Heath Stallcup's Blog, page 6

MS7 Obsessions on Audio

ACX just informed me that Monster Squad 7: Obsessions is now available on Amazon and ACX! Feel free to help spread the word!

 

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Hunter II Coming Soon!

Yes, I know I suck at keeping up this blog. Trust me, every year when I renew it I ask myself if I should. But, like the road to hell, I have tons of good intentions.

Anywho…yes! For those of you who have asked, I am carrying on with the Hunter story line. Hunter II is currently in line waiting for the editor to take a look at it and tell me how horrible I am at putting words to paper. Luckily she enjoyed the story, but she made it painfully obvious that I still have a LOT to learn when it comes to sentence structure and everything else that makes writing important. At least I’m a decent story teller.

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Once again, Jeffrey Kosh stepped up and created an awesome cover for me.

I can’t be like other authors and keep everything a secret until the day before publishing. Or wait and have a big cover release party or whatever it is they do these days. Oh no. As soon as he created it I plastered it all over Facebook.

I think three people saw it.

Anyway, we’re expecting this continuation to release sometime around the end of May. My birthday is mid June so worst case scenario, it could be my birthday present to you, the readers.

It’s funny. I had about seven different projects sitting around half finished. I had pretty much given up on writing. The only reason I finished Hunter was because Tracy wanted me to put something out. It was the only one that I was far enough along in to even remotely be able to finish within her timeline. The few who read it strongly suggested I continue the story. So I did. By the time I finished Hunter II, I was ready to go back and finish some of the other projects that were wasting space on my hard drive.

But lo…Hunter continued to call to me. So, I’m actually in the middle of Hunter III. Hopefully I can wrap this story up and leave it as a trilogy. At least that’s the plan. I know I don’t want to get so tied up in continuing the story that it sucks the joy out of writing again. It’s slowly found its way back to me and I want to ride this wave of momentum as long as it will let me.

So, there you have it. Hunter II should be out soon. Well, relatively soon. A lot can happen in a month, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

‘Til next time!

Happy reading!

Plea For Help!

I hate begging. I really do. I always swore I wouldn’t be that guy who blows up the feed of every group I belonged to with ‘buy my book’ ads. You know the people I’m talking about. You see their name in your notifications and you just know that if you go to whatever group it is, they’ll be pimping their work.

I don’t ever want to be that guy.

But here I am…hat in hand and kicking myself for doing this…but I need your help.

If you follow any of my stuff on social media, you know that Trident Comics has begun a Kickstarter to fund the conversion of the Monster Squad into a graphic novel. And you know that I am overly excited about this because both TWD and Preacher started life as graphic novels and it is my hope that eventually a copy of Monster Squad will end up in the right hands…however slight that chance may be. But, in order for any of that to happen, we have to get it funded first.

Please…if you can’t support the project, spread the word. Copy the link and plaster it anywhere you can think of to bring attention to it. The only way this will happen is with your help.

Thank you in advance to all of you willing to wave this banner!

Merry Christmas

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of you the merriest of Christmases and a bacon filled New Year!

2016 has been a hell of a year. We’ve seen too many great talents taken from us and an election season like none I could have imagined. We’ve had friends mourn the loss of loved ones and others celebrate the addition of new family members. I watched myself come out of a non-writing funk and release an exciting new series… and we were approached by Trident Comics and are about to start the kickstarter to convert the Monster Squad into a graphic novel.

It’s almost surreal as I look back on the year and what changes came to pass. Its funny how when things can seem at its lowest something else comes along that effectively breathes new life into a dying project.

I pray that your holidays are filled with joy and your 2017 is the biggest and best year yet. 

Merry Christmas!

No Movie…Yet

Okay, so I made a book trailer a while back.  All of my writer friends had trailers made and I was feeling left out. I contacted a couple of different services that make trailers I could afford but none could capture the vision I had. 

I tried contacting a few independent film makers. Holy smokes…you’d think I was asking for a feature film!  I tried calling the local university. Maybe a film or cinema student was  up to the challenge. No takers. 

Anywho, I got to watching some of the stuff on YouTube and the thought occurred to me,  why not make my own?  True,  I used clips from existing footage but I read through the fair use rules and it sounded like I was ok to run with my idea. I grabbed a karaoke version of the perfect song and used it as the background music. 

After I shared it on Facebook I realized that I had forgotten to say anything about the book series it was supposed to be advertising.  That led to numerous congratulatory messages for the upcoming movie…’Doh!

Anyway, here’s the finished trailer.  I know its nowhere near professional but I like it.  Feel free to share it and help me spread the word. 

Thanks yall! 

Busy Weeks Ahead

Yes, I know. I haven’t been keeping up the old blog…but it’s been a bit busy around here.

I’m sure most of you have seen that Mind Trip has recently been released. It’s a collection of short stories that I’ve collected over the years. Hopefully they’ve been well received.

