Live in Concert

This post may be more for myself than for anyone else, and it's an update of a post I did previously. I was trying to remember every concert I had seen, and I realized how difficult it is to recall them all, so I decided why not put up a post so I can more easily keep track!

I'm told that I saw Fleetwood Mac when I was very young, but I don't have any recollection of that, so I don't count it. So the first real concert I went to was U2 in Tucson for the Joshua Tree tour in 1987. They were simply incredible. Still one of the best concerts I ever saw in my life.

Next I saw U2 again for the final concert of that tour, one which they filmed for the movie Rattle & Hum. This was on 12/20/1987 in Tempe, Arizona.

The next concert I saw was an odd one--Dread Zeppelin at the University of Arizona on January 20, 1991. They were very good, though the music was odd, being Led Zeppelin music played reggae style with an Elvis impersonator lead singer.

Then I saw the Black Crowes in Tucson, 6/13/1991. First time I went to a concert as a date. We got very close to the stage, so it got a bit iffy at times with some members of the crowd, but the music was quite good.

Next was ZZ Top on August 12, 1991 in Tucson. Good, but I didn't like how many recorded sounds they used, since it took away a bit of the live feel.

A buddy talked me into going to see Van Halen on May 17, 1992. We didn't have tickets, so we went to the parking lot at McHale Center in Tucson as the opening band (Extreme) was already playing. A desperate scalper gave us tickets at face value that were about row ten right in front of Eddie Van Halen. It was amazing just to watch the ease with which Eddie played!

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden

Then came an awesome experience, because it was so unexpected. I went with one of my brothers to see Guns n Roses on February 1, 1992. I thought that would be okay, and it was, but what really rocked was the opening band, Soundgarden. I hadn't heard of them before, but they were electric. Definitely much better than Guns n Roses. I went out and bought their latest album right away and they've been a favorite ever since.

I saw U2 for a third time in Tempe on October 24, 1992. I didn't like how commercial they looked this time, though of course they still sounded great. BB King opened and also played with U2 on Love Comes to Town.

Somewhere around this time, though I can't find dates, I saw Foghat at a country dance hall in Tucson, and Quiet Riot at the Wildcat House where I was working.

The last concert I saw before heading into my overseas life was Alice in Chains on April 15, 1993. They really rocked, though sadly on one of my favorite songs 'Would?' their bass player's instrument stopped working, and bass is the driving force of that song. I wish they had started it over.

Pink Floyd in London

Now things got really cool! From Moscow I flew with a friend to London to see Pink Floyd for their Division Bell tour in October 1994. It was filmed for their DVD 'Pulse', and it was probably the most amazing sounding concert I ever saw, as well as being the last official concert of Pink Floyd.

My friend and I got lucky and also caught a make-up date by Stone Temple Pilots on 10/26/1994 during that London trip. Wow, were they awesome! Two great concerts within a week of each other really made that first trip to London a memorable one.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page

After returning to the US, my wife and I saw a Page & Plant concert on 9/24/1998. I just love Led Zeppelin, and that's all they played that night.

It was a long time before I went to any concerts again. My family flew to London from Baku to see two great bands. First we saw Pearl Jam at Hyde Park. What an experience that was. The next day I took the kids back to Hyde Park and we listened to Paul McCartney play, though we didn't have tickets to go inside. It was outdoors, so we could hear decently. Then to top it off we went to Wembley Stadium on 6/19/2010 to see Green Day. As we walked into the stadium we saw Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whom we had no idea was the opening act. That was a treat, seeing 'I Love Rock and Roll' played live before 100,000 fans. Green Day was great, but I was disappointed that they played so few songs from 21st Century Breakdown, an album that I really liked.

Green Day at Wembley Stadium

My family took a train from Budapest to Prague on July 2, 2012 to again see Pearl Jam. You really can't go wrong with Pearl Jam, though the opening act 'X' wasn't so good.

We had a surprise treat at the end of our stay in Budapest. As a 20 year anniversary of the fall of communism in Hungary, they brought in the Scorpions to play a free concert on 6/16/2014. They were so great!

Rush saying goodbye

The next concert was one we went to because my oldest son is a huge fan of Rush. We had no idea that the concert on 8/1/2015 would be the last Rush concert. What pros these three musicians are. I'm not a huge Rush fan, but they were amazing.

