Bill McSciFi's Blog

Before I begin, I need to congratulate my long time friend Jiba Molei Anderson for selling his popular comic The Four Horsemen to the legendary animation company Roc Bottom Studios. The series will be produced by the world renowned production company, Man of Action Studios. Those last two studios are responsible for some of the world’s most famous animated series. Having been a fan of The Four Horsemen for longer than I’ve been writing sci-fi, I am happier for him than I would be for myself.

For the record, none of my stuff is on any of their desks, nor do I think I’d be a good fit. So, this is what it is. Me celebrating a friend’s success.

In related animation news, I had something funny happen concerning The Brittle Riders. Long story short, whenever I submit to a foreign company I always make a note, placed prominently near the top of my submission, that I’ll need a translator. Even if I speak a language to some degree, I’m sure I don’t speak it well enough to understand local legal nuances and so on.

So far, so good.

The other day my phone rang around 3:00 PM, central time. The man on the phone was chatting amiably in Japanese. I do not speak Japanese. However, I heard my name and the name of my book, so I tried to interrupt him and explain Watashi wa nihongo o hanasemasen. Yes, I used Google to get that. Keeping in mind that this nice man was calling at 3:00 AM his time, I was slightly surprised when a woman got on the phone, spoke English better than I, and sorted things out. She started by reading the cover letter I’d sent, which contained the request for a translator, and realized no one had told the nice man that part.

She also realized that a phone call, with her as an intermediary, was not going to be the best way to get anything done. It seems the man – her boss, husband, father? – had questions that would require answers before the next questions could be formed. Instead, we worked out an arrangement wherein they would email me a question, I would answer it as fully as possible, and then we’d move on. I’ll admit it’s tedious, but it’s also kind of fun. At no point has he said “Screw this, let’s do Dragon Ball Z” or anything similar. As long as there’s interest, I will do everything in my power to help.

If you have any questions, you can ask me directly as I’ll be appearing at the Kankakee Fantasy Con. This was one of my favorite cons and I was bummed when COVID killed it. But, they’re back up and running and I’m going to be like a kid in a candy shop. Drop by Saturday, March 9th, from 10 AM until 2 PM and see what all the fuss is about.

Until next time, stay safe and sane. Or, at least, do the best you can.

Last Wednesday I was suffering continuing chest pains coupled with shortness of breath. This had been going on for a couple of weeks. Instead of going to the emergency room like my wife and doctor wanted, I blew it off so my wife could take the car and get her hair done. This made complete sense in my tiny mind. If YOU think I’m an idiot, chat with my wife. It took all her self control not to kill me herself when she figured it out.

Still, to get everyone off my hairy back, I promised to go to the hospital by 8:00 AM Thursday. I figured I’d be in and out and could still make an afternoon teleconference about The Brittle Riders. After all, this was clearly no big deal and I was sure the doctors would call me a hypochondriac and kick my flabby ass to the curb.

That was a minor miscalculation on my part. My wife moved up my admittance time to 5:00 AM to beat the traffic. Within an hour of my arrival I was hooked up to two different types of heart monitors. One for continued observation of my BP and pulse and another for multiple EKGs. These were all deemed important after the first doctor, and this is true, listened to my heart and couldn’t find it. She only heard echoes. It was there, I’m not that odd, but it had slid off axis for a variety of reasons that seemed vitally important to the medical staff at Advocate Trinity Hospital.

Over the course of the day I was given a total of thirty-one tests, including one cognitive. I guess I had that one coming all things considered. By the time my wife went home the doctors were speaking to each other in hushed tones around my bed and then would turn, smile wanly, and tell me everything was going to be fine. I did not believe them.

Also, as to the meeting I’d mentioned, I sent them the below photo of me in the hospital as my excuse for blowing them off. They were very polite, as well as mildly amused, and agreed to try again this week.

Friday morning, after one test got canceled, a nurse interrupted my breakfast by asking if there was anyone I would prefer to read my last rites. Well, if I was going to be wrong about everything at least I was spectacularly wrong.

By Friday afternoon the light at the end of the tunnel was no longer an oncoming train. They thought they’d figured it out and my medications and treatments were changing on the fly. By the time my lovely bride came to visit me I was feeling better, had some color in my skin, and was in a pretty good mood.

Long story short, I have a blood clot in my right calf which is being treated with blood thinners. They figure they will kill the little bastard without requiring surgery. Also, my meds had conspired to kill me by blending together in my kidneys – one of them was not supposed to do that, but what the hell, party on folks! – and releasing toxins that were causing my heart to clutch which caused me to have trouble breathing. Toxins removed, clutching gone, breathing was and is easier. As I write this I am on day three of some minor changes and a using a new way to take my pain meds. Today, I walked down a short flight of stairs without needing a railing for the first time in years. So, yeah, I’m a fan.

