Jack Tunney's Blog, page 31

SAM HAWKEN JOINS THE FIGHT CARD TEAM

SAM HAWKEN JOINS FIGHT CARD MMA

The Fight Card Team welcomes critically acclaimed writer Sam Hawken into the author cooperative with his upcoming 2014 Fight Card MMA novel Rosie The Ripper …

Sam Hawken is a novelist whose mainstream publishing career began in 2011 with the publication in the United Kingdom of The Dead Women Of Juárez.  The crime novel used the real-life tragedy of female homicides in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez as the stepping-off point for a story of corruption, despair and redemption. It was shortlisted by the Crime Writers Association for the John Creasy New Blood Dagger.

Tequila Sunset followed in 2012, returning once again to Ciudad Juárez and its sister city, El Paso, Texas. This time Hawken drew upon the legacy of the infamous gang Barrio Azteca, at one time responsible for over 80% of the murders in Juárez, formerly the murder capital of the world. Once again, the Crime Writers Association recognized Hawken’s work, nominating Tequila Sunset for the Gold Dagger (best crime novel of the year).

Trained as an historian, Sam Hawken leans on his academic background to create books with solid connections to the real world, while also telling human stories. Though he no longer counts Texas as his home, he has not left the American Southwest behind. His third traditionally published novel, La Frontera, is due in November 2013, with a fourth, Missing, coming in 2014. A self-published release from 2013, Juárez Dance, mines this same fruitful territory.

For a bit of fun and thrills, Hawken has written the Camaro Espinoza series of novellas and released them exclusively to the Kindle.

When not writing, Hawken is a husband and the father of a son with autism. He is active in autism – and special needs – related causes, including Autism Speaks and the Special Olympics. He especially encourages donations to the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.

THE ‘FIGHT CARD NOW’ IMPRINT DEBUTS WITH PUNCHING PARADISE

THE ‘FIGHT CARD NOW’ IMPRINT
DEBUTS WITH
PUNCHING PARADISE
NIK KORPON WRITING AS JACK TUNNEY

FIGHT CARD NOW: PUNCHING PARADISE

Baltimore, 2013 … Christopher ‘Neckbone’ Martin is nothing if not a proud fighter. He’ll take a fix if it gives him some extra scratch to help fund the thespian ambitions of his much younger girlfriend, Allison, or buy a six-pack for his ex-con best friend, Rollo. But there isn’t a man or a reason that’ll knock him down if he doesn’t want to go down – and he makes sure everyone knows it.

When Neckbone loses his temper and knocks another fighter down early, he inadvertently throws a young boy into the crosshairs of Bill Stokes, a scheming promoter and aspiring gangster. Now, with everything on the line, Neckbone is in the fight of his life against mobsters, killers, bruisers, and the toughest opponent of all – himself.

Punching Paradise is the first novel in the Fight Card spin-off brand Fight Card Now, featuring contemporary, two-fisted, fight tales with a punch.

Christopher Neckbone Martin is facing killers, bruisers, and the toughest opponent of all – himself …

 

THE FIGHT CARD GAME IS AFOOT IN DECEMBER!

COMING SOON ~ DECEMBE R 2013

FIGHT CARD SHERLOCK HOLMES: WORK CAPITOL
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON JOIN THE FIGHT CARD TEAM

London, England, 1884 … What happened when Sherlock Holmes stepped into the exhibition ring against retiring prize fighter McMurdo four years before The Sign of Four? What incident was Holmes recalling between Mr. Mathews and himself in the waiting room at Charring-Cross in The Adventure of the Empty House? Sherlockians have wanted to know for decades. The answers can be found in Fight Card Sherlock Holmes: Work Capitol …

Victorian Slang for a crime punishable by death, Work Capitol finds the world’s most famous consulting detective – accompanied by the ever stalwart Dr. Watson – chasing a diabolical murderer through the dark, illicit, world of Victorian bare-knuckle boxing. To solve the case, Holmes must take a desperate chance, toeing the scratch line opposite London’s most dangerous pugilist – Ezekiel Tanner …

