Large Mystery Mass on Moon, Plus Some Lunar and Gravity Facts

(Image: NASA--These are mountains at the northern ridge of the South Pole-Aitken basin)

The Moon might be our closest neighbor in what we think of as space, but we are constantly coming across things that let us know how little we really know about it--and how much solving these mysteries can help us understand our own planet Earth.

Recently, scientists used some data from spacecrafts  used for NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission, otherwise known as GRAIL, to measure small changes in gravity around the Moon.  They then used lunar topography (measuring the lay of the land, like peaks and valleys, etc) data recorded by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to see if there was a correlation between gravity and the topographical features. Lo and behold, they did find something.

Put in its most basic form with no math involved, you can think of the force of gravity as the result of two masses interacting with each other across a distance (that's a super simplification, but it works for our purposes here). Two bodies of mass have some value of gravitational pull on each other--it's just very small for smaller masses, and becomes weaker the further those masses are from each other. So the equipment NASA and the scientists doing this study measured the pull of the Moon's gravity on the equipment. As they surveyed the moon's surface, nothing big stood out, until they got to the area of the South Pole-Aitken basin. 

(Image: NASA/University of Arizona--This is a false-color image of the South Pole-Aitken basin. The blue colors are places that are low (like valleys, or in this case, craters), and the red places are the highest (mountains, etc). The purples are the lowest spots. The circled area is where the anomaly is. 

DISTRACTED MEL MOMENT: Wait, what's that? You don't know what the South Pole-Aitken basin is? Well, we have to fix that, because, honestly, it's a REALLY cool feature on our Moon. The South Pole-Aitken basin is a crater--a huge crater--on the moon made about 4 billion years ago. It's not the biggest crater in the solar system. But it is considered to be one of the best preserved craters in the solar system. What this means is that other repeated impacts and/or erosion haven't happened here, and so the surface of the crater is much the same as when it was formed so long ago. This makes it an interesting place to study and learn about all kinds of things, including planet formation, impact effects, etc. China landed a spacecraft here at the beginning of 2019. Peter B. James, PhD., assistant professor of planetary geophysics at Baylor University says this basin is "one of the best natural laboratories for studying catastrophic impact events, an ancient process that shaped all the rocky planets and moons we see today." We can't see this basin from Earth, sadly, because it's on the far side of the Moon, the part that always faces away from us. But we've seen it via spacecraft. Why has it been so well preserved? Because it's toward the "bottom" of the moon, and most impacts happen in the orbital plane of the solar system versus the tops and bottoms of planets and moons.

(Image: NASA. The dark area at the bottom is the South Pole-Aitken basin. It is about 2,000 km at its widest point, the distance between Washington DC and Waco, TX. It's a darker color than the surrounding area because it's a smoother surface--not as many newer impacts there as on the rest of the moon. The same can be seen in the darker spots facing the Earth--those are places where impacts haven't happened after the big basin/crater was formed)

OK, where was I? Oh, yes. So they measured the gravitational pull near the South Pole-Aitken basin, and found it was stronger than on other places on the Moon. Instead of this (what they expected, same gravitational pull around the whole Moon):

(fairly constant gravitational pull)

Scientists discovered THIS:

What does this mean? According to the gravity formula Newton came up with, F = [(Gm1m2)/r^2], this effect suggests that there is a big body of mass hundreds of miles underneath the Moon's surface in this spot. How big?

"Imagine taking a pile of metal five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaii and burying it underground. That's roughly how much unexpected mass we detected," says Peter B. James, PhD, the lead author of the report in Geophysical Research Letters. 

What could this mass be? Did we finally find the lunar monolith from Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey? (cue music)

Well, probably not. One likely explanation for this mass is that the metal from the asteroid that hit the Moon and created the basin in the first place is still embedded/dispersed in the Moon's mantle, instead of sinking into the Moon's core and being melted and distributed among the matter there. Scientists performed computer simulations to test this theory, and found that under the right conditions, this could indeed be possible. 

Another theory is that this large mass is the remnant of dense oxides (types of heavy metal rust, basically) that was formed when the last of the liquid magma ocean beneath the surface of the Moon cooled and solidified. This theory isn't as exciting, maybe, as the first, but it's still something to work with.

OK, so what? Why is this important and how does it impact your life as a tax-paying citizen? Why should you want to help fund research into this? Well, there are a ton of reasons, depending on where your interests lie. Researching this will shed light on how planets, including our own, were formed. This in turn will lead to new knowledge about how conditions formed that made life possible. It can also help us understand the effects of giant impact events on planets, so we can be better prepared for one when it happens on Earth. It can help us understand more about the cooling process of planets--Earth is still in the process of cooling, and will some day, long after humans as we know them are probably extinct, be a cold dead planet like the Moon or Mercury. We can learn about the effects of cooling on us today, on how our food grows, on how our environment is changing. We might be able to predict the weather differently, learn how animals migrate, etc, all based on how matter moves through the Earth. There are definitely applications for the knowledge we can glean from this discovery.

So, what do you think? Any questions? Concerns? Ask away!

NOTE: This content is free right now here and on my Patreon because I really feel strongly that the world needs access to science. We need a better educated populace, we need people to know about the world they live in. But if you had $2 a month to throw at me, I could put that toward my own education so that I can help spread the most accurate science I can. I would love your help to make the world a better, more educated, place.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she’s a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website. And if you like what she’s doing here, please support her Patreon!

Don't Panic! You Can Usually See Jupiter's Galilean Moons via Binoculars, and Other Giant Planet Facts

There have been a lot of headlines going around in the past week that are making people excited. They are stating, with various degrees of enthusiasm, that Jupiter is closer to the Earth right now and so you can see the four Galilean moons with just binoculars! Don't miss it!

This is what I hate about clickbait titles. When I posted to Facebook last night that I was looking at our giant solar system mate, someone commented that they won't be able to see it because of light pollution in the city. And other people are like, "We're missing it because it's raining." But here's the thing: Jupiter might be closer to the Earth right now...but to the untrained eye, it's not really much "closer" than it ever is when it's up in the night sky. You can USUALLY see the four Galilean moons with binoculars, even with a bit of light pollution (they will be tiny pin pricks of light, but they will be there. If you lean on a fence or table when looking through binoculars, you will be steadier and it will be easier to see). The only reason we are closer to Jupiter this week is because we are right between Jupiter and the Sun. So maybe viewing might be a little better, but if you can't see it this week, please don't let that stop you from looking at it another time. I've seen Jupiter at all times when it's visible, and it's always a great thing. If it doesn't work out because of rain or because you need to take a little drive a few minutes out of the city, you can just wait a few days and go out. Hell, you can wait months or even until next year. Jupiter is old. And patient. And pretty set in his ways. He'll still be there. You'll still be able to see things. The number of moons and their positions might change depending on where they are in their revolution around the big planet, but Jupiter is always a nice thing to look at through binoculars. 

Now, if you have even a small telescope, you'll be able to see more. You should be able to see the well defined form of the planet itself, and possibly some stripes. With my telescope, (600 mm focal length, aperture 102 mm, plus whatever the eyepiece I use adds), you can see the stripes of the planet clearly, and can distinctly see all four Galilean moons. This image from Sky and Telescope shows what you might be able to see (with 3 out of the four big moons):

I'm still working on the equipment for my astrophotography setup, so hopefully I will have pictures of my own soon.

Some cool facts about Jupiter:

--The Galilean moons were named after the man who first studied them in 1610, Galileo himself. He had no idea what those dots were around Jupiter, assuming them to be stars at first. When he saw how they moved, he was very confused. It didn't take him long, however to realize these bodies were revolving around Jupiter, and that we see it kind of edge on. The names of the individual moons are Callisto, Ganymede, Europa, and Io.

--Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. How big is it? Well, if you put ALL THE OTHER PLANETS COMBINED together, it would STILL be two and a half times bigger. And there are some BIG planets out there--Earth is one of the very smallest!

--For as long as we have studied the huge planet, we still have no real concrete idea of if there is a solid core to the planet, and how big it is under its massive atmosphere. This is because pressures in Jupiter are so high that things that would be solid here on Earth are actually liquid on Jupiter. There are layers upon layers of clouds, each layer with different types of storms. Fierce winds that you and I can't even imagine give Jupiter its banded appearance, and the colors in the clouds are caused by various chemical in active reactions in the atmosphere. We haven't been able to penetrate Jupiter's atmosphere--everything we've sent down there gets crushed and obliterated by the planet's pressure before we can get many readings. So we just have no idea! Our best guess is that there is a molten core at the center that is about as big as 12 Earth masses. And this is surrounded by liquid metallic hydrogen (hydrogen in a form that is conductive, made possible by all that pressure), which is then in turn surrounded by lots of gas and storms.

--The storms on Jupiter are caused and effected more by Jupiter's interior than by any heat from the Sun. In fact, Jupiter radiates 1.67 times the energy it receives from the Sun. This is because it's still got a lot of heat from when it was formed, because it's so massive. 

