Wednesday Rants: November 13, 2012

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome back for another round of Wednesday ranting. Honestly, I really did not prepare a rant this week. So much has been going on around me since New York Comic-Con that I really don't have anything in mind to talk about.

Well, I guess I can talk about last night. Well I demonstrated my board game Artemis Neo: Battle of Kendel's Den. It is set after the events of 'Artemis Neo' that I released on Fictionaut and later on Kindle in 'Duality of Science'. It is straight up space combat, just eliminate the opponent's fleet first to win. Well the good news is that the game works, but with flaws. Mainly due to the die roll's probability. Artemis Neo did meet great praises. The people who played it had fun and offered their feedback and what they thought would make the game better. It was very eventful and I walked away from it surprised that the game turned out great.

So I spent most of today improving the game. I wouldn't say it's a overhaul, I only eliminated just one rule and adjusted the other. The rest are additions that expanded the game. Once I get a chance at playtesting it again next month, hopefully, I can then take it to the next level and seek a publisher.

Overall I am excited that I got this to work and people enjoyed. I am very happy that I got a good game made. The same can be said for Eivo, nothing in that game got eliminated and it was mostly adjusting and addition. So I pretty have 2 working board games that just need one more playthrough before taking out to the market submissions.

I hope you all are enjoying 'Arcana Magi Memorial Vol.4'. I feel I am getting the hang of writing 5 page chapters, but honestly I feel I could do more. Either way this week's chapter will be exciting, and then I'll be winding down in chapter 5. 'Arcana Magi Pure Vol. 4' will happen around January/February to round out 'Arcana Magi Season 4'.

I intend to take a total break in December so I can work on an novel of mine I had been working on since 2001. I really have put off third drafting this story, which really needs it, but it is a good thing because if I submitted as it is, I would not picked up. I've already outlined what need to be fixed, added, covered, and so on. So hopefully I'll have it ready sometime around next year and a Publishing house.

So this is what I have in mind for this week. I'll see you all on the 27th for another round of ranting. Have good night.

Until next time...

See ya.

Quick NOTES: November #2

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another edition of Quick NOTES.

--Now on Fictionaut: 'Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter 3'

With security increased, Azure meets up with Jean-Pierre and have a little talk.


--Now Available on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Fridays

Get your copy of 'Shell', the prequel to 'The Geolyth Equation' as seen on 'Duality of Horror', today!


--Tuesday November 12 from 6:50 PM to 9:15 PM: The IGDA NJ Arcade and Demo Night

I will be attending this event once again.The game I will be presenting is 'Artemis Neo: Battle of Kendal's Den'. Swing on by if you're interested in trying out my game, and many other participants. The link is provided here.

All the information is in this link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/187996724718400/192520837599322/?comment_id=192536457597760&notif_t=event_mall_comment

That's all the Qick NOTES for today. I'll see you all Wednesday for the 'Wednesday Rants'.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

NEWS and NOTES: November Edition

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to this months edition of 'NEWS and NOTES'. Hope you all are enjoying 'Arcana Magi Memorial', cause there are 3 more chapters to go this month.

--Friday, November 8, 2013 on Fictionaut at 8:00 PM EST: 'Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter 3'

With security increased, Azure meets up with Jean-Pierre and have a little talk.


--Friday, November 8, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Fridays

Get your copy of 'Shell', the prequel to 'The Geolyth Equation' as seen on 'Duality of Horror', today!


--Tuesday November 12 from 6:50 PM to 9:15 PM: The IGDA NJ Arcade and Demo Night

I will be attending this event once again. Tomorrow will be the Demo announcements, so I will know then if I got a table or not, so check out the Facebook Event Planner for the update.

All the information is in this link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/187996724718400/192520837599322/?comment_id=192536457597760&notif_t=event_mall_comment


-- Wednesday, November 13, 2013: 'Wednesday Rants'

Join H-M Brown as he talks about his writings and other projects.



