THE RED SKY OUT 10.22.2022

 Beyond thrilled to announce that the sequel to THE BLACK SKY will be out next fall!

THE RED SKY, book two of the Perseverantia Triology, will be released on October 22nd, 2022.

Very soon, I'll be posting a preview chapter to my Substack Newsletter "Worlds And Music." Make sure to sign up to get the sneak preview and more.

Here's the trailer to check out:

The Storm

The Storm by Clive Cussler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first Clive Cussler novel and quite enjoyed it. Moves quickly, interesting twists and turns, kept me entertained throughout. The characters weren't exactly fleshed out, but I don't think that's the point.

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WOOL

Wool by Hugh Howey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this take on the contained post-apocalyptic story. Howey really defines the look, feel, smell, and taste of the world. Lots of twists and turns, continually upending expectations and dolling out information piece-by-piece to keep the reader engaged.

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THE BLACK SKY Happy Hour Book Launch 8/28

To celebrate the release of THE BLACK SKY on August 28th, I'll be hosting a virtual book launch event from 5pm to 7pm EST. Broadcasting from "The Dank," the dive bar mentioned in the book, I'll be spinning punk rock records, reading from the book, answering questions, mixing drinks, and giving away books and swag.

You can check it out several different ways, as I'll be broadcasting from Zoom. If you want to hop on there CLICK THIS ZOOM LINK. It will also be on FACEBOOK. Hope to see you then!

THE BLACK SKY - Book Character Trailer #1

Five months from today - The Black Sky arrives.

Here's a sneak preview - the first of three character trailers.

Trailer two drops April 28th and trailer three on May 28th.

Pre-Order

At Amazon

At Barnes & Noble

At Porchlight Books

At Book Depository

At Indigo

At Books-A-Million

THE BLACK SKY Book Trailer Is Live

The trailer for The Black Sky is officially live. Make sure to watch to the end ;)

The Stars Are Legion

The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastically originally read. The world created by Kameron Hurley is unique and bold, with every gory, sticky, pulsing detail building toward a mind bending climax. So happy to be sucked into an original and layered space opera that is unlike anything I've experienced prior. Looking forward to check out more by the author.

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Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

So what happened in 2017?

1. I finally completed the first draft of my novel The Black Sky. It was a long process converting a frustratedly unfinished screenplay into a semi-readable book, and then having friends and family give lots of constructive feedback that has helped shape it into a much more digestible and entertaining read. More on that in a bit.
2. Small Stories was self-published in May. Being a collection of short, personal stories I had written for this website, it was fairly easy to put together, but then I had the added bonus of working with DX Ferris and my mom (who is a damn fine artist, incase you didn’t know) to add illustrations. It turned out great – a small (no pun intended) project that I hope to expand upon in future years.
3. After writing a bunch of short instrumental tunes to accompany The Black Sky, I recorded and released my first solo album, Molokai, in September on Reverbose Records, the old label that my friends and I had in the mid-’00s.
4. Continued making a fun, entertaining and informative Dig Me Out Podcast with my co-host and longtime friend Jason Dziak. Over the years we cultivated a small but strong and loyal listenership, as well as discovered a great group of folks who indulge us by stopping by to chat. Insane that we’ve just wrapped season seven and it feels like we’re just hitting our stride.
5. My now 5-year old daughter discovered her first real interest (ballet) and performed in her first recital. I had a proud father smile for weeks after.
6. My wife continues to be the best thing that ever happened to me. We kept our one-date-a-month plan that busy adults have to do. Hope to expand on that in the coming year.
7. Thanks to an assist from occasional Blue Apron deliveries, I’ve become a better cook and learned how to make vegetables that I actually enjoy eating. Now about that extra twenty pounds I’ve always got laying around…
8. I started playing live music again, joining 90s Pearl Jam tribute band RVM on bass (and reconnecting with my former The Stepford Five bandmate Keith Jenkins). I’ve played one show with them so far, and it was a blast. Looking forward to more, as their a great group of guys who allow me to properly nerd out on Pearl Jam.
9. On a very personal note, in the spring I had what some would call a “panic attack.” I wasn’t really sure what happened, but seeing a counselor after and since has helped me realize I’ve probably been dealing with some severe anxiety issues my entire life that I could never properly identify or verbalize. In retrospect, this has probably damaged some of my relationships and personal experiences, and I’m working on that going forward. It wasn’t easy to come to grips with the idea that I wasn’t completely mentally well, because mental health management has a stigma, and there are certainly people suffering with more difficult and debilitating issues than my circumstance, but I’m working on it, and will continue to do so.

