A time coming very soon, I’m going to kill my friend.

This bothers me.  What bothers me more than anything, however, is how flippant I am about it.  “I’m about to murder him,” I say.  To which I reply:  Eh.  Big deal.  

Why is this?

It’s not like he’s a bad person.  He’s kind, funny, and thoughtful of others.  I’ve known him most of my life.  He’s grown along with me as an individual, constantly challenging his previous beliefs and habits, becoming more and more independent and complete.  He’s always been there for me with a joke when things have gotten too depressing.  He’s constantly there with a kind shoulder to lean on when one of the posse needs it.  He quips out of place, can be crude, and sometimes makes folks uncomfortable with his off-kilter rants.  But these are things folks love about him, things I love about him.

So why, again, am I going to kill him?

I lied before.  His coming death IS a big deal.  And, in a strangely morose way, it excites me, just as much that it’s going to happen as the fact it’ll be ME that does it.  I’ll watch his last struggles, listen to him gasp his last breath, and, while it will sadden me, the consequences of his demise are too great, to important, for me to let him live.  He will die loving me, and I will still love him, and yet when it’s over, it’s over.

You see, I need him to fall.  It’s vital to the furthering of me and my future.  Is that selfish?  Of course it is.  And it is with no small amount of guilt that I will perform this horrible act.  As I said, I love him.  But his passing will bring along a new chapter in all of our lives, all of us who have learned to adore his every quirk. 

This is the price we pay.  As artists, as humans, as creatures of constant trepidation, sometimes we need trauma in order to learn more about ourselves.  We need to understand death and its finality before we can truly appreciate the life we’ve been blessed with.  It is the dichotomy of our lives, the horror and beauty we must deal with.  And sometimes, regrettably, it is us that have to bring about these changes.

 

So yes, I am going to kill my friend.  I will do it with regret and sadness, but it will happen.  And though it will all seem so dank and hopeless in the moment, I know that his passing will bring about a new level of understanding, a new desire to push on and live in this strange, violent world.

 

I’m sorry, my brother but I have to.  I’ll see you in my dreams.

 

I love you.

 

- RJD

Hey all,

 I've been a bit lax on posting over here.  I'd tell you it was because I was busy, but it's really more along the lines of me being absent minded.  Could be worse, it could be that I was just lazy and unwashed, the latter of which has nothing to do with work but has everything to do with my general frame of mind.  By that I mean, when I'm filthy in body, I'm filthy in mind because you know, I'm a saint of sorts.  I deal with Rob.  Not as much as his wife, but you know, it's still all trials and tribulations. I'm still not sure at this point in my social evolution, how other  people (those who are not me) deal with other people (disease ridden pustules they are, no offense to you "other" people I hope), but I know how I deal with Rob. 
 3 showers a day, 7 days a week.  It's not because Rob himself is filthy, it's just due to the fact that he makes you feel filthy, like being in close proximity to an open sewer main or septic tank.  You just have to wash. 

On the more serious end of things, and by that I mean anything that pertains to work, not what references my own mildly deluded perspective of things, I've  read through the 7 chapters Rob sent on to me and I can only echo what Rob said.  This is going to be a good book.  I hope you are looking forward to reading it with a cold beer in hand, as I am to illustrating it with a cold beer in hand. 

We have the cover basically nailed down.  Attached are two of the thumbnails for it.  Obviously it will evolve into a much more refined image than what you see here, but I keep saying I'll post images of the process and here they are.  Whether they will do much good for you as an individual outside of said process is beyond me, but I figure it would be fun to share.

 Granted these are pretty abstract, but it will give you an idea of the color scheme and if you look hard enough, perhaps even what will be happening within the image.

 Anyway, forget what I said about Rob, he is one of the most loving men I know, and he makes a great bottom.  Don't you Rob.  HAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH!!!!  PUSH PUSH TUSH TUSH!!! Wee.

 Night night.

-j.

Well, summer's officially here, and we at TRO have been busy, as usual, with our usual creative riffraff - though, as expected given the relaxing atmosphere of hot weather and beach time, it's a bit slower than before.

