Originally published at Out of Sorts. Please leave any comments there.

Wow.

Just wow. Yes, that is the only word I can possibly utter as I finished Dragon Age: Origins.

I am not lying.

As I played through the 90 hours of story, I kept commenting to my friend Pete that this was probably the best game I’ve ever had the privilege to own. The best game ever made. I’m being totally serious. It’s a pretty big statement to make, and I’ll stand by it.

The world is rich and warm. It plays on familiar fantasy tropes (i.e. good vs. evil) and simultaneously keeps everything fresh.

Bioware is the same company that is making the new Star Wars MMO: The Old Republic. If Dragon Age: Origins is any indication of what is to come, I may never been seen again.

This “choose your own adventure” mechanic was a wild ride from the moment I started. Never have I been moved by story in a video game. There were a few seamless cut-scenes where I found myself crying or staring at the screen in complete and utter awe. There have been fun and frantic rides through games like Half Life 2 and Bioshock, but as far as true immersion in characters and plot, this pulled me in and never let go.

The combat system only adds to the beautiful complexity of this game. If you try to go in with swords afire and without tactical planning, you will get your ass handed to you multiple times. Have you ever had a deadpan conversation with a friend that sounded like this:

Pete: “Umm. Wow.”

Kate: “Umm. What?”

Pete: “The dragon. Yeah, it just picked up Alastair and chewed on him a little. Until, he died.”

Kate: “Yep. It does that.”

Pete: “And there goes my other character.”

Kate:”Yep.”

Pete:”And my whole party.”

Kate:”Hahahahahah.”

Even setting down the difficulty will not get you far. The fighting lures you in the early levels. It’s all glorified gore and easy battles, but as you continue on with the story, it gets substantially harder. A room of ten soldiers and a boss had me pausing and issuing commands every two seconds. There is no tank and spank. You need to approach every battle with strategy and thought.

The picture above is the other favorite thing about the game. You don’t start this adventure with your best friends. Through gifts and social interactions, you butter them up and eventually convince them you’re worth a damn. I chose to romance Alastair, the other Grey Warden in the party. It paid off with a campy but sweet love scene. Bioware chose to leave on the undies, and I can see why they wanted to save their skins from all the watchdog groups out there, but I still think they made the wrong choice. I’ve never understood the mentality that a violence fest, complete with bloody finishing moves is generally accepted, but the minute the kissing starts, we pull our kids away with disgust.

If you’re letting your thirteen year old play this game, you’ve got bigger problems than a 30 second pixelated tender moment.

Regardless, Bioware deserves the ratings it’s getting from the gaming community and I’m already itching to play a sequel.

I’d love to do a voice for one of the characters. Can anyone from Bioware help me out on that one? ;)

Go play this game. You won’t regret it. Oh and get it on the PC. Consoles are for losers. ;) Okay, maybe not losers, but from what I’ve read, the game is far more challenging and complex when played on a PC.

Originally published at Out of Sorts. Please leave any comments there.

This is absolutely incredible. Some of the best work include the ballistics gel and the hollowpoints. Truly amazing.

Originally published at Out of Sorts. Please leave any comments there.

Some big news to report on multiple fronts!

I’ve been invited to be “Podcast Director” (get a load of the official title) for Clarkesworld Magazine! That’s right, I’ve joined the staff of the Hugo Nominated Magazine! What will I be doing, exactly? I’ll be coordinating podcasts for the monthly releases, and introducing some new and exciting content as the magazine continues to grow.

Do me a favor? Mention the magazine to your friends, have them mention us to their friends! (I can actually say “us” now! *Squee*)

In other news, I’ve been interviewed by the wonderful Charles Tan over at Bibliophile Stalker. I am quite humbled as this was my first interview ever, but Charles made me feel welcome. Thanks, Charles. You’re the best!

I also have a narration up at Escape Pod as well this week. You should go over there and take a listen! “The Kindness of Strangers” by Nancy Kress opens discussion about our true selves. When disaster of epic proportion, propagated by aliens strikes, who do we become? Do we change or do we show our true colors?  Two more narrations are  in the pipeline for Jeremy Tolbert and the good folks at EP.

I will also have another narration up on Clarkesworld as we hit October 1st. I can’t say much about this one and will update the blog when it comes around. As a narrator, I am still digesting and it’s been a few days since I read it.

Tony C. Smith with StarShipSofa has given me another story to add to the two I’m still working on as well. Again, I’ll update when those are done and published.

I’ve updated the podcasts/narration page with the stuff that is just recently out. Enjoy!

