Soulless Machine

PASA Skills Workshop: Making a Book at The University of Minnesota: Humphrey School of Public Affairs

2012-01-28T08:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I was a guest speaker at PASA Skills Workshop: Making a Book at The University of Minnesota: Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The event was put on by Kit Martin of of Cifiscape and Onyx Neon Press.

The event went well, despite technological difficulties with projectors. If you were in the audience, as promised, bellow is the slide show that should have gone along with my talk. If you went there, the slides might not make much sense. Sorry. My take on slides is that should be a focal point for an audience, but the content should be delivered verbally.

PASA Skills Workshop Making a Book

Grounding the Fantastic - a class with David Oppegaard

2012-01-27T12:28:00.000-06:00

Buy Here
My Review Here

Learn from one of the hottest up and coming fiction writers in The Twin Cities: David Oppegaard. Oppegaard is the Bram Stoker nominated author of The Suicide Collectors, and Wormwood Nevada.

Act fast! The space is limited: Grounding The Fantastic!

From the Loft's class page:

"A multigenre class open to all levels of students interested in literary fantasy, horror, and science fiction, this class will focus on creating a realistic story that grounds even the most unusual tale in a recognizable world. Inspired by authors as varied as Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Cormac McCarthy, and Toni Morrison, this class will discuss several multigenre craft topics and use in-class writing exercises to further investigate these storytelling methods. Then, using what we have learned, we will read and reflect upon one another’s stories in a workshop-style discussion facilitated by the teaching artist. Together, we will go down the rabbit hole of slipstream fiction and discover the multitude of possibilities waiting on the other side. $5.00 copy fee payable to the teaching artist."

eFiction Magazine's New Feed!

2012-01-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

eFiction Magazine made a few changes with 2012. One of those changes is feed the month's fiction on the magazine's web page. Now, as a reader you can subscribe using your favorite news aggregator.

Check it out!

Instead of Writing - Harmonica!

2012-01-25T14:27:00.000-06:00

Changes!

Nora, my 16 week old daughter, is my number one priority. She is my everything, and I am her daytime care. I don't have much time for anything else right now.

Writing? No.

I will get back to writing as she takes longer naps and extends her a long play time. Both of which, I have to say, I'm looking forward to, but aren't. I like playing with her, reading to her, feeding her, and helping her take naps. But, it means less time to write (no time to write).

However, Nora likes harmonica music. And, I'm teaching myself how to play lots of nerdy songs thanks to Harp Tabs and YouTube. Star Wars, for example:

4 6 (5) 5 (4) 7

6 (5) 5 (4) 7

6 (5) 5 (5) 5 (4)

5 5 5 4 6 5 4 6 5 6 6 6 (6) (5) 4 3 6 5
7 4 4 7 (7) (6) 6 (5) 6 4 6 (5) 5 (4) 4 (4)
4 5 4 5 6 5 6 7

Okay. Back to Practicing!

Jan 27: PASA skills workshop: Making a book

2012-01-24T08:46:00.001-06:00

I love it when opportunity knocks on my door.

Kit Martin, of Cifiscape and Onyx Neon Press, has asked me to deliver a 2o minute presentation about my involvement in their anthologies and self-publishing The Many Lives of Inez Wick, on Friday at The University of Minnesota: Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

The event is free and open to the public, so come see what all the fuss is about!

From, Humphrey School of Public Affairs: Global Notes & Cifiscape:

"PASA and Onyx Neon Press would like to cordially invite you to the first skills workshop of the spring semester: making a book

Humphrey Offices room 175, Friday 27, 3:00-4:30
Refreshments will be provided by PASA

Perhaps you want to publish your travel narrative, a master piece, or an organizational report. Regardless of your content, this workshop will walk you through the basics of publishing you or your communities writing, tricks for designing it, and allow you to turn your work into a professionally bound book available on amazon, and other on-line book sellers. Come hear from Author Aaron Wilson and Editors of Onyx Neon about the process of getting writing into print.

Please RSVP at: http://www.facebook.com/events/149538631826565/ "

I hope to see you on Friday!

Tell Congress not to Censor the Web!

2012-01-18T09:03:00.001-06:00

Take Action

Whore, that I Am

2012-01-03T10:14:00.001-06:00

So, I guess that I should give my fiction away for free more often. I've now seen more downloads of The Skin Scholarship than I've sold copies of The Many Lives of Inez Wick.

Free: something for nothing. Yup. I like seeing the numbers keep adding up day-by-day. So, is the pleasure of knowing that my fiction is being read and downloaded a form of payment. I say, "yes."

If you are one of the readers (downloaders) of The Skin Scholarship, please let me know what you think of the short story. Soon - spring - I plan on publishing a serial in the form of novellas following characters in the Redlight Greetings universe. The first will follow Jonah, long after his rookie days.

Bike Mechanic (Part 5) in @eFictionMag

2012-01-02T16:02:00.001-06:00

eFiction Magazine

2012 is here! Many predict doom, but truly the Maya only meant change. My favorite essayist Joel Stein put it best in his annual predictions, "My Psychic Powers at Work:"

"This year, new things are going to happen."

With all the change and new things that will happen in 2012, eFiction Magazine, truly the most innovative fiction magazine making use of the digital universe, is also changing. Check out the list of changes here: Changes coming to eFiction with the New Year.

One of those changes is that readers will be able to read stories on the eFiction Magazine site, posted one at a time, in order to properly highlight writerly talents. Readers who can't wait to read the entire issue can still subscribe through Kindle, or now...wait for it...wait for it...buy the current issue via the new eFiction Magazine Store.

Oh...and if you are wondering about the next installment of The Bike Mechanic, part five is in the the January 2012 issue.

Good reading!

I'm Announced! Cifiscape vol. II, The Twin Cities

2011-12-23T19:29:00.003-06:00

"Biggest announcement yet/an old friend returns" is the title of Cifiscape's author announcement today. I don't think that I've ever been described as a "Big," when it comes to my writing. However, today that changed. Beyond being being "Big," the announcement has many more kind words suggesting that my writing has some kind of worth and readership. Here are a few choice words:

"[...] not only is his writing style unique and accessible, but he is also gifted with the most rare gifts when it comes to being a writer: creativity."

and

"When we first read his story for Volume II about alternate endings and chock-full of Dickens references we couldn't help, but fall in love with the dystopian reality."

To read the entire announcement, hop over to the main Cifiscape site. I'm glad to be joining an already talented group of writers in Vol II: Jonathan Hansen, Erica Lindquist & Aron Christensen, and David Oppegaard.

I'm already looking forward to seeing who will be unveiled next.

----

If you are as excited as I am about a Vol. II, you should check out Vol. I. If you're not sure, you can read my reviews of the stories in Vol I. here (I didn't review my own story, I thought that would have been strange):

"Ill Communication" by Bob Lipski
"Bicyclopolis" by Ken Avidor
"Thinker's Lure" by Toianna Gump
"Godless" by Brian Garrity
"The Prisoner" by Ken Lubold
"For the Killing of the Happiest Man" by Max Harbal

Lulu Short Story Contest Winner Announced

2011-12-23T12:17:00.000-06:00

Lulu ran a short story contest in November. To enter, a writer only need create a 600 word eBook on the Lulu website. I figured that I'd join the fray: 2000+ entries. Wow! I knew the day before the winner was announced that I had not won. I didn't really expect to win. I entered a mildly erotica story, and I couldn't see Lulu choosing to front a piece of erotica no matter how well written. I entered just to be part of the mix.

I did get a nice email notification that included the following:

"Picking just one was very hard. Unfortunately, your submission was not selected as a finalist, but certainly not due to quality. In fact, The Skin Scholarship was good enough that we think you should take a shot at our Download Day sales contest happening December 26th, 2011."

I think that the email must have been a form letter. However, it was a nice form letter. Regardless, of whether it was a form letter or not, I do have a story up on Lulu that anyone can download and read for free. Enjoy!

From the Lulu Blog:

1^ST PLACE WINNER:

The Red Boots by Poornima Ram Kiram

2^ND PLACE WINNER:

Grass by Charles D. Shell

3^RD PLACE WINNER:

Revenge by Gail Kavanagh

Honorable Mentions:

Persona Quietus by Jesse Lee

Lovely Stranger by Jennifer Porter-Kennard

Reading to Nora is My Favorite New Pastime!

2011-12-21T17:48:00.001-06:00

Cifiscape vol. II, The Twin Cities - Authors

2011-12-21T16:00:00.001-06:00

Cifiscape is building up to the launch of Vol. II by releasing authors one at a time. So far, the authors in Vol II include Jonathan Hansen, Erica Lindquist & Aron Christensen, and David Oppegaard. I think that I might know a few unannounced names, but I'll have to wait and see what happens.

If you are as excited as I am about a Vol. II, you should check out Vol. I. If you're not sure, you can read my reviews of the stories in Vol I. here (I didn't review my own story, I thought that would have been strange):

"Ill Communication" by Bob Lipski
"Bicyclopolis" by Ken Avidor
"Thinker's Lure" by Toianna Gump
"Godless" by Brian Garrity
"The Prisoner" by Ken Lubold
"For the Killing of the Happiest Man" by Max Harbal

Bike Mechanic (Part 4) in @eFictionmag

2011-12-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

The Skin Scholarship

2011-11-12T11:45:00.000-06:00

The Skin Scholarship - Free

It is not too late to get in on the fun over at Lulu. Check out their 600 word eBook fiction contest. I entered a short story today called "The Skin Scholarship."

"Everyone is suffering because of the weak economy, and Jonah has been especially hard hit. His parents have lost their jobs, and he is drowning in college loans. Struggling to pay his next round of tuition and make ends meet, Jonah answers a Help Wanted ad that will changes his life forever."

You can download and read it for free! The Skin Scholarship.

