I spent Saturday writing a short story. I knew where I was going. I had a plan. Then the characters mugged me in a dark alley, dragged me onto a train I didn’t plan for, and took me way down the line. The end result? I was still awake at 1:59 AM Sunday morning when the government stole an entire hour out of my life. Government is Theft. Just say no to day light thieves!
Another of my stories has been selected for publication by Raconteur, which is pretty awesome. It always gives me a thrill when someone chooses to print my stuff and isn’t just me. Almost makes me feel like a real author. 
And I just lost an entire day to another story. Sat down to write for an hour or three, realized a bit of the way through that the sun was down, and then blinked a bit and realized it was after midnight. I did not expect those characters to give me that ride when I got on that train. 
Interplanetary evil. Ray guns. Swords. Good guys who are good; bad guys who are bad; and beautiful damsels.
Unfortunately—as things go—the interplanetary evil empire swords and rayguns kind of pulp fell out of favor, and it’s hard to find anyone writing it these days.. Until Now. These tales will delight, astound, and weird you out, which is what they’re supposed to do. Sit back and embrace the strange!
Raconteur is publishing another anthology this week. This one is about men of sterling courage, broad shoulders, and big ray guns. Regular Buck Rogers types out to fight the big bad evil overlords of time and space. I don’t have a dog in that hunt, but I do write stories about men such as those.
The Big Ones tells many stories about battles that never happened in World War II. In the Last Ride on the Asia Express, the evil Empire of Japan has a dastardly plan. One that could kill millions if it goes off without a hitch. But Captain William Carter rather enjoys being the hitch in other people’s plans, and his Marine Raiders are all kinds of Gung Ho for that action.
Nations are formed from a people with a common culture, language, and border. You speak the same words. Protect the land and each other. And when it comes to those other people out there, you like your neighbors more. You do the same things. Your culture is the same.
America is different in that we started with the idea of coming from many cultures and peoples. Our first national motto even said it. “Out of many.” But it ended with the normal idea of nationhood. “Out of many, one.” The idea was that we would welcome people from all nations, as long as they were willing to become one with us.
The America we are now is not one. We are divided, and that is not good. One party opened our borders and brought in as many violent criminals as they could, and now they release those criminals back on the streets to commit more crimes. Where they hurt or kill more Americans. One party sparked a war in a foreign land, and then they tell the President of that land not to accept our new President’s path towards ending that war and putting an end to the killing.
And then there is the speech our new President just performed. Some turned their backs on him and walked out. Shouted him down when he spoke. Tried to stop him from speaking freely.
One party wants to silence all dissent. And one party values free speech. There are many other differences between the two parties, many of them fundamental in nature. How does a nation survive when it is not made of one culture, but more than one, and when one of them wants to silence and kill the other one?
The Martian Affair on Amazon
Forge of War on Amazon
The Audacious Affair on Amazon
Angel Flight on Amazon
Angel Strike on Amazon
Angel War on Amazon
The Family Affair on Amazon
The Thunderbird Affair on Amazon
Wolfenheim Rising on Amazon
Wolfenheim Emergent on Amazon
The Gemini Affair on Amazon