Do You Want To Be A Writer... Or Do You Want A Life?

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"Do you want to be a writer... or do you want a life?"

It's a good question, and entirely valid, especially when you have a wife, three kids, two cats, and a dog who would all very much like some attention paid to them even when you've got a book deadline that seems highly unattainable.

I recently read a book for my book gang called Freakonomics. In one section of the book, the author(s) wrote about how being a crack dealer is sort of a "tournament" job: Other tournament jobs are Professional Athlete, Rock Star, Actor, and of course, Writer. What does that mean? A tournament job means that most likely you're making next to nothing (financially) or you're making everything. (And yes, there are exceptions. There are bar bands that make okay money on weekends, there are stock actors who perform in localized theater that do okay, and yes, there are midlist writers that do okay as well - but I'm not speaking to the exceptions. I'm speaking to the general rules of the "tournament".)

A tournament job runs in the following way: One starts out in the lowest possible position and exhibits their talent/prowess at the given profession. Through a multitude of factors that include savvy, sticktuitiveness, and lots of luck, certain "players" are noticed, and move slowly up the ladder. The goal for all of these "players" is to eventually hit that highest echelon of the given profession: (ie. Crack God, Major League player with a Major League Contract, a Rock Star playing Arenas and touring the world, or, knock on wood, the likes of Patricia Cornwell, J.K. Rowling, Steve King, or John Grisham). But what about regular jobs? You have to start at the bottom and work your way up in any profession, right? Yes, that's true, but the thing about tournament jobs is that there are no guarantees. There's nothing that says just because your last book was pretty good that anyone will buy your next one. There's nothing that says that just because you "show up" and do the work, that you'll get paid. In other words, the "job" is based on faith - faith in your own abilities. Faith through passion. Faith that the whole thing will work out.

From someone standing outside of the tournament lifestyle, that faith can be a hard thing to get on board with. When the money isn't what one would hope, attitudes echoing "move on with your life" can become the norm... and that can be a hard thing to hear. However, it is my belief that a real Writer sees that as one more obstacle that must be overcome in the tournament. A real Writer believes that the stories must be told, whether they are read by ten people or ten million. And so, a real Writer Writes... the critics, personal, public, and private alike, be damned.

I've consistently attempted to buck the trends when it comes to having it all, the family, the career, the whole nine yards. I've been warned that it would be difficult, and warned that it would be impossible - but I've lived my life accepting the possibility of the impossible, and I don't intend to stop now.

"CULMINATION" INFO

Her presence regained, Marissa Graff has found herself more powerful than ever.

As Delving: Culminations begins, we find her systematically slaughtering the Rogues at the behest of the Delving Council.

In return for her service, the Council has promised to search for Marissa's exiled father, Helman Graff.

The surviving Rogues also search for Helman, hoping that his discovery will bring an end to the Council's tyranny over the Delving Tradition once and for all.

But once found, who will Helman side with...

...his own daughter or the resistance?

A monumental struggle between good and evil.
The ultimate confrontation between father and daughter.

The very existence of the Delving World hangs in the balance as Scott F. Falkner's epic saga culminates in this final volume of the Delving trilogy.

"Delving: Culminations" will be released this June from Stone Garden Publishing. Watch http://www.scottfalkner.com/ for pre-order information. For more on the first two volumes of the Delving trilogy, visit the official Delving website.


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Playing Catch-up... Always

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I'm currently typing this with one hand as my other is cradling my one yr old son as he's apparently decided to take his morning nap there. I thought that as I'm catching up on about 30 different things, I should catch up on the blog as well.

First up, I only recently had the opportunity to listen to the latest Pod of Horror, (no. 51, I believe) and I wanted to give Nanci Kalanta a hearty thanks for her unnecessary apology at the top of the show, and for mentioning "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff." As for the beer you pledged to buy me, Nanci, I've recently given up drinking. However, as far as those fifty lashes go...

Apparently I'm now on Twitter. I've been doing it for a few days and as it seems like it doesn't suck up too much time - a la myspace (which I've been neglecting, sorry) and facebook (which I've been spending too much time on). Look me up if you'd like to "follow" me - (http://twitter.com/ScottFalkner) - though I can't promise where I'll lead you. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to start up one of those "Haunt" pages over at the Horror-Mall... how many networking sites are there(!)? But if I do I'll let you know.

I'm working my way through the final volume of Delving - ("Delving: Culminations"). I've lain aside the "demon" comic for the moment as the third Delving book is taking priority over everything else. The cover for it should be available around the net next week.

I opened up my new Canon FS10 yesterday, I've got it working but haven't really had time to get
"in depth" with it yet. I'm hoping to maybe do some readings with it and post them on youtube... when I get time.

Setting up some spring signings is near the top of the to-do list, again, when I know what's going on, you'll know.

Went snowboarding last weekend. Fantastic weather. Fantastic terrain park. My legs still ache.

Lastly, Neil Gaiman stated on his blog that his father died last weekend. Neil has been a huge inspiration to me, and the least I can do it send out my condolences to Neil and his family. You all have my sincerest sympathies.

Nice "Exile" Review

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There's a new review by T.T. Zuma of "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" in this month's Horrorworld, (March '09).

Here's the linkage: http://horrorworld.org/reviews.htm (it's the 6th review down)

By the way, I never knew that "The Feast of Catchville" was a quote - cult favorite - unquote. Very cool.

In other news, still banging away on the final "Delving" book - due out this summer - and will hopefully be confirming some spring signing dates as well.

Back to work!

Brain Matter Confetti

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Still sort of sorting out the last week and a half as I've rarely known what day it was or what city I was in. Crazy busy to the point of nausea, but that's over now, and things are sort of... settling, like a blast of confetti or brain matter that has yet to reach the ground.

As such, not a lot of work has been completed, and February - being the squat month that it is - is more than halfway completed.

Ah well. In the meantime, I've come across a few things that were a bit interesting.

It seems that this is what happens at a book reading in China when someone doesn't like you're book: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/world/asia/16china.html?_r=1&ref=books

Looks like NIN and Jane's Addiction might be doing a farewell(?) tour together soon: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=114497 - I've never seen either of the bands in concert, but they both certainly had an effect on me at different times in my life. Perhaps seeing them on their way out would be fun.

