Way back in the land time forgot, I worked for a record company. At one point, I produced a music video for a rapper named Nemesis and his song Grief. Two announcers on BET called it “the most ghetto video ever made.” One meant it as a compliment; the other assuredly did not. I once wrote a short story that was deemed “a waste of 4000 words.” The story, George, went on to be included in an international anthology called Just a Minor Malfunction and received many positive reviews that did not note the word count. I bring this up as a reminder that not everyone is going to like what you do.
As a writer you learn to take the good with the bad. If you can’t, you end up in a rubber room watching soap operas on mute.
All of that leads us to this. I made some changes in McSciFi world. I’ll share them in detail in a moment, but you’d think I’d skinned a cat in church in front of the ladies auxiliary. Or you’d think I was a gallon of awesome sauce waiting to be poured out unto the world. Apparently, there is no middle ground.
The first thing I did was remove all references to The Brittle Riders from all new promos for Goptri of the Mists. I’m led to believe this is blasphemy. The reason is simple: people in India have been reading Goptri as a stand-alone series without any knowledge of The Brittle Riders. I feared they were missing a lot but, upon a recent re-reading, I discovered they’re not missing a thing. The books do well on their own. Now that I have you salivating in anticipation, thanks, Pavlov, allow me to share the new promotional pitch with you.
The Sanskrit word Goptri means “military governor, ruler, or protector.” It can also be translated as “secret” or “hidden.” Both meanings work in Bill McCormick’s latest trilogy. The original Goptri in the series is named Manish. His rise to power begins when an enemy ambassador shoots his wife, Arti.
Spoiler alert: she lives.
Manish becomes a very public leader, but his office is responsible for one of the most secret species in the world, one that contains the memories of the most violent human who ever lived. Discovery of their existence could start another civil war.
All of this is merely the beginning of a galaxy-spanning tale of intrigue, betrayal, and bloody retribution.
Don’t miss out.
The second thing I did was update my website. Brand new splash page, cleaner navigation, and better options for purchasing autographed works and custom gear. These two messages, one edited for spelling, from LinkedIn sum things up nicely.
“REMOVE (the new splash page) OR I’LL CALL THE POLICE AND THEY’LL BRING THE GOVERNMENT AND TAKE YOU AND YOUR UGLY FAMILY TO GITMO WHERE ALL YOU UNDESIRABLES ARE SENT ….”
… and …
“I have had the pleasure of reading some of your short stories and now find I must purchase your long form works. What a wonderfully broken view of the world you have. Thank you for sharing.”
However you feel about my stuff, you can tell me in person this Sunday, November 24, since I will be signing books and telling people how cool they are at the Rock Shop’s Lit Fest at Thorton Distillery Company located at 400 E. Margaret St, Thornton, IL. 60476 from Noon until 5:00 PM. They have homemade booze, something that is now considered posh, and an excellent menu.
Thanks for reading along. Next week, I’ll wrap up the year and introduce you to the brand-new Azoth Khem website which will also introduce you to an exciting new author I’m honored to share a publisher with.
Stay sane and safe.
