A New Short Story Is Up At Literary Hatchet

The good people at Literary Hatchet have published a short story of mine in issue #10. The story is a reprint but it is edited a bit, so if you read it before it is slightly different (a little better I think). There is a free .pdf version in the link below (you have to add your name and email address to get it, but you can easily unsubscribe if you don't want any more). You can also buy a print copy starting tomorrow, I believe. My story is on page 54. Check it out and feel free to share it with everyone.

Literary Hatchet Issue #10

1.4.15 Edit:  The print version is now available if you prefer your stories as such. It is $12 and can be purchased here: https://www.createspace.com/5208952

Bathing The Lion Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Jonathan Carroll's (one of my favorite authors) new novel, Bathing The Lion. The first two paragraphs are below followed by a link to the review. Check it out and feel free to share:

Good and evil, light and dark, protagonist and antagonist, this is a well worn and often used concept in writing. This concept is so often used we come to expect them in certain genres, the entire speculative genre falls under this umbrella along with westerns, mystery, and romance.  Often a brilliant, so they and some critics think, writer comes along to show us that the bad guy isn’t really bad and the good guy isn’t really good. That’s all fine. But what if we are given two opposing concepts and we can’t even fathom one of them?

We traipse through the lives of five very believable, but quite normal people in a quiet New England town in winter. Though they don’t know it, the five people all once shared a job more important than anything they do with their new lives. Time slips at some point some find that they are reliving previous moments while others stumble into a time long before they were born. Impossible things pop up but they slipped in the novel so subtly the reader doesn’t really notice. All five characters are pulled out onto a road in the middle of summer confronted by a talking chair and a giant red, watch-wearing elephant named Muba. (More...)

Path Of Needles Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Alison Littlewood's new novel, Path Of Needles. Check it out and feel free to share:

Path Of Needles review

Alien: Isolation video game review up at PerihelionSF

The good people at Perihelion Science Fiction have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for the video game, Alien: Isolation. The review is the last one titled, "Ode To The Original." Check it out and feel free to share:

Last review...

Sleeping Late On Judgement Day review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Tad Williams' new book, Sleeping Late On Judgement day. The book follows the continuing adventures of Bobby Dollar, an angel that raises hell. Check it out and feel free to share:

Sleeping Late On Judgement Day Review

The Sword Of Michael Review at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Marcus Wynne's new novel, The Sword Of Michael. Wynne is a practicing depossessionist, that's something different. Check it out and feel free to share:

The Sword Of Michael Review

Willful Child Review up at PerihelionSF

The good people at Perihelion Science Fiction have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Steven Erikson's new novel, Willful Child. The novel is a spoof/homage of Star Trek. Check it out and feel free to share. My review is the second one down titled, "To Boldy Go where They Shouldn't."

Link to review

Fearie Tales Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for a new collection of short stories based off of Grimm's Fairy Tales. The collection is edited by Stephen Jones and contains stories by Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, and Markus Heitz. Feel free to share:

Fearie Tales Review

The Dark Defiles review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Richard K. Morgan's new novel, The Dark Defiles the final book in the Land Fit for Heroes series. The first two paragraphs and a link are below the cover art. Check it out and feel free to share:

When we come to the end of anything, when we know that this is our last one, expectations go up and the pressure is on. With a book series the author has to tie up all loose ends and find a fitting goodbye to all of the characters they have given us over the years. While some authors handle this magnificently, others decide to try and cram a whole other book into the one they are writing.