Enjoy!

Damn it Feels Good to be a Banksta (feat. Herman Cain)

2011-11-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

Damn it Feels Good to be a Banksta (feat. Herman Cain)

Bike Mechanic (Part 3) in @eFictionMag

2011-11-02T07:51:00.000-05:00

Miss Representation

2011-10-22T07:54:00.002-05:00

Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

Miss Representation

Bike Mechanic (Part 2) in @eFictionMag

2011-10-01T09:12:00.002-05:00

Enter a Photo Contest @eFictionMag and Win a Kindle Fire

2011-09-30T06:13:00.000-05:00

Reading "The Lily Pad" in eFiction

The short version:

"How to enter:1. Take a photo of yourself reading eFiction.2. Upload photo here.3. Share the contest with your friends.The editorial staff of eFiction will vote on the best submissions. Bonus points for the most interesting, funny, or visually appealing photos!Deadline: Halloween (Oct 31st, 2011)Prize: Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet (http://amzn.to/okzEi8)Entry fee: Picture of yourself reading eFiction"

Deadline: 10/31/2011

The long version:

The above picture is of me! I'm reading my story, "The Lily Pad," which was in the June 2011 issue, Vol. 15. You can still get a copy by checking out Back Issues on the eFiction web page. Speaking of back issues, my fiction has appeared in the six issues pictured behind me:

Vol. 3
- "Author Spotlight: Aaron Wilson"
- "A Tea party"
- "Running of the Cows"
- "Keeping Watch"

Vol. 6
- "Apophis"

Vol. 7
- "Alhazred's Walls"

Vol. 12
- "The Return of Melanoplus Spretus"

Vol. 15
- "The Lily Pad"

Vol. 18
- "The Bike Mechanic" pt. 1 - as a serial

I love eFiction Magazine and can't thank the magazine enough for being such a wonderful supporter of my fiction. So, please make sure that you check out the magazine by downloading an issue. And while you are reading it, take a picture and enter the photo contest!

Keith Olbermann on "Occupy Wall Street" Media Blackout

2011-09-27T07:43:00.000-05:00

We Are the 99 Precent

Car Seat Center

2011-09-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

Installed Car Seat - Middle

Today, I posted a question to my friends about which side of the car to install a rear facing infant seat. I got back several great answers.

--
GE: Seems from experience that it would be easier to reach the kid while driving if it is on the passenger side. Also would put you typically on the curb side for loading/unloading. All that said, I don't know why ours is on the driver's side. Maybe Jill had a reason for it.

BP: The argument for putting the kid on the driver side is that you instinctively protect that side because it's the side you're on. So if safety is your goal, driver's side it is. For convenience sake, and for getting in and out curbside, the passenger side makes more sense. Or you could just put it in the middle and have done.

MM: I was always told the middle was best when I had kids. See if the NTSB has a recomendation.

AH: I prefer the driver's side because I don't have to walk around the car to get it out. Plus, taking it out on the curb side seems like a good idea until winter when large snowbanks get in the way. I suppose if you put it in the middle you can get it out of either side depending on the situation.

LH: Middle is usually safest. And you can easily reach back from either front seat.

SR: Yah! We put ours on the passenger side, so we could reach bottle back to her. We had a Jeep Commander when she was born, and I couldn't get her into the middle.
--

Because all of those answers seemed good and well thought out to me, I went back to the great oracle: the internet. The reason that I asked the question in the first place was that it seemed there were several good sites and videos for how to install a car seat correctly, but not one of them made any suggestions as to which side was best, safest, or legal.

Then, I finally found an article, "Safest Spot for Baby's Car Seat?," at the WebMD of all places. So, if we can manage it, we'll keep our seat center.

Thanks again everyone.

Thanks again all-mighty internet.

TWIN CITIES ZINEFEST: SEPTEMBER 24, 2011, 12-5PM

2011-09-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

TWIN CITIES ZINEFEST: SEPTEMBER 24, 2011, 12-5PM

Powderhorn Park

3400 15th Ave S

Minneapolis, MN 55407

It's okay to not like things!

2011-09-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

"The Dead Beat" by E.D. Lindquist via eFiction Magazine

2011-09-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

September 2011

Episode 1 - The Restless and the Wicked

If you're in need of a new urban fantasy, you'll not want to miss the first installment of E.D. Lindquist's The Dead Beat. In the first episode, you'll be introduced to a cast of exorcists / cops who chase down spirits who illegally inhabit the living. What I like most about this story is the world building and character development.

The Cops / Exorcists remind me of a cross between Columbo and the Ghostbusters, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them and the rules for the world in upcoming chapters. What I do know is that there are rules for spirits to inhabit living bodies, called skinriding. There seems to be laws of light and the word of Anat-Sin. In any serial, the fun is in the waiting and not knowing, the anticipation for the next issue.

So, don't be left out, download a copy today: September 2011

---
Disclaimer: I have a serial, "The Bike Mechanic," in this issue and in the next couple of issues, which is a story from my collection, The Many Lives of Inez Wick (Lulu Print $14.00; Lulu Download $2.99; Amazon Print $14.00)

"The Bike Mechanic" via eFiction Magazine

2011-09-01T16:05:00.002-05:00

September 2011

For those of you who haven’t bit and bought my book (The Many Lives of Inez Wick), you can now get “The Bike Mechanic” for the price of sharing a link on Facebook or on Twitter via eFiction Magazine. “The Bike Mechanic” will be printed as a serial in the digital pages of eFiction Magazine, beginning with the September 1, 2011 issue. So, here is how you get the a free copy of this month’s issue:

1. go to http://www.efictionmag.com/
2. click on “download PDF” or “ePub”
3. Follow the directions for logging into Facebook or Twitter
4. Click “Post”
5. Click the access link
6. Click “Open” and then “Save a Copy”

When you have read a the installment, please let me know what you think and (more importantly) let the editors of eFiction Magazine know that you enjoy seeing my fiction in their magazine.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Book Trailer

2011-09-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

Blurb from press release:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone tells the story of 17-year-old orphan Karou who lives between two worlds; here and a place called Elsewhere. She also works for a demonic shopkeeper, the Wishmonger. She runs errands for him around the world, buying teeth pilfered from the dead – and sometimes the living – to fill his mysterious jars and coffers. Karou is neither purely good nor wholly evil, but you’ll be rooting for her every step of the way.

Fans are invited to join the official Daughter of Smoke Facebook and Twitter page for story extracts, exclusives and latest news:

Facebook http://on.fb.me/oLp5M9
Twitter https://twitter.com/SmokeAndBone

I love book trailers. I wish that I had the time and talent to put together a high quality book trailer for my collection of short stories. Anyway, enjoy!

Anniversary 6 (+8 unmarried) = 14 Years of Success

2011-08-28T05:30:00.137-05:00

8.28.2005

14 Years

As seasons come and go, what was newly
rough in spring, now made smooth by battering
waters is thus more precious. Yet, barely
do I detect a coarseness harrowing

silk petals shimmering with morning dew
that may need still a'wearing down. This bee
seeking nectar where it does takes its cue
not from vast fields but a lone pot. May we

defend against the slipping of harsh sands,
bound forever not by commandments or
laws, divine or man made, but by our hands.
Fingers ten but one ringed in precious ore

that brightly sparkles six and eight; fourteen
lines gone by too soon, floating ever down stream.

August 16: Grass

2011-08-16T07:09:00.002-05:00

Grass

***
This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 15: CPR

2011-08-16T07:06:00.001-05:00

CPR

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 14: Stinky Love

2011-08-16T07:06:00.000-05:00

Stinky Love

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 13: Lust

2011-08-16T07:05:00.001-05:00

Lust

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 11: Sunflower

2011-08-16T07:05:00.000-05:00

Sunflower

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 10: Garlic

2011-08-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

Garlic

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 12: Mr. Said, "i'z zap u"

2011-08-13T07:49:00.000-05:00

Mr. Said, "i'z zap u"

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 9: Relax Damn It!

2011-08-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

Relax Damn It!

Today, I start a new literature class with a new textbook. I love teaching literature (and have three years of experience, 20+ literature courses taught); however, I have 1st time jitters. Thus, I took a stroll around the retention pond today at lunch time.

***
This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 8: Eyes

2011-08-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

Eyes

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 7: What it feels like to ride my new bike

2011-08-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 6: Porch Flower

2011-08-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

Porch Flower

A view from my deck at 7:10pm.

***
This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 5: Thistle

2011-08-05T12:08:00.001-05:00

Thistle

I missed the 3rd, but I'm not cought up! I took this picture while on the bike ride into work this monring. I then edited it with my phone. I like how it turned out.

***
This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

August 4: In the Window

2011-08-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

In the Window

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This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

Leave America's Waters Alone - Take Action Now!

2011-08-04T12:50:00.000-05:00

Take Action: Click Here

From Environment America:

-----

America's waters need to be protected. But the U.S. House has voted to cripple the Clean Water Act, the best defense that our rivers, lakes and streams have against mining companies, developers and other polluters.

Their bill would take the teeth out of the Clean Water Act by stripping the EPA of its powers to hold states accountable for pollution. The result would be a race to the bottom as states compete for polluting industries' business by slashing their clean water laws, with no federal backstop to keep our waters safe from the ensuing pollution.
The three bills I am most concerned about are:

1) The House Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which would risk 59% of America's streams by blocking the U.S. Army Corps from moving forward on initiatives to restore Clean Water Act protections to streams and wetlands;

2) H.R. 2018, the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, which would gut the Clean Water Act, stripping the EPA of its powers to hold states accountable for pollution;

3)The House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, which has more than a dozen measures that would open our waters to more pollution, including a rider that will put the drinking water of Americans at risk.

I just signed Environment America's petition telling our senators to leave the Clean Water Act alone and let the EPA do its job. Will you join me?

