I thought I was going to get away with not blogging today (thanks to Larry Correia and his wonderful, scathing internet bitchslaptitude… I INVENTED A WORD THAT MAKES SENSE!) but then I realized I hadn’t updated any actual writing status for a long time. Why, you may (or may not… hey, I don’t mind. Be honest.) actually be wondering just how much writing I’ve gotten done since I sent off the final draft of Corruptor to the publisher. Truth be told, not a whole lot.

Oh sure, I could claim that I’ve been too busy, or life got in the way. But the fact of the matter is, I’m a lazy writer. Really, it’s true. I sit and stare at the computer all day, waiting for my brain to kick in. Sometimes it takes a cup of coffee. Other times it takes two pots of the brown, mercurial crap. I don’t really push myself to write, and my brain sometimes rewards me with an undeniable itch to create something. Usually it doesn’t and instead my brain enjoys flogging me mercilessly while cackling evilly and reminding me incessantly to stop calling him “Dumbo”. Still confused if that’s my muse or my brain…

Ahem… getting ahead of myself here.

I’ve been editing Wraithkin for a few days now and I’m quite pleased with it. I’m hoping to have the final copy done and sent off to <<<publisher anonymous>>> by September. If they like it, I’ll have Wraithguard off to them by next summer. The sequel to Corruptor, titled Vindicator, has been ready to go for a few years now. Twilight Times, though, rejected the sequel, saying it’s not suspenseful enough. That’s cool with me. I mean, Corruptor will be pretty hard to top in that universe. However, I think I have finally come up with a dastardly plan…

I’m still toying around with Blood Rock City, though it’s not at the forefront of the brain. It’s mainly been sitting upstairs in that dusty, half empty attic waiting for me to get to it, Sort of like the thirty odd other books I’ve got in my mind. Haha, ADHD, I am making you squirm like a Japanese schoolgirl at her first anime convention! Wait… that didn’t come out right.

Hmm… Oh yeah. Was going over notes that a friend of mine helped me come up with about… crap, three years ago now, about something I had titled The Havok Lords. The man may “only” be high school educated, but he knows more than almost anybody else I know. Yes, I said it, Mike: you’re a genius.

Also of note. WolfSinger Publications, a small press publisher, is currently seeking anthology submissions. Here are their requirements that they are looking for:

A Taste of Armageddon

The original Star Trek series did several episodes that explored the theme of war. One of these “A Taste of Armageddon” looked at a society that had replaced physical war with computer simulations. They also had a population that was so ‘patriotic’ they were willing to blindly step into a disintegration chamber so the deaths reported by the computer were achieved. The result of this ‘clean’ warfare was that their culture was able to continue growing and advancing – no destruction or loss of property or information – only people. People willing to die to preserve their society and culture. This also meant the war had been ongoing for centuries with neither side willing to discuss ending it. They saw no need to do so as everything continued as it always had – with no destruction / no suffering / none of the horrors of war.

In today’s society we are striving to find ways to make war as ‘clean’ as possible – with the use of robots, drone aircraft, etc. We have weapons that can pinpoint targets to the square inch while leaving surrounding areas relatively untouched.

As we make war ‘cleaner’ so only those involved are the ones touched – are we going to reach a point where society and culture will only be impacted minimally – removing the need to end wars quickly and letting them continue until they too are an accepted part of our society and culture?

WolfSinger Publications is putting out a call for submissions for A Taste of Armageddon – a speculative fiction anthology that will explore the advancement in ‘clean’ warfare techniques and at what point does war become nothing more than a computer game to those involved. In the Star Trek episode – Kirk challenged that wars had to be messy and those who engaged in warfare had to suffer all the horrors war brings – otherwise they have no reason to stop or avoid it.

At what point does war become nothing more than a computer game?

Is it possible wars will become too clean?

Is it necessary for wars be messy so people do whatever they can to avoid them?

At what point is war necessary and at what point is war going too far?

At what point does war become too messy or too clean?

Humans have a violent history – are wars necessary – why? / Why not?

Explore warfare in a speculative fiction setting and bring us A Taste of Armageddon.

What I’m not looking for – pro-war or anti-war treatises disguised as a story. I know it is difficult to write this type of story without some politics leaking in – please try to be subtle.

Stories should be 3000-5000 words long.

Payment will be $5.00 plus equal share of 50 percent of royalties

Please send your submission to editor@wolfsingerpubs.com as an .rtf attachment. Put “Armageddon Submission: ‘Title – Last Name’” in the subject line.

Deadline is 31 November 2010 (planned for a Spring/Summer 2011 release)

Now while their royalties won’t get you admission into the SFWA (and I know, since John Scalzi was elected President, you’re all DYING to be in the cool kids club), it’s still a published short story. Something that you can stick into your portfolio and biography. It’s an opportunity for a new author to break into a business that is becoming harder and harder to get into, despite the growing routes to becoming published.