M.K. Alexander's Blog, page 2
March 15, 2020
New Reviews 1
I'm lax about checking for reviews over on amazon, not that they make it easy, not like they notify you or anything...
Anyhow, I found this new review for an old book of mine: Jekyll's Daughter. Lovely and thoughtful, so thank you very much!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sequel done right
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
Format: Kindle Edition
Henrietta doesn’t know it yet but she is the daughter of one Mister Henry Jekyll; remember him? She has profound science skills for a woman of her age and hey, it turns out she’s inherited a notebook. Guess how that turns out. Being predictable doesn’t take a jot away from Jekyll’s Daughter; a sequel done right. MK Alexander is a journalist and prolific fiction writer. His prose is smooth and seamless. He captures the fin de siècle world of Henrietta Jekyll; her brother and friends and places there a story of change, longing and the existential despair of bumping up against our limits and the limits of science. As for Mrs. Alice Hyde; she is and isn’t what you would expect. I am a big fan of the RL Stevenson masterpiece and approached this with a degree of trepidation. But I come away recommending it highly, with strong coffee, in the laboratory, at night.
Anyhow, I found this new review for an old book of mine: Jekyll's Daughter. Lovely and thoughtful, so thank you very much!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sequel done right
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
Format: Kindle Edition
Henrietta doesn’t know it yet but she is the daughter of one Mister Henry Jekyll; remember him? She has profound science skills for a woman of her age and hey, it turns out she’s inherited a notebook. Guess how that turns out. Being predictable doesn’t take a jot away from Jekyll’s Daughter; a sequel done right. MK Alexander is a journalist and prolific fiction writer. His prose is smooth and seamless. He captures the fin de siècle world of Henrietta Jekyll; her brother and friends and places there a story of change, longing and the existential despair of bumping up against our limits and the limits of science. As for Mrs. Alice Hyde; she is and isn’t what you would expect. I am a big fan of the RL Stevenson masterpiece and approached this with a degree of trepidation. But I come away recommending it highly, with strong coffee, in the laboratory, at night.
February 25, 2020
Novel Eleven Publishes on Leap Day
The Ship sets sail this Saturday 2.29.20.
It's sci-fi steampunk or a sort...
author’s note:
Save a scant few, all the characters aboard ship are named for famous engineers of a bygone era. This is meant as a tribute to their contributions to humankind, and in no way reflects on how the fictional characters are portrayed in this story.
It's sci-fi steampunk or a sort...
author’s note:
Save a scant few, all the characters aboard ship are named for famous engineers of a bygone era. This is meant as a tribute to their contributions to humankind, and in no way reflects on how the fictional characters are portrayed in this story.
February 23, 2020
New Release, "The Ship" 2.29.20
I have new novel, number eleven for me...
Around 325 pages it goes live this coming Saturday.
The Blurb:
Aye, welcome aboard, mates!
I can say little more without issuing a spoiler alert. Sorry…
I can say it’s about the largest vessel ever built by humankind. Embark on an unforgettable voyage with its peculiar crew. Come under attack as they sail into the dark void and parts unknown. Find yourself trapped below decks, and rely on young Ensign York to reach the Bridge and save everyone on board.
Steampunk of sort, set at the turn of the century, though I’ll not say which century. Save Our Souls, Ship in Distress…
Paperback and Pre-Order now available
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0852NFWYY?...
Around 325 pages it goes live this coming Saturday.
The Blurb:
Aye, welcome aboard, mates!
I can say little more without issuing a spoiler alert. Sorry…
I can say it’s about the largest vessel ever built by humankind. Embark on an unforgettable voyage with its peculiar crew. Come under attack as they sail into the dark void and parts unknown. Find yourself trapped below decks, and rely on young Ensign York to reach the Bridge and save everyone on board.
Steampunk of sort, set at the turn of the century, though I’ll not say which century. Save Our Souls, Ship in Distress…
Paperback and Pre-Order now available
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0852NFWYY?...
January 11, 2020
New Book
Happy to announce a new novel is coming soon, number 11 for me... This one is something special, ben for me...
"The Ship"
I can say little more without issuing a spoiler alert, except, "welcome aboard."
It is currently out to beta-readers (5). Three have reported back, and all three read this book in one sitting. So far the feedback has been more than positive! Cliched perhaps, but it is difficult to put down.
Says one reader:
I must admit when you said 'something extraordinary' I thought, yeah, right . . . but I've just read it in a single sitting . . . where did my day go? Okay, what follows isn’t a review but a commentary, one writer to another, since you asked for a beta-read – obviously take or leave each comment on its merit.
