Tom Johnson

Guest Post by Tom Johnson

Guest Post

Pangaea: Eden’s Planet was a concept I came up with several years ago while looking for a possible book proposal to submit to Hollywood Studios. Yes, I’ve submitted several proposals without success yet, but I keep trying. I’ve actually gone through two agents that were not hungry enough to sell my books to Hollywood. Basically, Pangaea: Eden’s Planet is a character-driven novel and focuses on seven astronauts on a mission to Mars to begin a terra-farming project after a nuclear war on Earth. But problems arise when they enter a space anomaly that disables their ship, sending them back in time. The planet’s gravity pulls them back to Earth, where they crash land on an alien world 250 million years in the past. Their mission now turns into a survival situation, as fierce reptiles of the Permian Period, as well as explosive nature, endangers their very lives.

The seven astronauts are scientists in special fields that will be needed to fulfill their mission on Mars. This includes Colonel Evelyn Peterson and Major Adam Cooper, the pilots of Galileo Two; Colonel Peterson is the leader of the mission, the major is her second in command. I gave each character individual personalities. The subplot was a romance building between Peterson and Cooper. When I first conceived the story, Evelyn was black and Cooper white, which I figured would be one of the problems keeping them apart, but later I changed my mind about pursuing this element of the story, and dropped all reference to her race. After all, her responsibility of keeping those under her command alive in a harsh environment is concern enough. Besides, in the 21st Century race should no longer be a stumbling block to romance.

My love of biology and study of paleontology and other zoological areas of science has always been a driving force in my writing. In Pangaea: Eden’s Planet, I fill my world with known creatures from the period, as well as a few from my own imagination. Sixty million years before the dawn of the dinosaurs, there were still predators as menacing as T-Rex. Colonel Peterson and Major Cooper were the only ones armed, and that consisted of small caliber pistols, each holding 15-round clips of ammunitions, and they were faced by incredible odds. Their survival would require ingenuity and fearlessness. We have seven people alone in a world of fierce reptiles, volcanic activity, and danger from the heavens. But yet love will also find a way.

Readers that enjoy a story with action and danger, with a light touch of romantic tease will find Pangaea: Eden’s Planet a work of fiction both entertaining and, hopefully, memorable. There is drama and humor as the characters face each situation, good and bad, with the knowledge that life or death could be ahead of them. Their survival may depend on their next action. You will find laughter at times, and cry at others, but I believe you will come to know and love the characters, whatever their faults might be. Happy reading.

Excerpt

Just as they thought they had reached the safety of the desert a giant Gorgon, fully twelve feet in length came out of nowhere, its long saber tooth-like tusks reaching for them. The colonel and Cooper had already holstered their guns in order to run unhampered, and the creature was upon them before either could draw their weapon.

Manning smiled. “Everyone has a purpose.”

Without hesitation, he stepped between the monster and his shipmates …

Pangaea: Eden’s Planet
Tom Johnson

Genre: Science Fiction/Survival

Publisher: First Realm Publishing
Date of Publication: June 18, 2014

ISBN -13: 978-1497340749
ISBN-10: 1497340748


Number of pages: 100
Word Count: 50,000 

Cover Artist: Jared from Off the Wall Creations 

Book Description:

Seven astronauts en route to Mars encounter a time warp in space that disables their ship. Crash landing on Earth, they discover an alien planet sixty million years before the dinosaurs.

Pangaea, the super continent, is filled with danger and terror, as they must survive against fierce reptiles that ruled the Earth 250 million years in the past! 

About the Author

As a twenty-year military veteran, I served on the Korean DMZ under fire, as well as in Vietnam. I have a law enforcement background. My studies of paleontology and entomology have been an influence in many of my novels.

My wife and I started the publishing imprint of FADING SHADOWS in 1982, and published a hobby magazine and several genre magazines for 22 years, before I settled into writing my own novels.

I have now been published in over 80 books, which include fiction novels and short stories, as well as nonfiction books. I write SF, YA, Western, and Action novels.

Website

Pulp Den

Jur Novels 

P.I. Barrington

Guest Post by P. I. Barrington

Guest Post

Thanks so much Cloey for hosting me today!