It’s been a whirlwind and I have only to thank those of you who have cheered me on, listened and recommended my readings to others. You guys get all the credit here. Not me.

Originally published at Out of Sorts. Please leave any comments there.

As we approach StarShipSofa’s 100th Aural Delights episode, host Tony C. Smith has some exciting news. Featuring some of the best authors in the science fiction genre, StarShipSofa Stories — Volume One will be available on September 16, 2009. 

Through the generous contributions of people like Peter Watts, Ken Scholes, Alastair Reynolds, Elizabeth Bear, Gord Sellar, Spider Robinson  and more, StarShipSofa Stories - Volume One  will serve as both a celebration and way to contribute to the audio podcast.  Each sale of the book will go towards keeping the Sofa in orbit and allow us to continue to bring the Science Fiction fan community wonderful and imaginative stories week after week.

If you are considering taking part in the Support our ‘Zines Day on October 1st, conceptualized by Damien G. Walter, this would be a great way to support StarShipSofa and you will get something back!

Pricing is still being worked out but as he said during the latest Aural Delights show, it looks like the PoD book price might be hovering around 8-10 GBP plus shipping and handling.*

Tony will also be releasing the free e-book as well.

StarShipSofa Stories Volume 1 is only a few days away from going on sale. Here’s a sneak preview of the cover art, designed by Skeet.

Skeet’s brief was to create a picture that would pay homage to the 50s SF pulp magazines. I think he’s produced an amazing piece of work.

Get ready for the 16th September when the book will be available to buy in print form. There will also be a new website and free eBook released on that day.

*Pricing is subject to change as we get closer to publication date.

Originally published at Out of Sorts. Please leave any comments there.

Strange Horizons is a Spec-Fic Online Magazine that needs your help. Their August fund drive to raise $7,000.00 is in full effect. With the generosity of John and Krissy Scalzi, any donation made by you, today only will be matched 1 to 1, up to a grand total donation by the Scalzis of $500.00. That’s 27 hours to support online short fiction, because as we all need to propagate through the community, short fiction is not dead!

You can get the full announcement from John, here. The link to donate to Strange Horizon’s is here.

I have donated. How about you?

Originally published at Out of Sorts. Please leave any comments there.

My Team Fortress 2 mobile came in the mail today. I’m kinda sad it’s missing the medic, only because that’s the main class that I play. But I have a feeling it would have looked a lot like the pryo. I think out of all of the shadow carvings though, the heavy is my favorite. Ka-boom.

Naturally, I had to hang it near my Portal Companion Cubes which are furiously guarded by the yet unnamed red dragon of desire doom.

What?

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

Thanks to twitter: torbooks for the link. :)

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

This past weekend, we went to the Springfield Science/Art Museums. In the middle of the quad, is a really touching memorial to Dr. Seuss. He was born in Springfield, MA and from the look of it, the people paid great attention to detail when constructing this little park.

Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

I read “Standing Room Only” by Karen Joy Fowler. Go check it out on StarShipSofa!

Aural Delights No 72 Karen Joy Fowler

Editorial: The Sofanauts: The New Show… coming soon! by Tony C Smith 02:50

Poetry: Galaxy In A Matchbox by G O Clark 07:30

Fact: Hyperion II by Fred Himebaugh 08:30

Main Fiction: Standing Room Only by Karen Joy Fowler 22:35

Fact: The Machine Stops by Amy H Sturgis 54:00

New Titles: Madness Of Angles, Escape From Hell, Adamantine Palace, Xenopath 01:11:00

Narrators: Julie Davis, Kate Baker

Advertisement: This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Download a free audiobook of your choice today at audiblepodcast.com/sofa Time adds in show 00:00 and 20:40.

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

So I guess being a child of the 80’s, I sincerely believed that “Tainted Love” by Softcell was the original version of the song. Happily in this case, I was dead wrong.

Listen for yourself. I like this 60’s version a hell of a lot better!

If you prefer the original though, here is John Scalzi doing his rendition of the Softcell rendition complete with English accent.

Hahahah.

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

I’ve been wondering what that commotion has been at night while I’m sleeping as I have both a PC and MAC sitting on my desk. Now, I know. They may look nice and happy, but I’ve noticed my PC is running a little sluggish lately. Could this be the reason?

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

Despite people knocking Southwest Airlines from time to time, (i.e. their seating priorities) the few flights I’ve had on them, the attendants seemed to be very happy. We were flying to Vegas when one attendant started singing and the Captain was offering marriage proposals.

It takes a real person to be happy with his work. This is no exception. Thanks for making one of the most horrid experiences today in air travel alittle more bearable.

