The world is going to end on December the 21st, 2012… or so the Mayans would have us believe anyway.
The Mayan calendar only actually goes up to that date, marking the end of an epoch and the beginning of another, or giving the date for the Apocalypse.
Nobody really knows.
I've read quite a lot on the subject and the evidence to support the "it's-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it" speculation is extraordinarily weighty. In fact, to the man on the street who doesn't know a solar flare to a case of sunburn, it's all too convincing.
The theory goes that the alignment of the planets in our solar system and the position of our solar system in relation to the Milky Way on that day, will leave us open to a massive drenching of solar energy (i.e. radiation).
Now I've just encapsulated the whole theory in one neat little paragraph but it'd take a whole book to put it across properly, so I'll stop right there.
What I want to tell you about is an Anthology of short stories about the End of the World according to the Mayan Calendar thingy-majig. Severed press want short stories based around AD2012; which, incidentally, is what it's called.
I'm interested.
I've got till April to sort a story out, (plenty of time), and to do all my research, (what research? I know the subject backwards).
So I think I'll make the deadline.
Right, the story…
Well I had a think about it last night.
My story development process normally revolves around the beginning, then the end, the characters and then the bit in the middle.
So my beginning will start off with the hero, or maybe the villain… yes, he'll be a villain, watching the world through lead lined glass as the first invisible spears of radiation hit the world. (Invisible spears of radiation… I like that one, it stays).
The ending of any short story must have a twist. I hate short stories that dwindle off into an artistic nothingness leaving the reader to guess at what happened.
Realisation of a definite point is far better than aimlessly contemplating on what the writer might have meant, is my school of thought on an ending.
As it happens, I have an ending already so I'm one sixteenth of the way there already.
Easy.
April, watch out Severed press, I'm gonna knock your socks off, lol.

Take care.
Reg :-)

Finished the "Hot-Gates-into-a-comic" thing.
I'm going to leave it for the day and then look at it again tomorrow, just to make sure the story flows nicely and that it makes sense.
I'm really excited about it actually.

Still heard nothing from the Snowbooks peeps.
Is that a good sign?
Knowing my luck, no.
Whatever, at least they want to see the whole MS and not just the first six chapters and a synopsis. It makes you feel like they're giving you a fighting chance, (until that rejection slip just wafts through the intray and destroys my day...Doh!)

So, that's it dear reader.
Take care and have a good one.
Reg :-)

So what's new then?
Well nothing actually.
I'm steadily eating up the pages on the "Hot Gates into a comic story" idea and my buddy, The Chee, wants to do it whether Dani can sort out something with one of her friends or not.
Which is mighty Welsh of him, actually.
I'm off now for the whole weekend, which is nice.
A party tonight and tomorrow followed by a Sunday of rest and recuperation on the sofa being tortured by my kids.

I'm sorting out an outline for a short story set in WW1. Nothing definite yet but it's on the tip of my cerebral lobes and I'll splurge it out onto a page sometime next week… sounds a bit naughty that doesn't it?
Only to the dirty-minded, Reg.
Oh.
OK, whatever, catch you again.
Reg :-)

Nothing to add today.

I wish somebody would mail me with some good news...
literally speaking of course.

Reg :-/

So here's the plan.
You know about the 300-Spartans-go-vampire story that I scribbled down.
Well a mate of mine is a graphic designer, who is itching to do a graphic novel.
It was originally intended to do it for 'Division' but the time involved in changing a 140,000 word novel into an elongated comic book was too daunting to really consider.
We played with the thought every time we were whammoed together but it never went any place further than the drunken drawing board.
However, The Hot Gates, as it's called is only 10,275 words. A far more promising project, with closer horizons and a tighter play.
It's a job that could be accomplished in his spare time and not get in the way of his career.

So The Chief, (The Chief of Beers, what a stupid nickname. We also call him The Chee, which is even stupider.)
As I was saying, the Chief is willing to put The Hot Gates down in comic form.
However, I don't want to mess the boy around. It would be far better to find a publishing firm who deal in this type of literature first and then put it to paper.
That's where my friend Dani comes in.
When we first mentioned putting Div. of the Damned into comic form, Dani said that she knew two comic book publishers personally.
"Well," said I, "do you think they'd be interested in this?"
"I don't know" was the reply. "I'll have to find out."
And that's where it all sort of drizzled out.
Anyway, I've asked her again if she's still in contact with these comic book dudes and I'm hoping against hope that she say's yes.
I can't tell you how much I'm hoping here, lol.

Whatever, now you know.
Have a good one, whatever it is you're doing.
Reg J