Ringil Eskiath, our unstoppable warrior turned black mage, is at the end of the world looking for a mythical sword. The sword holds the soul of a dark king that the demons, the Aldrain, want to use to recapture the world as their own. Ringil finds that it was a ruse to separate him from his friends, Egar the Dragonbane and Archeth the immortal half Kiriath. Ringil has to find and face the Aldrain at their source along with their human coconspirators to rescue his friends. Along the way he has to fight to retain control of his growing dark powers as well as confront his family that rejected him because of his homosexuality. Meanwhile Egar and Archeth set out to find the truth behind the war that ended 5,000 years earlier and the massive weapons used to end it. If the Aldrain get their hands on the weapons, humanity doesn’t have a chance. The three of them look for answers, redemption, and the true measure of heroes. (more... )

Acceptance Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Jeff VanderMeer's latest book, Acceptance. The first two paragraphs are below with a link to the review. Check it out and feel free to share:

We crave answers. Both the scientific and spiritual fields have dedicated a majority of time seeking out answers. As humans, we are hardwired to want evidence, to find out what the truth really is. At times we locate what we sought only to find the answers unsatisfying. Other times we find the answers only to beg the cosmos to unknow, unlearn what we find. Sometimes, the answers come crashing at us with horrifying revelation testing what we think of as truth.

It is wintertime in Area X, an area that has been identified as unlivable and even dangerous to the outside world, and the border is expanding. The Southern Reach was the last guard between Area X and the rest of the world. It now lays in tatters after Area X grew tired on its constant poking and prodding. The few survivors of the attack (an outsider that is losing what is left of his mind, one who was pulling the strings before they were all cut, and someone who came back from across the border that the other two can’t trust) go off in one final suicide mission to find the truth. Everything we’ve learned so far pales in comparison, as the final layers of the mystery are unraveled (more...)

Destiny Review up at PerihelionSF

The good people at Perihelion SF have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for the new video game, Destiny. There is a link below the picture, check it out and feel free to share:

Last review titled, Destined To Kill Time

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Haruki Murakami's new novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. The first two paragraphs and a link are below:

With the advent of social media our past always lingers around us like the smell of cookies that were baked days ago. Now we can see what our third-grade classmate had for lunch or what political belief they zealously follow. But maybe we are supposed to allow the past and the people of yesterday fade from our lives. Part of growing up is letting go of all the things that are no longer necessary to us. But we shouldn’t have our past violently severed from us.

Tsukuru Tazaki is closing in on middle-age and is about to enter a serious relationship. He explains a trauma of his past and quickly learns that he must deal with it in order to move on.

But for a man who hasn’t ever left Japan, he is now finding that he may have to travel far and wide, both outside of the country and deep inside his own mind, to get the answers he is looking for. But uncovering one mystery leads to another. All the while Tsukuru is having vivid dreams. Dreams that are powerful and reaching out into his life, to where he doesn’t know where the dream stops and reality starts. And his dreams may be going after those that made him suffer. (More...)

Storm Siren Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Mary Weber's new novel, Storm Siren - a YA magic romp. There is a link below the cover photo, feel free to click and share:

Strom Siren Review

Watt O'Hugh Underground Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Steven S. Drachman's new novel, Watt O'Hugh Underground. There is a link below the cover picture feel free to click it and share. 

Watt O'Hugh Underground review

Lock In review up at Perihelion Science Fiction

The good people at PerihelionSF have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for John Scalzi's new novel, Lock In. Check it out and feel free to share. There's a link to the review below the cover photo:

Second review down, titled: "Through the Eyes of Androids"

Downfall (Cal Leandros book 9) review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Rob Thurman's new novel, Downfall. The first two paragraphs and a link to the review are below. Check it out and feel free to share:

Downfall, Book 9 of the Cal Leandros Series. Managing a series of stories in one larger story has to be difficult. Not only worrying about canon, the creator has to keep fans interested and coming back for more. Introducing bigger and badder bad guys works for a bit but readers will quickly grow tired of “now this is the worst we ever faced type of build up from book to book. Having an underlying problem that has to be dealt with at some point is a good strategy for return readers. Having something almost happen each time, works for a bit as well, and then something really has to happen.

