THE REWARD

This film does in 10 minutes what it took LORD OF THE RINGS three three to four hour movies to do. Brilliant!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

SPRING HEEL JACK

An anthology of gothic tales by gaslamp!

So, Rage Machine Books has some projects coming up the pipe. They published my book THE MASK OF ETERNITY, they will be publishing my second novel, DEBT'S PLEDGE and they are also putting out an anthology of Victorian era Gothic stories in an anthology co-edited by my writer counterpart, Jack Mackenzie.

The anthology was by invitation and the writers have all agreed and are writing stories (with one hold-out -- Yes, I'm talkin' to you, Miss I!) as we speak.

Look for this one closer to the end of 2013.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

LOVING THE ALIEN

Human beings have always had a fear of and, at the same time, a fascination with the “other”.

Almost as soon as humans were able to make art on cave walls depictions of strange and bizarre creatures began showing up amongst depictions of their fellows and animals. The stone walls of ancient Egypt were rife with depictions of gods with human bodies and the heads of jackals or eagles or snakes.

In modern times, when gods were replaced with aliens, depictions of beings from other planets have ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Before the twentieth century a number of Victorian illustrators, chief among them French illustrator Isidore Grandville, were adept at creating menageries full of wild and outrageous creatures, but it was in the twentieth century with the rise of the science fiction pulps, that alien creatures really took center stage.

J. Allen St, John, a marvelous illustrator from the very earliest part of the century, had the enviable opportunity to be one of the first to illustrate the fantastic tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Although mostly remembered as the author who created Tarzan, Burroughs also wrote planetary romances set on the Moon, Mars, Venus and even at the earth’s core. Burroughs’ books contain a menagerie of alien creature which were ably depicted by St. John. From Martian Thoats to Lunar Kalkars St. John’s depictions inspired the imaginations of readers of the Blue Book and All-Story Magazines where Burroughs’ stories first saw print.

Read the rest of this article over at the AMAZING STORIES website (Tell 'em MD sent ya!)

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

...AND THE BIG SACK OF MONEY GOES TO...

J.J. Abrams now gets to screw with tapped to direct the next Star Wars movie.

Thoughts?

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST MISSED THIS!

Guess whose 107th birthday is today.

Happy Birthday, old man!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!

AMAZING STORIES, the world's first science fiction magazine, is now open to the public.

AMAZING STORIES are just one click away!
The Experimenter Publishing Company is pleased to announce the reintroduction of the world's most recognizable science fiction magazine – AMAZING STORIES!

Following the completion of a successful Beta Test begun on January 2nd, 2013, Amazing Stories is now open to the public. Fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror are invited to join and encouraged to participate in helping to bring back a cherished icon of the field.

For the past several weeks nearly sixty fans, authors, artists, editors and bloggers have been producing articles on your favorite subjects – the literature of SF/F/H, its presentations in media such as television, film, poetry, literature, games, comics and much more.

All contents of Amazing Stories are free to the general public.

Membership is also free – and entitles members to participate in the discussion, share information and engage in many other familiar social networking activities.

Membership also represents a stake in helping Amazing Stories return to publication. The more members the site acquires, the faster Amazing Stories can become a paying market for short fiction.

Every genre fan now has a chance to help support the creation of a new market for the stories, artwork and articles they all love so much.

To visit the site and obtain your free membership, go to AMAZING STORIES, and don't forget to invite your friends too!

This reincarnation of Amazing Stories could not have happened without the generous support of Woodall Design LLC and the members of the Amazing Stories Blog Team:

Cenobyte, Karen G. Anderson, Mike Brotherton, Ricky L. Brown, Michael A. Burstein, Catherine Coker, Johne Cook, Paul Cook, Gary Dalkin, Jane Frank, Adria K. Fraser, Jim Freund, Fran Friel, Adam Gaffen, Chris Garcia, Chris Gerwel, Tommy Hancock, Liz Henderson, Samantha Henry, M.D. Jackson, Monique Jacob, Geoffrey James, J. Jay Jones, Daniel M. Kimmel, Peggy Kolm, Justin Landon, Andrew Liptak, Bob Lock, Melissa Lowery, Barry Malzberg, C. E. Martin, Farrell J. McGovern, Steve Miller, Matt Mitrovich, Aidan Moher, Kevin Murray, Ken Neth, Astrid Nielsch, D. Nicklin-Dunbar, James Palmer, John Purcell, James Rogers, Felicity Savage, Diane Severson, Steve H. Silver, J. Simpson, Douglas Smith, Lesley Smith, Bill Spangler, Duane Spurlock, Michael J. Sullivan, G. W. Thomas, Erin Underwood, Stephan Van Velzen, Cynthia Ward, Michael Webb, Keith West, John M. Whalen, Karlo Yeager, Leah A. Zeldes

For more information about Amazing Stories, please contact the publisher at Experimenter@AmazingStoriesMag.com
I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

Dress For the Occasion: The Scantily Clad Female

So, here’s a question:

Say you’re a beautiful woman (I assume some of you reading this actually are women. Please believe me when I say that in my eyes all women are beautiful. If you’re a man reading this, then use your imagination) and you need to leave the relative safety of your spacecraft to go out into the vacuum of space or maybe planetside where there is a strong possibility that you will run into hostile aliens.

What do you wear?

