Chapter 7 I were to reference an occurrence from Chapter 2, and have that occurrence no longer be there. It's time consuming, but it's coming along.
I'm still in the process of synopsizing and outlining my comic book pitch, and I'm pretty certain that I've found an artist I want to work with... on ONE of the pitches. For some reason, other folks who have contacted me have yet to send me sketches or character concepts. I figure they just have too much stuff going on in their own lives to have the time to get to it, even if they're excited about it. Problem is, there's a deadline that's only a month away, and I NEED to find the right artist for my second pitch if I want to get both of them entered.
I have a job interview tomorrow for a short term contract. I'm pretty confident I'll get it. I'm almost perfectly qualified for it. It's only three months, but the pay is quite good, so I've got my fingers crossed. Wish me luck, everyone!
Ah, well. Enough ranting.
Things are going well here. I've finally got a handle on the revisions my agent asked for (except for that pesky prologue, which I can't help it... I don't agree with her on that!). So book 2 is moving ahead, with several changes made. I'm now going through the methodical process of making sure the changes I made are reflected later in the book. It'd be embarrassing if in Chapter 7 I were to reference an occurrence from Chapter 2, and have that occurrence no longer be there. It's time consuming, but it's coming along.
I'm still in the process of synopsizing and outlining my comic book pitch, and I'm pretty certain that I've found an artist I want to work with... on ONE of the pitches. For some reason, other folks who have contacted me have yet to send me sketches or character concepts. I figure they just have too much stuff going on in their own lives to have the time to get to it, even if they're excited about it. Problem is, there's a deadline that's only a month away, and I NEED to find the right artist for my second pitch if I want to get both of them entered.
I have a job interview tomorrow for a short term contract. I'm pretty confident I'll get it. I'm almost perfectly qualified for it. It's only three months, but the pay is quite good, so I've got my fingers crossed. Wish me luck, everyone!
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