Last week marked a sad moment for me, personally and professionally, when Renaissance Magazine announced that it was ceasing publication after almost 24 years.

The magazine, geared toward renaissance faire enthusiasts and European history buffs, ended due to financial difficulties so severe it told subscribers they wouldn’t be receiving refunds. It came close to folding a few years back but managed to hold on a little while longer, only to become 2020’s latest victim.

This one stung because my first professional writing credit was for Renaissance Magazine — an article about King Richard’s Faire “apprentice program,” which trained people to fill the faire’s street cast. I wrote a piece on the program, of which I was a part, and that was rolled into a related article, an interview with the program’s directors — my friends, David and Paul Stickney.

(Adding insult to injury here, David passed away earlier this year, and Paul passed last year.)

I’d write for the magazine a few more times over the years, but that first article was my “big break,” because within weeks of selling it, I landed my reporter job — and my article was one of my writing samples.

The rest, as they say, is history.

On another quick note, I’d like to remind everyone that I am running a sale on print books purchased directly from me while supplies last. You can visit the pinned post on this website for full details, but basically, if you buy print copies of any book from me directly, you’re getting a freebie — a copy of Cheap Thrills Digest if you buy one novel, and a copy of any full-length novel of your choosing if you buy two or more. And of course, they’re all signed!

Action Figures – Secret Origins: Audiobook recording continues with narrator Jennifer McPherson. Release date TBA.

Action Figures – Issue Ten: Unintended Consequences: Second draft is underway! Tentatively set for a winter/spring 2021 release.

The Action Figures Omnibus – Volume One – Stepping Up: The omnibus is fully edited and formatted, and is now awaiting cover art!

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Blades of Glory: Undergoing second audio quality review, release date late summer/early fall 2020.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Sworded Affairs: Audiobook recording is underway. Tentatively set for a fall 2020 release.

The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot – Elfish Motives: First draft of book five is finished! Time to let this sit so I can focus on anthology stuff for a while. Tentatively scheduled for a late 2020 release.

APPEARANCES & EVENTS

• Nothing scheduled

MISC.

The New England Speculative Writers group has a new preview book for newsletter subscribers. Pick it up and read the opening chapters to Well-Behaved Women – Awakening and other stories.

If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss any news from me, remember that I have a weekly newsletter that features some of the stuff you see posted here plus new, newsletter-exclusive material. Click this link to sign up.