Thursday Randomness: Boldly Rap Yourself Silly

I love these "Epic Rap Battles of History" videos, but I have to say that this one is probably my favorite of the batch so far.

Thursday Randomness: Cheaters Never Win

Next month will see two of my stories appear in different anthologies. Last week, I unveiled a bit of graphic artwork I created to promote one of those stories entitled "The Deadlands," which will appear in the anthology Four in the Hole. I'll include wallpaper versions of that graphic for your computer at the end of this entry. First off, a few details on the other short story.

I wrote "Cheaters Never Win" back in 2008. It's one of the few pieces of flash fiction I've ever written, coming in at just a little more than 500 words. The story might well be one of the darkest things I've ever written. A husband, having learned his wife has cheated on him, exacts his revenge by forcing her to take part in a deadly game. I don't want to say much more than that, lest I give too much away. After all, there's only so much one can reveal about a flash fiction story.

A local publisher, Sink/Swim Press, is including "Cheaters Never Win" in their anthology Front Porch Flash Fiction. The book comes out September 9th. They're holding a release party that night at Velocity Comics, and I can't wait to go!

I'm also excited about this anthology, because it will include stories from two friends of mine, Katharine Herndon and John Glover. I met John at last year's James River Writers Conference. Speaking of which, Katharine is the chair for this year's JRW Conference, which is being held October 7th and 8th at the Library of Virginia (you can expect me to blog about that as we get closer to the conference). I've known Katharine for many years, and my wife and I were even in a writers critique group with her called "The Ten Page Club" (or "XPC" for short). It was in this group that Katharine read an early version of my other short story, "The Deadlands." Ah, yes... that's how I bring this blog entry back to my other short story.

So, here's the wallpaper for "The Deadlands." I've included the usual sizes for your enjoyment. Nothing makes a computer look more chipper (or would that be "chipperer?") than a picture of the end of the world.

               

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Thursday Randomness: The Deadlands

I'm enjoying a bit of a writer's high this year. Two of my short stories will be in different anthologies next month, and just six days ago, I finished the rough draft to my WIP, a young adult novel about a teenage vampire hunter. For today, I'm going to use my "Thursday Randomness" to spend some time plugging one of the short stories, "The Deadlands."



To help promote my story within the anthology Four in the Hole, I created a picture which is inspired by a scene within my story, a shot of Interstate 95 covered in wrecked cars. Yes, when the end of the world arrives, it makes a mess. There's just a small problem here. There's no one place a writer can go to snap a picture of an interstate all messed up like the above picture. Fortunately, I am not just a writer, I'm a graphic artist.

On August 4th, I received the good news in my e-mail about "The Deadlands" being the opening story to an anthology. The next day, the kids piled into the car with me on my quest to build an interstate in total disarray. The part with the kids coming along is clearly the real challenge here, but God bless their hyperactive hearts, they stuck it out like champs. No small task there, because it was a hot day, and all the stuff I needed pictures of was outdoors.

Our first stop was the Hermitage Road overpass to I-95. The kids earned their room and board here, because I couldn't park on the bridge. We went about a block away and hoofed it with my tripod and camera in hand. Ideally, I needed a shot of the interstate without any cars on it. "But wait," you might say, "what about the wrecked cars?" Well, I was going to have to add those in myself, unless I could cook up a way to manufacture a major, mass casualty traffic crash on the spot, and since neither of the kids was willing to jump over to start said chain reaction crash, I was gonna have to add in the wrecked cars later via graphic art magic.

I snapped more than 90 pictures of I-95 and not once was I lucky enough to get a car-free picture of the interstate. Fate did offer me lots of big gaps here and there, so what I did was combine the pictures with the best gaps until I got a relatively car-free picture of I-95.



From there, it was off to find some smashed up cars, and fortunately, I knew the perfect place to find some. Our next stop in this adventure was not a wrecker yard. Oh no. We went to Henrico County's Fire Training facility. Quite a few years ago, I took part in a citizens fire academy, so I knew the Division of Fire kept a bunch of messed up cars out there to practice extracting people who get trapped in car wrecks. Boy, did we ever hit paydirt. Not only did we score messed up cars, but we found a wrecked bus and tanker placed on its side.



Pictures complete, it was back here to my laptop where I cut out the pictures of the cars. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough cars to cover the interstate without reusing a few, but I just changed their color a bit and flipped them around and the like, and more than a week later, even I'm not sure where all the duplicates are in this picture.

