Gwen has posted some beautiful pictures from the week we spent in Mexico with my family. Playa del Carmen was great fun, and we hope to head back there some day.

I had a ton of fun at RinCon in Tuscon, AZ, last weekend. So did a lot of other folks. Here's a taste, shot by myself and my friend Ryan.

Another story I read for PodCastle, Marie Brennan's "A Heretic By Degrees," is up. I struggled with this one, as it demanded that all four major characters be distinct and real. (Some of that may be due to the character work I'd done just the week before in Barbara Scott's workshop at the VIC.) I hope they come across as clearly to everyone as they did to me.

For reference, here are the seven stories I've read for PodCastle and Escape Pod:

• A Heretic By Degrees by Marie Brennan
• The Dreaming Wind by Jeffrey Ford
• Secret Life by Jeff VanderMeer
• Hotel Astarte by M.K. Hobson
• The House Beyond Your Sky by Benjamin Rosenbaum
• Tk'tk'tk by David D. Levine
• L'Alchimista by N.K. Jemisin

I love doing these, and I hope to do more (and perhaps other voice work) in the future.

I'm up for an award, and I need your help. Two minutes is all it takes.

The Voice of the Revolution, a gaming podcast I co-host with Brennan Taylor and that's produced by Ryan Macklin, has been nominated for the ENnie Award for Best Podcast. The results are based on an online vote, and voting is open to everyone. (It's limited to one vote per person, and restricted by computer/IP address.)

To support Ryan, Brennan, and me, follow these steps:

1. Go to http://www.ennie-awards.com/voting/voting.asp
2. Scroll down to where it says "17. Best Podcast"
3. In the drop-down box next to "The Voice of the Revolution" select "1"If you want to vote for other categories, please consider my friends at Atomic Sock Monkey / Evil Hat, One Bad Egg, Box Ninja, Contested Ground Studios, Green Ronin Publishing, Catalyst Game Labs, and Kunoichi/Archaia.
4. Click the "Submit my votes" button at the bottom of the page.

Voting closes on August 1st. Please forward this to anyone you think can help us out.

Thanks!

Today, the story-telling game I've been working (slowly) on for the last two years is shipping from the warehouse to customers. My comp copies arrived last week, and I'm amazed at how an idea that started as some notes scribbled in the back of a bus has turned into a tangible thing. I'm a little overwhelmed by the whole process, so I'm not really sure what else to say. You can read more about it, check out the promotional website, or order a copy.

Also: Woot!