Bill McSciFi's Blog

First off, thanks to those of you who jumped on the opportunity last week to grab some gear and have it shipped for free. The fact that every person who did so already had all the McSciFi books they wanted gave me a warm feeling inside. Also, my handwriting sucks, so not autographing stuff is a relief.

As many of you know I have been having some of my toes dipped into the bubbly pool of film licensing. What you may not know is that the rest of my toes are going to be pimped to the media for articles, interviews, tummy rubs, and whatever else gets my name out there. And that, as you may have guessed, meant I needed to gussy up my bio and pretend to be an adult. Eventually I’ll get a pedicure.

All of this has also meant that we needed to create an Electronic Press Kit (EPK). And not just one, nope, that would be too easy. We need one for every release. Right now we’re concentrating on my full length novels, but I hear rumblings that may change. Of course, that could just be my stomach.

While I can’t share the EPKs we’re developing as they contain, personal and proprietary, information we’d rather not see scattered around the web, there are elements I can and will share. Hopefully you’ll think they’re as cool as we do.

The one thing that anchors every EPK is an author’s bio. My regular bio has been online for over five years. It also had two typos for over five years. It may not have been the go-to read I’d envisioned. Or, maybe people assumed I was an idiot and took pity on me. Either way, there were typos. They are gone now.

The new bio has been gutted and updated, finally got all references to vodka removed (I quit drinking), added in my professional affiliations (I have a couple), and now clarifies that I can be trusted not to bite people in a social or professional setting. That seemed important.

To create my EPKs we went to an expert. Award winning and incredibly talented author, Jamie Jo Hoang, has created the bible for EPK creation. The only update you need to remember is that Twitter now allows 280 characters instead of 140. You can handle that.

Obviously, if you use that link to create your own EPK please keep in mind you don’t need every single item she lists. Use what you have, I’ll bet it’s more than you think, and get going. You can’t win a race you don’t start.

Success isn’t pie. There’s some for everyone. I can cheer you on without harming my career. And vice versa.

As I noted above we can’t just be tossing EPKs out willy-nilly. The last thing I need is someone showing up at my home at 5:00 AM wanting cookies. But we also need to be able to share useful information. So, aside from my new bio we have also created promo pages for my novels that can be used by anyone else, such as reviewers or commercial partners who need some support info.

Those pages are proving to be useful and popular. You can check out the finished pages for The Brittle Riders and SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY via the links. We are currently in the process of building a page for Goptri of the Mists: Kitaab Ek. It’s light on visuals at the moment, but the reviews are solid.

As always, thanks to all of you who keep following along and welcome to those of you who wandered in and decided to stay. You’re the reason I get to do what I do. Until next week, stay safe and sane.

I get the odd email, from time to time, wanting to know why I don’t provide free shipping or deep discounts on the autographed books I sell online. There are a couple of reasons. First, the people who do those types of promotions tend to have deep pockets, or rich parents, and can afford to take a loss to look cool. None of those advantages apply to me. Second, and this seems worth noting, aside from wish-based anecdotal evidence, I have seen zero benefits from the effort. No serious increase in sales, no plethora of raving reviews, nothing. The “everyone else does it” excuse stopped impressing me when I was nine, and shows no sign of regaining traction in my life.

Don’t get me wrong. Give-Aways, as part of a larger promotion, can be awesome. They can be the final enticement an “on the fence” customer needs.

“You mean I can buy an autographed book AND become a red-headed werewolf? Where’s my credit card?”

While I can’t help with your lycanthropic fantasies, I can help you celebrate an odd anniversary and get some cool gear.

Two years ago this week Spreadshirt was forced to shut down all of its printing and manufacturing plants due to the pandemic. We were all promised it would be just for a week or two. But it wouldn’t be until May that everything was up and running again. And, even then, strict precautions were put in place and many are still enforced. Despite that, orders were delayed until they could get fully staffed again.

That said, everything’s humming along nicely now, which brings us to this.

If you go to my Gear Page and order something to impress your friends and humiliate your enemies, you can add to your joy by discovering they’ll toss in free shipping for today, and today only. The offer is in a little black bar at the top of my page. Just click it and have fun ordering.

To make the effort worth your time there are a wide variety of new colors you can pick from for clothing and you can preview each before you make our choice. Additionally we’re up to over one hundred items you can choose from to enhance your social standing, and we’ve added cool stickers you can attach to your laptop or significant other. Really, S/Os love when you slap stickers on their foreheads. It’s just like foreplay.

