Name That Nelson

Here’s a family photo-postcard that’s right around 100 years old.  It comes from the Nelson branch of my mother’s side of the family, and it is either of Ned Nelson Sr., or Ira Nelson, Jr.  I suspect it is Ned because of comparative facial features in another photo I have of him (when he was 8), but brothers tend to look alike and there is no positive identification on this particular picture.

On the back of the picture, the following message is inscribed to his mother, Ada Belle Nelson:

Mary said “don’t send it that way.  That isn’t in an envelope, you don’t want your physiognomy going through the mail!” so I decided not to address it.

He did start to address it, as “Mrs. Ira R. Nelson, 1150” is written in the address slot, but struck out with 2 pen lines.  He obviously stuck it in an envelope and explained why when sending it back to his mother.  I suspect the "Mary" he quotes is his sister, Mary Alice Nelson (my great-grandmother).

I’d like to get confirmation on this one, so if anyone has a known photograph of Ned Nelson Sr. taken sometime between 1910 and 1920, I would love to see it.  Or a picture of Ira R. Nelson, Jr. from about the same time period could clear things up, as well.

West of the Warlock –Published!

West of the Warlock was officially released earlier today, so you can now purchase the complete Fantasy Western with extras!  There is a very affordable Kindle version already out there, and you can always purchase traditional, print copies from Hall Brothers Entertainment.

Work continues on the sequel, Mystic Selwood (which is due for a title change).  Even though several thousand words of the story are currently trapped on my disabled main computer, I have pressed on with the story, writing subsequent parts while waiting for the electrician (or someone like him)—odds are, I’m the only person under 40 who’ll get that reference.

So, take a minute and buy a copy of West of the Warlock.  The funds will go to a good cause (the “Save Martin’s Computer Fund,” to be precise).  Don’t be too stingy.  The Kindle Price is hardly half a gallon of gas, and the print edition costs less than your average takeout dinner.  I need to eat, too.  Please, buy it now!

Motherboard Down

My computer died Wednesday.  It was sudden and unexpected, as the thing hasn’t been giving me any trouble.  However, when I came home that afternoon, I flicked it on and it wouldn’t start.  The fans revved at full speed, and the hard drive did its initial turn, but otherwise the system was unresponsive.  After some troubleshooting, I discerned that the problem is most likely the cpu, though the motherboard is still a possibility.

The computer is a Dell Vostro 400, and it’s 4 years old to the month.  In that time, I’ve had to replace a small fan on the video card, but nothing else.  Wear and tear eventually claims the lives of these affordable machines.  $600 isn’t a bad investment considering the use I’ve gotten out of it, and a little tinkering might bring it back to life.

The horror of this situation is that I’ve gotten a bit lazy with my backups.  There are a few days of writing that I did not save to a disc, so nearly 10,000 words of “Mystic Selwood” are currently inaccessible.  Thankfully, the hard drive seems to be in working order, so I’m hoping to get another Vostro 400 and simply swap drives.  I should be able to buy a used system for a nominal sum, but if not I can purchase a replacement cpu for around $50, and if that doesn't work a brand new motherboard is about $100.

In the meantime, I have my old Dell Dimension 8250 that I stashed when I bought the Vostro.  The software is all 4 years out of date, but it still works, so I am now back online, more or less.  This thing isn’t as efficient as the Vostro, but it’ll serve in the interim.  I hope to have my other system up and running again soon, though I’ll be in the market for a new computer in the near future.  This year has just been too hard on my budget.

West of the Warlock: Week 8 (+Chat Tonight)

We're here at last.  Today, the final online episode of "West of the Warlock" comes out, and tomorrow the book will be released with all sorts of extras!  In celebration of the release, we have a chat party tonight, starting at 8PM Eastern.  If you're around from 8-9 tonight, drop by and say hello.  You'll have the opportunity to order a copy of the book, as well as talk to me.  It's bound to be a lot of fun.

~The Chatroom is Here~

In our thrilling finale for West of the Warlock, the final conflict is resolved.  See the collective forces of good battling the evil madman, Blythe the Bastard!  Failure means the death of an entire world, but how can our heroes outwit someone with such ultimate power?

Check out all 8 online episodes here!

Forest of the Fall (Minstrel Mondays)

I've been busy this past week, so it's time to bring out a hunk of poetry from the grooveyard of forgotten favorites!



