Regular posts resuming after the weekend...

Life's going to actually get a little simpler after Sunday and I should have more time to write (with any luck).

Until then I will be in Chicago at Anime Central!

See you all then!

Okay, okay...

So it's been more than two months since the last post. I...

...suck. AND I was busy. I get to claim busy, right? I have been writing scenarios for WotC, working on my next novel and even writing a new novella entitled Caelum, World of Dreams. So my fingers have not been idle!

Still, I took an oath to write on one of my blogs every day and in that, I failed.

The adage says where there is life, there is hope. Since I still seem to have a pulse, I reserve the right to start again.

DO OVER!

Hopefully I'll keep at it this time. However, I do warn you all; I will be out of contact until the 9th or so of February as I depart on my bus trek from Hell (Kitimat, BC to Lousiville, KY). 4000 miles by Greyhound. NOT looking forward to it.

I'll hit the writing hard at that point. Until then, I'll do the next two nights and that'll be it for a while.

Take care and much love,
-August

Happiness...

...is an unbroken chain. :)

So far, since promising to update a story every day, I have been able to accomplish that goal.



-A

Woof.

Okay... yesterday I updated all my stories in one night. Damn.

I don't usually pull all-nighters like that and now I know why. Sooooooo sleeeeeeepy.

Still, it was fun and I'm glad I had the chance to do it. I hope there's a little something here for everyone.

Enjoy!

Not Breaking the Chain...

At www.game-mistress.com (a nice blog site run by a dear friend of mine), there's a post about the Seinfeldian chain. That's a concept by which a person wanting to improve a given skill makes sure to do a little bit regarding that given ability each day.

Every day, without fail. A chain, if you will.

Well, so far since coming here to the maple-filled land of Canada, I've been establishing a new chain of posts here in my story blogs. Every day, without fail.

I gotta say this; I don't find Seinfeld all that funny as a comedian. However, I am willing to admit his idea has a lot of merit. The Seinfeldian Chain is working for me. I find myself looking forward to the writing. It's not a chore; it's a little gift during my day.

So thank you, Game Mistress, and thank you Mr. Sorta-Funny Jewish Man. :)

New Blog, New Beginnings

Hello!

No, I haven't died or abandoned Blogger. It's just been a busy life of late and I've not been able to be on as much as I'd like. I do have good news though; I'll be getting back into the blogging swing of things as of tonight and to prove it...

...ta da! A new blog story to add to the mix. In addition to the others which I will start updating again, I am also going to be telling the tale of Bloodravyn, a reluctant villain with a vengeance quest against his former teammates in a world of superheroics and ancient evils. I hope you enjoy this extra story and please don't hesitate to comment (good or bad) here.

Take care, all!

-August

Yeah... That post a day thing?

It didn't happen. But in the interim, I wrote a novel. Literally.

Now that it's done and I can focus on other things, I have a module to write and then a second novel to update. I'll get with the posting story pieces as I can, I promise.

Until then, there's always pron to surf and other websites to poke. :)

Back when I can,
-August

I have reached the height of suck.

It's been... too long since I updated these pages. I have fallen woefully behind and for that, I am sorry. There has been a lot of turmoil and activity in the Life o' August but I am going to try to return to my one update a day promise from before.

Until then, please bear with me?

Thanks,
-A

Yeah...

I've been sucking.

I can always tell when I have to stop taking my medications; my blogging goes through the toilet. It has been more than a month since I updated my stories. For that, I'm sorry.

And since I have always believed an apology was empty without an attempt to fix the problem, I submit for your reading approval three new updates in the last two days. A new Jeht story will be coming tonight or tomorrow to get me back on track. After that, it's an update a day just as I promised before.

Hey, I'm only human, okay... Well, only a dragon... ummm... yeah. You get the idea.

-A

A messed up dream...

I am just going to write this one down straight, since I am not really awake enough to make sense of it just yet:

There's a singular fact about the universe and everything in it - the Truth. Once someone knows the Truth, they can manipulate reality through mere thought. It's like concentration, like mental powers that can mold and shape the physical world. It can even be like telepathy, though it cannot achieve mind control. That seems to be its one limitation. The Truth cannot affect free will. Beyond that, anything goes.

Learning the Truth requires being shown the Truth or, rarely, discovering it on one's own. Think of it like reaching Nirvana, the ultimate Enlightenment. The easy path to it is for someone else who knows the Truth to reveal it to you. In that moment, you become one of two things - Lucid or Broken.

The Lucid are those with the ability to understand the Truth and deal with all that it means. That God is both everywhere and nowhere, both everyone and no one at all. This acceptance brings amazing power, though the exact level to which a person can use it depends almost entirely on their own minds and intellect. Knowing the Truth is one thing; wielding it effectively is something altogether different.

The Broken cannot handle the truth. Their minds short out when it is revealed and in a burst of cascading mental failures, they usually become hideously disfigured and forget the Truth immediately afterwards. They cannot cope with what the Truth means and in that moment of denial, their shattered self-image wreaks terrible damage on themselves and their environment. Some die, most are deformed, and a terrible few only bear their scars on the inside. Those often retain their Lucidity, only showing how Broken they are in moments of inconceivable madness.

(All of that was from a dream I had last night. o_O )

It's not much...