-----
I hope that you will take a moment today and sign. Water is being put at risk.

Late Entry for August 2: Truth in Light

2011-08-03T07:27:00.000-05:00

Parking lot - 10:15pm, 08/02/2011

Inspired by my wife, I'm going to post a picture everyday this month.

***
This photo is part of the August Break, hosted by Susannah Conway. During the month of August, participants post a minimum of one photograph per day. No rules!

Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: Speaking for the Earth Liberation Front by Craig Rosebraugh

2011-08-01T05:30:00.023-05:00

Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: Speaking for the Earth Liberation Front
by Craig Rosebraugh

Is Direct Action, as practiced by ALF and ELF, terrorism? The United States thinks so, and and it has lumped all direct action eco-activism that disrupts the economic profit machine through the purposeful destruction of property as terroristic acts (House of Rep. Subcommittee, June 9, 1998). However, as time has passed, the interpretation of what constitutes ecoterrorism is evolving to include the simple distribution of environmental literature (Green Is the New Red -- Book Trailer from Will Potter) and, recently, the disruption of an auction for "22,000 acres of land is Utah national parks" (Potter, Tim DeChristopher Sentenced).

Just how effective are these acts of so called ecoterrorism? I'm not sure. However, the handling of the subject of and the effectiveness of the environmental direct action movement is subject of Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: Speaking for the Earth Liberation Front by Craig Rosebraugh. The book is Rosebraugh's recounting of his time working as the sole contact for ELF, the Earth Liberation Front. Regardless of personal conviction or political leaning, Rosebraugh's book is important because it captures not only the historical accounting of his journey with the Earth Liberation Front, but also because it captures the passion of an underground social movement in the United States.

Social Moments are critical. They awaken the human spirit and help to evolve social structures. Without social movements, the United States would still practice slavery and women would not still not be able to vote. I'm normally not a fan of Wikipedia, but Wikipedia does have a good List of Social Movements. Social movements bring about change to governments that would stagnate otherwise. Even now, in Washington, there is battle raging because of a new social moment to control government spending. Why is it that liberal social moments, mostly designed to evolve human interaction and human interaction with our life support system (Mother Earth), singled out and targeted as terroristic while so-called conservative social movements that debilitate the functioning of our government heralded as reformist? Regardless, social moments, despite political side-taking, do serve an important purpose in the United States. Social Moments apply pressure on a system that would stagnate otherwise. Social Movements are what make America great.

However, what happens when a social moment is given the label of terrorism? Rosebraugh does an excellent job of answering that question in his book. First, Rosebraugh does put forward that direct action should not be put in the same category as actions that harm or take human life. Instead, it seems that Rosenbraugh despite the violent looking acts of monkeywrenching, hindering earth raping and natural resource sucking buildings and machines, property destruction should be seen as nonviolent acts of protest. I'm not sure I'm convinced. Yet, what Rosebraugh book was able to convince of was that social moments are critical. When no one seems to be listening, people need a way to be heard. Let's just hope that we don't tear each other asunder before we can evolve together.

==
In my search to better understand the direct action movement, I will next read Confessions of an Eco-Warrior by Dave Foreman, the co-founder of EarthFirst!. I'm trying to write a better story (perhaps novel) that captures the spirit of the direct action movement. My first attempt is my book of connected short stories, The Many Lives of Inez Wick. I'm not sure of it's merit or success, so I'm going to try again, after a period of research.

My New Bike! & Why Having a Bike is Important to Me

2011-07-30T11:30:00.000-05:00

Sun EZ - Rider

My bike was stolen recently. It was a red Giant Rincon mountain bike that I'd bought roughly twenty years ago, when I was fifteen. I'm still disappointed that my bike is gone; however, I excited to finally have a recumbent.

I found the pictured Sun EZ - Rider used. The bike runs well, and I've already put more than twenty miles on it, since yesterday. It is a fun ride. However, the real test will be Monday. On Monday, I will ride to work, Minneapolis to Mendota Heights. I couldn't be more excited.

I still need to fix the bike up a bit. It is missing one of the chain guides and the handlebars are bent. The bent handlebars make steering difficult, and I'm prone to over steering which slows my ride. Yet, I do feel speedy, perhaps because I'm so low to the ground. I have passed a couple of people while riding around The Lake of the Isles, but they were out leisure riding. Monday, everyone on The Greenway will be all business, commuting to work.

Having a bike is important to me. Riding a bike is a simple form of nonviolent direct action. The more often I ride my bike, the less often I drive my car. Fewer trips in my car equals less money for big oil and less CO2 emitted. I just wish that there were more days that I felt comfortable riding my bike to and from work. Right now, the plan is Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I miss a few of those days each week because some life-event seems to get in the way. I wish I rode as often as my boss. He is my biking hero. He bikes to work (and everywhere else) everyday of the week despite strange life-events.

In order to get ready for Monday's commute, I still need to figure out how I'm going to attach my luggage to the back of the bike. I don't have the cash for a bike rack right now, but I do have bungee cargo net. So, before I eat lunch here, in a few minutes, I'm headed down stairs to how I'm going to attach my gear in the meantime.

Happy Trails!

Green Is the New Red by Will Potter @will_potter

2011-07-27T11:07:00.000-05:00

Green Is the New Red -- Book Trailer from Will Potter on Vimeo.

Bad Day for the Environment, Bad Day for us all

2011-07-25T22:01:00.001-05:00

Today, the United States House of Representatives began debating the future of the Environmental Protection Agency (2:03 PM & 6:21 PM as reported by the New York Times) as part of the ongoing discussion of our budget and economic woes. The debate over funding for the EPA saddens me. The EPA was created in an era when our government understood that its most important role was to protect the American people from threats both foreign and domestic. With bipartisan support, President Nixon and the both houses of Congress signed into law one of our country's greatest human protection services, the Environmental Protection Agency. Without healthy and productive ecosystems, humanity's health will suffer.

Humans need clean water. Humans need clean air. Humans need clean food. Without healthy ecosystems, we - humans - will need to create systems to replace the natural capital and services that the ecosystems provide to us for free. Not to sound like a crackpot conspiracy theorist, but big business is attempting the largest market share and complete control over our basic abilities to find clean water, air, and food. Just take a look at the power grab for water: The Story of Bottled Water. Nothing would make industrial executives happier than to have use dependent on them water, a fundamental necessity. And if the House wins this budget debate, they will move to defund the one regulatory body set up to not only protect the environment but also humans from polluting industries.

On Friday, Mother Jones reported that the House GOP Moves to Gut the Clean Water Act. If the clean water act is gutted, our water will be at risk. We will not have save drinking water. We will not be able to drink from our own taps and wells. Industry will have freedom to use our rivers and watersheds for toxic waste removal.

Our budget and economic worries are serious. I agree that something must be done to lower United States debt, but to lower that debt by putting the health of every American at risk is shameful and unjust. Please help take action against United States House of Representatives by calling your Representative and telling him or her that if he or she does not act in favor of funding the EPA, she or he will lose his or her job. We can not sell the environment and thus our health to big business and toxic industry.

If you want to know who is leading the fight against the Clean Water act and the EPA, follow the money. Check out Maplight.org 's coverage of the votes: H.R. 2018 - Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011

Please, call now.

My Bookshelf posted @1Bookshelf

2011-07-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

Submition Guide Lines
Blog - 1 Bookshelf
Twitter - @1Bookshelf

1 Bookshelf is seeking posts about your favorite bookshelf. I love books. I love booshelves. Thus, I had to get in on the action, and I wrote a quick essay and sent over a picture the bookshelf above my desk. Check it out, Aaron M. Wilson's Bookshelf, and then write and submit your own 1 Booshelf essay.

TRANSFER by Darci Dawn

2011-07-05T20:56:00.003-05:00

Vagabondage Press - $5.99
All Romance - $5.99
Amazon - $5.99
B&N - $5.99

A good writer friend of mine, who uses the pen-name, Darci Dawn, has a new short story in the collection titled, Lyrotica. Seeing a story go through the workshop-and-revision process and then be accepted for publication is excitingly rewarding, especially when I took part in the process.

Lyrotica, "with special guest editor, Rebecca Ammon, syndicated sex and relationships blogger/columnist" (Vagabondage Press), is a sexy anthology of prose and poetry that is sure to perk your interest.

Darci Dawn’s story, “Transfer,” is about a woman named Priscilla who first falls in love with man’s hands: “When Priscilla first saw him, it was his hands that made her want him. They were tan, thick, and his nail beds were rimmed with a thin layer of permanent dirt.” She liked his hands because they looked like they were working hands, hands that belonged to a real man. However, he did were a silver band, perhaps a wedding band.

I don’t want to ruin the story for you in this review. The story is worth the price of the collection. The story succeeds in two goals of a story found with in the pages of a collection titled Lyrotica. First, “Transfer” is a good story, an entertaining fiction with solid characters that drive the plot. Two, once seduced by quality writing, I was able to enjoy Priscilla’s seductions and become, myself, aroused.

Beyond being an arousing story, “Transfer” succeeds in making a statement about the harsh realities of commitment. Commitment, the main character argues is series of disappointments and compromises. And, here is what Priscilla thinks about compromise, “Compromise, she thought, was what happened when you started giving pieces of yourself away.” This sentiment mirrors the theme found in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” Thus, my ending question is to muse about what Chopin’s character, Louise Mallard, would have thought about Priscilla’s inner strength to retain her self fully – no compromise. I think that Louise would have envied Priscilla had Louise survived the reemergence of her husband.

So if you're looking for a good time, check out Lyrotica and Darci Dawn's "Transfer."

