So, Nerd Nexus was a couple of weeks ago, and we had a great time! Along with numerous other authors, artists and various vendors, we met a lot of great people, made contacts with a bunch of other creatives, and got to hang out with Marines for a while.
Marines!
Recon Marines?
I even had swag to go with Tales of the E4 Mafia, thanks to Henchman Press!
We even did a panel on all the things we wished we’d known when we started. Four authors, each with different experiences and views on a great many things. The attendees seemed to get a lot out of it and had fun as well!
So, along with finding readers who enjoyed my stories, I met these great people:
There was a great bunch of people attending, some very cool cosplays, and con was well run and very supportive of the vendors and fans. They’re already planning for next year, and I fully plan to attend again!
Alright, I’ll admit that I’ve got a lot going on all at once. Maybe even too many things.
I’m editing one of my stories, Date Night, for submission to Bayonet Book’s Fields of Honor, an anthology about dueling as a theme. Yes, it is a romance story. Yes, it has duels. I know what I’m doing. At least I think I do.
I’m also editing stories for Tales of the E4 Mafia 2 and Butter Bars! Large and (not so) in Charge! anthologies for Henchman Press.
There’s also a short story I’m working on titled Ensign, about a recent graduate of a military academy who’s internship with a free marine battalion turned into a real life leadership course. Military fantasy for the win!
Last, I’m getting everything together for Nerd Nexus convention next week. I’ve got one more shipment of products coming and it’s just a trip to Nebraska and getting to know the Nebraska con scene! This should be a fun first time experience for me. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, finding some new fans and having fun at a cool new con!
On the positive side, I have plenty of coffee and my ADHD seems to be in a good place, because I’m getting things done.
Let me know what you’re interested in, and if you can make it to Nerd Nexus in Kearney, Nebraska next week end!
Just posting that I’ll have a vendor table at Nerd Nexus in Kearney, Nebraska on the 6th and 7th of September!
I’ll let everyone know what my schedule is at the con, but I’ve got a load of my books, and a couple of anthologies that I’m in that will be available.
If you want to pick up a signed copy of any of my books, this is a great time to come by, support a new convention and meet great creators in the midwest!
I’ve even got Moving Target and Easy Jobs with their new covers! Tiffanie Gray did an amazing work with both books!
If you want to learn more about Nerd Nexus please hit their main page or their Facebook page!
I’m waiting for edits on Date Night (a cyberpunk romance thriller) so I can submit it to an anthology.
I’m editing for Tales of the E4 Mafia 2 and Butter Bars! Large and (Not So) In Charge! anthologies.
So, of course, I’m writing a military fantasy story. It’s about an Ensign interning with a platoon of mercenary marine infantry dealing with what should be a raiding party in a small port village on the coast. Instead, he’s got heavily armed and armored hyena faced warriors who are far more capable. than a pirate or raider band would normally be.
And a they’ve killed the platoon’s lieutenant, so our unlucky ensign is the officer of the day whether he’s ready or not.
Here’s a snippet:
Marine Sergeant Othgrel Skullsplitter was less than pleased by her current assignment. It wasn’t trying to defend a coastal village against raiders. No, that was a normal tasking the 2nd Free Marine Battalion was hired for once or twice a month. her issue was coddling the ensign who was seconded to Lieutenant Hailt, the platoon leader. She wondered if Grem cared at all for her constant effort to grow stronger and prove her ability in war, to have let her get saddled with the just graduated cadet from Swentland’s Officer Training Academy.
“Ensign, please bring yourself over to me,” the gnome said, hearing the sounds of fighting somewhere to their left.
“Yes, sergeant,” the young man nodded and rushed toward her, his kit rattling as he approached.
“Need to lash that trash down, Ensign,” she gave him a sideways glance before leaning to the edge of the hut they were sheltering behind.
“Yes, Sergeant. Shouldn’t we be helping?” the ensign asked.
