Roleplaying – Worlds of Gossamer
I love pen and paper roleplaying games. I’ve run games for over thirty years and written multiple game products. When I’m asked what games are my favorites, I have trouble reducing the list below my top ten. I also know that there are several great games I haven’t played. Yet.
When I’m asked what games someone should learn to be a great gamemaster, there are three that come to mind… Dungeons & Dragons (in any of its myriad forms) because it’s the most well-known, Champions because it’s a beautiful complicated wonder of mathematics that actually produces cool characters, and Amber Diceless Roleplaying because when you play a game without dice, you learn a tremendous amount about stories. Read the rest of this entry
Wow… it’s been since November??
Hello world,
It’s obviously been a long few months since I last posted in November. I have a lot to catch everyone up on. So, here’s how Nanowrimo went:
I decided against all possible reason not to quit and keep writing. By a major miracle, I managed to write 39,000 words in ten days and won. You can see the graph on the right.
Never give up.
I’ve very pleased with myself, but also horrified slightly about how stubborn I can be. Nonetheless, mission accomplished, and I have a new Krueger novel to edit this year. I don’t recommend this approach to Nanowrimo. Read the rest of this entry
Spotlight on Michelle Hauck’s Grudging (and a tiny Nano update)
Hi everyone,
I’m over 10,000 words in Nanowrimo with an update to come, however, one of my fellow Harper authors, Michelle Hauck, has her book, Grudging, release today. I’m a big believer that authors should stick together, so I thought I’d share some information about her. In addition to everything said below, she’s a great human being to boot.
Nanowrimo Halfway Point… Not giving up
Hi everyone,
As some of you may have conjectured, Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) isn’t going well for me. Currently, I stand at a little over 6 and a half thousand words. Since it’s the 15th, I should be halfway, or at 25,000 words. That’s a little bit of discrepancy. I feel a little like this… Read the rest of this entry
A Fairy-tale Ending in Paperback!
Hi everyone,
My apologies for being away so long. The entire month of October seemed to assault me on multiple fronts. However, I made it to November.
In the meantime, Once Upon a Rhyme and Happily Never After were published together in paperback as A Fairy-tale Ending. While Barnes & Noble isn’t stocking it on its shelves (yet), it’s available to order through them or better yet, through your local independent bookseller. I can’t emphasize how important those stores are to authors, especially less well-known names. I’m attempting to arrange a signing in my area at Fountain Bookstore.
If you pre-ordered Pitchfork of Destiny in ebook and discovered that your pre-order was canceled by Amazon – don’t panic. I’ve been assured by my editor that they just had to move the date, so expect to see it in 2016. I’m intending to update this blog and the Jack Heckel blog as soon as I receive news.
Additionally, I am working on National Novel Writing Month, but I’m ridiculously behind this year. I’ll do my best to update as I go. I’ve completed a novel every year since 2009, and I have no intention of letting this one pass by.
I’m also working on the next Jack Heckel book – The Dark Lord, and I’m making that my top priority.
There’s lots going on that I’d love to comment on, especially since we finding ourselves living in the world of superhero tv shows. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Supergirl and more importantly, I’m impressed by how much my daughter likes it.
There’s also one other thing that’s been on my mind…
Published… but now what?
My thoughts (and half of Jack Heckel’s) on reality after publication. I hope that all the aspiring and new authors will find it helpful. To quote Galaxy Quest, “Never give up! Never surrender!”
Jack Heckel’s quest for publication began sometime in 2008, when we first had the idea for our novels. Most of the writing was done in 2009, probably bleeding into the early part of 2010. There were beta readers, feedback sessions, a long weekend of edits at a hotel in Maryland, and still more edits between 2010 and 2012. 2011 and 2012 were filled with rejections. We couldn’t even get out of the slush pile with agents.
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“Don’t buy this book” and other writing updates
As I start to write this, I have 17 minutes left of the one year publication anniversary of Once Upon a Rhyme. With the possible exceptions of Umbra: The Velvet Shadow (my first major roleplaying book) and Sons of Fenris (my first published novel), nothing has had a larger impact on my writing life. Since that day, I’ve been a guest at the New York Comic Con, a guest at my local game and sci-fi/fantasy convention RavenCon, had a sequel published (Happily Never After) and written a third book, Pitchfork of Destiny. I’ve had other works at least be considered in the office of a major publisher, and it appears likely that I’ll have a new series start in 2016.
What a year!