If you're an sfsw fan, and you've got a TON of time on your hands, check this out: http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~sf-papercraft/Gallery/Gallery.html

Let's see, I'm currently looking at buying a laptop computer. Never had one before and am a bit hesitant to move in that direction, but it's quickly becoming clear that I really need one for writing on the road. Suggestions? While you're at it, I also need a new digital camcorder. Again, anyone has one that they simply love? Let me know what it is.

I just picked up a copy of F. Paul Wilson's "The Keep" - I've always wanted to read it but always forgot about it when I was out picking up books. I can't wait to get started on it.

That's it for now. Wally is sitting on the floor here in my office and looking at me with those "Please walk me" eyes.

A New Addition to the Family

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The latest addition to my little career has finally shown up in the flesh, or should I say in the pulp... as in paper... all right. Bad attempt at humor. But several copies of "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" did show up in my mailbox yesterday...


















...and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Nate's illustrations look great, (something I was a tad worried about) and the rest of the pages are in order, so I guess the book is a win-win. I've received a lot of emails from those of you that also received your own copy, and I hope you enjoy it. This book was a bit more of a trial than the others I've written, primarily because it was completed at the same time that I was moving my entire family into a new house, (I know, I know, could I have timed it any worse!?). To add to the general ambiance of a total clusterf^*k, short stories are something that I often wrestle with. I generally like to spread my wings over big box, industrial strength-sized stories, and it feels like going against the grain when I have to contain the narrative to something smaller in stature. At any rate, I struggled with this one a bit, but I couldn't be happier with the stories, or the packaging. Yay.


I spent last week in Minneapolis with my wife and children while my wife attended a work conference. Lots of time spent at the hotel pool. We also checked out the Mall of America - a place I haven't been to in at least ten or fifteen years. On day three of our excursion I found the courage to take my three kids - (6, 4, and 1 respectively) downtown. Driving down was fairly easy, and once I neared First Ave. I sorta had my bearings. We walked through the skywalk and had root beer floats in the IDS tower. The kids got a kick out of it and so did I. There was an Uncle Hugo bookstore near our hotel and I had a brief opportunity to check it out. Their horror section was so-so but their science fiction selection was insane. I was in a hurry so I only picked up a Keene book I'd somehow missed, and a few E.R. Burroughs titles I don't already have. I'll definitely be heading back there when I have more time.

My friend Andy and his wife Megan were in town briefly on Thursday night. I enjoyed hanging out with them, and seeing some other friends I haven't had the opportunity to talk to in at least fifteen years. Good memories. Good times.

We head back to Minneapolis this coming week for a few more days, and after that we'll have some more friends coming to visit from Madtown. February is for Friends, is the new motto, I guess.

While in Minneapolis, I had the time to start outlining a new graphic novel project while the kids were in the pool. I like where it's headed already, but never having written a comic book script before, it's taking a bit of thought. The story concerns a demon from hell that's a bit peeved over the lack of respect that evil people have for the concept of 'evil' - and what he does about it isn't pretty. I've enjoyed researching and toying with the project for the last month or so, and I think I'll continue to do so until the end of February. March 1st signals Spring (in my mind anyway) and will be a perfect time to get started on Delving: Culminations. Much of the story - or practically all of it - has been sketched out in my mind for a long time now, and I'm looking forward to telling you how Marissa and Helman's story ends.

Okay. I think that's it for now. If you've purchased and received your copy of "Exile" - I hope you like it. Drop me a line and let me know whether you do or not. If you haven't gotten one yet, head on over to your local bookstore and order it. Thanks much.

The Value of Book Clubs...?

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Until recently, I've never belonged to a book club. All of the clubs I'd seen were primarily populated by women, not that that's a bad thing, I enjoy the company of women, however, the clubs I'd been aware of had concentrated primarily on female-slanted fiction, (read: chick lit). Oh, I'm probably being a bit harsh on that count. Not all of these clubs exclusively read things like Valerie Bertanelli's account of her trials and tribulations as Mrs. Van Halen, a lot of them actually centered around more literate fare - ie. thrillers from the likes of Patricia Cornwell and Jodi Picoult.

Okay. Fair enough. But what rubbed me the wrong way about these groups is how little they were concerned with the actual book they were reading and how much more they were concerned with what food and drink would be served at the meetings, and what gossip could be shared concerning the member or members that failed to show up that evening.

I'm being a blanket chauvinist and making extreme generalizations, I admit, but follow me anyhow. Suffice to say, what I personally had seen of book clubs, led me to believe that I wasn't all that interested in joining one...

...until a few months ago. I was approached by a book club - which shall remain nameless (even though it has a name) to limit the liability of those involved - to become a member. What struck me as different about this particular club was that it was made up of both sexes, - though it's primarily male - and it was open to reading just about anything. In the past they've read fiction and nonfiction, and even graphic novels - other than what the choosing member decides upon, there's no limitation as to what can be chosen to read. The members are made up of different cultural and political views, and everyone seems to be firm in their beliefs, yet no one is disagreeable. There is a stern desire to discuss things beyond the normal chitchat of what I might term as a socializing club. There are discussions - sparked by the books - on everything from religion, to politics, to story structures, to generalized anthropology. There is no food. Everyone usually brings a six-pack or so of their favorite beverage, and that serves as refreshments. We meet for a few hours to discuss the latest work and then mozy on down to the local tavern for a recap before heading home. We meet every two weeks, which I like, as a once a month meeting seems (to me, anyway) to smack of laziness. I guess in my estimation you're either involved in something like this or your not.

At any rate, I found a book club that suits my own needs exceedingly well. I get to hang with intelligent, well-rounded individuals twice a month and discuss "larger" issues. I get to read works that I might never have heard of or that I might never have touched had I not been part of the club. So, I enjoy it, and I'm terribly glad that they accepted me as a member.

What about you? Do you belong to a book club? Does it suit your needs, or are you just going through the motions?

The First 21st Century President

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A few comments on today's presidential inaugeration, and the ensuing presidency.