--One of Jupiter's most notable feature's is its great red spot, which is a giant storm. This spot has been visible for at least hundreds of years, if not thousands. We don't know what has caused the storm, but we do know that it changes over time. It's been shrinking. Some day, there might not be a great red spot. There might be more than one some day. Or there will be more small spots. The atmosphere of Jupiter is constantly changing. Here is a time lapse video taken by Voyager 1 showing how Jupiter's atmosphere moves: Jupiter_from_Voyager_1_PIA02855_max_quality.ogv

--Jupiter has a ring system, but it's not very remarkable. It's made of dust, and might only be a temporary feature lasting a few thousand years, unless it's replenished by more collisions from meteoroids into the moons.

--Don't believe those images you see on the internet with the clouds on Jupiter that look like we see clouds on Earth. The closest images we have of Jupiter still look very flat and smooth. Anything that looks like the camera can see wispy clouds and is kind of inside the clouds is fake.

--Jupiter's moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the entire solar system. It has basically turned itself inside out via its eruptions, spewing its insides onto the surface. Some of the material that comes from the volcanic vents on Io is hotter than anything on Venus.

--The moon Ganymede is larger than the planet Mercury.

--Moon Europa is viewed by scientists as one of the most likely places in the solar system to find extraterrestrial life.

--Callisto, the fourth Galilean moon, has one of the oldest and most heavily cratered surfaces in the solar system.

Jupiter is really one of the most fascinating objects in the solar system because a) it's very visible, and b) there is so much more to learn about it. Go to the library and check out some books, or go to NASA's website about Jupiter where they have a ton of information about the planet and its moons, as well as lots of mind-blowing images.

This is a sneak peak example of the science content that will be available on my Patreon! It's free for now, but I would greatly love your support to help make it possible for me to share even more of this stuff with you! Just $2 a month gives you access to ALMOST everything I do there!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she’s a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website. And if you like what she’s doing here, please support her Patreon!

Interview: YA Authors Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings About NEXUS

#1 New York Times bestselling authors Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings have hit the YA sweet-spot mixture of romance, intrigue, and action with their Androma series, which started with Zenith. These authors are real life best friends, and have written a series that fans of Star Wars and Firefly will love. O&FP blogger Melanie R. Meadors recently had the chance to interview the pair of authors, who share a passion for space adventure, about the newest book in the series, Nexus!

Melanie R. Meadors: The Androma Saga seems to have been very successful and received well. What do you think might be a reason behind that?

We’re super lucky to have some great readers that were passionate about this series when we originally self-published it as a 60-page novella! It’s exciting to see that carry over to the full duology, and we couldn’t be more grateful for it!

MRM: Could you tell us a little about the Mirabel Galaxy? You have a really fun section on your website that lets readers explore a bit on their own. 

 We had such a blast creating the Mirabel Galaxy, because it has a lot of elements that people can relate to from real life, but with little subtle differences that make it feel truly sci-fi and futuristic. Mirabel is in a time of peace when the first book begins, after a long and brutal war between the Unified Systems and the Olen System---and that peace is about to be broken by a queen who desperately wants to save her dying world. We have satellite pubs, ship graveyards, terraformed worlds…there’s so much to explore within the pages! 

MRM: How did you choose the names of your characters?

Baby name websites, melding names together, and laughing while we sat around coming up with funny names and then making them a little more realistic. ☺ 

MRM: Do you have a favorite character in the series? 

That’s like asking us to choose our favorite child! But Sasha tends to lean towards Nor, while Lindsay has a heart for Androma. Collectively, we love Alfie, our adorably annoying AI.

MRM: What was the hardest thing about working together?

It’s always difficult to do “group projects”, especially when there are tight deadlines! And book one had to be written in about 6 weeks (a nearly 600-page novel), which added a LOT of pressure! 

MRM: Did you ever have any disagreements while working on the series? How did you handle that?

Creatively, we actually are always on the same page! It’s pretty cool to have two separate brains that almost always lean towards the same idea for how a scene should flow. We’re lucky in that regard! We decided to always be open about our feelings in this partnership, and we talk a lot of things out right away if we ever run into a snag.

MRM: What’s been the most fun part of working together?

The laughter, the traveling, the readers, the fact that we wear the same size clothing.

MRM: Sasha, you live in Massachusetts, and Lindsay lives in Texas. What was it like working so far from each other? 

Strangely, it wasn’t much of a factor. We use FaceTime, and so it was like we were always in the same room.

MRM: What are some books you enjoyed as a teen, and do you think they informed your thinking as an adult?

We both read YA as teens, because we were lucky enough to grow up right as YA was becoming truly popular and hitting its stride. If it’s YA fantasy or scifi…you can bet we’ve both read it! Beth Revis’ ACROSS THE UNIVERSE series was a really fun one that we talked about often as we were creating this saga. Books always have an impact on their readers, and we’d like to think that each one has carried with us in one way or another.

MRM: If you could tell your younger self something you’ve learned as an adult, maybe to help her out, what would it be?

We’d tell ourselves to absolutely take on the partnership for ZENITH when it comes along ;)

MRM: What’s coming up next for you? 

Sasha has PROJECT RED (with a secret title in the works) and Lindsay has a YA space western, BLOOD, METAL, BONE dropping in 2020!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

 Sasha Alsberg is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of ZENITH: The Androma Saga. When she is not writing or obsessing over Scotland, she is making YouTube videos on her channel Abookutopia.  She lives in Massachusetts with her dogs, Fraser & Fiona. Twitter: @sashaalsberg, Facebook: @authorsashaalsberg, Instagram: @sashaalsberg

 Lindsay Cummings is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of ZENITH: The Androma Saga. She is also author of The Murder Complex duology and The Balance Keepers trilogy, published by HarperCollins. She lives in North Texas, where she writes full-time. She also posts writing advice videos on her YouTube channel.

Twitter: @authorlindsayc, Facebook: authorlindsaycummings, Instagram: @authorlindsaycummings 

ABOUT NEXUS:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings comes NEXUS, the powerful and exhilarating conclusion to The Androma Saga. 

With its nonstop action, fantastical intrigue and steamy star-crossed romance, NEXUS is the satisfying sequel to Zenith, which left Androma Racella, the Bloody Baroness, and her fearless and loyal band of space pirates in dire straits by the book’s end.   Zenith established a massive legion of fans worldwide and debuted in hardcover at #7 on the New York Times bestseller list. 

Now, loyalties will be challenged, bravery will be put to the test, and secrets will be revealed as Androma Racella takes on the role of unlikely hero to rescue her crew—her best friends Lira, Breck, and Gilly—and the other citizens of Mirabel from the clutches of Nor, Queen of Xen Ptera. As Nor spreads her mind-controlling toxin across one planet after another using the mental prowess of her half-brother Valen, Andi and Dex, traveling aboard her battered starship, the Marauder, forge many unlikely alliances in their race to save the galaxy. For as an internal battle rages for dominance over Mirabel, Andi seeks out the mysterious Arachnid, the one person who seems to be fighting back against the vicious queen. And in doing so, she uncovers the true, devastating reason for Nor’s takeover.

This “dark and complex sci-fi drama” (School Library Journal) is certain to satisfy Zenith fans as well as readers discovering The Androma Saga for the first time. 

I Am a Bit of a Shakespeare Nerd: Guest Post by Elizabeth Vaughan

Elizabeth Vaughan is the amazing and talented author of The Chronicles of the Warlands fantasy romance series. The prequel to the series, FATE’S STAR, has just come out, and you don’t have to have read the other books to enjoy it. So get thee to a book vendor and grab a copy!

Here, Beth talks about how she is a total nerd…for Shakespeare.

I am a bit of a Shakespeare nerd.

Okay, more than just ‘a bit’.  My idea of a lovely afternoon is curling up with cats and iced tea and watching Shakespeare movies with the original play on my lap so I can compare them to what I see on the screen.

I do love the language and the characters and the plots.  But what I have come to really enjoy is the interpretation that I see from various versions of the plays.  Kenneth Branagh’s soliloquy ‘To be or not to be’ is very different from David Tennant’s.  The same words, but such a different approach. 

I love the historical plays.  I recently purchased the Hollow Crown series, which encompasses Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V.  It then goes on to do a WONDERFUL Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 and 3 and Richard the III.  I was glued to the screen, watching, following along paying attention to the scenes that were skipped or combined, or taken out of order.  Benedict Cumberbatch was amazing as Richard the III.

But here is what is even better.  Shakespeare used history for those plays, but he warped time and individuals.  For dramatic purposes, he moved events, and people around.  The lives of kings and queens are fixed in history, but Old Will Shakespeare does as he pleases with the time-line.  Oh, yes, here is a lovely scene with a Queen mourning the capture of her son, but she died three years before that happened.  Also, in the early plays, he might refer to the Duke of Suffolk and use that character again.  But historically, it was the original Duke’s son, not the father, that was present at the events.

I love this stuff.

One of my favorite interpretations is in Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing.  I have seen this play many times, and enjoyed it, but never really liked the Dogberry scenes. Then Joss comes along and films the thing in his house and backyard.  And Nathan Fillion play the scene like a cop show.