How I Met Bob Lipski

2011-06-27T17:08:00.001-05:00

Cifiscape (Cifiscape Vol. 1: The Twin Cities) asked recently how I met Bob Lipski, the author and illustrator of Uptown Girl, and the cover artist for my book of short stories, The Many Lives of Inez Wick. I'm surprised that I haven't told that story. The story is an interesting one.

It all began long ago, or perhaps not so long ago, in the hallway outside of my classroom. The hall is long. On one side of the hall are classrooms, including the one in which I teach English, Literature, and Environmental Science. On the other side of the hall are offices, one of which (I'd find out later) belonged to Bob, and a bathroom. Now what must be understood is that the halls are long and the next closest bathroom is at the other end of what must be a two-city block long hallway. What also must be understood is that my memories of those past events are burly at best. I remember Bob, the hall, my classroom, and the distinct urge to pee. In my blurred memory, Bob and I met thus:

===

I had just saddled up to one of the two urinals in the men's bathroom. My class was taking a ten-minute break. I had to let loose and get back my classroom to setup whatever came next in my lecture that day. While I was relaxing and relieving the pressure on my bladder, in walked a tall, handsome, dark haired fellow. We exchanged one of those looks that only men, real men, share in the bathroom: a look that said, "Hey man, I'm busy. Don't you fucking talk to me while I'm peeing, or I'll put your head through the fucking tile."

I fished up quickly. I hate bathroom conversation. There is nothing so important that needs to be said to me by anyone or by me to anyone that it can't wait until we are some place else. However, it looked like I was going to be forced into yet another one by Mr. Handsome. You know what else I hate, someone who out dresses me at work, and Mr. Handsome had gone one-step beyond me and was wearing a matching suit, complete with a sports coat. So there I was in the bathroom, washing the pee from my hands before returning to class, and Mr. Handsome in a suit starts washing his hands next to me.

While washing the pee from his hands, Mr. Handsome says, "Hey! Your Aaron Wilson, right?"

Great. Here we go. I was drying my hands, and I was almost out the door, but I had to answer. I had to be polite. "Yeah, that's right. I'm Aaron Wilson." And now, to be polite, "And you?"

"I'm Bob." He says. "Bob Lipski. Uptown Girl. We're both in Cifiscape Vol. 1: The Twin Cities." He holds out his now dried hand for me to shake.

I shake his hand, dumbfounded. "Wow! You're that Bob Lipski. Uptown Girl, Lipski. My wife and I are fans. She even reviewed your comic for the Uptown Neighborhood News a few years back ("Comic Relief" May 2008). Crap. I was having a conversation in a bathroom.

"Yeah, that's me. Thanks. Anyway, how'd you find Cifiscape?"

I opened the door to the hall. We moved out into the hall, thank the gods. "I was searching Craigslist, and I took a chance. You?"

"Through a friend."

So not only was this guy handsome and a snappy dresser, but he was also a successful comic. In that moment, all I wanted was a way to take advantage of his fame. How could I become a bit more successful though knowing Uptown Girl, Lipski. However, in awe of meeting Uptown Girl, Lipski, all I could say was, "Cool. I've got to get back to class. We should talk later."

"Yeah. We should." He gave me a look as if I were giving him the big brush off and went though the door on the other side of the long hall, disappearing into the sea of offices and cubicles.

I watched as he disappeared. "Fuck," I thought, "That was Uptown Girl, Lipski."

===

Well, I'm not sure if that is how our first meeting went down or if it is how I want to remember our first meeting. Like I wrote many words ago, I remembered Bob, the hall, my classroom, and the distinct urge to pee.

A few weeks later, I was closer to finishing The Many Lives of Inez Wick, and I knew how I wanted to try and take advantage of knowing Uptown Girl, Lipski. I asked him to design the cover. If you are interested in his artistic process, you can checkout Bob's blog post, Cover Me, to see how a comic artist's process.

***
Special Note: Yes, I have a story in Cifiscape Vol. 1: The Twin Cities - "What's For Dinner" - so I have a vested interest in the anthology selling. However, all the authors in the anthology are local Twin Cities' authors, and the stories are excellent. Cheers!

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

2011-06-22T06:57:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see this movie. In part, Inez Wick's character is modeled after the Earth Liberation Front.

Table of Contents

"The Many Lives of Inez Wick" is a collection of short stories that focus on the sometimes eco-heroine, Inez Wick, as she treads the underbelly of domestic terrorism, occasionally blowing up resource exploiters and pouters.

The Bike Mechanic - Inez Wick is desperate for help. She's just blown up a water bottling factory and needs to escape Homeland Security. However, her search for help has led her to Dan Seward, an ex-activist with a secret past that he'll fight to protect.

Lady Aqua - Inez Wick thought that the water bottling factory was empty as she set homemade explosives. Her intention wasn't to take lives but to send a message to wakeup the community. The water bottling factory was pumping so much water the downstream river had dried up.

Beyond Peaking - Inez Wick, in a life seemingly unconnected to her others, works hard in a office by day, and by night she only wants to retreat into the world of TV mysteries. However, tonight, her mysteries will be interrupted by a special announcement by the President of The United States - the world's oil wells have been depleted.

Dog Fight - Here, Inez Wick has been abducted by sex traffickers that force her to fight in gladiatorial matches to the death.

No Compromise - Inez Wick returns to her true calling. She's in China on a mission. She must infiltrate a coal power plant, set explosives, and get out quickly.

Apophis - In an academic world ruled by men, Inez Wick plays along hoping that her doctoral advisor and lover will soon graduate her. However, something isn't quite right with her equations that predict that Apophis, a large asteroid on a near-mis course towards earth, will pass between safely between the earth and the moon.

Spilling Sunlight - A glimpse into Inez Wick's the back story. She's just turned sixteen and want's nothing more than to spend time her father. However, her father is a roughneck, and he's off to manage Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

Yes. Some People Should Not Be Teachers!

2011-06-21T06:39:00.000-05:00

New Story Idea: The Story of a Slave in the House of Laius

2011-06-19T14:53:00.001-05:00

I wanted to try my Android's Blogger App, so I'm posting a picture and a tidbit about a new project that I'm going to undertake.

I love the tragedy of Oedipus. I've been teaching the play for almost three years. In those three years, it has been the character of the slave and shepard, who took pity on three-day old child of King Laius, who interests me. This shepard-slave bookends the story of Oedipus.

So my question is who is this slave and what is his story. I hope to findout.

I Won a #Kindle ! @efictionmag

2011-06-11T17:14:00.001-05:00

Amazon $3.99 - Kindle edition
eFiction Magazine - ePub & PDF

Doug Lance, the creator and managing editor of eFiction Magazine, held a contest via @eFictionmag on Twitter. I was the lucky winner!!! However, I feel luck enough to have been accepted as frequent contributor to the pages of the magazine. In a recent post - CLICK HERE - I recapped my contributions, including "The Lily Pad," which is in the June 2011 issue (pictured on the Kindle above).

With my new Kindle, I feel like I've been thrust out of the dark age of paper books (which, I must admit I still prefer) and into a new enlightened age. I would have never bought a Kindle on my own. I just don't have that kind of cash. However, now that I own one, I will be able to catch up on the all the Indy Fiction that I've previously had to pass up.

A big thank you to Doug Lance and all the people that help create and sustain eFiction Magazine!

My Story "The Lilly Pad" Out Now via eFiction Magazine

2011-06-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

eFiction Magazine - ePub & PDF
Amazon $3.99 - Kindle edition

I know that you've been looking forward to the June 2011 issue of eFiction Magazine. Well, it's here. Go get it. Once you've read my story, "The Lilly Pad," please take a moment to leave a comment raving about it on eFiction's Facebook Page, tweet @efictionmag about it, and send the link to all your friends.

June 2011, vol 15
- "The Lilly Pad" is the story of a self-professed fairy princess out clubbing with her girlfriend entourage. While clubbing, she meets a mysterious frog-like creature that come to her rescue.

eFiction Magazine has been a wonderful advocate of my writing. When you are done with the June 2011 issue, please also check out their back issues containing my fiction:

June 2010, vol 3
- Author Spotlight: an interview with me about writing fiction.

- "A Tea Party" is a horror story about a young boy who gets more than he bargained for when a seemingly homeless girl surprises him one late night while taking out the trash.

- "Running of the Cows" is and action story that takes place on the US-Mexican border.

- "Keeping Watch" takes place on a satellite orbiting Earth. Everyone wants to immigrate to a satellite, and it is the job of lowly immigration officials to process the paperwork.

September 2010, vol 6
- "Apophis" is an asteroid that will come close to impacting Earth. In this story, the academics are entangled in an inappropriate Thesis Advisor-Student relationship that could spell disaster for everyone.

October 2010, vol 7
- "Alhazred's Walls" is a horror story that revolves around a tattoo shop with a mysterious ink-slinger and owner.

March 2011, vol 12
- "The Return of Melanoplus Spretus" has everyone running for cover. They are back and they are hungry and ready to swarm.

Again, if you found any of the issues with my fiction in them enjoyable, please let eFiction Magazine know that you value seeing my fiction in their pages by tweeting @efictionmag and leaving comments on their Facebook Page.

"CYBERMAY" to get 25% off The Many Lives of Inez Wick and/or Blameless Mouth through 5/31

2011-05-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every Thing Feeds Process Press

Henry Rollins for Drop in the Bucket

2011-05-24T07:01:00.000-05:00

Drop in the Bucket

PLAYING D&D by Skinny White Chick - SJ Tucker

2011-05-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

Skinny White Chick

Newly Out: NEVER NEVER STORIES by Jason Sanford @jasonsanford

2011-05-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

$4.99

Purchase for the Amazon Kindle (U.S.A. site)

Purchase for the Amazon Kindle (U.K. site)

Purchase for the Amazon Kindle (German site)

Purchase for the Barnes and Noble Nook

Jason Sanford's press release for his new ebook collection states:

"Ranging from science fiction to fantasy, stories contained in Never Never Stories have won the Interzone Readers’ Poll, been nominated for the BSFA Award, longlisted for the British Fantasy Award, and printed in numerous magazines and book anthologies including Year's Best SF. The collection also contains new material including a never-before published story, a brand-new introduction, and an original essay on archeology and fantasy.

