S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 96
April 24, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Addie J. King and Tyrean Martinson
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Addie J. King and Tyrean Martinson
Addie J. KingAddie J. KingAddie J. King is an attorney by day and author by nights, evenings, weekends, and whenever else she can find a spare moment. Her short story “Poltergeist on Aisle Fourteen” was published in MYSTERY TIMES TEN 2011 by Buddhapuss Ink, and an essay entitled, “Building Believable Legal Systems in Science Fiction and Fantasy” was published in EIGHTH DAY GENESIS; A WORLDBUILDING CODEX FOR WRITERS AND CREATIVES by Alliteration Ink. Her novels, THE GRIMM LEGACY, THE ANDERSEN ANCESTRY and THE WONDERLAND WOES are available now from Musa Publishing. The fourth book, THE BUNYAN BARTER is due for release in 2015. Her website is http://www.addiejking.com
Addie's books:
The Grimm Legacy
The Andersen Ancestry
The Wonderland Woes
Addie's Links:
Website/Blog
Tyrean MartinsonTyrean MartinsonTyrean Martinson: Christian; novelist, writer, poet; homeschool co-operative writing teacher; fan of science fiction and fantasy; and avid reader.
Tyrean's books
Champion in the Darkness
Champion in Flight
Ashes Burn Season 1: Ashes Away
Tyrean's Links
Blog
From today's show: Titan Submarine
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April 20, 2015
Yes, I Drive Fast
George Carlin had a routine where he explained that there are two types of drivers on the road: idiots and maniacs. Idiots are anyone going slower than you, and manics are anyone going faster than you.Well, on behalf of all maniacs, I'd like to explain myself.
I drive fast. Sometimes very fast but I pick and choose where I do that. I have driven on a racetrack (the essence of fast driving).
I usually drive 5 mph over the speed limit. This is slow enough most cops won't bother you. But, this puts me in the "maniac" range for the majority of other drivers, at least were I live.
I consider speed limits to be a random number chosen by some politician or bureaucrat not to maximize safety and convenience, but to maximize revenue. Most speeds limits are set about 10 - 15 mph too slow to maximize safety. How can that be?
Highways are most safe when cars are travailing similar speeds. It's the "speed variance" that is dangerous. Michigan studied a highway that had a 55 mph speed limit. The average speed on the road was 73 mph but some were driving slower than 55. That was a very high speed variance. They raised the speed limit to 70 ,ph and not only did the average speed drop to 72 mph, the speed variance dropped. The speed limit went up and the safety increased. But probably speeding ticket revenue from that road decreased.
To me, there's three types of speeding:
1) Exceeding the random number the government puts on the speed limit signs.
2) Blatantly ignoring the speed limit and driving as fast as conditions permit.
3) Driving too fast for conditions (i.e., driving stupidly fast). To me, people doing this are the maniacs.
I do #1 all the time (5 mph over the speed limit). I do #2 occasionally in select places where I consider it safe to do so (and there probably is a small possibility of having a cop around). I don't do #3 (which would be, for example, going 100 mph on the interstate when everyone else is doing 70).
But why do I drive fast?
For #1 type of speeding, it's because driving the speed limit is boring. I need faster input than that allows. For example, I was driving in Wyoming where the speed limit on the interstate was 75 mph. I was doing 80 (of course). But I'd been driving all day, it was late, and was getting tired. My ability to handle the input went down. So I slowed down to 75 (I eventually turned driving duties over to my son).
For #2 type of speeding, my only excuse is: it's fun. It's a blast to push a car's limits and the limits of your own skills. This is why I so loved driving on the racetrack. It's not about speed, but it's about control and skill. But it takes speed to test both.
I've done 155 mph on the racetrack. It was glorious.
Now, when I drive fast, I do it in a way that doesn't endanger me or other people. I'm not suicidal. But at 5 mph over the speed limit is often boring. But I bear with it because tickets are expensive.
But when I let loose (in a safe place to do so), it's the most fun I've had with my clothes on.
April 17, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with April White and Briar Lee Mitchell
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome April White and Briar Lee Mitchell
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April WhiteApril White
APRIL WHITE has been a film producer, private investigator, bouncer, teacher and screenwriter. She has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a shipwreck, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. She and her husband share their home in Southern California with two extraordinary boys and a lifetime collection of books.
All three books in the Immortal Descendants series are on the Amazon Top 100 lists in Time Travel Romance and Historical Fantasy. More information and her blog can be found at immortaldescendants.com.