I laughed so hard, and had a new appreciation for the dialogue and the character!

Which is why I am always willing to watch yet another version of the plays.  Shakespeare’s play have the ring of truth about the human condition and it will continue to be modified, and adapted and preformed in so many ways and variations.  I look forward to watching!

About FATE'S STAR:

Five years before the events in Warprize and Destiny’s Star . . . .

Her family dead, her home destroyed, all she has left are her wits and her songs . . . .
When the flames of civil war rage across the Kingdom of Palins, Warna of Farentell has no choice but to flee to the neighboring Barony of Tassinic. The daughter of a wealthy merchant, raised to run a noble house in the hope of a good marriage, she watches her future burn with the rest of her homeland. 

Elven Lord of a human Barony, betrayed and attacked by those he thought to trust . . . .
Verice of Tassinic has suffered the wounds of war, knowing loss and betrayal at the hands of those he trusted most. He buries himself in work and duty, behind emotional walls as high as those of his castle, rather than risk more pain. While dealing with a kingdom in political and economic turmoil, he 'rescues' Warna only to discover that the helpless human woman is anything but. Before he knows it, she is deep within the defenses of his heart, forcing him to confront his grief, his distrust, and the scars of his past . . . and maybe even steal his heart in the process.

About Elizabeth Vaughan:

Elizabeth Vaughan is the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Warprize, the first volume of The Chronicles of the Warlands. Her father introduced her to sci/fi and fantasy, and she’s never looked back. She loves fantasy and romance novels, and has played Dungeons and Dragons since 1981, both table-top and the online game. The Chronicles of the Warlands stretches over nice books. Her most recent is FATE'S STAR, the prequel to the series. Beth also has a number of short stories published in various anthologies.

Beth is owned by incredibly spoiled cats and lives in the Northwest Territory, on the outskirts of the Black Swamp, along Mad Anthony's Trail, on the banks of the Maumee River. 

Question: What things inspired Santa vs Zombies? Guest Post by John Mayer

Ok, I have a huge confession to make. Before my friend and writing partner, Koji Sakai, suggested the idea of the story, Santa vs Zombies, I wasn’t a zombie fan. I have always been more of a vampire enthusiast when it came to classic horror.  So, I guess the first inspiration for me to co-author the original story behind the graphic novel was Koji Sakai, writer, director, producer.

I’ve learned not to say no to Koji. He always has great ideas, so the more I dug into the project, the more I became intrigued by zombies. Being a veteran author, I researched the whole zombie trope to uncover for myself what all the buzz was about zombies. Oh, there were zombie movies and zombie literature in Western literature since the early 1800’s, but most people attribute George Romero’s classic, The Night of the Living Dead, in 1968 as the watershed moment for modern zombie fandom. Seeing The Night of the Living Dead as a young man on some local TV rerun channel well after its original release, I have to admit, I wasn’t impressed. The stiff-legged zombies idling about duck-walking from side-to-side just seemed like bad acting to me. I didn’t get it. BTW, even Mr. Romero in a 2017 interview for Variety admitted that the film was crudely made. Even in those days, $114,000 doesn’t get you great special effects (the movie’s budget was that amount.) So, for all these years I never bothered with zombie movies, books, stories or shops in New Orleans. Then Mr. Sakai came along and I was compelled to look at these creatures more closely. Koji is a life-long zombie fanatic, and he’s a smart, cool dude, so there had to be something to these zombies.

How could I have known as a teen or young man that Mr. Romero’s film had such allegory written into it? I never had a film deconstruction class in my college prep high school. I watched movies to be entertained not to interpret the ‘message’ the filmmaker hit us over the head with. That brings me back to researching for the story of Santa vs Zombies. The second inspiration was the discovery of George Romero’s intent to portray the zombies as an allegory to the immoral events of the communist witch hunts of the Cold War era. And, his embedding the shame of race relations in the movie. These messages blended into the zombie legend made me admire his effort from a new vantage point. That inspired me, big time. I have always wanted my stories to entertain and provide a social message. Zombies can be a great device to symbolize many social ills that plague our society (all puns intended.) Zombies are relentless, have unlimited resources-they keep coming and coming, are distasteful, and multiply with abandon. You can symbolize any number of social conditions and represent them as a zombie. I’m sure as you read this you’ve already plugged in your favorite hated world condition and put them into a zombie onslaught. I won’t reveal here what my zombies represented to me as I was writing them, so have fun identifying the zombies in our story as any of the decaying social norms that you want.

The more I looked into zombies as a horror character, the more I was being hooked on the terror they could inflict. That brought me to another inspiration: their power. As I stated previously, I was always a vampire geek. Vampires had cool powers: super strength, transmutation, flight, and every male teen’s fantasy, they could get any girl under their spell even when they looked creepy, dressed and talked weird. But, zombies swarm. Let’s face it. You kill THE vampire, bang! The scourge is done. But, you kill a zombie, there are hundreds lined up to keep getting you. Now, that’s scary power. I came around to how powerful zombies really are. They might not be as smart as that suave vampire, but they got a lot in the tank that will overwhelm you! The other thing I came to respect about zombie power (Zombie Power? I’m picturing a zombie with a bandana and a raised fist. LoL) was that they are hell bent on an apocalypse. They destroy everything in sight until the world comes to an end, but my old guilty pleasure, the vampire, kills one-on-one and isn’t interested in destroying all of mankind. Let’s face it, if mankind were destroyed, what would be left for the vampires to feed on?

I’m sure I will leave out several other inspirations for Santa vs Zombies but a final one for this interview also addresses: Why Santa? Here again I have to compare my old friends, vampires, to my new appreciation of zombies. Zombies attack and destroy social conventions: neighborhoods, cities, family structure, peace and order, etc. without restrictions. Vampires creep around the edges of society and infest themselves into society to do their dirty work. The vampire comes and goes leaving society intact. On the other hand, zombies tear down society, leaving devastation in their wake. Nothing is safe from zombies, not even a beloved, pure forces of good like old St. Nick. Whereas, vampires are shunned by pure good, such as the image of the Christian Cross that drives the vampire away as does the luscious goodness of garlic, sunlight destroys the vampire and our dear vampire must rest in the day. Zombies on the other hand, have no hesitation to destroy any beloved entity, Mother Theresa, Mohamad, Gandhi, Moses, Confucius, or even SANTA CLAUS! That’s impressive!

There you have it. These are the inspirations that excited me to contribute to Santa vs Zombies. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

ABOUT SANTA VS ZOMBIES

Meet Santa. He’s having a mid-life crisis. He hates his job and wishes he was doing anything else other than being Santa. He’s just going through the motions and that’s why he doesn’t notice the zombie apocalypse until it’s almost two late. Saved by two kids, he at first tries to get back to the North Pole only to discover that his reindeer have been eaten. On the run and just trying to survive, Santa befriends the kids and falls in love with their recently-divorced mother. Soon Santa rediscovers his Christmas spirit and does everything he can to save Christmas for the kids—even if it means his own death. 

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/327474418/santa-vs-zombies/description

ABOUT CO-AUTHOR KOJI STEVEN SAKAI

 Koji Steven Sakai is the founder of Little Nalu Pictures LLC and the CEO of CHOPSO (www.CHOPSO.com), the first Asian English streaming video service. He has written five feature films that have been produced, including the indie hit, The People I’ve Slept With. He also produced three feature films, a one-hour comedy special currently on Netflix, and Comedy InvAsian, a live and filmed series featuring the nation’s top Asian American comedians. Koji’s debut novel, Romeo & Juliet Vs. Zombies, was released in paperback in 2015 and in audiobook in 2016; his graphic novel, 442, came out in 2017. In addition, he is currently an adjunct professor in screenwriting at International Technological University in San Jose.

ABOUT CO-AUTHOR JOHN MAYER

John Mayer is a well-published author both in fiction and non-fiction with three previous novels, two screenplays and a performed stage play. With over twenty non-fiction books published. His latest, Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life, which was published by Healthy Learning, one of the world’s foremost publishers of instructional materials for health/wellness, fitness, exercise, sports medicine, and camp professionals.

Mayer’s day job as a clinical psychologist specializing in violent behavior has him consulting to law enforcement regularly. His 10,000 Twitter followers (@DrJohnMayer) (@jemayerbooks) look to his daily tweets for advice on psychological issues. He is an associate staff psychologist for Doctor on Demand (doctorondemand.com ) as well as a provider (Telemedicine) on DoctoronDemand.

Mayer is also a writer for a cable TV series, The System, that is currently in production with the pilot episode completed.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer!!

It’s here! The new Spider-Man Far From Home Trailer! But the thing is, unless you’ve seen Endgame, DO NOT WATCH THIS TRAILER (unless you don’t mind some massive spoilers). Tom Holland even warns viewers at the beginning, which I thought was a nice touch.

Wow, things are about to get real for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Is he ready?

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of YA fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she’s a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website. And if you like what she’s doing here, please support her Patreon!

