Category: Uncategorized

As December dawns upon us, and we enter the Christmas season, I’ve made some decisions as to what to do with this site. For the most part, I intend to do more. Not hard when you haven’t updated for a few months, but as to the ‘more’, well, let’s just say I don’t intend for the type of content to change very much, at least not at first. I will still talk about my writing, and my hobbies, but I’m making plans to expand into other areas, such as photography and marketing. Stay tuned in that regard.

To start things off, I’ve decided what I’m going to do with my Games Workshop models and sprues I’ve collected over the years, and one thing stands out clear to me. It’s time to cut the fat. Over the next few months I’m going to be selling sprues and models that I’m never going to work on, and have no intention of doing anything else with. I plan to expand my hobby range outside of Games Workshop, and to do that, I need to make room from all the Games Workshop ‘swag’ just lying around my modeling area. Watch Ebay if you’re interested. I’ll post what I list as each item gets listed.

As for the hobby portion of the website, it’s going to change. It’s no longer going to be about just showcasing my models, (though that’s still going to be a major part). Instead, I will be focusing more on the hobby itself, and what it actually is for me, and what it should be for other people, in my (perhaps futile) attempt to undo some of the damage done by Games Workshop and other modelling companies. To start, the game itself has taken too much of a precedent, and people buy kits, not to build and paint them to the best of their ability, but to field them, unpainted, in a system that has grown to become more akin to ‘gotcha’ videogames than to personal enjoyment. I’ll admit, that’s one of the reasons I got into it, at first, but over time, it’s become, “You must buy this to field this. You must drop $200 to do that. You must replace all of your armies with brand new models because we tell you to.” That’s what the hobby is becoming, and people need to know that’s not how it has to be. I know people aren’t going to agree with me. They’re going to argue that the companies need to make money too, but I’ve heard all the arguments, and done my own research, and I’m telling you now, those excuses need to stop.

As for “The Last Chronicle of Azurden, The Journey Made Twice” it is coming along, but I also intend to try and release some other stories I’ve been sitting on in the meantime. These have been left in an unfinished state, and so will need some editing time, but I intend to start shopping them around to publishers soon. Again, stay informed by subscribing to this site, either through Word Press, or by marking it as one of your favorites in your web browser.

As for social media. Well, it should be clear by now I have reservations about it. I grew up in the 80s, in ‘the long ago time’, before ‘The Great Web’ and my preference for personal interactions developed as a result. Part of the problem, is that I haven’t had much luck with social media, as the algorithms are set up to reward activity, instead of content, and I am a very content centric sort of person, but tend not to post a lot. I have a Facebook page, but like this site, it’s a little dusty, and needs some brushing off, which I will do later today. I also intend to expand my social media presence; however, this site will remain my primary outlet for news, lore, and information.

Welp, that’s all for right now. Need to save the writing for the books. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Or just say hi. I’d appreciate that too.

Just for fun, here’s a picture of a Cthulhu model I painted for a friend from the DnD model line some time ago.

Hello everyone. I’m going to write this while the writing bug has bitten me and my fingers feel like typing on keys for hours on end. My original plan for this website, for this year anyway, was to update it using some newly painted Warhammer models every month or so, as well as an update on The Last Chronicle of Azurden series progression (which I know has been very slow, and I apologize for that. More on that later). However, due to practices performed by The Games Workshop company that I can’t support, I have decided not to continue showing off any of their products on my website. This is not going to turn into a “I hate Games Workshop” rant, though I have plenty of reason to do so, but these days, it is better just to ignore these companies rather than give them negative attention. I’m not going to purge their name from this website, nor will I sell the armies I’ve already built and painted. But, I will no longer purchase their model line, and will probably look for a different paint range as well.

This doesn’t, however, mean I will stop working on painting and building models. There are a few model lines I have been looking at, and a few I already have, that I will happily update my website with . I will also show off any paint jobs I am still working on, as well as what remains of the models I don’t plan to sell. Just don’t expect me to gush on them like I’ve been doing. This also means the ‘Inquisitor’ story I was working on last update will not be continued, as I was hoping to expand upon it with battles and model acquisitions that will simply not be happening. If you still like Games Workshop, and still wish to purchase their products, you’ll hear nothing from me regarding judgement. They’ve been a part of my life for a very long time, and I understand people’s attachment, but this goodbye was long overdo, and it’s time I simply cut the cord, and move on.

