Phil Giunta's Blog, page 37
November 7, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XXIII – “Star Trek: Voyager – Q Meets Girl” Part III
And now the conclusion of “Star Trek: Voyager – Q Meets Girl.” After beaming down to the planet, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Seven of Nine encounter… nothing. The truth is soon revealed and of course, Q is at the heart of the mystery, ready to accuse Kes of employing her powers to help the Voyager crew despite his warning.
Almost all of my fan fic is now up on my website. There are a few that I’m saving until next year including MacGyver, The Pretender, Nowhere Man, and The Avengers with Emma Peel and John Steed.
November 4, 2018
Book Launch at Philcon 81
Despite its name, Philcon is not my convention. Rather, it is the Philadelphia Science Fiction Convention happening November 16-18 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ.
If you happen to be attending Philcon, Steven H. Wilson and I invite you to check out our book launch on Saturday evening at 5PM in the con suite. Our double horror novel, Freedom’s Blood and Like Mother, Like Daughters will be premiering at the con!
We’re thrilled to release a book reminiscent of the classic ACE doubles where you read one story, then flip the book over to read the other.
Special thanks to Renee Volker-Wilson for assisting with the book launch party preparations!
November 3, 2018
A Plague of Shadows Signing at Hockessin Book Shelf
About half of the contributing writers from A Plague of Shadows will be signing books at the Hockessin Book Shelf in Hockessin, DE on Saturday, December 1 from 4-6PM.
At this time, my appearance is tentative given the heavy demands of my new FT job. However, if you are in the area and looking for an incredible collection of unique ghost stories, A Plague of Shadows is the book for you! Stop over to Hockessin Book Shelf to pick up a copy and meet some of the amazing writers.
October 31, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XXII – “Star Trek: Voyager – Q Meets Girl” Part Two
In our middle act, the Voyager crew attempt to help the Xadavians out of their predicament by manufacturing a vaccine for the disease created by the invading Gavvari. However, when one of the Xadavians is mysteriously killed after providing a blood sample to the Doctor, Janeway launches an investigation.
October 27, 2018
New Free Fiction – “Burn After Writing” by Phil Giunta
In the “spirit” of Halloween, I just posted a free ghost story on my website. “Burn After Writing” is a tale of betrayal, plagiarism, and revenge from the beyond the grave.
Although the story was finished months before his death, it is dedicated to Harlan Ellison, one of my favorite writers of all time. Hope you enjoy it and Happy Halloween!
October 25, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XXI – “Star Trek: Voyager – Q Meets Girl”
I wrote this story in 1999 in response to “Fury”, the dark and sinister episode of Star Trek: Voyager in which Kes returned. I barely remember it now, but I recall being displeased with the story and, to be honest, Voyager was my least favorite Star Trek series up to that point. As much as I love Kate Mulgrew and looked forward to a female captain, I felt the show itself was weaker than its predecessors, and that Star Trek had run out of impulse power. Still, I had a wonderful time writing “Q Meets Girl” and now, reading it almost 20 years later, I can see that my enthusiasm shines through.
October 22, 2018
Haunted Book Fair!
I will be participating in Barnes and Noble’s Local Authors Day on the border of Bethlehem and Easton, PA on Saturday, October 27th starting at 4PM. The exact location is Southmont Center, 4445 Southmont Way, Easton, PA 18045. I will be joining Chris Ochs, John Evans, Larry Deibert, Keith Keffer, Carol L. Wright, and Roy Ziegler.
This event is co-sponsored by the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group (GLVWG). Each author is limited to two titles, so I will have copies of Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side available. My newest novel, Like Mother, Like Daughters, will not be released until November.
October 19, 2018
After Action Report: Mindful Writers Retreat
Sunset in the Laurel HighlandsAs I write this, it is the final night of the five-day Mindful Writers Retreat held in the Lamont Lodge at Ligonier Camp and Conference Center in Ligonier, PA. The camp is nestled in the magnificent Laurel Highlands region of the Allegheny Mountains.
The retreat, impeccably organized by the gracious and talented Kathie Shoop and Larry Schardt, occurs three times per year (winter, spring, and fall) and combines meditation with long quiet hours of writing. The cost of this week’s retreat was $400 and includes private room and bath and all meals prepared by the camp’s staff. Each attendee also receives a welcome pack overflowing with goodies including a coffee mug, handmade bowl, yoga mat, pen and pencil set, notebook, and much more.
