New Blue Diver merch in the shop!

These snazzy keychains feature the four main mechs, or PTs (Personal Troopers) as they're called in the book. On the other side, it says "MY OTHER CAR IS A [mech model name]". Now you can pretend like you're a Diver too!

 

New in the merch shop--get your hands on some official Zenith Corp gear from On Borrowed Wings! Can't you see Greg or Jacob wearing this hoodie around the complex?

By the way, thank you so much for your patience while Blue Diver is being edited. I know it probably looks like I've gotten very distracted with all the new merchandise, but actually, I can't move forward on the manuscript until I get feedback from my editor. I'm going with a new editorial service this time and while I think they'll be a better fit for me, it's also taking a bit longer than previous editors. I'm chomping at the bit to finish this novel and release it, believe me. I have confidence that my editor will be done soon, and then if all goes well, Blue Diver should see release around the end of the year. Again, I appreciate everyone's understanding and patience.

(And once Blue Diver is out, I can start teasing my next novel...)

 

New keychain designs are available in my sister's Etsy shop! These keychains feature the logo of Zenith Corporation from On Borrowed Wings, and your very own thunder stone like Cat's from Thunder Girl!* 

If you're excited for Blue Diver, watch this space because we have some very cool merch for that novel coming soon!

*Thunder stone keychain does not actually reanimate fossils. But you can pretend and I won't judge you.

 

And finally, to complete the set, here's a concept doodle of Renny's PT! The CosmoWorks SLO-64 Slipher is a high-end model given to Renny in recognition of her excellent service in the galactic police and her ace Diving skills. Piloting the Slipher, Renny has become a force to be reckoned with and the bane of space criminals everywhere. With its custom red paint job, Renny's Slipher is unmistakable on the field of battle and sends a very clear message to her foes: prepare for a smackdown.

Renny believes that the best defense is a good offense, and the Slipher is a power-oriented PT which nonetheless possesses a great deal of fortitude, allowing Renny to afford to take a few hits in the process of mowing down her enemies. The tradeoff for this is below-average speed and mobility, but when you're not trying very hard to dodge attacks in the first place, those things don't really matter, do they?

The Slipher is armed with both a sword for melee combat and a laser rifle for ranged attacks, making it versatile in any situation. Such a high-end unit is the envy of many of her fellow officers, but Renny definitely has the skills to deserve and handle this potent weapon.

Thanks for your patience while Blue Diver is being edited! I'm really hoping to get it out by the end of the year. It'll be fun, just you wait!

Pixeldust keychain!

My first piece of book collab merchandise with my very crafty sister is now available for sale! It's the logo for Lucky Frog, the game development company in Pixeldust who developed Heroes of Avonell! 

Pick one up today so you can walk around feeling extra geeky!

More keychain designs coming soon! What would you like to see next?

Howdy readers! I hope you're all having a fantastic October!

I've got awesome news for you! I'm partnering with my sister's Etsy shop to make merchandise for my books! We're thinking stuff like keychains, t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags.

So I'm wondering, what kind of designs would you be interested in?  Are there any of my books or characters in particular that you want us to focus on? Please let me know!

One thing I'd definitely like to do is a t-shirt with a logo for Cooper-Rutherford Automatonics (the fictional engineering firm that built Hermes and Kronus in Thunder Girl). Any other ideas? Drop 'em in the comment box!

More Pokemon-ish thoughts

Please excuse my consistent spelling of Pokémon as Pokemon (without the acute). I have an English keyboard that makes adding diacritics difficult in a web browser. 

I've been having some thoughts about Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and because I'm pretty sure none of my social media friends care about Pokemon as much as I do, I figured this was clearly a better topic for my professional blog.

So, Gen IV remakes. I'm actually not super pleased with the direction I'm seeing them going in, which is apparently as faithful a reconstruction of the original games as possible. While this might be fun for people who have never played the originals, as someone who has played every generation of Pokemon games, I can tell you that half the fun of the remake games for me has been the content that deviates from the original so I don't feel like I'm just playing the same game over again. Remakes are supposed to be a fresh experience for newer and older players alike, in my opinion. I even liked Let's Go Pikachu - despite having played Red, Blue, Yellow, and LeafGreen - because it completely rehauled the catching mechanic in an addictive way, and allowed you to ride Pokemon which is something I've probably wanted since the days of Red and Blue.

If there isn't enough new content, I get bored pretty fast. And that's what worries me about Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl--I'm getting bored just reading the news releases. Everything looks just about the exact same. They even kept the overall aesthetic - just trading in pixels for high-res polygon models - rather than update the look to match the current generation. Am I the only one who wanted BD/SP to look more like Sword and Shield? Even the character artwork has nothing new compared to the original Gen IV art--no new character designs, just CGI-ish renderings. So far I'm not seeing any changes to the storyline, no additional gameplay content, and relatively minor new gimmicks (they rehauled Amity Park... big whoop). 

And that's really, really disappointing to me. If we're looking at virtually a port with enhanced graphics, I'm not sure how much fun I'm going to have playing it. (Maybe it doesn't help that I just replayed Platinum a couple of years ago.) I'm also frustrated by how the press releases seem to keep touting features of the original games as if they're something new, when pretty much every Pokemon fan over 20 years old still remembers them from the first time around. "Oh wow, Lake Guardians! And look at these weird Team Galactic guys!" Been there, people. Been there.

Well, I've already pre-ordered Brilliant Diamond, so I guess I'll just have to play it and hope it's better than my expectations. And maybe there's still some exciting new stuff that they just haven't announced yet. I hope the Grand Underground is at least interesting. I still think they really missed a big opportunity by not making it an MMO-like space like Galar's Wild Area. Then again, maybe they did and just haven't said anything about it yet. But argh I am very frustrated with how little they're seeming to offer to veteran players in what they've talked about so far. It's like they're so hung up on making the games look like faithful remakes, that they're not trying very hard to appeal to people who want to see a little more innovation.

And Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Overall I'm really looking forward to this game. It pretty much looks like Pokemon: Breath of the Wild and it's amazing and beautiful and I don't know if I'll have a life after purchasing it. Buuuuuut I'm a little put off by how dark some of the Pokedex entries are for the new/regional Pokemon. C'mon, Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark? Basculegion? And they're calling this an E-rated game?! One of the things I really enjoy about the Pokemon games is how lighthearted and kid-friendly they are. I really don't want to see things head in a darker direction. That's no fun for me. Guys get it togetherrrrrr.

Will I still play Pokemon Legends? Probably, because overall it doesn't look too violent. Will I cringe at some of the Pokedex entries? You bet. This is not a trend I want to see continue.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.