Chapter Thirteen… and Epilogue

Illustration by Adriel Begay

What are you doing here? Don’t read the blogpost yet! Read Chapter Thirteen, Night of the Werefox, first. Then, read the Epilogue. No, I’m serious, read it. Then, come back, and read the rest of this post.

Welcome back. Welcome to the end. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading Little Lost Dogs as I had writing it. I hope you’ve enjoyed Adriel Begay’s illustrations as much as I have. I’ve spent so much time focused on writing the book, editing the book, setting up the site, and making it run (relatively) smoothly, that I don’t think it ever really clicked with me that this was it. It’s done. It’s out there. Anyone in the world with internet access can read my book now, for free.

Of course, there’s still work left to do. I’d like to make the book available to purchase for eReaders. Somewhere, in the far off future, there’s the possibility of a dead-tree edition that you can take on an airplane and read even when all electronic devices must be turned off. One or two of you reading this have expressed a desire to read more about Reggie and Sam. I must admit, I like that idea.

So please, watch this space. I’ll keep blogging. I’ll keep watching monster movies. I’ll keep you all updated on my next writing project.

Until next time.

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NaNoWriMo Day Two

Today’s [EDIT: Yesterday's progress. This should have posted on the 2nd] progress report: I’ve broken 6,000 words, more than 1/10th of my monthly goal. Not bad for two days’ work. This first story is turning out to be, well, wouldn’t you like to know?

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NaNoWriMo Day One

This year I’m engaging in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I’m not exactly playing by the rules, as I’m using pre-existing characters (Reginald LaKino et al), and writing short stories rather than a novel. I think this qualifies me as a “NaNo Rebel.” Or not.


Today’s progress report: I’ve broken 3,000 words (out of the NaNoWriMo official goal of 50,000 in the month of November), and found myself googling for the nutritional value of blood. Did you know lamb’s blood contains 17.4 grams of protein in every 100 pound serving? Or that it contains 212% of your daily allotment of Iron? And all with only 75 calories and almost no fat. No wonder Dracula stays young and beautiful!

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October’s Full Moon, and Makeup Movies

I forgot to announce it (I’ve really been out of the habit of blogging) but my wife and I watched The Wolfman (the Lon Chaney, Jr. version) for this month’s Full Moon Monster Movie. To make up for the fact that we missed last month, we also re-watched Shaun of the Dead earlier this month, with a couple of our friends. I’ll try to get a third monster movie in for October, and post all three reviews here as soon as possible.

I’m going to do a site-rearrangement soon, and I hope to get back to blogging. I’m going to be participating in this year’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) as a NaNo “Rebel.” More details to come. Hopefully the writing fury that is NaNoWriMo will rub off on the blog.

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Full Moon Failure

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Life happens, and we missed the full moon this month. I didn’t just forget to blog about it, my wife and I were unable to observe our monthly tradition due to a family emergency. I’m thinking of ways to make it up to you all in October.

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Blogroll Roll Call #8: Adventures in Querying

Today, I’ll be recommending to you a blog by a friend of mine, Melissa. That intro may seem familiar, but this is a different Melissa. This time, I’m featuring Melissa Dickerson‘s blog, Adventures in Querying. The previous Melissa writes non-fiction. This Melissa writes fiction. The first five pages of her first novel, Something To Hide are available here. If you are a literary agent, or know someone who is, please take a look. Something to Hide is an exciting tale from the very first sentence. Melissa has a knack for realism that keeps the story grounded, even when the more fantastical elements of the plot begin to rear their heads. There’s one image in particular that I can’t get out of my mind. I won’t say more, after all, the book is called Something to Hide.

Why I Bookmarked It
Much like the previous Melissa, I’ve known Melissa Dickerson for years, primarily through H2G2. Back then, H2G2 was definitely a place where you could stretch your imagination, and Melissa definitely hung out with some of the craziest of us. Additionally, I believe that links on an old college-hosted website of hers may be partially responsible for my webcomic addiction. It was only natural for me to bookmark her blog.

Why I Still Read It
Adventures in Querying is about Melissa’s quest towards publication. She’s currently seeking the representation of a literary agent to help get Something to Hide published. The process is nail biting to follow. Anyone who has ever obtained an agent, or failed to obtain an agent knows this. Of course, getting rejected by agents is only the first round. Once she finds an agent, she needs to be ready to get rejected by publishers. Having read her book, I know that it’s worth publishing, and I’m interested to see how it’s received.

Why You Should Read It
Melissa has a sharp sense of humor, even in the face of adversity. Anyone who is interested in getting published should follow her blog, to see what the rejection process is like. Anyone who thinks getting published is easy should follow her blog, to learn just how wrong they are. Anyone who happens to be a publisher or a literary agent should follow her blog because… wait. If I have publishers and literary agents following my blog, why am I sending them all to Melissa? Have I no self-preservation instinct? I’d love to hear from you, too!

