Just a quick note in case anyone didn’t know that LightSpeed Magazine now has reprinted “The Man Who Carved Skulls” on their website, and as of the 7th, it’s free, along with an Author Spotlight mini-interview which will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the story and the process that put it there. It’s set in the same universe as A Warrior of Dreams, but you certainly don’t need to have read the book to follow the story.

For no particular reason, I was thinking about rewards, those little things you do for yourself when you’ve accomplished something and deserve a treat. For a good hour’s guitar practice, for instance, last night I rewarded myself by jamming along with a recording of Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood playing “Cocaine” on YouTube. It’s also practice, in that it helps with things like taking cues from other players (play softer during Eric and Steve’s solos!) and keeping in time. Also a lot more fun than doing Spider Fingers.

Then I thought about writing rewards. What’s the reward for a good day’s writing? And I realized that I don’t give myself rewards for that. I look at the words produced and that makes me feel good all by itself.