TerenceDorman.com

My apologies for my lack of posts this past week. I have been rather busy working on the next expansion set for The Spoils and haven’t had as much time to write as I would like.

I did, however, find the time to write up a new tournament report for Diannara.com. In the report I cover a recent Battlegrounds Tournament held at Grasshopper’s Comics and detail each of my matches. To read the full report and my thoughts on the matches, click here.

Next week I hope to get back on schedule with a few posts. I will likely e writing up another tournament report for Diannara as I am expecting to be playing in another event when this post is published. I also have a lot to say about Frank Miller’s recent comments regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement, so expect see a piece about why I think he should keep his mouth shut, or at the very least choose his words more carefully.

Until then, though, be sure to enjoy this Autumn weather while getting yourself ready for the upcoming holiday season.

A quick post to let you all know that I’ve added a slew of new sites to the links page, as well as some new groups to sort them into. Here you will find quite a few new blogs that I like, as well as the world of some absolutely fantastic artists. On top of that I’ve also added a few gaming websites I frequent, some of which feature my own work. Lastly, you’ll see a new section for “Authors I Praise.” Here you will find the official websites of authors that I am a fan of, some of which I am fortunate enough to know personally. If you are looking for a good read, be sure to check out the works of those spectacular writers.

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last two weeks. It seems that any time I mentally commit myself to blogging on a regular basis, life interferes and keeps me away from the computer.

Here, however, is what I’ve been up to that has kept me away from posting:

The Spoils – As I’m sure some of you know, I am the Judge of Great Justice/Lead Rules Designer for The Spoils, a collectible card game. We recently just wrapped up work on our fifth set, Seed 3: Pink Harvest, and have begun work on our next expansion. For those of you unaware, designing a card game and creating new cards for said game is a very exhausting process that requires a lot of work. I’m absolutely loving it, but the work I’m doing for the game has kept me extremely busy.

Job Hunting – Pretty self-explanatory. The job market is absolutely terrible right now, and I’ve been sustaining myself primarily through the freelance work I garner through this site. If anyone knows of any proofreading/editing work that is available, whether it is freelance or full-time, please let me know.

Diannara.com – Even though I haven’t posted on the site in about two weeks, I have been working on a string of articles for the site that will be posted soon. Expect my next article, a preview of the Throne of Tides expansion, either later today or early tomorrow.

Writing – Huzzah! As promised, I’ve been working on those six short stories detailing my former crushes/love interests. I feel like I want to write them all before I start posting them, that way I can maybe add some sort of way to tie them together so they read like a series rather than just six one-shot stories. Plus, if I make sure to write them all before posting one, I can guarantee you that after one is posted the rest will come. They will be posted here soon, though, I promise.

Mulling – After the success of my friend’s e-published novel, Dangerous Clay, I’ve been seriously considering going that route with my own unpublished novel. I definitely plan on leeching off of Riley’s methods, and possibly use the same cover artist as him as the cover for Dangerous Clay is absolutely fantastic. If I do decide to go the e-publishing route I will certainly keep you all informed.

I have to start by saying that I am very sad it has taken me three months to come back to my blog/website. I had an absolute blast designing the page and setting it up (despite spam and other problems) and, for the few weeks I was consistent, I enjoyed posting. If I enjoyed it so much, though, what happened? I guess the short answer is life. While I love writing, and writing about writing, I had to put it all on the back-burner these past few months to attend to other issues, primarily my family and a lack of a non-freelance job.

I’m hoping that my recent decision to “revitalize” my life will bring me back into the writing fold and get me on here much more often. I obviously have tons of my own writing to share, as well as knowledge and thoughts on writing itself, that I hope will interest all of you. I have to warn you, though, that I plan on turning the blog section of this site into more than just writing and it may delve a little more into my personal life and hobbies. The blog will still be primarily focused on writing, but I feel I need a venue to release some of my other thoughts and such, and what better place to do it than my own website?