Yes, I understand that we're almost a decade into the 21st Century, but for my money, Barack Obama is the first 21st Century President. The man uses a Blackberry. His campaign was the first in history to rely on the internet as a crucial, primary tool to relay platform standings and to mine regular Americans for donations. With an initiative to move past what conservative columnist David Brooks so aptly describes as "crushing politics" - the piercing ideological divide that's been so omnipresent since the late sixties - and actually following up in that vein since elected, (Obama's extended invitation to Republican governors for stimulus spending ideas and those unique dinner parties with both liberal and conservative journalists), speaks to a different sort of governance, at least a sort that we haven't seen en masse since the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Oh, and he's also African American.

I was fairly impressed with myself on election day. Throughout the campaign, I'd weighed what was being offered by both candidates. I liked the 2004-era John McCain, before he knelt at the feet of King George and offered his allegiance - but I was still willing to wait and see what he wanted to do with the presidency. I'll admit that I was drawn to Obama from the start. For most of my adult life, I've been yearning for a man - or woman - in the White House who I could honestly consider to be my intellectual superior - something that Bill Clinton may or may not have been, and something that has certainly been missing for the past eight years. Call me crazy, but I like the idea of someone running the country who is vastly smarter than myself. At any rate, on election night, when several friends - constituting of both conservative and liberal leanings - came over to watch the returns, a discussion about the remarkability of an African American being elected president ensued... and as such, I was shocked to learn something about myself -

I am not innocent of racial bias in my lifetime. I wouldn't say that I've ever been a redneck-caliber racist, but I've not been as open-minded in my life as I could have been. Of course, life experiences and time, (those two mightiest menders of all evil and hurt) have dulled whatever racist tendencies I might have had over the years; to what extent those tendencies were blurred didn't occur to me until election night. It became apparent to me that I hadn't weighed Obama's race in any way, shape, or form upon reaching my decision to vote for him. I didn't vote for him because he would be the first African American president. I didn't vote against him because he would be the first African American president. I voted for him because I thought he was the best candidate for the job.

It just didn't occur to me that he was black.

He's the second youngest man to ever be elected to our nation's highest office. He's held in high esteem the world over - something that can certainly be used to mend relationships with countries that have leaned away from us in the past eight years. He's willing to listen to ideas on both sides of the fence and use what works instead of what is recommended by a small room of whispering desperados, (something that will be infinitely valuable in this age of economic catastrophe, environmental peril, and religious fanaticism).

And the dude can give a speech.

I know that there's been a lot made of Obama's speechmaking heights versus his substance; I do believe that his substance is beginning to make itself clear, but as a writer myself, I'd also like to make a case for the importance of inspiration. This country has been built on ideas - ideas of both what should be done and what can be done. The times when we've been at our worst, - the Depression, the reaction to Pearl Harbor and our inclusion in World War II, the turmoil of the sixties including the Cuban Missile Crisis - these were times when we were lucky enough to be inspired by leaders who knew how to strike a chord in our hearts and minds. "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." - "Today is a day that will live in infamy." - "Ask not what you can do for your country." - all pieces of rhetoric - rhetoric we desperately needed, as a country, to be inspired to action.

At any rate, I'm uncharacteristically optimistic about the ensuing presidency. I hope for good things, and I wish Barack Obama, and our country, lots of luck.

Endings and Beginnings

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Okay, where to start? I guess at the beginning. "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" is 100% wrapped. I approved the final galley proofs a few days ago, and it's full speed ahead. It's out of my hands now, and hopefully into yours. Just a reminder, you can pre-order the trade paperback from the publisher for less than six bucks. Yay. A pre-order link is at the bottom of the post.

So... what's next?

First and foremost, the third and final Delving book needs to be written. "Delving: Culminations" is slated for a mid-summer release. It'll tie all - or most - of the loose ends together and finish that chapter of my writing career. It will most likely be the last I'll write of Helman, or the Graff family in general, for a long, long time.

While that's happening, offers for book signings are starting to filter in. It looks like we might be doing a Milwaukee one this spring, and perhaps we'll try to shoot for a Madison and Chicago one around the same time. Now that I'm closer to Minneapolis than ever, I'll try to fit one into the Twin Cities, and of course, we'll do the tried and true Thyme Worn signing (if they'll have me!) in Northern Wisconsin.

After that...?

I've been in close contact with Nate Fehlauer, the superb artist for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff," and it looks as if we'll likely be doing a few more projects together. I was blown away by the art for "Exile," and I knew that I wanted to do a project with Nate where his art would be even more prevalent. So, with a project and story already in mind, I'll be doing some research and "sketching" out a few things while writing "Culminations." When we get to a more concrete place with what we're doing, you'll be the first to know.

What else?

Relaxation - as much as one can relax while writing every day, taking care of three kids, two cats, a dog, and keeping house. I'm going to try to keep the Daily Cave updates a bit more regular, and a bit more personal.

Anyway, that's what's been happening and what will most likely happen... endings and beginnings.

Here's the link for the "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" publisher pre-order at 50% off!

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=141&zenid=afbf9844e705d31ceab7dc1846dafc11


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"EXILE" Now Up For Pre-Order & Excerpts

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"EXILE: The Collected Helman Graff" is now up for pre-order from Stone Garden at a crazy low pre-sale cost.

Here's the link: http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=141&zenid=3dee65030e7c5ee4d4a9f9dfb9ad5ed6

The book is slated for a late January, 2009 release!

ALSO: We've been adding Preview Excerpts from the Graff Collection over at http://www.scottfalkner.com/

SO COME ON OVER and take a look at a sample of the stories as well as some "snapshots" of Nathan Fehlauer's FANTASTIC illustrations: http://www.scottfalkner.com/EXILE.html

Updates

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Just a few things to clue you guys in about:

"Swaybuck" (hardcover edition) will be retired by Stone Garden Publishing no later than January 15, 2009.

This means that if you want a copy (or additional copies) of the hardcover version of the book, you MUST order it asap.

Here's some options for ordering:

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=46&zenid=df242b380c9ee5eacf0eab2e7eaecd98

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=46&zenid=df242b380c9ee5eacf0eab2e7eaecd98

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In other news, "EXILE: The Collected Helman Graff" is in the final phases of production and should be released late this month. Keep it glued here for more info.

To read more about the collection, go to www.scottfalkner.com

Do Ya Like My Books?

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Hey kids, it's been a while since I've done this, and I thought with the holidays fast approaching it might be a decent time...