All that said, here’s what’s going on in 2018:

1. I will have two new albums of ambient/electronic/experimental instrumental music out this year. The first, Sanur, will be released in January, the second sometime during the summer. These will both be out on Reverbose, and my ambition is to release music by artists other than myself. I’ve already reached out to folks whose music I admire and enjoy and hope to work with them on releasing new music in this and coming years. I want to be a part of putting more art and creativity into the world after sitting on the sidelines for almost a decade after the initial demise of Reverbose and my band.
2. I spent a good deal of 2017 researching, digging through personal and band archives, and compiling a history of the music I helped make with The Stepford Five. A personal passion project, I needed to put the final bow on the decade I spent making music with Jason, Keith and Mark, so in March, on the 20th anniversary of our first show, I will be publishing Are You Making A Sound? The History of The Stepford Five. It compiles our website news, gig, and studio diaries with hundreds of photos and observations not just about the band, but about the music scene we were apart of and the evolution of the internet as it relates to our time in the band. More news on that after the new year.
3. In addition to a follow-up to Small Stories, currently creatively titled Even More Small Stories, I have two non-fiction books I hope to begin working on for release either in 2018 or 2019. The first is a collection of journal entries my mother kept during the onset of my grandfather’s dementia, along with art she made at the time using found objects and images in his house. It will be an emotionally challenging project, but an important one. The second is sitting down with my 94-year old great uncle Mike who was crew member of a World War II bomber that flew 30+ missions over Germany. What is remarkable is that he kept a journal of every bombing run they made, I believe his story is worth sharing with the world.
4. The Black Sky will move forward one way or another. Both as a member of an indie band, and as an aspiring screenwriter, I know getting the attention of an agent/publishers has long odds, but based on the feedback I received this year, I’m willing to give it a go. If not, I’ll self-publish. Either way, it’s coming out some time in 2018.
5. Dig Me Out will be entering into new territory as our Patreon patrons scooped up pretty much every available album review spot available. It’s a good problem to have, because for the first time since we started this thing seven years ago, we’re financially in the black going into 2018.
6. More time with family, more time with friends. Better, healthier food. Less pounds. Now that I’ve recognized my issue with anxiety, it’s time to face it and aspire to be happier. Part of that means living in and for the moment (not, like, yolo) by not being distracted by electronics and superfluous stuff. That also means making more art, both on my own and with others, as well as supporting the art and creativity of others.

So that’s it, I’m sure I forgot stuff. 2017 was a revelation of sorts. 2018 continues the new direction. Never know what’s going to happen, might as well find out.

New Book Project: The Black Sky

I got inspired, that’s usually how these things begin. Years ago, before releasing Power Ballad, I sat at home evenings and plotted out screenplays. After the bands I was in went kaput, I needed something to do, something creative. Over a summer, I wrote my first screenplay. I even held a table read with friends to see what is sounded like when other people read it. Bad, it sounded bad. And a number said, you have no third act, it just ends.

So, I wrote some more, getting out my own world (being single, at the time, bands, music, etc.) and starting exploring other worlds. One of the last I worked on was an hour-long tv pilot called The Black Sky, which I described as “Escape from New York meets The Road.” So, you know, lighthearted, obviously.

I sent some screenplays out to managers and agents, submitted to contests, but nothing came of it. Then Power Ballad came along, and then Dig Me Out, and I got sidetracked from the screenwriting. Somewhere along the way, I decided a novelization might be better than screenplay, so I started turning The Black Sky into a novel. That probably started in 2012, which was the year my daughter was born. Lots of things got shelved between 2012 and 2015 thanks to new jobs for me and my wife, buying a house and the typical newborn/toddler responsibilities.

And then I read The Martian, and learned how Andy Weir wrote the book, chapter by chapter, writing himself into a corner, with feedback from readers each time. And this inspired me to start carving out time to continue creative pursuits that had been abandoned. I went back the novelization I started on The Black Sky, started rewriting, and finished the first chapter.

What’s posted for download here is the prologue and first chapter of the book, and it needs feedback. My wife, who will not b.s. or protect me, said yes, it does indeed not suck, so I feel confident I’m off to a decent start. I would appreciate feedback, thoughts, criticisms, suggestions. I have a loose skeleton of a plot for the remainder of the book, but I am open to revision.

As new chapters go up, old versions will come down, as to not muddy the proverbial water. And at the end, hopefully, there will be book.

All future progress on the book will be posted at the BlackSkyBook blog - see you on the other side.