Originally, I was going to just have the promotional image be of the smashed up interstate, but wasn't really working for me. I found it looked better when I washed out a lot of the color, so I tossed in an image of what most will only see as some red circle. Obviously, it's not just a circle. It's actually an important element to the story, but you'll have to read "The Deadlands" to find out exactly what it is.



All that done, it was time to add in the promotional elements: the title of my story, a tagline and when it's coming out--which is next month. I made a few versions of this, one to put at the end of my comic strips, another for the side panel of the Lair and of course, wallpaper for computer screens everywhere.



Next week, I'll post the wallpapers for your computers, and I'll offer a little insight into the other anthology my writing will appear in next month. Be sure to revisit the Lair then, and don't forget to catch the next episode of my comic strip tomorrow.

Thursday Randomness: Wildcat in an Anthology!

I've got some exciting news for today's "Thursday Randomness." I learned this morning that one of my short stories will appear in an upcoming anthology called FOUR IN THE HOLE being published by May December Publications.

My story is called "The Deadlands." What is the story about? I won't offer any specifics just yet, but I will tell you that the theme behind this collection was zombies and/or vampires.

As we get closer to the release date, which will likely be sometime next month, I'll drop more details about my story.

For now, here's a look at what I believe will be the cover art for FOUR IN THE HOLE.

Thursday Randomness: Before & After

For today's Thursday Randomness, I'm showing off some of my graphic art skills. Doing this comic strip for several years now has really done a lot to improve my work. There's been a lot of trial and error, sadly with some of the errors making it online, but for the most part, I think some of what I do has turned out really well. On occasion, I even hit a grand slam. I think the episodes I posted yesterday and this past Friday fall into that latter category where I really nailed it.

For my steampunk version of Richmond, I went down to the Shockoe Bottom area which has a lot of cobblestone streets and snapped some pictures. This happened on an overcast Sunday, which worked out well since it not only kept things from being too bright but also limited the number of cars and foot traffic. Here are some "before-and-after" pictures of what I did.

Thursday Randomness: Cat in Tank

Sometimes, I look at the goofy stuff I do here in the Wildcat's Lair, and I think I must have way too much time on my hands. Then I watch a video like this.



Cats in Tanks from Whitehouse Post on Vimeo.

This just supports my firm belief that cats are evil. Special thanks to one of my co-workers Adam, who sent me the link to this one.

Now, go submit a caption for this week's "Star Wars" inspired ""You Write the Caption!" And don't miss tomorrow's Frank Friday webcomic with the latest in the "Frank & Hip Get Steampunked" storyline.

Thursday Randomness: Translated for the Waffles-Impaired

So this past Tuesday, Waffles filled in for Uncle Kerouac in this week's "Ask Uncle Kerouac." Of course, nothing he said made any sense. So with that in mind, here's a translation for the Waffles-impaired in this week's "Thursday Randomness."

Thursday Randomness: Frank & Hip Get Steampunked

It's just six days from the start of the next big storyline for "The Wildcat's Lair." This particular event, "Frank & Hip Get Steampunked," is really testing the limits of my graphic artwork. I've done more prep work for these episodes than I have for any other. For today's "Thursday Randomness," I'm giving you another sneak peek and some wallpaper to get your computers into the spirit of things to come.

First things first, let's give you a look at an image from what will be episode two of this series.



So just who are these two guys, and what do they have to do with anything? Well, you'll have to wait find out. Their appearance will be brief but potentially important. I say "potentially," because I'm still plotting out the details for this one.

That bit of business out of the way, let's get to some wallpaper, shall we? I've got all the appropriate sizes prepared for you here. Hope you'll enjoy them. To toot my horn, I think this is one of the best wallpapers I've made for the Lair over the years.

               

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So there you have it. One last sneak peek and something to dress up your computer. Just six more days until the big storyline arrives. This one will take a few months, so get your goggles ready to take off.

Thursday Randomness: Steampunked & Writing Tech Overlords

This month, I'm using "Thursday Randomness" to preview next month's launch of my comic strip's storyline "Frank & Hip Get SteamPunked." The past two weeks have given you a look at an airship that will appear in the story. This week, I'm going with a peek at a character(s) for the storyline.