PLUS, if you send me proof you bought some gear, even if it’s just one of the stickers, I will refund the cost of shipping on any autographed book(s) you buy. Given the current state of U.S.P.S., that’s no small offer.

And, to prove I’m a mensch, this offer applies no matter whether you purchase from Hybrid Zero, Legends Parallel, or Bill McSciFi.

If you purchase from all of them I’ll light a candle in your honor.

That’s enough excitement for now. Until next week stay safe, sane, and hug a loved one or two.

After a fascinating disagreement with GoDaddy (their policies versus the reality normal people live in), and trying to overcome numerous humans misspelling the name of the company that publishes my comics, we kind of compromised. There’s a new website up with the correct name, Hadithi Sambamba Comix, purposefully misspelled as HadithiSambabaComix.com. The difference is subtle, but it was enough to send people into fits of rage when they couldn’t find what they were looking for. We’ll load the original again in a few weeks. But, for now, all search engines point to this one.

To make sure people are up to date there’s even a fun mini video featuring the Georgie Porgie club-remix of Tricky Bizznis’ hit C’mon C’mon. It’s a neat way to introduce it all.

This was not all done out of a sense of whimsy. Bob: Sins of the Son is in production and should be in your sweaty hands by the fall. Some of the pencil work I’ve seen could stand as art on its own.

Legends Parallel is headed back into production. Given the international nature of the creative team, and the impact of COVID, I’m kind of surprised they’re moving as fast as they are. But, the fact the trade paperback, a/k/a the Graphic Novel, has proven surprisingly popular provides the kind of impetus required. Of course, when your brand’s biggest cheerleader is Phystee Nicole Brown, the body model for Oshun, people will tend to pay attention.

Not only that, but Hybrid Zero is jumping back into the fray with its titles Juggernaut, Jungle Grrl, and Cassandra and the Changeling Sword, all of which you can read for free by clicking their respective links. That assumes, of course, you understand that Rated “M” for Mature is something that will titillate your tasty bits and isn’t just a catch phrase. Not only that, but the multiverse’s first all silent NC-17 intergalactic rock opera, Neutrinos, is about to become a thing you can relish. Just FYI, the image attached to that link has been edited in case you pop it open in front of a person of the cloth or your boss.

I care about the sanctity of your soul and your continued employment.

For those of you who have sent me those “bated breath” emails wanting to know what’s going on with the one movie in development, and the other being considered for same, the answer is “not much.” Look, it took Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson almost five years to get Black Adam to the screen. That said, before you hang your head and whimper about the unfairness of it all, there are a couple of things working in our favor. SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY is owned by a production company and the agency handling The Brittle Riders has been micro-marketing to specific companies that are set up to handle a project of this size and aren’t completely adverse to risk.

Let’s face it, turning a 948 page, niche market, dystopian tome, that starts with the death of every man, woman, and child on the planet, into something people will fire up a streaming service to watch is going to take some work. Since no one has laughed in my face, I’m guessing all is going as well as could be hoped for.

To be frank, and not Bill for a moment, I’m pleased with the ways things are progressing. SPLICE has been accepted by a company which can get it placed on library and store shelves nationwide by summer. That is only going to help everything related to the project. The Brittle Riders is being read by people who think cutting eight figure checks is something everybody does between mimosas. Speaking as someone who knows the joys of cheap ramen I can candidly say I have had some odd conversations. My new blanket response has become “Well, if that works for you, I’m good with it.” Fortunately, I know some great lawyers, thanks to my years in the entertainment industry, so I have protection from myself.

All in all, good things are happening. People are paying money for McsciFi books and gear. Other people are saying nice things about my writing all over the Internet (even in the scary parts) and my fiancêe is still planning on marrying me.

Like I said, things don’t suck over here. Until next time, stay safe and sane.

First off, I want to thank all the lovely people who took part in the last give-away. While no one is ever under any obligation to leave a review, as an author I can assure you those suckers are treasured. While Amazon can be a little bitch when it comes to sharing your thoughts, you can always leave a review at Goodreads.

