Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Cover Reveal for Between Two Fires!!!


Checkout the new cover for my debut novel, Between Two Fires!

A big thank you to Thomas Dunne Books and St. Martins’ Press for putting together such awesome cover art! The first of my historical fiction series coming out next August, it’s already available on Amazon for preorders. It’s also available on the UK, French, German, Italian, and Japanese Amazon websites so far.

But don’t take my word for it, you can read the blurb on my novel as well as get a better look at the cover here on Amazon. At the moment, preorders are only available in hardcover, but will eventually be available in paperbacks and eBook versions too.

Needless to say, I’m pretty pumped at seeing my work getting a visual “face,” especially after all the heart and soul I’ve put into this book over the past few years. I’ll definitely be counting the days until Between Two Fires comes out in August 2016!

You can also checkout the cover on my revamped website here and here!!!

Friday, November 20, 2015

One Lifetime Isn’t Enough


I’m always intrigued by artistic output. How many songs does a musician generate over a lifetime? How many sonnets does a poet dream up?

As an author myself, I know many fellow writers and I can certainly pen 2-3 full length novels a year. Obviously, we’re not doing it just to generate words, but to create something truly beautiful. But it still begs the question, what happens to all those books? All that art?

It’s certainly way more than any publishing house can handle, and it explains how authors long dead still continue to come out with books (just look at Michael Crichton, Mark Twain, and Irene Nemirovski). Heck, there’s a new Frank Sinatra album coming out this year with 100 songs, 91 of which have never been heard by the public before, and that guy’s been dead for seventeen years!

My conclusion is that one lifetime simply isn’t enough for any single artist. An individual can generate so much art over the course of a few decades that it ends up taking many more decades after their death just for all of it to reach an audience. Food for thought.

But the bright side is, there’s more than enough books, music, and art in this world for the rest of us to last a lifetime.    





Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Mention in Alma Mater Magazine


So a friend of mine sent me this yesterday. Apparently, my university mentioned me in their magazine, which is pretty cool considering I didn’t solicit them and they didn’t contact me about it. Needless to say, it made my day.

Of course, they’re a bit off on the publication date. My debut novel, Between Two Fires, doesn’t come out with St. Martin’s Press until September of 2016. But hey, I’m still happy just to get the mention. Go Cal Poly!

Friday, September 25, 2015

Phantom of the Opera

Last night, my wife and I went to Phantom of the Opera for our anniversary. I'd never seen it before, and needless to say, I was pretty blown away by how awesome it was. The music of the orchestra and the performers were crazy good, plus the sets really put the audience right in the middle of the performance.

We went to the Orpheum in San Francisco, which is a cool old building in of itself, with lots of unique architecture from bygone eras. It has had a rich history over the last 90-odd years, having hosted everything from Evita to Wicked to Conan O'Brien to the Grateful Dead.

Anyhow, this is just the start of this production version of the Phantom of the Opera, which is kicking off a nationwide tour over the next year-plus. So if you like great music, live performances, and lots of spooky fog machines, definitely check this one out for yourself.    

Monday, August 31, 2015

R.I.P Mr. Dyer


A really inspirational public speaker recently passed away, Wayne Dyer (who you’ve probably seen on PBS if you haven’t read his books).  A sort of modern-day Thoreau, he professed a wonderfully positive spiritualism that combined western Transcendentalism with eastern Hinduism and Taoism in a really accessible way for Western audiences. I always enjoyed his ideas and how he delivered such a positive message about life, death, and the divine in a very commonsense and understandable way.

Many of his ideas weren’t originally his own, but his gift was in synthesizing seemingly disparate philosophical and spiritual practices and revealing the oneness and beauty behind all of them. His words of wisdom have touched many people, including myself, and have given new meaning to faith in general and what it can mean to each of us. The beauty is that even though he has crossed over, his words remain with us and continue to teach and comfort those searching for truth and understanding.

R.I.P. Mr. Dyer.  

Monday, August 3, 2015

Cicada the Movie!


Do you love horror and comedic films? Then look no further. Cicada the Movie is here.

A team of hardworking independent filmmakers in L.A. have crafted a comedic-horror masterpiece reminiscent of films like Sharknado. I know one of the producers whose work I enjoy and greatly respect. They actually have a super successful kickstart-esk fundraising program for their film going right now, so if you want in on the ground floor, click here. Needless to say, I'm in.

