Author Archives: David Crampton

Open Source Deluge

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There is the Chaos Machine. Everyone builds into this giant erector set thing. It’s designed to move marbles around. Pulleys, winches, levers, path switches, curved track, straight track, loop-de-loop track, wobbly track, drops, trampolines… Everyone builds and takes away from and fixes the Chaos Machine. It’s Open.

The free pop is made from a free recipe. It’s tasty, and you can modify it to your desire. OpenCola. The -pop- is Open.

There was nearly a situation in which the only free internet access was in the hotel room. At the last minute, the hotel denied the convention the ability to provide wireless access in the name of the con. However, they have no problem with people setting up wireless routers inside their rooms. We have effectively covered most of the hotel. The wireless internet is Open.

There is a 24-hour anime room. They played something called Hellsing Ultimate OVA. A new version of this wonderful anime that explains a huge amount of the back story in the first episode, instead of letting it develop as wonderfully as in the original. Even Hellsing’s plot is Open.

The alcohol seems to be flowing pretty Openly, as well.

I was just told that I look intellectual. The people, conversations, and compliments are Open.

I’m hoping you sense a pattern. ;)

I’m having a wonderful time, I’m relaxing, and I’m desperately trying not to think about the homework that I’m not doing. I need this, I’m enjoying this, and I’m replenishing depleted energon stores. Seriously.

The teasers are going at a nice, steady pace. My professional writer-person web page is up and running. (Go there. Download and read the teaser. You’ll be hooked. says so. ;) )

I’m going to save the list of people with LJ names for a later post. The wake-up call comes at 9 AM, so I need to finish up a few things and then hit the sack.

Goodnight.

Bed available at PenguiCon 4.0

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If there’s anyone out there who’s going to PenguiCon, and needs crash space and/or space to store your stuff, look no further.

The only non-smoking rooms available when we reserved our room were the two-bed rooms. As my wife and I only need one bed (*nudge, nudge, wink, wink*), this leaves the other open.

So, if you need a place to crash, or need a locked room to keep your stuff, and don’t mind slipping us a few bucks, let either or I know. :)

20 Worst Agents

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If you ever want to write professionally, stay away from these agents at all costs. So, here it is, the list of the 20 Worst Agents of All Time:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28961

Below is a list of the 20 agents about which Writer Beware has received the greatest number of advisories/complaints during the past several years.

None of these agents has a significant track record of sales to commercial (advance-paying) publishers, and most have virtually no documented and verified sales at all (many sales claimed by these agents turn out to be vanity publishers). All charge clients before a sale is made, whether directly, by charging fees such as reading or administrative fees, or indirectly, for “editing services.”

Writer Beware suggests that writers searching for agents avoid questionable agents, and instead query agents who have actual track records of sales to commercial publishing houses.

THE LIST:

* The Abacus Group Literary Agency
* Allred and Allred Literary Agents (refers clients to “book doctor” Victor West of Pacific Literary Services)
* Capital Literary Agency (formerly American Literary Agents of Washington, Inc.)
* Barbara Bauer Literary Agency
* Benedict & Associates (also d/b/a B.A. Literary Agency)
* Sherwood Broome, Inc.
* Desert Rose Literary Agency
* Arthur Fleming Associates
* Finesse Literary Agency (Karen Carr)
* Brock Gannon Literary Agency
* Harris Literary Agency
* The Literary Agency Group, which includes the following:
Children’s Literary Agency
Christian Literary Agency
New York Literary Agency
Poets Literary Agency
The Screenplay Agency
Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency)
Writers Literary & Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of the above-mentioned agencies)

* Martin-McLean Literary Associates
* Mocknick Productions Literary Agency, Inc.
* B.K. Nelson, Inc.
* The Robins Agency (Cris Robins)
* Michele Rooney Literary Agency (also d/b/a Creative Literary Agency and Simply Nonfiction)
* Southeast Literary Agency
* Mark Sullivan Associates
* West Coast Literary Associates (also d/b/a California Literary Services)

– Victoria

I am the decider!

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So, I’ve discovered that there’s no such thing as a final red-pen.

If you haven’t pre-ordered, and you want to, right now is the final, last-minute, get ’em while the gettin’s good, time to do it.

Here’s the link:
http://childe.livejournal.com/496939.html

After this, ordering the book will not be available until May 6th. If we sell out at the signings, you just may miss out. *sad face*

Back to my coffee.

Horoscope

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s perfectly fine for you to have dreamy eyes in the coming days–wistful, hopeful, liquid eyes that are more focused on the fantasies within than on the sights without. Muse to your heart’s content, Taurus. Wander over to paradise in your imagination. Entertain utopian visions. As much as is practical, give yourself permission to visit LaLa land, where you can explore infinite possibilities, imaginary adventures, and “forbidden” topics that up until now you haven’t dared to play with.

I think he’s jumping the gun a bit. Finals aren’t quite over yet. :)

Not food poisoning. Definitely the flu.

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This post started with the mood “sick.” Since I’m feeling much better now (“She turned me into a newt!”), I figure this mood setting is appropriate.

It’s difficult to think about this weekend without thinking about hating my stomach and all of the things it can goat my digestive tract into doing. This flu seems to have a three- to four-day incubation period, so if you feel a bit light-headed about three days after we hung out, and then hug the toilet, you can feel free to blame me.

, you might want to spread the word to those that were at Grandma’s 80th birthday party to take extra precautions. I’m going to feel REALLY bad if I got anybody sick while I was there. :/

Other than that, I had a wonderful time at Grandma’s 80th b-day party. I hope everybody’s Easter went well. Mine was spent working on the novel and being generally thankful for a restful stomach.

Reminder: The end date for pre-orders for the novel release party in Detroit and the signing in Lansing is Wed., April 19th. We will have extras there for purchase, but are shooting in the dark when it comes to how many extra to order.

The teaser is finished. The final red-pen is finished. The final edit is finished. The text is ready to go. The cover art is ready to go (thanks !). The back cover blurb is ready to go (thanks !). All before the due date. The web page is -almost- done.

Yes, Megatron sucks, and Prime rocks. As it should be. :)

Novel Pre-Order!

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Remembrance

Welcome to the Apocalypse.

The world has died – in fire and flood, violence and destruction.

From the singed remains, a new world has risen – one that is not bound by the laws of conventional man. Kings and wizards, angels and demons – from the minds of the survivors comes the landscape of a world reshaped in everyone’s image.

The catalyst in this world’s changing scope is a man named Herod. Madman and visionary, he will be the first to create his own world – one that is both familiar, and yet strange and fantastic. Herod has become the King of Dragons and he, along with his companions and enemies, will form the shape of things yet to come.

His friends wish to build a new Utopia. His enemies – kingdoms under their complete control. Both will try to use Herod to their own ends.

Herod has other plans, and while it might cost him everything he has sought to build, he will stop at nothing. From askew world to askew world, he seeks to put together the pieces that will lead him to the one thing that matters to him beyond all else…

The end of the world is only the beginning of the story.
-Lauren Griffin

All of the pre-orders will be signed either at IPM Radio or Gone Wired Cafe. If you need to make other arrangements, feel free to leave a comment below. Also, please let me know if you run into any problems with the PayPal system. :) Pre-ordering will end on April 19th, so that the books have time to be shipped.

Update 20 Apr 2006:Sorry, the pre-order window has expired. You can download the teaser in .pdf format – first five chapters! – from http://www.davidmcrampton.com. There will be copies for purchase at both signings, though!