Montage

Today I'm going to bring you all a special treat. Three different short samples of my published writing, waiting for your perusing eyes.  Each is something that I hope you will enjoy, and consider picking up a copy of these books in print or kindle format.

Excerpt 1, from The Guns of Mars:

“Over to the desk, now,” Morgan demanded, taking another step forward.

Melinda stepped backwards until her legs bumped into the hardwood desk. She slid around behind it and sat in her chair, eager to slip her hands out of sight.

“Keep those hands where I can see them,” Morgan shouted.

Melinda complied and set them on a bare patch of desk. “Really, Morgan, is this the way you want to be remembered? As the armed terrorist of Mars?”

Morgan kept his cool. “Open the laptop.”

“Why?”

“I need proof,” he said...

Excerpt 2, from West of the Warlock:

"Tough break, Sammy," the warlock said, regaining his own smirk.  Ah, what a satisfying turnaround!

Blascoe was fighting to eject the spent cases from his revolver as quickly as possible.  One by one, the ejector rod pushed the empty brass from the cylinder, but it was futile.  His time had run out.

The warlock still had a revolver in his left hand.  He'd been gripping it this whole time, waiting for the chance to use it.  The simple mechanical device with its neatly polished parts and ornately-carved ivory grips was a marvel of modern machinery, and with this fine weapon the warlock put down his foe in a most material manner.  Three shots were placed in slow succession, enough to grant him added satisfaction from the kill.  Blascoe crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, leaving only one man standing between this warlock and the gold.

Excerpt 3, from The Curse of Selwood:

Falling to her knees, Bettina began to cry.  It seemed the appropriate thing to do under the circumstances.  To be kidnapped by a monster on the eve of her wedding was a fate worse than anything she could have imagined, and being stuck in the dark—alone—why, it only compounded her emotions.  The waiting and wondering made her tense, as imagination began to work on her psyche.

What would become of her here?  Would she die a slow death, forgotten in the pit, or would that creature come back?  What would the creature do to her if it did return?  She shuddered to think, and cried some more.

As her whimpering abated, an echoed voice caught her attention.  It was too distant and distorted to be recognized, but it was the first external sound she'd received since awaking.  Someone was coming, and she stood up straight, desperate to understand a single word.  Try as she might, the voice remained identifiable, as the echo of the cave continued to slur it.

What if that voice belonged to a search party?  She had to let them know she was here!  Screaming at the top of her lungs, she cried for help, letting anyone up above know she was alive and well.

Lost: The Series

I'm still sick, and don't have the energy to get too in-depth here, but I'm not going to let a nasty virus keep me from completing my A to Z challenge.  So, I'll take a minute to talk about Lost.

When Lost was on the air, I never watched it.  I'm not a huge television viewer, but a lot of people have mentioned the series to me over the years, and suggested I check it out.  A while back, I found a copy of the first season DVD set at a local pawn shop, and for $10 I figured, "why not?"

I sat down in the cold mid-winter and watched the first season, almost non-stop.  The show grabbed my attention in many ways, and I just had to get the rest of it.  I scraped together what little spare cash I had and bought the other 5 seasons off of ebay (used, affordable).  Since then, I've been moving through the show bit by bit, and find the series getting more riveting with each episode.  The complexity of the writing is fantastic, and there are enough unpredictable twists and turns that it can really surprise you!  It also has some touching human interest stories that make you really care about almost every character.

It starts out as a seemingly straightforward survival show, and slowly incorporates elements of science fiction and metaphysical experiences.  I'm just starting on Season 5 right now, and being sick gives me a pretty good excuse to sit down and run through these remaining episodes.  I hope I get better before I run out.

Coincidentally, the show has an uncanny resemblance to the first book I ever wrote, when I was 10.  My "proto-novel," involved people getting shipwrecked on a mysterious island that is displaced in time and space, appearing infrequently in the Gulf of Maine.  There were a lot of murders, subterfuge, unnatural natives, and hidden mysteries dating back to pre-history, similar to what we see on Lost.  Though, being only 10 years old, I didn't put it together into anything publishable.  I still have the very rough manuscript somewhere.  Perhaps someday I'll rewrite it to match what my imagination back then had in mind.  Unfortunately, readers would accuse me of ripping off Lost if I ever do write this book, even though I plotted the story in 1990.  Is that just a tad ironic?