Whenever I say one of my books, such as my newest The Brede Chronicles, is a “romance” I have to confess I always feel like I’m cheating a little. There isn’t endless lovemaking or a million steamy scenes. It’s really more like a relationship story. There’s romance sure but there’s a lot more relationship than romance in this book. There’s love of course but this is a story that grows and not just on readers either. The relationship grows, the conflict grows, the people grow physically and emotionally, the story grows. You might even call it a saga.

It gets deeper in places, more difficult in others with bursts and moments of happiness just like real relationships and loves do. There are the ups and downs and rocky places that threaten to kill the relationship or at least twist it out of shape. A lot of that happens in this book too. Yet like in real life, there remains that persistent, long suffering, hopeful spark that promises fulfillment. Whether that fulfillment is ever realized is like a childhood taunt: “that’s for you to find out.”

And so I feel like I’m cheating. I’m not giving you breathless climaxes or chiseled chests—well okay, Alekzander Brede is like Vin Diesel with box braids even if he isn’t all human. He’s still yummy—hmm maybe there is a scene or two that closes in on steamy—that’s also for you to find out!

I am giving you something though: a deep, realistic relationship that moves, and morphs and lives and maybe, just maybe, reminds you of your own relationship saga whether it turned out good or bad or bad-ass.

Excerpt

Elektra landed on her knees on the ancient stone cobbled sidewalks and used the wall of Narita's edifice to help herself stand. The pain, now near unbearable, shrieked when she touched the blackened and bruised flesh to anything including cloth and she struggled against the throbbing crowds to make her way toward the only place she thought to go for help.

"Please Mahmud I don't want to lose my arm. You have to help me," she stood before the self-appointed doctor of the proscribed citizens. He inspected it and then shook his head.

"I can do nothing for you," he said. "It is already too far gone by now. Even should you sit in the sun for five days it would be no help."

"I'll get you money. Whatever you want, I'll get it. Please, save my hand, please?"

He shook his head again sorrowfully.

"I can do nothing. This does not need my type of medicine. You must ask the mechanical doctors, those with science and not nature. I am sorry I cannot help you Elektra."

Crying she stood against the wall of the crooked street, thinking what she might pay to those who if they could build space machines, could build anything. She slid down the wall and sat on her haunches against it sobbing.

A shadow fell across her, changing the scorching temperature a degree. She opened her eyes and a man knelt before her. He took her arm and gently inspected it.

"I can give you a new arm and hand," he said. "But you must pay what I ask." He stared directly into her eyes. "You will have a new arm—a new hand—better than before. But you must pay the price."

"What is it you want?" Elektra asked, still gasping in pain.

"Alekzander Brede."

The Brede Chronicles 

Book 1
P. I. Barrington


Genre: Science Fiction Romance/Adventure

Publisher: First Realm Publishing
Date of Publication: June 18, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-1497340831
ISBN-10:1497340837


Number of pages: 144
Word Count: 83,000

Cover Artist: Jared from Off the Wall Creations


Book Description:

Half-human Alekzander Brede is a law unto himself…or so he thinks. Elektra Tate, the street orphan who loves him has other ideas. When she betrays him for no apparent reason, he vows to punish her one way or another.

Taking the one thing she treasures most—their son—begins a cat and mouse relationship spanning two planets and costing possibly his life.

Elektra will stop at nothing to save her son but can she overcome Brede’s twisted idea of vengeance? 

About the Author

After an extended detour through the entertainment industry, P.I. Barrington has returned to writing fiction. Among her experience are radio air talent and the music industry. She lives in Los Angeles.

Her work includes:

Future Imperfect Trilogy (Crucifying Angel, Miraculous Deception, Final Deceit)

Inamorata Crossing/Borealis 1: A Space Opera

Isadora DayStar

The Button Hollow Chronicles: The Leaf Peeper Murders

Free stories on ReadWave.com & Wattpad.com

Blog

Twitter 

Michael J. Frey

Guest Post and Excerpt by Michael J.Frey

Guest Post

WHY BOOK COVERS ARE SO IMPORTANT – By Michael J. Frey

When creating our cover for State Of Infection, we went through several versions and nearly fifty edits before we got it right. A book cover is your book’s first impression, so make it good. There’s a lot to consider when creating an effective cover.

First things first: keep it simple. When I first made suggestions for the cover of my novel, I wanted to tell the whole story. I had an image of the Statue Of Liberty with both main characters in front of her, as well as the antagonist in the background and a few zombies for good measure. When I looked over the initial sketches I realized it was too much. Too messy and confusing. Look at the covers of some very successful books such as The Panther (by Nelson DeMille) or Mockingjay (by Suzanne Collins). They are bold, yet simple. They draw you in without pulling your eyes in five different directions. In the case of my book cover, we got rid of the original idea and went in different, simpler direction.

