Ladies in Waiting

I suppose there aren't too many women interested in secret agent action games, because if there were I wonder how offended they'd be by Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming game for the PS3, Alpha Protocol. I found the concept rather interesting, because it isn't supposed to be an average spy game. They're making it a role playing game. The character (a man, of course) will earn skill points that can be distributed as the player wants, and his interactions with non-player characters (NPCs) will have a wide range of outcomes.

When I read about it in Game Informer magazine, of course I was interested, but I also had to laugh. In one of the little blurbs it says that players can pursue romantic interests "almost like a side quest." The magazine quotes Chris Parker, the team lead for the project, as saying this: "You will meet the women at various times, and how you interact with them will determine whether or not the romance option opens up. And there's nothing preventing you from bagging all of the chicks."

Wonderful. Funny thing, I do know a few women who like to play RPGs. I wonder if Obsidian will make another game for them?

Tagged Again!

Thomma Lyn, at Tennessee Text Wrestling, tagged me with this meme. The rules are:

1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences and write them down.
4. Invite five friends to do the same.

I'm actually reading Jim Melvin's Moon Goddess, but that book is downstairs at the moment and therefore nowhere near my desk. There is a box (I don't have a bookshelf ... sigh) full of books not five feet away, however, and the one on top is Book Two of The Rune of Unmaking: A Dark Sacrifice by Madeline Howard (also known as Teresa Edgerton), who is now one of my favorite authors. I have of course read Book One, The Hidden Stars, and one other book by her, The Queen's Necklace. I also interviewed her for the first issue of Tower of Light. If you're interested, you can read the interview here.



Here's the blurb on the back cover:

More than a century has passed since the mighty struggle between the wizards and the mages ended in mutual destruction, and more than forty years since the Empress Ouriana became the Divine Incarnation of the Devouring Moon. Appointing twelve deadly sorcerers as her priests, she rules the land in darkness unending.

Yet there is a small chance for hope, if one foreordained princess can survive. But she has vanished behind enemy lines, and even a brave band of heroes may not be able to reach her in time. For Ouriana's dark reign has woken the ancient terrors of legend, and their vengence will be swift and all-consuming...

Okay, now here's the first five sentences on page 123:

She saw just ahead of a gaping hole in the fortifications, and all around where the wall had been there was great debris of shattered stone and pulverized rock. When they reached the outskirts of the wreckage, horses shied again, this time from a gigantic, sprawling man-shaped figure pinned in place by a pile of stone blocks and the splintered remains of a ladder.

Worst of all was a pervasive smell, a taint, infinitely worse than anything rising from the decomposing bodies, with a stomach-churning familiarity about it that Sinderian could not immediately place. Then she did remember; the muscles in her abdomen clenched, and sweat broke out on the palms of her hands. It was the stench of blackest magic, and the last time she had encountered it in such strength was on the road from Galaefri after the fall of Cuirartheros.

I have no idea who to tag. Five friends? I suppose I have that many, but some have already been tagged. Let's see ... Jim, David, Dawn, Leah, and Howard.

Tower of Light Ezine Update

Issue four of Tower of Light is finally ready. Please allow me to apologize for my tardiness, but life has been getting in the way lately.

This issue features a review of Dr. Identity by D. Harlan Wilson, and several great short stories: Champions of Darkness by Fraser Sherman, Into the Heart of Trust by Joseph R. Schmidt, The Miranda Tapestry by John Phillips, Touch by Marie Hodgkinson, and Windmaster by Helen B. Henderson.

This will also be the first issue to feature submitted artwork, a picture called "No One Listened" by Dan Skinner.

Back to Work ... Again

Well, for a while there I was bit discouraged by the last rejection I received (for the story posted below, "Called to His Work"), but I know this is what I've wanted to do all my life. Honestly, after two and half decades of writing, this would really be a bad time to give up. Most likely the best time to give up would be when I'm dead, and I hope that's a looooong way off. So, with that in mind, it's about time I start another round of submissions. I'm sure there's an editor out there somewhere who will like my work...

Taking a Hint...

..from Thomma Lyn at Tennesee Text Wrestler, since I'm so bad at coming up with ideas for posts, I thought I'd take this quiz:

What Kind of Soul Are You?

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world
So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time
You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all...
But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult

You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you.
Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses.
Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others.
Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life.

Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

Well, that's it. I'm still having lots of trouble with my Internet connection and it's really annoying. Of course, since the problem is in the software (at least according to my ISP and the computer manufacturer), it's my fault that it hasn't been fixed yet. To do that, I'd either have to ask my step-father to drive to the shop or pay for cab, and I can't find it in me to do either. I'm lazy, low on money, and he's always busy. So I just need to get motivated and do something about it.