In my opinion this is a genuine tour de force of imagination, truly excellent sci-fi.
If you'd like to Beta-Read this, please let me know-- drop me a line here.
Hope to publish in February or March.
"The Ship"
I can say little more without issuing a spoiler alert, except, "welcome aboard."
It is currently out to beta-readers (5). Three have reported back, and all three read this book in one sitting. So far the feedback has been more than positive! Cliched perhaps, but it is difficult to put down.
Says one reader:
I must admit when you said 'something extraordinary' I thought, yeah, right . . . but I've just read it in a single sitting . . . where did my day go? Okay, what follows isn’t a review but a commentary, one writer to another, since you asked for a beta-read – obviously take or leave each comment on its merit.
In my opinion this is a genuine tour de force of imagination, truly excellent sci-fi.
If you'd like to Beta-Read this, please let me know-- drop me a line here.
Hope to publish in February or March.
August 23, 2019
The Genie Effect
Happy and proud to say my new book, "The Genie Effect" is now out and about on Amazon.
Think of it as "I Dream of Jeannie" meets "The Monkey's Paw."
Wishes come true of course , but not in the way you might hope!
Kindle Edition:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VWWRWFZ
Paper Back:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1086836383?...
The Blurb:
a romantic comedy
A beautiful genie awakens from her thousand year slumber. The new keeper of her lamp is B-list celebrity chef, James Carver. Is it love at first sight? Can he save her from the evil cabal of relentless genie-slayers? Will her overly protective brother spoil their plans? Wishes do come true, but never in the way one expects. Action, adventure, magic and romance, an outrageous comedy…
Enjoy!
Think of it as "I Dream of Jeannie" meets "The Monkey's Paw."
Wishes come true of course , but not in the way you might hope!
Kindle Edition:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VWWRWFZ
Paper Back:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1086836383?...
The Blurb:
a romantic comedy
A beautiful genie awakens from her thousand year slumber. The new keeper of her lamp is B-list celebrity chef, James Carver. Is it love at first sight? Can he save her from the evil cabal of relentless genie-slayers? Will her overly protective brother spoil their plans? Wishes do come true, but never in the way one expects. Action, adventure, magic and romance, an outrageous comedy…
Enjoy!
August 6, 2019
New Book!
The Genie Effect
a romantic comedy
A beautiful genie awakens from her thousand year slumber. The new keeper of her lamp is B-list celebrity chef, James Carver. Is it love at first sight? Can he save her from the evil cabal of relentless genie-slayers? Will her overly protective brother spoil their plans?
Wishes do come true, but never in the way one expects. Action, adventure, magic and romance, an outrageous comedy…
Pre-Order for August 10
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VWWRWFZ
Paperback out now
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1086836383?...
Laugh and enjoy!
a romantic comedy
A beautiful genie awakens from her thousand year slumber. The new keeper of her lamp is B-list celebrity chef, James Carver. Is it love at first sight? Can he save her from the evil cabal of relentless genie-slayers? Will her overly protective brother spoil their plans?
Wishes do come true, but never in the way one expects. Action, adventure, magic and romance, an outrageous comedy…
Pre-Order for August 10
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VWWRWFZ
Paperback out now
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1086836383?...
Laugh and enjoy!
July 14, 2019
Wishes do come true
I have not posted here in a while… Most times, I think, what’s the use? No one ever reads this and even fewer ever comment. This time I have a proper excuse: I’ve been busy.
Novel number ten nears completion. I’m on the final edits, the final drafts, and I’ll be ready to publish in mid-August. At this point I’m at the Beta stage and I’m calling all readers who might be interested.
Why would you want to?
Well, it’s for you to decide…
Novel number ten, my first-ever Romantic Comedy: “The Genie Effect.” It’s a short book around 60,000 words— it can be read in a day or two. There’s no sex, nothing explicit, just romance and lots of witty repartee— kind of like one of those old movies from the 1930’s or 1940’s— maybe Cary Grant would play the main protagonist. Oh yeah, and there’s also the whole “Monkey’s Paw” thing thrown in as well. You know: careful what you wish for.
The blurb
A beautiful genie is awakened from a thousand years of slumber. The new keeper of the lamp is James, a B-list celebrity chef who lives alone in Boston. It’s love at first sight of course, but most of his wishes go horribly awry. Enter the Brotherhood, a nefarious cabal of genie-slayers hell bent on killing every djinn on the planet. Can the beautiful Azar be saved? Add one overly protective brother, and maybe there’s a happy ending…. Of course there is, it’s a comedy!
