Susan Says...

http://www.susangourley.blogspot.com

Check out Susan Gourley's blog Susan Says for some great SCIENCE FICTION and FANTASY titles with a flare of Romance.    

Dark Holiday

And, here we are again.  As the holidays and the time of thanksgiving draw nigh, we again see flames over the all-American community of Ferguson, Missouri.  Once again, a dead black youth and a police officer with a clear conscience, exhonorated by a system that seems to inevitably preside over this increasingly familiar grim scenario.

The news report had just aired when I stepped out onto a dark street in quiet Cambridge, MA, home of the American Revolution.  A small group (very small) of lily-white Harvard college students were predictably marching down the street chanting "USA, KKK - How many kids did you kill today?"  An echo of a bygone age.  An age when one man had a dream.  Today, a man who sits in the oval office tells us to not loose hope in that dream.  But, the fire and the killing seem to go on.  (I recall a black man looking on with a curious stare at the half-dozen white students apparently trying to make the rest of us a touch less complacent for one moment that night.)

Yes, we've been here before.  We always seem to end up here again.  The question is, how long 'till next time?

Other obvious questions come to mind.  What really happened?  Would the white police officer have reacted differently (even to the degree of angling his weapon a tad lower) had the suspect been white?  If a white boy had died this way (thief or no) would the predominantly white grand jury have decided differently?  Questions to which we'll never have the answers.  The witnesses always seem either to tell contradictory stories or fail to materialize altogether.  Historians will probably do the same.

The real question is, how far have we come, as a nation?  We've come a ways.  But, it's all still there, inside us.  The darkness, the fear, the hate.  Hate and distrust of those unlike us.  We've all heard the hateful slurs, the insults, the obscenities; words that go back all the way to the days of slavery. I grew up hearing those words.  In traffic disputes, in bars...wherever.  As I've grown older, I've wanted to believe it was fading.  But, it never does, does it?  Even as we deny it, scoff at it, insisting it's all behind us.  It's all still here.  It never left.  Will it, ever?

I remember Rodney King.  There, we had a camera as a witness.  The merciless beating of a man as he lay defenseless on the pavement.  A moment later, a voice over a police band...a chuckling voice of a cop delightedly making racial slurs after he'd done the deed.  The jury picking the video apart frame by frame, examining every move under a microscope, trying desperately to avoid seeing the forest for the twigs.  Jurors...white jurors anyway...just don't want to convict in cases like this.  Cops riddle a young black man with bullets as he stands in his own doorway reaching for a comb.  Acquitted cops hugging their kids and making statements to T.V. interviewers without a trace of guilt on their faces.  A video of highway patrolmen or bailiffs roughing up a white woman  makes it to the evening news, and the public is shocked and critical of the police.  A black kid gets shot to death by a white cop, and white America collectively wracks its brains to find a way to acquit the white cop.  His guilt or innocence never seems as important as feeling secure in our moral rectitude.  And, just perhaps...our superiority?

Yes, we have come a ways.  There's no denying that.  But, why do we seem to keep passing the same signposts again and again?

Happy Holidays, America.

http://mochamemoirspress.com/black-goddess

Offbeat, Exciting sci-fi: Milo James Fowler's Yakuza Territory

Musa Publishing is proud to announce the release of Milo James Fowler's most recent science fiction novella, Yakuza Territory.

Take a moment to discover what happens when a hard boiled detective story is set in a science fiction world:

A detective with no way out. A telepath with something to prove...

World-weary detective Charlie Madison has seen more than his share of war. When he stops by the 37th precinct late one night to check on his old friend Sergeant Douglass, the place is as quiet as a morgue. The last thing he expects to find: half a dozen Russian gunmen with a score to settle.

What starts out as a vicious Alamo-style battle soon evolves into something more sinister as Madison's past comes into play. Will his ties to a branch of the Japanese mafia be a help or a hindrance? And who is the strange man in holding? Why are the Russians determined to break him out?

Struggling to survive the night, one private eye must rely on his wits to solve a mystery where he's outnumbered, outgunned, and trapped inside a police station with a soulless killing machine.

 

Excerpt:

 

Maybe checking in on Sergeant Douglass late that night hadn’t been the best idea. I should have paid more attention to the warning signs right off; things weren’t exactly business as usual at the precinct. The pencil-necked clerk wasn’t at his post, and an eerie quiet held the foyer as still as a morgue. No cops, uniformed or otherwise, to be seen. In a city that never slept, one expected its law enforcement personnel to share the same god-awful insomnia—graveyard shift or no.