If you've read any of my books and thought they were worthwhile, here's a gentle reminder that they'd make a great Christmas gift.

What gets someone in the Yuletide spirit like an Albino Zombie wreaking havoc on a small town?

What makes you think of Jesus' birthday more than a story about a retired history teacher fighting for his soul against an Indian curse?

What better way to celebrate family togetherness than reading about magical families fighting each other with animal totems?

That's right! Scott F. Falkner volumes make fantastic Christmas gifts for those "hard to buy for" friends and relatives!

Anyway, here's some links to put my books in your loved ones' stockings:

"The Feast of Catchville"

http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Catchville-Scott-F-Falkner/dp/1600760112/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228711538&sr=1-4

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=49&zenid=04d3d858f4e3dd08766d7b735ac56bb0

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Feast-Of-Catchville/Scott-F-Falkner/e/9781600760112/?itm=3

"Swaybuck"

http://www.amazon.com/Swaybuck-Scott-F-Falkner/dp/1600760546/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228711538&sr=1-3

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=59&zenid=04d3d858f4e3dd08766d7b735ac56bb0

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Swaybuck/Scott-F-Falkner/e/9781600760549/?itm=4

"Delving: Obligations"

http://www.amazon.com/Delving-Obligations-Scott-F-Falkner/dp/1600760538/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228711538&sr=1-2

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_2&products_id=69&zenid=04d3d858f4e3dd08766d7b735ac56bb0

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Delving/Scott-F-Falkner/e/9781600760532/?itm=2

"Delving: Assassins"

http://www.amazon.com/Delving-Assassins-Scott-F-Falkner/dp/1600760880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228711538&sr=1-1

http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&cPath=17_2&products_id=103&zenid=04d3d858f4e3dd08766d7b735ac56bb0

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Delving/Scott-F-Falkner/e/9781600760884/?itm=1

OH! AND ONE MORE THING!

If you do like my books, I'd like to ask one thing more of you...
Even if it's a little one-sentence blurb, reviews really do make a big difference. Going to Amazon or Barnes & Noble's website and writing a little something about any of my books that you've read would make all the difference in the world, and would be a most appreciated xmas gift from you to me. I don't think I've ever requested reviews from my readers in the past, so this is an inaugeral plea. Below you'll find the links for Amazon and Barnes and Noble that lead straight to "my" pages, and you can review the individual books from there. If you would, I thank ye kindly in advance.
Oh, and of course, if you find an opportunity to review my stuff elsewhere, via GoodReads or your own personal blog, or what-have-you - please do. A hearty thanks from yours truly.

Here's the Amazon and B&N links:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Scott%20F.%20Falkner

http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?ATH=Scott+F+Falkner

Scotty-Doo! Where Are You?!

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"Over here!"

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Well, well, well - people actually do read the blog - that's great to know. Over the past few weeks I've gotten no less than twenty-six emails regarding my apparent pseudo-vacation from the internet.

"What's up with the Crichton post being your last one?"

"Why aren't you posting anymore? I hope nothing's wrong..."

"What's the deal? Are you still writing?"

Falkner? Where are you!?

First off, thanks for the concern. Second of all, I'm a bit frightened and a tad thrilled at some of your apparent addictions to The Daily Cave. Hee. Yes, I'm still here, and yes I'm still writing - in fact, the writing is a large part of the reason that I haven't been "online" much as of late.

It's a double-edged sword, ain't it?

You gotta write to stay in the game - hell, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't a writer - I'd probably be in the midst of a flame war over at Ain't It Cool or Shocklines. At the same time, however, in the world of being a burgeoning writer, you've got to stay visible, and in the opening decade of the 21st Century, the easiest and best way to do it is via the internet.

Spend too much time online and you can't get any writing done.

Spend too much time writing, and everyone thinks you're dead.

Ah well.

In the words of the unimitable Jack Torrence: "Honey? I'm home."

First off I want to address a few writing questions that have been posed to me by readers over the last few weeks:

The first is from Antonym Mouse (who's turning into a regular at the blogger version of the Cave - yay!):

AM writes: Out of sheer curiosity, being a Wisconsinite myself, what section of Wisconsin have you moved to?Also, your new house sounds like a dream. It also sounds like a perfect source of inspiration. When I write I like to dial in on a certain object and create a story sort of focused around that, whether it be a central or a more supplemental part of the story. That house sounds most excellent in that respect.

First off, thanks for your questions and great comments, Mouse. Second, where I live is a bit of a mystery, eh? Privacy is a big thing for me. Those that know where I live, know where I live. Those that don't can wonder. :) Being a bit less dramatic, however, I live in the Northwestern Tier of the state, far enough north to understand that January is unbearable without a major-league snowblower in the garage and a case of Leinies in the fridge - (wink - hint given).

Yeah, the house is growing its sea legs, and we're growing with it. I'm getting used to the way the second story stairwell leans to the left when you're walking down it and where the main floor hardwood creaks when you step on it. I'm liking it more and more.

The next question was emailed to me by a woman who only wishes to be referred to as "Dammit Janet": "Scott, just writing to let you know how much I enjoy your books. I've read The Feast of Catchville, Swaybuck, and the first Delving book. As much as I liked Delving, I'm really not a dark fantasy fan, if that's what you want to classify it as. For the most part, my favorite genre is horror, with the occasional mystery thrown in for fun. What I wanted to ask you is, with the science fiction serial that was available through your web page, your horror books, and now the dark fantasy Delving series, do you or your publishers ever want to tie you down to just one genre? I've read in the past that authors who jump from genre to genre have a harder time building up readership than authors who stick to a single genre. Just curious. Oh, and one more thing, write more horror books! You're great at it!

Thanks for the email, Janet, and thanks for reading. As of today, no one has "pressured" me to stick to a single genre. So far, I've been incredibly lucky to work with Stone Garden Press, a publisher that is open to a wide range of subjects. As for limiting myself to one genre - I understand what you mean about building readership, and that has crossed my mind from time to time, but it comes down to this: If I'm forced into a situation where I have to write something, the writing becomes less fun, and more forced in the process. (What was that Johnny Cash quote, "If you put the screws on me I'm gonna screw right out from under ya!"). I guess there's a point where you have to decide whether you're going to do this for the art or for the money. The brilliant ones, of course, do both. I've elected to follow my head and heart simultaneously, and to write what I want to write. Hopefully, if I do it well enough, readers like yourself might take a chance on something that you haven't read before, and maybe, just maybe you'll dig it.

