Matto

Why my First Newsletter (and platform) Failed

Back in 2017 I launched my first platform. I had websites prior to that, but a platform can be so much more. Basically a system of integrated tools that provide certain services to me and my audience, a platform is where I can highlight my creative / professional work...

Birth of Matto

I wasn't born with the name Matto. Eventually though I adopted the nickname and now I am known more by that name than by my birth name. My partners use it, my friends use it, and some of my family uses it (I've asked them to all use it, but…). To me it's not just a...

I’m a professional at not touching my face…

...but to make the world better, I need your help. Photo by Augen Photographic. Union Station, Washington DC. I’m really good at not touching my face. I learned that restraint in Kung Fu class, back in college. If class had started, and you fidgeted, scratched, or...

State of the Matto (Jan-2020)

2019 had some rough spots, but I overcame them. Now, I'm looking forward with a fresh outlook. In 2019 I wrote a book and started its sequel, I started world-building a fantasy realm, and I started to learn game design by inventing some space-themed board games. I had...

Side Effects

In 2019 I went from 195 pounds after my surgery to 155 pounds. I decided I wanted to eat less and move more, and I did. But something else happened too. I almost entirely stopped drinking. I had been in the habit of enjoying a drink at night, even when my partners...

Changes Ahead

In January, 2019, we realized that our house had old termite damage that wasn't disclosed, an active termite infestation, and a lot of water entering the house and causing damage. This significantly impacted the home renovation timeline, and I put a lot of my personal...

I swear, World, you will not stop me!

I started writing the new book yesterday, then it stormed like crazy and water started flowing into my house like a river... I didn't get much done on the book. But I've got a plan, and after a late run to the hardware store for materials, I'll really get to work....

All up in that romance

I decided to write some romance, some hot, steamy, contemporary romance. Mmm. I finished the first book--all 80k words of it--and it's now at the proofer! I wrote the second book's outline during the 'let it sit' phase of the first book, and it's a beast: 9,500...

A Year of Renovations

What's better than rocking a cowboy hat? Sporting Infinite Vampire glasses at the same time! In 2017, I published the first 5 books in the Infinite Vampire series. I did it, but it was a brutal amount of work and it nearly killed me! After the last book was published,...