Welcome Newbies!

It’s always exciting to see new names pop up on the email list. And it’s kind of heartwarming to think people want to be here. Since there are so many newbies I figured I’d change my banner to pics of me. While watching me juggle planets is cool, and a lot of fun to do, it’s not quite what I look like. And, since you’re here, it seems only fair to let you know who you’re sharing the internet with.

This last weekend was a whirlwind of interviews and digital conventions. Well, one of each. 

Still, with planning, and making sure all my stock was ready to be sold, effort was dispersed. 

The first event I e-attended was INDEEvent created by Meredith Loughran, who previously put together the last Geek Insider event which was also graced by my presence. This time, I got to talk about pants; whether I wear them (only on demand), if I like them (not really), and how they influence my writing style. Yes, it’s true, I’m a pantser. That means, while I may have characters in mind when I start writing, I have no plot, no predefined goal, nothing to stop me from writing whatever I, or the characters, want.

As I noted at the event, I tend to throw letters at a screen and pray they turn into words. I worry about the story later. I even did that with SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY despite the fact I was working off an existing property created by Watchdog Entertainment. 

One odd thing I’ve learned is that unpublished authors always tell me that’s the wrong way to write. Published authors, like the fun people at the cool party, can go either way. 

Oh well, CLICK HERE if you’d like to hear me talk about my pants and the importance of a postage stamp. Seriously, I go on and on about the damn stamp. Or, contrariwise, you can hear a nice lady explain how she writes notes about her notes so her notes have notes all before she writes the story. She is not a pantser. But she is sweet. You know what? Just go listen. It’s fun and you may learn something.

My next event was a one-on-one interview with Desiree Duffy on MyStar95, a Tampa based radio station. This time I actually got to focus on one thing I’ve written; The Brittle Riders. And, boy howdy, was it fun doing a deep dive into that universe. I was able to talk about all the religion I’ve hidden amidst the ruins (TONS!), the various and sundry ways I was able to use linguistic tenses to clarify the points-of-view of the titular characters, and some of the history of the book itself. 

Bonus, there’s some behind the scenes stuff from my days in Chicago radio and shout outs to small towns in Wisconsin. As you know, every radio interview needs shout outs to small Wisconsin towns.

CLICK HERE to schedule a viewing of the podcast, where you can gape in awe at my new pandemic goatee, 

More below.



I know there are some of you asking, “Yo, McSciFi, ya’ll cool and all, but when can we meet you in Nigeria?”

This year was to have been the year that happened but, currently, smart Americans are hunkered down at home and we’re all banned from all international travel in any case. We’re the number one plague nation in the world. So, yeah, we’re doing something great again.

Anyway, I may be physically staying in Chicago but my spirit wanders wide, as does the postal service. 

All of that means I’m joining the, fun and fine, people at Hadithi Sambamba, the publishing home of every comic I’ve written thus far, to put together a prize package for IBADAN COMIC CON! 

Spare me the cliches. Nigeria is a beautiful country, yes – I’ve been there, and a vibrant culture that’s rapidly emerging on the global market. The chance to get represented there is our first real step to being distributed there and around Africa. Since you can fit all of the United States in the upper left-hand corner of Africa, that’s not a market to be sneezed at.

Come to think of it, given COVID-19, just don’t sneeze at all.

Anyway, the event will open its doors, yes, there will be people gathering, on August 28. CLICK HERE for tickets.

But wait! There’s more!




When I’m not creating fictional dystopian hellscapes I’m writing about the one we live in over at World News Center. Most of the articles there end up being the foundations for my weekly appearances on The Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby. Click his name to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Last week, I got to talk to the makers, and creators, of NOVID. That’s a free app that helps scientists get ahead of the spread of COVID-19 while supplying you with real time assessments of your risks. I’ve been using it and have to admit to being impressed. Anyone dealing with people on a regular basis should definitely use it. 

It shares none of your personal data. It can’t since you don’t supply any to start with. 

I know it’s scary as hell out there but this is a great way to start to control those fears. If you click THIS LINK you can download the app, write the creators with any questions you may have, or just read more about it. 

Of course there’s a little bit more below.



The whimsical pixies over at Azoth Khem are ramping up promotions for SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY, The Brittle Riders, and, eventually, Goptri of the Mists. Now that the worst of the pandemic is over in the civilized world, they can begin filling bookstores with their content. We all hope they’ll be able to do so in America soon as well. But that’s looking like it’s a ways off at the moment.

Still, if there’s someone in a town, anywhere on the planet, who reads English, we want them to have the chance to read McSciFi. I think it’s the least we can do.

No one asked me, but that’s what I think.

I want to thank each and every one of you for following along and supporting my mad quest to find readers. 

Please, until we meet again, stay safe, sane, and inside.

Oh, and here’s more cuteness for you to ooh and aww at.