tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268207342008-07-19T20:32:59.752-06:00Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comBlogger609125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-53501801503832587772008-07-19T13:17:00.003-06:002008-07-19T13:18:54.833-06:00

...to see The Dark Knight. Wow. It was intense. Worth every penny and then some. No spoilers here, but I'll say people are right when they think Heath Ledger ought to earn at least a nomination for Best Supporting Actor (and honestly, I think he ought to get it for Best Actor overall). Go see it.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-71110422385096929382008-07-16T17:44:00.004-06:002008-07-16T17:52:00.733-06:00

*Bonus points if you get the reference. I am pleased to announce to you - my regular blog readers - a day and a half before the "official" announcement that the Adventures of the S-Team STORE is now open. That's right - if you want to buy a t-shirt, coffee mug, or hat with the Official S-Team logo on it, you just need to go here. More gear will follow, including a series of monthly collectibles

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-30332916588737818142008-07-13T11:22:00.002-06:002008-07-13T11:28:50.181-06:00

Are you on Facebook? If not, sign up so you can join in this fun viral promotion contest for my webcomic, The Adventures of the S-Team. It's simple. On Facebook you can become a fan of The S-Team here. Then send as many people as you can to become fans, and have each of them leave a message saying who referred them. Whoever refers the most fans to the S-Team's Facebook page by Labor Day will

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-88631535791984742822008-07-11T07:52:00.001-06:002008-07-11T07:52:33.710-06:00

Hey, look! I'm in a webcomic!* *okay, yes, it's my own webcomic, but still...check me out!

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-49020983734035027962008-07-07T21:21:00.002-06:002008-07-07T21:37:02.977-06:00

Well, I'm back to work on Troubleshooters. In fact, I just finished Chapter 26 today and got a good start on Chapter 27. For those of you keeping score, I'm about 650 words shy of 80,000 words. I still think realistically I've got between 25 and 35 thousand words still to write, which would make this the longest book I've written to date. I'm still hopeful I can finish it by the end of July,

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-14839762623120805622008-07-03T23:33:00.002-06:002008-07-03T23:35:12.425-06:00

As foretold in days of yore (what the hell is yore, anyway?), I present to you a new Harry Blaine story entitled "Tiggy." Go to the Store page on my website and click on the Free Stuff link. I hope you like it.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-51840711230671361722008-07-02T21:50:00.005-06:002008-07-02T22:00:41.542-06:00

I'm taking a (very) short break from Troubleshooters, because I was a little bit blocked and then ran across this great prompt on The Writer's Mentor: "Honestly, I don't know who she is. I got home from work, threw my coat on the chair and went to the kitchen to fix myself a sandwich when....." And it spoke to me. I've spent the past two days writing the first new Harry Blaine story in three or

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-5907214579901789212008-06-28T20:31:00.002-06:002008-06-28T20:33:24.455-06:00

For those of you keeping score at home, The Adventures of the S-Team now has a profile page on FaceBook. Stop by, become a fan of the group. And you can make friends with me there too if you want.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-42955186119846562442008-06-26T20:27:00.003-06:002008-06-26T20:42:03.616-06:00

No, it isn't *really* a movie... ...but it is now the trade name of a small (*ahem* VERY small) publishing company in Colorado. Yes, it's official. I paid my fee and registered the name with the Secretary of State. Thanks to mi padre for the link and tip. That's one step closer to the Supersekrit Extra Cheesy Edition of The Milkman. I've also got a few people I'm talking to about potential cover

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-59741225221320302082008-06-25T16:46:00.002-06:002008-06-25T16:56:54.708-06:00

From Sherri (and others): The Big Read, an initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts, has estimated that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed. How do you do? 1) Look at the list and bold those you have read. 2) Italicize those you intend to read. 3) Underline the books you LOVE. 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-42160956564259070722008-06-18T19:09:00.004-06:002008-06-18T19:21:00.606-06:00

For those of you who asked, here's the inverted (black on white) version of my imprint: And, in short, I hate it. It doesn't look like a sun rising behind a planet, it looks like a boob with a sparkly nipple. I can make the lines a bit thicker in the white on black one so it shrinks better. That's easy to do. But as far as black on white ... no, not gonna happen. Anyhow, moving forward with the

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-57739993900407320162008-06-14T20:25:00.004-06:002008-06-14T20:33:00.027-06:00

First of all, I'm not sure I can use this imprint. There used to be a comic book company back in the mid-80s/early 90s called Escape Velocity Press, but I don't think they exist any longer. If they do, obviously I'd have to call EVP something else, like Escape Velocity Books (for example). Anyway, I'm kicking around ideas and all and this is a logo design I came up with. Keep in mind I am no

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-6887843041453821232008-06-11T22:16:00.002-06:002008-06-11T22:34:34.015-06:00

