The Clockwork Detective - COVER REVEAL

I honestly didn’t know we were doing the cover reveal so quickly, or I would have warned you all.  Instead, let’s call it s surprise.

SURPRISE!

THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE by R.A. McCandless is a page-turning steampunk novel coming soon. It will be available at all the usual online outlets. Stay tuned for more info!

Cover by M Joseph Murphy

Aubrey Hartman left the Imperial battlefields with a pocketful of medals, a fearsome reputation, and a clockwork leg.

The Imperium diverts her trip home to investigate the murder of a young druwyd in a strange town. She is ordered to not only find the killer but prevent a full-scale war with the dreaded Fae.

The arrival of a sinister Secret Policeman threatens to dig up Aubrey’s own secrets that could ruin her career. It soon becomes clear that Aubrey has powerful enemies with plans to stop her before she gets started. Determined to solve the mystery, Aubrey must dodge centaurs, local thugs and a monster of pure destruction.

What do you think of the cover?  Tell me in the comments below!

Immigration and Other Nonsense

Actual steampunk goggles in practical use!?

I haven’t posted for a while because I’m lazy, and because I’ve been editing THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE, and working out a few interesting items with HELL BECOMES HER and potentially an exciting announcement concerning TEARS OF HEAVEN.

But I haven’t been idle. I’ve been arguing as well.  Shocker, I know.  Speech/Debate coach argues online?  What are the chances?

Anyhow, this was an interesting discussion, and it should be noted that opening comment was made by someone who generally argues from a position of knowledge.  Still, the generalizations tend to get me going, and so I respond:

“100% of all "immigrants" here illegally are commiting crime. That's what "here illegally" MEANS. We need to either change the laws, or enforce them.”

I get your point, and to some extent I agree. But the issue is, as you know, far more complicated, and it starts with the broken system. Most "illegals" actually entered the country legally. They "overstay" their work permit or their visa. They overstay for any number of reasons, but most start with the broken system. They had no intention of breaking the law, but once here, invested in their education, their job, and their life in the U.S., they didn’t want to leave just to stay in line with laws that make no sense. Maybe they started a family, and now they want their child(ren) to grow up in the U.S. Why wouldn’t they? Others enter the U.S. fleeing any number of ills. Some of those would see them receive asylum, if the system wasn’t so underfunded and backlogged. What should they do?

Of course the “right” thing, the “legal” thing is to leave the country until their case is heard, their paperwork processed, etc. etc. ad nauseum—that’s if they aren’t killed. But that means uprooting their career, their family, their entire life all because the U.S. is scared of people that look different and we have to have “extreme vetting” which will not be an event at the next Pet Olympics.

And what about the people, like me, citizens engaged in our communities and the politics of our nation, who understand that these are the complicated problems that have brought us to this point? What position should we take in attempting to advocate for otherwise innocent people who are caught in our system of stupidity and fear?

Essentially, the US has made these people “illegal” and then we punish them for it.

They aren’t “saints and martyrs” but their problems are real, they’re of our own manufacture, and they deserve advocacy. And that’s the dividing line. You don’t like that I advocate for immigrants and immigration reform? Well, I’m equally dismayed by those who lack empathy for people caught in this issue, who denigrate and belittle immigrants, and view them as criminals.

The Return of Hell Becomes Her!

Hey, hey!  Good news everyone!  Look what’s available again for your urban fantasy reading pleasure:

Banishing demons is only slightly more daunting than raising a pre-teen. All things considered, Del has it pretty easy these days. She takes her orders, does her job, and goes home to kiss her daughter, Jordan, goodnight. But when Jordan is kidnapped Del learns the world is even more dangerous than she believed.

Lost in the deserts of northern Nevada, confronted with myths and legends thirst for her blood, Del may have to fight an entire army to get her daughter back. She'll pull down the pillars of heaven if that's what it takes.

BUY IT TODAY!

Morgan Hazelwood Author Spotlight

And you thought your teen's angst was hard to handle!

Morgan Hazelwood put me on her Author Spotlight today:

Readers, let’s welcome to my blog, RobRoy. Born under a wandering star that eventually led him to life as a writer both professionally and creatively. He’s the author of the urban fantasy TEARS OF HEAVEN, winner of the 2014 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Preditors & Editors Readers Poll, and a 2015 EPIC eBook finalist with HELL BECOMES HER and THE CLOCKWORK DETECTIVE (available 2019).  His shorts have appeared in IN SHAMBLES (with Kevin J. Anderson) NINE HEROES, and GEARS, GADGETS AND STEAM.

He’s agreed to visit and share with us today some dreams, some advice, and some reading recommendations.

Read the rest here!

What books are you reading right now? Tell me in the comments below.

Hell Becomes Her Re-Release and Excerpt

She doesn't even chew bubblegum.

Whoops!  I’m supposed to be updating this more than just once a month.

Apologies.

The year sorta got away from me there at the end.  I took a bit of vacation, then I got lazy, because vacation is WAY better than real life, then I got a little bit sick, then I got a bit better.

Anyhow, this week is the week for the re-release of Hell Becomes Her.

Here’s an excerpt:

The doors slid back exactly as they were supposed to, and Del pointed both her SIGs through the opening. She knew it was wrong. Two hands on one gun with a straight-thumbs hold was the correct way to give proper support to aim and shoot quickly and consistently. Hollywood liked to show action heroes shooting from the hip, or blasting away without aiming and taking down a room full of bad guys, whose best response was to fire impotently at the ceiling or comically into other bad guys. It was all so much useless eye candy. A gun in each hand gave support to neither and made it impossible to sight. She’d need independent use of each of her eyes, like a chameleon, to train the guns on different targets at the same time.

Del knew it was wrong, but it looked damned impressive from the receiving end.

“Hold your fire!” a voice commanded from outside the elevator. “Hold your fire!”

Del wasn’t certain if the order was for her, the two ranks of Ljosalfar soldiers in their body armor who surrounded the elevator, or both. Either way, holes weren’t being punched into her favorite skin and that was a good thing. She might still die, riddled with bullets and spitting blood, but not yet. Not yet.

She unwrapped and wrapped her fingers on her SIGs, and smiled.

“Hello boys,” Del said. “Who wants some?”

“Hold your fire!” Alfred Waru said again.

“Alfred, you cunning bastard,” Del purred. “Come on in and give me a hug. I’ve solved almost all your problems. There’s only one left.”

“I’d rather you put down your weapons,” Alfred replied. Del homed in on his voice from behind the second rank of soldiers, but couldn’t make him out through all the helmets. “We’ve locked the elevator. The doors won’t close, and the car won’t move. Let’s talk about this.”

“Talk about what?” Del said and laughed. “How you lied to your people?  How you betrayed and murdered your own?  How you’ve doomed them through your schemes and plots?”

More to follow!