Hey, what do you know? The end of yet another month (where do they all go, anyway?). So, with that in mind, here's the regular end-o-month progress report:

• Summon the Thunder - Pretty much a done deal, corrections and all. Now we wait until July (or late June, depending on the bookstore).
  
  (An excerpt from the book also appears in the back of Dave Mack's new DS9 novel Warpath.)
  
  
• "First, Do No Harm" - for the Constellations anthology. Returned galley corrections to the editor on April 15th. Probably won't see this one again until it's a real book.
  
  
• S.C.E. #64: Distant Early Warning - Editor Keith DeCandido received approval from the licensor, and we're awaiting galleys and any notes from Keith.
  
  
• Things Fall Apart - Mere Anarchy: Book 1 - Turned the manuscript in to Keith on April 2nd. Received feedback from him and the other series writers on April 5th and 6th, and turned in a revised manuscript to Keith on April 12th. At last report, Keith was sending the manuscript on to the licensor for approval.
  
  In related news, the second book, written by Mike W. Barr, is finished and we're all taking a gander at it. I hope to have some comments for the editor today.
  
  
• Corps of Engineers #1: Turn the Page - Received licensor approval on April 14th, and the due date for turning in the manuscript is June 15th, so...uh...Kevin and I are working on it. Really.
  
  
• Enterprise: Mirror Universe project - a novel of approximately 50,000 words or so, with Kevin and I assisting former Enterprise staff writer/producer Mike Sussman with the writing. Manuscript is due August 1st. More on this as details firm up and it's appropriate to share info.
  
  
• Original nonSF short story - Sent to market editor on September 17th. Waiting to see if it's accepted or rejected.
  
  
• Original SF short story - For an open-call anthology. Story sent to editor January 23rd. Waiting to see if it's accepted or rejected.
  
  
• Original short story - Outlined and a partial draft is complete. I've found a market for it, so I've got reason to get it done and out the door. Yee-haw! Other stuff with deadlines are still taking priority.
  
  
• Original SF short story - I've outlined the first short story based in the "universe" of The Last World War. This one's on the back burner as I take care of projects with deadlines. More info to come as I move forward on it.
  
  
• Counterstrike: The Last World War, Book II - Proposal is still in limbo.
  
  
• Trek novel solo project - Awaiting editor feedback on proposal.
  
  
• Trek novel project with Kevin - Awaiting editor feedback on proposal.
  
  
• Tie-in project with Kevin - Kevin has created a third version of this proposal, and is still waiting on me to get off my ass and work on it myself.
  
  
• Trek tie-in project - Nothing much more than a hare-brained idea at this point, I've nevertheless written a five-page proposal for it. Not sure if it ever will see the light of day, but I figure it's good for giving the editor a laugh.
  
  
• Two articles for Star Trek Communicator magazine with Kevin - These are still on hold pending word on direction of the magazine.
  
  
• Non-fiction/non-genre article (or series of articles) for local/regional magazine or newspaper - Got some research done on it, but I still need a market. Might have found one...still need to write that query letter, once I get some breathing room....

Wow. What a day!

A full slate of activities at the MWG Writers Conference today. Kevin and I put on our discussion panel about writing for licensed properties, which was better-attended than I had expected going in. We also participated in a freestyle roundtable session later in the day, pretty much just fielding whatever questions the audience might toss our way.

Continued to meet a lot of fantastic people during the day, among them authors, agents and editors, all of whom were enthusiastic about meeting with the membership and making themselves available to answer all manner of questions in both group and one-on-one settings. All in all it was a fun day.

We therefore offer a huge thank you to Conference Chair (and newly-elected MWG President) Christine Taylor-Butler for inviting us to be a part of the conference, and hope that the people who attended our panel discussions or engaged us in all manner of conversation throughout the day felt it was time well spent.

Tonight marked the start of the 91st annual Missouri Writers Guild writers conference. Though I've been a member of the guild for a few years now, the conference makes the rounds to different parts of the state each year, and with 2006 bringing it to Kansas City it allowed me my first opportunity to attend without having to take vacation days from work.

The evening's activities were interesting, and showcased one of the Guild's strengths, that being the sheer diversity of the membership. Pretty much any genre you can think of was represented, matched in their variety by the group of writers, editors and agents who traveled here to serve as part of the conference faculty. The first of the breakout panel discussions started tonight, as well as the initial "one-on-one" quick meetings between conference attendees and members of the faculty. Much in demand, of course, were the editors and agents (representing agencies from both coasts as well as regional interests), whereas it looks as though the writers will be quite busy on Saturday and Sunday with panels, meetings, etc.

