It was 2003. For two years, I had been working on this great idea for a story where aliens come to Earth, seeking humanity’s help in dealing with a rabid, angry race of cat-lizards that enjoyed eating intelligent species’ flesh and soul. Having been at peace for thousands of years, the friendly aliens had no […]
Writing Business
We Interrupt This Program
Hello readers! With the semester underway, I’ve decided I need to throttle down on this freak show a bit. Ergo, Warship Wednesday and Metal Monday will now alternate weeks effective this Monday. Still expect 1-3 posts a week, however–but not 2-4. 😀 We now return you to your Friday night.
Castle Takes Wayne
My muses are annoying. They like to do things like wait until I’m sleeping, then prod me: “Hey! Hey! We know you want to go to sleep, but we just came up with this neat idea!” “Freakin” Muses! What?!” “What if Batman and Punisher suddenly ended up switching places through some crazy cross continuum magic […]
"I Can't Believe I Wrote That…"–James Channels Sir John Hackett and Tom Clancy (The Vladivostok Thing Part I)
So back in the dark ages, when the Bear roamed the Earth and the world stood on the brink of nuclear annihilation, Tom Clancy came out with a book called Red Storm Rising. I’m not ashamed to say, I read the (hard)covers off that thing. Tanks, fighters, bombers, anti-ship missiles…this was like a dream for […]
Young's Ten Tips
Susanne Lambdin and I do a regular panel we call “Strategy and Tactics of Novel Writing.” Inevitably we figure some poor sods come in thinking we’re going to talk military stuff. For you folks, we are sorry. For everyone else, don’t be fooled–we really do talk about how to write a novel. We usually start […]
On Being A Shaman
So several of my friends accuse me regularly of writing what they call “crack fic.” Sometimes this is an exercise to shut the muses up temporarily, as there’s a riot going on while I’m trying to edit. Other times, someone will just throw me a prompt and it’s “Hi yo, Silver, away…”As always, all things […]
Writing Tips: Cover me!
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, I can be bad about updating this blog. (*simultaneously from the peanut gallery* “Noooooo, really?!”) I will try to be better about that, especially given the fact for some reason people keep putting me on panels. (Con Organizers: “Uh, James, people also put bears on unicycles. We’re not saying there […]
What's In A Name?
So, as noted by The Prolific Trek, your humble narrator went to go see Star Trek: Beyond (Note: Spoilers) with the better half and a group of friends as a break from his *censored* dissertation. It was a needed break–I feel the urge to be snarky in response to some differing points fading to a […]
KDP Select or Not?
The Non-Fiction Gig
In other news, your humble narrator won the United States Naval Institute (USNI) 2016 Cyber Essay Contest. You can find my article here.
Acts of War Sample Chapter
From Acts of War H.M.S. Exeter North Atlantic 1330 Local (1030 Eastern) 12 September Whether or not Eric was all right was likely a matter of opinion. He wasn’t flying anymore, as the weather conditions had started to become much worse since he’d left Ranger’s deck that morning. The base of the clouds had once […]
Unproven Concept Sample Chapter
From An Unproven Concept Titanic 1825 SST As he approached yet another hatch to Corridor C, Marcus found himself thinking back to his Marine officer basic course. His drill instructor, a tall, wiry Warrant Officer nicknamed ‘The Spider’ had been feeling rather benevolent one day after trying his damndest to kill them all in […]