Well, you could be with Misfits of Magic, the latest audio release that I’m part of, but we’ll get to that in a little bit. This might be a bit of a long post, but it’s been
Man, it seems like it’s been forever since I sat down and actually typed out something fresh for this page. Life as always has been busy as all get out.
Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?
Since September, we got the sister-in-law moved back to Ohio, sorted and cleaned out what was left behind, and did several repairs to the walls in the addition before moving another family member into the space. I still need to knock out little things like trim, but I can’t stain the wood until the temps get a bit warmer around here.
Other than that I’ve been concentrating on knocking out Burning Roads, the first book in the Car Warriors: Autoduel Chronicles, and the kick-off book to a new series of fiction in the Car Wars universe by Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games.
And of course, Hiro the Editor Kitty has been extra demanding when I’m suppose to be putting words on paper.
Now that spring is on the verge of being here, that’s if Mother Nature would stop day drinking and freezing everything over night, we’ll be prepping the garden for planting this season.
I even picked up a few new hens, (Sugar and Pepper, the brown Marans) to up the population of Fort Cocks, since we lost a few older birds over the winter.
So far, the new girls are doing great! They’ve been dropping at least one egg a day if not two. I’d been leaving the eggs to be brooded by one of them to see if we didn’t get a few chicks. If we don’t, I’ll just pick up a few at tractor supply in a few weeks.
Other than that, we’ve been moving things around, and I’ve started to reclaim my old recording studio that will once again become my office to hide away from my loving family, so I can get some words down without distraction.
So instead of being stuck in “Author Jail” as our oldest has decided to call it, I’ll actually get my space back to set up the way I want it.
Even got a hand me down desk yesterday for a slight upgrade to “Author Jail” until I can finish the renovations in there.
And then there’s the massive collection of drums and equipment that I need to fully set up after we get the office situated.
It never fails. We’ve always got something going on around here.
We also attended “The Importance of being Earnest” down at the Mars Theater in Lafayette. The troop down there working for Back Alley Productions do a damn good job at bringing life performances to the area. We’ll be going back very soon for their production of “The Curious Savage”
And then there was my attendance at Nerdi Gras week before last down in Atlanta. Did I mention that thing about being busy? Met a slew of new and awesome folks down there.
This was a fun little relaxicon for me. Anyone who has been at a con with me knows that I’m going all out most of the weekend, participating in panels, and talking to anyone who comes along. I really wasn’t sure what to do with myself this go around. I had a whopping four panels to be on over the course of the weekend, and that was it.
So what did I do?
I wandered.
I played games in the video arcade, wandered the vendor’s hall and found a few things for myself and the family, checked out things along author’s alley, and enjoyed all that was there. What I saw of the Burlesque show Saturday evening was pretty damned amazing, and the DJ had the house bouncing in the evenings.
There was also the Artemis Bridge Simulator, virtual reality tournaments, and classic arcade tournaments going on in the game rooms. And I got to participate in another episode of John Pyka’s “Back of the Cereal Box” podcast broadcast live from the event Saturday morning.
So all in all for a small, first-year con, not a bad setup. I’m sure they’ll grow next year and make things that much better. Chalked full of Gaming, Cosplay, Fiction, Pop Culture, and more, it really is the celebration of everything “Nerdi”. It was well worth the trip down to Atlanta to spend a weekend with “our people”. The poor Normies didn’t know what to think. 🙂
Now, how about some details?
Per their website:
NERDI GRAS® is a celebration of all things geek. It’s 3 days of music, entertainment, video games, board games, and cosplay designed to evoke a Carnivale of color, sound, and energy. It’s a place where all are welcome to join in a community of friends who play together, are creative together, and share a desire to be a part of a true Nerd Bacchanalia.
I personally spent a whole bunch of time in the tabletop gaming area with MIB Irene, learning how to play a bunch of games from Steve Jackson Games, which I’ll give a review of separately from this post. She was a great instructor and very knowledgeable about the games.
I even picked up a bit of art for the office from the amazing and talented Dimitri Walker. Per his own workds, his art is a mashup of fine Art, fan art, and whatever images pop into my crazy head done old school with an actual brush and canvas.
Then there was swinging by to hang out with this guy.
Me and Dave served together in the 67th fighter squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa back in the late 90’s. It feels like a few life times ago since we were over there doing stupid shit that never got recorded. 🙂
Now, during those few fleeting moments that I’m not working, writing, or doing something else, I’ve been trying my best to take a few minutes to myself and do some enjoyment reading. Well, it inevitablly turns into research reading for one reason or another.
This go around, was my first read of a Louis L’amour western, Milo Talon. Besides the “western” flavor, it was a damn good adventure story that seemed to have been influenced by the western TV shows of the ’60s and ’70s. All in all, a good easy read that just about anyone would be able to follow along with.
Then as promised, the audio for Misfits of Magic is live. Joshua Saxon brings the characters to life with his amazing skills of narration.
Dwarves, dragons, demons and more!
If you love axe-wielding barbarians, shape-shifting dragons, possessed toys, or cryptic assassins, then grab your traveling pack and join in the adventures.
In this collection, you’ll find 10 tales of fantasy, with new fiction by Writers of the Future winner, N.V. Haskell, a new Raven and the Crow short by Michael K. Falciani, a tale of Draven the Redwolf by William Joseph Roberts, and more.
Fans of Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, David Eddings, Robert Jordon, and Karl Edward Wagner are sure to enjoy this fantastical collection.
And just to wrap up this post with something to make you smile. My best friend in these parts, use to make the mash up images, pasting my head on another image. This is something we did to screw with each other in the office. These days some of the photos would land you in the HR office for inappropriate and such.
Damn nonners don’t know have to have a little fun and enjoy the little things.
But below, you’ll find the latest of these mashup’s by my buddy, D33dlyG33k.
Keep your heads up and your pens sharp.
~William Joseph Roberts~
aka. Hillbilly