tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72197702011-08-28T03:07:36.478-05:00You really should be reading my LiveJournal instead: http://daytonward.livejournal.comDayton Wardnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1160013955337590392006-10-04T20:59:00.000-05:002006-10-04T21:05:55.370-05:00

Well, I've finally decided to take the plunge and make the switch to LiveJournal. Henceforth, you can read my various blatherings at the following new location:http://daytonward.livejournal.com(::: Pauses a moment and waits for the Blogger Cops to come beat me with their nightsticks :::)Okay, then.I've actually had an LJ account for quite a while, but I've just been too busy or too lazy to make

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159822786518654932006-10-02T15:58:00.000-05:002006-10-02T20:43:39.006-05:00

Today marks the close of the tenth annual Star Trek: Strange New Worlds writing contest sponsored by Pocket Books. Given my connection to the contest, it seemed like an appropriate time to pause and reflect on the very real impact it's had on my life these past several years.For ten years, fans of Star Trek with dreams of seeing their story printed in an honest-to-goodness book have been sending

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159731031811680362006-10-01T14:16:00.000-05:002006-10-01T14:30:31.836-05:00

Playing catchup here today.Kevin and I spent Saturday at the first-ever Free State Free Con in Lawrence, Kansas. It was a small yet well-attended show, put on by the same folks behind the ongoing series of KC Fan Cons, with pretty decent foot traffic throughout the day. We got to reacquaint ourselves with local comics creator Mike Sullivan, whom we met at a Free Comic Book Day signing last year.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159669937991669002006-09-30T21:16:00.000-05:002006-09-30T21:36:11.856-05:00

I will remember September 2006 for a number of reasons, the most important of which was that it brought the birth of my daughter. It was a glorious event which I've celebrated and in which I take much pride, to say nothing of the gratitude I feel as baby and mother continue to do just fine.Now that I've set you up, I'm able to report that my writing output for the month was...well...eh.Consider

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159483088338531142006-09-28T17:34:00.000-05:002006-09-28T17:38:08.380-05:00

Gotta start when they're young. So far, the initial results look promising....

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159478665400955122006-09-28T16:20:00.000-05:002006-09-28T17:39:11.753-05:00

For those diehard supporters of the e-Book format, you'll (perhaps) be happy to hear that Things Fall Apart is now available both from Mobipocket's e-Reader format as well as in Microsoft, Adobe, and Palm format from Simon and Schuster's website.And there was much rejoicing!Okay, maybe just a little.All right. My mother was cool with it.Nah. Not really.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159123299111279492006-09-24T13:36:00.000-05:002006-09-24T13:43:47.906-05:00

I heard about it.I read about it.But I hadn't seen it, so I couldn't believe it.Then the Jags/Colts game reached halftime, and they showed video of the event.The Bucs scored a touchdown. Their first of the still new football season.I'd become convinced that I might first spot Bigfoot standing on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, cloaked in the shadow of a hovering UFO and surrounded by stockpiles

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1159025653014501462006-09-23T10:28:00.000-05:002006-09-23T10:34:13.043-05:00

This might be a new record for me, seeing as how I had this page prepped weeks before the e-Book itself came online.In what is rapidly becoming a habit, I've dashed out a quick set of annotations for Things Fall Apart. It's not meant to be a complete list, and I'll likely add stuff as Kevin reminds me of this or that or if sharp-eyed readers catch something I didn't already list.As always, you

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1158933368466910462006-09-22T08:49:00.000-05:002006-09-23T10:33:52.313-05:00

Finally!I'm happy to report that Things Fall Apart, the first installment of the Star Trek: Mere Anarchy e-Book mini-series, is now available from eReader.com. I expect that Pocket's Star Trek Books website will also have it available for purchase in MS and Adobe Reader formats here shortly. No word on Mobipocket.com yet, though.And if that's not good enough for ya, the series' second installment

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1158893504334864162006-09-21T21:35:00.000-05:002006-09-21T21:55:26.390-05:00

Editor Keith DeCandido unveiled the covers for the first three entries in the retitled Star Trek: Corps of Engineers e-Book series today, including Turn the Page written by Kevin and me. Now that the artwork's here, I've set up a page for the e-Book.Also revealed today:Troubleshooting by Robert GreenbergerThe Light by Jeff D. Jacques(Thanks to Keith for hosting the pics.)In other news, I made

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1158349985779685652006-09-15T14:20:00.000-05:002006-09-24T14:04:29.113-05:00

