Wednesday, February 24, 2016

WANTED: Do You Like Science Fiction and Fantasy? We're Open For Guest Posts and More Guest Posts!


I have something of a proposition for the Blogosphere today.

Here's the situation: I'm busier now than ever before, which means I'm having to readjust my schedule and things. I've cut down on blogging in the past and thought I could either cut down even more, or allow for more guests to swoop in and share their posts on this blog. Having something new up every week is what I'd like to see.

So if you like science fiction and fantasy, have a book you'd like to promote, or want to crash in and talk about whatever for old times sake, I want to hear from you! Send me an email. Let's talk shop.

Speaking of shop, I need to get ready for another day's hard work. Thanks in advance for your help. I can't wait to hear from you!

How often do you have guests on your blog? What's a good strategy for someone with two jobs? Who's ready for winter to be over?

I'm David, and I updated my schedule for 2016 here!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

New Releases! Calamity by Brandon Sanderson and Bluescreen by Dan Wells, and Teen Author Boot Camp!


Back from the LTUE conference and spent the weekend recovering. Now it's back to work and back to something I used to do a lot of ... share new release news! Here's a couple that I'm excited about:

The conclusion of the bestselling Reckoners series!

When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy. David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Once the Reckoners’ leader, Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back. . . .

But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.


And Bluescreen, the start of a new sci-fi-noir series by Dan Wells!

Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the right connections. That connection is a djinni—a smart device implanted right in a person’s head. In a world where virtually everyone is online twenty-four hours a day, this connection is like oxygen—and a world like that presents plenty of opportunities for someone who knows how to manipulate it.

Marisa Carneseca is one of those people. She might spend her days in Mirador, but she lives on the net—going to school, playing games, hanging out, or doing things of more questionable legality with her friends Sahara and Anja. And it’s Anja who first gets her hands on Bluescreen—a virtual drug that plugs right into a person’s djinni and delivers a massive, nonchemical, completely safe high. But in this city, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and Mari and her friends soon find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that is much bigger than they ever suspected.

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Now, if you didn't already know, a fantastic event is about to take place in the next couple of weeks. I'm talking about the Teen Author Boot Camp! I was a presenter there, and had a blast. Now they're letting me come back to teach a class on collaboration with my good friend and co-author Michael Jensen! The conference will be held at the Utah Valley Convention Center. So if you have aspiring teen authors in your home and live near or around Utah, let them know. Going to conferences is what led to improvement for my writing. It can for your writer, too!


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Time for me to run.  As always, thank you for stopping by. Be sure to let your zombie fan friends know about The Undead Road if they need a good zombie fix before the next Walking Dead episode. This books is still doing surprising well, so I'm very happy by how well it's being received. Getting close to 1/3 of the way done on Part Two now.

Time to shove off into the galaxy. Have a great week, everyone!

If you're a writer, when did you start? Who's excited for these two new books? Know anyone interested in Teen Author Boot Camp?

I'm David, and 12 is an odd number if you like beans ...

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Warp Speed! A Brief Post-Employment Update and My Life, The Universe, and Everything (LTUE) Schedule!


I have about less than ten minutes to write this ... Aaaaand GO!


This is the week of LTUE (Life, the Universe, and Everything), one of my all time favorite conferences. A three day event with more panels than you can possibly attend and guests you won't want to miss. I'm once again guesting as an author panelist and having a duel launch party with the awesome Rebecca Rode (if you haven't checked out her Numbers Game yet, you should!). We will have goodies, and prices, and sign books. In you're in town tomorrow night, join us!

And if you're going to LTUE, you can find me at these events:

Thursday @ 1 pm - Gaming Addiction
Thursday @ 6:30 pm - Duel Launch Party, Provo Library
Friday @ 10 am - Kid's Genre TV (Moderating)
Friday @ 1 pm - Education in Culture
Friday @ 5 pm - 20 Years of Pixar
Friday @ 8 pm - Mass Book Signing!
Saturday @ 10 am - The Criminal Element (Moderating)
Saturday @ 4 pm - Guns and Those Who Use Wield Them

I may be doing a cool Star Wars debate: Is Rey a Skywalker? Yes or no, and why? I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments!

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Life Update: for those of you who've been following me, you'll know the last three months were quite the ordeal for things on this end of the universe. Tough goings on. As it turns out, another outfit was looking hard for someone with my tailored area of experience for part time work. After a little scheduling, I said, "Why not?!" So I'm double employed now. Add writing to that mix and ... yeah ... never been busier in my life. Which is a good thing. This means I won't be full time writing anymore, but I will have a solid two-hour block a day. If I stick to that, I'll be fine. I'm itching to get these projects done!

Speaking of time, mine is up. Have a great week, everyone!

It's conference time again! Do you go to any? Which ones are your favorite? It is possible to have too much of a good thing?

I'm David, and the Stormtroopers' aim is getting better ...

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

IWSG: Crisis Averted! A New World Of Possibilities Lies On The Horizon As I Start New Employment


 It's that time again! Special thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating and hosting the Insecure Writer's Support Group, a monthly forum for writers to share insecurities without fear of reprisal. Let's get insecure!

Gang, this is going to sound nuts. After three months of tireless job seeking, I've been offered a new situation with my previous employer. Kinda went full circle there for a while, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. There's a lot for me to take in, some brand new realities to accept, and I'm not sure how I will assimilate just yet. I just know that I have to. There will be some continuing education involved, so how this new regiment will fit into writing has yet to be determined. But that's okay! I can finally stop worrying and focus on living.

It's a long story, forgive me for sparing the details. I have, however, learned a great deal about job seeking. It's a job all by itself!

I cannot, just cannot, thank this community for your support and your help enough during these last few months. Not knowing what the future had in store for us, I stressed the blog tour quite heavily. Just so you know, your efforts made a REALLY huge difference. The Undead Road tour was a success--better than anticipated (I try not to have expectations, so that's saying something). This success will allow me to produce the next two installments with relative ease. I just need to schedule my time wisely now ... like a super mage!

 Best overall ranking during the tour - Thank you!

My bio will be updated later. Time to get ready for work. Thank you. Thank you, all! You've really helped be from falling into the darkest and deepest abyss I've ever come close to falling into. Thank you!

Now back to life, learning, and writing. Full steam ahead!

How have you averted a crisis? What's the hardest struggle you've overcome? If you read The Undead Road, what did you think?

I'm David, and the night really IS darkest before the dawn.