Brothers, Cal and Niko, have been able to face and defeat just about all of their enemies, all of them except Grimm. Like Cal, Grimm is another half Auphe (an almost unstoppable, unthinking killing machine). But Grimm is less interested in killing the brothers and more interested in seeing Cal become full Auphe. Grimm believes he and Cal could be the second coming and rule or destroy the world. But just as their luck, the brothers have other problems. In Slashback (Roc, 2013), we saw Cal use his powers in front of humans. There is a rule that monsters (called paien in this universe) can’t use their powers where the world can see. Now a crazed paramilitary group is out to kill him along with the werewolf mafia. All the while Cal feels the darkness in him growing. (More...)

300 publications and counting

With the latest review I did for Buzzy Mag going live today, my total number of publications has now reached 300. That seems like a lot because it is. That is 300 times that I sent in some writing, someone thought it was good enough to put it in their publication, and pay me for it.

As a young writer I was always fascinated by prolific people like Asimov and John Creasy, now I'm becoming one. It is strange to think that a few years ago writing was a cathartic exercise that brought in a few bucks here and there, and now it is looking more and more likely that I can step into the full-time writing shoes in the next 6 months to a year. It is an odd feeling hitting this level of success after having so many years of struggle. Of course success means different things to different people. I'm still a peon in the grand scheme of the publishing world but I enjoy it and being able to pay the bills is always a good feeling.

As far as future plans go, I'm going to keep doing what I do and keep trying to break into new markets. I'm going to keep sending my stories and novels out (though I don't get to write new ones as often as I like) and I'm going to keep reviewing things (which I really enjoy doing). I've gotten way out of my comfort zone this year writing about things like data storage. The experience taught me that I could write about all sorts of things, all the while learning as I go.

For the new writers or ones that haven't been selling as much as they would like, I don't have any secrets to share. It is the same old same old: work hard, send your stuff out, learn from rejection, and read as much as you can.

Other things of interest in my life:

There are a few other successes that I would like to talk about. My son, Dylan, was born 10 weeks early. At first it was a big scare, but he has been doing great. His stay in the hospital made him the almost million-dollar-baby. But the writing money has helped and we plan on having a big chunk of our debt knocked out in the next month or two. And we have been able to upgrade the crap shack some, making it more efficient and saving on our energy bills a bit.

With that comes a decision I've been putting off: Without my day job I'll be able to get more writing in and break into more markets, but the day job does come with some benefits that will be lost switching over to a full-time writer. So I have to decide if I want to stay where I’m at, where it's comfortable, or take a big risk to move ahead.

And finally, I had a bit of a health scare a few years ago and started to take care of myself a little better. Last year I got into the best shape of my adult life and found out that I had an inguinal hernia that had to be repaired. As that was healing I got sloppy with eating and wasn't able to do anything. My son showed up early, which didn't help me eat any better. And when everything seemed like it was getting back on track I found out I had another hernia on the other side. So now, almost a year after the first surgery and six months after the second, I'm just about back into the shape I was in before the surgery.  In total I dropped about 70lbs. and am feeling much better for it. My health is improved quite a bit and I hope I can maintain it better, and that no more surgeries pop up.

In the coming years I aim to maintain or increase what I've started.

Tower Lord review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Anthony Ryan's new novel, Tower Lord. The first two paragraphs and a link are below. Check it out and feel free to share:

The reluctant hero archetype is used so often in popular culture nowadays it has almost become clich? There is no end in sight of this archetype but it doesn’t have to be bad. In the hands of a talented writer the reluctant hero becomes more relatable and the reader roots that much harder. However it would take quite a talent to fill not only one novel but a trilogy with reluctant heroes we care about.

