Land of the Rising Son

Pun in the title is intended. Blake Allen Robertson has arrived and is in full newborn effect. Pictures on my Facebook page, but more will be coming soon once I get fully into the saddle of uploading the daily digital photos I'm snapping with my Canon SX10 IS with 430EXII flash unit.

Blake arrived via Cesarean Section on January 7, 2010 at 2:28 a.m. EDT. Weighing in at a modest 7 lbs, 10 oz. and measuring 21" long, Blake still put his mom through almost a day of labor and surgery. Nicole was induced on the 6th at about 9 a.m. EDT, so you can see how long we were in the hospital awaiting his arrival. Stubborn little guy didn't want to come out! In the end, he wouldn't fit through the birth canal, experienced distress, and needed to be extracted...all part of his master plan. :) Mom and baby are doing just fine as of today (day 15 postpartum), and we're already seeing a lot of changes in his feeding, sleeping, and temperament patterns...never a dull moment, in other words.

In the midst of all this, my third book in the Chronicles of the Planeswalkers trilogy became available for pre-order, though no official release date has been confirmed. I would assume sometime in the next month, but I can only speculate. If you want an early bird deal on the novel, visit my home page linked from the article and on the main home page there's a banner link to the LBF Books website and pre-order form. I'm attempting to work out a deal with Lachesis and LBF that enables me to sign all the pre-order copies before they're shipped out, but no promises there because the printer may be in Canada.

I've got some video game news, which I will start including in the blogs since it's a huge part of my personal and soon-to-be-professional life. I'm working with BSCreview.com as an official reviewer of Playstation 3 titles, mostly titles in genres that I prefer. In other words, I don't have the time or resources to review every single title out there, but I do review ones that I would purchase for myself regardless. I'm not paid by the video game industry or BSCreview.com to do these reviews, which gives my unbiased viewpoint an edge in the slush bucket of reviews for said titles. I play games like you do...paced, infrequently, etc. This single facet enables me to get a good picture of the game without pressure of deadlines or bias for or against a particular title. I'm honest with the reviews, and think the reviews provide a good sense of humor interspursed with bottom-line facts and feedback. I enjoy writing them and it keeps me writing when the novels are forced to take a back seat.

Currently, I'm enjoying Darksiders for the PS3. I gave it a First Impressions review score - which is a preliminary review based on just a few hours with the title, not a final review - of 8.5 out of 10, which is promising. That score may go up or down depending on the final analysis, and I think people like this type of method. They get a before and after sort of view into the title, and it also allows me to put far more depth into the review than usual. Some review websites sum up a title in two short pages, and in video reviews maybe 4-6 minutes tops.

In short, I may be able to attend E3 this year (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles courtesy of BSCreview.com as a press agent. This will allow me insider access to developers and publishers alike, and give me a lot of contacts into the video game industry. My goal is to write officially either as a reviewer, blogger, or possibly in a game design role. We'll see how things progress; I will post anything of importance pertaining to that aspect of my writing career here.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support, and sorry the blogs have been less frequent.

Part Final: Alignment (book 3) Lives!!

The link above will take you directly to the pre-order page at LBF Books' website. The "Buy" link is at the bottom and it will direct you from there. Sorry for the short blog, I just had to get this out there because tomorrow is the due date for our son, Blake Allen Robertson! :) Thanks to all of you for your kind and generous support...and Happy 2010!

End of an Era, but the Beginning of Another

I posted pretty much what's below on the News page of my official website, so you'll have to forgive me if it's a bit redundant, assuming you read it over there yet. If not, well then you've got all the news to date, minus a few scraps I'll give in this entry.

As 2009 winds down to a close, I'm reminded that this time is my favorite of each passing year. Christmas and the holiday season means different things to different folks with varying religious or nonreligious beliefs, but one fact stands out: it's a time of celebration and remembrance.

When I look at 2009 in retrospect, I think of the strides I've made in my writing career, which is just shy of seven years in the making. January 5, 2003 is the date I started writing Chronicles of the Planeswalkers, Part Zero, and it looks like early 2010 will mark the release of the third and final book of my inaugural series: Part Final: Alignment. Three books in seven years...I suppose that's not so bad for someone who doesn't write full-time. It's the end of an era, one which I'm more than proud of, considering my shaky start, but it's simultaneously the beginning of a new leg of my career. I've begun work on the outline for the next series. Yes, it will be a fantasy series, set in my Planar universe. I'm planning on overhauling the whole concept of planeswalking by adding in more unique elements. Here's a teaser in the form of a new term: Planesreaching. As it implies, planesreaching will involve some new talents and abilities, and the series will introduce a whole new cast of characters while remaining true to the concepts and themes established in the first trilogy. One character will return from the series in a big way. Can you guess who?