We went to see three favorite bands, Soundgarden and A Perfect Circle on 4/29/2017, and Alter Bridge on 4/30/2017. For those who don't know, Alter Bridge is the band Creed but with a new singer. All three were very good, though I felt the song selection for Soundgarden wasn't the best, and their sound was a bit off. A Perfect Circle was simply amazing. Wish I could see them some more.

A Perfect Circle

On November 1, 2017 I saw A Perfect Circle again in Virginia. The opening act was The Beta Machine, which has the same drummer and bass player as APC. APC played more songs than the first time I saw them, since it was a full concert instead of a festival. They played all three of their new songs.

On November 7, 2022 I saw Porcupine Tree at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. A truly excellent show and a great DVD was released so I can see it again any time I wish.

On November 1, 2023 I saw Tool in Milwaukee with my son Anton and his fiancé Sage. Awesome as always.

Green Day in Milwaukee

On August 24, 2024, I went with my wife, my son Anton, and his wife Sage, to Milwaukee to see three bands. Unfortunately the sound quality of the venue was bad, so it wasn't as great an experience as it should have been. I don't know the opening band, Rancid, so with the bad sound, I couldn't tell if I might have liked anything of theirs or not. The next band was The Smashing Pumpkins, which I have liked for many years, but again the bad sound took away from my enjoyment. The final band was Green Day. As always, they are energetic and very good, though of course the show couldn't match the awesomeness of their show at Wembley Stadium in London.

On August 27, 2024, I went with my son Anton back to Milwaukee to see four bands. My favorites were the two openers, Ministry and Filter. I don't mind the headliners, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, but they simply aren't as great to my taste as the first two.

May 31, 2025, my wife and I went with our son Anton and his wife to see Sessanta, the celebration of the 60th birthday of today's greatest singer-songwriter, Maynard James Keenan. It had three fantastic bands showcasing Keenan's talents. The bands were A Perfect Circle (the third time I've seen them), Primus (it was awesome finally seeing My Name is Mud live), and Puscifer. Of Keenan's major bands, only Tool was absent. Amazing night!

April 26, 2026, I went to Milwaukee to see Puscifer. I was front and center right up at the stage, so it was an incredible experience seeing my favorite singers up close.

On May 5, 2026, I went with a neighbor (who offered a free ticket, thanks Grant!) to see Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, two tremendous guitarists, in Milwaukee. Very fun concert. The opening act was Animals as Leaders, which my son was excited about due to their guitarist Tosin Abasi. I have to say their drum sound overwhelmed the music and I couldn't actually hear much of the guitar. Still, it was a great time.

Retirement!

As of the end of this month, I am officially retired from my career as a diplomat! It feels good. I'm happy I did all I did over all these years (I began in 1993), but I'm ready to move on and pursue my own personal dreams in what remains of my life. I want to write more books, act in more movies, play chess and basketball, and generally try to get healthier from reduced stress and more exercise. My very first tour as a diplomat was to Moscow, Russia. October 1993, just when the big coup attempt happened and Yeltsin managed to retain power after blasting the Duma with tanks.

Burned Duma building

I met and married my wife Victoria there, for which I'll always be grateful.

Victoria in Moscow

And I played chess against four world champions. My first tour was perhaps my most memorable.

Me playing Anatoly Karpov

I went on to live in eight other countries, including Croatia, China, Iceland, Azerbaijan (twice!), Hungary, The Bahamas, Italy, and Luxembourg. I've had amazing memories in each of these places. I'll never forget this life, but I'm a little exhausted from traveling so much, and I'm ready for a more settled life near our oldest son in Wisconsin.

Newly-Released Novelette Free!

 Many years ago I wrote a novelette called Dragon Play that was published in the anthology called The Dragon Chronicles. I decided to publish it as a stand-alone, and since it is new and has no reviews, I have made it free for Amazon Kindle through Monday, hoping to entice people to read this fairly short story and hopefully leave a review. Anyone who loves fantasy, Vikings, or dragons, please give it a try and tell your friends! Here is the blurb:

All their lives the group of young Vikings had heard of their clan's past glories, but all they have known is the terror of being relegated to living within the shadow of a dragon's mountain. When the chieftain's daughter finds an ancient scroll showing a hidden back entrance to the dragon's lair, she and her three friends decide to sneak in and retrieve the lost talisman that holds the luck of their clan.

Artwork by Shane Tyree

What I Read in 2022

 At the end of each year I do a summary post of what I read throughout the year. I find it interesting to see my reading habits, and to make note of what the best books were each year. I read only 28 books this year, which is much worse than last. I use a standard five star rating method with five stars meaning I loved the book so much I intend to re-read it throughout my life, so there are rarely any five star books.

