I'm Really Having Fun Visiting my Old, Gunslinging Friends
Nothing blows up quite like a frozen watermelon.
Having said that, the next best thing is blowing up just about anything and everything via the written word. Man, I've really missed exploding stuff. And I've missed my fictional friends who do the exploding at my command.
Yes, I'm power hungry and manipulative. What better means of exercising these qualities could there be than writing fiction and forcing my fictional buddies into terrifying situations? Okay, so this might strike normal people (or "all y'all" as I like to call them) as strange.
You know what else is a bit strange? Reading a book you've written and not being able to remember what happens next. Yes, it's been that long since I've written these stories. But it has also been a blast to experience them a fresh.
Just yesterday I came across a bit of folk wisdom that made me smile. The first part of the wisdom was delivered through a fictional letter written by Doc Quick to his dead wife, Dot. The second part was delivered through the inner dialogue of J.T. McCutchen (ie. the Reefer Ranger). The context comes from the middle of the book, Twitch and Die! (I've pasted it below the image of McCutchen.)
It’s a shit world, Dot, and everything’s come out sideways. There ain’t nothing but to take what’s left and get clear. But when a man ain’t got nothing left, what then? You and I both know I’ve been there, and that the devil knows me by name. Well, J.T.’s there now, and poke me in the eye if I’m lying, but I fear for the devil.
~ Quincy
Doc was wrong. McCutchen had his ideals, his convictions. If the devil got in the way, it was his own damn fault.
~ Quoted from Twitch and Die!, Season 4 of the Lost DMB Files.
Expect a Republishing of The Austin Job in the Next Couple of Weeks!
In case you've missed the grand plan, I plan on releasing ten books over the next ten months. Fistful of Reefer was first. The Austin Job is just about ready.Fistful of Reefer: a Schism 8 Series (Lost DMB Files, Season 1)The Austin Job: a Schism 8 Series (Lost DMB Files, Season 2)McCutchen's Bones: a Schism 8 Series (Lost DMB Files, Season 3)Twitch and Die!: a Schism 8 Series (Lost DMB Files, Season 4)De Novo Syndrome: a Schism 8 Series (De Novo, Season 1)Desert Gods: a Schism 8 Series (De Novo, Season 2)First Relic: a Schism 8 Series (Relic Hunters, Season 1)Holy City: a Schism 8 Series (Relic Hunters, Season 2)Chadzitzin: a Schism 8 Series (The Green Ones, Season 1)Masazin: a Schism 8 Series (The Green Ones, Season 2)
I Still Need Fistful of Reefer Reviews!
If you've read Fistful of Reefer, you can still be the first person to post a review to Amazon on the newly released version! I altered this book significantly enough to justify nuking the old version from the Amazon store (and everywhere I could track it down) in order to launch an entirely new version. The downside of this was that I lost the forty reviews it had gathered. Many of you had left those reviews. May they rest in peace...
Now, I'm asking if y'all would be kind enough to post new reviews. (Of all the nerve!) If you've already read Fistful of Reefer, you have a couple of wonderful options that would help me tremendously:Click over to Amazon and leave a new review.Click over to Amazon and buy the new version of the book while it is on sale for $2.99, read the new version that includes bonus episodes, Reefer Ranger and Del Rio Con Amor, and then leave a review.I'll raise the price from $2.99 back up to $4.99 pretty soon. So if you still want to buy a copy of the new version, now is your chance to save a couple bucks.
And... I'll leave this free first episode of Phish and Sparks (see below) up for a bit longer as well just in case some of you intended to snag it but haven't done so yet!
Have ray gun, will travel. Phish and Sparks are two curiosity-driven mercenaries who find themselves confronting mysterious elements and unknown forces in an expanding galaxy. These pulpy stories are an homage to the science fiction magazine shorts of old.
Click here for a free download of the first episode of Phish and Sparks. (To download the file, you'll be asked to enter your email. Obviously, you are already on this email list. Sorry for the redundancy. Just try to use the same email, so you don't end up on this list twice!)
All y'all are the best! Thanks for reading and for inspiring me to get back to these fun stories and crank 'em back out. Just so you know, over the next couple of months I'll be deciding which of these four series I want to jump back into in order to write a couple new books this year. If you have any strong opinions, let me know! On that note...
Fire in the hole!!!