The Irvania Blog

As mentioned in my last post, there are a couple of ways you can keep track of me on a more timely basis, ways that I’ve been a bit better at keeping up-to-date.

I mentioned here a number of months ago that I’m now on Twitter (click here: http://www.twitter.com/MonstrousJake) although, like many in my age group, I’m not sure I understand the point of Twitter.

I’m not sure why I need to post updates on my every move (”Made pancakes for supper. Yay!”). It would make more sense later on, after I’ve launched my plot to conquer the world and need to keep my minions informed (”We will take over Slovakia today. Yay!”) or, better yet, after I’ve got my first book published and need to keep my fans informed (”Have a book signing in Slovakia today. Yay!”) Ideally, it would be handy after I’ve got my first book published and have conquered the world and have to send orders to my minions (”Make pancakes for supper! Yay!”)

The second way to keep in touch with me, and the one I’m more likely to see and respond to more quickly, is on Facebook (click here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1825976284).

Facebook, as an overall concept, makes more sense to me and my way of communication than does Twitter, so I check Facebook more frequently than I check Twitter.

For reasons beyond my understanding, a bunch of old friends have found me, or I’ve found them, on Facebook, more frequently than on any other Internet venue. I’ve had my own web site for 14 years now and have always been easy to find using Google or any of the other web search engines, but for some reason, Facebook seems to work better for this.

I still don’t have a cell phone though.

I know, I know, it’s been so long since my last update that some of you have been sending me “Hey Dave… are you still alive?” e-mails. I’m still here, I’ve just been busy with “real life” stuff, meaning all the stuff I don’t normally cover on this web site.

Overall the news is good: I got a promotion at work finally (aced four out of five tests, and only missed one question on the other test — woohoo!) and aside from another brush with kidney stones (ouch!), my health has been good and Hanna is doing fantastic as always. The dogs are fine too, although Polly had another rush to the doggy emergency vet hospital. (That was her third visit to said hospital in the past 12 months. Reminder to self: keep all chocolate on the top shelf in the kitchen, preferably sealed, locked away, behind barbed wire, and protected by armed guards.)

I have been busy with the sort of thing I do post about here on Irvania.com though, I just haven’t had time to update the web site lately. Three big projects specifically:

1. A new, fast-play, easy, fun-centric, old-school (those terms may be considered contradictory by some) wargame ruleset for 6mm WWII miniatures, entitled Panzers in Peril. I’ve got most of the game mechanics hammered out and about half the research done for the unit data charts, but this project has been pretty much sidelined for the moment since the following two projects have much higher priority.

2. Rewriting my book. I haven’t had any luck so far acquiring an agent, due I think in part to changes in the publishing industry making it even tougher for new writers to get a foot in the door. It’s particularly tough for a new writer to break into the “general lit” category. As a result, I’m doing a major overhaul and rewrite of the whole thing, keeping the major characters, story elements, and timelines, but revamping the narrative and changing focus so it fits more easily into the “sci fi comedy” genre. I’ll be chopping an awful lot of material, but nearly all of the chopped bits will be useful for later novels.

3. Another creative project, based on the They Who Are Having a Bad Day characters and timelines. This is still in the early planning/plotting/testing/pondering stages, meaning we don’t know if any of it will work or not yet, so I can’t say too much about the project until later. Yes, it does involve Jake.

In the meantime, there are a couple of new ways to keep in touch with me, which I will explain in my next post.