Author Archives: Eric

Productive

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This weekend was one of productivity. It was nice to be able to get back to a place where I felt good about time well spent. There were games with the family (I even won one!), story submissions made, contracts signed, galley proofs checked and plans set in motion for a new secret project.

Research was done, writing was done, new equipment was set up and hooked to the computer. Blog posts made, news feeds checked and household chores polished off with ease.

When I posted about the sad and numb feeling I had after giving in to a lost weekend and comparing it to an addiction, this is what I meant. I missed being relaxed and doing the things I enjoy. Spending time with the family is important. Games, relaxing and generally having a good time matters. Yes, we watched about twenty minutes worth of television. Having a form of entertainment like that around is not in and of itself a terrible thing. Giving in and doing nothing else is. We thoroughly enjoyed the new series of short cartoons from Pixar, then got take out from a local Korean restaurant. Was it perfect? No, of course not. Some of the plans I had for the weekend fell apart. I was prepared to do some filming for YouTube and that totally didn’t happen. No big deal. Changes happen. Things evolve.

Sound like a lot of stuff for a single weekend? That’s the point. I’ve maintained for a very long time that there are too many cool things to do in this world and not enough hours in the day to do them all. That’s a small part of why I always seem busy. I want to do… everything. Why wouldn’t you want to create or play or chat or whatever it is that you enjoy the most?

Coming soon – new work! The contract I signed is for a story that will be coming out in March. I’ll definitely let everyone know when it’s available for sale!

Preservation

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This was originally published in Watch The Skies Fanzine – January 2021

The house where J.R.R. Tolkien lived when he wrote some of his most famous work is up for sale. There are a number of people making a concerted effort to purchase this house and turn it into some kind of literary center, including a garden of some significance. There is a news article about it on Tor’s website. This article sent my mind wandering down the path of historic preservation and the collection of authorial works. There are other displays from famous authors in many forms, in many places but I realized I don’t know the first thing that goes into creating or curating a collection like this. Thankfully the wonderful world of fandom allows me to connect to people that know an awful lot more than I do. I decided to reach out to one!

Mary Spila is a long time member of our fan group here at Watch The Skies and just so happens to be one of the librarians for our state. I pulled together the teeny amount of info I know about this sort of things and asked her a few questions about it. Here is the interview:

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First, thanks for being willing to help fill me in on these sort of things. I think the work you do is important and more people should know about it. What is your official job title and what sort of things are entailed in the work that you currently do?

I am the cataloger at the State Library of Pennsylvania. I am responsible to cataloging everything that in put into the collection. This includes books for the Main Library, Law Library, Government Documents, and the Rare Materials Library.

Does the state library have a collection of letters (or more than one) similar to the sort of works that might be on display at the Tolkien house, should that project become a reality? What sort of things are in that collection?

The Rare Collections Library of the State Library of Pennsylvania holds items from the founding of theState of Pennsylvania, and the United States. This includes the “Assembly Collection”, books that were purchased by Benjamin Franklin for the General Assembly, and the beginnings of the State Library Collection.

The library has The largest collection of Pennsylvania Newspapers, some of which go back to the late 1600s. There are copies of materials that were printed in Pennsylvania back to 1685.

The collection also contains rare items that include a copy of Hartman Schedel’s Nuremberg Chronicles; a map and documents signed by Hannah Penn and Lord Baltimore regarding the borders between Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Several years ago we were gifted with a collection of materials from Steve Didko, Pennsylvania Comic Book artist best known for his work at Marvel and DC. That collection contains pencil sketches, ink drawings, and published comic books. It is the basis of the State Library’s graphica collection, which highlights the works of Pennsylvania authors and artists in the comics industry.

How does the library team decide what to keep and when? There has to be a limit on space, right?

There are library policies and procedures for purchasing and removal of materials from the Main and Law Libraries. For the Main Library this includes genealogical materials, Pennsylvania newspapers, things that are about Pennsylvania and its history, as well as materials requested by State Agencies and Legislators. The Law Library contains materials that directly related to the courts, laws, and legislation of Pennsylvania and the United States.