As to writing more horror? Definitely. A great horror book, actually two are on the horizon. Keep your eyes peeled.

Okay, the last question we'll address today is from Jess via the blogger version of the blog - (is that redundant?):

Scott, I saw in your previous posts that you're ok with answering questons. Mine is, how much does your real life play into you work? Do oyou use actual events from your life in your books. Just curious. Thanks.

Thanks for the question, Jess. And as a reminder, any of you fine folks out there are free to ask me whatever, whenever. You can do it anonymously through the Blogger version of The Daily Cave, (though I do like to read at least a first name so I have an idea of whom I'm responding to) through the myspace version, or just email me through the Contact section of www.scottfalkner.com .

Okay, now to the question. Real life events? Yes, I actually shot a zombified deputy when I was in college which made its way into one of my... okay, okay, I'm kidding. Of course I've drawn on real life experiences when writing my books, though they're not written down verbatim - otherwise it wouldn't be fiction. More than events, I - as all good writers do - try to tap into emotions that have been caused by certain events in my "real" life, and try to transpose those emotions to events happening within my books. I'm trying to rack my brain to see if there's anything from the books that are out now that were close to something that happened in my own life... hmm. The only thing that really comes to mind is the funeral scene in "Swaybuck." The part when the pastor tells Carl the thing about sap running over a broken branch is a way that a tree "cries" or "mourns" a death... yeah. That was actually told to me by a pastor at a funeral for a family member of mine.

Anyway, thanks for the question, Jess. I hope I answered it adequately.

All right. I think that's it for this installment. Yes. I'm here. Yes. I'm writing, or at least I will be in a moment. Lot's will be happening in the buildup to and past the end of the year. "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" comes out next month, and we'll have lots of Goodies (with a capital "G") to be read in anticipation of it. I promise to check in more, too.

Michael Crichton's Legacy

Earlier today, I was extremely saddened when I learned of Michael Crichton's passing just yesterday. Apparently he'd been struggling with some version of cancer for some time. He was only sixty-six.

When I first started envisioning a life as a writer, it may surprise you to find out that I didn't want to be Steve King. I didn't even want to be Clive Barker.

I wanted to be Michael Crichton.

Crichton transcended not only genre, but medium as well. He started out writing mystery paperbacks in the 60's while he was in medical school: he thought it would be a keen way to earn some extra money. He never thought they were worth much - posterity-wise - and he had them published under a pseudonym. After becoming a full-fledged doctor, however, writing appealed to him more an more while the politics of medicine appealed to him less and less. Crichton wrote everything from the aformentioned mysteries, to historical-based adventure ("The Great Train Robbery" and "Eaters of the Dead") to academic science-fiction adventure ("Congo," "Sphere," "The Andromeda Strain," "Jurassic Park") to what I would call science-fiction "warning" books, ("Prey," "State of Fear," "Next"). Whatever you classify his work as, you must classify it as a "Crichton" work. He was one of those authors that carved out a distinctive style all his own, and perfected it.

Given the opportunity to direct a feature film version of his own novel, "The Great Train Robbery" - Crichton reluctantly agreed. This foray into film was only the first of several "behind the scenes" attachments to many popular films and television series. Virtually all of Crichton's fictional works have been made into films, or are in development. He shepherded "E.R." into being - and of course, his novel about Dino-DNA inspired Steven Spielberg to make one of the most far-reaching and successful films of the twentieth century.

I admired Michael Crichton's honesty and his stubbornnes; he was one of those authors/creators that did what he wanted, when he wanted. He will be sorely missed, but oft remembered.

If you haven't read Crichton's autobiography - "Travels" - I HIGHLY recommend it. I GUARANTEE that you won't be disappointed.

The Big Spout

~

One of the hardest things about having a blog attached to a quote-unquote "career" is that you have to mind what you say on said blog. "Mind what you say?" you ask. But that sounds like censorship... self-censorship, yes. But still censorship.

Let me explain.

Let's say I want to speak my mind on what I call one of the major-breakers: these are the big topics that seem to divide a large majority of people, something like abortion or presidential politics, or global warming, or evolution (and those last two shouldn't involve any debate at all but that's neither here nor there).

When speaking on these issues, there's a few things I need to consider:

First of all, "How many readers do you want to risk losing?"

I have to admit, that one rarely registers. If there's someone who's racist or homophobic and is going to be insulted by my viewpoints, to tell you the truth, I don't want you buying my books.

Secondly - and here's the big one - "How much do I want to distract you from the reason this blog exists in the first place?"

Would "The Daily Cave" be here if I weren't a writer? Probably, but in a different format, and as part of something you regular readers would never have come across. If that were the case, I'd probably be much, much more outspoken about certain topics. The thing is, though, I 'am' a writer, and "The Daily Cave" is about my writing and other imaginative creations.

Perhaps it's a self-limitation thing, the more I think about it. If I were to spout off about what pisses me off on a daily basis, there'd be little time to write much else, and again, that would eat into the time I like to spend writing books, (kind of like I'm doing right now... heh). Anyway, the idea is to STAY FOCUSED on why this blog is here. I must admit, however, there have been quite a few times when I've thought about starting an anonymous blog, of adopting an alias and spilling my opinions on quite a few things onto the screen. But, again, that would detract from what I really enjoy doing.

To be sure, you long time readers know that from time to time I've put myself out there in TDC, telling you what I think about this or that, but believe me, there's much more that's been held in check... because I want to stay focused.

So, what do you think? Is it important to keep an "author" blog confined to "author" issues, or would it be better if I spouted off about this and that? Just curious.

Touching Base in a Big Way

~

It's a whole new world.

My family and I have officially made the move. We're in a new house, in a new section of the state of Wisconsin, in a whole new mindframe. Things have been hella hectic these past couple of weeks, and as such I've not been around much. I hope you understand.