Kevin and I were invited to talk about writing for licensed properties, so that'll be the focus of our panel discussions on Saturday. There are also some sessions we want to attend ourselves, as well as participating in the book signing a few other activities.

So, it's late to bed and early to rise, followed by a full day to come.

Thank God for Mountain Dew. I wonder if I can arrange to have it administered via IV?

Well, we're back from our fourth consecutive Starfest convention, and for the fourth time, I can report with all honesty that I had a total blast. Where the hell did the weekend go?

If I could only list one reason why I love going back to this con each year, it would be the staff. As always, the Walker family and their intrepid crew of volunteers hosted a wonderful con. Also, and as they have each year, they took great care of us (and our wives) all weekend long -- making sure we had a great table in the dealer's room, inviting us to their staff after party, and generally just treating us like members of the family. Despite our very-much accepted status on the con guest food chain and considering the sheer number of tasks, issues or even flat-out crises with which the staff must contend during a typical con weekend (What the hell is a "typical" con weekend, anyway?), they always stand ready to help us at the drop of a hat.

It was great to see friend and fellow writer Christie Golden and her husband Michael again, as well as getting reacquainted with our friends, be they members of the con staff or just good ol' regular folks who coughed up their hard-earned dollars to attend the convention, and took a few minutes out of their busy schedules -- as well as chances to get photos and autographs with favorite stars or attend whatever other activities had drawn them to the show -- to come by our table or check out one of our panels. The number of faces we see from one year to the next continues to grow...far beyond my ability to remember all those names, so once again I thank you kind people for tolerating my eroding memory when you ask me to sign your book.

Speaking of panels, we did two for the Strange New Worlds writing contest, and two more showcasing what Pocket Books has on tap for the rest of 2006 along with a peek into 2007. Both panels seemed to go over pretty well -- despite what we knew was stiff competition from folks like Tricia Helfer, Joe Flanigan, and so on. Ours is a small, but extremely loyal, group of fans, and we love hanging out with ya!

Though circumstances prevented me from actually getting to meet her, I'm still giving props to writer Carrie Vaughn, who also was in attendance and participated in a large part of the con's Horror programming track. Kevin got to talk with her and it's my understanding that she was busy pretty much from start to finish. And for whatever the hell my opinion's worth, I'm also giving a big thumbs-up for her novel, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, and if you're into vampires and werewolves -- particularly when they're pissed at each other -- this might be a book for you. I'm actually very bummed that I wasn't able to say "Howdy!" and get my copy of her book autographed.

Yes, I'm a fanboy, too.

Once more, we shout out to Rex and the crew of I-Sci-Fi.com, who have always been big supporters of us and our work. Be sure to check out their weekly Internet radio show each Thursday!

We tip our hats and offer our thanks to Stephen, KathE, Steve, Mike, Gayle, Susan, Treecy, Phil, Carol, Judy, Kelley, Joseph, Kevin Atkins, and everyone whose name I'm forgetting for once again treating us far better than we deserve. As we told those of you who asked us on Sunday night, we'll keep coming back as long as you keep inviting us.

And when you quit doing that, we'll sneak in the back door or something.

And for those of you reading this and who are looking for a con that brings in great guests, is hosted by a top-shelf staff of dedicated volunteers, and offers up a long, fun weekend of non-stop SF/Fantasy/Horror activities, Starfest might just be the con for you.

The Mrs. and I are heading out for our flight to Denver, and what has become an annual pilgrimage to the yearly Starfest convention. It's basically a weekend full of SF, Fantasy, and Horror programming, featuring guests from movie, TV, and even a few writer folk like myself and Kevin. I'll have plenty of copies of The Genesis Protocol on hand. In addition to panels on the Strange New Worlds writing contest, we'll also be doing a preview of what's coming in the way of Trek books from Pocket for the rest of the year along with a peek into 2007.

Fellow Trek writer Christie Golden will also be there, as well as Carrie Vaughn, whose had a lot of short stories published and whose first novel, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, was released last fall. I just finished reading it the other night and enjoyed the heck out of it, if I do say so myself. I'll be checking out the sequel this summer, and I even ordered a copy of Weird Tales with one of Carrie's short stories featuring the character. Looking forward to meeting her along with all of our Denver friends -- those we know and those we've not yet met -- this weekend.

