Steady Hands and Unsteady Minds

 

I’ve been missing.

For quite a bit longer than usual, really. Before the series of family emergencies and life obstacles, I simply have not been present. Moving back to my home state has been, for lack of a better word, disruptive. To my routine, my writing, my health. Mostly that last one: Health, the kind with no outward sign that sits in your noggin. Continue reading “Steady Hands and Unsteady Minds”

Awesome Con is Here!

The day of reckoning has finally arrived. In just a few minutes, I’ll be heading down to DC for Awesome Con!

I have parking spots reserved for each of the next three days, and I got my books on time! These are the boxes I have to haul down there.

And here’s my actual merch, my newly printed matte-finish books and bookmarks!

I think the matte finish came out really well, even though it’s not as dark as the bookmarks–that was sort of the idea.

I have 35 books with me, which is probably way too many, but I wanted to have some extra anyway for whatever my next chance to meet readers will be.

I forewent buying flyers for “The Grand Mythos” or a banner, due to budget and time constraints (a.k.a., I’m unemployed, and I did not give myself enough time to prepare), so I printed some promo text on the back of these bookmarks.

I included a blurb for Aston and Jaed, a promo for “The Grand Mythos”, and some info on where people can find me. It’s not fancy, but it was easy to do and it gets the point across.

I’ll be posting pictures from the convention on my Imgur account: WardeOfEverfeld.

And I’m sure I’ll have tons to recap after the event. Today is an 8+ hour day, so I might be a wee bit tired. We’ll see.

Okay, no more delaying! I’m nervous and excited as hell. To Awesome Con!

Steve D

“The Grand Mythos” Chapter 4 has Arrived

Chapter four of my short fantasy series, “The Grand Mythos of Úr’Dan” is now available on Wattpad.

“Gó’Dan’s Form and Aeth’Ún’s Formlessness” is a short but sweet story about one of the Vaia choosing to help another out of love.

Genre: fantasy, high fantasy, mythic fantasy

Chapter Blurb: Now that the First Four Vai’ad understand a little more about each other’s power, they must work together to survive. This short chapter describes how one Vaia’s choice to help another created a key feature of the world of Úr’Dan.

Series Blurb:

Every world has its folktales, but even folktales carry a part of the truth. Follow the first beings in the universe as they try to bring order and life to their home. Witness the creation of the vibrant world of Úr’Dan, and the fantastic creatures who live there. Based on the unique fantasy universe of the novel, The Warden of Everfeld: Memento.

Go to Wattpad to read it for free: https://www.wattpad.com/story/163684352-the-grand-mythos-of-%C3%BAr%27dan-volume-one

Steve D

Awesome Con 2019 Prep!

Well, this week came up a lot faster than I had anticipated. We were off on our first road trip with Nugget for the last 10 days, visiting family in Michigan and Milwaukee. We had a great time, but now we’re back in the swing of normal life

Awesome Con begins on Friday, and I still have some logistics to work out. The countdown begins! Continue reading “Awesome Con 2019 Prep!”

Thoughts from the Game of Thrones Premier

If you can’t tell from the glut of content flooding every website, Game of Thrones is back. But I can’t just stay out of the fray during the biggest television series finale ever.

I have reactions too! For now, I’m just going to get my own notes on the season 8 premier on proverbial paper.

Beware… Here be spoilers!

Continue reading “Thoughts from the Game of Thrones Premier”

#AmConsuming: Super Heroes are Super Distracting

April has been a weird month so far, hence me posting this almost halfway into it. I’ve been binge-watching Supergirl on Netflix the last few weeks, and I really can’t get enough of this show.

It’s basically taken over my life, and with Avengers: Endgame coming out in a couple weeks, the super hero hype train is real.

#AmFinished

The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future, Joseph E. Stiglitz, (audiobook)

I reviewed this here.

A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan

I ended up really enjoying this book, the seventh in The Wheel of Time series. Despite the sometimes sluggishness of the plot, there were some truly surprising and exciting moments, especially near the end.

Parador, Peter A. Dixon

Yes, I finally finished this book on Wattpad. Overall, it’s good.

#AmReading

The Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan

I jumped right into the next book in this series for the first time since… I started reading it. I’m not really far enough into it to comment yet.

Everything Trump Touches Dies, Rick Wilson (Audible)

This book is more cathartic than informative. Wilson is a GOP strategist and one of the founding members of the Never Trump movement. His rants against the president and his cohorts are unforgiving, and he manages to provide a lot of intriguing insight into how political strategists think and operate.

Although his audience is definitely other opponents of Trump (including those on the left), this book is not for the faint of heart. He has more than a few sharp words for Democratic leaders who have failed to evolve their campaign strategy in over a decade and effectively lost their base. (I basically agree with him on that point, but that’s for another time.)

Something on Wattpad

I haven’t chosen my next Wattpad book, but I have a handful of interesting fantasy and sci-fi stories on my reading list.

#AmWatching

Supergirl, Netflix

I’m on season three of the CW’s Supergirl show, and I love it. Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood are charming, and their on-screen chemistry is entirely authentic (which makes sense, because the two actors are now engaged).

This show has a great cast with compelling character arcs. Most of the villain showdowns are a little predictable, but those usually tend to be beside the point. Thanks to some crossover events with other DC hero shows, I’ve gotten glimpses of ArrowThe Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow.

The portrayal of Green Arrow comes off as flat to me, and I couldn’t really get past the first couple episodes when I tried to watch it. But Flash seems like an engaging, likable character. That may just be my next show. I don’t really know anything about the Legends of Tomorrow, and their minor appearance in Supergirl didn’t really sway me one way or the other.

The point is, Supergirl  is fun, funny, emotionally poignant without being cheesy, and extremely well acted from top to bottom.

Short List

That should give you a good idea of what I’ve been up to recently. With a new round of job applications going out this week, I’ve been otherwise occupied, mentally. Supergirl and my readings have provided some much needed escapes.

Speaking of escapes, we’re visiting some family coming up, so I’ll be posting more traveler’s haiku from the road, with pictures!

Steve D