SCIENCE FICTION TRAILS 14

I am pleased to announce Science Fiction Trails issue 14 is now available.  Yep, it just won't die and keeps coming back every year just like a plague of locusts.  All kidding aside, it's a pretty good issue. It's even got a big giant scorpion.  How many magazines can say that?  Order your copy now--and get thirty or forty copies for your friends whilst you're at it.

Recycle This M''F

They've cut back on our recycling.  And they may completely cancel it.  We're down to aluminum cans, plastic bottles and cardboard only.  No more catalogs or glass containers and a lot of other stuff. Kind of sad, really.

Service, give me service

Car is off to get serviced today.  It's hard to get service appointments this time of year. All the snowbirds are getting ready to go back to whatever frozen wasteland they came from.

Legend

One unexpected treat of the recent Wild Wild West Con was a chance to see the TV series Legend, which starred Richard Dean Anderson.  I always wondered what happened to the show.  Well, I knew it was cancelled after one season back when the UPN Network was in turmoil.  I never even saw all of the episodes.  Well we got to watch an episode and I was refreshed at how really good this thing is. And I realized you can still buy it on DVD You have to put in Legend Complete Series as Amazon has trouble finding just Legend for some reason.  Watching this was a real treat.  And, they filmed most of it right here in Tucson at Old Tucson Studios.

The concept is this western writer sort of becomes the hero he's been writing about and he's helped by a Hungarian inventor who seems to me to be a lot like Nikola Tesla. And this inventor helps Nicodemus Legend be a Western super hero with all sorts of inventions.  Frankly, this is what I love when I talk about Weird Westerns.  

Alas, it didn't last very long and Richard Dean Anderson went off to Stargate SG1 and that was that. If you like this sort of thing, I can't recommend it enough.  This is as good as it gets . If you've ever liked a weird western or western oriented steampunk, check this show out.

Flu Like Illness

Seems everyone I know is sick. A lot of people have something called Flu Like illnesses. That's where the symptoms are like the flu but it may be some other virus. Ah choo.

Snow Ball Mystery

I've mentioned before that every time Hostess changes the color of their Snowball product, I buy one. Thing I can't figure out is what happened this spring.  There were no green ones for St Patrick's Day. I was really bummed.  They went straight from their default pink to a purple color.  I guess the purple depicts Easter.  I am really bummed.  

Privy Tales

Here's something not everyone thinks about nowadays.  I've been doing some research into indoor plumbing.  Until recently the Census Bureau asked a lot of questions about the number of toilets people have--and folks really hated it.  The reason why is an amazing number of homes did not have indoor bathrooms until well into the 20th century--especially in farm/rural areas.  I was working on a story set in 1880 in Denver.  There's a good chance a home would not have had any indoor plumbing at that point in time.  Packaged toilet paper went on the market in 1857.  I guess people used corn cobs before then.  

Privy is a synonym for outhouse.  Nowadays I suspect most folks are unfamiliar with the term. 

Crazy Old Man

My father turns 92 in a few days.  I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. "Nothing" was his answer. And nothing he shall receive.  I was going to send in to the White House and see if the president would send him a card. Apparently, they do that, but then I realized the president was Donald Trump and nobody wants a card from him, so  I didn't bother.

I thought about getting him a jigsaw puzzle, but doubt he'd like it.  I decided to give him his wish and nothing he shall have.

There are some thing I wish I could get him to do.  A really old guy can get away with stuff I can't.

Sit in his driveway and take pictures of the neighbors all day long.

When my brother goes to work, have the crazy old man sitting in his garage.  That would confuse my brother for days.  Why are you here, dad?  I don't know.

Put my dad's car in my brother's garage. Why is your car in my garage, dad? I don't know.

Have him order a trash dumpster put in his driveway. [My brother has to drive past the crazy old man's house to get  to his house] My brother would ask him why he got the dumpster?  I got a bag of lawn trimmings.

Have him go to my brother's house at dinner time when they weren't expecting him.  Why are you here, dad?  I thought we were having dinner. Never mind and walk away.

Have him go to my brothers house with an 18 year old girl and introduce Misty as his new fiance. "We're getting married tomorrow."      [Oh, how I wish I could get him to do this one. Oh please.]

Well, these actually have more to do with antagonizing my brother. But that's the kind of guy I am.

spring cleaning

Spending the day trying to clean my house.  I can't seem to get little elves to come and do it. 

publishin'

One of the publishers I've worked with over the years is Hadrosaur Productions.  They currently have two of my books on their newly refurbished web page.  You can get my just released novella Fallen Angel as well as my book Legends of the Dragon Cowboys.  They've got some other books you might like as well.  Check it out:  http://hadrosaur.com/

My own Science Fiction Trails Press has not been very active, publishing the annual magazine but nothing else the past two years.  That's mainly because our last few anthologies have sold so poorly that I've been reluctant to add more money losing ventures to the mix.  Whilst I've considered a few projects, so far I've been reluctant to return to a more aggressive publishing menu. Sty tuned. 

onward stories onward

One thing about writing that I don't think non writers understand is how much work goes into a book. It really takes a lot of effort.  I've been working on another  story set in my 1800s California weird western universe with Mayans gods and Martians running around.  Last night I came to the conclusion that the story I was doing simply was not working.  What do you do when that happens? In my case, I decided to put the story aside for a while. I'll work on something else and revisit it in a few months. If I still can't figure out a way to make the story work, then I'll likely  abandon it.

