Well, here's the latest news...a quick update...

Two interviews:

"The Book Connection" web magazine:  http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2008/02/inside-scoop-on-michael-ventrella.html

and a podcast interview:  http://search.everyzing.com/viewMedia.jsp?dedupe=1&index=6&num=10&col=en-all-public-ep&e=19769862&start=0&q=steve+jobs&expand=true&match=query,channel&filter=1

fast forward to 53:45

At the World Fantasy Convention in the fall, I was a guest, signing copies of my book...  and lo and behold, there I am in this month's Locus magazine (THE magazine for SF and fantasy books) sitting next to Alan Dean Foster! 

I hope some big hot shot publisher notices and says "Hey, who is this guy who looks like he could lose some weight sitting next to Alan Dean Foster?  Maybe I should sign him up!"

Hey, it could happen.

Guess I can't post a picture in my blog.  Oh well, here's a link.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg204/Grouchopix/locus.jpg

Well, here it is -- another holiday season!  It's been an interesting year, and I have not lived up to my mid-year resolution of posting blogs more often and writing more.  (Sigh)

Then again, I have been very busy this past year, with investing in and working on Faire Play (a site for running LARPs and renaissance faires), getting my book published, increasing my law practice (which officially becomes "The Law Office of Michael A. Ventrella" on January 1st), and building the Alliance LARP...

I've been having trouble finding time to write the sequel ("The Axes of Evil") and the last week or so has been more difficult because of (a) three trials I have coming up the first week of January (although they are all fairly simple DUI cases) and (b) the damn kidney stones that keep coming back. 

I have a Doctor's appointment for the 27th and I expect another operation soon thereafter (sigh).  I'm suggesting that something be done permanently so I don't have to go through this every few years (although the last operation was less than a year ago!).  Apparently the tube from my right kidney is too small so the stones that everyone gets don't pass through and just keep growing...

Enough medical stuff.  Here it is Christmas, and Heidi and I are having a fine time with our new kitten, Professor McGonigal, and enjoying the end of another fine year. 

So happy holidays to everyone and all that stuff! 

It's been quite a while since I posted anything...  and I have been quite busy.

I attended two conventions in October as a programming guest, promoting my book (and the Alliance)...

The first was the World Fantasy Convention, held this year in Saratoga Springs, New York.  It's a very nice town, and Heidi and I enjoyed walking its streets at night and seeing the art galleries and such.

The best thing was on Friday night when they took this huge room for a massive autographing session.  All the authors were issued a nameplate and told to find a seat and then the crowd was let in.  As you may guess, the lines were huge for people like George R.R. Martin, while most of us sat around and talked to each other.  I did sign about 5 program books since people were getting all the authors to sign their books, and I sold a few books and made some connections.  

Ah, well, they can't all be perfect.

http://www.mania.com/56235.html

Arch Enemies is by no means the making of an epic, but it is an agreeable first outing into a new fantasy world. For more information about Michael Ventrella and his work check out the author's homepage at: http://www.michaelaventrella.com/.

So on Thursday, September 27, the local library is having a "local author's night" and they have invited me to speak and talk about my book.  If you're in the area, please attend!  This is the Monroe County library in Stroudsburg, PA on route 611 near the mall.

Interesting tidbit:  JK Rowling had a contest a while back where one library in every state would get a signed Harry Potter novel, and we won for all of Pennsylvania -- they have it in a glass case, of course, so you can't check it out!

I donated "Arch Enemies" to the library when it came out and I have checked back from time to time and it's always checked out, which makes me happy.  They have it listed under "Young Adult" which is fine by me -- I definitely meant to aim toward that market.

I can't believe how long it has been since my last blog...  I've been so busy with work (just won another major appeal!), www.AllianceLARP.com and www.FairePlay.Org.

Anyway, I just received my first review.  It's very short, and on a failry minor site, but it's quite good, and that's always nice when you get a good review from someone you don't even know!

Here it is, from Muse Book Reviews (http://reviewarchives.tripod.com/id44.html):

The young bard, Terin Ostler, is astounded when two squires arrive to take him into the Duke's presence – even more astounded when he learns that he is the one foretold in a prophecy to ensure the Arch remains sealed to imprison the evil Thessi within. The atmosphere of the quest that follows is heightened by intrigues and by Terin's doubts about who tells the true account of the prophecy, since he is not allowed to read it. The action is lively when the two squires, Rendel and Darlissa, face repeated attacks to protect the timid bard – while he gradually grows in maturity, courage, and character.

Terin's sardonic observations bring the quest to life, and the suitably convoluted events of the final crisis close the prophecy and the story in fine style. The world of these humans, gryphons, elves, dwarves, and many other magic creatures is a constantly fascinating place for the lover of fantasy to discover within these pages.    

Michael Ventrella says the basic ideas for the novel came from his role playing game site, but this is no raw transcription of random events but a tightly written and plotted work that will keep the reader enthralled until the last word is read.

Christopher Hoare - Muse Book Reviewer

"Arch Enemies" is finally available from Double Dragon Press.... 

Can't say I am overly enthusiastic about the cover...  the main character is a 16 year old boy, although there is a female biata there as well...

Anyway, please check out my web page (http://michaelaventrella.com) to read more about it.

The cost of the book is kind of high, but that's probably because this publisher (for some reason) prints them with BIG TYPE so the novel is over 500 pages and huge. 

I'm quite excited and would write more about this, but I'm exhausted.  Things have been really busy for me lately.  Heidi and I are ripping out all the carpets in our house and installing wood floors;  my law practice has been very busy; Every weekend we are at FairePlay.org cleaning an old barn and building walls for our new live action roleplaying permanent site; I'm trying to promote this book; NERO Alliance is changing its name to just Alliance and I am updating and changing the rule book and web page and bank account and corporation papers and everything;  and then a few weeks ago I cut my hand open on a broken mirror, requiring 11 stitches. 

So, that's why there hasn't been a blog entry in a while! 

Heidi and I traveled back to our home town of Richmond, Virginia over the weekend.  Heidi is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University's Sculpture school (I was a Political Science major there) and they were having a big reunion weekend.

VCU's Sculpture department is usually listed in the top 5 Sculpture schools in the country in US News' annual survey, so it's quite an honor to have graduated from there.  Heidi had fun seeing many of her classmates and teachers and meeting many new ones from other years.

I enjoyed the fact that the band that was playing for the party on Saturday night featured Mark Brown, the guitarist from my old Richmond band The Naughty Bits, which was a pretty successful group in the late 70s and early 80s.  I also got to meet many other musicians I knew from back then and we had some fun playing music together. 

Heidi and I also had breakfast and hung out with Steve Vaughan, the vocalist from that band, and his new wife Mary. 

And I really missed Richmond.  So did Heidi.  It has grown from a fairly small southern city into a vibrant larger city with quite the culture.  Actually, it always did have a great art and music scene for its size, partially due to VCU's influence (which has a very big art college).  And if there is one big major thing I miss about not living in a city, it's the musicians and artists we used to hang out with all the time.  

Having moved from Richmond to Boston to New York to the Poconos, though, I am not sure I want to move again.  I'm well established here, have new friends, and am pretty successful in my work.  But still...the lure of the city draws me.  I never was much of a country person (like Heidi is).