Bill McSciFi's Blog

As time has marched on I’ve gotten a little more comfortable with talking about my past. It tends to be a skosh more colorful than some people are comfortable with. But, if you’re going to understand how I got where I’m at, and how I developed my point of view, then knowing the journey I took is kind of important.

Or, at least, useful.

The nice people over at Indie Sci Fi Fantasy didn’t panic and let me answer questions more fully than I have in a while. The result is a fun interview, a preview of The Brittle Riders, and the first interview I’ve done since quitting smoking. So, there’s no mention of me being a fan of nicotine.

Yes, I miss it. No, I’m not going back. Oh, if you read to the end of the newsletter you can win hundreds of dollars worth of cool shit. So keep reading.

Anyway, click THIS LINK to take a deep dive into my past.

More below.

In comic book news, Legends Parallel rocketed to the #1 position on the latest Nerdanatix charts. That tingly sound you hear is my black heart jangling in joy.

Now that they’ve worked out the details Nerdanatix is opening up brick and mortar distribution nationwide. If you, or someone you love, runs a comic book store and would like to carry some of the Nerdanatix titles (BUY MINE! BUY MINE!), just reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with the right people.In the meantime, you can read the first issue of everything I’ve done for free online. Downloading, or having it printed and delivered to your home, costs extra, but not too much.

Juggernaut – BRAND NEW!! Set in the distant future, Juggernaut is the story of a human/alien fusion and her strange family. They live in an era where sexuality, in all its myriad forms, isn’t taboo but violence is. This group of aristocratic soldiers, who just happen to be related, must face down their own petty, in the grand scheme of things, problems and stop a trans-dimensional creature before it destroys the universe. Or not. It really depends on their mood at the time.

Legends Parallel – For those who think quantum physics isn’t violent or sexy enough. Five earths and one woman wants to rule them all. This is the story of the man, his mom, and her lover who have to stop that from happening.

Svarozic – A woman trapped inside a man, a god trapped inside a human. Since they’re all one person, she’s got issues.

Jungle Grrl – In a distant future sex is encouraged, violence is frowned upon, and our hero, her bestie, and their dino clone, try to eke out a living in a sex park while figuring out the meaning of life.

Ruh Roh Rangers – This is the parody that’ll ruin your childhood but make your day. Those four meddlesome kids are now four meddlesome adults.

More below.

In super-cool movie news, I’m halfway done with the Splice script. Truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. The lead character is a piece of work. I can’t really divulge any details other than to say this is turning out to be one of the most twisted things I’ve ever done.

Sample line; “It’s a long road from kitten videos to treason.”

And, yes, it’s a long, painful, road.

I’m really grateful Watch Dog Entertainment trusted me to do this.

More below.

#NerdanatixUltimateFanGiveAway

One Lucky Fan will receive a copy of every comic book currently contracted to Nerdanatix by the end of July 31st, 2019.

They are giving entries to every single person who tags them in a comment, likes one of their social media pages, or shares a post. In order to receive your entry you must follow and support them on their social media sites and tag them with the tag #NERDANATIXULTIMATEFANGIVEAWAY.

All participants must be over the age of 18 to participate.

That’s kind of my fault. I write stories with hard science and boobs.

Contestants can only earn 1 entry per day, per social media outlet. A total of 3 points may be earned each day.

Contest Ends July 31st, 2019

​Social Media Links Below

http://​www.facebook.com/Nerdanatix

Tweets by nerdanatix

http://www.instagram.com/Nerdanatix

On Monday, June 24, from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM, the South Chicago Public Library will be hosting a party for kids to encourage them to participate in the Summer Learning Challenge. This year’s theme is Exploring as it relates to the world, the universe, and their selves. I will be there and we’re asking anyone who can cosplay to show up in costume to help encourage the kids to read comics.

Not mine, of course, that would put them into therapy, but there are plenty of choices they can choose from.

More below.

On November 2, at the same library, I’m hosting a Local Lit Fest. If you are a Chicago based, or nearby, author who would like the opportunity to have your title entered into the library system for people to read and also be able to sell copies to the public at this event, then all you need do is send me a message at BillMcSciFi@gmail.com. Table space is going fast, but I have room for a couple more.

