Author Interview: Sam Kepfield

Martinus Publishing’s latest anthology, VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars, is now available.  To kick off this new book release, I’ll be interviewing some of the authors who have stories featured in this collection. Today, I'm interviewing Sam Kepfield, the excellent author who contributed “Lay Down My Sword.”  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Sam.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

SAM KEPFIELD:  By day, I’m an attorney, and by night (or early morning) I’m a writer.  In between I’m a father and husband and caregiver to multiple felines.

MTI: Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

SK:  Ten years ago, I was feeling a professional emptiness.  I confused deadlines with goals and ambitions.  I wanted something larger than simply filing motions and arguing appeals.  I had made a stab at publishing back in the early ‘90s, but gave up to enter a Ph.D. program.  I sat down and said to myself that I would find the time and make the effort to get published.  It took a couple of years, but I finally got that first credit, and since then, I’ve released several dozen stories and one novel.

My favorite type of story is where I have a flash of inspiration, where ideas that have been rolling around in my head for months, maybe years, reach critical mass and in a flash I have the plot, the characters, and the ending.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

SK:  I don’t think I could pick just one.  Robert Silverberg, especially his work from the late ‘60s and ‘70s, is wonderful in its descriptive power, and his exploration of the human psyche, particularly “Dying Inside” (1972).  Elmore Leonard is very instructive on the other side of the spectrum in how to write tight prose and believable dialogue.

MTI:  “Lay Down My Sword” appears in VFW, an anthology of military science fiction that honors soldiers and veterans.  Was there any particular inspiration for this story?

SK:  “Lay Down My Sword” is part of a larger series of stories that I’m developing that deal with the creation of artificial life forms.  The others are “Galatea’s Stepchildren,” published in The Future Fire (June 2009), “Droids Don’t Cry,” and “Pygmalion Unbound,” both available from Musa Publishing. 

They are an alternative to Isaac Asmiov’s “I, Robot” series.  Asimov showed mechanical robots living harmoniously alongside human beings.  I wanted to go a little darker.  What if the differences weren’t silicon-and-metal versus carbon-based?  What if man actually got to play God and create new life, life that looked human, with some modifications, but was not created via the normal reproductive processes?  How would we treat these new life forms?  Past experience sadly tells us that they would be exploited, and called anything but what they are – human.  However, the twist is that the droids know they are human – and can act on that knowledge.

MTI:  If you could go back to any point in history, when would you visit?

SK:  Wow.  This might be easier if I hadn’t done graduate work in history and knew of so many choices.  Pagan and early Christian Ireland would be high on the list.  I’d like to witness the 1916 Easter Rising firsthand as well.  Traveling to Revolutionary era America would allow me to see the birth and development of all the ideas we talk about today.  I also have an interest in the Soviet Union, but I’m afraid I’d get picked up by the KGB for asking too many questions.

MTI:  If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

SK:  Again, being a former doctoral candidate and instructor in history complicates things by giving me a wealth of choices.  One of my top picks would be Michael Collins, leader of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish Civil War of 1919-1922, and the first President of the Irish Republic. 

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

SK:  I have several book-length manuscripts in progress.  The one closest to completion is an alternate-history hard-SF spy/thriller.  I also have about a half-dozen stories in various stages.

MTI:  Other than your contribution to VFW, another of your stories, “The Orthogonian,” will be appearing in the Martinus Publishing anthology Altered America.  Tell us a little about that one.

SK:  Having done doctoral work in history, and having been a history and political junkie from the age of about ten, I love history and politics.  I love alternate history.

I’d known for a long time that Richard Nixon had applied to be a G-Man, but the budget had prevented him from being hired.  So it’s only natural to ask, given his personality, what sort of an FBI agent he would have been.  It’s a given that he would have risen to the top.  “The Orthogonian” portrays him as a high-level official, engaged in a secret mission/spy swap with the Soviet Union. 

It was one of those ideas that got shelved mentally.  When I saw the call for Altered America, it popped up.  I started writing, and finished it at a breakneck pace.  To my surprise and gratification, it was accepted.

MTI:  Do you have any other stories coming out in the near future?

SK:  I have a story coming out in the Far Orbit anthology from World Weaver Press.  “Open for Business” is a ripped-from-the-headines tale about the privatization of space travel, and how a shoestring DIY operation captures a near-earth asteroid.  It’s very much in the Golden Age style of Robert Heinlein. 

MTI:  Sounds tantalizing.  On a lighter note, have you watched any good tv lately?

SK:  I don’t watch television.  I read at night, and write.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

SK:  I usually have NPR on when I’m in my office, and at night when I’m reading.  When I travel, I have my CDs (I have not yet joined the Digital Revolution, and have no plans to in the near future if ever).  My music of choice is rock and roll, circa 1977-1989, though I listen to quite a few other genres, including jazz, Celtic traditional, and classical.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers.  Are there any great words of wisdom you’d like to share with them?

SK:  Life is too short for cheap beer and ugly women (or men).  Live it to the fullest.

MTI:  Fine advice, for certain.  Thank you for the excellent interview.  Those who want to read what Sam has to offer can pick up a copy of VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars, in either Print, Kindle or Nook format.

Author Interview: Therese Arkenberg

Martinus Publishing’s latest anthology, VFW: Veterans of theFuture Wars, is now in print!  To kick off this book release, I’ll be interviewing some of the authors who have stories featured in this collection. Today, I'm interviewing Therese Arkenberg, the skilled author of who contributed “Ayema’s Fleet.”  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Therese.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

THERESE ARKENBERG:  Well, I’m a recent college graduate and a freelance editor in Washington, D.C. At least for now. I’ve written and published science fiction stories for the past 5 years. Most, though not all, of my stories feature women protagonists. That’s not by any conscious choice, but I’m not dissatisfied with the number of “feminist science fiction” publications I’ve turned up in! 

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

TA:  I genuinely don’t remember when I first started. I remember making up stories by reading picture books “wrong” (early fanfiction?) before I could even read most books right. I always knew I was going to be a published writer one day. The only surprise was when I found out how easy the internet made it. I started writing heavily, and then submitting stories for publication, in high school.