Now for Last Chronicle of Azurden Updates. For those of you who have read “A Deal in the Darkness” Thank you. It means a lot that you were willing to take the time and give my story a chance. Please leave a review, and be sure to share it’s existence with others if you liked it. I know it has been almost five years since I first released it, and in those five years, I have continuously promised the second book was coming, that I was working on it, and that it would be along, “soon”. For any of you who are worried that this is my ‘I’m not working on it anymore speech’, set aside your fears, that’s not what this is. In fact, I have continuously worked on the second book off and on throughout the Covid crisis. The problem with the second book, as I have stated before, is that it is a puzzle of multiple pieces, across multiple storylines, that I haven’t had the best of luck putting it together in a satisfying way. If ‘A Deal in the Darkness’ was a five hundred piece puzzle, the next book is a two thousand piece one. Regardless, I’m still going to try and get the first draft done by the end of this year. Five years is too long to make anyone wait, but that’s all the more reason to make this book the best I can, because when it does come out, it has to be worth the five years of waiting.

As for the website, I want to do more frequent updates, (I am paying for it after all) but I don’t really know what to update on anymore. Video games? Video game blogs aren’t even a dime a dozen, and there aren’t a whole lot I like to play anymore anyway. Art? Music? Maybe, but I’d rather put the creative energy into the projects I already have on my plate. Politics? I think it best I avoid that warzone altogether, though I do have many controversial opinions I stand firmly behind. Long story short, I’m not sure what I’ll update this with next. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

Looking over this site, I see there are several problems with it. With all my posts being on the front page, if someone wants to know about tabletop gaming, or see my model collection, they have to slog through posts about book updates, and author shares. If they want to know how my stories are coming along, they’ll have to read yet another article about Warhammer 40K. Of the many things about this site that needs to change, I think that needs to change the most.

This site also needs a gallery. Sure, you can see the (poor) photographs of my warhound titan if you dig through the archives. But I want to show it off in a way people can just look it up and see it. (Especially important for advertising a model painting business). I also want to show off artwork of my book stuff, though that front is a bit more lacking on content for the moment.

The links page will probably go bye bye as well. If I want to show people something, I’ll just show it to them. There’s no need to keep a page just for permanent external links, some of which are likely out of date anyway. As for important links like my publishers and friends, I’ll probably put those somewhere else.

Either way, this needs some better navigation, and that is what I will be working on in the coming weeks, months… again, whenever I feel like it. It sounds lazy I know, but I whenever I try to force myself to do something, I fail at it. In fact, I often fail so spectacularly, that I actually wind up doing less work than if I hadn’t really cared about updating at all. This doesn’t hold true under external pressure. Under external pressure, I can do some pretty amazing things. But, when the only one who determines whether I update this site is yours truly, the mindset of having to update every day, or on a strict schedule, just doesn’t work. I know this might be inconvenient to readers in the information age, where people are used to checking sites at a certain time for updates, but if you want more posts like this, that might be interesting, and personal, then this is just how things have to be. I will try to update on a semi-regular basis, but that is the best I can promise. This site was never meant to be a daily blog. It was meant to be an adventure for those who wanted to learn more about me and my work, and that is how I have to approach it.

Hello everyone. It’s been over a year since I last updated, and in that time, a lot has happened; none of it all that good. I’m not going to wax poetic about the riots, Covid, or the presidential elections. I will, however, choose not to put on a happy go lucky face, like many creators do, and pretend like nothing bad is happening. I considered it. I considered it for a long while. But, in the end, one of the reasons I haven’t updated for so long, is because doing so, in such a way, would have been dishonest, and I can’t stand dishonesty. Again, that doesn’t mean I will talk about it all that much, or that this page is going to become just another political pundit podium. It does mean, however, that I must say this before continuing.

Those of you who voted for Joe Biden will get what you voted for, and whether or not you like what that ends up being, I don’t care.