More below.

Lastly, the wonderful humans who distribute comics I write have added a new ordering system. Now it’s easier than ever for you to spend a week’s pay or more in just a few minutes. So head on over to Nerdanatix and see all the amazing titles they have to offer. They have my stuff, children’s comics, manga, and much more.

Plus, and this is cool as hell around my house, they are adding chains of comic book stores to carry their product. which means there are more stores carrying Bill McSciFi. A fact which makes the future Mrs. McSciFi very happy.

As always, if you own, or have a loved one who owns, a comic book store, or chain of them, hit me up and I’ll get you in touch with all the right people so you can sell Nerdanatix titles too.

Just make sure some of them are mine. Don’t be a cad.

First off, big howdies to all the new people who joined my mailing list at the Kankakee Fantasy Con. I met some great people and had a blast reuniting with old fans. Next year’s event promises to be even larger, so it may take you a couple of minutes to find me. Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth your effort.

I get so focused on keeping everyone up to date with what’s happening in the McSciFi Multiverse I sometimes neglect the real world. And that’s a shame, because my real life is fun too. One of the things I do is write a blog called World News Center. It’s a fun look at hard science and soft culture, often contemporaneously. It’s also, often enough to be kind of true, the source material for my weekly guest appearance on The Big Wake Up Call with Ryan Gatenby on WBIG-1280 AM. The live show airs at 9:10 AM (CDT) every Friday but you can listen to hours of great stuff, some of it mine, by clicking on The Big Wake Up Call’s link.

More below.

In the McSciFi multiverse I’m making progress on the script for SPLICE, the feature film I’m writing for Watch Dog Entertainment. It’s a new challenge for me since Splice, the lead character, isn’t what anyone would call lovable. Fascinating as hell, yes, but not lovable. Not even likable. The villains I create have some semblance of humanity, some quality people can relate to, but not him.

How he got that way, and what that means to those around him, are making this story one of the best I’ve written. I can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

More below.

In comic book news, there’s a heap load of coo coo cool things going on. Now that they’ve worked out the details Nerdanatix is now opening up brick and mortar distribution nationwide. If you, or someone you love, runs a comic book store and would like to carry some of the Nerdanatix titles (BUY MINE! BUY MINE!), just reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with the right people.

In the meantime, you can read the first issue of everything I’ve done for free online. Downloading or printing cost extra, but not too much.

Legends Parallel – For those who think quantum physics isn’t violent or sext enough. Five earths and one woman wants to rule them all. This is the story of the man, his mom, and her lover who have to stop that from happening.

Svarozic – A woman trapped inside a man, a god trapped inside a human. Since they’re all one person, she’s got issues.

Jungle Grrl – In a distant future sex is encouraged, violence is frowned upon, and our hero, her bestie, and their dino clone, try to eke out a living in a sex park while figuring out the meaning of life.

Ruh Roh Rangers – This is the parody that’ll ruin your childhood but make your day. Those four meddlesome kids are now four meddlesome adults.

On June 1st I’ll be at the Kankakee Public Library Fantasy Fest, at 201 East Merchant St. in Kankakee, IL. The doors will be open from 10 AM until 3 PM and admission is free. This will be my second appearance there and I’m really looking forward to it. They have stuff for little kids, teens, and people old enough to read my stuff.

This is the con where, last year, a woman was flabbergasted to discover I am not, nor will I ever be, a black lesbian. Who knows what this year will bring?

More below.

Hadithi Sambamba Comix is now being distributed in stores in Houston, Texas. What’s fun about this is some stores are ordering the ten page teasers we were trying to give away. You can buy Legends Parallel, Jungle Grrl, and many more, while you pick up your ice cream delights. Yes, one of the stores, Rocket Fizz, also sells ice cream.

If you’re in Houston I think I just planned your afternoon.

More below.

I jumped back into the Y/A market and am officially back working on Clarity Girl. The world’s favorite Chibi warrior will once again be patrolling Smick City while commenting on pop culture, wishing she had tacos, and trying to find time to see her boyfriend.

More below.

