Operation Backlog Completion 2026

NaNoWriMo 2023 Begins!

 Writing  5 Responses »  Tagged with:
Nov 012023
 

November is here, which means our 2023 Celebrating All Things Spooky event is at an end and the contest winners are in the process of being notified. Thank you all for your participation.

It also means that NaNoWriMo has begun!

Yes, this is one of those rare posts where instead of covering video games, I talk about writing.

I’ve been participating in NaNoWriMo, or the National Novel Writing Month, for years now. It’s a challenge in which writers try to finish a 50,000 word novel in November.

This year, my project is a fantasy romance novel I’ve had on my mind for quite a while. I got an early start at midnight to write the first 2,000 words, then followed up with another 3,000 words when I woke up. Off to a good start!

Since I’ve spent the past few years hitting the 50,000-word goal without it being in too much doubt (although the quality of the writing is another question, as sometimes I run out of ideas before I hit the mark and spend the rest of the words on scenes that will absolutely need to be cut from the finished story), I’m tempted to add an additional goal to work on short stories this November as well. But let’s see how the novel progresses, first.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year?

The Challenger Chronicles is Out Now!

 My Stories, Writing  1 Response »  Tagged with: , ,
Sep 222023
 

While TGS is still going (with the exciting news yesterday that the Apollo Justice Trilogy will be out on January 25, because of course it is), it’s time to take a break from our video game discussions for some writing news instead!

A new pulp fiction collection starring the classic character Professor Challenger is now available from Airship 27. The Challenger Chronicles Volume One contains four short stories that send the professor and his allies on all-new adventures.

In mine, “The Unseen Star,” Professor Challenger calls upon Edward Malone and Lord John Roxton to help him face off against a fanatical group of researchers who hope to make contact with a threat from far beyond the stars.

It’s joined here in this collection by stories from Gordon Dymowski, Barbara Doran, and Michael Panush. Each of us has written our own addition to the Professor Challenger adventures.

Professor Challenger is a character originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, now in the public domain. Unlike the more famous Sherlock Holmes, Challenger is aggressive and hotheaded, which made him a lot of fun to write about. I had a fantastic time writing “The Unseen Star,” and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

The Challenger Chronicles Volume One is available now in print from Amazon for $16.99, and ebook copies should become available soon.

Celebrating All Things Mysterious 2023 – A Mystery Game Celebration

 Celebrating All Things Mysterious, My Games, My Stories, Video Games, Writing  7 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 012023
 

Last year, we celebrated May Mystery Game Madness for the first time, and now it’s back!

(Under the name “Celebrating All Things Mysterious,” since that title format seems more popular for our romance-themed month, so I wanted to test it here.)

Once again, May will be devoted to mystery games and related works. As with the past few contests, one day a week will be reserved for non-themed news if something especially exciting comes up.

Promotions

While there are no special sales this month to correspond with the celebration, you can find my short murder mystery “The Domino Lady Takes the Case” in the pulp fiction collection Domino Lady Volume 3, as well as my crime story “The Domino Lady Deceived” in Domino Lady Volume 4. Both are anthologies starring the classic pulp fiction heroine known as the Domino Lady.

Work is continuing on Drops of Death, as well, so I look forward to the day when I’ll be able to promote that.

Contest

Are you ready for a contest? All month long, you can earn points just by joining in the conversation!

The available prizes are:

  • Domino Lady Volume 3 (ebook)
  • Domino Lady Volume 4 (ebook)
  • Phoenix Wright Trilogy (gift sent through Steam)
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (gift sent through Steam)
  • The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story (gift sent through Steam)
  • AI: The Somnium Files (gift sent through Steam)
  • $15 sent through PayPal
  • You pick a game for me to review!

If you choose the review option, your chosen game must be something I either own or is easily obtainable, which you can discuss with me beforehand. It must be a single game, not a collection (although the chosen game can be part of a collection). I will start playing it in June.

Contest Rules:

  • No purchase is necessary.
  • Only comments made between May 1, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST and May 31, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST will be counted.
  • Each non-spam, non-anonymous comment on any Celebrating All Things Mysterious blog post earns you 1 point.
  • Retweeting any Celebrating All Things Mysterious tweet from me also earns you 1 point.
  • You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
  • The top 3 point earners will win prizes.
  • The person with the most points will get their first pick of the prizes. The person with the second most points will pick second, and the person with the third most points will pick third.
  • In the event of a tie, tied winners will be contacted at the same time. A tie for third place will allow for more than 3 winners. If tied winners choose the same prize, duplicate prizes will be possible.
  • The winner will be contacted by June 2, 2023.

I love mystery stories, especially murder mysteries, and last year we discovered several great games through the May mystery game celebration. So let’s get ready to discuss mystery games and see what this month-long celebration has in store for us!

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