The work has suffered tremendously these past twenty days or so, and I'm finally to the point where I can catch my breath and readjust - so to speak. I'm using this new living situation to map out some new writing routines that will hopefully have me getting much more work done than my last ones. In the past, I was merely "getting the work done" on a semi-daily basis, with no real structure when it came to the time of day. Now, I'm in a situation where that'll change. 5:15 in the AM is the new start time, and the finish time is whenever those one to two thousand words are finished. Starting so early let's me get the ball rolling when the house is quiet, and will definitely put the hammer down on me to finish before the family gets up and going for the day. Starting right away in the morning will also keep me from staying up until three or four in the morning and being drained and dead throughout the next day.

Call me older. No, call me wiser.

At any rate, the work starts again tomorrow. The books are still on track, and I won't be doing - or not doing - anything on my end to hold up the publishing schedule.

Did I mention I have my own, private office on the main floor of our new house now? The only problem with it, as I've come to find out, is that I have too many books for the available shelving. What to do? Get rid of some books? Ha! Hardly. I'm looking into how best to build some permanent bookshelves into the walls. That'll be coming in the forseeable future. I haven't lived in an old (built circa 1902) house for a long time. Lot's of old woodwork. Hardwood floors. Lot's of nooks and crannies. Solid oak doors. Locks that only skeleton keys could touch. All the little accents that new houses lack. I'm digging it more and more.

Okay. Lot's to do, but I just wanted to check in to let you know that I'm not six feet under, and I'm not avoiding ya'll. I hope you're well. I'll talk to you soon.

And Then There was Nothing

~

Wow. Cleared out. Vamoose. All gone...

Well... almost. The truck came and took away virtually everything in my house today. Ten hours of loading boxes yesterday, and about six hours of loading the 'big' stuff today. And now it's all gone. For a few different reasons, I'll still be residing at the house - mostly to tie up loose ends - until the end of next week when I'll join the rest of my family in our new house in the north country. Until then, I've got my dog, my cats, and my computer to keep me company, and that's literally it. Hmm... seems to me that that time would be best spent doing some uninterrupted writing... and that's exactly what I intend to do.

Before that, however, a few of you sent in some questions after the offer laid out in my last blog post, so let's get to those.

Tiffany asked: "Scott, if you could only write one genre, what would it be? And don't just say dark fantasy because it has elements of everything else in it!! If you really, truly, HAD to choose one genre, what would it be?"

Well that's a tough one isn't it? You're right to think that I would choose dark fantasy if given the option. Dark fantasy is vague enough that you can branch out into aspects of horror, fantasy, and even elements of science fiction and space opera, and still be well within the confines of the genre's qualifications - at least from my perspective. And, of course, that's the appeal of Dark Fantasy, isn't it? There really isn't anything set in stone that says that such and such qualifies as being part of the genre and such and such doesn't. Though, really, the same is true for horror - though horror might be a bit more restrictive. All a story has to do to be eligible for the horror moniker is to instill an element of Fear in the reader's mind; now, that fear can be instilled through a variety of ways including but not limited to the use of suspense, the intimation of bodily or mental harm upon the protagonists, the use of supernatural beings or entities, or supply a generous injection of the unknown - because that, as all of you I'm sure are well aware, is what is most frightening to us as human beings.

The Unknown.

Often, that Unknown comes in the form of Death - (note my over-use of capital letters to achieve a lackadaisical attempt at emphasis) - the threat of Death, or the uncertainty of it's finality. Human beings hate being out of the loop, and death is one of those things that the thoughts and musings that take place in the dark little hidey-holes in the backs of our minds refuse to look on as final.

But I'm getting off track.

Before I answer your question, however, let me make it clear that to me genre classifications are a first-rate yawn fest. Of course they help in finding new authors that write the kind of things that you like to read - as in you know where to look at your local bookstore or online, and yet most of my favorite authors downright refuse to be classified by the sheer variety of their voluminous amounts of work. Authors like Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, and even Clive Barker, make themselves hard to pigeonhole to a specific genre.

"What?" you say. "But Clive Barker is a horror writer...?" Really? I'd argue that Imagica is more fantasy than horror. I'd argue that the books of the Abarat are straight ahead fantasy, not to mention Young Adult. I'd argue that Sacrament is horror, but in a subtle sense.

"What?" you say. "But Neil Gaiman is a fantasy writer...?" Really? I'd argue that short stories like Closing Time and Shoggoth's Old Peculiar are terrifying. I'd argue that Good Omens and even Stardust indicate that he's a skilled humorist. Oh, and he writes children's books too... and then there's that comic book thingy... and the screenplays...

Matheson writes everything from fantasy to science fiction to teleplays to horror to westerns to...

Ellison... well, Ellison is Ellison.

All is to say that to me, a writer is either a good one, or a writer isn't. Harlan Ellison hates being termed a "speculative fiction" writer. It narrows what he does in some sense. He is a Writer and nothing more... or less.

I am a Writer.

If, Tiffany, you chloroformed me some evening, bound my hands and mouth, shoved me in the trunk of a 1976 Oldsmobile, waited until I awoke, and poked toothpicks under my fingernails, I might, might mind you, say that if I truly had to choose one genre and only one, I might tell you that that genre would be horror: the classification isn't quite as broad as dark fantasy, but it's close.

Don't fence me in.

And now to the second question. Antonym Mouse (I assume that's an alias) wrote:

"Hello Scott! First off, I just read the Feast of Catchville for my high school Wisconsin literature class, and I ABSOLUTELY /LOVED/ it. I didn't think one ever got truly good books assigned to them to read in school, but I was so very wrong.
Secondly, I am also an aspiring writer. As a young author, the work of others greatly interests me. So, a few questions. When did you really start to know you wanted to write? Did you know then that you wanted to write in the horror genre?"

First off, let me say how thrilled I am that high schools are teaching Catchville. Ah, to mold, slash, infect young minds is a wonderful thing! (Bwa-ha-ha-ha!) Seriously, though, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mouse. I was trying to think back to the assigned works that affected me most in high-school, and the one that came to mind first was The Metamorphosis by Kafka. No, it wasn't contemporary, but it still had the grit and "newness" of a larger literary world beyond what was usually taught.

When did I know I wanted to write? Hmm... I think I always possessed an innate desire to be creative. Whether it was through words, through art, through acting, or through music, the Humanities have always spoken to me in a way that no other calling could have.

