Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Getting Rid of Ticks
We have begun using a natural product called Cedarcide to keep the ticks away and its been working. The tiny terrorists loathe the cedar oil and we haven't had a case (knock on wood) in several weeks. I also spray the yard to combat the ongoing invasion. If you are in an area where ticks are prevalent, I recommend this product.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Lemon Scented
Without exception, the opening vignettes to American Gods are mini-masterpieces destined to be viewed time and again as inquiring minds seek to know more about these nearly forgotten fables—expect lots of YouTube hits.
In a compelling animated segment, the very first god comes to America circa 14,000 BC. A tribe of people crosses the land bridge from Siberia, following the wooly mammoths in hopes of finding food for their starving people. Atsula and her clan carry an effigy of their god, Nunyunnini, while they make the treacherous journey across the frozen, barren landscape. Her baby dies along the way, and when they finally arrive in the new land, she becomes the ultimate sacrifice to a bison-like spirit so her people can live—only to confront a tribe that had come before them. They defeat the newly encountered rivals and take their food, and then they leave behind Nunyunnini to be forgotten over time. The scene, like other Coming to America sections, was in variance from the novel.
Ay, dios mio!
If there was one thing that stood out in this week’s episodes, it was those regurgitation scenes. Ay, dios mio! More than once as Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is passing from the Black Lodge back to the land of the living.
In what can only be described as a surreal trip for Coop, he gets sucked through an electrical outlet and rides the current until he switches bodies with a lookalike named Dougie Jones. The hapless Dougie was enjoying the company of a lady of the evening, Jade (Nafeesa Williams), who is washing up when Coop arrives and takes Dougie’s place. And there begins possibly the vilest puke scene ever delivered on camera (and if you can point to more disgusting exhibits, I’ll just take your word for it). Dougie is swept away to the Black Lodge, where the one-armed man, Gerard (Al Strobel), explains, “Someone manufactured you,” and bears witness as the doppelgänger disintegrates into nothing more than a little round ball.
In what can only be described as a surreal trip for Coop, he gets sucked through an electrical outlet and rides the current until he switches bodies with a lookalike named Dougie Jones. The hapless Dougie was enjoying the company of a lady of the evening, Jade (Nafeesa Williams), who is washing up when Coop arrives and takes Dougie’s place. And there begins possibly the vilest puke scene ever delivered on camera (and if you can point to more disgusting exhibits, I’ll just take your word for it). Dougie is swept away to the Black Lodge, where the one-armed man, Gerard (Al Strobel), explains, “Someone manufactured you,” and bears witness as the doppelgänger disintegrates into nothing more than a little round ball.
Hope you click over here for my review of episodes 3 and 4 of Twin Peaks: The Return.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
CONTINUITY GIRL
The latest release from BEAT to a PULP and Nik Morton is now available for kindle pre-order. Print to follow.
What has gone before . . .
In our future, Kyler Knightly and his uncle Damon Cole are field agents for Continuity Inc, a private organization that obtained the contract when the government Time Corps was deregulated. CI is dedicated to protecting human history.
They use the Zygma projector to travel through time and must carry a focus object from the period they’re targeting.
Kyler is also a dreamer with passive psychic talents, a precognitive.
The head of the group is an Artificial Intelligence character, Sennacherib, which possesses an organic interface, sharing the body of a two-spot octopus in an aquarium tank! Their offices are in the West End of London, a disused theater.
The third book in the series brings two more exciting time-travel adventures for Knightly and Cole of Continuity Inc.
CONTINUITY GIRL
Kyler is accompanied by the delectable yet mysterious Tertia Beynon. Their mission is to trace an academic who has traveled to Roman Britain in 192 AD. Precog suggests that an interfering event in this past will radically alter the future. Arriving at Hadrian’s Wall in the freezing winter, the pair encounter blood-thirsty argumentative locals and then obtain the aid of Governor Clodius Albinus in their trek on the northern side of the wall. Here they are confronted by Ambrosius, a druid who possesses arcane power.
Nothing seems simple. Action abounds, with brutal sacrifices, deadly swordplay, a fraught chariot chase and an attack by a pack of wolves.
With all this going on, will they be able to save their future in time?