After seeing the defeat of King Janus’s dream, the greatest fighter of all time, Vaelin Al Sorna, vows never to fight again. Vaelin’s wish to live a peaceful life is short lived as the king’s heir appoints him to the northern tower of the Unified Realm as their new Tower Lord. Before Vaelin can settle in as Tower Lord he learns that the Volarians have invaded the Unified Realm. But the Volarians hundreds of thousands of men aren’t the real threat. The people believe Vaelin could kill them all single-handedly. The real threat is known only as “The Ally,” and he is after more than just the destruction of the Unified Realm. Vaelin Al Sorna finds he must pick up the sword once again and sing the blood song. (more...)

Mr. Mercedes Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Stephen King's new novel, Mr. Mercedes. The first two paragraphs and a link to the review are below. Check it out and feel free to share it:

Retirement is going to kill us all. Or at least there seems to be a strong correlation between retiring and then dying at some point afterward. For some, retirement means taking away the purpose and reason of their life. Once that’s gone they start looking for a reason to die. But there are still things out there lingering in pre-retirement lives. Things that can cause one to come out of retirement, give a new reason for living, or begin killing again.

On a foggy morning hundreds of people stood in line outside of a jobs fair. Times were hard for this town and these people needed whatever they could get. As they pressed in close to fight off the elements, a large Mercedes came barreling through the middle of them, killing some and crippling others. The driver was never found. Months later, one of the best detectives the city had, Bill Hodges, is sitting in his living room trying to enjoy his retirement. His father’s gun keeps calling out to him but before he can answer, a letter from the Mercedes killer falls through the mail slot. The Mercedes Killer was one of the few cases Hodges couldn’t close before leaving the force. Hodges all of a sudden found a reason to go on. And the killer has found new reasons to kill. (more...)

Traitor's Blade review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Sebastien de Castell's debut novel, Traitor's Blade. There is a link below, check it out and feel free to share it:

Traitor's Blade review

Echopraxia Review up at Perihelion SF

The good people at Perihelion Science Fiction have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Peter Watts upcoming novel, Echopraxia. There is a link below the picture:

Echopraxia Review (last one, titled Zombies, Vampires, and Heaven?)

Labyrinth Of Stars Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Labyrinth Of Stars by Marjorie M. Liu, Follow the link below to check it out and feel free to share:

Labyrinth Of Stars Review

Shipstar Review up at Perihelion SF

The good people at Perihelion SF have published another review I wrote for them. It is a review for the new Larry Niven & Gregory Benford novel, Shipstar. There is a link to the review below:

Last review here

The Emperor's Blades Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for the debut novel by Brian Staveley, The Emperor's Blades. The first couple of paragraphs and a link are below. Check it out and feel free to share:

There is an event in our lives that generally challenges us but makes us better people in the long run, though we don’t always see it at the time. Sometimes we undergo these events willingly such as military training. Other times they sneak up on us unexpectedly like the long hospital stay of a child. The skills we learn can help us the rest of our lives. But what if we were royalty that had to lead millions of people? Even if the training lasted half of our lives would it be enough, would it give us the skills necessary?

The emperor of Annur has been assassinated and there is a plot against the rest of his line. Only his children were not sitting around idly waiting for the old man to croak so they can take over. His daughter, Adare (who due to her gender is unable to ascend the throne), has worked her way up to the Minister of Finance and is the first child to know of her father’s death and starts at once on a plan to avenge him. His son, Valyn, in training to be one of the most elite soldiers in Annur the Kettral. When he hears of his father’s death he is unable to leave or mourn. He must complete his training but something else is on his mind. His brother, Kaden, is the true heir to the throne and he has spent the last eight years in a remote monastery training to be a monk that he will in turn use as training to be a ruler. More...

Ghosts Of Watt O'Hugh Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. It is a review for Steven Drachman's novel, The Ghosts Of Watt O'Hugh. The novel is an interesting blend of pulp, western, and sic-fi.  There is a link to the review below. Check it out and feel free to share:

The Ghosts Of Watt O'Hugh review

Defenders review up at PerihelionSF

the good people at Perihelion SF have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Will McIntosh's new novel, Defenders. It is the second review down. Check it out and feel free to share:

Second review down