Maybe we'll see you there!

Received the copyedited manuscript for our story "First, Do No Harm" for the Star Trek: Constellations anthology from editor Marco Palmieri on Friday. Read through it last night, made some tweaks, and sent the notes back to Marco late last night.

So, I suppose you can say I accomplished something yesterday.

Oh, and have I mentioned today how much I love that cover?

On tap for today: a bit of Turn the Page, but also some work on our Enterprise Mirror Universe novel.

'Nuff said, I think.

Turned in a revised manuscript for Mere Anarchy Book 1: Things Fall Apart to series editor Keith DeCandido tonight. The revisions addressed his notes, as well as notes from the other writers on the series.

Next up: Revising our short story for the Constellations anthology. We're also juggling our Enterprise Mirror Universe novel as well as our next S.C.E. novella, Turn the Page.

Somewhere in the midst of all of that, I'd like to get started on the short story I want to write that's set in the universe of The Last World War, and finish another short that's been hanging around too long, waiting for me to get off my butt and finish writing projects that have paychecks attached to them.

I know. I suck.

I was poking around the Simon and Schuster Star Trek website when I stumbled across the final cover for Distant Early Warning, S.C.E. #64, the fourth book in the six-book "What's Past" set of stories, and our ninth contribution to the ongoing e-Book series. Click on the cover for a larger version.

The artwork is by Mike Collins, who has provided all of the artwork for the series starting with #4 (which would of course be Interphase, Book One....Nootch.).

Life as I know it is officially over.

To all her would-be suitors, lining up with the most noble of intentions in fifteen years or so, I have only one thing to say: I have several firearms, a sizable supply of ammo, and a notable lack of targets these past few years. I also have access to plenty of undeveloped land which will make a fine dumping ground for your bullet-riddled bodies.

Consider yourselves warned.

I get asked a lot of questions about writing: How to break into the biz, what are the easy ways to get an agent, how to get a manuscript to an editor, would I read somebody's manuscript and critique it, etc. As I've picked up a new nugget of useful advice, I put it in my little file and try to pass on the info to folks as appropriate.

Writer J. Stephen York has taken the time to provide some answers to what just happens to be a lot of the same questions I field on a frequent basis. The thing about his answers is that he's boiled away a lot of the bullshit and tells it to "you" like it is.

Want to see? Then do yourself a favor and read this entry from his blog. If you're at all serious about wanting to be a writer, print it off and tack it up on the wall above your computer.

Read it. Learn it. Live it.

Here endeth the lesson.

You're all idiots, you know that?

If you're one of the hundreds of thousands of morons out there contemplating sending me a piece of scam e-Mail in the hopes of gleaning my credit card info or some other sensitive piece of data, it behooves you to do a little research into what's been tried already. That way, you don't end up sending out the same lame-assed scam e-Mail that's already been sent to me EIGHT TIMES SINCE MIDNIGHT. Before that, I've received it probably a hundred times, all from braindead jerkoffs like you who actually think I might believe a poorly-worded, badly-spelled, "official" sounding letter from a bank with whom I don't even have an account isn't too good to be true.

Why the hell does Chase Bank want to give me $20 for filling out a survey, which includes my providing the number to the credit card I don't have, and which has been locked down due to "strange activity?" And why would they want to do it 58 times during the course of a month? See, if you'd stayed in school, you'd have developed the basic skills to think this scheme all the way to the end, and realize just how much of an undescended testicle you are for even trying it on people in the first place.

Things were better when you pezheads wanted to give me money because your dead rich relative died in a plane/boat/ATV/moped/stock market crash in Bumfuck, Egypt and you need a conduit to get his/her money to the U.S. They also were better when you kept promising me drugs to make my dick bigger. Now you're not even entertaining anymore.

The truly sad part of this entire affair is that there actually are people out there stupid enough to fall for this sort of crap.

So, I suppose I'm overdue for thanking the stupid people.

Great. One more thing to do today.

It's a day late, but Kevin and I handed in our first-draft manuscript of Mere Anarchy, Book 1: Things Fall Apart to editor Keith DeCandido. Knowing him, he'll have given it the once-over and handed it back to us before my hard drive can stop spinnin', so I'm going to take the four or five minutes of rest I think I can get and continue to hack up some more of the phlegm that's been clogging my lungs for the last week or so.

And you people say I'm no fun.