The national rankings for Nerdanatix came out today and I have four titles in the top 10. Click on each title to read issue #1 for free online. If you want to keep it you can download each title for a small fee or you can order hard copies.

Shipping is free through May 31.

Have a great week everyone and thanks for your continued support.

Jungle Grrl

Legends Parallel

Ruh Roh Rangers

Svarozic

While many of the blogs are festooned with links to free stuff it seems that it might be a touch easier for folks if I put them all in one place. So, here we go.

SHORT STORIES:

A Letter from An Editor – Winner of a 2013 Sci-Fi Editors’ Choice award. A young, mentally challenged, man receives a rejection letter and ends up spawning an interplanetary war.

Fourteen Frogs – You’re worried about the Illuminati. I’m worried about who runs the Illuminati.

And The Beat Goes Phut – A DJ witnesses the apocalypse while sharing a drink with the terrorist who started it. The first story Bill ever had commercially published.

If Thou Art God – Tongei comes to Earth to be its god. That goes about as well as you’d expect.

COMICS:

LEGENDS PARALLEL
Hadithi Sambamba Comix
Free samples online. A man, his mom, and her lover have to save the multiverse. No one said this shit would be easy. The perfect series for those who think quantum physics isn’t sexy, or violent, enough. One story, five Earths, twelve issues. Art by Leslie Tejlor.

Marcie’s Marvels

Elizabeth Gerald Publishing

While the real life story of Marcie is tragic, she killed herself after being sexually assaulted and bullied, her mother didn’t want that to be the final word. After a lengthy search we found Eko Prihanto to do the art. His brightly colored panels worked perfectly with the compelling story. Zak Weber, over in jolly old England, gave the resulting comic high marks.

RUH ROH RANGERS
Hadithi Sambamba Comix
Read for free online. Those meddlesome kids are all grown up. A savage satire featuring the work of the 2019 Glyph Nominated artist, Maku Tellez, this is the comic that will ruin your childhood and make your day. Scooby Dooby Don’t!

SVAROZIC
Hadithi Sambamba Comix
Read for free online. A woman trapped inside a man, a god trapped inside a human. Part of the Independent Creators Connection (ICC) ring anthology. Each character, created by different artists, has an elemental force controlled by a ring. They will try to stay alive as a dark menace hunts them down and tries and steal their powers. Art by Ghoulbeanz.

ARTICLES:

World Building Tips  – A look at creating believable universes for your characters to inhabit. I was voted one of the Best World Builders by, the now defunct, Science Fantasy Hub.

Checking Egos at the Door  – A look at the phrase “Do you know who I am” as interpreted by someone who doesn’t give a fuck.

World News Center – The home of all my nonfiction writing about science, pop culture, and bizarre holiday traditions. It also provided the source material for his weekly appearances on The Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby on WBIG from 2010 to 2022.

INTERVIEWS:

Silver Dagger – A deep look at The Brittle Riders, a full interview with me, and more fun than a barrel of ebola. 

Awesome Book Promotions – An overview of the promotion I did with Awesome Books.

Rabbit Hole: Vol VI w/ Joseph Carrabis

My story, MIGGY, is contained in the anthology named here but this is a link to an interview, sample of my story, and an overview of the anthology. It’s a fun, brief, read. Think of it as the perfect gateway to McSciFi.

Twisted Lies Tell the Truth w/Angie Tournado
Angie, my new BFF, discusses everything from creating properly erotic love scenes in sci-fi to world building to character development. It was a lot of fun.

Chillin On Da Green Box w/ Specks Thompson and the View
A fun romp through culture variances Specks and me endured growing up, a great look at Hadithi Sambamba Comix, the effect of AI on comic creators, a pictographic look at Marcies’ Marvels, and more. It was nice being introduced to future fans.

A Stoked Podcast w/ Javon Stokes
Having been a fan of Javon’s work for some time, I was honored to be the fiftieth guest on this podcast. A high level view of my career thus far and some fun insights on how I got from there to here.

Sci-Fi Comic Nexus – This London based blog / newsletter / video streamer is one of the world’s most popular destinations for learning about comics. It also can lead you down a deep science rabbit hole. Zak Webber, the congenial host, discovered Legends Parallel and has been a McSciFi fan ever since. This is a great interview.