Embedded video from CNN Video

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

It’s been a busy few weeks in audio narration for me.

This is very good news. I have done a few corporate presentations, a few phone greetings and I’ve turned in several poems and short stories to various e-zines and podcasting sites. 

The bad news is that I’ve come down with some sort of sickness affecting my lungs, nose and throat. I have no voice left and it feels like I’m swallowing cut glass everytime I take a drink or eat anything. Fun times. 

Regardless of my current ailment, I wanted to let you know about two great sites for which I’ve done recent audio narration. They have published in the last few days so grab some headphones and dig in. 

Starshipsofa - I read a poem called Angel Bites by Tim Pratt. I wanted to have a little fun with the narration on this one, only because everytime I read it, one of those US pharma commercials promoting some sort of miracle drug popped up in my head.  

Narration continues for upcoming podcasts with the great Tony C. Smith and SSS , as I have turned in a lot of poems and two short stories. Once my throat is better, there are two more waiting to be read.  

Clarkesworld Magazine - Herding Vegetable Sheep by Ekatarina Sedia. This story was an absolute joy to read and I hope I do the story justice. This March issue also features an interview with Tobias Buckell and another story entitled The Loyalty of Birds by Rachel Sobel. Eligible for a Hugo this year in Montreal, I hope they are not only on the ballot but that they win.  This is a fantastic publication.  Support them in any way you can. 

Both Clarkesworld Magazine and Starshipsofa can be followed on Twitter. I highly suggest you do so.

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

This past weekend, I got to fly down to Dallas, TX and hang around with long time friend, Peter Hodges. While there, I took down a “most wanted” terrorist, played with a toddler, threw various plushy toys away from a gorgeous dog, kicked some ass at Guitar Hero, ran into a wizardly alter-ego, had dinner with a published author and historian,  and got annoyed with eccentric loud mouthy people who really should read this. 

For explanations on each of those, well, the terrorist thing was more of an adventure with a Beretta Carbine CX4-Storm and a silhoutte of Osama Bin Laden. I don’t think I’ve ever felt better then when I landed a bunch of rounds right between his terrorist eyes.  For all my liberal fans out there who don’t believe in gun ownership, I’m sorry to say it was exhilerating. You and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this and still remain friends.  I will be uploading a video shortly. 

In other news, I find that when I’m away from my own children, I tend to gravitate towards other people’s kids. I spent most of my free time playing with Pete’s son. Soon to be 2, he’s a real cutie with some mad verbal skillz. Their new dog, Luke was a wonderful companion during my stay. Very well mannered, he enjoyed playing fetch, again and again…and again. I had been debating whether or not a dog would fit my current lifestyle and I must admit that Luke definitely helped in pushing me towards a doggie companion sometime in my future.

As for Guitar Hero, I had forgotten how fun that game was to play.  Enjoying it with someone else on the drums or singing, and the solo thing evolves and becomes  a blast. I might just buy it for the network ability. Oh, and I totally kicked Pete’s ass. 

The main reason for the trip down to Texas was to attend ConDFW. Guests of Honor were Jim Butcher and David Weber. While there, I got to listen to Jim read five chapters (this was recorded) out of the new Harry Dresden novel, Turn Coat coming out in April.  I usually have a hard time listening to authors read their own work, only because their voices differ from the ones in my head while I’m reading. However, as I closed my eyes and began to listen, Butcher’s voice fit in perfectly with my ideals of Harry Dresden. He captured his wizard perfectly. No circle needed. 

Jim Butcher is the real deal. He’s very nice and very witty and I can definitely see where Harry gets his charm.

If I can get to another con where David Weber is the GOH, I will.  This man has a story for every occassion and it is a real joy to listen to him speak. I may be a newbie when it comes to Honor Harrington, but if his writing is anything like how he interacts with his fans in real life, I expect I’ll see intelligence, respect and a kick-ass whomping ride of a tale. 

I was also absoultely honored to spend some quality time with Taylor Anderson and his wife at this convention as well. All Texan, this gentleman brought dry wit, humor and a vast intelligence to his panels. I can remember more than a few occassions when the entire room burst out laughing at comments Taylor had made. As far as his novels are concerned, I am so far behind on my reading due to the audio narration work, that I finally got a chance to start the first book in the Destroyermen series. S.M. Stirling blurbs on the first book, ” I dipped my toe into Destroyermen: Into the Storm, and when I looked up, it was two in the morning.” That’s basically how it went for me. By the time I started page one, we had just been lifting off and I was so immersed in the story, that it felt no time at all had passed before we were touching down in Newark.  Get these books. I’m serious.  