Anyway, as I was saying, check out my Melissa’s blog, her website, and the ”excerpt from her novel. Follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

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Little Lost Dogs: Moving Into Phase Two

My wife and I spent the weekend up at the Grand Canyon. For me, it was a good way to unwind after a stressful week at work, and posting the last chapter of Little Lost Dogs. For her, it was a two day break from the two week mandatory training she’s attending at the Grand Canyon. Her job is awesome in many ways.

We had a great time, spending more money and eating more than we should have at El Tovar Lodge, visiting some of the on-site museums, and hiking. Did you know that not every trail at the Grand Canyon leads to the bottom? It’s true. The trail we took was sparsely populated, especially compared to the South Kaibab trail. It seemed less steep than the South Kaibab, too. No, I’m not going to post the name of the trail here. I want it to remain uncrowded and idyllic, for when I return.

I’m wondering about many things as this website enters into a new phase. At the moment, I’m wondering whether it was a mistake not to get a table at Copper Con this coming weekend. On the one hand, it’s a book-oriented convention, it profiles local authors, and it’s theme this year seems to be monsters. A book about a werecoyote detective, would seem to fit in perfectly. On the other hand, I don’t have any merchandise right now: no dead tree copies of the book, no prints of Adriel’s art, no t-shirts printed up to look like Reggie’s.

Which leads me to the next thing I’m wondering about: are you all interested? How many of you would want a shirt like the one Reggie wears in the Chapter One image?

Illustration by Adriel Begay
How about Chapter Twelve?
Illustration by Adriel Begay
How many of you would come to a convention if you knew I was going to be there, selling stuff? What kind of stuff would you like to see me selling?

I know you all are out there, so this is your chance to be heard. Either respond in the comments below, or at info@greenbanditpress.com.

Until Next Time

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Blogroll Roll Call #7: Pop Culture Academic

Today, I’ll be recommending to you a blog by a friend of mine, Melissa. I should be more specific. You see, among my friends, “Melissa” is one of the two most common names. It’s up there with variations on “Sara/Sarah.” Actually, trying to narrow things down just makes things more confusing. She’s one of two Melissas who live near where my wife works. She’s also one of two Melissas I know through the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fansite/ social networking predecessor H2G2. Maybe I should just let Melissa describe herself:

I am, in no particular order, a historian of medieval and early modern Europe, pre-modern world history, and the history of monotheism, the mother of a teenager, a bar manager, beer snob, cat owner (not by choice), former university admin insider, adjunct community college instructor, and a goofball.

I read sci fi and fantasy for fun, and papal bulls for work. I am the mother of The D, a highly artistic, seriously goofy, teenager with ADHD and trichotillomania. I wouldn’t trade her for the world!

Why I Bookmarked It
As I’ve said above, Melissa is a friend of mine. She’s recently moved to a town only an hour’s drive away from where I live, but I’ve known her for about a decade at this point.

Why I Still Read It
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: being a friend gets you bookmarked, but it doesn’t keep you there. Melissa’s posts are entertaining, insightful, and fairly frequent. They offer glimpses into the world of Academia. They also give the reader a look into Melissa’s unique political outlook, her personal life, and her cooking. Yes, longtime readers will know that the most surefire way to keep me reading a blog is to occasionally post something like this.

Why You Should Read It
If you’re not convinced to read Melissa’s blog based on everything I’ve posted above, I would like to recommend to you her Twitter feed. Normally, I don’t recommend Twitter feeds alone, but for Melissa, I’ll make an exception. She regularly begins Tweets with “Dear Student.” These are the Tweets you want, no, need to read. This is where she says those things a teacher wishes she could say out loud… but can’t.

Dear Student, when I asked for someone you admire from history, I meant a person. ‘God’ is not, as far as I know, a human being.

Dear Student, maybe you should read the syllabus, eh?

I’m hoping she might someday write a book.

Until next time.

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August’s Full Moon Part 2

There’s a new Full Moon Monster Movie post about Nosferatu here. I hope to have a new Blogroll Roll Call up by some time tomorrow.

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Chapter Twelve, and Sorry for the Lack of Blogging

Illustration by Adriel Begay

Well now, isn’t that a friendly looking welcoming committee? It’s Chapter Twelve of Little Lost Dogs, Reggie Learns a Lesson. By werecoyote standards, Reggie’s not yet an old dog. Maybe he’ll learn a new trick?

I’m sorry I haven’t done any blogging this week. I owe you a Full Moon Monster Movie post, and a few Blogroll Roll Calls. I should have a few other news items next week, too. So stay tuned!

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