Heath Stallcup's Blog, page 9

Get Real FORD! I’m Ready to Quit!

If you follow my blog or just happen by from time to time, you know that I try to keep things as book related as possible. But over the past few weeks I’ve got my boxers in a twist and since I have no other place to vent (and this IS my blog), I thought I’d come here and blast my beloved Blue Oval group with both barrels.

Let me start with a little background.  Why am I a fan of Ford? Well, I grew up on a working cattle ranch. We had Dodges and Chevys and quite a few Fords. The Chevys were pretty and rode really smooth, just don’t try to work it. They aren’t made for it (Chevy lovers, feel free to rant, but that was our experience, your mileage may vary). Dodges…at least the older ones, always dragged high center and it seemed that if you could put up with the whine of their starter, they were decent trucks. Ford couldn’t build a power steering pump that didn’t leak, but they simply COULD NOT BE STOPPED. I tried to kill mine so I could get a ‘new’ pickup. Changed the oil once in three years…it refused to die.

Now…on to my rant and the things that really GRIND MY GEARS!

Ford has this tendency to tease us, and then release the teaser due to customer reactions. I’m talking about the concept vehicles that come to market.  For example, remember the Probe? It started life as a concept vehicle…a predicted replacement for the beloved Mustang.

Mustang fans went ballistic! How dare they propose a front wheel drive, low slung, 4 cylinder POS as a replacement for their solid axle, V-8 muscle car?? Ford listened. They still released the Probe, but as a stand alone unit. The Mustang remained unmolested.

Seriously. Can you imagine THIS as a replacement for the Mustang? I hope whoever thought that up and suggested it got fired or at least demoted. Floor sweeper sounds like an excellent job for that idiot.

Then we had the T-Bird. Ford released a concept of a modern remake of the two seat luxury sport and the people responded.



Where they shot themselves in the foot wasn’t with the retro styling. It’s popularity actually helped with the decision to retro the Mustang, boosting sales into the stratosphere.  No, where they messed up with the T-Bird was in not giving it Corvette stomping ability. A V-8 two seater that barely kept up with V-6 pony cars? No…just…NO. If you’re going to release a two seater, aim it directly at the competition!

Remember when the GT was released as a concept? A modern remake of the classic 60’s GT40?



It came to market in the supercar category. Got a quarter million sitting on your dresser doing nothing? Put your name on the list and if you are lucky (and pad the right palms) you, too, can enjoy this BEAST! But the point is…it went from CONCEPT to STREET in no time.

So, where am I going with this?  I’m so glad you asked. Because this is what has my boxers so twisted, I want to drive to Ford’s world headquarters and swiftly plant a size 14 boot in somebody’s ass.

Ya see, Ford, in their infinite wisdom, has been teasing us with the possibility of a Bronco return. Anybody remember this little beast?



Promised with a diesel powered hybrid drive train, off road capability that would make a Jeep Wrangler jealous and body on frame TRUE 4X4 construction…all of us Bronco enthusiasts were STOKED at the possibility. I mean, a DIESEL powered retro styled Bronco? Take my money! Please!!

But, we waited.  And we waited. And we waited. Until the dream died completely.

Then we see THIS!! A full size Bronco based off the best selling F-series!

ZOMG!! Rumors abounded that it would be released as a 15 model. When that didn’t happen, the same photos were regurgitated with a 2016 model release. Then somebody said, “April Fools!” and there was a collective groan from the Bronco enthusiast community that could be heard in China.

Now, we are hearing rumors of a late 2015, early 2016 release of the ‘new’ Ranger. How AWESOME would that be? I’ve had three of the wee beasties and they were sweet running little rides. I found myself getting so excited with the idea. I have twin girls that will soon be driving age and I could just imagine putting them behind the wheel of something like this:



And to top it off, they show these other cool pictures of the off-road versions:



And OMG!! There’s a RAPTOR version! PLEASE-TAKE MY MONEY!!



OMG! OMG! OMG!

Wait…rather than take anything at face value…let’s do a little research. Google is our friend (actually, I use Bing, but that doesn’t sound as kewl).

Come to find out, the Ranger was never truly killed off. It’s still available in places like AUSTRALIA. With a DIESEL engine?!?! What the…

Take a close look at the pictures. They’re all RIGHT hand drive vehicles. Just like the ever sought after Jeep Wrangler diesel, which is available in any other country except the states…the Ranger still lives and is one of the best selling trucks where offered.

So…what is with the madness? WHY would Ford not make available such an awesome mid size truck here in the US where men measure their collective manliness by how cool their truck looks? Where people demand that they own a truck even if they never USE it as a truck??

