I spoke with Toni Weiskopf, publisher at Baen this weekend.  MHI is scheduled for one of the Summer 2009 slots, which covers a range of June-September.  I’ll post the exact month as soon as it is known. 

I’ll be a guest panelist at Mountaincon this year.  http://mountaincon.org/x/page/  This is my first sci-fi/fantasy con that I’ve ever been to, so not only am I going to a con, I’m going as a special guest.  That’s pretty darn cool. 

MHI:2 (the rough draft) is almost done.  That sadly won’t matter to most of you, because we’re still a year out from having #1 on shelves.  Beyond my control, sorry.  That’s the sad price to pay for going from self published to a real publishing house.  Which is a major bummer, because I probably could have personally sold another 1,000 copies of MHI since I discontinued it. 

After MHI:2 is done, I’ll be doing an improved Mr. Nightcrawler series and attempting to get that published.  I’ll be posting a brief excerpt on this blog in the next couple of days. 

I have another project that I’m working on also.  It is sci-fi (kinda) in that it takes place in the near future.  Not a monster book, and not a straight up thriller like the Mr. Nightcrawler stuff, but more of an adventure/comedy/social commentary.  I’m keeping this one close to the vest for now, because it is weird and original. 

After that, I’ve got about seven other projects in various states of development.  I just purchased an HD video camera so I can start screwing around in preparation of making my B-Movie, (lifetime goal right there) but most of the projects are books.  I’ve got one straight sci-fi, one horror/sci-fi, one crime drama, and provided that the MHI universe is popular, have 3 more books in that series percolating in my brain. 

It is my understanding that the average writer has to get about 4 books into circulation before they can live off of it. My goal is to reach that in the next four years.  I’ve got one done and picked up, a sequal provided the first one does well, and two in a different series that are 85% finished, that hopefully I can parlay my being an actual “professional” author into getting these past the slush piles of various thriller publishers.

Talk about topic specific, a friend of mine just created a page.  www.harryreidsucks.com

And you guessed it.  It is a place for you to put your reasons for why Harry Reid sucks.  I don’t know if the internet is big enough.

Today I’ve been sitting on the couch, watching the History Channel with my kids.  Every year I like to reflect on the greatness of our founders.  They did something that was unthinkable, and virtually impossible, and somehow pulled it off.   They laid the foundation for the greatest nation in the history of Earth. 

I just wish more people today would study history and the fundamentals of what this nation is supposed to be about. It sure would simplify politics in our time.  I do honestly believe that George Washington would scissor kick Barack Obama in the throat, but I digress. 

God bless America.  Happy 4th of July.

Here are the upcoming classes and events:

Pistol: August 9th at Global One
Tactical Carbine: August 15th (FBMG classroom) August 16th at Global One
Precision Rifle: September 12th (FBMG classroom) September 13th at Global One
AR15 Armorer’s:  July 31 at FBMG
CCW:  July 7-8 (Cabelas), July 19 (Cabelas), July 26 (FBMG), July 28-29 (Cabelas), Aug 11-12 (Cabelas), Aug 25-26 (Cabelas), Sept 6 (Cabelas), Sept 8-9 (Cabelas), Sept 22-23 (Cabelas). 
Machine Gun Mega Shoot ’08:  October 4th (Global One)

If you pick up the August SWAT, (Kriss .45 on the cover) there is an article in there by me about the Ironman.  There’s a picture of me dangling from a zipline, and that’s Atomic Ferret breaching a door with a battering ram, and Intern Nick rocking with a subgun.