Not To Be Maudlin, But…

…it just dawned on me that today is my Dad’s 81st birthday. Rest in peace, Pop. And happy birthday.

Here’s a pic of the elder Knight back in his salad days in Houston. His beard looks skimpy because he’d shaved it off a few weeks earlier, and my brother and I melted down in tears when we saw him. Looking back, it was pretty funny.

Turow In A Row, Again

“Self-Publishing? We don’t need no stinking self-publishing!”

Seems that the ever-adroit and much-beloved Scott Turow, president of the so-called Authors Guild, has stepped into it, once again.

You might be inclined to believe that the Authors Guild–and its titular leader, Scott Turow–would be interested in protecting authors from the land-grab tactics of traditional publishing (purists demand the term “trade publishing” be used, but fuck ‘em, sez I). This is so hilariously far from the mark that it’s almost beyond me to articulate it. Suffice to say, the Guild (and Mr. Turow!) are more interested in protecting guilded cages than anything else.

But rather than bore you all with retelling past events, I’ll allow those who are substantially more accomplished at such activities do all the heavy lifting:

Check out David Gaughran’s wonderful deconstruction of Turow’s argument, and his rather pointed illustrations of Turow and the Author Guild’s heinous double-standards.

Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler, the Abbot & Costello of self-publishing, do a bit of dragon slaying of their own.

Really, Turow. With a guy like you pinch-hitting for the rest of us, no wonder most writers are broke.

THE FARM Now Available!

My “Gathering Dead” short story, The Farm, is now available on Amazon, for a mere 99₵. It’ll appear on other platforms over the coming days, and please, forgive the abbreviated description–that was just a placeholder I dropped in, but neglected to correct before it was published. I’ll get that squared away as soon as I can.

Will be MIA in Texas all of next week, so y’all have yourself some fun while I’m away!

And The Credits Roll…

Today, as many of you doubtless know, film critic and American Pundit-at-Large Roger Ebert died.

Like a lot of people, I “knew” Roger from those halcyon days of yore, when he ran a subforum in the universe formerly known as CompuServe. While we had some interesting exchanges and I grew to admire the man’s intellect and keen insight, I wasn’t one of the forum participants who knew him the very best. But my Showbiz Media Forum pal and indie screenwriter W.C. Martell did, and he wrote a fantastic eulogy over on his blog, sex-in-a-sub. (The blog is clean; the title stems from Bill’s success in the 1990s writing submarine movies.)

So without further ado: RIP: Roger Ebert.

I’m sure Siskel saved him a seat.

April is Autism Awareness Month…

Art for Left With The Dead, A “Gathering Dead” Novella. Artwork by Jared Rackler

…and both Gartrell and McDaniels want you to push Left with the Dead on everyone you know, because all proceeds for this month will be donated to Autism Speaks. The crusty first sergeant might have failed in his mission, but you can complete yours, and without fighting the dead. Autism is everywhere, folks. Do what you can to help the professionals figure it out, so parents with those afflicted might one day find some respite from the constant worry that always gnaws at them. And bonus points for helping those who have fallen victim to the disorder, as well!

For myself, my little boy was diagnosed with autism when he was about three. He doesn’t speak, has some emotional distress conditions, but he’s beautiful and happy. Poppa Knight and Momma Knight ship him off to the best schools in the area, and we keep him growing and learning as best as we can. Despite everything we do, though, his road will be a hard one. So give a kid a hand and tell folks there’s this little book out there that might add some pennies to the war effort, eh?

I don’t normally post personal pictures and the like here, but I’ll bust open the piggy bank this time. Say hello to my son, Brian.

THE GATHERING DEAD Score Suite!!! (aka, My Mind is Blown)

Courtesy of one rather excellent composer named Sean Beeson, let your ears feast on this “audition” for the score of The Gathering Dead! It’s just mind-blowing! Hugh Howey only got a main title for his WOOL, but I got a suite! BOOYAH! (Though the title music for WOOL is pretty damned good too, I must say.)

Fo’ Shizzle!

The ever-humorous Derek Paterson sent me the following link. Do view and experience mirth and merriment. And remember, political correctitude doesn’t live here.

Knight’s Landing: Gizoogled!

Next Week: THE GATHERING DEAD Is Free!

The Gathering Dead

Just a little heads-up for those of you who might have put off reading The Gathering Dead. Wait no longer, because for five short days, it will be free on Amazon, starting March 25 through March 29. Already bought it? Well, I thank you for your patronage, and urge you to recommend the book to your friends. Look at it this way: the price will certainly be right,and if they hate it, they got what they paid for.

Sidebar, Yer Honor: Earthfall has been doing some great business. Thanks for all of you who helped make it such a success. I’m very happy that I’m able to move into a new genre and pick up a passel of readers who have never seen my stuff before, but without you guys piling on for the initial buys, it wouldn’t have climbed so far up the charts in such a short time. You’re all good folks, even if you are a bit deranged to think I write good stuff. (And if you’ve read it, please leave a review!)

Still looking to push The Farm out next week, but with tax season upon me, it might be delayed until the following week. Not to worry, though. It’ll be along quite soon!

Craig DiLouie Reviews EARTHFALL

EARTHFALL Print Cover…ain’t it purty?

Something that I totally forgot to crow about…the inimitable Craig DiLouie posted a review of Earthfall! It’s a great honor to have a guy as savvy and brilliant as Craig give my work a thumbs-up, and for those who don’t know his work, check out the truly horrific and ultra-detailed Tooth and Nail and his excellent Infection series, The Infection and The Killing Floor. Craig also just announced a prime-time publishing deal with Simon & Schuster for his upcoming novel, Suffer the Children, which sounds pretty damned frightening. (The book, of course–not the deal.)

Here’s some of what Craig has to say about Earthfall:

[Knight] raises the technical and military detail in his books completely off the Michael Crichton scale and to the point of fetish, which is good for me as a reader, because I love a tense, action-packed apocalyptic story told with extreme realism. On every page, you know you are being told a story by a guy who knows his business. The all-terrain fighting machines the Harmony explorers use to cross the wastelands are virtually characters in the book, and I loved every minute of screen time they had. They’re fantastic–the ultimate ROAD WARRIOR vehicles. Knight’s attention to detail and realism also means his characters don’t do anything that has you slapping your head in disbelief. From the steady Captain Andrews to the haunted veteran Mulligan, they’re stark, likable, tough.

Thanks a million, bro!

Coming Soon: THE FARM, A “Gathering Dead” Short Story

What happened to the troops after Gartrell was whisked out of New York City? Well, we find out about the remains of one unit as they try hard to get back to their home post, Fort Drum…