Some writers dream about actors who would appear in a film based on their novels. Not me. But if a book of mine ever ended up on the screen I would definitely want these guys to direct.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Remembering 7/7 Ten Years Later


Time flies. Ten years ago today I was on a train into London, getting ready to take the Tube when terrorists blew up three stations and a bus inside the city. I’d been backpacking through Europe for weeks, had used those same underground stops frequently, and narrowly missed the explosions myself. I was actually on the only train allowed through the Chunnel to Waterloo Station after the bombs went off that day.

Needless to say, I won’t forget that day nor will anyone else in London. Those tragic events and experiences inspired my first published short-story “London Bound,” which I humbly dedicated to those who lost their lives that day. I’m very thankful for all the goodness that’s come into my life in the last ten years, and am reminded of how easily life can change in an instant.

However, despite the horrors and atrocities of that July 7th, I prefer to remember how such a tragedy also brought out the best in people. I will always fondly remember the courageous people of London who are living proof that even on the darkest of days, people will always stand up for what is right and good in this world. 


Thursday, June 25, 2015

What Grape Are You?

I like my wine (which is convenient since I live in California), and over the years I’ve sort of come up with a half-baked theory about what I call the Wine Zodiac. Basically, everybody who enjoys wine tends to have a favorite type. They may like lots of different wines, but there are certain vintages, or rather certain strains of grape specifically, that generate the taste they like. And I think this says something about who they are.

Obviously, this is a bit tongue and cheek, but check out some of my ideas below. It’s not fully fledged yet, but see where you fit into the schema of grapevines.

1.       Cabernet SauvignonAdventurous, these are partiers, they know how to live and party hard, rugged, but are also the most likely to get hangovers. They’re all accepting, have lots of friends, get along with others easily, and are the opposite of picky.
2.       Zinfandel Artisans, these people are good with their hands, whether it’s building a house or raising children, many of their abilities (like their drinking) begins slow and steady, but they can probably outpace anyone when it comes to endurance.
3.       Pinot NoirDiscerning, picky, they have good taste, but they know it, which can sometimes lead to arrogance. They enjoy high art. If they had a soundtrack to their lives it would be in jazz.
4.       Sangiovese (includes Chianti and Brunello) – Passionate, rugged, a bit of a bandit when they get into wine, sort of like a Robin Hood character. They like Sangiovese because it has “bite.” Really good music makes these people tear up.
5.       Malbec – Spicy, dancers, they have a flair for life. They have good appetites, but are often fit too. You rarely encounter an overweight Malbec person. They deeply enjoy traveling.


Of course I haven’t addressed every grape yet (and only Reds so far), but I think it’s a start. What kind of grape are you? 


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

The Theory of Everything


I’ve always liked String Theory and lately I’ve been quite taken with the concept of Rainbow Gravity as well. No, I’m not talking about ponies and colors; I’m talking about theory of the universe and what it’s all about. The really funny thing is that these scientific concepts in many ways rehash very ancient religious and philosophical doctrines.

For instance, String Theory (in a highly generalized nutshell) proposes that all matter consists of strings that vibrate at different frequencies, thus producing different things, i.e. vibrate one way to make a certain atom, vibrate another thousand ways to make up the matter in a dog or human. In essence, the entire universe is literally a symphonic masterpiece, and everything in it a note of a larger melody. This is strikingly similar to the medieval concept of the Celestial Spheres, which posited that all creation was essentially God’s music.

On top of that, Rainbow Gravity asserts that the universe didn’t originate with any Big Bang, but instead literally always existed and will always exist. The universe may be cyclical, but it is definitely eternal. This concept almost seems like it comes directly out of a page of the oldest Hindu religious texts. I know, lots of big concepts, but I love this stuff and how the art of science mirrors more and more some of the oldest spiritual concepts. Food for thought…J




Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Checkout Milo Fowler's Captain Quasar Today!



New Release:

CAPTAIN BARTHOLOMEW QUASAR
and the Space-Time Displacement Conundrum


Every Day Novels is proud to announce the release of Milo James Fowler's first serialized novel:

Captain Bartholomew Quasar and the Space-Time Displacement Conundrum

16 weeks of serial chapters every weekday – that's 80 exciting episodes of adventure aboard the Effervescent Magnitude for only $5 USD (includes an eBook edition following serialization). Don't delay – Subscribe today!

