NEEDLESS THINGS: 2013’S WORST STUFF

Ladies and gentlemen... The Phantom Troublemaker...

Me on The Following w/Kevin Bacon

The Phantom Troublemaker talks about what he didn't like about 2013 at Needless Things. 

Oh, I get name checked there too. :)

Give it a read here.

Bobby

A (GHOST) HUNTING WE WILL GO!!!

I love this show. Fantastic series. Highly recommended.

Making progress...

Today was a productive one. I love it when that happens. I added a couple thousand words to the Ghost Gal novel and got a few other creative things accomplished. All in all, it was not a bad day at all, but now it's time for a break. Will jump back into it tomorrow. 

I also watched a few episodes of Arrow in preparation for discussing the series on this week's Earth Station One podcast, which we record on Monday nights. Should be a fun topic. I really like this show. It's fun.

Sweet dreams.

Bobby

A FEW BITS OF INFORMATION… OR, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, BOBBY NASH?

Starship Farragut

As the end of the year approaches, work continues on Ghost Gal. There’s still a ways to go, but the story is coming along nicely. If all goes as planned I’ll finish it in early January. Then I turn my attention to Operation: Silver Moon and Honey West/Domino Lady as well as a script for an upcoming Starship Farragut episode. Whew.

Tonight, I got to see Fabio Listrani's illustration for my story in the upcoming Zombies Vs. Robots: No Man's Land anthology and it's a beauty. I can't show that particular illustration yet, but I will share once IDW does. Look for this book in February.

You can learn more about Zombies Vs. Robots: No Man's Land here and here.

Deviant Pictures’ Daniel Emery Taylor and Jim O’Rear have announced that the rough cut for Fat Chance has been completed. Coming in at 2 hours and 25 minutes, it’s a bit long so now they have to go in and trim some scenes. Fingers crossed my scenes don’t all end up on the cutting room floor.

Learn more about Fat Chance here.
Also, if you want to sport a super cool Fat Chance T-Shirt, you can find them here.

I just started my rewatch of Arrow season 1. We’re discussing the show on the next episode of the Earth Station One podcast, recording Monday night. I love this show so it’s fun going back to the beginning.

One of the requests made recently when I asked what types of posts you’d like to see here was to show off some comic scripts. I’m working on a step by step how to that will be posted here soon, probably in January. Stay tuned. For now, here's a page of script from the Lance Star: Sky Ranger "One Shot!" comic I did with James Burns. Check it out here and here.

My convention set up

Oh, yeah, I also added a new convention to my 2014 schedule. Check out when I’ll be appearing in a city near you in the Appearances Tab above.

I should probably add sleep to my list of things to do as well, huh?

Happy New Year!

Bobby

YOU TAKE THE GOOD, YOU TAKE THE BAD...

The Car in question, my 2006 Equinox

Don't worry, I've no plans to break out into song. You're safe. HA!

The good news: a friend of mine thinks he can help me fix my car. HOORAY!!! The parts will run me around $300. That's the good news. The bad news: I don’t have $300. Typical, huh? That being said, if you've ever wanted to try one of my novels (especially Evil Ways, Deadly Games!, Earthstrike Agenda, Fight Card: Barefoot Bones, or Frontier as that money comes directly to me), doing so now would help me get back on the road and you would read something I

A Haunting We Will Go.

hope you’ll enjoy. Plus, I would greatly appreciate it.

Learn more about these books at http://BEN-Books.com, in the tabs above, and http://amazon.com/author/bobbynash

Sorry to sound like I'm begging.

Today, I'm settling in for some writing time. Yesterday wasn't nearly as productive as it should have been so I'm hoping to play catch up today. I need to get some good wordage down on Ghost Gal. Plus, Honey West/Domino Lady, Operation: Silver Moon, and Lance Star: Sky Ranger are still waiting in the wings. 2013 is going to end as busy as it began, which is good.

A honey of a team-up.

Have a great day, folks. Enjoy your last Saturday of 2013.