1. A Perfect Union of Contrary Things by Sarah Jensen ***

2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens **

3. Tigana by Guy Gaviel Kay ****

4. The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay *****

5. Infiltrator by C.T. Phipps ***

6. Men of Bronze by Scott Oden ***

7. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons ***

8. Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley *****

9. Swan Song by Robert McCammon **

10. Contact by Carl Sagan ****

11. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith ****

12. Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr. ****

13. The Iron King by Maurice Druon ****

14. The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton ****

15. The Strangled Queen by Maurice Druon ****

16. The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 1 edited Neil Clarke ***

17. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir *****

18. 36 Streets by T.R. Napper ****

19. Cold Summer by Gwen Cole ***

20. Lily Narcissus by Jonathan Lerner ****

21. Memnon by Scott Oden ****

22. The Fireman by Joe Hill ***

23. Tomorrow, the Killing by Daniel Polansky ****

24. Cemetery Road by Greg Iles ****

25. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay *****

26. Sleep No More by Greg Iles ****

27. Use of Force by Brad Thor ***

28. The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay ****

Release Day! The Shattered Spire

 

It is finally Release Day for my latest novel, which is a prequel to The Shard, the first novel I ever wrote. Both stories are written to be able to stand alone, though they also mesh well with each other, though set 800 years apart. They do share some characters, such as the wizard Xax, and some long-lived elven characters. Here is the blurb:

The magic of the Spire of Peace has banished evil from the Known Lands for more than twelve hundred years. When a dragon destroys the spire and murders the king, the realm is thrown into turmoil. As civil war looms, can the royal Kaldarion family regain control over the kingdom and restore peace?

Livia, 20, is the eldest child of the slain King Varun Kaldarion. Though the wisest and most learned of the surviving family members, tradition says she cannot inherit the throne.

Balmar, 18, is too feeble-minded to rule, but his uncle, Duke Erol, crowns him anyway in order to appoint himself regent.

Darus, 17, was exiled by the spire's magic due to his bitterness that his father never named him heir. By force of personality and skill at arms, he has risen to command the army of exiles at the fortress of East Gate. Now he plans to invade the realm and take back what he feels is rightfully his by birth.

Imric, 13, was disavowed by his father after his mother died birthing him. Raised by his sister Livia, few in the realm even know he exists. Little more than a pawn in the conflict between Duke Erol and his brother Darus, Imric may hold the key to reuniting the fractured realm.

Summer Move to Luxembourg

 I don't write about my job much, mainly because I prefer to concentrate on my writing. But my career as a diplomat is soon coming to a close, as I intend to retire after one more year, thus allowing me to focus full-time on being a novelist. Since 1993 when I first moved overseas to work at the American Embassy in Moscow, I have been moving every 2-4 years to different countries. It has been exciting, but the process of constantly moving also wears on a person after many years of doing it. So this year, after moving from Rome to Luxembourg, I decided I've done enough with the Foreign Service, and now it is time to try to simply be a writer.

My wife and I left Rome in mid-July and had to do what is called 'Home Leave' in the United States. It's a requirement for US diplomats, so that we don't lose touch too badly with our home country. Home Leave typically lasts about a month and a half. Since our two sons were in Wisconsin, but I was also trying to figure out places that might be interesting for my retirement, we settled on St Louis as the place to stay. It was close enough to Wisconsin for us to easily drive up to visit our sons, but it allowed us to check out whether or not we would like St Louis. This city has the most famous chess club in America, which was a big consideration for me, as I'm passionate about playing serious tournament chess. The photo below is me at the World Chess Hall of Fame, across the street from the famous St Louis Chess Club. 

We were surprised at how much we liked St Louis. I don't think we'd have had such a great experience, except that we lucked out and happened to stay near the fabulous Tower Grove Park. There is a reason this is the one US city park to be designated as a National Historic Landmark. It is easily the nicest park I have seen, and the idea of living nearby (there is also a botanical garden adjacent to it) and getting to walk there every day is highly appealing. There is no guarantee we will settle on St Louis as the place for us to retire, but I'm definitely checking out houses in the park area.

In late August, we arrived in my final overseas diplomatic posting of Luxembourg. It's a nice way to cap my career. It's one of the wealthiest and safest countries in the world. I absolutely love that it has such a brilliant public transportation system, and it is completely free.

