I want to do something for my fellow creators out there. By creators, I mean writers, authors, artists, illustrators, and more. Who knows who or what I will find, but that's the idea. Of course there are some parameters.
I'm looking for the types of creators who fit the vision of Galaxy Zento. So I won't be seeking out things like romance, erotica, historical fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, or westerns. Does anyone even write westerns anymore?
I'll be looking for fantasy and adventure in several venues. It is possible some romantic work may fit there as well as some mystery. I'll also take horror.
In art I'll be seeking the most creative and unique styles I can find. Yes, comic book art will be high on my list, but not my only target.
You do not have to be published to gain my interest in writing about you. You do need to have something I can show off about you. That can be a website and some photos of your smiling face. The more you have, the more I can show about you. Follow that with details about what you do, maybe some snippets of your current work in progress and whammo. Article! All I ask for me to write about you is that you share what I write about you in this blog with all your social media. It can't get easier than that.
I write all about you and you share. Simple and effective.
Articles of this kind will be titled "Amazing Creators" followed by your name (or whoever's name).
And that's it. Want to be considered? Just send me a message on any of my social media or comment on this blog. Give me links to your website, FB page, and twitter if you have any of it. Instagram works too.
Let's do some good for creators!
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Iron Maiden founder dies of Multiple Sclerosis
 |
| Clive Burr, gone too soon |
Do you understand how your body works? At the very end of everything your body does, responsible for everything your body is capable of, is your nervous system. Multiple sclerosis (at a laymen level of explanation) is a disease that eats your nervous system. Now pause and think about that for a second. Every single function of your body, your organs, your senses, requires your nervous system to function. Without the electric charges of your nervous system, your heart will stop beating. UNDERSTAND? At any time, if you have MS, it could damage the nerve actions required for your lungs to work. It can screw up your swallowing reflex and choke you to death. Got it?
That is what I live with. People tell us to shut up about having MS; that we are just full of excuses. Oh if only that were true. You see, you can get therapy for being "full of excuses". And if I were full of excuses, guess what, you'd never see me complete a damn thing. And what brought all of this about today was this story:
Clive Burr, founding member and drummer for Iron Maiden has died of MS at only 56 years old. He was diagnosed in 2001. Treatment for MS made it hard for him to pay for his home and general life. Think about that. He had amassed something of a fortune by being one of the worlds greatest heavy metal drummers. MS took it all. Would you say his problems were just excuses? Really?
I take copaxone shots to stabilize my MS. They cost my insurance nearly 6000 dollars a month. And still, my legs randomly go out on me, I have strange gasping fits, cognitive fogs, dizziness, and severe fatigue for no discernible reason. I have hand tremors that ruin my artwork and make even general things difficult. My insurance, medicare, lists me as "catastrophic" in coverage. It's a twisted situation.
Now, let's set aside my personal dreams for a moment (namely my universe of Galaxy Zento and all that it has going for it with 4 published books and a board game). I'm also a disabled parent of a young man with autism. Without being able to go out and work a regular job to teach him about life, I have to do something. I can't have him thinking that a disability like mine (without letting him know how easily it could kill me) means giving up on lifelong dreams or even making an effort at life itself. I can't be the disabled Dad who stares at the walls all day. That is what Galaxy Zento is for. It's the job I do to show him how to live, in spite of what holds him back.
And every time someone tells me my artwork isn't good enough or my game isn't good enough to be given any consideration, they actually help me with him. Because when I don't give up, just because people hate on my work, it shows him something. And I can't just wait in life until I can afford to pay someone else to do the artwork. If you can't see why after all you just read, I don't know what to tell you.
I know my art isn't the best you can get. It's cartoony and not seriously "graphic". Its not like a Rembrandt painting. But it's also not like I don't work hard. I work very hard and beyond my capabilities at times. That means I hurt myself to get things done. Hard to avoid actually.
But every single day, I have to wonder if I am going to be able to function for the whole day, or just part of it. That's because MS can take me out at any given level of exhaustion at any given moment of time; no matter what I've actually been doing. I could totally just be sitting on my ass, doing nothing, and crash anyway.
Is it so terrible to want people to understand? I mean, I get it if someone just doesn't like my work and they turn their nose up at it. That's going to happen. But for those who tell me I'm full of excuses, that actually stings at times. Maybe it shouldn't. But over 400,000 people in the US alone have MS. And it totally depends on what area(s) of the nervous system are damaged for each person, but its capable of killing you outright.
