Are you following me?
- Okay, well, the proof is taking a bit longer than Dark Side of the Moon. Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits will bring it on home. 1 hour ago
- What are the chances I can finish this proofread in the time it takes to listen to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Let's find out! 1 hour ago
- Longer batch of errands than expected -- uh oh. But work begins NOW! 8 hours ago
Fantasy Author’s Datebook
Arron of the Black Forest
- Dragon's Cliff Dungeon Tips: Joe Kushner on using The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff in your D&D game.
- Arron Review: A great review of The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff.
- Arron of the Black Forest Blog: Keep up on the series and learn more about the world of Arron of the Black Forest.
- Post Modern Pulps on Arron: A thoughtful review of The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff.
Blogroll
- WordPress.com
- KINDLE SUBSCRIPTION: Subscribe to Fantasy Author’s Handbook for your Kindle!
- Annual Report 2012: Fantasy Author’s Handbook.
Buy My Books
- BARNES & NOBLE: Online and in-store!
- AMAZON: Look at all those books on an Amazon page. I’ve been busy!
- POWELL'S: Powell’s Books is a Portland, OR landmark. Support the independents!
- The Guide to Writing Fantasy & SF from Adams Media: Buy directly from the source!
- SONY READER Buy my books in e-book form from the Sony Reader Library.
- Diesel eBook Store E-books in EPub, Palm, and Mobi formats.
- Australians, Buy Here! Order from Boomerang Books in Australia.
- Google eBookstore Buy ebooks for various readers.
- WHSmith: For our friends in the United Kingdom.
- BooksOnBoard: Another fine ebook retailer.
- Stories in the Ether #3: Featuring my story “I Made a Friend.”
- Amazon Author Page: More about lil ol me!
Communicate With Me
- FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: Admit it, you need to keep up with me at least a couple times a day.
- LINKEDIN: Here’s my public profile on LinkedIn.
- Athans & Associates Creative consulting services from an IP development pro.
- Facebook: Eventually, it happens to us all.
- GOOD.is What’s so GOOD about me?
Gamasutra
- The Case for In-house Publishing My featured post at Gamasutra, which includes a TSR history lesson.
- There Has Been a Reckoning On the subject of a friend’s new game.
- Is IGDA Membership Worth It? Turns out, not really.
- A Little Respect: Writers deserve respect. There, I said it.
- The Gaming Revolution Will Be…Read? My case for more video game tie-in novels.
Grasping for the Wind
- SEPTEMBER 7: NATIONAL BUY A BOOK DAY Go to Grasping for the Wind, read my column, then buy a book on September 7!
- Content is King: My Grasping for the Wind swan song. Be a CONTENT PROVIDER!
- ROBOT IS THE NEW VAMPIRE Read my first column on Grasping for the Wind!
- THE WORLDS THAT OUTGREW THEIR STORIES September Column: Two Roads to Intellectual Property Success
- THROW YOUR BOOK A PARTY Advice for Authors on Signings and In-store Events
- Five Things Every Aspiring Author Should Know Don’t say I never warned you!
- Is Science Fiction Bad for Us? My December 2010 column on the desensitizing effect of SF.
- Convention Etiquette for Professionals and Panelists Tips for conventioneers with help from Jack Emmert, Richard Garfield, James Minz, Matthew Stover, and Kristine Katheryn Rusch
- Pile on the Huge: In which I discuss scale in SF books and movies.
- The Knee-jerk Reductionism of our Ill-considered Bloggers I jump in on the debate: Is fantasy morally bankrupt?
- Why I Read Five Books at Once The method to my (reading) madness.
- Been There, Survived That: Notes from the “bookpocalypse” as seen from the “recordmaggedon.”
- SFFWRCHT: The transcript of a wild-and-wooly Twitter chat session.
Interviews and Other Stuff
- I'VE BEEN WIKIPEDIAD: Don’t believe everything they say about me!
- CLARKESWORLD INTERVIEW 2: Read the rest of the editors roundtable in Clarkesworld.
- CLARKESWORLD INTERVIEW 1: I took part in a roundtable interview with other speculative fiction editors.
- WIZARDS.COM INTERVIEW: Philip Athans, interviewed on wizards.com.
- MAKE-BELIEVE MONDAYS INTERVIEW: Debra Parmley’s Make-Believe Mondays is a must-read blog for SF/Fantasy fans, and she’s interviewed lil’ ol’ me!
- Pat's Fantasy Hotlist Review of The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction!
- Celebrity Game Table: A detailed look at my Tegel Manor Campaign from 2003.