A bit of housekeeping:First, Jackie Bundy's review of the Star Trek: Constellations anthology has been posted on Trek Today. Many thanks to Jackie!Next, I learned from a thread on the TrekBBS that SFX Magazine has released a special issue devoted to Star Trek's 40th anniversary. The magazine comes poly-bagged, and included with each issue is one of 16 different Star Trek novels. I don't have a

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157941515816777212006-09-10T21:10:00.000-05:002006-09-11T11:56:10.196-05:00

Ravens 27 - Bucs 0And we're off in fine fashion. Note to Chris Simms: You throw the ball to the guy wearing the shirt that matches yours. No no! No need to thank me. Just trying to help, bro.In other news, I heard from friend and fellow writer Brad Sinor that I sold my short story "Jack and the Weird-Ass Box" to editor Selina Rosen at Yard Dog Press for her forthcoming anthology Houston: We've

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157908226096761662006-09-10T12:07:00.000-05:002006-09-10T12:10:26.126-05:00

Let the pigs fly!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157840806887365712006-09-09T17:23:00.000-05:002006-09-09T17:26:46.923-05:00

Michi and Addy were discharged from the hospital this afternoon, and now everybody's home. The dogs are curious about the new human in their midst, of course, but one has already taken to lying next to the crib whenever the baby is sleeping in it. Dad is pleased.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157825376954215052006-09-09T13:08:00.000-05:002006-09-09T13:09:36.973-05:00

Three days into fatherhood, and I've made the following observations:1. Babies sleep. A lot.2. Babies eat. A lot.3. Babies poop. A LOT.More to follow.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157692111002058152006-09-08T00:00:00.000-05:002006-09-08T00:08:54.746-05:00

Happy Birthday, Star Trek.Here's to 40 years of exploring strange new worlds and boldly going where none have gone before. It's been a hell of a ride.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157213747321733582006-09-02T11:07:00.000-05:002006-09-02T11:15:47.343-05:00

Allyn Gibson has posted a set of annotations for Star Trek: Constellations, as provided by some of the anthology's contributors. So far, Kevin and I have weighed in on "First, Do No Harm," and we join fellow authors Christopher L. Bennett, Allyn himself, Bob Greenberger, Kevin Lauderdale, and Bill Leisner. Other writer-folk will no-doubt join in as time permits. Enjoy!In other news, we're two

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157082171781398762006-08-31T22:40:00.000-05:002006-09-01T11:31:22.650-05:00

Hmmmm...I know there was an August around here somewhere.Not as much writing progress as I would've liked, as there's been plenty to do on other fronts. As noted in the previous entry, we're "on the clock" waiting for Baby Ward to make her grand entrance.Anyway, here's the rundown, even though a lot of it is a rerun of last month:Summon the Thunder - I completed a set of annotations for the book,

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1157036572961986992006-08-31T10:01:00.000-05:002006-08-31T10:04:24.763-05:00

Well, it's here. The Due Date.And so, the waiting officially begins. Don't worry; I've got my game face on.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1156259528122872702006-08-22T10:08:00.000-05:002006-08-22T10:12:08.153-05:00

Forwarded to me by my wife:Nice job, but that per-word rate is gonna suck....

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1156089061269562222006-08-20T10:48:00.000-05:002006-08-20T10:51:01.286-05:00

The poor kid isn't even born yet, but I've made sure that she takes her first shaky steps into fandom dressed in style....Worry not, though: I've already started setting money aside for the anticipated therapy sessions.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1155525228301183412006-08-13T21:58:00.000-05:002006-08-14T08:59:37.486-05:00

Don't get me wrong; I love having a deadline. For one thing, a writing deadline often means that somebody's either waiting to pay you for your work, or else they've already paid you and they're simply waiting for you to hold up your end of the deal. Deadlines are great, but it's nice not to have one once in a while.This weekend was like that. No deadlines. No appointments. No place I had to be.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1155422488208816712006-08-12T17:14:00.000-05:002006-08-15T08:00:22.936-05:00

Kevin and I were checking out a local comic shop today, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a copy of Star Trek: Shinsei Shinsei, the knew Manga project from TokyoPop. A bit larger than a regular paperback, the book contains five new stories featuring Captain Kirk and Company from the original Enterprise, including one by Mike W. Barr, veteran comics writer who -- among many other things --

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1155245184637460182006-08-10T16:22:00.000-05:002006-08-10T20:14:09.706-05:00

Passed on by a friend. Anyone who works in Corporate America has figured this out already:-----What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?Here's a little mathematical formula that