'We Didn't Start the Fire': Cast of Avengers Sing in this Cool Tribute

Among the cool things seen today around the internets, we have the cast of Avengers: Endgame singing “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” recapping some awesome moments from the course of the franchise, and ending with a touching tribute to the man who DID start the fire, Stan Lee! Only two more sleeps until I get my Endgame on, how about you?

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

Final Trailer for 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Is Here!

If you know me, you know I love monsters. Like, really love them. Like, the first time I ever saw the very first teaser for Godzilla that came out in 2014, I knew immediately what it was, and when I heard his roar, it sent shivers down my spine and was one of the happiest days of my life. One of my first crushes was Creature, from The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Everyone in my life knew where to find me on Saturdays: in front of the TV, watching Creature Double Feature on Channel 56, where they showed all the classic monster movies, featuring fellows like Godzilla, Rodan, Gamera, Mothra, and more. As an adult, I had to kind of tone down my monster love a bit, until I hit my 30s and decided I didn’t care anymore—life’s not worth living unless you’re surrounded by those you love, right? I met monster artist Bob Eggleton and his wife Marianne Plumridge several years ago at my first Boskone, and became fast friends with them both, and have several prints of their artwork in my home. I’m planning some tattoos for the future as well…

Anyway, I digress. Today is a special day because we are treated to the final trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters! The movie comes out on May 31st, and will be in IMAX theaters. When you watch this trailer, you can almost feel your butt vibrating to that full IMAX experience. I can’t wait!

Hope you enjoy the show!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

A Look at GHOST STORIES: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense

Ghostly tales seem to have had a resurgence of popularity lately, as has the horror genre in general. Which is awesome—there’s nothing I love more than a deliciously creepy tale. Not gore or gratuitous shock, but something that makes me think and wonder, and keeps me up at night. Something that gives me the shivers.

Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense, edited by Lisa Morton and Leslie S. Klinger, is a collection of supernatural tales by authors you recognize: Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, etc. But the stories themselves are not as well known. In some cases, the stories are not a part of the genre the author usually wrote in, so were discounted or forgotten. In other cases, the stories might have not been published as widely as other stories by the author, or are really good stories by an author not known for their work in the genre, and so readers didn’t pick up on them in other places.

Notes from the editors accompany each story, giving the tales context both literary and historical. The stories themselves cover a period of about two hundred years, starting with a ballad from the 1700s and going through to the early 1900s. This is a well-rounded anthology with tales that are chilling, of course, but some have a bit of humor thrown in, and there are others that are political commentaries. There are a couple of stories that explore a similar theme, but that were written almost a generation apart, so readers can see how stories developed over time. Several of the tales packed an emotional punch, because what is a ghost story if not the story of ultimate loss?

All in all, this is a great addition to a horror-lover’s shelf, as well as for those who want a good introduction to the ghost story genre. The only thing I think I might have wanted to see in this book were a few more female voices—it would have been meaningful in this time when gender equality in the horror genre is such a hot topic.

Lisa Morton and Leslie Klinger prove themselves masterful anthologists who really put the legwork in on their subject, and I encourage folks to not only pick up this anthology, but some of the others they have worked on separately.

Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense is available in hardcover and ebook now from Pegasus books wherever books are sold.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

Review: THE MAD WOLF'S DAUGHTER by Diane Magras

I’ve been reading a ton of middle grade fiction lately, because a) it’s fun, b) it’s short, and c) it’s what I write. I think adults miss out on a lot of fun if they DON’T read some middle grade here and there.

The Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras takes place in medieval Scotland, where a girl—the only girl in her family, and the youngest member as well—finds herself in the position of being the only one who can save her father and five brothers from hanging at the castle some ways away. Readers know right away that Drest, the main character, isn’t going to let things go without a fight. She’s ready to kick butt. The only problem? She gets discouraged a bit because she’s small. She can’t swing a sword like her brothers and father. But she doesn’t let that get in her way for long. With the encouragement of the voices of her family in her mind, she sets off to save them. Along the way, she meets some unlikely allies, some people who have more to them than meets the eye, and some enemies.

This is a story about taking chances—on people and in situations. It’s about family and friendship, about trust and betrayal, and, of course, about adventure. Drest is a hero girls can identify with, and while she makes mistakes, none of them make her seem foolish or stupid. She learns from them and moves on. Drest is on a very tight deadline, and the lives of her family depend on her getting to the castle in time to save them from hanging. But it’s not always easy to tell friend from foe on the road, and when a girl has never been away from home before, it gets even harder. She begins to question if her family is who she thought they were, and if, indeed, anyone out there is what they seem. There are fights, daring escapes, as well as rescues. I think fans of Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce will love Drest’s tale. And there is a sequel!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

Happy Birthday, David Tennant!

It’s David Tennant’s birthday, and we here at the Once and Future Podcast would like to wish him a happy one!

I think most people in our circles know Tennant from his role as the Tenth Doctor on BBC’s Doctor Who. He’s my favorite Doctor, probably because he really was able to make me feel better after a rough week. His Doctor could always make me smile—unless he was making me cry. Ten was also special for me because he was my son’s first Doctor. Watching that magic happen as my son was hooked just like I was with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor will always be a cherished memory.

But Tennant is nothing if not a talented actor, and his roles go way beyond Doctor Who. How about his chilling portrayal of Zebediah Killgrave in Marvel’s Jessica Jones, or his role as DI Alec Hardy in Broadchurch? Theater geeks would appreciate his portrayal as Hamlet, and of course, he owned the role of Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And of course, he plays the suave demon Crowley in the upcoming series Good Omens, based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. David Tennant truly is the geek’s geek, and we hold a special place in our hearts for him.

Not only is Tennant a great actor, but from all accounts that I’ve seen, he’s a very decent human being as well. So let’s raise our glasses/cups/coffee mugs to this great hero of geekdom, and wish him a great many more Happy Birthdays!!!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

I Am Carol Danvers: Reflections on Captain Marvel

OK, I’m riding hot on my high from seeing Captain Marvel FINALLY. Yeah, yeah, it’s about time, right? Well, holy crap. It’s everything people said it was and more.

I mean, I loved the twist in the middle, when Vers learns her real identity, and learns the truth about a few other people’s identities in the movie. I loved seeing Fury and Coulson again. But most of all, I LOVED Danvers’s attitude and sass. And there is a part toward the end that was a complete game changer for me. Something that was unexpected but so totally welcome that, wait for it…yes…surprise, I know!…Mel cried in the theater again. It’s a part where Carol Danvers looks at the enemy, who has been taunting her and telling her to prove she’s strong enough to beat him without her powers. What does she do? Well, she does what I would do. She blasts his ass and tells him, “I have nothing to prove to you.”

Other powerful parts? When Carol is taunted with the fact that she is “only” human. And they show a montage of her memories, of her constantly getting knocked down—but constantly getting right back up again to try again.

The soundtrack for the film was a lot of fun, bringing back the music from my high school years in the nineties. I immediately downloaded a playlist of the songs.

After seeing Captain Marvel, I felt energized, I felt seen, I felt represented. And THIS is exactly why it’s not about pitting one female super hero film against another. There can be and there SHOULD be more than one. More than ten. I mean, there are more than ten male super hero movies. Yet I continuously hear clueless dudes saying, “Why does there have to be ‘female hero movies?” To which I respond, “Why does there have to be male super hero movies?” Seriously? There are a LOT of different women out there in the world. I loved Wonder Woman, but I didn’t leave that movie feeling like I could identify with her a ton. Just because she is a woman doesn’t mean she’s like me. But Captain Marvel? I left that movie feeling really good, feeling like I could be just as powerful as Carol Danvers. Something clicked there, just like it clicked for other women and girls who saw themselves in Wonder Woman, or She-Ra, or Black Widow, or Shuri.

I mean, think about it. When people went to see Avengers, guys had Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Loki…so many guys to choose from to connect with. All different personalities, though I would argue, awfully white. What did women have? Black Widow. And while she’s definitely badass, I’ve never felt a connection with her at all. Things improved a bit as more movies were made, and we now have some choices, including Scarlet Witch and Shuri and Carol Danvers. Things are getting better, but we have a ways to go yet.

The tribute to Stan Lee at the very beginning was very moving (I had something in my EYE, dammit). And of course, Goose the orange kitty was awesome and stole the show a bit (you all stayed for the SECOND post credits scene, right? My son and I were the only ones who stayed in the theater at our showing).

Do you have to see Captain Marvel before you see Endgame? You don’t HAVE to, but I’m really glad I did. It connected some things from the past together, and now, after seeing Captain Marvel’s story, I am REALLY excited to see what happens with Thanos.

All in all, if you haven’t seen Captain Marvel yet, go on! I don’t think you’ll regret it. If your kids were ok with seeing Avengers, I think they will be fine with this movie, too.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

Just Over a Week Until 'Avengers: Endgame'! Watch the New Trailer Here!

