Jason Anspach's Blog, page 4
February 24, 2017
Who Would You Talk to Again?
For example, when I was a kid, all my heroes served in the military. Even if it was only in fictional branches like the Rebellion or G.I. Joe. My brother and I covered our bedroom walls with posters we received from military recruiters at the Puyallup Fair. Aircraft carriers, Rangers with face paint, F-14 Tomcats, Marines with blazing swords.
We adored anyone who would tell us about their service. Virtually all of our favorite G.I. Joes served in Vietnam. So did our Uncles. So did our Mom’s friends.
They were still young men at that time.
We also loved to hear stories about World War II from our grandparents. My cousin’s Grandpa would regale us with stories of his time patrolling Pacific Islands whose name I’ve forgotten. Of Japanese soldiers, out of ammunition, jumping out of trees with bayonets and swords yelling “Banzai!” with a final hope of taking a soldier or Marine’s life as their final act.
My step-grandfather would tell us of a life at sea. Shooting down kamikaze’s, men going overboard. The fabled crossing of the Equator.
I still think of Vietnam vets as young men. But I realize I’m now the same age they were when I was young. They’ve grown old. They’re grandparents. Some even Great grandparents.
And those grandfatherly men who served in the Second World War? They’re now like their fathers, my great-grandfathers. They’ve reached an advanced age and…there aren’t many left.I used to marvel at my grandparents telling me about hearing aged Civil War veterans speak to them in elementary school. I’m only a generation away from telling the same amazing stories to my grandchildren about those who fought the Third Reich and destroyed Tojo’s war machine and the Greater East Asia Co-Property Sphere.
The ’til Death series requires a lot of research. I read, watch, and listen extensively from that time period. My favorite part about preparing a book is interviewing men and women (mostly women are left, sadly) who lived as young adults in the early 1950’s. But, they’re slowly moving on to glory and each new book seems to find the group of interviewees less in number than the book previous.
Eventually, there won’t be people left to tell me about what everyday life was really like. To tell me what they would do if faced with Sam & Amelia’s specific situation.
So, I need to talk to them now. While I can.
And that’s what I want to leave you with. If you could talk to someone who once walked the earth with you, who would it be? Let me know. I’ll send a signed copy of ’til Death: Second Impressions to my favorite answer.
Who do you need to talk to before it’s too late? Go do it now. Don’t wait. It all seems like it wasn’t that long ago from our perspective. But…it was.
Read 'til Death: Second Impressions
Wisecracking Private Detective Sam Rockwell is running for his life, but that doesn’t keep him from taking the case of a Return who’s slipped past Heaven’s radar and overstayed his time on earth. Together with his fiancé, Amelia, Sam brawls and dances his way through San Francisco to unravel a zany mystery where nothing is what it seems at first blush.
The laughs and silver screen thrills of Jason Anspach’s signature 1950s Cold War tale of Hollywood noire are back in this madcap sequel as Sam and Amelia return once again to right wrongs, solve crimes, send the dead off to their proper eternity, and maybe, set a date for their wedding! The Maltese Falcon meets It’s a Mad Mad Mad world in this smart and witty paranormal romp.
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February 23, 2017
Trappist-1 in T-Minus 60
T minus 60: Social Media is buzzing with excited comments.
T minus 59: Hard Sci-Fi Writers run to their keyboards. “This is sure to be a best seller! It’ll be like the Martian, only they go to the Trappist-1 and…[insert twist here].” None of these will come close to the Martian’s success, in spite of including ten times the number of paragraphs detailing minute technical details.
T minus 57: Comedy memes flood the web. Admiral Ackbar is back, bay-bee!
T minus 56: “Hey, this seems like a really good opportunity to promote/bash religion and/or my political beliefs.”
T minus 54: Neil Tyson Degrasse issues a profound tweet: “If Trappist-1 has a planet that can support human life. Humans may well live there.”
T minus 53: Bill Nye explains why he needs your money to help get us to Trappist-1. Because…science. Cash only, please.
T minus 48: Elon Musk orders production of a series of orbital charging stations to be launched and waiting for the Tesla-X home rocket cars to use as they migrate to the new Utopia sure to be found in the Trappist-1 system.
