So… Banjo and Jack were tussling in the yard last night and suddenly there was a long yelp of pain followed by several more. We ran out to see what was up and found Jack limping and looking very upset. Long hard night, trip to vet… Long story short: Jack has a blown out cruciate ligament in his right (rear) knee (not that dogs have “knees” in front–they aren’t elephants, after all). Orthopedic surgeon won’t be available for 3 weeks, so we’ll be babying (from his POV, tormenting) Jack along on pills and limited activity until then. And then surgery, more pills, limited activity, and doggy PT for 6-8 weeks afterward. Good thing we have pet insurance, though it’s still going to hurt financially. Hardest thing will be making sure Banjo gets enough exercise and attention, and doesn’t pester the hell out of Jack. Well and seeing poor Jack mope around, doped up and bored to tears. Luckily, he is a Labradork and can be placated with food. Unluckily, he is a Labradork and can be placated with food, thus becoming Jabba the Hutt if allowed to eat as much as he wants without getting plenty of exercise.

Hey, I needed to lose some weight and work out more anyhow. How many calories will I burn doing “dog curls” to lift the 74 pound Labra-Hutt on and off the porch at “potty time”?

Yesterday I went to consult with Vlad Verano at Third Place Press in Lake Forest Park, WA about the limited edition chapbook for my upcoming guest appearance at Bellingham ComiCon on October 22. Here is the proof for the front cover of said chapbook, (art and design ©2016 Vladimir Verano. Click to enlarge):

Plainly this is a lot nicer than anything I could produce myself and, while it’s not the cheapest option, it is not super-pricey and the quality is fantastic. So, if you’re coming to the con, you might be able to pick up one of these signed, limited edition beauties–they’re free, but there are only 100 copies, so… you know the drill.

In other news, the Zombies Need Brains Kickstarter for the Water! Robots! Death! anthologies is struggling to make its funding goal by the end of the month, so if you want to read the stories, please let your friends, family, coworkers or whoever you think of know about the project. We all really want to make these books, but we can’t do it if the project doesn’t make–or better yet, exceed–its funding goals.

And last but not least, Brian Thronton and I will be teaching and talking about writing mysteries and thrillers on the fifth of November at the Cascade Writers Workshop in Tacoma Washington. If you’re interested in attending, get registered soon–these spots go fast!

I’m hoping to see some of you around, and to be creating more fun books for you guys!

In addition to the November 5 Mystery workshop (see below) I’ll be the Guest of Honor at Bellingham Comic Con on October 22 and I’m bringing exclusive swag!

It’s official! Brian Thornton and I will be at Cascade Writers November 5, talking and teaching about Writing Mysteries. Register soon for this all-day workshop!

Oh my! The Kickstarter for The Death of All Things and 2 other new anthologies from Zombies Need Brains is over 50% percent funded. And there’s still 27 days to go. Spread the word and let’s hit those stretch goals! Special reward levels include tuckerizations, extra stories, and special swag!

I decided to create a small chapbook of a short Greywalker story that I did back in 2007, so I’d have something to take to Bellingham Comic Con. So, I’m relearning how to impose and mock up a small booklet. I have a journalism degree, but I haven’t had to use this knowledge in 25 years, so I’m a bit rusty and had to start over from scratch. After a bit of looking around on the internet for a cheap alternative to professional software, I found several options and, in this case I’m using Cheap Impostor and a cranky HP printer at home.

The chapbook mock-up (on the right), with a sample imposition page with notes for various pdf and printer adjustments. (The dragon is just being a paperweight.)

This is a bit of a best-guess-rough-and-ready sort of process here, but after a lot of investigation and ruined paper, it did work, and produced a useable PDF (or in my case several variations) that can be sent to a print shop to create a 2-up print-and-bind imposition for the interior of a small book. The software can produce multiple signatures (it’s explained in the pdf manual that comes with the download) if one is a little mental and desperate to create a whole novel-length book, but it takes a bit of mucking about to figure all this out. On the other hand, it’s $35, instead of several thousand for a pro set up. (more…)

The Kickstarter for the next Zombies Need Brains Anthologies is now open for pledges! Laura Anne Gilman and I are the editors for The Death of All things–a collection of stories featuring Death itself (himself? theirselves?) in many variations and incarnations– and the line up is stellar! Which is not to say that the other anthologies in this set are not going to be superb as well–just look at the lists of contributors who are already on board and you know they’re going to kick some ass. You really want these–yes you do–so go, pledge, and pass on the news to your friends, family, and coworkers who love a good read!#KickZNB4

Urban Allies got a nice review at Publisher’s Weekly last week! “Readers will undoubtedly get a kick out of seeing their favorite heroes solving cases together and will enjoy being introduced to new characters and settings.”

It’ll be out on July 26 so… if you want to read some really cool crossover fiction, be sure to pre-order. (Easy ordering links to all your favorite sites are available on the Harper Collins site:https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062391346/urban-allies )

Greywalker film/TV option renewed for another 6 months. (*small squee*) Hoping for further exciting news on the work front.