Novels
To date, none of my novels have been published, though I have been considering self publishing a few of my older works. There has been some interest from established houses but through the vagaries of life and the ever-changing industry no deals have come forth. Be that as it may, I will list here the books that I have finished with a brief synopsis, in case anyone is interested.
War Mind
War Mind is a near future military thriller where music is used to prevent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Soldiers pick a soundtrack that plays in their subconscious and binds to all the memories they accrue while deployed. When they return stateside the soundtrack is turned off and they forget everything that happened while it was playing. Voila! No more bad memories, no more PTSD.
But when Corporal Harlan Dupree’s family disappears after his latest tour of duty he realizes that the actions he can’t remember can still come back to haunt him. Desperate to find his wife and son, Harlan must illegally hack into his own mind to uncover the truth about what he really does when serving his country and decide who should have access to the secrets he uncovers along the way.
War Mind is a taut psychological thriller that clocks in at around 110,000 words.
Tunnels of Torment
You know how every table top RPG session, no matter the setting, always ends up with elements of the players’ real world mixed in? Like a spice baron on the edge of the desert being named “Pasha Spice”? Or how a trip to get a bag of flour ground at the local water wheel ends up being called “Miller Time”? Well, how do the characters in those adventures deal with such nonsensical things? Do they rationalize them in some way? Do they even notice?
Tunnels of Torment takes this conceit and blows it up into a massive, world-altering tale of heroics and hijinks following the exploits of Buukgred Skin Wearer, Sorsarar the Sorcerer, Tinktock the clockworky gnomish thief and Bard the bard in their quest to find the World Changer, a force that is literally reshaping the land beneath their feet. But can even this most epic of epic adventures satisfy Buukgred’s hack and slash thirst for High Adventure? Or fulfill Bard’s burning desire for professional recognition? Or expunge Sorsarar’s sad secret past? Or cure Tinktock of his shameful need for quality fairy tears? Only you, brave reader, can find out!
Tunnels of Torment is 120,000 words of absolute fantasy madness set in a world in the throes of apocalypse. It takes all the tropes, kicks them in the shins then drops them with a frothy-stein-hook to the jaw.
Middle Grade Fiction
After writing a bunch of fancy sci-fi for adults (see War Mind, above) without having anyone around to appreciate it I decided to write some stories for my kids. The titles below came out of that exercise and are still some of my most favorite works. Hearing my kids repeat some of the catch phrases from these or recount a ridiculous scene warms my heart to this day. I have never tried to get them published, but I may…some day.
Chronicles of Space Command
Chronicles of Space Command became the series title for the books that started with Space Spy Unmasked?. Essentially, a group of wacky humans and aliens aboard a Space Command starship attempt to complete missions despite their many, many, many personal challenges. The initial crew came from characters my kids made during one of our summer comic drawing sessions including such greats as: Hover Mushroom, H.O. Bot S.S.P.Y. (who inspired the first title) and Super Faster Muscle. I had drawn a rabbit with huge ears during the same session and named him Parachute Bunny. These formed the core of the Space Command crew. We then added characters as needed.
Chronicles of Space Command Episode #1: Space Spy Unmasked?
The crew of Space Command Cruiser 32 (or Old Blue 32), must uncover a spy in their midst while investigating the mysterious crisis that has cut off all communications to the planet of the Cuddly Cuddle Bears. But will their heroic actions leave them vulnerable to the dreaded plague of Space Flatulence that has infected one of their crew?
Space Spy Unmasked? is 12,300 words of gassy galactic goodness.
Chronicles of Space Command Episode #2: One Stellar Villain
Parachute Bunny and Hover Mushroom must transport the renowned interstellar villain Inappropriate Sweater back to Space Command Headquarters to face trail. But sabotage strands them at a space station owned by a no-nonsense, one-eyed space unicorn named Pete who blames them for the trouble. They must find their escaped prisoner and fix the broken space jump point before Pete dispenses his dreaded Rainbow Justice on them.
One Stellar Villain is 16,100 words of serious space station shenanigans.
Chronicles of Space Command Episode #3: Legend Airy Evil
Hover Mushroom must track down Parachute Bunny’s ship after it is stolen by a mysterious hoofed intruder. But even with the help of some Old Blue 32 crewmates can the spunky fungus really stand up to the prime suspect: renowned space pirate Legend Airy Evil?
Legend Airy Evil is a work in progress expected to clock in at around 15,000 words.
Yeah… So I, Uh… Punched a Unicorn
Yeah… So I, Uh… Punched a Unicorn literally came from the title. I thought it up one day and mentioned it to the kids and they wanted to know what it was about. I was like, “I have no idea, I just thought up the title.” That turned out to be an unacceptable answer. So, I kept thinking on it while making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cleaning toilets (not at the same time) and came up with what follows. You’re welcome.
James Jameson’s dad writes books. Wacky, tacky, ridiculous books that no one reads. But when those books start spewing settings and characters out of their pages into the real world, James realizes he’s got a problem. If he can’t keep this character catastrophe under wraps his mom is going to cancel his long sought after trip to Walter’s Wacky World of Water lickity split; and that, my friends, just won’t do.
Yeah… So I, Uh… Punched a Unicorn is 21,600 words of wacky water park wildness.
And that’s it for now! If any of those sound interesting, let me know and I’ll prioritize publishing them…somehow.