This is not merely a post saying “I’m back,” though. My other intent is to present to you some of the new projects I am/will be working on, as well as the works of my friends:

New Fine Author: After years of talk and speculation, my close friend J. Elliot Riley has finally published his first novel. I had the honor and privilege of proofreading and editing the novel before it went to print and I can say with great enthusiasm that the book is fantastic. The novel, titled Dangerous Clay, follows the story of Ryan Solstice, an agent assigned to hunt down the most dangerous killer in the world. I would say more, but I would be too afraid to give away any bits of the amazing story. The book is available on Amazon.com for the Kindle and Barnes and Noble for the Nook, as well as in print form through Riley’s webstore.

New Project: My cousin, Peter, has recently launched a website dedicated to the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. As some of you may know, I happen to play that card game, and often have a lot to say about it. Instead of just ranting at the comic book store, I will be contributing to Pete’s website on a regular basis. . Be sure to check out his site, Diannara.com (also found on the links page) if you’re interested in the WoW TCG, or card gaming in general. I’ll be posting there frequently with my thoughts on the game and strategies, and will be linking to all my articles for Diannara on this site.

Upcoming Event: Another good friend of mine, Avi, is putting together a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Gaming convention for October, 2012. The event is called Encounters and is shaping up to be a very exciting event. The website is still under construction, though, so be sure to check back in the coming month for new and exciting information about the convention.

What’s in Store for TerenceDorman.com: More. Just more. I will be posting, semi-regularly, some old writing that I’ve found while digging through my computer. I will also be putting up those six pieces I promised months ago. I’m really mad at myself for not posting them as I planned, but again, life got in the way.

I apologize again for the long gap in posts, but from here on out it should be a very exciting time for TerenceDorman.com.

Due to ridiculous amounts of spam, bad plugins, and some minor hacking, I had to take down the site for a couple of hours while I worked on removing all of these issues. Thankfully, with the help of my wonderful host Dreamhost, I was able to get the site back up and running in perfect condition.

If you were wondering where your comments went, well, they’re gone. I apologize for that but comments were a necessary casualty in the battle against spam. Assuming there are no more problems in the future, everything you see on the site will stay as is and your comments are safe and sound. You can also rest assured that visiting my site is 100% safe. It was before too, but I can see how some would be wary of it with all the issues it had.

In other news, I have a new mini-project for myself that I will be posting on this site exclusively. A few months back I had the idea to write a short story about each crush I’ve had in my life and send them to whoever wanted to read them. I saw it as a nice little exercise for myself as well as a way to grow and learn about myself by rehashing and writing about past experiences. Instead of just sending them to select people, though, I will be posting them on here for you all to read and hopefully enjoy.

Since I’ve had six crushes in my life it will be a six part series and I’m hoping to post at least two a week until they are all done. I expect them to be in chronological order, although my creative mind might change and they may be re-ordered for some purpose that I haven’t conceived of yet. Either way, be on the look out for those pieces if you’re at all interested.

The site is officially back up and running again with a new look, new feel, and new purpose.

I’m extremely excited to see what kind of projects will come along now that I have a forum for people to contact me. I have a great passion for proofreading and editing and I cannot believe it took me this long to think of re-purposing my website/blog to accommodate that.

This will not just be a place of business, though. While I certainly hope to generate lots of project and writing opportunities through this website, I also hope to feature a wide array of authors and literary works for my readers to enjoy as much as I have. Most of these blogs will also have comments open to all users so that readers can discuss my entries as well as the works and authors I feature.

A key aspect of this site that I hope will grow and become a prominent feature is the Showcase section. In the Showcase I will feature one work which I have read or am currently reading (including projects I am proofreading/editing) that I want to share with my readers. Here readers will be able to find new authors, upcoming publications, and classic works of literature under one easy to find section. Check back every few days (or daily) to see what new work I’m showcasing.

I certainly hope this site grows to become a strong source for readers and writers alike, whether it be readers finding new authors and stories to engage or writers finding a place to polish their work to perfection.

Enjoy!