April's books:
Marking Time
Tempting Fate
Changing Nature
April's Links:
Website
Blog
Briar Lee MitchellBriar Lee MitchellFor the past 40 years I have been an illustrator and a writer. Being creative is in my blood. As an artist, I have exhibited in The Smithsonian, worked for Warner Bros. and Disney and been able to travel the world with the Air Force creating works of art for the National Archives. With them, I even went as far as McMurdo Base in the Antarctic along with James Cameron.
I live in Florida now where I teach college (Game Art Design for the Art Institute) and do K-9 Search & Rescue with my amazing partners Bardy (blonde Lab) and Thor. My dogs show me every day the meaning of love and loyalty. They are the best people!
My goals are to continue to bring you intriguing and exciting stories to read, and, help find the lost with my boys.
You can see examples of my work here: www.paisleyshark.com
Briar's Books
Walking on Mars, Destination Vostok
Big Ass Shark
Briar's Links
Website Blog Facebook Twitter
From Today's Show: NASA Asteroid Capture Mission
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April 10, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Laurel A. Rockefeller and K. A. Laity
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Laurel A. Rockefeller and K. A. Laity
Laurel A. RockefellerLaurel A. Rockefeller
Born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska USA, author-historian Laurel A. Rockefeller educates while she entertains, encouraging readers to think about current events and history in a completely new way. Using exhaustive and comprehensive research across dozens of academic disciplines, Laurel's stories come alive so vividly it is easy to forget you are learning something new.
Enjoy Ms. Rockefeller’s books in English and Chinese in your choice of digital, paperback, and audio editions.
Laurel's Books:The Complete Series (Peers of Beinan)
Preparing for My First Cockatiel (My First Cockatiel)
Boudicca: Britain's Queen of the Iceni (The Legendary Women of World History)
Laurel's Links:
Website Blog Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Stage 32
K.A. LaityK. A. Laity K. A. Laity is the award-winning author of White Rabbit , A Cut-Throat Business , Lush Situation, Owl Stretching, Unquiet Dreams, À la Mort Subite, The Claddagh Icon, Chastity Flame, Pelzmantel and Other Medieval Tales of Magic and Unikirja , as well as editor of Weird Noir, Noir Carnival and the forthcoming Drag Noir . Her bibliography is chock full of short stories, humor pieces, plays and essays, both scholarly and popular. She also writes as Kathryn ‘Kit’ Marlowe, Graham Wynd & C. Margery Kempe.
K.A.'s Books:
Knight of the White Hart
White Rabbit
Weird Noir
K.A.'s Links:
Website/Blog Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest
From today's show: New space telescope
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April 3, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Tim Hemlin and Dan O’Brien
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Tim Hemlin and Dan O’Brien
Tim HemlinTim HemlinI'm a marathoner, teacher, and have my master's degree in counseling, but it's my passion for the environment that sparked me to write The Wastelanders, a dystopian-clifi published in both e-book and paperback by Reputation Books. I'm represented by Kimberley Cameron of Kimberley Cameron & Associates Literary Agency.
Recently the Muse has kindly allowed me to tap into that creative magic and pen a young adult urban fantasy. If all goes well with the edits and revision, the final draft should be completed by early spring. (Hemingway liked running with the bulls. I enjoy running with the dragons.)
Finally, I've also publishes the Neil Marshall series of culinary mysteries set in Houston, Texas. These include If Wishes Were Horses, A Whisper of Rage (nominated for a Shamus Award), People in Glass Houses, A Catered Christmas (the one I most enjoyed writing), and Dead Man's Broth.
Tim's Books:
The Wastelanders
Black Silence
Tim's Links:
Website/Blog Facebook Twitter
Dan O'BrienDan O’Brien
Dan O’Brien, founder and editor-in-chief of The Northern California Perspective, has written over 20 books––including the bestselling Bitten, which was featured on Conversations Book Club’s Top 100 novels of 2012. Before starting Amalgam, he was the senior editor and marketing director for an international magazine. In addition, he has spent over a decade in the publishing industry as a freelance editor. You can learn more about his literary and publishing consulting business by visiting his website at: www.amalgamconsulting.com.
Dan's Books:
Deviance of Time
The Twins of Devonshire
Mobsters, Monsters & Nazis: A Yawning Darkness
Dan's Links:
Website Blog Facebook Twitter
From today's show: Water flowed on Vespa
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March 30, 2015
Want to Write? Better be a Pachyderm
Pachyderm (noun): any of various nonruminant mammals (as an elephant, a rhinoceros, or a hippopotamus) of a former group (Pachydermata) that have hooves or nails resembling hooves and usually thick skin.So you want to be a writer. Then you'd better be a pachyderm. That is, have an "usually thick skin." Here's why:
What does a writer do? They create something. It's an labor of love. You pour your heart and soul and time and caffeine into it.