We are also a Federal and State Documents Depository Library, and those materials are kept until superseded.

Outdated, damaged, and superseded materials from both libraries, are removed from the collections and replaced if needed.

Does the library have special systems in place to care for the works in their care?

The Rare Collections Librarian and Technician have some basic skills with materials maintenance and repair. For materials that are in need of more extensive work they are sent out to professional restorers.

Materials in the Main and Law Libraries, are generally replaced if they are damaged beyond use, as repair of modern books is not cost effective.

Are there special rules about who can see these collections and when?

For materials in the Rare Collection, an appointment needs to be made with the Rare Collections Librarian. Permission may be denied based on the condition of the item.

Given the significant increase in authors using electronic means to both write and communicate with each other in recent times, what sort of things might the library have to display in the future? Have there been discussions of this among various members of the librarian community?

Electronic resources can be “Displayed” in electronic formats such as the Library’s website and social media.

I’d really like to focus more on that last bit. I wasn’t clear about how I phrased my question about displays. I didn’t consider the internet as part of the library at all, I was visualizing some kind of digital kiosk on location in the library itself with a big ol’ touch screen or something like that.

Even if there were a physical device for an electronic display, what is displayed would still be
tied into the library’s website. Physical tech requires the library to have the time, funding,
and personnel to maintain it, and most libraries don’t have any to spare.

People are already carrying personal devices where they look for information and
entertainment. It is more cost effective to put things on the website and the library’s
social media, where it will reach a wider audience and is not limited to times when the library
will be physically open. Many libraries are even recording their current physical displays and
putting them on their websites. The website, or some future incarceration, will end up being
the primary way that libraries interact with users.

I know this isn’t what you are looking for, but that is the reality, especially considering that
library budgets have been falling.

A very big thank you to Mary Spila for being willing to share her time and expertise
with us on this subject! IF you have knowledge about an industry that relates to the
publishing world or science fiction in general, we’d love to hear from you too! Let us know ~
we want to hear what you have to say!

D&D – The Show?

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I had commented recently on the sinking feeling I had when it was announced that a Dungeons & Dragons movie was in the works. It makes sense as the traditional swords and sorcery genre seems to be on the rise, but is filled with potential pitfalls.

Recently I read reports (here and here) that a Dungeons & Dragons television series is in development.

Spell effects will be a challenge

I had a moment when I thought, “Lord, here we go. The market is going to get a glut of embarrassing fantasy stuff…”. Then that moment passed. The longer I thought about it, the more I believe that a television series could be the best possible answer for Dungeons & Dragons. If it’s done well it can have significant staying power and inspire a whole new set of folks. This might work…

Pro-

Fantasy television has had success. I will point to what seem like disparate shows but I think both Xena and Game Of Thrones show that serialized fantasy can work and have staying power. GOT is clearly the more up to date example here, but it had certain advantages that Xena didn’t get – and Xena got SIX season. Yes, that’s enough to go into syndication. It was also contemporary with Hercules. That was the 90s. In the 2000s we got two seasons of Legend of the Seeker. Fantasy as TV can work.

The upside arguments here are many. A series gives characters time to develop and plots time to unwind. You can have individual episodes along with longer, over arching stories. The episodic nature lends itself entirely to the D&D format. Each season could be considered a campaign. Actors, settings and even entire worlds could change between seasons. There are absolutely VAST options here. YouTube has shown that there is a sustainable audience for this too.

Con-

The downside or potential negatives are equal in number and variation. Going “cheap” on this will not help. Cardboard swords and rubber monster masks slapped on extras are going to be a tough sell in the land of 4K sets. Locations will shine through. Movies can spend more on this and have a limited time they will be in place, so picking the right place matters. The wilds of New Zeland or a city in Spain that’s hundreds of years old are clear and obvious ‘characters’ in the movies they’re in as much as any on screen actor. Locations like that cost $ and a new series might not have that kind of backing. Special effects is going to be another hazard. Go cheap there and you will fail. Get too deep and your budget and schedule will fail. Spells are a major part of D&D and must be part of the show. If they are done poorly it will hurt any chance of the show living on.