Speaking of reviews, We are building single page electronic press kits (EPKs) for each novel I have written. The idea is to collect reviews, provide synopses, and show people enjoying my efforts. Come mid-July they will be used as part of an aggressive campaign to get my novels shelved in as many stores and libraries as possible. Think of it as “go big or go home.” Don’t get me wrong, over the last six years the Brittle Riders, and all the subsequent releases, have been steady sellers. Not great, not crap, just cruising along nicely. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But, now, visual media companies have begun sniffing around and other licensing agencies have been asking for info. Basically, it’s time to up our game.

Although still works in progress, you can check out the pages for SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY and The Brittle Riders to get an idea of what we’re aiming for.

And, here’s the fun part, you, (YES! YOU!), can help. If you have a review, no matter how brief or eloquent, you’re wiling to share, I’d love to have it. Also, if you have a pic of you holding or reading one of my books, I’d really love to have it too. The more we can show that actual humans are enjoying the fruits of my loins … errr, labors, the more it benefits our cause.

One thing that’s not obvious to most readers is that I do a ton of research for my books. And one of my greatest sources of info has come from members of the United States military, and one member of the Sayeret Matkal. There’s a long and interesting story behind that last one. Anyway, thanks to their help my books have been able to portray battles, plus thanks to military doctors and nurses, the after effects of same, as realistically as possible. Even when they involve minotaurs and succubi.

For those who’ve asked, when you see the phrase “active duty” after a name by a review of my work, it means the reviewer is still in the military. I am allowed to use their comments but not their name since no active member of the military may endorse anything; not politically, not commercially, not anything. Not even me. Their job is to serve our country, not any commercial or political enterprise. So now you know. That being said, I have to admit I’m flattered that someone whose job it is is to dodge bullets and save lives has taken the time to peruse my scribblings and say nice things about them. If you want to brighten the day of our brave soldiers, just take a moment to donate to the U.S.O.

During their deployment, you can help provide troops with a connection to their families, along with entertainment and relaxation, like a good McSciFi book. After their service has ended, your efforts can continue to support them as they transition to civilian life. And you can help families stay strong and connected both during and after deployment.

The USO provides a wide range of programs that support the entire family every step of the way. Some troops return home with physical or invisible wounds. You can help provide therapeutic and reintegration services as they navigate the road to recovery. Your donation can also provide support to families of troops who have paid the ultimate price while serving our country. So it’s not just bands, dancing girls, and comedians. They provide vital services our troops, and their families, need.

Also, as we slowly ease out of the worst of the pandemic, allegedly, I have begun restocking my online store in the hope that I will also be able to participate in conventions. You can CLICK HERE to get autographed copies of your favorite McSciFi books and comics. I’ve held off ordering more Brittle Riders since the Omnibus edition is en route and I need to figure out price breaks. Printing and shipping costs have been all over the place and I need to find price points that will work for everyone.

Additionally, as you can see from the images below, I’ve been a busy little pixie adding new materials to my Gear Store. All you need to do is click on a design you like and then select from the over one hundred and fifty products you can purchase. While I’d love for you to buy them all I am pretty sure that would be cost prohibitive. Just grab one if you can and send me a pic once you get it. I love getting fan pics. If you want a better idea of what some of the gear looks like, just click on an image below.

Finally, as to the cryptic title of today’s newsletter, I am dealing with some health issues that may keep me offline for brief periods of time. As of now, they’re simply irritating, but if I let them fester I could be in trouble. Since I’m getting married in July, and Kim would like a healthy husband, I’m dealing with them now. So, don’t worry if I miss a week, I’m just making sure all my personal parts do the stuff they’re supposed to.

Until next time, stay safe and sane.

On February 1st, I sent out an email which allowed readers to gather some free stuff digitally. Unbeknownst to me, my server picked that exact moment to hork up a loogie and wipe out my inbox. As the week went on I found myself neck deep in tech support from three companies. All of this meant anyone who wanted to take advantage of my offer was unable to do so. Worse, they wouldn’t know that since no error messages had been generated. So, in an effort to not be a jerk, I’m going to make the offer again.

If you get my newsletter via email all you’ll need to do is reply as instructed in the next paragraph to claim your gift. If, however, you’re one of the thousands who read my updates via Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook then you’ll need to send an email to info@mcscifibooks.com, or BillMcSciFi@gmail.com if you still don’t trust my email server (I won’t blame you), with your choice of prize in the subject line.

