D. Lee Jackson

Words and Music

Back To Literary Work

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Before I hit the topic of this post, I want to thank everyone who has commented on the new soundtrack for the latest episode of the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour! The music received a ton of good reviews, all of which made the effort worthwhile from my point of view. Much obliged!

With the music done (for the moment), I’m going back to my novel, Tapper. I start working with a “beta team” in The Ubergroup on Scribophile this week. Put simply, a beta team is where several authors put their entire works up for critique. Each author has a week in the spotlight, where everyone else in the team critiques that work from start to finish. It’s a lot of effort, but it’s worth it due to the all-at-once nature of the critiques received (versus the chapter-a-week model of a normal Ubergroup team). Tapper will get its weeks (yes, plural) starting with the week leading into Christmas (beginning Monday, December 19th). There’ll be a break in my part of the cycle from the 22nd through the 26th, at which point the group will resume critique and discussion through New Year’s Eve. This is possible since we’ve only got four people on a team geared for a six-week period.

I’ve done a lot of revisions since my last beta cycle, which took place almost a year ago. This one should be very interesting. 😉

Comments? Questions? Please feel free to use the Contact page. Thank you for reading!

 

Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is Out!

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dn3d20awt_250x444It’s finally here! The release of Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour happened as scheduled, on Tuesday, October 11th. With it came an entirely new level, “Alien World Order,” and new music from yours truly to accompany it.

I’ve been excited about the release, but I’ve also been a little anxious about it. I put a lot of effort into the music when I wrote it several months ago, especially considering the lousy state of health I’ve had to deal with this year. There’s also been a lot of lead-up publicity ahead of the game’s release. All of this had me wondering how I’d handle it if the music got bad reviews. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet—at least, not that I’ve been able to see. The reviews so far have been way above my expectations.

If you get a chance, please grab a copy and let me know what you think about the music. All of the music is available in Ogg format within one of the game’s directories, so you can listen to the tracks outside the game (without looping, which only happens if you play it in the game). See if you can find some of the musical Easter eggs that I hid in the melodies and backing lines. (One hint: there’s a drum corps drumline used in a couple of songs.)

Please use the Contact page and let me know your opinions about the music. Thank you for reading—and for listening!

In The Meantime

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bookduke1While we await the impending release of the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour with some of my new music in it, a few other things have been going on. For example:

  • I have sent out several queries to agents, seeking representation for Tapper. Not all of them have come back with a “no thank you” e-mail, so my hopes are still intact for the moment.
  • I have resumed work on the second book in the Tapper series while the queries are still out. It’s going to be more of an adult sci-fi thriller than book one, if I’ve got my genres correct.
  • I’ve learned that one of my biggest influences, Thomas Dolby, has written a memoir. I’ve already got a copy on pre-order. This is definitely going to be more than just a coffee table book.
  • I’ve been toying with the idea of releasing some of the outtakes/unused tracks from my work on the new Duke Nukem release. If anyone has a good reference on how to independently get something up on iTunes and Amazon, I would appreciate it very much if you would use the Contact page to let me know about it.

As always, thank you for reading!

New Duke Nukem Music

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dnf_symbol_384The news is finally out about the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour release, scheduled for October 11th, 2016. The classic is back for play on platforms and Windows 10. But that’s not all—there’s an all-new Episode Five, done with brand new music by yours truly!

I spent a bit of time earlier this year working with Gearbox Software to create new tracks for the Episode Five levels. I had a blast writing and recording them, and had just as much of a blast working with Gearbox on the project. I can’t say too much about the music until the release date, but I can say it’s all digitally mastered this time around. I hope you’ll grab a copy and give it a listen once it’s released!

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to use the Contact page. Thank you for reading!