So here I am - working away on the manuscript while New York shakes off winter and eases into spring. Some nice days lately, blooming flowers, crowded ice cream shops, and strollers, strollers everywhere.

I find myself staring at strollers quite a bit (and probably frightening the parents). My wife and I are expecting our baby boy in less than two months now and the reality of becoming a father is starting to set in. We've been tackling a project each week - putting up drapes, building a crib, attending birthing classes, etc. Babies are complicated creatures who need a lot of stuff...who knew?!? We're very excited to welcome our little guy into the world and no...he will not be named Max ;)

But enough of that stuff - let's talk Maelstrom! I've been racing against the baby to [...]
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Sketch of the Day: I'm working on plates these days (full page illustrations scattered throughout the book). Here's a little beauty - or eight of them. Haglings have arrived at Rowan. Not quite as cute and cuddly as they might initially appear, please note their little muzzles.... Regarding the sketch itself, I lik...e the overall composition, but have some things to work out with the lighting. Also, Mum's a little too "pretty"...

Some of my favorite additions to The Fiend and the Forge (September 2010) are undoubtedly the haglings.  These toothy creatures might be small and dressed in starchy little uniforms, but don't turn your back on Bellagrog's hungry little brood.  In fact, according to some, haglings can be even more ferocious than their full-grown counterparts.  A few things to keep in mind:

• Hag reproduction is a mystery.  In Bellagrog's own words, "there ain't no male hags."
• Haglings seem to be spawned and, like sharks and serpents, are almost immediately lethal
• Haglings don't receive names until they reach their tweens.  Relatively few haglings reach their naming ceremony as the life of a hagling is often nasty, brutish, and short.
• A wee hagli [...]
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Well, here I am - living, breathing, sleeping, and writing in the Big City.  New York is a far cry from San Francisco or even Chicago.  Altogether busier, which is both good and bad.  Good in the sense that there's an incredible, inspirational crush of energy, cultures, noise, sights, and even smells.  Bad in the sense that there are times when you'd like to turn all of that off and just be.

Fortunately, I'm living in Brooklyn in a leafy neighborhood called Park Slope.  Lots of cute restaurants and cafes to explore when I can emerge from the packing boxes.  Lest you think I'm ignoring Max McDaniels, however, I can assure you that I am not.  In fact, here are some updates on the series generally and The [...]
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