So I've started up the mailing list

That's what all the gurus say to do. Get a mailing list going in order to get more people interested and latched on to your brand. Well, there is one phrase that definitely does not work in this business;

If you build it, they will come....

Not so fast. You have to go find them and while I've had some fellow authors croon to me about how easy it was for them.. I have had no such luck.

It's literally the ''superhero age" in movies and books even though comics have suffered. I can't think of a time my brand could possibly be more relevant.  But in a world that wants Spider-mans and Captain Americas how does an Indy brand get noticed?

Well, I'm still struggling to follow guru advice, but I can tell you it is practically never as cut and dried as presented. I'm saying this to you, fellow Indy creator because we live in a tough market. So what am I doing about it now?

Well, opting onto my mailing list (upper left corner of my blog page) will net you a free book. But it won't stop at that. I'm going to make sure my mailing list gives cool updates, more freebies, new artwork, and whatever else I can think of to stuff into that package until it bursts. I want every email you get on my list to feel like you're opening a birthday present. I want fun in your inbox.  Maybe some puzzles or coloring pages you can print out for the kids? Or totally keep them to yourself, I won't mind.

I'm changing the cover of Chaos Rising today. It may take a couple of days for that change to go live, but it will and I will make sure people know about it. Eventually all the covers will be changed. Yeah, you're getting to see that cover right here as the header to this blog post.

And soon I think I'm going to offer a chance to have yourself drawn as a superhero or fantasy character straight from a photo you send me. More details on that if we can get this off the ground.

That's what I'm doing about it now. My next steps are more writing and art of course. I have to keep creating and keep things moving. Direction has always been hard for me. I can wind up with too many projects on the plate but that's easy to do as a one man band.

So that's the update for now. Off to do more creating.

Changing covers

Yes it's time for me to make some changes. I've been rehashing how I'm trying to sell my books and I've gathered some tips. Fact is, even if you are a respected or reputable artist, you need to know a few things about how layouts are done. You also need your cover to accurately convey your story. It also helps if it doesn't look like a child drew it. I've come to the decision that the critics I recently spoke to must be right. So it's time to make changes and recirculate. On top of that I will be adding quite a bit of extra advice like setting up a mail list. I have some ideas for it and I will be looking to make getting my email a fun thing to do.

As for the covers, well, let's take a look at the first novel of the GZ series, Chessmen.

I've realized that the problems are almost too many to list. My book isn't about Chess rather a royal guard of a distant planet. They come to be called "Chessmen".  They are heroes. That's what I do. Heroes. I wanted a near comic book appeal for the story while accenting the planet they are from. Well, I should have sought more advice at someplace like KBoards.com a long time ago. Still I will with this new cover.

Well, what do you think of it? I'm hoping that showing two actual characters from the book will make it clearer what they reader is getting into. I'm quoting a reader in a blurb at the bottom. I think that should be okay. It has the comic appeal I'm going for and simplifies. I'll be looking for what people think of it. Do you like it? Is it appealing? Tell me your thoughts in comments.

Do I have any characters with autism? Yes I do.

Thank you for the question, Simon Passant. Yes I do have two characters with autism and both of them will be revealed in my next novel. But I will tell you right here and right now who they are. But first I want to explain something about  diversity in GZ.

I am far far less interested in making brownie points with any one certain group or classification of people and more in making a complete and believable universe. Look around at the world we live in. GZ is a modern day universe and therefore it makes sense to have modern day people in it. I want it to be rich and diverse in every possible way. It isn't easy to fit all that together in rich character profiles with deep backgrounds.

We live in an age were people point and yell "SJW" at the drop of a hat and that label carries some terrible stigma, especially online. Marvel is constantly getting lambasted for being too "sjw" in their recent story arcs. See here:

I don't want that for GZ. Every person and what makes them up are details in a massive painting of a universe. Without those aspects of those people, it just wouldn't be complete. So just who are these characters with ASD in my universe. Well, if you've been reading and you're all caught up on the story so far, you already know one of them.