The vacant front desk didn’t sway me from my course, though. Little glitches out of the ordinary seldom did. I’d trained myself over the years to file them away, but not focus on them too much. As a detective, it was easy to get distracted by particulars while going after the big picture. Besides, I was suspicious by nature. I questioned everything as a matter of course. But as far as I knew, everybody on duty was partying in back, throwing Douglass a well-deserved soirée after his recent ordeal and return to the land of the visible.

I paused at the unlocked door leading into the bullpen—an open-concept area with clusters of desks for everybody ranked lower than lieutenant. Access into the station’s inner workings wasn’t usually so free and easy. As I quietly stepped inside, I knew without a doubt something was amiss.

The whole room lay empty except for five guys standing in the middle with assault weapons slung over their shoulders—AK-12s and SIG MPXs by the looks of them. Not what your average citizens usually carried around concealed on their person.

“Hey.” I saluted the first one to notice me. “Am I late to the party?”

He glared my way, and I couldn’t help feeling like I was back in high school; once again, I’d forgotten the beer. They weren’t in uniform—unless black nubuck jackets and jeans counted, not to mention the scruffy stubble, slick hair, and stocky frames. Come to think of it, that’s pretty much the look of your standard-issue thug for hire these days.

“Charlie—get down!”

I would have recognized that Scottish brogue anywhere. I’d already assembled a good enough picture of the situation to know it was in my best interest to hit the floor a split second before the deafening staccato of weapons fire and a hail of bullets headed my way. The rounds blasted straight through computer monitors and potted plants on desks; sparks flew upward along with shards of clay and clouds of potting soil. Chairs disintegrated as I cringed behind a solid steel desk and drew the snubnosed Smith & Wesson from my shoulder holster.

“Sarge, you all right?” I barely heard myself over the stampede of slugs plowing into the steel that sheltered me. The rounds were making some serious dents, but none had punctured through—yet. It was only a matter of time. I wouldn’t be able to stay put for long.

***

Getting to know the man behind the book:

1. When did you start seriously pursuing writing as a career?

I've been writing since I was a kid, but I started submitting my work for publication in the summer of 2009. I'd always thought I would pursue publication at some point -- probably after I retired from teaching or turned 40. My first story was published in January 2010, and I've had another 96 accepted for publication since then. I won't turn 40 for a couple more years, and I'm still teaching full-time. Doesn't look like I'll be retiring anytime soon!

 

2. How did you create the character Charlie Madison?

 

When I was a kid, I learned to type on an old-school manual typewriter. That's where I learned to write, too. My first novels were messy, full of typos and plot holes. But they were fun. And at age 15, that's what it was all about for me. Private eye Charlie Madison was one of the first characters I created, based on Box 13 and Dixon Hill, and The Double Murder was his big debut. By the end of it, I had over a hundred pages of snappy banter, mob hits, double-crossing dames, car chases, and even some alligators on leashes. It was a horrible parody, and I knew it.

 

Halfway through http://www.write1sub1.com/Write1Sub1 2011, I came up with the first Charlie Madison story I'd written in decades:  Girl of Great Price. It wasn't anything like his original case, but he was the same quick-witted, intrepid detective I'd known before. I transplanted him into a more serious and gritty "future noir" sci-fi setting, and once I'd envisioned that world, I knew I'd be back. Immaterial Evidence soon followed, and Yakuza Territory will be available from Musa Publishing on November 7th.

 

3. Are you working on more Charlie Madison stories?

 

I'm outlining the follow-up to Yakuza Territory, and it's going to be full of assassinations, kidnappings, killer robots, and maybe even a mad scientist. The working title is The Gifted Ones, and it follows the origins of the mysterious suprahumans who have appeared in all three Charlie Madison detective stories so far.

 

 Milo James Fowler is a teacher by day and a speculative fictioneer by night. When he's not grading papers, he's imagining what the world might be like in a dozen alternate realities. He is an active SFWA member, and his work has appeared in more than 90 publications, including AE SciFi, Cosmos, Daily Science Fiction, Nature, Shimmer, and the Wastelands 2 anthology.

Visit www.milojamesfowler.com

And, join The Crew:  http://milojamesfowler.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d70fbcd662992b2d85e27797d&id=34c4e36431

for updates about new releases as well as exclusive promotions.

You can also pick up a copy of Yakuza Territory here:

 http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=831

 

 

***

 

 

 

Interview at the Cartesian Theatre...

