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Lovebirds and Lunatics
Lovebirds and Lunatics
The team enjoys some downtime before their target reappears
from 3 reviews.
General Fan Fiction -
Diving Deeper
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Stepping it up a Notch
Stepping it up a Notch
June starts working over the terrorists' leader
from 3 reviews.
General Fan Fiction
Profile Thoughts
phred:
It's official now. Got an email from the anthology editors a couple days ago: "It is a pleasure to inform you of our official acceptance of your story, Mission to Bellatrix, to be included in Irksome Rebel Press's Lucky Stars Box Set."
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phred:
Finally have some good news on a couple of publication attempts. Looks like "Mission to Bellatrix" has been accepted and is pretty much a done deal. Waiting to find out if there are any final edits requested, probably sometime in the next couple of days (there's already been a lot of editing done, and the final draft is very different from the rough draft posted here). But other than that, it appears to be a done deal, and will be one of the stories in a paranormal/sci-fi romance anthology titled Lucky Stars. Publication date is set on March 17, if I remember correctly.
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phred:
Just a quick update. I rewrote "Reactivated" and submitted it to Kindle Worlds, and they emailed me a few minutes ago to tell me that the story has to be exclusive to KW. So if anyone who was following that story wonders why it disappeared here, this will explain it. |
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phred:
And now my computer's dead again. :( I'm posting this from a crappy netbook I bought about five years ago, which is even slower than the first computer I ever bought, way back in 1996. I also picked up a cheap tablet a couple weeks ago, just so I could have a couple of backups just in case, but I've been having some problems with the tablet's browser, too. So, I'm getting by, but hope to have the desktop fixed within the next day or two.
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phred:
You know you're in for a fucked-up weekend when you head out to the laundry room to take your clothes out of the dryer and one of the neighbors is there, and he tells you that a week ago he caught a kid pissing into one of the dryers. Yes, I find out about that a week after it happened. That's how my Saturday started, and it pretty much set the tone for the next couple of days. D: |
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phred:
Ugh. Way past time to post a quick update here. There are so many things I should've been doing lately, but haven't due to life getting in the way. Not going into a whole lot of detail here, but things have not been going well. I've been on the brink of seeing my whole life implode for nearly six months, now.
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phred:
So...I recently started recording audio blogs and putting them on YouTube to monetize them and hopefully bring in a few dollars so I might actually be able to pay one of my bills. The second one, which I did last week, was all about my novel which was recently accepted by a publisher. The one I'm planning now will be about my Freelancers story, Mass Effect in general, and...ugh, Mass Effect 3.
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phred:
![]() I found out a couple days ago that my first novel, "Load," now has a page on Goodreads, with a five-star review. :D |
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phred:
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Yesterday I saw the official trailer for the new "Cosmos" series coming next year, and it was jaw-droppingly awesome. I saw the original series when I was a kid, and it's one of the things that got me interested in science, especially astronomy, and made Carl Sagan one of my personal heroes. We've learned so much more since 1980, and the new one is hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is awesome.
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phred:
Looks like I got my main computer fixed just in time. The laptop has suddenly developed a problem connecting with my home network. If I didn't have a functioning desktop, I'd be in serious trouble.... D: |
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phred:
Another computer update here. Yesterday I was looking at the still-mostly-dead computer, and suddenly remembered what happened the last time it powered on but wouldn't boot. That time, I'd put the RAM into the wrong slots (I've got two modules, and the motherboard has four slots). So just to rule it out, I switched them over to the other two slots, put everything back together, plugged the cables in, and pushed the power button. And the computer actually booted and ran normally.
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phred:
Quick computer update. I was able to buy a new motherboard, which I installed yesterday. The computer still won't boot, but at least now it powers on (the LEDs light up and the fans spin). The old mobo was fried, but there's at least one more part that needs to be replaced. Could be the RAM or processor, or the power supply could be a dud. I'm getting a power supply tester so I can at least narrow down what needs to be fixed.
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phred:
Past time for another update, though not much has changed. Still unemployed despite all my efforts. And now my laptop has been acting increasingly erratic over the last few weeks. Since my desktop computer still hasn't been fixed, that really has me worried.
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phred:
Quick update on the computer. The power supply arrived and I installed it, and the computer still won't power on. So, it looks like something else burned out when the power supply exploded. Could just be a short in the power button switch, but I don't have the equipment to test for it. Or it could be the motherboard, in which case the computer is pretty much dead. The processor and motherboard cost $600, and there's no way I'll be replacing that any time soon even if I manage to land a job. It'll be a while before I can even have a technician check it out and find exactly what the problem is.
