The Unbidden Voice

So much for the haunting season.  It was generally fun, though not without some drawbacks.  Haunted Nashville was by and large a great experience, and really gave me a feel for a different kind of live performance.  Sure, I had done some haunts before, in the 'way back when,' but Nathan Hamilton's Turbidite Manor was a very different creature.  Both the show and the leadership provided a feeling much closer to a theme park show than anything I've done before.

There were a lot of your basic horror fan haunting hobbyists in the show, and in Riddles of Horror and House of Distortion, but there was also a lot of crossover into the film and theatre communities.  I made a metric tonne of great contacts there, including meeting some people I had heard were great but hadn't gotten around to shaking hands with.  Some of these folks include actors Rodrikus Springfield and Shilo Turri, writer/actress Nicole Nelson-Hicks, makeup artist Jenn Smith, and talent manager/director/producer Lynda Drewry, to name just a few. 

The patrons, though often belligerent, disrespectful and, for some reason highly disinterested in getting their money's worth, were also appreciative and responsive.  Halloween night itself saw the worst of them, mainly annoyed that they didn't get invited to any cool parties, I think.  I have to say, though, that giving them a real scare (enough to knock many of them on their asses) was a good thrill, especially those who thought they were hardcore or something.

Also of note, in my weird little world, November 1st is New Year's Day.  That's how my ancient forebears did it and that's how  do it.  So here's hoping for a terrific year, one that really builds on the momentum I've created so far.  I have a new gig writing for Demand Studios, voiceover work on a great project, some big spotlit stage dreams and a novel manuscript in the works.  It only gets bigger better busier from here!

As fall's really kicking in here in Nashville, I find myself all kinds of busy.  The work progresses, though slowly.The novel currently stands at 49k+ words, out of 90k, so I'm really getting there.  I have had some writers' block lately, and the bit I'm on is touchy, and must be executed with some subtlety.

There have been a lot of side projects soaking up my attention as well, including a great gig at Haunted Nashville.  Having more or less finished the scenic painting, I'm enjoying the role of Turbidite Manor's Sheriff John, scaring people with frontier panache.

I've also gotten involved in some "how to" work.  In addition to some Halloween decoration videos, shot by Dimitri LaBarge, I've put up some articles over at eHow, expanding my article writing chops.

The movie review business has been good, too, as I have been working for Fantasy Magazine lately rather than posting my reviews here.  I have also just started a new column over there, covering the art and science of worldbuilding as applied to gaming and speculative fiction.  The first article is here.

I'm recording the audiobook for Christine and Ethan Rose's excellent middle-grade modern fantasy novel, Rowan of the Wood, too, which has been a sometimes technically frustrating but otherwise great process.

Further, I'm doing a modern silent film fantasy for Kyle Cassidy's 2xCreative project, which has kind of turned into a 3xCreative as it turns out neither my abilities nor my computer were up to the video editing.  Because my dear friend Angie Bianchi (Nashville Indie Music Examiner) is experiencing the busiest part of her year, that one will likely take a minute.

Speaking of Examiners, my Nashville Theatre Examiner column is still going strong.  I've mainly been posting announcements and whatnot there lately, but after the haunting season, I hope to sit down and do some more profiles and interviews.

Upcoming projects include contributing to a possible Tennessee horror short story anthology and hopefully moving to a (much) nicer home in the spring.

So there's the status update for my loyal readers.  I apologize for the dearth of blogging lately, but I'm going to try to make up for it! 

So for the last little while I've been doing scenic painting for an ambitious haunted house project Here in Nashville, called (not hard to guess) Haunted Nashville.

While it's been hard work, it is rewarding to see your stagecraft skills applied to something at least semi-permanent.  My hands and arms have been fairly covered in grimy brown, dirty green and putrescent purple for some time, and even the most thorough cleaning seems insufficient to remove lingering paint from beneath my nails.

So the attraction opens this weekend, and I hope to see some familiar faces and make them scream!

Here's an old game review I wrote for a Shadowrun RPG supplement circa 2002ish:

   Title Dragons of the Sixth World
   Game Type Shadowrun RPG supplement
   Author Eleanor Holmes, Robyn King-Nitschke, Steve Kenson, James Maliszewski, Rob Boyle & many more
   Publisher Wizkids / Fanpro
   Medium 8x10 perfect-bound softcover
   Price $24.99
   Reviewer Logan L. Masterson

   It becomes a little eerie after awhile, reading this book.  One feels watched, as though ten pair of gargantuan reptilian eyes are peering silently out of the pages.  Or maybe that’s just because I love dragons so much.

   Well, these characters are quite a lot less than likeable, but they are mighty, intelligent and awe-inspiring.