                                      
Captain Quasar is out of time.

Pursued by vengeful Goobalob toll collectors, savage Arachnoid bounty hunters, and formidable Amazonians, Captain Bartholomew Quasar must do whatever he can to keep the crew of the Effervescent Magnitude out of harm's way. All in a day's work—except time is not on his side.
Torn from the present to relive his past, he vows to keep mistakes from occurring the second time around. But is he doomed to repeat history? Or can he erase his regrets?
Villains will be vanquished. Lives will be lost. Bonds will be betrayed. Heroes will be heroic.
Join the crew of the Effervescent Magnitude for a hilarious time-travel space adventure the likes of which you've never seen!

Now Available from Every Day Novels
Add Captain Quasar to your Goodreads bookshelf
Prologue:


Jaw muscle twitching at untimed intervals, Captain Bartholomew Quasar gripped the armrests of his deluxe-model captain's chair and narrowed his heroic gaze. The main viewscreen on the bridge of the Effervescent Magnitude radiated with white-hot streaks blurring in elongated trajectories as his star cruiser plunged into the depths of space at something near the speed of light.
Quasar could feel the tension in the air. It was palpable and tasted like sweat—mostly his own. The members of his bridge crew remained silent, standing at their stations and staring at the viewscreen. Many forgot to blink as their insides trembled, recoiling with a nameless fear.
They had never moved so fast in their lives.
This was the Magnitude's maiden voyage into deep space utilizing the recently installed cold fusion near-lightspeed reactor—an experimental propulsion system they'd picked up on the planet Carpethria. One thing was readily apparent: it worked. But how long could the ship could maintain this incredible velocity without compromising hull integrity?
Already, the ship was creaking and groaning in protest, and the helmsman—a very hairy, four-armed Carpethrian who resembled something between a sloth and an overweight orangutan—had begun to grumble that the reactor really should have been tested before this full-speed leap into the black.
But there had been no other choice. Their options at the time were either flight (and survival) or fight (and undoubtedly be destroyed). Vicious Arachnoid bounty hunters were on their tail, and Arachnoids tended to be a very hungry lot—often foregoing payment for their illicit services in favor of a fresh kill.
The Magnitude's first officer, Commander Selene Wan, wasn't keen on the idea of allowing a Carpethrian to man the helm of their freshly minted star cruiser. But no one else on board knew how to navigate at near-lightspeed, and it took all four of the alien's hands to do the job—something two humans would have had to coordinate in tandem. And that could have gotten awkward.
"Steady as she goes." Quasar smoothed down his close-cropped blond hair and cringed as the ship released a moan that didn't sound good at all—something akin to a whale giving birth. "How are we doing, Hank?"
"Haven't run into anything yet," grunted the very hairy helmsman, hands flying across the controls.
"Status report?" Quasar half-turned to regard his first officer with a confidently raised eyebrow.
Commander Wan, a tall, slim Eurasian with impeccable posture, kept her attention riveted on her console. "Proximity scanners are offline." She swayed on her feet with the rocking movements of the ship, her sleek black hair swinging across her shoulders. "Artificial gravity is holding. Life support remains functional." A sudden frown creased her usually furrow-free forehead. "But the reactor, sir… We may have a serious problem."
"Elaborate."
"It's overheating, Captain. If we don't decelerate, it may—" She swallowed. "Explode."
That wouldn't be good at all. The folks back home were depending on Captain Quasar and company to bring back loads of quartz necessary for virtually every form of technology and transportation on Earth, not to mention haute vintage time pieces. The Magnitude could not possibly be allowed to blow up.
"Hank?" Quasar faced the shaggy helmsman. "Could we possibly slow down a bit?"
The Carpethrian grunted something intelligible, followed by, "Commencing deceleration sequence."
"Very good." The captain nodded, glancing over his shoulder at his first officer. Everything was under control. "Status?"
She shook her head without a word. Quasar checked the console on his armrest. The Arachnoid ship was nowhere in sight, and the Magnitude had begun to slow down, but only by an infinitesimal fraction of its near-lightspeed velocity.
"Uh-Hank? About that deceleration sequence…" Quasar cleared his throat.
"It will take thirty minutes, Captain. Any sudden downshift in speed would tear the ship apart."
Quasar maintained a brave façade for the sake of his crew. Such was expected from starship captains, after all. Clenching his jaw, he leaned toward Wan and whispered, "Do we have thirty minutes?"
She met his gaze, and he didn't like what he saw in her eyes—something she hadn't shown before when they'd dealt with the horrible Goobalobs or the savage Arachnoids:
Terror.