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phred:
Ah, the fun never ends. The latest thing to go all pear-shaped: a few nights ago, around midnight, my computer blew up. No exaggeration here, it sounded like someone fired a shotgun right beside me. Of course, the computer shut down instantly and wouldn't turn back on. And then I noticed the distinct odor of smoke.
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phred:
Wow. The book contract was finished sooner than I expected. It was emailed to me earlier this evening, along with a couple other forms. I filled them out, read and signed the contract, and emailed them back. Now, I just wait to see what happens next....
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phred:
Wow. One of the jobs I checked out had this listed in the requirements: "Certified in snake removal/relocation"
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phred:
Just have to say, the sunsets in Tucson are beautiful. Where I was before, there isn't such a wide-open sky. Either mountains or buildings blocked a lot of it unless you drove out to the ocean.
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phred:
Finally got internet hooked up at home. Still don't have a job, but this'll make searching for one faster, easier, and less nerve-wracking. I'm not used to driving on six-lane highways, and unfamiliar with the city. Everywhere I go, I end up taking wrong turns even with a GPS app on my phone. And a few days ago, the app started malfunctioning, thinking I was on a completely different street and giving me wrong directions, then freezing up. I ended up hopelessly lost, driving in circles, over ten miles from where I was trying to go.
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phred:
Oh! I've been so worried/absorbed in recent events, I forgot to mention the one bit of good news I've received. On Friday evening, I got an email from the publisher I sent Chaser to, and she wants to publish it. She asked me to do one more revision, fix typos and whatnot, and then she'd send me a contract. I just sent the revised draft a few minutes ago, and now I just wait for the contract.
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phred:
It took nearly twice as long to get to Tucson as I planned, but I'm here. Been here nearly a week, but didn't get to a place with public wifi until just now. Moving here cost a lot more than I expected, and I'm running low on money, so it'll be a while before I have home internet service again.
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phred:
So, I hit the road today. Was hoping to get to Sacramento by this evening, but I didn't even finish loading the U-Haul and get the car hooked up to the tow dolly until afternoon. Headed out of town at 1:40pm and got as far as Winston two hours later. Not even out of Oregon yet, and by then I was so tired I could barely stand. Ended up stopping at a motel in Roseburg.
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phred:
I can't believe how fast the last month has gone by. It just hit me...tomorrow I start packing. O_o Seems like it's only been a few days since I made the decision to get out of this horrible town.
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phred:
My writing has always been kind of sporadic over the last few years, but the last few weeks...well, I'm focusing most of my time on finding an apartment in Tucson so it'll be ready to move in when I get there, and packing and cleaning up my apartment here. Looks like there's a good chance of that happening, though. I found a really nice one that has a bedroom, a washer and dryer, and a private balcony/patio (from the pictures I've seen, it looks like the one I'm going for is on the upper floor, so it'd be a balcony), and it's in a really nice area with a park nearby and a wide-open view of the sky, which is the kind of view I love. Where I live now, there are close mountains all around, and it makes me feel kind of boxed-in.
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phred:
When I woke up this morning, the temperature was 36 degrees. >_< Not gonna miss that about this town. |
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phred:
Finally made a bit of progress on "Freelancers." Just a short scene, a few paragraphs, but at least it's a start. I keep hoping to get the next chapter of "Project: Phoenix" done next, but I've still got a mental blockage on it....
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phred:
So...once again, I haven't made much progress on any of the stories I'm working on. Job-related stuff again. But things kind of imploded a few days ago, and after thinking things over during the last three days...I've had enough.
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phred:
How can a bout of insomnia last three months? :( Mostly, it's stuff happening on the job. Driving me insane, pretty much. Like I've said before, I'm amazed that my brain can still function at all at this point. And sometimes it doesn't. I finally managed to get some writing done, but then, about half an hour ago, I tried to type the word "bureaucracy" and couldn't remember how to spell it. Spent at least five minutes typing it again and again and never got even close. Finally had to look it up, and even then I had trouble finding it because every letter after the "B" was just a complete blank.
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phred:
Hmm. I'd had ideas for the next couple stories following Enemy of my Enemy...then recently I thought up yet another which I'll probably do first. So, now I need to hurry up and finish Enemy so I can...pile even more stuff on my plate. O_o Hooray, I guess.
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phred:
So, time for a lack-of-progress report.
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phred:
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Quick progress report...
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phred:
Finally got around to setting up an actual Author Page on Facebook. Username's "FredTKerns" ... Putting links to all the stuff I'm up to around the net, though I'm sure I'll forget a few things here and there.
