FAQ

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It’s long past time I made a FAQ, right? (That’s not one of the questions.) Here goes:

Q: What does 20 PALACES mean? Will we find out what each palace represents and why?

A: Two questions in one, but that’s okay. The Twenty Palace Society is a group of sorcerers who have appointed themselves the magic police of the planet. They’re pretty much ruthless bastards, but their cause is for the good. And yes, I’m planning to show some of the palaces themselves, at some point. The palaces don’t represent anything, though; they’re the homes of really rich people.

Q: Your stance on fanfiction is the first thing that comes to mind here (due to the latest hoopla on the topic.) =)

A: Well, by the time I post this, the hoopla will have died down. In fact, I pretty much can’t remember which particular hoopla we’re talking about. But here’s my “stance:” I consider fanfiction a sign that a property has a devoted following. It means a particular storyline has a healthy following. That said, I don’t want to read any of it, ever. I would find it distressing, so please don’t tell me about it. And don’t try to make money from it (or hinder me from making money), please. Aside from that, have fun.

Q: Where can I get one of those ghost knives?

A: Each one costs a mere $50 million. As soon as your payment clears my account, I’ll send you one. (You might want to wait for book three before you decide if you really want one. Just sayin’)

Q. Are Ray and Annalise using black magic or white magic?

A. Let me first state outright that you will never read the words “black magic” or “white magic” in my books. I’m not a fan of those terms for the obvious reason.

However, there is no good or evil magic in the Twenty Palaces setting. Magic is simply power, and like any kind of power it can be used responsibly or irresponsibly. Whether a spell is good or evil depends entirely on how it was used. In a way, spells are like guns: always dangerous, sometimes threatening, often put to evil purposes, but intrinsically evil? Not to me.

Q. Do you like gladiator movies?

A. Only if they have a. monsters or b. Woody Strode.

Have more questions for me? Let me know and I’ll include it in the FAQ.

Randomness for 9/28

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1) Several people have been linking to this lovely, dialog-free animation as a depiction of the atheist experience. I think they’re pretty much right. Video.

2) Did you know that, back in the 1970’s, Psychology Today published board games meant to raise awareness of social issues? “In Sommer’s version, however, the black player could not win; as a simulation of frustration, the game was too successful. Then David Popoff, a Psychology Today editor, redesigned the game, taking suggestions from militant black members of “US” in San Diego. The new rules give black players an opportunity to use—and even to beat—the System.”

3) “What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Not Reading”

4) Paintings based on Craig’s List “Missed Connections”.

5) Wizards of the Coast hiring an book editor for their D%D line.

6) Writers worst day jobs.

7) ZOMG! THE HAPPENING is real!

I was your puppet; you made me dance

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As you guys know, I’ve been taking part in Suvudu’s reader-driven chain story, “A Glimpse of Darkness” (quick summary for those who don’t know what I’m talking about: five authors (Lara Adrian, Stacia Kane, Kelly Meding, and Lucy A. Snyder) are writing a “chain story.” Each week, one of us posts part of the story and at the end of the segment is a poll allowing the reader to choose what will happen next. A clear, full explanation is here.

Well, Lara Adrian’s first section went up last week, and the poll closed on Friday. I spent the weekend (skipping Foolscap) writing the next section, and guess what?

It’s live right now.

It’s, erm, longer than I’d intended, but that’s because I wanted to put in as much good stuff as possible. I gotta admit, it was fun to write (also stressful, because those other authors are way more experienced than I am, and I wanted to do good work).

Go! Read! Vote! And maybe, if you enjoy it, you can tell other readers about it.

“The pants command me. Do not ignore my veins!”

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The NY Times has a story today about allegations of sexual exploitation against the head of a Georgia mega-church, one Bishop Eddie Long.

Not many details have come out so far. The four men say they were not underage, but they were coerced into a sexual relationship through the Bishop’s considerable authority over them, not to mention they were given jobs, money, cars, and so on. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that Bishop Long is a social conservative, speaking out often against gay rights and even running seminars that proposed to “cure” people of their homosexuality.