And on August 25, 2015
, Jack Heckel has another book – A Fairy-tale Ending! And that’s the one that I want to warn everyone about. If you own Once Upon a Rhyme and Happily Never After, please DON’T buy that book! It is a collection of those two books together in one place, and hopefully in a month or two, it will be released in paperback. I just don’t want anyone getting confused and thinking that it’s the third in the series. That will be Pitchfork of Destiny coming in December.
However, if you know someone who hasn’t read the series, please recommend A Fairy-tale Ending, because it contains both books, and a cool map along with some additional editing. If they haven’t started the series, it’s a good way to be caught up on everything. I guarantee that they will laugh.
I also want to thank everyone who has helped me over the years to keep writing. So many of you have inspired me and continue to do so. Thank you. Read the rest of this entry
Daughter of Orion Prologue
Rigel Cover by Sam R. Kennedy
I came to the realization earlier this week as I was reviewing my year’s writing goals that I needed to spend some time focusing on Rigel and Freedom Squad. Currently, there are over 200,000 words written on the character, spread across three novels and one novella. I’ve asked Harper Voyager about their interest in her and her team, but I’m still awaiting a reply.
I keep reading that this is the time of the female superhero. As Rigel was originally created nearly 27 years ago, I think she’s ready to burst onto the scene. She even has a fantastic piece of cover art ready to go.
Most importantly, she’s meant to be an inspiration to kids like my daughter. While she’s a legacy hero, she’s not a Supergirl or Batgirl, with the powers and and identity of another character. One of her story arcs is her effort to separate herself from the legacy of her father, Orion, and prove herself on her own, while continuing to uphold her father’s ideals.
I’m currently undergoing a rework of all of the Rigel novels, with some assistance from the capable Heather Curatola (the original creator of Rigel) and my Jack Heckel co-author, John Peck.
So while many of my good friends are at GenCon or the Richmond comic convention today, I thought I’d share the current rewrite of the prologue for Daughter of Orion (formerly In the Stars). Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry
More thoughts on CMON Expo 2015
It’s been over a month since I was in Atlanta for the CMON Expo 2015. I had a fantastic time indulging in my miniature gaming hobby and being a freelance writer. The event also came at a good time for me in regards to my day job, although I wish it hadn’t been going on during Father’s Day on that Sunday.
Here’s a link (CMON Expo pix) to some of the pictures from the event. I’m in a few of them, although sadly, I didn’t recognize myself at first. I’m in a bright blue/turquoise polo and my hair looks far more gray than I imagine it. I’m also a bit larger than I’d like, but I’m working on it. Eat well, exercise and take care of your health.
On to fun things… Read the rest of this entry
Writing update
So, my personal Camp Nanowrimo curse has struck again. With less than a week to go, I’m at about a thousand words. I think summer just has too much going on. However, I have been writing. I scripted several puppet shows for my church’s vacation bible school. I did some submissions for freelancing and a lot of editing. So, here’s what’s happening on the writing fronts.
- A Fairy-tale Ending which collects Once Upon a Rhyme and Happily Never After will have an ePub release on August 25 with the print version to follow in about a month. The only differences are some edits and a map of Royaume, so if you bought the other two, thank you and we’ll show the map on Jack Heckel’s site.
- Pitchfork of Destiny is lined up for a December 8th release from Harper Voyager. Sorry about the delays, but I promise it is worth it. The Great Dragon of the North is coming!
- For those who follow the blog, Rigel and Freedom Squad are waiting to find out if they will join the Harper books or go the small press route. The world needs strong female heroes and my daughter really wants it published.
- The Crimson Hawks are also waiting for word from Harper. Regardless, they have a second book waiting and are also looking for publication and a permanent home.
- Krueger is staying with Blue Oranda. Plans for book 3 are done, but Souls of the Everwood and Balefire and Brimstone will get new editions in the next year with an expanded story and a fresh rewrite.
- Son of Helios needs some edits and cover art, but is in a good place.
- The Lantern is also with Harper for consideration. I hope to hear soon on what will happen there. I’m planning to dedicate a week’s vacation to completing it. There are several people waiting (especially my friend, Dorothy).
- I’m looking at more game fiction but nothing’s signed yet.
So that’s what my world looks like. I’m also reviewing a friend’s book for edits and need to work on Heronet Files 2. It’s a good place but lots of work. 🙂
Thanks for visiting the site. All my best!
Harry Heckel 