Well. It all has to do with TITLES. The Ford Motor Company truly feared that brand loyalists may opt for the better gas mileage and utility of the Ranger and NOT BUY AN F-150. Which could bite into their sales (which is also where Ford makes the most profit) and they might actually lose their claim to the best selling truck line EVER.

REALLY!?!?

Okay.  Let’s FIX this little problem so that the bean counters can still make their claims, just like in the past.  BRING THE RANGER BACK.

Just change it’s name to the F-100 Ranger.

What was that??  Change the…name? Make it an F-series truck??  Yeah.  Problem solved. F-100 Ranger, available with a DIESEL engine. OMG, what a concept.  Not necessarily a NEW concept.  I had an F-100 Ranger that was built in the 60’s!! They looked a lot like this:



But these trucks weren’t the FIRST F-100. They’ve been around since the dawn of the F-series.  I believe they started life as an F-1.



Here’s another F-100.

You see, back in the day, the F-100 was a half ton truck. The F-150 was known as a ‘heavy half’…a fill in between the half ton and the 3/4 ton F-250.  And I’m talking about the REAL F-250, not these diesel powered mini-semi tractors that are on the road today.



You read that right.  I don’t know if FoMoCo plans to release a Raptor version of the HD line or not, but…crimeny.  Why is it always bigger, BIGGER, BIGGEST with these ass clowns?

Ford…hear me now. Listen well because I’m not repeating myself. Stop listening to the urban, beard sporting, flannel wearing wanna-be’s. Listen to your damned consumers! The people who use their trucks the way they were intended to be used. Bigger isn’t always the answer. There are a LOT of us that would love to see the retro style Bronco, or even the full sized Bronco return to the streets. We’d love to see a Ranger like they have in Australia, complete with the DIESEL engine. We WANT these trucks! If you are truly afraid of losing out on F-series sales…MAKE THEM PART OF THE LINEUP!

You can revive the T-Bird (even if it was short lived). You brought back the supercar GT40 in the form of the GT. You revived your relationship with Shelby to bring us KR 500s. You even brought back the Escort for a short time. So now, give the people what they want. Bring back the Bronco and import a LHD Ranger. And for the love of Pete, offer the diesel engine as an option. Please don’t make us look to your competitors to get what we want. I just can’t picture myself behind the wheel of a bowtie. Not on purpose anyway.

End rant.

You may now go back to whatever you were doing. Thank you for letting me vent. And if any of you feel the same way, please feel free to reblog this. Maybe eventually it will work it’s way to somebody with a little common sense at FoMoCo and they’ll actually take seriously what we, the consumers, WANT.

Blackbirds to Take Flight March 30

I was recently approached by another local author and asked if I’d like to take part in their annual anthology. Those of you who have read my works know that I am NOT a short story writer.  (Look at the prologue of Whispers if you want verification of that statement.) But I had a couple of short stories sitting on my hard drive that weren’t currently doing anything. In all honesty, one was the intro for another story that…well, the story fell apart shortly after the intro.  I decided to go back, add an ‘alternate universe’ ending and let it sit in case I ever decided to publish my own book of short stories.  I always wanted one just so I could call it, ‘My Dirty Shorts’. Even thought they aren’t dirty or erotica in nature and no, my underwear are indeed, clean.

The other story was one that I had submitted for a charity anthology. Stephen Bagley looked it over, tweaked it a bit to improve upon it and viola! Another short story to add to the collection.

This is actually the second Blackbirds anthology, as you can tell by the title…and no, I wasn’t part of the first one.  I’m pretty proud to have been asked to join this select group of authors. Although I don’t know them all personally, I can attest to there being some pretty darn good stories in this collection.

Previous versions of BBA were all dead tree versions, but after discussing it, I think Stephen has realized that having a Kindle version (and iBook, and Nook and…you get the picture) is the easiest way to get the anthology in front of more people.  Many people would much rather drop a few bucks for a downloadable e-version than to pay the higher price for a physical copy. And for avid readers, there’s much less clutter by utilizing an e-reader. Plus, by making it available to more readers, the more new fans we can potentially reach. So, the e-version should be coming in short order.

I guess you could consider this another ***SAPS*** Alert. Another Shameless Attempt at Promoting Something. But it very well should be promoted.  This is a nifty collection of stories that I think you’ll all enjoy.

Phoenix on sale this March

I just wanted to take a moment and spread the word.  Return of the Phoenix will be going on sale in March for only 99 cents.