Happy New Year!

Bobby

THE FOLLOWING PILOT ONE OF 2013'S BEST EPISODES...

Bobby as Agent Edwards

I found out today that FOX's The Following's Pilot is one of Give Me My Remote's Top 13 TV Episodes of 2013! This was a fun pilot to work on. I played an FBI Agent in this one. 

You can read the full article here.

Learn more about The Following here.

Bobby

EARTH STATION ONE EPISODE 194 – JOHN HUGHES IS A RIGHTEOUS DUDE

John Hughes

This week, the ESO crew travels back to to 80′s to enjoy the works of John Hughes. Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, the award-winning author Bobby Nash, and Rebecca Perry leave JD home alone and travel by plane, train, and automobile to celebrate a some kind of wonderful pretty in pink sixteenth birthday party held in a detention hall in Sherman, IL. All in the name of weird science! We also talk to a trio of Mikes, the creative team of Curse of the Vessel, and stuff them all in The Geek Seat! Plus the usual Rants, Raves, and Shout Outs!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: John Hughes Is a Righteous Dude at www.esonetwork.com
Direct link: http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/earth-station-one-episode-194/

My shout out this week!

Table of Contents
0:00:00 Intro / Welcome
0:06:33 Rants & Raves
0:24:07 Interview & Geek Seat w/ The Mike’s from the Curse of the Vessel
1:06:53 The Films of John Hughes
2:04:41 2 Minutes w/ Dr Geek

Curse of The Geek Seat

2:07:23 ESO Shout Outs & Show Close

Next on Earth Station One...

ESO hits the bullseye.

The ESO crew is taking archery lessons as they prepare to review one of the stations favorite new TV shows as they peel back the hood on CW’s hit series, Arrow. Based on the DC Comics character, Oliver Queen leaps onto the small screen in this hit live action adaptation. And that’s not all. ESO also takes aim with Rants and Raves, Khan Reports, Geek Seats, Shout Outs, and more. It’s another action-packed episode of the Earth Station One podcast.

Next Week: Arrow

Are you an Arrow fan? ESO wants to hear from you. Tell us your favorite Arrow memories and thoughts on the show at esopodcast@gmail.com, www.esonetwork.com, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Who knows, we might just share yours on the show.

Download ESO Episode 194 mp3 here.
You can also find Earth Station One on iTunes, Stitcher, and YouTube.
Check out The New ESO Amazon.com E-Store here.

OPERATION: SILVER MOON COVER REVEALED!

Cover Art: Rick Johnson

Here's a sneak peek at the cover art sans logo/cover copy for the upcoming Operation: Silver Moon graphic novel I wrote with stunning artwork by Rick Johnson. We'll also unveil the new Operation: Silver Moon website in January.

Keep watching this space.

Bobby

About Operation: Silver Moon:
ROMANIA
JULY 1943

Behind enemy lines, Agent Tom Lupis of The American War Department uses his special skills to thwart the Axis takeover of the world. What makes Agent Lupis such a special agent is his gift/curse.

Tom Lupis is a werewolf.

When war breaks out, Lupis and his beastly alter-ego agree to work together for the greater good and end the Axis threat once and for all.

In Operation: Silver Moon, Nazi agents have discovered a long lost army of the undead that they plan to unleash on an unsuspecting world. Agent Lupis is sent in to deal with the threat, which brings him into contact with the vampire lord known as Vlas.

Can Lupis and Vlas put aside their ages old differences and work together to stop the Nazi's Army of the Undead?

Operation: Silver Moon is a graphic novel written by Pulp Ark Award Winning Author Bobby Nash with beautiful artwork by Rick Johnson.

Coming 2014 from BEN Books!

ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS: NO MAN'S LAND IN PREVIEWS

Cover Art: Fabio Listrani

IDW's Zombies Vs. Robots: No Man's Land is now available for pre-order through Diamond Distributor's Previews. If you're interested, please let your comic book retailer know.