“No, sir. My job is keeping you alive through this,” Othgrel explained, “Let you get a look at the job before you get into the real.”
“I see. I should stay with you and observe while the platoon handles things. But I can’t see much from here.”
Oh, joy. He caught on, the sergeant thought, “Not to worry, Ensign. We’ll move in a moment to get you some sights.”
“You sound like you’ll enjoy that, Sergeant.”
“I will. Not sure you’ll enjoy it, Ensign.”
“That’s what I’m here to see,” the ensign shrugged, shifting his shield and sword.
“Well, let’s find out,” Othgrel grinned, leaned around the building and moved forward, sprinting to the edge of the hut. That gave her a view of the town’s square, where the platoon was battling some kind of troops.
These were supposed to be coastal raiders. What Othgrel saw were coherent troops moving against a solid squad of free marine infantry. Checking the field, Lieutenant Hailt stood behind the squad, his bow up, but otherwise doing his duty of directing the sergeants and marines. An arrow flew, he gave an order, and then released another arrow. One of the attackers fell out of the shield wall marching on her Marines.
Scanning the attackers for any kind of identifying marks, Othgrel felt the Ensign move up behind her, leaning over her. Ignoring the kid, she spotted another of the attackers across the square, stepping from behind a building and raising a crossbow. She stepped forward, raising her own bow, but she was a step too slow. They released their bolt, and stepped back. Glancing to the left, she saw the quarrel protruding from Hailt’s throat. The officer dropped his bow as blood spurted from the wound, and then he collapsed to one knee. The marines on the line held their place while another, Corporal Guidoft from the look, raced over.
Hopefully, I can get this story finished and out to the reading public soon!
I’m doing something new! I’ll have a vendor table at Nerd Nexus Con in Kearney, Nebraska on the 6th and 7th of September! Nerd Nexus is a new con, and I’m happy to be able to participate and learn my way around selling my books to new people.
Along with a bunch of other cool vendors and authors, there will be cosplay, panels and creative workshops, an artist alley, and special guests. You can check the con’s Facebook page for updates on guests and events!
So, if you’re in the area and want to pick up signed copies of Moving Target, Easy Jobs, the anthology Clash of Steel or Slay Bells Ring, come by and check out the event. It’s always great to meet and talk with friends who’ve read my books, or new readers looking for fun stories!
I’m looking forward to meeting you at Nerd Nexus! It will be a blast!
If you’ve followed me on social media or know me personally, it’s pretty clear that I’m big on fitness, working out, and eating (reasonably) healthy choices. We’ll discuss whiskey and beers later 🙂
First, let’s talk about something basic. If it separates you from the ground, that’s a good place to spend money. You want to wear good shoes, sit on good chairs, and sleep on good mattresses. Doing the best you can with these items will save you tons of pain with back and feet problems through your live.
Second, drink water. Drink water throughout the day. You need about 80 ounces of water (a little less than 2.5 liters). This will help keep your body operating well, and flush out waste products your body creates. Additionally, you’ll be able to avoid a lot of other people’s drama simply because you’re in the rest room 🙂
Third, you can get a lot of exercise simply by going for a 5 minute walk every hour. Whether you’re writing through the day or working a day job, just going for a short walk every hour will get you 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise in a normal 8 hour work day.
Fourth, you can do body weight exercises anywhere and at any time. I suggest, if you don’t have a fitness program, that you do planks first thing in the morning and right before bed, and squats at least once an hour when you stand up from a chair or the couch.
Fifth, stretch. You can stretch whenever you want to. If you’re an author or use a computer heavily, stop and rotate your wrists every couple of hours to loosen up your wrists.
Sixth, sleep. Set an alarm to go to bed on time, and get up on time. You need about 8 hours of sleep daily to be rested, healthy, and largely functional. So make sleep a real priority.