Blacktide with the Parahuman Activity Commission (PAC) has Aspergers. His real name is Larry Peters and when he was just a young boy his powers manifested and killed both his parents. It can be hard to separate the trauma he has endured in life with his Aspergers but it's there. When it's revealed in the novel that I'm working on now, it won't be a big thing for him, rather a passing note. He knows what he has, but frankly has bigger fish to fry and it doesn't define him.

Next:

This is Spaz and yes he likes being called that. Spaz works with the Crazy Harry Detective Agency. He is an inventive savant meaning that he can invent bizarre contraptions out of ordinary items. Spaz has messed up eyes and never seems to be looking at anyone he's talking to, but he is a genius in a number of ways. He is also ridiculously rich. That allows him to do just about anything he wants and he seldom takes no for an answer. Sometimes unfeeling people call him retarded and he sets them straight in ways readers will love.

This is where I point out that neither of these characters are representative of all persons with autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder/condition that has broad combinations of effects that are different for each person. Only a few factors of autism are common enough to keep all the combinations on the spectrum. My son and I both have Asperger's and even for the two of us the effects are different in many ways. We have the social difficulties and sensory issues, they are just different for both of us.

So there you have it, two ASD characters getting some spotlight time along with several other distinct characters coming soon. Do you have a question about GZ? Post in comments. And if you enjoyed this post, please share it.

How many Dwarves in Galaxy Zento?

My wife works for a radio station and sometimes I go and have lunch with her. Recently during one of our lunches she asked me how many Dwarf characters I have in my universe. I realized this is a very good question. One worthy of answering right here. I even address this in one of my new short stories currently in the works.

In my universe there are two kinds of Dwarfish people. There are the racial fantasy Dwarves also called Celestials and those with actual Dwarfism.

The two communities don't like being mistaken for each other and this causes some friction between them. One side will say they aren't medical freaks and that will anger the other of course. Those of the medical side will say they aren't a bunch of barbarians to poke at the racial side.

I have more than a couple of active characters from either side of that fence and it can get slightly confusing as to who is who. The short story I'm working on has a character named, Ultrasonic. He is a man with Dwarfism who is deaf and mute. He has the power to amplify and control sound waves. He's also a telepath and an advocate for education on Dwarfish issues particularly where parahuman powers are involved.

In the GZ universe there is a connection of increase of people with powers who also have certain medical conditions, like Dwarfism. It's a matter under study and of intense interest in the society.  It's discovered that a person with Dwarfism is up to 5x more likely to have some sort of power.

I think a development like this makes my universe more believable. It gives depth and identity. As for who those Dwarves are:

Monolith's human form is a man with Dwarfism. His teammate, the Serpent is a racial Dwarf. One of my top villains, The Maker, is a racial Dwarf. I even have a reptilian Dwarf called JoJo.

So that's the answer basically. I have several Dwarves in my universe and you can read about many of them anytime!

Meme Funny: Who are you?

You know, some memes like this one are just hilarious to consider. I don't know who put together this mish mash but he must have loved July. I mean, really, this couldn't get much more lopsided that it is now. Since my birth month is July I decided to do a fun write up on just how fast Dr. Manhattan rules over this no matter who his enemy is in this case. And I don't even have to kill them all. I can make them my collection of people in little jars if I want to. So here is the meme and I am, Dr. Manhattan.

I'll start from August and go around:

VS Deadpool: Bullets and swords mean precisely jack to me. Not only is he not going to touch me, I think I'll cure him of being a living cancer at a molecular level. He's going to have to go through the hell of getting his powers all over again just to keep his job. I'm way beyond his reach.

VS Hulk:  He comes up as my actual nemesis according to this meme. I laughed. I don't eve have to think about what to do. I'll just separate the gamma radiation from his cells and send the cured Dr. Banner on his way. He never has to be the Hulk again.