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1154705048313672062006-08-04T10:14:00.000-05:002006-08-04T10:27:59.456-05:00

In response to Therin of Andor, who "tagged" me in comments to an earlier entry:Follow these instructions:1. Grab the nearest book.2. Open the book to page 123.3. Find the fifth sentence.4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your Blog/Live Journal along with these instructions.5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1154479608572834722006-08-01T19:42:00.000-05:002006-08-01T19:46:48.596-05:00

Finally, I've gotten around to posting a set of annotations for Summon the Thunder. There, you'll find notes about various continuity references we dropped in, as well as explanations for assorted in-jokes and other nonsense sprinkled throughout the book. It goes without saying that the page contains spoilers for the book, as well as for Distant Early Warning and the first Vanguard book,

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1154389168122811592006-07-31T18:38:00.000-05:002006-07-31T18:41:00.343-05:00

July? Where the hell'd you go?The nursery is painted, furnished, and outfitted pretty much with every Huggie and HandiWipe known to man. The kid has more (and better) clothes than the wife and I combined. There are car seats, high chairs, teething rings and stuffed animals galore. It's 100 degrees outside and Michi is just about over the "Gee, this being pregnant thing is pretty neat" thing,

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153726663516466282006-07-24T02:19:00.001-05:002006-07-24T03:04:58.576-05:00

Sunday. The last day of the con. Things are winding down. The crowd is smaller, maybe even a little more mellow.Sure. As mellow as 80,000 people in a contained space can be.Our first activity of the day was our book signing on behalf of the California Browncoats, a Firefly/Serenity fan organization hosting a charity fundraiser, with proceeds from the book sales going to the Marine Corps-Law

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153643162606816682006-07-23T02:49:00.000-05:002006-08-05T19:41:14.820-05:00

Kevin and I actually spent the morning working on revisions to the Mirror Universe story before heading back to the con around lunchtime. Had lunch with Kirsten Beyer, and ended up spending a good portion of the afternoon chewing the fat with her before heading over to do our signing at the Pocket Books booth. Before we actually got started, I finally got to meet Nancy Holder, a writer whose work

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153583068753883702006-07-22T10:26:00.000-05:002006-07-22T10:49:10.570-05:00

Holy freakin' Moley, this is a huge con!Only half-way through, and I'm already tired, but it's been a blast so far. Thursday was rather uneventful, as we arrived after lunch and really only scratched the surface of what the place had to offer. Spent much time at the Pocket Books booth, of course, hanging out with the editors, author Jeff Ayers, as well as all the nice folks who stopped by the

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153400151939548882006-07-20T07:51:00.000-05:002006-07-20T07:56:46.280-05:00

Today's the day Kevin and I head out for San Diego and our first ever Comic-con! To say I'm jazzed about this event would be a monstrous understatement. We're hoping to make the most of the time we'll have out there, to say nothing of having a heck of a good time. Reports from the con as I'm able!In other news, Julio Angel Ortiz has written up his review of Summon the Thunder for his review/

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153358829880786412006-07-19T20:16:00.000-05:002006-07-19T20:28:35.770-05:00

Pilfered from Keith Decandido's blog:How Will I Die QuizYou will die at the age of 65You will die in a nude hang gliding accidentFind out how you will die atQuizopolis.comJust as the prophets foretold....

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153148641131962782006-07-17T09:56:00.000-05:002006-07-17T10:04:01.160-05:00

Jackie Bundy has posted her most gracious review of Summon the Thunder for the TrekNation website. Many thanks to Jackie!In related news, eReader.com now has the book, available in their proprietary format for Palm PDAs and related gadgets. No word on when the book will be widely available in MS Reader or Adobe formats.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1153016183698341842006-07-15T21:04:00.000-05:002006-07-15T21:17:31.463-05:00

Editor Keith DeCandido has posted the cover art for all six installments of the Star Trek: Mere Anarchy e-Book mini-series on his blog. Go check 'em out!The first installment, Things Fall Apart by Kevin and myself, is due for e-Publication in August. Book 2, The Centre Cannot Hold by Mike W. Barr, will be out in September, followed by Shadows of the Indignant by Dave Galanter in October. After a

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1152831145282463512006-07-13T17:40:00.000-05:002006-07-13T22:13:59.366-05:00

Score another one for progress.Happy to report that Kevin and I handed in our final edits to the page proofs for Things Fall Apart, the first installment of the six e-Book Mere Anarchy mini-series that is part of Pocket Books' 40th anniversary Star Trek celebration.Elsewhere, Mike W. Barr and Dave Galanter are doubtless performing similar editing functions on their own manuscripts, and

