Posts from April 2008

April was a slow posting month, and May might be as well. This is for several reasons, some of which are noted below. But I'll sum up what's going on:

I have a major June 1st deadline that is fast approaching, and I happen to be behind in my mental...shall we call it schedule? This means I'm pretty stressed, and all things that aren't related to this project, my job, or my family have gotten the cold shoulder. Well, my version of it, anyway. I'm still doing what I love, but I've really learned with this book just how much work writing can be. It's still satisfying, creatively challenging, but not always fun one moment to the next. I was spoiled by the writing schedule I had with The Darkwood Mask. My day job has been frantic, between our office move from Midtown to Lower Manhattan (depicted above) and some heavy process changes that aren't worth talking about on a website like this. Marisa and I have been taking care of a stray cat and her newborn kitten. They're street cats but extremely friendly, and we still don't know what to do with them. We can't keep them for a few reasons, but neither can we just neglect them. We're suckers, and the mother cat knows it. Stupid cat. I'm a dog person, but friendly cats win me over—damn them. This is the third stray we've cared for, and the first whose promiscuity has led to the creation of yet another, but so far we haven't found a home for mother and child. The last two we were able to find a "no-kill" shelter. Anyone want a very young cat and a kitten?

Today's art preview now showcases the other side of the gith coin, the githyanki, that astral-dwelling, psionics-using former illithid-enslaved race of once-humans who bring war to peaceful locales, live violent lives of unswerving loyalty to their lich-queen, hate the githzerai with a passion, wear ornate and crazy baroque armor, have yellowish, mottled skin and sometimes carry lifeforce-severing silver swords formed of astral material.

Once again, Michael Kormack is the artist of the day. Granted, the githzerai and githyanki were pretty cool-looking in 3rd Edition, but now? Even better.

As Wizards of the Coast counts down to the release of 4th Edition (and even dreaded by many and positively anticipated by others), they've been posting up the artwork for some of the monsters that will appear in the first Monster Manual. Today's art preview showcases the githzerai, that psionics-using former illithid-enslaved race of once-humans who bring order to chaos with the force of will, live monastic lives of intense discipline amidst roilng elements, and also happen to have yellowish, mottled skin and say cool things like, "Endure. In enduring, grow strong." And "There cannot be two skies!"

And people who who were familiar with the Planescape setting or even just played the game Planescape: Torment know what that means.

This week Rush released a new album, Snakes & Arrows Live, recorded over two nights in Rotterdam, Holland. Jeff has written up a review of this album over at Sidedown.

Not much going on over here at the moment. Been busy on all fronts.

However, if you point your Web browser over to Sidedown, you'll find a whole new format/interface over there with all kinds of interesting new posts, links, and pictures. Seriously, go check it out. More contributors and cool articles and funny things.

There is a man named Nicholas Logue. He needs to be stopped. But I don't think anyone's up to the task. Given that, I'll just have to promote him instead and hope this appeases him and perhaps we won't cast his enthusiastically baleful eyes upon the rest of us.

Nick has written a ton of adventure modules (within Dungeon Magazine and in various RPG products) and contributed to many WotC sourcebooks. Most of these have been for Eberron and one of them is an adventure trilogy featuring an evil inquisitive. (I know a thing or two about inquisitives and can appreciate that.)

But see, Nick didn't stop there. He'd cloned himself so that he can write even more. One of his clones went rogue and established a company of his own called Sinister Adventures. Do check it out. I understand, in the coming apocalypse, he will be overlooking those who visited his slick, and appropriately sinister, new website.