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phred:
Okay, time for a couple of announcements. Past time, really. Life has been getting in the way for the past few months, but I was able to get my vacation request approved, so now that I'm off work for a while, I'm hoping I can get at least partly caught up.
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phred:
Ugh. Between the job and having the flu for the last week (yeah, the flu...in the middle of goddamn summer), I haven't made any progress on any of my stories. Hoping to get some writing done today, but tomorrow I have to go back to work, so it could be a bit longer before I'm able to post a new chapter. I'm hoping it won't be too long, though. I really want to have something finished by my next weekend, if not sooner.
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phred:
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Okay, minor change made to the Facebook page. The name I was using is the kind of thing that seems like a good idea when you haven't slept in 48 hours, but honestly...it's just stupid. :P
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phred:
![]() Just finished setting up a new Facebook page, a place to aggregate links to all the stuff I'm up to. Thought it'd be a good way to keep anyone who might be interested updated on new stories, chapters, and so on. Look for "Fred Futureman"...because I'm a huge dork. XD |
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phred:
Here's a sample of the work-related stuff that's slowly destroying my brain and eroding my sanity. This one happened a few days ago.
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phred:
Gah. These several-month-long delays between new chapters are intolerable. Part of it is simply me working on too many things at the same time, and part of it was the holiday season. I'm sure anyone who works in retail can understand the mind-bending levels of stress involved, especially if your department is short-handed and overrun with customers who have hair-trigger tempers. It's kind of like Left 4 Dead, only with customers instead of zombies, and you're not allowed to shoot any of them.
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phred:
Finally got off my ass and finished the rough draft of the new chapter of Project Phoenix. Had a huge case of writer's block on it for several months, but I finally managed to break through it.
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phred:
<--- Woot. New profile picture. Only took five and a half years to get around to it. <_< |
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phred:
Just a quick post to say that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or anything. Mostly it's the job...it sucks up five out of every seven days. The other two days are attempts at catching up, which I never manage to do.
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phred:
Gahhhh... Sorry again for the long delay on new chapters. I expected things to smooth out months ago, but once things went off the rails, it's stayed that way ever since. Haven't been able to get much writing done, but I'm still trying. On Project: Phoenix, I kept working on the second chapter, scrapping it and starting over, and finally got about halfway through it...and now I've realized that what I've written should be pushed into the third chapter.
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phred:
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Quick update...
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phred:
Okay, update time... I finally finished the final draft of "Chaser," but the publisher I planned on submitting it to appears to be a dead market. Their website and Facebook page haven't been updated in quite some time, and their Livejournal hasn't had any new posts in well over a year. I sent them an email asking if they were still operating; it's been over a week, and I haven't gotten an answer. So it looks like the one and only publisher that might've given this book a chance is now a dead market.
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phred:
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Finally got the latest chapter done: http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=358201
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phred:
Time for another overdue update. I haven't made much progress on either book thanks to a ridiculous amount of incredibly bad shit happening. One thing after another, rapid-fire. There's still some email replies I haven't finished for the same reason.
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phred:
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A while ago I remembered a favorite quote from radio show host Rick Emerson (www.rickemerson.com), regarding Twilight: "It makes 'Flowers in the Attic' look like "Flowers for Algernon.'"
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phred:
And now "Fifteen Minutes" has just been put up on Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/fifteen-minutes/10667519 |
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phred:
Just added "Load" to Lulu.com as a print on demand edition. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/load/10667107
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phred:
Finally got Chapter 13 finished. http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=344517 About time, too. <_<
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phred:
Still making progress on Chaser. It's going slowly, but that's still a huge improvement over the last few months. I'm hoping to have the chapter finished within a day or two.
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phred:
Finally made some progress on Chaser and the as-yet-untitled third novel in the Neon City series. Got the first scene done on that one a few days ago, and just finished the first scene of Chaser's current chapter this afternoon. I actually finished writing it on my iPod Touch while waiting at the shop for my car to be fixed (again). Will try to get started on the next scene tonight.
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phred:
Another lack of progress report...
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phred:
Quick progress report...or, rather, lack of progress...
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phred:
Finally finished rewriting and uploading chapters 11-22. For good or ill, this is the final draft. I kept rewriting my first book since 2002, and have been writing/rewriting Fifteen Minutes for the last two or three years. Time to move on to the third book, and get back to work on Chaser...
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phred:
Okay, I guess it's about time I took advantage of this little feature. Mostly to explain why I've kind of disappeared for the last few months. Not that I was uploading chapters every week before this, like I did when I first joined, but still...
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