Last night, while trying to get my e-Mail downloaded from the POP-based server, my computer decided to reboot of its own accord. As a consequence, I lost the dozen or so messages that were on their way to my PC when that occurred.

Therefore, if you sent me an e-Mail anytime between, say, 5pm-8pm Eastern Time on the 29th, I didn't get it.

Man, I really wanted to read how I could pocket 35% of some 5-million dollar estate from South Africa, too. And don't even get me started on how crestfallen I am that I missed my daily allotment of cheap drug ads and deals on lengthening my penis. It's just not a day on the Internet unless someone offers to lengthen your penis, after all.

I'm gonna write "penis" here one more time, just to get the hat trick.

What a fun time we had at this year's Trek Expo down in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Got to hang with Keith DeCandido and made a whole batch of new friends. It was a blast, and we hope to see some of these folks again soon -- either at next year's Expo or perhaps another con. In particular, John Harper and his con staff as well as fellow authors Michael Vance and R.A. Jones -- to say nothing of several members of Keith's loyal following -- made us feel like part of the family and treated us far better than we probably deserved.

No, scratch that. There's no "probably" about it.

I'm told that pictures of the event are forthcoming. I'll see about posting some when I get them.

That should send some folks screamin' for the hills....

Today marks the start of the annual Trek Expo in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kevin and I will be heading down there once I can make my escape from work.

In addition to more genre movie and TV guests than you can shake a stick at, Bubba and I will be hanging out with fan-favorite Trek author Keith R.A. DeCandido. Keith's already down there, scoping out the area and providing us with vital intel as we make our way south.

Hopefully, he won't drink all the beer before we get there.

So, hey! If you're planning to attend the con, be sure to stop by our table. We'll be there all weekend, and if the current activities schedule holds, we're also going to be doing a Q&A with Keith on Sunday morning.

See you there!

The Funniest Thing I've Read This Week.

Land of the free, and all that.

For those of you who are in the area, today is the day Kevin and I are holding a book signing at the Leawood Barnes & Noble, located in Town Center Plaza. The store is going to have plenty of copies of Breakdowns, maybe along with some of our other stuff. If you're in the area and shopping for Dad, come by and say "Yo!"

First, the good news.

Got word today that Paramount has approved the outline for the new Trek novel Kevin and I will be writing. They didn't even ask us to change anything. How's that for sweet?

Now, the bad news.

I'm still not allowed to tell you, both of my faithful readers, anything about it, except to say that it'll be out sometime next year.

Okay, here's one more hint: It'll be about 100,000 words long.

There, I've said too much already.

Just to show that I don't want to use this space to beat my drum when things go well, here's a note from the other side of the fence.

I got a rejection letter in the mail today, from a literary magazine for a short story I sent them in the hopes of getting into their annual issue. Hey, it was a nice note with a handwritten comment to please send them more stuff, and I fully intend to take them up on it. In the meantime, I'll drop this story into the mail and send it on its way to another market for which I think it might be suited.

Yes, indeedy, rejections can, do, and will continue to happen.

Such is one writer's life.

Been a busy couple of days.

Hey, today is Bubba's birthday. Give the boy a shout out if you think about it.

As for writing updates: First, Kevin and I have gotten the green light to start work on our next full-length novel project, so I've started playing around with the opening chapter for that. I can't offer any details on this just yet, at least not until the editor gives us the A-OK to start blabbing. The manuscript's due November 1st, so right now it looks like we've got plenty of time. Now that I've said that, however, Murphy (of Murphy's Law fame) will no doubt show up to bite me right on my optimistic ass.

Started getting editor's notes back from John Ordover at Phobos Books on the manuscript I turned in for The Genesis Protocol. So far, the revisions are nothing major, and his early take on the book is that he digs it. Yay me! This one is still slated for a January 2006 release.

Still waiting for the go-ahead on Distant Early Warning, our latest installment for the Star Trek: S.C.E. series. Our benevolent editor, Keith R.A. Decandido, has already told us he's gonna look kindly on us with regard to manuscript due dates and such, as he knows about our other commitment.

Last night, I finished a sample chapter for another media tie-in project for which Kevin and I are hoping to pitch. As my wife's a fan of the show on which the books are based, I'm letting her take a first stab at reading it. If she likes it, then we're in, right?

Started on my half of a new short story that Kevin and I are writing today. It's also a media tie-in project, this time for a new role-playing game. We're doing this one as much for fun as anything else, simply because we dig the game concept so much and the folks creating it are geek fanboys just like us who are very excited about tie-in fiction aspects for their games. We'll spill more on this when the time's right.

And before you ask, still no word on the status of any sequel to The Last World War. Trust me, I'll jumping and barking all over the place as soon as I get some new info.

Okay, back to work. That short story ain't gonna write itself, after all.

Kilian Melloy over at wigglefish.com has offered up his review of Breakdowns, the seventh Star Trek: S.C.E. compilation. Thanks for the review, Kilian!

Man, but I love these things, as I'm always on a quest to find the dumbest human on the planet. Sent to me by a friend:

The following mind-boggling attempt at a crime spree in Washington USA appeared to be the robber's first (and last), due to his lack of a previous record of violence, and his terminally stupid choices:

1. His target was H&J Leather & Firearms. A gun shop specializing in handguns.
   
2. The shop was full of customers -- firearms customers.
   
3. To enter the shop, the robber had to step around a marked police patrol car parked directly in front of the store.
   
4. A uniformed officer was standing at the counter, having coffee before work.
   

Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a holdup, and fired a few wild shots from a .22 target pistol. The officer and the clerk behind the counter promptly returned fire, the police officer with a 9 mm Glock 17, the clerk with .50 Desert Eagle, assisted by several customers who also drew their guns, several of whom also fired.

The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt in the exchange of fire. Here we are in the middle of March and we already may have the 2005 winner of the Darwin Award.

This guy is going to be hard to beat.

Of course, my prime concern with this story is that out of 47 rounds, only 23 hit their target. I'm a firm believer that "gun control" means being able to hit what you aim at, so I'm appalled at the lack of accuracy demonstrated by a gang of self-styled gun experts.

As for the robber? Hey, one more parking space for me the next time I go to Wal-Mart.

So, you want to write a Star Trek story? Maybe you even want to get paid for it? Well, today is your lucky day.

Today marks the start of the ninth annual Star Trek: Strange New Worlds writing contest. Pocket Books is looking for stories from new writers with a passion for Star Trek and who have always had that dream of seeing their story in print.

The complete rules for this year's contest are included in Strange New Worlds 8, which should be hitting bookstores any time now. I've also included the rules, along with various hints and other (hopefully) helpful advice, right here on my website in a special area I've set up.

For those of you entering this year's contest: Good Luck!