Get to know the man behind the book:

1. When did you start seriously pursuing writing as a career?

I've been writing since I was 12, but I started submitting my work for publication in the summer of 2009. I'd always thought I would pursue publication at some point—probably after I retired from teaching or turned 40. My first story was published in January 2010, and I've had over a hundred others accepted for publication since then. I won't turn 40 for another year, and I'm still teaching full-time. Doesn't look like I'll be retiring anytime soon!

2. How did you create the character Bartholomew Quasar?

When I came up with Captain Bartholomew Quasar back in the spring of 2010, I was going for a mash-up between William Shatner's James T. Kirk and Dudley Do-Right from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (but in Quasar's case, things seldom ever go right). He's one of those classic pulp heroes with a heart of gold whose narcissistic tendencies often land him in hot water. I hope readers can laugh at Bartholomew Quasar and root for him at the same time. He's ridiculous, but there's something about his fallible nature that most of us can relate to on some level.

3. Are you working on more Captain Quasar stories?

I've written over 20 Captain Quasar tales so far, many of which are out on the submission circuit, looking for good homes. "Captain Quasar and the Ghosts of Space Command" will be published in the next issue of Perihelion Science Fiction. "Captain Quasar and the Carpethrian Call of the Wild" will be included in the B is for Broken anthology, and "Captain Quasar and the Devious Powers of Persuasion" will be in the Geminid Press space opera anthology. I'm in the middle of edits on a novella-length adventure I plan to submit for publication soon. My collection of 15 Quasar tales Starfaring Adentures…in SPACE is available everywhere eBooks are sold—and free for the taking, last time I checked.  

Author Bio:

Milo James Fowler is a teacher by day, speculative fictioneer by night, and an active SFWA member. When he's not grading papers, he's imagining what the world might be like in a dozen alternate realities. In the past 5 years, his short fiction has appeared in more than 100 publications, including AE SciFi, Cosmos, Daily Science Fiction, Nature, Shimmer, and the Wastelands 2 anthology. Find his work wherever books are sold.

Visit www.milojamesfowler.com and join The Crew for news and updates.

Friday, May 22, 2015

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It’s that time of year again! Summer’s almost upon us and the garden is starting to be a nice place to hangout. I’ve already been harvesting fresh lettuce from my garden for a month now and am looking forward to other crops ripening throughout the season.

I built some raised beds this year, mainly to keep those darn gophers out of my produce. Most of my crops are coming along quite nice though and I get hungry just looking at them. Corn, pumpkins, beans, potatoes, grapes, sunflowers, tomatoes, lettuce, and a little bit of wheat.

So how are Mother Nature and your own garden shaping up this year? We’re enduring a bit of a drought, but fortunately many of my plants are drought resistant or I’ve made some adjustments to make sure they hold in their water longer. I’m definitely looking forward to having some backyard dinner evenings with my friends and family once the weather warms up.


Thursday, May 14, 2015

Back from Paternity Leave

Hey, all. I’ve been a bit MIA of late, mainly because my newborn son arrived a bit earlier than anticipated. But I’m back from paternity leave and getting into the swing of things again.

Mom and baby are doing well, although we’re all a little sleep-deprived, but otherwise enjoying our time together. I’ve got two redheaded boys to look after now, so things are busy, but in a good way. Looking forward to new updates now that I’m back, thanks! 


Friday, April 24, 2015

How to Get an Agent


Today, Kristin is interviewing me over at her Unicorn Bell site about how I first landed an agent! I also go into some of the ins-and-outs of my road to finally getting a book-deal with a major publisher.

A big thanks to Kristin for letting me share my story and for giving me a chance to encourage other writers who might have been thinking about giving up. Head over there to check it out!

