Scattershot

Work
I'm currently working on three projects right now, the steampunk RPG, Thomas Riley 3 and Tribes. It's kind of crazy to be doing this but right now I write which story calls to me at the moment. Speaking of Thomas Riley 3, I've been collecting a playlist for months now. These are songs that fit the mood of the third book and wow it's dark. This will give you the tone for book three. Here's a few songs from the list if you're interested:
Old Jacket - Regina Spektor
To Die Among Strangers - Rome
Six Pairs of Feet and One Pair of Legs - Julie Christmas
Friend of the Night - Mogwai
Moya -Godspeed You Black Emperor
Witchhunter - Zao
High Lonesome - Caspian

Play
I'm not sure this counts as play exactly but somehow our Christmas shopping for the kids is almost done! That's amazing. Really. Then again, Christmas is only like three weeks away. Yikes.

TV
Wow, The Walking Dead is such a great show. I have to say I'm bummed we have to wait until February 9th to see what happens next. Same with Castle... What is up with cutting shows off mid-season, right when the holidays are almost here? I guess viewership goes down during these months but, man... I hate it when they interrupt my stories. In the meantime, I'm quite enjoying Dracula and Sleepy Hollow.

Vapor
At this moment, I have now gone  over 36 hours without a real cigarette... This is the first time this has happened in a long time... like since I was eighteen... I got a fancy e-cig that looks like a lightsaber and it works but nothing totally gets rid of the full need for a smoke, especially with all my history with tobacco. So I sit here right now, a bit jittery, nervous and on edge waiting for my body to stop yelling at me as if it will happen in a few moments. The feeling is akin to being underwater and running out of air knowing that a fresh breath is just above the surface but you never quite get there. You're just suspended there, floating with that annoying feeling waiting for it to go away to you can break the surface. While that sounds pretty daunting, I feel determined, I may list but I won't sink.

Random Updates

Today I'm going to do a general update. It's a little more on the personal side but you can get a glimpse into life which is always fun. 


Travel and life
We'll be heading back to Nashville at the end of the month for my mom's wedding! We're super excited to get back and see everyone. It really will be kind of shocking for me. After living there my whole life, the place almost seems like a dream. I feel like I've lived in Washington for years now and it'll have only been 7 months by the time we get in the plane. On the other hand, it also feels like we moved here last month... strange how that happens huh? So, we'll be in Cashville for 4 days at the end of the month. Hope to see everyone!

Books and Work
As book stuff goes, there's not a lot more to report since my last update a few days ago. I'm chipping away at new projects while editing Thomas Riley 2. I can give you a fun hint and tell you that I did find a Day of The Dead book I'm excited to read as research for Tribes. ;) Also, as I may have mentioned before, Liz and I have been approached to write for a really awesome steampunk RPG game. Stoked!

Animals
Skye and Ghoulia are doing awesome. Skye is crazy as ever but slowly learning the rules around here. The key word in that last sentence is "slowly". She's a sweetie but also note that she's earned the nicknames: Snacks, Crack Head, Corneus, Torpedo, Woo Woo and Tornado since her sort of short time with us. I've never had a big dog and never anything close to a seventy pound one year old Siberian Husky before.

TV
As you know we like our shows. So far, we're knee deep in Project Runway (Go Chris! well, and Dimitri!), The new season of Castle is one of the best so far. We're really hoping to have another Halloween episode as they are our favorites. Face Off is another Tuesday night staple. We're routing for the dude in the cowboy hat. And of course we love our House marathons! There's some really good stuff to come too! American Horror Story is starting up like next week along with The Walking Dead and new Top Chef in November which is in Seattle! Awesome!

So that's sort of a quick personal cross section of fun going on in the Valentino house right now.

Wizard World Atlanta Comic Con

Word around town says this blog is "Scandalous, infamous, and highly revealing under the top layer."

"Nick Valentino's blog is a keyhole into the side of life that you always wanted to look at but would never admit it to anyone."
-Cleo Divine

Well, they're probably right. You do get little cryptic snippets, often times very unintentional of some pretty crazy things. Just look, then look a bit harder. It's kind of like one of those Magic Eye pictures. If you stare at it long enough, you may see something that wasn't there before.

The Atlanta Comic Con
The con season is over. Everyone has packed up and is gearing up for the summer. There are a few left that hang on for odd, cold and possibly snowy dates. Atlanta's Wizard World Comic Con was one of those snowbirds. Being a "fist time con" for Wizard World in Atlanta, they tried to pack the halls with con goers by shipping their usual celebrities to the scene. Adam West, Linda Blair, The Cast from The Walking Dead, Billy Dee Williams, Vivica Fox and Henry Winkler were just a few on hand signing autographs and glad-handing fans.

I spent the con signing books next to the most fabulous and awesome Steampunk Paranormal Romance author, O.M. Grey. We were pretty much the steampunk contingent at the con save for a few crossover artists. We ended up chatting most of the time and greeting fans and curiosity seekers.

We also took a little jaunt out to decautur GA (Right outside of Atlanta)to visit the Brick Store Pub (Highly recommended by the way)and met good friends, Doctor Q and Taloola Love. Thanks guys! We had a blast.

So, want some fun pictures? Of course you do.

This is none other than Billy Dee Williams. Now, look closely and see the epic nature of this picture. Here is Lando signing a case of Colt 45 for an Imperial Biker Scout. I kid you not.


Here is John Strangeway (Steampunk Boba Fett) showing off his costume armor signed by Jeremy Bulloch and now Billy Dee Williams... You have to love that Williams put "Lando" under his name.


Awesome Friends Doctor Q and Steampunk Boba Fett.


My neighbor, amazing author, and good friend O.M. Grey.


Next Up:
This weekend finishes a crazy crazy crazy 2010 with three events in and around Nashville TN. If you want your copy of Thomas Riley before Christmas, well, this is you'r chance.

Friday Dec 10 Books-A-Million 5PM (Nashville TN) (Nashville West Shopping Center)
Saturday Dec 11 Books-A-Million 1PM (Murfreesboro TN)
Sunday Dec 12 Hastings 1PM (Murfreesboro TN)

Holidays
The holidays are here or coming fast.

Get Thomas Riley Here

Kindle

Nook