Second: appeal to as large an audience as possible. Sometimes I’m drawn to a book cover with a beautiful (often half naked) woman. The “comic book” cover does work with a select group of readers but I will offer you should think bigger. The best covers catch the attention of your target readers, but also grab eyeballs which might not usually check out a book like yours. In the case of a half-naked woman holding a crossbow (or shotgun, etc.) you will get the attention of male readers who tend to read science fiction books, but you will loose others. Imagine a reader sitting on a subway train reading a book. Will she/he be embarrassed by the cover of the book she/he is reading? If so, she/he may avoid the book altogether even if it is something she/he wanted to check out.

In the end, we came up with something simple, which suggests at ideas in the story but doesn’t necessarily tell the story. The cover for State Of Infection is slightly abstract but I think works very well. It was created by Tommy Dalston, an artist who lives in the UK. Thanks Tommy for the great work.

I hope you like the cover and the story of my novel, State Of Infection.

Excerpt

1- DOCTOR MIKE CALAF

It’s been nearly a year since the outbreak. Most people call it the ZA infection, though it’s not really an infection. The proper medical term is Montoya’s encephalopathy (named after Claude Montoya, the French researcher who spearheaded the early studies).

I was in my office seeing patients when it began. Back then I had a medical practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, about a block away from my one bedroom apartment. I could get from my office to my home before you could say Jack Robinson. It was convenient as heck (and in the end, probably saved my life).

In those days my biggest concern was keeping the practice growing. Medicine is, among many things, a business, and like most businesses, mine had overhead. Lots of overhead. In my case overhead meant two receptionists and two nurses. I also had the malpractice insurance to cover, which seemed to go up almost every year. Next came the office supplies (both secretarial and medical). Then throw in the computers, maintenance, and a small reserve for holiday parties. Private practice in New York City was a costly beast to say the least.

Fortunately, I did pretty well and was able to celebrate my black Friday earlier and earlier each year. I wish I could attribute my good fortune to my skills as a doctor, but as Avalon might say, that dog won’t hunt. There were plenty of good docs in New York City before the ZA infection, so I had to find a way to stand out. The real secret to my success was keeping the waiting down to a bare minimum. I prided myself on it. Everyone hates waiting for the doctor, I get that, I hate it too. And no group of people does hurried and rushed like Manhattanites. So if Mrs. Kessler had an appointment at noon, she was seen by noon, or sooner. That, and a pair of the friendliest secretaries known to mankind, is what kept my people coming back.

Of course, it didn’t always work out that way. All it took was one complicated condition to throw off the schedule. For example, during what I thought was a routine physical exam, I felt an enlarged liver in a fifteen-year-old boy. That’s how a visit booked for twenty minutes became forty-five minutes. After explaining the findings to a terrified patient and his mother, I then had to order liver function tests, screening tests for hepatitis and a CT scan of the abdomen. It takes time, but it has to get done. You do what you can while keeping the bottom line in mind. And, if Mrs. Kessler wants to tell you about her son’s academic success at Brandeis University, or Mr. Barkman wants to show you pics of his new Shetland Sheepdog? Well, you smile and look at the pics, or at least that’s what I did. Good word of mouth followed, and my practice grew; satisfying both my needs as a physician, and as a businessman.

I wish I could say my office was filled with marble and gold leaf, and that I had one of those big fancy wooden desks. It wasn’t like that. But it wasn’t one of those tired, worn out old offices with dirty carpets and framed posters of Matisse and Van Gogh everywhere you turned. It was pretty standard I guess.

On my desk, I had two photographs. One was a recent pic of Kimberly and me in the North Fork of Long Island (the wine country). The other was of my sister and my parents, which was taken at a wedding, or bar mitzvah, or something; everyone dressed up and smiling in the type of picture that seemed dated the second it went into the frame; the type of picture destined for a desktop. Overall, I’d say it was a nice setup. Then the ZA infection came and everything changed. And if a little zombie apocalypse wasn’t bad enough, the Southern Federation showed up next to conduct what they called the Second Civil War. Talk about bad karma.

