It’s the end of May, and summer is here, especially on the east coast of the U.S where I live. We’ve had several 90+ degree days, and though I generally like warm temperatures, it feels like spring was skipped. I guess crazy May weather is a thing everywhere.
In this newsletter, just like most months, I’ll share news on Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven and Vampire Fiction. I also have some news on Patreon and beta-testing opportunities.
Game Updates
2019-05-27 18:43:47 +0000 UTC
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As I work on Part 3, I want to add new items of value in an apocalyptic setting. These items should have some of these qualities:
- Be useful for survival.
- Be used with an in-game skill.
- Fill a role not in-game.
- Have an impact on the game.
So, let me here what you'l like to see added to Part 3. I have also shared with you 2019-05-25 18:32:48 +0000 UTC
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This scenario poll series will help me to build a hotel where the group of survivors will go to scavenge. In this first poll, we will establish optional survivors to take. Select your first choice for someone to bring on the mission. The top 3 survivors will be options to take. I typically like to offer one core member (Jaime, Rachel, Reilly, Brody, and Madison) and additional flex NPCs.
2019-05-15 22:28:23 +0000 UTC
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This poll will help me to determine the camp/location for one of the groups you and the survivors will face in Part 3. If you do not wish to be spoiled, read no farther. However, it would be easy to guess that this group will hold a place in Part 3, and rumors of their role have already been discussed online.
SPOILERS BELOW
Thelma and her motorcycle gang, the Red Mamba Biker Club, will be one of the factions you will cross. I have not decided on a location fo...
2019-05-12 01:47:55 +0000 UTC
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This month, I am continuing to develop a trip Reilly leads to a small convenience store. I need to create a character who will be an owner/manager of the store. Below are options for names and a few traits.
2019-05-08 20:53:01 +0000 UTC
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This is a poll for you to choose the topic for May's original short story or article.
If you have story ideas for June, please list it in the comments.
2019-05-06 21:29:16 +0000 UTC
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Abigail reached the ground floor and heard the muffled sounds of yelling, stomping, blaring sirens, and cries of pain. Only a few rays of light peeked through the small window on the stairwell door, and she glanced through to a riot of activity. Corpses lie just beyond the stairwell, a man and a woman lying foot to head so their bodies made a V. As the lobby opened up, more dead bodies were scattered about, their throats ripped and entrails spilled, faces frozen in expressions of terror. ...
2019-05-03 17:04:30 +0000 UTC
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Here is a schedule of things you can expect to see this month.
5/3 -- Chapter 8 of Zombie Exodus novel. ($3+ tiers)
5/6 -- Poll for article of the month. ($3+ tiers)
5/8 -- First naming poll for ($5+ tiers)
5/11 -- New scenario or mission poll.
5/15 -- New poll for Safe Haven Chapter 9 scenario ( Hotel). ($5+ tiers)
5/20 -- Naming discussion for new NPC in Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven. ($25 tie...
2019-05-01 20:57:32 +0000 UTC
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Rachel adjusted the top of her evening gown and clicked on the text message app of her phone. This started an exchange:
Vince: Where is she?
Rachel: Meeting her now. Her hotel room.
Vince: Get it done. Can’t wait any longer. AMN.
Rachel sighed and turned off her phone. AMN. Any means necessary. Like she needed to be reminded. When this job was done, she’d be having a talk with her superiors about her role on the team. She was no fixer, no seducer. Certainly she was no as...
2019-05-01 01:47:50 +0000 UTC
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April is almost over, and it’s been a hectic month. I’ve worked on every game I have in development, including a few you’ve never heard of. My wife and I bought a house! Well, we are under contract and go to settlement soon. May will be just as busy, but my writing will not slow down.
In this newsletter, just like most months, I’ll share news on Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Vampire Fiction, and another potential project for the future.
Game Updates
One small...
