A Writer's Life - What? You Don't Own an Ejection Seat?

I often get questions about what it is like to be a writer.  I think there are a lot of illusions that we live somewhat glamorous lives.  True, I’ve been on national TV and radio programs promoting my books.  I’ve met some incredible people both doing research and promotion.  But the truth of the matter is different.  Writing is a very solitary second career for me…solitary but quite rewarding. 

I  often get a question, “how do you find time to write?”  The truth of the matter is I make time.  I try not to take is that I am somehow short-changing my daytime career.  I work at Ernst & Young LLP as an Associate Director and, quite frankly, I put in some long hours and travel from time-to-time.  I keep a pretty good separation between my day job and my night job. 

As a writer I am a bit of recluse.  It’s not that I’m anti-social.  Okay, maybe a little.  Alright, I am anti-social.  During my day job I am “on” all of the time.  I have to be very engaged during the daytime hours.  At night and the weekends though, I tend to huddle with my PC and actually get writing and research done. 

Someone told me writing  required discipline and I guess that is the best word to describe it.  I dedicate time almost every night to do some writing.  My wife works on Saturdays so often I am home alone – giving me the perfect heads-down time writing.  Saturdays are the best, especially if the weather is bad since it purges the guilt for not working in the yard.  Having kids that are grown up means that the only person that suffers is my poor wife during the week when I sneak off to my office/bunker for writing. 

Finding the time is one thing – having the right environment to do it is another.   Some guys have a man-cave – I have a well equipped bunker.  An assortment of  antique firearms – a LAW M-72 (Light Anti-Tank) rocket launcher – just in case, and a sword are necessary to set the mood.  I have a neat 1:6 scale helicopter hanging behind my desk, complete with an armed contingent of GI Joe’s ready for action.  With a network of four personal computers, printers, scanners, bookshelves and a B-52 ejection seat, it is a neat place to play RPG’s, miniatures and get some writing done.  What, you don’t have an ejection seat office-chair?  You have to have one of these.  It’s great for gaming and when I’m writing military history.  Nothing beats the face of a kid when they sit in it and pull the handle, locking their legs into place. 

The Ultimate Writer's Chair

I have a nice TV and DVD collection.  I don’t watch TV much, but I have it on as background noise.  I pop in one of my “writing movies” (yes, I will publish the list) and I’m ready to get cracking.  Music doesn’t cut it…I need plot unfolding and a kick-ass soundtrack for inspiration.   

Research work is not just reading but it is organizing.  I personally work best with hard copy material – where I can tag it with a Post-It note or notation.  The downside of this style is that paper takes up a lot of space.  I use my wargaming table often to organize my research.  Heaven help anybody that tries to make sense out of my approach on a given book.  The system only has to work for me.

Glamorous?  Naa  Exciting?  Not really.  Profitable?  Shrug…  Fun?  Oh yes. 

Flying Battleships? Leviathans gives Steampunk the game the genre deserves

How could you NOT want to play this game now?

For the last two years or so I have been working with the gang (and virtually the extended gang) at Catalyst Game Labs on their new game Leviathans which should be coming out sometime soon.  I know everyone is wondering about the game in some degree of detail, but I am under an NDA so I can’t go into it at the level you want.  Suffice it to say, however, I think that this is going to be THE big game this summer.  Everything here has been cleared by the powers that be…

Steampunk has emerged strong in the last three years but the gaming industry has been struggling to wrap its hands around the genre.  A number of role playing games are out there covering the concept of Jules Verne-ish technology in the late Victorian era – but many have not seemed to capture the true feeling of Steampunk.   Goth has been replaced by Steampunk but for some reason the gaming industry has struggled with the genre for years. 

Personally, I have had my foot in the Steampunk door for a long time.  Back when GDW released Space 1889 I wrote one adventure that got published for the game (More Tales from the Ether).  That game, and the boardgame Ironclads and Etherflyers, tried to capture the spirit of Steampunk but it just didn’t seem to hold.  The games were okay – not great – and a good universe alone can’t carry a game system for more than a few years.  Ironclads and Etherflyers had some potential as a game but it was relying more on the concept than the game mechanics.  In the game industry, game mechanics and production quality are king. 

My involvement with Leviathans has been minimal but very enjoyable.  As someone that has written history books (naval and aviation) around the period of the Great War, I was deeply honored when Randall Bills reached out to me to lend a hand.  It has been a long time since I was involved with game design and fleshing out a new universe.  I manage to bore the designers with references to weapons and events in our timeline.  I’m always copying material out of Jane’s Book of Fighting Ships, 1918.  Yes, I am THAT level of geek that I own that book in my library. 

