Lost Worlds of Power Author Spotlight: Matthew McKinley

Every week until the release of The Lost Worlds of Power, one author selected for inclusion will be given the floor. I’ve asked them to talk about themselves, their approach to the project, and anything else they’d like to say up front. I’ve also asked them to avoid spoilers, so have no fear of those. Anyway, week three: Matthew McKinley, author of “California Games.”

Matthew McKinleyHello, my name is Matthew. I’m a 6’2″, 29-year-old Caucasian male and my favorite color is light green. By day I work with digital libraries and archives, making sure all sorts of important digital stuff doesn’t just go poof, and by night I play various stringed instruments and watch far too much Netflix.

I heard about this bizarre challenge via the electronic annals of the Gamelogical Society (recently re-transmogrified to The A.V. Club Games) and, over the course of 24 hours, mentally steeled myself for the task of writing a submission.

I’ve always loved words but have roughly the attention span and self-discipline of a toadstool, so I’d never written anything over a page. Here, then, was a tightrope: write something substantial enough to sustain for ~50 pages, in the style of a series whose many incoherent entries may as well have been written past deadline on the red-eye back from a three-week bender in Bangkok.

Sly trickster that I am, I immediately browsed Wikipedia’s complete list of NES games (all hail Internet, destroyer of wonder!) looking for a weird game that I could turn in to something even weirder. At various points I considered stranding A Boy and his Blob in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, having the street-toughs of River City Ransom spontaneously burst into song ala West Side Story, or casting the eponymous Lolo (of The Adventures of fame) as a hard-boiled detective.

California GamesI finally went with something a little more sedate due to that old chestnut of “write what you know.” I’ve been living in the laid-back, seaside Southern California burgh of Costa Mesa for about three years at this point. Being remarkably similar to the bucolic setting of many of its events, I figured picking California Games would at least let me putz around my environs when in need of inspiration.

Now, I hadn’t played this game in close to two decades and was pretty awful at it when I did. A quick and questionably legal session of the game on the Nestopia emulator proved that my skills had not improved in the interim. Lacking any sort of competitive nature and somewhat less than a passing interest in most coordinated physical activity, I’ve never been big into fighting/racing/sports games. RPGs and clever puzzlers/platformers are more my speed.

California GamesIf you’re still reading my rambling diatribe, you may be asking yourself, “Why would this person, that I now know so well, pick a video game with absolutely no plot or discernible characters and one that he cannot successfully play, like even a little bit, as a basis for his first rather rushed attempt at novelization?”

A perfectly valid albeit surprisingly lengthy and detailed question that comes with a complete set of three interlocking answers (batteries not included).

The short answer: challenge. Or: stubbornness.

The medium answer: Writing an honest-to-god “book” has always been a dream of mine, but I was discouraged by the casual brilliance of the many fiction authors I’ve read and loved. So what could be more tremendously, blessedly freeing than setting out to write a story that my audience expected, no, wanted to be hilariously cheesy and bad?

California GamesThe great irony here being that I somehow ended up with something kind of clever and endearing. I shot for the stars but mis-calibrated and rocketed right to the moon. Wait, no, that’s probably overselling a story that features a roving band of burnout mimes as a plot-point.

Anyway, the long answer: I deliberately chose a plotless game that I did not have much experience with so that I could graft on my invented little world without getting too bogged down in details. I wanted my story and the world it inhabited to be instantly identifiable to the average middle schooler reading these sort of books in the late 80s.

To that end, I took inspiration from the hazy suburban bliss found throughout such classics as E.T., The Goonies, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Thrashin’. Though our hero never loses sight of his quest, he always finds time to shoot the breeze and just generally hang out with his friends, classmates and goofy Uncle Z (every good 80s family comedy needs a zany uncle).

I also wanted to evoke the pace-quickening, guitar-squealing raditude of 80s NES T.V. commercials and day-glo advertisements screaming at you from the pages of Nintendo Power. So I infused this low-stakes environment with a ridiculously high-stakes story involving a magical talisman, a Native American shaman and fulfilling a prophecy to save the world — or at least this small, sun-kissed section of it.

California GamesAnd since no respectable mass market product of that era is complete without a surplus of references to keep it hip for 6 months and dated soon after that, I shoehorned in some pop songs and more than a few allusions to other NES games. Try to catch ’em all!

