I've been a pretty healthy guy most of my life. Two notable exceptions were when I got dry socket as a kid and, later, when I got pneumonia when I was in grad school and coughed so hard that I broke a rib. Both of those things were pretty painful. In fact, when I had pneumonia, I hurt so badly and for so long that I was prepared to die from the pneumonia. But the pain of those experiences was nothing like what I experienced on November 15, when I found myself crying in agony (yes, literally crying) from a herniated disk. I honestly did not know that a human body was capable of feeling so much pain. My physical therapist later told me that he had spoken to several women who felt that their herniated disks were as painful as labor. Only, I didn't get a cute baby in the end . . . I got a stupid cane. I went into ER, where they doped me up really good on hydromorphone (they tripled the initial dose when that didn't touch the pain) and let me go. I set up an appointment with the University of Wisconsin spine clinic, as well as meeting with the physical therapist. Long story short, after consulting with several doctors and researching my options, I decided that my best option was to go in for a microdiscectomy.
This Thursday, I go under the knife, so to speak. Outside of having my wisdom teeth pulled, I've never had surgery. I'm not too nervous yet - I'm sure that will come as I'm trying to get to sleep tomorrow night. My biggest fear isn't the surgery itself or the fact that the surgery might go horribly wrong or even that I'm going to have to deal with the pain of having been incised. My fear is anesthesia. Whenever I've gone in for dental work, they really have to numb me up but good. The "normal" dose of Novocaine never does the trick. I have to have more. Just really sensitive to nerve pain, I guess. And when my dad had his hip replaced, he was "under" - that is, unable to feel pain or see anything - but he could hear what was going on. Yeah, the saw, the crunching femur, the hammering of the ball into the femur, the whole thing. Did I mention that this happened twice, once for each hip? So I'm going to have a nice heart-to-heart with the anesthesiologist. I'm hoping he can sedate me well (I don't want to go general anesthesia - the thought of having a machine breathe for me is, well, uh-uh), we can turn on some Pink Floyd, and all will be well.
The surgeon is one of the best around, and UW doctors are fantastic. I have full confidence that he will do a great job of performing the operation. All in all, outside of the anesthesia, I'm not too worried at all.
I'll be hazy for a few days afterward as I'm going to be doped up on who-knows-what (I'm guessing Oxycodone, then stepped down to Hydrocodone ). But I'm dedicated to walking as much as I can (this helps to prevent scarring on the nerve tissue) while taking it as easy as I can.
Of course, I will be off work for at least 3 weeks. I've got a concert I want to see in Milwaukee on the 8th, which should be a good test to see how ready I am for real life again. But before then, I'll be spending a lot of time reading, editing Heraclix & Pomp, and working on a Lamentations of the Flame Princess supplement that I've been getting ready to write.
The great thing is, the doctor tells me that, as long as there aren't unforeseen complications, I should be back to running in six months. Look out August! Here I come!
See you on the other side! When it's all said and done, I'm going downtown for some Russian dumplings. Man, those things are good. And, holy crap, I just found out that they deliver!!! Woo-hoo!!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Heraclix and Pomp
As you know, I am an old skool RPG geek, as well as a reader, as well as a writer. So any chance I get to combine the three, I do. It's like speedballing, but safe and legal. So here is a shot of the seeds that will grow into my next big project after Heraclix & Pomp hit the real world: a setting or supplement or adventure or maybe all three set in early-modern Central Europe, all under the Lamentations of the Flame Princess rules set, more or less (though I have a few tweaks of my own that will appear in whatever gets published). I'll also be continuing work on my science fiction novel, Solistalgia. But for now, just a teaser. More as this develops!
____________________
If you like my writing and want to help my creative endeavors, ko-fi me at https://ko-fi.com/forrestaguirre. Every little bit is seen and appreciated! Thank you!
