Thursday, February 1, 2024

Winter 2024

 Lot's going on. What's coming up shortly is my first-time trip to Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs. While I've attended many other writing conferences before, this one focuses on the business of writing, a topic many writers shy away from. 

"If I wanted to talk business, I'd be a business major, I just wanna write!" 

The truth is, while fate may shine on one-book wonders like Harper Lee or J D Salinger, the rest of us ink-stained mortals need to figure out how to earn a living. Even if you've been blessed with a hefty advance, eventually, the money runs out and paying the bills becomes a challenge. Many writers leverage what they've learned into teaching but the real champions, to me at least, are those who can keep cranking out the words and using them to put food on the table.

Superstars offers panels and classes on promotion, marketing, networking, and yes, how to be a better storyteller. The faculty includes heavy-hitters in the fantasy/science-fiction genres such as Kevin J Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Jonathan Maberry, Gail Carriger, Jim Butcher, and Kevin Ikenberry, plus editors and literary agents. Since the theme is the business of writing, we'll be selling our books at the Bookstravagansa.

Previously, I had mentioned that I was the Jefe Editor for the inaugural anthology from CALMA, the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors, Ramas y Raices. The project is moving along. We're in the process of final edits to the Advanced Reading Copy and I'm pleased to share our bad-ass cover, designed by Kathryn Renta of Latchkey Artist. Book launch, Summer 2024. Stay tuned.






Friday, November 3, 2023

Autumn 2023

What I love about autumn is that it doesn't sneak up on you like spring or summer. You go out one morning and the brisk weather says, "Autumn is here! Put away your shorts and get your jacket and gloves." Denver's first real snowfall of the season carpeted the ground with leaves. 

I'm in the recently published horror anthology Midnight Roost from WordCrafter Press. My contribution "Immediate Intervention" looks at the consequences of people born in artificial wombs. Being a horror story, it doesn't end well for the central character.

The anthology Ramas y Raices: The Best of CALMA I'm editing for the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors is on track. We've just finished the copy-edits and are progressing into formatting, cover design, and final editing. Then we'll be sending copies out for review. Stay tuned.



Friday, July 7, 2023

Summer 2023

 Last year I was offered a great opportunity--to write short fiction for Stories of the Reconvergence, an anthology of science fiction tales and poetry. Preorder your copy here.

It was my first time penning something for a video game franchise, Random Games. The anthology's premise is the discovery of an ancient spaceship on Mars, which draws humanity into the Masson Zero, a vast network of instantaneous pathways that connects galaxies in the Unioverse. The stories add depth and backstory to both the characters and their worlds to supplement what's offered in the video game. 

Another anthology that featured a story of mine Denver Noir won a Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology, edited by the best selling author Cynthia Swanson. 


My other project is the anthology I'm editing for CALMA--Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors. We're currently raising funds on our Go Fund Me and helping out will assure good karma. Expect your next plate of carne asada tacos to be especially delicious.





Saturday, May 6, 2023

Spring 2023

If you haven't heard, during the pandemic I drew hundreds of daily cartoons that were collected in Cats in Quarantine,  A Cartoon Memoir of the COVID-19 Pandemic, published by Hex Publishers. When Josh Viola, the head guy at Hex, and I were deciding on the title, I mentioned that we should be specific about referring to the COVID-19 virus because God knows, we might get another pandemic!



Here's a sample cartoon that captured some of the anxiety I felt at the time.



Sunday, January 29, 2023

Winter 2023

The year is off to a great start as 2022 ended with a fantastic launch of Cats In Quarantine.

And I've got more awesome news. I was invited to join the Unioverse.

Say what? Unioverse is an amazing venture of Hex Publishers teaming with Random Games, the same people responsible for the hugely popular video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Donkey Kong Country, The Walking Dead, Stars Wars...you get the picture. 

But Universe is more than a video game, it's an epic franchise encompassing games, dazzling artwork, comic books, anthologies, merchandise, and more. What makes Unioverse different is that it opens content to the public so that you can expand the Unioverse anyway you want and monetize it to your benefit. 


The concept for the Unioverse is that 150 years in the future, during the colonization of Mars, explorers discover an ancient alien spaceship. An analysis of the ship reveals a transporter device that can zap your consciousness across the universe into a system known as the Mass-O. 

Here, using the technology of that extinct civilization, intelligent species interact in ways that are good and not so much. After all, the best stories come from conflict and bad decisions. My contribution so far is a futuristic crime story in a forthcoming anthology that introduces various worlds and narratives. Stay tuned.


Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Summer 2022

 Here I am, right on time to catch the end of the season. 


I have a short story in Shadow Atlas (awesome cover, no?) which won the Colorado Book Award for Anthology. I think this was the sixth time an offering from Hex Publishers was in the running so the recognition was long overdue. 

Luther, Wyoming was also in the line up for Historical Fiction in the CBA and for Best Novel, Historical Fiction in the International Latino Book Awards, but as we say, in both cases, close but no cigar. 



Some of you might have known that during the pandemic, I sketched a daily cartoon called Cats In Quarantine that I shared on social media. I'm excited to announce that Hex Publishers will offer Cats In Quarantine: A Cartoon Memoir of the COVID-19 Pandemic received a Starred Review from Kirkus! Pub date of October 25, 2022. Pre-order your copies here. My cat cartoons were also picked up by Westword. Check it out.










Monday, June 6, 2022

Spring 2022

These last few months have kept me busy with the publication of three awesome anthologies, of which I'm proud to be in.


Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas is the latest offering by Hex Publishers. It's a layered and especially imaginative approach to speculative fiction, being the suppressed journal of the Umbra Arca Society who sought to unearth the ancient history behind fables and myth in the Americas. Though the mood was horror, the included pieces range from short fiction to flash fiction to poetry, lavishly illustrated by Aaron Lovett. My story, "Xipe Totec," draws from the Aztec migration out of Aztlán and a particularly gruesome form of ritual sacrifice. 

Denver Noir brings together many neighborhoods that make up the Denver metroplex with stories that drop their protagonists off a cliff, much to the reader's delight. I described my story "El Armero" in my last posting here and it's a tale I'm especially proud of.

El Provenir ¡Ya: Citlalzazanilli Mexicatl! gives a decidedly sideways look at the future from a collection of literary cholas and vatos. Definitely first-rate what-if and what-might-be cuentos. Mine, "El Chivo," gives chilling glimpse into a disturbing future. Imagine Basic Uniform Income as benefitting The Animator.

Speaking of the future, what's next in line? Something truly exciting, another book. Title? Cats In Quarantine: A Cartoon Memoir of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Stay tuned.
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