I have to agree with Pete on his criticism’s of ConDFW.  While the venue was definitely a nice hotel, with two major GOH’s with loyal fan bases, the panel rooms were definitely not big enough to handle the influx. It was either too crowded and/or hot and I would be willing to bet alot of people missed out on things due to overcrowding or scheduling conflicts. 

One of the more interesting panels I attended was “Authors to Watch”. Mary Robinette Kowal was one of the first on the list to be mentioned,  as well as John Scalzi, Jay Lake and Ken Scholes. The list grew from there and I suspect Pete wrote down a list of names as well as book titles he was interested in. I was rather busy Twittering like a geek. 

One of the things that annoyed me the most as mentioned in the first paragraph was the audacity and rudeness of some people at the con. I am sorry to say that if you consider yourself as an expert on something, not everyone else does and that you must retain some sort of social civility while attending a panel. I can’t express how many times I found myself giving dirty looks to people who would hijack panels.  I can see if the panelists have opened the discussion out to the audience for a round-table or open forum, but not once did that seem to happen. There were a few times were the discussion erupted in chaos and I almost felt like leaving.  Note to congoers — just because you may disagree with what the panel is saying does not give you the authority to loudly contest their points. It’s rude and it has no place at a convention. 

All in all, despite the cold I caught on the plane ride back, I had a wonderful few days away. Thank you to both the Hodges’ for thier incredible hospitality. You guys are the best.

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

So I bought this steampunkish ensemble. I had eye surgery back in 2007, so these glasses came with a Santa suit my father owned (don’t ask). I pulled up my hair and suddenly I’m ready to fight crime in a neo-victorian saga.

Oh, not to mention, I show you what a big SciFi Geek I am, and am standing in front of my “nerd” wall. To stage left is Jewel Staite (Kaylee on Firefly), Nathan Filion (obstructed by my fat head), my “I own the universe Bitches” wormhole certificated signed by Michio Kaku and underneath that is Jaime Bamber (Lee Adama on BSG). To stage right is a bunch of fake flowers and James Callis (Baltar — BSG). I have Boomer on my desk as well. 

The James Callis one says,  ”Kiss me, Kate.” 

Oh, I wish I could. I wish I could. 

Yes. I am a geek. I get it. 

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

I found this nifty little tool while out browsing for theme changes. As you can see on the bottom of this post, there are are some very sorry looking stars awaiting some color. 

This will give those who lurk an opportunity to click on the stars to tell me they either like my stuff or hate it.  If you do have a strong opinion, I do hope you drop me a line, but I hope to use this system to really reflect on what I can do better and what I’m already doing ok. 

Following this post, I will be posting a few unpublished songs for you to rate. Don’t let me down!

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

Pretty? 

Pretty frustrating when you have no real way of removing the thin layer of ice that is on your driveway and walk. 

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

This pretty much explains itself. 

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

It only happens once a year.

(Dramatic drum roll)

You think you can control it.

(More dramatic drum roll)

Yet as you look upon the wonderment of all, you feel your mouth salivate. In that one captivating moment, all your hopes and dreams come alive.

(Yet more dramatic drum roll ala 2001)

Okay, maybe I went a little far on that last one. I’m selling Girl Scout Cookies. I have two days to meet a goal of 100 boxes and I’m calling for help.

Yes. They are made from real girl scouts, and yes, they even taste better when left in a warm car. The same can not be said for milk or little old ladies.

I will even be accepting forms of payment through pay pal. They are four dollars a box, and go to help funding one of the fun and established groups in this country. My daughter joined them this year and is having a blast.

If you agree to purchase cookies and aren’t in my zip code, I will happily ship them. However, we need to act fast. This FRIDAY — 23rd, is the last day to order.

As always, thanks so much for your help and interest. I can’t wait to break open a box of Samoas in good time.

Originally published at Amnesia. Please leave any comments there.

My second reading for StarShipSofa is now up! Aural Delights #54! Thanks again to Tony, who puts together a most awesome show every week. 

If you’re listening via Itunes, click here.

For the rest of you who would like to listen via the mp3 link, you can go to SSS, and either click on the mp3 link under the big metal flying starship sofa, or utilize the player on the right hand column of the webpage. 

Aural Delights No 54 Joan D Vinge

Editorial: Tony C Smith 02:10

Poetry: Light Across An Impossible Lake by Mark Rich 09:00 — read by ME!

Flash Fiction: Hard Rain by Matthew Sanborn Smith 17:30