It’s still early in the story. Bishop Long and his representatives have denied the allegations and intend to fight the lawsuits in court, but at this point I pretty much assume any public figure that speaks fervently against gay rights is in the closet. It’s possible, sure, that the allegations are fiction, but that wouldn’t be the way I’d bet.

Now, there’s been a bit of a furor over purported Newt Gingrich quotes in which he tells his about-to-be-ex-wife that he was entitled to give speeches on family values while cheating on his wife because it didn’t matter how he lived. He had to stand up and say what was right, even if he would never live that way himself. Hey, he’s a sinner, just like all of us, right? Speechifying for what’s right, and moral, and good is what politicians are supposed to do, and if he can’t live up to his own standards, it doesn’t mean the standards are wrong.

That’s the theory anyway. I’m not a Christian, and while I have pretty solid ideas about right and wrong, I’m not too keen on the concept of “sin.” I’m also not keen on the prosperity gospel (to get back to Bishop Long) or “muscular christianity”. The only reason a wife should “submit” to her husband is if they’re into that sort of thing, not because some dude in a silk suit says it’s the only way to be rich in this life and heaven-bound in the next. Frankly, there’s a lot of different kinds of “sin” out there; when you climb into the pulpit, be sure to direct your condemnation at those vices you won’t be indulging in after services are over.

And I’m perplexed by the willingness of social conservatives to forgive public figures for their hypocrisy on sexual matters (Did you know Ted Haggard is starting a new church?). Would they be so forgiving to a politician who accepted bribes while campaigning against corruption? I don’t think so. To me, it’s all hypocrisy.

Randomness for 9/26

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1) Your kids will damage you.

2) Waiting for Superman: Not the intelligent examination of our public school systems we were hoping for.

3) Pictorial book reviews!

4) Only pain is funny.

5) Mike Tyson’s abandoned mansion.

6) Stephen Colbert testifies before a Congressional sub-committee in character.

7) Man attacks the Sesame Street character Elmo. Elmo wins fight.

State of the self

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I don’t want to talk to anybody.

Jesus Christ.

Randomness for 9/25

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1) For those who haven’t heard yet, the new OK GO! video. My son saw the goat the first time through, but I missed it. He had to point it out to me. And I seem to have missed this video from several months ago.

2) Health care reform explained, with timeline for policy implementation, subsidy calculators, etc.

3) It used to be that I’d have to send a link like this directly to my friend Jim, but now that he’s on Facebook, I can put it in my blog and hope he’ll see it in the RSS feed on my wall: A home-made coil gun blasts household objects. Video.

4) The paperback original: breakout opportunity or stigmatized format? I’m going with the former, since that’s how the Twenty Palaces books have come out.

5) Computer software judges attractiveness… of famous movie monsters. Well, famous except for “Bub” who I’ve never heard of.

6) The 14 best title cards for Batman: The Animated Series. This makes me want to buy the whole season on DVD.

7) Home circumcision kit. No. People, seriously, just… no.

“On this planet, we are surrounded by danger and MADNESS!”

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Well, the poll for chapter one of A Glimpse of Darkness has closed, and my favorite choice didn’t win. If this were politics, I’d be looking over Canadian and Australian immigration websites, but there’s no escape for me. I have a chapter to write.

Actually, I’ve already started it. It’ll be pretty damn good, but you know, we always think about the path not taken.

I must say, though, that I got a late start. I woke early this morning and, instead of rushing out to write, hung around the kitchen baking Biscotti di Regina for my wife (no link b/c the recipe I used isn’t online). After her vacation in Italy, this should be a last treat to ease her back into her everyday life. Too bad she woke up before I was finished and accidentally spoiled the surprise.

Now… Back to work!

Today’s quote

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Some of the books I’d read had told me that love is fleeting; some of the other books I’d read had told me that love is eternal. But they were wrong. Love isn’t either of those things. Love is not wanting the thing you love to ever end.”

-Brock Clarke
(via Bookslut)

“Now watch me amaze you!”

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Time is running short to read and vote in the Reader’s Choice Chain Story up at Suvudu.

Go! Read! Vote!