Blog – Page 27 – The Designer Monologues

July 27, 2018July 27, 2018

Far West Update: Home Stretch

你好, folks —

Home Stretch.

I’m working through this weekend, but it doesn’t look like I’m going to hit my self-imposed deadline of July. (I know, I know — I’ve already beat myself up over this.) It is what it is, and July has been challenging.

Regardless: I’m fairly sure that I only need a week to get things squared away — but, to be on the safe side, I’m going to give myself two.

The coming week, of course, is GenCon. I will not be going. For those of you who are, I hope you have a great time!

Also, for those of you who are lucky enough to be living in a city where this will be screening, the new Tsui Hark movie, Detective Dee & the Four Heavenly Kings, is opening this weekend:

Alas, the nearest theater to me that has it is 517 miles away, in Plano, Texas. Which is probably a good thing — I have work to do, after all! But if it’s playing near you, check it out and let me know what you think!

—
Gareth-Michael Skarka
Lawrence, KS
27 July 2018

July 10, 2018

FAR WEST Weekly Update, July 10th

Hey there —

Another quick one (as all of them will be in July, as I get this wrapped up) — work continues.

Other news this week, of FAR WEST-related interest. The composer Carlos Rafael Rivera contacted me via Twitter to let me know that his score to the Netflix series GODLESS is now available (I’d contacted him back in December asking about it, and apparently he was able to use my email and others to convince the label to do a release). I picked it up, and it’s now sitting in my FAR WEST writing playlist (which is also my background-during-gaming playlist, so that’s convenient!). Worth checking out, especially if you use music when you game. Here’s the opening track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9prkspi14xY

Back to work for me. As always, I’m available via email, Twitter, etc. if you need to reach me. In closing, I’ll leave you with a piece of interior art that I don’t think I’ve shared with you before (but yeah, I know — it’s been so long, I may have).

Hope everyone has a stress-free week. Talk to you again soon.

Gareth-Michael Skarka
Lawrence, Kansas
10 July, 2018.

June 29, 2018June 29, 2018

Far West Weekly Update, June 29th

A very brief one this week, folks, as I sit here in the blast-furnace hellscape of Kansas. Heat indices of 115+ are no kinda fun, especially when you live in a house with no central air — curse these 19th-century neighborhoods! Ah, well — I’ll just take it as “sensory research” for writing about the Thousand Mesas region!

Work continues, getting back onto schedule. I am still expecting to be sending a finished manuscript to layout (and to you) in July.

As always, I’m available via email/twitter/etc.

Stay cool, and to quote Warren Ellis from his email newsletter this past week: “Turn down the volume on the world when you need to. Go outside if you can. Make a fort if you can’t. Do what makes you happy. You’re allowed to, and you deserve to, and never let any bastard tell you otherwise.”

Gareth-Michael Skarka
Lawrence, Kansas
29th June, 2018