Leviathans does a great job of straddling that line between historical accuracy and fun play.  Yes, I have played Jutland, Fear God and Dread Nought, Seekrieg,  and other games.  The problem with some of them is the classic struggle between realism and playability.  Basically the more realistic the game is, the more the game drags in terms of game play.  Leviathans starts with a good sound historical base but has as game system that allows you to play a fast moving game. 

To cut to the chase; “So, how does the game play?”  Having playtested the game early with my son Alex, I can say this – this game rocks!  First off, it has new mechanics which makes the concept of flying battleships come alive (so to speak).  I won’t go into details but suffice it to say that this game as a distinct play that will make it stand out.  Each fleet/government has their own “feel” to them.  These mechanics are sound.  Trust me, nothing makes you bring the ship hard about faster than a salvo of French torpedoes.

The second major cool thing is the universe.  “How would things change if, prior to the Great War, all sides had flying armored ships?”  Answer – some things change dramatically – some less so.  The universe is very robust and offers a lot of opportunities for not just game play but for pure entertainment.  There is no dominant super-power.   Having worked on the French and the Italian background material I can tell you that the histories and fleet information are, well, neat.  I’m quite proud of the fact that I made the French “cool” to play.  Having written a lot about the French Air Service and the Foreign Legion, this seemed to be the best approach.  This game universe is going to be something that people are going to be talking about once the game is out. 

Third cool thing – the technical accuracy (so to speak).  There was many evenings spent pulling up naval artillery charts and tables to ensure that the weapons and armor used worked and made sense.  Sure we had to bend some rules, but even the most serious wargamer is going to find Leviathans to be incredible.  How often does a science fiction game actually bring in the regular hard-core wargaming crowd?  It’s been a long time coming guys…

Fourth cool thing…miniatures!  Yes, very cool flying battleships, cruisers and destroyers.  Light pre-painting for those who don’t want to paint minis but want to play.  Lightly done for those out there who live to paint up their vessels. 

Am I excited?  Damn right I am!  Steampunk is finally going to be getting the game that it deserves.  Leviathans is going to redefine Steampunk and up the ante in the gaming industry.  I am looking forward to GenCon this year just to watch the crowd’s reaction to the final product.  ‘Til then…”Bring her to port Mister Rivenburg…steady as she goes.” 

Want to know more?  Go to http://monstersinthesky.com/ and you can take in a bunch of free fiction  and see some of the production photographs and stuff. 

Research vs. Writing - I Win Either Way!

I’ll be honest, I enjoy researching a non-fiction book as much as writing it.  I know that must sound a little strange, after all, I am an author.  Research can be a lot of fun. 

For example, I’m doing some research right now on three different books.  I haven’t started writing them yet, I am in the process of getting materials to determine if there is a good book in there, somewhere in the pile of facts.

Some research is easier than others.  I’m filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the State of Michigan on a murder for a new true crime book idea.  This is pretty straight forward and  the results, if they are like the others I have done, are incredible.  Hundreds of pages of typed police reports from the investigation.  I love reading police reports.  One, most are typed.  Two, they offer an incredible amount of details. 

One of my other projects requires a FOIA with the Federal Government to get some material declassified from the Cuban Missile Crisis.  I filed the request in June of 2009 and they are still processing it.  Okay, this is sort of fun in that the material I want has been classified since 1962 and you never know just what will get cleared suddenly.  What I have requested is pretty specific and it will take a while longer to get processed.  When done I’ll go down and get to see it at the National Archives.  That will be like Christmas for a geek like me, getting some of this material out in the light of day for the first time in decades. 

I have one other research project going on Bert Hall.  Bert flew with the Lafayette Escadrille and this project has been going for three years.  This is not a single request, but a seemingly never-ending quest for new material on this elusive WWI aviator.  I have been lucky, thanks to folks in the WWI aviation community and some persistent digging with various museums and other sources.  I have to admit this is a pet-project and I’m not rushing through it.  Every month or so another batch of material surfaces, sometimes in the form of letters or photographs, sometimes in the form of articles or diary entries.  I’m just happy to be breaking new ground on a story that most people would have given up on a long time ago. 

Getting the materials is one thing, organizing and making sense of it is another thing altogether.  I find it relaxing to curl up with a thick report and try to get in the head of the people that wrote it.  I learn a lot doing this kind of research.  Sure, some of it is worthless information, but it is neat stuff to study.  A part of human growth is constant learning and I have a second career as a writer that allows that. 

I’m curious about other writers out there – do you get a thrill from the research too? 

My favorite games...