Anyway, I hope you have as much fun reading my entry as I had writing it, though I hope it takes you significantly less time. I’d like to send a thank you to Philip J Reed for being the real blood, sweat and tears behind this operation, and a meek wave to the other authors in the collection, all of whom must be nearly as esoteric as I am to commit so wholeheartedly to such a silly scenario.

I am eager to dive in to the whole mad enchilada. Happy reading!

–Matthew McKinley

Lost Worlds of Power Author Spotlight: Jeffrey Zoerner

Every week until the release of The Lost Worlds of Power, one author selected for inclusion will be given the floor. I’ve asked them to talk about themselves, their approach to the project, and anything else they’d like to say up front. I’ve also asked them to avoid spoilers, so have no fear of those. Anyway, week two: Jeffrey Zoerner, author of “Renegade.”

Jeffrey Zoerner, author of "Renegade"Greetings, earthlings. My name is Jeff Zoerner, and I was lucky enough to have “Renegade,” my submission to the Lost Worlds of Power project, accepted for inclusion. Wow, you must be thinking, now I want to learn all about this guy. No problem. I will indulge your curiosity by presenting myself in easy-to-read question and answer format. You’re welcome!

Who are you?
I am a complete fucking loser. Unfortunately, everybody loves me, so I can’t kill myself. That would be cruel.

Well, wait…not everyone loves me. Those snarky bastards at the International 3-Day Novel Contest have rejected my submissions four years running. FOUR YEARS, people. That’s about 450 pages of wasted effort. Arrrgghh…

So when I saw the call for submissions for the Lost Worlds of Power compilation, my interest was piqued. A chance for redemption!

What are your qualifications to write about video games?
Back in the day, a friend got me hooked on Asteroids, the arcade game by Atari. Eventually, it took over my life. I’d have a term paper due the next day, and I’d be at the 24-hour donut shop at 2:00 am with my friends playing Asteroids. I remember once I told my friend I’d raided my mother’s purse to get quarters to play. He said, “Stealing to support your habit. That’s a bad sign.” He was right.

RenegadeI wasn’t some pussy-footing, path-of-least-resistance, rake-up-the-points player, either. I liked to get in there and shoot things. Especially sentient things, like those sneaky little fuckers flying around in spaceships. I was the John Wayne Gacy of killing those guys…except I didn’t fuck them first. But I would have if I could have.

So those are my qualifications.

But surely you’re a gamer now, right?
Fuck no! After the Asteroids phenomenon ran its course, I lost all interest in gaming. And so, like Jackie Paper, I came no more. I never played a video game again.

In fact, over time, I learned to hold them in contempt. Nowadays they seem to be a vehicle for steering young people away from books and other activities that encourage critical thinking and into mindless acquiescence to whatever is put in front of them. On the internets, I’ve found that whenever I encounter a real bonehead, there is a 95% chance that the person has the word “gamer” in his user name…LAgamer4lif, or whatever. If you trace the phenomenon back far enough, I’m sure Dick Cheney is in some way involved.

I don’t hate all gamers, though…I can’t, since I have several friends who love gaming. Relatives too…in fact, during a fairly recent visit to the UAE, my nephews tried to teach me to handle a Nintendo console (or whatever the big game manufacturer is today). The results were so embarrassing they politely lapsed into “I am dealing with a mentally retarded person” mode before giving me up as a lost cause. Sigh.

RenegadeGod damn! So why did you submit something for this collection?
While perusing the list of eligible subjects, I came across the game Renegade. Renegade is a dude who goes around kicking the crap out of people — a timeless entertainment theme that cannot, in my opinion, be improved upon. Also, I am a fan of combat sports — boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts — so I thought I could have a credible go at it.

Also, Renegade’s official name is Mr. K. That sealed the deal. You will see why once you read the story…provided, of course, you recognize the literary reference! Moo ha ha ha!

So, have you ever actually played Renegade?
Are you kidding? I have things to do, people to see. But I did watch a run-through of it on YouTube for a minute or two. Now stop questioning my credentials, you twit.

RenegadeBut if you are such a loser, why should I read your submission?
Because losers have nothing better to do than to sit around and write novellas about games they’ve never played. Also, all jocks think about is sports…all losers think about is sex.

Oh, wait…there is no sex in “Renegade.” Although I did whack off quite a bit while writing it. And that reminds me; I recently made up a riddle.