Stories included in this collection:

The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rain
When Thorns Are The Tips Of Trees
Where Away You Fall
Here We Are, Falling Through Shadows
Rumspringa
Freelanga
Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep
Memoria
Millisent Ka Plays in Realtime
Into the Depths of Illuminated Seas
A Twenty-First Century Fairy Love Story
Maps of the Bible
The Dragon of Tin Pan Alley
The Never Never Wizard of Apalachicola"

I haven't read many of these, but I have read "Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep" (make sure that you check out my review - it's a fantastic story). It's great that Sanford has made his fiction available, considering that most it is trapped in sold-out back issue periodicals.

I think that I'll have to add this collection to my list of eBooks that I want to read - as soon as I get an eReader.

GOBLIN QUEST by Jim C. Hines

2011-04-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

I just finished Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

Jig, a goblin, is an unlikely but strangely likable protagonist and an even stranger goblin. As a goblin, Jig is a runt and a weakling. He has been relegated to muck duty, a chore usually performed by goblin children. However, Jig's lack of strength has caused him to rely on - gasp - his brain and smarts for survival, which is what makes him likable. Jig is a great character and makes the book worth reading.

While reading, I felt as if I were still rolling twenty-sided dice with friends on Sunday afternoons attempting to save the world from some evil or another. I didn't even try to resist seeing my friends in the Hines' characters. Instead, I laughed when the wizard and the fighter bickered and the dwarf attempted not to take sides. I also laughed when the elven-thief failed to check for traps when picking a lock (just like my wife) and almost died. Such good times.

However, the culture clash was the most entertaining. While Jig was being towed around as a guide by the adventures, several cultural misunderstandings occur. The one that I appreciated most was a discussion what is done with the dead and fallen. Jig and his fellow goblin patrol was just slaughtered by the adventures, and the adventures wondered what happened to the dead in the caverns. Jig''s first thought was that he was full (as in not hungry). Wonderful! Yes, I was reading with an all too human point of view. Now, however, I was ready for and wanting more such moments...

...More such moments that I hope to find in the next two books.

Hines, Jim. C. Goblin Quest. New York: DAW, 2006. Print.

Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri

2011-04-30T16:37:00.000-05:00

The House of Books

2011-04-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Tattoo #6: File-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates otilophus)

2011-04-24T09:04:00.000-05:00

From Top-Left to Bottom-Right: 1) Shaved My leg
2) Stencil Placement 3) Outline 4) Black Shading
5) Color Shading
6) Finished

File-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates otilophus)

Tattoo by Keith Hieserich, Shop Owner of Defiant Tattoos & Body Piercing

I've been wanting new ink since the last one healed. I guess that's the way it goes for an addict, but none of the images I'd come across spoke to me.

Two years later, I've taught twenty sections of Environmental Science, each of which I started with a presentation about frogs. Frogs are fragile. Intrinsically, frogs are beautiful and enjoy a niche within food webs as both predators and as prey. Instrumentally, they provide population control for pests and can serve as a bioindicator, reveling the presence of toxic pollutants. Starting out each of my classes by lecturing on frogs, on their value and fragility allowed me to quickly introduce and immerse students in both the language of Environmental Science and engage students in an environmental problem quickly.

To learn more about the environmental problems and the importance of frogs, I suggest starting with CGEE's: A Thousand Friends of Frogs. Two good presentation resources include, Frog Malformities and Frogs as Bioindicators.

Alas, the strange circumstances that have allowed me the opportunity to teach Environmental Science have dissolved like Cinderella's dress and her pumpkin carriage. It's been a good run, and I feel lucky to have had the chance to study and converse with students about how human systems and environmental interact. Thus, this tattoo is celebration and remembrance of my time as an instructor of environmental science. Perhaps, it is also a wish, a desire to seek out such circumstances where I will again be able to discuss the importance of frogs. (I just realized, not that I had planed it, but I had the tattoo done on Earth Day 2011 - a strange and wonderful coincidence.)

About the source material:

Tim Laman, a wildlife photojournalist, took an stunning closeup shot the File-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates otilophus), which is native to the Sumatra and Borneo rain forests. Laman's original picture is located in his Rain Forest at Night archive. Laman also has a wonderful blog that you can follow, Tim Laman Blog. To find out more about the File-eared Tree Frog, visit the frog's bio-page on Ecology Asia.

Inez Wick - Reviewers Wanted

2011-04-11T08:30:00.001-05:00

Print - $14.00
PDF - $6.00

Have a blog? Like to review books? Like free books? - does that sound like you? If it does sound like you, send me an email: aaronwilson01 [at] gmail.com

I'm looking for a few reviewers that would like a free copy of The Many Lives of Inez Wick. To get a free copy, you will need to agree to review the book or at least publicize it's existence and link to the Lulu.com product page.

Formats: 1) book: I don't have many copies, so first come / first serve. 2) PDF: I can provide as many of these as I get requests.

Also, I'm available to for interviews, so help me get the word out!

PEACEMAKER, PEACEMAKER, LITTLE BO PEEP by Jason Sanford @jasonsanford

2011-04-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

I consider myself lucky in many aspects of my life, but I don't usually win anything. Thus, I was felt very lucky to have won a copy of sold out issue of Interzone 231: the Jason Sanford special issue. The special issue contains not one but three stories by Sanford and an interview with Sanford, so I feel very lucky indeed.

The first of Sanford's three stories in Interzone issue 231 is "Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep." I just finished reading the story last night before bed, and I dreamt a dream of violence. Such a dream, if I were a character in Sanford's story would have meant my death by the hands of those who trilled for peace. Aptly named trillers because they make a harsh trilling sound, as they purge those who dream of violence from the face of the earth.

See, according to Sanford's vision, there are three types of people: wolves, those who murder; sheepdogs, those who serve and protect; and sheep, those who would never dream using violence to solve a problem, including the protection of loved ones. In this world, the sheep dream of peace - a world free of wolves and sheepdogs. They dream of a world free from those who see violence as an solution to problems. Ironically, in order to free the earth from both wolves and sheepdogs, the sheep round up and mass execute both the wolves and sheepdogs alike. In a world of only sheep, who dream the true dream of peace, would humanity survive the invasion of a hostile race from another planet? Sanford's story does not answer that question, only posses it toward the end:

"Doesn't take another predator to know you attack the sheep when they are peaceful," he said. "The creatures who tricked us with this dream of peace will be coming. I suggest keeping your eyes on the up and up" (Sanford 27).

"Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep" is an amazing story from beginning to end. Sanford's vision of this traumatic and violent world is well rendered so that the reader can focus on the action and heart felt emotions of the main character and narrator, Sergeant Ellen Davies. Sergeant Davies is a mother, a wife, and a cop. Just before the trilling started, she had made an arrest that should have secured her career. She caught a serial killer. However, the tirllers, the sheep, treat her the same was as the killer. They are rounded up and taken out to the swampy river to be execute because they do not dream the true dream of peace. Thus, a killer - a wolf - and a cop - a sheepdog - become unlikely traveling companions in a world completely gone crazy.

If Hollywood is looking for new ideas - which it seem they truly need these days -, I think that they should look no further than Jason Sanford's short stories, especially "Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep." If you can find a way to get your hands on Sanford's story, your in for a treat. However, if you are not able to find his story, make sure to check out his blog for information about his other work, including a new ebook Sublimation Angles.

Sanford, Jason. "Peacemaker, Peacemaker, Little Bo Peep." Interzone. Issue 231, November/December 2010. TTA Press. Print. 19 - 27

Book Event April 14th - @Cifiscape vol 1: The Twin Cities

2011-04-06T07:03:00.001-05:00

Okay Twin Cities, here is your chance to meet and greet seven (which, yes, includes me) amazingly fresh and local science fiction writers.

The Event Details: Cifiscape - Publication Party

The Book House in Dinkytown
Thursday, April 14th
7pm - 9pm

According to event page: "We warmly welcome you to join us on Thursday April 14th, at The Book House in Minneapolis, because Cifiscape and the Book House are having a publication party. There will be some paintings of Bicycle knights (I'm serious actual oil paintings) Wonderful creative writers speaking about their art, AND a passionate community book shop fighting against Mass-Market paper backism. Really, what more could you ask for from an evening? Oh, did I mention cheese?

Come meet the authors and the team behind Cifiscape vol. I. Come share in imagining our future in the Twin Cities."

If you're not sure that you want a copy or want to attend, check out my reviews of the stories in the collection. Sorry, I didn't review the story that I have in the collection. I felt that would be kind of weird. But let me tell you, the collection is amazing (my story included!).

"Ill Communication" by Bob Lipski
"Bicyclopolis" by Ken Avidor
"Thinker's Lure" by Toianna Gump
"Godless" by Brian Garrity
"The Prisoner" by Ken Lubold
"For the Killing of the Happiest Man" by Max Harbal

I hope to see all of you there to cheer me on at my first publication party!

KAWATARO by Alec Nevala-Lee @nevalalee

2011-04-03T17:21:00.001-05:00

I was excited to see the new issue of Analog on the kitchen counter when I got home from a short trip to Palm Desert, CA. I was even more excited to see Alec Nevala-Lee's name on the cover. To understate my appreciation for Nevala-Lee's fiction, I enjoy his fiction's focus on environmental problems.

I first ran into Nevala-Lee's fiction in the September 2009 issue of Analog, and I loved his Monkey-Wrench Gang inspired story, "The Last Resort" (read my review). I highly recommend following the career of this rising science fiction rock star. His novel, The Icon Thief, will be out in February 2012.