Excitement. That's the word describing what I feel moving forward, headstrong, into 2010. I rarely make promises, but I promise you, the readers and fans of my work, that I will [do my best to] have a rough draft of Book 1 - tentatively titled Reacher - completed in 2010. The preliminary work I'm doing now will only spur me on to telling a grander tale than ever before. I've never attempted this level of pre-writing. The main protagonists (yes, there are multiple), their abilities, characteristics, and relationships are all carved out; I've outlined several subplots; I'm fleshing out the overarching plot for the three book trilogy, but also for each novel so they stand on their own; several locations are being developed; and finally, the creation of the primary antagonist and its minions is fully underway. I'm not beholden to specific word counts for these novels, but I've established a baseline at 120,000 words (the length of Part Final: Alignment, book 3 of the first trilogy). In a word, this project is "huge", or at least much larger than anything I've ever done before, professionally or otherwise.

Lastly, and to bring this blog entry to a close, I want to take this time to thank you all for a great year. I've gone from zero followers to six in a short time, and I'm hoping you will pass this along to your friends and families for them to read. I don't write this merely for writers, but also for readers and anyone else who likes to listen. Merry Christmas (if you don't celebrate it, I beg your pardon) and a Happy New Year to you and yours. God bless you all, this great nation, and the people the world over.

Post-Thanksgiving Wrap-up

Sorry for the delayed blogs, folks. Work and other things keep me from being as diligent as I would like, but it's hardly a good excuse. In truth, I don't always have anything compelling to talk about, and I certainly won't dump everyday factoids ala Twitter in a blog and expect to hold your interest.

Book 3 - Chronicles of the Planeswalkers, Part Final: Alignment - is going to be released in a few weeks (December 2009). It's about two months overdue, which pushed my release party at Borders back a few months into 2010, but things happen for a reason and nothing is adversely affected as a result of this delay. Again, I think of everything as happening as scripted, so I'm neither surprised, excited, nor disappointed for this delay. The bottom line is that it will be released soon, and that's really all I care about. Winter is when people read the most, statistically speaking, so perhaps it will allow some really cool publicity while I prepare for the official release party.

In other writing news, I'm officially writing video game reviews (mostly for the PlayStation 3) at BSCreview.com, formerly known as Fantasy Book Spot online. The site has obviously grown quite a bit since I've been dealing with them, but they remain loyal to me, which is amazing. I've posted two reviews thus far: one for Dragon Age: Origins and for God of War Collection. I've got a first impressions review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 posted, but the final review has yet to make it up yet because I'm still playing through it. If you want to find the posts, simply search for the titles or partial titles on the main page at www.BSCreview.com, and you'll find them. Comments welcome.

My baby boy will be here soon, too. January 5, 2010 is the official due date, but we're very excited. I have a 13-year-old daughter, so it will be awesome to have a son. Daddy B.T. is gearing up for his arrival. Name is most likely going to be Blake Allen Robertson, FYI. :)

Hope everyone is healthy and happy out there. I'm doing another YouTube video series on getting published, so stay tuned for that. My channel is PlaneswalkerBT, so come find me there and subscribe for all the latest videos and news. Thanks for your support, and Merry Christmas 2009 to all.

Ode to Writers Groups

I've spoken about this topic before, but I felt compelled to be a bit more specific this time around because I've recently joined a Pittsburgh-based (i.e. local, not an online group) writers group named "Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers and Readers". I've attended two meetings thus far, but at this juncture it's clear to me that the organizer takes the group very seriously. He's strict, follows a structured agenda at each meeting, keeps everyone abreast of the upcoming meetings and materials, and generally communicates with passion and fervor. He brings visual aids to the meetings if the discussion requires it. Frankly, I've never been so engrossed in a writer's group and I've garnered quite a bit from it in a mere two sessions.

What is a writers group? What do they do? How do they work? These are seemingly simple questions with equally simple answers, but in truth it's very difficult to answer because every writer's group is different, even those within the same genre focus.

A writers group is a collection of writers who meet together, whether in person or online, to achieve common goals. OK, that seems basic, but what kinds of writers are we talking about? Professional? Beginner? Self-published? This is where the complication comes in. You must research before joining a writers group. They should have a website, and if not, an online presence to explain their mission, what kinds of writers they are focusing on, etc. Meetup.com is an excellent place for groups of all kinds to publish all pertinent information without requiring a ton of IT knowledge to do so. Requesting permission to join the group is done through these websites, too, and you can typically introduce yourself prior to ever seeing the group face-to-face.

Once you find a writers group you're certain you will fit into from the outset, the next step is to figure out if their goals are in line with yours. Are they more of a sharing group, focused on writing assignments and then sharing the products of the assignments from session to session? Or are they more instructional, with a leader who takes on the role of a college professor, lecturing and providing printed materials to the "class"? Either strategy works as long as the members understand the format and are encouraged to ask questions and participate in discussions. In either group structure, the common element is discussion. Without it, the group will fall apart and members get bored. I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

I personally believe that a writers group is like a church: it's not the building, the seats, the technology, or the message it preaches...it's the people who make it work. If you've got motivated and hard-working members with a leader who acts as the glue to hold it all together, you'll have a wonderful journey and learning experience. Don't just jump in without researching, but be prepared to leave a group if it's not serving your needs. A bad group can be as detrimental to your growth as a good group can be beneficial (just like a church!), and sometimes you join a group you thought would be great only to discover it's not what it advertised it would be. Gracefully bow out and thank them for their time, always remaining professional to the craft and yourself as a writer.

