Phil Giunta's Blog, page 38
October 5, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XVIII – “Star Trek: Chasing Reflections”
One of the most popular episodes of the original Star Trek series was “Mirror, Mirror” in which Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura switch places with their counterparts from a parallel universe where the peaceful United Federation of Planets does not exist. Rather, the malevolent Terran Empire conquers and murders its way to dominance with Starfleet as little more than its ruthless enforcers.
Though Star Trek: The Next Generation never revisited this concept on screen (but did so in one or two novels), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired five episodes involving the parallel universe. In 2001, I thought it would be interesting to go back in time to the command of Captain Christopher Pike (played by Jeffrey Hunter in the first Star Trek pilot, “The Cage”) to see how he and his crew would fare against their doppelgängers.
Click here to read part one of “Star Trek: Chasing Reflections.”
Kickstarter Update: We Made It!
Steven H. Wilson and I are excited to announce that we exceeded our Kickstarter funding goal for Firebringer Take Two thanks to the following generous donors:
Lewis G. Aide
Michael Critzer
Tony Fucci
The Creative Fund
James Gallahan
Allyn Gibson
Jack Hillman
Madelyn Jackson
Heather Mikkelsen
Omar Padilla
Leeon Pezok
Susanna Reilly
Renfield
Ann Stolinsky
Sharon Miller VanBlarcom
Judith Waidlich
Howie Weinstein
Cindy Woods
Evon Zundel
We appreciate your generous support and will continue to keep everyone updated as the book nears completion and rewards are ready to ship (paperbacks) or claim online (ebooks).
Freedom’s Blood Cover Art by Caio Cacau.
Like Mother, Like Daughters finished cover. Art by Laura Inglis. Title designed by Chris Winner.
Untouched cover art for double horror novel by Phil Giunta and Steven H. Wilson.
September 30, 2018
A Note About Wattpad
If you enjoy reading and have not yet discovered Wattpad, I recommend giving it a look. Wattpad is a site where writers release their works for FREE. Novels, novellas, short stories, nonfiction.
As of now, I have four short speculative fiction stories posted there with more on the way. You can read them for free by clicking here! Each story has two parts. The first part is merely the copyright page. The second part is the story.
Enjoy!
September 28, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XVII – “Star Wars: Pursuit of Force” Part III
In our finale, Han Solo and the Rebel agents must fend off Boba Fett in order to return to the fleet with the coordinates of the black market ships, and Darth Vader arrives on Steruub to capture Luke Skywalker…
Click here to read the conclusion of “Star Wars: Pursuit of Force.”
September 27, 2018
Kickstarter Updates – BY YOUR SIDE & SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF ETERNITY
Steven H. Wilson and I have ten days to go in our Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of our double horror novella, which includes Steve’s vampire tale, FREEDOM’S BLOOD and my paranormal mystery, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS featuring Miranda Lorensen (from my novels By Your Side and Testing the Prisoner).
The book will be formatted in the style of the classic ACE Doubles where you read one story, then flip the book over to read the other.
Each week during the campaign, we’ve posted excerpts from both novellas over on the Firebringer Press website. For the past three weeks, we presented the opening scenes from LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS and FREEDOM’S BLOOD.
Our most recent updates provide excerpts from two of the books we’re offering as rewards: my second novel, BY YOUR SIDE, and Steven’s fantasy story, “Don’t Go In the Barn, Johnny!” from SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF ETERNITY.
We hope you enjoy these story samples and will consider donating to our campaign so we can bring you this exciting new double novel!
September 25, 2018
Book Review: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
During the interstellar war with the Taurans, William Mandella climbs the ranks from private to major. While the war itself only lasts a few years from the perspective of the troops—since much of their time is spent traversing wormholes well beyond the speed of light—nearly 1,200 years passes on Earth.
While on a mission early in his career, Mandella falls in love with fellow soldier Marygay Potter and the feeling is mutual. After Potter is nearly killed during their final tour, the army grants the pair a discharge on Earth. However, Mandella and Potter soon discover that retirement is not an option. Only one job opportunity is made available to them—return to the war.
In their next campaign, both Mandella and Potter each lose a limb and are sent to a world known as Heaven to regenerate. Mandella is then promoted to Major and Potter to Captain—but each are assigned to separate companies.
After saying their final goodbyes, Mandella takes command of a Strike Force headed to Sade-138, while Potter was assigned to fight the Taurans elsewhere. Mandella fears that they will never see each other again.