 Mr. Andrew Leon Hudson interviews me on his most remarkable blog,

The Cartesian Theatre

http://cartesiantheatre.wordpress.com/

http://cartesiantheatre.wordpress.com/tag/tom-olbert/

Stephanie O'Hanlon - Author of Intruiging Romance...

Affaire de Coeur

By Stephanie O’Hanlon

 

Blurb:

 Paris, May 1770, in the midst of aristocracy, country girl Madeleine Dumont is privileged to partake in social events while living with her friend Colette du Lorme, daughter of a Marquis. While following in the shadow of her popular and socially verse friend, she finds herself caught up with her infatuation with a man, a Comte. Lucien de Laurent, one of King Louis XV’s favourites and established bachelor, as well as social recluse.

But how does a woman win such a man without playing the game?

Bio:

Stephanie O'Hanlon graduated from the Toronto Film School in 2008 with aspirations of starting a career in film, but found herself drawn to writing. Combining her love for writing and history, her preferred genre is historical romance, as seen in her EP title Affaire de Coeur, though she has also enjoyed the paranormal romance genre, as seen with her EP re-release Out of my Grave.

Now a full time writer, she lives in Ontario, Canada with her dogs Judas & Dante, and beloved cats Nevermore & Willow.

Find Stephanie…

…on Eternal Press:

http://eternalpress.biz/people.php?author=531

…on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/stephanieohanlonauthor

…on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/sohanlonauthor

…on her website:

 www.stephanieohanlonauthor.com

Other novels by Stephanie O’Hanlon:

 - Out of My Grave

 - The Beast of Bradley Downs (TBR)

 

Links:

Eternal Press:

http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615728688

Amazon.ca:

 http://www.amazon.ca/Affaire-Coeur-Stephanie-OHanlon/dp/1615728694/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1370979543&sr=8-1

Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Affaire-Coeur-Stephanie-OHanlon/dp/1615728694/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361134344&sr=1-1&keywords=affaire+de+coeur

Kobo eBook:

 http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Affaire-de-Coeur/book-q8H7TNnD4EGwMiRuZ_IeHg/page1.html?utm_source=indigo&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=retailer&ikwid=affaire+de+coeur&ikwsec=Home

Chapters Indigo:

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/home/books/affaire-de-coeur/9781615728695-item.html?ikwid=Stephanie+O%27Hanlon&ikwsec=Home&gcs_requestid=0CMCKze3eibcCFUgs5wodXDUAAA

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/affaire-de-coeur-stephanie-ohanlon/1114520224?ean=9781615728695

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/affaire-de-coeur/id625038916?mt=11

******************

http://www.stephanieohanlonauthor.com/#!Spotlight-Sunday-Tom-Olbert/c1q8z/C4F219B8-7C1B-463C-B234-DC62BB50CDD5

MUSA PUBLISHING's Colossal Anniversary Celebration...

COLOSSAL ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

 

with Musa Publishing

 

Grand Prize

$15.00 Musa Gift Certificate

6 Paperback Books

Baiting the Hook by Mary Palmer & David Wilton

Brothers in Crime by KM Rockwood

Legends of the Timekeepers by Sharon Ledwith

Indian Shirt Story by Heather Lockman

Pantheon by Josh Strnad

Windy City Heat by Remi Hunter

 

1st Place Winner

$10.00 Musa Gift Certificate

6 Paperback Books

Baiting the Hook by Mary Palmer & David Wilton

Brothers in Crime by KM Rockwood

Legends of the Timekeepers by Sharon Ledwith

Indian Shirt Story by Heather Lockman

Pantheon by Josh Strnad

Windy City Heat by Remi Hunter

 

2nd Place Winner

$5.00 Musa Gift Certificate

5 Paperback Books

Cairo in White by Kelly Ann Jacobson

Chasing Athens by Marissa Tejada

First Frost by Liz DeJesus

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf

Windy City Heat by Remi Hunter

 

3rd Place Winner

5 Paperback Books

Cairo in White by Kelly Ann Jacobson

Chasing Athens by Marissa Tejada

First Frost by Liz DeJesus

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf

Windy City Heat by Remi Hunter

 

Plus

Beginning October 1, 2014 we draw 2 winners a day and they will each receive 3 books

 

And

All participants receive a download of Cooking with Musa.

All entrants are eligible for Grand Prize and Other Drawings October 15, 2014

 

Winners announced October 16, 2014

 

Enter daily to win!