Though I always dabbled in all of those creative endeavors at the same time, I went through what you could call "primary" phases with each one. In high-school, I was primarily a music and art guy. Lots of playing bass and guitar with a band some friends and I put together, and lots of drawing when I was alone in my room, allowing my existential teenage angst to bubble up into a full boil. When I reached college, the acting bug hit full tilt, and I was in a few university productions. However, college is when I realized that writing came easier to me than any of the other creative disciplines; it was also when I realized that it was the one thing that I mined the greatest amount of pleasure from. It was also when it hit me that I could do it professionally.

There's a point in your life where you suddenly realize that you're an adult, and that there's a world of opportunity open to you. Sure, we're all told that we can do anything we want when we get older, but I don't think that the concept really sinks in until you've ridden a few dozen miles in the saddle. At some point in my university experience, it genuinely occurred to me that I could write a story that other people would want to read, that I could in some small way entertain, educate, and possibly open other people's minds to my own skewed way of thinking. When that kernel of a thought did occur to me, it was like the walls came down and I could see clearly for the first time. Of course! I'm a writer!

Easy to think. Harder to do.

But that's what weens writers from the ranks: the willingness to spend the time and put in the ridiculous amount of unrecognized work just to tell a story. Part of me is very glad that I entertained the notion of being a rock star, of being a world famous artist, of being a star of stage and screen before I realized I wanted to devote my life to writing - and writing well. However, there's also a part of me that wishes that I would have realized that I wanted to do it earlier - perhaps when I was in high school - so that I could have started cutting my teeth on the nuts and bolts of it all from the get-go.

But what are ya gonna do? No regrets and all that.

Did I know from the start that I wanted to write horror? Hopefully you've read this entire post and gleaned an impression as to my opinions on genre classifications. But what you're asking is a different animal, and the answer is, nope. I first tried writing science fiction, or more accurately, I tried writing space opera. Sitting down at the keyboard, I strenuously tied a rambling narrative of about 200 thousand words together over the course of about a year into something that vaguely, possibly, resembled something that - if you squinted from a distance - might have resembled a novel.

But it was great practice. It forced me to sit down on a regular basis and perform the physical act of tapping my fingers against a collection of keys. Believe it or not that's one of the hardest things to do as a writer: simply put everything else aside and write. The experience also allowed me to prove to myself that I really could finish a novel-length work. Now, at 200k, I overdid it a bit, but that's all right. It was something I needed to excise before I could move on to the "next thing".

When did horror come up? Somewhere around 1992 I got my hands on a big old book called The Stand by Steve King. I'm sure you've heard of it, and if you haven't, rectify that fact.

Prior to reading that book, my idea of horror was a narrow one. It centered around monsters and ghosts and the usual Bogey Man kind of generic. The Stand showed me what could really be done with the horror genre - how far it could be stretched and how deeply it could saturate the human mind.

I was hooked.

After reading King's tale of "Cap'n Tripps" and Randal Flag, I realized that horror was the conduit through which I could best tell the stories I wanted to tell at the time. I immediately started work on the tale that would eventually become Swaybuck.

Any-hoo - horror bit me at the right time and place. Did I stick with it exclusively? No. Will I return to it? Absolutely. I love to read and write it. As a young writer, Mouse, I think you need to flap around for a bit in the genre muck. Write what you like to read, but don't imitate what you're reading. Understand what's been done in the past, and build on it - take it in new directions and surprise yourself. If you surprise yourself as a writer, you'll definitely surprise your readers.

I hope that answers your questions. Thanks again to both Tiffany and Antonym Mouse for writing in. Anybody else - feel free to drop me a line with whatever you want to know.

And now... back to work.

Questions? Comments? Scathing Rebuttals?

~

Where did summer go? About a week ago, we hit ninety degrees (92 to be exact) for the first time all year. Yesterday morning it was in the low 40's, and tomorrow morning is supposed to be in the high 30's. While walking Wally earlier this evening, I counted seventy-three Canada geese in a field near my house. Just before sunset, they all took off, honking and hooting, headed south towards warmer environs.

I continue to pack up everything we own. The first phase of the move takes place this coming weekend. Also, this weekend marks the release of Metallica's latest album, "Death Magnetic." I feel like a kid on the week before Christmas. I've been listening to the band since 1988. I've seen them live 17 times. I've been in the front row half a dozen times, and I've been in the last row of stadium seats more than once. I had a chance to meet all four of them in 2003, and they were just as down to earth as I thought they'd be. The early releases from this album already mark it as the best stuff they've done since "...And Justice For All," and I couldn't be happier. I'm 35, and hearing new music by my favorite band still makes me feel like it's twenty years ago, when I was fifteen and hearing them for the very first time. As Martha Stewart might say, "It's a good thing."

Ren finally put up the interview I did with him a few weeks ago on the website. You can find it under the Extras section of www.scottfalkner.com.

In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I might be organizing some sort of live Q&A in the near future. Well, after thinking about it a bit, it kind of occurred to me that doing it "live" was a bit pointless. After all, in this day and age it's hard enough to schedule time to do anything we might enjoy, (Tivo's and DVR's are incredibly popular for a reason) much less make certain that you're free to sit down and chat with yours truly. Anyway, what I thought I would do instead is just make it ABUNDANTLY clear that you guys, my readers, are MORE THAN WELCOME to ask me questions via a number of ways:

1. You can post them here on The Daily Cave. You don't have to sign up for anything. You can even post anonymously. Below each post where it says 'comments', you can click on that and either leave a comment or question for me.

2. If you're a myspace member, you can post questions or comments on that version of The Daily Cave, or else just send them to me via my myspace account, or post them in the form of a myspace comment.

3. Email us through the website. All you have to do is go to www.scottfalkner.com, go to the Contact section, and click on the Contact icon.

From now on I'll make a point to address any and all questions posed through the above outlets.

And lo and behold, we've already got one. One of my longtime friends and readers, Tam shot me this question via myspace at the end of my last blog entry:

"I wonder if you write/paint while listening to music and does it inspire you?"

Great question, Tam. And thanks for asking it.