Seventh, prioritize eating healthy foods. Plan your meals so you have good options for breakfast, healthy meals for lunch at your work, and you can be prepared for good dinners. Don’t keep lots of unhealthy snacks in your house, and do keep healthy snack options, like fruit and nuts, so you don’t go for a drive to keep unhealthy snacks.
While this isn’t a total list for every possible health and fitness option, it should provide a good start. If you need more help, or want to develop a more detailed plan, email me at keith@keithhedger.com
So, in true ADHD fashion, I’ve managed to have far too many projects stack up at the same time. Also, yes, I am solidly ADHD, which means I either have to be insanely well organized, or I find myself in this situation.
First thing, I completed my last direct edits on Date Night, which I intend to submit to an anthology. Right now it’s out to a technical expert and my editor (not the same people) for a read through and then Date Night, my first and only (so far) romance oriented story will be sent out into the world.
Next, I’m going to focus on editing the stories I’ve selected for Tales of the E4 Mafia 2, and I’ll be writing a story for Butter Bars! This story is military fantasy, so that’s a very different style than my Burn and Bad Karma stories.
Once I get all that done, I’m back to novels. Look forward to more long format Burn and Bad Karma stories coming as soon as I can get them done!
And, since I wrapped a major edit, check out this song as a victor song for my cyberpunk stories!
So, I’m writing two stories and editing a third story at the moment.
The good news is that I found a home for Date Night, a romance novella based around Burn and Bad Karma going on a date. Well, after dealing with some other people’s shenanigans, and a bit of gun fighting, a car chase, and some gun slinging before it’s over. It also involves an Eastern European mob. In Atlanta. And, yes, I did check with TA Walker, who writes romance. She confirms that Date Night is a romance story.
I’m also working on a military fantasy short story about an ensign who’s interning with a mercenary marine infantry formation. This is for the Butter Bars anthology I’m working on with Henchman Press. Hopefully, I’ll get this finished in the next couple of weeks so I can start sharing some snippets.
Last, I’m working on the rough draft of the sixth novel in the Burn and Bad Karma series. I’ve got too many story lines, and my ADHD is showing hard right now, but I’ll get it done and then clean it up in edits. I’ve posted a few snippets of this one on social media and people like what they’ve seen!
So, that’s where I am in the world of writing. Things are busy and I’m juggling a lot of projects, but they’re getting done as fast as I can get words into files and then cleaned up in edits!
Thanks for all your patience as I keep rolling toward new stories going into the world!
As I’m working through rebranding and getting new covers on my books, I’ve had the great fortune to work with Tiffanie Gray, who has nailed Moving Target and Easy Jobs.
As is usually the case, authors have a view of what their covers should look like. This idea usually has little connection to what readers are looking for when they look for books in their preferred genre. Tiffanie does a great job of pointing out the marketing needs of the cover, as well as incorporating ideas that work and help the cover become part of the story I’m trying to tell.
As you can tell, Tiffanie does excellent work and creates outstanding covers!
If you need help with covers, get in touch with Tiffanie at tiffanie_gray@sbcglobal.net
A few weeks back we had a sad moment at my home. Ein, my perpetual buddy through runs, walks, gym workouts and hours writing and editing stories, passed away. After 12 years of Ein being with us through everything from Georgia summers to Iowa winters. training for and running a half marathon with me, many walks, and being introduced to deer and horses, Ein has moved on across the rainbow bridge.
Yes, this has impacted me. I find myself looking for my buddy. I get up in the morning, and he’s not there waiting to go outside and then get his morning treat. He isn’t looking for me to take him for a walk when I get home from work. He’s not sleeping near one of us when it rains, and he’s not stalking the kitchen and dining room when we’re cooking or eating. I’m still processing the loss of a being I spent significant amounts of time with, who taught me a lot about life, loving my people, and how to live life.
But I had the privilege of being a good human to a very good boy for twelve years. I miss him.
Keith Hedger's Home for Fiction 