What a Day, What a Lovely Day

Today was kind of crazy.

Only Nux’s mantra can sum up what it felt like to see Red vs. Blue: The Ultimate Fan Guide finally make its way into the world.

I could round up the many amazing tweets I saw from happy fans. Or how I shed a few tears when I saw the thing in print for the first time today. Or how I could barely sit still while I was at work, wondering what people who were reading it felt about it.

But really, I just want to say that I’m extremely grateful to the Rooster Teeth community for how they’ve responded to the book. Sometimes when you spend a year and a half (!) working on something like this, it’s really easy to lose sight of it. There were long stretches of time where I pored over this book in a vacuum, and there were a few moments where I wondered if it was any good.

Reading it tonight in print for the very first time, I had a thought that doesn’t come often to us perfectionist writers: you know what, maybe I did alright.

What Is This Red vs. Blue Book Exactly?

ct8mJaX

Next Tuesday marks a pretty big day. On November 17, there will be a book in book stores with my name on it. That I wrote! Funny how that works.

For the last year and a half, I’ve worked on Red vs. Blue: The Ultimate Fan Guide, a book brought to you by Dey Street Books (a division of THE Harper Collins) and Rooster Teeth.

I’ve met tight deadlines, watched enough Red vs. Blue to question my sanity, dealt with tons of art to organize, missing assets, deleted Dropbox folders and notes (and more notes) from a variety of sources. But it’s done, and people are finally going to get to read it next week, which has me completely Freaked the Eff Out.

Some of you may not even know what Red vs. Blue is, who Rooster Teeth is, and what the heck this book even is. I get asked about all 3 of those, particularly from friends, family and co-workers. In certain (and quite large) corners of the internet, these questions don’t even need to be asked. Continue reading →

Dia de los Eddy: a Day in 1 Minute

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to start making a video about every day in la casa de Rivas. I’m not really sure what started the idea (probably because we didn’t have power for about 12 hours on a Sunday and I got bored), but I’ve been mostly sticking with it, minus a day here and there.

There’s actually something really fun and challenging about trying to figure out new ways to communicate the same information over and over. The same kind of challenges a writer faces all the time.

Also it’s nice having a record of this time in my daughters’ lives. I think in a few years’ time I’ll be pretty happy that I did this.

Here are some of my favorites:


Continue reading →

O Hai

I always said I didn’t want to be a blogging cliche, where I don’t update for months on end and then write a post about how I haven’t written a post for months on end, but here we are.

Last year turned into one of the busiest years on record. Besides spending a few months working on this pretty huge Red Vs Blue book project, I also did my first Krav Maga instructor training course, prepared for a marathon and decided to jump back into Leet World. In fact, I probably did too many things. Especially considering the fact that we have another kiddo arriving any day now.

This is a problem I have. One of the first things that always goes on the chopping block when life gets like this is the part where I write about it. I really want to stop doing so much and start reflecting more.

But mainly I just want to write things about Legend of Korra and link to funny videos, so that’s probably what I’ll end up doing.

The Fat Princess

Girl of Fire and Thorns

Sometimes I’m a fat princess. No, I’m not having an identity crisis, I’m just identifying with the excellently realized character in THE GIRL OF FIRE and THORNS by Rae Carson, one of the most recent books I’ve read. The book follows the exploits of Elisa, a powerless, overweight, self-conscious princess that happens to have been identified as God’s Chosen One at birth — and never quite feels like she matches up to the mark of the Godstone that rests in her navel. Continue reading →

Formative Felines: On Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes Complete Collection

As of this weekend, I’m the proud owner of the Complete Calvin and Hobbes Collection. something that fills me with an embarrassing amount of joy. Don’t get me wrong: I probably have the majority of these books in separate places between my house and my old bedroom at home, but they’ve become so worn down from years of re-reading that I thought it would be nice to own them again, on the real.

Part of the reason I wanted to own the collection (besides the fact that I want to read every strip again), is that I want my daughter to grow up with Calvin and Hobbes the way I did. Continue reading →

The Writing Jam

guitar

This weekend, I picked up the guitar, something I wasn’t sure I’d do again for a long time yet. If you had told me back in college, when I was strumming away almost hourly, that I would have dropped the guitar in my late twenties, I would have scoffed at you.

Perhaps I would have even played you a ditty about it. I was fond of ditties. Continue reading →

Welcome to Earf, Talia

Talia

Talia Sianne Rivas.

Apparently I could think of no better introduction for you than to quote a mediocre Will Smith movie, wherein he punched an alien in the face and then mispronounced the name of his own planet. You’re worthy of more, but this is the man that will father you, the one that you’re stuck with — a grossly under-prepared geek that makes jokes when confronted with things too big to grasp. Continue reading →

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