The Steampunk Gentleman

I wanted to learn all the proper ettiquette and dress for steampunk. A massive journey for somebody raised by wolves in Minnesota. Here's what I've learned so far...

KL Forslund

Aug 20
4 min

Word Count Limits

Except in novel writing, I am a man of too many words. Sure, I can plow through a scene in less than five hundred words (not a good...

5 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jul 6
6 min

A Storm is Beryling Down

We might see a hurricane here in Houston. Per the latest news, Hurricane Beryl could take a right and curve up toward Houston. My sources...

3 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jun 10
2 min

Zora

If you haven’t watched the series finale of Star Trek: Discovery, go watch that. I’ll wait.

3 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Apr 11
3 min

Authors, Books, & Bigotry?

How do you know if a book is fostering bigoted values? How do you know if the author is a bigot? This week, a friend of mine brought the...

3 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Mar 30
3 min

Casting Traps

This is a woke article about potential pitfalls in casting characters in your stories. There, that should chase away the jerks. Let’s get...

10 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Feb 19
11 min

D&D: Story Arcs

This is part two of how I “wing” DMing an adventure using a few tricks from my writing toolbelt. I started with showing how to make up an...

16 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jan 28
3 min

D&D: Setting Prep

Before the D&D campaign begins, it would help if I knew what the setting looked like. Technically, I have skipped everything but naming...

2 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Dec 30, 2023
1 min

A New Year

It’s the end of 2023, and the future is coming. Who doesn’t love cryptic predictions. Plus, I need the practice for the wizard novel....

1 view0 comments

KL Forslund

Nov 23, 2023
11 min

No!

I liked chess as a kid because it gave me so many choices. The kids at school hated playing chess with me because I took away all their...

10 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Oct 4, 2023
2 min

Every Tomorrow Worse?

I did it! I sold a story. As this website and blog are evidence, it took awhile. Let's get to the cover and links before I tell the back...

9 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 30, 2023
8 min

D&D: Deities of Tychaíos

The world began with an idea, which began with a being. At first, darkness covered the land and stayed that way for a long time. But then...

10 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 16, 2023
11 min

D&D: Scenic Encounters

The party is on its way to the dungeon that sounded appealing. It’s hot. Mosquitos are biting. The trees are just standing there as the...

5 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 1, 2023
4 min

D&D: House Rules

After a long hiatus, I am back in the Dungeons and Dragons saddle. I started with 2nd Edition back in 1990. Played tons of 3rd edition,...

11 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Aug 19, 2023
3 min

SP: Risvep

Captain Locke pulled the chain next to the door. A bell rattled on the other side. A moment later, a pale butler opened the door. The...

10 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jul 18, 2023
5 min

The Stones

A long time ago, in a year called 2010, I had a pain in my back. Right around where the kidney was. A trip to the doctor, and an...

15 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jun 3, 2023
2 min

How It Begins

Life is pain. That’s what the Dread Pirate said. At some point, you get used to it. The aching knees. Fingers that don’t bend so...

3 views0 comments

KL Forslund

May 14, 2023
3 min

An Eye for Cake

Lucky sat patiently while kids droned through the Happy Birthday song. They were at the Norns verse. He didn’t know why they came. His...

11 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Apr 19, 2023
3 min

AI Art isn't Steampunk

Steampunk is set in the era of machine replacing man, but that’ doesn’t mean the genre is in favor of that. Quite the opposite in fact....

18 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Mar 15, 2023
5 min

AI Novels

Am I the only person curious if something can be done, but not keen on seeing it? The internet is flooded with AI generated images and...

8 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jan 27, 2023
4 min

Back to the Well

They say you shouldn’t start a story with dialogue. But sometimes that’s how a story starts. A question. An answer. A moment later the...

9 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Dec 25, 2022
1 min

A Christmas Carol

I'm sitting here this Christmas morning with my dog snuggled up next to me and the water shut off so the pipes don't freeze. It's a good...

9 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Nov 24, 2022
10 min

Coming Home

Landing in Houston should be the last leg in my odyssey. My neck hurt from staring out the window at the grey clouds with my good eye. It...

18 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 5, 2022
7 min

Choices

I’ve only got one eye, but I saw too much. Rain dragged me out to the mall so she could get new clothes for work. She said I needed to...

21 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jun 18, 2022
3 min

Soldier Cosplay

Comicpalooza announced guests from the Stargate series this week. Which gave me the idea to dress up as a SG team. I hope actors get a...

6 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Apr 28, 2022
3 min

In Space, Noone Can Hear You Poo

“Carson, did you see that streaker?” “What? Just now?” “Yes now. Do not clown on me.” “This is Tokei, Mokoaji,are you sure?” “I saw a...

20 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Mar 5, 2022
1 min

Ukraine

Don’t you love it when somebody who’s got no particular expertise or experience pontificates on a subject as if their opinion matters a...