   The Dragons of the Sixth World supplement for SR3 is far and away the most detailed source of it’s kind in the game’s history.  The hard copy, real world edition of sysop Captain Chaos’s studies will enlighten and terrify you.  The book is a respectable 200 pages, plus index, and is organized so that it provides an overview of dragon life and culture at the front, rules details in the back and the best parts in the middle. 

   That middle bit contains detailed information on Aden, Celedyr, Ghostwalker, Hestaby, Hualpa, Lofwyr, Lung, Masaru, Rhonabwy and several others.  It discusses their stats, their plots and their personalities in an excellent manner, weaving fact and mystery together to create a font of data both tasteful and useful.

   The last section provides some very interesting rules covering the types of dragons, their powers and magic, their campaign roles and some rather interesting material about drakes, a new, weaker type of dragon that could, under odd circumstances, make great player characters!  After that, you’ll find detailed game data covering each of the previously mentioned dragons for the game master, including the each serpent’s power structure, defenses and goals.

   The history of dragons in the world of Shadowrun has been rich and intricate, and this book does nothing but add and embellish, providing excellent theme, valuable data, and a metric ton of exciting ideas.

   This is a great read, well organized and richly illustrated, and highly valuable to any Shadowrun group whose runners have tired of the old routine or are simply ready to take it to the next level.  Chip in to this wizworm sourcebook and don’t get left in the dark, wakarimasu-ka, chummer?

    Ratings
   Playability  5
   Game Mechanics 4
   Magic/Tech System 4
   Character Creation & Advancement 5
   Setting 5
   Presentation 4

There are about a million things I need to do. My studio is a mess of boxes, computer bits, miniatures, comics and cobwebs.  As messes go, it's a good one, but still, I should be attending it.

Instead, I'm hammering at the ol' keyboard (with a new one 2 feet away) because that's my priority.  Whether blogging or working on the novel, or even microblogging, I am totally into the words. 

To be fair, it's always been this that way.  These days, though, I'm taking the words seriously.  It's not just about loving the language anymore.  It's about being a writer, getting published and paid, and hanging my shingle for real this time. 

The years of exploration and experience have come together.  I'm immersed in the work. As America's favorite jailbird home maker might say, "It's a good thing." 

Now if you'll excuse me, there are some 3,000 words in need of revision and 2,000 more waiting to be written.

Here's a detailed map of Archania, island kingdom of merchants and mages.  This ancient land is they keystone of Ordrass, facilitating commerce and communication across the settled lands.

Map of Archania

"Hayao Miyazaki is known for some of the best anime ever made. From his humble beginnings working on animated adaptations of traditional English fictions such as Treasure Island and Puss ‘n Boots to modern genre classics including Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Miyazaki has achieved an almost unparalleled mastery of animation and storytelling."

Read the full review at Fantasy Magazine.

The following snippet appears amidst a full review of Play On! at www.nashvilletheatrelostandfound.com.  We're all very pleased that you enjoyed it, Trudy!

...The curtain is open at the very top of the first act.  The house lights over the stage are warming-up as the actors mill uncharacteristically in house.  The stage manager and the tech sit on the lip of the stage discussing the information that should be dispensed to the audience on opening night.  The director calls the actors to the stage to begin rehearsal.  They make their ways leisurely to the stage ... or not.  This scene seems so familiar; I forget I'm watching a play. Actors bickering, tech grumbling, director pleading … I'm at home.  I was so comfortable in that environment that I almost got out of my seat to head to the kitchen for a cup of coffee along with Jerry Dunbar, the director of Murder Most Foul, the play within the play in PLAY ON! by Rick Abbot, currently showing at Community Players Theatre.

Stay with me here.  The show in rehearsal, Murder Most Foul, is an “original play by a local playwright,” Phyllis Montague played by Barbara DeHarde.  The other players consist of the actors:  Henry Benish played by David Hutson, his wife, Polly Benish, played by Olivia Scott, Smitty played by Alwyn Mothershed, Billy Carewe played by Lucas Hutson, Saul Watson played by Logan Masterson, and Violet Imbry played by Kellye Mitchell, the stage manager, Aggie Manville, played by Angie Bianchi, the lighting/sound/scene tech, Louise Peary, played by Martha Stephens, and the director, Jerry Dunbar, played by Asa Ambrister....

Here's a map of the Kingdom of Marien and neighboring Normark to the N.E.:

Marien_Map_Prime_7-26-09

HP & the HBP

Here is an excerpt from my review of the latest Harry Potter movie at Fantasy Magazine:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been my favorite so far. The book’s darker themes and more adult intrigues appealed to me. That said, the film is, well, lacking. While the tried and true cast performed much as expected, and the special effects, soundtrack and visual theme are phenomenal (excepting occasional editing and continuity goofs), the sixth installment in the Harry Potter chronicles was simply flat.

Read the full review at the Fantasy Magazine website.