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1152710662304622072006-07-12T08:20:00.000-05:002006-07-12T08:33:41.386-05:00

I was asked last night if I had access to the cover art for the second Mirror Universe book, Obsidian Alliances, which will feature a New Frontier story by Peter David, a Voyager story by Keith DeCandido, and a Deep Space Nine tale by newcomer Sarah Shaw. Though I didn't have it in my possession, Keith has posted it on his LiveJournal:Obsidian Alliances cover artEnjoy!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1152665435133710012006-07-11T19:50:00.000-05:002006-07-12T10:47:50.593-05:00

Between a lack of internet access over the weekend and a lack of functioning brain cells in the immediate aftermath of the convention, I'm only just now getting a chance to post thoughts on this year's Shore Leave con. Long story short: The entire weekend was a blast.Long story somewhat longer: As always, it's a treat to meet up with friends I only get to see in person once a year, be they fellow

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1151722470645812392006-06-30T21:51:00.000-05:002006-06-30T21:54:30.663-05:00

June's gone. Wow. Bought my first (gigantic) box of Huggies today, as I've begun the process of laying in supplies for the forthcoming WardSpawn. Don't worry…I have an exorcist on retainer.And we're only a week away from Shore Leave 28. Cripes! Where's all the damn time goin'?Anyway, on to this month's kinda-sorta-pseudo writing update: S.C.E. #64: Distant Early Warning - The e-Book went live

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1151637725479556042006-06-29T22:18:00.000-05:002006-06-29T22:22:24.656-05:00

Jackie Bundy has posted a rather nice review of Distant Early Warning over at Trek Nation. Many thanks to Jackie!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1151451947038723922006-06-27T18:41:00.000-05:002006-06-27T18:46:57.973-05:00

Passed on my a co-worker (though I embellished a bit):----------You are driving in a car at a high rate of speed. On your left side is a valley and on your right side is a fire engine keeping pace with you.In front of you is a galloping pig -- the same size as your car -- and try as you might, cannot overtake it. Behind you is a helicopter flying at ground level, shadowing your every move.Both

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1150771338275784892006-06-19T21:23:00.000-05:002006-06-24T09:16:29.500-05:00

Today was a good day.Kevin and I handed over our manuscript for the first Corps of Engineers e-Book, Turn the Page. Not only was the editor, Keith DeCandido, happy that we finally got off our asses and gave it to him, he even provided that much sought-after editorial feedback today, as well.Long story short: He liked it. As they say in some circles: "w00t!"Ahem.I liked writing this one,

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1150462099300855462006-06-16T07:43:00.000-05:002006-06-22T08:44:45.280-05:00

Amazon.com is listing Summon the Thunder as now shipping. That odd vibration you're feeling in all your furniture and perhaps your dental fillings is due to me doing a happy dance. Woo hoo!(Yeah, just let that image fester for a minute or so. I'll wait.)WARNING!: Comments contain spoilers, so if you've not yet read the book...consider yourself warned!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1149909198511529662006-06-09T22:06:00.000-05:002006-06-09T22:13:18.533-05:00

Found out this evening that Distant Early Warning is now available as both Microsoft Reader and Adobe Reader formatted e-Books from Amazon.com. Just the thing to get you all juiced up for Summon the Thunder, eh?

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1149264436028649202006-06-02T11:00:00.000-05:002006-06-02T11:07:16.046-05:00

Happened to check out eReader.com this morning, and what did I find? Distant Early Warning is now available for download. In addition to being Book 4 of the What's Past collection of stories tying into various aspects of the original Star Trek series, it's also a prequel to the Star Trek: Vanguard series, and sets up a few things Kevin and I revisit in our forthcoming Summon the Thunder. (Don't

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1149086998742774522006-05-31T09:34:00.000-05:002006-05-31T20:52:48.086-05:00

It's the end of May? Already? Sheesh!S.C.E. #64: Distant Early Warning - Received galley proofs from ditor Keith DeCandido on May 4th, and we returned our final corrections to him on May 8th. This was originally scheduled to be a May publication in e-Book format, but it's looking more like early to mid June. Stay tuned for updates!Summon the Thunder - Book is due to hit stores around the last two

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1148914176354629662006-05-29T09:34:00.000-05:002006-05-29T09:56:57.616-05:00