The first weekend, a new colleague from work drove my wife and me to see the ancient Bourscheid Castle in northern Luxembourg.  It was a great way to start life in a new country.

Our apartment is very near the center of the small city. The photo below was taken just a short walk away, and it highlights how gorgeous the city is. It is built over multiple levels and everywhere you look there are ruins of old castle walls. You can click the photos to get a better look at them.

My wife and I are definitely happy to get to spend our final year overseas in such a lovely place!

Closure/Continuation by Porcupine Tree

 Since my previous post rating the top songs by Porcupine Tree (which I posted because I'm about to see their concert in Amsterdam) did not include any of their latest album Closure/Continuation, I'm going to rate the new album now. I did not rate it before, because I had not listened to it enough at that point to have fully formed an opinion. I've been listening to the album nearly every day now, so I have a pretty good idea of how each song stacks up. Having said that, I know from past experience that even after a hundred or more listens, I tend to change my mind about songs later due to tiny nuances that begin to stand out to me.

So, I think this new album is probably my second favorite of all of their albums now, right behind The Incident. There may be individual songs I love more from other albums, but it is the overall strength of nearly every song on this album that makes it so good. 

My favorite song so far, after about seventy listens, is Rats Return. It rocks pretty well while also having some really beautiful choruses. I had Harridan second for quite some time, but now I'm moving Herd Culling into second place. There are bits of Herd Culling that don't suit my taste as much as most of Harridan, but there is a vocal section of Herd Culling that is so astonishing and lovely that I find myself listening to this song more often just so I can hear that part again. That means, of course, that Harridan is my choice for third best song. I like so much about Harridan, though it also contains a bit that I really dislike, so that colors my perception a bit. I rate all three of these songs with five stars in my iTunes.

Dignity and then Of the New Day are the next two, both rated as four stars. None of the remaining songs are less than three stars, so the album overall is very strong.

The album can't beat The Incident, though, because I don't rate a single song on that album below four stars, and it contains a bunch that are five stars. 

Top 20 Songs by Porcupine Tree

 It's often said that Porcupine Tree is the greatest unknown band, and there really is some truth to that. They are no one-hit wonder. They're a band with numerous five-star and four-star quality songs that, for some unknown reason, simply flies below the radar for the majority of rock lovers. It doesn't help that they essentially vanished for more than a decade before returning with their latest album "Closure/Continuation". 

Anyhow, I feel very fortunate to finally get a chance to see them live in concert in early November in Amsterdam. In honor of this event, I decided it was time to give my personal top 20 songs by the band.

1. Black Dahlia, from The Incident, 2009

To be honest, this song and the next are basically a tie for me. They both have similar quiet, atmospheric beauty and touch the same heart strings. Some people may find them morose, but I love them.

2. Flicker, from The Incident, 2009

You're going to see a lot of songs from this album, because every single song on The Incident is great. My favorite album by far of theirs.

3. The Incident, from The Incident, 2009

An amazing song that really can be broken down into a string of distinct songs that mesh together. The overall song is more than 55 minutes long and is well worth hearing in its entirety, though my favorite sub-tracks are Drawing the Line and The Incident.

4. Anesthetize, from Fear of a Blank Planet, 2007

Another long song, at nearly 18 minutes, but lush and filled with cool changes, including a crunchy rocking section.

5. Drown With Me, from Futile, 2003

A punchy pop/rock song with some cool choruses. The live version from We Lost the Skyline is also amazing.

6. Remember Me Lover, from The Incident, 2009

A companion piece to Black Dahlia--they really go well together played back to back.

7. Bonnie the Cat, from The Incident, 2009

An uber-cool, slightly twisted song that my eldest son turned me on to. It took a bit to grow on me.

8. Futile, from In Absentia, 2002

Blending heavier rock with lovely vocals.

9. Lazarus, from We Lost the Skyline, 2008

I'm not a big fan of the recorded version, but this live version is beautiful.

10. Even Less, from Stupid Dream, 1999

A lot of these cool songs from the middle rankings could easily swap places with each other depending on my mood.

11. So Called Friend, from Deadwing, 2005

A rocker that slows for a gorgeous chorus.

12. Fear of a Blank Planet, from Fear of a Blank Planet, 2007

13. Fadeaway, from Up the Downstair, 1993

To be honest, I can't tell which version I enjoy more, the recorded version or the live version from 2005's XM II album. The latter version is sung by guitarist John Wesley, while the original is sung by band leader Steven Wilson.