--Friday, November 15, 2013 on Fictionaut at 8:00 PM EST: 'Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter 4'

Everything comes to light in this latest chapter.


--Friday, November 22, 2013 on Fictionaut at 8:00 PM EST: 'Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter 5'

Prepare for the dramatic conclusion to Volume 4.


--Friday, November 22, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Fridays


Get your copy of 'Shell', the prequel to 'The Geolyth Equation' as seen on 'Duality of Horror', today!


-- Wednesday, November 27, 2013: 'Wednesday Rants'

Join H-M Brown as he talks about his writings and other projects.


That's all for this month. The holidays are here and enjoy the holiday cheer.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

Quick Notes: November #1

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of Quick NOTES.It's the first of November and its going to be exciting month for Arcana Magi Fans.

--Now released on Fictionaut: Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter2

Azure receives new info about the Circle of Four but she also has to give information about her past.

Click on the sidebar link to check it out.


--Monday, November 4, 2013 on Blogspot and Facebook: NEWS and NOTES November Issue.

Catch up on all upcoming events and appearances by H-M Brown.

Those are the Quick Notes due to the unusual October day alignment.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

Quick Notes: October #1

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of Quick NOTES. Twas an amazing month, and now the moment you all been waiting a year for.

-Now released on Fictionaut: Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter 1

After Azure returns from the Purification Clinic, a strange surprise arrives outside her dormitory.

Click on the sidebar link to check it out.


-Thursday, October 31, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Fridays

Enjoy your Halloween fright night with your free copy of 'Shell' and scare all your friends.


-Friday, November 1, 2013 on Fictionaut at 8:00 PM EST: Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter2

Catch Azure, Ciel and Sora as their next adventure continues.

-Monday, November 4, 2013 on Blogspot and Facebook: NEWS and NOTES November Issue.

Catch up on all upcoming events and appearances by H-M Brown.

Those are the Quick Notes due to the unusual October day alignment. Look forward to delivering Chapter 2 next week.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

NEWS and NOTES: October Edition

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to this months edition of 'NEWS and NOTES'. It is a slow month of course because of this weeks events, but there is going to be a little fun at the end of the month.

-Tomorrow October 8 from 6:45 PM to 9:15 PM: The IGDA NJ Arcade and Demo Night

I will be attending this event demoing my board game 'Eivo'. This event is open for everyone and a table of provided for me for all of you to play. Now is your change to try out one of my game prototypes alongside many other tabletop and video games. I look forward to seeing you all there. All the information is in this link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/200920173420790/


-This Weekend October 10 - 13: New York Comic Con 2013

I will be roaming the halls for the first time as a Professional. Unfortunately, I was one day late to book a Panel or Autograph session, but I am more than happy to shake hands and have picture taken. I wil be attending All Weekend long.

-Friday, October 18, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Fridays

Get your copy of 'Shell', the prequel to 'The Geolyth Equation' as seen on 'Duality of Horror', today!

-Friday, October 25, 2013 on Fictionaut at 8:00 PM EST: Arcana Magi Memorial Vol. 4 - Chapter 1

Azure, Sora and Ciel are back with a whole new action pack Volume. Detail coming soon in Facebook Events.

-Thursday, October 31, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Fridays

Enjoy your Halloween fright night with your free copy of 'Shell' and scare all your friends.


So those are this months events. Facebook Event Page is up and running. It is gonna be both amazing and exciting. I look forward to meeting some of you in person if you are attending, and I look forward to bringing you all another round of Arcana Magi's Fourth Season.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

Quick NOTES: September Edition

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of Quick NOTES.

-Prototype Presentations Throwdown: Sunrise and Game Resort are now up and running on YouTube. Click on the sidebar link to check it out.

-NEWS and NOTES and the Facebook Event Section will be up on October 7.

Thank you all for stopping by.

Until next time...

See ya.

Wednesday Rants: September 25, 2013

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of Wednesday Ranting and it's a beefy one this week. I got some 'Thoughts on Writing' this week and some official announcements. So let us begin.