 

No particular order to the daily drawings for the books below

 

 

Random Survival by Ray Wenck

TRUE blue by Susan Rae

Chasra: The Homecoming by Joanne Hirase

 

 

 

 

 

Drowning Cactus by Carrie Russell

To Catch A Fish by Mary Pamer & David Wilton

Lies in Wait by Donna Del Oro

 

Question of Time by Mary S. Palmer

Glass Frost by Liz DeJesus

The Andersen Ancestry by Addie J. King

 

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest begins October 1, 2014 and ends midnight CST October 14, 2014. All winners announced October 16, 2014.

 

Winners who reside outside the Continental United States will receive their prize in e-book format.

 

All prizes must be claimed by October 20, 2014 or they are forfeited. Prizes will be shipped October 22, 2014.

 

Ancient evil, new promises...

http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615726349

 

                                                      

http://mochamemoirspress.com/black-goddess

Through the release of a video depicting the ugly spectacle of a sports celebrity beating his wife, suddenly our supposedly enlightened (and, woefully self-absorbed) nation is aware of a fact that has afflicted the human condition since the dawn of time:  domestic violence exists.  Gasp.  'Seems we got the memo about five thousand years late.

So, in the wake of this "shocking" revelation, the NFL has promised 30 days of domestic violence training for its management (seriously?) and celebrities are suddenly coming out with long-buried stories of domestic abuse, as though jumping on the bandwagon of some dark new fad.  How long will this outpouring of moral indignation last?  Tic-toc.  Before you know it, we'll be dumping ice water over each other's heads again and will have forgotten the whole ugly subject ever came up.

So, what's going on, anyway?  Were we as a nation truly surprised by the sight of domestic violence?  It's certainly no surprise to anyone who's been paying attention the last few decades at least that a woman is abused in this country every few seconds, or that one in three women is abused by a male companion.  The evening news and daytime talk shows were full of it (at least, back in the days when daytime talk shows dealt with something other than celebrity gossip and fashion tips.)  Those of us old enough to remember Geraldo Rivera's heyday have heard the televised horror stories of abused wives who've had to go into hiding for fear of their lives.  Bloody tales of children murdered by their abusive fathers while battered wives stayed passive.  What, it just slipped our minds?

Or, do we simply prefer to picture our sports celebs as heroic manly men who can do no wrong; certainly who would never commit so cowardly an act as physically abusing a woman?  Hmmm...I'm guessing that ship pretty much sailed with O.J. Simpson, so no.  Especially not with this latest disgusting display coming on the heels of a college football rape scandal.  So, why the supposed shock and weak promises of change?  Are we as a nation trying to reassure ourselves that this was really just a momentary aberration of our national character, and that it won't happen again?

After an abuser beats his wife, he'll often simper and cry and ask for forgiveness, then issue an empty promise that it will never happen again.  And, of course, it does.  So, perhaps, it is with a nation that glorifies violence and equates it with maleness, that vilifies and demonizes female sexuality while simultaneously putting it on display and (if only subliminally) equates violence with sex and yes, even with love, quietly justifying spousal abuse.  Subconsciously, this has been going on since day one, though on the surface of our outwardly frivolous, puff-piece-loving society, we simply ignore it, like Jekyll ignoring Hyde.

Now and again, we find the need to purge our souls when something like this hits our T.V. screens.  Then, after the newness of it wears off, we settle back into our normal routine, blissfully unmindful of the fact that the violence is still going on.  I guess, in a way, we're simply less honest about our deeply entrenched patters of male violence than older cultures in which fathers butcher their daughters for marrying the wrong guy or cut their daughters when they hit puberty so they can never enjoy sex.  In western society, we aspire to be more than we are, perhaps, but we seem less and less willing to acknowledge the violence all around and within us.

As always, we make excuses for rapists by blaming the victim.  We pretend to treasure life (at least in its unborn state) while bombing countless women and children to death.  We seem to need the lie in order to avoid the pain and inconvenience of facing the truth.  Just as the Roman Catholic church hid the ugly, abusive evil hiding in its midst (probably since the middle ages) for as long as it could in order to maintain the mystique on which its patriarchal religion is based, so our still essentially patriarchal society maintains its comforting illusion of enlightened modernity.

Ancient rituals and customs designed to cage the male beast by subjugating woman to man's will no longer apply in the west.  (No doubt the comforting illusion of bygone ages, hiding still more violence than history is willing to reveal.)  So, how are we to confront the ancient demon of male violence in the modern age?  We've acknowledged its forms and patterns. But, are we willing to fundamentally change a culture which seems, at its very core, to embrace and depend on violence?  As long as we revere and enable our modern-day gladiators, the spirit that fuels violence in all its forms will always be with us.