Caution! Spoilers! I suggest reading Nevala-Lee's story instead of my review. "Kawataro" is a mystery, and I can hardly write about the story without letting the cat out of the bag. Okay, you've been warned.

"Kawataro" is a mystery firmly grounded in an environmental problem, a problem that would not exist except for limitations in our (human) ability to equitably provide food security. Food security is an environmental concept that describes a persons access to nutritious calories. When a person or a population suffers from food insecurity, that person or population usually is struggling to obtain sufficient calories, iron, or iodine. In the United States to battle iodine deficiency, iodine was artificially added to salt. When the body suffers from an iodine deficiency, the thyroid gland increases in size, hair can fall out, skin can yellow and develop scales, and in some rare cases cause madness.

Nevala-Lee's mystery of the river dwelling Kawataro hinges on iodine deficiency symptoms. I applaud the research that went into the story, but not the research that went into the effects of iodine deficiency but also into the linguistic anthropology needed to round out the deaf fishing village in Japan. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The monster, the Kawataro is myth told to children of frog-like creatures - water spirits - that live in the village's rivers. It is said that the Kawataro kill disrespectful children and drink the children's blood. The myth is so prevalent in the village, a picture hangs in the local bar and stone statues litter the walkways. Thus, I ask the question: which came first, the Kawataro myth or locals suffering from iodine deficiency? Either way, what a great story.

Nevala-Lee's "Kawataro" mystery reminds me a little of H.P. Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth," which also featured frog-like or fish-like humanoids. Also, in Nevala-Lee's "Kawataro," the reader is shepherded by an outsider, Hakaru, a documentary camera operator. In H.P. Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth," the outsider is later revealed as a returning native. Meanwhile, in Nevala-Lee's "Kawataro," Hakaru works with Dr. Nakaya, a linguistic anthropologist, who is later outed as a villager. Dr. Nakaya is in the village studying and documenting a new and evolving indigenousness form of sign language, and Hakaru is there to film interactions between the children who practice the new language.

The documentation of the indigenousness form of sign language is a misdirect in the mystery. The children are creepy and silent (a.k.a Children of the Corn, except Japanese). The children are always around the next corner and always watching and communicating in a form of sign only they understand. The main conflict that starts the story rolling is that the village school must integrate with the closest city so that the government can save money. Dr. Nakaya is fighting the integration because it would mean and end to the indigenousness form of sign language and her research. Because Dr. Nakaya is seen as an outsider and interested in the children, she is quickly blamed for the murder of the school's biggest integration advocate, Miyamoto.

As the investigation into Miyamoto's murder progresses, Hakaru talks to locals who are willing to reveal that Miyamoto's murder is only one of several. It doesn't talk long for the murder to catch up with Hakaru and his snooping. Moreover, Hakaru, possessing more environmental and health knowledge than I gave him credit, is able to link the recessive gene for deafness, the myth of the Kawataro, and iodine deficiency symptoms to catch the killer before it (...um) he strikes again.

Make sure to get your copy of the June 2011 issue of Analog before they're gone, so you can read this gem of a story. While you're at it, you can follow Nevala-Lee's blog, Alec Nevala-Lee and Twitter, @nevalalee.

Nevala-Lee, Alec. "Kawataro." Analog. Dell Magazines, June 2011, Vol. CXXXI, No. 6. Print

I'm going to be a father!

2011-03-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

It's Official!
Release Date is slated for mid October 2011

The Many Lives of Inez Wick Featured at Reading Minnesota @bethsolheim

2011-03-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

The Feature: The Many Lives of Inez Wick - Aaron Wilson

Reading Minnesota is a blog that features the authorial talent working and writing in the land of 10,000 lakes. The blog is managed by Beth Solheim, the author of the Sadie Witt Mystery Series, which includes At Witt's End and Outwitted.

Support Your Teachers! They Make a God Damn Difference!

2011-03-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

My 30 Minute Workout Music Mix!

2011-03-20T12:13:00.000-05:00

Inez Wick Self-Publishing Guest Post Up over at @TuesdaySerial #TuesdaySerial

2011-03-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

Print - $14.00
eBook - $6.00

Check it out! I wrote a guest post for Tuesday Serial, Self Publishing The Many Lives of Inez Wick via Lulu, a community dedicated to celebrating web serial fiction.

It looks like a good conversation is getting underway about self-publishing in the post’s comment section. Come on over and join in!

When you're done reading and commenting, make sure that you take a look at the preview pages of my book: Download Preview, FREE!

New Sun Rising: A book to help Japan ( video via @TL_Tyson )

2011-03-18T06:54:00.000-05:00

Video via That Girl Tyson

T.L. Tyson Writes

Information about New Sun Rises

Submission Guidelines

P.S. - I'm not the Aaron Wilson who won a copy of the book (as mentioned at the end of the video). There are thousands of Aaron Wilson out there in the world.

Kenyan Bike Rap: "Me And My Bike"

2011-03-18T06:09:00.001-05:00

Lulu: The Future of the Book

2011-03-16T06:50:00.000-05:00

Print - $14.00
eBook - $6.00

Download Preview, FREE!

Stuart Sharp's Praise for The Many Lives of Inez Wick

2011-03-10T18:34:00.000-06:00

Print - $14.00
eBook - $6.00

Download Preview, FREE!

Stuart Sharp is the author of Searching and Which Hunt, and he is a fellow member of The Hive Mind. He had the following to say about The Many Lives of Inez Wick:

This is a strongly themed little collection of short stories, with the clever idea of taking the alternate life paths of a single character as a way of exploring a variety of mostly environmentally based issues. Inez Wick appears at different stages of her life as everything from eco-terrorist to academic to simple bystander in plotlines that touch on everything from petrol use to water pollution, but which never lose sight of the need for a decent story, and seem as prepared to take on the extremes of environmentalism as humanity's effects on the planet.

It's a fast read, and never gets too bogged down. Aaron certainly has the knack of plotting things well, and for playing around with different facets of his main character without ever losing the sense of her being a single human being. There's a nice mix of action, development and message too.

To read the full review, check out Sharp's post here: Aaron M Wilson: The Many Lives of Inez Wick.

The Hourglass Door Series Trailer

2011-03-08T20:29:00.001-06:00

Read my review of book 1:
The Hourglass Door

Healthy School Lunches?

2011-03-06T07:38:00.000-06:00

The Many Lives of Inez Wick – Available Now!

2011-03-01T05:43:00.001-06:00

Print - $14.00
eBook - $6.00

Download Preview, FREE!

Virtual Release Party Winners

1. Natalie Kamprath

2. Jennie Hunter
3. Pete Fergus

Please help me welcome in the world, The Many Lives of Inez Wick, a linked short story collection the follows the adventures of eco-heroine Inez Wick. To help celebrate the hard work that has gone into the creation of this book, make sure that you visit The Hive Mind: Lulu: The Process of Self-Publishing "The Many Lives of Inez Wick to learn more about how I selected Inez Wick's name, then make sure that you download the March 2011 (forthcoming) issue of eFiction Magazine to see a full-page ad and my new story, and finally, make sure that you keep informed by "liking" the Facebook Page.

From the back of the book:

The red LCD display quickly counts down. There is no time to waste. The polluting, resource-degrading plant is set to explode. Eco-heroine Inez Wick has only minutes to escape.

As she traverses the dark recesses of the dirty plant, she flashes back to a younger self, sixteen. Her father had just died in an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and she had just broken up with her boyfriend. She remembers oily ocean water and flames, her footprints in the sand filling with black water. Flames were chasing her. They were jumping from one oily footprint to the next, up the beach after her. Snapping back to the present, she must get out of the plant. The exploits of Inez Wick could not end, just now. Too many others needed to pay.

Praise for Aaron M. Wilson:

"As our world continues its slow crumble, Wilson soldiers on, writing with a clear eye and strong voice. 'The Many Lives of Inez Wick' entertains and, more importantly, gives cause for reflection."
- David Oppegaard, author of The Suicide Collectors & Wormwood, Nevada

"Aaron M. Wilson, with his easy to read prose, writes the kinds of dark short stories that get you caught up in the characters lives, and investing in outcomes. His stories are about now, about current topics crowding the headlines, and he's not afraid to investigate the issues of the day, darkness and all!"
- Alexandra Wolfe, editor, writer, creator of The Hive Mind

Acknowledgements

First, I would like to thank Jessica Fox-Wilson, talented poet, author of Blameless Mouth, editor, best friend and wife. With her love and support, I feel that anything is possible.

Secondly, I’d like to thank my writers group for the encouragement and deadlines without which these stories wouldn’t have been finished: Darci Schummer, Michele Campbell, Todd Wardrope, Judy Johnson, Matt Johnson, and Jessica Fox-Wilson. You are inspirational in your support of my work and in the dedication to your own creative ventures.

Third, I’d like to thank Bob Lipski – author and illustrator of Uptown Girl – for creating the book cover. Without the motivation I received from your art, I just don’t think I would have finished.

Fourth, I’d like to thank the online community of writers that have taken interest in my fiction, given some of it a home, and motivated me to keep typing: P.J. Kaiser, Karen Schindler, Doug Lance, M. Chase Whittemore, Tonya Moore, Hunter Liguore, Alexandra Wolfe, John Hayes, Jim Wisneski, and all those who tweet and re-tweet with me.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my parents for teaching me to pursue what makes me happy and that a “job” is something that you do to support your dreams.

Download Preview, FREE!

Print - $14.00
eBook - $6.00

Your purchase of an Everything Feeds Process book is appreciated and helps to support the creative endeavors of Jessica Fox-Wilson and Aaron M. Wilson.