Sometimes the simplest crimes hide the darkest secrets … And this time, Holmes and Watson know brawn will count as much as brains …

RETURN TO THE WORLD OF VICTORIAN ENGLAND

AS THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS CONSULTING DETECTIVE

GETS READY TO RUMBLE …

NOTED SERLOCKIAN AUTHOR ANDREW SALMON (WRITING AS JACK TUNNEY) SPINS A YARN TYING TOGETHER CANONICAL REFERENCES AND BRILLIANT INSIGHTS INTO A HERETOFORE UNCHRONICLED ADVENTURE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES …

COVER PAINTING BY CARL YONDER

LETTERING BY DAVID FOSTER

COMING SOON ~ FIGHT CARD NOW: PUNCHING PARADISE!

COMING SOON ~ FIGHT CARD NOW: PUNCHING PARADISE!

COMING NEXT WEEKEND … THE DEBUT OF A BRAND NEW FIGHT CARD IMPRINT … FIGHT CARD NOW: PUNCHING PARADISE (NIK KORPON WRITING AS JACK TUNNEY) … TWO-FISTED CONTEMPORARY BOXING TALES …

FIGHT CARD NOW: PUNCHING PARADISE

Baltimore, 2103

Neckbone is nothing if not a proud fighter. He’ll take a fix if it gives him some extra scratch to help fund the thespian ambitions of his much younger girlfriend, Allison, or buy a six-pack for his ex-con best friend, Rollo. But there isn’t a man or a reason that’ll knock him down if he doesn’t want to go down – and he makes sure everyone knows it.

When Neckbone loses his temper and knocks another fighter down early, he inadvertently throws a young boy into the crosshairs of Bill Stokes, a scheming promoter and aspiring gangster. Now, with everything on the line, Neckbone is in the fight of his life against mobsters, killers, bruisers, and the toughest opponent of all – himself.

Punching Paradise is the first novel in the Fight Card spin-off brand Fight Card Now, featuring contemporary, two-fisted, fight tales with a punch.

NICK MORETTI WAS HERE!

MARK FINN AND THE ADVENTURES OF SAILOR TOM SHARKEY

Some of the original inspirations for the Fight Card series were the Sailor Steve Costigan stories by prolific pulp author, fight fan, and amateur boxer Robert E, Howard.  Now, Fight Card is excited to announce an upcoming (2014) short story collection from REH scholar Mark Finn featuring The Adventures Of Sailor Tom Sharkey.  A direct descendant of Howard’s Costigan, the Sailor Tom Sharkey tales are filled with two-fisted humor, odd characters, and imaginative plots … Look for The Adventures Of Sailor Tom Sharkey in early 2014 with a fantastic cover from artist Carl Yonder.

Mark Finn is an author, actor, essayist, and playwright. His biography, Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard, was nominated for a World Fantasy award in 2007 and is now available in an updated and expanded second edition. His articles, essays, and introductions about Robert E. Howard and his works have appeared in publications for the Robert E. Howard Foundation, Dark Horse Comics, Boom! Comics, The Cimmerian, REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, The Howard Review, Wildside Press, Centipede Press, The University of Texas press, Greenwood Press, Scarecrow Press and elsewhere. As a noted authority on the Texas author, Finn has presented several papers about Robert E. Howard to the PCA/ACA National conference, the AWC, and he lectures and performs readings regularly.

Finn is the author of two books of fiction, Gods New and Used and Year of the Hare, as well as hundreds of articles, essays, reviews, and short stories for Playboy.com, RevolutionSF.com, Dark Horse Comics, Monkeybrain Books, Sky Warrior Books, F.A.C.T. Publications, Tachyon Press and others. Current projects include Dr. Zombie for Monkeybrain Comics with longtime friend and collaborator John Lucas and a collection of his weird historical boxing stories featuring real-life Golden Age boxing legend Sailor Tom Sharkey. He lives in North Texas with his long-suffering wife, too many books, and an affable pit bull named Sonya.

ON THE WEB

BLOG: http://marktheaginghipster.blogspot.com/

TWITTER: @FinnsWake

FACEBOOK: http://tinyurl.com/lnbh7xl

.

