Billy Goat...NO MORE!!

I realize I age like any other mortal. I creak. I ache. Now, I can't just eat anything I want. Ok, let's not panic here. I had a jalapeno and cheese bagel which disagreed with me the MOMENT I got it down. Why does this warrant a blog post? Actually, it doesn't. Next question.

Why does this show up on my radar? Because I  used to be able to eat damn near anything without more than a brief moment of discomfort followed by some gurgle or burp that made it all better. You know, like when the Tasmanian Devil swallows some dynamite, his stomach swells for a second and then he spits out some smoke? Just like that!! Ahh, youth.

Feeling this bit of mortal discomfort made me understand how Superman felt when he got slapped around by that trucked dude from Gremlins in Superman 2. Clark and Lois were at that little diner somewhere...was it in Metropolis or somewhere out in the arctic? I was never clear on where that place was. Hmmm. But when Clark gets tossed off of Gremlin dude's stool and sees the blood on his face, he has this expression that's a mix of shock, disbelief, fear and shame. I know how that feels now.

Or...could've been a bagel that would have turned anyone else into a pile of puking, diarrheal mush. Yeah! That's it!! Now I've found my conveniently placed power crystal that restores me in the event I step into the oddly placed chamber robbing me of my powers!!! If you don't know what I'm talking about, you really need to watch Superman 2.

Tell 'em I sent ya!

This is a cool time. Well...not actually COOL because I'm sweating into my Count Chokula (Chocula?? The cereal vampire and friend to Frankenberry. You know!) t-shirt as I'm writing this. By "cool" I mean great because it's finally time to see the fruits of a few labors. First of all, I got my first ebook out there as promised and have already begun working on others. Second, do you remember me talking about another website hosted by me and two other authors? Well, even if you don't remember that, the website is up and running!

It's called The Adventure Factory and it specializes in high-octane action and...yes...adventure! Cool stuff like westerns, steampunk, science fiction and thrillers will be shown there, most of which will be ebook originals. All three of us will be blogging there, so stop by and take a look at what we have to offer. As time goes on, keep checking in because a bunch of new books will be spotlighted. (spotlit?? No that doesn't sound right. Good thing I don't work with words). Anyway...click here to check it out!

This blog isn't going anywhere, so don't worry. I'll still be here griping about the regular bunch of nonsense. At least over at AF, you can read someone else's gripes for a change. And before some of you comment, yes I do know there are already other sites out there called Adventure Factory. But do those sites have pics of me in sweaty t-shirts glorifying old cereal mascots? DIDN'T THINK SO!!!!

More wisdom from Dr. Jones

First of all, the good news. After a little bit of a delay, Paris is Melting is now available for the Nook! Here's a link to pick it up at Barnes & Noble.com. While you're there, if you need to get your ebook copy of any of the Skinners books, those are still on sale. They make a great gift for Dad or anyone else. See, this is what I'm really bad at. I'm not much of a salesman. Unfortunately, writers need to sell themselves big time even if they're published through the big New York houses. That is, of course, unless you qualify for the ever-present asterisk when talking about the downside to being a professional writer. For example....Most professional writers don't get huge ad campaigns to sell their books*. Most of us can't retire after seeing our babies on the shelves*. And...most of us still need the occasional day job*  (* = unless you're the author of whatever young adult series happens to be hot at the time...or Stephen King.) That asterisk is kind of like the fortune cookie game where you tack on "in bed" to everything. Only the asterisk occasionally makes me want to shoot myself in the face. Heh. Wah-wahhhhhh.

Anyway, now that Paris is Melting is out, I am able to check my sales (or lack thereof) anytime I want. Is this a nifty gadget? Yes. Should I do it very often? No*. See, I knew my sales wouldn't be astronomical right away. It's a new book and I haven't started promoting it yet. Still, even though I'm just glad to see it out there, I keep checking! This is where Indy's sage advice comes in. "Don't look at it, Marcus! No matter what happens, just keep your eyes SHUT!" Ok, so in my mind he says Marcus instead of Marion. Is that weird? NO! Some people get angels talking to them or media advisers. Some of us don't get people in fancy offices looking out for our best interests*! So let me have Indy!!