Famous people who died of MS
Celebs with MS
Even bigger list
Just to be clear; I don't expect anyone to jump on a bandwagon and buy things from me just because I have MS. I do want people to realize that I'm not your average game designer, not your average artist, not your average author. I'm not even your average parent, husband, or human being. It's understanding and awareness that I'm after. What would you want in my situation or if you have MS. If you do have MS, what is important in awareness for you? Feel free to post in comments.
Monday, July 18, 2016
When you have to do it yourself
I want to talk today about the realities of tackling huge projects by yourself. I'm going to compare to some professional advice in my talking points. The general consensus is that you should never do it all yourself. You should employ other professionals who have the skills where you don't (if you don't) to make your project (board game, novel, comic) the best shining example it can be. This is solid advice because the environment you are trying to enter is a no holds barred battlefield of very high expectations.
Now, truth be told, I'm not alone. I never have been. But in getting started, I was the only one to do all the writing, planning, and art. I'm a rare example that I do have artistic skill to tap into on top of my writing abilities. Not many people can be a one man band. There are factors to take into consideration here as well. Factors that most people don't think about.What I do also requires a solid work ethic and never give up attitude.
Why go solo in the first place? It's a fair question. Who in their right mind would want to do all this work on their own? That includes facing the critics of that work. Remember, this is the internet and critics aren't known for playing nice. You will feel like you've been ganged up on in the parking lot. We'll get to dealing with that later. For now, why go solo? The answer is deceptively simple:
Life. The issues of your life may prod you forward or make you decide it's just not worth it. What if you have a dream you want to make reality, but your life has become a ticking clock? Maybe you have terminal cancer? Maybe you have the onset of Alzheimer's? Or maybe, yes maybe, you have multiple sclerosis. My critics don't think MS is very serious. But then, they don't have to struggle with esophageal spasms that make it hard to talk, swallow, or breath. They can walk and will likely still be able to walk tomorrow. MS is a disease that destroys your nervous system. It's definitely a ticking clock. Over 400,000 people have MS in the US alone and it is robbing people of their life skills and indeed their very lives. See life expectancy results HERE.
So what do you do? In board games the experts say not to release your game to the public until it has the very top of the line graphic art and the structure is as perfect as you can make it. It even comes down to a money thing. If you didn't spend thousands on your artwork, you shouldn't release your game. But your own artwork is not stick figures. In fact you've been recognized for your work in the past and you can make a pretty passable product. Maybe not the Picasso of graphic art, but there's another plan for that. What do you do? Just give up and never bother because you can't cough up the funds they expect? Your life is not like theirs. You are on a ticking clock that may well mean you can't get all of your story out.
My advice? Build it anyway. That's the path that will require the most courage and guts for sure. Not everyone can do it the way the critics expect or the way that the professionals suggest. Their's is not the only way. That's what I did. I did the very best I was capable of and made the game available. Why? Because at least I did it. It's my accomplishment, not theirs. If MS takes me out next year, I made an accomplishment. I beat MS to the punch. It wasn't about making a million dollars on my games. It was about putting out something fun, and doing it against the clock I have to live with. I would challenge any of my critics to live with what I live with and still manage to publish four books (soon to be five) and two games.
Granted, I've tried a lot of things that just didn't work. But doesn't everyone? The point you have to remember is that it's your accomplishment if your life has the same kind of issues in play. You can try to wait until you can pay your way in, or forge your own path while you still can. Under the circumstances, which way sounds better to you?
Another factor to how I have forged ahead, is that I have a product I can show in much fuller form to those who I may enlist to make it even better in the future. Here's an actual quote I received:
"If your project is so great, you should have no problems getting artists to jump all over it."
Spoken like someone who has never tried it. Don't listen to comments like this.
Everyone has to start somewhere and everyone has to take the factors of their actual lives into consideration. That's whether you dump your life savings into it or just your life. If everyone restricted themselves to only what is the most perfect of perfection to make the critics happy (can't be done), no one would succeed at anything. History proves that. The best of the best, forged their own paths even when told they would fail by onlookers and the "gurus who knew all". There is no reason that you can't do the same if you refuse to give up. That's when you just have to take it on yourself.
Now, truth be told, I'm not alone. I never have been. But in getting started, I was the only one to do all the writing, planning, and art. I'm a rare example that I do have artistic skill to tap into on top of my writing abilities. Not many people can be a one man band. There are factors to take into consideration here as well. Factors that most people don't think about.What I do also requires a solid work ethic and never give up attitude.
