June 8, 2006: A day at the office for Kevin

[Kevin]

There is always a lot going on behind the scenes that need to get done.

Conventions arrangements . . .

Today, June 8, 2006, Wayne Smith and I spent half the day plotting out our Convention Schedule (including Retailer Shows), booking hotel rooms, booking airline tickets, renting trucks, filling out forms and writing checks for electricity, extra tables, carpeting, and sundry other things.

Origins -- June 29-July 2 is our first big consumer show in Columbus, Ohio.

Gen Con Indy -- August 9-13 is the biggie. We'll have a 4-booth island (Booth #301) in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is our "prime" consumer convention.

ACD Games Day -- September 7 & 8 is a retailer event in Madison Wisconsin.

Alliance/Diamond Retailer Summit -- September 11 & 12 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Alliance/Diamond Retailer Summit -- October 14 & 15 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

We had to turn down invites to at least a half dozen other great shows (thanks for thinking of us, maybe next year): the big one in Toronto the first few days of September (darn, I forget the name), Gallows Con (thanks for the invite Hangmen), and a few smaller shows (one in Arizona that I really wanted to go to, but . . . no darn time!)

We were planning to be at Trinity Con, but we have been told by at least 30 different people that the will NOT be a Trinity Con in 2006. That the convention organizers are taking a hiatus. Too bad, we love that convention. And we don't actually know if this is true, because we can't get hold of any of the convention organizers. The certainly aren't advertising and we haven't heard a peep from 'em since last October. Oh, well, we need the time to get other books out for the Christmas season.

The rest of my time today . . .
. . . was spent running some erands, answering a couple dozen emails, writing some checks, writing a couple letters, signing a dozen prints, talking with Brandon about an number of subjects, talking with Dragonfire Laser Crafts (the folks making our laser etched glases and doing some speciality badges for us for Gen Con), talking with Brandon about ther Rifts Ultimate Edition errata (its getting time for a second printing), discussing with Jeff Hansen skills and game design elements for Warpath Urban Jungle as well as its schedule, if it should be a hardcover book and whether Jeff might be able to attend Gen Con (btw, the book is coming along nicely), talking with Brandon about some Rifter artwork submisssions, talking with Kathy, talking with Brandon about Madhaven, talking with my bookkeeping troubleshooter, talking to Brandon about Gen Con, spending some time with Carmen Bellaire when he popped in, talking to Brandon about a D-Bee special project, reading some bits and peices online and doing a few posts (like this one), and now, at 9:30 PM (I'm sleeping over at the stinking office again) I finally hope to do a little writing on Madhaven.

I'm bursting at the seams to get back into writing. With all the excitement of the crisis, the public appeal, the resulting wonderful outpouring of support and everything that came with it (including some potential opportunities that are stealing away time, but could be big for our future), I have not written a single word for a book in NINE WEEKS!!!! That's the longest I have gone without writing a word in something like 20 years!! Seriously! That'd be okay if I was getting to relax a bit, but I've putting in 14-18 hour days the entire time!!!! Gotta write . . . ugh . . . no feeling week . . . blacking out . . . (Sorry, to much comic book influence).

Brandon Aten/Galactus Kid has been a HUGE help to us in just the four days he's been here. Helping to get us caught up on a number things, and helping out on others. Don't let him kid you, he's pretty much a dynamo himself. Thanks, pal.

So I'm a shutting up, locking myself in my room, turning on some movie scores (starting with some John Williams Star Wars and then some Hans Zimmer, James Horner and the late, great Jerry Goldsmith). That should get me into the mood. Ah, yes, writing at last.

What's that Alex? Don't forget I have to drawn and paint the cover to The Rifter #35? Ahh, the never ending battle of creativity vs business demands and the villiany of deadlines. And to think, some well meaning fans actually try to tell me to get some rest. What are ya, crazy? Hmmm, no, I'm probably the crazy one, but we gotta get out of our financial mess and that means working like a dog.

Keep the faith and game on!

Kevin Siembieda
Energized (today), crazy and hungry to write Dog Boy Kev (arf, arf)