No word yet on whether or not I'll be hosting a game of Ephemeris, but here's the schedule as I have it now...

Fri. 4pm 100 years since Darwin
Sat. 10 am GM 101: A Thief, a Mage, and a Paladin Walk into the Tavern
Sat. 11 am signing with David Boop and Carol Hightshoe (with the three of us, it should be entertaining)
Sun. 1pm Stories, Art Direction, & Web Design for Online Magazines

Hope you can all make it!!!

The Ephemeris RPG is now out and should be available wherever you buy books or games. If your local book, game, or comic store is not carrying the game, you can request it with the following ISBN: 978-0-9801703-1-3.

For more information about the game, or to order it (or Ephemeris merchandise) on-line, please use these links...

The Ephemeris webpage:
http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm

The Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0980170311

The Nomadic Delirium Press page at DriveThru RPG, where you can buy e-book versions of the rulebook and the first adventure:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=2805

The Ephemeris merchandise page:
http://www.cafepress.com/ephemeris

How much interest is there in us making the game available as an e-book version?

If we did that, we would be able to make it available through several on-line vendors, but if there's no interest, we might not do it.

Along with the initial rulebook, we would also be considering making future supplements available as e-books as well.

The official release date was Friday, and you can now order your copy from Nomadic Delirium Press at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm.

The printer has had a few problems with the cover, so we don't have the copies yet, but we're hoping to have them this week.  We are also hoping that the Amazon link will go active this week so that you can also order your copy there.

Hope you all enjoy the game...

The pre-sale for the Ephemeris RPG has now officially begun.  The first rulebook will be released in late July.  When it is released, it will be a 6X9 trade paperback with more than 400 pages of information!  Upon release, the list price for the book will be $19.95 + S&H...but during the pre-sale, you can order the book before it's released for only $14.95 + S&H.

So what are you waiting for?  Go to http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/ephemeris/main.htm and order your copy today.

This is an annual poll that has had some major problems in the past.  It looks like they might have everything going right this year, so if you're interested in voting for me, I've been nominated in the following categories:

Author
Science Fiction Short Story: The Magenta Equations
Zine Editor

Also, please feel free to vote for any Sam's Dot Publishing or Nomadic Delirium Press listings that you might see...

And The Genre Mall is up for bookstore...

http://critters.org/predpoll

 

The ballots have been cast, and the votes have been counted.  The media has told us who the winners are and who the losers are, but I'd like to take a moment to tell you who the real losers in this election are.  It's actually a very simple answer...go look in a mirrror.  That's right America, you and me, the American people are the real losers in this election.

Of the two main candidates for president, I do believe that the lesser of two evils won.  I think we will be better off with Obama than we would have been with McCain, but I still don't think we're in good shape.

The simple reason for this is that both the Democrats and the Republicans are owned by big business, and it's big business that makes the decisions for these politicians.  Whether it's the Republicans and the oil companies, or the Democrats and the pharmaceutical companies, these people are more interested in doing what is best for major corporations and for their own political careers than they are in doing what is right for the American people...the people who put them in power.

The system is stacked to favor the two party system.  If you don't believe me, just look into what a third party candidate has to do to get on the ballot in most states.  And forget about media coverage (which is what generally governs the American view of the world.)  The media is too closely tied to the major parties to ever let a third party candidate get the kind of coverage needed to mount a serious charge.  Have you ever wondered why you didn't see a Green or Libertarian candidate in the debates?  Simple.  The debates are owned and operated by the two major parties...thus locking out any chance for a third party candidate.

As long as we continue to have a corporate democracy as opposed to a representative democracy, it will be the American people who continue to suffer.  So, in future elections, please consider the possibility of voting for a third party candidate.

Having said all of this, I offer my hearty congratulations to President-elect Obama.  Of the two, I'm glad it's him.  I hope he can restore some of the America that has been destroyed by the current administration, and I certainly hope that he will bring about some racial healing in this country...something that is still badly needed.

 

It looks like I'm going to be nice and busy at MileHiCon 40. I have three panels, a reading, and a signing.

For those of you planning on attending, here's where you can find me:

Friday 3:00-4:00 Dystopias/Utopias Grand Mesa B-C

Saturday 3:45-5:00 Meet the Small Press Mesa Verde B

Sunday 11:00-Noon Signing Dealers' Room

Sunday Noon-1:00 Reading Mesa Verde C

Sunday 1:00-2:00 Getting Inside the Head of Non-Human Characters Wind River B

Hope to see a lot of you there. I will have some books with me, but it's always a good idea to get copies before the Con...just in case. For ordering info, go to http://www.jalanerwine.com.

 

 

This month I'm one of the featured authors at Anthology Builder. What this means is that if you build an anthology that contains one of my stories, you get a $1.00 off the normal price. Simply go to http://www.anthologybuilder.com/authordetails.php?byline=J%20Alan%20Erwine and you can start building your anthology today.

At the moment, I have ten stories on the site, so you should be able to find something that appeals to you...

 

It's going to be a busy few hours on Thursday, and then that will be it...

133 What makes SF work? Characters, Society, or Technology
CCC - Room 505
Panelists talk about the primary elements of a SF story, and try to decide which are most important to our genre. What makes SF different from other stories? Does it have to include social or technical speculation to be SF?
J. Alan Erwine, Ken Scholes, Larry Niven, (m) Shanna Swendson

182 Signing (45 minutes)
CCC - Hall D
Adrian Bedford, J. Alan Erwine, Lee Martindale, Pamela Freeman