Marvel Entertainment released the newest trailer for Endgame, and if you aren’t getting chills, well…

Well, I guess you just aren’t getting chills, but come on! It’s all been leading up to this. Will your favorite heroes survive? Were the losses in Infinity War actually final? I guess we’ll find out on April 26th!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMing for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

Review: MAYBE A MERMAID by Josephine Cameron

Maybe a Mermaid is a middle grade novel by debut author Josephine Cameron. I admit, one of the reasons I picked the book up was for the great cover art by Maike Plenzke. Another reason was…well, hello—MERMAIDS?

This story is about a girl named Anthoni Gillis, an eleven year-old who has been on the move for much of her life, which has prevented her from making strong friendships. Why has she been moving so much? Well, her mother sells beauty supplies, kind of like a fictional Avon or Mary Kay, and she goes where the customers, sales, and connections are. Anthoni loves comics, which made her a fast sympathetic character for me. One day, after school is out for the year, Anthoni’s mother packs the two of them up and they go to a place from the mother’s childhood: the Showboat Resort. Things aren’t exactly as the mother remembered them, however. In fact, there is a lot that doesn’t quite meet the eye in this place.

Be that as it may, Anthoni is determined that this is the summer she’s going to do it: She’s going to find a “true blue” friend. This is a friend that’s beyond a best friend. And she has a plan for how to do it. Of course, as we all know, the best laid plans seldom happen as expected, and it’s no different in this story.

Readers quickly become sympathetic to Anthoni’s plight. It’s very easy to see how lonely her life must be, and we can see that she’s a likable person who just hasn’t had a chance to make many friends. And friendship is indeed the running theme of the book. Anthoni makes friends where she least expects it, but of course, she is laser focused on finding that one special friend above all others. I really felt for her, and remembered that time when I was younger where I might have felt the same way she did. Of course, because she doesn’t recognize that maybe what she’s looking for is right in front of her all along, she risks losing everything.

This is a fantastic book for readers around 4-6th grade, that time when kids are starting to grow up just a little and finding friends are SO important. Josephine Cameron has really captured the complications that come with new friends and the pressures and hopes and disappointments. I laughed while reading this, but I also got a bit teary toward the end. This book is, honestly, nothing short of pure magic. It captures the experience of childhood summer friendship perfectly.

But, I hear you asking, are there mermaids in it?

Maaaayyyyyyybe. But you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMs for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.

Getting Your Geek Style on with Badali Jewelry! The Story Behind the Makers

If you’ve frequented the dealer’s halls of conventions such as San Diego ComicCon, Gen Con, Dragon Con, and more, you might be familiar with Badali Jewelry. If not, well, I’m here to show you what you’ve been missing!

Badali is a geeky jewelry company owned and run by a family of…you guessed it, nerds like you and me. If you peruse their website, you’ll discover they are a licensed creator of Lord of the Rings jewelry. They also make pieces inspired by the books of some of our favorite authors, like Gail Carriger, Jim Butcher, Cherie Priest, Peter V. Brett, Patrick Rothfuss, Kevin Hearn, and more! These are not rip-off copycat pieces like some other companies (illegally) make. All Badali’s are licensed and official.

One of Badali Jewelry’s most popular pieces is the One Ring of Power from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Here’s a look at how these rings are made:

It’s really fascinating to watch the care with which each of these pieces is made. If you follow Badali Jewelry on social media, you can also see little behind the scenes peeks at their processes as well. These are not mass produced pieces—each is made by hand and because Badali is a small business, everyone who works there seems to have something invested in every piece. It’s a joy to listen to them talk about the stories behind the different pieces of jewelry, and their unique appreciation of each. Everyone there seems to love books and nerdy pop culture, and they have made themselves a great part of the community.

Nenya, the ring of Galadriel

One of my favorite things about Badali Jewelry is their wide range of prices. There is something there for every budget, and even individual pieces have various options to help make them affordable. For example, Nenya, Galadriel’s ring from Lord of the Rings, is available in different metals, with different stones, etc. so you can pay anywhere from $79 to $2900, depending on what options you choose. Not only that, but if there is ever anything wrong with a piece you purchase, their customer service is incomparable, and they are caring and personal with their communications.

The Badalis know their geek culture, and include the background of many of the pieces on their website. They explain why they designed pieces the way they did, and where the pieces are mentioned in a book, if they are replicas. You can tell they really care about their work.

Here is Paul J. Badali, the President and Master Jeweler, talking about his journey to creating these wonderful pieces, including the One Ring of Power:

I read "The Hobbit" for the first time in 1967 as a junior in High School. It was the first book I had ever read in its entirety on my own. I was a very poor reader and it took lots of time, effort, and commitment on my part to read the entire book.  Tolkien's style and the content of The Hobbit captivated my interest and I was compelled to persevere. I now read well and could fill a large trunk with the science fiction and fantasy novels I have since read. The reading of The Hobbit that first time was a turning point in my life. I have been shaped and molded by that first experience with JRR Tolkien in very real ways.

I went on to read The Lord of the Rings™ while attending college from 1969 - 1971.  Later I read The Silmarillion™.  40 years later, here I am a jeweler crafting The Ruling Ring and other officially licensed jewelry from fantasy novels.  In searching for a name for our first daughter in 1975, I suggested Lothlorian.  My wife liked the sound and idea, but shortened it to Loria (loth LORIA n). So even my first-born child’s name was inspired by J.R.R Tolkien, and is proud of it by the way.

Growing up I was a nature boy.  In 1956, at age 5, I found my first crystal at a landfill near our house.  I had never held a crystal before.  I still remember the joy of holding it, the magic of discovery and the thrill of possession. The finding of that first crystal gave me a love of crystals and minerals as well as the thrill of finding treasures in the earth. I have been an avid rock hound ever since. I know exactly what Bilbo felt when first he picked up the Arkenstone.  I love finding things in the earth.

In 1970, I noticed an acquaintance doing some Lapidary work, cutting and polishing gems.  An hour later I had just completed cutting and polishing my first gemstone, a tigereye.  In 1974, I learned to silversmith so that I could create my own settings for the stones I was cutting. I continued my study of jewelry design from 1975 through 1977.  I opened my first jewelry store in 1975. I graduated in 1978 with a BS in Zoology and Botany and taught junior high science and high school biology for 7 before coming back to the jewelry business.

As a jeweler, being highly influenced by the writings of J.R.R Tolkien, it was inevitable that I would one-day craft The One Ring™ of Power. I had always wanted a replica of the ring.  I probably made my earliest attempts in 1975 or so; crude attempts to be sure. I set about to make it in a serious way in 1997, with several unsatisfying results.  I finally produced a flattened style I deemed good enough in 1998. In 1999, the ring was further refined to the rounded comfort fit style that we currently offer.  I contacted Tolkien Enterprises, now Middle-Earth Enterprises, and negotiated licensing rights so that I could make and sell The One Ring.  That license led to our other licenses with fantasy authors over the years.

Some have asked why would anyone want an object of abject evil like Sauron's Ruling Ring; created to enslave all of Middle Earth under his dark tyrannical rule.  While that was the purpose for which The Ruling Ring was created, that is not what resulted, nor the only thing The One Ring represents.  I feel the ring is a symbol much like that of the cross to Christians.  The crucifix is in all reality a symbol of the greatest evil done in this world, but instead it has become a symbol of the greatest sacrifice ever made to rid the world of a great evil.  I feel that the One Ring is a symbol of Frodo's willing sacrifice of his life to rid the world of a great evil.  It is also a symbol of the bonds formed within the Fellowship's journey and their struggles to overcome evil.

Does not the struggle to overcome evil bring out the best and the worst in us all?  I believe that as the central object of The Lord of The Rings series, The One Ring also represents all that is good and true in Middle Earth.  To me it represents Bilbo's plain straightforward manner and pluck, Frodo's tolerance, patience, and bravery, Gandalf's wisdom and commitment, Galadriel's beauty of soul and kindness of heart, Aragorn's patience and strength, Sam's constancy, loyalty, and humility, and the good in many others who had part in the quest to unmake the evil.   It represents the sacrifice each was willing to make for the greater-good, the finest of human motivations and emotions.  It is a moral and ethical if not an almost religious symbol.  It reminds us that right will always triumph where good people refuse to tolerate evil, and that one individual can make a difference.  It is a talisman of hope and faith.

My jewelry is very much a reflection of who and what I am. Tolkien's writings have had a profound influence on my thoughts, my feelings, my likes, and my desires.  I have been molded by life to be the man who would one day craft The One Ring of Power. 

If you haven’t seen Badali Jewelry’s work yet, it’s the perfect time! They are currently having one of their biggest sales of the year through February 28th. Why not check them out?

Melanie R. Meadors writes about goblins, science, magic, superheroes, and other nerdy things in her short stories, novels, comics, and games. She has edited multiple anthologies, including Knaves, Hath No Fury, and the upcoming Tales of Excellent Cats: A Monarchies of Mau Anthology. She is the co-director of the Gen Con Writer’s Symposium, which takes places every August in Indianapolis, IN, and she is the lead editor and senior publicist at Mechanical Muse, the game company that produces The World of Aetaltis. She is a blogger and general b*tch monkey at The Once and Future Podcast. You can learn more at melaniermeadors.com 

When Everyone Tells You You’re a Witch, You Eventually Try on the Hat--Guest Post By Shelley Sackier

Please welcome author Shelley Sackier to the Once and Future Blog! Her new young adult fantasy book, The Antidote, is out today from HarperCollins. Full of magic and mysticism, it’s a tale both teens and adults alike will enjoy, so why not grab a copy?