[Thoughts on Writing: The Strength of a Writer]

What is the strength of a writer? I had thought about this rather quickly, and honestly, I do not know where I will be at in the future regarding this question. For now, though, these are my current answers to this question.

Confidence. When I write, I have to sound like what I say on paper is strong. That the point I am making or the situation the characters go through does not sound weak. What I convey is done with a smile that I know what I am talking about. That if any of you can feel that confidence in how I present my story, then my strength can be seen clearly. Not just in how writing looks but in my voice amongst the narrative. I have to be sure of myself when writing the things I write and not be too scared to express it. There are a lot of thins I have written between Fictionaut and Kindle that if I did not feel confident of what I want to get across, I could end up discrediting myself as a writer or lose my readers altogether.

Competence. I feel it is very important then when I introduce things in a story, I know what I am talking about. Research into things like motorcycle engines that I used in Artemis Neo, and kinetic and potential energy which I used in Arcana Magi, are really helpful in writing. I may not have a science major when talking about technology but a little research allows readers to know that I at least took the time to understand things. Yeah with Science Fiction and Fantasy I am given a leeway to bend the rules to make things look cool, like sound in space, but that is not a license to dismiss the logic of the world. Rulemaking is also important. To stay consistent as thoroughly as possible is very important. Breaking the rules of the world you wrote will make you look incompetent as storyteller.

Comprehension. Look, I admit that I am not A+ on my grammar, but the least I can do is make my writings comprehensible. The simplest of writing, the Basics as I see it, is "The cat ran home." Even if I wrote that in my story, it's comprehensible. Could it be better than that as a sentence? Yes, and it should be, but I should not try to be so flowery with my writings that it reaches the point of incomprehension. When people read my writing, they expect me, as an author to have modicum of intelligence. If writing a sentence like "The cat ran home" allows me to come off as being comprehensible to my readers at the expense of poetry, that sentence will trump poetry all the time. That does not mean I should always write like that, but i should allow my readers to at least keep up with what I saying in text and not lose them in the narrative.

Overall, writing is not easy. It is difficult and it is challenging. The rewards are very high when one thinks about that fact that they actually created something they call their own invention. But what happens afterwards is as good as anybody's guess. As long as my writing feels Confident, looks Competent, and is Comprehensible to read, I believe my works will look strong, and I can become a strong writer, like I should be.


[New York Comic Con 2013]

I will be wandering the halls of the Jacob Javits Center. I acquired a Pro Badge this year thanks to 'The Impossible Man on Kindle', so I will be attending for 4 days instead of 3. Feel free to say hi, I am not afraid to shake hands and take a picture. Unfotunately I could build on my novels release because I was too late to Book anything up with the Convention like Panels or Autograph sessions. But I am looking forward to being there once again.

[No Wednesday Rants in October]

Due to New York Comic Con there will be no Wednesday Rants throughout the month. Wednesday Rants will return in November.

[NEWS and NOTES]

Because October is an off month, the first Monday of October is on the 7th. That will be when 'NEWS and NOTES' will be posted and the Facebook Events schedule will be updated.

[The Impossible Man on Kindle Update]

I will be updating 'The Impossible Man on Kindle' to do some extensive cleanup. I apologize for any inconvenience in my writing. I will post up when the update is available so you all can update your copies.

Thank you all for listening to my rants this week. next month is indeed a big month and I look forward to seeing you all on October 7th with the 'NEWS and NOTES' October Edition.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

Wednesday Rants: September 11, 2013

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of random ranting. This week I will be following up the last 'Thoughts on Writing' segment with this week's talk on 'The Way of the Writer'. So without further hesitation let us begin.


[Thoughts on Writing-The Way of the Writer

In my first year on Fictionaut, there was a forum post asking what we writers thought about writing. My answer was just straightforward.

We have something to say.
We have ideas to share.
We have information to relay.
We want to communicate.