And then you put it out of the public to react to it and see what happens. And what might happen is someone hates it. Someone might give it a bad review.
Here's some comments from 2-star reviews I've had (so far I've had no 1-star reviews):
" . . .so much of the plot is poorly explained, or not explained at all. The grammer [ sic ] is poor and words are confusing , , ,leads me to believe the author is unfamiliar with a thesuarus [sic]."
" Lots of long exposition; technological details that didn't add to the story; heavy handed or stilted conversation by the protagonists; etc."
Or worse than a bad review: a rejection. Just this week I got a rejection email from a publisher I really wanted to work with. They were at first encouraging, saying the work made it past the initial review. But then, after having the novel for nearly 6 months, sent this:
" . . . we have decided to pass on publication at this time. We wish you the best of luck with your future works." (Which sucks more, a form letter or a form email?)
What is a writer to do?
You can have two reactions, I suppose: get upset and swear you're never going to write again, or learn from it, realize that different people have different tastes. If the criticism is constructive, learn from it.
Another example. I have a novel I'm working on. I've had three people from my writers' group beta read it. And I've gone through two of the beta's so far and while they didn't hate the novel, they had huge problems with one character and minor problems with others. So I'm giving my characters a good long look. And I'm about to start the third beta and see what that person has to say.
How do you grow to be a pachyderm? Confidence in your own abilities help. The other is to realize most criticism is sincere and not an attach on you (although in that first 2-star review quoted above, I'm not sure the person just didn't like me personally for some reason). Grow and learn and use the feedback to improve your art. And don't take it personally.
Be a pachyderm.
March 27, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Jeff W. Horton and SS Hampton, Sr
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Jeff W. Horton and SS Hampton, Sr.
Jeff W. Horton
Jeff W. HortonJeff Horton was born the youngest son of a career Air Force master sergeant. A voracious reader growing up, he read the Bible, and stories by many popular authors including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.Jeff Horton is Christian author and screenwriter of family-friendly fiction, writing within several different genres, including science-fiction, fantasy, and apocalyptic thrillers.
His first novel, THE GREAT COLLAPSE: SURVIVORS OF THE PULSE, a story about the coming of the pulse and the end of civilization, was published in 2010. THE DARK AGE-SURVIVORS OF THE PULSE, the sequel to The Great Collapse, was published in 2011, as was THE LAST PROPHET, a fictitious story about the life of John March, one of the witnesses sent by God to warn humanity about the Antichrist, and the End of Days. Released on September 1, 2012, THE WAY OF NACOR: TALES OF EDEN is a children's tale about four children, Rachel, Michael, Jesse, and Eli, who find themselves lost and stranded on a strange alien planet, struggling to find a way home. Jeff Horton's fifth novel, entitled CYBERSP@CE, is a techno-thriller, in which the world is brought to the brink of nuclear war after a string of deadly cyber warfare attacks against the United States. CYBERSP@CE, published in 2013, is the first book in the CYBERSP@CE SERIES. The other two novels in the series, FRONTIERS and NEW BEGINNINGS, were both published in 2014.
When he's not penning his next novel, he enjoys reading, going to church, and spending time with his family. Jeff Horton is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network.
Jeff's Books:
Cybersp@ce
Frontiers
New Beginnings
Jeff's Links:
Website
Blog
SS Hampton, Sr.
SS Hampton, Sr.Stan Hampton, Sr. is a full-blood Choctaw of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a divorced grandfather to 13 wonderful grandchildren, and a published photographer and photojournalist. He retired on 1 July 2013 from the Army National Guard with the rank of Sergeant First Class; he previously served in the active duty Army (1974-1985), the Army Individual Ready Reserve (1985-1995) (mobilized for the Persian Gulf War), and enlisted in the Nevada Army National Guard in October 2004, after which he was mobilized for Federal active duty for almost three years. Hampton is a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle (2004-2006) and Iraqi Freedom (2006-2007) with deployment to northern Kuwait and several convoy security missions into Iraq.His writings have appeared as stand-alone stories and in anthologies from Dark Opus Press, Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy, Melange Books, Musa Publishing, MuseItUp Publishing, Ravenous Romance, and as stand-alone stories in Horror Bound Magazine, The Harrow, and River Walk Journal, among others.