When Everyone Tells You You’re a Witch, You Eventually Try on the Hat

By Shelley Sacker

I don’t feel well, I’d whispered just loudly enough for my own ears to register.

I reached out for the wall beside me, steadying quivering knees, and felt my hand slide southward until it came to touch the floor. I wrapped both arms around my bent legs. In this custodial cocoon, I closed my eyes and searched for a thread of clarity as a new anchor of support.

Another sound my ears captured—their scattershot proficiency even further impeded by the thump of my resonant heartbeat—was a half growl, half moan, also coming from me.

I spoke again in a whisper, directing my words to both recently and long-passed female relatives, If you all think this is funny, I will find a way to make you pay for your merciless amusement. Leave. Me. Alone.

I looked up and scanned the room. It was rich with excavated artifacts—urns, beakers, swords, and tools, skins, sketches, baubles, and bowls. Relics unearthed from the very ground I stood upon—or hunched over, as it were.

The Kilmartin Museum was perched atop a small ridge that ran along the edge of Kilmartin Glen—a stretch of prehistoric sites through the valley of a tiny village in western Scotland. It was here I was suddenly sinking with the feeling of lassitude—which I’m certain brought a smirk of self-congratulations to many of my female ancestors, as the words they shared with me when alive were of the variety that would bring great alarm to most, but were banal and eye roll-worthy to me during my youth:

You’re an old soul—you simply can’t recall your past lives. The tarot cards show this.

Open your ears to the goddesses, don’t put up such walls to their speech. 

You are but a vessel—and willing or no, your spirit is an empath and draws the needful toward you.

I’d believed none of it. But partly wished it were true. They believed all of it. And impatiently waited my surrender to their truth.

I’d come for research—to resurrect not only the tangible details I’d need for my story, but the perceptible ones as well. One provided a sense of touch, the other, palpable only by the mind. Many storytellers find that if one can stand in the spot where the tale unfolds, and utilize all one’s senses, countless doors of creativity swing open with ease.

The problem I was encountering was not so much the onset of malaise but discovering that the long-distance travel had not shaken the long buried voices of my own dead relatives—those who regularly muttered around me—and they now intermingled with the voices of those I wished to hear more clearly and singularly. 

The book I was writing steeped within a warm soup of Celtic mythology and village mystics. The book I’d just finished was fraught with warring witches and fear-filled kingdoms. Death snaked its way through both narratives, just as my familial undead featherstitched their presence uninvitingly through more of my calendric cycle than I wish were true.

Their calls—which were clearly an unmistakable theme in both books—repeatedly stressed, You are one of us. Do not be deaf to the obvious and inevitable. 

And although I may have purposefully shut out the opinions my more eclectic family members layered on, I have never been deaf to great books, as they speak to me with more than mere words. They leave countless overarching impressions. When you are the reader of any story, the author prays they have cannily articulated some message to you, and you leave feeling moved by the experience. When you are the author, you hunt for that affecting message. It is oftentimes a slow sweeping away of debris that reveals the structure: the bones, the skull, the spine. 

And standing in a multi-roomed hut, jammed with primitive curios, or upon a battlefield, the acrid smoke charred deep into the soil, or beside a cairn, the stones heavy with the grief of thousands of tears, I can barely pick out the tone of my own long ago voiced youthful complaints as I stymie the growing sound of history’s vocal barrage.

I’m not like all of you. I’m my own person, I’d said to some auntie, eyeing me with pity through the wisps of the exotic smoke from her cigarette.

She’d shaken her head. You see it wrongly. You are not tethered to this hallowed ground with an anchor, but rather a tube. One that can act as a channel.

She is right. There is a hurricane of chronicles waiting to be heard. And countless times in my life I have been in the right place and present at the right time where the valves have twisted open. At these moments, I am usually caught unawares and overwhelmed. 

Fighting off a chorus of narrators, rich with the urgency of untold tales is akin to skittering down an icy, rock-laden hill. You will not come out unscathed. 

As writers in any genre will affirm, there are myriad ways to quilt the patchwork of a story together: spending months or years in a library while pouring over reference books, chronicling dream journals and cherry-picking threads of a narrative from within it, ferreting through new innovation and discovery via disrupters and thought leaders we interview. The list is endless. 

But there are those that believe the stories are omnipresent, ubiquitous as the air we draw for each breath. And within our breath is the breath of others. Our task is to tap into the substance of it, the elements within it. We simply unveil that which keeps it muffled from others’ ears.

I had no inkling I would be a teller of tales one day, that I would find a snug fit of comfort stretching beyond the bounds of everyday humans and attempt to build worlds elsewhere. And for an unfathomable amount of time I stubbornly resisted seeing one of those inhuman worlds as it was repeatedly illuminated by others who believed they held access to it and wished to hand me a key. 

Those experiences—the ones where I’ve been flooded with the emotions, or voices, or thrumming vibrations that did not belong to me specifically—have more often than not, not been welcome. I don’t know why they appear. Maybe those women are right. Maybe I am an empath. And welcomed or no, some unseen fingers may continue to twist open that wheeled handle despite my trying to plug the spigot. But lately … lately I have wondered why I would willfully eliminate a source of inspiration or guidance. Why would I dismiss a muse as it sits staring into my face, or whispering into my ear? 

So for writing’s sake, for the enrichment of story, I will try on the hat—to see if it fits. Fits like a child’s head, warmly embraced within the arms and bosoms of women long passed, but refusing to be forgotten. 

Shelley Sackier is the author of The Antidote, a YA fantasy that Kirkus called an “exciting magical mystery that will have you rooting for your favorites and questioning whom you can trust in this vast cast of characters.” Visit her website at www.shelleysackier.com.

About The Antidote:

From the author of The Freemason’s Daughter comes a lush romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Everless!

In the world of healers, there is no room for magic.

Fee knows this, just as certainly as she knows that her magic must be kept secret.

But the crown prince Xavi, Fee’s best friend and only source of comfort, is sick. So sick, that Fee can barely contain the magic lying dormant inside her. She could use it, just a little, to heal him. But magic comes at a deadly cost—and attracts those who would seek to snuff it out forever.

A wisp of a spell later, Fee finds herself caught in a whirl of secret motivations and dark pasts, where no one is who—or what—they appear to be. And saving her best friend means delving deeper into the tempting and treacherous world whose call she’s long resisted—uncovering a secret that will change everything.

Laini Taylor meets Sara Holland in this lavish fantasy from lauded historical romance author Shelley Sackier!

Writing Small: The Devil Is in the Details, by Clay Sanger

Clay Sanger has been writing fantasy on the darker side for some time now. I’ve had the pleasure of publishing a couple of his short stories in my anthologies, including the upcoming Knaves. His long-awaited debut novel, Endsville, is now available from Crossroad Press. It's a dark fantasy novel featuring occult gangsters operating out of Los Angeles who, in order to recover a huge amount of money stolen by a hostile sorcerer, go through an adventure rife with betrayal, violence, and black magic. Be sure to check it out!

Clay joins us today to talk about how the devil is in the details of a story, and how to hone in on those small details to make the book have a big impact. —Melanie

Cut the stuff readers tend to skim. Keep everything else. Sounds simple, right? But deciding what the key details are in any story versus all the other the stuff that tumbled out of your brain and onto the keyboard isn't a simple magic trick. In fact, it's downright painful, and more than a little slippery.

Which details truly matter? The answers to questions like that always sound so simple at face value. It's the details that make the reader engage with the story. The ones that make the reader feel and connect.

So which ones are those? Well, there are the explosive, awesome moments in any story that stick with us. But no matter how big the story, there are only so many of those. So what keeps the reader reading? Invariably, it's the small things. And writing small is the real magic trick.  

You can hit me with 3 pages of narrative describing, in wide-angle shots, the apocalypse visited upon your fictional city, and I might hang with you for a paragraph or two. But my eyes will soon glaze over, and I'll have to fight the urge to skim. But give me a one-liner about a little girl's half-burnt red shoe laying on the side of the road as your lost city blazes in a storm cloud of ash and brimstone in the background, and I'll likely remember that little red shoe forever. That half-burnt, discarded shoe will tell me more about what's happening in your world in one or two sentences than paragraphs of wide-angle shots of crumbling buildings and falling skies ever will.

It's the small that gives readers the emotional connection to the story. It's the bite-sized details that are properly scaled for us to wrap our brains around that stick with us and make us feel. For most of us, we don't feel the big. We feel the small. The burnt red shoe. The hastily spray-painted words Here There Be Dragons scrawled across the side of an abandoned car. The dog-eared paperback book the lost old man is clutching in his hand as if it were his last possession while the world burns behind him. 

