Shout out to the #SPSFC, which I am competing in this year! My debut novel, The Quantum Entanglement is available on Amazon and in the running!
Very cool contest, good luck to all the competitors.
My second novel, Sins of the Palatine, a Roman historical fantasy, will be on sale later this year!
I guess I'll leave with a little French poem that has always spoke to me.
"Our Father, who art in heaven, stay there. And we'll stay here on Earth, which is sometimes so pretty."
Here's to staying here as long as we can.
It's also miraculous just how long life can be. I've lived a long time now, but it's only half done (if I'm lucky anyway). I have a long way to go; many miracles to come.
At 30, I stopped having FOMO. At 40, I think I've stopped having Fear of Disappointing Others (FODO).
I am who I am, and that's all I want to be.
At 40, you have no more excuses. If you haven't tacked towards your own truth by that age, you may never find it. The expectations, social pressures, identities imposed on you from the outside...those really should start feeling meaningless by now.
I think the big thing I'm reflecting on today is living intentionally and truly. Finding your identity and cleaving to that as closely as possible.
Well, I'm 40 today. Feels like it deserves some level of self-reflection.
All the cliche thoughts are there. How did this happen; how am I so old, oh god, oh no, why does my back hurt, etc. Those are boring though.
Critique partner feedback. I asked for development focus from this round.
Still adding to my beta reader list yes!
Diving into revisions on my next book, Sins of the Palatine. Got great critique partner feedback and very excited to execute on it!
Look out for more info on that as the year goes on.
It's some good ole' fashioned fantasy/mythology set in Ancient Rome. I can't wait to share it with the world!
My good friend DonJonVonovich has released the first chapter of his new web serial, The King of MO!
Check it out here! kingofmo.com
Follow DJV and Kyle on an autobiographical multiversal adventure centered on the Hotel Chelsea in New York.
I was privileged to serve as editor on this project.
Whoops, typo. Meant the celtics over the hawks. I went back and forth on that for a while.
Nba playoff predictions.
Thunder over Kings
Clippers over Nuggets
Lakers over Twolves
Warriors over Rockets
Cavs over Magic
Pacers over Bucks
Knicks over Pistons
Celtics over Magic
Okc over Lac
Gsw over Lal
Cle over Ind
Bos over Nyk
Okc over Gsw
Cle over Bos
Okc over Cle
Some thoughts on the r/fantasy Best Novels 2025 list. youtu.be/LsQko12BIz0
Made a video exploring my thoughts on Malazan. Starts spoiler free and goes to spoilers in the second half.
youtu.be/WQzPrpZQ-gg?...
Finished Malazan Book of the Fallen today. What a wild ride. #witness
Some really interesting changes on the r/fantasy best novels list this year, including a Sanderson bloodbath. I've read something from 18 of the top 20 series. If my reading plan for this tear goes well, I'll have tried 23 of the top 25 by the end of the year. www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/co...
Found a new instant classic novel today. Glorious Exploits. One of the best I've ever read. I read the entire thing in a single day.
Please check it out. It's marvelous!
Gather a modest horde of such hidden deceivers—those of middling intelligence and clever malice and avaricious ambition—and serious trouble was pretty much assured.
And fools could never succeed in holding on to it for very long, unless they were content as figureheads, in which case the power they held was an illusion.
These were the ones who hungered for power and more often than not succeeded in acquiring it. No genius would willingly accept true power, of course, in full knowledge of its deadly invitations.
The true danger, Yedan Derryg understood, was to be found in the hidden deceivers—those who could play the fool yet possessed a kind of cunning that, while narrowly confined to the immediate satisfaction of their own position, proved of great skill in exploiting the stupid and the brilliant alike.
A far too prescient passage from Dust of Dreams...(in four posts)
Such a dark day.
Finished 100 Years of Solitude tonight. A great book, if not quite rising to the level of a new favorite. Glad I finally made room for it in the ol' TBR.
Cries and Whispers. Not a great film to watch when you're sick lol. Not my favorite mode of Bergman. A little too bleak, depressing without relent. I found it exhausting, whereas the best Bergman has moments of uplift as well. B+.
Anyway, that's what I watched this week!
THX-1138. I really liked this. Much better than I expected. You can feel the early experimentation with techniques that would becomes Star Wars all over this film. Also, the sound design was exquisite. A-.
A Touch of Zen. Liked this quite a bit, though the first hour dragged and in general, I think it could have been better with a much tighter edit. A lot of great themes on display though. A-.
Brewster McCloud. I didn't vibe with this. It has a lot on its mind, and I have to give it some credit for the sheer volume of ideas it puts on display. But ultimately I found it a bit obnoxious. B-.
Been sick lately, so watching a bunch of movies. I'm doing a 70s watch project right now, so that's been the focus.
Some reviews.
Deep End. A mixed experience. I was sort of detached watching it live, but it's resurfaced several times since I left it. A strong ending, if a bit unearned. B-.