Manhattan is now what one might call a city-state, a tiny little country onto itself. And who gets to be king of New York? A man named Castor Dean does. Castor Dean is the class president...of a pretty big class. Not that he was elected by his classmates (or anyone else for that matter). His authority was given to him by what remained of the military after the government collapsed. His official political title is the Gallum Major; which means king or ruler. Personally, I would have chosen “El Hefe” if I ruled New York, but they never offered me the position. This is not to say that Castor Dean is a bad leader, it’s just that the vox populi never meant much to him. Most survivors welcomed Castor and his absolute rule. After all, because of him, the city still has electricity and clean water. That fact alone makes Castor worth his weight in gold.

Castor changed things up when he came into power. For starters, he renamed the city. Manhattan, he felt, had been erased by the ZA infection. The survivors of the zombie apocalypse needed a fresh start, a new beginning. So Manhattan was reborn as Gallum City, and Roosevelt Island (a small island adjacent to Manhattan) became its capital. Because of Roosevelt's small size, Castor’s army was able to clear out the zaps in a matter of days. This zombie-free sanctuary (just a few minutes boat ride from Manhattan) was the ideal location for the new ruling class. Roosevelt Island was divided into three sections. The southern section became a military town named New Sparta (where most the soldiers were barracked). The middle of the island was for government leaders and their families. The northern section was given to the surviving civilian population, the natives, who lived on Roosevelt before the infection. They were allowed to stay, provided they agreed to relocation.

State Of Infection
Michael J. Frey


Genre: Science Fiction/ Horror

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Date of Publication: March 6, 2014

ISBN: 9781612963211
ASIN: B00J4WWY3Q

Number of pages:266
Word Count: 84K

Cover Artist: Tommy Dalston


Book Description:

Just months before the Battle of Central Park and the onset of the Second Civil War, President Obama declares martial law in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as Montoya’s encephalopathy spreads.

Despite the military’s best efforts, the government falls and Manhattan is reborn as a city-state under a military dictatorship. Survivors Mike Calaf, and Avalon Calendar struggle to survive, caught between the zombies and the new ruler of New York.

But long before the zombie infection, during the First Civil War, Doctor William Jackson (of the Confederate States of America) is trying to unravel the mystery behind this strange new sickness. He knows that if Complex P fails to work, there could be devastating consequences which might influence the future of mankind.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/iLc675U7A44

Purchase it at Amazon and BN

About the Author:

Michael Frey is a physician and assistant professor in New York City. He lives in Westchester, New York with his wife Jessica, two children and two dogs.

www.stateofinfection.com

www.facebook.com/stateofinfection

https://twitter.com/Zom_Novel_Frey

http://stateofinfection.wordpress.com

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Saul Tanpepper

Gameland: Deep into the Game

by Saul Tanpepper

139 Pages

Published by Brimstone Press April 29, 2013
Genre: Horror, Zombies, Apocalyptic, YA
ASIN: B007Z4UP4A

ISBN: 978-1479177554

Currently FREE on Amazon

Everyone loves Survivalist, a live-action, virtual reality show based on Arc Entertainment's The Game, where cybernetically controlled zombies do battle in a video arcade in the middle of a Long Island wasteland. It's to die for.

If you're rich enough, you can buy your way in. If you're desperate enough, you can volunteer to become one of the Undead Players. Jessie Daniels and her gang of computer hackers plan to break their way in. Welcome to GAMELAND. Access Restricted.

---

The apocalypse is old news. Zombies roam the restricted areas and Gameland, a Long Island arena owned by Arc Entertainment is the sport of choice for the wealthy. Zombies are used not only to compete in the games, but janitorial tasks. A group of teens decide to break into Gameland. Things go bad, so very bad.

Gameland is told first person by Jessie, a teenage girl. She and her moody boyfriend, along with her best friend Ash, and Micah and Reggie aren't looking forward to their senior year of high school. Their last hoorah is to sneak into the infected zone to have some fun before the monotony of school begins.

Tanpepper's got something here. I like the unique plot he's created; reminds me of Mad Max's Thunderdome. The story is told in episodes, a total of eight. I've read only the first episode but I'm definitely looking forward to reading further. The book kept me intrigued all the way through, but at the halfway point it got even better and turned into something I just couldn't put down. It was an exhilarating and nail-biting adventure. I considered giving this a four star rating, but as the story progressed, it earned my five stars. The setting was new and futuristic, the concept was imaginative, and the characters were well fleshed out.