I am a gamer and proud of it.  No, not Life or Stratego, I’m talking wargames and role playing games.  Yes, I am a geek.   I’ve been a gamer for a long time, and my gaming is what got me into writing – something I am quite proud of.   I broke into the hobby playing the old Avalon Hill and SPI products and I still own my white-boxed first edition of D&D. 

I was thinking the other night about some of the great games I have played over the years.  Some of the games I  put on the list may suck – but they offered some unique design feature that still appeal to me.  So, here we go  with my favorite wargame and RPG list:

Panzerblitz/Panzerleader   Two Avalon Hill classics.  These games were great because they introduced geomorphic boards.  One weekend in college we played the invasion of France on about 30 boards in some guys basement.  We each commanded a division.  It was totally insane and almost unmanageable – and I loved it. 

Jutland  James Dunnigan’s design for Avalon Hill.  This game was pure genius in terms of using the floor as a battlefield.  I love the simplicity of the turn-tools and the look, when you stood up, of the massive fleets facing off. 

Strategy I  We’re talking old school SPI.  Great game allowing you to simulate a lot of different periods.  Strategy I broke a lot of new ground in terms of game mechanics. 

Terrible Swift Sword  SPI’s monster game of Gettysburg.  I played the campaign one summer and it was neat.  The game mechanics on this one were very solid and accurate to the period.  I got to witness the Army of Northern Virginia shatter the Federals on Culp Hill and roll up the entire Union line.  The bad part was it was my command that got slammed.  Damn old Baldy! 

Dungeons and Dragons – the first hardback book edition.  I still have mine, signed by Gygax almighty himself.  This changed the gaming industry once and for all.

Traveller -  I am talking the first boxed set, “This is the free trader Beowolf…” edition.  Back before they fleshed out their gaming universe, it was a nice little system to play.  I wrote my first article for the Ann Arbor Wargamer on this game – introducing lightsabers as a weapon.  Traveller was a lot of fun to play and had great character generation techniques.  I liked the academies and the fact that to have a really skilled character, they had to be really old.   

Battlefleet Mars  This SPI game remains a favorite of mine.  Never heard of it?  Your loss.  This was a game where you launched bombardments against planets months in advance via Catapult ships.  Very innovative game about Mars’ bid for freedom. 

Dauntless  Produced by Battleline, it had massively thick counters and was a very playable game system to simulate WWII aerial combat in the Pacific.  Very fun to play and the outcome of each scenario was up in the air (pun intended). 

Fight in the Skies  TSR cranked this babe out back when they were into gaming.  It was a wonderful game of WWI fighter combat.  Basic, simple, and fun - a nice balance. 

The Arab Israeli Wars  Okay, I admit it, this was a spin-off of the Panzerblitz system for modern warfare.  When I bought it I knew nothing about the conflicts.  By the time I was down I was hooked.  Between choppers flying nape-of-the-earth to Sagger missiles, this game was very slick. 

Tobruk  Avalon Hill put this game out and frankly it was incredible.  The map sucked (flat open desert…boring…) but the mechanics were akin to the best of the miniature games.  This game was a ton of fun to play and had a progressive system for learning the rules. 

Star Trek RPG.  A FASA classic, this game was a great RPG.  What I liked about it was summed up by two things.  First, you could pilot a starship with your characters and the system was easy and fun.  Second, the boxed set came with two 15mm blueprints of the Enterprise and a Klingon D7 Battle Cruiser.  It was worth the price for the blueprints alone.  I know some people feel Star Fleet Battles was the way to go…and I’m sorry that they are wrong. 

BattleTech  Alright, I admit a slight bias here on my part.  BattleTech remains the best game ever for three story humanoid war machine combat (is that even a category?  Well, it should be!).  What I loved about the game was the fantastic tech readouts (some of which I wrote) and the fact that in combat, from time-to-time, a lucky shot could take down even the most powerful ‘Mech.  Add in the most robust history out there in terms of a universe – and you have a winning combination.  Twenty-five years of play can’t be wrong. 

Gamma World – first edition boxed set.  I got this at Origins when it was released, quite literally right off the presses.  I sold it years ago and regretted that action ever since.  The original version of this game was neat because it introduced mutations to role playing games and let’s face it, that’s pretty cool. 

Centurion  FASA did a series of games in the Renegade Legion universe that were pretty cool.  The futuristic grav tank combat game, Centurion, had some neat mechanics and the second edition set had nice little plastic mini’s.  The universe had a ton of flaws, but the game itself, with its unique armor penetration system makes this game worthy of a second look.  Interceptor, it's sister game, rocked too, but Centurion was very neat to play. 