However, tonight I just pressed the button (so to speak) on the audio version of Wayward Son. Max Zener did another knockout job of continuing the Monster Squad series. As soon as Audible gives it the once over and approves it, it will be available for your listening pleasure.

But wait, there’s more!

Expected around Turkey Day, you can enjoy Hunter!

“Born of Viking stock, careered into the Swedish Navy, Sven Ericsson finds himself in the fabled New World. Away from the restraints of society, the young Northman is dragged into long nights of debauchery; nights that lead him into the waiting arms of a dark beauty who will change his very nature forever.

Fighting his new unnatural status, Sven steers clear of humanity, skulking along the fringe of society, and filling his inhuman need with the blood of the outcasts or the easily forgotten. A shadow among the shadows…until extraordinary events, centuries later, force him to emerge from the dark. A mishap of his own making pits Sven Ericsson into a moral quandary that will remind him what it means to be a warrior.

He is a killer.

A fighter.

A Hunter of his own kind.”

Due Thanksgiving.

Now, for those who keep asking…yes. I do plan to continue the MS series. I’ve broken ground on MS9 but didn’t really like the direction it was going. That was why I decided to ‘clean my plate’ a bit and get finished some of the projects that languished by the wayside.

I have a pseudo political thriller called Flags of the Forgotten that I want to wrap up. It stars Bobby Bridger from Whispers.  There’s also Sinful, a King-ish style story where a young man can see the sins of others and decides to take action to try and prevent some of the evil that he sees from happening. I’ve also broke ground on Caldera II. I won’t say much at this point other than it is only in the first few chapters and focuses more on the survivors. Corson II has been abandoned at this point. Maybe some time in the future I’ll return to it, but as for right now, it doesn’t look good.

Anyway, back to the grind stone. I hope that you enjoy Mind Trip and should you decide to test drive Hunter, I hope that you enjoy it as much as the betas and the editor did.

Mind Trip

Available for pre-order now: Mind Trip.

I’ve always said that I’m not a short story writer. I never felt like I could do what others could…creating a new world with believable characters within a few short pages. That was pure magic to me.

When I was first approached and asked to submit for a charity anthology, I really didn’t think I could pass muster. The readers didn’t agree. One led to another which led to another and before I realized it, I had all of this tales sitting on my computer begging to be shared.

These are just a few of the dark and twisted ideas that have run through my mind over the years. Join me in a journey to the darker side of short story fiction.

Mobsters intent on ruling the world reveals that sometimes you just can’t go home.

The release of a zombie virus on a small rural college town, followed by the ramifications on the parent company and the results of trying to hide your culpability.

Sometimes reality isn’t what you think it is. Those noises in the attic may not be rats…

Dwelling on the past can be introspective but refusing to let go will skew your reality.

When asking Santa for something, remember to be specific.

The search for ultimate truth and knowledge opens the creator to dark influences.

You know you are about to die. You want nothing more than to protect your loved ones. In a fever induced delirium you lead the threat away from those you care most about.

 

MS5 Homecoming on Audible!

It took everything I had to keep my trap shut about this. Usually I’ll announce weeks or even months ahead and ruin the surprise. Not this time.

I got lucky and stumbled across a very talented voice actor. We chatted a bit and he decided that the Monster Squad series was something he was interested in. Since I lost Jack Voorhies as the voice of the squads, I had to find somebody new and I feel like Max was the best person to fill the role.

Let me introduce you to him:

Maxwell Zener is a New York based actor, with more than 20 other audiobooks to his credit. He’s especially drawn to stories that combine action and suspense with characters that are a bit broken, hurt, or flawed. So my MONSTER SQUAD series is a particular favorite, and he’s thrilled to narrate HOMECOMING. You may have seen him on screen in BOARDWALK EMPIRE or the indie sic-fi movie JIM. Take a trip to NYC, and you might see him on stage too.

If you like Max’s take on HOMECOMING, you might want to check out his work on Jonathan Brazee’s military sci-fi series THE UNITED FEDERATION MARINE CORPS at http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Captain-Audiobook/B011DDXCCA or the Young Adult coming of age vampire novel GROWING UP DEAD by Greg Wilkey at http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Growing-up-Dead-Audiobook/B00W2FD0DU

In the meantime, if you’ve been waiting to sink your teeth into the second saga and want to jump into Homecoming, here are the links:

Amazon

Audible

If you really like to go through your audiobooks quickly, have no fear. Max is the fastest narrator I’ve ever seen…er, heard. He’ll be starting on MS6 pretty soon and I expect it to go just as smoothly as 5 did.

Thanks for all of your support and enjoy!

Fathers Day, not really about Dads

My daughter in law recently posted an excerpt from the original post (two years ago now) and it reminded me…Fathers Day isn’t about us, it’s about the kids. I think maybe I need to reblog this post for this Father’s Day. Sorta help me keep things in perspective.