That’s right, you read correctly.  Less than a buck gets the first in the series.  For those who follow my blog, please feel free to reblog it, tweet it, Facebook it, Tumblr it, spread the word on LinkedIn or Instagram or whatever social media you may use. Don’t forget to tell your friends and family and maybe they’ll help spread the word.

Also, I wanted to invite anybody and everybody who is within traveling distance to come out to the Underground Monster Carnival in Oklahoma City on March 7th. We plan to be there and will have a wide array of Monster Squad stuff. Coffee mugs, wrist bands, bumper stickers, posters, even silver bullet necklaces custom made by Jay Wolf of Elite Ammunition. Yes, the very same Jay Wolf from the stories.

The recruiting posters really turned out well and I wish now that I had ordered a lot more of them. I only got a small handful of each cover and after Jess saw this one…she knew they wouldn’t last long.

Of course, we’ll have books there and I’ll be available to sign anything you want signed. It sure sounds like it’s going to be a fun time, so if there is anyway you can make it to the fairgrounds in OKC on the 7th, we’d love to see ya!

Forneus Corson and Other Bits of Tid

I know, I know, I haven’t been doing my part. I haven’t been keeping the blog updated like I should, but believe it or not, I’ve actually been a little busy.  Between family commitments and branching out on my own, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed.  In fact, I’m just now starting to get back into the swing of things. I sat down to write a bit on MS8 last night and found myself wondering…what the heck is this? Where am I in this story? As a reader, you can set down a story and pick it up later with little to no confusion.  As a writer, my mind is always churning, tossing out ideas and weighing them, seeing how they fit the narrative. Because of this, I really had no clue what I did or didn’t put previously into the story. I became the reader.

For those of you who weren’t aware, I decided to go ‘full indie’. (Trust me, it sounds easier than it really is.) To answer your questions up front, no, I wasn’t mad, upset or angry with my publisher. Quite the opposite. They’re still friends and Todd is still going to edit my work. I’ve even sent new writers their direction because I knew that they had the knowledge to help them get started the right way. I also know that if I have any technical questions, Denise is just a phone call away. They know what is going on and gave me their blessing.

Some of you noticed that my Amazon page was messed up for a couple of days…that’s why. Trying to get all the books set up for publication and acceptable for Smashwords Premium, Kindle, Createspace…they all have different requirements. I found out the hard way, but it was a lesson well learned.

You might have noticed that the covers have changed for a lot of the stories.  Jeffrey Kosh stepped in to do the cover graphics for the second Monster Squad saga and I was so taken by his work…well, I just had to have him recover the first four in the series.  Then Whispers, too. I really like the new look and hope you will as well.

Which brings me to Forneus Corson. I actually wrote this story over a year and a half ago but it never gained traction.  I decided to expand my exposure a bit and submitted it to Quinn Cullen and Blaze McRob at Visionary. They liked it and it’s now available. My copies of the paperback just came in and I’ll soon be getting the names and addresses of those who won copies during the release party…so if you won, watch your mailbox in the weeks to come!

I’ve had people ask me, ‘where did you dream up this idea’? so I thought I’d share that with you all here.

A couple of years ago I was with my wife at the beauty parlor (are they still called that??) and her hair dresser asked me when my next book was coming out.  After I answered her, a young lady approached me and started with the 20 questions. She was a lit or journalism major at the local university and a member of a writer’s support group and blah blah blah. Well…before I knew it, she was telling me about her big story and how she wanted to introduce an ancient flu to the current population…she just didn’t know how. I gave her about three different options off the top of my head and she was floored.  I just HAD to come to their support group.

My mistake was in saying yes.  I spent nearly three hours helping aspiring young writers fill plot holes, figure out how to get from point A to point B and basically figuring out all of the tough stuff for their work.  MY support from the group was pretty much nil. Needless to say, I didn’t go back.

I laughed to myself and thought, “Too bad I couldn’t charge them for coming up with all of the ‘good ideas’ for their stories…” Ding-Ding!! Winner winner, chicken dinner.  The seed was planted. An ‘Idea Man’…a supernatural one.  One who hooks you and eventually sucks out your soul.

Now, in retrospect, I could have easily made this a short story.  Or novella. But not me…oh, no.  I have to go overboard on everything I do. I was determined to stretch it out to a full length novel.  And so I did.