In conclusion, Lost is a 5-star program in my book.  Check it out if you haven't already.

Killing of Yesterday

Amidst the many fantastic stories within The Temporal Element, I slipped in a short piece of my own, which I wrote a few years ago.  "The Killing of Yesterday," is part time-travel, and part detective story.  The basic premise of this one is that a time travel police force would have to exist to combat criminal activity if and when we develop the ability to venture into the past.  There are some other twists and turns to this story, along with some theoretical science, though I'll stop there.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might not have read it yet.

This story may have further significance in the future, as I've based an entire novel on it.  "The Time Traveler's Illegal Harem" also features agent Jack Baker, albeit in a far different situation than we see in the short story.  The concept of that book involves him being framed for various changes to the timeline, and his attempts to vindicate himself with the help of some ladies he's rescued from various points in history (hence the title).  It isn't quite as scandalous as the title might imply.

The Time Traveler's Illegal Harem is currently sitting on a shelf, as I'm not satisfied with its current form.  It was my first NaNoWiMo novel in 2010, so there are a few plot points I'd like to edit, and I simply haven't gotten around to doing it yet.

I've written a lot of different time-travel stories over the years, and that is one reason I decided to put together The Temporal Element.  Everyone loves a good time travel story, but there are so few collections of short stories available on this theme.  Who knows, maybe someday there will also be room for a "Temporal Element 2."  Time will tell.

Jerked Around

The worst part about being sick is the way emotions seem to be heightened.  Often when I am ill, I find myself feeling raw in a mental sense.  Emotions are enhanced, and my control over them is diminished.  It's a strange state of being.

The worst thing is, it seems as if the world goes out of its way to provoke me and make me feel bad when I'm sick.  It's like everything around me starts reacting to my physical condition, and seeks to make my mental state equally pained.

One thing that is really bothering me is UPS.  They were supposed to deliver a package here on Monday, but whoever they had driving never came to my house.  Fortunately, my father was able to track it down on Wednesday (just as I was writing this post).  UPS left it at another house ¼ of a mile away!  Some people just don't give a damn, and this isn't the first time a UPS driver has conveniently dumped my package somewhere it wasn't supposed to go.  Last December, they lost a car window I ordered.  After filing a claim and waiting two weeks, the package finally appeared on my doorstep, but the delay was a nuisance.  This current package is even more critical, as it contains a generator for my '56 Fairlane.  The one currently in the car is screaming from bad bearings, so I can't drive it until this replacement is installed.  Just as soon as I'm feeling better, that's the first thing I'll be doing.

There was absolutely no excuse for me being jerked around like this.  UPS has delivered 2 other packages to my house in the last 2 weeks, so they know where I live.  Obviously, they had a different driver on Monday who didn't know the area and didn't care where they dropped the box.  It's not like my house is hard to find.  There's a big sign that says "INGHAM" right out front, with the house number right above it.

So, that's one of the things that has me feeling emotionally ill.  Another is the fact that ebay stopped forwarding messages to my email account for some damn reason.  I was contacting the seller of the generator on Tuesday, trying to get him to file a UPS claim (in order to track down the package). I thought he hadn't replied to my first message about filing a claim with UPS, so I sent him another one, only to find out that ebay's stupid system wasn't forwarding his replies.  I found his replies on ebay's messages page later, but now I feel like a fool.  Even worse, the package turned ups a few hours after he put in the claim, but that's really the fault of UPS for delivering the package to the wrong house.

Hopefully, I won't have to deal with much else over the next few days, as this virus runs its course.

Illness Stymies Work

Truth be told, I have been sick the past couple of weeks.  It's something that comes and goes, and I expect to be feeling better soon.  This is some kind of minor virus that is part flu, part cold; perhaps variations of both at the same time.  It hasn't made me deathly ill, but uncomfortable.  It distracts me, so I don't get all that much writing done, and the ability to read comes and goes, as fatigue and various aches and pains distract me.

My kids have all had a touch of this, as has my father and wife.  It is a lingering thing that annoys more than anything.  I hope it is gone before I have to do anything strenuous, as I have the feeling it would be unpleasant to put strain on my body.

Assuming I survive, I will continue to press on with the A to Z challenge.  Let's see what "J" has in store tomorrow.

