Weekend Update

You know you want to buy it!

Here’s a report on my recent activities.

Through the Sting of Fairy Smoke a short story of mine was released a couple weeks ago in the Nine Heroes: Tales of Heroic Fantasy anthology.  This is my first time in print (as opposed to ebook format).  There are nine stories altogether, and it’s well worth the read.

If you’d like to stop by and have me sign your copy, I have several pens warming up for that purpose.  One of my local fans did just that today.  It was the first time I’ve actually signed an autograph.

The Second Cut, a historic fiction about the only female samurai warrior, Tomoe Gozen, picks up where history left off as she tries to complete her last duty while being hunted by the armies of the Asahi Shogun.  This novel is in the final rough draft stage and is being read by my beta team.

He Who Tells the Tale is another short story that will be released shortly in an anthology by Harren Press.  This is a heroic fantasy genre anthology set in a shared universe.  It's a good story, even if I say so myself, and you won't be disappointed (offer not valid in all states, your mileage may vary, see rules for details).

I’ve started work on two more short stories.  One is another heroic fantasy.  The other is a crossover heroic fantasy and horror story.  I’ve never written horror before, but Stephen King does it all the time, so how hard can it really be?

Judge me by my sex, do you?

Right, Uncle Steve?  How hard?

He’s very shy.  But I have it on good authority that he uses the same internet where my blog exists, so there’s definitely a very small chance that he’s reading this right now.

Oh, and here’s a little excerpt from The Second Cut to whet your whistle.  Bon appetit!

“I can’t guess what your name is,” Irobe said softly into the horse’s ear, “and you can’t tell me.  But we shouldn’t ride into battle and death without knowing each other.”

The horse snorted and stamped a hoof again, his ears raised and perked.

“I am Tadatsuga Irobe, son of Tadatsuga Ishito, samurai and vassal to the great Tomoe Gozen, whom I serve unto death and beyond.  As ronin I had nothing but shame.  Tomoe Gozen accepted my sword and gave me back my honor.  Sadly, I have claimed no heads while her retainer.  Now, with your help, I’ll repay a portion of that debt and fulfill my duty.”

The horse whinnied beneath him, and Irobe smiled.  He patted the muscled neck of his mount one last time and rose to sit tall in the saddle.  The pound of the hooves was close.  He had only to wait and they’d be upon him.

“But that won’t serve my lady,” Irobe said

He dug his heels into the flanks of the standing horse.  With a rear and a scream, the horse launched itself forward, faster, it seemed, than they had traveled before.  Irobe laughed into the wind made by their passage, held his katana high above his head, and aimed the point aimed at the center of the road.  The horse galloped, as if pursued by every evil kami ever granted life, toward the first bend where Irobe knew he would meet his enemy.

No jokes about my helmet!

“Go-zen!” he screamed out the remembered battle cry, “Go-zen!  Tomo-e Go-zen!”

Irobe and his horse rounded the bend as the pursuers made their turn toward him.  He slammed into horses and riders before they realized what had happened.  He swung his katana, as if no force in the world or in the heavens could defeat him.  Up and down his sword rose and fell, cutting into men and beasts alike.  He heard cries of surprise, anger and pain.  Horses screamed as their masters went slack, or as they themselves were wounded.  Riders tried to bring their lances down on Irobe, but the first were too close and his attack too sudden.  He cut to his right and to his left, giving his horse its head, all screamed the battle cry.

“Go-zen!  Go-zen!  Tomo-e Go-zen!”

That Old Time Religion

You call that a Monster?

Angels, demons, awesome fight sequences and dark, brooding, solitary characters.  Oh yeah, I groove on all that.  I didn’t mean to watch two movies that centered on these kinds of themes, but when I saw I, Frankenstein and Winter’s Tale back-to-back, that’s exactly what I accomplished.  It wasn’t the most perfect day ever, but as far as finding watchable and intriguing movies, this was a winning ticket.