Diamond Preview Code: DEC130483 
In shops 2/26/2014
Standard Retail Price: $19.99

Learn more about IDW's Zombies Vs. Robots: No Man's Land here.

About Zombies Vs. Robots: No Man's Land:
The fifth book in IDW's shambling series of original Zombies vs Robots prose collections. Fully illustrated by the fantabulous Fabio Listrani, this new anthology features fresh tales of rotting flesh and rusting metal. IDW further expands the apocalyptic hellscape of its unique signature franchise. A world where brain-eaters roam and warbots rule is truly a NO MAN'S LAND.

NOT A BAD DAY...

Not a bad day at all. I slept in way too late today, but other than that today was a rather productive day. I wrote a couple thousand words on the Ghost Gal novel, which is coming along nicely. I also worked on cover designs for Operation: Silver Moon, which artist Rick Johnson just completed the cover for. It looks gorgeous, by the way. We'll be able to show it off soon, I think. Plus, there were a few other necessary odds-n-ends that come with the job that needed some attention.

All in all, not a bad creative day at all.

Here's hoping tomorrow follows the same path.

Bobby

AND THE WIND DOWN...

Christmas was a very low key affair for me this year, which was fine with me. Despite some good and interesting times, 2013 has not been one of my best years and I really wasn't in a festive mood so instead of my foul mood dampening everyone else's spirits, I stayed by myself. Or as close to it as I can get these days. 

I managed to squeeze in a little bit of work today, but for the most part it was a lazy, tired, boring day. I had a nice meal with my parents, which was nice, but other than that I didn't do too much, which was a nice change of pace. I capped the evening off with the Doctor Who Christmas Special and bid a fond farewell to departing Doctor, Matt Smith. It was a fun run and I'll miss him in the role, but I'm also excited for Peter Capaldi's tenure as The Doctor. Should be fun come August 2014.

As Christmas Day starts to wind down I think I'll read a bit, maybe watch some TV then call it a night then dive back into work tomorrow. There's still a lot of work ahead of me this last week of 2013. 

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday.

'night, all.

Bobby

HOWLING AT A SILVER MOON!!!

Artist Rick Johnson posted his work in process on the cover to our upcoming Operation: Silver Moon graphic novel and I wanted to share. Look for more information on this release in January.

Bobby

Updated with zip tones added.

"BAH HUMBUG!"

It's A Bundyful Life-- one of my favorite Christmas episodes.

A New Teaser Ad for
Operation: Silver Moon

Or something like that.  :)

I'm not really feeling all that festive this year so just stayed home today instead of doing the family Christmas get-together. I'm not grinchy or anything, just feeling the holiday blahs. They'll pass. Today, I added some words to the Ghost Gal novel, worked on the upcoming Operation: Silver Moon graphic novel (with beautiful art by my creative cohort, Rick Johnson), and watched TV. It's not what I'd call a super productive day, but there was progress made.

I hope you had a great day.

Merry Christmas.

Bobby

SOMETIMES I GET ASKED STUFF… PART 13

Tis the Season... to answer some questions.

Seasons Greetings!

One of the perks of being a writer is getting to meet some of the most interesting people. Whether it is at conventions, store signings, through the Earth Station One podcast, writer’s groups, on social media, and sometimes just from people I run into on when I venture out of the cave I call my office, and they have questions. Sometimes they are about writing or what I’m working on. Other times they’re out of left field. I thought it would be interesting to share some of them along with a few answers. Regardless of where they come from, here’s a few of the latest.

Check out past installments of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff... Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, Part 9 here, Part 10 here, Part 11 here, and Part 12 here.

Mix-N-Match

Q: Have you ever found yourself deep into writing a novel, and in need of combining characters, or eliminating a character, to make the story better?

Yes. Sometimes you realize that one character can handle what you initially created two characters to do. Adding characters late in the story can also help with the overall story as well.

Q: When writing, do you complete scenes and chapters chronologically in the order they will appear in the final manuscript, or do you hop around?

