Once more inspired by other, more prolific writers, I offer the latest update on my various writing-related stuff:

• The Genesis Protocol - Editorial revisions complete. Revised manuscript delivered to editor on September 1st. Waiting to see if any further revisions are required.
  
• Summon the Thunder - Currently writing this with Kevin. Manuscript due November 1st.
  
• S.C.E. #64: Distant Early Warning - Received licensor's approval of our proposal on August 19th. Manuscript is due January 15th, 2006.
  
• Corps of Engineers #1: Old Soldiers (working title only) - Developing proposal to send to editor. Anticipate delivering this on November 15th.
  
• Original nonSF short story - Sent to market editor on September 17th. Waiting to see if it's accepted or rejected.
  
• Original short story - Outlined and began writing a bit on this, but there's no market picked out, so no deadline. Other stuff with deadlines are taking priority :)
  
• Counterstrike: The Last World War, Book II - Proposal still being shopped to publishers.
  
• Untitled Trek project - Developing proposal with editor, expect to deliver this mid-to-late November.
  
• Trek novel solo project - Awaiting editor feedback on proposal.
  
• Trek novel project with Kevin - Awaiting editor feedback on proposal.
  
• Tie-in project with Kevin - Working to complete proposal.
  
• Tie-in project with Kevin - Sample chapter completed; working to complete proposal.
  
• Two articles for Star Trek Communicator magazine with Kevin - Conducting research and performing other prep work. These are on hold pending word on direction of the magazine.
  
• Non-fiction/non-genre article (or series of articles) for local/regional magazine or newspaper - Researching material for the article(s), researching best markets to place it.
  
• Short Screenplay - submitted to open-call contest on August 26th. Awaiting feedback from the contest judges.
  

I also scribbled a dirty limerick on a truck stop restroom wall. I hear it's up for an award.

Snurched from Keith DeCandido's blog:

You will go to jail for: Stalking Angelina Jolie Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

First, today's update:


Vanguard: Summon the Thunder word count

45,225 / 60,000 (75.0%)

In other news, Bucs 17 - Packers 16. I thought Griese and company were going to put me to sleep in the second half, but it seems the defense once again took seriously the promise it's always offered to the offense: "Score at least 17 points, and leave the rest to us."

I can live with that.

So I'm opening my e-Mail box this morning, and of the fifteen or so messages sitting in there, four are from four different people, telling four different sob stories, but each with the same offer for me: Help me get their money to an American bank, and a big ol' hunk of it can be mine thanks to my generosity.

There appears to be a rash of people with dead relatives in various other countries, or lawyers with deceased clients, who want to secure their departed's money in a nice, safe bank on U.S. soil. Further, I appear to be the only person on the planet who can help these distraught people in their time of need.

All I have to do in order to ease the grief these people are suffering and provide them with that financial anchor they're seeking is to provide all of my personal information, including details on my bank account. You know, to facilitate the electronic funds transfer of much cash to my bank account. Nothing fishy about that, right? Nah. I figure with all the cash that's seemingly available from these offers, if I were to respond to every single one of these e-Mails that I've gotten in the past six months, I could buy Microsoft out from under Bill Gates and hand it to a 13-year-old kid, who I'd then pay to rewrite the Windows software so it actually -- you know -- works.

The sad part about scams like this is that there are boneheads out there who will buy into this nonsense, and get taken for the proverbial ride. The only reason this shit persists is that there's a success rate decent enough to justify people continuing to fish for new victims.

That, and those perpetuating the schemes are oozing, festoring sores on the STD-ridden genitals of life.

And since we're talking genitals...

...it's been weeks since somebody offered to make my penis larger. I'm starting to feel self-conscious. Ditto the too-good-to-be-true no hassle mortgages. And what about the cheap drugs? What happened to those e-Mails?

Where are you, my self-appointed guardians of health, home, and pharmaceutical security?

It's obvious to me that I'm in the wrong line of work.

If that's what you want to call it.


Vanguard: Summon the Thunder word count

40,802 / 60,000 (68.0%)

Suffice it to say that it was one of those weekends, between getting estimates to get my truck fixed after someone rear-ended me last week, my wife getting paged for a SAR call in the middle of the night and which turned out to be a hoax, to just plain mental quicksand.

I did work a bit on the proposal for what will be the first installment of the revamped Star Trek: Corps of Engineers series, so the day wasn't a total waste.


At least my boyz won: Bucs 19 - Bills 3. It was ugly (unless your name is Cadillac Williams), but I'll take it!

Put a short story in the mail today. It's to a small local market, but as the story I wrote takes place in a prominent Kansas City landmark, I figure they might at least be interested. I've been doing more and more looking into local and regional small(er) presses of late, and I can't really explain why. I've read several novels and collections of short fiction written by authors from the KC area and/or published by smaller presses in this part of the country this past year, and I feel like I'm missing out on something different, interesting, challenging, and fun.

Guess we'll see how it works out.

In other news, Star Trek: S.C.E. editor Keith R.A. DeCandido dropped some interesting infonuggets late yesterday, about not only the future of the series but also other Trek in e-Book form. He's posted the info in various online venues, but you can check out all the sordid details at his blog.

Knowing what I know about these new developments, all I can say at this early juncture is that I feel warm and tingly all over....

First, today's obligatory progress report:


Vanguard: Summon the Thunder word count

39,286 / 60,000 (65.0%)

Also, I found out today that The Genesis Protocol is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com. Feel free to order lots of copies. They'll make fantastic Christmas gifts, assuming you're of a mind to get a headstart on next year's holiday shopping.


Oh, and before I forget: Bucs 24 - Vikings 13. The NFL season is officially underway, boys and girls!

The third and final installment of Jackie Bundy's article on the new Star Trek: Vanguard series of novels from Pocket has been posted on Sci Fi Pulse. This portion of the article delves into what's coming up with the series including a peek into the second book, Summon the Thunder written by Kevin and me, as well as our S.C.E./Vanguard crossover story, Distant Early Warning.

Thanks very much to Jackie for the article. Enjoy!

Well, the short story I sent to an open-call anthology back in July finally came back rejected. To quote the editor, "your story -- while it has many merits -- doesn't quite fit what we are seeking to include in the anthology."

Ah, well. Such is the writer's life. Maybe somebody else will like it. Off it goes to the next market once I get myself organized.

Despite the chaos that was my weekend, during which dayjob work played a significant part, I managed to salvage one day and get some writing done.


Vanguard: Summon the Thunder word count

35,374 / 60,000 (58.0%)

Editor Marco Palmieri is reporting over at Pocket Books that the Star Trek anthology Tales of the Dominion War, edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido and featuring -- among other and better short stories -- "Field Expediency" by Kevin and myself, is going back to press for a fifth printing!

Boo-yah.

Check out the news blurb from Sci-Fi Wire about editor John Ordover and the new line of Phobos Impact titles he's overseeing for Phobos Books. One of the books in this line will, of course, be The Genesis Protocol.

The first two titles in the line, Dragon America, Book One: Revolution by Mike Resnick and City Knights: All Eve's Hallows by Dean Wesley Smith, are already available for order from Amazon.com.

Pretty sweet, eh?