Mutants and Masterminds  This super hero RPG was something that many RPG’s struggle with – it was well written.  The rules were clear, concise and easy to work with.  I have been dying for some time to run a campaign of this game…maybe sometime soon. 

Mage Knights, Heroclicks, and MechWarrior  Stop your groaning you pundits out there.  These games from WizKids changed a lot of how the industry dealt with miniature games.  We used to run some killer games for all three systems in my office/den/bunker.  I know the true BattleTech fans always were bitter about MechWarrior but hell, I embraced the game.  I loved these games and had a good time with my kids and the neighbors fighting out some big, hairy, tense battles. 

To The Green Fields Beyond  WWI – Tanks.  Need I say more?  This SPI classic battle of Cambrai is not only award winning but incredibly fun to play.  Any game with artillery barrage rules can't possibly suck. 

The Morrow Project  You’ve near heard of the Morrow Project?  A post-apocalypse RPG that had the look and feel of an army field manual.  Nothing was as cool as the list of nuclear targets in the US.  Yeah, the combat system wasn’t great, but ultimately the game had a neat look and feel. 

Asteroid Zero-Four  This little Task Force boardgame was simple, short, and fun.  Two asteroids loaded with space bombers, missile launch pads and silos slug it out.  You could collapse tunnels, kill power to parts of the target station.  Nukes!   You got to fire nukes! 

1776  Avalon Hill did some neat things with this game of the Revolutionary War.  They used decks of tactics cards which help determine the results of the battle.  Hey, at the time, it was, well, revolutionary!

Squad Leader  Not Advanced Squad Leader – the original series.  This game was neat because of the very tactical level of combat and the stunning mapboards.  When I was 17 I met Johnny Hill the designer at a convention in Kalamazoo and played in a large miniatures version of the game.  He rocked and so did the game.   

Wooden Ships and Iron Men  First off, this was the best title for a game ever in terms of describing the game itself.  Sailing ship combat was realistic and really required a lot of thinking.  I can’t tell you how many times the wind determined the winner of a game.

Wings of War  Fantasy Flight Games produces a number of great products (like Twilight Imperium) but the one I am addicted to is Wings of War.  This game is a beer and pretzels version of WWI fighter combat.  The rules can be taught in four minutes and the miniatures that are made for the game are, well, the best. 

Aces and Eights   Alright, those guys at Kenzerco created this thing called the shot clock and it is just about the best thing ever invented for an RPG.  Gunfights in the wild west haven't been this fun since Version 1 of Boot Hill. 

Well folks, there’s the list.  What have I missed?  Feel free to rebuttal my choices. 

When Will You Write Another BattleTech Novel?

I get the question all of the time – “when will you be writing another BattleTech novel?”  I appreciate the fan zeal.  It isn’t a matter of me wanting to pen another novel.  After the novels I have written over the last few decades, I openly welcome the chance to climb into the cockpit of a ‘Mech and take her into battle.  I love writing for BattleTech and I'm glad some fans out there like my work. 

The IP (Intellectual Property) for BattleTech is owned by someone else.  It isn’t a matter of me wanting to write as much as, “do they have a slot for a novel open that is a good fit for me?”  When you are working with company’s like Catalyst , you can always offer to do some writing for them but it is a matter of them having the right product in mind for me.  Having worked with Randall Bills and Loren Coleman over the years, I trust that they will call upon me as needed.  They haven’t put out a novel in a while, so it’s not a matter of “we don’t want Blaine.”  They are waiting for the right opportunity…as am I. 

What is so appealing about BattleTech is that I am a fan of the universe too.  I like reading the stories and books about the product line just like everyone else.  I considered myself privileged to have been able to write so many BattleTech books over the years.  I have been around since the good old days (?) of FASA – starting with the first Technical Readout.  There are not a lot of writers that get a chance to work on such an IP for so many decades.   

While I wait for the chance for a book, I still am writing BattleTech – published on BattleCorps.com.  I get paid for this too, which rocks.  I am working on a series right now I call SOB (Son of Blake) which chronicles a Word of Blake MechWarrior through the course of the Jihad.  When done, it will be a short little novel in length.  I personally enjoy the project because it tells the Jihad from the Word’s perspective. 

I have three more installments in mind for the series – but I’m not in a hurry.  If you’ve read my blog you’ll see that I am always working on a book or two, usually with one under contract.  Doing stuff for BattleCorps is something that I do in my free time, when I get that urge to strap on a coolant vest and fire up the fusion reactor.   

So, another BattleTech novel?  Sure!  I will say this, if given a chance, I would squeeze it in somehow.  There is something to be said about the crackle of particle projection cannon fire and the staccato of autocannon rounds and the roar of SRM's clearing the tubes.  Saddle up!    

