all these things you blogged, you blogged sincerely

First, I realized that I forgot to include a link to KBoards in my last post, so consider that rectified. I usually hang out in the Writer's Cafe forum, using the cunningly conceived forum name "Robert Dahlen", but there are also forums there for discussing Kindles, other e-readers, books and other subjects. Come on by and say hi! More after the cut.

Redblade news: We still can't set the date for when the next Monkey Queen book will be coming out, but Willow has started work on the cover! We've worked out the design for Abby, and it looks great! (And if you're asking, "Who's Abby?"...soon, all will be revealed. Or, you could just read the blurb...)

My awesome pal Shei Darksbane has just released a new Dakota Shepherd adventure! Driven, a spooky novella out just in time for Halloween, features ghosts, action, revenge, driving lessons and an important purchase from Walmart. Scoot over to Amazon and grab your copy today!

So I did get to watch both parts of the Doctor Who season opener, and wow. There may have been a bit of padding - I suspect this would have made a really great 90-minute episode - but it's still a vast improvement over last season, and maybe the best episode since "Day of the Doctor." I am getting a bit tired of Missy, though; maybe it's time to put her back in the toybox for a while. Favorite moment: The Doctor taking Davros' chair for a spin.

Finally, you may have seen the web site that allows you to turn yourself into a Peanuts character. Well, it didn't work too well for me (no options for beards or nice hats), and it didn't work too well for Michiko...

But it did a decent job for Beth.

Thank you, Harvey.

I began writing the Monkey Queen books after I realized that you could self-publish e-books through Amazon. As I wrote, I started looking for information and advice - not on the actual writing, but the formatting, the cover design, the publishing process, all that. And I got lucky - thanks to a blog post by the amazing Kate Danley, I found a forum that had all that and more, KBoards.

I lurked for months before finally taking the plunge. Quickly, through KBoards, I found people who could handle the formatting for me, and who could design a cover over art I provided, when I realized I had no skill at doing either. I got tips on how and where to market the book, and advice on writing, and encouragement at times when I needed the support. Giveaways, interviews, reviewers, promo sites, KBoards helped me find them all, and some you may have discovered my books because of that.

More importantly...suggestions made by two other members led me to DeviantArt, where I found Willow. And when a blue-haired new member took a liking to me, I became awesome pals with Shei Darksbane. Two of my favorite people in the world...and I might never have met them if it weren't for KBoards.

The founder of KBoards, Harvey Chute, passed away today after a lengthy battle with cancer. I joined too late to really interact with him, but by every indication, he was a gentleman and a loving husband and father. I'm sorry I didn't get to know him better.

And I will always, always be grateful for what KBoards has brought me, and to Harvey for starting it.

Thank you, Harvey.