In order to qualify for command, Mandella must undergo a deep-sleep learning process during which his mind is filled with facts and theories from Earth’s military history. What’s more, Mandella finds himself in command of a platoon comprised completely of homosexuals. Heterosexuals, while tolerated in human society today, are now considered queer.
ForeverWar is a satisfying hard-SF novel that presents a unique and often candid view of futuristic military life and the possible drastic changes that might occur in Earth’s culture given 1,200 years. While the Taurans are treated lightly and never developed as anything more than an alien menace, Haldeman does an admirable job detailing the battle scenes and showing how the enemy improves their tactics and weaponry with each successive confrontation.
Most of all, it was Mandella’s experiences with his fellow soldiers, his struggles with changing times (especially on Earth), and his ability to adapt and survive that kept me intrigued.
September 21, 2018
Fan Fiction – Week XVI – “Star Wars: Pursuit of Force” Part II
In our second act, Luke Skywalker encounters the enigmatic Jianna Droxx on the planet Steruub—just before the Empire arrives. Meanwhile, Han Solo departs for Ord Mantell with two Alliance Intelligence agents to broker a black market deal for the Rebellion…
Fan Fiction – Week XVI – “Star Wars: Pursuit of Force” Part Two
In our second act, Luke Skywalker encounters the enigmatic Jianna Droxx on the planet Steruub—just before the Empire arrives. Meanwhile, Han Solo departs for Ord Mantell with two Alliance Intelligence agents to broker a black market deal for the Rebellion…
September 18, 2018
Kickstarter Updates – FREEDOM’S BLOOD and LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS
Steven H. Wilson and I are just over a week into our Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of our double horror novella, which includes Steve’s vampire tale, FREEDOM’S BLOOD and my paranormal mystery, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS featuring Miranda Lorensen (from my novels By Your Side and Testing the Prisoner).
The book will be formatted in the style of the classic ACE Doubles where you read one story, then flip the book over to read the other.
Each week during the campaign, we’ve posted excerpts from both novellas over on the Firebringer Press website. For the past two weeks, we presented the opening scenes from LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS. This week, we posted the same for FREEDOM’S BLOOD. More updates are forthcoming, including excerpts from some of the books we’re offering as rewards for your donations.
We hope you enjoy these story samples and will consider donating to our campaign so we can bring you this exciting new book!
September 14, 2018
Murder and Mayhem at the “Bottom of the Hour”
At the end of June 2017, a co-worker of mine inherited enough money from the sale of his late mother’s house that he purchased a bright yellow Corvette in cash and decided to take the summer off. On his last day with the company, our entire team took him to lunch, after which, I was treated to a ride back to the office in the yellow Corvette. As we shot down an open stretch of highway, during which all the blood probably rushed from my face and my lunch threatened to resurface, an idea occurred to me. What if the car were haunted?
And no, I don’t mean possessed like Stephen King’s Christine.
Later that night, I sat down and scribbled out a quick outline about a young man named Victor who inherits enough money from the sale of his late parents’ property to escape city life and buy a house in the country. Of course, he’ll need a car. Buses don’t run out to the sticks.
Victor’s best friend, Toni, convinces him to buy a used but pristine Camaro. Its only flaw is that the dashboard clock is stuck at 1:30AM (hence the story’s title, “Bottom of the Hour”). Shortly after, our hero begins to experience disturbing visions of a man with a silver gun who consistently warns Victor that the car doesn’t belong to him.
At the same time, a beautiful woman named Erica moves into Victor’s apartment complex and the two hit it off immediately. Money, new car, new girlfriend. Things are looking up for our hero, until he discovers that everyone who rides in his Camaro ends up severely injured—or worse—shortly after.
And always at 1:30AM.
After Erica is attacked by an invisible entity in her apartment at that exact time, Victor enlists Toni’s help to investigate the history of the Camaro in the hopes of determining the identity of the man in his visions before he claims his next victim.
After two drafts of the story, I still felt there was something missing so I added two ingredients to increase the tension and give Victor a personal quirk. First, I took an idea from another story that I was working on at the time called “Death Knell” about a six-year-old boy who is “gifted” with the ability to hear death coming after surviving a car accident that killed his parents. I gave that ability and backstory to Victor instead.
Although he possesses this ability, Victor is not always able to intervene. As a result, he keeps what Toni calls “The Grim Reaper’s Scrapbook”—a binder full of obituaries of those people Victor could not save. It’s Victor’s subliminal way of punishing himself.
With those additional elements in place, “Bottom of the Hour” finally came together as a chilling paranormal mystery and I was delighted when editors JM Reinbold and Weldon Burge accepted the story for A PLAGUE OF SHADOWS—available now on Amazon!