The prologue sucked me right in. Tanpepper jumps forward to reveal a hint of the ending and there was no way I could stop reading without finding out the journey that got our little group to that point.  Being that the book is episodic, I wasn't rewarded with the full scope of the story. The episode ended in such a way that I can't let it end there...so I downloaded the second episode...ALSO FREE on Amazon! Get your copy of Episode 2, Failsafe here.

Deep into the Game is well written. I had no issues with a male author narrating from a teen girls perspective, not an easy task I'm sure. The read is fast-paced and full of action. These are the most ambitious group of teens I've ever come across! As a die hard fan of zombie fiction, it was invigorating to find something so unique inside my genre. Here's to hoping I find a new review request for the entire season! (hint hint, lol)

About the Author:

Saul spent his formative years in a leaky century-old house overlooking the Erie Canal in Upstate New York. His bedroom was a refurbished attic, which he shared with all manner of creatures, not all, he is convinced, flesh and blood.

After bouncing around the US and Europe for several years, he settled down to pursue a career in the sciences, opting to study the mysteries of human molecular genetics. But even positions as an experimental biologist, teacher, manager and biotech entrepreneur couldn't keep him from his true passion as a storyteller.

He now writes speculative fiction full time from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although his house is now attic-less and waterproof, he continues to be haunted by a variety of creatures, including a wife, kids, four dogs, three cats, six chickens, a wayward rooster, and one very grumpy possum. They are all flesh and blood. 

Except, maybe, for the possum, which he's convinced is the reincarnated spirit of Jack Torrance.

Stalk this author here:
Twitter
Website
Facebook

About the Reviewer:

Shay Festa a.k.a The Bookie Monster reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis (but not limited to) zombie fiction. She is currently working hard on completing her debut zombie fiction novel, Time of Death.

Nick Kelly

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William McNally

Guest Blog Post and Excerpt by William McNally

Coming to a Theater Near You

It may be literary heresy to admit this, but I love movies almost as much as I love books. Both mediums offer a wonderful escape from normal life. In some ways, a book can be a script for the movie generated by one’s imagination when it’s read. Picture, if you will, the characters and locations described in the last book you enjoyed. Did the author tell you every single detail? No. They painted a series of dots that your imagination connected together. Your mind added the clothing worn by the lead character or maybe the color of his or her eyes.

In reality, a book is a joint effort between a writer and a reader. The writer sends the signals and the reader decodes them into their own personal world. I’ve received several comments from readers that my stories read more like movies than traditional books. Some authors might take offense to these observations, but I consider them a compliment. When I write, I picture a movie unfolding in my mind and by the time a manuscript is complete, I envision every detail for each character, place and action. The art is in deciding how much to leave in without turning the story into an encyclopedia.

My latest book, Beneath the Veil, is set in a ghost town known as a Auraria. In a movie version of my book, the location could take place in any small mountain town passed over by the modern world. Collapsing farm houses and untended farms would be the landscape during the daytime, but at night, the town would resurrect into a twisted version of its glory days.

The numerous residents of this tormented place would keep a casting director busy for sometime with key roles and lots of extras. Here are a few suggestions that come to mind:

Barry (Rhodes) Ryan is a successful sculptor suffering from a terminal illness. He’s in his mid-thirties, private, with an easy-going personality. Think Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this role.

Jen Ryan, Barry’s adopted younger sister, is brave, independent and free spirited. Jennifer Carpenter would be a perfect fit to play her on the big screen.

Jackson is Jen’s boyfriend. He’s an easy-going dude who runs a small record shop. The actor Common might be a good choice here.

Willow is a young local girl with a charitable heart. This is a tough one. The actress would need a calm intensity and be around eight years old. Mackenzie Foy…maybe?

James Downs survived a plane crash that stranded him in Auraria. He’s affable but capable and a former pilot. Think Thomas Jane.

Don “Doc” Randolph is the de facto mayor of Auraria. Doc is the glue that holds a group of survivors together. Anthony Hopkins comes to mind…I wonder if he has the time.

Evangeline Rhodes hails from an uncertain past and preys on the locals. Famke Jannsen would be perfect, minus the fake British accent from Hemlock Grove.

Ezra Rhodes is Evangeline’s constant companion and takes care of many of her more unpleasant tasks. This character should be charming and vicious. I picture an Americanized Clive Owen in this role.

