Frequently Asked Questions

...with answers!

Internet Explorer (or Opera) downloads ePub files as ZIP!

If your web browser is not able to download an ebook when you click on the download link, place your mouse pointer over the link, then right click and select "Save File As".

Currently Opera and Internet Explorer do not recognize the .epub file extension.

In Opera place your mouse pointer over the link, right click and select either "Save Linked Content As..." or "Save To Download Folder".

In Internet Explorer, place your mouse pointer over the link, right click and select "Save Target As". When the download folder appears, Internet Explorer may try to change the file extension from .epub to .xml or .zip — in which case, change the file extension back to .epub either before or after downloading.

Who are you?

I'm a humanoid, of Northern European descent, a U.S. Citizen, a husband, a father of three wonderful daughters, and a right-wing leftist. In the context of Syraqua, I am a professional writer, having published more than a dozen books and over 200 articles — on real paper, no less! Most of my work has involved computer technology and software engineering; click the coyote to see my business web site.

Why not publish the old fashioned way?

Fair question. I've done the "real" writer thing, with publishers and editors and paper and such. The bottom line comes down to creative control and focus. Frustration plays a big part, too

Ignoring the crappy pay rates — 5-10 cents per word for fiction, a couple thousand bucks advance for a paperback novel — consider this: When I was writing for big-name publishers, I'd have to fill out a questionaire for each book. At every publisher, two of the questions were: "How is this book unique?" and "Name other books just like yours that are selling well." Uh...

Oxymoronic marketing practices and low pay rates aren't the only frustrations of "real" publishing. I've sold stories to magazines that went out of business before "my" issue saw print. I've received letters from editors saying how much they love my work, but that "we're overstocked right now". Then there's the "Where's my check?" issue, as in actually getting paid.

Non-fiction has better pay-rates than fiction, but is not immune to annoyances. I was once fired from a job as a computer magazine columnist for publishing benchmarks that made an advertiser look bad. No one argued with the truth of what I wrote — the problem was that the facts were "inconvenient". Now you know why I'm bald...

Hence, Syraqua.

Why should I send you money?

If you like what someone does, why not support them? The core of most ills in today's society is the Jack Sparrow principle: "Take what you can, give nothing back." Don't fall for that selfish idea. If you like something, pay for it. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to read my work.

Your stuff stinks!

Constructive criticism is always appreciated (or at least tolerated), but if you have bile to spew, aim elsewhere.

Why don't you write something "normal"?

Define "normal", please.

I write what I write because it seems important or interesting to me. I'm not driven by advertising, nor is there an editor telling me that my dragon should be pink and not purple.

Syraqua exists because I have stories to tell — stories that nibble at my brain, refusing to go away, insisting that they see the light of day.

Are you crazy?

Most certainly. It goes with the job.

How often is the site updated?

Whenever I get the time. Much as I would love to get rich off of my writing, I've been a professional writer (ten years, 17 real-paper books), and know it isn't a reliable way to make a living unless you get very lucky (or enjoy ramen). At this point, I'm ramping up, developing ym skills, testing the waters... so as inspiration and opportunity arise, new material will appear on this site.

What about forums?

I'd like to run forums, but don't have the time at the moment to spend on set-up and moderation. Forums are part of the web site's future, though.

Will you have dead-tree books (and other things) for sale?

Yes! Coffee cups, posters, and (of course) dead-tree, printed editions of the novels. Stay tuned...

The art looks weird!

A matter of taste. The digital artwork on the site is created by my eldest daughter, Elora, who is heavility influenced by Dali and Van Gogh and Monet and Japanese water colors. She believes that digital artwork does not need ot be photrealistic, that it can implement other perspectives and styles. And at leat my book covers don't look like every other book cover.

Why dragons? Haven't they been done to death?

Sigh. I hate it when soemthign I like becomes trendy. Yes, dragons are "in". Lots of things are "in" at various times. My Syraqua stories involve dragons... well, because the dragons are part of the story! You won't find any elves in my works, and my dwarves are not exactly the reclusive miners of Tolkien or Norse myth. Nor will you find any traditional "magic" either; what powers humans and dragons exhibit stem from an extension of science based on current research into string theory and quantum entanglement.

Why does this look ugly in my browser?

I test this web site on Linux and Windows, using the latest versions of Firefox, Knoqueror, and Internet Explorer. The HTML is very simple compared to most sites, and I use style sheets for most formatting. You do not need Java or Javascript to explore Syraqua.