The Army of Frederick the Great
The Army of Frederick the Great by Christopher DuffyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A solid history of the King of Prussia's army and it's times. Duffy touches on all aspects of the army's components. From recruitment to retirement (or, more likely, post-service destitution), The Army of Frederick the Great outlines the career trajectory of the common soldier, NCO, and noble officers that served under their warrior-king. The social and economic aspects of the army are also explored, showing that, since the 18th-Century, at least, military service hasn't changed a lot. I should know - I was raised as an Air Force brat.
The last section of the book covers some of the major actions of the Seven Years' War, but is a little short on detail.
While I appreciate a good, solid history, I felt that this book could have been so much more. I wanted to hear more of the soldiers' voices, more of their recollections, and less of Duffy's explanations. A good historian explains; a great historian lets the past speak for itself from the primary source material, acting as a co-observer more than a lecturer. I had picked this book up to provide me with reading material while I did edits on my novel Heraclix & Pomp, which takes place in 18th-Century Central Europe (but only peripherally involves Prussia). I'm through with this book, but not through with my edits. Thus, I am left now to look for other accounts of the Seven Years' War which are, alas, in short supply.
View all my reviews
________________________
If you like my writing and want to help my creative endeavors, ko-fi me at https://ko-fi.com/forrestaguirre. Every little bit is seen and appreciated! Thank you!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
RIP Stepan Chapman
The man whose writing single-handedly pushed me "over the edge" into the world of writing has passed away. I learned of Stepan's passing a few days after the fact. I am still saddened. Stepan was a great writer - I published his work two times as an editor (in fact, Stepan was the only author to appear in all four volumes of Ministry of Whimsy Press's World Fantasy Award-winning Leviathan series). His writing was quirky, a touch cynical, funny, and whimsical. Those who met him know that Stepan's personality was reflected in his work. The writing world lost a good writer. The human world lost a good person.
Stepan's first influence on me came when I picked up a copy of his Philip K. Dick-award winning novel, The Troika. I was generously gifted a copy of his short fiction collection, Danger Music, by Jeff VanderMeer. Stepan was gracious enough to sign them both. He later sent me a copy of his longer collection, Dossier (signed as well) and his cartoon collections Life on Earth and Common Ectoids of Arizona. In my experience, Stepan just wanted to share everything. I've met few people as kind and giving as he was.
I had the privilege of spending some time with Stepan and his wife, Kia, at the World Fantasy Convention in Washington DC back in 2003. I remember him as always smiling, even when he was squelching his inner cynic with a good laugh. I came to view him as unassuming, yet theatrical (he did children's puppet theater in some capacity or another, and I could see why). I corresponded with him from about 2001 to 2007 or so. Then life got in the way and we lost contact, which is much more my fault than his.
I miss Stepan. In hindsight, I wish I had kept contact with him. He was the kind of person who could brighten up your day just by being around, and heaven knows I could have used that from time to time. I owe my writing career to Stepan. His work started it all. And though he did only a little in the way of mentoring, his work inspired me and continues to inspire me.
One last thing that Stepan sent me some years ago was a 3-ring binder containing his unpublished novel Burger Creature: The First Volume of the Burger Creature Saga, including "A Synopsis of The Burger Creature Saga" and a series of drawings showing the various characters in the book. Here's Stepan's synopsis of the 1st book:
THE PLOT IN A NUTSHELL:
Novel one: BURGER CREATURE
Part one: THE BURGER WALKS AMONG US
Lily Cook, a sweet young burger-franchise cashier, discovers and animate beef patty and raises him to humanoid adulthood in a matter of weeks. he has french fries for hair and pickle slices for eyes. She names him Burger Creature and falls in love with him. But after a single night of wild cosmic burger sex, he's kidnapped by two sinister corporate thugs in a black sedan - representatives of Bennett Foods and the Burger Planet franchise.