I have watched the country I loved burned, spit upon, and invaded. I have watched the hatred stirred up by both sides, and the shouting of the ignorant for change they don’t understand. On the internet, everyone’s an expert, so I’m not going to tell you what should be done, what should have happened, or why this is good, and this is bad. If you want to know my opinions on those things, you’ll have to read my books. I guarantee no matter which side of the spectrum you may be on, you’re in for a surprise.

This place is for updates on smaller, happier things. Things about release dates, stories I’m working on, other authors, painting projects, and the occasional discussion about tabletop and video gaming. Those are the opinions I want to put here, and I will do my level best to keep it that way.

So, why now? Why, after over a year of silence have I come back to an audience of practically no one? Am I going to promise more updates? Do I have something special planned? Is book two of “The Last Chronical of Azurden” finally finished? No. I’m not doing any of that this time. I am writing this because I want to. I am writing this because I finally wanted to make a post after over a year of silence. If I make a post tomorrow, or next week, or next month, it will also be because I wanted to. This is how it has to be, because I can’t force myself to be social. I have tried. I have tried numerous times. But I am so anti-social it almost physically hurts to forcefully open myself up to the world. Some might call this laziness, others might call it cowardice, but no matter what you call it, it is just me. It is who I am, and I doubt I am going to change.

Finally, anyone out there who’s interested in the adventures of Renard the fox in book two of “The Last Chronicle of Azurden”, rest assured it is still being worked on. Yes, I realize it’s been four years since book one came out, and that anyone should be able to write a book in four years. In truth, I have written three books, all of which is scrapped material from book two, because it just didn’t work. I understand that, sometimes, you “just have to mark it done, and move on”, that “nothing is going to be perfect,” and that, “having three mediocre books out is better than not having any,” and in every case, you would be right. I can’t stand up and claim, “but my books are different!”, “My books are special!”, because they aren’t. They are the tale of a human turned into a walking fox through dark magic, and though not the most popular of topics, I’m certain someone out there knows of at least ten more stories with a reasonably similar plot. There is nothing new under the sun, as they say. But, despite knowing these things, and despite the shame of it taking so long, there is a cardinal truth I cannot ignore about my writing. Whatever I choose to release, I have to be happy with, even if it’s a rush job, and if I’m not happy with it, then I don’t want my name on it. I know a lot of people won’t understand that. Even author’s have to eat. But, every bit of my writing reflects on me in some way, it contains a part of who I am, and where I’ve been in this journey called life. Yes, even this post. If at any time I don’t feel that to be the case, then I wind up scrapping the part I don’t like, or even the whole thing, and starting again, if at all. Some will call this stupid, a waste of time, and even torture, and I would agree, but, it is still who I am, and who I have always been, and it is the only person that can write the books, and the stories that I do. All I can say then in regards to it’s release, is to please, be patient. It will be done when it is done.

I will beg for you to buy my books on other sites. If you’re interested, I already have a page dedicated to them. Here, I just want to be myself.

Hey Everyone. Just dropping a line to let everyone know I’ve recently gotten a new computer, since Apples are overpriced pieces of junk. This new system uses windows 10, and transferring things over has proven a pain. I’m a little sad, because I did like the Apple operating system, but their hardware isn’t worth the paper all the money I spent for it wasn’t printed on. I suppose I could make a hackintosh, but honestly, Apple has become so proprietary, I don’t really see much of a point.

This time around, as far as writing is concerned, I am also going to give Scrivener a try, instead of Microsoft Word. Microsoft word is okay, but I have never been a fan of the subscription model to software use and I try to avoid it as much as I can. Microsoft still sells an earlier *student* version of their software that doesn’t require a subscription fee, but it likely gets little support, and the licensing is wonky, just like if I were to install one of their old office disks. (Most computers don’t even have an optical drive anymore. I have to buy those separately. We will rue the day we gave up physical ownership of our books, games, and software libraries, but most people only care about the convenience.)

That is where I leave this for now. So far, attempts at weekly updates has been a resounding failure, but I refuse to give up on keeping a website. I just need more stuff to talk about that might interest people… it’s just a matter of finding out what…