David Lee Summers's Blog, page 12

The Far Side of the Wild West

I am excited to announce the publication of Hadrosaur Productions’ latest short story collection, The Far Side of the Wild West by Lyn McConchie. I’ve been publishing Lyn’s work since Tales of the Talisman volume 8 in 2013. Ever since she started submitting to me, I’ve found it difficult to resist her tales. Our stories have also appeared together in several anthologies and magazines including Six-Guns Straight From Hell, The Vampire’s Crypt, and Science Fiction Trails. I’ve been familiar wi...

Supernatural Road Trip

I have long believed that travel is not only a great way to learn about new places and the people who inhabit those places, it’s a great way to learn about yourself. When you get on the road, you typically leave your job – at least for a time – your home, and presumably most of your possessions. It’s just you, those few things you need, and any companions you decide to take on your journey. I have found road trips a great time to chat about things with friends I just haven’t made time for or sha...

Beetlejuice Squared

Tim Burton’s film Beetlejuice came out during my senior year at New Mexico Tech. I don’t remember many details of my first watch, though I do remember seeing it in the theater and having Harry Belafonte tunes stuck in my head for weeks afterward. Socorro, New Mexico was a sufficiently small town that movies often arrived several weeks after the official release date. However, given the release date, I suspect I may have seen it in California during spring break with high school friends, then wat...

Enter the Museum of the Omniverse

Today, I’m proud to announce that a project I’ve been working on for some time is now available. Welcome to the Museum of the Omniverse where you can safely experience actual events from every possible part of time and space. The museum is having some technical difficulties, however. Space time rifts have been opening throughout the museum and everyone has disappeared except for Mirandum, an exhibit curator. When a small group of visitors appears, Mirandum gives them a tour of the museum’s D...

Continuing the Interview

Last week, I had the opportunity to watch the second season of AMC’s series Interview with the Vampire. The first season ended right around the novel’s halfway point. The vampires Louis and Claudia had ambushed their maker—Lestat, played by Sam Reid—and left him drained of blood and presumed dead. Then, they departed for Europe to seek older vampires who might give them some better insight into their undead existence. Jacob Anderson reprises his role as Louis. but Delaney Hayles replaced Bailey ...

The Venture Brothers

I have watched very little broadcast or cable TV since about 2001 when my wife and I decided that cable TV was just a big money sink and we could spend our money on things we liked more. Still, when I’m traveling, and possibly staying at a hotel, I’ll turn on the TV to see what’s on. One of my favorite programming blocks is the Adult Swim block on Cartoon Network. As I’ve said in other posts, I’m a fan of animation as an art form for all ages and not just kids. At its best, Adult Swim has been t...

Ancient Egypt, Batman, and Immortality

My first exposure to the study of Ancient Egyptian culture came through the 1966 Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. One of the recurring guest villains was King Tut, portrayed with great gusto by character actor Victor Buono. According to the series, “King Tut” was, in fact, Professor William McElroy, a professor of Egyptology, who would assume the mantle (and dress) of King Tutankhamen and turn to crime any time he was bonked on the head. Naturally, most things he would ...

Jewel of the Seven Stars

I noted a while back that I was tasked with writing a story for an anthology based on the works of Mary Shelley. The anthology will also celebrate the works of Bram Stoker, so I decided to explore his works as well. Of course, I know Dracula well, but I don’t know his other books to the same degree. Because my story will feature mummies, I decided to delve into Bram Stoker’s mummy novel, Jewel of the Seven Stars. The novel was first published in 1903, but was reissued in 1912 with the chapter “P...

The Red Tornado

Last week, I returned to the observatory for the first time since I went on leave for prostate cancer surgery in June. It’s been monsoon season here in the southwest, and the WIYN Telescope had been shut down for maintenance. One of the big jobs was recoating the telescope’s 3.5-meter primary mirror with aluminum. This is the first time the job has been done since the Contreras Wildfire threatened Kitt Peak back in June 2022. Under normal wear and tear conditions, these mirrors should be recoate...

Anne Rice’s Mummy

This weekend finds me at Bubonicon in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Last night, I was on a very interesting panel called “No One Lives Forever: Immortality.” It turns out, the book I’m discussing today provided some interesting insights for me about the topic. As it turns out, Anne Rice’s The Mummy or Ramses the Damned is a novel I’ve had on my to-read list for some time. I finally got around to reading it while I was working on a mummy story of my own this summer.

Anne Rice’s story is set in t...