It’s a tough one, I know.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that a self contained space suit with a substantial air supply and radiation shielding. That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

But not so fast. If we’re examining the history of science fiction illustration (which, at the moment, I am) then we have to think outside the box of conventional wisdom. Here we must enter the strange wisdom of the science fiction cover illustration.

So, what does the typical beautiful woman wear into space?

How about an evening gown?

That seemed to be a good idea to the woman depicted in a Norman Saunders’ painting for Marvel Science magazine in May 1951 in which two adequately suited spacemen appear to be manhandling a negligee-clad woman into a spaceship.

Now, according to something that we like to call science, the human body cannot survive unprotected in a vacuum. So the chances that the lovely lady in this painting is alive are slim to 0 to the power of 10 billion. She does, however, leave a beautiful corpse, which is surprising since her body has been exposed to hard vacuum.

You can read the rest of this article over at the AMAZING STORIES website!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

TIME TO RE-FOCUS!

Since the Christmas holidays a lot of personal "stuff" has been dragging my attention away. I haven't been as "present" as perhaps I should have been.

It's a funny thing about one's internet "presence". You only see a very narrow spectrum of most of the time. Most of the best bloggers put a lot of themselves into their blogs, but some of us more reticent ones tend to hold much back. It's kind of like watching a juggler, but only being able to see one or two of the balls that he is trying to keep in the air. You think: "Hey, that doesn't look too difficult."

Of course what you're not able to see are the other six balls that the juggler is trying to keep in the air at the same time.

So when a blogger seems to have trouble keeping up a regular blog posting schedule, just remember that they're not lazy, or undisciplined. The blog is only one ball. They're probably trying to keep six or seven in the air that you can't see.

As for myself, I have a split focus all the time. This blog, my art blog (mdjacksonart.blogspot.com, which has too long sat dormant) Jack Mackenzie's writing blog (http://jackmackenziewriter.wordpress.com) and now the Amazing Stories website (which goes "live" soon!) are all balls that you can see.

So when the other balls that you can't see start becoming a problem, as they have for me recently, I end up looking like I'm MIA. Nothing could be further from the truth. I really do try to keep up with everyone. I do visit the blogs that I follow regularly. If I only have time for a quick lurk without stopping to say something, well... I hope you understand. As they say; "It's not you. It's me"

You guys are all amazing and I hope to be able to reconnect with a lot of you soon.

Until then, just keep on juggling! Those balls won't stay in the air on their own!


I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

HERALDED BY BLOOD!

The newest collection of Ka Sirtago and Poet stories is available for Kindle! Three exciting tales in the grand Sword and Sorcery tradition!

Buy it here for only $3.04!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

PRICE REDUCTION

The print edition of my book, THE MASK OF ETERNITY has had a price reduction! The Trade Paperback edition is now only $17.99. You can order it here. 

Or if you want the hardcover it is only $24.99!

Of course to get the best deal you can pick up the Kindle version for only $5.08!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

DEFIANCE

I know it's the Syfy Channel (the channel that can't even spell Sci-Fi), and I know it's tied in with a video game, and all I've seen are the trailers -- I haven't seen a single episode -- but...

...I think I might have found my new favorite show.

(Now if only it will last past one season...)

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

NEW! MODERN! CONTEMPORARY! HIP!

From the AMAZING STORIES website (Still in Beta Tests):

 

I have spent a lot of time in previous posts dwelling in the past. I have been like an old man suddenly lost to the present, the memory of times past reeling behind his eyes while he absently stirs his tea. Well, I think perhaps I should bring this topic into the present and talk about some of the science fiction and fantasy artists working today.

There has been an explosion of fantastic art. In the past fantastic art's only reason for being was as illustration to fantastic literature. That changed and today fantastic art is it's own reason for being. You can find fantasy art on posters, tee-shirts, coffee mugs. You can find it on the internet almost as easily as you can find pornography or lolcats.

Digital art, made possible by programs such as Photoshop or Painter, has exploded onto the electronic canvas of the internet like a Jackson Pollock painting. No longer do we rely on the “delivery devices” of magazines, book covers, calendars or the like. The art is completed and posted online within hours, sometimes in the very minute of its completion.

The digital revolution in art is a big topic and one that I will not tackle in this post. I'll get to that later. For now I just want to touch upon a few artists still working with traditional materials today who, in my mind at least, stand above the crowd.

Read the rest of the article Here!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

WATCH HER DISAPPEAR

Because she's disappeared again. Song by Tom Waits. 

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio

YOU'RE OFF TO A GREAT START 2013!

So it's 2013 and I figured this would be a great year. 13 has always been my lucky number. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th and that turned out to be one of my best years ever!

However, on the second day of the new year I had a very scary ride into work. My brakes failed. I blew through an intersection and had to go into low gear down a hill to slow down enough to come to a stop.

I managed to get my car into a shop. Several hours later I got the bad news. Both rear cylinders were gone and the front ones were going as well. They also discovered a leak in the fuel injection system which could have potentially set my engine on fire.

I suppose I should be thankful that the catastrophic failure of the brakes alerted the mechanic to the potentially disastrous problem with the fuel injector system. Nevertheless, this soon after Christmas and New Years is not the ideal time for a huge mechanic's bill. Since this is the only vehicle we have at the moment we don't have much choice.

So, hopefully the year will get better soon. Maybe on the 13th (my birthday).

I hope all of you are having a good 2013 so far!

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio