Of Blackhearts, Laptops, and Turkeys

First, a link I thought a lot of my visitors might find of interest. My friend Nathan Long, vastly underappreciated master of sword-and-sorcery adventure, penned a really neat look at the underdog in sword-and-sorcery over at his own site. If you haven’t already, you should swing by and take a look. Here’s the link.

Nathan’s written some fabulous s&s stuff, but if you’re not a reader of Warhammer novels you probably haven’t heard of him. Whatever you might think of tie-in work, you must realize that with so much of it out there some is head and shoulders above the others. And some towers not just above its peers, but stands with the truly great giants of sword-and-sorcery. (Yes, I think that highly of Nathan’s stuff.) Nathan’s Long Blackhearts books (along with C.L. Werner’s Brunner stories, some of William King’s Gotrek & Felix novels, and more work by Long) should really be widely read and praised by any lovers of adventure fantasy.

Second, in brief, I am really enjoying this new MacBook Pro computer. I cannot stress this enough. What a solid laptop with great key action, responsiveness, and ease-of-use. It’s wonderful having such a fabulous tool at my disposal.

Third. While up in central Indiana last weekend the family spent some time hiking the trails of Turkey Run State Park. It’s just a lovely place to visit, with wonderful scenic canyons. Yes, canyons with splendid rock formations. One doesn’t usually think of canyons in central Indiana, but Turkey Run has them, and they’re gorgeous. My family enjoys visiting so much we’ve tried to drive there at least once a year, and my son told me this time it’s one of his favorite places in the world.

If you’re nearby and have never visited, I highly recommend the experience. We find trails 3 and 4 the most stunning… though if it’s been raining you should bring some waterproof shoes, because creeks run through the canyons and you’re apt to get muddy while you hike.

Fourth and last, I’m back to work on my secret series project, which I’m now calling Hearthstones, although that assuredly won’t be the finished title. I am pretty excited about it.