T minus 45: Trappist-1 is absorbed by the Klingon Empire.
T minus 40: China declares they will be the first to send a probe to Trappist-1.
T minus 39: President Trump tweets: “China hasn’t even been to the moon. Sad.”
T minus 37: Following a surge of public support, NASA returns to the moon in attempt to finally get the conspiracy theorists on board, so as to better fool them when recording the “Trappist Landings” in a Hollywood backlot.
T minus 32: Horrible creatures known only as “The Endlings” emerge from center of Trappist-1f, driving the Klingons from the Trappist-1 system.
T minus 27: Forgotten greek gods excitedly talk about the possibility of having a planet named after them, even if it is just with the Roman version of their name. Juno suggests starting a marketing campaign to help earthlings realize how dumb Trappist-1a,b,c,d,e,f,g sound.
T minus 25: Hopeful that Trappist-1 may contain alien life, ISIS plans its own launch mission. “We can only hope to get there first in order to destroy all traces of their religion and culture.” The ISIS science team destroy themselves and the program when imitating Wile E. Coyote and attempting to lauch the rocket by placing it atop a four-story high pile of dynamite.
T minus 24: North Korea attempts to beat China and the USA to Trappist-1, but mistakenly launches a nuclear missile instead, setting back China’s program by several hundred years. Strength and self reliability become the new currency in wasteland China.
T minus 23: NASA launches a manned super-craft to Trappist-1 using fun technology that probably doesn’t exist, but we’ll just pretend it does.
T minus 20: The Olympus campaign is so successful, the public demands the Trappist planets be renamed. The internet chooses Doc, Sleepy, Lulz, Dopey, New Alderaan, Planet McSpaceGalaxy, and Earth XII. The greek gods pout.
T minus 18: Due to sheer volume, Trappist-1 science fiction novels now have their own category on amazon.
T minus 15: A terrible mutant Ghengis Kahn rises from China’s barren wastes. Riding his war tigerphant, he seeks to conquer all of Asia.
T minus 10: The NASA mission arrives in the Trappist-1 system.
T minus 9: A Starbucks store opens on six of the seven planets.
T minus 7: Neil Armstrong VI is the first man to walk on Trappist-1c, now called New Alderaan.
T minus 5: Hey, is that a Death Star?
T minus 4: Commence Primary Ignition.
T minus 3: Super Laser gets super-lasery.
T minus 2: Explosion! No…SPECIAL EDITION EXPLOSION WITH THE RING AND STUFF!
T minus 1: …
T minus 0: NASA announces exciting new conference to be held tomorrow.
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February 22, 2017
Deciphering “Fake News!”
This is especially true when it comes to determining what people mean when they say, “Fake News!”
I’m here to help.
Scenario 1: “Fake News.”
Properly understood, this person is saying that the story in question is entirely fabricated. Do not trust it. Reconsider any opinions, perspectives, or conclusions drawn from this particular new. This is supported by showing unbiased examples or articles that take the time to carefully present multiple sides without inserting opinion or judgement.
This is the rarest form of the phrase and is only included for academic purposes. You can pretty much disregard any expectation of this being what the person means.
Natural habitat: Far away from social media.
Potential sighting of Scenario One User. Unconfirmed.
Scenario 2: “Fake News!”
This is properly understood as: “This news does not fit my preconceived notions, and therefore is fake. Because I’m right. Always. Even in High School. Mullets will come back. Watch.”
A far more common form of the phrase, its users are fascinatingly more likely to ascribe to actual fake news so long as it reinforces their existing convictions.
Natural habitat: Commenting and liking each others posts on threads where literally no contrary perspective is present unless in strawman form. Brainstorming exciting new hashtags. Sharing & retweeting the partisan mills such as Occupy Democrats or Breitbart. Currently bristling at their favorite fake news purveyors inclusion in the previous sentence. Repeatedly triggered or fooled by satire. Leaves angry comments about Onion articles.
They always tell it like it is. Won’t get news like this from anywhere else, no sir.
Scenario 3: “Fake News?”