Why go solo in the first place? It's a fair question. Who in their right mind would want to do all this work on their own? That includes facing the critics of that work. Remember, this is the internet and critics aren't known for playing nice. You will feel like you've been ganged up on in the parking lot. We'll get to dealing with that later. For now, why go solo? The answer is deceptively simple:
Life. The issues of your life may prod you forward or make you decide it's just not worth it. What if you have a dream you want to make reality, but your life has become a ticking clock? Maybe you have terminal cancer? Maybe you have the onset of Alzheimer's? Or maybe, yes maybe, you have multiple sclerosis. My critics don't think MS is very serious. But then, they don't have to struggle with esophageal spasms that make it hard to talk, swallow, or breath. They can walk and will likely still be able to walk tomorrow. MS is a disease that destroys your nervous system. It's definitely a ticking clock. Over 400,000 people have MS in the US alone and it is robbing people of their life skills and indeed their very lives. See life expectancy results HERE.
So what do you do? In board games the experts say not to release your game to the public until it has the very top of the line graphic art and the structure is as perfect as you can make it. It even comes down to a money thing. If you didn't spend thousands on your artwork, you shouldn't release your game. But your own artwork is not stick figures. In fact you've been recognized for your work in the past and you can make a pretty passable product. Maybe not the Picasso of graphic art, but there's another plan for that. What do you do? Just give up and never bother because you can't cough up the funds they expect? Your life is not like theirs. You are on a ticking clock that may well mean you can't get all of your story out.
 |
| Turned up noses are frustrating, but you can't let that stop you. |
My advice? Build it anyway. That's the path that will require the most courage and guts for sure. Not everyone can do it the way the critics expect or the way that the professionals suggest. Their's is not the only way. That's what I did. I did the very best I was capable of and made the game available. Why? Because at least I did it. It's my accomplishment, not theirs. If MS takes me out next year, I made an accomplishment. I beat MS to the punch. It wasn't about making a million dollars on my games. It was about putting out something fun, and doing it against the clock I have to live with. I would challenge any of my critics to live with what I live with and still manage to publish four books (soon to be five) and two games.
Granted, I've tried a lot of things that just didn't work. But doesn't everyone? The point you have to remember is that it's your accomplishment if your life has the same kind of issues in play. You can try to wait until you can pay your way in, or forge your own path while you still can. Under the circumstances, which way sounds better to you?
Another factor to how I have forged ahead, is that I have a product I can show in much fuller form to those who I may enlist to make it even better in the future. Here's an actual quote I received:
"If your project is so great, you should have no problems getting artists to jump all over it."
Spoken like someone who has never tried it. Don't listen to comments like this.
Everyone has to start somewhere and everyone has to take the factors of their actual lives into consideration. That's whether you dump your life savings into it or just your life. If everyone restricted themselves to only what is the most perfect of perfection to make the critics happy (can't be done), no one would succeed at anything. History proves that. The best of the best, forged their own paths even when told they would fail by onlookers and the "gurus who knew all". There is no reason that you can't do the same if you refuse to give up. That's when you just have to take it on yourself.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Awesome Gamer Podcasts and More
Today I'm going to talk about some talents that I support in the gaming and creative genres. If you love any form of the talents I'm talking about today, you need to check these guys out! I can't tell you how important independent talent really is. There is so much to see outside of the main media that you really are missing out if you don't check them out. So let us get down to it right away.
Jason L Elliott (PaladinElliott): This man is an up and coming reviewer recently recognized by Board Game Geek's official website. He runs a podcast called Ready to Game (Link will take you to his second posting of the podcast). In that he talks about games he's tried, gaming opinion, how to play, what's coming up and all sorts of gaming related goodness. Catch him at his brand new blogspot HERE. He did a review of my game, Marshmallow Fight (link takes you to the Boardgame Geek page where you can find the review). Watch this guy because he's going places.
Jason Pierce (Gorebad): He runs the acclaimed Twitch channel, Howreroll. It's amazingly entertaining with decorum and innovative gaming style. You can catch his blog HERE. What to say about this guy? Shoot, when you click on Howreroll, scroll down to Gorebad's intro. He's been gaming since 1979 in DnD and other paper and pencil games. He had his own shop in the UK, ran games at Gencon in Europe. Now he raises funds for St Judes Children's Research Hospital. What's really cool about that is that he's local to me. I can get in my car and go talk to him. If you want to see an innovative way to present DnD to an internet audience you have to see his channel!