13 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Feb 2, 2022
1 min

What Happened to January?

Holy crap, it's February. January got away from me. New job. Projects. Carpal Elb-ow attack. I'll be okay, so will you. Since it is...

2 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Dec 24, 2021
23 min

Two Minutes to Midnight

It turns out that if you stand vigil in your wife’s hospital room for three days, you get a dream sequence. I can’t feel my feet anymore,...

24 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Nov 25, 2021
9 min

White Wedding

I’d never been to a wedding, so I wasn’t sure if a goat attack was part of the ceremony. Back when Rain and I married, we drove to a...

61 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Oct 29, 2021
1 min

Trick or Tweet 2021

In honor of the Halloween season, I participated in #TrickOrTweet2021. The rules were simple, write a scary story including the hashtag...

13 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 26, 2021
4 min

Metric of Writing

Now and then, folks need to account for their work. Also, I needed a topic for this month. So let’s talk about my book in progress....

8 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Aug 22, 2021
5 min

Skinwords

I’m old enough that my color crayon box had one called Fleshtone. I remember remarking that it didn’t really match me that well. I ended...

59 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jul 27, 2021
5 min

Using Scene & Sequel

A few weeks back I wrote a program. I reckon that’s not unusual, given that I program for a living. But this one I wrote for myself. ...

39 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jun 20, 2021
1 min

Juneteenth

Sometimes the news is a little slow. Like when NPR said Juneteenth was the day enslaved Americans found out they were free. Texas is a...

9 views0 comments

KL Forslund

May 8, 2021
5 min

Idea Farm

I can tell you where the Mississippi starts, but not where the water comes from. The same is true for ideas. Folks ask creatives like...

11 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Apr 25, 2021
3 min

Masked Reasoning

We’re a year later and folks are still arguing about masks. My drive has a couple drafts of unpublished articles on the subject. It...

11 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Mar 29, 2021
1 min

Got Shot Today

I got shot today. It was a setup. They knew I was coming. I drove to this place where I had to prove who I was. Then I waited. My turn...

23 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Feb 28, 2021
8 min

Axis of Diversity

One of the most impactful things Gene Roddenberry did for society was putting Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise. Countless...

23 views2 comments

KL Forslund

Feb 20, 2021
9 min

Frigid In Texas

Others had it worse, but the Freeze of 2021 wasn’t fun for us, either. I feel like it’s a touchy subject because I got lucky and I had...

94 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Feb 7, 2021
3 min

The State of Black Science Fiction

We honor the dead on Memorial Day, but they’re here to remind us every day. We forgive on Forgiveness Day, but we should be doing that...

296 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jan 31, 2021
6 min

Twitter for Newbs

The question of how to use Twitter as an author came up a few times this week, and I’ve got some answers. Here’s everything I’ve...

37 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Dec 21, 2020
6 min

Dino-Pirates Christmas Special

The Part Where Sulking Happens Captain Raptor glared at the mirror, his baleful eye unblinking in the dim light of his cabin. His head...

13 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Nov 26, 2020
6 min

What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor

Never split up the party, unless everybody wants to see different things at the Ren Fair. Like last year, the wizards gathered at my...

46 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Oct 31, 2020
29 min

Murder Most Fowl

Warning: Swearing, Violence, Fan-fiction The clues that Moreau Cay was a murder island were there from the day I woke up inside the...

45 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 20, 2020
5 min

Cross Animals

Seeing K.K Slider play all morning in the rain, I tried to put a cup of hot cocoa down for him. Tom Nook’s voice blared over the PA,...

7 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Sep 7, 2020
3 min

Done But Not Done

Last night, I wrote the ending to the novel I started writing back in 2018. A little over two years pecking at the project. Technically,...

15 views2 comments

KL Forslund

Aug 1, 2020
3 min

NI:22 Everthing's Not Back to Normal

#42 walked along the beach. It had been a long day, but the ninjas were home and repairs were being made to the villages of Ninja Island....

9 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jul 17, 2020
1 min

Social Bubbling

It’s time to put a bubble in your ear. Everybody misses their friends. Seeing all of them would increase the risk of infection for...

13 views1 comment

KL Forslund

Jul 6, 2020
2 min

Crossing Animals With Dr. Moreau

I have found a new way to procrastinate. The wife got Animal Crossing a few weeks back. She let me try it last Monday. So far Moreau Cay...

4 views0 comments

KL Forslund

Jun 23, 2020
7 min

NI21: Band-aids Can't Fix This

Rhoda awakened early. She wasn’t sleeping well in the short time she’d been aboard Tyrant’s Revenge. Nobody trusted anybody on this...

3 views0 comments

KL Forslund

I write words. Some of them are good.

The Steampunk Gentleman