Part two: CURSE OF THE LIVING FOOD
Lily abandons her life in Tuscon Arizona and roams the roadways in search of her ill-fated boyfriend. Meanwhile in Colorado, at a research-&-development facility of Bennett Foods, Burger Creature is held captive. He grows into a giant, but despite his size, he's severed at the waist and decapitated. Everything below the neck is transported to the research labs of two other R-&-D unit. Lily allies herself with a trio of Japanese spies who steal the head from Bennett Foods, then ditch Lily and keep the head for themselves. Luckily Lily has new allies waiting in the wings - her friends from Tuscon.
This gives a taste of Stepan's wackiness, but some of his writing had a decidedly Literary bent to it. For example, "The Minutes of the Last Meeting," a novella, which appeared in Leviathan 2, is an exquisitely written historically-based science fiction piece about what would happen if Czarist Russia were to develop a nuclear bomb. Stepan's breadth of writing was pretty amazing.
Behind the clear plastic cover to the bindered Burger Creature is a note from Stepan. It reads:
5.2.2005
Dear Forrest:
Confused? Put upon? Adrift in a fallen world? Read this book?! It solves everything.
yrs.
Stepan
It just might, Stepan. It just might . . .
Rest in Peace, my friend.
Stepan's first influence on me came when I picked up a copy of his Philip K. Dick-award winning novel, The Troika. I was generously gifted a copy of his short fiction collection, Danger Music, by Jeff VanderMeer. Stepan was gracious enough to sign them both. He later sent me a copy of his longer collection, Dossier (signed as well) and his cartoon collections Life on Earth and Common Ectoids of Arizona. In my experience, Stepan just wanted to share everything. I've met few people as kind and giving as he was.
I had the privilege of spending some time with Stepan and his wife, Kia, at the World Fantasy Convention in Washington DC back in 2003. I remember him as always smiling, even when he was squelching his inner cynic with a good laugh. I came to view him as unassuming, yet theatrical (he did children's puppet theater in some capacity or another, and I could see why). I corresponded with him from about 2001 to 2007 or so. Then life got in the way and we lost contact, which is much more my fault than his.
I miss Stepan. In hindsight, I wish I had kept contact with him. He was the kind of person who could brighten up your day just by being around, and heaven knows I could have used that from time to time. I owe my writing career to Stepan. His work started it all. And though he did only a little in the way of mentoring, his work inspired me and continues to inspire me.
One last thing that Stepan sent me some years ago was a 3-ring binder containing his unpublished novel Burger Creature: The First Volume of the Burger Creature Saga, including "A Synopsis of The Burger Creature Saga" and a series of drawings showing the various characters in the book. Here's Stepan's synopsis of the 1st book:
THE PLOT IN A NUTSHELL:
Novel one: BURGER CREATURE
Part one: THE BURGER WALKS AMONG US
Lily Cook, a sweet young burger-franchise cashier, discovers and animate beef patty and raises him to humanoid adulthood in a matter of weeks. he has french fries for hair and pickle slices for eyes. She names him Burger Creature and falls in love with him. But after a single night of wild cosmic burger sex, he's kidnapped by two sinister corporate thugs in a black sedan - representatives of Bennett Foods and the Burger Planet franchise.
Part two: CURSE OF THE LIVING FOOD
Lily abandons her life in Tuscon Arizona and roams the roadways in search of her ill-fated boyfriend. Meanwhile in Colorado, at a research-&-development facility of Bennett Foods, Burger Creature is held captive. He grows into a giant, but despite his size, he's severed at the waist and decapitated. Everything below the neck is transported to the research labs of two other R-&-D unit. Lily allies herself with a trio of Japanese spies who steal the head from Bennett Foods, then ditch Lily and keep the head for themselves. Luckily Lily has new allies waiting in the wings - her friends from Tuscon.
This gives a taste of Stepan's wackiness, but some of his writing had a decidedly Literary bent to it. For example, "The Minutes of the Last Meeting," a novella, which appeared in Leviathan 2, is an exquisitely written historically-based science fiction piece about what would happen if Czarist Russia were to develop a nuclear bomb. Stepan's breadth of writing was pretty amazing.