I will say, this book owes more to “I Dream of Jeannie” than to “Aladdin.” There’s action, adventure and lots of traveling, and I promise, you will laugh.
Here’s a small excerpt:
“Wishes, eh?” I laughed. “I wish the faucet in the bathroom would stop dripping.”
“Granted.”
“Wait… what?” I was surprised by this and even more so when there was a knock at my front door. I called out: “Who is it?”
“Oh hey, Jimmy-boy, it’s me: Tony, the super. I came up to fix that leaky tap.”
I opened the door. He stood there with an embarrassed grin, toolbox in hand. “Come on in.”
“Sorry it took so long… Things are kind of backed up, you know what I’m saying?” He glanced around the apartment, nose up. “Is that smoke in here? Maybe I should take a look at your detector.”
“Just cooking supper. Something must have dripped onto the bottom of the oven.”
“What are you making?”
“Lasagna.”
“Smells like perfume.” Tony sniffed the air again.
“Too much basil, probably.”
“You ought to crack the window.” He grinned and set off towards the bathroom. “Oh, hey where’s your little cat tonight?”
“Probably asleep someplace…”
***
Faucet fixed, wish granted. Tony the super descended back into oblivion. So had my genie or so it seemed. I was left with questions.
“Where did you go?” I asked when she reappeared in a column of smoke.
“The ceiling mainly… and I’m glad you kept the window closed. Thank you.”
“But why?”
“A sort of genie reflex, like fight or flee when I’m startled.”
“It was only Tony.”
“Who?”
“The building maintenance guy.”
“Oh…” She moved a bit closer, and this time I could feel her fingers slide across my cheek.
“Hang on a second…”
“Yes, with every wish I grant, I become more corporeal.”
“Meaning?”
“Less smokey… I’m already feeling a bit peckish. In no time at all, I’ll be ready to feast.” Azar reached up and took a veil from her face. It lay naked before me. Her smile was wonderful, almost hypnotic. She was beautiful in an exotic sort of way. The rest of her remained under wraps, her long black hair, her body, and her legs.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I remove a veil with each wish I grant.”
“How many wishes do I get?”
“Lesser genies can only grant one wish, perhaps two.”
“I thought it was three.”
“Usually, though you’ve already used one on the faucet.”
“How many then?”
“I have vast experience. I wear seven veils and can grant seven wishes, yet only six remain.”
“That’s still a lot.”
“More than you probably deserve. It is only because I like you, James Carver… and your apartment.”
“How do you know my name?”
“It’s written here on this envelope.”
***
If you’d like to Beta, reply here or drop me a line.
Thanks!
Novel number ten nears completion. I’m on the final edits, the final drafts, and I’ll be ready to publish in mid-August. At this point I’m at the Beta stage and I’m calling all readers who might be interested.
Why would you want to?
Well, it’s for you to decide…
Novel number ten, my first-ever Romantic Comedy: “The Genie Effect.” It’s a short book around 60,000 words— it can be read in a day or two. There’s no sex, nothing explicit, just romance and lots of witty repartee— kind of like one of those old movies from the 1930’s or 1940’s— maybe Cary Grant would play the main protagonist. Oh yeah, and there’s also the whole “Monkey’s Paw” thing thrown in as well. You know: careful what you wish for.
The blurb
A beautiful genie is awakened from a thousand years of slumber. The new keeper of the lamp is James, a B-list celebrity chef who lives alone in Boston. It’s love at first sight of course, but most of his wishes go horribly awry. Enter the Brotherhood, a nefarious cabal of genie-slayers hell bent on killing every djinn on the planet. Can the beautiful Azar be saved? Add one overly protective brother, and maybe there’s a happy ending…. Of course there is, it’s a comedy!
I will say, this book owes more to “I Dream of Jeannie” than to “Aladdin.” There’s action, adventure and lots of traveling, and I promise, you will laugh.
Here’s a small excerpt:
“Wishes, eh?” I laughed. “I wish the faucet in the bathroom would stop dripping.”
“Granted.”
“Wait… what?” I was surprised by this and even more so when there was a knock at my front door. I called out: “Who is it?”
“Oh hey, Jimmy-boy, it’s me: Tony, the super. I came up to fix that leaky tap.”