Not to say a grand sweep of the narrative camera can't raise the hair on the reader's arms if used sparingly and timed well – because, oh boy, it sure can – but paragraph to paragraph, page to page, what resonates with most readers, what gives them the feel of the moment, is the small.

Step one of the magic trick is write the small. Step two is knowing when to repeat it and when to quit. 

Ten small details heaped on top of one another are not ten times better than one small diamond. In fact, it's probably the inverse. It's likely to be about one-tenth as effective. You might certainly write those ten little smalls into the draft. But when you're going back through and making your editing passes, you need to decide which one or two to keep. Then kill the others along with the rest of the darlings. Writing small is incredibly powerful, but it's quickly diluted by misuse.  There are endless details you can write into your story. But which ones stick? Which ones really ring and chime? Do those. Skip the rest.  

Fantasy and science fiction are especially rife with avalanches of smalls. For me as a reader, that's usually not for the better. If obsessing over every button on every vest and every platter at every feast is what draws you in, so be it. But my entire face goes numb and I start skimming until one of those buttons or one of those platters becomes meaningful in some way. There's a real disconnect between quantity of detail and quality of detail. Quality detail is meaningful. Engaging. For me, anything less probably belongs on the cutting room floor.

One of the most useful questions I ask my beta readers is "Please tell me whenever you start to feel the urge to skim." Why? Because they're a better judge of that than the keyboard monkey who wrote it (me). I pay special attention to any points in the story that made my readers feel impatient about moving ahead. Then, with any luck, I go fix them.

So why do readers start to skim? Let's discard the more common causes like clunky, poorly written narrative. That's its own problem, and it's not really relevant to the matter at hand. Artfully written prose can induce the urge to skim just like trash on the page can.

Readers feel that urge to skim because they've become disconnected from the story. Essentially, they're bored. Their mind is starting to wander because it's been too long since the author gave them some kind of hook.  Generally speaking, those hooks are tied to emotion – some strategically placed detail that caused the reader to feel something meaningful. Something that caused a spark in their brain or struck an emotional chord of some kind. When done successfully, those hooks tend to be small and well-paced. Frequent without being piled on top of each other.

You can lay down an awful lot of words without resetting the hook if you're not careful. A knack for writing small helps you avoid that. What is the little thing that made the reader feel? Focus on that and turn a scrutinizing eye to the rest. Can't find one in the last few paragraphs? If it's not there, then it's as critically absent as the wheels missing from a car.  

Holding a reader's interest is an exercise in writing small, doing it well, and doing it repeatedly. Their engagement in your story is a like passing a helium balloon down a line of people from hand to hand. It will float away if someone in the chain loses their grip. 

Your story only has a handful of big things to drop on the reader, no matter its length or complexity. Crowning moments of awesome can't carry a story all by themselves. The big things might have been great. But if the author neglected to write small along the way, they probably failed to keep the reader engaged. 

It's the meaningful smalls that lead your reader from big thing to big thing in your story. Like stepping stones across a river, they allow the reader to happily navigate between your highlights. Skip them, and the reader's attention is going to fall into the drink and get swept away. And once you lose it, it takes more than a magic trick to get it back – it takes a miracle. 

Clay Sanger is a professional technogeek by day and a writer of fiction and whatever else strikes his fancy the rest of the time. A life-long lover of all things wild, Clay spent much of his early adulthood wandering the four corners of the country in search of the weird and wonderful, the dark and the light. As chance would have it, he found them. The rest is a tale yet to be told. After meandering far and wide he returned to his native Ozarks where he lives with his dazzling wife, their sons, and a menagerie of mythical creatures both real and imagined. You can learn more at www.claysanger.com

A Little Mythology Goes a Long Way, by Dan Rabarts

Please welcome author Dan Rabarts to the blog today! He is going to tell us a little about using mythology in our fiction, and why mythology continues to resonate with us even in this age of science. Be sure to check out the new book Teeth of the Wolf, which he co-authored with Lee Murray! It the second book in the Path of Ra series, which started with Hounds of the Underworld.

Down here in New Zealand, we live on an unlikely strip of land between an ocean and a sea, on a planet which exists in a tiny fraction of a void between eternal heat and eternal cold, where life has taken hold and refuses to let go. It is little wonder that our ancestors looked up at the stars, the sun, the moon, and wove the mystery of those lights in the sky into folklore. They put names and stories to the celestial faces, just as they named the rage of the ocean, the howl of the wind, and the black embrace of the beyond. 

Ra, the sun. Marama, the moon. 

Tangaroa, god of the sea. Tāwhirimātea, god of the winds. 

Hine-nui-te-pō, goddess of night and death.  

Mythology predates science by thousands of years. It has been with us since we first heard the rumble of thunder and imagined gods roaring at each other among the clouds. Fear of the unknown has been part of our collective subconscious for longer than civilisation has stood, and will be with us long after it has fallen.

 So even when science, that inevitable and inexorable juggernaut, continues to reveal the workings of the universe one quark at a time, we cling to our myths like we cling to life in this fragile strip of the solar system. Our mythologies were our explanations for all the forces at work around us which we did not understand. Now, as we learn how vast the universe truly is and how alone we are in it, those mythologies remain our security blankets, the persisting hope that something greater watches over us. That the fact of our existence is not so unlikely, and that we are not so very, very alone in the dark. 

This idea, the persistence of mythology and how humanity has an innate power to give a sort of life to that in which we are willing to believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, is a key element in The Path of Ra, a supernatural crime-noir thriller series co-authored by myself and Lee Murray. In Hounds of the Underworld, scientific consult Penny Yee refuses to buy into her brother Matiu’s insistence that there is a dark force at work behind the murders she is investigating. As long as she can explain the bodies piling up as the doings of a criminal mind, she can accept any atrocity with scientific clarity. But in Teeth of the Wolf, the second book in the series, when the evidence starts to mount that not everything can be rationalised away, and that the shadows Matiu is always jumping at may indeed be something that all Penny’s science and logic cannot explain, Penny tastes doubt for the first time.

In the writing of The Path of Ra series, I’m very lucky to work with Lee Murray, who brings a sense of rationale and reason to the story through Penny Yee. Lee works hard to drive the science in our science fiction/dark fantasy/crime-noir mash-up, while Matiu insists that the things scratching at the inside of the walls are not rats, nothing that can be so easily explained away. This conflict between the logical and the weight of the mythological lends the books a constant tension, between the need to make sense of the madness the world is falling into, and the need to hold back the faceless, inexplicable dark. It’s a powerful dynamic, and a testament to the success of the co-author relationship that this tension sustains both the story and the characters. Matiu brings the monsters; Penny explains why they simply can’t actually be there.

Science will keep on solving the riddles of our existence. It will continue to drive the changes we are making to this world, for better or worse. Science has given us, in equal measures,  space travel and space junk. Global travel and global pollution. A knowledge economy and the age of internet trolling. Nuclear energy and nuclear weaponry. Climate change and the means to combat it, if we have the will. 

Science will, in time, become our new mythology, the making and the breaking of civilisation. 

But as long as we hear voices in the dark when there is no-one there to speak, we will cling to our deeply-ingrained beliefs in the unknown, the unknowable. As long as we can cast a light into the shadows and the shadows swallow that light, we will continue to fear and revere our gods and monsters.

Dan Rabarts is a New Zealand author, editor and podcast narrator, winner of four Sir Julius Vogel Awards and two Australian Shadows Awards, occasional sailor of sailing things, part-time metalhead and father of two wee miracles in a house on a hill under the southern sun. His science fiction, dark fantasy and horror short stories have been published in venues such as Beneath Ceaseless Skies and The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk. Together with Lee Murray, he co-edited the award-winning anthologies Baby Teeth - Bite-sized Tales of Terror and At The Edge, and co-writes the Path of Ra series. His first solo novel, Brothers of the Knife, kicks off the grimdark-yet-madcap Children of Bane fantasy series (Omnium Gatherum). Find out more at dan.rabarts.com.

Making Sure Your Story Actually Has a Plot

People who have attended one of my workshops over the past few years have probably heard me refer to “goblin pirates riding space sharks” as an example of what not to do. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving, and even though it’s a real-life example that was paid for with blood, sweat, and tears, I feel like the experience was FULL of lessons that I both learned and share with others. And today I’m going to draw once again from that seemingly failed book, because at the core, there’s one question I could have asked that might have prevented lots of pain and suffering. And that question is:

Is this a real book? Or is it just a cool idea, or a collection of cool ideas?

Now, mind you, I did ask myself this. In fact, I went through and did what I thought was the process of plotting out the whole book, scene by scene. I wrote 80k words—how could I do that if there wasn’t a plot?? Plus, I’d written books before. So it’s not like I didn’t know what I was doing, right?

Then I went to pitch the book. I love pitching books in person, even though it can be a little nerve-wracking beforehand. I’ve done it several times. This time felt different though. So I went to lunch with author Bradley P. Beaulieu, someone who is not just a friend, but someone who I think really gets this stuff (and you should totally check out his Patreon, he gives a TON of good advice there). And I told him I was kind of feeling more petrified about pitching this book than I should have been, but I couldn’t explain why. He did what any good friend would do: He asked me the hard questions. By the end of lunch, I knew I was in really, really big trouble.