Tortured Earth: Speaking of DnD (but this isn't) here's a new class of role playing game created by K.B Kidder and Artice Dowdey. Check out the official web page HERE. These amazing creators are also local to me, but that's not the reason they get to have word here. Their game, a class-less and level-less role player set in an apocolyptic future promises a seamless transition for integrated characters of unique scale. Genres include fantasy, horror and science fiction. It's style shows right away that this is not just another "everything but the kitchen sink" role player. It has it's own established style and form that is bound to put it on the map. As an RPG designer myself, I'm telling you not to miss out on this experience.
J Morgan: A romantic fantasy author with Desert Breeze Publishing with over 20 books under his belt. The link will take you straight to his books. If you want to see a new take on vampires, he's your guy. I particularly like the Scrolls of Eternity series. He has a new age young adult flair that's hard to miss.
Kingdom Death: A recent gaming experience I had showed me that planning to play some games, may mean watching them. I've never died so fast in my life, especially on the first play of a game. That's not to knock the game though. I found the game to be amazing if not incredibly complicated in its build. So what happened? Well, we played as a crew of villagers headed out on a dangerous hunt for a white lion creature. In going on the hunt there are a series of event cards you turn over. The very first card revealed a giant worm creature that sprang from the ground. The card said, anyone carrying an item marked as "noisy" was dead. Well, I had a harp and it was marked as "noisy" so my character's immediate mission for the remainder of the game was indigestion. The other players felt terrible as it was my first time even gaming with them. I laughed it off and told them not to worry about it. I wasn't concerned. I watched the game play out and next time I'm sure I'll last an event or two longer. HERE is the game's website. Be prepared to make a substantial monetary investment for this game.
That's about it for this weeks journey. Don't forget to visit the Facebook page and get in on the free drawing that's going on! The clock is ticking!
Jason L Elliott (PaladinElliott): This man is an up and coming reviewer recently recognized by Board Game Geek's official website. He runs a podcast called Ready to Game (Link will take you to his second posting of the podcast). In that he talks about games he's tried, gaming opinion, how to play, what's coming up and all sorts of gaming related goodness. Catch him at his brand new blogspot HERE. He did a review of my game, Marshmallow Fight (link takes you to the Boardgame Geek page where you can find the review). Watch this guy because he's going places.
Jason Pierce (Gorebad): He runs the acclaimed Twitch channel, Howreroll. It's amazingly entertaining with decorum and innovative gaming style. You can catch his blog HERE. What to say about this guy? Shoot, when you click on Howreroll, scroll down to Gorebad's intro. He's been gaming since 1979 in DnD and other paper and pencil games. He had his own shop in the UK, ran games at Gencon in Europe. Now he raises funds for St Judes Children's Research Hospital. What's really cool about that is that he's local to me. I can get in my car and go talk to him. If you want to see an innovative way to present DnD to an internet audience you have to see his channel!
Tortured Earth: Speaking of DnD (but this isn't) here's a new class of role playing game created by K.B Kidder and Artice Dowdey. Check out the official web page HERE. These amazing creators are also local to me, but that's not the reason they get to have word here. Their game, a class-less and level-less role player set in an apocolyptic future promises a seamless transition for integrated characters of unique scale. Genres include fantasy, horror and science fiction. It's style shows right away that this is not just another "everything but the kitchen sink" role player. It has it's own established style and form that is bound to put it on the map. As an RPG designer myself, I'm telling you not to miss out on this experience.
J Morgan: A romantic fantasy author with Desert Breeze Publishing with over 20 books under his belt. The link will take you straight to his books. If you want to see a new take on vampires, he's your guy. I particularly like the Scrolls of Eternity series. He has a new age young adult flair that's hard to miss.
Kingdom Death: A recent gaming experience I had showed me that planning to play some games, may mean watching them. I've never died so fast in my life, especially on the first play of a game. That's not to knock the game though. I found the game to be amazing if not incredibly complicated in its build. So what happened? Well, we played as a crew of villagers headed out on a dangerous hunt for a white lion creature. In going on the hunt there are a series of event cards you turn over. The very first card revealed a giant worm creature that sprang from the ground. The card said, anyone carrying an item marked as "noisy" was dead. Well, I had a harp and it was marked as "noisy" so my character's immediate mission for the remainder of the game was indigestion. The other players felt terrible as it was my first time even gaming with them. I laughed it off and told them not to worry about it. I wasn't concerned. I watched the game play out and next time I'm sure I'll last an event or two longer. HERE is the game's website. Be prepared to make a substantial monetary investment for this game.
That's about it for this weeks journey. Don't forget to visit the Facebook page and get in on the free drawing that's going on! The clock is ticking!
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