My favorite stories usually have some speculative element and center around a theme—usually the theme of some character’s odd fascination or relationship with someone or something. In Ayema’s Fleet, the central “love story” is between a woman and the fleet of ships she is charge of.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

TA:  Pick just one? That’s cruel. But if we’re talking influence, I do have an easy answer. I think a lot of my influence came from C.S. Friedman’s Coldfire trilogy—I read it at just the right time of life, and was completely obsessed with the worldbuilding and characterization. Coldfire is a genre bending work that looks fantastic on the surface, but has a rigorous science underlying it, and the story itself deals with some big questions about good and evil. For a while, even my prose seemed to flow in unconscious mimicry of it. When I reread the series recently some of the lines seemed weirdly familiar—that’s how deep it sunk into my head.

MTI:  “Ayema’s Fleet” appears in VFW, an anthology of military science fiction that honors soldiers and veterans.  Was there any particular inspiration for this story?

TA:  In one of my history classes, there was a mention—just a mention—about scuttling ships at the end of a war. I thought about how hard that might be to carry through for the officers in charge, who would really know what it means to destroy a warship. The idea grew out from there.  

MTI:  If you could go back to any point in history, when would you visit?

TA:  In all honesty, I think I’d rather go forward—I’m the kind of person whose time has not yet come. But if I were to pick somewhere historical, I’m leaning towards an upper class salon of the 18^th century. I’d hang out and talk about big ideas, which is pretty much what I do all day anyway, except the ladies and gentlemen around me would be better dressed.

MTI:  If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

TA:  It’s even harder to narrow down than my most influential books or favorite movies, but in the spirit of the above answer I’ll go with my favorite 18^th century figure, Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George. Accomplished courtier, composer, violinist, and swordsman, I can only hope he’s as awesome in person as his biographies suggest. Also, I want to ask him what really went down in his duel with the Chevalière d'Éon—who is said to have worn her full gown at the time! (d'Éon is another figure I’d be interested in meeting, to be honest)

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

TA:  Currently I’m trying to round out and complete 3 different short story series (the ones currently finished are on my Publications List on my blog.  I also have a fantasy novel to finish editing. I have some science fiction and science fantasy ideas, but I don’t feel ready to tackle them until my plate’s a little cleaner.

MTI:  Other than “Ayema’s Fleet” appearing in VFW, do you have any other stories being published in the near future?

TA:  Yes I do! An apocalyptic science fiction piece, “The Astrologer’s Telling,” has been picked up by Daily Science Fiction, and “For Lost Time,” the next installment of one of my 3 ongoing short story series will be published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies later this year. And it’s not a story exactly, but I also recently released a nonfiction book about writing & getting published, The Starter Guide for Professional Writers.

MTI:  You’ve had a long list of interesting jobs, as explained in your biography.  Tell me, what has been your favorite one thus far (other than writing fiction, of course)?

TA:  I really, really love the freelance editing work I’m doing right now. And being a craft store cashier was oddly relaxing (some days…), maybe because they let me create bows for the floral department during my downtime. It was a great, simple craft for distressing and playing around with ribbon. But overall, I think my work as a volunteer tax preparer had the best balance of mental stimulation, getting out of the house and meeting interesting people, while also feeling like I was making a difference. Plus, the 1040 form suddenly became a lot less intimidating, at least for one year.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good tv lately?

TA:  I don’t own a TV and haven’t yet purchased a Netflix subscription, so I’m limited to keeping up with whatever networks post on their websites. The last series I’ve watched online with any degree of faithfulness was Sleepy Hollow, which is campy but a lot of fun (and the cast is great!). I also enjoyed the most recent season of BBC’s Sherlock.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

TA: I really love instrumentals and music soundtracks. High on my list currently are the soundtracks for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Thor: The Dark World. I’m also a perennial fan of Two Steps From Hell and Audiomachine, both companies that produce music for film trailers but have recently expanded with albums on iTunes.

MTI:  And if you would, name three movies that you could watch over and over again and not be bored.

TA:  Well, Inception is complicated enough to watch forever. Any one of the Lord of the Rings trilogy also is rewarding on rewatch (and even more rewarding on marathon—can I claim the entire trilogy as one movie? Extended edition? If you watched that over and over again, you’d never have time to be bored!). And then Thor: the Dark World was just everything I enjoy in a movie—colorful, energetic, space fantasy with a touch of cosmic horror, plus Christopher Eccleston, Tom Hiddleston, and Idris Elba. And Rene Russo. If only it were longer…

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers.  Are there any great words of wisdom you’d like to share with them?  Perhaps something that would persuade them to purchase your work?

TA:  For what it’s worth, I decided to submit to the VFW anthology because of the “Veterans” in the title. A lot of military science fiction gets wrapped up in the part where cool ships explode in space—which are plenty awesome, don’t get me wrong—but I think it’s equally or more important to remember the people involved. I’m glad to be part of a collection of stories that examines the human beings who will continue to fight, serve, and defend into the future.

MTI:  Readers love free samples.  Is there anything you’d like to share with us today, perhaps something new or recent that you’ve written?

TA:  How about the opening pages of “Ayema’s Fleet”?

            The ships of Ahrim’s fleet lay out in their ranks, nine by five, like an army of vast beetles. Their blue-black solar panels sucked in the beginning of daylight at the horizon. If he squinted, Lieutenant John Simmons could see his commanding officer walking in the shadows of the behemoths. Port Warden Ayema Reece was a short woman with wide, hunched shoulders, and hair and eyes as glossy black as the ships. The uniform of the port, a dusky brown, almost exactly matched the shade of her skin. It made her look naked.

            Lieutenant Simmons glanced back at the words on the screen and rang the warden’s messenger. “Ma’am? It’s urgent.”

            “I’ll come right on up.” But it took her fifteen minutes to cross the stretch of concrete where the ships rested. She walked leisurely, drinking in the light, the cool wind, the smell of metal.

* * *

           Ancharin fleet approaches Domar  with plans to seize ships Expected arrival by Jul. 16th Evacuate or scuttle immediately Further information when available

            Two lines, a very simple message, really. A problem, two possible solutions. A choice that must be made at once.