- Publisher's Weekly “Is the Universe Expanding or Contracting?”
- FANTASY BOOK CRITIC reviews The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction
- Qwiki: This kinda freaked me out, though it’s a little out of date.
- Guys Can Read: Wondercon 2011 podcast interview.
- ISFDB: My entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Nevermet Press Interview, Part 1: Jonathan Jacobs and I discuss SF/Fantasy, and publishing in 2011.
- Nevermet Press Interview, Part 2: More inside information surrounding “I Made a Friend.”
- Bolthole Interview: I talk Warhammer, writing, and more with a great Games Workshop fan site.
- I Made A Friend: A new short story by me, published by Nevermet Press!
- Write Tip: Things Pros (including me!) Wish New Authors Knew About Publishing And Don’t
- Age of Legends Review: Positive words for “The City is Theirs.”
- 10 Questions with…ME! I get grilled by Ryan Schneider.
- Omnivoracious Interview: I talk with Susan Morris on the subject of worldbuilding.
- Chicks with Crossbows on Villains: A nice report on our ECCC panel, even if she spelled my name wrong!
- SF Signal Mind Meld: Aliens I join other SF/F authors and editors on the subject of what makes a good alien.
- Five Things Every Horror Author Needs to Know: A Writer’s Digest Tutorial
- The Shelf-Life of Sci-Fi Storytelling A love letter to the pulps.
- SF Signal on The Fathomless Abyss: I’m interviewed by Charles Tan.
National Buy a Book Day
- SEPTEMBER 7: NATIONAL BUY A BOOK DAY Go to Grasping for the Wind, read my column, then buy a book on September 7!
- Grasping for the Wind on NBBD: National Buy a Book Day Foundation board member John Ottinger speaks out!
- The National Buy a Book Day Foundation September 7th is fast approaching!
NEW!
- SpoCon I’m planning on being in Spokane, WA in August for SpoCon…details to follow.
- PNWA Conference I’ve been invited to speak at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference in Seattle in July.
Resources
- SF SIGNAL: A great source of news, opinions, and links for all things SF.
- New York Times Books: Reviews, news, and so on from the Old School.
- GAMASUTRA: News and opinions from the video game universe.
- LOCUS Online: SF’s magazine of record.
- McSWEENEY'S INTERNET TENDENCY: Because it’s frickin’ awesome.
The Fathomless Abyss
- SF Signal Interview with Cat Rambo: “I have to firmly put my more logical side on the shelf when working in the Abyss. Which is weirdly freeing…”
- SF Signal Interview with Mel Odom: “I had a chance to help develop the world.”
- SF Signal Interview with J.M. McDermott: “The thing that excited me was an opportunity to work with, and invent, some creatures.”
- SF Signal Interview with Brad R. Torgersen “It sounded like a lot of fun to me…”
- SF Signal Interview with Jay Lake: “…the world is charmingly cock-eyed, while still possessed of vast possibility.”
- Mel Odom Arron of the Black Forest & The Fathomless Abyss!
- Jay Lake That Which Rises Ever Upward
- J.M. McDermott It’s Mine
- Mike Resnick The Ascent (with Brad R. Torgersen)
- Brad R. Torgersen The Ascent (with Mike Resnick)
- Cat Rambo A Querulous Flute of Bone
- Book 4: A Seed on the Wind The Kindle edition of the new novella by Cat Rambo.
- Book 1: Tales From The Fathomless Abyss The Kindle edition of the anthology that started it all!
- Book 1: Tales From The Fathomless Abyss The Nook edition of the opening anthology.
- Abyss Review: A short review of Tales From The Fathomless Abyss by James Reasoner.
- Writers of the Future: WotF reports on Tales From The Fathomless Abyss.
- SF Signal Interview with Mats Minnhagen: “In fantasy, because the setting is distorted, the timeless themes stand out with greater clarity.”
- Book 3: Nirvana Gates The Nook edition of the novella by J.M. McDermott
- Book 2: Devils of the Endless Deep The Kindle edition of the first follow-up to Tales From The Fathomless Abyss!
- Black Gate on The Fathomless Abyss Spreading the word!
- Book 4: A Seed on the Wind The Nook edition of the novella by Cat Rambo.
- Book 3: Nirvana Gates The Kindle edition of the Fathomless Abyss novella by J.M. McDermott
- SF Signal Interview with Mike Resnick “The possibilities within the framework are endless, and it’s a type of fiction I haven’t written in decades.”