Trimble Mountain Summit (Left)
As viewed from my front yard
October 1997



Here's something I wrote ten years ago, reminiscing about the walks I used to take into the woods behind my home.  Trimble Mountain used to be covered with farms back in the 1800's, but it's now an unpopulated forest, with some cellar holes and a few relics of civilization around.  Some recent logging activity and 4-wheelers have changed the landscape up there since those days when I adventured into the wilderness, so the wilderness of my childhood memories has been lost to me.  Oh, well; everything changes.

For many an afternoon in my young life

I spent time away from all others.

Seeking solitude among a great forest,

old trees overshadowing ancient roads,

long overgrown with grass and molds.

A century had passed before my birth

since human life had flourished

in this fallow soil.

And I know as I walk these forgotten roads

that once proud farmers plowed these fields

and toiled honestly for their meals.

An amber leaf of an autumn maple

falls upon my hand

as I walk this row which once housed homes.

The abandoned homesteads

of this forgotten wilderness,

lifetimes ago, they bustled with life,

agricultural might,

but now they are lost,

forever silent,

only cellar holes remain.

The hillside I climb to reach the relics

of a forgotten farmer's pride.

The phantom image of once plowed fields

flashes over my eyes.

Yet those ghosts of the hills

are replaced by truthful chills,

that fields are gone forever,

consumed by the forest of the fall.

ABNA: Give Sci-Fi & Fantasy A Chance

The 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest will be coming up soon, and as we hit year 5 of this exciting writing competition, I continue my plea that those of us who write outside the mainstream be given a real shot at the prize.

On average, you can group mystery, romance, thriller, suspense, and other various sub-genres in with what they call "mainstream" these days, but Science Fiction & Fantasy works are still considered outside the norm.  They lurk in a category all by themselves, and are still shunned by certain segments of the publishing community for being "escapist garbage."  As such, it is really unfeasible to expect these fantastic tales to compete with more traditional literary stories.

The ABNA contest has proven itself over the past years to be a venue that favors human interest stories formatted in pretty traditional literary styles.  With the exception of Fresh Kills (ABNA's 1^st winner), all the winners have been pretty dry.  I don't buy that that's caused by a lack of qualified submissions in the non-literary genres, and the obvious explanation lies with the personal tastes of the judges picking the finalists.  They clearly prefer stuff geared toward Oprah's Book Club, rather than finding the next Heinlein or Asimov.

Sci-Fi & Fantasy are two categories that could probably be dropped from the ABNA completely, though that would upset a lot of writers, and paint those running the contest as exclusionary.  Instead, they settle for a weak compromise, where they "accept" entries in those genres, but weed them out before the finals.  Some headway has been made in the "Young Adult" category, but there is no viability for serious, adult Sci-Fi & Fantasy in the contest.

What I suggest as a perfect solution is for Amazon to add a third category for the ABNA, which would give those who write Sci-Fi & Fantasy the chance to truly compete.  It would run en-tandem with the Mainstream and Young Adult categories, and it would give those of us who write "speculative fiction" a real shot at winning.  I know, people writing Romance or Mystery might want their own award as well, but like I said, they're able to fit in with the literary stuff to some degree.  They're "normal," unlike us weirdos who write about space travel or warlocks.

There is a financial payout to be had from this.  Sci-Fi & Fantasy may be the furthest from the mainstream of any genre, but it also has one of the largest fan-bases of any genre.  It only makes sense for Amazon and their publishing partner(s) to attempt to cash in on this subset of the population.  They have an untapped market, just waiting to buy the first book to win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Speculative Fiction!

West of the Warlock: Week 7 (+Ask the Author)

Next week we'll be wrapping up the online episodes for West of the Warlock, and to celebrate that and the forthcoming book release, we'll be having a chat party.  As we prepare for the chat, the Hall Brothers have set up a venue for people to submit questions for yours truly.  These questions will be sprung on me during the chat, so if you'd like some answers, and to see how I think on the run, be sure to submit a question today, and then drop by the chat on September 15^th!  You can submit questions to the Hall Brothers here.

Week 7 brings us a bunch of startling revelations for our heroes.  Who is the mysterious Sage, and what are his true origins?  Who are the Fergusons, and what are they doing with futuristic technology?  Learn the shocking answers in The Bastard Revealed!

Read all currently released episodes here.

Wanted: A Few Good Writers

Do you have "the write stuff?"  Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Next month, I'll be moderating a writing contest/exercise at the Pill Hill Press forum.  They call these things "shootouts," though it's more of a write-off (not to be confused with a tax loophole).  A group of writers are given a single prompt/theme, and have to write a short story in one week.  The following week, they read some of their competitors' stories and give brief reviews and a point scores (1-10).  This will be a 4-round contest I'm running, so it'll take the better part of 2 months to complete.