Ionosphere Magazine (12/2022) – a magazine released through The National Fantasy Fan Foundation, which has been around since 1942, added me to their pantheon of science fiction writers they have promoted. This iteration of Ionosphere has been run by John Thiel since 2016. My interview here is more in depth and covers some ground you may not be familiar with. It was a lot of fun to do so I hope you’ll take a minute to give it a gander.

The Mightiest Nightiest Show – Media legend JoAnn Genette interviewed me and we played games like “who wore it better” and “name those boobs.” We also discussed the latest Spider-Man movie and what it’s like to create comics and novels.

Polite on Society – Marc Polite does a quick dive into my squishy brain.

People Globally – A fun jaunt through the tiny spaces in my mind.

Awesome Gang – A quick, but fun and informative, read about the latest goings on in the world of McSciFi.

Titles, Talk, and Tipples – A fun interview with author Jude Matulich-Hall. For the tipples part we both drank straight vodka. The link here is to out takes and some tipsy fun.

Books That Make You – a fun half hour with, the legendary, Desiree Duffy, as she and I discussed The Brittle Riders and all the cool weirdness that followed. There’s even a fun story about a young lady using this bizarre tome to learn English.

Smart Cherry’s Thoughts – An interview with, Indian V-log star, Sai Charan Paloju. A fun half hour look at faith, sci-fi, and Amer/Asian relations.

Some Like it Hot – A  full hour of politics, scifi, and a dive into the history of my sex life all hosted by Nakia Niteshade. Well, be honest, you wouldn’t listen if it was called Some Like it Beige.

Celebrating Chicago’s Local Lit Scene – A fun half hour romp on the amazing Bill Leff & Wendy Snyder Show on WGN Radio.  It covers everything from the South Chicago Library’s Local Lit Festival to why I have an arrest warrant open in Russia.

The Protagonist Speaks – An interview with SPLICE letting us know how he came to be and what he plans to do next.

The Birth of Bill McSciFi – How a screw up at Amazon led to a nickname.

Indie Sci Fi Fantasy – Cocaine and cows. Seriously, that’s about it.

LocalLit – Author spotlight. This was the first time anything written about me appeared in print. The Joliet Herald became my favorite newspaper that day.

Terance Baker Writes – Apparently I work hard and people care.

Zeedub Bezzies – Chaos, cooking, and Iranian lesbians. This one covers some ground.

Authors’ Interviews (Fiona McVie) – By far the most in-depth interview I’ve done for print or blog.

The Working Title – E.M. Swifthook and Jane Jago platonically tag team me to learn all about SPLICE.

Planet Scumm w/Sean Clancy- I appeared in their debut issue, and later in their omnibus edition, with my story Korzac: Nördicon of Dern. There exists an audio version of that story, but I can’t find it any more.

Genesis Science Fiction Radio w/William Hayashi

Escape the Everyday with Cindy Tomamichael

Angelic Musings (Aaron Michael Hall)

Galaxy of Authors (J. C. Steele)

Sland, from The Brittle Riders, interviewed by The Knights of the Science Fiction Roundtable

Eric Klein (hard SF interview)

The ‘bleak’ quote is from a Catholic priest. It should give you an idea of what you’re getting into.

I just thought it might be fun to take a look back at the many iterations of me as I plunge forward into some cool stuff. First off, I’m thrilled poopless to announce that my collaboration with, Glyph Award nominee, Maku Tellez.is seeing the light of day. The short, called Ruh Roh Rangers, is an alternate universe look at four meddlesome kids who became four meddlesome adults. Click on the link to read it for free.

It’ll ruin your childhood and make your day.

More below.

In other news, Hybrid Zero is chugging along nicely. As of right now there are three different universes that will, one day, cross. The first, Jungle Grrl, is out now and you can read it via the link. The second, Cassandra and the Changeling Sword, is well on its way to being on an internet near you and, the behemoth that inspired it all, Juggernaut, is completely scripted and in development. Basically, Cyril Brown, the creator of these universes, will be chained to a drawing table until Gabriel sounds the final trump. Which is fine with all of us.

