DUEL!

Mild mannered artist M. D. Jackson

Mean spirited but manly author Jack Mackenzie

I was invited to write a guest post at my friend, author Joshua Reynold's blog, HUNTING MOSTERS. Reynolds is the author of NEFRATA: THE BLOOD OF NAGASH and the upcoming GOTTREK & FELIX: THE ROAD OF SKULLS from Black Library.

So I decided to interview Jack Mackenzie, author of THE MASK OF ETERNITY and the upcoming DEBT'S PLEDGE from Rage Machine Books.

Jack was his usual charming self (the bastard). The interview went well despite Jack threatening to Kick my ass and being generally rude.

You can read the complete interview here.

(Wow! That's a lot of links for such a little blog post!)

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

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

CONVERSATION WITH YOUR 12 YEAR OLD SELF

This is just brilliant. It's a video by Jeremiah McDonald and it's got me thinking about what I would say to my 12 year old self. How would that conversation go?

12 year old me: Hello, Michael from the future! How are you?

46 year old me: I'm fine, Michael. How are you?

12 year old me: I'm fine. So, how are things in the future? Do you have a flying car?

46 year old me: No. I'm driving a '95 Pontiac Sunfire.

12 year old me: And it doesn't fly?

46 year old me: No. It doesn't fly.

12 year old me: Have you been into space?

46 year old me: Nnnoooo. No.

12 year old me: No? Is there spaceships?

46 year old me: Yes. There's a space shuttle... well, there was a space shuttle. They've stopped using it now.

12 year old me: Did it get replaced with something else, like a starship or something?

46 year old me: Uh... no. They just kind of... stopped.

12 year old me: Is there a space station?

46 year old me: Yes! There is an International space station.

12 year old me: Cool! Have you been there?

46 year old me: No.

12 year old me: Do you still watch Star Wars?

46 year old me: I've seen all the Star Wars movies. Yes.

12 year old me: How many are there?

46 year old me: Six movies and a cartoon.

12 year old me: A cartoon?

46 year old me: Well it's CGI.

12 year old me: What's CGI?

46 year old me: Never mind. Yes, I still watch Star Wars.

12 year old me: What about Star Trek?

46 year old me: Yes. I still watch Star Trek. All the different series and the movies.

12 year old me: There's movies?

46 year old me: Yes. Several Star Trek movies and... uh... five...? different series.

12 year old me: Cool! So cool!

46 year old me: Yes. Yes it is, I see you're excited. You're doing a little dance. Be careful... don't...

12 year old me: Sorry... sorry... I'm just so excited! Did you become a movie director?

46 year old me: Uh... no. I'm a writer and an artist, though.

12 year old me: Do you work on the Star Trek movies? Do you write the episodes?

46 year old me: Hah! I wish! No. I do book covers and other commissions... portraits. I've written short stories. I post stuff to my blog.

12 year old me: Blo... what...?

46 year old me: Never mind. You'll find out.

12 year old me: Do you have a girlfriend?

46 year old me: I have a wife. And a daughter. She's just graduated,

12 year old me: Wow. Do you have a dog?

46 year old me: No. I have cats. Three cats.

12 year old me: Cats?

46 year old me: Yes. Cats. I'm a cat person now. Get over it.

12 year old me: Are you still fat?

46 year old me: Uh... well, kind of...

12 year old me: Did you ever get skinny?

46 year old me: Uh. No, not really. I've lost a lot of weight, but I can't really be called skinny...

12 year old me: Crap!

46 year old me: What can I say. It's genetics. Get over it.

12 year old me: Are you famous?

46 year old me: Uh... no.

12 year old me: Okay... you're not famous, you haven't been into space, you don't write for Star Trek, you don't have a flying car and you have cats.

46 year old me: Yup. That's basically it.

12 year old me: Okay. I'm gonna go outside and play now.

46 year old me: That's great. I gotta get back to work.

12 year old me: Where do you work?

46 year old me: I think you've had enough disappointment for one day.

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

IRON DAD and CAPTAIN DAUGHTER

Me and my daughter in a photo taken just moments before security escorted us off the premises...


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