How Many of Me

Here's a neat little site I discovered years ago, which can tell you how many people in the United States have any particular name.  Put in your name(s) and see what happens:

http://howmanyofme.com/

It turns out there are 4 people in the USA with the name "Martin Ingham," so that leaves 3 others out there with my name.  That's one reason I use the middle initial "T" so I'm not mistaken for one of those other guys.  That, and there is a pretty popular car dealer in the UK called Martin Ingham, as well.  Research has shown that there are a lot more people with my name outside the USA (particularly in the UK).

Getting Attention

Small press books rely on word of mouth.  By definition, these publishers are "small," and they don't have thousands of dollars to spend on publicity and advertising.  The main form of promotion comes from amateur reviews and everyday readers spreading the word.  That is something that is surprisingly hard to get.  It's the strangest thing; people are eager to talk about that new television show they just watched, or chat about that hot new restaurant, but when it comes to a new book from a small press?  Crickets.  What is it about small press books that people are so afraid to talk about?

As part of my ongoing attempt to spread the word about The Temporal Element, I'd like to ask everyone who reads it to spread the word.  If people could take a few minutes and tell other bloggers, reviewers, facebook friends, twitter followers, etc... about the book, that would be of great assistance.  And don't forget to post Amazon reviews.

Those of you who haven't checked out this anthology of time travel stories, you can read more about it here, and also read free samples.  Both Print & Kindle versions are up at Amazon.com now, or you can buy a print copy from the publisher for the same price as Amazon.  Either way, if you enjoy sci-fi & fantasy, this collection will not disappoint you.

Also, if you are a blogger, and you'd be interested in letting me do a "guest post" on your blog, I'd be glad to entertain your readers with some details about the anthology's creation.  Let me know!

Frank Crumit

Here's a brief look at a forgotten legend in pop music.  Frank Crumit was a renowned singer of comedic songs back in the 1920's and 30's, though most people these days have no clue about who he was.  I'm not going to write a lengthy biography of him, but you can look him up easily enough.  You can even find many of his songs online for free, as most of them are in the public domain now.

I personally have several of his 78RPM records, including the famous "I've Got The Profiteering Blues," recorded around 1920, written about the hyper-inflation that followed the first World War.

A few other great songs you might find amusing are "A Gay Caballero," and "There's No One With Endurance Like The Man Who Sells Insurance," as well as the epic "Abdul Abulbul Amir," (which had many sequels).

For those who are familiar with the financial history behind the roaring twenties and the great depression, you'll really appreciate "A Tale of the Ticker."

Many of you will recall the drunken favorite "Little Brown Jug," and, of course, there's always the wild and wacky "Prune Song."

It's not for everyone all the time, but these ancient oldies are worth a listen or two.  So, check out a few of them today at archive.org.

Ebert: Dead

It's often a sad thing to hear about death, and yesterday many people heard the sad news that famous movie critic, Roger Ebert, had passed away.  I don't have a lot to say about the matter, though I still remember when his partner, Gene Siskel, died years ago.  They had a good team dynamic going on back in the old days, and after Siskel's death I don't feel that Ebert was ever the same.

Critics are a dime a dozen, and in this modern era of instant videos and highspeed internet, I think the age of the "professional" critic is fading.  There isn't so much demand for the opinions of a few high-profile reviewers, not when everyone can read amateur reviews from many different people regarding any new flick in the theaters.  I don't see the critics fading away drastically like the stagecoach painters or kerosene street-lamp lighters did a hundred years ago, but I doubt you'll see universally renowned critics dominating the scene as Siskel & Ebert did.  Everyone's got an opinion, and modern media gives everyone a voice in that regard.

Farewell, Roger Ebert.  Now, let us all enjoy a good movie in his honor.

Dead Anthology to Come

Horror generally hasn't been my genre, and I honestly will never be a fan of the gory slasher flicks that are a dime a dozen.  However, amidst the slew of slush are some really intelligent tales of suspense, sci-fi horror, and fantastic terror tales that contain more than blood and gore.  I've had the pleasure of reading several such pieces in recent months from very talented writers, and as a Sci-Fi & Fantasy publisher, I feel like putting some things together for those of you who tend toward the macabre.

For my first foray into the darker side of publishing, I'd like to announce the "Life of the Dead," anthology, a collection of logical and suspenseful Undead stories.  Yes, Zombies have been done to death, yet for some inexplicable reason they have staying power at the moment.  The zombie craze has yet to die down, so I'll put together my own take on the sub-genre.