I added that to my 'Why do you write?' of my Fictionaut profile and kind of left it there. But what did I mean by all of that. Well I took the time reflect on it since I said it with no rhyme or reason and I feel I could share this with all of you.

1- We have something to say.

One of things that make storytelling, throughout all media, is that there is underlying message or metaphor or allegory, just something there that grabs a persons attention. Historically speaking, many stories were written in certain ways to avoid things like imprisonment for speaking out against a government, or exploring a taboo. These are the thing that make people think, but it would never happen, if the storyteller had nothing to say. In all writings, regardless of quality, have this in common; the writer has something to say. Whether its comedy, or warning us about the dangers of damaging the environment, or challenging social norms, the writer is telling the story because he has something to say about it. It doesn't matter whether the reader agrees or not, or decides to scream controversy. It something the author saw that felt needed to be shared. It can have entertainment value, it can be hidden messages like in Grimms tales, but no matter what, the author is writing because they want to say something to someone, for better or for worse.

2- We have ideas to share.

One of the beauties of Science Fiction are the ideas of technology that come out of it. Many Sci-Fi writers in the 1800s had ideas of traveling through space, or using new types of weaponry to fight aliens, or building a new mode of transportation that benefits mankind. Ideas are not just relegated to Sci-Fi of course, many traditional fiction set in present eras of the time shared ideas from politics, to business, to schooling. Many writers have ideas that can be mind-blowing, make us think twice about the way we act as society, or the potential to improve society. Writing brings forth ideas for everyone.

3- We have information to relay.

Sometimes, we as a society act in our nature to ignore things, or be ignorant of what is happening around us. Sometimes it information that is not relevant to our situation, like computers. Sometimes it could be an issue that has nothing to with us. But the thing about writing is the author learned of something, saw something, had a conversation about something that could be informative and is not readily available. Whether fiction or non-fiction, writers convey the information they learn to the general public and let us know when something good is happening, or something bad is happening, and no one is aware of it. Just think of how many laws came into being, how companies changed their rules, and how many everyday people changed their lives around because of the writings they read. All because information was provided to the reader at their finger tips.

4- We want to communicate.

I read in one of the books, which I am sorry the title escapes me, while I was learning to improve my writing where the author asked a student a key thing to writing. The answer was communication. I found that interesting because communication has many forms but served one unifying purpose, to get us to talk to each other. Let me put it like this, there is a book about vampires that made a lot of money while simultaneously triggered vitriolic hate. Despite the panning, it did one thing amazingly, it got people to talk to each other. See, we human beings, well... we really need to talk to each other more often, and its very easy to do but somehow difficult. Writing is a good way to at least get us to talk to each other. Be it fun, informative, or fan-biased, storytelling allows readers the ability and freedom to provide feedback to each other on what they thought. It brings a person's characteristics and helps bring people together, or at least an understanding. The freedom to agree or disagree, or agree to disagree. But the underlying objective is to get people to talk to each other, because talking is good.]

So this ends another session of 'Thoughts on Writing'. I thank you all for joining and look forward the next session in two weeks. Free 'Shell' Friday is this week and falls on a very creepy date for all you Horror. Enjoy.

Until Next Time...
See ya.

NEWS and NOTES: Month of September

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another edition of 'NEWS and NOTES'. I hope you all had safe and fun holiday weekend. Summer is winding to an end an Fall is around the corner. So let us begin.

-Wednesday September 11, 2013 at 8:00 PM EST on Blogspot: Wednesday Rants.

Join H-M Brown as he shares his thoughts on writings and future plans.

-Friday September 13, 2013 on Amazon Kindle: Free 'Shell' Friday.

Get your free copy of 'Shell' the prequel to the 'The Geolyth Equation' today for your Amazon Kindle.


-Wednesday September 25, 2013 at 8:00 PM EST on Blogspot: Wednesday Rants.

Join H-M Brown as he shares his thoughts on writings and future plans.

 -Friday September 27, 2013 on YouTube: 'Prototype Presentations - Throwdown: Sunrise Inn and Game Resort.

