CYP#4: Cooper Complete!

Finishing up with Cooper marks the completion of PATHOGENS. Or the first draft, anyway. It’s by far my longest book, both in terms of word count and choices. Six whole characters to choose from! Cooper eventually becomes the leader of the merry band of survivors in the city, which is how you meet her in INFECTED. But it didn’t start off that way. You get to step in her shoes and go from ordinary grease monkey to the draconian leader of a group of survivors in PATHOGENS.

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PS — Sure was hard to find a picture of a female mechanic actually working. Cooper would no doubt roll her eyes at the bimbos posing secuctivly (wearing, ahem, very little protective gear) that I had to wade through in Google images.

Up next? Editing! However, I’m thinking of reaching out for the first time to beta testers for the various characters. If you’re interested, make sure you sign up for my mailing list.


Thanks for reading! Excited? Confused? Bemused?

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Happy Star Wars Day!

may-the-fourth

It’s Star Wars day! A day when fans celebrate the greatest film trilogy ever made and fanatics do so slightly more than on any other day.

For me, I wanted to say that my Reboot The Prequels project is still alive and well.

Since last year, we were introduced to a new Star Wars film that I quite enjoyed, but wasn’t without its detractors. People complained (somewhat validly) that The Force Awakens was just a soft reboot of the Original Trilogy. A Star Wars “Greatest Hits” if you will.

I can definitely see where this criticism comes from; I just don’t see it as a bad thing.

As an audience member, I was extremely skeptical of a new Star Wars movie. I’m sure many of us were. So, giving us something that “felt” like Star Wars was a big step towards regaining that audience trust. Now I’m incredibly excited for the next installments in the saga.

But for my reboot? It’s a great thing! The Prequel Trilogy was all but written off in the new film, leaving a wide berth for the Reboot Trilogy to fit within the confines of the saga overall.

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I know it’s been a while since I announced my intent to rewrite these movies, but here’s a solid commitment: After I finish my next Click Your Poison book (this summer), I’m going to dive into these Star Wars scripts full time.

So…it’s coming. I just need to buckle down and remember, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

PS — I also had my fist taste of a “reboot hater” on the internet this year. I get that you might think I’m wasting my time, or hell, you might even like the prequels. But if you don’t think rebooting the prequels is a good idea, let’s just each go our own way on this issue, okay? Especially on Star Wars day, I think we can agree to disagree.

exqs8xi


What do YOU think? Still waiting patiently? Don’t care and hope I don’t take too long of a sabbatical between books? 

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Walking Dead Tomato Heads

Now that everyone’s gotten over the giant tease re: The Finale*, it’s time to dust off my biggest gripe with The Walking Dead.

*SPOILER (highlight this paragraph): I think the cliff-hanger might’ve been more effective (and less cheesy) if they would have just ended the show when Negan shows up, grins, and looks to his bat. Save his monologue for the cold open next season. It would work great to remind us of the situation (seeing everyone’s face, etc).

There’s a lot to love in the show, and there’s a lot to hate. It’s polarizing. I have friends that can’t get enough, and friends who quit after the first couple seasons. I started off marketing INFECTED with the slogan, “Love The Walking Dead but hate the group’s stupid decisions? Decide for yourself and get INFECTED!

But, I suppose that’s a horror convention. Somebody’s gotta go in the house. What I can’t forgive, however, is the ease with which the zombies are dispatched. It’s as if the virus has suddenly melted away bone and replaced the ghouls’ craniums with tomatoes. I get that they’re rotting and slow, but a skull takes a while to rot away and has evolved to be pretty good at its job (protecting the brain).

It’s just physics:

  • If you hit somebody in the head with a blunt object, their head will bounce away. Even a very sharp knife. They’d have to be braced for penetration.
  • You can crack a skull with a wild swing, but then you’ll need a second or third blow.

Now for the fun part. The evidence:

Oh man, my head fell off!

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I don’t care how much of a bad ass you are, you can’t punch a zombie to (2nd) death.

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Gushers anyone?

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I’ll just give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume it got back up again.

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Two swings and…hey, where’s all the candy?

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What’s next? Push a bullet through their head?

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Not just through the skull, *all* the way through. Who is sharpening these crowbars ?

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Doesn’t get much blunter than a pipe, annnnnnd that’s not how you’re supposed to use it.

Don’t even get me started on knife kills. There was a time when they used to make an effort. Someone would hold the zombie’s head while stabbing it (so it wouldn’t bounce around), or they’d go through the eye, or up the chin (using gravity to keep the walker in place). Now it’s just like pushing your finger through jell-o.

Instead, I’ll rest my case with the best (worst) of the bunch:

[no caption necessary]

Am I being nit-picky? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I get that the show’s theme is “the living are more dangerous than the dead,” but I just wish I was on the edge of my seat more when a zombie is on-screen and rolling my eyes less when it’s dispatched. They’re just soooo easy to “kill” that it seems strange when someone gets bitten or eaten. How come their teeth don’t just turn to mush instead.

Either way, just don’t expect to get off this easy in INFECTED or PATHOGENS.


What do YOU think? Notice the same thing? Don’t care? Have an explanation for me?

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CYP#4: Lucas Complete!

Lucas Tesshu, the sword-toting modern day samurai whose greatest weakness was a compulsion to help everyone he met is now fully visualized with an origin story in the upcoming PATHOGENS. To all the teachers out there, I ask: What would you do if the zombie apocalypse hit while class was in session? Stay put with your students? Try to get them to their parents? Just leave the snotty brats and make a run for it?

