acha Black’s 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains is out today and I am honored to have had the opportunity to get an advanced copy of the book.  I am a new subscriber to Black’s blog, but apparently I was right on time to learn about her personal obstacles in getting this book off the ground and I was able to connect with this phenomenal lady only a few weeks prior to this book’s release.

Sacha has a unique tone in her “writing tutorial”, as I like to call it, that makes it feel more personal and her brand of dark humor is actually right on point for someone like me!  She offers very clear examples in her book using popular villains we love to hate, such as Loki from the Thor movies and Lord Voldemort of the Harry Potter series, and she does an excellent job breaking down the psychological influences of baddies, the broader relationships between the villains and their foes, and what makes an iconic villain so appealing to audiences. 

13 Steps to Evil gives a very detailed breakdown of how to flesh out villains and distinguishes them from even antiheros and antagonists.  She actually points out how writers fail their villains in neglecting their development in favor of narrowing the focus of the story solely on the protagonist (which apparently has been one of the favorite arguments for critics, especially for movies/books of the superhero genre).

I hope to do a Q&A with Black one day to learn more about her inner villain, but for now I won't ramble any further.  To check out the book for yourself you can go to http://books2read.com/13stepstoevil.  That's it for now, but I have more projects and ideas of my own to talk about, so as always there is more to come.

Greetings and salutations again supporters and family!  I had to come back for another round this week to premiere my new logos, courtesy of my lovely friend from way back in the day, Elizabeth "Milli" Villalta.  As I progress further with my creative career I am finding new possibilities and new areas I need to grow in.  One area I am focusing more on now is my brand.  Consistent posts, stronger content and a greater presence in different mediums apparently all go into this... and a good logo helps.  And it's great to have artsy friends. Now I've got a few different logos to show in promotion of Pen & Sword Ink on various platforms and materials, so don't be surprised if you see the iconic quill + sword + ink blot combo seen above in a bookstore near you.   I hope to expand the brand as I produce more of my own materials, so just keep a look out for my logo now.  Much love and now that you know what to look for, also remember there will be plenty more to come.

, Greetings all! I've been off for a while now due to having technical difficulties with the site off and on, but I wanted to post a brief update now:

In the past month, with the help of my awesome creative partners, Javier Puga & Alejandro Lara, I've finally been able to complete the first story for my Illicit Liberties universe, "Muskrat Attacks".  I've been developing a unique cast of characters to join Jesse Jim Johns and Big Butch Casey in the misadventures as they steal from the rich and corrupt and give to the needy.   I will be updating the "Illicit Liberties" page with more updates as they come but as of right now the story has not been accepted by any publishers but may very well be self-published in the very near future! More updates to come on that.

Also, since March I have decided to undertake a new challenge for myself, creating an anthology of 100 (or more) science fiction, horror, and fantasy stories of 500 words or less.  I will be posting a few of the shorts from this book that I plan to self-publish along with another anthology I've been planning for some time in my "Clutter" page here to let people see a little of what I've got in store. 

It's kind of late right now and I'm not in the best rambling mood, but please check out the "Illicit Liberties" page for new updates on Muskrat and check the blog here as I plan to bring a few interviews, insights, and book reviews again later.  There is plenty more to come!