A Fifth of Magnetron

Volume Five has arrived!

The wait is over.  Phineas and friends are back in a new Magnetron Chronicles adventure, now available exclusively in Kindle format from Amazon.

"In this fifth volume of Magnetron’s journals, the strange truth regarding Phineas J. Magnetron’s previously unexplained disappearance in 1901 is revealed, as are hitherto unremarked romantic interests.  Having journeyed to Berlin, the Hogalum Society members seek to clear their names and hunt down Eldridge Compost before he can wreak more havoc.  In so doing, they will be drawn into Compost’s twisted schemes, culminating in a battle to the death over German skies."

Come, come, now, dear reader, the opportunity is upon you.  Seize your mouse at once, direct it hither and click thereon as expeditiously as is practicable.   Do not fail to avail yourself of this thrilling tale of yesteryear!

E-pulp? That's a good thing, right?

After my rant on dumb reviews by dumb reviewers, I am very pleased to announce an intelligent review by an intelligent reviewer.  Dieselpunk author and pulp aficionado Grant Gardiner has recently reviewed "The Last Adventure of Dr. Yngve Hogalum" on Goodreads, giving it 4 Stars (Recommend).  Gardiner's latest project is his "Tommy Thunder and the Tales of the Aether Age" series, set in an alternate timeline 1920s America.  Thankfully, he took some time out to offer some insightful remarks on the first book in the Magnetron Chronicles series, calling it "fantastic... whacky steampunk... in the style of an H. Rider Haggard adventure story."

As an example of utilizing thoughtful criticism to better one's writing, I have taken Grant's suggestion to "package [the] stories together" to create a "more fulfilling reading experience."  More on that later....

Check out Mr. Gardiner's review here, and then plot a course for his blog here.  There be two-fisted, hair-part flipping action and adventure dead ahead...

Reviewing reviewers reviews...

"This book is dumb. People can never seem to speak proper English. I wouldn't read this book again if I were dying of boredom"

"The book was o.k. It's not my type of story so I wasn't really interested. I guess it's because it's an old-fashioned book, I'm more into Harry Potter."

"It had no story, the charaters were lame, the plot was-yuck! and the way the talk was just difficult to understand.Seriously, if you are choosing something to read this is definitely NOT the book, unless your trying to find a book that you'll snooze all the way through it!"

Uh-oh, I've got some bad reviews!  Perhaps I need to go back and review my writing, re-work it somehow to cater to my readers and expand my readership.  Or... perhaps not.

The Smiljan Breach in Print

eSteampunk's long-awaited second issue

At long last, the December 2012 issue of eSteampunk is available from the steampunk imprint of eFiction.  This issue features "The Smiljan Breach," my prequel to the Magnetron Chronicles series, featuring Dr. Hogalum on a Viennese bender, the Luftigel's maiden voyage, and a cameo appearance by none other than Nikola Tesla.

eSteampunk's second issue also brings you Matt Bett's "The Safest Passage," George S. Walker's "The Case of the Night-walking Automaton" and eSteampunk's first serial, "Black Dragon Blues," plus stunning cover art by Jonathan Hunt.  Available in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB formats for only $3.99!

New Novel Underway

I'm trying my hand at modern horror, with Station Five, a paranormal thriller set in a skilled nursing facility:

"Mia Cordova is a nurse's aide at Los Arcos Care Center, a large skilled nursing facility caring for the profoundly disabled. Abby Tate, Mia's patient, has been in a coma for almost two years, kept alive on a ventilator. When Abby unexpectedly wakes up to find herself a quadriplegic, she is overcome by inexpressible fear, grief and anger. It seems that only Mia can connect with her bright young patient and calm her rage, but Abby's fury soon takes on a dark, malevolent power that threatens to destroy everyone and everything around her."

As of this writing, I've pretty much completed Chapter One, available free at Wattpad.  Enjoy, and feel free to comment!