VS Tall Man: This is the guy from the horror franchise, Phantasm. What the hell is he even doing on this list? Not only is he critically out of place, but he won't be invading my dimension today. I don't care how many places he can be in at once, I can be in more. He depends on weird cross dimensional technology that I'll turn to dust before he can think of a single syllable word. That includes his cute little spheres that won't get anywhere near me. Might just turn them right back on him and see how he likes it.

VS Spawn: Ah, just about the only near worthy opponent on this list. Spawn has taken on some big baddies to include Malbolgia (the equivalent of Mephisto in Marvel). But that isn't going to save him. At my level I can figure out what his magic is made of and put an end to it. No matter what he does, I have the power to just say NO. And it doesn't happen. It's likely I can even shunt him to another dimension to go after someone he'll have more fun with. Hey, Tall Man, you're about to have company.

VS Super Saiyan: If I spelled it right, ha ha. I don't care. It's bad enough it will take three weeks for him to throw one punch but while he's building power, I'm draining it. He will never get the chance to throw that punch because he won't have any kinetic energy to move with. And I can do that forever. Perpetual stasis? No problemo. I don't care what power levels he has, he can't use them if he can't activate them. And there is no speed he can move at that my cosmic intellect can't see. Like many of these, this is a non fight.

VS Superman: Oh let's see. Create the light of a red sun, generate a cage of pure green kryptonite, or just drain all the yellow sun radiation from his body. Doesn't really matter, Supes isn't fighting me today. Even his super speed doesn't matter, I'll see him coming from a mile away. I won't let him within a foot of me, much less ten. That's the level of awareness that Dr. Manhattan possesses.

VS Batman: No. Just no. Remember Ozymandias? Smartest guy in the universe and he totally failed to decimate me. For all his logic he had zero actual chance of affecting me in the first place. Same goes for Batman. Not everything in this universe can be plotted out by Batman. I don't care how much he researches moving a planet with his pinky finger, it's not going to happen. I, on the other hand, can move the planet by casual thought. It's a simple reality. Some things are just not reachable for some people. That is the case in this with Batman. I am the unreachable for him.

VS Mystique: Oh boy a shape changer. That's cute. No matter what she does to alter herself against me, my command of molecules can change her right back. In fact, I may change her into a few fun things just to annoy. Like a Smurf maybe. Yep, I turn her into a Smurf. Perfect.

VS Darth Vader: Let's face it. If Darth had anywhere near the ability to affect me in the slightest, his own universe would be totally under his control. Unfortunately for him, he requires permanent life support that I erase without even looking at him. Yep, in this case, I would actually kill Darth Vader who can't use the force well enough to sustain his own body.

VS Wolverine: Once again it's blades and claws. Those mean nothing to me. I am beyond even caring about such a flea. But since I must, I'll remove his adamantium even better than Magneto did. It just won't exist any more. I can disassemble him to molecules or just send him home. Doesn't matter much here.

VS Venom: I  separate the symbiote from the host and seal it away forever. No one will ever find it. That equals no powers for the host. That puts Brock or any other Venom beneath my notice but then that brings me to my final point.

You might think that all together they have a chance against me. But they don't. Because I did all of these things at the same fraction of a moment in time affecting them all simultaneously. I did it so fast that none of them could actually register what happened to them. Now they can get off my moon and leave me alone as my contemplations are beyond their microscopic ability to see. None of them any greater in scale than a germ to me and I am not affected by germs.

Do you agree? Do you disagree? Have fun in comments. Hope you got a half chuckle.

Woo Hoo! Summer Update!

I haven't posted here in a while but boy do I have stuff to talk about! I'm working on cards for the next step in the board game series on GZ and it's coming out awesome! So today I'm going to tell you about some of the new character cards that are going to be in this game. There's going to be more action than in a ring full of wrestlers on hyper steroids.

If you want to find out more about this and other GZ products, be sure to hit the links to the right!

This edition is going to become the new core edition of the game and it's setting is good ol New York City. It will be based on the characters from then main novel series for GZ that starts with Chaos Rising. That means the heroes of PAC will be there along with villains of all sorts. The power levels will be off the charts. Here are some examples.

