I just signed up for Amazon.com‘s AmazonConnect, a service that gives authors some space on the Amazon site in which to plug themselves and their wares. This means I now have a page there, plus a plog (a promotional weblog).

I also received a kind letter from Tyler Hill, the AmazonConnect project manager, telling me how happy it made him to see a game designer joining the fold. He’s a gamer himself, and he’d love to have more designers signing up. (That’s an elbow in the ribs to you designers lurking out there.)

Notes like that (and one in recent comments from Tim Kelly) make my day. There’s a large contingent of gamers out there, but we blend into the rest of the world so well it’s impossible to pick each other out unless someone speaks up.

Mike Stackpole has often advocated a logo/symbol/rune/sigil of some sort that gamers could use to identify themselves. Think of the “diver down” stickers you see on the cars of SCUBA fans. The trick is coming up with something that we’d all instantly recognize and be proud to slap on our prized possessions for the public to see.

Mike suggested a chess knight on a hex, but it never seemed to catch fire. Perhaps a d20 would do it, but that leaves out lots of other types of games. It’s hard to collect such a diverse group of hobbies under a single symbol that works intuitively. If anyone out there has a great idea, though, I’d love to hear it.

I haven’t been to Origins (the second-largest adventure games convention in the USA, after Gen Con) for a while. Two years ago, I had a deadline for a Blood Bowl novel that I couldn’t get around. Last year, I had to choose between Origins and Comic-Con International. I hadn’t been to Comic-Con for a number of years, so San Diego won out.

This year, I’m going back to Columbus.

The kind folks at GAMA asked me to serve as Origins’ Gaming Guest of Honor this year, and I happily accepted the honor. Honestly, I’m flattered silly. So, you can look for me in Columbus, Ohio, from July 5—8, 2007. I hope to see you there!

Just in time for Halloween, Firefly Games publishes the first full roleplaying game product I’ve written in a long time: The Haunted Castle. This is the first adventure expansion for Faery’s Tale, the new RPG for the young and young at heart. Best of all, the PDF is only $2.95, so if you’re interested in what I think faery heroes should be doing for Halloween, be sure to pick it up!

Yesterday, two prominent gaming professionals had rough days.

First, Julia Martin (former editor for GDW and TSR and editor and webmistress for Wizards of the Coast) had a stroke. It appears to have been a minor one, and she’s already on the mend. I can barely imagine how terrifying it must have been for her and her husband. After all, she works with words, and it smacked her in her speech center.

Second, some thugs assaulted and robbed Steve Jackson in his own neighborhood. Apparently he’s fine, although his injuries merited a trip to the ER and some kind of serious pain meds.

Here’s to brighter, better days for both Steve and Julia!

I’ve succumbed to the socially transmitted internet virus known as MySpace. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll end up doing with the page I have there, as I plan to spend most of my efforts on Forbeck.com, as usual, but the site is up and running. If you’d like to add me as your friend, please do. Thanks!

I had a great time at the Roscoe branch of the North Suburban Library yesterday. About 10 kids showed up, of many different ages. They, some of their parents, and Nicole Johnson, the librarian who set the event up, made for a great, fun audience, and we all had a fun time.

We’re going to do it all over again tomorrow at the Loves Park branch. Once again, I’ll have some free games on hand from my friends at <a href=“http://www.tomorrowisyesterday.com/”>Tomorrow Is Yesterday</a>/<a href=“http://www.blackhawkhobby.com/”>Blackhawk Hobby Distributors</a>, courtesy of their buyer, my pal Gilbert Milner. I drove by this library on my way to pick up the games yesterday, and they had my name up on the marquee out front, which I found oddly flattering. It’s not often a game designer or writer gets to see his name up in lights. Anyhow, if you’re in the area, I hope to see you there.

Next Monday and Wednesday, I’ll give talks at two of the branches of the North Suburban Library District for their Teens Read Week. I’ll be at the Roscoe, IL, branch (at 5562 Clayton Circle) on Monday, October 16, from 6:30—7:30 PM, and at the same time at the Loves Park, IL, branch (at 6340 North 2nd Street) on Wednesday, October 18.

The great guys at Tomorrow Is Yesterday/Blackhawk Hobby Distributors have offered up some free games from their slightly dinged pile, for me to hand out at the talks. If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop in and join us. We’ll have some fun, and you might walk home with a free game too.

I’ve had to drop out of the Wisconsin Book Festival next weekend for personal reasons. A chance has come up to visit my grandparents instead. At 92 years old, my grandfather’s recently been put into a nursing home. I haven’t seen him or my grandmother for far too long, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do so again.

My apologies if you hoped to see me there. Either way, I encourage you to go. The festival has a great lineup of authors attending, and I’m sure you’ll find much to enjoy.