This is a question I've heard asked a lot of writers and artists. Not too long ago, I was listening to an NPR interview with Maurice Sendak. The reporter asked him the above question, and he answered that while writing he needed absolute silence. While doing his initial sketches, he usually listened to music, and while painting/coloring his pieces he watched television. Author, Kealan Patrick Burke has said in the past that he can't have anything on in the background as it provides too much distraction. Brian Keene writes with a variety of different kinds of music playing.

To each his own, I guess.

Personally, when writing I do like to have music on, but it can't be anything with words. Usually, it's classical music, or some soundtrack or another. I feel like the music helps me to detach from the real world; it's almost like an invisible barrier, cutting me off and allowing the imagination to flourish. If the music has words, I likely know them, and the words to the songs get into my head and infect the words I'm trying to write.

Does that make sense?

Painting is a completely different story. I usually paint with a variety of different kinds of music, and when I say variety... My musical tastes vary wildly. Most people who know me are convinced that all I listen to is the heavy stuff: ie. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and the like. Don't misunderstand, I love all of those bands, but there's a plethora of other types of music that I like, and I'd be doing myself a great disservice to limit myself to only one genre of music.

Let's do a quick experiment. I'll throw my ipod on shuffle, and write down the first ten songs that come up:

1. "You Can't Bring Me Down" by Suicidal Tendencies
2. "Useful Idiot" by Tool
3. "Amor Volat Undique" from Carmina Burana by the Cleveland Orchestra
4. "Enter Sandman" live from Calgary by Metallica
5. "The Map Room - Dawn" from the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" soundtrack by John Williams
6. "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" by Megadeth
7. "Soul Eater" by Danzig
8. "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
9. "Caribbean Blue" by Enya
10. "Reason Why" by Rachael Yamagata

So there you have it. Probably not as varied as I would have liked just for the sake of making my point, but varied enough.

As far as inspiration goes...

There was a point several years ago where I considered writing a volume of short stories all based on individual songs. That idea never came to fruition, but the possibility is always there. In a more general sense, of course I'm inspired by music. In my mind, that's the reason I listen to it. When it comes to classical music, the moods and feelings it incurs are definitely appreciated and remembered. Those same feelings and moods are then tapped into when applying the same to my own pieces of art - that being either with words or with paint. As far as 'popular' music goes (for lack of a better word) often the lyrics and/or the aggression of a lot of the music I listen to spurs me on. The majority of the popular music I listen to deals with some pretty heavy themes - as in it's not just about scamming on some skank "in da club". Not that there's anything wrong with that type of music if you're into it, it's just that I'm more drawn to music and lyrics that address bigger issues in personal lives and the world at large, and I constantly draw inspiration from music such as that.

Does that answer your question? I hope so, and thanks again for posing it, Tam.

So, now it's up to the rest of you. Feel free to fire off anything on your mind about writing, painting, music, or anything else. The only thing that I'd ask is that if you're inquiring about a certain part of a book that I've written, and the question might spoil details for someone who hasn't read it, then ask the question via the Contact button at the website, or send me a private message through myspace. Thanks in advance.

Moving Interviews Contents Highlight

~

Summer's End has brought many a change in the Falkner household. For the last month or so, I've been living alone while my family has moved on up to our new locale. We're in the process of closing on a new house, and I'm in the midst of packing away stuff I'd forgotten we'd owned. How does one acquire so much stuff?! At any rate, what with getting the kids enrolled in school and all the other hoopla that accompanies a big move, things have been a bit hellish.

Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to have a book finished by now as well.

When the official release for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff" came out yesterday, I was asked by one of my long-time readers if I could reveal the table of contents. Yeah. I sure can. Here they are:

1. A Whiter Shade of Death
2. Solid Evidence *
3. What Should Not Be
4. Mad Martin *
5. A Simple Haunting
6. Lupine Lover *
7. Operation Valkyrie
8. The Other *
9. Of Hyla Japonica
10. Dig and Delve

* These four stories were including in the promotional chapbook, "Graff: Tales from the Hunt," but all four have been revised and expanded for "Exile: The Collected Helman Graff".

While thinking of how we could amp up the website - I get bored with things very easily - and connect with you guys a bit more, Ren and I realized that we hadn't done a scottfalkner.com interview in a while - in a year or two at least, and what with the recent release of "Delving: Assassins" and the upcoming Graff Collection release, it might be a good time to do another one. So, last weekend, Ren came down to the house and grilled me for a few hours on all the latest going's on. That interview, the third or fourth scottfalkner.com interview - I'm not sure which, will be put up on scottfalkner.com this weekend.

In addition to that, in order to get some input from you - the reader - in the next few weeks I'm going to be doing a live Q&A, where you can get the skinny on all the stuff you've wanted to know about me but were afraid to ask. Details are still being worked out, but keep checking back to find out when and where.

I'll leave you guys with one of the highlights of my past week:

EXILE Announcement

~

Finally! The time has come to announce the new book.
First, the official stuff...

*************************************************

WHO IS HELMAN GRAFF???

Readers have been asking that question since the release of
Scott F. Falkner's very first book. Finally, the mysterious hero from "The Feast of Catchville" is back doing what he does best in ten tales of terrifying adventure.

Facing off against lusty werewolves, maniacal clones, Nazi death machines, billionaire vampires, and much more, Helman Graff uses wits and weapons to vanquish his enemies with a
minimum of mercy.


"EXILE: The Collected Helman Graff"

by Scott F. Falkner

Illustrations by Cover Artist Nathan Fehlauer

From Stone Garden Publishing

JANUARY 2009


*************************************************
Cool, eh?

I'm pretty stoked about it. I'm just putting some finishing touches on a few of the stories and the book will be complete. If you've never read "The Feast of Catchville" or any of the "Delving" titles, don't worry about it. You don't need any knowledge of those to fully enjoy "Exile."

I'm really lucky to have Nate Fehlauer doing the artwork for the book. His work is amazing, and I've just found out that he'll probably be doing an illustration for all ten of the stories in the book. Too cool. Okay, if you want to read more about the book, or check out some wallpapers based on Nate's art, head on over to my site, (www.scottfalkner.com).

It looks like we'll have something new and kinda cool on the website sometime this week. It's something that we haven't done in a while, and maybe you'll get a kick out of it. Stay tuned.

Back to work. Back to packing. Back to anxiously awaiting "Death Magnetic"...