tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89635633141469509902026-06-21T01:00:00.118-04:00This blog tracks the epic of kick-starting a whole writing career, with spies and thrillers, now saints and vampires. I cover the creative process, stuff that blows up, history, philosophy, and theology. If you like any or all of the above, you'll like this one. We talk about comic books, movies, music, and writing. Usually, all at the same time. [Note: All Amazon links here are associate links. Which means nothing to you, but it means Declan Finn gets a few pennies for the sale. Thank you.]Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.comBlogger1803125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-24702023659347636082026-06-21T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-21T01:00:00.114-04:00

 So, as keruru asked…Ah, everyone’s favorite subject. Artificial Intelligence. Otherwise known as Genuine Stupidity.Yes. AI is a tool. I have used it a little. Very little. But the limits are hard and fast and oh boy are you going to need to work it over with a crowbar by the time you’re done.A while back, maybe a year ago, I tried AI to see just how much of a threat it was. I posted about

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-59973294251249481582026-06-20T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-20T01:00:00.206-04:00

 JDM85 Asked:I don’t really have a process. Sometimes I get an idea stuck in my head and it won’t let go. And every book is different.Love at First Bite started off as my sister’s fan fiction. I took over and it spiraled. Saint Tommy NYPD started with an idea in college.Hell Spawn: If a wonder worker cop, we need a possessed serial killer.Death Cult: Clearly, the cult raised the

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-72216249271163354912026-06-19T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-19T01:00:00.117-04:00

 Don’t worry. I’m still doing the AMAs. But it’s spiraled. What doesn’t? However, there are a few cute bits of business that I’ve tripped over on the internet. And there are a few bits coming up that are time sensitive.This is something that I’ve enjoyed and would like to share with y’all.I grew up in my household with the music Professor Peter Schickele, the creator of PDQ Bach—21st of JS

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-15340757565431136522026-06-18T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-18T01:00:00.123-04:00

 Codex redux asked.Well, I’m alive so far. So proof of life, check.As for new books … I’ve got about 45 of them. Ish. I think. I started the insanity that is my publishing life in 2012 with It Was Only On Stun! The following is a bit of a chart of “if you were reading things in publication order” ... We’d start with...It Was Only On Stun! (Convention Killings Book 1)If you weren’t here when

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-65917373331659730672026-06-17T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-17T01:00:00.115-04:00

 Ask me anything #2 goes:Now, Brent is one of the cocreators of the Land & Sea series. Since I’ve just finished writing Land & Sea #?? as a followup to #10, it all dovetails together nicely, I think.Most of what gets me writing in general are the voices in my head. I get twitchy when I’m not writing. When I’m not reading on top of that, I’m downright not healthy to be around.Then

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-56696730840819350282026-06-16T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-16T01:00:00.112-04:00

 The first question for my AMA is from L. Jagi Lamplighter Wright:You’d think someone who knows me personally would just ask me directly. But whatever. A deal’s a deal.Then a later comment wasYikes. I didn’t realize my silence was THAT concerning. So, first things first. How I’m enjoying Texas.I finally found spring.For parts of my youth in New York, I have distinct memories of the spring.

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-73721360108001329842026-06-15T13:00:00.000-04:002026-06-15T13:00:00.112-04:00

 I vaguely knew that Manowar existed.When I saw that they did a cover of “Nessun Dorma” from Turandot, I figured I’d be getting a metal version.I did not expect this.Buy my booksBuy from Tuscany Bay

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-25752875946243067482026-06-15T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-15T01:00:00.110-04:00

 Someone made the mistake once of asking me about “literature.” I wrote this out. Since it’s a whole freaking essay, I figure I might as well post it.Growing up, I had always understood / defined a book of literature as anything that survives the generation that published it.You will note that this immediately scraps such works of “literature” as Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, or even

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-83337236190167069822026-06-14T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-14T01:00:00.120-04:00

In my last post on world affairs, I discussed Operation Epic Fury On the flip side of the Iran issue is, well, Israel. That seems to be a topic of interest as well.What do I think?Why is there an Israel? Let’s begin at the beginning. Israel exists today largely because of the Holocaust.And yes, the Holocaust happened. Millions died in concentration camps. Six million were Jews. About two million

JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814150020818004193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-45317124218529346142026-06-13T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-13T01:00:00.163-04:00

 Want to know what I did with my weekend?I usually listen to the Unsubscribe Podcast, with AK Guy Brandon Herrera, Nic the Fat Electrician (historian), and Eli Cuevas, veteran, et al.I don’t do PSAs … unless it’s Palmetto State Armory. I really like some of their stuff…Anyway, this is a bit about Deliver Fund. It’s founded by Nic McKinley, who used to be a United States Air Force Pararescue

JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814150020818004193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-91811693574204148762026-06-12T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-12T01:00:00.113-04:00

 Originally published on Substack, April 27, 2026So how was your weekend?I hear the White House Correspondents Dinner was entertaining. All five minutes of it. That’s when No King’s Fan Cole Tomas Allen, a California teacher, John Scalzi fan, and shi**y game designer, tried to take a whack at the President of the United States. Because third time’s the charm?For those of you keeping score at

JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814150020818004193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-73936232829087282582026-06-11T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-11T01:00:00.126-04:00

 I follow odd people online. One of which is “King Trout,” the token Catholic on the Unsubscribe Podcast.On a random Instagram post, a random melody played. My only hint was “Globus. Europa. Instrumental version.”Huh. I like the melody. Not sure I can understand it. Let’s find this song.And … well, for the historian in me, I liked this one. Keep in mind, for a 2006 song, I think it hits a

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-82159648192251595752026-06-10T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-10T01:00:00.111-04:00