“What an exciting zip back to the past with some really neat time travel twists! The story may be short but it’s packed with plenty of entertaining ‘what ifs’ and action near Hadrian’s Wall. And for good measure, the conclusion just might be something you don’t expect!” —Nancy Jardine, author of 'The Celtic Fervour' series
WE FELL BELOW THE EARTH
Our duo are helped by Tertia and Chief Inspector Irving. Corpses drained of blood point to a clue, a letter from Bistritz in 1897. Kyler and Cole are sent to Transylvania.
The conclusions are inescapable: it seems that the discovery of time travel—even though it’s regulated and Continuity Inc strives to protect history—heralded in a sequence of parallel time-streams. Where before these time-streams were ‘what if’ scenarios, now they’ve split into different realities. In some, fiction is fact.
The deaths, the blood and gore point to vampires being real, and they’re certainly not your idealized romantic sort. The evil blood-suckers are intent on feasting in Kyler’s present and spreading their contagion ...
In our future, Kyler Knightly and his uncle Damon Cole are field agents for Continuity Inc, a private organization that obtained the contract when the government Time Corps was deregulated. CI is dedicated to protecting human history.
They use the Zygma projector to travel through time and must carry a focus object from the period they’re targeting.
Kyler is also a dreamer with passive psychic talents, a precognitive.
The head of the group is an Artificial Intelligence character, Sennacherib, which possesses an organic interface, sharing the body of a two-spot octopus in an aquarium tank! Their offices are in the West End of London, a disused theater.
The third book in the series brings two more exciting time-travel adventures for Knightly and Cole of Continuity Inc.
CONTINUITY GIRL
Kyler is accompanied by the delectable yet mysterious Tertia Beynon. Their mission is to trace an academic who has traveled to Roman Britain in 192 AD. Precog suggests that an interfering event in this past will radically alter the future. Arriving at Hadrian’s Wall in the freezing winter, the pair encounter blood-thirsty argumentative locals and then obtain the aid of Governor Clodius Albinus in their trek on the northern side of the wall. Here they are confronted by Ambrosius, a druid who possesses arcane power.
Nothing seems simple. Action abounds, with brutal sacrifices, deadly swordplay, a fraught chariot chase and an attack by a pack of wolves.
With all this going on, will they be able to save their future in time?
“What an exciting zip back to the past with some really neat time travel twists! The story may be short but it’s packed with plenty of entertaining ‘what ifs’ and action near Hadrian’s Wall. And for good measure, the conclusion just might be something you don’t expect!” —Nancy Jardine, author of 'The Celtic Fervour' series
WE FELL BELOW THE EARTH
Our duo are helped by Tertia and Chief Inspector Irving. Corpses drained of blood point to a clue, a letter from Bistritz in 1897. Kyler and Cole are sent to Transylvania.
The conclusions are inescapable: it seems that the discovery of time travel—even though it’s regulated and Continuity Inc strives to protect history—heralded in a sequence of parallel time-streams. Where before these time-streams were ‘what if’ scenarios, now they’ve split into different realities. In some, fiction is fact.
The deaths, the blood and gore point to vampires being real, and they’re certainly not your idealized romantic sort. The evil blood-suckers are intent on feasting in Kyler’s present and spreading their contagion ...
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Git Gone
I found the first few episodes of American Gods lacking but the show finally hit its stride with number four, "Git Gone." Below is a sample of what I wrote for Macmillan's Criminal Element blog. Go ahead and click over for the remainder of my two 1/2 cents:
There's a real slow turning of the narrative page here (yet when slow is done right, it can be exciting, à la Twin Peaks) that wasn't clicking in the first three episodes, and the compartmentalization of the book that kept the reader enthralled just didn’t have the same effect in the show. For someone who likes it when filmmakers stay true to the book, I have to admit that I’m glad they expanded the Laura Moon character in “Git Gone.” It provides a much-needed backstory to her relationship with Shadow, and it made this episode the first exceptional one of the series.