Well then

I offered to fix my kin [relatives] green eggs and ham for St Patrick's Day. They declined.  "I don't like green eggs and ham. I don't like them, Sam I am..."  Well, quoting Dr Seuss, they should've been more adventuresome.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Enjoy your St Patrick's Day.  May you find your nearest Irish restaurant and have yourself a wonderful meal. Uh?  Find some place that serves Irish beer then.  That would be Harp or Guinness. Frankly, I don't care for either one.  Just order Irish Whisky, they say it's like Scotch only not quite as good.  I don't know any brands, I don't drink Irish whisky and I'm only part Irish so I just don't know.  And there's something about corned beef--my mom made it for some reason.  She wasn't Irish, so I'm not sure why.  All I know is the Hostess Snowballs usually turn green for St Patrick's Day but not at the store I shop at.  Otherwise, I don't understand St. Patrick's Day.  I think you're supposed to hang a shamrock and stand under it and pretty red-haired girls will kiss you.  Either that or little green men bring you a pot of gold.

Anyway, it's not Ground Hog Day, but have a nice holiday anyway!

Brrr

Word coming in from my Colorado friends that they've been suffering through widespread power outages for a few days now due to a really bad blizzard.  That's not much fun.  It seems to me winter should be winding down, but old Jack Frost seems to have other ideas.  Then you hear the tragic stories of people using charcoal to heat their homes--let's hope not.  

Announcing

It seems like every day another Democrat is announcing for the presidency.  Well, I want everyone to know that I am not running for president.  

Birds

I've got these damned doves that keep hanging out on my car--pooping all over it.  I cannot get them to leave.  I've tried swatting them with a broom.  I put a rubber snake out.  They just won't leave.  It's not hunting season  and they are a game bird so I can't just kill them, as much as I'd like to. The reviews on these ultrasonic devices are not encouraging. 

Telebision treats

I said already that I really enjoyed Wild Wild West Con.  One unexpected treat was an episode of the late 90's TV show Legend.  This short-lived show was wonderful.  When I talk about weird westerns, this is what I am talking about.  It's a fun show, not too serious.  And there it was.  The show has been relegated to the Obscurity Channel [It isn't being broadcast].  Even on Amazon it's hard to find--Legend won't do--has to be Richard Dean Anderson Legend.  Yep, between McGiver and Star Gate he did this show.  It was so wonderful to see it again.  

And it was filmed at Old Tucson, so that backdrop made it all the more appropriate for this particular venue.  

Had a great Time at Wild Wild West Con

Yes I did.

A little more on tat tomorrow.

Ripping Good Stuff

Having a great time at Wild Wild West Con.  A special treat was getting to watch an episode of the TV show Legend.  It's been running on the obscurity channel for some time. Hadn't seen it in years. Folks were amazed at the fact they'd never heard of it.

WWWC8

I'll be attending Wild Wild West Con 8 through the weekend.  I'll update if time permits and something interesting happens, otherwise I'll just write something when it's over.  This is an easy con for me to attend as I live just a few miles from Old Tucson Studios, where it's being held.

Failure is an option

Our goal of getting a million orders for Fallen Angel by today have hit a snag. Actually, there wasn't really a goal. I don't even know how many copies have been sold.  

Presents

Guys, stumped at what to get your sweetie for St Patrick's Day?  If you give her a copy of Fallen Angel she'll think you are the cat's meow.  Fallen Angel by David B. Riley, available in  ebook and trade paperback, You'll be glad you did.

Damned Birds

We have a large supply of doves in my neighborhood.  They drive me crazy. They're constantly sitting on my car and pooping on it.  For a while I had a rubber snake and that seemed to keep them away. I think they decided it was dead and flew away with it--it's gone.  

I have a carport.  They seem to like my carport because it gives them protection from birds of prey, who tend to swoop down from above.  We have a hawk that I call Henry [after Henry Hawk who wants to ear Foghorn Leghorn].  He doesn't seem to come after them under the carport. In fact, we used to have quail running around.  They fly reluctantly and prefer to stay on the ground. Now, I do not see quail anymore. It could be the coyotes got them, but I think Henry did it. I just wish he'd switch his diet and eat more doves--a lot more of them.

Dullards

I mentioned Wild Wild West Con to a few neighbors over the weekend.  They had no idea why there would be such a thing,  This steampunk sounded very strange to them and they couldn't figure out why they were doing it at Old Tucson, which is a movie studio where they filmed westerns. To each their own.  I've suggested a few other people I know should attend the darned thing, at least for one of the three days, but no takers.  Obviously, this sort of thing is not for everyone.

Merry Indeed

The yard sale did rather well. I sold almost everything I had.  The crazy old man came over with some stuff and sold it. He was very happy. 

Garbage Sale

No, that's not a typo. Today I'm having a yard sale. Trying to get rid of excess accumulation.  My brother is bringing over some stuff as well.  You never know how these things will turn out. I haven't done one of these in many years. In the past I've just donated to Goodwill, but I though this time around I would see if I could convert some of my unwanted items into cash. 

Grape Nuts Flakes

I found some Grape Nuts Flakes yesterday. I am so happy.  Few stores sell them.  They're not like regular Grape Nuts. They look like corn flakes, but have a different mix of grain in them.  I love 'em, but they've gotten hard to find. Few stores seem to sell them. The folks at Post Cereals don't seem to want to advertise them. I don't think a lot of people know what they  are.

Take That, Ruffian

I was going to play some joke on my brother for April Fools Day today.  But, after quite a bit of thought, I just couldn't come up with anything worth bothering with. I'd considered an empty box  and he'd think someone sent him a gift. Alas, that just didn't seem that amusing.  Back in my hotel days I used to leave one of the bellman a tip envelope on April 1st letting them think they had a tip and they'd open it and there was a note saying "You probably thought you were getting a tip, but you're not. ha ha."  I guess a box for my brother is too close to that.  

And having his utilities disconnected, well that seemed kind of mean. So, I just decided to let it go and not bother.  So, if you're playing some sort of joke on someone for April Fools Day--God bless you..