 The Joys of Marketing…There aren’t any.We hates it, precious. We hates it forever.Obviously, there’s more to it than that. If you’ve been around me for five minutes, you know how much I hate marketing. If you look at the best marketer in existence … you’ll also find one of the best selling authors, and maybe one of the worst writers. (Looking at you, James Patterson.)As far as sales go,

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-10743986938517579732026-06-09T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-09T01:00:00.126-04:00

I used to review the TV shows I watched. Over the last three years, that hasn’t happened as much, because there was nothing I felt was worth even talking about.And now, things are a little different.So, a few TV shows to discuss.RJ DeckerI did not see this coming.ABC flooded every conceivable channel and outlet with commercials for this show. I could not escape the ads if I tried. I couldn’t make

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-52595863581887796682026-06-08T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-08T01:00:00.122-04:00

 I occurred to me that someone asked me a question, and I never answered it. Literally, never. And it was about my books. I didn’t answer because it was a question on Facebook, and my reply would be a freaking blog article…Oh wait, I have one of those.The question was, “How did you turn a thirty page short story into a Tuscany Bay Books novel?”Come with me now back to 1998. I was writing

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-5645531317270525332026-06-07T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-07T01:00:00.118-04:00

While doomscrolling Instagram the other day, I tripped over a story that, well…Apparently, James Gunn says it’s SOOO hard to do a Batman film, because so many Batman stories have been told. It’s so overexposed. Batman’s boring…Yes. Really. Gunn said that. Closing in on 100 years of Batman, and he can’t find a story that hasn’t been done. Yeah. Sure.Dude, get a hair stylist. And this is me

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-16381213274219290032026-06-06T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-06T01:00:00.173-04:00

 In March, I learned a fun new fact.Three Ravens Press is divesting itself of a lot of properties, trying to focus on their primary IPs—something called JTF13 and something else called Car Wars. If you don’t know what these things are, I’m not going to explain.What does this matter to me worth a damn?Fun fact: my original Love at First Bite trilogy came out through them…Yes. This series has

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-19601071854715842072026-06-05T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-05T01:00:00.116-04:00

Normally, I would say that most books should be made into TV shows, if not just plain old miniseries. Read the novel Jurassic Park, and you see just how much of a pale imitation the film is. Heck, read both Critchon novels, you can see just how much story was jammed in, then cut up and sprinkled over so many films. It’s why miniseries were so big in the 80s—take a James Clavell novel,

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-60696332507430616542026-06-04T01:00:00.000-04:002026-06-04T01:00:00.113-04:00

 Since Ghostbusters 20161 Hollywood producers have learned the code to shield themselves from reprisals: Blame the fans. If the media product bombs, the fans are too misogynistic, racist, homophobic, whatever.But also since then, actors have used it to signal to the audience that “Yeah, this movie is going to suck. You’ve been warned.” Whether they’ve meant to signal it or not. Sandra

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-89457544975512505952026-06-03T16:23:01.233-04:002026-06-03T16:23:01.233-04:00

 Remember this rant? How Tremors Can save Hollywood It is exactly as the title suggests.But this is the particularly important part.And yes, the film makers knew how to stretch a dollar. They put a dollar on the rack and they just kept twisting until the dollar screamed. Mostly by using horror tropes to their advantage — using the Monster’s POV (like Jaws), having Bad Things Happen to

JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814150020818004193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-36010613538559879152025-03-06T15:11:00.005-05:002025-03-06T15:11:34.307-05:00

 Originally posted on Substack on March 11, 2024. So, there will be another update on this coming soon.Texas is going well. There's no snow, thank God. I never want to see snow again. Books have not yet been fully unpacked yet. But we're getting there. A few more months should do it. We're almost done unpacking fiction. Next is nonfiction. The rest is my father’s “To be read” boxes — packed

JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814150020818004193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-61585661859437188152025-03-06T15:01:00.004-05:002025-03-06T15:01:22.366-05:00

 There have been some poor little babies over on Amazon who have objected to things in my Saint Tommy NYPD series.They object to things like… Jokes about other Catholic orders. Jokes that my father, the 3rd order lay Dominican (OP, not DR), have told since the day I was born. Their sins being written down and insulted.Prayers. In something labeled **CATHOLIC** **ACTION** **HORROR**

JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04814150020818004193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-73455476285838576302025-03-06T14:50:00.005-05:002025-03-06T14:50:35.273-05:00

 I usually have to do this at least once a year for my own sanity … despite how little sanity there really is.This is going to be a quick list of my books. And yes, I mean quick. If you want a previous, long, drawn out version, you can check here. That one is from … 2021? That’s the most recent one? That’s … odd.Anyway, let’s do this quickly.To start with, all of my books can be found here,

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-87633666908879744472025-03-06T14:48:00.009-05:002025-03-06T14:48:54.320-05:00

 Do you remember the anthology Shoot the Devil?As I said yesterday, it was a unique premise… confront demons; beat them to death.My story back then was of a demon hunter working off his penance. It was the narrator, the damsel, and the demon. And the demon bounced back from being hit by a bus.And then there’s Shoot the Devil 2: Dark Matter.Buy Shoot the Devil: Dark MatterThe premise here is

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8963563314146950990.post-22157236036116928742025-03-06T14:46:00.000-05:002025-03-06T14:46:04.384-05:00

 Thirteen tales of Horror, perfect for a dark and stormy Friday the 13th…or a sunny Tuesday afternoon.From science fiction to classic European horror, interwoven with layers of creep factor, gore, and mystery that will keep you turning the page…while looking over your shoulder.So, light the candles, stir the cauldron, and check your ammo count, because things are about to get darkStarring

Declan Finnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16294934053308578796noreply@blogger.com0