BRIAN DRAKE JOINS THE FIGHT CARD TEAM

BRIAN DRAKE JOINS THE FIGHT CARD TEAM

THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL ‘ROGUE GENTLEMAN’ THRILLERS, FEATURING INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURER STEVE DANE, BRIAN DRAKE HAS JOINED THE FIGHT CARD TEAM WITH A FIGHT CARD NOVEL DUE IN 2014 …

Brian Drake has wasted his first forty years as a matter of course and principle; wandered all over California; been a broadcaster, newspaper reporter, salesman. He likes fast cars, peanut butter, Coke, cigars, red meat; whatever whiskey you got.

Brian Drake modestly proposes, within the next few years, to write enormously successful books; notably more Steve Dane adventures featuring the usual blood and thunder; a play called X.Y.Z. because that title has never been used before and sounds intellectual; and a motion picture to end motion pictures called A Day in the Life of My Cat.

And if you think any of that is true, Brian Drake also has a bridge for sale. You can reach him at briandrake88@yahoo.com

ON THE WEB

Blog: http://briandrake88.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/m76halh

FIGHT CARD WELCOMES BALOGUN OJETADE

FIGHT CARD IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE AN UPCOMING FIGHT CARD MMA NOVEL, A-TOWN THROWDOWN (COMING IN 2014), FROM MASTER MARTIAL ARTIST AND RENOWN ‘STEAMFUNK’ AUTHOR, BALOGUN OJETADE …

Balogun is the author of the bestselling Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within and screenwriter / producer / director of the films, A Single Link and Rite of Passage: Initiation.

He is one of the leading authorities on Steamfunk – a philosophy or style of writing that combines the African and / or African American culture and approach to life with that of the steampunk philosophy and / or steampunk fiction – and often writes about it, the craft of writing, Sword & Soul and Steampunk in general.

He is author of three novels – the Steamfunk bestseller, MOSES: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman (Books 1 & 2); the Urban Science Fiction saga, Redeemer; and the Sword & Soul epic, Once Upon A Time In Afrika and contributing co-editor of two anthologies: Ki: Khanga: The Anthology and Steamfunk.

At present, Balogun is directing and fight choreographing the Steamfunk feature film, Rite of Passage, which he wrote based on the short story, Rite of Passage, by author Milton Davis.

ON THE WEB

http://chroniclesofharriet.com/

Twitter: @Baba_Balogun

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/lk6c5jh

FIGHT CARD UPDATE!

FIGHT CARD UPDATE!

This month’s Fight Card release is my own Swamp Walloper (the sequel to one of the original Fight Card books, Felony Fist)  featuring the return of LAPD cop/boxer, Patrick Felony Flynn …

FIGHT CARD: SWAMP WALLOPER

Paul Bishop (writing as Jack Tunney) … The long anticipated sequel to the original Fight Card novel, Felony Fists … Patrick ‘Felony’ Flynn is back!  And this time he’s in way over his head …

New Orleans, 1956 … When the battered body of boxer Marcus de Trod turns up on the edge of the Bayou Sauvage outside New Orleans with the words ‘Get Felony Flynn LAPD’ tattooed in his armpits, Hat Squad detective, Patrick Felony Flynn, knows he is in for the fight of his life.

Far from the hardboiled streets of Los Angeles, Flynn and his partner, Tombstone Jones, are on a two-fisted rampage to find a killer.  But hiding in the swamp, deep inside the walls of the Bayou Sauvage Federal Penitentiary, the killer patiently waits to crush his prey with razor sharp teeth and deadly jaws.

After taking down gangster Mickey Cohen’s championship prospect Solomon Kane in Felony Fists, Patrick Flynn triumphantly returns in Swamp Walloper, facing an even more dangerous foe – a killer fueled by voodoo and revenge …

 

Any blog posts or social media mentions would be appreciated.

Later this month, we will be releasing the first title in our new Fight Card Now imprint, featuring contemporary boxing tales.  Nik Korpon gets the imprint’s debut spot with Punching Paradise.