Landing Spot-

This will also be a major factor in how this potential show comes off. Will it be network or streaming? IF it’s streaming, will it be a major player or “off brand” looking for success to build on? Network shows will have a different, broader audience potential but will be strictly limited by what can and cannot be shown on said networks. They will be cut down and sliced up in a different way to allow for commercials. This changes how the story is told. A streaming service will hit a more niche audience directly, but it’s just that – niche. You’ve intentionally capped your number by subscriber base. You’ve given a lot of options for what the story can do that can’t be shown on a network though, and that might help draw people that might not otherwise “tune in”.

The story itself ~

The most important success factor for any movie or show is the story and the people that populate it. IF you have a story about people you don’t care for or about, the show will die. IF you have a set of people you care about and they don’t DO anything but sit around and have anxiety and bad relationships with each other, you’ll have an art house film and that will die too.

A lot of this comes down to expectations. The writer they have talked about gives me some hope. A good writer matters. A film or television series needs to set a reasonable bar to attempt to hurdle. IF the show comes off the starting line thinking it’s going to become GOT and doesn’t immediately reach that kind of “buzz” or viewership, it’s likely to get dumped. If it doesn’t aim for that level of quality, it will never garner any attention (other than perhaps from places like RiffTraxx). It’s an incredibly challenging mark to hit.

My suggestions ~

First, having a writer doesn’t say if it’s an original script or if it’s an adaptation of something. I’d say an original script could give the best chance at success here. Something that people can create a new fandom of their own with. Original might just be the best chance.

Second, IF the stories will be adaptations, there are some specifics to stay away from. Despite the immense popularity among players, stay away from Drizzt and the Underdark. It would make gamers happy but anyone unfamiliar with the background or game at all will instantly file this under “Witcher knock-off”. Stay away from Dragonlance. I know, longest running, super popular, etc. BUT the dragons would feel like they were reaching for GOT territory, the special effects would be a major hurdle AND they’re in a lawsuit right now. Not a great combo. I would also stay away from anything related to Conan. It’s a favorite, but the pulpy nature of it combined with it’s age doesn’t feel like the right fit for the modern political era.

Lastly, stay away from using DUNGEONS & DRAGONS as the sole title. Give it a different title first and let D&D be in the second line or description or tags or something. Calling it just or only “Dungeons & Dragons” implies that this will cover any and all adaptations that go with the game. It’s one aspect (of the many) that I really hated about the movie they did all those years ago. One title and they killed it for how long? Follow the pattern that adventure series inside the game follow and give it an interesting hook followed by “A Dungeons & Dragons Series” or something like that.

There is a much greater chance of upside with a television show. I still have that anxious feeling, but it is moderated. I am eager for some quality sword and sorcery that I can watch. I really hope they manage to pull off something wonderful.

You Should Be Watching

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This was previously published in Watch The Skies fanzine – January 2021

The lost Star Wars film.

A very Star Wars look, right?

Diving into 2021 does not mean we’re charging forward and looking at something new. In fact, this is a retro view that I had somehow missed along the way. Like 40 years missed along the way. I admit I’m not a super fan when it comes to all things Star Wars. Yes, I saw the original films when they came out. Yes, I had a ton of the toys. No, I’m not a member of the Jedi church. I love them and they hold a place within me even if I don’t keep up with every single release. It’s a film (and TV show and book and toy…) franchise like no other and it turns out that something really interesting was tacked onto it. Fantasy.

That’s right, fantasy. George Lucas commissioned a fantasy film. He wanted this fantasy film to be shown before or in association with Empire Strikes Back. You read that right. Empire Strikes Back – tied directly to a swords and horses fantasy film. It was made, it was shown, then it was lost.