I generally go chronologically for the first pass, but there are times when a future scene or chapter pops fully into my head so I go ahead and write it down. On the second and subsequent passes, I jump around as needed.

Q: Does your antagonist have any tattoos, piercings, or scars?

Those are all good descriptive points for characters. I’ve used them to describe characters in some of my books before. In the upcoming Evil Intent novel, the antagonist has a few different scars that necessitates growing a beard to help cover some of them while he’s on the run.

Q: Is there really any awesome jobs besides athlete's or actors that people say I love everything about my job?

Hi. My name's Bobby. I'm an author.

Mine's close. I love being a writer. My only complaint: the pay could be better. Of course, I imagine everyone can say that about their job. Getting paid for writing isn’t steady. I don’t collect a weekly paycheck and royalty checks don’t come with any sort of regularity so it’s very feast or famine. I still love it though. I just need to sell more books as I get paid per sale in most cases.

Q: How do you name your characters? Do they name themselves? Do you research for name meanings? Do you use names of people you know?

The author hard at work.

A little of each. I have been known to borrow first names from one person and a last name from another to create a character’s name. Other time they just come to me. I did learn early on that if a name came to me too easily that I should probably research or discard it because there'’ probably some character out there with that name already.

Q: How long does it take you to write a book?

It varies depending on size, interruptions for other deadlines, and the like, but I can do the first draft of a novel in anywhere from 2 to 4 months. It all depends on what else I’m also working on at the time.

Sommersville, Georgia

Q: Are you a "map addict" when you're writing? Checking for locations, travel distance, time zones, seasonal weather patterns, flight numbers and departure/arrival times? How deep do you go into the details?

It depends. If the time it takes to travel is important then I make sure it’s accurate. If the focus is not on the journey, but the person getting off a plane, for example, I may not need those details because they aren’t important to the story. When I created the town of Sommersville, GA for Evil Ways and Deadly Games!, I made sure to keep track of where things were on a map of the town/county.

What are yours?

Q: What are your writing goals for the coming year?

My open projects board for 2014 is already pretty full. I’ve got a few projects that have been started and set aside for other projects. One of my goals is to get them finished and off my plate. Being more productive is also a goal for 2014 as is leaving space in my schedule for a vacation. It’s been too long since I’ve been to the beach.

I make up stuff for a living.

Q: As a reader, how much do consistent spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes bother you? And as a writer, how much care do you take to get it right?

As a reader, I see them, correct them in my mind, and move on. Of course, that’s only because as a writer I understand just how easy it is to miss them. I strive to catch them all as do the editors, but mistakes happen.

That was easy.

Q: Do you have any stories available to read for free?

I have freebies under the Free Stuff tab above. Enjoy.

Q: Do you, or would you ever consider paying for a book review?

Nope. I love reviews, especially the positive ones, but I won’t pay someone to write them for me. I prefer that readers to leave a review because what he or she read moved them to want to leave a review. Amazon or Goodreads, for example, because adding a review moves a book up in the rankings so more potential readers will see it and hopefully purchase a copy.

Writers love book reviews.

Reviews are very important to writers for a variety of reasons. It lets us know what readers think about our stories, which we don’t usually know. Plus, it helps on places like

If you’ve read and enjoyed anything I’ve written, please leave a review up on Amazon. I greatly appreciate it.

Q: At December Season Holiday time, I must read "How The Grinch Stole Christmas… so the question is, is there a book or novella you go back to each year or every other year? If there is, what title or titles of the books? And I don’t mean the bible in this question.

It's not Christmas without these guys.

I don’t have any holiday reads that I go back to each year. I do sometimes dig out the TV series DVD box sets and watch Christmas themed episodes. Plus, there’s the old stand by movies, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, and Lethal Weapon, the perfect Christmas Trifecta. Although, my schedule has been so hectic this year that I’ve not watched any of them yet.

Deadly Games! Still Available.

Q: What was the "WHAT IF?" question that triggered your current work in progress?

What if a dead man wanted revenge?

Q: Your Favorite Sidney Poitier Movie?

