The Big, Massive Update-y Thing

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Eric Dontigney

For those interested in the various and sundry things I’ve got going on at the moment, I thought something akin to real update might be in order.

Sam Branch News

The new Sam Branch novel is finding its way and I’m anticipating cracking the 200 page mark this week. For readers of the first novel this should come as a relief, as it means this one will be more “novel-sized.” In a bit of shocking or not so shocking news, I reread the first Branch novel and, with the benefit of much time between writing it and rereading, its many weaknesses stood out in sharp contrast. Therefore, sometime in the next year or so, I will be returning to that novel and giving it the final once over that it should have gotten before going public. In some cases, this will simply mean cleaning up some painfully awkward sentences, glaring typos and some grammatical boo-boos that slipped by the first time. In other cases, it will mean additional material. While I do not anticipate any entirely new chapters, there were a number places where I could and should have done more character building and just plain didn’t. While the revised edition will be offered in a print edition, there’s not a lot I can do about the pricing on those physical copies. The cost will probably be about the same as the original. I will, however, be offered the revised version in a super-cheap or free (not sure which yet) ebook version so as not to punish all the people who got the original edition.

Also, while I made this announcement on my Facebook page, I’ll go ahead and repeat it here. There will definitely be a third Branch novel. I’ve already hatched the beginnings of a plot for it and begun some preliminary research.

Assuming everything goes well and I can get it all hashed out logistically, there will likely be a limited-run comic that ties into the Sam Branch Universe. It won’t be Branch-centered, but will focus instead on Carmichael. This is my personal shout-out to those people who are so interested in the Carmichael character and so aptly informed me that he needed a day in the sun. I’ve already got the basic plot for it on paper, so it really is just a matter of getting all the little details in place.

 

Other News

In addition to the Sam Branch Comic, I’m also in the planning stages for a second limited-run comic that focuses on an entirely new, non-Branch Universe character. While I don’t have a name for the character yet, I do have a good idea what he’s all about and what needs to happen in the story. I’m holding the cards kind of close to my chest on this one until I get it all settled a little more in my head, but I promise more news on this as I move forward with the writing phase.

 

I’ve also got the beginnings of an idea for my first non-Branch novel. While it’s not a front-burner item, or even really a back-burner item at the moment, more like an over there on the counter in a package item, it does seem fair to warn you that sometime in the next few years there’s likely to be a non-Branch novel with my name on it.

 

While it’s not absolutely official yet, it also looks like I’ll be doing some voiceover work for a cool little project called Rediscovering the Amazon. The gist of the project is to follow the same route taken by Francisco de Orellana down the Amazon. For those of you who don’t know, at the time that Orellana went down the Amazon, the interior of South America was almost a complete mystery. So his foray, though largely accidental, represented a huge step for Westerners curious about the continent. You can check out the beginnings of their website here: www.rediscoveringtheamazon.org. Some preliminary video has been shot and some preliminary voiceover work has been recorded to put together a Kickstarter video to try to help fund the expedition, so you’ll probably here my voice on there. The game plan at present, however, is to put together a longer video that I’ll probably do some voiceover for that will appear on the website. The video will offer some additional information about the project. It’s exciting to be able to contribute to in some way to a project like this. More information to come as it becomes available to me.

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Sam Branch Novel Update

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Eric Dontigney

 

So, for anyone who was wondering – Yes, Virginia, grad school does make it harder to finish writing a novel. That being said, I have good news. There is progress on the new Sam Branch novel. I’ve written about 50 new pages on it and I am hoping to write another 50-100 more before the break between semesters ends. I’m not sure that will be enough to actually finish the novel, but it’ll put me a whole lot closer, maybe even in spitting distance, of being done. As with any skill set, I think I’ve learned a few things about writing since the last Branch novel was finished. With any luck, I will avoid the worst mistakes of the first novel, capitalize on the successful elements, and make a basket full of new mistakes to learn from on the next Branch novel.

Yep, you heard me right! I can now officially say that there will be at least one more novel after this one and possibly even two. I found myself working in elements that clearly point to another novel beyond this one, so for all of you who have been waiting so patiently for a return to the world of Sam Branch, there is more to come.

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On Eureka’s Cancellation

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Eric Dontigney

Disclaimer: This post is not about writing specifically, but it’s my blog and I’ll post what I want to. ;) Also, this first appeared on my Facebook page.

So, I’m a little late in the game for this, but I’d like to add my two cents about the cancellation of the SyFy series Eureka.  Ever since Sci-Fi changed its name to SyFy in a bid to begin rebranding itself as the network that hates its fan base, it has made a progression of decisions that make little sense. The much, and rightly I think, maligned decision to broadcast “professional” wresting, the reduction of scripted television in favor of “reality” TV programming, and a general distancing from the content that created the network’s viewership in the first place have all mystified me. Yet, there were occasional sparks of light and hope in the brackish swamp of the network’s thinking. The continued production of Eureka was such a spark. The production of Warehouse 13 was another. It was these occasional sparks that allowed me to console myself at the range of changes the network was forwarding as progress.

The cancellation of Eureka, however, is a sad thing for a number of reasons. I won’t pretend that my loss of personal entertainment isn’t one of them, because I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t like the show. I do believe, however, that this means the end of what I consider to be the best science fiction show produced this side of the Atlantic.  When I say best, I mean that in all around terms. This is a show that I wouldn’t hesitate to let a 12 year old watch or encourage a 60 year old to watch. I can count the number of shows I find that to be true of on one hand. It’s a rare thing to find a show that is actually family friendly without being trite to adults or condescending to kids.  It’s also sad to see it go because, hard as it is to imagine, they do actually work in some science content. It isn’t a science lesson pretending to be a show, but they appear to make an effort to talk about chemistry, biology and physics in not wholly erroneous ways. The writing on the show is solid. There’s always a nice mix of humor and seriousness that forwards the plot, maintains the atmosphere, and there’s a solid effort at character development. The characters aren’t static and seeing where they go from here, so to speak, is often half the fun of the show. The cast is clearly a dedicated group of people that put in very consistent performances. Colin Ferguson’s portrayal of viewpoint character, Sheriff Jack Carter, the everyman surrounded by geniuses, is award worthy.

I do realize, of course, that there are financial realities to consider about the show’s cancellation. It’s a fact that science fiction shows are expensive to produce. Even low-grade special effects are comparatively expensive when considered against the cost of throwing a couple (insert stock prop here) on a soundstage and having brooding male leads spar intensely with (insert random profession here) mumbo jumbo.  Broody, mumbo-jumbo sparring requires no CGI.  To this argument, I can only ask the network heads, do you really think the financial loss you take on one of the highest rated programs on your network is anything in comparison to financial loss you will take due to the epic ill-will the show’s cancellation will generate? Clearly, they believe it will be negligible. Perhaps they are right. The loss of Eureka is, however, one less reason for me to tune into SyFy and there are very few reason left for me to tune in. I will tune in for next year’s final season of Eureka. I will probably continue watching Warehouse 13, but I will not be giving any new SyFy programming a test run. I no longer know what demographic SyFy is trying to reach, but I do know that I’m not in it. I’m in the demographic that believes that cancelling highly rated, well written, family friendly shows is the way to demonstrate how little you actually value your viewership. This is clearly not the demographic Syfy cares about.

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