Obviously, I need to give a hearty shout out to all the doctors, nurses, techs, and staff at Advocate Trinity Hospital. They had never seen me before, knew nothing about me, but between accessing my medical history and asking pointed questions, every test, every action, became aimed at getting my flabby ass upright and out the door in better shape than it came in. And, if they couldn’t accomplish that, they at least tried to save my tortured soul.

More importantly, I need to thank God for my wife. Without her I have no real reason to live. She’s even the reason I keep writing. I might not under other circumstances. Simply put, this might have all gone horribly wrong without her in my life.

Nevertheless, I’m easing back into the McSciFi stuff so, until next week, don’t be me.

Last week, I talked about my relationship with comics and how much it meant to me to be a part, no matter how small, of that industry. And, while I may not be in the same realm as Marvel and DC, I do have some fans. If you visit Nerdanatix, Hadithi Sambamba’s west coast distributor, you’ll note Legends Parallel is still in the “Sweet 16” when views and sales are combined. Eight years after its initial release and people still clamor for it.

That may not mean much to you, but to the various and sundry industry professionals I’ve been bludgeoning with the pilot script for The Brittle Riders it’s been worth noting. The level of notice has varied from “That’s cool” to “Can I read it” to this latest interaction.

This is the resulting conversation between an exec (speaker #1) and me (speaker #2).

My guess would be every three issues could be a one hour show.

I could see that, I guess.

That means the twelve planned issues would make four shows.

Yeah, that makes sense.

So, tell me, how far along are you with the script?

(not the brightest bulb in God’s chandelier) What script?

(slightly flustered) Legends Parallel. For Christ’s sake, I thought you were smart.

People make that mistake all the time. That said, I haven’t written a line.

Insert healthy pause.

Look, you’re shopping a massive project. To be fair it’s one that people love but has a budget and commitment level that makes marriage look like a one night stand. Legends is affordable, will attract A-list celebs, and will get your name in the door and on checks that clear.

That sounds good.

No, that sounds like you should write the fucking thing.

…

So I wrote the fucking thing.

I sent a first draft to Hadithi Sambamba Comix last night. It’s rough. There are things you can do in comic book scripts that don’t work at all in a movie script. For example, in comics, you have to give the artist specific directions on how you want the character to be framed, what direction they should face, and so on. If you include those kind of directions in a film script you’ll get a terse email from your director which will read, “Why don’t you direct it yourself? Asshole.”

I could go down the rabbit hole but I’ll save you the angst. Suffice it to say, there’s a lot of work to be done but, if all goes according to plan, we should be sending out PDF copies to those wonderful beta readers who save my ass every time.

Stick around. As you already know, when the going gets weird, I get weirder. Until next week, stay safe and sane.

I need to begin with a hearty thanks to the staff at Thornton Distilling Company. The Dead Drop / Rock Shop Words & Music Festival drew far more attendees than anticipated and forced staff members to pull double and triple duties. All in all, for a first ever event, it went pretty well. Unlike the lit fest I expected this was more akin to a Turkish Bazaar and that made it more fun. One lady selling custom semi-erotic stickers, near a guy selling hand made holiday cards, next to a guy with non-fiction books about the Sicilian experience, and so on. There was something for everyone, the mood was festive, and your favorite McSciFi caught some love.

One thing I must do is give a shout out to, fellow presenter, Jotham Austin, II who, along with his wife Ginger, went above and beyond the call of duty helping this mobility challenged writer navigate setting things up, assisting my wife so she could get product up numerous flights of stairs and, genuinely, being awesome humans. Then they helped reverse the process so we could go home at the end of the day.

Others helped as well as the day went on, but Jotham stood out.

One decision that got made after the event, and some discussion with the nice folks over at Azoth Khem Publishing, is I’m going to do more events in bars, libraries, and so forth instead of conventions. After paying table fees, badge fees, budgeting for food and hotel costs, and then dealing with vastly reduced numbers of attendees, I’m not seeing the value. To be blunt, at a recent con my bride and I sat unaccosted for over five hours before the first person approached our table. While not every pitch yields a sale, zero pitches in five hours is a waste of time and money.

By comparison, while the turnout at smaller events is numerically less than a con, there are also fewer vendors, so everyone gets some attention and, if you can spike their curiosity for a moment, odds are you’ll make a sale. If nothing else, you’ll get some new blood on your mailing list.

As always, if you can’t make it to any event I’m at, and you still need a McSciFi fix, just head over to my online store and have fun.

Until next time, stay safe and sane.

First off, thanks to the tech support at Morphy Mail for fixing my newsletter link nightmare.

Now, to the important stuff.

This is going to rock. I will be selling, and signing, books at Thornton Distilling Company along with Steve Silver, Jiba Molei Anderson and forty other creators. The whole affair is being sponsored by The Rock Shop 60430, so you know there’ll be some high quality stuff for you to peruse. The other creators will feature a mix of authors, poets, and musicians, all of whom are kind of rock oriented.

Admit it, you know I rock.

HEY! QUIT LAUGHING!