I, Frankenstein features Aaron Eckhart as the Monster.  Despite an impressive scars, attempts to dehumanize him (other characters constantly call him “It”), and at least three scenes reflecting that people are shocked and horrified by his appearance, there’s very little monstrous about Eckhart.  It’s not like when De Niro donned the make-up twenty years ago, or even when Clancy Brown did it thirty years ago.

No, no.  This is an updated, last action hero-type version of the Monster.  The film starts where Mary

Now THIS is a monster!

Shelley’s book ends (sorta).  Dr. Frankenstein is dead, succumbed to the cold of the North Pole while tracking Adam.  Adam carries the body of his creator back to his family burial plot, only to be attacked by . . . wait for it . . . demons!  He manages to hold his own, but these are, after all, demons.  That’s when awesomeness happens.  Gargoyles save him.  Brought into being by the archangel Michael to fight against the demon hordes (666 legions, to be exact), these gargoyles do exactly what their non-sentient, stone-statue brethren were meant to accomplish: fight off evil.

The only thing that could have made the movie better was the inclusions of ninjas.

"Who is this man?  What sort of Devil is he?"

Fresh from that eye-candy, I dove into Winter’s Tale, which asks you to believe that an infant in Manhattan will grow up with his parents’ Irish accent, even though he was orphaned at birth.  Starting in 1916 Manhattan, I didn’t mind at all this conceit that let us hear Collin Farrell’s native voice as the talented thief/mechanic Peter Lake.  Nor did I mind seeing Russell Crowe in period costume as the evil demon Pearly, who runs a gang of the most organized crime syndicate ever conceived.  There were a couple of times I thought Crowe might break into song about being a French policeman, but alas, I mistaken.  Lake, wants to leave the gang, and Pearly decides he has to kill Lake for this (yeah, weak, but it’s the plot so work with me).  On the run from Pearly and his black-suited thugs, Lake manages an escape when he comes across a beautiful but mysterious white horse, which will be known as The Horse for the rest of the film.  He finds himself in the home of Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay of Downton Abbey fame), who is suffering from consumption (tuberculosis) and practically on death’s door, but tragically beautiful.  So, of course, they fall in love.

Angels and ministers of grace, defend us!

There are all kinds of problems and anomalies with the film, but the characters themselves are reasonably believable, the demons are suitably evil, and Will Smith makes a wonderful appearance as “the Judge”, or, in case you can’t guess Lucifer himself.  My wife pointed out that we now have Morgan Freeman as God and Will Smith as Satan, and what an awesome movie that would make.  So if you’re listening, Hollywood, I’ll pay to see it!

Apparently, I’m almost alone in my enjoyment of these two films.  This doesn’t surprise me.  For some reason, I have a real bias toward angel/demon themed films.  I’m one of the few people who has actually heard of, let alone seen, Gabriel.  I got a huge kick out of The Prophecy.  Angel Heart, Fallen even Constantine with its unfortunate inclusion of Keanu was more than watchable for me.

But that’s the warning to you.  As for me, I’m going to queue up Legion.

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Man-Made Vacuum

Steampunk Victorian England is brought to life in this rousing tale of murder and intrigue featuring literature’s greatest detective: Sherlock Holmes.  In an era of boilers and coal, inventor Samuel Brown finds himself persecuted for daring to apply his genius to the development of a Kerosene powered internal combustion engine.  

 Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are tasked with uncovering the source of the conspiracy, and quickly find themselves in the web of a mysterious network capable of applying pressure at every turn.  Among the henchmen in their opposition are several characters from England’s history with infamy to match the great sleuth’s acclaim.  Not all is as it seems, but this Sherlock is equipped with brass enhancements, and has no qualms against fighting fire with scalding vapor and a rapier-quick mind.  

Excitement and adventure abound as Sherlock Holmes enters the world of Steampunk and finds the setting quite compatible with his unique and varied talents.

Buy Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Man-Made Vacuum today!

HarrenPress is a small publisher based in Kansas, USA, who is searching for talented, young fantasy authors that write outside of the mainstream. Ideas that test the boundaries of fantasy and not the same old cookie cutter story rehashed.