What does Mr. Miyagi do every time he thinks about the Karate Kid?

Wax off.

Oh, yeah! Wit like this — that’s why you should read “Renegade.” I rest my case.

Awesome! Thanks, Jeff. You may think you’re a loser, but I’ve really grown to love you over the course of reading this.
Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Now read the goddamn book.

— Jeffrey Zoerner

Lost Worlds of Power Author Spotlight: Guy Vollen

Every week until the release of The Lost Worlds of Power, one author selected for inclusion will be given the floor. I’ve asked them to talk about themselves, their approach to the project, and anything else they’d like to say up front. I’ve also asked them to avoid spoilers, so have no fear of those. Anyway, week one: Guy Vollen, author of “Legendary Wings.”

Guy VollenI’m thrilled to have a story chosen for inclusion in The Lost Worlds of Power, and I can’t wait to read the other authors’ stories.

I’m also glad Philip has graciously invited me to write a few words about my entry, “Legendary Wings,” as it gives me another chance to spout off about this project while it comes together. So, to Philip, James, and to all the writers and artists involved, thank you (in advance) for what I expect will be a very exciting and fun reading experience.

To find the roots of my story, I suppose it would help to go back, way back, to when I was nine or ten years old. Sometime around then, my junior high school-aged sister started bringing notes home from school that she and her friends had written and passed around: little stories to relieve the boredom of class and entertain each other. They usually began with something like,

Picture this: you’re sitting in class one day when the principal’s voice comes over the P.A. and tells you someone has come to the school to pick you up. You get your books and go to the front door. Waiting at the curb is Michael J. Fox, standing next to his DeLorean! “I thought we could go for a ride,” he says, lowering his sunglasses slyly. “Where are we going?” you ask. “Not where,” he says.

You can imagine the rest of that one for yourself.

Legendary Wings

As I remember them, these vignettes were the (mostly) chaste fantasies of teenage girls, full of in-jokes and regularly guest-starring characters like Magnum, P. I., James Bond, and Blackie from General Hospital.

It would be years before I heard the term “fan fiction,” but that’s obviously what was going on. They weren’t literary masterpieces by any means, and the only motive for preserving them would have been sentimental (or to prove to Millennials that fan fiction existed before the internet).

I was captivated by them, however, and they gave me the ambition to write some of my own (equally terrible) stories. The mixing and matching of pop culture elements was something I had already become familiar with in the pages of Mad magazine, and would soon become immersed in through Dungeons & Dragons.

Legendary WingsThere’s quite a bit of classic fantasy literature folded into Dungeons & Dragons, of course, but that’s nothing compared to a teenaged dungeon master’s capacity to combine influences, free association-style. I’ll never forget the time my adventuring party was saved from a Xenomorph (from the Alien movies) by the timely arrival of Bon Jovi in a dimension-hopping Corvette, and, yes, that is absolutely something that happened in-game.

It is perhaps significant that the stories my sister and her friends wrote were invariably told in second person, present tense, like Dungeons & Dragons, and just like the Choose Your Own Adventure and Endless Quest books that are another obvious touchstone for my entry.

It wasn’t an author-identification figure tagging along with Indiana Jones or Han Solo; it was the reader.

You are having this adventure; you are the star.

Whether consciously or not, the writers of these stories were creating experiences for each other; second person perspective can be used in many ways, but in this case I think it was an act of authorial generosity. (Conveniently, it also allowed the writer to skip over details of characterization, relying on the reader to fill in the blanks with their own experiences.)

Legendary WingsEven now, I find fan projects to be of great interest, although I’m not so much concerned with the specific questions of whether Pitfall Harry is Lara Croft’s long-lost uncle, or whether Kirk and Spock can overcome the strictures of duty long enough to express their love for each other physically. (For the record, the respective answers to those questions are “yes, he is,” and “oh boy, can they ever.”)

I’m mostly fascinated with the creative responses people have to the culture around them; the processes of myth-making don’t stop at the borders of the public domain, and creative activity isn’t something to be left only to professionals. In other words, I knew that The Lost Worlds of Power would be something I’d want to read whether I had a story chosen for inclusion or not.

As for the focus on video games, and my choice of the Capcom shooter Legendary Wings, all I can say is that I’ve been playing (and sucking at) games pretty much since Space Invaders, and making up stories about them for almost as long, with Buckner & Garcia as my soundtrack of choice.

