Upcoming Videos

Over the next six months there will be some new videos. 1st - A room review from the new Secrets resort in Panama (Playa Bonita). 2nd - A video overview of the layout and features of Playa Bonita 3rd - Nerds unite! A mix of stuff from the upcoming PAX East 2016!

The first video should hit sometime in February.

Mascot Down

We had to put Roscoe down a few hours ago.  He's been the mascot of this blog since is started.

July 3rd, 2002 to August 30th, 2015.

World Killer Is Back!

A much improved version of World Killer is back up.  The story is the same, but it's not a much cleaner read.

Around the World is up next for an overhaul.  I think that one will go quick.  It was in the best shape of all the books.

That's all I'm going to say about the future of my books. I'm lucky to have a professional editor who is willing to work for free.   That's not saying they don't get anything.  They get all the books for free and their name on the book.

You can get the updated version of World Killer here.

No More Books?

If you've tried to find my author page and failed, there is a reason for that.  All of my books have been taken down.  This means one of three things:

1. I finally gave up (possible)

2. Disney sued me (unlikely)

3. I got a new editor.

It's number three.  As many of you know, my books (excluding Around the World) were in terrible shape and desperately needed a good edit.  Thankfully I found someone who should be put up for sainthood.  She's blasting through World Killer and, holy crap did she ever find a ton of issues.  That's one of the reason I pulled the books.  I had no idea how bad they were, until she ripped through World Killer.

When some of the books return (some will never see the light of day again) they should be in much better shape.   I can't guarantee that all the novels will be back.  I have no idea how kind my new editor will be.

Photo of the Week: The Gulf of Mexico

Often when we hear about the Gulf of Mexico, you think of a nice, warm location.  The truth is, it can be, but it all depends what part you are in.  The Gulf of Mexico can also be a rather depressing place.

This photo was taken about a day from New Orleans.  What people don't realize is, when you go down the Mississippi, the last hundred miles is almost non-stop industry.  A big chunk of that industry is oil.

Once you exit the Mississippi you see non-stop oil platforms.  For hundreds of miles, you see oil platforms.  The above photo shows one tiny section of the horizon.  You can see a number of oil platforms.   If this was a 360 degree photo, you'd see dozens of platforms.

When we hear about oil platforms, we sometimes think that there are a dozen or so.  In reality, there are hundreds.  If you ever cruise out of New Orleans, you'll see this for yourself.

Photo of the Week - No Sitting...Unless You Are a Cat

One of the most famous tourist locations in Key West is the Ernest Hemingway house.  You can take a tour of the house for a nominal fee.  One of the highlights of the tour, is the cats.  Hemingway loved cats.  He had a slew of the.  Down to this day, the ancestors of Hemingway's cats live at the house.  You can find them all over the place.

If you ever end up down in Key West, make sure to check out the Hemingway House.

Photo of the Week: Foggy New Orleans

Due to it's location in the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans can experience some extremely thick fog, at times.  This was the case when our ship was arriving, early in the morning.

The fog level in this photo is low compared to what it was just a few minutes earlier.   The fog was also low in elevation.  The tops of some of the buildings were above the fog.

If you want to see what it was really like, I captured a video of the arrival.  You can see it here.  

Disney Book Update

A lot has gone down since I last did a book update.  Here is the current status of all my books and what's in the cooker.

1 - Twisted Disney - A book for the hardcore Deek only.  This book of satire is borderline insane.  It's available in ebook and paperback,

2 - CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World - The alternative Disney guide book.  This book was designed to compliment most other guidebooks.  It's available in ebook and paperback

3 - "World" Killer - The first book in the DW Mysteries.  In many ways this is the darkest book in the serious.  It lays the foundation for the next two books and The Advocates.  It's available in ebook and paperback.

4 - Around the "World" - Book two of the DW Mysteries.  This book is bigger, better, and more exciting that the first book in the series.  It's available in ebook and paperback.  It has the best editing out of the four books available in paperback, it has the best editing.

5 - Imagineered Death - The unpredictable end to the DW Mysteries.  Out of the three books in the DW Mysteries, this one is the most dynamic.  It's currently available in draft form and is being edited by my editor.  Right now, it's ebook only.

6 - Nemesis - Book one of The Advocates.  After the shocking end to Imagineered Death, Nemesis hits the ground running and doesn't stop until part of Disney World explodes (literally).  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

7 - The Shoals - Book two of The Advocates is less a mystery and more a thriller / adventure.   This is my personal favorite.  It has a major twist at the end.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

8 - Sojourn - Book three of The Advocates and the final book in the main story line.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

9 - Titan One - I take on sci-fi in this book.  It's the first book in The Unity series.   As a warning, if you have not read my other books, you will not understand the abrupt ending to this book.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

10 - The Harvesters - Book two in The Unity series.  This book takes the massive universe "Titan One" created and takes it to the next level.  The first draft is about 50% complete.

11 - Yukon Rush - A spin off of the DW Mysteries - This book revolves around a vacation Fidel Hernandez and Tina Black take.  That vacation spins into chaos when they stumble onto what appears to be a random killing.  This might get written someday.