14. Trains, from In Absentia, 2002

15. Lightbulb Sun, from Lightbulb Sun, 2000

16. Waiting, from Insignificance, 1997

17. Where We Would Be, from Lightbulb Sun, 2000

18. Wake As Gun I, from Insignificance, 1997

19. Shallow, from Deadwing, 2005

20. Nine Cats, from Insignificance, 1997

Like I said, a lot of these songs lower in the list are not essentially any less worthy than ones I've ranked above them, so here are some honorable mentions that easily belong alongside some of the ones mentioned above: Hatesong, Gravity Eyelids, Arriving Somewhere But Not Here, Mellotron Scratch, Shesmovedon, Stars Die, My Ashes, Blackest Eyes, Nil Recurring. Of course, Porcupine Tree are so good that these are just my five- and four-star songs--they have tons of good songs that I personally only rank as three-stars due to not wishing to listen to them quite as often. Some of the songs from the new album are worthy of being on this list, but I simply haven't listened to them enough times to tell where they belong.

If you are one of the legions of people who have unfortunately not heard of Porcupine Tree, do yourself a favor and give them a good listen. If you only wish to try one album, then try The Incident in its entirety.

iTunes Legal Info

 I find this silly, especially as it means having to provide information I'd usually prefer not to put out in public, but according to iTunes, European law is requiring authors to provide the below information if we wish our novels to be available for sale within the EU. So, here it is:

legal address   Unit 5380 Box 1053, DPO, AE 09710 USA

email address  knight _ tour @ hotmail . com

telephone number  +352 691400077

The Shattered Spire — Villem

I began discussing the different POV characters of my new novel (coming out October 20) in my last post. 

The second character I'd like to introduce is Sir Villem Tathis. He is a 15-year-old from the small city of Iskimir in the western part of the Known Lands. He grew up believing he was the heir to Iskimir, but after his rite of passage to manhood at the age of 15, he learned that he was actually a bastard and his younger brother was in fact the actual heir to the lordship. This knowledge, along with learning that the woman he had always thought was his rather cold mother was not actually his mother (and now he understands why she acts so coldly toward him), came as a huge shock to Villem. Naturally, he was quite bitter at the overturning of everything he believed about his life.

The Known Lands are dominated by the huge magical spire of the novel's title. The magic causes surges of strength to those with good hearts, and causes weakness and fear in those with bad. Not that Villem truly had a bad heart, but the means by which the magic detects what is in a person's heart is not a perfect system. It sees that Villem is filled with bitterness, anger, resentment, jealousy, etc., and thus it adversely affects him. Like all others who are affected thusly, Villem sets out to depart the Known Lands to escape the horrible feelings that overwhelm him.

At the start of the story, he has escaped the sphere of influence of the spire and is approaching the great fortress of East Gate, where he hopes his status as a knight will allow him a place of honor within the exile army there.

The Shattered Spire — Imric

 With my new book, The Shattered Spire, coming out October 20, I thought I'd provide a bit of detail about each of the POV characters from the novel. I'll start with the youngest member of the royal Kaldarion family, Imric.

Imric Kaldarion is thirteen when the story begins. His mother died giving birth to him, which led his father, the king, to disavow the baby. So Imric has been raised by his sister Livia. With his father refusing him any sort of training to prepare him as a potential heir or any skills in knightly combat, Imric mainly skulks about the castle, discovering a maze of secret passageways. The only experience he gets with his father is by spying upon him in his throne room from a secret nook. Other than his beloved sister, his only real companion is his best friend, Soot, a servant from the kitchens.

With such an unusual childhood, it's hard to believe that he would one day rise to become one of the greatest and most beloved kings of the Known Lands. In later history books, he is known as Imric the Lame, due to the terrible wound he received to his left foot during the Times of Tragedy.

New Book Release! The Shattered Spire

 It has been a long time since I have posted. Life has been busy. I finished up my posting to Rome and have now just arrived in Luxembourg. It seems very nice so far. 

I'm super proud of both of my sons, one of whom is now working at a law firm in Wisconsin, and the other is pursuing his master's degree at Georgetown.

 And, the best news is that after seven years, I am finally publishing a new novel! It is called The Shattered Spire, and it is a prequel to The Shard. It is set centuries before that story, and it covers how the shard came to be. It is only in pre-order for now, and only the ebook, but I'm working on the paperback and audiobooks to have them ready by the October 20 publication date.

