Lost Days - Michael Jan Friedman's Newest Kickstarter Project - Worthwhile and Important

Lost Days – A Kickstarter Project by Michael Jan Friedman

Back in October of 2013, Mike Friedman asked if I would help him spread the word for a new project he was working on called I Am The Salamander, the story of a young cancer survivor who unwillingly becomes a superhero.  I contributed (after all, I feel that it is important to support something that I am endorsing), then wrote a blogpost.  You can find that my Salamander post HERE.  As promised, I received a trade paperback copy of Salamander, complete with autograph, and an eBook copy that I have since read, and enjoyed.

But I am not writing to talk about a successfully funded Kickstarter.  I am writing to talk about a new project by Mike called Lost Days.  Once again, Mike has asked me to help by boosting the signal to get the word, and I am all too happy to do so.

You may know Mike from his work as a Star Trek novelist, or you may be familiar with his other numerous works.  I have read several, and blogged about them on this forum.  Just put Friedman into the search bar above and you can read my other blogs.  But, is you don’t take time to do that, you need to know that I have a lot of respect for this author and his work.

Here is a video of Mike describing what this project is all about…

So, you might ask, since Mike is such a good writer, and has been so well published, why does he need to raise money through Kickstarter?  Well, the answer to that question is publishers get very jittery about stories that they believe may not have a wide appeal, so they are reluctant to take on a project that is as focused as Lost Days.

As an educator, Mike knows how important it is to get young people reading at a young age.  He teaches middle school history and wants to teach through his writing while showing students that one can learn about history, and have fun doing it.  So Mike is teaching about how Pope Gregory brought his calendar into being by eliminating ten days from the Julian calendar.  Therein is the lesson, but to bring this fact to life, he speculates on what might have happened during those ten days that were eliminated.  So we have a historically accurate fantasy story aimed at students in the 6^th through 8^th grades.  As an educator myself, I believe in what Mike is doing and have once again contributed to making his dream into a reality.

I learned that Mike was interviewed by The SciFi Diner recently.  In this interview, he talks about the indie publishing business, other projects he has worked on, and about Lost Days.  Give it a listen.

Perhaps you will consider contributing to making this project a reality.  If you feel that reading is important, as I do, and have the means, make a pledge.  There are some neat perks at various levels of contributions, but anything $1 and up will be very much appreciated.  If you are interested, click on the link at the bottom of this post and it will take you directly to the Kickstarter page.

Well, there it is...

Q'aplaH!

The Klingon Art Of War - A Great Book On Many Levels

The Klingon Art Of War by Keith R.A. DeCandido

In early 2013, I noticed that author Keith DeCandido was posting in his blog and other various internet outlets about something he was calling a “project that can not be named (yet).”  As a fan of Keith’s work, I was very curious, hoping for another Trek novel. I followed the posts waiting for some word on what was coming down the pike. Later, I learned that Keith was coming to a convention in Omaha as an Author Guest of Honor.  I was able to make arrangements for an interview with him (Scifi Diner Episode 204).  He spilled the beans to me on this project, as well as others.  Little did I know what was in store for me as a reader; a great book, perhaps one of the best I have ever read.

I have read The Klingon Art of War (KAOW) twice now.  This is a great book on several different levels.

KAOW is patterned after Sun Tsu’s Art of War, a treatise on the correct way to wage war.  Keith’s treatise is about how Klingons who choose to live an honorable life may do so by following ten precepts that involve how relationships should be conducted between Klingons and others.  Keith puts himself in the role of translator of the text as penned by a Klingon author named K’Ratak (take a close look at that Klingon name, see anything cool?)  K’Ratak gives a quote from Kahless for each precept, then gives stories to show how the precept applies to Klingon life, then follows with a commentary.  The original “qeS’a’” (the Klingon title of KAOW) contained many stories from adventures of Klingons while on their home world.  K’Ratak explains that he has updated the work to include stories that have taken place as the race has moved out among the stars.

On the surface, KAOW is a monumental gathering of stories that have appeared in the various television shows and novels in the Trek universe. The first precept is “Choose Your Enemies Well” and includes the story of the Klingon who chose to face a vicious storm and “make the wind” respect him at the walls of Quin’Lat.  This story appears in the ST:TNG season six episode, “Rightful Heir.”  If you enjoy Klingon lore, KAOW is loaded with it.

Further, the first precept looks at how a warrior needs to take care in choosing their enemies.  When choosing an enemy, there is no honor in choosing to battle an enemy that is easily beaten, while at the same time, it is foolish to choose an enemy that is impossible to beat.

Going even deeper, the reader can try to apply the precepts to their own life. Keith sets this idea down as a quote in the Introduction by K’Ratak discussing the authorship of the qes’a’:

“Whoever the author might be, that Klingon gave us a guide to living that can apply to all warriors - regardless of class or standing within the Klingon Empire. As Kahless himself said, “All life is a battle.” And those who live to wage war in one way or another. qeS’a’ provides a guide to fighting all of life’s battles.”

In other words, one can look at the enemy not as another person, but as the challenges we are faced with in life, and the battle not as physical conflict, but rather as how one faces those challenges.  So, if one has the choice of what challenges to choose, can one take pride in choosing challenges that are very easy? Is there any sense in choosing a challenge that is impossible and will assure one failure?  For me, it comes down to something my principal told me when I first started teaching, “choose the battles you can win.”

If one reads this book on a level that is more than just mere entertainment, it can speak to the reader on many levels.