There's a real slow turning of the narrative page here (yet when slow is done right, it can be exciting, à la Twin Peaks) that wasn't clicking in the first three episodes, and the compartmentalization of the book that kept the reader enthralled just didn’t have the same effect in the show. For someone who likes it when filmmakers stay true to the book, I have to admit that I’m glad they expanded the Laura Moon character in “Git Gone.” It provides a much-needed backstory to her relationship with Shadow, and it made this episode the first exceptional one of the series.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Twin Peaks: The Return
Ahead of David Lynch’s revival, I went back and binged on the original series, interested to know if it would still capture me like it did 27 years ago. I was only a few years older than the fictional 17-year-old Laura Palmer when I sat with my mom and best friend Erik each week, religiously invested in Special Agent Cooper probing Laura’s grisly death. My mother didn’t laugh at the dark humor that Erik and I enjoyed over the slain girl’s mom wailing long past when other directors would have yelled “cut!” We had grown up on Lynch’s Blue Velvet and were more than prepared for the dramatic swings—after all, Dennis Hopper snuffing up oxygen through a mask is practically normal. Still, both generations were glued-fast to the intrigue.
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| My full review is at Criminal Element. |
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Friday, May 19, 2017
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Do Some Damage: Writing, Self-Promotion, and Real Life
Do Some Damage: Writing, Self-Promotion, and Real Life: By Court Merrigan , Guest Post I haven't updated my blog since December 15, 2014, and it's been a lot longer than that since I...
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Q&A with Court Merrigan
After many months of work (and obviously much longer for Court), we finally get to enjoy the release of THE BROKEN COUNTRY—just out today. Not sure what it is about? Then click over to this interview we did for Criminal Element.
At Outpost 16
Rest of my reread of Wolves of the Calla can be found at Criminal Element.Jake is feeling unsettled about spying on Ben Slightman The Elder and Andy while they’re conversing in private. After Ben Slightman the Younger falls asleep, Jake slips away with Oy—sniffing like a bloodhound—to follow their trail to a seemingly abandoned building. It’s labeled Outpost 16, which Jake assumes was erected by the Old Ones. There, he finds more North Central Positronics, LTD signs and tech. On the door itself: WELCOME TO THE DOGAN. Uh-oh. Here we go, as they say.
Inside, fluorescent lights snap to life, revealing skeletons in tattered brown uniforms—soldiers of sorts who’ve long since given a damn about what they were guarding. More shocking than the gruesome remains are the 31 screens monitoring various locations in the region, including Calla high street, Our Lady of Serenity Church, and Took’s General Store.
The Broken Country
Our latest BEAT to a PULP release is a partnership with the talented Court Merrigan with one very looong title. You ready? Ok, here it goes: The Broken Country: Being the Scabrous Exploits of Cyrus & Galina Van, Hellbent West During the Eighth Year of the Harrows, 1876; With an Account of Mappers, Bounty Hunters, a Tatar, and the Science of Phrenology.Set in post-apocalyptic 1876, The Broken Country tracks the scabrous exploits of the outlaws Cyrus and Galina Van. The pair kidnaps a naïve, young scion and head west in pursuit of gold, glory, and respect. Along the trail they met Atlante Ames, a mapper who euthanized her own father and now seeks her twin brother, himself gone outlaw in the ravaged West. In cold pursuit rides the implacable bounty hunter Hal, who takes scalps in the name of Jesus Christ and the science of phrenology, and the contemplative Buddhist assassin Qa'un, paying off the bloodprice he owes Hal … bounty by bloody bounty. Cyrus and Galina's hard road west comes to a head in a dynamite-tossing, six-gun-blazing shootout at the old train depot in Laramie.
A dark journey to a time when wagon trains have retreated and the Old West is haunted by bonepickers and starving tribes, The Broken Country is unlike any other book you will read this year. And we have never written a truer statement than that last sentence. Here's the Amazon link to buy either print or ebook.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Head Full of Snow
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| American Gods is losing me and I try to explain some of the issues in my coverage of the third episode. |
FROM DUNDEE'S DESK: Another Look: ARIZONA BUSHWHACKERS (1968 Western s...
FROM DUNDEE'S DESK: Another Look: ARIZONA BUSHWHACKERS (1968 Western s...: For a long time I rather arrogantly ignored the string of low budget Westerns produced by A.C. Lyles in the mid/late 1960s as sub par mo...
Rough Edges: Peacemaker Award Finalists Announced
Rough Edges: Peacemaker Award Finalists Announced: 7TH ANNUAL PEACEMAKER BEST FIRST NOVEL: Echoes of Massacre Canyon by Ben Goheen aka Ben Tyler (Five Star Publishing) Si...