12 - Beast - A spin off of The Advocates (Nemesis to be exact) - This book focuses on a string of strange killings near Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Hawk and Justin Yensid try to figure out if a strange monster is on the loose, or if something more sinister is going on.  If I ever write Yukon Rush, I might write this book.

That's all of them for now.   You can find all of the available ones here.

The Special Edition of "World" Killer is Now Available!

A special edition of "World" killer has been released.   This version of the book includes over sixty photos, video links, and research material that help the book come to life.

Beyond the new features, sections of the book have been rewritten to align the writing style with the other books in the series.  During the re-write a number of small typos were corrected as well.

If you are a Amazon Prime member, you can borrow the book for free.  If you are are a member of Kindle Unlimited you can get all my books for free, without having to deal with the one book a month limit.

The Special Edition is available here.

Serenade of the Seas Grand Suite Review (1536)

It can be difficult to decide what category state room to select when you are booking a cruise.   The real goal when choosing a state room needs to be getting a good value.  Value is incredibly hard to define.  What is a value for one person could be a total waste of money for another.  This is one of the reasons why I am writing this review.   I'm going to break down a Grand Suite on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas and what goes with it.

One - It's all about the gold card.  When you book a grand suite you receive a gold card that serves as your room key and credit card.   Overall, very few people get these.  When the ships crew see this card, they typically go above and beyond.  Honestly, the best thing you can do is get a lanyard with a clear card holder and wear the card around your neck.  Not only will you not lose the card, you will get better service.

Two - Getting on the ship.  A grand suite comes with priority boarding.  Sometimes they almost take your hand and walk you on the ship.  At other ports, like New Orleans,  they have no idea what you are doing, so you have to take control.  Bottom line -  no matter what is called, if you booked a grand suite, you get on with the first group you call.  Flash the gold card and you are good.

This sounds amazing, but all it really does is get you out of the holding pens and onto the ship.  You are confined to the public areas for about two hours.  Normally around 1pm you can go to your room.  If you hate crowds, this is going to be a big perk for you.

Three - The room itself is about three times the size of a typical balcony room.  It has a few extra perks to it, but overall there is nothing really amazing about these rooms.  The size is nice, the large balcony is nice, and the larger bathroom is cool.  However, do not expect anything really cool in the room itself.

To see the room in detail, check out this video.  It's an overview I did and uploaded to YouTube.  If you want a direct link, click here.

Four - The Concierge Club - Now for the real reason you book this suite.  The Concierge is more than just a guy who can book things for you.  He can do almost anything for you, while on the ship.  This guy is almost a personal assistant.  He busts his hump to make you happy.

On top of that the private club that only a few people have access to, has 24hr coffee, free alcohol for 4hrs a day, snacks, and more.  This lounge is awesome.  It's a nice play to relax and have a few drinks.  I should also mention that "coffee" is actually lattes and other high end beverages.  This lounge can save you hundreds over the corse of your cruise, if you have a couple drinks a night.

Five - The priority seating that comes with this stateroom is incredible.  You can see an example of it in the video above.  It's some of the best seating in the house and eliminates the need to get to a show thirty minutes early to get a good seat.   Make sure you use this perk.  It really is awesome.

Six - Getting off the ship - The end of your cruise is normally the worst.  Getting off the ship can be awful.  However,  when you book a grand suite, go to the lounge.  Once there you can have a light breakfast and then, the concierge will walk you off the ship.  I'm not kidding.  They walk you right off.  No waiting in huge lines or dealing with crowds.

Those are the biggest reasons to book a grand suite.  There are other perks too.  Ask your travel agent for more details or check out Royal Caribbean's website for more of the small details.

Now back to the room.  1536 is a non-adjoining room.  This is very important.  To see why, check out this video I took on the Grandeur of the Seas.   This is an overview of an adjoining room.

If you compare the two videos you also see that you have a little more usable room in a non-adjoining room.

You might have noticed that in both rooms, power is an issue.  The best thing you can do is to bring a small power strip.  It will really come in handy.

Now lets really pick apart this room.  I went digging and was able to uncover the age of this room.  This room is a little banged up if you look in the right places.  Check out these pictures.

A few dents in the ceiling.  How they got there, I have no idea.

 The wallpaper is starting to peel back in a number of areas like this.

If you zoom in, you'll notice a lot of dirt and mystery smudges.

Either the door was replaced or they did an awful job of hanging it.  It almost doesn't close.

The mirrors are showing their age.  You don't get wear like that overnight.  It normally takes many years.

Yes I'm splitting hairs there, but you pay a premium for this suite.  You deserve to know what it's going to be like.  These rooms are not in "premium" shape.

Overall a grand suite is a value IF you use all the perks and put a high value on your time.  A grand suite may not be a value if you don't mind crowds, don't mind waiting, don't drink alcohol, or are really traveling on a budget.  Again, unless you take advantage of all of the perks, it's not going to be worth it.

Photo of the Week: Gulf of Mexico Sunset

I know, calling this a "photo of the week" is a little bit of a joke.  I haven't posted a photo of the week in a very long time.

Anyways,  here is a photo I captured while at sea in the Gulf of Mexico.  I thought this would be a nice warm photo for everyone who is stuck in the middle of a cold winter.