Another aspect of KAOW that I found as I read was in the language that Keith used in the telling of the stories and in K’Ratak’s commentaries.  As I read while alone and when it was quiet, I could hear the voice of the author speaking to me in a very Klingon way.  I found myself imagining that I was sitting in a place with subdued light, perhaps a fire burning in a huge fireplace, listening to how I might, one day, become a warrior.  As you may or may not know, Keith is a student of the martial arts, and the influence of his experience is palpable all the way through this book.

Something else to keep in mind before you read KAOW is that before each precept is presented, there is the image of artwork that is absolutely beautiful. If you are planning to read this book in an electronic format, make sure it is on one that has a color display, the impact in B&W is just not there when it comes to the images in the book.

In any case, this book is so good on so many levels, I know that I will be coming back to it over and over again for inspiration, advice, and just for its pure entertainment value. I give The Klingon Art of War my highest recommendations, whether one is a Star Trek fan or not, there is a lot in this volume that will help one behave honorably and just makes good sense.

Well, there it is…

Q’aplah!

My Weekend - OSFest 7 - Omaha, Nebraska - August 1-3, 2014

My Weekend at OSFest 7
August 1-3, 2014

There are many conventions that are larger out there, but I cannot think that, at least for me, there are any that could be called better than the Omaha OSFest.  You may find that to be a debatable point, and that is your right.  As for me, I love OSFest.

It was a busy weekend for conventions when one takes into account that Shoreleave was taking place on the East Coast and STLV was raging out west.  Someday I might be able to get to one of those huge ones, but I really enjoy Omaha’s hospitality and being able to hobnob with friendly people the likes of which seem to be very common in Nebraska.

Anyway, it seemed that this year’s OSFest attendance was down a bit from last year’s event (read my blog post from OSFest 6 HERE).  As I visited with people also attending, there were many ideas, rumors, and speculations as to why this was, which I will not go into here because there is really nothing substantial to talk about.  The atmosphere was also more subdued then last year’s event; far more relaxed and not so hustled.  That, I am sure, is due in part to the fact that I had been there before and the experience wasn’t new as it was last year.  However, in light of what I just said, it is not to say that there wasn’t plenty to do.  There were wall to wall activities, displays, demonstrations, and panel discussions, and all on numerous subjects that should have been able to appeal to everyone.

On Friday night, I participated on a Dune panel that I had proposed earlier this year.  I was joined on the panel by John Shoberg of the IKSRaptor’s Heart group and at the last minute, was also joined by Patrick Kennedy of PoKoArt (if you are a Dune fan, Pat is an artist who produces some very beautiful art and due to how Dune has influenced him, much of his art reflects this).  The Dune panel was patterned after a panel discussion held at this year’s Farpoint convention by my Dune Saga Podcast partners David Moulton and Scott Hertzog (access that panel discussion HERE).  I designed the Dune panel to be a broad discussion with audience participation to discuss the books and films.  It was well attended and some of the audience did indeed participate.  It was fun and I am hoping to do another panel next year on the same subject, however, as my partner John suggested, it will be a bit more focused on one aspect of the Dune universe.

After the panel was done, I found a room party to attend where Pat Kennedy and I discussed Dune some more; a lot more actually.

Maggie Egan at Opening Ceremonies.

Saturday was another busy day.  The Media Guest of Honor was Maggie Egan of Babylon 5 fame.  If you are not familiar with Maggie’s work, she appeared as Jane, the Interstellar Network News anchor in ten episodes of Babylon 5 and also came back in the same capacity in the Crusade series.  She has also appeared in numerous other shows and about 600 commercials.  What a pleasant person she was to listen to as she told her stories.  I was able to score an interview with her in the afternoon which will appear in a future episode of The Babylon Project Podcast hosted by Raul Ybarra and me.  I also attended panels with Maggie and got two autographed photos, one for me and one for Raul (I couldn’t very well leave out my partner, could I?).

Troy Rutter with a license plate signed by Jason Carter

I also met with Troy Rutter.  Now his name may not be as familiar, but he was also (and continues to be) a part of the Babylon 5 family.  Troy was the man responsible for all of the internet media that was involved with the show.  Long before Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, he was pioneering what we now take for granted today.  I was also able to have an extensive interview with him which will also appear on The Babylon Project Podcast in the near future.

By Sunday, I was pretty wiped out.  I attended a panel on the Philosophy of Star Trek which we discussed the extension of sentience to beings other than humans.  This panel was hosted by Natasha Mohr and Matt McKeever.  After that, it was time to head home.

Maggie and Me

All in all, it was another amazing weekend.  I brought home some things to think about and am looking forward to next year’s OSFest 8.

Here are some of the other pictures I snapped during the weekend…

Chrissy holding a blaster and wearing a "Fett" helmet.  She had the right shirt.

I found Q shopping in the dealer's area.

Chrissy and I with Boba Fett. That is an amazing costume.

Another Great Costume.

Cat Woman!

A Starfleet Officer tending her tribble.

The pictures cannot do the detail on these models justice...

John Shoberg of the IKS Raptor's Heart in full Klingon regalia.

Troy Rutter, Maggie Egan, and Mitch Obrecht at the B5+20 Panel

Art by Patrick Kennedy - Shai Hulud.

Also by Patrick Kennedy.

Chrissy chose R2.  A graphite drawing.

Autographed photo of Maggie Egan as Jane.

Well, there it is…

Q’aplaH!