Sunday, May 14, 2017
The Outlaw Marshal is Returning
Nik Morton discusses writing about someone else's series character. That someone else is me and I couldn't be happier when Nik breathes continuing life into Cash Laramie.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Lilac
I've mentioned planting a lilac and d and I managed to get the tree (some call them shrubs) in the ground yesterday. Not the exact right time for lilacs but we will nurse her carefully.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Happenings
A busy week that keeps getting just a little more hectic. On the work front, my interview with Court Merrigan is complete and I'll let you know when that shows up on Criminal Element—the BEAT to a PULP offices are bustling with managing promotion for THE BROKEN COUNTRY. In addition, we are finishing the cover and final formatting for Glenn Gray's TRANSGEMINATION, an out of this world ride from the author who's knack for the outlandish knows no bounds, and we are also ramping up our Thomas Paine project. I'll have more details on these very soon. Not to forget, there's a sci-fi offering on the way from Nik Morton featuring Knightly & Cole and we'll have the bloody return of The Lawyer though his vendetta trail may have to wait a few more months since I'm writing that one with a title I particularly like, The Honorable Killer.
If you are looking for a mystery and a detour from the beaten path I recommend Sebastian Fitzek's The Nightwalker that I reviewed here. The psychological thriller still has me pondering some passages months after the read. Year end best, easily.
On the personal side, I'm continuing to clear out fallen trees from our property and general landscaping to beautify. We bought a lilac that I had wanted to plant yesterday but hope to get in the ground later today with d and Ava's help.
There are also scheduled doctor's appointments and dental visits that have me a bit on edge, because one involves our little one but hopefully all will turn out ok. So, guess, I better get moving and turn a few pages. And as mom would say, "Arrivederci!"
If you are looking for a mystery and a detour from the beaten path I recommend Sebastian Fitzek's The Nightwalker that I reviewed here. The psychological thriller still has me pondering some passages months after the read. Year end best, easily.On the personal side, I'm continuing to clear out fallen trees from our property and general landscaping to beautify. We bought a lilac that I had wanted to plant yesterday but hope to get in the ground later today with d and Ava's help.
There are also scheduled doctor's appointments and dental visits that have me a bit on edge, because one involves our little one but hopefully all will turn out ok. So, guess, I better get moving and turn a few pages. And as mom would say, "Arrivederci!"
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Decompressing
The sun is finally striking through and that will give me an opportunity to clear out some brush on our property (nicknamed the High 'Chalet') and plant a lilac we bought last week. Landscaping gives me a welcoming decompression after a long day in front of the screen. Also, I'm learning to break off at 5 p.m. and just not think about deadlines and relax. (That's MUCH easier said than done when you work for yourself.) Family times goes into full swing with board games like backgammon, Scrabble. Or reading something purely for entertainment that has nothing to do with reviewing like my current evening diversion, The Little Book of Mathematical Principles by Robert Solomon. Also, Little d and I are slowly whittling our way through the first season of Raising Hope and the final season of Doctor Who featuring Peter Capaldi as Twelve. So as I like to say from time to time: "Easy, you know, does it, son."
—and now let me spin around the web and see what everyone else is doing.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Friday, May 5, 2017
Visitors
Yesterday, at 12:58 pm, the first hummingbird of the year, a male, popped in from 'hyperspace'. Magical creatures. In the hummingbird's backdrop were two vibrant blue-jays, several yellow finches, and a lone woodpecker going to town on a steel beam in the yard—that's got to smart just the tiniest. I often work from the kitchen that overlooks this buzzing landscape and am happily distracted by these visitors.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
A Broken Interview
Today, I'm beginning an interview with author Court Merrigan ahead of THE BROKEN COUNTRY's release on May 16th—our back and forth will be posted on Macmillan's Criminal Element site. And the ebook pre-order is available now and print to follow soon.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
I'm Talking Wolves...
Just a quick refresher: the wolves are on their way, and our ka-tet are not a unified force. Roland calls them broken. Mostly because of Susannah, who isn’t aware that she has a new personality lurking within named Mia who has a baby on the way. This happened, as you remember, because Susannah got pregnant while having sex with a demon to hold open a transom that allowed Jake to cross over. Roland and Eddie know, and now Jake has seen his comrade dining on a rat like it was fine cuisine.Read The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla Part V, by, you guessed it, me. Right here.
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