Posts under ‘Writing’

“How come you haven’t written any novels since Deadliest of the Species, Mike?”
I have, actually.
They just suck.
Okay, I’ll rephrase that: they’re far from ready for publication, because with both I decided their execution was off. Way off. So far off that they need to be rewritten from the ground up, and I don’t have time [...]

We’re getting closer and closer to the release of Das Tödliche Geschlecht, the German-language edition of Deadliest of the Species from Otherworld Verlag. I’m told the German title translates to “the deadly gender,” which I think is a fair approximation. The original title is derived from a Kipling quote:
“For the female of the species is [...]

The Only Way to Write
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
I’ve often thought about taking a laptop out with me when I smoke, but the battery in my old Dell laptop is down to about 10 minutes of juice and I’ve gotten out of the habit. Yesterday it dawned on me I’ve got a shiny new MacBook Pro [...]

I get asked once or twice a week how things are going with my writing, and given it’s been a while since I’ve talked about things here, I thought I’d save a few emails this week. These are the most active and/or most asked about projects.
POWERLESS
I’m proofreading the existing material, which is about eight chapters [...]

No, I haven’t forgotten about the Muy Mal relaunch. Have I neglected it? Hrm. Kind of hard to argue with that one.
I’ve been working on a novella instead. One that needs to be done pretty quick, or a publisher may start losing patience with me. I was getting up a good head of steam on [...]

Bad Moon Books is offering Restore from Backup in the Bad Moon Bundle, a collection of their first six publications being offered for $95.00.
If you’re a Muy Mal fan and read John Urbancik’s work over there, you should know that the Bad Moon Bundle includes two novellas by John, “House of Shadow & Ash” and [...]

It may not feel like it, but spring is about to do its thing and convention season will be upon us before we know it. I’ve just updated my Appearances page with the two conventions I know for certain I’ll be attending, Wizard World Chicago and Archon 32.
I’ll be missing yet another World Horror Convention, [...]

The following is a piece of flash fiction depicting the death of Jack Haringa. Why? I’ll let Brian explain.
Enjoy.
JACK CATCHES THE A TRAIN
Jack said his goodbyes and walked out of the bar as the clock struck 10. The heady mix of fine liquor and a good night of prose and poetry readings put a smile [...]

I was told once that you’re not getting old until the people you looked up to as a child start dying.
Yesterday, Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away at the age of 69.
Like many of my writing friends, I spent a big chunk of my childhood making characters, battling imaginary monsters, and rolling [...]

I bought a six-pack sampler of lonsdales from Famous Smoke last week, thinking they would be the ideal size for late winter and early spring smoking. Last night that proved a sound theory when I lit up the box-pressed Sancho Panza included in the sampler.
The weekend weather teased us, hitting about sixty degrees yesterday afternoon [...]