- Fantasy Hotlist on Nirvana Gates: And the Fathomless Abyss in general.
Fantasy Author’s Feeds
Past Posts
Category Archives: Arron of the Black Forest
THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING TO ME NOW
Or are they? Okay, I’ll back up a little. For the past couple years I’ve been reading a lot of advice for indie/self-published authors on the subject of marketing, and giving my fair share, too. Though it’s never been easier … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, E-Books, horror novels, intellectual property development, NaNoWriMo, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, transmedia, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, best sellers, Books, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing process
1 Comment
BUY MY E-BOOKS, PLEASE
Tuesday again, so soon? What to write for this week’s Fantasy Author’s Handbook post? Ideas abound, but this morning I thought, hey, maybe it’s time for a little shameless self-promotion. And it might just kill two birds with one stone. … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, transmedia, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, author self-promotion, authors, best fantasy for Kindle, best fantasy for Nook, best fantasy novels, Books, creative process, e-books, e-readers, Fantasy, fantasy author on Twitter, Fiction, genre fiction, J.M. McDermott, jay Lake, Kindle fantasy, Mel Odom, Mike Resnick, Nook fantasy, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Writing, writing advice, writing process
6 Comments
NIRVANA GATES AND MY TENDENCY TO AVOID GROUPS
What could these two things possibly have in common? A couple weeks ago, in my class at Bellevue College, we were discussing how characters interact with the world they live in, and we went through an exercise inspired by the … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, Brad R. Torgersen, Cat Rambo, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, Forgotten Realms, genre fiction, J.M. McDermott, jay Lake, Magic: The Gathering, Mats Minnhagen, Mel Odom, Mike Resnick, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing exercises
2 Comments
COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY
Excuse for why I missed a Tuesday . . . I’ve been working on finally assembling a complete bibliography. It’s not exactly perfect yet, and when it is, it will appear as a separate page here, but for now . … Continue reading
Posted in Arron of the Black Forest, Books, Dungeons & Dragons, horror novels, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, Science Fiction Story, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, best sellers, Books, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, Forgotten Realms, genre fiction, Magic: The Gathering, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, R.A. Salvatore, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Writing
Leave a comment
ARRON’S LONELY BLOG
If you still haven’t heard of Arron of the Black Forest, that’s my fault, not yours. How do we rectify that? Well, first off, you can click over to the Arron of the Black Forest blog. Here’s a taste of … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, Conan, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, Forgotten Realms, genre fiction, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, R.A. Salvatore, Science Fiction, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing process
Leave a comment
WORK IN PROGRESS: DEVILS OF THE ENDLESS DEEP
Coming in February? Well, that’s still possible. Get back to me on that in a few weeks. But that aside, this is what I’m working on now: the first of the six planned Fathomless Abyss e-books. I’m calling it Devils … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, e-books, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing process
6 Comments
RESOLUTIONS 2012 (THE SEMI-COHERENT RANT EDITION)
I do this every year, and every year I seem to be disappointed by the same failures while being inspired by some surprising successes. I keep promising I’ll be healthier, which is fat people code for “lose weight.” Nope. Still … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, Publishing Business, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, transmedia, Video Games, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, Depression, editor, Fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, read more, resolutions, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing process
4 Comments
THE FATHOMLESS ABYSS
Finally, one of my notorious “secret projects” revealed. First, the amazing cover art by Mats Minnhagen Whose idea was it? The idea for a shared world collective was a combination of Mel Odom, Joe McDermott, and me, I suppose. The … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, bottomless pit, Brad R. Torgersen, Cat Rambo, creative process, e-books, editor, Fantasy, fantasy settings, Fiction, genre fiction, J.M. McDermott, jay Lake, Mats Minnhagen, Mel Odom, Mike Resnick, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, shared world, worldbuilding, Writing, writing process
7 Comments
WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR, 2011
On November 24, 2009 I wrote a post here entitled “What I’m Thankful For, 2009.” I looked back on that post this morning equally happy and sad. I smiled at my “sense of near-completion” on The Guide to Writing Fantasy … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, resolutions, Science Fiction, Thanksgiving, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing process
2 Comments
THE ART & SCIENCE OF THE TITLE
What a tired old phrase: “X is more art than science,” in which X can be anything, including art or science. And saying “Choosing a title for your novel or short story is more art than science” is particularly silly … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, best sellers, Books, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, Forgotten Realms, genre fiction, Magic: The Gathering, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, R.A. Salvatore, Science Fiction, Terry Brooks, titles, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing exercises, writing process
4 Comments