            Ayema turned from the message to the window. A single moon hung over the horizon where its two sisters set—there was always a moon in the sky of Domar, even at dawn. Ayema knew Domar’s patterns; she had lived on the planet, supervising the fleet of Ahrim, for three years now. Three years and a lifetime.

            “We’ll evacuate,” she said to Simmons.

            “Of course.” He swallowed. “It may be difficult, though.”

            “We have five pilots.” The port was understaffed, a common problem that hadn’t caused trouble before. Ahrim was a minor settlement on a minor planet in a minor system. Domar was only colonized for its convenient location and its mineral resources.

            “What’s the nearest fortified planet by Ley?” Ayema asked.

            “Gordat,” Simmons said, so promptly she knew he had studied a map of the hyperspace paths while waiting for her. “Five or six hours at a rush, with a skilled pilot.”

            “And an unskilled one?”

            “Could take fourteen or more.”

            “We have forty eight hours. How many our people do you think could pilot one of these craft if they had to?”

            “Six,” he said, promptly again. “Seven, if you want to risk Tomson.”

            “I’ll risk him.”

            She looked out at the fleet, and said absently, “A pity Gemenei never called for the ships before. They’ve sat here unused for years.”

            “Didn’t want to risk them on small confrontations, I suppose,” Simmons said. “There are less than a hundred ships with engines like that in... well, anywhere.”

            “And we’ll still destroy these rather than let them fall into anyone else’s hands.” Simmons looked at her, surprised; Ayema felt surprised, herself. She wasn’t usually bitter.  Then again, she wasn’t usually being ordered to destroy her fleet.

            “You know we don’t want Ancharins prying into those engines,” Simmons said. “They’ve improved their time along the Leys fast enough already. I haven’t heard of one of their ships being ripped apart en route for years.”

            “Perhaps they just hide their mistakes better.” She stood and leaned over her Warden’s console. “I’m keying in commands for our five pilots to start the evacuation before we slip any further into sedition.”

            Simmons smiled. “We’ll be all right, Reece.”

            “Each pilot will need to make five trips apiece,” she calculated aloud. “I’ll give them twelve hours per trip... for checkup, takeoff, a margin of error—” Two to three hours was a narrow estimate for all that, but she’d hazard it. “We’d need days. We don’t have days. But we have the volunteers... I’ll give them nineteen hours a trip, perhaps a round twenty.” You just couldn’t give amateurs a smaller margin than that.

             “It’s like one of my daughter’s math assignments.” Simmons’s voice softened. “Her mother has me help her with them over instacom. Why she won’t have me review the ancient poets instead, I can’t figure...”

            “That’s six trips per trained pilot,” Ayema said. “Fifteen ships for the volunteers, altogether. We should make it.”

            “We might not even have to risk Tomson.”

            She nodded.

            He rose from his side of the desk and set something beside her. “Just in case,” he said softly.

            Ayema looked at it. A small device with a touchscreen interface. Enter Code, the screen read. She entered her Warden’s passkey and the protocol box was replaced by a menu. Two options: Cancel or Scuttle.

MTI:  Thank you for that wonderful interview.  Anyone interested in reading the rest of Ayema’s Fleet can pick up VFW: Veterans ofthe Future Wars today!

Postcard of the week: Chinaman at Meal

This week’s postcard comes from China, 100+ years ago.  This one is purely drawn, not a photo as most of the cards are.  It is entitled “Chinaman at meal.”

Author Interview: Neal Wooten

Martinus Publishing’s latest anthology, VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars, is out!  Throughout February, I’ll be interviewing some of the authors who have stories featured in this collection. Today, I'm interviewing Neal Wooten, the talented author of who contributed “Divine Protocol.”    Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Neal.

NEAL WOOTEN:  You’re welcome

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

NW:  I am a writer for the Huffington Post and I also love to write sci-fi.  My first novel, “Reternity,” which is a time travel story based on Biblical prophecies, has won eight national awards and was named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011.  I have a sci-fi novel titled “The Balance” due out April 15^th, 2014.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

NW:  I’ve been writing fiction for a long time. Futuristic stories are definitely my favorite since every aspect comes solely from imagination.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

NW:  H.G. Wells

MTI:  “Divine Protocol” appears in VFW, an anthology of military science fiction that honors soldiers and veterans.  Was there any particular inspiration for this story?

NW:  There were two elements: the very brief mention of the Nephilim in the Bible, and the war in Heaven, which gives us the warrior side of angels. Combining those elements led to “Divine Protocol.”

MTI:  If you could go back to any point in history, when would you visit?

NW:  Native American life before any explorers showed up.

MTI:  If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

NW:  Gandhi.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

NW:  I’ve stepped out of my circle for a spell and I’m working with a famous drummer from the biggest country music band in history to write his autobiography.

MTI:  Other than “Divine Protocol” appearing in VFW, do you have any other stories being published in the near future?

NW:  Besides the novel due out in April, I had a total of eight short stories accepted in 2013, not all yet published. The other seven are:

The Shombie Apocalypse

Canyon Casnova

Reading Glasses

The Dream Job

Human Era

Veggie Moon

Ode to an Urban Legend

MTI:  Other than writing fiction, you have had some interesting jobs.  Math teacher, stand-up comic, and columnist are just the few listed in your biography.  In retrospect, what has been your favorite career choice to date?

NW:  Doing standup was great, except for the traveling, but I still do an occasional show.  Being a columnist is always fun, but I’d have to say teaching kids math was my favorite thing to do.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good tv lately?

NW:  The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory are all I watch.  I’m now a contributor to The Walking Dead Fan Club.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

NW:  Oldies – 50s, 60s, and some of the 70s.  Give me the Eagles and CCR anytime.

MTI:  And if you would, name three movies that you could watch over and over again and not be bored.

NW: Jaws, All the movies of the Alien series, & Serenity

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers.  Are there any great words of wisdom you’d like to share with them?  Perhaps something that would persuade them to purchase your work?

NW:  I think the most important thing about writing fiction is believability.  My novel, “The Balance,” is set 100K years into the future, but I hope people will read it and think, “That’s really possible.”