...but there are a few new updates on my story blogs. If you've not been there in a while, please take a bit to read them. I really like the ways the stories are shaping up, and I hope you will too.

In other news, my gaming club's website is getting a full face lift. I hope to be able to post to post the URL soon for you. Once the webmistress is done with her work, I'll be sure to give you all a link to the site. It may not be of any real interest, but I will be putting d20 gaming content on it for people to use in their own games.

And not just D&D. Star Wars too, as well as mechanics for my own gaming system, Blessed. More on that topic later!

Be well,
-A

Dragon Hate Banks!

I really, really do...

In this electronic, instant age it should not be so damn hard to get a debit card, cash a check, or move money! *growls*

It took two weeks to get my pay check, three days for the damn thing to be approved by one bank, and now the payment that should have out it in my PayPal account so I can use the only card I have has been denied.

The hell?!?

The money is there and the check was valid. Why this is being so damn difficult is beyond me. I am in Canada with no money to my name because of automatic deductions, bank errors, and useless transactions that don't work. I can't even cash my own checks because my bank doesn't understand something as simple as a Doing Business As (DBA) form.

This is getting infuriating!

*breaths fire on the whole damn financial system*

Stupid banks. Dragon HATE banks!

-A

It's underway

The trilogy I was asked to write for Mongoose Publishing in England has officially begin. I just completed a ten page chapter-by-chapter synopsis and character precis. It was a lot of work but I honestly think it'll be good for me in the long run.

Having the chapters laid out forced me to think about the book as something other than a nebulous plot and 320 empty pages. It's an effective way to flesh out the story and while I like tools like Dramatica Pro, I think the longhand method of a chapter-by-chapter just works better for me. I am not disparaging tools like DP; it's just not for me.

In any case, here's to the first book - Shadows of the Agarashi: Glory and Greed! *raises his glass*

Take care, all!

-A

Four posts, as promised.

So there we go, four updates to my story blogs.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'mma go rest mah brain before it boils away. :)

-A

As a special New Year's Day treat...

...I will be posting updates on all four of my story boards.

That's right. From my weary fingers to your eager (I hope!) eyes, four story segments all on the same day.

I must be insane. :)

-August

So here I am...

I'm in Kitimat, having escaped the hell of Canadian Customs and given leave to enter the country. It's been a lovely first week and I have enjoyed every minute. Even when I've been drenched, head to toe, shoveling snow and slush in the freezing rain I've had fun. Honestly, this place just feels good.

Doesn't hurt that a coyote came to visit me on my first day here and ravens have been watching over the house since I arrived. The Stormcrow is definitely aware of my presence in the North; he's not stopped showering me with affection (read: rain, and lots of it).

In truth, I am flattered. Since my acceptance by him during my vision quest, I've felt him in my life each and every day. There are downsides, of course. There's no such thing as a plane ride for me without turbulence and a leaky roof isn't a good thing for me to be under. The rain ~will~ get through.

Still, I am thrilled. Not only is it an honor to be a Child of the Storm, it's a duty. Doing the Crow's work can be tiring but I love it. It's given me a purpose again and a focus for my pagan work. I admit I regret leaving behind Louisville but the work of the DO there was just too forceful for me to compete with alone. Others will deal with them and free that city; Fate obviously wanted me elsewhere.

The question now? Where am I meant to be?

I suppose only time will tell. I just have to stay sharp and not let myself fall back into the dolor of the past two years. Burnout in my work and in my emotional life took its toll.

It's time for me to take it back.

I must be crazy...

I am going to try the Canada trip again.

I can't thank Angie or her folks enough for this; they are willing to spend nearly two thousand dollars just for my company, a bottle of Grand Marnier, and homemade lasagna. I mean, I know my cooking rocks, but wow... :)

Still, I would be lying if I said this wasn't making me apprehensive. After the way I was treated last time, this is a terrifying prospect.

Ah well. If they try to stop me again, I'll bust out some good, old-fashioned dragon's fire on them. That should clear things up.

-A

Three things I hate!

1) Coke in the U.S. is made with corn syrup. *tongue stick out* It just doesn't taste as good as sugar like they use in Canada...

2) Not being paid for my work. I don't expect ANYTHING for free but I damn well do expect companies to hold up to their contracts. Is that too much to ask?

3) Christmas when I have no money. I love to give gifts; that's a lot harder when I can't afford anything. I make do with self-made things but sometimes it's just not the same when I know there's something a loved one wants and I can't get it for them. *pout*

Fear the Dragon Pout.

FEAR it.

Sleep....

It's an alien concept for me.

When I'm not writing, I'm watching the kids.

When I'm not watching the kids, I'm working my tail off.

When I'm not doing either of those things, I'm worried about money.

My life's gotten so complicated, I no longer have the freedom to actually live it.

Strange, eh? Why am I letting these damn greggles push me through so many damned hoops? Have I been among them so long that I'm allowing them to treat me like a human? Or worse, have I started to think of myself as one again? I'd thought I was past that but in recent months, I don't much feel like my true self.

Somewhere, I lost sight of my dreams. At some point, I let my fire dwindle. It hasn't gone out entirely but if I'm to save it, I may have to do something drastic.

Just what that is...

...is anyone's guess.