#3024ad

Rumors of my Demise etc

I’ve written for as long as I can remember, or damn close to it. I’ve always wanted to do it, you know, and make some manner of living at it. For many years, I had (still do, shush) that fear of actually showing my work to anyone, which makes it difficult for it to be published, and thus, it turns out, purchased. So I scribbled, refined, and threw away millions of words. Then one day, I realized…

As you are most likely aware, Emerald City Comic Con is this weekend. I am even going to be there! It’s actually kind of last minute, so I don’t have a table – or really enough of a fan base to justify one. But I have a most devious plan to change that!

All weekend long, 3024AD is 100% totally free! I will be handing out cards at ECCC

Totally free.

with that link on them. If you click it, you…

A Sense of Purpose

2014, for me at any rate, was a bust. There was plenty of external stuff that’s not worth going into, but there was quite a bit of internal struggle, re: writing. The short version is that I wasn’t happy with the editing with 3024, but didn’t catch the problems until after the book was out. Sales lagged, and I didn’t want to push the marketing too hard on a sub-standard product, so it languished…

I sat back, incredulous, believing only that my eyes deceived me. There was no way they were interpreting the light coming from my laptop correctly. Somewhere between that glowing screen and the synapses of my brain, the signal was jumbled. Maybe the problem lay deeper, I though, and clicked refresh. But there it was, plain as day.

Five stars.

Another one.

I dare you to review this book.

No. Way.…

Well, that went considerably better than last time. To all of you who backed it, helped spread the word, or put up with my spamminess over the last month: Thank you!

Rally!

I have wanted to write, professionally, for a living, since I knew it was an option. It’s a long road to get there, and I am certainly not there yet, but this is a huge step towards it. My hope, nay, plan, is to do something…

Big News- Read if you like my stories!

I alluded to it earlier today on Twitter, but there is big news coming.

Big news, Everyone!

BIG news.

This is not the post where I tell you that news. Sorry.

This is the post where I say this:

I am saving that news for Friday. BUT, because you guys are awesome, I want to share that news with you sooner. Say, tomorrow. I have several people’s email addresses, but I want to make sure that I reach…

This is probablymy favorite story of the collection, for a variety of reasons. It felt completely natural to write and just seemed to flow (somewhat ironically, it was one of the most heavily edited, but Corissa was spot on with the tweaks and made it…

We caught up with Dean Smith-Richard as his Kickstarter campain for his collection of short stories, 3024AD: Short Stories Series I, is in its final stretch.  In this collection, we follow the adventures of Digger, “an archeologist by education and a thief by occupation”, in a futuristic backdrop full of planetary colonization, uncharted territories, interstellar trade, corruption, bounty hunters, privateers and more…

So, tell us a little about your upcoming publication.

This collection of short stories has a serial story arc, following the character of ‘Digger’, who we first meet robbing an archaelogical dig.  His adventures and mysterious past are the subject of the bulk of the collection.  Alongside this are stories that tie into his – minor characters that appear in the main story arc have their own stories told as they cross paths with Digger.

All of this takes place (obviously) in the year 3024AD, as mankind is colonizing other planets, and have been for several hundred years.  Some planets have large, developed cities on them, while others are smaller, more fontier-type colonies.

Which author has been your biggest influence?

This is always a tough one – there are so many choices.  Mark Twain was a huge influence from an early age.  While my stories and style are certainly different, he made me want to tell stories that people enjoyed.

Is science fiction your preferred genre, or do you have other genres you like to write in?

It is certainly my preferred genre, but in a huge surprise to no one, I also like fantasy a lot.  I will definitely tackle some of the ideas I have for that one day.  I am also a huge crime/noir geek, and would love to try my hand at that.

Aside from writing, what is your dream career?

Actually, pretty much what I’m doing as a field engineer.  I get to have my hands in design and construction, it’s a lot of fun.

Why does your future place corporations as the driving force behind space exploration and colonization?

They have the largest interest in it, as it is profitable for them. Because of this, by the time governments have adjusted to overseeing the colonies in any dedicated fashion, corporations have much more control. And since the governments depend on them for revenue (and, you know, bribes and kickbacks), they tend to just follow along with the corporations’ demands.

What is Digger’s favorite archeological time period and why?

Part of the backstory of the universe is that there is a war between China and America, nukes are exchanged and large portions of both are pretty much obliterated.  Prior to this happening, several scientists are on the verge of breakthroughs in fuel and faster than light travel and the war sets those advancements back by hundreds of years.  Digger spends a lot of time hunting down and collecting those works – what’s left of them anyway.

We started our site to share our projects – cosplay and geeky stuff we’ve done to our home.  What is your favorite geeky project and why?

I love miniatures and making terrain.  I have been working on a modular sewer board for Malifaux, and I made a blood bowl board for our local game club.  I am pretty proud of my Malifaux crews.