MTI:  Readers love free samples.  Is there anything you’d like to share with us today, perhaps something new or recent that you’ve written?

NW:  Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter of “The Balance.”

     Lightning? I have only seen lightning from above as I traveled around the tube, beautiful green and blue bursts from within the clouds thousands of feet below the city. The transport shakes again and I almost fall. I sit on the cushioned seat to brace myself, my fingers digging deep into the outer material. Adon still stares out the side of the tube away from the city, so I look to see what he sees. I see only myself. The darkness outside creates a mirror effect on the tube, a distorted reflection looking back at me, scanning my own eyes as if also searching for answers. I notice my shoulder-length, straight, pale hair, the same as every other male in the city, even my grandfather’s. I see wrinkles on my face that should not be there, then I realize they are not on my reflection but hovering in the span of distance between us. There are lines that seem to be floating in air, little threads tracing across the normally unobstructed view of the sky. The tube is cracked, and the lines seem to be alive, growing, spreading.

     The tube’s clear casing breaks even more, the lines darting across the cylindrical enclosure like lightning itself, stretching out in all directions. Then the space beside our transport explodes into a million shards of crystal, reflecting the dim light like twinkling stars as they spin off into oblivion. The transport seems to hover for a full second and then…weightlessness.

MTI:  Excellent stuff.  Thanks for this intriguing interview, Neal.  Those who wish to read more of his stuff can pick up VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars today!

Altered America: New Cover Reveal

Altered America will be coming out at the end of March 2014, and the final formatting and proofreading has now begun.  In addition to 21 alternate history stories featured in this collection, it will be sporting an excellent cover by Yakir Ben Haim.  I showed it to you some time ago, but since that initial display there have been a few changes.  New cover lettering has augmented the artwork, providing for a much-improved look:

I’d like to thank Jackson Kuhl for his invaluable assistance with this lettering.  It was his brilliant concept to enhance the look of the cover, even before learning that his submission would be the first story featured in the collection.

The complete table of contents, with story placement, will be announced in early March.

Author Interview: Dan Gainor

Martinus Publishing’s latest anthology, VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars, is now available!  Throughout the month of February, I’ll be interviewing some of the authors who have stories featured in this collection. Today, I'm interviewing Dan Gainor, the skilled author who contributed “Flight Deck.”  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed, Dan.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

DAN GAINOR: I’m a career editor and writer, but I’ve only recently started to pursue my passion of writing fiction. I’ve read sci-fi since I was a kid and was a science fiction/fantasy/horror critic for about two years. I’m proud to say this story is my first fiction published anywhere. And I really want to thank you and all the readers for making that happen.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

DG:  As a little boy, I remember having a bad recurring nightmare. It dawned on me that if I thought hard enough what to do, I might alter the story. It worked. I’ve been weaving stories in my head ever since. I think my favorite stories to read are those that take people from our conventional world and expose them to the fantastic – either going somewhere else or having it come here. I want to write of heroes and heroines. Of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  I’m still figuring out what my favorite stories are to write.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

DG:  Like many authors, I could list dozens, especially ones from my youth. (Thank you, Andre Norton.) But I’ll stick to William Forstchen whose writing is so inspiring that friends of mine started calling his “Lost Regiment” books, “The Books” with a kind of reverence we’d hold for “Lord of the Rings.”

MTI:  “Flight Deck” appears in VFW, an anthology of military science fiction that honors soldiers and veterans.  Was there any particular inspiration for this story?

DG:  A couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to fly out to the USS George H.W. Bush and catapult off. It was an incredible experience through the Naval Institute. It was a VIP tour and there we met a ton of admirals. I expected them to be impressive and they were. But this is the most powerful weapon in the world and it’s manned by men and women who are an average age of 19. Through guts, hard work and the efforts of the officers and master chief, they had become an amazing crew that protects our freedom. I am proud of every single one of them. God bless them for being on the pointy end defending us every day.

MTI:  If you could go back to any point in history, when would you visit?

DG:  That’s hard to decide. Part of me wants to be there for the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But I would rather be in the time of Jesus and seek some of the answers all of us carry around in our hearts.

MTI:  Definitely two of the most fundamental times in human history!  During your impressive career, you’ve no doubt met some fascinating people.  What are a few of your most memorable encounters?

DG:  Working in D.C., you meet a lot of congressmen and senators. But when I was an editor working on a paper in Baltimore, I met several Holocaust survivors. To have lived through what they had to endure and moved on and had lives is incredibly inspiring.

For famous people, I have to give a shout out to the late G. Gordon Liddy. I met him at a society ball when I first came to Washington. I was there because of my newspaper work, but I didn’t fit in. Gordon was kind of enough to strike up a conversation with me in the line to the bar. He was the first D.C. celeb to ever treat me as a human. Years later, I was on his radio show many times. But I never forgot that kindness.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

DG:  I’m in the midst of the Martinus writing competition and that’s keeping me busy. When that’s done, there’s a book idea that has been languishing but that I love. It’s not really my genre, more of a thriller, but I think it’s bubbling up out of my soul. Time to finish it. I also have a sci-fi novel that I’ve finished but want to re-edit some. Time for that too.

MTI:  Other than your contribution to VFW, you have another short story, “We the People” being published in the forthcoming Martinus Publishing anthology Altered America.  Tell our readers a little about that fascinating piece.

DG:  This is probably as close as I can come to merging my political life with my fiction. I was having dinner with one of my friends one night and he said something about what the Founders would say about our society now. Political people make that argument all the time. I decided to think it through and imagine someone trying to bring back the greatest minds of our past. And why.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good tv lately?

DG:  I watch TV for a living. But that makes TV work sometimes. Most of the shows I watch disappoint me, especially “Revolution.” But I watched an episode of “Blue Bloods” recently, with Tom Selleck. It was excellent, inspiring, faithful, heart-felt and patriotic. If I can write my fiction encompassing those elements, I’ll consider myself a success.

MTI:  I’ve heard a lot of good things about Blue Bloods, and Tom Selleck is a fantastic actor.  I’ll have to check it out.  Anyway, what sort of music do you prefer?

