Hello Friends:
I’ve been staring at this blank page for 45 minutes trying to figure out what to say. In the wake of the Orlando shooting, I keep going back and forth struggling to decide what is the right way to express my anger and hurt.
As a gay man and as the founder of the Write Out Loud Syndicate I think it is important to remind my readers and supporters that homophobia and transphobia continue to be a reality in our country. The LGBTQ community has won significant battles in the past years, but there are still plenty of people vulnerable to violence and discrimination.
I know that love and action are the answers. So I will focus my anger into action and fight the hateful rhetoric flooding the internet with love. This afternoon I will attend a vigil in memory of the victims. I encourage you to do the same in your area. Show your support; show that you are not afraid to stand next to the LGBTQ community.Â
It is not the violence against us but our courage what define us.
In this link, there are other ways in which you can help.
Love
Ricardo
Good morning Dreamers!
Well, I’ve had quite the weekend. I have two huge elements of news that are equally important in different ways. I’ll go in the order of why I’m telling you. First, The Sleeping Man was June’s pick for the Epic Fantasy Syndicate! https://www.inkshares.com/syndicates/john-robin-s-epic-fantasy-syndicate. Having one syndicate pick is amazing, but having a second bathes me in a warm light.
 Secondly, I got promoted and had my daughter pin the new rank on:
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The support and interesting for The Sleeping Man is amazing and I cannot thank everyone enough. Now we just need to push to Quill, and there is plenty of time. A guest blog post, interview, and two syndicate picks can’t be wrong, so pre-order now! Pre-order again! Recommend! Share! Ride forth!
Sweet dreams,
Stephen
Greetings...
Since everyone liked my update where I shined a light on the JPL. Here are some quick tidbits about the Vampire Legend: While vampires had been around in legend and even part of mass hysteria in eastern Europe very early on. It was the novel The Vampyre written in 1819 that got the ball rolling. Bram Stroker’s Dracula came about in 1897.Â
In some legends, creating a vampire was as simple as having an animal jump over a corpse. In others, it was curse from God or Russian Witches. Still, to this day, my favorite method of destroying a vampire from legend:
Iron Nails ran through the chest followed by a Hawethorne stake through each leg. Bits of steel placed in the mouth, over the eyes, and in between the fingernails before burial. Then decapitation of the head, turn it around, fill the coffin with rosepedals and bury the damn thing. This wouldn’t actually kill the vampire mind you, only keep it trapped. As of 2006, they are still finding corpses being dug up with this treatment.Â
Which in my head just means they set the vampires free right?
Oh right! Artwork! Speaking of being set free.... here is a scene painted by Lizzy Perez of The Seventh Age:
We are so close to 1000 orders guys. If you are following this campaign and haven’t jumped in yet: 27 spots left. I’m collecting more art such as what’s above for prize raffles when we hit the magic number. Hop in, follow the updates for more bite-sized facts about strange occult legends... and a kick-ass book about what happens when they all come crashing back.Â
Happy Saturday to the loveliest readers in the world. There have been some amazing developments that I am finally able to share with you. It’s been hard holding it in, but now that it’s official I’m happy to announce that I will be writing a column called The Future is Now that will explore the intersection of science fiction and present technology. The first TFIN, in which I explore the current state of laser weaponry is now live!
You’ll be pleased to know that debate over my flagrant reference to lasers and phasers being "the same thing" has already incited a heated debate among the Trekkies of Geek & Sundry, and so, in traditional fashion, I have managed to outraged the very people I was trying to entertain.
Speaking of outrage(!) - The future vintage International Transport shirts have arrived. These beautiful organic cotton shirts commemorate and celebrate International Transport’s 2393 R&D Offsite during which The Punch Escrow was first successfully tested in the teleportation of a live human "volunteer".
This means that the logistics of shipping all of the good stuff many of you have earned or won will likely happen in the next week. I have gotten a lot of requests to buy the shirts, but unfortunately I’m just not set up to sell them. Likely Geek & Sundry will probably take over merchandising for The Punch Escrow as we get closer to the publication date. Maybe they will resurrect this design. As things firm up I will let you know where to go/who to ask to make these kind of requests.
Lastly, the amazing anthology of which I am a part, Too Many Controllers, continues to go from strength to strength in the Nerdist "video game" contest. We’ve already reached "Quill" publishing status, meaning that regardless of whether we win the contest or not, our anthology is getting published, but we’re in it to win it, my friends. I was hoping to share the synopsis of my story with you, but alas, we have a strict information release cadence. I’m told that perhaps my story’s synopsis will be unveiled once our reader count reaches 300. Please help us get there! Here is a "hint":
