My Life at the Crossroads

Internally, I go through this every single day, and it’s getting pretty tiring. So how about y’all just tell me what to do with my life? I’ll even consider being a professional cabana boy or what-have-you. Just help me find my path. I thank you in advance.

I can hear you calling out
Across the great divide
Right or wrong, there’s a feeling in my heart
I try to follow
But lately I just hide
– “The Great Divide” by Joe Cocker

Don’t Know What’s Inside the Black Box

Check out those acute geography skills in panel one. If only New Jersey and Australia were neighbors, if only. Then I could actually visit Hobbiton and be with my people.

Anyways, Black Box is a multimedia CD publication from Brimstone Press that features short fiction (drabbles, really), artwork, and music from a slew of contributors. To name a few from the author lineup, there’s Lucy Sussex, Mikal Trimm, Jay Caselberg, Lee Battersby, Jason Sizemore, and me, of course.

My published piece is a quick bit of dark flash called “Something” that is another go at the theme of scary shit under the water that I can’t seem to escape in much of my writing. Oh well. It works for some people.

I haven’t tried to run the CD on my aging PC yet, but if it worked there then that would be Irony with a capital i. Will keep all you die-hard fans up-to-date…

Every day ends in wasted motion
Just crossed swords on the killing floor
To settle back is to settle without knowing
The hard edge that you’re settling for
– “Jackson Cage” by Bruce Springsteen

Getting Lost in My Own Worlds

This comic will make a lot more sense if I sell the story it’s drawn around. But don’t hold your collective breaths, people. The publishing business is slower than [fill in your own words], and that means waiting, waiting, and waiting. Either way, let me get lost. It’s kinda fun sometimes.

You said meet me at a quarter to twelve
And I’m standing in the corner
Wishing you were here in my arms
Fare thee well, my old friends
Fare thee well
– “Starlite Diner” by Ryan Adams

Stubborn Writer on Display for the World

Man, I thought writing about writing was boring, but nothing beats drawing about it. Either way, I did get the short story completed before the December 31st deadline for Writers of the Future. So, that’s good. Stubbornness, of course, has its pros and cons. An example of both: it makes me a faster writer/it makes me cranky.

Your mileage may vary.

All that I want is something to believe
And I can’t take much more of
You’re waiting for me to see what times brings
But your relief, it evens the score up
One thing I know, I’ll be fine
This is just the story of my life
– “Will We Ever Know How?” by Valencia

Summing Up Philcon 2008

Oh, and there was a ninja there, too.

Ekaterina Sedia, Neil Clarke, and Mary Robinette Kowal are all wonderfully nice people–go click their names and check out what they do, for what they do is good stuff. So Philcon was fun again, not that I ever go to experience the con-ish things such as panels and live readings. I’m more of a bar-sitter, a watcher and listener, and it’s always nice to catch up with folks.

Granted I still see myself as a minnow with a bad tail and no sense of direction in an ocean of awesomeness at these happenings, but one day, one day I say, someone will get excited over meeting me.

We’ll go there, leave this weakness
Don’t take this from me
We’ll go there, leave this weakness
Cause I have been waiting
– “Mission” by Dispatch

All the Same Words in Politics

Hey, if you can’t wait for this election to be over and done with and just out of our minds say…poppycock.

POPPYCOCK!

And I wish I could tell you that it ended happy
Pretend like his bones weren’t practically snapping
Pretend like her gills didn’t dry up and suffer
But that’s a half dead pirate and a fish out of water
No lie, scouts honor, got a million more
– “The Harbor is Yours” by Aesop Rock

Stressing Out Over a Short Story

The short story in question can be found here: http://www.farragoswainscot.com/2008/8/pigment.html

REMINDER: I’m posting TWO comics a day until the week is over. Check below for an earlier comic!

No lyrics today. Tara is playing Kirby on the SNES in the background, and it has some bouncy, techno-esque tunes. Take that as you will…