Recently, during the preparation for a discussion about the influence of films on fantasy gaming I was digging for clips and information about various movies I’ve watched or heard about over the years. There are a lot of excellent films out there is you love fantasy. Then I stumbled onto a thread about fantasy and Empire. That’s how I came to know about Black Angel.

The age of Black Angel is part of why I wanted to put it here, along with the story of how it was made, lost and subsequently recovered. It is a very moody piece. The scenery is amazing. The background music is haunting. There is a look and feel to this film that is undeniable. In the notes about the film it was revealed that parts of the crew for the movie Excalibur watched this and took copious notes. The look and feel of Excalibur and Black Angel are quite similar. Some of the techniques used in Black Angel were picked up and used in Empire as well.

As a fan of the history of science fiction and fantasy it’s a neat treasure that’s available for free. The mood, the look, the sound all make Black Angel worth the short run time.

Classic Images

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Ansel Adams: Classic Image Essays by Ansel Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m so happy to have gotten this book as a gift. While the text is not lengthy, it does give an excellent primer on the life of the photographer. I suspect many people see the name and think something like, “Oh, yes. Tree pictures…” and then move on. Well, the essay in here gave me a lot more things to dig up and sink my teeth into.

If you’re looking for a quick hit of biography, just enough to get you interested, and you can get a copy of this book, I recommend that you do.



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Addictive Behavior

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I had every intention of being very busy and productive over this past weekend. Some of what I planned on doing was being on here and getting more posts lined up. Clearly I failed at that. I was thinking about it and I genuinely believe it had everything to do with a level of addictive behavior from me.

I know there are folks out there that will think this is a pile of nonsense. I half agree honestly, but I want to put it out there because edging toward understanding is important.

I really think that I have addictive behavior and tendency when it comes to watching television. It’s a feeling I have. Don’t know how to explain it. I’m not generally an addictive personality but I AM a complete child of media. When you see those memes about GenX being that “lost” generation that were the first of the latch key kids? That’s me. Come home, let yourself in, lock the door and entertain yourself until we get home from work. It’s not good or bad – not trying to judge here, just giving context. It’s also when MTV started (among many other networks you may feel have “always” existed). I watched a lot of television, saw a lot of movies and this learned behavior has stuck with me ever since.

So what I’m saying is that, as stupid as it sounds, I really can’t break away from TV. I find myself floating back to it even when I *know* there’s not a damn thing worth watching. Then I get all depressed and disappointed when the stuff I watch is total shit. I know this probably sounds even sillier when you couple it with the facts that I was a Nielssen household member at one point AND I write a monthly piece for Watch The Skies called “You Should Be Watching” where I suggest fandom related content to go and check out.

This past weekend I estimate that I watched somewhere between 16 and 20 hours of TV. Maybe more. I lost track of all the stuff I streamed across YouTube. That’s way, way too much. I know this. I couldn’t help myself. I lost all productivity as I jumped from movies to football games to binge watching a cartoon series on Netflix (yes, both seasons of it). Football is really tough to sit through these days, but I did it. All four playoff games. Yes, some of it was likely to become history as very famous players end their careers, but it’s just a mess to watch. The ad time alone has stupid marketing stuff swirling in my head (OK – I’ll give the Tag Team ad props – it makes me laugh more than it should). I saw the new film “Outside the Wire” and it wasn’t bad… it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. I watched Bill and Ted Face the Music. I had really high hopes for it… and those really high hopes weren’t matched.

In the end I just came away sort of sad and numb with nothing to show for my time.

I am thankfully not addicted to other things in that way, but this is a small step toward understanding what folks struggling with addiction deal with. It’s not easy to deal with. It changes how I feel physically and emotionally. I’m going to work hard at shrugging this episode off and try to limit how much time I spend with the TV. Yes, I’m going to keep working the Should Be Watching stuff. No, I won’t take the TV out of the house (the only way I know to stop an addiction – take away the thing you’re addicted to and don’t have access). I am not the only person living here with a desire to be passively entertained from time to time… I just can’t let it be ALL the time. Thankfully this IS something that can be controlled.