Spent a good portion of Saturday and Sunday moving my home office from its room on the house's main floor to the basement, which until now has served as the "TV room." Since the basement was already finished when we bought the house, complete with fireplace, half bath and an additional room which I've used from the beginning as a library, it made for a nice family room. Now its contents have been

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1148706761715835622006-05-26T23:54:00.000-05:002006-05-30T12:26:16.816-05:00

Ugh.Let's just say that the last week has been one of those years, and call it done, all right? Anyway, I've been remiss in my updates. First and foremost, I'd like to report that Kevin and I had a fun time at the Region 12 Summit. It was a small but enthusiastic crowd, and we enjoyed hanging out with guest of honor Robin Curtis. We thank Wade, Jen, Mysteri, Chris, and everyone else for inviting

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1148076743460651142006-05-19T17:06:00.000-05:002006-05-19T17:12:23.490-05:00

Kevin and I are off to our second Region 12 Summit, the annual gathering of regional chapters of Starfleet, the International Star Trek Fan Association. We had a lot of fun with these folks last year, and are excited about being invited back for a second go-around. Their special guest this year is Robin Curtis (Lieutenant Saavik from Star Trek III), and I know from past experience that she's a

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1148007645670522642006-05-18T21:57:00.000-05:002006-05-18T22:01:06.836-05:00

The good folks over at Pocket Books have posted an excerpt for Summon the Thunder. You can read it by clicking here.For those who may be wondering, this is not the same excerpt that appears in the back of the most recent DS9 novel, Warpath.Enjoy!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1147998139077455682006-05-18T19:18:00.000-05:002006-05-18T19:22:19.096-05:00

Okay, I guess I spoke too soon the last time I brought this one up. Last week, we received galleys for our story, "First, Do No Harm," which we wrote for the Star Trek: Constellations anthology. I'm happy to say that we've completed giving those the once-over and making our final fix requests, which we sent on to editor Marco Palmieri on Friday.We're done with this one until it's a real book.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1147559868670328672006-05-13T17:25:00.000-05:002006-05-13T17:39:41.626-05:00

Snurched from Keith DeCandido:I have lived through 105 of these 158 things.1. Put numbers in the boxes instead of x's (example: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...)2. Repost as "I have lived through ___ of these 158 things.(Some of this stuff is in the category of "Who hasn't?" or "I was a dumb kid, so obviously," but you go with the cards you're dealt when you take one of these quizzes.)[1] I have read a lot of

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1147091425193918022006-05-08T07:24:00.000-05:002006-05-08T07:30:25.210-05:00

The galleys for Distant Early Warning arrived Thursday afternoon, so I spent part of that evening and Friday night reading through it and making any changes. Kevin read through it Saturday morning, and we sent off our changes to editor Keith DeCandido on Sunday morning.Though it's scheduled to be a May release, even with the accelerated pace of e-Book publishing, I'm not sure if they'll make it

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1146533417889171092006-05-01T20:23:00.001-05:002006-05-03T11:10:10.866-05:00

Well, it looks like the good folks at Simonsays.com have posted the final cover copy for Summon the Thunder, which means I'm free to add it to the book's page here on the site.Go forth and be teased.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1146410674060643602006-04-30T10:14:00.000-05:002006-04-30T10:24:34.113-05:00

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" -

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1146374181364700632006-04-29T23:37:00.000-05:002006-04-30T00:18:35.893-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1146289747648631722006-04-29T00:35:00.000-05:002006-04-29T23:37:27.290-05:00

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,

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1145940278307691462006-04-24T22:15:00.000-05:002006-05-11T10:11:24.630-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1145632424513553462006-04-21T10:02:00.000-05:002006-04-21T10:13:44.720-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1145198947831495602006-04-16T09:43:00.000-05:002006-04-16T09:53:12.210-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144935793677446652006-04-13T08:41:00.000-05:002006-04-13T08:43:13.700-05:00

'Nuff said, I think.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144895841492745452006-04-12T21:30:00.000-05:002006-04-12T21:37:21.510-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144563705172197522006-04-09T01:14:00.000-05:002006-04-09T01:21:45.186-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144286505356216512006-04-05T20:17:00.000-05:002006-04-05T20:23:25.636-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144271459754659272006-04-05T16:05:00.000-05:002006-04-05T16:10:59.766-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144240617311370392006-04-05T07:26:00.000-05:002006-04-05T07:36:57.350-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1144027991786576062006-04-02T20:28:00.000-05:002006-04-02T20:33:11.796-05:00

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

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1143861652220134662006-03-31T21:13:00.000-06:002006-04-03T10:11:50.956-05:00