In May 2014 he graduated from the College of Southern Nevada with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Photography – Commercial Photography Emphasis. A future goal is to study for a degree in archaeology—hopefully to someday work in and photograph underwater archaeology (and also learning to paint).
After 13 years of brown desert in the Southwest and overseas, he misses the Rocky Mountains, yellow aspens in the fall, running rivers, and a warm fireplace during snowy winters.
As of April 2014, after being in a 2-year Veterans Administration program for Homeless Veterans, Hampton is officially no longer a homeless Iraq War veteran, though he is still struggling to get back on his feet.
Stan's Publishers:
Melange Books
Musa Publishing
MuseItUp Publishing
From today's show: New Space Telescope.
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March 23, 2015
If this Watch Could Talk
Last July my wife bought me a new watch for my birthday.But, in a bittersweet moment, I had to give up my old watch that I'd had for at least ten years. The watch was given to me as a promotional deal with Volvo (which is why the watch says Volvo). It was the most accurate watch I'd ever owned, gaining only around 20 seconds a month.
Yesterday I started thinking about everything I'd done with this watch.
This watch snorkeled in the Caribbean, off the Na Pali coast of Hawaii, and in the Sea of Cortez.
This watch went to the mountains of Ecuador, the beaches of Peru, and the wine country of Chile.
This watch went 155 mph on a racetrack (and maybe faster elsewhere but I'll plead the 5th if asked about that).
The watch went on Cub Scout and Boy Scout field trips. It played in the surf at Cocoa Beach, FL. This watch timed experiments at my old day job.
It's amazing how we can attach memories to objects. And when the objects are gone, all we have left are the memories.
March 20, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Chris Pavesic and Tof Eklund
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Chris Pavesic and Tof Eklund
Chris Pavesic
Chris Pavesic lives in the Midwestern United States and loves Kona coffee, steampunk, fairy tales, and all types of speculative fiction. Between writing projects, Chris can most often be found reading, gaming, gardening, working on an endless list of DIY household projects, or hanging out with friends.
Chris's Book:
Heart & Mind
Chris's Links:
Website/Blog
YouTube
Tof EklundTof EklundTof Eklund is queer: genderqueer, to be precise, but also strange. A non-binary “bearded lady” with a Ph.D. in comic books and an affinity for cephalopods and medusa, Tof lives in Orlando with their awesome spouse, crazy-cute children and geriatric cat. A Professor of creative writing by day and author of convention-defying fantasy and feminist smut at night, they are a lover of monsters and friend to small gods.
Tof's books
The Unconventional Dwarf
Autumn Harvest: Maiden
Tof's Links:
Website/Blog
Facebook (The Unconventional Dwarf)
Facebook (Autumn Harvest)
From today's show: Neutron Star Crust
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March 14, 2015
Movie Review: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
In 1982 an amazing movie came out called The Road Warrior. My wife and I went and saw it in a theater in downtown Seattle (since demolished). The movie stared a then-unknown (at least in the U.S.) Mel Gibson and was directed by the then-unknown (at least in the U.S.) George Miller.What very few people knew was that outside the U.S. this movie was called Mad Max 2 and was a sequel to a very popular (at least outside the U.S.) movie called Mad Max. Sitting in the theater 33 years ago, I remember thinking that parts of the opening montage looked as if there were from another movie. They were: from Mad Max.
There's a new Mad Max movie coming out soon called Mad Max: Fury Road which appears to be a re-boot of the series. At least it's directed by George Miller. Because of that, I decided I wanted to see the original Mad Max 2 (the best of the three Mad Max movies) again. I got it from Netflix on Blu-Ray and watched it a couple of days ago.
When I first saw Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior in the theater, I was shocked by the violence. Admittedly, this was one of the first R-rated films I'd ever seen (the other being Saturday Night Fever which wasn't exactly violent). The rape/murder scene early in the movie haunted me, for instance.
Now, by today's standards, Mad Max 2 is rather tame. The rape/murder is hinted at and hardly shown. There is minimal blood and gore. Most of the violence is car crashes. You know there is violent death happening but it is often hinted at and you are allowed to fill in the blanks. I believe this is one reason why this is such a powerful and exciting movie.
Mad Max 2 still is fun and amazing to watch. It's edge-of-the-seat exciting. It's lost some of its edge over the ensuing years but it's still very well done. There are a couple of times you have to not think too hard. The roads are in great shape for a post-apocalyptic world, including recently graded dirt roads. The diesel truck has an air starter that probably wouldn't work very well after it had been sitting for who knows how long. But those are small quibbles.
If you want an exciting, fun time, this is a great movie to revisit.