Hip Deep In Evil

I have been working on my true crime book more recently.  And, in the coming weeks, will be stepping up my work on it.  I have to admit it is fun - and at the same time more than a little creepy. 

The bombing murder of Nola Puyear took place on August 18, 1967 on the main street of Marshall Michigan.  It was exceedingly violent – you don’t kill someone with explosives cleanly.  It was also a crime that held the community in fear. It wasn’t until October of that year that the murderer, Enoch Dalton Chism, was arrested. 

Michigan Avenue, Marshall MI, 1967

I am pleased with the number of people still alive who are coming forth for interviews.  A number of the investigators who worked on the case and knew the killer are still alive – as are the lawyers on both sides of the case.  I am amazed at their memories.  Some facts have been forgotten, but often times what is remembered is a fascinating level of detail I thrive on as a writer.  I was surprised at how much these men have been willing to share. 

I can say from the large amount of court records and police reports that I have culled over, I have formed an opinion of the murderer.  When you’re an author and you get “into the head” of someone that is touched with evil, it is can keep you up at night.  It’s akin to watching a horror movie as a kid and not being able to sleep.  There’s nothing there to be afraid of, but the fear remains.  That’s how it is with this criminal. 

I have a lot of questions that might never get answered – especially about the killer.  At the same time I have uncovered details that are far beyond disturbing.  I have had to look into the face of domestic violence in the era of “Mad Men” and at the same time study a killer that used a bomb in the mail to kill someone.  This was a murder that didn’t have to happen – but the legal system and the community as a whole failed. 

My nights have been disturbed as of late…but I believe it will all be worth it in the end.  I hope as readers, you feel the same.  In the meantime, I need to “borrow” my grandson’s night light…

Writing True Crime - A Change of Pace

I am writing my first true crime book for the University of Michigan Press.  For the last year I have been working on the research of the book - now it has finally come to fruition.  I have always read true crime books  and enjoyed them (some more than others) so for me, this was a neat opportunity.   It allowed me to expand the genre's I write while at the same time gives me a chance to concentrate on some new skills.  I'm still going to write military history and science fiction - this is simply a new vehicle for me to explore my craft.
 
The crime took place in 1967 in my hometown of Marshall MI.  I was raised in Battle Creek, but my family is from Marshall and in my mind and heart Marshall is my hometown.   Marshall is a small town - and that is part of the story - the culture of the town in relation to the violent crime.  It has been a real treat for me to write about a place that I know well.  Stepping back to the Marshall of my childhood was not too hard -- Marshall doesn't change a lot. 
 
The murder itself was a bombing - a particularly savage way to kill someone.  It was a crime that emotionally shook the entire community.  This kind of killing, so horribly vicious, is in stark contrast to the quiet small-town community.  That was some of the appeal of this book in the first place for me as a writer. 
 
Initially I approached this project with my historian frame of mind - I write history books and thought that true crime was just a form of history.  That's not the case though.  In doing the research for this book I have come to grips that this is about regular people - not "historical figures."  That forces a change of perspective.  I have to be a little more gentler in my approach.  The more research I have done over time - the more I realized there was a  "bigger picture" of this crime, the community, and the myriad of people involved.  A level of objectivity has to be applied.  It's not my intention to open old wounds but to tell a compelling and entertaining story. 
 
As such I have also been challenged to revise my view of the events that unfolded in 1967.  I originally thought that there was one victim - the murdered woman.  That isn't necessarily the case.  The reality is there were other victims who are still alive today that suffered as a result of this murder.  The family of the man accused/convicted of the murder were also victims this crime; though in a very different way.  I have had to be respectful of them as well.  That was not an angle that I had originally considered.  As a writer you have to grow. 
 
From a positive perspective, I have met some new people (such as the family of one of the detectives) who were able to share with me a lot about their father and some unique perspectives about the crime and trial.  In some respects, I hope I was able to share some insights about their father that they didn't know.  That certainly was a pleasant surprise that I attended junior high with them - especially when they pulled out a yearbook with my photo in it.   
 
For this book to work, I have to put the reader into the community back in 1967.  I want the reader to feel that Marshall is their own home town.  From the effects of the race riots in Detroit to the results of high school sporting events all help put the reader on Michigan Avenue in the late 60's  I want them to experience the terror and fear that this killing caused.  I want them to care about the people in the book.
 
I love a challenge as a writer and this book definitely is presenting it.  I am also pleased to say, I feel I am up to the task.  I hope those of you that buy the book enjoy it as well.