I tried a little first person today

2011-02-27T16:26:00.001-06:00

I tried to write in first person today. Perhaps, I didn't find the right persona. Perhaps, I'm too into reading a novel right now to write. Whatever the reason, I didn't get very far into a story or a character. Here is what I came up with:

The money is good, but I hate working with Wizard Ink. It isn’t as if the customers who request the stuff are looking for high end work either. If I had to rate Wizard Ink customers, I’d put them beneath the virgin flesh that picks something off the flash wall or out of Tattoo Magazine. Sure. Some the art found in magazines is truly worthy of skin. However, most of it was just hack flash. Real artists didn’t need to advertize to get work, word just got around. Ink collectors would find the truly talented ink slingers wherever they set up shop. The same was true about tattooists who could sling Wizard Ink.

Wizard Ink is a thick rubbery substance that comes in only four unmixable colors: Brown – Earth, Green – Wind, Blue – Water, and Red – Fire. If there is any redeeming quality to working with Wizard Ink, it’s that I only had to work with one color at a time. No shading with black or whites, designs are solidly myopic. Most customers opt for sold bands circling wrists, arms, or legs, and mostly of only one of the four colors. Wizard Ink wasn’t to enhance beauty. Customers sought the function of the ink.

I've been somewhat successful writing in first person. I don't know why I avoid the first person like a pockmarked plague victim. I think that I'm going to chalk today up to reading. I'm overly enjoying Moon Called by Patrica Briggs. However, if you want to read a first person story by me that I felt went well, you can download, free, vol. 7 of eFiction Magazine - download - and read my story "Alhazred's Walls." Strangely, "Alhazred's Walls" is also about tattooing.

OMG! It's a Doughnut Tour!

2011-02-24T05:30:00.001-06:00

DINING & WINE
A New York City Doughnut TourPublished: February 23, 2011
A look at three of the city’s doughnut greats: Dough, Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop and the Doughnut Plant.

There is nothing more enjoyable than a fresh doughnut. I know that they are not health and that I can't eat them all the time, but I crave them non-stop. Yes. I'm addicted to doughnuts. My fate in hell will likely be the same as Homers'. If I ever get to see New York, I'm so going to take tour of all the pastry shops - doughnuts aren't just fro breakfast you know.

Advance Praise for "The Many Lives of Inez Wick" @DougLance editor of eFiction Magazine

2011-02-23T06:00:00.002-06:00

More advance praise for The Many Lives of Inez Wick. This time from a long time suporter and advocate of my work, Doug Lance, the editor of eFiction Magazine: The Primer Internet Fiction Magazine:

"Wilson's new collection will keep you guessing until the very last sentence, and he has a special talent of making you look at everyday people in new and awe inspiring ways. The Many Lives of Inez Wick stole me in the night and wouldn't let go until the final page."

Not only did he provide these kind words to help promote my collection of linked stories, he is going to provide ad space in the March 2011 issue of eFiction Magazine for it, and (on top all he's already done) he is going to publish my short story "The Return of Melanoplus spretus (The Rocky Mountain Locust): Extinct 1902" in the March 2011 issue.

Doug, you're the best!

Oh! Don't forget to either comment on the blog post Join The Party or attend The Facebook Virtual Party for a chance to win a copy of The Many Lives of Inez Wick.

The Many Lives of Inez Wick is Done! Join the Party!

2011-02-20T08:54:00.000-06:00

Facebook Virtual Release Party

Woot! I'm done editing the proof. The new release date is March 1, 2011, a few days from now. I'll post an announcement will a link to where the book can be purchased on March 1st.

Here are some editing highlights:

Table of Contents page numbers were all off by 10 pages
Using italic for internal monologue in "The Bike Mechanic"
Clarity - using nouns instead of pronouns (something that I teach my English students)
Consistency - if I write eight-ball then all ___-balls should be hyphenated
Making sure that all names from previous story editions were changed to "Inez Wick"
If errors had winners, here it is: "kitten/dinning room" should be "kitchen/dining room"

Taking the time for the final edit was well worth it. Readers will now have a better book and a much clearer read!

Make sure that you join the Facebook Virtual Party to win one of two copies, or you can comment on the this post for a chance to win one copy. (But not both - does that make sense?)

Hope to see you - virtually - on March 1st.

SOIL in Haiti

2011-02-16T10:34:00.000-06:00

Cupid & Psyche: A love for the ages

2011-02-14T06:06:00.001-06:00

Google Art Project

No Romance Poetry Reading @9to5poet - 2/13/2011

2011-02-11T09:40:00.000-06:00

Original Blog Post

Facebook Event

Info via everything feeds process:

Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 5:00 PM

Bean Good Cafe
5101 Minnetonka BoulevardSt. Louis Park, MN 55416

Celebrate the love of poetry and music with:
Award winning poet Elizabeth Burns - Poet Jessica Fox-Wilson, author of Blameless Mouth (Everything Feeds Process Press) - and featuring the music of guitarist Molly Burns-Hansen

Jessica will have copies of Blameless Mouth for sale at the reading. I hope to see you at Bean Good Cafe around 5!

Desert Island Books

2011-02-10T06:55:00.000-06:00

My Desert Island Collection would include:

The Complete Sophocles
The Iliad
The Odyssey
The Complete Divine Comedy
The Complete Sherlock Homes
The Complete Shakespeare
The Complete William Blake
The Canterbury Tales
The Complete Edgar Allen Poe
Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara

My one cultural choice would include:

1776 by David G. McCullough

My one religious choice would include:

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

Rules for your desert island list via Reading in Reykjavík:

There can be more than one book in a volume, but I can only choose10 volumes plus a book of national importance to my culture and one religious book. Since there is no electricity on my fictional desert island and I can only take a limited number of batteries with me – all of which I will need to power my flashlight and an emergency radio – I can not take an e-book reader.

"I'm Reading a Book" by Julian Smith

2011-02-08T05:30:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Reading in Reykjavík for posting the video!

FOG ISLAND FLOWERS by Tonya R. Moore

2011-02-06T06:44:00.000-06:00

Fog Island Flowers by Tonya R. Moore

Re-released in web serialized

Starting February 2011

Jonathan Baron's music has left him and so has the love of his life, a woman he's no longer certain even really exists. Convinced that his buried childhood memories are the key to determining whether or not she was merely a figment of his imagination, he seeks out his family's ancestral home.

From the moment he sets foot unto Fogg Island, things just don't seem quite right. Anna, Eloise and Sorcha claim to be his last living relatives but it's glaringly obvious that none of them are actually related to him by blood. By the time he crosses paths with the ghostly and subtly terrifying Cassandra, Jonathan will already be entangled in an eons old saga of murder, madness, and macabre alien science.

Alfred Hitchcock's "39 Steps" - Painted by Daniela Weiser

2011-02-05T08:20:00.000-06:00

A good college friend was interviewed, Daniela Weiser. Good luck getting the show done and ready this weekend! I love the brick wall.

Blurb from YouTube:

"Scenic charge artist Daniela Weiser takes you behind the scenes of the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina's latest production, "Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps." The comedic muder-mystery runs Feb. 8-27. See what goes on behind the curtain at this performing arts center on Hilton Head Island, S.C."

Vader vs. Volkswagen

2011-02-02T14:14:00.000-06:00

THE ROCKING-HORSE WINNER by D.H. Lawrence

2011-01-30T15:54:00.004-06:00

I've been having some trouble getting back into my novel writing. It's strange just how much of my time is spent actively avoiding my novel. I love my novel. It is going well, but I still avoid it. I hate myself for avoiding writing on it as if I were choosing to starve a child. However, feeding this child takes effort, just as keeping New Year's Resolutions of weight loss and exercise. When I write on my novel, I feel good and refreshed - energized, so why is it that I avoid writing on it.

Wait. The title of this post is "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence, is it not. Yes, it is.

Most of my time as of late has been committed to keeping up with my Literature Students. The school I teach for adopted the 11th Ed. of Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing edited by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. I was happy teaching out of the 10th Ed. Having to convert to the 11th Ed., I had to let go of several stories and poems that were in the 10th and not included in the 11th Ed. - a good lesson in popularity I suppose. The new edition of Literature has pushed me to seek out new loves with in its pages, and one such new love is "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence is a cautionary fable worth revisiting in the new-economy. I wonder how many homes are haunted by the whisper, "There must be more money! There must be more money!" (p. 560). I also wonder how many people associate money with luck as does Paul's mother:

"Oh!" said the boy. "Then what is luck, mother?"

"It's what causes you to have money. If you are lucky you have money. That's why it's better to be born lucky than rich. If you're rich, you may lose your money. But if you're lucky, you will always get more money." (p. 560)

It is easier to blame something outside of one's self than it is to accept blame, especially when it come to personal finances. It is so very easy to blame luck or fate. Not so easy is it to blame one's lifestyle, one's choices.

Paul's mother blames luck for her household's finances. However, Lawrence's narrator shows us that she is extravagant in every measure of the word, and doesn't know how to live within her family's means - to budget. "The mother had a small income, and the father had a small income, but not nearly enough for the social position which they had to keep up" (p. 559). Social Position - how much is done to keep up good standing among social peers. The mother's need keep her social position is the infection that causes the house to whisper feverishly, "There must be more money!"

The house's fever dream soon infects Paul, the house's oldest child. Paul one afternoon told his mother that God had told him that he was lucky (p. 561). Which in context of their previous discussion of luck, surely meant that God had told Paul that he would have money. However, Paul made use of a special rocking-horse, one with no name (p. 567). Paul would ride this rocking-horse and command, "Now, take me to where there is luck! Now take me!" (p. 561). Surprisingly, - enter magical realism - the horse would reveal its name; the name - different each ride - was the name of the winning horse at the local Derby (horse race). However, no matter how lucky Paul's rides were, the house's fever dreams only worsened: "The voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening" (p. 566).