DG:  I love lyrics and I listen to a lot of Irish music – Dropkick Murphy’s, the Pogues and Saw Doctors. But my favorite band is Black 47 out of New York. Larry Kirwan is a great writer and his songs really tell a story. He’s also a damn nice guy. Our politics are completely different, yet I really respect and admire him. They are on their farewell tour this year after an incredible run. Check them out. You won’t be disappointed. If you want to hear one song, try “Mychal,” a tribute to Father Mychal Judge who died on 9-11. It’s incredible and reminds me of those we lost that day, including two of my MBA classmates who died in the Pentagon. If that song doesn’t make you want to hear another, you have no soul.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers.  Are there any great words of wisdom you’d like to share with them?

DG:  I have been reading since I was very little. It’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us. It can anger or inspire, entice or amuse. And it’s something that is in every one of us. Write – a blog, a short story, a poem, a song or a book. You aren’t just writing for your readers, you are writing for yourself. And, if you build your world well enough, you are writing to give those characters the life they deserve. Share them with others and they might live forever. Maybe that sounds a little crazy, but once you create a character, you give that character life like the golem. Some of the greatest in history, Shakespeare’s Henry V or the Three Musketeers – live on hundreds of years later. That’s more than any author can ask.

MTI:  Readers love free samples.  Is there anything you’d like to share with us today, perhaps something new or recent that you’ve written?

The first page of “Standing Watch:”

The alarm bell clanged obnoxiously at 5:45 and John rolled over and resisted the temptation to throw the clock across the room. Like its owner, the wind-up alarm clock was a little out of date, very functional and at times very annoying.

            John liked to think of those things as some of his good qualities. In any case, they went well with being a cop. That was all John ever wanted to be growing up in South Baltimore. Dad had worked on the docks and expected his oldest to follow in those footsteps. But Uncle Willie had been a police officer and told wild tales of cops and robbers – some of them even true. By the time he was 5, little Johnny was hooked. By 10, he was reading the crime log in the newspaper.

            Dad gave up fighting it and decided to help. When John got out of high school and applied, his application landed deep in a pile of also-rans. The physical tests and lie detector has been easy. John had never excelled at academics and the entrance exam was no exception.

            Dad intervened. He took him to see City Councilman Anthony Bonanno, allegedly a distant relative to mafia don Joe Bonanno. In Baltimore’s Little Italy, that actually was a vote-getting bonus and Bonanno played it up as a don of local politics.

            John still remembered the look on the councilman’s face as his father spoke. When Bonanno seemed confused why he should help, dad reminded him he was a shift foreman. “It’s for the union,” he said. That meant votes. Bonanno just smiled and replied with a straight face: “Wisnieski, eh? Good Italian name.”

            Like any bureaucracy, the city police operated on favors. Bonanno made a quick phone call and John’s mediocre test scores were ignored. One name was added to the recruit list. Another subtracted. The scales of justice went back into balance – Baltimore style.

            John was determined to never need that kind of help again. He became a damn good cop.

MTI:  Excellent stuff.  It’s always a pleasure.  Thanks for an exceptional interview.  Those who want to check out more of Dan Gainor’s stuff can pick up a copy of VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars today, and Altered America around the first of April.

Postcards of the Week: Asakusa Park, Tokyo, Japan

Today I’ve got a couple of postcards from Asakusa Park in Tokyo, taken over 100 years ago:

And as a bonus, here is one of the original postcard wrappers.  I only have a few of these, as most were thrown away when the cards were purchased.  I expect that these envelopes are probably rarer than the cards, themselves.

Amazon Pilots

So, last week Amazon released a new batch of television show pilots.  The idea behind this is to give viewers the chance to rate the shows to help determine which one(s) become continuing series.  Last year, they only did comedies & kid shows, but this time they’ve thrown in a couple of dramas.  I haven’t watched the kid programming (despite the fact that I have 4 kids, it’s not my thing), but I will give my analysis of the adult shows.

First of all, they’re all rated “mature,” and each one has foul language.  Several have brief nudity, as well.  Why?  Just because they can, it seems.  Most of it isn’t too offensive, though I’ll mention the instances where it is.

Let’s start with the best first.  "Bosch" is a gritty detective series based on the books of Michael Connelly (which I’ve never read).  It is very well acted, with intelligent storylines and enjoyable characters.  I think the F-word is thrown around a little too often here, but other than that it is an excellent show. I would recommend it, and I really hope Amazon chooses to continue this series.

The other “drama” series is “The After,” created by Chris Carter, best known as the creator of the X-Files.  This series is much like his other work, dark, enigmatic, and suspenseful.  While I liked the idea of the world reaching some kind of apocalypse, I found the characters a bit unlikeable.  The main character is a wannabe French actress from New York who is in LA for a job she doesn’t get when the world falls apart.  She ends up with a group of people, most of whom are assholes (pardon the expression, but they are).  There’s the sleazy lawyer played by Adrian Pasdar, a drunken foul-mouthed Brit, a gay clown (literally, a party clown who is homosexual), a high class hooker who starts talking about the bible and divine justice (because we all know every prostitute is a bible thumper at heart, pffff), an uber-rich old lady, a black escaped convict who was “wrongly accused,” and a lady cop.  Overall, I thought the acting was good, but the writing needs a little refinement, so the characters are a little more appealing.  It’s worth watching, but not as good as Bosch.

Now, for the comedies, none of which is stellar.

"The Rebels" is probably the best of the comedy attempts, with Natalie Zea of Justified fame in the role of a rich widow who inherits her husband’s floundering NFL team.  There are some humorous moments, but overall the show seemed a bit too low brow in some respects.  Example, they have a cocaine snorting monkey that starts shooting people.  The players also act stupidly, and sometimes it is funny, sometimes not.  Overall, it has potential, but it needs refinement.

"Mozart in the Jungle" is a very dry comedy about classical musicians in NYC, who are apparently a bunch of horny, dope smoking, alcoholic party kids.  They have one older lady (maybe mid-thirties) who has flashbacks of getting screwed, as she’s apparently “tried out” every kind of male musician there is.  This could be a good show if they tried to do more of a “Frasier” thing with it, but at present it’s too sleazy and dull.  I would not recommend it.