2019-04-28 01:30:45 +0000 UTC
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Starting in May, I will provide new ways to interact in game creation:
1. At the $5 level, you will be able to vote in a naming poll at least once per month. The winning name will be used for a character, landmark, or item in one of my games.
2. At the $25 level, you will be able to help name a character and many characteristics, such as profession/background, appearance, and traits. You will be able to use your naming rights for these original characters.
Both of these feat...
2019-04-27 13:59:07 +0000 UTC
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For the original short stories I post each month, how do you feel about reading information about a character not revealed in the game? For example, if a story revealed that Madison and Brody were actually cousins, not twins but this is not revealed in-game, how would you feel?
I see two sides to this. On one side, readers want a complete picture from my games and don't want to search elsewhere for more character details. On the other side, if I would like to share original stories with...
2019-04-18 22:59:15 +0000 UTC
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Our last scenario poll ended as a tie between a FEMA base and a hotel. Since we didn't come to a decision, let's narrow down our two choices and put some details in them.
2019-04-16 00:56:35 +0000 UTC
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Our April short story poll ended in a tie. Please vote for one of the two top vote-getters.
2019-04-15 20:09:39 +0000 UTC
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In our last poll, we voted that the parents would fake their own deaths to ask to join their teen child's group. In our final poll, we will choose possible outcomes. For this poll, pick as many options you like. The top ones will be written as outcomes.
Should an outcome be...
A. The parents try to kidnap the teen and flee the Junkyard.
B. One of the survivors tells the Silverthornes tha...
2019-04-10 23:47:32 +0000 UTC
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This is a poll for you to choose the topic for April's original short story or article.
In addition to a lot of ZE:SH options, I have one article on game development.
If you have story ideas for May, please list it in the comments.
2019-04-06 16:04:22 +0000 UTC
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Mindy had no worry about this outbreak until she reached the lobby of the building and saw the massive tank rolling down the avenue outside. As a marine brat, she had seen military vehicles before. She was accustomed to the sounds of heavy engines and helicopter rotors, the firing of automatic weapons, and the shouting of orders through a regiment of soldiers. Though she never enlisted, her father retired as a captain in the Marine Corps. She spent most of her childhood bouncing from base to ...
2019-04-04 00:35:15 +0000 UTC
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Note: The Article of the Month is being pushed back one day.
Here is a schedule of things you can expect to see this month.
4/3 -- Chapter 7 of Zombie Exodus novel.
4/6 -- Poll for article of the month. ($3+ tiers)
4/8 -- Updated Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3 Alpha. ($10+ tiers)
4/10 -- New poll for teenager mission. ($5+ tiers)
4/15 -- New poll for Safe Haven Chapter 9 scenario (...
2019-04-02 23:24:47 +0000 UTC
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For a while, I have considered running a live roleplaying game based in the Zombie Exodus Universe. Once a month, we would decide on a time, and I would host a Discord game, using the Safe Haven character system and be the gamemaster for an original game. This would be similar to playing Vampire: The Masquerade, Dungeons & Dragons, or other RPGs. I would explain a scenario, act as NPCs, and effectively be the engine for the game. Players would say what their characters w...
2019-03-30 21:20:59 +0000 UTC
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Julianne lowered the Beretta and exhaled for the first time in what seemed like an hour. Mrs. Winthrop hit the floor with a thud, semi-coagulated blood oozing from a hole in her forehead. Julianne stepped over and kicked the old woman’s foot. Nothing.
“Sorry, Mrs. W. You were the best neighbor a gal could ever ask for. You didn’t deserve Zeta. Lots of people may, but not you.”
Drops of blood hit the hardwood floor. Looking down, she lost her breath again. A sizable g...
2019-03-28 23:52:36 +0000 UTC
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March saw the release of Zombie Exodus; Safe Haven Part 2-2! It was a bit of a bumpy start with a few bugs, but the apps should be stable now. Though Part 2-2 took up some of my time this month away from writing, it was still productive. I’ll get into my plans for the future and discuss all games in development.
Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven
Now that part 3 is released, my plans moving forward are twofold:
- Fix lingering errors and balance issues
- Work ...
2019-03-28 00:44:06 +0000 UTC
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My computer at home is having issues that will require a trip to the repair shop next week. Since I will be sharing my wife's laptop, this will only affect a few items on the calendar.
1. The monthly newsletter will be pushed back to Wednesday, March 27.
2. The next Safe Haven Part 3 testing update will move up to Monday, March 25.
2019-03-22 19:49:20 +0000 UTC
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Just a quick note to say that the Part 2-2 update will be going live tomorrow, March 21! Exact release times by store are not known.
To celebrate the release, Part 1 and 2 will be on sale, so if you know anyone who has yet to purchase either part, this is a great time.
As a reminder, Part 2-2 is a free update of 170,000 words adding:
- 3 missions in chapters 6 and 7. You will be able to visit up to 3 different places.
- Conversations with all NPCs in the open-ende...
2019-03-20 21:50:42 +0000 UTC
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Our last scenario (Helping Hands/Missed Rally) concluded, and we can now move on to a new scenario. To provide more options for people to help me to create interesting scenarios for Safe Haven, I am going to provide a number of different selections not offered before. Once chosen, over the next few polls, we will decide on the characteristics of the chosen selection.
A. Group of survivors. This will be a permanent group of allies or enemies.
B. Raiders or bandits. Again, could be ...
2019-03-19 20:05:19 +0000 UTC
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This is a really, really crude map I made just to help me during the writing process. It shows where things are located, broken areas of fence, and relative sizes of areas and structures.
I will be hiring someone to make a professional version but thought some of you may be interested in a behind-the-scenes tool of my work.
2019-03-17 17:53:15 +0000 UTC
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In our last poll, we voted that a team of Silverthornes would try to capture the teen. In this poll and the next, we will pick what comes after the capture attempt is made.
For this poll, let’s vote on what happens if the attempt fails and the teen MC remains with the group.
A. Having failed planning the mission, the parents are kicked out and show up at the Junkyard asking to join. This m...
2019-03-12 02:15:45 +0000 UTC
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This is a poll for you to choose the topic for March's original short story or article.
In addition to a lot of ZE:SH options, I have one article on game development.
If you have story ideas for March, please list it in the comments.
2019-03-07 18:34:59 +0000 UTC
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Uncle Lou sped off the on-ramp and veered past the wreckage of an over-turned truck. In his rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of a man climbing out of the driver’s side window, but even at a distance, Uncle Lou knew the man had turned. Most people he saw now were turned. As the ranks of the living dead grew in the city, the uninfected masses fled outward, and they were becoming infected or dying and resurrecting as the undead. Professor Larkin’s words were true—we’ve lost....
2019-03-04 21:13:33 +0000 UTC
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Here is a schedule of things you can expect to see this month.
3/4 -- Chapter 6 of Zombie Exodus novel.
3/6 -- Poll for article of the month. ($3+ tiers)
3/9 -- Updated Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3 Alpha (3-4k more words). ($10+ tiers)
3/11 -- New poll for teenager mission. ($5+ tiers)
3/18 -- New poll for Safe Haven Chapter 9 scenario (Missed Rally Time/Helping Hands). ($5+ tiers)
...
2019-03-02 22:26:20 +0000 UTC
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Tommy jogged down the street to the boarded-up home where the only person he knew lived. And “lived” meant “still alive” and he only hoped they were still home. Everyone else he knew was dying or infected. Some of the lucky ones had fled Nightfall, but few made it out before friendly fire or roving mobs of infected cut them down. In twenty-four-short hours, the population of the small Colorado town had been decimated. His mother was one of the last to survive, but if he didn’t get h...
2019-03-01 00:02:48 +0000 UTC
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