As for book news, The Fall is still, as we are, plodding along.  Sales have slowed to a virtual crawl, and our advertising campaign, though boosting our site views, garnered a single sale.  Oh well.  You live and you learn.  Also, reviews have been slow to come in.  In other words, none have.  Just a reminder to anyone who's bought the book - we NEED reviews, even if it's a simple two-line statement with a rating attached.  That way, folks who click on the link get an idea as to what people think.  It's important.  So please, if you can find the time...

In other happenings,  Dead of Winter is slowly rounding into form.  We've come up with a tentative release date, though I will not announce that date as of this time to alleviate pressure on us, and the final round of edits is creeping toward the finish line.  I'm truly excited about this book.  The pacing is so much better than the first, and the story, while solemn, is picking up steam.  I can't wait to get it out there, if for no other reason than to show potential readers that when we say we're creating a series, we're not blowing smoke up your asses.

That's it for now.  If you stumble upon this site, please feel free to check out the book and, hell, buy it if the mood so strikes you. 

Peace.

- RJD

So, for anyone who is interested, we have some exciting news.

Jesse Young and myself are hopping on a plane at the end of August and heading to Las Vegas.  That's right, we're attending Killercon!

(If anyone knows not what Killercon is all about, click here)

The purpose for this trip is threefold:

1) To promote The Fall (and in so doing, promote ourselves).  We're bringing books and prints, and hopefully we can move some and get the brand out there.

2) Schmooze with other industry types.   Attending this conference will be a good many individuals who are both established and up-and-coming in the genre; folks like John Skipp, Allen K, and Maurice Broaddus.  To rub elbows with them, to sit down and have a conversation, is going to be quite informative and helpful. 

3) Last and possibly most exciting of all, we get the opportunity to hang with my favorite editor and author in all the world, one Mercedes Yardley.  Cookies.  Yum.

I can't even tell you how stimulating this is.  The decision to do this was kind of impromptu - it came about very quickly and without much second guessing.  So here's hoping we receive as much out of the experience as I think we will.  I'm sure it's gonna be fantastic.

Be back later with more updates.

RJD

Saw this flick last night with Artwiffy.  Let's just say it stayed with me for quite some time after it ended.  Moody, atmospheric, and just downright depressing at times.  The setup was perfect and I didn't really expect what happened in the end, which was nice.  Overall, a great suspense film noir in the vain of Hitchcock and Anthony Mann.  Scorsese really ratchets up the tension in this one, and Leo DiCaprio has, as least to these two eyes and ears, solidified himself as America's greatest young male thespian. 

Check out the movie, but be prepared.  There are some quite disturbing images and situations to be found, so consider yourself forewarned.

- RJD

So here we are at 1 a.m.  I like this time, nice and quiet.  Problem is I'm wired and I know I should sleep so I'm going to do a scribble and see what comes of it because of course that is what everyone does when they need to sleep, they stimulate their brain further.  Genius.
,
I present to you Rob as Rasputin, but not really. Just how I see Rob in my head.

  An unwashed old man with a messianic complex. :)

-j.

We are pleased to announce that The Fall: The Rift Book I is now available in the Amazon Kindle store for only $4.99.  Unfortunately, the Kindle as it is presently constructed cannot be formatted to include the illustrations in the form we want them, so we have chosen to forgo them in this format - hence, the discounted price.  However, the book itself is still there, and if one wants to see the fantastic work Jesse created, they will just have to invest in a hard copy.  Add to this the fact that Kindle is becoming a booming market in and of itself, and it would be foolish to ignore.

You can find the product's Kindle page here.

In other news, the editing of the second book is past the halfway point.  I am very excited about this for many reasons, but mostly because, of the four parts (or seasons, as I originally dubbed them), the winter is my favorite.  It is a quieter novel, more introspective, and of the four comes closest to being a true "zombie novel".  The firm title is "Dead of Winter".  This is good stuff, folks.  You won't be disappointed.

Be back tomorrow with possibly more random posts.  This sticking to format thing is driving me nuts.

- RJD


Hey hey, I'm not so pleased...

Alright maybe I am pleased.
 
I felt like high-jacking Rob's post too.

-j.