Writing in the great room before a blazing hearth.While each attendee can use their day as they see fit, there are suggested activities such as a sunrise walking meditation where each writer sets off on their own perambulation of the trails and surrounding woods (flashlight recommended). This is followed by breakfast and a four-hour quiet writing session. After lunch, a 15-minute seated meditation helps writers refresh and focus before delving back into their work for another four hours until dinner. Evenings are reserved for dessert and yet more writing in the great room for the remainder of the evening. There’s nothing like writing by a crackling fire! And yes, marshmallows were toasted and S’mores were distributed.
Toasting marshmallows for S’mores!
Bunk BedsWhile most of us congregated in the great room, other options include a second-floor balcony and, of course, sequestering yourself in your room. Speaking of which, each room has two to three sets of bunk beds. After all, this is a camp designed to accommodate scores of kids and chaperones during the summer. For the first time in probably 40 years, I climbed up a ladder to go to sleep each night because naturally, I chose a top bunk.
Writing on the Balcony at Lamont Lodge
Bagpipes and flute concert.On this, our last evening, two of my fellow scribes performed a wonderful after dinner concert of flute and bagpipe. Later, several of us gathered in the lobby of the lodge to perform an audio drama written by one of the attendees.
Black Mask OmnibusBefore the retreat, each member was encouraged to bring a book to swap, which I did, and ended up with a spectacular 600-page collection of mystery and crime stories culled from the Black Mask pulp magazine that began in the 1920s.
Will I return next year? Absolutely. After two months of upheaval in my life—which allowed for scant writing time— the retreat allowed me to catch up on the first draft of my WIP and write an outline for a new short story.
Also, on the second day of the conference, I received a call from publisher and editor Nancy Sakaduski of Cat & Mouse Press informing me that not merely one but both of my short story submissions were accepted for their upcoming anthology, Beach Pulp. Click here for more details on that.
Hmmm… Perhaps there’s even a little magic to the Mindful Writers Retreat!
Mindful Writers Retreat Attendees
Welcome Pack Handmade Bowl
Welcome Pack Goodies
Welcome Pack Yoga Mat
Welcome Pack Coffee Mug
October 18, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XX – “Star Trek: Chasing Reflections” Part III
In the conclusion of “Star Trek: Chasing Reflections,” Captain Pike from the mirror universe attempts to abduct Number One on the planet Morex III, but an attack by the Klingons in the hijacked shuttle Copernicus levels the playing field.
Stay tuned next week for my final fan fiction story of the year, “Star Trek: Voyager – Q Meets Girl.”
Book Review: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle
Continuing in the Halloween “spirit,” the next book on my October reading list has also been in my collection since high school. In fact, like Great Ghost Stories (reviewed last week), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Wan Winkle was purchased from the Scholastic Book Club.
Washington Irving’s stories are classics of American literature. Both are set in the Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York state where Irving was born and raised.
In the quaint, isolated village of Sleepy Hollow—where fables and superstitions abound—locals are all too happy to regale newcomers with the legend of a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannon ball during the Revolutionary War. Ever since, he prowls the woods atop his steed in search of his head. When meek but socially ambitious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane comes to the village, he courts Katrina Van Wessel, the daughter of a wealthy farmer. This immediately puts him at odds with local ruffian, “Bram Bones” Van Brunt. After Katrina turns down Crane during a party at her family home, he storms out, but his disappointment turns to fear when he confronts the Headless Horseman along a dark country road…
Hen-pecked husband Rip Van Winkle avoids gainful employment—and his wife’s nagging—through daytime jaunts in the woods with his dog, Wolf, and helping his fellow villagers with odd jobs. One morning, Rip ventures a bit farther up the mountain than usual and begins to hear thunder. He is soon beckoned by a man in outdated Dutch clothing struggling to carry a keg. Rip lends a hand and together, they enter a nearby cave where other such men are playing nine-pins (bowling). After drinking heavily from the keg, Rip falls asleep and awakens 20 years later, having completely missed the Revolutionary War…