“I’m confused, the nice person on television said…”
Bless their hearts. These people see vitriolic blowhards of the left and right as though they were Uncle Walter telling them, “And that’s the way it is…”
Natural habitat: Religiously watching the Daily Show, O’Reilly Factor, Sean Hannity, Sally Kohn, or Rachel Maddow. If they can’t trust entertaining people on tv, believe they can’t trust anybody. Not completely sure if professional wrestling is real or not.
Scenario 4: “Fake. News.”
This is properly understood as: Our competition is untrustworthy. Your eyes, loyalty, and ad clicks should belong to us and us only.
These are media outlets using the concept of Fake News as part of a marketing campaign to increase user loyalty and revenue. Rather than champion journalistic principles (remember those? I studied them in college for my communications major. So quaint.) these users of the term simply assert that when they talk it is not fake, but when their competition talks, it is fake.
Natural habitat: In a boardroom looking at the numbers, trying to figure out how to keep people watching the shows mentioned in Scenario 3 while still maintaining the appearance of unbiased reporting. Finding out that it’s actually really easy. Suckers.
Scenario 5: “Fake news, amiright?”
This person uses the whole Fake News concept as a punchline.
Perhaps most to be pitied, they attempt to write funny articles about it because, deep down, they know that people would rather feel right than face truth.
Natural habitat: Crying on the inside. Kind of wishing 24 hour and internet news wasn’t a thing, but knowing that’s impossible. Thinking about subscribing to a newspaper except…too much fake news.
A pennant is on the line and a life hangs in the balance!When local baseball player Junior Jones receives death threats over the color of his skin, the team’s wealthy owner hires Sam Rockwell to solve the case and stop a murder before it happens. Sam goes undercover as a minor league pitcher to strike out the culprit. Follow the clues along with Sam’s curmudgeonly ghost of a father Frank Rockwell, and Sam’s wife Amelia, who holds a secret that will forever change the lives of the entire Rockwell family.
It’s another laugh-filled, madcap mystery in the warm, witty 1950’s Hollywood-style of author Jason Anspach.
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February 21, 2017
Legionnaire Concept Art
There’s still more artwork pending final approval during the creative process, but I couldn’t resist sharing this one!
Excited to read it? You can, right now!
Read the first chapter of Legionnaire and the first TWO chapters of Galaxy’s Edge: Galactic Outlaws by going to galacticoutlaws.com/free-sample-galaxys-edge
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February 20, 2017
What I like so far this morning: February 20th, 2017
The day is young, but here’s what I like so far this morning…
[SATIRE] Man Claims Right Wing Book Caused PTSD
[STAR WARS] Everything (So far) that’s been reintroduced from the old Expanded Universe
[FREE STUFF] Four Free Sci-Fi book plus the chance to win more…a lot more!
What’s good with your morning so far?
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February 16, 2017
Sequel Sale!
People have been downloading ’til Death like gangbusters since I made it free for a limited time.
But, I wanted to do something for my reader friends who already had the book!
So, I made each sequel available for 99 U.S. pennies a piece. That’s right!
’til Death: Second Impressions? A buck minus a penny!
‘til Death: The Man Who Balked? One thousand nine hundred and forty three bucks minus One thousand nine hundred and forty two bucks minus a penny!
The math doesn’t lie. This is a great deal!
Get the entire series today for less than $2
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February 14, 2017
The Maltese Falcon meets It’s A Wonderful Life is FREE today!
I’m giving this book away for Free to anyone who wants it today over on Amazon! It’s The Maltese Falcon meets It’s A Wonderful Life. This series could fit in a whole bunch of different genres, and the people who read it really liked it. So maybe you will, too!
Please SHARE this post so your friends can get it too!
February 10, 2017
Here’s the interview from Keystroke Medium!
The topic? Galaxy’s Edge! Give it a listen and don’t forget that you can subscribe or sign up to receive the first chapters of Galaxy’s Edge: Galactic Outlaws!
The post Here’s the interview from Keystroke Medium! appeared first on JasonAnspach.com.
February 9, 2017
Hear Jason Anspach Live Tonight
Hey everyone! Jason Anspach and Nick Cole are live on Thursday Night Live! hosted by Josh Hayes and Scott Moon.
So the show airs live tonight at KeystrokeMedium.com at 8PM Pacific Time. We’re scheduled to talk about Galaxy’s Edge and our alternative business model for releasing content without Amazon or Patreon.