Owen Bigsby loves to sample the corn liquor grown locally and is Auraria’s own town drunk. A physical actor would be required here in order to pull off certain scenes. John Goodman is my choice.

Well Mr. Spielberg, that should take care of things for you. Just send a check and contract over and we can get the filming started. Thanks to Cloey’s Book Reviews and Other Stuff for hosting!

His headache began again with a dull ache in the back of his head. He walked to the kitchen, opened a cabinet door and grabbed a bottle of aspirin. Swallowing two pills, Barry Ryan leaned against the counter and gazed across his loft. The wood floors were covered with tarps, and chips of stone surrounded a car sized sculpture of a pyramid. The piece was a commission for an insurance conglomerate and almost completed after two years of work. He walked around the sculpture and into a service elevator, then rotated a brass handle and the lift shuddered to life.

He descended into a warehouse filled with massive stones and slabs of marble. Unfinished and abandoned works lined one wall, while a dozen cars lined another. He pulled a tarp from a 1967 Corvette Sting Ray convertible and then climbed in and fired up the engine. He drove the car out of the building and turned onto Spring Street, where the sun shined between glittering high-rises. After driving twenty blocks he pulled into a garage and parked, then grabbed his sketchbook from the passenger seat. The streets were quiet as he walked to a café on a corner. His agent, Peter Harper, sat outside in a tailored suit wearing gold rimmed sunglasses.

“Morning, Barry,” Peter said. “How’s the chiseling on the Daecom rock going?”

“Good,” he answered. “Just about finished.”

“Nice. I’ve got three more lined up when you’re ready. Word’s out on your work. All these companies want to enshrine themselves in stone.”

“Need a break for a while, Pete,” Barry answered. “These will have to wait.”

“I’ll hold them off as long as I can, Barry, but these are big time offers. I recommend we jump on them as soon as we can. One bad quarter and these deals are gone,” Peter said.

“I hear you Pete. I’ll keep you posted,” Barry answered.

The two men enjoyed breakfast at the restaurant, built in a former bank building. The original safe stood empty in the back, surrounded by tables of chatty patrons. The trees lining the street were beginning to sprout green leaves and birds were busy gathering materials for their nests.

“So, Pete, how’s Angie?”

“Well,” he hesitated. “Let’s just say Angie...is now Pattie.”

“I see,” Barry replied. “The revolving door has turned again.”

Barry coughed into his napkin then took a sip of water. He glanced down at the blood splattered linen, then spirited it into his pocket and stood up from the table.

“You okay?” Peter asked.

“I am fine,” he answered. “Something just went down the wrong pipe. I better run. Thanks for breakfast.”

Beneath the Veil
William McNally

Genre: Paranormal/Science Fiction/Horror


ISBN: B00CZDVZLIASIN: 978-1481953627













Amazon Paperback Kindle



Book Description:

Welcome Beneath the Veil, a Place Where the Dead Have Never Left...

With his life turned upside down, a terminally ill man seeks answers from a family he never knew. Barry Ryan, a successful sculptor, goes on a journey to find his roots and the extraordinary family that somehow evades death and ties him to a terrifying future.

Driven to find answers, Barry is joined by his sister and her boyfriend on the road to Auraria, a mysterious ghost town where terrible secrets lie hidden since the days of gold and greed.

All is well until they cross the city limits and fall beneath the veil, a place where the bizarre rules the living, and the living are prey trapped in an ever-changing web.

Generations of conflict come to light as these unfortunate visitors struggle to survive. Echoes of the past are lethal here...in this place where the dead have never left.

About the Author:

William McNally is a former executive, husband and animal advocate based in the mountains of Dahlonega, Georgia. Drawn to dark and thought provoking stories, he released his first book, Four Corners Dark in 2012 and recently followed it with his second, Beneath the Veil. Visit him online at williammcnallybooks.com for updates and events.

Look for William's next release, The Knights of Moonshine, spring 2014.

Web – www.williammcnallybooks.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/WilliamMcNally

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WilliamMcNallyWriter

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477654.William_McNally




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August 20 Interview
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August 22 InterviewMom With A Kindle
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August 23 Spotlight
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August 29 Spotlight
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August 29 review
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August 30 spotlight
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September 2 Spotlight
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Jonathan Cortez

Guest post by Jonathan Cortez

Converging Fates Ten Year Evolution

Converging Fates is the sum of my childhood imagination and being bored at a summer job. Like many children, I thought dinosaurs were the coolest thing since Jesus. My friend and I decided to create the fourth Jurassic Park movie, and we did legitimately believe it would be the fourth Jurassic Park movie.