Sandstorm: Good Character: 
Raw Power: If Sandstorm's first attack against you is a natural 17-20, he wins the combat.

So watch out if you play evil against this character. He may just blow you away before you can do anything. But check out what you get as a bonus if you are good and recruit him!

When another player attacks you, roll 1d20 with no modifiers. On a 17-20 move that player up to 6 spaces away in any direction and end their turn.

He also gives you protection from elements so no fire, wind, ice, lightning, or other elemental cards or spells can affect you while he's your ally.

Electrode: Good Character
Fast Combat: Every time you miss Electrode he gets +1 to attack for the rest of the combat.

And he starts out with a +8 attack value so you better be having a good dice day or he will catch up with you FAST. But, he gives allies a nice bonus as well.

If you roll a 6 for movement, you may move to any location on the board.

Having trouble catching up to another player? Even if that isn't perfect he still gives you +3 to your movement.

Blacktide: Good Character:
Disintegration Aura: When you hit Blacktide in combat, you take 1 damage.

Fighting this guy is a thorny concept. If you are playing a goal on taking damage, great, you have a way to win. If not, this is going to be worth 3 damage just to beat him. Be ready to heal. But as an ally, he gives you this:

Other players cannot challenge you to combat or stop adjacent to you.

They can still ranged attack you, but full on combat is out of the question. This is a very useful protection to have since a lot of nasty tricks involve adjacency. But what if you are the one who moves adjacent, right? No problem. Nothing happens. You can move adjacent to or challenge to combat if you want. Other players just can't return the favor.

Nyhtwulf: Good Character: (I'm still working on what makes him dangerous to fight, but check out his bonus:)

When a player moves away from being adjacent to you, you may immediately move adjacent to them after they move.

This depicts the character's ability of neuro tracking from the book. Once he's met you, there is no escaping him. But what if it's Blacktide versus Nyhtwulf? What if a player with Blacktide moved adjacent to a player with Nyhtwulf and on their next turn moved away? Could Nyhtwulf follow? The answer is NO. Because Blacktide's power prevents other players from stopping adjacent to that player.

I know some language may need to be sorted out, but this is the hash out phase if you know what I mean.

New Year 2017 Update!

It's high time for a new update and what better way to kick off the new year? While planning stories for GZ Tales Volume 3, I've also dug into revisions for the GZ role playing game. This will be an official publication, likely available on Amazon! If you enjoy role playing games that give you lots of freedom and creativity, this will be for you.

GZ RPG will be a percentile and D10 based system. It is a game in a preset universe of characters, monsters, alien races, magics, and more. The old quote of 'everything but the kitchen sink' certainly applies.

It's a game where you get to choose how to build your character by use of Karma points you earn for your side of the balance of good and evil. And yet, you don't have to just good or evil. You can serve Chaos if you prefer and make your life goal the destruction of the balance. It's up to you!

It is a game of magic and super powers so there are lots of cool ways to power up your character creation. At today's count there are over 386 powers and you can roll for your powers on a new character totally at random. For that matter, you can roll your entire character at random if you so desire.

That's not to say there isn't an intelligent side or academic side to the game. There are over 200 possible occupations/academics for characters that give modifiers to dice rolls. Since it's set in a modern day setting, your character could be a person with any kind of actual job before their life turns upside down on adventures.

Still, you can be anything you want with a broad number of alien races also in the mix. You can see prime examples of all this with a visit to the Galaxy Zento Facebook page or even by perusing these blog entries.

I don't have a release date at this time because I'm just jumping in on the revisions now. But there will be updates.

Project work also continues for the board game and it's expansions and accessories. If you haven't jumped into the GZ universe yet, there's no time like the present. The current accessory pack will bring the gods of GZ to the board game. More posts on those completed cards will be coming soon. Currently, I'm halfway through the artwork (and there's been lots of positive feedback!).

That's pretty much it for the current update, but it's a major desk full for me!

Here's hoping you all had a wonderful holiday season and face a new year of all new excitement and adventure.