May 29, 2016

Dear friends and followers,

Things are moving along, but at a slower rate than before. The plains of 300-400 really are a desolate expanse. I’m sure things will get interesting against once we crest that 400 order mark, even if doing so does not entail any references to impressive Spartan exploits.

I will be delivering the first donation cheque to Chez Doris on Wednesday. Right now, it’s an even $70: pretty respectable, I think.

Coming up this week is a new Nerdist contest! Video games! I will have a bit of a stake in this one, so expect further news.

And of particular interest to other hopeful writers, there’s DraftShares. Check out the related thread on the forum for more details, but the basic gist of it is the promotion of projects that are still in the draft phase. Readers, you may find some of the drafts highlighted next month to be of interest as well, so keep your eyes open.

As for what’s happening with projects in the funding stage, let’s take another look around the bookshelves....

1) "Tantalus Depths", by Evan Graham. An expedition discovers the "planet" they’re surveying is more than it seems, and their ship AI somehow has a stake in it. It’s a sci-fi thriller. I’m told that the "Evil AI" is a common trope, but I think this goes a little above that with its focus on motivation. If the planet is unexplored territory, how could it have any connection to the ship’s AI? I’d like to add that I found the excerpt to have a very nice feel for the "ensemble cast", even if what we see is entirely through one viewpoint character. It goes a lot towards immersing the reader, not only in the environment but also in the social context.

2) "Teddy Roosevelt and the Lost World: a Tale of the Dinosaur Century", by Lou Yuhasz. you know, I think that title says everything I could possibly say about the plot. You know it’s going to be an adventure to make H. Ryder Haggard proud, it stars an historical figure who could give good old King Leonidas a run for his money, and it involves dinosaurs. And yet somehow it’s managed to slip under everyone’s radar.

And that’s it for now. It looks like June is going to be ... pretty full of stuff. So, until next week: have fun, and keep reading.