Briefs
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Sunday Thoughts
Have you ever been blackmailed? About once a week, someone sends one of my 484 passwords to me in the subject line to show how clever they are, then lists their demands.
I never engage, which must be frustrating because they’re trying so hard to connect and form a long-lasting relationship with their exploitee.
I’m sure they’re just lonely.
I should reply with a happy haiku or something to brighten their day. Yes. Brilliant idea!
Blackmail fades fast,
Joy and peace forever last,
Smile, dear friend, smile.Courtesy of ChatGPT. I’m too lazy to actually write something. Don’t judge; it’s Sunday. This is my day of rest…
But you have to admit, the little AI did a splendid job. I got stuck at Mister Blackmailer, which fits the five-syllable requirement, but the person might be female. You never know with these things, and I don’t want to assume their gender.
In any case, it fills me with happiness knowing that after all the thousands of emails they’ve sent, a considerate somebody (AKA me) replied with a thoughtful message. :)
With that, I hope YOU have a wonderful day full of joy and peace. Smile, dear friend, smile.
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Arachnomancer’s Second Anniversary! 🥳
Octoralis (Dhane’s soul spider) <Let us have big party, Daddy!>
Dhane sighed. “You just want me to wear a dress again…”
<You wear dress? Daddy pretty in dress!>
“That was a disguise! I’m most definitely never wearing a dress again, even the one that makes me look like I have boobs.”
“Of course I touched them! I was curious.”
<Okay, I no complain. No pretty dress with boobs! But party?>
“I… guess we could do something.”
<Good-good-good! I invited my friends!>
“Wait, what!”
Wow, two years! I think everyone’s first thought is, “Damn, son, you’re slow. Where’s the third book?” I’d like to kindly direct you to Bookworm to Badass (which takes place in the same’ish world), written by an amazing guy (or so I’ve heard).
I wanted to have the new Arachnomancer cover ready for today, but it’s not quite there yet. Expect that to come //**. Oh, that’s right, I can’t give dates because I’m terrible at hitting deadlines. ðŸ˜
It’ll come when it comes.
Happy anniversary! Let’s make today Give-a-Spider-a-Hug Day. Umm, good luck with that! :)
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I went to the eye doctor yesterday.
The doctor said that my left eye twitching is a sign of stress. Alas, we don’t agree on this. I think it’s a sign I’m becoming a villain. The first sign came rather early in life, in my twenties, when I lost my hair. This is just the next step toward infamy.
You know what villains do to those who don’t leave reviews, right? Well, I’ll let you marinate in speculation and fear for now.
I feel the need to buy a trenchcoat or replace a tooth with a golden one. Yes…
In more serious news, I’m excited to be getting glasses! They’ll be here in about two weeks and should help reduce my eye strain. Things are fine close up, but when I go on my daily walk, it’s uncomfortable trying to focus on anything further away.
What the doctor showed me was a night and day difference. Things were crisp! I like crisp. Crisp is good. I think this will also help reduce the mild headaches I get throughout the day.
Alright, now I need a cool villain-sounding departure saying…
“I have a world to destroy, and I’m already running late.”
/Spins quickly to let the trenchcoat flap and walks away/
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Every Dungeon Runner book includes one or two guides that provide details about the world. I thought this would be a fun way to reveal interesting game features and answer reader questions.
But reading the manual doesn’t really evoke excitement. As such, I added two characters, John and Gabe, who are TOTALLY not based on real people (AKA not the trolls in my writing group who bully me every day…).
These guys add a bit more context. Their messages were written before everyone digitized. It also allows me to make fun of myself, such as the guide on calendars and how John very much hates all the crazy month and day names.
Well! These conversations are getting an upgrade in the upcoming Dungeon Runner soft relaunch. The software I use to format my books—Vellum—added a new feature to allow for actual chat bubbles.
Here’s a screenshot of what that looks like. :)
Click the image icon below to see the chat bubbles!
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Dungeon Runner Print.
So here’s a behind-the-scenes look. Along with the soft relaunch of Dungeon Runner (new covers coming!), I’ve been studying the look and feel of books I like.
Since Dungeon Runner books are novellas, I love the idea of using the trim size (width and height) of Light Novels. This is 5.5 inches by 8.25 inches, smaller than our typical 6x9 novels.
Log Horizon and So I’m a Spider, So What? both have a matte finish. It looks and feels great. I like it so much that I contacted the company to see who prints their books. Alas, they weren’t that helpful, saying, “We publish our books.” Oh, is that so? I didn’t know…
But a printed book is more than just trim size and finish. It’s all the little details inside. Scene breaks and chapter headings have unique graphics. And since these are Light Novels, they include full-page art. This is why I asked (yesterday) if people liked having art in their fiction books.