Check out H-M Brown's latest game creation and learn how he built it from scratch.


This is the schedule for the month of September. Please follow me on Facebook where you will find the event planner. All dates are subjected to changes pending real life. Thank you all for joining me.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

Quick NOTESs: August #2

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to the latest Quick NOTES. I apologize for being a day late but I got some quick info for you.

- Free 'Shell' Fridays came and gone. I hope you all got your copy yesterday on Amazon Kindle.

-NEWS and NOTES will be this Monday September 2, 2013. I'll have the Facebook Event Planner setup and ready for the next month.

That's all for Quick NOTES. Thank you for joining and have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend.

Until Next Time...

See ya.

Wednesday Rants: August 28, 2013

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of random ranting. Today, I'll holding another 'Thoughts on Writing' session. The next three sessions, I will talking about the three things you may have seen on Fictionaut Profile Page; My Mantra, The Way of The Writer, and The Strength of a Writer. These may be very brief and short. Again, these are only my thoughts and not an absolute or a governing rule. My thoughts are subject to change as time rolls on and new things occur around me in my everyday life. So let us begin.

[Thoughts on Writing: My Mantra

This was the first thing I wrote in my profile page on Fictionaut. It kind of just came to me based on my experiences in learning how to right. I try my best to live up to my mantra, but I still feel I have along way to go to become a strong skilled writer.

-I write for everyone to read and enjoy.

While although many readers have particular tastes, that doesn't automatically mean I should exlude them from reading my story. The objective is to make sure my writings, no matter how quirky, or niche, I want these stories to be read by everyone. It is very important to me to make sure that my stories are accesible to everyone. Even if in the end they don't understand the stories, what's important is that did read it.

Most importantly, I have to make sure it is enjoyable. Reading is suppose to be fun, intriguing, and griping at times, but if readers do not come out of the story entertained and felt a level of enjoyment, then I know my writing is terrible. It is very important to bring our the joy in writing.

-I write to train hard to be a good author.

I am not a good writer, even if critics and fans say the contrary. I am always, ALWAYS, training, practicing, learning to be a good writer. Part of that is never stop writing, and I never will. If the accolades or the fortune and glory happens, then so be it. It still does not change the fact that I need to keep training harder to be a good writer. To never quit and have fun writing a wonderful creation.

- I write so I can learn the Art of Foreshadow.

How love how Foreshadowing works. All the intrigue and level captivation that can bring readers into the story. It is a double-edge sword, but it brings about a great challenge in writing. This is something I want to accomplish as a writer. The art behind this technique brings out its intricacies and flesh it out in a way that makes the story so complete and exciting. It can make the narrative all the more rewarding when the imagination springs forth in the readers mind as story goes in another unexpected direction. Using this technique to draw in my readers and put smiles on their faces when the reveal happens. This is part of my training as an author and I know I will succeed in using this.]

So those are my Thought on Writing, very brief and to the point. Part 2 will be about The Way of the Writer. I thank you all for listening to my rants. Quick Notes will be this Friday.

Until Next Time...

See ya

Wednesday Rants: August 14, 2013

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another round of random ranting. Today I'll be addressing a couple of things that have occurred over the past week. This will be a short session, so let's begin.

[Fictionaut Private Mode]

As you all may have read in the my Facebook Event Planner, I am going to set The Impossible Man, Beyond Logic A Matter of Time and The First Run in Private Mode this Friday. The set to Private Mode will be at 8:00 PM EST.

Now as I have discussed last month, real life is not playing favorites for me and I have to earn and income. I was going to have to make some hard decisions with my works, especially on Fictionaut and this is one of them. Now Private Mode basically means you have to be a Fictionaut Member in order to read a story by a Fictionaut writer. So if you are not part of Fictionaut, you won't get to read these three stories.