You can join in the fun by subscribing to Cyril’s Patreon page. Subscribers will get access to his eye popping NSFW art long before anyone else.

More below.

Last, but certainly not least, you can now buy McSciFi authored comics in stores, and the stores couldn’t be happier. The first one, Rocket Fizz in Houston, has added the entire Nerdanatix line. The cool part for McSciFi fans, and that includes you, is that I have three titles in the top 5 and you can enjoy a gourmet soda while you’re there. Seeing Legends Parallel #3 debut so high just reinforces the idea that we’re all doing something right.

You can check each of them out by clicking their links below.

Legends Parallel

Jungle Grrl

Svarozic

Much more to come, but that’s enough for now.

The Legends Parallel Kickstarter did not get fully funded. Which means no rewards were sent out, and the 4th issue didn’t get paid for that way.

Okay, that’s the bad news. Now for the good. People may not have wanted to fund our Kickstarter, but they did want the comics. Sales increased so dramatically that Issue #2 of Legends Parallel debuted at #2 on the weekly Nerdanatix sales chart. Issues #1 and #3 are still in the top 20. In fact, there’s never been a week, since January 2017, that there hasn’t been a Legends Parallel title in the top 10.

In short, people like the comic.

What they hated were the rewards. So, we’ll head back to the drawing board, happily entertain any suggestions you might have, and give this another shot later. Right now we have to concentrate on getting that issue out to the public anyway.

Also, the first three issues are being compiled into a graphic novel as I type and Nerdanatix has started adding dedicated stores, the brick and mortar kind, to carry it. And all their other titles too.

So that’s cool.

In other comic book news, you can read the character intros of Jungle Grrl and Svarozic for free just by clicking on their names. Both are in production to be full length releases later this year. Jungle Grrl is the fun story of a future fake Earth where public sex is okay but violence isn’t. So, naturally, all the action happens in an amusement park. It’ll all make sense when you read it. Svarozic is the story of a woman trapped inside a man and a god trapped inside a human. Since she’s all one person, she has some issues. Apropos of nothing, it’s set in a traveling gypsy circus.

In keeping with my carnival theme, you’ll be thrilled to note that The Space Clowns of Zoimba Prime will be coming out on Land of LOL, a feature on Science Fantasy Hub. Due to the fact it has naughty words, and uses nuclear weapons like toys, it will be in their new adult oriented section called Salacious Science. Even so, it’s funny as hell and will give you a new appreciation for clowns.

In non-circus related news, unless you count the side-show like atmosphere at Azoth Khem, the omnibus edition of The Brittle Riders is nearing release. The compendium of the entire trilogy cranks in at just under 1200 pages. Pre-orders from stores are already coming in so I’m guessing it will be used for more than a door stop. Also, the regular trilogy has been repackaged, and spiffed up mightily, for those people who might not want to make a lifetime commitment to reading one of my stories.

Until the omnibus comes out please allow me to tease you mercilessly with a peek at how cool it all is.

Legends Parallel zipped past 50% funded.

Don’t miss out on the cool rewards.

Legends Parallel’s Kickstarter campaign continues to march towards success. While the custom variant cover has been spoken for, so sorry, there are many other great rewards. You can be a character in issue #4. You’ll meet a brutal end, but you’ll have a copy in print as well as a digital version you can share with friends.

Check out the amazing cover for issue #4 done by Alexander Malyshev.

More below!

If your adult content needs are still not satiated, make sure to head over to Cyril Brown’s Patreon page. You can get in on all his eye-popping graphics for pennies a day. You can also check out his Hybrid Zero comic as well as his collaboration with me, Jungle Grrl, for free just by clicking the links. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

Still more below!

Last, but far from least, I recently had the opportunity to team up with, award-winning screenwriter, William Hayashi and, critically acclaimed artist David Novum Hutajulu. We worked together, guided by Chicago fundraising legend Joan Hollingsworth, to create a short comic designed to empower senior citizens, and entertain everyone.

Conversion will be released May 15, 2019.

Hey, I had to do one thing you could show your kids and parents.

I hope you’re having an awesome day and look forward to bringing you more McSciFi.