The Dead Zone

Stone Lion

We’ll be entering a short communications blackout in a little while, since our old internet connection will expire on Sunday and the new connection is taking its own sweet time. This isn’t a bad thing, at least not entirely. Although the children’s book has been making excellent progress,  it sadly isn’t finished yet. I’m sure some time away from the net will help with that. And there are a few other things that I need to get done that can only benefit from some internet-free time, like that short story about elephants and zombies that I started writing when we were in Greece. So I will have lots to do and, hopefully, lots to show when we get back online.

For now I shall wish you a nice week. Or maybe two. If you get lonely, here are a few things for you to look at:

  • Jonas has written a short story. And you can read it. It is about vampires and politics and it is awesome. If you would spread the word you would make both of us very happy.
  • And in other creative news: New pictures! On Flickr! This is the last batch of images from Greece, mostly Athens and a bit of Chalkidiki. Enjoy!
  • And here is a truly astonishing letter. Read it and be filled with joy. This odd little gem from 1929 really made my day. In general I would like to take the opportunity to recommend Letters of Note as a source of weekday reading pleasure.
  • If you get hungry while waiting for the internet to come back to Casa Kyratzes so that we can upload another episode of our cooking show, you could always try making Jamie Oliver’s Pasta with Meatballs recipe. It is really yummy, easy to make and the rosemary levels aren’t lethal (honest).
  • And here’s a pretty song. Listen to it and think of all the people who were out on the streets today, fighting the good fight. Or better even, join them. I’m sure the fight will still need fighting tomorrow.

Okay. That is it for now. It is time to lean back, enjoy the show and wait for the inevitable.

Food and Things

I’ve once again not been doing as much blogging as I’d like to, but people constantly come here and demand our attention. Friends, such a pesky lot. Oh, yes, and when I’m not cooking amazing three-course meals for the hordes of locusts people that keep showing up, I’m making graphics for Jonas’s next game. I’m really excited about this project.

Until I find the time to do some real blogging you could, for example, have a look at this review of the Book of Living Magic, which the incredibly nice Gregory Weir has written.

Or you could try your hands at making Meatballs and Pasta as detailed in this recipe by Jamie Oliver. Yes, he’s not kidding about how much rosemary you’re supposed to use. And it does taste awesome.

And if you’d rather read something more narrative, maybe some sci-fi, you could always buy Life Support.

“Life Support” released on Kindle

Long before humanity conquered the stars, there lived a species who could hear the song of the Void. They are all gone now, all except Dern. In a world dominated by the short-lived humans, he makes a living working as a scout for illegal scavengers. He may not fit in, but he knows how to survive.

But if you live a long time, history sooner or later catches up with you.

My very long short story Life Support is now available on Kindle.

At a length of over nine thousand words it is just too long to be published in a magazine and just too short to be a regular novella – which is why I’ve decided to give self-publishing a go. The story is currently priced at 1,40$ (or 0,99€/0,86£, depending on where you’re buying from), which is as low as Amazon will allow it to be.

I’m not expecting to get rich off this, but I would like Life Support to find an audience. It is dear to me, not only because I wrote it, but also because it’s about things that matter to me, things that I believe in. I want people to get to know Dern, to see the world through his eyes, to experience his journey.

So, without further ado, I present Life Support on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.com.

And if you liked the story, please feel free to spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or any other means of communication that you can come up with. Your support is needed and appreciated.

Canyons of Wood

Canyons of Wood

Today I finally submitted the short story I wrote a few weeks ago to a magazine. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I hope it finds a good home. It means a great deal to me.

The photo has nothing to do with that, but it’s still pretty awesome. Trees just have the most amazing surfaces.