Because I appreciate you, today I’m letting you choose between two super cool prizes. If you choose TBR you’ll get a PDF of the Omnibus edition of The Brittle Riders, all 948 pages of it. If, on the other hand, you choose LP then you’ll get a PDF of the trade paperback, an omnibus for comics, of Legends Parallel. 100 pages of joy featuring a photo shoot of Phystee Nicole Brown, the body model for Ms. Oshun in the comics. She’s not nude, but she doesn’t need to be.

This offer is valid only until 5:00 PM (CDT) February 21, 2022. One prize per human.

About The Brittle Riders.

“So, if I get this, you’ve got lesbians, poly amorists, Muslims, sorry Muslim cows, giant Christian cockroaches, and so on, fighting for the betterment of all who live? I’ll never admit this publicly, but I’m glad we’ve got a president who thinks you’ve got the right idea. Great story, kept me buried in it, and I just ordered hard copies for the den. Some day you can sign them. You’re a strange guppy, but you do write like a pro. Semper Fi, crazy stranger.”
– Brig. Gen. R (active duty)

“This is a story where old meets new, where religion meets science in an epic story of what happened ‘after’ our world changed. It is masterfully written with attention to detail and it sympathetically manages to bridge the gap between faith and technology.”
– L. L. Thomsen

About Legends Parallel.

There is much to ponder here in terms of thought-provoking issues of race, sexuality, culture and society’s attitudes to history and relationships.

You want anthropological context and sociological commentary? This has jugs of it.

But, yeah… BOOBS.
– Zak Weber – Sci Fi Comics Nexus

Legends Parallel has a bit of everything in it really; rich tech genius, meta humans with superpowers, and parallel universes. Most, if not all of these, are stand alone themes that can carry a book but McCormick has crafted a story that intertwines all of them together in a way that gives them all meaning to the story yet room to develop all aspects on their own terms. With the presence of a rich tech genius and parallel worlds it’s easy to guess who the hero is and where the bad guys came from but the writing isn’t predictable and the plot is intricate.
– Ian Yarington – Comic Booked Dot Com

You may notice I can delicately blend the scatological and the philosophical. It’s my thing.

With The Brittle Riders now being officially shopped to film and television production companies, and Legends Parallel making a long awaited come back, now seemed like a good time to share.

In, semi-related, good news, last year marked the first time my online store sold enough merch that I needed to pay taxes. I found that stupidly exhilarating. All those people running around advertising McSciFi and I’m getting paid for it. New times call for new paradigms.

So, in summation, reply to this or send an email to info@mcscifibooks.com or BillMcSciFi@gmail.com to claim your prize. You’ve stuck by me for years, you’ve earned it.

Until next week, stay safe and sane.

If you get my newsletter via email all you’ll need to do is reply, as instructed in the next paragraph, to claim your gift. If, however, you’re one of the thousands who read my updates via Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook then you’ll need to send an email to info@mcscifibooks.com with your choice of prize in the subject line.

Because I appreciate you, today I’m letting you choose between two super cool prizes. If you choose TBR you’ll get a PDF of the Omnibus edition of The Brittle Riders, all 948 pages of it. If, on the other hand, you choose LP then you’ll get a PDF of the trade paperback, an omnibus for comics, of Legends Parallel. 100 pages of joy featuring a photo shoot of Phystee Nicole Brown, the body model for Ms. Oshun in the comics. She’s not nude, but she doesn’t need to be.

This offer is valid only until 5:00 PM (CDT) February 7, 2022. One prize per human.

About The Brittle Riders.

“So, if I get this, you’ve got lesbians, poly amorists, Muslims, sorry Muslim cows, giant Christian cockroaches, and so on, fighting for the betterment of all who live? I’ll never admit this publicly, but I’m glad we’ve got a president who thinks you’ve got the right idea. Great story, kept me buried in it, and I just ordered hard copies for the den. Some day you can sign them. You’re a strange guppy, but you do write like a pro. Semper Fi, crazy stranger.”
– Brig. Gen. R (active duty)

“This is a story where old meets new, where religion meets science in an epic story of what happened ‘after’ our world changed. It is masterfully written with attention to detail and it sympathetically manages to bridge the gap between faith and technology.”
– L. L. Thomsen

About Legends Parallel.

There is much to ponder here in terms of thought-provoking issues of race, sexuality, culture and society’s attitudes to history and relationships.

You want anthropological context and sociological commentary? This has jugs of it.