These contests are really fun for writers, and they end up producing some interesting stories.  If you are a writer worth your keyboard, you should consider signing up for this one.  Details and more are here, at the Pill Hill Press Forum.

There will be added incentives to compete in this contest.  Cash, free books, or something else of that nature will be awarded to the eventual winner of this shootout.  The prize will be announced later on, as we get closer to the start date of the competition.

If you have what it takes, and can fit it into your schedule, sign up today!  Slots are limited, so don't hesitate too long.

This is Labor Day (Minstrel Mondays)

We live in interesting times, as always.  Many people decry the "end of day," as they have since the beginning of time, and others think it'll never come.  I can't say I'm a big fan of the Armageddon Now theory, as I don't think mankind has even begun to scratch the surface of its potential.  Our true purpose in this mortal existence has yet to be realized, and we won't get there in chains.

There are those who think we need to be sheep or slaves for the greater good, our own protection, or "for the children."  There are profiteers, elitists, and assorted crazies who want to undermine and destroy western civilization in the name of their own brand of philosophy (interpret that in as many ways as you desire), and I personally find myself wondering who will win out?  Most people haven't even picked a side in the growing conflict, or are afraid to declare one for fear of being judged in some way.

As for the foes of freedom, for the most part, they know not what they do.

Okay, doom and gloom aside, let's get to today's medley.  It's a little piece I call "This is Labor Day."

Recognize the follies of a million men

Where to begin, oh Lord

Where to begin

See them resting in the streets today

Who can we get on board?

Who will be brave?

For the world is turning fast

To a suicidal pact

Of enslavement and destruction

Make everybody bleed

To serve the greater need

Of a philosophical connection

So this is Labor Day

Same as yesterday

Only now we have the time to wonder why

Will it all break down

Because we sit around

And wait for someone else to fight for us

Where to begin?

They're planning our defeat

While kneeling at our feet

And swearing that we're all they care for

It'll be for our own good

When they nail us to the wood

And take away our freedoms for protection

But there has to be a way

To reach the glorious day

When men are once more free to promise

Another Labor Day

And all the children say

It's a good excuse to stay home and play

But at the heart of things

Will they ever understand

The reason we all have to kneel and pray

On judgment day

What will we say

When they've taken it all away

And we're left with nothing but

Ashes on our graves?

Will it buy them absolvence

That it was all done

In the name of benevolence

When they all lied

For their greater good?

On this Labor Day

I heard the people say

That you've gotta give it up for yesterday

But we will surely stay

Whatever game they play

The only answer left for us to make

Is if we'll break

Give in to the terror

Kneel before the fraud

Or will we stand tall

Fight against the fall

And stay true to all we believe

For tomorrow's another day

That we can say

We are free

Another Face on the Tree

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a picture I didn't know I had.  Rather, I made a vital connection that positively identified it.  The photo in question is one of my Great-Great Grandmother, Caroline Elizabeth Horner.

Caroline married Newton Kirton on July 21, 1896 in Hamilton County, Ohio. Their son, Julius Kirton, was my Great-Grandfather.  However, Newton died of a stroke in 1918, and Caroline remarried.  Her second husband was a man named Thomas Jefferson Butcher, something I've known for quite a while, but something I hadn't known when I first came across the following picture:

The back of the photograph says "Mrs. Butcher, Matron of Eastern Star."  I'd say this picture was taken sometime in the 1920s.  It was in amongst a bunch of photos of my mother's father's side of the family (the Kirton/Nelson line), but for a while I wasn't sure who this was, as I hadn't discovered the Butcher connection.  Now we all have the answer.

New Blogger Interface and Google Chrome

I made a mistake yesterday.  After uploading my latest blog post, I saw a little "offer" at the top of my dashboard, asking me to try the "updated blogger interface."  Feeling more adventurous than usual, I dared to click it.  Little did I expect the first thing to pop up would be a warning, saying that the new interface "no longer supports my browser."  After some checking, I could not even access my dashboard page with IE7, and without access I couldn't switch back to the old dashboard interface.  I was locked out!

There was only one thing I could do.  I had to download the "Google Chrome" browser.  Now, that might be a simple thing for those of you with super duper highspeed, but it took me over 3 hours to get it with my dial-up connection.  I made sure to not set it as my default browser, because I still like IE7, and it works for everything else I access besides Google sites.  I wanted to try the new browser out before making such a drastic decision, and I'm glad I did.

Google Chrome did the trick for accessing the new dashboard interface, so I could switch back to the old one.  I will say that the new blogger interface needs a lot of work, and I personally like the current one.  Why do they have to screw around trying to fix something that isn't broken?  Who do they think they are, the Federal Government?

After fixing the dashboard problem, I tried out the browser some more.  One thing that is nice about the Google Chrome browser is it allows me to actually see my followers again.  For months, I haven't been able to see the Followers block on any Google blogs, which has been detrimental to certain social activities.  Score one point for the new browser.

However, moving around on some non-Google sites, I found the Google Chrome browser to be extremely slow.  We're talking a slug's pace here.  It doesn't come anywhere near the speed I had with IE7, so for my non-Google activities I'm sticking with Microsoft's old standby.  It does the job in less than half the time, and it has more features.

If you have dial-up, Google Chrome isn't going to be your best bet for browsing the internet.  As for the new dashboard interface, that's a personal preference, but I for one think it sucks.  I'd advise everyone to stick with the current dashboard.  Change for the sake of change is meaningless (and often detrimental to society).

Had any tech problems lately?

Looking Back

Today, I received a semi-annual royalty check for sales of my first published novel, Virtual Wiles.  I'm pleased to see that the number of books sold during this period is up, higher than they've been in years!  That's good news.

When I first wrote Virtual Wiles back in 2001, I remember having a lot of faith and pride in this work.  I felt it was the best thing I'd ever written, and at the time it may have been.  It was my fourth completed novel, and in retrospect it was the first one that truly met publication standards.  Don't get me wrong, the first couple of books I wrote had promise, and still might be polishable, though in their original forms they weren't really saleable.

Of course, over the last four and a half years since Virtual Wiles was accepted for publication, I've written bigger and better things.  While I still believe this first volume of the "Virtual Saga" to be a decent book, it was merely a stepping stone, and if I had it all to do over again there are a few things I might change in the text.  There are a few scenes in the book I'd like to expand, and some I might trim down.  This isn't the case with my subsequent publications, as I've gotten better at the writing craft.

With Virtual Wiles' sequel, Prisoner of Time, I don't have any regrets about the content (though I did write it in 2007, six years after Virtual Wiles).  The same could be said of The Guns of Mars (though there is one "deleted" scene I might like to release someday).  I've gotten to the point where I know what I'm doing with my writing.  I understand my audience for the most part and can draft something everyone can enjoy.  I hope that is evident with West of the Warlock.

I encourage anyone who has read my subsequent works to pick up a copy of Virtual Wiles, to compare my past writing to my present material.  It's all relevant.  If you want to save money, get your copies from my AuthorStore!

Everyone changes as they grow older.  Whether a writer's stories get better or worse often depends on personal tastes.  My greatest hope is that my work becomes popular enough to support me someday, but not so popular that I begin to write boring junk just for the money.  I remember Mickey Spillane once joked that he was going to publish a book containing 200 blank pages, and he'd still sell a million copies the first week.  Yes, that sort of name recognition would be amazing, but it can also change the way you write.

When you can publish anything, no matter the quality or worth, it is the writer's duty to keep their work relevant.  The true character of a writer is therefore judged not only during his struggling years, but after his stardom is struck.  How we handle success is equally as important as how we handle our failures.

I promise, no matter how popular I become, I will not sell out and publish unentertaining tripe.  I'm committed to producing entertaining stories above all else, no matter the money involved.  Therefore, I will forever write escapist garbage!

West of the Warlock: Week 6 (+Numbered Editions)

Last week, I received a large package in the mail.  I'd been expecting it, and ripping it open I found the first copies of West of the Warlock inside!  It was a real thrill to see these first editions in all their splendorific beauty.

With everything unpacked, I set aside the two copies that were mine, and proceeded to sign the other 13.  Each one was numbered as it was signed, to continue my special "Lucky Thirteen" feature.  It's something I have done with every book I've had published, and hope to continue doing in perpetuity.  The first 13 copies I sign get numbered, and the first person to receive each numbered copy gets listed on my website.  It is a rare thing to land one of these beauties.

As per our contractual agreement, I mailed the 13 signed and numbered editions back to Hall Brothers Entertainment, so they can have the honor of selling them.  If you'd like to buy one of the first 13, it'll be through them.  Stay tuned for details.

Okay, Episode 6 of West of the Warlock will be out today, so mosey on over to the HBE webpage to check it out.  This week, Sheriff Doliber finally catches up with his nemesis, the mysterious warlock in black!  A mystical battle royale ensues, and we get to see who really has the power!  Also, new mysteries arise as the villain's would-be victims call upon the sheriff for further help.  All this, and Ron Grimes finds himself a fancy new rifle.  Don't miss The Villain Emergent!