Hot on its heels will be our highly anticipated December release, Fight Card Sherlock Holmes: Work Capitol, in which Andrew Salmon magically transports us back to Victorian England and illegal bare-knuckle boxing bouts as the world’s most famous detective gets ready to rumble.  If you haven’t yet seen the beautiful cover painting by Carl Yonder (lettering by David Foster), you can check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/mmfys2

December will also bring publication of our first anthology of Fight Card short stories, the proceeds of which will go to authors in need or literacy charities.  The Fight Card team members have all been so generous with their talents by lending stories to these causes, and we anticipate at least three further Fight Card charity anthologies in 2014. 

2014 is shaping up as another banner year for Fight Card … Along with our monthly traditional Fight Card titles (from both new and returning authors), we have several more Fight Card MMA titles lined up, a new Fight Card Romance in the works, a second title for Fight Card Now, and (if that isn’t enough) we are anticipating the launch of Fight Card Luchadores - our new imprint featuring masked Mexican lucha libre wrestlers.

It’s an interesting process as Fight Card continues to face the changing challenges of modern publishing, but I’m personally grateful for the ongoing interactions I have with all of our Fight Card team and continue to believe in the brilliant and fun stories being produced across the spectrum of our Fight Card imprints.

Keep Punching …

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES ~ A WEEK AT FIGHT CARD!

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES

I’ve been hitting the heavy bag and doing extra sparring this week in the virtual Fight Card training camp. While my publishing/boxing analogy is certainly tongue-in-cheek, there is a thread tying the two disciplines together.

Every fighter has to train before getting in the ring for the big fight.  So it is in the world of publishing the Fight Card novels – there is much preparation to be done before each of the Fight Card novels gets to go toe-to-toe with all the other novels on the virtual bookshelves.

Even though Fight Card is an authors cooperative (with each member contributing back to the endeavor as a whole), there still has to be a central lynch pin … and that lynch pin can get pretty busy. This past week has been even more hectic than usual as Fight Card’s profile continues to rise with the release of several new books and a number of different blog posts delineating the workings of the Fight Card cooperative.

As a result, I thought it might be interesting to keep track of a week’s worth of Fight Card interactions …

 

Exchanged emails and shared a phone conversation with author Kathleen Rice Adams (Galveston, Texas) about writing the second book in our Fight Card Romance series, tentatively titled Love On The Ropes. Kathleen also has a story in the first upcoming Fight Card charity anthology.

 

Facebook messaged with Jeremy C. Jones (South Carolina), who is helping edit the Fight Card charity anthologies. Celebrated the news the first anthology is full. Jeremy also put me in touch with writer and martial arts expert, Balogun Ojetade.

 

Traded emails with Balogun Ojetade (Atlanta) and then spoke on the phone as we ironed out the plot details of his proposed Fight Card MMA entry, A-Town Throw Down, as well as a follow up Fight Card MMA novel, Circle Of Blood. Steeped in African culture, these titles promise to explode in the cage.

 

Received via email the manuscript for December’s Fight Card: Sherlock Holmes novel from author Andrew Salmon (Vancouver, British Columbia).

 

Fight Card Sherlock Holmes is an important tale for Fight Card – the world’s most famous detective gets ready to rumble – and creating the correct cover could have been a major problem, but it was brilliantly solved by artist Carl Yonder (Maryland) with some help from Fight Card stalwart, David Foster (Australia). Carl has been working for the past month or more on a painted cover, and David has been working his own magic on the cover’s lettering. Made decisions regarding the final product and left the project in the hands of the artists for last tweaks.

 

After having had email exchanges and reading the manuscripts for three Sailor Tom Sharkey short stories, I tracked down author Mark Finn (Texas) on the phone. Mark is on the board of the Robert E. Howard Foundationas has been a prime mover in bringing to fruition the REH Foundation’s recent four volume publication of REH’s fight fiction. Included, were all of REH’s Sailor Steve Costigan tales, upon which Finn based his Sailor Tom Sharkey stories. Agreed to publish Finn’s seven Sharkey tales as a Fight Card Presents anthology in 2014.