Friday, April 17, 2015

Extra Innings


I’ve gone to two baseball games this week that went into extra innings. Last night I was at the Giant’s 12th inning close loss, and on Saturday I was at a River Cat’s minor league game where they won in the 18th inning. Needless to say, I’m starting to think every game I go to now will run past the bottom of the ninth.

But it’s the start of baseball season, a nice long season that marks one of my favorite times of year. And so what if I get a little extra baseball for my money at each game? I’m having a blast hanging out with friends and family as we cheer our teams on!

I guess I better get all the baseball in I can right now, because baby number two is coming along in a few weeks. That will be fun as well, and a sort of extra innings affair as well I suppose in its own way. In the meantime, I’m writing lots and enjoying life. Play ball!


Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Shieldmaiden

I recently wrote a new historical fiction piece about a young Norse warrior-woman entitled Shieldmaiden. After some awesome feedback from my beta readers, I’ve sent off the manuscript to my agent who is eagerly reading it now. Below is a brief blurb about the book. Let me know what you think!

Sonja, daughter of Hama, was born a commoner, but aspires to be more than a wife to some fisherman or herder. She wants to be a shieldmaiden, a Norse warrior-woman, free to come and go as she chooses without the need for a husband or father lording it over her. But when she joins an expedition of Rus Vikings journeying deep into the wild hinterlands, she soon finds out that being a shieldmaiden is more than she bargained for. Treacherous Wildlings, monstrous beasts, and rival Vikings provide new terrors at every bend in the river. But Sonja is determined to make her mark as a shieldmaiden, and to win respect and honor with a ship full of Vikings as courageous as they are dangerous. She hopes to make it to the fabled Kingdom of Kiev deep in the wilds, where the Viking Queen there is known to keep shieldmaidens in her royal household. But with so many leagues of trackless river and forest between her and her destiny, Sonja may soon face death both from without and within as her crew sails into the perilous unknown.

      


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Nick's Cover Reveal

Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories
Author: Nick Wilford
Genre: Contemporary speculative fiction
Cover Design: Rebekah Romani
Release Date: May 25th 2015

A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four pieces previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine.

In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.

But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…

In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.

The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.

In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.

Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.

The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.



Bio

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working, he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. You can find him hanging out on his blog or on Goodreads or Twitter.

Preorder Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Kidnapping of Simon Ostrovsky


Last year when Russia invaded Ukraine, I started following the online videos of this great journalist, Simon Ostrovsky (an American born in Soviet Russia, both fluent and knowledgeable about the region). He often speaks to both sides of the conflict, getting himself and his cameras in places other Western Media have great difficulty doing. I really like his straightforward questions and his ability to get answers from people on opposing sides.

When I watched his online videos last year, I was surprised when he suddenly went missing for several days. No one could find him and many feared the worst. It turns out he was taken prisoner by the Pro-Russian rebels and was beaten and interrogated. Yet he did not break in the face of such inhuman injustice and was later released only to return to covering the story in Ukraine despite the danger to his life.

I find it truly inspiring to see someone fighting for truth and making such an effort to show both sides of the story in the ongoing propaganda war. If you have a chance, watch the interview about his experiences or some of his videos and judge for yourself. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Erin Go Bragh!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Time for something tall, dark, and handsome…that’s right, a pint of Guinness! But just for my health, of course.

Just another fun day to sport some green, when everyone can celebrate being Irish. My little red head son told me the other day he wants to go to Ireland so that he can sing for “the little people.” So here’s a toast to everyone celebrating today, and may you have a fine St. Pat’s Day!

Slainte!   


Thursday, March 5, 2015

Kaufman’s Hill

Last night, I had the honor of attending a book-signing session by my former professor, Dr. John Hampsey, as he read excerpts from his newly published memoir entitled Kaufman’s Hill. Sitting in the Book Passage bookstore inside the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco, I got to listen to John Hampsey speak as he transported us to his childhood in Pittsburg during the early 1960s. Needless to say, it was both an entertaining and moving experience.

Chronicling his own personal experiences of a bygone era, Kaufman’s Hill is a heartfelt and insightful book that really enables any person of any generation to get into the mindset and world of 1960s America and what that meant to a young child. For me personally, it’s interesting to hear about what would be my parent’s generation and the many ways in which their upbringings were both similar and completely alien to my own childhood.