It's time for another exciting episode of "What the heck is Ward doing?"Summon the Thunder - Kevin and I returned our final galley corrections to the editor on March 8th. The next time we see it, it'll be a real book!(Also, for those of you interested in such things, an excerpt from the book appears in the back of Dave Mack's new DS9 novel Warpath.)"First, Do No Harm" - for the Constellations

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1143517446155776652006-03-27T21:36:00.000-06:002006-03-27T21:44:06.170-06:00

Tah Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!Kinda looks like something from an X-Files episode, eh?Gender remains unknown, at least until the test results come back in a week or so. For now, though, Mommy and unidentified baby-like thingee are doing just fine.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1143082414084248172006-03-22T20:45:00.000-06:002006-03-22T20:53:34.100-06:00

My little journal has finally reached 200 posts. What can I say? I'm really just not as prolific (read: Good) at this as some of my compadres.But hey, at least it comes with something written by someone more interesting!Jackie Bundy has written a most-gracious review of The Genesis Protocol for TrekNation. As it's not a Trek book, I have to give a shout out both to Jackie for writing the review,

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1142998647510664222006-03-21T21:20:00.000-06:002006-03-22T08:43:26.713-06:00

Back home, finally. Vegas was fun, as always. Got to see some shows, do a tour or two, and lose a buttload of money at the gaming tables.Also found other mischief here and there.....More pics later as I get them cleaned up and such.In other news, I can finally say that Kevin and I have contributed a short story to the forthcoming Star Trek: Constellations anthology that will be part of Pocket's

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1142613620493716412006-03-17T10:33:00.000-06:002006-03-20T16:33:03.276-06:00

I'm writing this entry from my pretty swank room at The Venetian in Las Vegas. My better half and I decided to take one last vacation just for us before the tyke makes its debut, and as it's also our anniversary (yesterday, actually), we figured we should pull out all the stops. We've got shows lined up (Blue Man Group, Penn & Teller, whatever else strikes our fancy), we're taking a Grand Canyon

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1142394939943699972006-03-14T21:48:00.000-06:002006-03-17T23:47:09.700-06:00

This is what happens when you don't get much sleep.Those of you who've read The Last World War will recognize...uh...some familiar elements in this scene, which was in the first draft of The Genesis Protocol, and was one of two scenes which comprised the book's original epilogue.What can I say? The editor was paying attention that day. Anyway, I ended up writing a wholly different epilogue for

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1142348058437014472006-03-14T08:42:00.000-06:002006-03-14T15:45:15.220-06:00

It seems that the titles have been revealed for the e-Books which will comprise Mere Anarchy, a six-book miniseries edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido and which is part of Pocket's 40th anniversary celebration of the original series. The books will have an over-arcing theme, and span the era of Captain Kirk and the original Enterprise from before "Where No Man Has Gone Before" until after his

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1141915415354506992006-03-09T08:38:00.000-06:002006-03-09T08:43:35.383-06:00

Hey,Just a reminder to Mom and the two or three of you who frequent this place that I'll be on this week's edition of the I-Sci-Fi Internet radio show tonight. I'm scheduled to be on sometime around 9:30 Eastern time and it'll be live. They also have a chat room, e-Mail, and a call-in line if you're listening and want to toss a question my way.Among the various topics up for discussion will be

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1141841275099605782006-03-08T12:04:00.000-06:002006-03-08T12:13:24.126-06:00

Passed along to me by a friend at work:With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at the age of 93.The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in, and

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1141613758677706152006-03-05T20:46:00.000-06:002006-03-05T20:57:03.390-06:00

It seems I've been filked. More accurately, Kevin and I have been filked.What does that mean exactly? For those who do not know, a filk song is, essentially, a usually-humorous song that applies new words to an existing piece of music. In SF/Fantasy fandom circles, the subjects of filk songs are usually favored movies, TV shows, books, games, fanzines, and/or characters from same. A member of the

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1141505675510730162006-03-04T14:48:00.000-06:002006-03-04T14:54:38.453-06:00

Got word from Star Trek: S.C.E. editor Keith DeCandido that Paramount has approved the manuscript for Distant Early Warning.And as if that wasn't good enough, Keith also sent on a pic of the e-Book's artwork. Check out a larger version by clicking on the image.Looks pretty freakin' sweet, if you ask me. Come to think of it, it looks sweet even if you don't ask me.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1141355979814717622006-03-02T21:14:00.000-06:002006-03-02T21:19:39.826-06:00