Last and very least is “Transparent,” which I found utterly boring.  The whole premise of the show is summed up in the title; the elderly father in this show discovers he wants to be a woman (transsexual+parent=Trans-parent, get it?).  But beyond that, this show has nothing of interest.  The characters are very unpleasant.  The son is a music producer who likes to sleep around with teenagers, one of the daughters is a gold digger who used to be a lesbian in college, and the other daughter is depressed and out of work, relying on daddy’s money to get by.  Overall, I would never want to see these characters again.  I think this is the worst of the Amazon pilots, which of course means there’s a good chance that it will be the one they pick up.

Well, there you have my off the cuff analysis of the shows.  Bosch is the only one I would definitely enjoy on a regular basis in its current form, and at present it has very good reviews from Amazon customers, but so do all of the shows, oddly enough.

Now, how the hell do I get the West of the Warlock pilot made for this contest?  Maybe someday...

West of the Warlock TV Project Update

Well, it’s been a couple of years since I first put together the pilot script for “West of the Warlock,” and in that time I’ve gotten some nibbles, but not enough to get me anywhere near production.  It is incredibly hard to find anyone who'll bother to look at a script, it would seem.  Unless you’re connected (or actually in Hollywood knocking on the doors of industry professionals) it is hard to catch a break.

A couple of things have happened, though, and I feel it’s important to post this update, so people don’t forget that I’m still here.  Maybe someone "in the biz" will actually stumble upon this blog and take an interest in my Fantasy Western.

I did have a production company ask about seeing the script.  It was through a TV pitch marketing website, and the company, Cross Genre Entertainment, never got back to me.  They were supposed to contact me to arrange delivery of the script, but they went silent after requesting my contact info.  That was a big let-down, as the biggest hurtle with this project is getting anyone to actually read the thing.

Since that initial let-down, I have shown the script to some independent reviewers and to a certain pseudo-professional who wasn’t in a position to do more than comment.  Most of the comments were positive all around, and the only major point that was made is that I should have a shorter pilot.

The initial script I had put together was a “double length” version, basically the first and second episodes merged as one.  I did this because Joella Talus didn’t appear in the first episode (it being an adaptation of “A Dwarf at High Noon,” which pre-dated Joella).  For this reason, I added the second episode to the pilot, to introduce all of the main characters, Dwarven gunslinger Ron Grimes, Warlock sheriff James Doliber, and Elvish widow Joella Talus.  This might work in production someday, but at the initial pitch stage I've realized I need a scaled-down version.

With this in mind, I had an epiphany last night.  I realized how I could incorporate Joella in the very end of the first normal-length episode, and so I rewrote the ending toward that end.  I now have a 48 page pilot script (I know, still a few pages long, but there is a scene or two that can be trimmed if needed), and all 3 principal characters appear, culminating in a complete setup for the series.

So, what’s my next move with this project?  I really can’t say at the moment.  I’m hoping to find someone in the film business who would like to take a look at the script, but it’s hard in a flooded marketplace, and even harder where a lot of studios are only looking to rehash old material.  I am not a filmmaker, either, so I don't have any connections. I’m a writer with some franchises that could be very marketable if anyone would only give them a chance.  I write a damn fine script, too.  If there’s anyone out there who wants to make a Western series with Fantasy elements placed in the historical setting of 1880’s America, then drop me a line.  Industry professionals can contact me at mtiediting (at) inbox.com 

For those who want to know what this television script is based upon, pick up a copy of West of the Warlock.  The pilot is an expansion on “A Dwarf at High Noon” which is the prologue of the book (2nd Edition), and the second episode is based on the “Unintended Consequences/Marriage of Inconvenience” storyline in Episodes 2 & 3.  I also have part of the subsequent episode scripted, which will basically be “Into the Thick of It & Vendetta Ride.”

I could easily write the entire first season of this show by myself, but there’s plenty of room for other writers to join the team if we ever get that far.  Come on, somebody give this show a chance!

Author Interview: Pete Aldin

VFW Author Interview:

Martinus Publishing’s latest anthology, VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars, is now available!  Throughout the month of February, I’ll be interviewing some of the authors who have stories featured in this collection. Today, I'm interviewing Pete Aldin, the excellent author who contributed “The Bridge.”  Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed.

PETE ALDIN:  Hey, it’s always fun to chat. Thanks for the opportunity.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

PA:  I’m Australian, but don’t hold that against me. I’ve been writing scifi/fantasy/horror/thriller stories since he was a kid, but I never finished any until I turned 40 and figured, I’m not getting any further away from death. So I actually took writing seriously (= making it a discipline and humbling myself to learn the art) and HEY, I started actually finishing the damn things. So now I have about a dozen short stories published out there plus a publisher looking at a couple of my novels.

For a day job, I run training programs for long term unemployed people, helping them get their mojo back. I love my job.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

PA:  It’s interesting you used the word “compelled”, because that’s exactly my experience. Stories and ideas have always bubbled up out of my psyche since I was a boy. I can’t pin it down to anything other than disposition …

As far as my favourite type of story (noticed I used the Aussie spelling there, lol): I seem to get drawn more and more to monster stories (where sometimes the monsters are the human variety) or pure life-in-danger adventure. The settings I most often lean toward are either dystopian near future sci-fi or mediaeval fantasy.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

PA:  I could talk about Grisham or Asimov or Graham Greene, but actually I’d have to say Joseph D’Lacey (whose horror I greatly admire) was the first professional author to say “Hell, you’re writing’s great, Pete”. That means a lot.

 

MTI:  “The Bridge” appears in VFW, an anthology of military science fiction that honors soldiers and veterans.  Was there any particular inspiration for this story?

PA:  I was kind of riffing on the idea of “Old soldiers never die”… then I thought “What if the only soldiers left in the world were elderly citizens” … and the foundations were laid.

I think the older I get also, the less I see people who are “Different” as people who are “Wrong”. Maybe that thought crept in there too.

MTI:  If you could go back to any point in history, when would you visit?

PA:  The Sermon on the Mount.

MTI:  A popular choice for many, no doubt.  If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

PA:  Jesus. He fascinates me. (If he wasn’t available, I wouldn’t mind taking a writing master class from Stephen King).