Used to be that this time of year really bothered me. June was a pain in so many ways.  My birthday, Father’s Day and the two were so close together. Don’t misunderstand, though.  When I was a kid, who didn’t look forward to a birthday?  The presents, getting to be a whole year older, the presents, the party, the presents? Yes, birthdays were fun when I was little.

But now?  Now it’s not so much fun.  I don’t like being the center of attention. I mean, I love it when somebody contacts me and says something like, “I loved your books!” but to celebrate something like getting older?  Or ‘Fathers Day’? I feel like I don’t measure up.  Like I’m not worthy.  Like my kids deserve so much more.  It wasn’t until just recently that I realized…Fathers Day isn’t for ME.  It’s for THEM.  It’s that day when your kids get to make the home made cards and glue macaroni to it.  Or they break out their crayons and create something that is THEIR idea of who Dad is.  It gives them the chance to celebrate and say, “I love you, Pops!”

Very few things are more precious to a parent than their memories of their kids growing up.  When I think back through ALL of the special memories…both sets of twins, all the hundreds (if not thousands) of ball games, all of the sticky faced kisses and yes…fights, I’m reminded of what is probably the first truly shocking moment of being a parent.

This little guy:

had grown up some.  He was celebrating a birthday with all of his little friends. We had taken him to see Michael Keaton play Batman and he loved the movie.  So…what does any dad (who is totally infatuated with Batman) do?  I rented the costume.

At the time, we lived in Washington state.  They had a helmet a law and I rode home in full Batman costume on a big black motorcycle (full fairing) and prayed the entire way I wouldn’t run into a cop.  Little sticky faces were plastered to the windows of every car I passed, cape waving in the wind…and there he was.  The Washington State Trooper.  He did a double take when he saw me.  Then gave me a thumbs up with a cheesy grin. He was either a fan or had kids himself.

The party itself really holds little to no memory for me.  It was what happened afterward.  When the kids were all leaving and I was sick of sweating in places I shouldn’t, I snuck into the bedroom to peel off the costume.  As I pulled the cowl off I heard this small, quiet little gasp and I turned to see my oldest standing in the doorway, his eyes as big as saucers, his little face pale.  “My daddy is Batman…” It was one of those defining moments for both father and son.

Yes.  I AM Batman.  Just as you are now Green Lantern for your son.

So, to dads everywhere…BE Superman.  BE Batman.  BE…Dora.  Just BE there.

I’m gonna go to the Batcave to polish the Batmobile.  I want it to look good for when I take Wonder Woman out for my birthday dinner.

Carte Blanche

With so many of my fellow storytellers stepping into the world of film or TV, I can’t help but daydream what it would be like. If I was given carte blanche and allowed to bring my creation to the silver screen, who would I choose?

Throughout the writing process, my characters have taken on a life of their own. To say that I didn’t envision them a certain way would be a lie. Although they have developed more over time, I still picture them a certain way as I write about their adventures. Seeing them in my mind helps me to keep their characteristics separate and their personalities in order.

A lot of people don’t realize this, but most of my characters are based loosely on real people. Not the actors that I would have portray them, but people I knew in the past. And yes, a lot of their personalities was woven into the complex tapestry that is my characters. Let’s pretend for a moment that the squads would be portrayed in film…who would I choose if I could? Well, let’s see.

Colonel Matt Mitchell could only be played by:

Stephen Lang.

Yes, he’s a badass, but so is Mitchell. And it’s his gravelly voice I hear when Mitchell speaks, so the fit is nearly perfect. It’s only a bonus that he’s played military men before.

Laura Youngblood

Alex Rice could pull this one off without a hitch. She’s Native American and fits the bill nicely. Since Lisa Vasquez isn’t an actor…Alex will be a great second choice!

Jack Thompson aka Phoenix

Jason Patric. He may not be everybody else’ first choice as lead operator, but this is who I think of when I think of Jack. I’ve been a fan of his since The Lost Boys.

Nadia

Sarah Gadon is nearly spot on who I think of when I think of Nadia. Sarah has the chops to pull off the role quite easily.

Apollo Creed Williams

LL Cool J. He may not be a walking monster as Apollo is depicted, but Hollywood has a way of making people appear larger than they are and this guy is a bonafide badass.

Maria Sanchez

Could ONLY be played by Michelle Rodriquez. In fact, it was her role in SWAT that I used as inspiration for Maria. I plucked her from the movie and stuck her into the story. This role was not just created FOR her, it was created BY her.

Rufus Thorn

Adam Brody could pull off the ‘good guy’ vampire nicely. He has an innocent appearance to him and I think he could pull off a 450 year old 20-something.

Viktor

Kim Coates. Need I say more? This picture LOOKS like Viktor and Coates is such a versatile actor, I think he could bring the character to life.

Okay…so this is just a handful of the characters from the MS series, but they’re the ones that I would choose if I could.

How about you? Any actors stand out in your mind? Who did you picture when you read the stories? Feel free to share. Who knows…you might win me over and make me change my mind.

Now…to convince Hollywood that this story needs to be retold…