I'm not particularly happy with how the cover art came out. It's a serious story, and I hoped to have a cover that reflected that, while to me this cover looks more like something from a graphic novel or a comic book.

Here is the blurb for the story:

The magic of the Spire of Peace has banished evil from the Known Lands for more than twelve hundred years. When a dragon destroys the spire and murders the king, the realm is thrown into turmoil. As civil war looms, can the royal Kaldarion family regain control over the kingdom and restore peace?

Livia, 20, is the eldest child of the slain King Varun Kaldarion. Though the wisest and most learned of the surviving family members, tradition says she cannot inherit the throne.

Balmar, 18, is too feeble-minded to rule, but his uncle, Duke Erol, crowns him anyway in order to appoint himself regent.

Darus, 17, was exiled by the spire's magic due to his bitterness that his father never named him heir. By force of personality and skill at arms, he has risen to command the army of exiles at the fortress of East Gate. Now he plans to invade the realm and take back what he feels is rightfully his by birth.

Imric, 13, was disavowed by his father after his mother died birthing him. Raised by his sister Livia, few in the realm even know he exists. Little more than a pawn in the conflict between Duke Erol and his brother Darus, Imric may hold the key to reuniting the fractured realm.

What I Read in 2021

At the end of each year I do a summary post of what I read throughout the year. I find it interesting to see my reading habits, and to make note of what the best books were each year. I managed 45 books this year, which is much better than last. I use a standard five star rating method with five stars meaning I loved the book so much I intend to re-read it throughout my life, so there are rarely any five star books.

1. Wings of Omen, edited by Robert Asprin *****

2. The Godfather by Mario Puzo *****

3. Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara ***

4. Me by Elton John ****

5. Salvation by Peter F Hamilton *** and a half

6. The Dead of Winter, edited by Robert Asprin ****

7. Grant by Ron Chernow ****

8. Soul of the City, edited by Robert Asprin ****

9. The Civil War by Bruce Catton ****

10. Salvation Lost by Peter F Hamilton *** and a half

11. Head On by John Scalzi ***

12. A Time to Kill by John Grisham ** and a half

13. Unlocked by John Scalzi **

14. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham *** 

15. The Rooster Bar by John Grisham **

16. The Siberian Dilemma by Martin Cruz Smith ****

17. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo ****

18. Thin Air by Richard K Morgan *****

19. White Wolf by David Gemmell **

20. Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh ***

21. Blood Ties, edited by Robert Asprin ****

22. Apropos of Nothing by Woody Allen **** and a half

23. The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck ***

24. Sabriel by Garth Nix ***

25. House of Spies by Daniel Silva ***

26. R is for Rocket by Ray Bradbury **

27. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith ****

28. Aftermath, edited by Robert Asprin ****

29. The Swords of Night and Day by David Gemmell ***

30. Uneasy Alliances, edited by Robert Asprin **** and a half

31. Red Rising by Pierce Brown *

32. King and Maxwell by David Baldacci **

33. Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden ****

34. Stealers' Sky, edited by Robert Asprin ****

35. Lovedeath by Dan Simmons ***

36. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane *****

37. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane **

38. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer ***

39. Nightflyers by George R.R. Martin **

40. Master Assassins by Robert Redick ****

41. Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub *** and a half

42. Arrival by Ted Chiang **

43. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner *

44. A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden **** and a half

45. Twilight of the Gods by Scott Oden *****

Top 25 Albums of the 2000's

 As everyone knows, I have the best taste in music in the world. And of course I've listened to every single album that has come out since the year 2000. No sarcasm at all there :)

Okay, so it's completely subjective (though I do have terrific musical taste), but I thought it would be fun to sort my music in iTunes by date and see what I thought were the best albums to come out since the year 2000, at least based on what I have listened to.

