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Game of Thrones – Croatia

January 17, 2012 | 3 Comments

HBO has pushed out another “behind the scenes” that features filming in Croatia.

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The Trade Paperback is Launched!

January 17, 2012 | 1 Comments

I got the latest proofs back from CreateSpace for my novel, The Darkening Dream, and they are looking great. While there are perhaps a few little tweaks possible to make them perfect, the presses are ready to roll, so I turned it on.

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Palm Springs – Colony Palms Hotel

January 16, 2012 | 0 Comments

During the holiday break my wife, son, and I made a quick little visit to Palm Springs and I would be remiss as a food blogger in not chronically the culinary aspects of the journey. Foodwise, as in many other ways, this little desert oasis is a bit of a throwback.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

January 14, 2012 | 0 Comments

TGWTDT is a peculiar literary and cinematic phenomenon. Wildly successful, it’s not your typical story or route to success. It also proves that some people, at least, still have an attention span.

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Paperback Getting Close

January 12, 2012 | 1 Comments

The “beta” of The Darkening Dream‘s Trade Paperback cover has come in and I submitted another proof. With any luck I might get it on sale next week, the week after for sure. The interior layout has been complete for…

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Crash goes to Japan – part 1

January 11, 2012 | 142 Comments

It’s probably hard for younger gamers to recognize the position in gaming that Japan occupied from the mid eighties to the late 90s. First of all, after video games rose like a phoenix from the “great crash of ’82” (in which the classic…

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Uh no, Takao again!

January 9, 2012 | 1 Comments

Another brilliant omakase at Takao, my favorite “neighborhood” modern-style sushi place. Takao avoids the over-trendy miss while serving up impeccable modern Japanese.

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Sucker Punched

January 8, 2012 | 3 Comments

The concept for Sucker Punch, whacked as it is, is actually pretty decent. The movie is also gorgeous and stylized. Yet… it just doesn’t really work at any rational level. Part Kill Bill, part Pan’s Labyrinth, part Inception, part Sin City, part video game cut scene, this film is all CGI glitz and fetishistic style.

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Near Dark – The Hurt Coffin

January 7, 2012 | 2 Comments

This is a very dark road horror movie shot in the days before anything was digital. Still, it’s more watchable even now than many a newer film. It has excellent direction, stylish cinematography by Cameron alum Adam Greenberg and an awesome moody Tangerine Dream score.

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Parlez vous Crash

January 6, 2012 | 51 Comments

At Naughty Dog, we pioneered the idea of simultaneous international release. It took a little while to perfect, but by Crash 2 and Crash 3 the same exact code ran all the worldwide versions. Both the games themselves and the marketing was highly localized and targeted. This attention after finishing the game to really polishing it up for the world really paid off in international sales.

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Game of Thrones – Renly’s Armor

January 5, 2012 | 0 Comments

I can’t resist a little continued geek out and bringing you a video on the making of Renly Baratheon’s armor for season 2 of Game of Thrones.

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The Final Cover

January 5, 2012 | 0 Comments

The final version of The Darkening Dream cover is finally ready!

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Special Prize Winners

January 3, 2012 | 1 Comments

The first round of the crazy Naughty Dark Contest already has not one, but two special prize winners! Both winners also wanted signed copies of the original Crash Bandicoot. Thank you!!

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For sale at B&N and Google

January 3, 2012 | 0 Comments

The Darkening Dream is now for sale at Barnes and Noble and the Google bookstore.

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Sugar & Spice

January 3, 2012 | 0 Comments

This disturbing indie crime thriller is about no less a subject then a serial killer with a taste for little girls. Apparently it’s been a runaway best seller in the UK but you’d have to be a total whack-a-doodle like me to even pick up something like this.

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Announcing the Naughty Dark Contest

January 2, 2012 | 5 Comments

This is the kickoff post for my new experimental — and hopefully permanent — giveaway program. Via this contest you, dear reader, will have the opportunity to win signed copies of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter games as well as my…

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A-Frame – Ultimate Picnic Food

January 1, 2012 | 1 Comments

Aframe is housed in a former IHOP — hence it’s architecture and the name. But this was a VERY tasty meal with a unique take on fairly uncomplicated food. Essentially, it’s very contemporary without being avant garde, and fuses eclectic flavors from around the world with American comfort foods.

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Cover Takes – Opinions Wanted!

December 31, 2011 | 19 Comments

Even after the product launch has begun, I’m still tinkering. My current cover now has an awesome image, but the overall effect isn’t quite bookish enough. So in the interest of total transparency I’ll continue to let you in on every intermediate step of the creative process.

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Kotaku Dreams

December 30, 2011 | 5 Comments

Gaming site Kotaku has run a quick little feature on The Darkening Dream today. What do you do after founding and retiring from one of video games’ most successful development houses? If you’re Naughty Dog co-founder Andy Gavin, you write…

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The Look – Pastor Parris

December 29, 2011 | 1 Comments

Pastor John Parris is the junior of my two point of view villains in The Darkening Dream. Given the kind of occult woodblock look I’ve been developing I tend to focus on the character’s magical nature to develop their icon. With Parris…

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