IF you’re struggling with something, stick with the plan you have to be better. Keep working at staying away. There will be tough days, but don’t let those days beat you. Be strong.

Riot

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I try to stay away from political things on my site. I don’t want to deal with all the BS that comes along with saying anything political on the internet. There are far too many people out there that only use their time to try to start fights over the inane details of anything one might say. This is MY site and I do with it as I please. It pleases me to stay away from the massive shit show that is the US political system of late. That is not just nationally. It is also right here in the state of Pennsylvania where I now reside.

This is the normal for me. I don’t want to talk about it, so I don’t. Books, movies, gaming, crafting or whatever else catches my fancy, sure. Those are the posts that go up here. That does not mean I am unaware or that I don’t pay attention, I just like to stay away. Today… today was not normal. It feels like something that needs to be marked in much the same way that the September 11th attacks and the start of the global pandemic needed to be noted here.

Today “protesters”, many of them carrying signs in support of the individual currently residing in the office of the president, stormed the capitol building in a (successful) attempt to stop the duly elected officials there from carrying out their jobs. In America. People stormed the capitol.

This is not some third world country. This is Washington DC.

Calling this unacceptable seems like the negligent misuse of understatement.

I, and anyone else that joined the military swore an oath. We signed on the dotted line stating that we would pay any cost up to and including our own death to defend the constitution and our way of life here in the United States.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

I will defend unto my dying breath the right of any American to shout at the top of their lungs in support of the thing I most despise. That is what freedom means. It is not free. It’s not even cheap. It requires hard work and a lot of personal responsibility. You have to be paying attention and working toward making things better. Every day.

The people that believed what they were doing was the right thing today are the core of the problem. They have not done the work nor have they understood the limits of what can be tolerated. The self righteously over privileged that did this need to be brought to justice.* This was not my initial reaction, but if I claim to be in favor of the rule of law this is the course that must be taken. My initial reaction was one of a significantly more stern reaction. I am still not sure the significantly more stern option should be taken off the table. There are a lot of folks on social media (that gigantic echo chamber) throwing around some big and serious words. Words matter and the ones you pick should be appropriate to the action/event you are discussing. Sedition, treason, instigating violence are all out there at this point (for the people that did the action as well as the person Tweeting them on). Those are big words with serious consequences. They are also not wrong. The penalty for treason against our nation goes all the way up to death. That was my initial reaction and I’m not sure it’s the wrong reaction still. These people DO NOT get to take away what we have here in this country. They need to become an example. The fullest extent of federal law needs to be brought down on as many as can be identified. I don’t care how long it takes. This includes the person Tweeting them on.

What we have here in this nation is special. It’s important. It matters to everyone that lives here, but it also matters to all of those people viewing our nation from the outside. Today a group of people not only made us look like the buffoons we have become, but they have made us look weak and chaotic to those who would plot against us. We must do better. We need to embrace scholarly endeavors, civil discourse and the sort of actions that show us as leading the world in freedom, fairness and compassion. We need to embrace the concept of studying hard and working hard to back that up ~ no matter what it is that you love to do. I love this country and all that it is supposed to be. Today hurt. Today was scary. Is this the world I want my daughter to live in? Today will be marked in history ~ let’s work hard to be sure that it marks a turning point toward a better place for all that choose to live in this great nation.

*Side note – I am also not unaware of the difference in treatment based on color of skin. This deeply embedded racism is also unacceptable. A systemic issue that I feel others have better, more insightful things to say about it.

The End of 2020

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I have said for a long time that I don’t like the ‘wrap up’ posts or lists or resolutions whenever the calendar flips at the end of the year… and I have posted a similar sentiment for a number of years in a row. I guess this passes as my end of year wrap up that I hate to see everyone else do. Can’t escape it, might as well run with it.