Writing Not Reserved for Novels

Wanted to take a quick moment to plug the idea of working outside of novels creatively. I'd like to think that my skills transcend the daunting task of writing 120,000+ word books. In fact, there are times when I need a break from novel writing. What other outlets are open to writers to help keep them motivated, but most importantly, to keep them writing? After all, if you're not writing, you're not a writer. :)

Including the daily writing tasks I have in my current daytime career field (I work in the Information Technology field for Bank of New York Mellon), writing comes in a variety of forms. Email is one facet of writing that many overlook...we can tell. Spelling and grammar are hacked to pieces daily by seemingly learned and intelligent people. Even in the simplest ways, writing is a huge part of our lives and the writer is tasked with ensuring that his or her communicative abilities transcend their creative works.

No one wants to talk about work too much, even me and I love my career at the moment. Can writing be a hobby as well? Can you use your talents to write blogs, review products you enjoy, etc? Sure, why not??? I would find it hard to believe that the modern writer doesn't participate in several other forms of writing, but perhaps I'm mistaken.

Take for example my passion for the game of paintball. For those of you who don't know what paintball is, go Google it. I'm not a guy who appreciates most sporting activities, even though I was raised on a diet of football, soccer, baseball, and even wrestling. I love watching the Pittsburgh Penguins, but I'm not a die hard, typical Steelers fan. I don't even play sports video games except hockey. But paintball is a pastime that I've been enjoying for about four years now, and I've loved every single stinging minute of it. :) So how does this tie in with writing?

In 2006, a man approached me who designed, wrote, and produced scenario paintball games for a field just north of Pittsburgh, PA (Three Rivers Paintball Park, if you wanted to know). My novel writing had made an impact on him and he felt compelled to offer me a position as a staff writer for the company. I accepted, and have been writing and developing creative elements for the games ever since. This coming Saturday, October 10, 2009, my first fully produced game - Dead Space: Oblivion - will be executed and I'm hoping it really kicks butt! I had a vision of a game to replace our annual Halloween theme, Resident Evil, and Dead Space (a video game designed by EA Redwood studios that's just fantastic) was the only worthy successor in my mind.

This is a simple example and one you can read more about on my website (Bio page, Paintball link near the bottom). I really enjoy the creative outlet of writing paintball games in conjunction with my talented partners. In addition to the games themselves, I've been published in several international paintball magazines, even earning a center spread in one issue last year. Just make sure you're not limiting yourself to your "bread-and-butter" writing, as it were. Branch out, try new things, and you'll be surprised just how much your writing benefits you. :)

Long Version of any Twitter Post

Twitter has enabled such quick and dirty updates about what I'm doing that it seems as though this vast chasm of white space before my eyes is too daunting to tackle. Nonetheless, my fan base here has grown to four! That's one more than I had the last time I posted, so perhaps my ramblings are having some, albeit slow impact. For that I'm gracious.

If you've been following me on Twitter and/or have friended me on Facebook, this post may not contain anything you haven't read already, compelling though this yarn may be. One benefit to Blogger is that I can wax eloquent as much as I want, assuming my wax is up to par.

So yeah, cool news about my YouTube channel: three new videos have been uploaded and aimed squarely at you fantasy fiction writers. If you just love to watch me make a fool of myself to the camera - hey, I have to practice sometime, right? - look no further than http://www.youtube.com/PlaneswalkerBT for your viewing pleasure. Seriously, I am working hard on my next novel series and doing so in the exact, complete, and total opposite of the way I worked on the first novel series. Umm, that's not saying much...don't worry, I don't suspect you caught my internal sarcasm there. Before this derails, I'll explain. I didn't do a damn thing to prepare my last novel series!

I'm using the videos as a tool to learn, believe it or not. By providing a set of views on a particular topic, especially one as complex and vexxing to writers as outlining, I hope to gain some feedback...read: knowledge. I learn the same way you do, no different. Part of what makes someone a good teacher is practicing good listening and learning skills.

Fortunately, the videos did a good job of illustrating the points on outlining, and the feedback thus far has been positive. I'm not an expert on outlining, this is my first time doing it, but the process has indeed become a necessity for me. In short, I won't ever write another book without some form of a working outline. I don't want to give you a lesson in outlining in a blog post, so go watch the videos if you are so inclined.

Nothing new to post about the third novel in my first series, Chronicles of the Planeswalkers, Part Final: Alignment, except that the goal is still a Fall 2009 release. I will be sure to post up when I know more details.

Thanks for wasting your precious time reading what wouldn't fit in a Twitter post. :)