Author Archives: JBM
Final Midnight City Artwork
It’s both exciting and sad to post illustrator/animator Evan Cagle’s last artwork from MIDNIGHT CITY. Exciting because it’s so awesome, but sad because I love seeing these images come in. Evan’s amazing talents have really helped bring the CONQUERED EARTH world to life. I think he saved the best for last. It’s a moment fairly early in the book, where […]
New Project Announcement: DEEP
You might not think so, but I do write other material besides giant, dystopian, science fiction. For instance, I toyed with the idea of doing a Victorian romance, but I figured…stick with what works. No aliens in this one, but it is all under water with cool submarines. June 08, 2012 03:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time Director Shane Acker (“9”), […]
Giving a Story World a Sense of “Real”
It’s interesting, I see a fair amount of articles and blogs on the subject of creating story worlds in speculative fiction, or “world building”. It’s a worthy subject no doubt, but for me there’s one aspect that seldom gets mentioned in these discussions, and in many cases also gets overlooked in finished novels and movies. It’s this: giving that story […]
TRON LEGACY: A Missed Opportunity
This isn’t most the topical blog post, but I recently rewatched the Blu-ray version of TRON: LEGACY, and felt like commenting about it. While it’s visually stunning, the film itself, sadly, leaves a lot to be desired. Which is a shame. To me, this movie is a tremendous missed opportunity for Disney to establish a dynamic, unique, massively entertaining franchise. […]
New Midnight City Artwork
The amazing illustrator/animator Evan Cagle has finished his second original piece of art from Midnight City, and this one, in my opinion, is even more stunning than the first. It’s a glimpse inside Midnight City itself, showing its most infamous landmark: the Scorewall. As always, click for the full screen experience. In addition, Evan has allowed me to include some […]
Smash Party
My friend Greg and I recently braved an ominous sounding event named Smash Party. It’s a once a year thing in Los Angeles, put on by an animation studio called Titmouse. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re the guys behind Metalocalypse. It’s without a doubt the oddest (and probably most cathartic) company party you’ll ever go to. The first […]
First Midnight City Art
Supremely talented illustrator/animator Evan Cagle will be creating three original pieces of art based on Midnight City, the first of which is included here. It can also be seen at the top of the main page. Evan’s piece shows one of the final moments of the first book, and gives a first glimpse at a pivotal location in the Conquered […]
Carnival, Los Angeles, April, 2012
Recently, a traveling carnival set up shop in a park near where I live in Los Angeles. I always loved these things, even though most of them are run down and rusty (and probably not the safest way to spend your time). The idea of traveling from place to place is romantic in a way, though the reality, I have […]
So, a Writer walks into a coffee shop…
I’m writing this in a small, hip, yet not over the top diner near my apartment. It’s one of my favorite places. I can walk here when the weather’s nice (which it usually is). I know the servers and the managers. My poor math skills result in them getting tipped well, and they give me a free dessert or a […]
Midnight City Available for Pre-Order on Amazon
Midnight City, the first book of the Conquered Earth series, is available for pre-order on Amazon