MOM! The internet’s being mean to me.

Admission is free, but there’s a cash bar and critically acclaimed food for you to purchase. I’ll have copies of The Brittle Riders trilogy, book one of Goptri of the Mists, Stuff About Things (the gateway drug to McSciFi), and the last copies anywhere on Earth of SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY. I’ll also have copies all my comics.

Hope to see you there.

In other news, while no one’s showed up at my casa with buckets of cash and an offer of a free weekend in Dubai, things have pushed me to the edge of cautiously optimistic. When you submit to production companies or investors, if “no” is their answer you’ll get it pretty quick. For example, Netflix turned me down in less than a week claiming The Brittle Riders would cost too much to make. They did note, if I got outside financing, they’d be willing to revisit the issue. Don’t get me wrong, I was pleased I got a personal response. Most people just get a form email.

However, the average time for a response averages around eight weeks. That amount has passed for three companies and two of those have requested additional materials. So they got a link to the Pitch Book and Tone Reel. Both are “R” rated, but both have been lauded as some of the best promo materials industry professionals have seen. In other words, I’m comfortable betting on them to swing things in my favor.

I write these newsletters a day in advance, just so I’m not rushed. One hour after I saved it I got a rejection from the company who had not requested additional materials. It came down to budget issues for them but they included a note saying, “We really enjoyed this story. If it’s not funded in a year, please reach back to us.”

There are worse things in life.

Feel free to click on the promo links when your boss isn’t around, or you’re not in a place of worship. You get the idea.

I also, recently, appeared on Briggs on Books, as part of Central Valley Talk. It’s a vidcast dedicated to indy authors and creators. It was fun to do and is only ten minutes long, so you can easily slip it in to your busy day. BONUS? It has a shout out to Margot Robbie. You don’t get that every day here in McSciFi-Land (still the world’s weirdest amusement park).

Well, that’s enough blathering for now. Until next time, stay safe, sane, and secure.

Yesterday my wife was diagnosed with Covid and, later today, I will be getting tested. We’re both vaxxed and boosted, so we should be fine. This is her second go-round with it and, simply put, she is less than pleased.

1. As you can tell by the graphic below, I will be appearing, along side my beautiful wife, at the Dead Drop: Rock Shop Words and Music Fest on February 4th from noon until 5 PM. Unlike most cons, this one will feature a cash bar and full menu.
2. A reminder that my beloved publisher, Azoth Khem is not only the home of the musings of McSciFi, they also have books on Trinitarian Wicca. For the uninitiated, that’s a female oriented look at a blend of the old ways and Christianity. Think of it as the best of several worlds. It’s worth a minute of your time to learn about it.

Until next time, you know the drill; stay safe, sane, and inside as much as you can. Oh, yeah, wear a mask.

Okay, right out of the box, I have a treat for you. The second issue of Marcie’s Marvels is out and newsletter subscribers can read it for free. Marcie is a super powered teen who fights the exploitation and bullying of teens where ever she can. Marcie’s Marvels is based on the life of a young girl named Marcie who killed herself after suffering endless bullying. Her mother decided to use her daughter’s tragedy to provide hope to others. With that in mind she started the MJG Movement as a Children’s Advocacy organization dedicated to serving as a resource for children and families that are victims of sexual abuse and suicide.

You can read Issue #1 for free if you missed it when it came out. This is one of those rare projects that come across a creator’s desk where they just have to be involved.

While not intentional, writing comics has really added to my toolbox. If I want a scene to look or feel a certain way I have to describe it in excruciating detail so the artist knows what to draw. In a novel, I can say “It’s a red room with one blue wall” and readers can fill in the rest. Actions that take place there will further describe it to readers without my having to say much more. Are they eating in this room? Is there an entertainment being watched? Are they playing games, having sex, clipping coupons? All of these things can enhance the readers understanding of the room. Basically, context clues are king.

In a film script, there is no such thing as too much detail unless the writer is also the director. When I first was preparing to shop my script for The Brittle Riders I did a table read with two filmmakers. One thought I’d put too many descriptors in, but the second said, “What are the odds anything you’d shoot would look even a little like what’s in these notes? I need everyone of these to make my brain understand.” The latter opinion has held sway on my journey. Take that however you wish.

In other comic related news, Hadithi Sambamba Comix has a couple new titles in the pipeline that, miracle of miracles, aren’t being written by me. Trust me, this is good news. Success isn’t pie, so there’s some for everyone. Plus, it’ll be nice to cross-promote with other creators who are invested in the success of their titles.

They also have a cool, digital only, store a couple of bucks gets you a shiny new comic to read. As in, it gets delivered to your email, so you can have it forever. You can share with your friends, impress your enemies, and hopefully enjoy them.

That’s enough for today. If you’re in one of those places being hammered by the weather, like we are here in Chicago, stay inside as much as you can. If you must venture outside, be extra careful, and well insulated, otherwise.

Until next week, thanks for tagging along.