Now to be fair, The Impossible Man on Fictionaut remains untouched and is in its 2010 release version. Which means that the scenes that I added into the Kindle version as well as any editing I did are not present. In essence the Fictionaut version is the inferior and the Kindle version is the superior. I decided to set to private mode for three reasons. 1) Posterity, a great opportunity for people to see the evolution of book writing. 2) Not to mislead people in thinking the Fictionaut version is the same exact Kindle version. 3) Publicity. I do not want to confuse the media that I am trying to connect with or get caught in an unnecessary controversy. setting to Private Mode feels the lesser of two controversies.

Please try to understand, if I had a more favorable luck on my side, I would totally keep everything status quo, but life does not play favorites and I have to make something of myself and my works. I thank you all for you understanding and support.

[Thought on Writing]

I have a few topics in mind, I might make it a 2-parter or something, but next Rants I totally am going to a new subject on Thought on Writing. So make sure to join me then.

[New York Comic-Con 2013]

Yes I am heading back to the con in the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. This time with a Pro Badge. Thanks to the release of The Impossible Man, I qualified for 4-Day Professional Badge. However, I still haven't finalized my schedule since the Con also falls on Thursday and Friday and the future is uncertain. What do I have planned? I do not know yet, because I still haven't found out what a Pro-Badge will do for other than going to Professional Areas. But NYCC is in October and this is August, so there are plenty of time to get things together. So stay tuned on future developments.

Well that's all I have on my mind. I thank you for listening to my rant and I will see you next session.

Until next time...

See ya.

Quick NOTES: August #1

Greetings Fellow Readers!

A big heads up... I'll be attending New York Comic-Con 2013 which will run Oct 10-13.

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

This time with a Professional Badge! Yay! I'll have more Info on my activities in the coming weeks.

Looking forward to seeing you all there in October.


Until Next Time...

See ya.

NEWS and NOTES: Month of August

Greetings Fellow Readers! Welcome to another edition of the monthly 'NEWS and NOTES'. This is going to be a slow month due to personal issues, but there are a couple of big things coming up so read on.

NEWS:

-August 14, 2013 on Blogspot: The Wednesday Rants

Join H-M Brown as he shares his thoughts on writing, talks about future plans, and share additional info on upcoming releases.

-August 16, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Friday

Get your Free copy of 'Shell', prequel to 'The Geolyth Equation' Featured on 'Duality of Horror - A Short Story Double Feature' on Kindle today.


-August 16, 2013 on Fictionaut: The following works will be set to private mode...

The Impossible Man

The First Run

Beyond Logic: A Matter of Time.

Please see 'NOTES' Section for more details.

-August 28, 2013 on Blogspot: The Wednesday Rants

Join H-M Brown as he shares his thoughts on writing, talks about future plans, and share additional info on upcoming releases.

-August 30, 2013 on Kindle: Free 'Shell' Friday

Get your Free copy of 'Shell', prequel to 'The Geolyth Equation' Featured on 'Duality of Horror - A Short Story Double Feature' on Kindle today.


NOTES:

As you have seen on the upcoming schedule, I will setting 2 stories in Fictionaut to Private Mode. This means that you have to be a Fictionaut Member to view and read these works. Please bear with me for I do need to make an income and this did not come as an easy decision. I decided to try what I felt was meeting halfway by letting Artemis Neo and Beyond Logic: The Jury of My Peers to remain unlock only because they are one half of a dual set released on Kindle. The prices on Kindle is $.99 for this purpose and will not see any price hikes for Duality of Science and Beyond Logic Vol. 1.

I am giving all of you all an 11 day notice if you wish read or finish up reading where you are at, but unless you are a Fictionaut Member, you will have to purchase a copy on Kindle to read the stories set to Private Mode. The other coice would have been to remove them from Fictionaut altogether meaning deleting them from the website, and I really did not want to do that after all these years.

Again, I am sorry if you feel it is unfair, but life is not giving me a fair shake and I have to make that fair shake with my own two hands somehow. The stories are still available for reading, you just have to join Fictionaut to get to them.

I thank you for your understanding and patience, and I hope you continue your patronage of my works now and in the future.