Your answer might change if you were a master swordsman teaching a kendo class. Or not. Either way, get ready to live his journey for yourself!

 

Up next? Our final character: The cold, hard, badass leader: Cooper!


Thanks for reading! Excited? Confused? Bemused?

Leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to share and subscribe!

Brick-n-Mortar

Let’s face it, the easiest way to get books from an indie author is on Amazon. I’m no different. The Kindle is an incredible reading tool and my books are specifically designed for ease of use on an e-reader. But, despite “click” being in the very title of my series, I realize that sometimes it’s nice to have a physical book too.

What’s more, it can be nice to check out a book before you buy it. My books might not be in bookstores nationwide, but I’m working on it.

“The impact of a book” by Julio Ramos. Best not to try with a Kindle.

Many of you might not know that you can go into any bookstore, be it a Barnes n’ Noble, locally owned used & new shop, or travel through time to a Borders, and request a self-published book on order. You can. They’ll bring it right to you.

However, a few stores have taken to stocking Click Your Poison books at my request. They are:

The Tattered Cover bookstores with three locations in Denver, Colorado.

 

McWha Books in Belton, Texas.

With more coming very, very slowly. But check this out: if you run a game shop or bookstore, let me know if you’re interested in stocking Click Your Poison books. If you do, not only will your customers love you, but I will do my very best to make an appearance.


What do you think? Ever seen one of my books in the wild?

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Oscar 2016: Results

We had the biggest year ever with 22 entries! And…most of you beat me. So, I’m gonna owe a lot of books. Here’s a fair representation of yours truly as I’m grading these things:

There was also a four-way tie for second place, and only a single-point lead for first, so I narrowly avoided having five winning players! I better come up with a tie-breaker question for next year.

All participants should have received an email with your results. Unless your name is “dasdasd” and you chose to input your email address as “adasdasd@dasdd.com.” Umm, thanks for playing?

Interesting trends:

  • No one predicted Mark Rylan’s win. Literally no one. That’s the only weighted category no one got.
  • Most people (me included) over-estimated Gaga’s chances. She and Stallone were the most common “wrong” answers.
  • Likewise, Ex-Machina’s visual effects win was a shocker to most. But it’s a great movie and I’m glad it got some love.

That’s it for 2016’s contest. See you next year!


Did you watch the show? How many winners did you manage to see this year?

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Oscars 2016 – My Picks

The 88th Academy Awards are tonight! As promised, below are my picks. And if you haven’t joined in yet, you have until the first award is announced to submit your own for a chance to win free books or Amazon money. Good luck, participants!

Best Picture (3 pts): The Big Short
Directing (2 pts): George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Screenplay (2 pts): Spotlight
Adapted Screenplay (2 pts): The Big Short
Leading Actor (2 pts): Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Leading Actress (2 pts): Brie Larson – Room
Supporting Actor (2 pts): Tom Hardy – The Revenant
Supporting Actress (2 pts): Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Production Design (1 pt): Mad Max: Fury Road
Documentary Feature (1 pt): Winter on Fire: Ukraines Fight for Freedom
Documentary Short(1 pt): Body Team 12
Animated Short(1 pt): World of Tomorrow
Live Action Short Film (1 pt): Shok
Foreign Language Film (1 pt): Embrace of the Serpent – Colombia
Animated Feature (1 pt): Inside Out
Film Editing (1 pt): Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Editing (1 pt): Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Mixing (1 pt): Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Cinematography (1 pt): The Revenant
Visual Effects (1 pt): Mad Max: Fury Road
Costume Design (1 pt): Cinderella
Makeup and Hairstyling (1 pt): The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Original Score (1 pt): The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone
Original Song (1 pt): “Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground

Hey, Mambo! (INFETTO è in italiano)

Caro lettore, ti scrivo a voi la cortesia di Google Translate. La mia lingua madre è l’inglese, ma ora i miei libri sono disponibili per voi in italiano! Continua a leggere per i dettagli.

Dear Reader, if your eye is drawn to this English paragraph, this post is not for you! INFECTED has been translated into Italian, reanimated as INFETTO, and this announcement is for readers of that language. But if you know any Italian readers, feel free to share. All Click Your Poison books will eventually be published in Italian, so it’s time to celebrate! 

Mi scuso se loro sono errori in questo messaggio tradotto automaticamente, ma una casa editrice con sede a Torino chiamato Catnip Edizioni si sta portando i miei “Clicca il tuo Veleno” per i lettori librogame autoctoni italiani!

Si può leggere di più a http://www.catnipedizioni.it/shop/infetto-clicca-il-tuo-veleno/ E come potete vedere qui sotto , tutti i libri attualmente scontato del 50 %

È ora di festeggiare!

CYP#4: Tyberius Complete!

::Walks away from explosion like a badass::

Tyberius, the street-smart athletic force of nature from INFECTED is now completed! Some might recall he reacted rather harshly at Deleon’s reveal in the high school. In the upcoming PATHOGENS, you can find out why as you live his story for yourself.

Most evocative image of the Tyberius path I could find. Still recovering from the Google image rabbit hole. Whew.

Up next? Kendo master Lucas Tesshu!


Thanks for reading! Excited? Confused? Bemused?

Leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to share and subscribe!