After his reading, I got a chance to reconnect with my former professor as he signed my copy of his book. It made me smile to see that he was still every inch the fascinating man I knew in college, and he remains as warmhearted and jovial as ever.

Kaufman’s Hill is a must-read for anyone who enjoys memoir or just a plain good story. You can order a copy online or look for it in a bookstore near you. I promise, you’ll enjoy it.  

 

Thursday, February 19, 2015

My New Website!


Today I’m launching my new website! In preparation for my upcoming novels with St. Martin’s Press, I’ve created a place where readers can learn a little about my books and myself. It’s also a place to connect with fellow authors.

Built thanks to the herculean efforts of a good friend of mine, I hope to continue to add to the site as my work evolves. I still plan to totally keep my blog (also viewable on my website), but hopefully this will help tie together my various forms of social media online. I may have a couple bugs to still sort out as far as viewability on certain mobile devices goes, but the site is more or less good to go.

So check out marknoce.com and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Friday, February 13, 2015

Guest Speaker at 2015 San Francisco Writer’s Conference!!!


This morning I got to speak to five or six hundred awesome attendees at this year’s San Francisco Writer’s Conference! Needless to say, I’m pretty pumped and had a great time interacting with everyone while sharing my story. Helping to draw a crowd, it also probably didn’t hurt that President Obama was literally across the street at the Fairmont Hotel during my speech. ;)

As a former attendee myself, it was pretty surreal to address people who were sitting where I had been just two short years ago. On top of that, some of the other speakers I got to share the stage with were people I had listened to at previous conferences. Never did I guess I’d get to shake hands and hang out with such talented writers and members of the publishing industry.

So where to from here, right? I think I’m just going to enjoy the feeling today. After all, tomorrow is another day and I’ve got plenty of edits from my publisher to go through before I get to see my novel on the shelf at the bookstore. Nonetheless, I definitely think I’m going to remain in a celebratory mood. J

Friday, January 30, 2015

Career Day

I was recently invited to speak during Career Day at my old high school. Needless to say, I had a blast! It was pretty cool getting to connect with students and talk about writing, both Technical Writing and Fiction Writing.

I hadn’t been back to my high school since I graduated fourteen years ago, so it was kind of a trip to see all that had changed. The students were awesome though, and really enthusiastic to learn more about how they could make a living as a writer of one sort or another in the working world. I’d definitely go back and speak again.

I know we writers are supposed to be somewhat introverted and stick to written text, but I actually enjoy public speaking and have a lot of fun connecting with people interested in writing. If I enjoy speaking at the upcoming San Francisco Writer’s Conference half as much as I did speaking at Career Day, then I’m sure I’ll have a great time there too. Wish me luckJ  


Monday, January 12, 2015

Speaking at Upcoming Writer’s Conference!!!


I’ve been invited to talk at this year’s San Francisco Writer’s Conference! As a former attendee turned (soon-to-be) published author, I’ve been asked to talk during the opening gathering that kicks off the several-day extravaganza. I’ll be addressing all 500 to 600 attendees at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. No pressure.

I’m a big fan of this prestigious conference, having attended it myself several times in the last few years. During each conference, I’ve learned invaluable information and techniques that have definitely helped me pursue my writing goals. I’ve also met lots of cool people and fellow writers there.

The conference starts on February 13, and I’m pretty psyched to say the least. It’s a bit surreal to speak to an audience that I once sat in myself, talking about my upcoming book. But just in case this really is a dream, please don’t pinch me;)     


Friday, January 2, 2015

Welcome 2015, Year of the Future

Watching a Back to the Future marathon this New Year’s made me realize that when Marty goes into the future the year is 2015. This year! So what can we expect to see in this pivotal 2015?

Flying cars, self-lacing sneakers, self-drying clothes, automated dog-walkers, and, oh wait…. Well, at least they got the hover-boards right, sort of. I’m looking forward to that predicted Cubs World Series win too. Anyhow, I thought I’d start the New Year’s off light, since I’m not a big resolutions kind of guy. I just prefer to live the way I want year round.

We’ve got another baby on the way, so I’ll probably periodically forget what year I’m in anyway. But at least I’ll be finishing up my edits for my two books coming out next year with St. Martin’s Press. I guess the future’s looking pretty bright!


So what are you looking forward to this 2015?