The answer to that, by the way, was a resounding Yes. ~70% of 35 people like art in their fiction. ~6% don’t. And the rest don’t have a preference.
I think using the Dungeon Runner’s flame guy as a scene break graphic will look nice. :) I have lots to do, but once I have something to show, I’ll let you know!
Click the image icon below to see the Light Novels.
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New 2023 Roadmap
Stuck to my wall with big, bold black letters is an index card that says, “No Dates!” To those who don’t know me, you may think I’m anti-romance. Not true! Okay… a little true. But this is about public deadlines, not finding soulmates.
I’ve written up a long article, linked below, that you should check out. But if you’re like 99% of humans and goats, you’ll want a summary.
This is that summary.
“Thou shalt not give ANY dates, vague or specific, even when such dates are guaranteed.” —Gameus
All deadlines have been wiped. Instead, I promise to work hard to bring my projects to light. They’ll launch when they are ready.
Dungeon Runner is my focus. I’ll work on it until the series is completed with six books, then return to Arachnomancer, which I’m planning to be three books. I’m doing a lot to “save” the series (new covers, updates, audio, and ads), so my plans may change.
To get all the juicy details, check out the article.
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Good morning!
I’m working hard on the new Dungeon Runner book and thought it’d be fun to share a sneak peek of Dungeon Runner 4.1, the free side quest for my newsletter subscribers.
I’ve decided the Dungeon Runner: Eizel episodes don’t make for a great newsletter offering. Her story—though it lacks a dungeon—intertwines with the main story to the point that when I soft relaunch the series, I’m going to include it in the main books.
I want to provide readers with a good user experience and value. I don’t think having a bonus story upsell at the end of every book is a good experience. As such, I’ll have one! Dungeon Runner 4.1: Sugar & Sweet explores a super fun bonus dungeon that’s unlike any we’ve seen so far.
Try not to eat it when it’s here. ;)
Click the image icon below to see it!
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Sunday Thoughts
I got out of the shower and noticed half my toenails were clipped while the other half were not. They are still like that because I’m working up the motivation to get down there and do a good job. But this left me thinking, “Is this a writer thing or a Dustin thing?”
In other Sunday thoughts, it turns out I’m a very active sitter. My Apple Watch alerted me late last night that I had achieved my 30 minutes of exercise somehow. This is impressive since I didn’t do any excise. But I’m not going to fight it. We all need more achievements in life.
Last week, my sister and I beat the “new” (to us) Destiny 2 campaign on Legendary. Unfortunately, something glitched halfway through, so only I got the rewards. I think the game is secretly saying I’m the better player… I mean, that sucks!
Have a relaxing Sunday and a wonderful week! :)
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“What’s on your mind?”
That’s what Facebook is asking me. I’m drawing a blank. It’s empty in there, hollow, full of cobwebs (and hopefully not spiders)…
It’s funny to me how many people think I love spiders because of Arachnomancer. Let me tell you, spiders and I have had a rough history. In fact, one ran me off the freeway once.
I was driving back to college, listening to a comedian, and staying in my lane. Normal stuff. But then the world’s smallest spider dropped down on its tiny strand of silk to say hello.
(I didn’t say spiders weren’t friendly.)
Since I’m a loving and caring person, I gently pinched the strand of silk and moved the spider to my custom-built PC sitting in the front seat, wearing a seatbelt. Safety first.
The road got all bumpy. When I looked up, I was racing along dirt and tall yellow plants at 80 miles per hour. My immediate reaction was the wrong thing to do, which was to rip the steering wheel back toward the road.
The back of my car spun out. I was perpendicular to the road, still going 80 miles an hour. If you’ve seen the awesome anime called Initial D, you’ll be proud to know that, at that time, I became a world-famous drifter.
But that only lasted until the car turned onto its side and eventually upside down.
The worst part of this was my cup of water. It spilled all over my lap. The paramedics totally thought I wet myself.
So no, I don’t like spiders…
(Oh, and seatbelts save lives. My PC still worked!)
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I’m currently listening to Bunker Core, a Dungeon Core book set in a post-apocalypse. I’m ten chapters in, and I’m enjoying it. :)
The reason I bring it up today is to show you part of my writing process. I’m sure other writers do this, too. When I get an idea for something I want to write, I start listening to books that explore similar ideas. This helps me experience the idea as a reader/listener so I can identify what I like/dislike.
I’m always getting more ideas, which—as Chris Fox says in his Plot Gardening book—go into my compost. You need good ideas in order to grow a garden worth reading. Is this making any sense? Haha.
Another fun book was Dinosaur Dungeon. I enjoyed the game mechanics and ideas Alex Raizman explored. And who doesn’t like dinosaurs!?
Hit me up with any Dungeon Core recommendations you might have. What do you like/dislike about Dungeon Core books?