Most embarrasing moment:
Yeah, right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you write horror?
It keeps me from killing peope.
Why do you write science-fiction?
Have you ever heard the news report on new technology and then wondered
where it could go ten, fifteen, or fifty years from now? Or ever
wondered what an alien race would REALLY think of us humans? Me to, so I
write about it. But besides the 'What-If?' aspect, sometimes there is a
point I am trying to prove. When I was growing up, a lot of folks were
under the impression that the future would be this wonderful, amazing
place. Some, perhaps most of us, were disabused of this notion over
time. (After all, we are IN the future, and besides the Internet, I don't
see too much wonderful or amazing about it.) But I feel it is my civic
duty to administer the bitch-slap of reality to the remaining fools: What
we do TODAY affects what we get tomorrow... just watch the news and you'll
see that, generally, the future of our children and grandchildren is going
to be really fucked-up. I mean REALLY fucked up. Read
Crimes of Personality,
and think
hard about the direction our society is moving, espescially in America.
It's coming, people; and I mean that with all seriousness. Modern
society is waging a War against the Individual. No, I'm not going to
explain or define that... those who've been paying attention for the past 10
to 20 years already know what I'm talking
about. You'll see more of this type of theme in my sci-fi work... at
least until they get censored.
Why do you write fantasy?
Because it's fun and easy. That's it. I LOVE fantasy, and at least for
me it is one of the quickest, easiest genres to write. Hell... you just
make everything up! That, combined with the fact that I am the laziest
person I know, is the reason why there is three times as much fantasy on
this website than any other type of story. Horror and Sci-Fi take too
much work.
Some of your Dragon's-Inn characters seem familiar...
My characters are all original creations, but some of them are inspired by
popular comic-book characters.
I'll leave you to figure out just who is inspired by whom...
That Dragon's Inn stuff sounds cool. How can I play?
Visit the Dragon's Inn Home Page
and wander around that site until you find their FAQ. It explains
everything.
I've read the Dragon's Inn newsgroup and didn't find anything
good...
In case it wasn't clear from the
Dragon's Inn Home Page, the AD-I
newsgroup is for AMATEUR writers. If you've been weaned on Terry Brooks
and other professional stuff that you buy in stores, then the newsgroup
may not be quite up to your standards. BUT... there are a few writers that produce professional-quality stuff. I'm going out on a limb here, but if you're looking for some EXCELLENT fantasy from the newsgroup, look for posts from these writers: Becca Ward, Cathy Mosely, Danny Wall,
Greg Dewey, Blake Sinclair, Boyd Boedecker, and Grey Feathers. This isn't to say that everything else isn't good, but in my opinion these are the best. ALSO note that just because an author posts a story doesn't mean that he or she wrote the ENTIRE thing themselves. Most stories on the newsgroup have two or three authors.
Why did you create this site?
Mainly to get exposure and feedback for my fiction. Plus... constantly
having to provide fresh content gives me more incentive to actually
*finish* the stories that I start.
What kind of feedback do you want?
Any kind. Positive feedback is always appreciated. Negative feedback is
also appreciated, BUT ONLY if it is detailed and constructive. Don't just
tell me a story sucked... tell my WHY you think it sucked and what could
have made it better.
Do you respond to feedback and other e-mails?
Usually, except in the case of SPAM and other commercial crap.
What is you favorite story in this site? Why?
Hope,
Because it is written from the heart. (heh, heh, heh...)
What is your LEAST favorite story and why?
The Drawing.
I honestly don't know WHAT I was thinking.
Why so much profanity in some of your stories?
Because it's the way real people talk. If you have a problem with
reality, then I suggest you stop wasting time on the internet and seek
professional help.
Why are some of your stories so violent?
Either I kill fictional people or I kill real ones. Take your pick.
Your stories are disturbed... What kind of nut are you, anyway?
Schizoid Personality Disorder... Look it up.
Any plans for a novel?
Several actually. I'm currently co-writing a fantasy novel with one of the
dragons-inn authors. In addition, I have developed a few ideas for some
solo novels. Right now it is just a matter of finding the time to write
them all. Of course, if you really want to read a novel written by me,
read
Beasts of Winter.
That serial fantasy story from the dragons-inn newsgroup turned out to be
over 110,000 words... well into the novel range. It's quite a nice
little story, too.
Ever had anything published in print?
Not much. Possessions
was published in some newspaper out west, and that's about it. Some of my
stories can be found on other horror and sci-fi sites on the internet.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere. They come from dreams, nightmares, newspaper headlines and
events in my own life. If you are creative enough, you can turn
ANYTHING into a story. (Not necessarily a GOOD one...)
Any advice to other writers just getting started?
Hell, I'M just getting started! Okay, here's my number one piece
of useful advice: If you want to be a writer... WRITE! Every day!
A day I don't write SOMETHING is a day that was a complete waste, no matter
WHAT ELSE I accomplished. And FINISH what you start... don't lose
interest halfway through a story because it suddenly turned boring.
It's your job as a writer to MAKE it exciting. Try to write every day and the
rest will fall into place... at least that's that way it's been going
for me.
What do you do besides write?
Wish I had more time to write. I DO have a day job, but it is not relevant to this website.
Republican or Democrat?
Neither. I'm a Libertarian and DAMN proud of it. If you're
really, really, REALLY interested in my stance on things political, check out this
page here.
Did you design the Dark Icon website yourself?
Yes, and I did it the way REAL men do it... with NOTEPAD, not some funky,
memory-hogging HTML editor! You hear me! NOTEPAAAD!!!!
(However I do use the HTML extentions on Word 6.0 to bulk-convert the
stories into a web format). The Dark Icon logo and image map (on the
main page) were done using a neat 3-D ray-tracing program called POV-RAY.
It is hard to learn, but once you put for the effort it becomes very easy
to use and it can do some pretty amazing things.
How do I submit stories to your site?
You don't. I created this site for my own work, and everything here
is written by me unless otherwise noted. The Dark Icon website is
NOT a 'zine or professional web-publication. I'm just a guy with an
old computer and too much free time. Looking to publish your stuff online?
Check out my
links page for some possible
leads.
Your story
Is that ALL you've got to say? No "good story" or "this story sucked because..."? Well, thank you. Now go f*ck yourself. Really... you're reading stories for free. There are no editors getting paid to go over every line and make sure the spelling and grammar are in perfect standard English. If you can't overlook a few errors and ENJOY THE DAMNED STORY then you should go buy a novel or a magazine and stay off the internet. Gimme some REAL feedback, asshole.
Any other questions? E-Mail me.
last updated: 4/2/00