Twitter is dangerous. I read a tweet from another writer yesterday which led me to an article about travel which led me to a site about travel items which led me to a site of travel apparel which led me to this site, and now I’m thinking I cannot live without one of their travel vests.
Any thoughts?
Because of a quirk of scheduling at the DayJob, I’m taking today off instead of my usual Wednesday. In theory, yesterday’s day of sloth has put me in the perfect frame of mind to accomplish massive amounts of writing. No, seriously.
Nathan asked me to try using cuts in the new website, so we’ll see if this works
Today marks the “official” relaunch of my website: lawrencemschoen.com.
Now coming to you courtesy of WordPress (and the heroic efforts of Nathan Lilly of Green Tentacles fame).
Currently, posts to this site will cross post to my LJ journal account and my Twitter feed (username in both cases: klingonguy), and eventually to Facebook as well.
In the months ahead, I’ll be adding a Freebies page (ePubs and MP3s of some of my short fiction), a BWOP page (PDF translations of the 1st Amazing Conroy story, part of my plan for world domination), a Podcast (for people learning the Klingon language), and a Photo Gallery.
More stuff too, as I figure more of this stuff out.
One of the things I especially like about working with Eric T. Reynolds of Hadley Rille Books is my involvement in the cover design.
If I were an author for a “big” press, I doubt I’d have any say whatsoever. And we’ve all seen the covers of books where there’s a group of people who are supposed to be characters from the novel, but everything from physique to hair color to skin color is wrong, weapons and gear and clothing are anachronistic or simply out of character, or the particular assortment of people displayed never actually are all together anywhere in the damn book.
I don’t know if Eric does this for all his authors (and I hope I’m not getting him or me in trouble when I say this), but when it comes to the covers for my books he asks me what I’d like. Seriously. I work with him and the artist to come up with something that satisfies all of us. And not just at the beginning stage. I see and provide feedback on everything from the preliminary sketches on up to a discussion of typeface and color choice for the titling.
That’s insane! And don’t think that I’m not incredibly grateful for it.
Part of it is having an editor/publisher that you can talk with, honestly, openly. Thanks, Eric. Part of it is working with the same incredible artist for years now, through three publishers. Thanks, Rachael. Okay, and maybe part of it is that while researching hypnosis as part of writing about the Amazing Conroy I discovered the secrets of diabolical mind control and… wait… nevermind… let’s not go there.
The reason for all this gratitudinous  waxing — hey, it’s a perfectly cromulent new word, and if you use it you need to send me a dollar — is that I’ve just sent in my druthers for what the cover of my second novel (and third book) from HRB will look like. I think you’re going to love  it.
Sharp eyed readers of my LiveJournal may have noticed a notice at the top of recent posts telling them that it was originally published at my website and to leave comments there.
The reason is simple enough: webmaestro Nathan Lilly is giving my site an overhaul and moving it to WordPress. We’re still not done, but we are to the point where I can make posts there and have them cross-posted to LiveJournal and so that’s what I’ve been doing. Only… so far none of them have garnered any comments. And, being the insecure and paranoid person that I am, I’m wondering if that’s because no one has felt a need to comment, or because the commenting thingie isn’t working right.
So, if you wouldn’t mind, please humor me (and feed my ego) and help me test this situation by posting a comment. Thanks.
Singer-songwriter Marian Call, known for her work inspired by Firefly and Battlestar Galactica, is touring the lower forty-eight, and courtesy of SpaceWesterns.com she’ll be appearing in Philadelphia on October 15th. The venue is Lucy’s Hat Shop at 7pm.
More details can be found by following this link at SpaceWesterns.
I’m thinking of starting up a very very short, daily podcast, tentatively titled DaHjaj mu’.
The intention is to provide five minutes of daily Klingon, introducing a new word each day, defining it, using it in a few sentences, and showing it off.
As I said, I’m thinking about it. I’d need to practice a bit with the software, work out the particulars with my webmaster, and also build up a backlog of the files.
But I do like the idea.
As revealed at Lunacon 2010, I have been tapped to be the Author Guest of Honor at the 2011 Lunacon in Rye Brook, NY. While I’ve had the honor of being a GoH at conventions numerous times in the past, it has always been for my efforts with the Klingon language and not because of my work as a writer. I am, as my British friends would say, extremely chuffed!
Another piece of this news that makes it all the more special is that Lunacon’s Artist GoH or 2011 will be the very talented Rachael Mayo, who has provided the covers for all three Amazing Conroy chapbooks, as well as that gorgeous wrap-around cover from my novel Buffalito Destiny. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the convention committee doesn’t entice Rachael to do some promotional art for the convention, and that it will include a buffalo dog or two (possibly one sitting on — or eating part of — a crescent moon).
Yes, it’s going to be all-buffalito all-the-time at that convention (well, okay, expect Rachael to slip in a dragon here or there too).
