Back
So, after about a week in Michigan for the Palladium Books Open House (which I'll get to later), I got back home and had to send my computer to Gateway the following week. The screen was going out and the hinges were cracking. Apparently that's a common problem with laptops. They fixed it, but its the same design so I figure I'll have the same problem by this time next year (the lap top is exactly a year old, give or take a week), except that when it happens next time I won't have a warranty.
But I'm back now. Originally, I intended this blog to be a bit of a soap box, but I've had so much going on in my life that I rarely get the chance recently to sit down and compose a well-constructed post that addresses whatever political or social topic rattling around in my head. So, I think I'll take this to a more frequent stream-of-consciousness blog, with the occasional traditional Dark Lord Rant (tm) thrown in for good measure.
So, the Palladium Open House.
It was a booming success for me personally. The owner, Kevin Siembieda, announced one of my books at the VIP Friday, which was very warmly received by fans. I was approached through the weekend by several who seemed at least as excited about the book as I am. That's a good feeling. I brought a draft of it and showed it around and generated a bit more excitement. What's more, at a Thursday meeting for freelance writers, Kev gave me permission to try my hand at another secret project that would not only be huge for Rifts if successful, but would fulfil a few personal dreams of my own. Wish I could give details, but I want official announcements to come from the company first. Seems the smart way to work this.
Of course, at the Open House I met great people I'd gamed with in the past, people I'd only known online, and people I'd never met before. Not only did I hook up with my old gaming group from Ann Arbor/Port Huron, but I also got together with Charles Walton, an artist whose been a friend of mine since high school.
I'm contemplating giving him a spot on my personal domain for his artwork, since he doesn't have a site of his own that I'm aware of. He and I are working on a comic book together that we hope will get picked up by a major company. Unfortunately, I've had so much going on that I haven't been able to focus on it like I want to. That'll change this summer. He's been patient enough.
Rae got to meet more of the family, and I got to see Detroit, which is looking better and better every time I visit. I think, because I only pop in there once a year or so, that I see the changes more dramatically than those that live there. For example, I was nearly floored by Metro Airport. What they've done with the place is jaw-dropping. I was really impressed.
Metro Airport used to be one of the crappiest air ports I'd ever flown into, and I've flown into air ports all over the country. It was really sad.
What I saw last month was a whole different animal, and whoever was behind the renovation needs his or her own statue out front, maybe to replace that big, dumb Joe Louis fist.
Half the freeways were shutdown, which made driving around a pain, but that's what you can expect in Spring in Michigan.
Still, I don't think I'd ever move back their permanently, unless it was to move to Ann Arbor. Not keen on reliving Michigan winters.
On a last note regarding the Open House, I'm definitely considered an "official" freelance writer now. Alex called me last week and dropped a rush assignment on me for the Rifter. It's a cool little gig that I had fun doing. It also gave me a chance to work with one of my favorite Palladium Artists, Apollo Okamura. I love his work and he and I get along really well. Rae and Apollo and the Manning Bros (also Palladium Artists) hung out and bonded most of the weekend during the Open House. He's a great guy who's far too humble considering his vast talent.
Basically, he drew a picture of someone for an upcoming Rifter, and I took the picture and turned it into a fully-developed character with backstory, stats and flavor text. It should be published before the summer's out. Hopefully the guys at Palladium like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Check out Apollo's work at http://www.apollookamura.com
Well, that's enough for now. I'm typing this at the new Panera's that opened on the corner. They have free wi-fi and I prefer to blog from my laptop instead of from my computer at work for privacy issues.
I've been trying out Lord of the Rings Online, and I think in the next day or so I'll post my own personal review of this long-awaited MMORPG.
But I'm back now. Originally, I intended this blog to be a bit of a soap box, but I've had so much going on in my life that I rarely get the chance recently to sit down and compose a well-constructed post that addresses whatever political or social topic rattling around in my head. So, I think I'll take this to a more frequent stream-of-consciousness blog, with the occasional traditional Dark Lord Rant (tm) thrown in for good measure.
So, the Palladium Open House.
It was a booming success for me personally. The owner, Kevin Siembieda, announced one of my books at the VIP Friday, which was very warmly received by fans. I was approached through the weekend by several who seemed at least as excited about the book as I am. That's a good feeling. I brought a draft of it and showed it around and generated a bit more excitement. What's more, at a Thursday meeting for freelance writers, Kev gave me permission to try my hand at another secret project that would not only be huge for Rifts if successful, but would fulfil a few personal dreams of my own. Wish I could give details, but I want official announcements to come from the company first. Seems the smart way to work this.
Of course, at the Open House I met great people I'd gamed with in the past, people I'd only known online, and people I'd never met before. Not only did I hook up with my old gaming group from Ann Arbor/Port Huron, but I also got together with Charles Walton, an artist whose been a friend of mine since high school.
I'm contemplating giving him a spot on my personal domain for his artwork, since he doesn't have a site of his own that I'm aware of. He and I are working on a comic book together that we hope will get picked up by a major company. Unfortunately, I've had so much going on that I haven't been able to focus on it like I want to. That'll change this summer. He's been patient enough.
Rae got to meet more of the family, and I got to see Detroit, which is looking better and better every time I visit. I think, because I only pop in there once a year or so, that I see the changes more dramatically than those that live there. For example, I was nearly floored by Metro Airport. What they've done with the place is jaw-dropping. I was really impressed.
Metro Airport used to be one of the crappiest air ports I'd ever flown into, and I've flown into air ports all over the country. It was really sad.
What I saw last month was a whole different animal, and whoever was behind the renovation needs his or her own statue out front, maybe to replace that big, dumb Joe Louis fist.
Half the freeways were shutdown, which made driving around a pain, but that's what you can expect in Spring in Michigan.
Still, I don't think I'd ever move back their permanently, unless it was to move to Ann Arbor. Not keen on reliving Michigan winters.
On a last note regarding the Open House, I'm definitely considered an "official" freelance writer now. Alex called me last week and dropped a rush assignment on me for the Rifter. It's a cool little gig that I had fun doing. It also gave me a chance to work with one of my favorite Palladium Artists, Apollo Okamura. I love his work and he and I get along really well. Rae and Apollo and the Manning Bros (also Palladium Artists) hung out and bonded most of the weekend during the Open House. He's a great guy who's far too humble considering his vast talent.
Basically, he drew a picture of someone for an upcoming Rifter, and I took the picture and turned it into a fully-developed character with backstory, stats and flavor text. It should be published before the summer's out. Hopefully the guys at Palladium like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Check out Apollo's work at http://www.apollookamura.com
Well, that's enough for now. I'm typing this at the new Panera's that opened on the corner. They have free wi-fi and I prefer to blog from my laptop instead of from my computer at work for privacy issues.
I've been trying out Lord of the Rings Online, and I think in the next day or so I'll post my own personal review of this long-awaited MMORPG.
posted by Dark Lord at 12:41 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home