If You Haven't Heard The Rust Monster Band Live...You Should

When I got an assignment several months ago to look into booking acts for the April FanX Comics Convention Vendor Floor Stage, I thought about a local band and how they'd be a great addition to the lineup. 

And so I sent out a request.

And they answered the request.

With a "yes."

I'm SO glad they did.

Today I had the pleasure of hearing my friend's band, Rust Monster not once, but twice! And they were just as good both times. This band has several personalities. Today, they were pirates. The did a fantastic job! I took pictures, took a few videos, but mostly enjoyed the show.

And I wasn't the only one! Many people stopped and watched, tapped toes, and show the band on their phones.

One of the thing I wanted on the stage was diversity. With this one act, I got that...

And more.

Find Me At FanX...And I'll Sign Your Book (Even If I Didn't Write It...)

One cool thing about anthologies (among many cool things...) is you get to have your stories along side so many other amazing authors's stories. The last story I submitted was fortunate enough to be included in a collection contained not in just one book, but four.

That's a lot of authors and a lot of stories.

Three of the books, All Made of Hinges, Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel, and Press Forward, Saints are now available (my short's in the yellow one...). The fourth book in the series is being compiled right now. In fact, here's the information on A Mighty Fortress:

Immortal Works (editor Holli Anderson) hereby calls for submissions for an anthology of MORMON STEAMPUNK to be called A MIGHTY FORTRESS.

Here is the deal:

1. The writer’s religious affiliation is completely irrelevant. We don’t care; we don’t even want to know.

2. The story does not have to be set in any particular world. The story must be in some sense “Mormon” and in some sense “Steampunk.” We’ll try to interpret those categories both broadly.

3. If your story is faith-promoting (Mormonism is “true” in the story), we’ll stop reading it. If it is mean-spirited (Mormons are all idiots), we’ll also stop reading it.

4. Stories should be at least 2,000 words long and generally no more than 8,000 words.

5. The deadline for submissions is April 23, 2019 or until filled.

6. Authors will not receive up-front payments. Authors will share in the revenues from sales of the book over time and will receive one (1) complimentary author copy.

7. Send submissions to hollia (at) immortal-works.com. Include the words “A MIGHTY FORTRESS SUBMISSION” in the subject line.

So, if you've got an idea for a great story and you're a quick writer, follow the instructions and submit!

I know what you're thinking..."Hey, I've got one of the three (or all of the three...) Mormon Steampunk anthologies. If only there were a way for me to get authors to sign them for me."

Well, your prayers have been answered!

Kind of.

If you're attending the FanX Comics Convention in Salt Lake this weekend, you will have the opportunity of running into (perhaps literally...) several authors with stories in these volumes. In fact, at 11:45am on Friday, there will be a mass signing at Booth 1546. I'm going to try and be there, but I know many of the authors will be there with pen in hand to autograph your book(s).

Don't have a copy/copies? No problem! We'll have them available, too!

If you're going, swing by Booth 1546, or several authors will also be at Bart's Tower on the vendor floor. Come on by, strike up a conversation. And I promise I'll sign any book you have, whether or not I've written it.

I'm sure I'm not the only one, either.

Writing Retreat...Day Two...On Every Road, A Speed Bump Must...Bump

I watched as the clouds rolled in, bringing with it a sense of dread, of the unknown. I can understand why early man feared storms. There's no way to really know what effect it will have on you, your loved ones, your crops, animals, etc.

Of course, we live in a modern society with Doppler radar and satellite images beamed instantly from space. Even with all that, we never know for sure what the weather will do.

Nor do we know just how much work we'll be able to get done, even when we have to time. For, on every road, a speed bump must be, or exist, or cause you to slow down.

Don't get me wrong--today was great in many ways. I have an assignment to help out the good people of FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention. It's getting close--it's actually ten days away. Last night I was contacted and asked to finish up the assignment. Luckily, I can do that remotely so this morning I got up and started scheduling. It's actually fun to help out and to be a part of such an amazing organization. I'm very excited for the event to start a week from Friday.

But, to do one thing, other things cannot be done.

Since Monday morning, I calculate I've written just over 10k on my little story. I began this story years ago and when I went back and read what I had written, it was not good. In fact, it was crap. But, it gave me an outline to start over. I'm not a big "outline" writer. I know I should do more of that. The stories would be easier to write if I did. Maybe this week has taught me that. Time will tell.

I'm not sure how much more writing I'm going to get to this week...maybe a lot, maybe none. I would be sad if I had to stop, but also I'm grateful for the work I've put in. And the best thing is, I like the story. That helps, helps a lot!

The clouds have engulfed the base of Y Mountain. A group of writers clacked away at their keyboards as if nothing unusual was happening outside. That, my friends, is how you become a writer. You can choose to slow down at the speed bumps, or you can hit the gas and fly over them, experiencing a new adventure!

Of course, you'll probably ruin your car doing it.