And if you’ve never heard of Galaxy’s Edge (I’m assuming you’ve at least heard of Jason Anspach seeing as how you’re on the site)…
Truly Epic Military Science Fiction - it's StarWarsNotStarWars
A LONG, LONG TIME FROM NOW, AT THE EDGE OF THE GALAXY…PRISMA MAYDOON HAS COME TO THE FRONTIER STAR PORT AT ACKABAR WITH HER FAITHFUL SERVANT KRS-88 TO EMPLOY A BOUNTY HUNTER AND OBTAIN JUSTICE FOR HER MURDERED FAMILY.
MEANWHILE, REPUBLICAN LEGIONNAIRES HAVE ARRIVED TO DESTROY A SECRET HIDEOUT OF THE GOMARII SLAVERS AND ESTABLISH THE IRON FIST OF RULE BY REPUBLIC LAW OVER THIS FRONTIER STAR PORT.
ARRIVING BY FREIGHTER, PRISMA FINDS A FULL SCALE EVACUATION IN PROGRESS…
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February 8, 2017
Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot
But I can only remember opening one of them: Luke Skywalker, X-Wing Pilot. I don’t recall which store my Mom bought it from. Maybe Toys R Us, probably Pay ‘n Save. There were other figures on the pegboard, of course. I remember thinking long and hard about getting a second stormtrooper. But the picture of Luke climbing up the ladder to his X-wing’s cockpit was just too wonderful.
I didn’t have an X-wing, so this would be the next best thing.
Years later, I would do the same thing with the AT-ST driver, purchasing it because we couldn’t afford the actual vehicle.
I wasn’t allowed to break Luke out of his blister pack until we got home. Surely, I would lose the blaster pistol in the backseat of our gray, solid steel Chevy. I ripped the bubble off and freed the pilot from his commercial prison. I promptly lost the blaster pistol in our thick, rust-colored carpet.
My mom reminded me not to lose the blaster pistol because she didn’t want to suck it up in the vacuum.
I found it again and then lost it permanently a couple of hours later.
As I stared at the action figure, something began to trouble me. I thought I was getting a Luke Skywalker action figure, but on closer inspection, this figure had black hair hanging down from underneath its helmet. You have to understand the hairstyles of the 1980’s to appreciate how feasible this was in a child’s mind.
I told my Mom that they must have just put Luke on the picture, but that this was just a plain rebel pilot guy. She told she didn’t think it was hair, just Luke’s visor.
“But Luke’s visor is yellow in the movie.”
“It says Luke Skywalker, X-Wing Pilot on the package.”
“Maybe they put the wrong toy in the package. Luke doesn’t have black hair. Probably this is Wedge because Biggs has a mustache.”
But I wasn’t upset.
It took a lot of men to fight the Empire. And my other Luke in his “snow clothes” could still fly a pretend X-wing as he had before that trip to the Pay ‘n Save. Only now he had a wingman. I would fold the legs and make them both sit down on the coffee table inside invisible X-Wings, chasing down my TIE Fighter Pilot as he raced away in his own invisible starship to warn Darth Vader that the rebels were here!
I didn’t mind it, though. I could see the whole battle with perfect clarity in my mind.
This is what Nick Cole and I mean when we say Galaxy's Edge is just playing with our action figures in the back yard.
A LONG, LONG TIME FROM NOW, AT THE EDGE OF THE GALAXY…PRISMA MAYDOON HAS COME TO THE FRONTIER STAR PORT AT ACKABAR WITH HER FAITHFUL SERVANT KRS-88 TO EMPLOY A BOUNTY HUNTER AND OBTAIN JUSTICE FOR HER MURDERED FAMILY.
MEANWHILE, REPUBLICAN LEGIONNAIRES HAVE ARRIVED TO DESTROY A SECRET HIDEOUT OF THE GOMARII SLAVERS AND ESTABLISH THE IRON FIST OF RULE BY REPUBLIC LAW OVER THIS FRONTIER STAR PORT.
ARRIVING BY FREIGHTER, PRISMA FINDS A FULL SCALE EVACUATION IN PROGRESS…
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