I wasn’t the only one creatively inspired by video games; magazines like Atari Age and Nintendo Power may have been house organs whose primary function was to sell, sell, sell, but they were also fanzines, publishing cartoons and stories by readers that fleshed out the worlds hinted at in the games. (There was also the original Worlds of Power series, too, of course, but I’ll admit I haven’t read any of those; Philip’s coverage of that subject has been more than enough!)

Sparking the imagination like that was more important in the early days of arcade and home games, when the CPU could barely handle a game’s primitive graphics without also remembering the genealogy of an entire elven kingdom and the color of your mistress’ eyes.

Legendary WingsExternal cues (cabinet and box art, printed instructions) were often all players had to figure out what was going on. Even the official documentation released by game publishers could read like fanfic: elaborate, contradictory, and imaginatively divorced from anything that was actually happening on the screen.

Now I’ll make a confession: I didn’t even own a Nintendo Entertainment System as a kid. Instead I had a Commodore Amiga, which was pretty great, but I didn’t know anyone else that had one, so I missed out on the social aspects of borrowing games or trading tips with other players.

The first Nintendo product I owned was a Game Boy Advance, which I splurged on so I could finally experience the Super Mario series in re-release.

Sure, I played many of the classic games, including Legendary Wings, but always at friends’ houses, so my experience of two-player games was often cruelly brief.

That’s a memory that shines through in my story. Hopefully, you, the reader, will have greater success with it!

–Guy Vollen
Twitter // blog

The Lost Worlds of Power: The Contents!

A Winner Is You!

At long, long last, I get to do something I was hoping to do a month ago: announce the stories that will be included in The Lost Worlds of Power!

By now, everybody who submitted something should have received an email from me letting them know our decision. And what a decision it was.

This was very difficult, and my co-editor James and I spent a good deal of time discussing every single submission. We may have had to turn down a good number of stories, but that doesn’t suggest that they were disappointing in any way. What it does suggest is that you guys set the bar surprisingly high.

We received almost uniformly excellent submissions, and while that means it made our final selection very difficult, it also means that the final anthology is going to be absolutely stellar.

So thank you to everybody who submitted. And now, without further ado…the stories that will be included.

…well, allow me a little bit more ado, because I absolutely have to post this glorious cover again. Seriously, every aspect of this book is exceeding expectations. We could not be happier.

The Lost Worlds of Power

The Lost Worlds of Power:

“Milon’s Secret Castle,” by R J Burgess
“The California Raisins: The Grape Escape,” by Samuel Clementine
“Bad Dudes,” by Ramona Donohue
“Double Dragon Warrior,” by Theodore Geise
“Monster Party,” by Tomm Hulett
“Marble Madness,” by James Lawless
“Yo! Noid,” by Jerod Mackert
“California Games,” by Matthew McKinley
“Battletoads,” by Philip J Reed
“Linus Spacehead’s Cosmic Crusade,” by J. Paul Roe
“Legendary Wings,” by Guy Vollen
“Renegade,” by Jeffrey Zoerner

So, there you have it: the games that you should spend the next few weeks watching in Let’s Play form!

Each story will be illustrated by the naturally illustrious Ron DelVillano, and the entire thing will be available here, for free, in ebook format. Physical copies will most likely be available as well, so stay tuned.

The above doesn’t represent the order in which the stories will appear, as that’s something we haven’t decided yet. I’ve listed them alphabetically by author. Because I’m an intensely structured obsessive insane crazy person, I promise to slave over the sequencing, even though nobody will really care. Please understand.

The next big question is the publication date. Well, I don’t know yet, and I don’t want to promise something unrealistic (AGAIN), so let’s just say that I’m aiming for late Spring. Keep an eye out here, and the moment we have something nailed down, I will let you know.

Thanks again for all of your submissions. I could not be happier with the final selections, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as we did.

…and, really…we enjoyed them a whole fuckin’ lot. Great job, everybody.

The Lost Worlds of Power: Covered

Just a quick update here, to hopefully tide you over before the big announcement at the end of those month regarding which stories will be included.

By the grace, kindness, and all around incredibleawesomeness of Sindi Johnson, I am pleased to present to you…the cover.

The Lost Worlds of Power

This is pretty much final…any changes at this point will be minor. So enjoy, because I love this, and I’m very much looking forward to getting you a finished product. Thanks for your patience. It will be worth it!