MIRRORMAZE is a very cool anthology with a deft literary framework surrounding the diverse stories. It’s a dreampunk anthology of mind-melting SFF from editor Cliff Jones Jr. and Fractured Mirror Publishing, released on December 8, 2020. I’ve read the galley, and now I have print copies in my hands. The anthology is a great collection…
Read More Mirrormaze has launchedI’m building covers for the self-published version of my M/M erotic romance space opera MORO’S PRICE. Bear in mind, I’m still finessing the art placement and text on both covers. Cover #1 links in some themes from the story (faceted diamond, star-field, male fighter in silhouette), but I still think it looks a little too…
Read More New Covers for Moro’s PriceAfter getting the rights back recently, I’m self-publishing my 103,000-word fantasy quest novel THE PURIST through Draft2Digital. When his wife is outcast from humanity, the last bard of a dying race thwarts a secret war and ancient gods to rejoin her. I made some minor revisions from the version that came out in summer 2018…
Read More Republishing THE PURISTAfter five satisfactory years, NineStar Press and I are temporarily parting ways. I’ve enjoyed working with this vital LGBTQIA publisher, and plan to do so again with new work in the future. That means that my space opera MORO’S PRICE, my fantasy THE PURIST, and my contemporary erotic romance MAESTRO are temporarily unavailable, until I…
Read More Unpublished and PublishedFor the last month I’ve been drafting a blog post about the organization called Romance Writers of America. I keep having to add new stuff. So I’ll get this out there now. A month ago I would have told you “The RWA (Romance Writers of America) is a storied professional organization with a lot of…
Read More The RWA MeltdownI’ve had a couple of blog posts over the years about Alis Franklin’s take on Norse mythology, Loki legends, and responsible LGBTQIA storytelling. Alis has updated and self-published those works, so go have fun. Link here. New covers, new material, squee! Not feeding an irresponsible beast of a Big 5 publisher, yay!
Read More An Alis Franklin updateThis one’s a gift to a writer friend of mine, to honor two of his passions. There will be another post plugging his writing once it comes out from his new publisher. The platform for Lynx Engineer is a Hurley hat from 2006, in black cotton with silk-screened white stripes. The ears are made from…
Read More Lynx Engineer HatThis merits breaking out from my usual addition to the ‘Filigree’s Rule’ page. Not all literary agents are equal! It’s a truth in current publishing markets, that an author in possession of a decent manuscript should at least try to find an a literary agent BEFORE approaching publishers. I still stand by that, even though…
Read More Another #AgentFail, or Money For NothingWhat happened: The celebrated M/M erotic romance publisher Dreamspinner Press appears to be heading for a rocky end or a catastrophic re-org. Right now, submit there at your own risk. I’ve been holding off this particular post for over a year. I don’t have any books with Dreamspinner, and I wanted to give both the…
Read More Alas, DreamspinnerAfter a couple of decades of dithering around with it, ‘Needle and Sword’ is finally becoming a novella instead of a short story. Possibly a book, since I have a tendency to stuff too much into manuscripts. I’ll be honest: I’m pantsing most of it, since I have no idea how the two larger stories…
Read More Another book cover: Needle and SwordMy brother would not want me to sit still and mourn. Or is that a selfish excuse to keep moving, keep fighting? Survivors’ guilt is a bitch, folks. It sinks in claws and never quite lets go, and makes us second-guess all our impulses. Anyhow, if I want to go anywhere in publishing fiction, it’s…
Read More A book coverI’m a big fan of Channel Awesome’s THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC, its host Doug Walker, and the show’s reviews of (often) older movies: it skewers commercial favorites, shines a light on forgotten classics, and generally advances media critiques in a way I only wish Goodreads & Amazon would allow for books. Doug Walker’s recent review of…
Read More Side characters add sizzle!
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Back in 1992 I waffled around with a short story about a warrior-woman, an embroiderer, and the city they both loved. That became NEEDLE AND SWORD, which was fan-published shortly afterward. I’ve had it on the blog for the longest time. I’m getting ready to take it down, in preparation for releasing a longer, slightly…
Read More Needle And Sword: new covers!A hearty shout-out to Jamie L. Brewer, who did a lovely job reworking some of the problem areas on my website when I didn’t have time and know-how. (Have I mentioned the new job with 50+ hours a week? Or all the fiction I’m trying to finish writing this year? Or the art I have…
Read More Website revamped!A heads-up, dear readers. The Blue Night Blog will be undergoing some much-needed updates in the next few weeks. So if things look a little strange, or the blog is offline, don’t worry. I’ll be back to annoy and dazzle you soon enough. What’s in store? Changes in art: I’ll be updating my RL gallery…
Read More New Things On The HorizonI’ve been so busy with art and a new manufacturing job that I have completely neglected the Blue Night blog. Sorry, folks, I’ll try to carve some time out for bloggy stuff. In the meantime, I really love my job. First, a PSA: If you know someone going through a traumatic and dangerous breakup/divorce/etc, make…
Read More Rants from a neglected blogThe vanity publishing industry has taken a beating the last few years, due to bad publicity (Tate Publishing!) and the ease of self publishing. But there are still plenty of suckers out there so uninformed, lazy, or paranoid enough to make easy prey for the remaining vanity publishers. What’s vanity publishing? In short, a vanity…
Read More Local Interest and Vanity PublishingHow many times have we heard ‘Money doesn’t buy happiness’? At best that’s a warning to value the non-financial things in life. At worst, it’s a ploy to convince poor people to be content with their lot. Money *can* buy opportunity, or the chance to maximize opportunity. It can buy time. Fox mouthpieces mocked Alexandra…
Read More Art On A Kitchen TableWell, podcasts, videos, websites, merch, etc. I’ve added two sites to my Links sidebar under ‘Webcomics & Podcasts’: ‘Stuff To Blow Your Mind’ and ‘Overly Sarcastic Productions’. Stuff is a deeply nerdy and affectionate podcast look at fiction, history, and myth…through a scientific and scholarly lens. It’s great for any fiction writer wanting to get into…
Read More Two Amazing Podcasts For WritersThanks to the wonders of random number generators, we have our winners for the book and jewelry giveaway, celebrating the debut month of my fantasy novel THE PURIST. The two formal runners-up are Green Dragon Artist and Stephanie D. You get a choice of THE PURIST in the ebook formats of Mobi or EPub. (If…
Read More Book and Jewelry Giveaway Winners!