For the few who have read the story, thank you for your feedback and thank you for the reviews.  To those who have asked, I have toyed with the idea of a follow up and even penned the first chapter or so…but I’m honestly not sure if I’ll see this one through. Maybe one day, but probably not any time soon. I just have too much on my plate at the moment and I’m wanting to add more. Creating a sequel or even stretching it into a trilogy or series?  I just don’t know.  I’ve toyed with the idea of just putting a few pages up here at a time…make it a free read for whoever wanted to come by and find it.  I’m still rolling that idea around.

Anyway, I wanted to let it be known. Corson is out and the few who have read it so far have given really positive feedback.  I hope you’ll take a chance on this one as it’s quite a bit different than my other offerings.

Thanks for your time and happy reading. ;-)

MS3 Audio Now Available

Yes, if you follow my Facebook site, then you already know this.  I’m slipping. Sorry.  I probably should have come here first.  Unfortunately, family matters have kept me from attending to things like I should. But I’m here now and the link shall follow!

If you are a fan of Jack Voorhies and his many vocal talents, then you will be thrilled to hear that MS3 Coalition of the Damned is now available on Audible! Jack and the crew at Falcon Sound has done yet another superb job of bringing the characters to life and I think you’ll be every bit as thrilled with this one as you have been with their previous efforts. Some of you weren’t huge fans of the howling between scenes (I picked that, by the way and really happened to like it) so they chose to go with something a bit more subtle. Maybe it will be more to your liking.

Anywho…on to the links:

At Amazon:

Coalition of the Damned: Monster Squad, Book 3

Just a Little Catch Up

Yeah, I’ve been slacking off lately.  I know it.  I mean, I really haven’t, but I have been.  I haven’t updated this site in a while so now I have to play catch up.  I need to add Corson to the Works page, provide links for folks, post up the new covers for existing works and try to explain what all has been happening.

For starters, Corson was released late.  Big surprise, right? :-)

Forneus Corson

Quinn Cullen Interviews…ME!

Yes, yours truly gets dragged across the coals (so to speak) by Visionary Press’ own Quinn Cullen.  I’ll admit, as far as author interviews go, this is probably one of the longest and most thorough I’ve done.  Quinn is a great interviewer.

Give it a read through if you haven’t already read it. Maybe you’ll learn something new about me…or not.  Oh, and it’s all in preparation for the release of Forneus Corson – The Idea Man…which should be populating to Amazon any time now… ;-)

http://authorquinncullensscribbles.blogspot.com/2014/12/say-hello-to-heath-stallcup-story.html?spref=fb

Christmas Vacation!

And now that song is stuck in my head. Yes, I’m a huge fan of Chevy Chase’s iconic Christmas movie.  Maybe it’s because I remind myself of cousin Eddie. I dunno. But I can definitely see how everything that can go wrong usually does around the holidays.

And that is only part of the reason I’m putting everything on temporary hiatus. I’m stepping away from writing, the computer, Facebook, my blog…pretty much all of it until the holidays are over. Knowing me, I’ll probably check in from time to time, but not like I usually do. So, if you are trying to reach me…have patience.

As for Forneus Corson, the last word I had was still a 12/20 release. That will definitely call for my attention and I’ll have to pop back for that, but my online presence will be drastically reduced. So, with that, I will take my leave and wish each and every one of you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years!

Now go…spend some time with your family and loved ones and enjoy the season!

Freebies and Xmas Gifts to You

Caldera has kicked off to a great start. It’s been well received so far, picking up new readers along the way and generating some great feedback from established fans. I couldn’t have asked for a better reception!

Caldera

From December 15 through the 19th this box set if our gift to you! It’s currently on sale for just 99 cents. As if that isn’t bargain enough, how can anyone turn down FREE?

Are you excited yet? I am!  I love, love, LOVE this time of year! It’s all about giving back and between the contests and the box set give away, I’m stoked!

Now, I just need to put my head towards a Monster Squad contest… “Oh LISA!!” ;-)

TGIF

Okay, so it’s not Friday yet. But the day after Turkey Day it will be…and that’s the day slated as the release date for Caldera. After everyone has gotten through the hustle and bustle of the holiday and is ready to unwind a little, Caldera will be ready to help with the escapism.

To say that I’m a wee bit excited would be an understatement. I’ve been grouped with some really awesome zombie authors in the past, but I didn’t really write ‘zombie’ fiction. Even with my debut zombie story, we’re not talking the classic Romero, walking dead type of monsters. I wanted something far more frightening. A rage virus fueled human. With any possibility of a cure, could you pull the trigger?

Friday you can join Ranger Daniel Hatcher and a rag tag group of survivors as they attempt to escape a national park filled with cannibalistic monsters on one side and a military hell bent on containing the contagion on the other…