1. Lateralus -- Tool 2002

2. Fear Inoculum -- Tool 2019

3. The Incident -- Porcupine Tree 2009

4. 10,000 Days -- Tool 2006

5. Live: Featuring Stone and Echo -- A Perfect Circle 2013

6. Thirteenth Step -- A Perfect Circle 2003

7. American Idiot -- Green Day 2004

8. Army of Anyone -- Army of Anyone 2006

9. Lost Dogs -- Pearl Jam 2000

10. Bullet in a Bible -- Green Day 2005

11. Blade Runner 2049 Soundtrack -- Hans Zimmer 2017

12. Eat the Elephant -- A Perfect Circle 2018

13. Elephant -- The White Stripes 2003

14. Backspacer -- Pearl Jam 2009

15. King Animal -- Soundgarden 2012

16. Fear of a Blank Planet -- Porcupine Tree 2007

17. Weathered -- Creed 2001

18. Lightning Bolt -- Pearl Jam 2013

19. 21st Century Breakdown -- Green Day 2009

20. We Lost the Skyline -- Porcupine Tree 2008

21. One Day Remains -- Alter Bridge 2004

22. Riot Act -- Pearl Jam 2002

23. eMotive -- A Perfect Circle 2004

24. Walk the Sky -- Alter Bridge 2019

25. Dust -- Tremonti 2016

What are your favorites within the 2000's?

Audiobook Out Today!

 The audiobook for my sci-fi technothriller The Immortality game went live today! It's the bestselling of my books, so I hope it will do well. 

I have free promo codes for US or UK Audible stores for anyone willing to do an honest review--it's great to get some reviews up early on within the first few weeks of release.

Might As Well Be

 That phrase, 'might as well be', isn't used all that often, but it always seemed a little odd to me. Sometime during my younger teen years, that phrase struck me funny and I turned it into the name of my Dungeons and Dragons paladin character--Midas Welby.

Many years later, when I decided to write a fantasy novel, I turned that old D&D character into the protagonist of my story The Shard. I mean, he might as well be the main character, right? Rather than a paladin, I made him a minor nobleman, who had been born to a fisherman but gained notice during his service fighting barbarians and became a captain-of-the-guard for a major noble, who later knighted him, married him to his daughter, and granted him a small keep.

I guess I was very subtle about his name in the book, because it was published in 2015 and not one reader has ever noticed that his name was a play on that phrase.

Have Audiobooks Changed the Way You Write?

 I rarely notice any change to my style of writing, but recently I've noticed that I have changed the way I approach dialogue and thoughts due to having listened to my novels that were made into audiobooks. I noticed that whenever I listened to dialogue or thoughts in audiobooks, it sometimes became confusing as to who was speaking. This is because in novels the writer often doesn't need to explicitly state who is speaking or whether what is being said is a thought and not spoken out loud, because it is obvious to the reader. But it isn't so obvious once the reader isn't seeing it on the page. 

So, while I haven't changed my approach to dialogue or thoughts too much, I do find myself adding more attributions to the thoughts or dialogue, just so when the audiobook comes out it won't be so confusing to the listener. 

Anyone else had this same issue?

Writing Two Books at Once

 I published my last novel in 2015.  So it has already been nearly six years since I last released a new story, which puts me in the company of writers like Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin for the slowness of my productivity.

There are many reasons why it is taking me so long. I naturally procrastinate unless something really urges me on. I've been stressed out by so many things, not leastwise by the election of a certain someone to the highest office in the land in 2016. But primarily the reason is that I started working on two different books at the same time.

I hadn't planned to do it. I started working on one of them (I don't even recall which I started first), got stuck on something early on, and then began working on the other while my mind mulled over how to overcome the complications in the first.

I really don't recommend this method of writing. I've never been a fast writer--each of my first novels took four years to produce--but at least by working on only one at a time I did manage to finish them. Now with the six year mark approaching, I just hit the 51,000 word mark in one novel, and I'm only at 21,000 words in the other. Which means I'm perhaps around the halfway mark in the first, and nowhere close to finished in the second.

The stories don't bore me. I haven't lost interest in them. It's just that one of them is extremely complicated and needs lot of thought to overcome the many obstacles. Yet my mind can never just set about working on one of them, because both stories keep jockeying for attention in my brain. Each time I think I have stopped working on one to focus solely on the other, some new idea pops up that makes me go back to the other manuscript.

I so badly want to finish at least one of them, so I've pushed harder this year than I have in quite some time, but the finish line feels so far away still, which is discouraging. If I could just finish one then the other might be easier to complete as well.

I wonder how many of you have had this same frustrating experience?

What I Read in 2020

 At the end of each year I do a summary post of what I read throughout the year. I find it interesting to see my reading habits, and to make note of what the best books were each year. I managed only 31 books this year, though to be fair some of them were very long ones. I use a standard five star rating method with five stars meaning I loved the book so much I intend to re-read it throughout my life, so there are rarely any five star books. But with how crazy this year was, I purposely re-read a lot of my old favorites, which is why you'll see so many this time.