What I'm after:  I'd like to see some originality to the stories, something that isn't just a rehash of Night of the Living Dead, or similar low-budget bloodbaths.  I'm after stories that add a sense of logic to the zombie phenomenon, stories that trend toward Sci-Fi.  Give us some science behind them, or show us a new side of zombies that we don't generally see.  Basically, show me more than just yahoos blasting living dead with shotguns.  As the title implies, I'd like to see the life of the dead.  Are they really all about eating brains, or is there something deeper?  Explore the possibilities.

Check out the complete submission guidelines here.

There you go, another great Martinus Publishing Anthology to look forward to.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go clean my Mossberg, just in case...

Contributor Limits on Amazon Kindle

I ran into another mild annoyance last week.  As I was setting up the Kindle Version of The Temporal Element, I discovered that Amazon limits the number of listed contributors to 10.  Since the Temporal Element has 20 different authors, this means only half of the writers got their names on the listing.  In doing so, I made sure those who specifically asked me about adding this title to their Amazon Author Page got their name listed, though there are probably others who didn't ask me who will want to do it, as well.

I've run into this problem, myself, having a story in an anthology and not getting into the initial listing.  Fortunately, all I had to do was contact Amazon about it and get my name attached to the title.  To help any of the other authors in The Temporal Element, I made sure that each contributor name is listed in the "book description" further down the page.  This way, if they want to add the book to their Amazon Author Page, they can point right to that when requesting the addition.  The Print Version had no such limitation, so everyone is listed there.

I understand that Amazon doesn’t want to have a huge number of names clogging up their Kindle titles, but it is kind of short-sighted.  These multi-author anthologies should not be limited to only 10.  So what if 20 or 30 people are listed as a contributing author?  That's the way it is.  Please, Amazon, revise your Kindle submission form, so we can give everyone the credit they deserve!

Bad Basketball Team Names

This post is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, so don't lynch me.  While attending some local basketball games, a few choice sports team names came to mind, things that could be kind of funny if viewed in a certain light.

The Reapers:  Perfect for farm-country, though with a dark side.  You could have the grim reaper as your mascot, flailing around a rubber scythe.  Plenty of jokes about "death comes for all who oppose," and such.  Just like the baseball team "The Braves" has the tomahawk chop, we could have the "reaper sweep."  So many possibilities.

The Shooters:  I'm sure there have been teams by this name, and maybe there still are some, though I suspect it's a name that'll be on the decline now with all the media nuts screaming about gun violence.    "You can't shoot baskets anymore, how barbaric!"  I'm sure the PC police are coming up with an alternative right now.  I guess they'll be "throwing" baskets, or "tossing" baskets.  No more shooting, that's for sure.  So, the "shooters" while a pretty innocuous name, is no longer acceptable.

The Bombers:  Okay, people of Princeton, pitchforks down, please.  It's nothing personal, but the name "Bombers" has always struck me as kind of erroneous.  The term "bomb" is often used to denote something that is a flop, or otherwise a failure.  Then again, there are those oddballs who talk all gansta-style saying things like "Dat movie is da bomb!" meaning "great," so who knows?  The team was named for military aircraft, so that angers the peace and love hippy-types, too.

On that note, how about a team called The Snipers?

The Weasels:  Blood sucking rodents, why not name your team after these furry little creatures?  They're just like ferrets, only less understood.

The Hamsters:  This would only work if coupled with the right town name, such as "The Hampton Hamsters" or "The Harvard Hamsters."

The Crackers:  The good old boys team.  It's okay to insult white folks, so why not?  Wait, how about The Honkies?  "Tonight, for one night only, the Harlem Globetrotters versus the Memphis Honkies!"  Nah, maybe not.

Another A to Z Challenge

Kindle Version

It's April again, and that means I'm doing the A to Z Challenge. All throughout the month of April, I'll be composing blog posts starting with A and going through to Z. Each weekday and Saturday, there will be a new post in alphabetical order, and it's bound to be harder this time around than in previous years. With my new Editor workload, as well as various other jobs I'm doing right now, it may be hard to plan out each and every day's post, but I'll muddle through it.

For those who have been waiting, The Temporal Element officially comes out today, and the Kindle version is available at Amazon.com. 21 stories about time-travel, from 20 great authors! It's the first anthology I've edited, but it surely won't be the last.

Well, we'll just have to see what comes up next...