It’s a toss up between Sneakers and Shoot To Kill. I love both of those movies.

Shoot To Kill. I love this movie.

Q: What is your antagonist wearing in his latest scene?

In the forthcoming Evil Intent, Donnie Lehmann, is wearing jeans, button down flannel shirt, and work boots under a long coat as he’s operating under one of his many aliases he uses in the novel. He’s just threatened to kill FBI Agent Harold Palmer’s brother if the agent doesn’t back off in his pursuit of Donnie and his crew.

Another fun flick.

Q: If there was a Santa Claus, what writerly thing would you ask him for?

That’s an easy one this year. I need a new computer. My desktop crashed earlier this year and I’ve not had the funds to replace it. I’ve been using my old, outdated laptop, which has been helpful, but it’s limited in what it can do.

Q: What’s your Favorite Sigourney Weaver Movie?

Hard to narrow down to just one. Alien, Aliens, Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest, and Copycat were good ones.

"I have one job! It's stupid, but..."

Q: How would your antagonist describe himself?

The antagonist in Earthstrike Agenda would say that he is a freedom fighter seeking a new life for his people. He’ll do anything to accomplish this goal, including mass murder. You can learn more about Earthstrike Agenda here.

Evil's Coming... Don't Look Back!

Q: Have you ever had something published that when you went back and looked at it, there was a sentence you wish you could take back? If so, would you share that sentence?

I’m sure I could probably go back and find several examples, but the one that comes immediately to mind is from Evil Ways.

The disheveled young woman ran frantically through the woods.

It’s a clunky sentence and I would write it differently today.

Lance Star: Sky Ranger

Q: [From Twitter] I have a curious Q for you, Mr. Nash (@bobbynash)! Which pulp action &/or #mystery of yours would you rec'd for a #cosy girl like me 2read?

I’d recommend Domino Lady or Lance Star: Sky Ranger stories for pulp action. For mystery, I recommend Evil Ways. Details on each can be found in the tabs above.

Space. The Final Frontier...

Q: What’s your Favorite Star Trek Movie?

I am a Star Trek fan since I was a kid when I caught the reruns after school. On the movie side of things, The Wrath of Khan is my favorite, followed by Undiscovered Country and First Contact. I enjoy the others in the series, but these three I can watch over and over again. I really enjoyed the first J.J. Abrams movie, but really disliked his second, which is my least favorite of the twelve Star Trek movies.

Q: What is your Favorite Star Trek Television Show?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is my favorite Star Trek series overall. It is an absolutely incredible series. There's something to like about all of them, but DS9 stands out for me. I’ve been fortunate to meet many of the DS9 cast at conventions over the years. They are a great group. Meeting Avery Brooks was a big thrill for me. We had a nice conversation.

Q: Do holiday experiences ... like crazy Uncle Jack's idea of a few drinks, or Grandma's special Apple Pie, or how the young ones expect what the expect ... ever show up in your writing? Do you find the Holidays a wealth of writing inspiration?

A honey of a team up

Sure. They can. Usually, this is backstory or something mentioned to flesh out the characters, not so much the main plot. At least not yet in my case.

Q: What BIG PROJECT do you have planned for 2014?

Oh so many. 2014 is going to be busy. Domino Lady novel, Honey West novel, Evil Intent novel, Deadly Deals! novel, Blood Shot novel, and Snow ebook are all in play for 2014.

Q: What is your antagonist's greatest strength?

Snow arrives 2014

In Deadly Games!, Darrin Morehouse is a methodical planner. He’s always thinking three moves ahead.
http://ben-books.blogspot.com/p/deadly-games.html

And I think that is a good place to finish this round of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff… Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer? Post them here as a comment or send them along to bobby@bobbynash.com and I’ll answer them in a future installment of Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff...

Also, please sign up for my mailing list. Drop me an email at bobby@bobbynash.com and I'll happily add you to the list.

HO! HO! HO!

Thanks.

Seasons Greetings!
Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!

Bobby