I was one of the judges for the fourth Self-Published Science Fiction Contest. It’s a contest I believe in, because it helps bring attention to and elevate indie science fiction, and if there was ever a genre that was made for indie publishing, it’s this one. Traditional publishers need to be very risk-averse, and science […]
None of us knew what to expect from the first ever LitRPG Con. I know the people involved in putting it on were straight hustling to get everything ready in time, and there was a lot of last-minute changes and uncertainty. Panel information became available about two weeks before the convention. Talking with other authors […]
Last weekend, I had the tremendous privilege of attending the first-ever LitRPG Con in Denver, Colorado. Today, Tuesday, I released my fourth book: Engineer’s Odyssey, a standalone side story in the Apocalypse Parenting universe, where the main character starts the apocalypse trapped in the Denver International Airport. For those who are paying attention, this means […]
I’m one of the judges for this year’s Self-Published Science Fiction Contest. While I present my scores below, please note that I am part of a large team of judges, and the finalists will be decided by the combined vote of several teams of judges. So just because I liked or disliked a title, it […]
The Self-Published Science Fiction Contest groups its entries into several judging pools at the start of the contest, each of which is assigned to a different team, each of whom selects several quarterfinalists and, eventually, two semifinalists. However, the contest also has what’s known as an “Escape Pod” option, where judges can look at books […]
If you aren’t aware, every year, the massive r/Fantasy Reddit publishes a reading bingo sheet. If you complete the entire card (and turn it in during a form they post the following March) you get a “Reading Champion” flair in the subreddit. If you do this for multiple years, they’ll increment your title to “Reading […]
If you aren’t aware, every year, the massive r/Fantasy Reddit publishes a reading bingo sheet. https://old.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1joxlrr/official_rfantasy_2025_book_bingo_challenge If you complete the entire card (and turn it in during a form they post the following March) you get a “Reading Champion” flair in the subreddit. If you do this for multiple years, they’ll increment your title to […]
I enjoyed doing mini-reviews for all the LitRPG and Progression series I started reading last year, so I’m doing the same thing this year! This list includes only series that I started reading in 2023. So yes, of course I read the next Dungeon Crawler Carl and kept reading a lot of series I mentioned last […]
I have issues, so after finishing reading my allocation, I rummaged around in the books allocated to the rest of my judging team, much like a raccoon in a dumpster: uninvited but relaxed, delighted by my own personal search for treasure. As these aren’t my assigned books, many of my assessments may not count for […]
I really love arts and crafts. They relax me and help me unwind and occupy just enough of my brain to keep me interested when I’m mentally exhausted. I’ve started doing Bucilla-style felt Christmas ornaments for characters from litRPG and progression fantasy stories I love, and I’m starting a gallery here:
I’ve read through my initial book allocation for my role as a judge on Team Tar Vol On in this year’s Self-Published Science Fiction Competition(SPSFC)! In this initial phase of judging, each of us is asked to categorize a book as a “Strong Yes,” “Soft Yes,” “Soft No” or “Strong No.” We’re asked to read […]
Last year, I entered the first book of Apocalypse Parenting in the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition and made it to the semi-finals! I’m still writing that series, so this year I’m participating as a judge on team Tar Vol On. I’ve been allotted ten specific books from our group’s 30 for initial review, but I […]
What is LitRPG? Why do people read it? With Dungeon Crawler Carl slated for a television adaptation, a lot of people are curious about LitRPG. Whether it’s the first time you’re hearing about the genre or if you were aware of it but just a little unsure, I’m here to break it down for you. […]
If you aren’t aware, every year, the massive r/Fantasy Reddit publishes a reading bingo sheet. https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1bt4iqf/official_rfantasy_2024_book_bingo_challenge/ If you complete the entire card (and turn it in during a form they post the following March) you get a “Reading Champion” flair in the subreddit. If you do this for multiple years, they’ll increment your title to “Reading Champion II”, […]
After doing mini-reviews for all the SPSFC3 contestants’ books I read, I felt like I was remiss to not be doing any for my own genre! This list includes only series that I started reading in 2023. So yes, of course I read the next Dungeon Crawler Carl and the conclusion of the Cradle series, […]
I read a lot within the genre I write in – LitRPG – but I like to read a number of the entries in the SPSFC each year, partly as a chance to stretch my brain and partly to give indie authors a chance. I review any book I finish! Rather than give a star […]
A bit after the 2022 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition kicked off I made a post about five books from the competition I’d found good enough to finish. I’m back now with eight more! These aren’t selected from all the entrants. I was looking exclusively at books available on Kindle Unlimited and I only gave a book a […]
The 2022 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition kicked off recently, and I’ve been reading my way through some of the entrants that both A) appealed to me on some level and B) were available on Kindle Unlimited. I have fairly eclectic tastes, and for your perusal today I present the first five books I liked enough […]
As a LitRPG author myself, I read a lot of work from the genre, and I think about it quite a bit too. One weakness of the genre is, sadly, women. It’s actually uncommon for women to be actively treated poorly by popular authors. Most authors – especially the successful ones – are nice people […]