Behind the clear plastic cover to the bindered Burger Creature is a note from Stepan. It reads:
5.2.2005
Dear Forrest:
Confused? Put upon? Adrift in a fallen world? Read this book?! It solves everything.
yrs.
Stepan
It just might, Stepan. It just might . . .
Rest in Peace, my friend.
________________________
If you like my writing and want to help out, ko-fi me at https://ko-fi.com/forrestaguirre. Every little bit is seen and appreciated! Thank you!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Virtual Gypsy
I was raised by a Master Sergeant in the US Air Force. So as a kid, I moved around a lot. I was born in Germany, lived in The Philippines, Italy, England, and even Nebraska (among several other states). People often ask me what that was like, and my only response is "That's all I knew". I knew that some people stayed in one place, developed friendships for long periods of time, maybe got a job in the town they grew up in, lived and died there, or at least nearby. But I didn't really know what that meant, and definitely didn't know what that felt like. As an adult, I've settled down a bit, only living in six different states and two countries since I was 18. I've been here in Madison, Wisconsin for almost seventeen years now, and I love it. It's really different for me, watching my kids go to start school and graduate in the same school district. I hope I've given them enough opportunities to get out and see the rest of the world and get to know a range of people. Thankfully, Madison is a very diverse city with a lot of interesting people from widely varied backgrounds. Nevertheless, we're here for a while longer, at least, and I might get old, retire, and die in Madison. Who knows?
In some ways, I really miss getting to meet new people and see new places every couple of years like I did when I was a child. There was something intoxicating about interfacing with people who had a deep cultural background that was fundamentally different than mine. We might not even speak the same language, at least not fluently. But there were times when we were thrust together and had to work out our differences. I learned a lot from those experiences, and I credit my upbringing with giving me the ability to deal with strange circumstances and, frankly, strange people. My life is richer for it.
So this got me to thinking about my virtual life. When I was a kid, the only one in my family using anything like an internet was my Dad, who used HTML at work to communicate intelligence through the military network. But he couldn't tell us that, or he'd have to kill us . . .
But back to the subject. I've settled down, physically. But virtually, I sometimes feel like I'm all over the place. I'd like to map out where I am and what I do with my virtual presence. I'd love to know how you use each of the tools I'll describe below, as well as some others.
Facebook: I really hate Facebook. Clunky, inefficient, with conversations bleeding across lines that I would never want to see crossed in my day-to-day life. It's just not compartmentalized enough and, frankly, I do like to compartmentalize my life a little so I can focus on whatever task is at hand. I have a Facebook account pretty much to say "Hey world, I'm still here. Remember me? I was that creepy kid in high school. I'm better now." And that's pretty much the extent of the enjoyment I've gotten from Facebook. Good for connecting with old friends and relatives until they start warring with each other. Not so great for establishing new relationships with people who share your interests. Really, it's a hot mess over there in facebook land.
Google+: Ah, much better! Now I can compartmentalize and keep my annoyingly conservative relatives away from my liberal friends away from those who frankly don't care. Also, I've found that there are a LOT of role-playing gamers at G+. It's really kind of a haven for gaming geeks. I've loved the connections I've been able to make on G+ with fellow gamers. Sure, I occasionally intrude on them with a book review or a lame post, such as this one, but mostly I'm in it for the gamers. Oh, and the music lovers, too. I've discovered some great music through G+, and that's made my life richer. This is a place where I can have fun without being confused by ever-changing formats and difficult to navigate menus (*cough* facebook *cough*).
Twitter: The beautiful and the banal, the pithy and the profound. I like Twitter because it's fast-paced, I can get on for a few minutes, retweet or favorite a post, spew out 140 characters of wisdom, post a cool video or artwork, and quickly connect with others. It's like seeing that guy with the Iron Maiden shirt on walking down the street and you just smile and nod and point at his shirt and he smirks and gives you the devil sign. You know, whattup man?! There's a little too much advertising there, for my tastes, but I've stated on there several times that if I see you post 10 tweets in a row that are marketing attempts for your book or writing advice, I'm dumping you. I've dumped a few, and will probably have to do more over time. Twitter needs to be managed, or it will 1) consume your life or 2) get so convoluted and scattershot that you'll want to quit forever.