Plot template: crazy scientist doing crazy things; marines search for him on islands and fight dinosaurs. So a sci-fi channel original. In high school, this became a semi-original novel that I worked on infrequently. At one point, I was about 75% done. I still have some of that manuscript, and the writing is horrible. I used so many big words, convoluted sentences, and unnecessary obfuscation. I think some English professors would love it.

After I graduated, I worked full-time in a battery-recycling plant for the summer. My ultra-engaging job was to sort alkaline and nickel-hydrate batteries from nickel-cadmium. To prevent myself from lapsing into a coma, I worked on story ideas. I liked the concept of making my own fantasy universe, and I had a premise.

The big epic fantasies, LOTR, Narnia, Game of Thrones are all medieval settings. More so, there seems to be no technological progress. The Silmarillion covers thousands of years with no mentioning of the elves or men inventing anything. Narnia covers the entire history of a world, with the same lack of progress. I love science-fiction, and I love fantasy, so I decided to put them together and place the classic fantasy races in a futuristic setting. However, I needed a plot and villain.

I had the idea of a teenager from earth getting swept to another reality and live with hyper-aggressive elves, but that was it. I needed a focal point, and the Jurassic Park story was perfect. There was a villain, a plot, and action. There were exciting characters and transferable characters. A stoic marine male colonel easily became Vanyae. Tyrannosaurus Rex became the hydra.

For some reason, I was oddly motivated to work on this story. I wrote almost every day after work, and once college started, my ability to do very little and get decent grades proved most useful. Positive feedback from my friend encouraged me that I had something good. I've read that it's bad to show stories to your friends, because they'll give bias feedback. Maybe for short stories, but I wouldn't read a full novel on Open Office if I didn't really like it, and I don't think any of my friends would either.

I finished the manuscript in about six months. I had done three rewrites, which I believed was enough. I would talk about my query rejection process, but since I never got an agent, I don't really know what I was doing wrong.

I went back to the manuscript several times over the next two years. A month before I signed a contract, I finished the biggest rewrite, reducing the story by almost 20,000 words while expanding on description.

In previous rewrites, I only made minimal alterations. I felt that my story was complete and thus, there should be no major changes. You can't really be right or wrong in writing, but I think that after two years, I had developed enough as a writer, and I had enough of rejection, to realize major changes were beneficial.

Some of the things I removed will be making appearances later on: some character flashbacks, some origin myths, and a completely deleted significant character. However, they unnecessarily complicated this story and unbalanced the pacing.

The lessons I take from this: childhood is really important, but for some reason, it's often ignored. Go to a famous person's Wikipedia page, their childhood section will be very small, but I had a wonderful imagination then, and I don't see any reason to waste those ideas. Next, don't convince yourself your manuscript doesn't need major changes just because you declared it finished. There's never really a time when it's actually done (as the notes in my copy of CF testify to), but don't let it be too easy for you to stop major revisions.

Converging Fates
Reagent Universe, Book 1
Jonathan Cortez​

Genre: Science-Fiction

Publisher: Fresh Publishing

Date of Publication: 03 June 2013

ISBN: 9780957606814
ASIN: 0957606818

Cover Artist: Jen Detchon




Amazon


Book Description:

Deep in the remote Undervalley, a scientist is creating a portal that will link two universes. Never mind the damage his research does. A taskforce of elves and humans must hunt him down before he destroys their universe. The elves hold the key, Mahavir, a human abducted from the other universe. He is the link between universes, and his death may prevent a disaster. But Mahavir has no intention sacrificing himself for others.

About the Author:

Jonathan Cortez is a graduate of Penn State Behren, with an Associate of Arts degree.

He was an avid reader and writer from a young age, but even before that his story-telling and world-building skills blossomed while playing with Lego. He largely developed his writing craft on his own.

Jonathan is a big fan of science-fiction and fantasy, although he only started reading the genres during high school. When not reading or writing, he enjoys watching TV and listening to heavy metal.

He is currently still studying at Penn State. He is also working on the sequel to Converging Fates.

https://www.facebook.com/jonathancortezru