I'm thinking about making a change. I've been unhappy with the customer service (or lack thereof) I've received from iUniverse as the POD supplier for The Milkman. So I'm shopping around. I may have found a company I like, but I don't want to say too much yet. I'm thinking a few changes will be in order. First and foremost, I think I'd rather it be in a 5.5x7 pocket book edition instead of a 6x9

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-72952648199086747232008-06-08T15:08:00.000-06:002008-06-08T15:08:00.993-06:00

If you have small children, you might want to send them to play in another part of the house. If you are sensitive and easily-distraught by bad words in what you read, you might want to mark this column as "read" and go on to something less offensive like LOLCATZ or whatnot. First, let's get all the giggling and snickering out of the way right upfront: Shit. Fuck. Piss. Cunt. Cocksucker.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-69701602880142681532008-06-06T20:12:00.002-06:002008-06-06T20:21:49.935-06:00

I'm not the only person who writes superhero fiction; there have been others. One of the most influential series of books on my own writing style was the Wild Cards series edited by George R. R. Martin. I've happened across a couple more recent entries into the field. Austin Grossman wrote a book called Soon I Will Be Invincible, which I've read. Then just earlier this week I learned of Rob C.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-10282693014196036992008-05-31T22:55:00.004-06:002008-05-31T23:21:40.929-06:00

Bonus points if you recognize the movie that's from. Anyway, today was my first ever book signing, done at a Barnes and Noble store ninety minutes (give or take my adherence to speed limits or lack thereof) south of me. All in all it was a lot of fun - me and four other authors were there to sign our books. I went in expecting to maybe sell a couple and actually wound up signing eight copies of

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-59225942834686323322008-05-29T20:25:00.003-06:002008-05-29T20:28:10.425-06:00

I found this on Claudia's blog and she asked for it to be reposted. I'm posting it here, and if any of you readers also happen to be published writers (or self-published), you might offer your own input for her. Thanks! Claudia writes: After posting about some interesting movements in the music industry, Colleen at Loose Leaf Notes asked me to look into book publishing. Inspired, I set out to

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-81773478000599092762008-05-27T19:02:00.003-06:002008-05-27T19:03:59.567-06:00

I've put Popcorn Principle on indefinite hiatus, but no worries. This one is here to stay.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-44224484102141523262008-05-23T13:07:00.003-06:002008-05-23T13:10:51.960-06:00

The Random House editor politely rejected Deep Six. That was technically the *second* strike, since I consider Strike One to have been the failure to progress past the Top 100 in the ABNA contest. One more person - the agent from the conference - has Deep Six in her possession and then it's back to (a) querying Just Cause and (b) finishing Troubleshooters (which is what I renamed Trouble, Inc.).

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-71679532716165730982008-05-19T20:58:00.003-06:002008-05-19T21:07:59.579-06:00

I realize that most of you live in different time zones (indeed, or different countries), but if you happen to be in the neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, May 31, pop on over to the Barnes & Noble store at 1565 Briargate Boulevard between 1 and 4 PM. Your humble host and author of The Milkman will be signing copies for whomsoever desires, along with five other local authors.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-56563987431101677682008-05-17T20:46:00.002-06:002008-05-17T21:31:50.745-06:00

Pamela asks: Do you have a muse? Or do you have something that puts you in the mood to create? What causes writers block? I don't have a muse - which sometimes makes it very difficult to put fingers to keyboard some days. I do find a correlation exists between sexual activity and success in writing. More sex tends to mean I write more, and more writing tends to increase my libido. I've talked

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-42293163274431202692008-05-14T19:39:00.002-06:002008-05-14T19:42:32.931-06:00

In light of posting anything substantial (since I don't have anything bloggable right now), I'm opening up the forum to questions. Want to know something about me, my writing, my webcomic, or anything else about the craft? Post 'em in your comments or email 'em to me if you're shy and I'll answer them to the best of my ability in my next post. Go ahead - pick my brain a little.

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-40083815136326636502008-05-10T11:23:00.001-06:002008-05-10T11:23:00.695-06:00

I've been told I write very good fight sequences. Some people have real difficulties with this, so I thought that in light of telling you any news (since at the moment I have none to share), I'd talk a little bit about this. What is a fight? Well, it's an expression of conflict, and conflict is the driving force behind all fiction. All books have it at some level. I'm choosing to talk about the

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-3366228286125754152008-05-05T21:38:00.003-06:002008-05-05T21:44:05.748-06:00

There is a problem with most writers. It is something that runs rampant through nearly everything we do. No matter how much we are writing, it is pervasive and insidious. It is even running all through this paragraph. It is the passive voice, and I hate it! Defining the Passive Voice I’ve chosen to write about it because it represents such a big problem in our work. I see it not only in my

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26820734.post-8955813144644298362008-05-04T18:16:00.002-06:002008-05-04T18:17:51.778-06:00

The all-new ianthealy.com is up and running. Come take a look, and tell all your friends (especially if they're agents or acquisitions editors...).

Ianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14497045412007902460noreply@blogger.com