I opened the door. He stood there with an embarrassed grin, toolbox in hand. “Come on in.”
“Sorry it took so long… Things are kind of backed up, you know what I’m saying?” He glanced around the apartment, nose up. “Is that smoke in here? Maybe I should take a look at your detector.”
“Just cooking supper. Something must have dripped onto the bottom of the oven.”
“What are you making?”
“Lasagna.”
“Smells like perfume.” Tony sniffed the air again.
“Too much basil, probably.”
“You ought to crack the window.” He grinned and set off towards the bathroom. “Oh, hey where’s your little cat tonight?”
“Probably asleep someplace…”
***
Faucet fixed, wish granted. Tony the super descended back into oblivion. So had my genie or so it seemed. I was left with questions.
“Where did you go?” I asked when she reappeared in a column of smoke.
“The ceiling mainly… and I’m glad you kept the window closed. Thank you.”
“But why?”
“A sort of genie reflex, like fight or flee when I’m startled.”
“It was only Tony.”
“Who?”
“The building maintenance guy.”
“Oh…” She moved a bit closer, and this time I could feel her fingers slide across my cheek.
“Hang on a second…”
“Yes, with every wish I grant, I become more corporeal.”
“Meaning?”
“Less smokey… I’m already feeling a bit peckish. In no time at all, I’ll be ready to feast.” Azar reached up and took a veil from her face. It lay naked before me. Her smile was wonderful, almost hypnotic. She was beautiful in an exotic sort of way. The rest of her remained under wraps, her long black hair, her body, and her legs.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I remove a veil with each wish I grant.”
“How many wishes do I get?”
“Lesser genies can only grant one wish, perhaps two.”
“I thought it was three.”
“Usually, though you’ve already used one on the faucet.”
“How many then?”
“I have vast experience. I wear seven veils and can grant seven wishes, yet only six remain.”
“That’s still a lot.”
“More than you probably deserve. It is only because I like you, James Carver… and your apartment.”
“How do you know my name?”
“It’s written here on this envelope.”
***
If you’d like to Beta, reply here or drop me a line.
Thanks!
February 24, 2019
the underway
It’s always fun starting a new book. Exciting, maybe a bit scary. With my era of promotion now just a historical memory (so last month), the writing begins again in earnest.
This time zombies.
No.
Vampires.
No.
Historic gremlins.
Getting closer…
Histrionic Gargoyles?
No. Give up?
Genies.
Yes, genies, djinn. Aladdin, and I dream of… kind of thing. Done before, I know; though not quite a genre of its own yet. My job in chapter one is to dismantle or destroy every notion, every meme, every trope, myth or cliché about these tricky wish-granters. Easily done. The story moves on from there.
Fun, exciting and scary, starting off. I know the beginning, and maybe some things towards the end. A few bits in the middle no doubt will fit nicely. I have an initial setting, a protagonist, an antagonist, supporting cast… but, honestly, I have to see where the story leads me, or more to the point, where the characters tell me to go.
It’s a big playground. Lots of themes to toy with, much to consider, much to learn; and I intend to have fun.
I leave you with this brief excerpt.
(please be warned, it is a first draft):
“And now to your first wish.”
“Wishes, eh?” I laughed. “I wish the faucet in the bathroom would stop dripping.”
“Granted.”
“Wait… what?” I was surprised by this and even more so when there was a knock at my front door. I called out: “Who is it?”
“Oh hey, Jimmy-boy, it’s me: Tony, the super. I came up to fix that leaky tap.”
I opened the door. He stood there with an embarrassed grin, toolbox in hand. “Come on in.”
“Sorry it took so long…Things are backed up, you know what I’m saying?” He glanced around the apartment, nose up. “Is that smoke in here? Maybe I should take a look at your detector.”
“Just cooking supper. Something must’ve dripped onto the bottom of the oven.”
“What are you making?”
“Lasagna.”
“Smells like perfume.” Tony sniffed the air again.
“Too much basil, probably.”
“You ought to crack a window.” He grinned and set off towards the bathroom.
Faucet fixed, wish granted. Tony the super descended back to oblivion. So had my genie, or so it seemed.
“Where did you go?” I asked when she reappeared in a column of smoke.
“The ceiling mainly… and I’m glad you kept the window closed. Thank you.” She moved a bit closer, and this time I could feel her fingers slide across my cheek.
This time zombies.
No.
Vampires.
No.
Historic gremlins.
Getting closer…
Histrionic Gargoyles?
No. Give up?
Genies.
