Tommy Lee Edwards, the fantastic artist who provided covers for my Dracula’s Revenge comics from IDW, is taking part in the Ride for Kids on May 4,2008. For this event, thousands of motorcyclists ride to raise money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, which funds research for a cure for brain tumors in kids. This is a great, worthy cause …
Macs and ARGs
Last year, a group of marketers decided to try to sell a package of Mac shareware by means of an alternate reality game (ARG). To that end, they launched MacHeist, and for every mission you went on (puzzle you solved) you received a discount on the package. (Wikipedia has a good article on it, including the criticisms of the concept …
One More Plug
I forgot one: My pal Jason Blair just had his first comic book hit stores this month: The Long Count. Jason wrote the words, Leanne Buckley drew the pictures, and Mark Smiley of Archaia Studios Press presented it to the world. I gotta get me to a comic store fast.
Plugging Away
A few of my friends have bits in the works that might interest you. First up, Rich Dansky‘s first creator-owned novel, Firefly Rain, is due out January 8. This is the debut novel for Wizards of the Coast Discoveries, the new all-original imprint from Wizards, and knowing Rich it’s bound to be great. I don’t know any more about it …
Gameplaywright Time
My pals Jeff Tidball and Will Hindmarch just launched Gameplaywright.net, their new joint blog on the confluence of games and stories. The site is up and running now, although it officially goes live tomorrow. If you’re looking for some sharp and thoughtful writing on how such things work and inform each other, you need go no further.
TSR Memories for Sale
Kevin Hendryx, a TSR employee back in the early ’80s, is selling his collection of TSR stuff on eBay. It’s a wild gathering of items ranging from business cards and character sheets to rare zines and even letters of resignation. The biggest find is the set of print negatives for the original, banned version of the D&D module B3 Palace …
Bella Times
My pal Peter Adkison appears in the business section of today’s New York Times. The article covers Peter’s new company, Hidden City Games, and its hit CCG, Bella Sara (which my daughter Helen adores). Peter and his crew recently raised $15 million in venture capital to push Bella Sara. The article ends unsure about the chances of Bella Sara‘s success. …
Words for Food
My sister Jody pointed out to me a new site called FreeRice.com. It’s a neverending vocabulary quiz, with sponsors that put up money to buy rice for the United Nations World Food Program. As a professional writer, I’m always happy to expand my vocabulary, especially for a good cause. Plus, it helps hone my Scrabulous skills, so it’s research time …
Nephew Wins!
My pal John Nephew of Atlas Games fame won his race for one of the two open seats on the city council of Maplewood, Minnesota, last night. Congratulations, John! It’s always great to see someone step up and try to make a difference.
30 Days Tonight
30 Days of Night, the film based on the graphic novel, opens tonight. My good friends at IDW published the original story, and my friend Jeff Mariotte co-wrote the novelization of the film* two original tie-ins based on the series. I’ve not met Steve Niles–who wrote the story (and the novels with Jeff)–but I’ve had a couple of long chats …