Blarg!

Bill's blog. Writing, guitars, gratuitous Simpsons references, you'll find i​t all here. Almost certainly a waste of time for both you and the author. On the internet, that's actually a plus.

Back to Work #92: The Florida Episode

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I lived in Florida for four years, most of that time in Jacksonville. I genuinely liked it there, but for a native midwesterner, it can throw you for a loop -- the traffic, the daily 3:00 thunderstorms, the fact that no matter what lane you're driving in, it may become a turn late without warning.

In this episode of the Back to Work podcast, Dan Benjamin and Merlin Mann talk about the charming idiosyncrasies that, depending on the person, blur the line between amusing anecdote and soul-crushing adversity. I highly recommend it!

Back to Work #92: The Florida Episode

Pro sale! "Athlete's Foot" to appear in Crowded Magazine

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I've achieved a writerly milestone: my first pro-level fiction sale! My short story "Athlete's Foot" will appear in the first issue of Crowded Magazine. Crowded is a new speculative fiction publication based in Australia, which means I've now sold my work on three different continents.

My non-writer friends have asked me, "So what's a pro sale? Does this mean you're going to quit your job and wear a beret and move to a fancy chalet in the Alps like some pretentious artistic jerk?" Sadly, no. In writer's parlance, a pro sale is any magazine for which you're paid a minimum of five cents per word. It may not sound like a huge amount compared to one's day job--as Merlin Mann might say, writing to make money is like learning ventriloquism to meet girls--but it's not too bad for something I created out of nothing. I'll still act like a pretentious jerk, mind you, just without the beret (and with the day job, in case my boss is reading this).

I'll post publication dates and other details as they arrive. Crowded seems like a cool magazine, and I hope you'll consider supporting them.

Crowded Magazine

"Lucky" to appear in November's Stupefying Stories

My short story "Lucky" will appear in November's issue of Stupefying Stories. It should come out in the next couple of days. If you can't wait that long, here's a sneak peek at the cover art.

Stupefying Stories is a great little magazine from Bruce Bethke and Rampant Loon Media. November's issue is guest edited by the illustrious M. David Blake, a talented author hailing from Hillsborough, North Carolina. This will be my second story to appear in their magazine, so I obviously think it's a pretty good one. <hardsell>Issues cost only a couple of bucks, so you really have no excuse for not buying one.</hardsell>

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Luchadoras 4: Return to Bull City!

If you live in North Carolina, this is what you need to be doing on Saturday, November 10.

"Durham's original masked warriors are taking to the ring again. The luchadoras, an elite group of female lucha libre wrestlers have kicked, punched, and grappled their way into the hearts of the Triangle. This November 10 they're bringing their biggest event yet to the Durham Armory."
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The Again magazine to reprint "The Consolidated Brotherhood of Truly Bearded Santas"

​Merry Krampus! Photo: riptheskull​

​Merry Krampus!

Photo: riptheskull

The Again magazine will reprint my short story, "The Consolidated Brotherhood of Truly Bearded Santas" in their December issue. It's a snazzy-looking publication, with some delightfully creepy illustrations in every story (I'm really excited to see what they come up with for my story).

The Again is free to read, so you really have no excuse not to check it out. If you'd like to support the publication, you can buy one of their stylish and functional coffee mugs.

In case you missed it, this story was originally published in the December 2011 issue of Stupefying Stories, another fine publication of science fiction and fantasy.

The Again

The fonts of the year

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I know it's September, but I wanted to show off this nifty font calendar my wife got me for Christmas. It's a gift that keeps on giving all year long, with some lovely typefaces, including my favorite font, Rockwell, in January.

Here's a month-by-month rundown of the font styles:

​It's leap year, so there are 29 days in Unical.

​It's leap year, so there are 29 days in Unical.

  • January: Slab Serif​
  • February: Unical​
  • March: Humanist​
  • April: Old Style​
  • May: Transitional​
  • June​: Modern
  • July: Blackletter​
  • August: Script​
  • September: Geometric Sans Serif​
  • October: Grotesque Sans Serif​
  • November: Humanist Sans Serif​
  • December: Decorative​