The infection - "There must be more money!" - soon (and I give away the ending here) takes it tole on Paul. Paul dies riding the rocking-horse, trying to find the next winner to continue his luck to quell the fevered voices (p. 569).

I love the "The Rocking-Horse Winner" fable. It is one that I need to keep close. To attempt to live beyond one's means is risk health and sanity. It also seems that no amount of luck or money can keep the voices at bay. If there is more money, I'll find a way to increase my lifestyle - not healthy behavior. It is better to save and stay ahead, pay as I go rather than fall short - a lesson I learned from very frugal Nebraska parents. So why is it that I feel so bad - like a failure - that for the first time in five or six years that I've had to carry a balance on a credit card. I know that I'll have it paid off by the end of February or March. Expenses just got away from me in December. And I know that my expenses have nothing to do with luck or fate but discipline. Still, it is too easy to blame them, but very unproductive.

Anyway, I also just watched a the movie based on the story. It was on Net Flicks. One of my students told me about the film, which he'd seen when he was a boy. The story is better, but the movie was very good and true the to story. Perhaps, I'll add the movie to my collection for future classes.

Okay. Now back to the novel writing!

Work Cited

Lawrence, D. H. "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. Print. 559 - 569

The Rocking-Horse Winner. Dir. Anthony Pelissier. Two Cities Films, 1949

Now @BigBrainComics & May Day Bookstore: @Cifiscape vol. I, The Twin Cities

2011-01-26T17:53:00.000-06:00

Are you looking to get your hands on one of my stories? Do you live in the Twin Cities Metro area? You do! Then you're in luck. You can now find copies of The Twin Cities: Cifiscape Vol. I at either Big Brain Comics or May Day Bookstore.

If you're not sure that you want a copy, check out my reviews of the stories in the collection. Sorry, I didn't review the story that I have in the collection. I felt that would be kind of weird. But let me tell you, the collection is amazing (my story included!).

"Ill Communication" by Bob Lipski
"Bicyclopolis" by Ken Avidor
"Thinker's Lure" by Toianna Gump
"Godless" by Brian Garrity
"The Prisoner" by Ken Lubold
"For the Killing of the Happiest Man" by Max Harbal

If you like my story in The Twin Cities: Cifiscape Vol. I, you might also like my upcoming collection The Many Lives of Inez Wick. To keep up to date on my short story collection's progress, you should "like" the Facebook page.

I've been mentioned by Publishers Weekly!

2011-01-24T15:40:00.001-06:00

Buy Here

Publishers Weekly has added a review to the Amazon listing for The Last Man Anthology, which lists my story as one of the "standouts."

"There are some standouts, like Aaron M. Wilson's "The Paperless Doctrine of 2152," Murray Leder's "Under Erasure," and Liz R.F. Coley's "Origins," [...] "

This is my first mention, ever, by Publishers Weekly, and I'm ecstatic. I just wish that the overall review of the anthology would have been better. So many hard working authors put a great deal of love into these stories. Not to mention the effort of Hunter Ligoure to collect, edit, and promote the book.

Proof Ordered! "The Many Lives of Inez Wick"

2011-01-17T07:17:00.001-06:00

I'm one step closer to seeing a physical copy of The Many Lives of Inez Wick. Yesterday, I ordered a proof copy, so I can inspect the book design, layout of the stories, page numbers, and edit the text one last time.

Here is the text from the back of the book:

Advance Praise:

"As our world continues its slow crumble, Wilson soldiers on, writing with a clear eye and strong voice. The Many Lives of Inez Wick entertains and, more importantly, gives cause for reflection."

- David Oppegaard, author of "The Suicide Collectors" & "Wormwood, Nevada"

"Wilson, with his easy to read prose, writes the kinds of dark short stories that get you caught up in the characters lives, and investing in outcomes. His stories are about now, about current topics crowding the headlines, and he's not afraid to investigate the issues of the day, darkness and all!"

- Alexandra Wolfe, editor, writer, creator of The Hive Mind

The red LCD display quickly counts down. There is no time to waste. The polluting, resource-degrading plant is set to explode. Eco-heroine Inez Wick has only minutes to escape.

As she traverses the dark recesses of the dirty plant, she flashes back to a younger self, sixteen. Her father had just died in an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and she had just broken up with her boyfriend. She remembers oily ocean water and flames, her footprints in the sand filling with black water. Flames were chasing her. They were jumping from one oily footprint to the next, up the beach after her. Snapping back to the present, she must get out of the plant. The exploits of Inez Wick could not end, just now. Too many others needed to pay.

I can't wait to hold a copy in my hands. I still see the on-sale date as mid February. Until then, make sure that you have "liked" the Facebook page. I plan on giving a away a few copies.

2031: THE SINGULARITY POGROM by Dan Ronco

2011-01-15T15:51:00.000-06:00

Dan Ronco

2031: The Singularity Pogrom

2031: The Singularity Pogrom by Dan Ronco is the third book in a series that follows Unholy Domain (read my review here) and concludes an epic battle over the future of human evolution that began in the book PeaceMaker. Ronco's novels explore a dystopian future where one woman's vision has a strangle hold on the advancement of both human and artificial intelligence. Dianne Morgan will not stop until she insures that humanity takes that next step, becoming something beyond human and yet not wholly machine.

If you are not familiar with the story thus far, Ray Brown and his children have been gifted with the special ability to directly communicate with programs possessing artificial intelligence bypassing such mundane interfaces such as keyboards, touch-screens, and voice. The most talented of Brown's children is David who can program at the speed of thought. 2031: The Singularity Pogrom beings where Unholy Domain ended. Ray Brown is still imprisoned on an island by Dianne Morgan. David Brown is happily married even though he has been captured and put to work by Dianne Morgan. And Dianne Morgan is busy running The Domain - her technologically supported utopia - while simultaneously secretly looking for a way to engineer the next stage in human evolution.

Of all Ronco's characters in 2031: The Singularity Pogrom, I wish more time would have been alloted to Brian Brown, one of Ray's sons, and Larissa Morgan, the daughter of Dianne Morgan. Brian and Larissa meet by design, one of Dianne's schemes to marry a specific set of genes. Brian is a university professor teaching an ethics course and Larissa enrolls, coxed by her mother to take a college class outside of The Domain's schools to see how the other half lives. What I love about this subplot is that it gives readers a glimpse into the lives outside The Domain and uses Larissa as an outsider, so readers can more clearly see the division between those who live in The Domain and those who have chosen to live without robots and genetic determination. The sections of debate over genetic selection and determination left me wanting for more.

However good the subplot, the romance between Brian and Larissa was, most of the story is consumed by Ray Brown's rebellion against The Domain's forces in Africa. At the beginning of the book, Ray Brown is rescued by an African leader who's hell bent on using Ray Brown as a rallying point to unite Africa against The Domain. The Africans were fighting a losing battle, and Ray Brown's presence serves only to infuriate The Domain, which begins to cleanse Africa of Africans in an ugly pogrom.

Will Ray Brown be able to unite Africa in time to defeat The Domain? Will David Brown's marriage survive, and will he finally fulfill his destiny and merge with Sentinel, the artificial intelligence that run all of the internet? Will Dianne Morgan survive to see her efforts to evolve humanity come to fruition? All of these questions will be answered in Ronco's 2031: The Singularity Pogrom.

One more thing, despite 2031: The Singularity Pogrom being full of action and battle scenes that'll please anyone who loves a hard hitting gun battle, Ronco's story is first a story of characters. Ronco's charters are as detailed as they are flawed. In novel about attempting to evolve and perfect both human and artificial intelligence, the characters are plagued with their own humanity. It is ultimately human compassion that triumphs and leaves a warming to heeded: "...establish a society with a mission to perfect human intelligence. Instead of relying on AI, you must greatly enhance the abilities of the human mind." A good waning for any culture - put Education and People before machines.

Truly, a great read. Buy it here: 2031: The Singularity Pogrom.

Ronco, Dan. 2031: The Singularity Pogrom. All Things That Matter Press, 2010. Print.

Note: The Soulless Machine Review is closed to Review s. Having read Unholy Domain, I couldn't pass up the chance to get my hands on the concluding title. However, I'm not looking to get back into the solicited review game.

The Daily Show on the N-Word in Literature

2011-01-12T16:44:00.000-06:00

Alexandra Wolfe's @thewrywriter Advance Praise for "The Many Lives of Inez Wick"

2011-01-11T12:32:00.000-06:00

Just in, more advance praise for The Many Lives of Inez Wick from Alexandra Wolfe, author, blogger, editor, and manager of The Hive Mind.

"Aaron M. Wilson, with his easy to read prose, writes the kinds of dark short stories that get you caught up in the characters lives, and investing in outcomes. His stories are about now, about current topics crowding the headlines, and he's not afraid to investigate the issues of the day, darkness and all!"

And don't forget to "like" the Facebook page for more updates, contests, and give-a-ways.

New York Times: 2010 and the Environment

2011-01-09T08:36:00.000-06:00

Green: 2010: An Untameable Spill, an Unpassable Bill
By By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: December 31, 2010 - NY Times: Green
It was a year full of big environmental news, from the BP oil spill to the failed climate bill.

I'm in "Eclectic Flash: The Best of 2010"

2011-01-08T06:36:00.001-06:00

Buy Here

My story "Recession Love" was chosen to appear in Eclectic Flash: The Best of 2010 a long with 74 other stories and poems that were published in Eclectic Flash's quarterly throughout 2010. This is a big win for me, the first time a story I wrote has been chosen for a "best of" collection.

Help me celebrate by either getting the word out or buying a copy! You can also listen to a recording of "Recession Love" by going here: Eclectic Flash-Voices-Aaron-M-Wilson.

Eating Ants

2011-01-05T06:22:00.000-06:00