Lotsa Happenings!

Well, that's how it seems, at least.

No news on the big project as yet.  Just wanted that out there first.  When that happens, I'll let you all know.

I do have some news to share, though.  I've been doing Bolts & Nuts for Project Fanboy for a little more than seven months now.  Weekly, for seven months.  I'd call that something of an accomplishment.  I'm proud of it.

But one of the bombshells that was dropped on me was the fact that I was linked to.  Bolts & Nuts was linked to at Blog@Newsarama, by the managing editor of Oni Press.  Go read it.  He called us eloquent.

That's a bit of a big thing for me.  There are times when I forget that the internet is huge, because I'm just talking to the same people on the sites.  However, when the managing editor of a quality company links to you (and Mark Waid, to be fair), saying that he would have written sooner, but every time he goes to write, he finds another person writing eloquently about it, and links to you, that's something of a big deal.  Will it push the readership up?  Possibly.  Dunno.  Will it get my stories seen by others when the time comes?  Possibly.  Dunno.  Does it make me excited?  Poss--  Heh.  Yes.  I'm still waiting for the day when someone tells me that the information I'm giving is wrong, but it's been eight months, and it hasn't happened yet.  The internet is full of people who are more than ready to tell you you're wrong, but I've only met a few that have said that the material is of quality.

Am I looking for validation?  Sure.  I'm a writer, and writers need that validation to tell them they're worth a damn (or not).  Yes, I'm here to help people, but it's also nice when your peers (or those to whom you'd like to be peers with) say that you're doing good work.  

In his post about the job of an editor, Mark Waid used the phraseology "bolts and nuts."  Now, I purposely named the column Bolts & Nuts because I wanted it to be familiar, yet a little unusual, while still giving title to the overall thrust of the column.  We all know that it's "nuts and bolts" that gets all the play, and I played on that.  Did Mark Waid use that particular phrase in acknowledgement of my column?  I have no idea.  Could I ask him?  Sure.  Would it make a difference?  Not to anyone besides me.  Maybe eventually, when I pitch something to him.

But yes, that link has me jazzed.  I have a link to myself in my signature at Digital Webbing, and a link here to the blog, but Ron Montgomery also has a link to B&N in his signature at DW, telling people to read me.  I found that both unsettling and nice.  Unsettling because it wasn't something I was expecting.  To my mind, in order for someone to put something in their signature, they have to feel strongly about it, therefore, Ron feels strongly about the column to endorse it like that.  

It's humbling, really.  It gives more weight to the responsibility I already feel to make sure that the column is relevant, not to mention continues to come out weekly.  Seven monts is a long time, and I'm still nowhere near out of material.  

I'm also being interviewd by Richard Vasseur of Jazma Online!  This is the first time I've ever been interviewed, and it has me jazzed!  I've really done one other interview, and that was a few years ago.  That was done with Tom Brevoort (yes, that Tom Brevoort), and like this one, it was through e-mail.  However, that was me interviewing him.  This one is all about me, baby!  

But what does this do?  I mean, what happens down the road?  Who's going to want to read about little ol' me?  Honestly, I don't think that I'm that interesting.  I'm a writer, so I live in my head.  How is that intersting?  It's not as if I'm going to be giving any secrets away here, is it?  

I have a story idea!!!  It's about...right.  Like that.  I really do have a story idea (several, in fact), but it needs to be fleshed out first.  I have other things I need to get out, as well.

However, I'm hoping the interview leads somewhere.  What I'd really like is to see Bullet Time completed, and it would be awesome if that were to happen because of it. 

What I'm really hoping for with all of this, though, is increased readership, more interviews, a few editing gigs, and maybe a writing gig, creator owned or not.

Speaking of which, I have another guy who asked me if I'd be interested in playing around in his world.  We're talking story specifics now.  That would be cool.  

FiveTales should also be launching in March.  I have some work cut out for me on that front.  It should be fun, though, and should keep me from getting into too much trouble with taking on other things. 

I'm getting better at lettering, to boot.  That makes me pretty happy, to tell the truth.  I'm learning, and as long as I continue to improve, that's all I can really ask for.  No, I'm not going to get so deep as to start creating my own fonts or things like that.  No logo creation for me.  I'll leave that to the experts.  Just let me write my stories, possibly letter them if it doesn't hurt too much, and I'll be happy with that.

In real life news, Lenora's birthday is coming up.  There's going to be a party for her on Saturday, and I'm trying to take Sunday off.  I have a personal day coming to me, but I have to jump through some hoops in order to take it, which sucks.  It's a use it or lose it type of deal, and I'm not to thrilled about having to jump through a hoop in order to use what was freely given.  It's like saying "Here's a glass of water, but before you drink it, I want you to go move a few dozen tables.  Then you can enjoy your water, free of charge.  You've earned it."  

But, my wife's going to be fifty.  Five zero.  Sure, it's just a number, but still, it's magical.  

And we had our first real semi-argument.  We're getting over it.  It was eggshell walking for a day, but we're getting better.  There was no right or wrong, we don't disagree about things like that.  But after going on six years, for this to be even a semi-argument, I think we're doing pretty well.  No, I don't think the honeymoon is over.  It's only over when you think it's over.  To quote a commercial I found funny in the 90s, "Nothin's over, I just need somethin' to drink!"  (Name that without using the 'net, and you're good!)

Back to comics: I have another potential editing gig or three on the horizon.  Just waiting to hear back now.  We'll see what happens (but at least one of them should be relatively soon).  

And now, up above , is a teaser for Group.  Let me know what you think.

Now, go watch some movies made by Hammer Productions.  You'll be glad you did.

-Steven