Mind you, I still went forward with the pitch. I’m not a quitter! But… I started to get the idea that maybe I was having such a hard time figuring out my pitch because I had no idea what my book was about.

Sure, I could go scene to scene and describe what happened. But what was my story ABOUT? Why should people sympathize with my characters? What was the heart of my story? I knew I SHOULD be able to ask that question…but I couldn’t (I didn’t admit that at the time to anyone, but I’m pretty sure it was obvious).

I pitched the novel to Josh Bilmes, who is a fantastic agent and honestly, handled it like a champ. He asked for some pages, but I knew he was just being nice—it was pretty damned clear this book was broken in SOME way. He probably knew right away what was wrong, but I was still somehow convinced…maybe I really sucked at pitching. Maybe I just wasn’t good at expressing my idea… I sent him my first 20 pages, and he sent me back a lovely personalized rejection.

I was a bit sad, even if I wasn’t surprised, so I did what you do and went to my BFF for consolation. And like a true friend…well, he was pretty blunt.

“Well, why didn’t you just add space sharks in there along with the goblin pirates and space ships and penal colonies and coming of age and father-daughter reunion and deep sea monsters and magic-that’s-science…?”

After telling him to go f*ck himself, I sat down and thought about it. And…well, shit. Hidden in his wise-assed remarks was some sagacity. Namely…

I had all kinds of cool shiny stuff in my book. But it didn’t take the place of an actual plot. My characters traveled and did stuff, but really, WHY?

Well, just like the chicken, of course. To get to the other side of the world. But WHY? Well, because my character had something to prove. WHY? Because no one likes her. Because she doesn’t fit in. Because…Because… she has daddy issues. And there are goblins and a giant octopus! Did you see the giant octopus??

Thank God, Mr. Bilmes did not get to the giant octopus part.

See, the thing is, everything that was wrong with the book could all be traced back to that big question. WHY? And at the point where I couldn’t answer that question anymore, I knew things were broken. My answer to “why” ended being, “Well, if there is all this cool shit in this book, how can a reader NOT like it?!” The answer to that is simple: If a reader can’t connect to your protagonist in some way, no matter how much cool shit there is in your book, they aren’t going to be engaged. I had a lot of good ideas, but I was missing a plot to connect to the reader, a plot that would make everything in the book have a reason and that would give the reader a reason to keep turning pages (other than, “OK, EVENTUALLY something is going to make sense here…”).

How can you make sure your book has a central plot and is engaging to readers, and not just a collection of cool ideas?

Well, asking yourself “why?” is a good place to start. Why are my characters on a quest? and go from there. Be specific. “Why is this one particular character on a quest to find this PARTICULAR thing?”

One way to help with this is to look at your story in terms of GMC—Goal, Motivation, Conflict. What is your character’s Goal—specifically. Not just, “My character wants to be loved.” By whom? What does this love look like? Can she touch it? If not, you need to look really hard at that goal.

What is her Motivation for wanting that specific goal? Why does she want it and not something else? Why is that the only thing that will satisfy? A way to twist it a little is to ask, why is SHE the right person to want that goal?

And then finally, what is the Conflict? What gets in the way of your character getting the goal. This needs to be something strong enough to sustain a whole book (or whatever length fiction you are working on). Can it be cleared up with a conversation? Then it’s not a strong enough conflict. Why is this the worst opposition your specific character can face? What is it about THIS conflict that makes it the RIGHT conflict for this character, for this story? What does your conflict look like? Sure, a book can be written where the antagonist is “society” or some vague concept…but are you at that point as a writer where you can do that? What is the visual representation of this concept, that readers can identify? In most genre fiction, the antagonist is defeated at the end. What does that LOOK like? How will readers know the defeat has happened?

Now, you can BS your way through this and answer the question, “What is my story’s GMC?” and think you have an answer. This is why you need to be really specific. Push the boundaries. Don’t settle for the easy answers. No, really, why DOES your character want to prove themselves? This will help you come up with your character’s backstory, and will make events in your story make sense. Being specific will also help make your character sympathetic, because readers will understand why they are going after this goal, instead of just going along for the ride to see what happens. Having a really strong motivation will deepen your character and make them real. And it will be clear to the reader why they are reading the book, why they SHOULD read the book.

The other thing having a strong GMC will do for your story is give it a razor sharp focus, so you as the writer will know exactly why everything is there, why everything is happening. You’ll be able to tell when things go off the rails if you can’t say, “How does this scene direct my protagonist to her goal?” or “How does this feed her motivation?” or “How does this get in the way of her specific goal?” If you can’t answer those questions about the scene, then it might not belong in your book.

Limiting the events and scenes of your book to those that only directly feed your main character’s GMC will make it very hard for those extraneous ideas that just seemed cool to take over the story. Because readers want more than just embellishment. They want to go on a real journey with your characters that matters. They want real stakes, they want real reasons they can relate to for going on this quest. They want to know WHY. And if you can’t answer that…how can anyone else? This is how I found out my book was actually just a collection of actions and reactions without a really core element of “why does this matter?”

Of course this isn’t the only way to make sure your book is on track and has a point, but it’s a starting point if you’ve found yourself stuck. And authors don’t always ask themselves these questions at different times in their process. Some will get a crappy first draft out and then try to identify what the point of it all is. Some will start doing this before they get a single word on the page. It all depends on you and what works the best in your process so YOU can get your book written.

Further reading:

GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain

Melanie R. Meadors writes about goblins, science, magic, superheroes, and other nerdy things in her short stories, novels, comics, and games. She has edited multiple anthologies, including Knaves, Hath No Fury, and the upcoming Tales of Excellent Cats: A Monarchies of Mau Anthology. She is the co-director of the Gen Con Writer’s Symposium, which takes places every August in Indianapolis, IN, and she works as an author publicist. She is a blogger and general b*tch monkey at The Once and Future Podcast. You can learn more at melaniermeadors.com 

Never Going Home: World War I With an Eldritch Twist

Matthew Orr has been a freelance writer since 2010 and co-founded Wet Ink Games, LLC in 2015. Recent role playing credits include Rifts World Book 36: Sovietski from Palladium Books and CAPERS from NerdBurger Games. In 2018 he served as a reader during the 200 Word RPG Challenge. He earned degrees in history, art and education from University of Louisville. Here he tells about one of the newest projects he’s working on, Never Going Home, an Eldritch-type horror game set in World War I.

Just in time to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War comes a new role playing offering from Wet Ink Games. Never Going Home: World War Occult Role Playing is set on battlefields twisted not only by the new weapons of the period, but by horrible whispers from beyond the veil of worlds. Expanding beyond their first game line into completely new territory, Wet Ink Games built the game on top of artist Charles Ferguson-Avery’s World War Occult project. Ferguson-Avery’s art depicts soldiers hunkered in trenches, preforming magic rituals, and facing off against inhuman threats. In every image the soldiers wear gas masks, obscuring their own humanity. Everything about the art serves as a meditation on the monstrousness of war. It is a setting ripe for creating stories of desperate survival.

One way to think about table top role playing games is as collaborate storytelling exercises with guidelines set by the rules. The rules for Never Going Home can be broken into two main parts. First, preforming typical RPG skills like “shooting” or “knowledge” as well as pulling off magic spells, called “whispers” in the game, requires rolling a few D6 equal to training in the skill. A five or six on a die is a success and the number of successes needed depends of the difficultly of whatever a character is attempting. Once the dice land, players manipulate them with the character’s attributes of Brawn, Smarts and Guts. Attributes can buy an additional dice for the roll, re-roll, or increase the pip count of a die result. Succeed of fail, something always happens, which players get to narrate. Weapons offer more options for dice manipulation after the roll, while magic is more powerful but is much more risky.

The other aspect of game play is the use of playing cards. Players have a hand of cards from the start of play and collect more during play. These cards represent their character’s memories, but there is constant pressure to give up cards to gain benefits. They can trade sets of these cards in to increase their skills, attributes and whispers or they can use them for healing. Player must also collectively discard at the start of each mission to meet the special conditions of the Journey. Each card given up represents the loss of little bit more of the character’s humanity. In addition to everything else, players have to balance the goals of character survival and group success. At some point characters will have gained enough power and given up enough of who they are, they will simply not come back from their mission. Characters disappear, possibly to become the horrible creatures which threaten the survivors in the next mission. The game is called Never Going Home for a reason.

The game is raising funds on Kickstarter now. In addition to the book itself, there are custom dice and playing cards designed by the game’s artist on offer so you can play Never Going Home with components designed to hit all the same horror notes. The original art book of World War Occult, which features both black and white and color images as well as poetic text fragments is also available through this campaign if you missed out on it earlier this year. Beyond the base game, once the campaign starts reaching those stretch goals, Wet Ink Games have lined of a squadron of indie roll playing game industry regulars to help them create a variety of missions to challenge play groups.

Check out the Never Going Home RPG on Kickstarter now!