Blogger: Well, here we are. This is what I consider to be "home base". There's a lot more permanence to a blog entry than to a tweet or a G+ post. Really, everything revolves around here for me. This is where I'll send you if you really want to know more about me and want to learn it on your own time, rather than trying to chase me via Twitter.
Goodreads: I use Goodreads primarily as a reader, only secondarily as a writer. There have been some shady goings-on over there, though. A lot of great reviewers have left Goodreads as a result. This is too bad, since the functionality there is incredibly good. I've gotten a ton of great book recommendations there. I still spend time there, but not nearly as much as I did in the past.
Booklikes: Which brings me to Booklikes. This is where many of the best reviewers are. It's a refugee camp for those whose reviews were censored at Goodreads because the reviewers spoke their minds about some authors and their mediocre work, then called out Goodreads/Amazon for not only censoring some of their reviews, but posting reviews that they liked at Amazon without permission. Booklikes is newer, so not nearly as populous as GR. And you're not going to find quit the same breadth of books there as you will at GR. But the quality of interaction there more than makes up for the quantity of people enrolled.
Smashwords: I have a few novellas up for sale here and a couple of free short stories. I try to use Smashwords to redirect people to my other social media, though you're free to buy my e-books there, if you like.
Etsy: Not only is this one of the coolest places on the internet to shop, you can have some cool interactions with people here. Cottage industry meets the internet. I've discovered some very talented and very creative people here. I could drop $10K here in one night without blinking an eye. There is some great stuff made by great people on Etsy.
Tumblr: I'm new to Tumblr. Lots of cool art. My kids are gaga over tumblr. I'm so new to it that I'm still trying to figure out how to find them so I can follow them. Low on content, so far, but lots of good art. And I like good art.
What am I missing now? I looked at pinterest, but wasn't pinterested. Instagram seems to be where all the good artists hang out. There's a new book review site called leafmarks, which I might have to check out, as I hear some librarians really like it (and they are usually the best at sniffing out these sorts of things). Is there anywhere else I should be regularlystalking people looking to engage with others on a regular basis? I'm open to suggestions. For the moment, though, I have a pretty good virtual world to wander in - a world that maybe keeps me away from the real world a little too much.
Speaking of which, I need to go put on the writing hat and do some editing on Heraclix & Pomp. See you on the interwebs!
In some ways, I really miss getting to meet new people and see new places every couple of years like I did when I was a child. There was something intoxicating about interfacing with people who had a deep cultural background that was fundamentally different than mine. We might not even speak the same language, at least not fluently. But there were times when we were thrust together and had to work out our differences. I learned a lot from those experiences, and I credit my upbringing with giving me the ability to deal with strange circumstances and, frankly, strange people. My life is richer for it.
So this got me to thinking about my virtual life. When I was a kid, the only one in my family using anything like an internet was my Dad, who used HTML at work to communicate intelligence through the military network. But he couldn't tell us that, or he'd have to kill us . . .
But back to the subject. I've settled down, physically. But virtually, I sometimes feel like I'm all over the place. I'd like to map out where I am and what I do with my virtual presence. I'd love to know how you use each of the tools I'll describe below, as well as some others.
Facebook: I really hate Facebook. Clunky, inefficient, with conversations bleeding across lines that I would never want to see crossed in my day-to-day life. It's just not compartmentalized enough and, frankly, I do like to compartmentalize my life a little so I can focus on whatever task is at hand. I have a Facebook account pretty much to say "Hey world, I'm still here. Remember me? I was that creepy kid in high school. I'm better now." And that's pretty much the extent of the enjoyment I've gotten from Facebook. Good for connecting with old friends and relatives until they start warring with each other. Not so great for establishing new relationships with people who share your interests. Really, it's a hot mess over there in facebook land.