But, yeah… BOOBS.
– Zak Weber – Sci Fi Comics Nexus

Legends Parallel has a bit of everything in it really; rich tech genius, meta humans with superpowers, and parallel universes. Most, if not all of these, are stand alone themes that can carry a book but McCormick has crafted a story that intertwines all of them together in a way that gives them all meaning to the story yet room to develop all aspects on their own terms. With the presence of a rich tech genius and parallel worlds it’s easy to guess who the hero is and where the bad guys came from but the writing isn’t predictable and the plot is intricate.
– Ian Yarington – Comic Booked Dot Com

You may notice I can delicately blend the scatological and the philosophical. It’s my thing.

With The Brittle Riders now being officially shopped to film and television production companies, and Legends Parallel making a long awaited come back, now seemed like a good time to share.

In, semi-related, good news, last year marked the first time my online store sold enough merch that I needed to pay taxes. I found that stupidly exhilarating. All those people running around advertising McSciFi and I’m getting paid for it. New times call for new paradigms.

So, in summation, reply to this or send an email to info@mcscifibooks.com to claim your prize. You’ve stuck by me for years, you’ve earned it.

BTW, congrats to the Bengals and the Rams for opening the seventh portal of the apocalypse and making it to the Super Bowl. I’m sure Cthulhu won’t even notice.

Until next week, stay safe and sane.

As many McFans know, SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY is destined to be a movie. I was hired to write a script by ©Watchdog Entertainment® before I wrote the book. They didn’t do that to kill some time. They did that to make a movie. And, now, as the world slowly gets back to normal, they can begin ascertaining viable options. There are people who write me weekly asking about the status. While annoying as hell, it’s also flattering. They’ve read it, loved it, and want more.

In December an agency reached out to me to discuss optioning out some of my work to a film production company. After some healthy back and forth, and a few fun international Zoom calls, we have decided to move forward with The Brittle Riders. Specifically, the Omnibus edition. Or, the thousand page doorstop version. Which, by the way, you’ll be able to purchase as a paperback starting next week.

As anyone who’s been in the entertainment industry knows, an initial option is slightly less binding than a pick up line at three A.M. in a bar. That said, there are some reasons for hope. First, unlike many agencies I’m encountered, they aren’t hoovering up content at random. They have a small roster, all in various stages of development. Second, I was given free access to that roster so I could discuss my concerns and get a feel for how they were being treated.

Barring someone having too much money and too little sense, this will be targeted at cable TV or a streaming platform. That would work best as some parts of the story are terse, allowing the reader to fill in the details as they please. As one author said, “McCormick says more in twelve words than others do in twelve paragraphs.” So, in the end, you have around a thousand pages of terse prose and that’s all going to need to be unpacked.

Anyway, they are in the process of creating a script. That’s not a job I’d wish on anyone, but they volunteered. When things get a little more concrete I’ll start sharing details. Until then, all I can ask is for you to wish me luck.

Until next week, stay safe, sane, and inside as much as possible. Oh, yeah, wear a mask and get vaxxed.

The McSciFi multiverse lost one of its brightest lights. Pidge, the literature loving pigeon – shown below reading SPLICE: HIT BIT TECHNOLOGY, passed away on January 6 after a brief battle with illness.

Pidge’s human, Bart Davis, seen holding the book so Pidge could read, is obviously gutted. Pidge had been his faithful friend for over a decade.

One of the bright spots of doing what I do is people share some very random stuff. And each and every one points out why what they’ve shared is special. So, if you can spare a prayer, or kind thought, send one up for Pidge.

More below.

As many of you know my novels are published by Azoth Khem and most of my comics come out on Hadithi Sambamba.

As 2019 came to a close we all ramped up our inventory stock. We’d had a great year at various conventions and were looking to go bigger and better.

That wasn’t magical thinking. We were getting invites from larger cons.

As you may have heard, the pandemic hit. Cons started closing left and right and people began locking themselves inside. Along the way I had dear friends die.

That’ll make you cautious.

As we stumbled into 2020-Too, I began checking out cons that had started opening up. I was less than pleased. While many of the creators were masked and practicing social distancing, many of the guests were not and there seemed to be no method in place to enforce anything.

Moreover, I have a buddy, vaxxed and boosted, who just spent a week and a half in the hospital over the holidays, thanks to Omicron. Not the gift anyone wants.

I’m getting married this summer and am not willing to risk my health, or the health of people I love.

Until things get safer, I’ll just keep manning my online store and praying for this nightmare to end.

Until next week, stay safe and sane.