A heads-up for ya: Rex Rouviere and his merry gang at I-Sci-Fi.com are going to have me on their Internet-based radio show next Thursday, March 9th, sometime between 9pm and 11pm Eastern time to talk about The Genesis Protocol and whatever else that might come up. I'll post more details as we get closer, but if you've got nothing to do, surf on over and see what's going on. It'll be live, and

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1141183720235350122006-02-28T21:26:00.000-06:002006-03-01T11:19:16.473-06:00

Another month, another monthly update. How is it I can have so much going on, and make no apparent progress?The Genesis Protocol - Book is out! I've actually seen it. Bigfoot was reading it while standing on the deck of the Flying Dutchman while waiting for a white elk to stroll by. I tried to get a picture of that, but the shadow of the UFO was screwing up my camera.Summon the Thunder - Kevin

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140969465520105132006-02-26T09:46:00.000-06:002006-02-26T09:57:45.713-06:00

A few questions for those of you who visit my site and who also have LiveJournal accounts:I'm considering making the switch from Blogger. I've already gone and registered an LJ account, but I'm still feeling away through the setup process. From what I've seen, LJ offers a variety of features and little niceties that make it easier to connect with other bloggers. I like the way it handles comments

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140789994228955732006-02-24T08:02:00.000-06:002006-02-24T08:06:34.240-06:00

I'm very jazzed to announce to the entire freakin' world and points beyond that my wife and I are expecting our first child, due some time in late August or so. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time earlier this week, and by all accounts the kid's gonna love jammin' rock music.So, there it is. Something tells me I'll have plenty of fodder for stories in the coming months....

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140617867568625242006-02-22T08:12:00.000-06:002006-02-22T08:17:47.586-06:00

Inspired while listening to the radio during my drive in to work this morning....Have you ever maimed, mauled, or just plain damn-near killed a friend of yours?C'mon, folks! Post those war stories!I'll start: I nearly killed myself and two other Marines while driving one of the (then) brand new Humvees in the desert of Twentynine Palms, California. Being dumbasses, we decided to see how steep an

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140577375707462972006-02-21T20:58:00.000-06:002006-02-21T21:02:55.716-06:00

David Henderson, Supreme Webmaster of the Psi Phi Trek books site, has posted excerpts for several Star Trek: S.C.E. e-Books, including Distant Early Warning, our latest story featuring Mahmud al-Khaled and the S.C.E. team from the U.S.S. Lovell as well as the new cast of characters from Star Trek: Vanguard. Sweet!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140574962516347202006-02-21T20:17:00.000-06:002006-02-21T20:23:54.840-06:00

Finally!According to Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, it looks as though The Genesis Protocol is now available and shipping. It should be showing up in stores any day now, as well.Hey. It's never too early to start that Christmas shopping, you know....

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140420313081128172006-02-20T01:18:00.000-06:002006-02-20T01:25:13.100-06:00

Made excellent progress on my portion of Mere Anarchy Book 1 today: 3,000 words. Kevin's cooking along on his half of things, too. In addition to that work, we found time to put some more polish on a pitch for another novel we hope to write together (it's not "there" yet, but it's close). We also took the time to make some notes on Mike Sussman's proposal for the Enterprise novel we'll be helping

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140186291574966962006-02-17T08:06:00.001-06:002006-02-17T08:24:51.576-06:00

According to this article in the Salt Lake Tribune, all 535 elected members of Congress currently receive, each month, the new issue of Hustler Magazine, free of charge and courtesy of magazine owner-publisher Larry Flynt. Attempts to have the mailings stopped have failed, due mostly to some pesky clause in the Constitution regarding the public's right to be heard by Congress and to have a

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140017789669177752006-02-15T09:27:00.000-06:002006-02-15T09:36:29.716-06:00

Pocket Books' editor Marco Palmieri has made a public announcement regarding the author lineup for this project, so now I can actually -- you know -- say some stuff. To say that Kevin and I are very jazzed at our involvement in this project would win today's Understatement of the Day Award.Here's Marco's announcment, as posted to various online venues:Margaret Clark and I are pleased to share the

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1140015186731250232006-02-15T08:49:00.000-06:002006-02-15T08:53:06.743-06:00

...we can get on with one of my favorite holidays:Half-Priced Chocolate Day.Hallelujah! Praise be to Russell Stover!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1139975287990257172006-02-14T21:45:00.000-06:002006-02-14T21:48:08.003-06:00

