Jeffrey L. Blehar's Blog, page 6
November 16, 2017
“Isolation (n).” paperback now available
Since the beginning of human consciousness there have been certain primal fears instilled in us and passed down through the generations. These fears range from the basic fear of the dark to the complex fear of death and what may be beyond. Of these fears, the fear of isolation is king. Humans are a social species, relying on one another for survival. Complex social structures evolved to cope with this fear. Isolation from the group meant certain death for early man. Society has evolved,...
November 15, 2017
Influences: Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson (1906-1977) was criminally underappreciated during his lifetime. Writing during on of the heights of the stark, crime story, he is mysteriously overshadowed by far inferior writers. It wasn’t until the late eighties’ re-prints that reputation and stature grew.
He was the mastermind of doubt, filling his stories with unreliable narrators, the surreal, hallucinogenic thoughts of dying (or dead) narrators, and oddly structured layers to his plots. He is often cited as the “rawes...
November 12, 2017
Review: The Silent Blade: A Seven Virtues Novella by Jacob Peppers
A very cool dark fantasy in the vein of a spaghetti western. Revenge, revenge, revenge. The story is short and basic, but well-developed with few places for the reader to catch their breath. The pacing is great, the conflicts are solid, and the action pieces are coherent. It is the perfect length for a rainy night’s read. The resolution closes out the story arc in a satisfactory manner, while still leaving the reader wanting to invest further time in this potentially rich world.
I have never...
November 11, 2017
Saturday Spotlight: Assignment to Disaster
Assignment to Disaster
Author: Edward S. Aarons
Cover Art: ?
Originally Published: 1955
Reviewed Edition: Fawcett Gold Medal
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The Saturday Spotlight this week is the first novel featuring Sam Durell. Durell was the creation of author Edward S. Aarons who featured him in forty-two adventures (Will B. Aarons would pen six additional adventures). Sam Durell was a member of the CIA — Section K to be precise. The brooding Cajun was as tough as they come, with a strict moral code. Essentially, an...
November 10, 2017
The Machines: Hall
Thomas Hall released his Index typewriter in 1881. Hall was the first successful index style typewriter released to the market. What would become the “standard keyboard” was still an odd new technology. This led to an influx of the less expensive index style writer. They were popular, until the keyboard firmly grabbed hold of the public and never let go. Typists soon mastered the keyboard and typing time was greatly reduced when compared to the move and click index machines.
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In 1891, Th...
November 9, 2017
Influences: Sax Rohmer
Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward (1883-1959) was a prolific writer, but is best remembered for his Fu Manchu novels. His first story, The Mysterious Mummy was published in 1903. It wasn’t until 1912 that Fu Manchu made his appearance in the serialized The Mystery of Fu Manchu. It was a huge success from the beginning. Three Fu Manchu books and many other recurring detective series (Paul Harley, Morris Klaw, Red Kerry, and Gaston Max) made Rohmer one of the most successful writers of the 1920’2...
November 8, 2017
“Isolation (n).” e-book giveaway
Enter at Amazon for a chance to win a free e-book of my new collection of short stories (and a bonus preview of Devlin: A Book of the Broken, which is the sequel to Nighthawks: A Book of the Broken).
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I had never read anything by either author previous to this novella. I plan on remedying that soon. “Rend the Dark” is a short, quick-paced fantasy/horror hybrid. Most fantasy series turn me off with way too much exposition early in the book. I get bored before I bond with any of the characters. This does not do that in any shape. There is very little in the way of expository banality. The authors, instead choose to let their world-building out in little dribbles. This allows for the reader t...
November 7, 2017
Tired of Story Rejection?
Do you have a story you have written that you really like, but it has been rejected everywhere you have submitted? Give Millhaven Press a try.
I am trying to put together a quarterly print magazine of new stories inspired by (but not limited to) the pulp magazines of the past. Each quarter will focus an a specific group of genres. Right know I am looking for Action/Adventure/Western stories for the winter issue and Science fiction/Fantasy stories for the spring issue. I am also looking fo...
November 6, 2017
“Isolation (n).” a new collection of short horror stories available
If you aren’t quite ready to let go of Halloween horror stories, you may like this short collection. Five horror/fantasy stories start off the collection. Included as the sixth story is the first chapter of Devlin: A Book of the Broken. The book centers on Devlin, the hired killer from Nighhawks: A Book of the Broken. The book tells the story of Bryant Devlin before the events of Nighthawks.
Available on Amazon and Kobo.
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