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

PA:  I’m working on three projects: a werewolf novel, a short story about love between modified and non-modified humans, and a collaboration novel/novella with another author set on an asteroid.

MTI:  Other than your contribution to VFW, do you have any other stories coming out in the near future?

PA:  Yes, I do. I have a horror story set in 1900 coming out in a Kindle collection and a horror-sci-fi tale in a post-apocalyptic anthology.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good tv lately?

PA:  I’ve just discovered Modern Family. It’s growing on me. Also, I truly enjoyed the Dr Who 50^th Anniversary special back in November. But over here in Australia, we’re in the Summer Non-Ratings period, so most TV is abject crap at present. Looking forward to the return of Black List over here.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

PA:  Oh, man. I’ve a broad taste in music. When I’m writing, I tend to listen to dark or emotive movie soundtracks (the soundtracks to Trance and Cosmopolis  are doing it for me at present). The rest of my playlist includes metal/hard rock bands like Demon Hunter and Stone Sour, and an eclectic mix of other artists including Gary Numan, Johnny Cash, Devo and Smashing Pumpkins).

MTI:  You note in your bio that you have an affinity for alcoholic ciders.  Are there any particular vintages that you especially prefer?

PA:  Hah! Not really vintages, but there’s a Swedish brand that make a killer Apple & Guava one. I could drink that every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers.  Are there any great words of wisdom you’d like to share with them?

PA:  I saw someone post recently something like this: I don’t read because I have no life; I read because I want to experience many lives. It was a little more finessed than that, but I truly loved the sentiment. Reading is not good for us; it’s great for us.

MTI:  Readers love free samples.  Is there anything you’d like to share with us today, perhaps something new or recent that you’ve written?

PA:  If you’d like to read full stories in their entirety for free: a dark fantasy story is available at Niteblade.com, and a vicious little crime pulp piece is to be found at Bareknuckles Pulp.

Alternatively, the following is the intro to a piece I’ve been tinkering with for a while now…

High Priestess Philyu’s chest tightened as she stepped over the twin trails of blood. As her eyes adjusted to the crypt torchlight, the source became apparent. The soldier impaled on the spikes of the booby trap had probably lived a dozen seconds after triggering the device – just long enough to realize his mistake, long enough certainly to regret it.

“One does not summon the dead without serious repercussions,” she murmured, quiet enough that those watching from behind her would think it an incantation.

The young man said nothing in reply. He was either unwilling to compromise himself or too rapt watching the machinations of Junior Priest Achimu beneath the torchsconce ahead. The dark haired priest from a wealthy family was busy scratching symbols on the wall.

Philyu stepped a little closer and murmured, “Careful where you’re writing. Don’t want to trigger another one of those.”

Achimu’s scratching faltered a little. He swallowed with an audible click. But to his credit, he kept carving away at the tunnel walls with his trowel without so much as a glance at the soldier’s body nearby.

Behind them at the tunnel entrance, the Queen shifted, a noise like rats in a wall. She was nervous. Who wouldn’t be with necromancy at work? If Achimu messed up his symbols, he might raise something far worse than a dead theif.

He stole a glance at her, masking his curiosity with a bow of obeisance. No, not nervous – impatient, hungry. She wanted what the thief could bring her.

Oh, Timaeus. You may yet rue your death for more reasons than the obvious one.

MTI:  Great stuff.  Thanks for the interview, Pete.  It was another great one.  For those who want to read even more of Pete Aldin’s stuff, pick up a copy of VFW: Veterans of the Future Wars today!

Postcards of the week: Nunobiki Waterfall, Kobe, Japan

Here’s something from my Japan card collection.  It’s the Nunobiki Waterfall circa 1910.

I actually have two versions of this card, the above hand-painted photograph, and this black and white original:

They aren’t the exact same photograph, but they’re taken from a similar vantage point, likely minutes apart.  Whoever was shooting the photo took a few steps forward, allowing for a slight alteration in the perspective.

Additionally, I also have two different views of the waterfall, both colorized:

Author Interview: Joseph Conat

Martinus Publishing’s latest anthology, VFW: Veterans of theFuture Wars, is now available!  To kick off this new book release, I’ll be interviewing some of the authors who have stories featured in this collection. Today, I'm interviewing Joseph Conat, the entertaining author who contributed “Conversations with Monsters.”    Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed.

MTI:  Starting off, could you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

Joseph Conat:  Well, let's see. I have a gorgeous and tolerant wife, a beautiful and wonderfully insane daughter... two dogs, one of whom is affable and well-trained and the other is a loudmouth lunatic... two cats, one of whom is affable and invisible while being the approximate size and weight of a Ford F-150, and the other is a frustrated evil genius who I'm pretty sure has been building either a death-ray or a plasma can opener in the basement for the past fifteen years.

I've gotten brave enough with my writing to begin showing it to people other than my family and friends. I'm happy to have "Conversations with Monsters" in VFW.

MTI:  Now, getting down to business; what first compelled you to weave fiction, and what's your favorite type of story to write?

JC:  I've written since I was small. When I was four or five I wrote a six page book involving King Kong and... something. Lasers? Anyway, it was illustrated.

I tend to write science fiction. I'm a big fan of futurism and how technology changes society and the human condition. A lot of my stuff lately has had a strong "what if" sense. Alternate histories and whatnot.

MTI:  Tell me, if you had to pick just one author who has influenced or inspired you, who would it be?

JC:  Neal Stephenson. The man is a genius. The cyberpunk satire Snow Crash, the World War II/1990s cryptographic "history" Cryptonomicon and its epic follow-up/prequel The Baroque Cycle... they're all massive tomes, but worth the effort.

MTI:  “Conversations with Monsters” appears in VFW, an anthology of military science fiction that honors soldiers and veterans.  Was there any particular inspiration for this story?

JC:  I actually started writing a different story for this anthology, but found I'd painted myself into a corner. This one just came to me in one of those rare, but miraculous flashes of "what the hell am I gonna wri—ooh! OOH!"

I may still use some of the ideas for the original story somewhere.

MTI:  If you could go back to any point in history, when would you visit?