Even though I don't expect the numbers to be huge yet and I know it will be a waste of time to look since, whether I see them or not, the numbers will be the same, I still look. I can't help it. Part of the fun? A little. It's just cool that Paris is Melting is out there. It's a series I am looking forward to continuing and it just makes me smile. I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think of it so download a copy and let me know!

And speaking of ebooks.......

It’s here!

It’s been a long time coming, but my first direct-to-ebook original is finally here!!

These last several months have been tough for me for a great many reasons. Output has been slow and distractions have been at an all-time high. Because of that, this book has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would. And the longer it took, the longer it seemed it was going to take before it was finally done. I was going to update the blog more, but there’s already been too many “it’s almost here” sort of posts and I know you guys were sick of hearing it. At least, I was sick of writing it. Well…no more!

The book is called Paris is Melting, first in a series called The Gillis Ledgers. Here’s the rundown…

1935

The Great War has been over for eight years, but shockwaves from that global conflict can still be felt. Airships roar in the skies. Converted DeSotos glide on elevated bi-rails. Cities are filled with suspicious characters like mad scientists and robots controlled by shady foreign spies.

Doesn’t sound like the 1935 you’ve heard of?

Welcome to the world of Jake Gillis.

Jake was a Marine in The Great War when things took a turn for the weird. Mines clattered to life and burrowed underground. Tanks began to hover. Robotic infantrymen charged into gunfire without twitching. After being reassigned to the Navy’s Special Sciences Division, Jake got a front row seat as the world was introduced to a dimensional gateway known as the Altersphere. Once the Altersphere was breached, things from alien worlds and futuristic societies found their way to Earth. Scientists rolled up their sleeves and figured out how to use what they could, dismantling the rest to give birth to a new reality.

Now, Jake works as a private contractor in the burg of Cincinnati where his skills are still in high demand. An especially nasty trinket from the Altersphere has burnt a trail across Europe. Special Sciences is working off the books on this one. They need someone to follow the path of destruction back to its source. While Jake is always a sucker for serving his country, the big-time payday offered by the G-Men cinches the deal and he answers the call to duty.

….Sounds cool, right? I’ve been working on this project in some form or another for the better part of a year. Basically, I took an idea for an alternate reality, set it in one of my favorite time periods so I could include gangsters, G-men, spies and private eyes and mixed it with a dash of Indiana Jones for flavor. Pretty much a pulp adventure goulash of my favorite things. I won’t go into my whole ebook plan again, but I will stress that it is something I’m very committed to and will be using that format to publish many more projects. Including Skinners, naturally! When will the next Skinners be coming out? I’ll start working on it very soon.

Part of my plan is a new website which will be launching within the week. It’s a gathering spot for me and a couple other like-minded authors who are leaping into the ebook ocean. I’ll be maintaining this blog of course, but will also give a link to the new site when it’s ready. It won’t be long, I promise.

           

It feels like I’ve been ranting about striking out on my own for a while and now that it’s here, it feels really good. When I put this book onto Amazon.com, I thought, “Wow, that was easy.” Then I remembered all the writing, editing, fixing, thinking, revising, and other stuff that’s been keeping me up at night for so long. In the words of Han Solo… “Easy? You call that easy?”

I truly hope you guys take Paris is Melting out for a spin. It’s funny, retro science fiction chock full of thrills, spills and shootouts. All the stuff that made me want to be a writer in the first place. It may have been tough getting this far, but this book was a joy to write. I did my best to make sure that joy shines through in every page. For now, it’s out on Kindle and Nook. Here are the links. If you don’t have an ebook reader, there are free apps for tablet computers, smart phones, desktops, laptops, and robotic personal assistants. Ok, so they don’t have the robot butlers yet but they SHOULD! If you like the book, tell a friend. And if you don’t like it….maybe lie to a lesser-liked acquaintance so they’ll buy a copy. Click here to check it out on Amazon. (B&N link coming soon) It’s only $2.99, for cripe’s sake!

Enjoy!!!!

Great for Dads!!

Here's a nice surprise over at Barnes & Noble's website!

There's a great promotion for all the Skinners ebooks! $0.99 for Blood Blade, $1.99 for Howling Legion and $4.99 for all the others.

Pretty cool. Thanks to Paul over at B&N.com. Much appreciated. If you'd like to pick up some flippin' AWESOME Nook books, just CLICK HERE.