Let Sleeping Gods Lie

I've had plans for this one for years, but finally got down to business finishing up the ideas that had been percolating for a long time, ever since I read that Orrin Porter Rockwell, my real life-yet fictitious weird western character did actually spend time during the gold rush in a boom town named Murderer's Bar.

He even opened up a saloon and did all kinds of things to make money, like shooting contests! I have already written another story set in these days based on a real incident, though I'm not sure when BAD MEDICINE will see print as the publisher failed in their western kickstarter recently, so who knows, it might be awhile. In any case, LET SLEEPING GODS LIE is out there on amazon with a print copy coming soonish.

I had so much fun writing this, one of the best times ever, just living in the moment with all the action, laughs and creepy Lovecraftian vibes shaking out. I was chuckling to myself quite often with some of the supporting characters among whom is Black Bart - yes that Black Bart who also makes a casual appearance in IN MY TIME OF DYING.

It was fun to reread some old Louis L'amour books and even a couple Lovecraft stories I had missed like The Strange High House in the Mist - because I have a hardly touched Lovecraftian god = Nodens making an appearance.

Oh yeah, also gotta love this cover by the fantastic Carter Reid.

IN MY TIME OF DYING

Its been a long time coming, I started work on this one about three years ago, got a good ways in and set it aside because life gets in the way sometimes, but it was always back there asking to be let loose.

So I pushed myself this early summer and finished up and LO, it was a bigger tale than I thought at first, so in addition to writing a novella that was set after the events of the book, I went back and rethought the storyline to #SAVANT and tweaked it a little. I like thinking of it as TRUE GRIT meets THE PRESTIGE.

So IN MY TIME OF DYING was released just a day ago and is already a bestselling New Release, so I'm grateful to everyone who has grabbed a copy and helps spread the word, I had a lot of folks just jump in and share it, so thank you all!

From the back cover, -

A young woman seeking arcane knowledge. A saint of killers riding shotgun. And an immortal who wants to die… all aboard a runaway train.…

Elizabeth Dee never expected a knock at the door would have her taking sides in a power struggle between two feuding wizards, but she discovers that she is the magical key to a cursed mystery centuries old. As she evades the murderous knights and demonic minions of the sinister Count of St. Germain, she learns more of her own true power and legacy…Her father never prepared her for anything like this…

But it’s dangerous to go it alone and she is going to need some protection, enter the infamous and touched, Porter Rockwell. If the legendary long-haired gunfighter can’t keep her safe, no one can…

Oh, and my son Mathias is becoming quite the artist and I am having him do a few illustrations for the print edition (I may add them to the kindle soon too)

I'd appreciate any of you all grabbing a copy and leaving an honest review, more than ever that is a boon to the writer, Thanks all.

MEMENTO MORI and A MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN CARCOSA should be coming along very soon.

Doing the Work or Status Report

I had a goal to try and get something in to the Angry Robot open door, and I almost made it. (It closed yesterday)

I guess I did make it as far as the writing goal is concerned but I wasn't satisfied with my edits yet and didn't want to rush something out there that wasn't up to par yet.

Angry Robot would be a great company to get published with, but I'm going to finish my edits etc and start pitching the book to agents.

The book itself is In My Time of Dying. I started it this last summer, only intending a novella or a short novel and it grew and grew, and my wife and I talked about the commercial appeal and so I put it on hold to do another pet project Whispers Out of the Dust but now I'm back at it and I'm going to make this one helluva fun action adventure novel, with a little bit of Steampunk and whole lot of occultic magicks. I was born out of jamming to Led zeppelin and thinking of my own story to go with it.

I think if it as True Grit meets The Prestige. I need to come up a great synopsis and pitch and all but in a nutshell, its has dueling sorcerers, I'll hold ff on you the reader knowing which one would be the good or bad guy. Our heroine, Eliza Dee gets recruited in San Francisco 1875 to valet or transport one of them, she also gets Porter Rockwell to be her muscle (as my regular readers may know, I've done a lot with Porter in weird westerns and this touches on that but he is a supporting character here) I utilize a  lot of real 1875 historical persons and events, which for me is fun.

It is kind of a road trip action adventure book and I'm excited for it, but when it comes out who knows?

Also I've spent a good bit of time this year so far on my tale for the forthcoming Redneck Eldritch, a twisted companion to the earlier Space Eldritch books. At first I was like what? I don't wanna do that, but then I thought about how much I loved Sam Peckinpah's CONVOY when I was a kid, so I'm running with that and doing a twisted Trucker in the Dreamlands tale. Its bigger than I planned it is a full blown novella, so IF for some reason, Nathan Shumate of Cold Fusion Media does't like it/doesn't fit the theme well enough, I'll self pub it and give him a shorter darker tale.
Because I did have an awful lot of fun with this one too, my two main characters channeled a lot from the Big Lebowski and that's just the way it came.

That's just a promo cover, I expect we'll have the fabulous Carter Reid do another but I don't know much other than I have read a few of my co-authors tales and they are top notch!