 

Contacted artist Carl Yonder via email, sending him various images of Sailor Steve Costigan and asking him if he would do a painted cover for the similar Sailor Tom Sharkey tales. Also checked in about progress on the cover for the upcoming Fight Card Luchadores.

 

Coincidentally received the finished manuscript for Fight Card Luchadores: Rise Of The Luchador from Jason Ridler (Toronto, Canada). Exchanged emails and decided on a first quarter 2014 date for book release.

 

Spent time on Facebook and Twitter posting about the above activities. Also wrote blog posts for the Fight Card website and other connected blogs detailing various Fight Card activities. Sent those links out via social networking.

 

Checked on the ongoing episodic serialization of Fight Card: Felony Fists on the Venture Galleries website. Linked the episodes to social networking sites and Twitter.

 

Checked in with Fight Card Romance author Carol Malone (California) about the upcoming paperback release of Ladies Night. Checked in with David Foster about progress of paperback pdf file and paperback cover for CreateSpace. Both now in hand.

 

Made email contact with Cesar Mallorqui (Spain) regarding the rights to his father’s boxing pulp novels. Jose J. Mallorqui was one of Spain’s most prolific pulp authors, specializing in sports pulps of all kinds, but especially boxing and soccer. The goal of contacting Cesar is to see if Fight Card can bring translations of some of his father’s boxing pulps back into e-print for a new audience.

 

Finished the final chapters of my own, long overdue, Fight Card novel Swamp Walloper – the sequel to Felony Fists. Did a final edit of the 30,000 word novel and sent it off to Mel Odom (Oklahoma) and David Foster (Australia) for their editorial input.

 

Finished the edit on the next Fight Card release, Punching Paradise by Nik Korpon (Baltimore). Did some thinking and decided (because of its modern day setting and boxing background as opposed to MMA theme) to promote Punching Paradise as the first in a new spin-off brand, Fight Card Now – featuring contemporary fight stories. Sent edits back to Nik for approval.

 

Did some work planning out the next few month’s schedules for Fight Card, Fight Card MMA, Fight Card Romance, Fight Card Sherlock Holmes, Fight Card Luchadores, and Fight Card Now.

 

Contacted Carol Malone and asked her to bring her computer skills to bear on the cover for an upcoming Fight Card title.

 

Exchanged emails with Sam Hawken (Maryland) regarding his desire to write a Fight Card MMA entry. Sent writer’s guidelines. Later received back from Sam an outline for Rosie The Ripper and the first twenty pages.Edited the pages and sent back approval to move ahead.

 

Received another Fight Card MMA enquiry from Walter Conley (Virginia). Sent guidelines. Please to have another potential Fight Card MMA novel in the pipeline.

 

Received manuscript from Joseph Grant (Los Angeles) for Fight Card: Guns Of November – an inspired Fight Card tale set in Dallas at the time of the JFK assassination (who knew Jack Ruby was a boxer?).  Exchanged emails with Joe regarding editing and publishing timeline for 2014. Release date is relatively far away, but need to get started.

 

Prepare interview questions for Dave Whitehead (England) of Piccadilly Publishing. Cross promoting other publishing ventures, authors, and books creates synergy and good relationships.

 

Wrote several 1,000 word blog posts designed to promote the upcoming publication of Fight Card: Swamp Walloper. Interviewed myself – twice – in order to have interviews ready to place during upcoming Swamp Walloper blog tour.

 

Virtually hung out with Anthony Venutolo (New Jersey) via Facebook and email in regards to creating a book trailer for Swamp Walloper. Ant created a brilliant trailer for his just released Fight Card novel, Front Page Palooka. Also talked about creating a pulpy version of the Front Page Palooka e-cover for the paperback release.

I’m sure I have forgotten a couple of additional Fight Card activities, but from the above, you can see you have to keep punching to keep up … publishing is very much a juggling act … Galveston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Vancouver (Canada), Maryland, Australia, Texas, Toronto (Canada), Baltimore, California, Spain, Virginia, Oklahoma, Los Angeles, New Jersey, and England … Fight Card is truly becoming international in its scope and contacts.