JC:  World War II, Bletchley Park. Turing and Colossus. That would be cool.

MTI:  If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

JC:  Can I say Neal Stephenson again? Eh, overdone. Batman.

No, that's ridiculous. Arthur Conan Doyle, though. Yeah. Or, Joseph Bell, the man from whom Doyle drew inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

You know, let's just have an "all of history" party and I'll mingle.

MTI:  Shifting back to your writing, can you tell us a little about what you're working on right now?

JC:  I've been writing, on and off, a kind of alternate history novel exploring if superheroes had shown up during WWII. What would the world be like today if we had really had those tropes around for seventy plus years? It's fun.

MTI:  Other than your contribution to VFW, do you have any other stories being published in the near future?

JC:  Not yet, but here's hopin'.

MTI:  Your bio places you in Ypsilanti, Michigan.   I’m something of a car guy, and whenever I hear of Ypsilanti, I’m reminded of automotive innovator Preston Tucker, who lived there and created a very nice car after WWII.  I was just wondering if you’d ever taken an interest in the man.

JC:  Tucker was the man. They have one of his cars at the Henry Ford Museum and I always rush to find it when we take our daughter there. There used to be one in the old Hudson museum down on Cross St., but I'm not sure if it's still there.

I loved his innovation. The turning headlight sticks with me, an innovation that they now tout on newer cars like they just thought of it. I saw a commercial recently showcasing this "new feature" and yelled "Stolen from Tucker!"

My wife rolled her eyes and turned up the volume.

MTI:  On a lighter note, have you watched any good tv lately?

JC:  Almost Human. Doesn't go quite as deep into robot/human relations issues as, say, Asimov or Philip K. Dick, but the interplay between Karl Urban and Michael Ealy is priceless. Plus, good Blade Runner-esque production values.

MTI:  What sort of music do you enjoy?

JC:  Movie scores. I'm such a nerd.

Hans Zimmer RAWKS!!

MTI:  And if you would, name three movies that you could watch over and over again and not be bored.

JC:  Kick-Ass, Dredd (the new one, not the Stallone) and Serenity.

MTI:  You have the attention of potential readers.  Are there any great words of wisdom you’d like to share with them?  Perhaps something that would persuade them to purchase your work?

JC: Argh. Wisdom? Um. Purchase my work. Um.

Look, I tell stories. I think they're pretty good, the ones I let people see. The others are being re-tooled and will see the light of day if I can get 'em right. Like any other writer, I hope folk like my stories, like my ideas, like my characters...

If you do, buy them. So I can write more.

And do the same thing for any other writer you like. Throw 'em some bones and they can do more of that stuff you like.

MTI:  Readers love free samples.  Is there anything you’d like to share with us today, perhaps something new or recent that you’ve written?

            Grim was on Mars when that office building in New Jersey exploded.

            Sitting at the conference table, he stifled a yawn. Bad form; as a Captain in the Protectorate of District 6 (Americas Northeast), he should have been presenting an image of alert seriousness, ever vigilant for potential security gaps through which Threats Against the Crown might slip, wreaking havoc on the Royal Personages and rocking the foundations of the world government. But there were no serious Threats Against the Crown, and anyway the Crown was, to everyone's knowledge, completely invulnerable.

             Besides, Lord Windrunner, Vice Commissioner of His Royal Majesty's Global Constabulary Protectorate, had veered wildly from the agenda (Security Preparations for the Convocation of Petitioners at the Vatican Ruins) into an impromptu treatise on the motivations of now-extinct terrorist threats and how they might be relevant to new, but still undiscovered (and thus, to Grim's mind, probably the fevered imaginings of Windrunner himself) terrorist threats.

            "For instance," Windrunner was saying as he gestured at a holographic enlargement of Europe, "despite laws specifically criminalizing the depiction of Todesengel, Death's head imagery has been found defacing buildings in Bonn..."

            "Imagery that is not specifically referencing Todesengel." Windrunner was interrupted by Lord Thursday.  Thursday claimed to be the earthly incarnation of the Norse god of thunder, but declined to call himself Thor in deference to the Church of Asatru and His Imperial Majesty's unspoken but ironclad edict against supers allowing themselves to be worshipped as individuals. Thursday was Regional Commissioner of Europe Southwest 2, which included the former Germany.  "It lacks the peaked cap and SS insignia...it is, in fact, just a common skull motif. We believe it to be referencing that band...what's it called?"

            "'Ende der Zeiten,'" supplied Thursday's aide de camp, a weaselly little spastic that went by the name of Sparks.  "It means 'End of Times.'"

            "Yes." Thursday stroked his magnificent golden beard and fingered the rough and beaten hammer at his waist. "Cape-thrash, if I recall. All the members have minor Gifts.  Anyway," the not-a-god shook his flowing mane. "Why is Lord Wyrm not running this meeting?"

            Lord Windrunner flushed. "His Majesty's Royal Protector has more pressing business," he admitted.

            "More pressing than assuring nothing scuffs His Royal Majesty's indestructible rump?" Thursday guffawed. "It must be important indeed!"

            In truth, this level meeting was well below Wyrm's status. As Viceroy of the Empire, Wyrm was head of the Privy Council and his duties spanned the Solar system and beyond. Windrunner was a minor official in the Global Protectorate, Wyrm's particular sphere of influence. He was embarrassed that he'd been relegated to a mere functionary, running meetings instead of making policy.

            Grim could empathize, though he was coming at it from the opposite way. As a mere Captain, this meeting was not only well above his pay-grade, but outside his purview. He had nothing to do with Rome, or Southern Europe District 2, the zone in which it lay. He was acting as an amanuensis for *his* boss, who was scheduled to be there, but had decided to do something, or someone else.

            He was, in fact, pretty upset about it all. He'd been up for close on twenty-four hours catching his mettings, then filling in for the Duchess Shockfront at hers. He was tired, wired and thinking about how to get fired.

            And that's when Grim's artie buzzed at him.

MTI:  That one looks promising.  Thank you for sharing that snippet, and thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable interview.  Readers who want more of Joseph Conat’s work can pick up VFW: Veterans of the FutureWars, in either Print or Kindle format.