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MLV WritesMonica Valentinelli: Author, Game Designer and Consultant

Author Archive


Posted on September 1, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

My Schedule at Geek*Kon


Hi everyone,
I have invited to be a guest at Geek*Kon in Madison, Wisconsin. I’ve posted my schedule below for those of you who are interested in dropping by. Here’s my schedule:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3rd
2:00pm-3:00pm – Opening Ceremonies
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th
12:00pm-1:00pm – Game Publishing
2:00pm-3:00pm – Writing Panel
4:30pm-5:30pm – World Building
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th
12:00pm-1:00pm - Being an [...]

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Posted on August 30, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Tribes and Our Role as a Writer


If you’ve been following my blog lately, you’ve probably read more about me than you have in a long time. While there’s a lot of reasons why I wanted to open up more, some of which will relate to my upcoming publications, there’s another one that I wanted to explain to you.
You see, even though [...]

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Posted on August 25, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Love My Nintendo DS and Square Enix


Many of you probably know that I’m a game designer in addition to being a writer. I haven’t designed any PC or console games yet. So far, I’ve worked on a lot of setting design for several games by Abstract Nova Entertainment in addition to various other assignments for the hobby games industry. As you [...]

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Posted on August 23, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

My Guest Article at Innsmouth Free Press


Hi everyone,
Thought you’d be interested to find out that I wrote an article about the appeal of Cthulhu in gaming for Innsmouth Free Press, a Lovecraft-inspired webzine. Written with the casual gamer in mind, I list some horror games that I enjoy and talk about why the Cthulhu mythos is a great backdrop for a [...]

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Posted on August 18, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Pendants, Pentacles and Inspiration


One of the things that I like to collect are different pendants. This habit started when I was in college because I have a challenge wearing cheap jewelry due to metal allergies. So, to save money and change my look, I have a jewelry box full of pendants in different shapes, sizes and symbols. Some of these hail from the furthest corners of the world, and each one of them usually has a story behind it. Often, I will wear different pendants because they inspire me to write for different reasons.

The pendant I’m wearing today is one that I usually wear under my shirt, because I have a tangible fear associated with wearing it out in public. The intricate design is of a pentacle intertwined with a crow and, as you might imagine, there is a story associated with how this pendant came to be in my possession.

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Posted on August 16, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Win a Copy of Cthulhu 101 at FlamesRising.com


Hi everyone,
As you know, one of the roles I have is Project Manager at the horror and dark fantasy webzine FlamesRising.com. This week we have launched a theme week to honor H.P. Lovecraft, whose birthday is on Friday. Lovecraft is considered to be one of the most influential horror authors on the genre from the [...]

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Posted on August 14, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Politics, Gaming, Feminism and Persona


When I first started my blogging presence, I knew I wanted to take a more professional tack on it because of my career goals. I had been using LiveJournal for years, but didn’t really start thinking about a persona until I landed a job at an SEO consulting firm. It seems like it was just [...]

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Posted on August 12, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

[Opinion] Net Neutrality and the Future of the Web


Last week, Google and Verizon released a joint statement about their thoughts on net neutrality. This post entitled Press review: Google and Verizon announce a joint proposal for an open internet that was featured on Teleread.com has a nice, in-depth review of what this might mean for the future of the web.
I highly recommend [...]

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Posted on August 11, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Guest Post: What’s in an Alien Alphabet? (Or Why Some Languages Are Really Fonts…)


While I was away at GenCon, Apex Book Company posted the next installment of my series on creating an alien language. This installment was a lot of fun to write, because I addressed the difference between creating an alien alphabet and designing a font, in addition to quite a few resources that you might be [...]

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Posted on August 2, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Hack/Slash Card Game and my Role as a Developer


Hi everyone,
I am excited to announce that I am one of the developers of a card game based on the horror comic HACK/SLASH by Tim Seeley!
Produced by Eden Studios, the game was designed by Matt Papa and the development team includes M. Alexander Jurkat, James Lowder, who is also the current editor for the HACK/SLASH [...]

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Posted on July 31, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

My DIY Recipe for Thai Peanut Butter Stir Fry


Hi everyone! This week’s recipe is my concoction for a do-it-yourself Thai peanut butter stir-fry. I call it DIY because it’s never tastes the same twice! This recipe’s instructions are cooked in a wok, so keep that in mind if you want to cook it in a different pot.
Primary ingredients:
(a) Package frozen veggies (any [...]

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Posted on July 29, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Are You Overestimating Your Value as a Writer?


If you’re a writer and you want to get published, you often have to deal with with other people’s expectations about your work. There’s another layer of expectations, too, because you probably have personal assumptions about how you value yourself and your work. The two spheres, while similar, are very distinct. You see, when you [...]

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Posted on July 27, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli

Providing a Service Versus Offering an Asset


For any creative professional who is providing a service, the difference between making money now and making money over the long-term can be pretty frightening. On the one hand, we all have the tendency to make decisions based on the power of a dollar. How many jobs have we taken that we were over-qualified for? [...]

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