Once again, I missed the date. This past Sunday was the 14th anniversary of my blog. It hasn’t always been hosted here, but it’s been going on all those years. It’s a challenge to think of it in those terms. I’ve been operating the Pretend Blog (and pretending I have followers / readers) for almost as long as I’ve had a daughter. I would like to think that my writing, style and commentary have advanced and gotten better over that time, but I’m not a great judge of that. I tend to believe most of the words I toss into salad are a struggle. Writing is work. Finding, selecting and using the exact right word(s) is a constant challenge to me. There are a lot of days when I really wish I were super prolific, I just can’t seem to figure that out. A few hundred words at a time seem to be my best level of output ~ just need to string some of those together and keep putting stories out into the world.

Also, artwork. I still do that too. I’ve put a couple of pieces out there this past year, including a contest entry or two. It was good to have some projects that pushed me to get better at particular parts of art that I enjoy. The contests pushed me to be willing to show off my art as well. I know that I was somewhere around 8th place in the one competition I entered. Maybe some day I’ll place higher. I’m going to keep doing various artistic projects. It’s part of who I am. Art is a thing I do.

Bob The Skull

Being a fan. Yes, I’m a fan. I have gotten back into watching various forms of science fiction and fantasy. My reading has picked back up too. I had been in a terrible slump for a long time. This year my Goodreads account popped up a little message that told me how many books I’d managed to finish during this calendar year. I was surprised at the number. It’s not 300+ (yes, I know people that read that much) but 39 is respectable. That’s just over three books a month on average. Hopefully I’ll keep finding good stuff to read over the next year and that number will stay up around there.

The totals

I expect that 2021 will bring big changes in the world. I stay away from the political and world news type things on here as much as I can. I tend to agree with the general opinion that 2020 has been a colossal dumpster fire, but that’s an opinion based on the difficulties of others. I have, very thankfully, avoided a lot of the effects that have made 2020 such a difficult year for so many. My day job field was deemed important enough to allow me to keep my job and keep getting paid this year. That wasn’t the case for everyone. My health (and the health of my family) has been shaky, but that’s nothing new. I admit it’s been a while since we’ve been impacted the way we were here at the end of this year, but we’re working on it. Not our first rodeo as the saying goes.

Will I make predictions about what’s going to happen in the coming year? No. If nothing else this year has taught everyone the folly of that. Will I make resolutions? Nope. Still keeping the resolution to never make a resolution again. Totally winning at that one. What I will say is this:

I hope you have a happy and healthy year (and more) to come. The changing of the calendar is a convenient marker for such things, but it shouldn’t be a limit. Start something on the 30th. Keep something rolling until February. Create. Do things. Be awesome, and help others to be awesome too.

Thanks for reading.

Magic Ink

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Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I actually finished reading this a couple of weeks ago but haven’t gotten to the review part until just now. I’m glad I picked this book up and read it. Adding stories to the world built by the author in the Iron Druid series could have been really good or really bad.

This story, describing the world of magic as inhabited by those who can use alchemical ink combinations to create magic follows one of the members of this secret society. Al is a gifted worker of inks but struggles to pass on his lore as his apprentices keep dying in odd ways. Al sets out to discover what happened to his most recent apprentice and uncovers an entirely different mystery to solve along the way.

There were some nit-picks that some people might not have trouble with. I really didn’t want or need the primer on Scottish slang. The explanation of it felt like it got in the way. There’s a little bit of a feeling like you’re missing out if you haven’t read the Iron Druid stories. Al even has a section of the story that describes meeting the character from the other series. I suppose it’s difficult to get away from such a dominant character in the world building, but this was just a blip in the story to me. It may have had deeper meaning to those who have read more, but it was lost on me. I really liked the magical ink mixes, the curse(s) and the modern lives of fairies in our world. It was fun.

All in all, I really enjoyed the story. I’m glad I picked it up. I’ll be interested to see if there are more on the way.



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