Giant Hunters, Monster Hunters, and More

If I had to choose one of my faults as being the worst one, I would have to say it’s the fact that I jump from one project to another.

I don’t have issues when it comes to finishing projects, it’s just that I’ll start on one and then jump to another one if I start getting frustrated or even remotely bored!

This week I did not do any work on any of the various projects that I have on the go. None – zip, nadda. Not a thing.

Unless you decide to take into consideration ‘Buck Who?’. Chapter 3 is up and available for your reading pleasure.

Then again this week I was quite sick. The influenza outbreak has been particularly brutal this time around and it hit 80% of the folks living under my roof. It hit me so bad that I spent Sunday and Monday in bed (which meant that I called in sick).

It is very difficult to write or be creative when you’re sick, believe me.

Will I be creative this week? By all means. Will I be working on one of my numerous projects? Probably not. I will most likely be concentrating on working on Chapter 4 of ‘Buck Who?’.

Funny, as many of you already know I don’t much care for my current job. I really want to be able to do deliveries, but the funeral cost me a great deal, and I’m still concentrating on getting it paid off.

Won’t be long.

Anyhow, once that has been taken care of, then I can afford to quit my current job and find something where I won’t be walking on concrete for 8 hours a day. I mainly need to get away from this job because it has been brutal on my knee and heel. Sooner I can find a new position where I’m not walking all day, the better.

What does this have to do with being creative? I write during my breaks and it is very relaxing for me. That’s what.  So my readers can count on seeing more chapters of ‘Buck Who?’ being posted over the next few weeks.

Still not 100% sure where I’m taking this particular story. Then again, that’s the way I write. I get the basic idea and let the story write itself.

I have no idea when my next issue of Wisdom from the Wastelands is going to be released. I sort of thought it would be published last week, but I never did get the proof from Michael Varhola, and I haven’t asked him about it. Still, I hope it won’t be too much longer before it’s available.

This week saw the release of La Baionnette No. 32: Raemaekers (The Bayonet No. 32: Raemaekers) – the latest in Skirmisher’s series of WW1 propaganda material. It’s awesome to see this material being re-released for today’s generation, and as such making sure it is not lost or forgotten.

This week I finished the fifth book in a series that I have really come to enjoy. Monster Hunter International: Legion. In a nutshell, the first annual Monster Hunter’s convention takes place in Las Vegas and as you can imagine, things go to hell real fast.

It’s filled with  Larry Correia’s trademark humor and high action. And other than Shadowrun novels, where else can you find trailer-trash elves? Gangsta Gnomes? Orcs who love heavy metal and are actually honorable? How about a dragon that doesn’t threaten you with consumption but lawyers?

It probably won’t be all that long before I get around to the next novel in the series. And I really should give his 30’s Noir books a shot as well, even if they are not my usual thing.

And I did make an RPG purchase this week. I ended up getting Pathfinder Player Companion: Giant Hunter’s Handbook.

I do like these smaller publications and even though they are typically written to fill in a very specific niche, they are worth buying. This book has some entertaining insights on Giant’s in the Pathfinder game, and as always provide the players with tactics, feats, spells and items (both mundane and magical).

The print book is $13 US so as such it is quite reasonable.

Is it really useful? Only if you’re looking to running a game or playing in one where you deal with Giants on a fairly regular basis. It fills in a very specific niche, that’s for sure. Otherwise I would say it’s only really useful for reading and collecting.

Then again that is the case with a lot of these specialized books. Would I recommend it? Of course!

One thing I would like to bring up.

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. There are tons of activities that people absolutely adore that I cannot stomach. For example, sports is a multi-multi-multi-billion dollar industry world-wide, especially in the states.

I LOATHE sports. I have no interest in watching sports or following teams or reading statistics or history on sports.

That makes me quite the minority. Will I ever knock someone for enjoying sports? Never, with one exception – it causes harm to them or their family. Anything can be taken to the extreme and can cause harm.

Otherwise, if you love a particular sport, team or what have you, by all means, enjoy the hell out of it! It gives you pleasure, so take pleasure in it.

However, let me make this perfectly clear. There are subjects I love. There are books that love, games I adore, shows that I can hardly wait to watch.

NO ONE. And I mean absolutely NO ONE has any right to insult me for enjoying anything. Especially when something I enjoy causes no harm to anyone anywhere at any time.

Just because you don’t like something I do does NOT give you the right to insult me or what I enjoy.

This happened on my private Facebook page – one of my friends took offense to something I like and insulted it.

I let it slide, this time. I will say this however, I will never allow such a slight to slide again, ever. If you don’t like something that I do, feel free to state that you don’t enjoy it. AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT RUDE OR INSULTING! If however, you feel that you need to insult me for what I like, keep your god-damned opinion to yourself.

I will defriend / block people who do that to me on my pages.

There, little rant over.

As always please like my personal author Facebook page and follow me on Twitter!

Until next week, stay warm, stay happy and remember, Spring is 5 weeks away!

Peace!

Chris Van Deelen is the author of the Skirmisher Publishing LLC sourcebook  Creatures of the Tropical Wastes  sourcebook, co-author of its  Wisdom from the Wastelands  game supplement and contributor to the  'Sword of Kos: Hekaton'  Anthology.