Merry Lughnasadh, Everyone!

Today (I've discovered) is the Gaelic holiday of Lughnasadh, originally celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and marking the start of the harvest season or "first fruits." (In case you were wondering, the other three seasonal holidays are Samhain, Beltane, and Imbolc.) And judging by my Meetup.com list of things in New York today, there are at least 12 witches, Wiccans, or Neo-pagans in Manhattan who are celebrating. To them I say enjoy the bilberries, and have a bracing climb up the mountain.

FYI - TWS Is Now in Amazon's Top 100 for-

Arthurian fantasy. #48, to be exact.

So there's that.

First Sale!

Yep, TWS has had its first sale in the new format - less than 24 hours since it went live on Amazon. Next step, creating a genuine paperback book in addition to these electro-particle compositions...

As Promised, We're Back!

As of this morning, the new edition of The Wrong Sword is up and active on Amazon, and for only $2.99! Some of you know I was a little concerned that all the positive responses from the prior incarnation of TWS wouldn't translate...but after some earnest conversation with Amazon, those lovely reader reviews have started popping up already.

"Are there any changes?" you ask, half in fear, half in dread. "Have you become drunk with power, and tampered with the awesomeness that is TWS?" Fear not, Dear Reader - the only changes have been for the better. Like the new cover. Check that out, to the left. Snazzy, amirate?

Also, for the very first time, there will be a print version of TWS, through CreateSpace, Amazon's print-on-demand arm. And in the weeks to come, TWS will make its way to Barnes & Noble, Apple, and the other major eBook outlets. There will also be some promotions and such on their way as I start to play with the indie-pub possibilities.

If you're super-alert, you might have noticed that I've moved back to my real name, too. Not as euphonious, perhaps - but so much easier come tax day.

And now the $64,000 Question:

WILL THERE BE MORE HENRY & EXCALIBUR?

Answer: Yes. Yes, there will.
But...

 I've got the sequel, Hero's Army, basting in my mental oven. How long it takes for that bird to cook all the way through, get all juicy and succulent, depends to a certain degree on how much people like the first one. The more folks buy TWS, the more incentive I have to focus on Hero's Army and not on some of my other projects, like Conjure Man, New York Soliloquies, and, oh, I don't know...actually doing the stuff that buys groceries.

Hint, hint.
Wink, wink.
Nudge, nudge.

I KNOW! Subtle, right?

The Wrong Sword News #1

Yay! It turns out that when TWS was first published, the publisher purchased an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) for it. This is good news. It means the number is still there (978-1-61937-195-8, in case you were wondering) and favorable comments online in places like Amazon and BN.com are still tied to it. It also means that when I republish it, I can do so using my real name instead of my pen name...which I've decided is kind of pointless.

Hooray!

The New Cover for "The Wrong Sword"

Not quite done yet, but very close...

The Last Coffee Update: French Press vs. Percolator - WHO WILL WIN?

Percolator. Here's why:

The Wanker's Guide to Confederate Symbols

So...for people who can't seem to understand the boundaries between public and private:

1. Yes, remove Confederate symbols from official government institutions. Because they represent *all* the people, you wankers.
2. No, don't force people not to display Confederate symbols, because the First Amendment, you wankers.
3. You have a right to be a wanker.
4. You have no right to force me to participate in your wankery via taxes and government institutions.
5. I have no right to force you NOT to be a wanker in your own home, on your own time, in your own person. Because then, I would be the wanker.

We clear?
Wank off.

For My Cat-Fancying Friends...

...this translation of an anonymous Ninth Century poem, in Old Irish, from a monk to his pet cat.

The scholar and his cat, Pangur Bán

(from the Irish by Robin Flower)

I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill-will,
He too plies his simple skill.
'Tis a merry task to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!
So in peace our task we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.

https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/pangur-ban.html

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GOOOOOOOOD MORNING, VIETNAM INTERNET FRIENDS!

As I mentioned a few months ago, my publisher went belly up, leaving The Wrong Sword a little stranded. But never fear! I'll be publishing TWS in about a month, and following up with other offerings - promotions, flash fiction, genre fiction, even...a sequel! If you want to be part of the fun and frolic, sign up for the newsletter - Mendelssohn's First...

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