Google+: Ah, much better! Now I can compartmentalize and keep my annoyingly conservative relatives away from my liberal friends away from those who frankly don't care. Also, I've found that there are a LOT of role-playing gamers at G+. It's really kind of a haven for gaming geeks. I've loved the connections I've been able to make on G+ with fellow gamers. Sure, I occasionally intrude on them with a book review or a lame post, such as this one, but mostly I'm in it for the gamers. Oh, and the music lovers, too. I've discovered some great music through G+, and that's made my life richer. This is a place where I can have fun without being confused by ever-changing formats and difficult to navigate menus (*cough* facebook *cough*).
Twitter: The beautiful and the banal, the pithy and the profound. I like Twitter because it's fast-paced, I can get on for a few minutes, retweet or favorite a post, spew out 140 characters of wisdom, post a cool video or artwork, and quickly connect with others. It's like seeing that guy with the Iron Maiden shirt on walking down the street and you just smile and nod and point at his shirt and he smirks and gives you the devil sign. You know, whattup man?! There's a little too much advertising there, for my tastes, but I've stated on there several times that if I see you post 10 tweets in a row that are marketing attempts for your book or writing advice, I'm dumping you. I've dumped a few, and will probably have to do more over time. Twitter needs to be managed, or it will 1) consume your life or 2) get so convoluted and scattershot that you'll want to quit forever.
Blogger: Well, here we are. This is what I consider to be "home base". There's a lot more permanence to a blog entry than to a tweet or a G+ post. Really, everything revolves around here for me. This is where I'll send you if you really want to know more about me and want to learn it on your own time, rather than trying to chase me via Twitter.
Goodreads: I use Goodreads primarily as a reader, only secondarily as a writer. There have been some shady goings-on over there, though. A lot of great reviewers have left Goodreads as a result. This is too bad, since the functionality there is incredibly good. I've gotten a ton of great book recommendations there. I still spend time there, but not nearly as much as I did in the past.
Booklikes: Which brings me to Booklikes. This is where many of the best reviewers are. It's a refugee camp for those whose reviews were censored at Goodreads because the reviewers spoke their minds about some authors and their mediocre work, then called out Goodreads/Amazon for not only censoring some of their reviews, but posting reviews that they liked at Amazon without permission. Booklikes is newer, so not nearly as populous as GR. And you're not going to find quit the same breadth of books there as you will at GR. But the quality of interaction there more than makes up for the quantity of people enrolled.
Smashwords: I have a few novellas up for sale here and a couple of free short stories. I try to use Smashwords to redirect people to my other social media, though you're free to buy my e-books there, if you like.
Etsy: Not only is this one of the coolest places on the internet to shop, you can have some cool interactions with people here. Cottage industry meets the internet. I've discovered some very talented and very creative people here. I could drop $10K here in one night without blinking an eye. There is some great stuff made by great people on Etsy.
Tumblr: I'm new to Tumblr. Lots of cool art. My kids are gaga over tumblr. I'm so new to it that I'm still trying to figure out how to find them so I can follow them. Low on content, so far, but lots of good art. And I like good art.
What am I missing now? I looked at pinterest, but wasn't pinterested. Instagram seems to be where all the good artists hang out. There's a new book review site called leafmarks, which I might have to check out, as I hear some librarians really like it (and they are usually the best at sniffing out these sorts of things). Is there anywhere else I should be regularly
Speaking of which, I need to go put on the writing hat and do some editing on Heraclix & Pomp. See you on the interwebs!
________________________
If you like my writing and want to help out, ko-fi me at https://ko-fi.com/forrestaguirre. Every little bit is seen and appreciated! Thank you!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
In Which I Catch Myself Cheating!