Pretty damned funny.Space: The Wino Frontier.It's green, yo!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1139843160200433742006-02-13T08:58:00.000-06:002006-02-13T09:06:00.226-06:00

I usually like to restrict talk about tie-in projects until such time as the editor overseeing said project(s) starts talking about them. As Star Trek: Mere Anarchy editor Keith DeCandido has posted a few updates on this mini-series over on his blog, I figure it's okay to chime in a bit at this point.As Keith mentions, proposals for all six installments have at least passed over his desk and

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138978063050935182006-02-03T08:42:00.000-06:002006-02-03T08:47:43.060-06:00

Kilian Melloy has offered his most gracious review of The Genesis Protocol over at SFSite.com.During the course of preparing the review, Kilian also took some time to conduct a new interview with me, allowing me to run off at the mouth for extended periods as I talk about past, present, and future writing projects.Many thanks to Kilian!

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138770539736059622006-01-31T22:59:00.000-06:002006-01-31T23:08:59.753-06:00

That's right, kids! You too can keep up to date on the movements of the one and only Jack Bauer, Bad Ass Counterterrorist Agent. Check out one of the coolest uses for Internet mapping:Jack Tracker.Updated each week after the latest installment of 24: Day 5. Damn. All we need now is a map showing all those swank houses where they shoot porn flicks.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138717718780109942006-01-31T08:26:00.000-06:002006-01-31T10:38:43.010-06:00

The first update for 2006. What's the happs?The Genesis Protocol - Scheduled for publication on or about February 27th.Summon the Thunder - Kevin and I returned copyedit revisions to the editor on January 30th. Awaiting feedback.Untitled project - Turned first draft of manuscript in to the editor on January 9th. Awaiting editor feedback; will offer more details when the editor gives the

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138654566655657792006-01-30T14:53:00.000-06:002006-01-30T14:58:08.146-06:00

As posted to TrekBBS by fellow Trek writer TG Theodore, I present:The Geek HierarchyNo further explanation seems to be required.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138588102259958452006-01-29T20:20:00.000-06:002006-01-29T20:28:22.270-06:00

I can relax - ever so briefly - this evening now that the latest set of revisions are turned in for Summon the Thunder. In addition to reviewing the copy editor's marks and notes, there were also some editor's notes that needed to be addressed. I was pretty happy with the first go-around of this book, but I'm even happier after these revisions. I know it's pretty bold to say stuff like this, but

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138379467593480842006-01-27T10:21:00.000-06:002006-01-28T09:34:48.820-06:00

Last night, Kevin and I were guests at the Louisburg Library, which you may have guessed was in the small town of Louisburg, Kansas, about twenty-five miles or so south of the KC metro area. A longtime friend of Kevin's is the library director, and asked if we'd be up for coming down and talking about our writing, Trek and otherwise, as part of their "Sci-Fi Nite" activities. The idea was that

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138236769238989112006-01-25T18:49:00.000-06:002006-01-25T18:52:49.250-06:00

Found out today that The Genesis Protocol has been delayed. It's now scheduled to be out in late February.Consequently, the book signing I had scheduled for the Barnes & Noble in Leawood, Kansas has been postponed. I'll announce the rescheduled date as soon as I figure it out with the store's community relations manager.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138138283136944362006-01-24T15:28:00.000-06:002006-01-24T15:31:23.150-06:00

I was checking out an online job search site, just to see what was available when searching by writing-related keywords. While reviewing the search results, one job posting in particular caught my eye, mostly because of this little gem in the "Skills" section of the listing:"Excellent writing skills is required."As I often like to say: Sometimes, Life just writes the joke for you.

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1138068441431895192006-01-23T19:55:00.000-06:002006-01-23T20:16:45.673-06:00

Managed over the weekend to put the finishing touches on a short story that had been languishing while Kevin and I finished the first draft of Distant Early Warning, and I put it in the mail this morning. It's now on its way to the editor of the open call anthology I decided to try. While the story's not typically something I'd write, I'd gotten a kick (and a few belly laughs) out of the previous

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7219770.post-1137731141940575152006-01-19T22:15:00.000-06:002006-01-19T22:25:41.953-06:00

Got word today that Issue #125 of Titan's Star Trek Magazine is available in the UK, featuring an article by BookTrek's Daniel Berry that offers info on the Star Trek: S.C.E. series and the plans for it to be "relaunched" later this year as Corps of Engineers. Included in the article are quotes from series co-creator Keith R.A. DeCandido as well as Kevin and myself. I've not seen the article

Dayton Wardnoreply@blogger.com0