SESchend
male - 42 years, Grand Rapids, United States
Blog 6
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RIP Gary Gygax
According to many news reports and far too many emails, Gary Gygax died in his sleep last night. He'll forever be remembered as one of the creators of the Dungeons & Dragons games.
I've no personal stories or recollections to share re: Gary Gygax. My tenure at TSR, Inc. was well after he had left the company he had founded.
That said, I wanted to thank him in memoriam for his indirect role in making me the writer I am today. While not the only piece of the puzzle, D&D looms large in my professional development as an editor and writer since TSR, Inc. was my first job out of college. Much of what I learned about editing and writing came out of the trenches of game design and deadline doom in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. Thanks to my job with TSR and Wizards of the Coast, I've met thousands of great people and fellow fans and made scores of great friends in the game industry.
D&D and Gary are also personally important to me as well. I've a few lifelong friends I met 25 years ago because of this game of Gary's. Even if nothing else, I'm grateful to him for that and all the fun we've had over the years with Dungeons & Dragons games.
Rest in peace, Gary. You deserve it. -
Blog Sharing Day
Because of Jim Hines (http://jimhines.livejournal.com/342798.html), it's Blog Sharing Day.
Go to Grubb Street!
Celebrate Jeff Grubb Day--it's only 5 days away! 
http://grubbstreet.blogspot.com/index.html
I'm sending packs of Internet primates toward Jeff's blog, as the most consistently amusing and thought-provoking blog I read on a regular basis. Here's what I said at Jim's site:
I'll heartily recommend http://grubbstreet.blogspot.com/index.html as a blog to read. Jeff's an old friend and mentor from TSR, Inc. and his blog ranges from natterings on game design to musings about the state quarters or anything else under the sun. Always tongue in cheek, and always spot on with healthy doses of humor and irony--just like you'd expect of someone with 25 years of experience as a professional writer.
Remember--it's not how you celebrate Jeff Grubb Day. Just that you do.
Steven
who'll try and find the file to repeat the story of Jeff Grubb Day at the appropriate time.... -
2008 releases
I've just been informed of the next few books in which my work gets published, so here are the links (as I don my hat of shameless PR/marketing):
I know I've already mentioned it, and it's been out since January 2, but I'm in PR mode and it's handy to have all the links at once. FELLOWSHIP FANTASTIC is out with DAW and it's got my "Concerning a Gambit of Fraternity" short story in it. If you like contemporary fantasies, I hope you'll check this antho out. If you need other reasons, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Alan Dean Foster, and many other great authors have contributions herein.
http://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Fantastic-Mar...
Next up is the second DAW anthology I'm in this year, which apparently ships in early July: THE DIMENSION NEXT DOOR. It's another contemporary fantasy of the same universe as the story noted above. This time, we find out what happens to libraries containing cursed books and grimoires best left alone in "Unreadable."
http://www.amazon.com/Dimension-Next-Door-Mart...
BLACKSTAFF TOWER is due out September 2, and it's my second full-length novel. For those fans who care, yes, it takes place in the 4th edition timeframe, so it's in 1479 Dalereckoning. Even with that time shift, there's lots of lore hidden in these pages to fill some backstories of the intervening times. In short, our heroes help the Blackstaff against a conspiracy that claimed the life of her predecessor and could shift the balance of power all over Waterdeep.
http://www.amazon.com/Blackstaff-Tower-Greenwo...
And here's where I send a shout-out of "Great job/Great working with you!" to both of my editors--Kerrie Hughes (on the DAW anthologies) and Susan Morris (at Wizards of the Coast). You ladies both do exemplary work and you push me to make my writing better each and every time. Thanks so much for your support and aid.
So, if anyone's looking for something to read, I hope you'll give the above a try. I'd give you each a cookie if I could (I wonder if that'd help my signings in Authors' Alley at Gen Con.....).
Have a good weekend, all y'all.
Steven -
Plugging Away the New Year
I've finished reading THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC by Simon Green. Fun read--very much lives up to its blurb as "James Bond with magic." It reads a lot like Fleming's books--fast-paced, action-packed, and tongue-in-cheek--but lacks the misogynistic cruelty of Bond, thankfully. It's worth your time if you like a pulp-styled urban fantasy set in Britain.
For the 2nd plug, it's more self-serving, as I've got my first non-work-for-hire story in this anthology: FELLOWSHIP FANTASTIC came out from Daw almost a week ago, and so now it's time to market oneself. The gist of the collection is a focus on one's companions, fellowships, groups, and brotherhoods (or sisterhoods or whatever-hoods). Mine is the first published reveal of a modern urban fantasy world I've had building in my head a long number of years.
http://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Fantastic-Mar...
I've not yet seen a copy of the book, but do let me know what y'all think of "Concerning a Gambit of Fraternity," please, if you chance to read it. Thanks.
Steven -
Joyous Yule
Here's a quick blog wishing each and every one of you a Joyous Yule (officially tonight/tomorrow for pagans such as me) and a Merry Christmas!
Let's all have a safe, happy, and peaceful holiday and do all we can to make it the same for everyone we meet.
Take care, all, and we'll chat again in the new year. (At least the new year as the calendars insist; my new year started back on October 31...)
Steven -
Insomnianimals
Can't sleep...not since the clock stared 350 a.m.
Sigh. You'd think with all the stress and lack of sleep from the past few days, I'd be dead to the world. Oy.
Well, in the good column, I hit my book deadline and delievered BLACKSTAFF TOWER to Wizards of the Coast in its final draft. From 1st to 2nd draft, I added more than 12,000 words and rearranged at least 80% of what I'd put in the first draft. Is it perfect? Course not. No book ever is. This is why they insist on prying them out of our hands--we'd tinker forever.... For now, I'm tired enough that I'm glad it's off my plate. I'll be even more glad next autumn when good folk can trade filthy lucre for it and have it for their own.
What else in the good column....Well, I can finally relax and enjoy the Yule tree we've had up more than a week now. Both the lovely wife and I are almost entirely over our colds and can actually smell its evergreeny goodness. (Yes, I'm quite aware of how cheesy/silly that statement is; sue me. No coffee as yet. Now bugger on to the next paragraph.)
Today will be a day for wrapping gifts and getting them under the tree, if only to make the Lovely Sarah squee when she sees her name under lots of pretty bows and shiny wrapping. I didn't go overboard (I think), though I did give her one of her gifts a few months early. Dorling Kindersley does such great books, and as she seemed to need some inspiration for her upcoming art exhibit, I gave her REEF (ISBN 978-0-7566-3122-2) as it's inhabited with funky creatures of the sea, which seem to inspire some of my wife's funkier sculptures. We'll go down to Adrian College next week to set up her show (which opens in January) and I'm looking forward to going down and seeing her and her work appreciated. (Me, I'll just be the arm candy trying not to say too many stupid things to reveal how little I truly know about art...)
And because it wouldn't be my blog without a tiny tetch of politics, here's my rant for the morning re: the whole idiotic nonstop campaign: We do not need politicians. We need statesmen (statespeople
and leaders. Less parsing, more inspiring. How's that for a Yuletide wish?
So, on the chance that I get busy and don't post before then, here are my Yuletide blessings to you all and wishes for a healthy and happy new year.
Steven