My editor is incredibly good. He has brainwashed me into clearly identifying instances where I'm being a lazy writer. He sent me his suggested edits for the first 7 chapters of Heraclix & Pomp. In several places he showed me that, by using an intrusive narrative voice, I have pushed the reader out of the character's point of view (whether the character is Heraclix or Pomp or a minor character). For this, I am grateful.
In the process of cleaning things up, I came across these sentences from chapter 9, wherein Pomp has just entered Hell:
Bits and pieces of her . . . "past" is the word, float all around her. She cannot comprehend the many images and events, but knows they are hers.
It made so much sense when I wrote it, but now I look at it and I hear the word "LAZY" being screamed into my brain (don't worry, my editor doesn't scream - my conscience takes care of tone and volume control in my head).
Here, I'm telling, not showing. To make matters worse, I'm telling the reader what she intuitively knows. Now, there's nothing wrong with 3rd person omniscient POV, but it really robs the reader of the joy of discovery. My readers are smarter than your average bear, I like to think. So why not provide them with the information in some other way that lets them discover Pomp's intuitive feelings and thoughts with her? Then, the reader is a part of the story and feels more of a bond with Pomp, allowing sympathetic and even empathetic feelings to come into play later on in the story.
Now, how am I going to fix this? To be honest, I don't know. That's the struggle of editing - identifying what's wrong, then making it right. I suspect that the second sentence will have to be exploded into a larger description of what she sees that clearly shows to her that these memories are owned by her.
Wish me luck! Later this year, you get to read the results. :)
________________________
If you like my writing and want to help out, ko-fi me at https://ko-fi.com/forrestaguirre. Every little bit is seen and appreciated! Thank you!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Heraclix & Pomp - The Cover!
A thing of beauty! This is the cover of Heraclix & Pomp. Behind the cover live Heraclix, a flesh golem, and Pomp, a fairy, thrust together by their involuntary proximity to an evil sorcerer. I've spent a good deal of my last few years inhabiting their world(s) and following their adventure through 18th-Century Eastern Europe and Hell and back again. I am extremely excited to share their story this September! I would love it if you shared the cover and news with anyone who might be interested. Feel free to repost, retweet, or reblog wherever you'd like. The more the merrier!
Here is the formal announcement, as sent out by Resurrection House publishing/Underland Press:
HERACLIX & POMP, by Forrest Aguirre, is a delightful alternate history set in Eastern Europe. The twist is that the main characters are non-human: a golem and a fairy. Forrest, who is no stranger to the New, Old, and Still Considering a Maturation Date Weird, delivers a fantastic fable that dives deep into the existential crisis of being a unreal creature in our real world.
Heraclix was dead and Pomp was immortal. That was before Heraclix’s reanimation (along with the sewn-together pieces and parts of many other dead people) and Pomp’s near murder at the hands of an evil necromancer. As they travel from Vienna to Prague to Istanbul and back again (with a side-trip to Hell), they struggle to understand who and what they are: Heraclix seeks to know the life he had before his death and rebirth, and Pomp wrestles with the language and meaning of mortality. As they journey across a land rife with revolution and unrest, they discover the evil necromancer they thought dead might not be so dead after all. In fact, he might be making a pact to ensure his own immortality . . .
Heraclix was dead and Pomp was immortal. That was before Heraclix’s reanimation (along with the sewn-together pieces and parts of many other dead people) and Pomp’s near murder at the hands of an evil necromancer. As they travel from Vienna to Prague to Istanbul and back again (with a side-trip to Hell), they struggle to understand who and what they are: Heraclix seeks to know the life he had before his death and rebirth, and Pomp wrestles with the language and meaning of mortality. As they journey across a land rife with revolution and unrest, they discover the evil necromancer they thought dead might not be so dead after all. In fact, he might be making a pact to ensure his own immortality . . .
____________________
If you like my writing and want to help my creative endeavors, ko-fi me at https://ko-fi.com/forrestaguirre. Every little bit is seen and appreciated! Thank you!
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