People Doing Terrible Things To My Book

I wrote a book, a novel called VAPORWARE. I shared it with people I knew. Here's what they did with it. (And what you can do with it, too)

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People Doing Terrible Things To My Book: The Remix

So.

We're at roughly the one year anniversary of Vaporware coming out, which made me want to commemorate things. Specifically, I wanted to commemorate all the terrible things all you wonderful people have done to my book over the year. I admit, it was difficult narrowing things down - there was some amazing creativity at work, you beautifully malicious bastiches - but here's a few of the highlights. Enjoy!

(and if you still haven't gotten your copy to do terrible things to, you can find my book here)

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This is Aaron Siskind. Aaron is literally my oldest friend. We went to nerd farm camp together in middle school. Later, when I was volunteering in Wesleyan's admissions office, I was given a stack of accepted pre-frosh to call to answer any questions they might have about the school, and Aaron was on that list. We hung out together in college. After graduation, I moved to Boston and a year later, so did Aaron. We ended up rooming together for a year in a house in Somerville. We have known each other for thirty years.

And this is what he does to my book. 

I mean, at the very least, he could give it a little tongue.

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And the last of the Mangels family men to do something terrible to my book, paterfamilias Bob offers a silent editorial comment. 

This, incidentally, is the only shot I had that was clean enough to use. The other editorial comments were, well, yeah. Wow. Hooboy.

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Old friend Robert Harper-Mangels felt my book had some unanswered questions. Maybe that's why he's grilling it - in hopes of getting some answers. 

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This is Brian Mangels. He said he thought my book was cool. Maybe that's why he's heating it up.

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This is my friend Hal Mangold of Green Ronin Publishing and Atomic Overmind Press. He is showing his appreciation for my book by beating it in the middle of the street with a six foot Twizzler.

I don't understand Hal, either.

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"Nope, got no idea why that Lev guy was so upset with this book"

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This is Lev Chapelsky, of Blindlight. I have had the pleasure and honor of serving with Lev on the advisory board for the Game Narrative Summit for many years now. 

I asked him what he thought of my book. He said I shouldn't ask because he'd just say something flip. Or maybe he'd flip my book off. It was a very loud party.

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I may have posted something discussing my disagreement with Robert McKee over whether video games can be art. But this, my friends, this is art. After all, it is said that one must suffer for one's art, and Dustin Clingman definitely has my book in pain.

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I...I...errr....no.

I have no idea what to say here. There's a Choosatron. And my book. And strange, strange facial expressions. And...I have no idea.

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You know the old saying: You dance with the one that brung ya. 

Alternately, you dance on my book. 

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The many faces of Jeremy Bernstein doing something awfully seductive to my book.

Clearly, his milkshake brought all the books to the yard. 

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Gamedev legend Sheri Graner Ray was very upset at the last photo of someone doing something terrible to my book. She was also very upset at the image of someone using my book as a cheese tray. She therefore toolkit upon herself to demonstrate what one should do with my book, which is to day use it as a tray for nachos, queso and iced tea,

She is, as they say, a giver.

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This is David Warhol. He is a legend in game audio. In 2014, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by GANG at GDC, an honor he richly deserved. He is a kind, funny, and generous gentleman, and here he is reading my book.

Audio guys don't necessarily read a lot. That's all I'm saying.

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This reader found my book to be insightful. Or possibly he had the book in his sights. It gets confusing sometimes.

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The effervescent Serafina Pechan had some very nice things to say about my book. Apparently it was something she could really sink her teeth into. 

Which, I need to point out, is no comment on the hors d'oeuvres served at the GDC Speaker Party, which were lovely and tasty and quite filling. Maybe the book just had more fiber. 

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Another satisfied reader of my book at the "Star Wars Bar" at GDC. He said that it offered some cutting insight.