Yes, genies, djinn. Aladdin, and I dream of… kind of thing. Done before, I know; though not quite a genre of its own yet. My job in chapter one is to dismantle or destroy every notion, every meme, every trope, myth or cliché about these tricky wish-granters. Easily done. The story moves on from there.
Fun, exciting and scary, starting off. I know the beginning, and maybe some things towards the end. A few bits in the middle no doubt will fit nicely. I have an initial setting, a protagonist, an antagonist, supporting cast… but, honestly, I have to see where the story leads me, or more to the point, where the characters tell me to go.
It’s a big playground. Lots of themes to toy with, much to consider, much to learn; and I intend to have fun.
I leave you with this brief excerpt.
(please be warned, it is a first draft):
“And now to your first wish.”
“Wishes, eh?” I laughed. “I wish the faucet in the bathroom would stop dripping.”
“Granted.”
“Wait… what?” I was surprised by this and even more so when there was a knock at my front door. I called out: “Who is it?”
“Oh hey, Jimmy-boy, it’s me: Tony, the super. I came up to fix that leaky tap.”
I opened the door. He stood there with an embarrassed grin, toolbox in hand. “Come on in.”
“Sorry it took so long…Things are backed up, you know what I’m saying?” He glanced around the apartment, nose up. “Is that smoke in here? Maybe I should take a look at your detector.”
“Just cooking supper. Something must’ve dripped onto the bottom of the oven.”
“What are you making?”
“Lasagna.”
“Smells like perfume.” Tony sniffed the air again.
“Too much basil, probably.”
“You ought to crack a window.” He grinned and set off towards the bathroom.
Faucet fixed, wish granted. Tony the super descended back to oblivion. So had my genie, or so it seemed.
“Where did you go?” I asked when she reappeared in a column of smoke.
“The ceiling mainly… and I’m glad you kept the window closed. Thank you.” She moved a bit closer, and this time I could feel her fingers slide across my cheek.
February 17, 2019
Whew...
After a massive effort I am done. Done with promo ads (for now), but more importantly, done with the website! Countless hours, painstaking attention to detail, a bit of html coding, and checking and re-checking links. I was, I will admit out of my element.
A huge sigh of relief from here, though a few minor fixes probably lay ahead. About 25 pages in total. My favorite page turns out to be the Tractus Fynn Wiki.
On time or not? Depends who you ask. My procrastinating self says I’m two weeks ahead of schedule; my other self says two weeks behind…
Still, done is done, and I can finally move on to writing again.
http://kmackdesign.com
Any feedback is most welcome.
A huge sigh of relief from here, though a few minor fixes probably lay ahead. About 25 pages in total. My favorite page turns out to be the Tractus Fynn Wiki.
On time or not? Depends who you ask. My procrastinating self says I’m two weeks ahead of schedule; my other self says two weeks behind…
Still, done is done, and I can finally move on to writing again.
http://kmackdesign.com
Any feedback is most welcome.
February 10, 2019
Socks and Shorts
Let me start over.
This has little to do with the winter weather and inappropriate attire. What I’m trying to say is I’ve been “socked-in” as of late. Getting my new short stories out and about, promoting them, has proved to be too much work, the kind of work that is not writing…
One-hundred-and-forty-four new “ads” for Twitter. Twelve “titles,” (all my books) one ad each, and nary a repetition for 12 days… plus, alternates and weekly rotations.
Worse than that: updating my website which I haven’t touched in at least a year! I hate HTML, CSS and Dreamweaver… Still, what must be done will be done… eventually. Herculean or Sisyphus-like tasks to be sure, though I’m not sure which yet.
I won’t be writing until March. I miss it, I’m Jonesing. I refuse to listen to my muse till then, no matter how loudly she calls.
This has little to do with the winter weather and inappropriate attire. What I’m trying to say is I’ve been “socked-in” as of late. Getting my new short stories out and about, promoting them, has proved to be too much work, the kind of work that is not writing…
One-hundred-and-forty-four new “ads” for Twitter. Twelve “titles,” (all my books) one ad each, and nary a repetition for 12 days… plus, alternates and weekly rotations.
Worse than that: updating my website which I haven’t touched in at least a year! I hate HTML, CSS and Dreamweaver… Still, what must be done will be done… eventually. Herculean or Sisyphus-like tasks to be sure, though I’m not sure which yet.
I won’t be writing until March. I miss it, I’m Jonesing. I refuse to listen to my muse till then, no matter how loudly she calls.