1. Fortune's Favorites by Colleen McCullough *****

2. Caesar's Women by Colleen McCullough *****

3. Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence *** and a half

4. Caesar by Colleen McCullough *****

5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker ****

6. Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi ***

7. The October Horse by Colleen McCullough *****

8. Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough ****

9. Rosewater by Tade Thompson **

10 Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey *****

11 The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley **

12. The Outsider by Stephen King ****

13 The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb ****

14. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King *** and a half

15. The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley **** and a half

16. The Forgetting Moon by Brian Lee Durfey ****

17. Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb ****

18. City of Dragons by Robin Hobb ****

19. Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb *** and a half

20. Delta-v by Daniel Suarez ****

21. The Blackest Heart by Brian Lee Durfey ****

22. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan ***

23. Thieves' World edited by Robert Asprin *****

24. Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn edited by Robert Asprin *****

25. Shadows of Sanctuary edited by Robert Asprin *****

26. Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Albert Zuckerman **

27. Storm Season edited by Robert Asprin *****

28. The Face of Chaos edited by Robert Asprin *****

29. The Firm by John Grisham *****

30. Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King ***

31. Wings of Omen edited by Robert Asprin *****

Sample From My Work in Progress

 I'm been struggling so much with writing over the past few years. I'm not a fast writer in any case--my first two novels took me four years each to complete.  But it has been nearly seven years now since I last finished a book. To be fair, I have been working on two at the same time, which is probably a bad idea, but I haven't been able to help myself.  Both stories have been compelling to me.

I've started to have fun again, though, which is nice. Wrote this bit this morning, and it gave me a good chuckle.

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            Villem hacked and gagged on the earth choking him.  Something warm and wet rasped across his face again and again.  He spat dirt from his mouth and breathed in air sweeter than any dessert.  Gasping and panting, he tried to open his eyes, but it was too painful from the grit that filled them.  He was confused by whatever it was cleansing his face, until he heard a whine.

The dog!  She has saved my life once again.  Despite his utter misery, Villem’s heart filled with a warm glow for the poor, starving mongrel that refused to let him die.  He recalled the ridged line across the dog’s haunch from where the crossbow bolt had left its mark.  Scar!  She deserves a name.  I’ll name her Scar.

He spat and spat until his mouth was free of dirt.  Scar began licking him about the eyes, and soon Villem was able to try opening them again.  The grit was painful and filled his eyes with tears, but he could see Scar standing over him, continuing to lick away the dirt from around his face.

Villem was grateful that the lord’s men hadn’t bothered to do more than toss a thin layer of earth over his face, else he’d surely be dead now.  They had done better with his lower extremities, though—he couldn’t move them much.  He began wiggling his arms and legs the best he could, trying to gain more room.

Scar’s head jerked up and looked away, and she barked twice.  In the distance, Villem heard a voice, perhaps that of a child.  It was coming closer!

“H-help!” he cried.  “Help me!”  He heard a startled cry, then silence for a few moments.

“Back dog!” someone yelled, sounding like a young boy.

“It must belong to the witch,” came a voice from a different boy.

“No!” Villem cried.  “It’s me.  Help me!”

“Run!” yelped one of the boys, and Villem heard them scampering away.

Villem wept and laughed at the same time, while Scar began to lick his face again.  “They thought it was you, girl.  Good girl.  Good, Scar.”  He wished he had an arm free so he could pet her.  He began to wiggle his arms and legs again.

Just when he began to feel he was making some headway, he heard voices again, and Scar again looked up and barked.

“There it is, see?  Don’t get too close,” came the voice of one of the boys.

A man’s voice responded, “It’s just a mutt.  Are you daft?”

“It talked, I swear!”

“It the witch’s, I tell you.”  So the other boy was there as well.

Villem gathered his breath and called out, “It’s not the dog.  It’s me!  Help me!”

Silence reined for some time before Villem heard scuffling sounds.  Scar barked again.

“Easy, dog,” came the raspy voice of the man.  “I’ll poke you if I have to.”

“Don’t hurt her!” Villem called out.  “She’s a good dog.  The best!”

“Show yourself, whoever you are.”

“I’m here, in the ground.”

A man’s face appeared, eyes widening as he saw Villem.  The man was old, but he wore a conical steel helm on his head, so Villem assumed he must be a guard from the keep.

“What’s this then?” the man said.  “What are you doing in the ground?”

“Just help me, please!”

The man looked behind him.  “You boys, come here.  Nothing t’be affrighted of.  Just some demon digging his way out from the bowels of the earth.”  The man chuckled.