HammerBlog

You wanna know one of the best things about being a writer?  It’s that moment, after months or sometimes years of toil, when you finally hit that last page and type that last word and you realize that the pile of pages that you’ve been raising like a youngster is now all grown up and ready to make his way in the world.  Ah, finishing a novel–there’s nothing quite like it!

Except the realization that you still have to go back and line edit the thing, then send it off to your agent so she can have a go of her own, then go through another couple of drafts before it’s fit to send off to the publisher, then wait around the inevitable months for said publisher to decide whether they’re actually going to buy it.  Ah, writing on spec–there’s nothng quite like that, either (fortunately).

But hey, you don’t get into the writing biz if you don’t like pain.  I like to think of it as the artistic equivalent of Bill Murray’s character in Little Shop of Horrors, except that I don’t get a candy bar at the end.  Still, it’s quite a treat to print that manuscript out for the first time and just stare at it, admire it, maybe spread the pages out and roll around in them like Scrooge McDuck in his money vault.  No matter how many times I do it, it always feels like the first.

So without further ado…

The name of the book is SHADOW PRIME.  I can’t reveal much about the story before I get a few things in motion, but I envision it as the first part in a three-book series.  It’s science-fiction, natch, with a heavy emphasis on the action-adventure, but also reads a bit like a modern technothriller–transplanted to the fuure, of course.  I’ve already edited the manuscript heavily in the writing process–a habit I’ve developed as I’ve grown older, which makes me a lot slower than I used to be but also gives me much cleaner first drafts.  As I mentioned above, I did this one without a contract, but I already have a publisher in mind.  It just remains to convince their new editor to give it a go.

I sure would appreciate it if y’all could keep your fingers crossed for me!

If you don’t live in central Florida, you might not know about this little river that runs through this little town that acts like a magnet for tubers far and wide.  No, I’m not talking about that kind of tuber (although I hear they can be quite delicious);  I mean the ones you can find floating downstream on a lazy current, many of them tied together into these amazing flotillas that would rival some of your better cruise ships in terms of snacks and booze.  It’s called Rainbow River, and I just returned from there after spending a lively Memorial Day weekend with the family at my in-laws’ river house.  Good food, good company, good times and some pretty damn good beer–it just doesn’t get more American than that, folks.

Still, I’d be remiss if I didn’t pay some props to those who made it all possible.  You see, with the three-day weekend and the official kickoff of the summer travel season, it’s easy to lose track of what Memorial Day is really all about.  Sure, we have the barbecues and the pool parties, and it’s a lot of fun to watch the kids splashing around and riding kayaks–but take a moment to think about what life would be like if not for the sacrifice of our armed forces over the years.  It boggles the mind to consider how these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines faced down some of the most daunting threats ever to confront mankind, setting aside their own fears and fighting the good fight so that those of us back home could continue to enjoy the freedoms that define this great nation.  Without their nobility, courage and sacrifice, none of this would be possible;  but more than that–knowing that they’re out there, fighting to this day to keep us all safe–never forget that because of our brave men and women in uniform, nothing for this country is impossible.

And keep that in mind as we face the challenges down the road!

Okay, so for that handful of people out there who have followed this blog and wondered why the hell there haven’t been any posts for the last six months, let me assure you that it’s not because I was in rehab.  If I were, I would have penned a tell-all book about all my experiences and would probably be on the bestseller lists by now.  The truth is far less interesting, I’m afraid.  It all boiled down to a matter of time:  the job, the house, two wonderful kids and a very understanding wife all take time to properly care for and feed.  That, plus putting the finishing touches on a new book (yes, I have been writing–so there) have pretty much consumed my hours, days, months, what have you.  I just wish I had taken advantage of a low-cost clone to help lighten the load.  Well, maybe next time.

I’ll post a few details on the new book shortly, but in the meanwhile you can dig Hammerjack’s  new and improved look!  After being gone so long, I figured the least I could do was shake things up a bit–that, plus I got bored staring at the same old theme for the last five years.  I’m still in the process of tweaking this and that, so I’ll also be adding a few herbs and spices over the next couple of weeks.  In the meanwhile, though, if you’re still out there, drop me a line and let me know how you like the new digs.  I promise not to stay away so long from here on in.

Mahalo!

You know how you can tell that you’re getting comfortably settled into middle age? When you get excited about visiting the new supermarket in town. They just opened up a Fresh Market where I live, and I swear–walking in there was like going to some version of heaven where they stocked an endless supply of Kona coffee, irresistable baked goods an steaks so tasty that a vegetarian would fall off the wagon faster than Superman after a stiff shot of red kryptonite. What I’m saying is that this place rocked–well, if by rocked you mean in the domesticated sense. God only knows how much cash I could blow in there just on pierogies.

And I feel no shame about the matter. If Gene Simmons can do Dr. Pepper commercials and still remain cool, a fortysomething sci-fi writer can fill his basket with organic croutons and extra-extra-extra virgin olive oil and walk the streets with his head held high. Still, it’s amazing to me how much my lifestyle–not to mention my attitude toward it–has changed over the last few years. I’m not exactly sure when it happened; maybe it was somewhere between my kids being born and me waking up one morning to discover there were at least as many gray hairs as brown. Then you realize that you can’t remember the last time you got carded in a liquor store. The teens are going to see movie versions of TV shows you used to watch back in the 80s, and they never even heard of the originals. Worse yet, the mullet you wore back in high school is starting to make a comeback. I know that history recycles itself, but come on–it hasn’t been that long, has it?

On second that, don’t answer that.

But, as I always say on my birthday, getting older sure beats the hell out of the alternative. And yeah, it was lots of fun being young–but at least I can afford better beer now. Besides, they say that you’re only as old as you feel, and right now I feel pretty good. My wife and I are coming up on fourteen years in a couple of days, and I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather share that time with. The kids are doing well in school, and are just a joy to have around. And let’s not forget Thanksgiving, just around the corner. There will be plenty to be thankful for as everyone gathers around the bird, Black Friday notwithstanding.

C’est la vie!

Well, the Japanese are at it again. Leave it those industrious fellows to take virtuality to the next logical extent:

Since the marriage rate among Japan’s shrinking population is falling and with many of the country’s remaining lovebirds heading for Hawaii or Australia’s Gold Coast, [the resort town] Atami had to do something. It is trying to attract single men—and their handheld devices.

In the first month of the city’s promotional campaign launched July 10, more than 1,500 male fans of the Japanese dating-simulation game LovePlus+ have flocked to Atami for a romantic date with their videogame character girlfriends.

The men are real. The girls are cartoon characters on a screen. The trips are actual, can be expensive and aim to re-create the virtual weekend outing featured in the game, a product of Konami Corp. played on Nintendo Co.’s DS videogame system.

The article goes on to say that some of these guys pony up the cash for their “girlfriends” to stay with them in their hotel rooms. I guess they don’t want the Pink Pixel Ladies to think they’re cheapskates–which is probably the biggest cultural difference between the Japanese Geek and his American counterpart. We have no shame when it comes to that sort of thing.

Still, I’m torn over how concerned I should be over this. One could take the view that it’s the latest symptom in the continuing downward spiral of the culture; then again, how different is it from the vast array of inflatable friends men have chosen to woo in lieu of the genuine article? Maybe it’s just the natural evolution of tech. At least when the Singularity comes, these dudes will be prepared!

But do they have an avatar that looks like Queen Starsha?