Every great steampunk villain needs an army of monsters. Well, my storyline will not ignore this important fact. While I won't tell you what the monster is, I'll give you a look at a cutout of it. What is this creature, and how will it factor into the story for Frank and Hip? You'll have to wait to find out, but I will tell you that it was inspired by the "rotters" in Cherie Priest's novel Boneshaker. For those who haven't read Cherie's book, rotters are her take on zombies.



In the name of being random, I'm gonna throw in another plug here for something TOTALLY different. This year marked my departure from James River Writers as a boardmember, but as Al Pacino said so well in "The Godfather, Park III," just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in. I'll be moderating a panel for JRW's monthly "Writing Show," a week from today. The topic and panel I've been given should make for a great time. Up for discussion will be "A Brave New World: How the Web-Savvy Stand Out in the New Digital Era." I'll be joined by that online guru for writers Dan Blank, the lovely and goofy literary networking diva (and self-proclaimed "recovering high school English teacher") Ricki Schultz and engineering/computer master extraordinaireFrank Petroski. We'll be going over all the ways writers can get out there and get noticed online. Can't wait!

Thursday Randomness: Frank & Hip Get Steampunked

Last week, I gave readers of the Lair their first look at my upcoming storyline for a Steampunk-inspired adventure called "Frank and Hip Get Steampunked." While I won't give up any story details, at this point, I've got another look at some of the graphic artwork I'm doing to get ready for this storyline. This picture just shows you Frank and Hip inside the cabin of a dirigible (which you saw in last week's sneak peak).



Part of what inspired this idea for a Steampunk storyline was reading Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. This was my second foray into the Steampunk genre as a reader, and I enjoyed it enough to explore the genre within my comic strip. As for what will happen to Frank and Hip, you'll find out in June.

In the meantime, don't forget to go vote for my Flash Fiction story "The Third Bear's Revenge" in Cherie Reich's contest. Visit her blog to cast your vote, and then I hope you'll linger to explore her corner of Cyberspace. You've got until tomorrow morning to cast your vote, so get on it! After all, Ted might break your legs if you don't.

Be sure to come back to the Lair tomorrow for Frank Friday's comic strip, and don't forget to submit your caption for this week's "You Write the Caption" contest.

Thursday Randomness: Frank & Hip Get Steampunked

The Steampunk genre is all the rage these days, and it's prompted me to undertake what might prove one of the most ambitious storylines in the Lair's history. Some of you might have noticed a promo at the end of yesterday's Wildcat Wednesday episode for "Frank & Hip Get Steampunked." This is going to be one of the most graphic intensive episodes I've ever done, probably even more than the episodes I created for the "Richmond Vice" storyline from 2009.

I won't reveal too much of what the story is about--not yet. As we get closer to the launch of the storyline, I'll drop a few more tidbits. Wallpaper will be unveiled later this month. For now, I'm going to use today's edition of "Thursday Randomness" to show off a small part of the graphic artwork I'm pre-producing (something I've never done for a storyline). This is the side view of an airship you'll see at some point in the story.



For those who aren't familiar with Steampunk, here's a link to Wikipedia's explanation. Some classic examples of the genre would be the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

In the meantime, don't forget to submit your caption for this week's "You Write the Caption!" contest. This one is already shaping up to be a tough choice again. Some of you having some truly scathing wit! And if you have a question you want to "Ask Uncle Kerouac," then don't forget to send your e-mail to "AskUncleK@gmail.com" to get his advice.

Thursday Randomness: Tales of a Checkered Man

For this edition of "Thursday Randomness," I'm using my place in cyberspace to promote one of my fellow web comic creators. Denver Brubaker produces a rather funny superhero spoof called "Tales of a Checkered Man." I have to add that it's a very well-drawn feature, too.



Earlier this week, Denver was featured in a podcast for "Comics Coast to Coast." The conversation is a bit lengthy, but especially for comic lovers, most of the discussion is very funny stuff. Even if you don't check out the podcast, be sure to visit Denver's comic strip. You won't regret it.

Also, don't forget to submit your questions seeking advice for "Ask Uncle Kerouac" to "AskUncleK@gmail.com." I'll have the next edition of Uncle Kerouac's advice vlog on Monday. And be sure to return here tomorrow for the Frank Friday episode of my comic strip.

Thursday Randomness

Since I now have something fresh going up on this blog Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, I've decided I need something extra for Thursday. What is it? Well, it's just gonna be plain randomness--Thursday Randomness.

For today, a video from YouTube that truly bespeaks the total geekiness of my youth, because watching it gave me goosebumps and made me laugh. Enjoy.