A Mighty Fortress

I've got a short weird western tale in the newly released A Mighty Fortress anthology.

It is a Porter Rockwell short titled, The Tears of Nephi.

Its a little light on steampunk, but I put in a little - the collection as a whole has the unexpected grouping of being Mormon Steampunk tales, and was initially inspired by the incredibly awesome Dave Butler. He wrote City of the Saints which I highly recommend, and then later down the road put forth the idea for a collection of more tales set in a semi-similar vein and there were so many submissions that was to be one antho became two and then as of today 4!!!

I have the honor of having the closing tale of this collection.

Thanks as always to my editor and friend Holli Anderson.

Check it out if you have a mind too.

IN MY TIME OF DYING

Its been a long time coming, I started work on this one about three years ago, got a good ways in and set it aside because life gets in the way sometimes, but it was always back there asking to be let loose.

So I pushed myself this early summer and finished up and LO, it was a bigger tale than I thought at first, so in addition to writing a novella that was set after the events of the book, I went back and rethought the storyline to #SAVANT and tweaked it a little. I like thinking of it as TRUE GRIT meets THE PRESTIGE.

So IN MY TIME OF DYING was released just a day ago and is already a bestselling New Release, so I'm grateful to everyone who has grabbed a copy and helps spread the word, I had a lot of folks just jump in and share it, so thank you all!

From the back cover, -

A young woman seeking arcane knowledge. A saint of killers riding shotgun. And an immortal who wants to die… all aboard a runaway train.…

Elizabeth Dee never expected a knock at the door would have her taking sides in a power struggle between two feuding wizards, but she discovers that she is the magical key to a cursed mystery centuries old. As she evades the murderous knights and demonic minions of the sinister Count of St. Germain, she learns more of her own true power and legacy…Her father never prepared her for anything like this…

But it’s dangerous to go it alone and she is going to need some protection, enter the infamous and touched, Porter Rockwell. If the legendary long-haired gunfighter can’t keep her safe, no one can…

Oh, and my son Mathias is becoming quite the artist and I am having him do a few illustrations for the print edition (I may add them to the kindle soon too)

I'd appreciate any of you all grabbing a copy and leaving an honest review, more than ever that is a boon to the writer, Thanks all.

MEMENTO MORI and A MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN CARCOSA should be coming along very soon.

Salt City Steamfest!!!

It's that time of year again - the gears are rolling and I'm going to be a guest at Salt City Steamfest.

I'll be talking on the Steampunk vs Weird Western panel and after that we'll be doing another of our infamous Choose Your Own Apocalypse games in a steampunk setting - last time I was Air Pirates and I won!

I'm not actually sure what else will be happening yet but it promises to be a good time with a lot of really cool people.

I'm looking forward to all the trippy costumes and retro steampunk items that will be there.

More details here!

The Kidnap Plot: Book Review

The Kidnap Plot (the Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie) by Dave Butler

If Pinocchio went steam-punk fantasy! It would be awesome right? It is!

This is a madcap steam-punk adventure. Set in Victorian London, we meet Charlie Pondicherry a young lad helping out his gifted father. His father, (his Bap) produces all kinds of wonderful inventions and for all kinds of clientele. We meet the denizens of this Victorian era and  it's a bit more interesting than you might expect.

The fey folk are regulars around these parts, including Trolls, Faires, Kobolds, Changelings, Dwarves and Brownies. Butler's inclusion is seamless and helped along with each chapter by a short section of the Almanac about these magical creatures that Charlie is reading.

While life is tough, Charlie can always count on his loving father -- until disaster strikes and a sinister man kidnaps his Bap and steals his inventions. The farther we travel on with Charlie the more dire the predicament becomes.

Without anywhere else to turn, Charlie ends up recruiting some of his fathers eclectic customers to help him rescue his father. From here on out its a roller coaster of a ride as they become entangled with their own troubles and side adventures. Charlie too, has to find and come to grips with who he is.

Butler uses familiar creatures/characters but gives them delightful personalities and relationships. He sets some typical expectations on their ear and we are the better for it. The villains are proper villains and the heroes and friends are true friends -- even if they don't know it yet.

This is a middle grade book but the world building is dense and fun. I anxiously await the next installment because this isn't over by a long shot.

In conclusion, while Dave Butler is a most benevolent and gifted friend of mine and I did receive a net galley copy, I also bought an amazon copy for my kids. I know they'll love it!

Grab yourself one here!

Into the Belly of Kathulos: UGEEK #6

Chapter 6 of Walking Through Walls: Into the Belly of Kathulos in issue #6 of UGEEK Magazine came out over the Fourth of July weekend, and I wasn't home to get a copy or really post about it until now.

It's got a great steampunk cover (and article inside) and a great cosplay centerfold of a steampunk Snow White by Mala Foxx.

I also noticed a author spotlight on my good friend Jason King, whose latest fantasy novel The Soulless Grave was just released today and an interview with a new facebook friend actress Wren Barnes.

This S&S fantasy noir is going places I didn't expect and I'm quite happy with it.

Thanks to my editors James Wymore, Holli Anderson and Bruce Durham for helping polish it up and I am looking forward to the next chapter that will be out in time for Salt Lake ComicCon. I am hoping that this mag helps spread my gospel and people start buying my other books. I expect that this particular tale will take at least another 6-7 chapters to wrap up and when its done I expect to release it myself for fun.

Mala's pic by the great Vladmir Chopine, who I hope to have do a portrait of me sometime - he has done magnificent work on at least half of my best local writer friends.

City of the Saints

I just finished the City of the Saints audio book by my good friend D.J. Butler

War is coming and everyone wants to get their hands on the super weapons from the Kingdom of Deseret.

So many things appealed so strongly to me about this collection of four parts. The action, the humor and the steampunk element were just plain fun, I loved the admixture of known inventor genius's like Brunel, Hunley, Whitney, Maxim, and Browning as well as the fanciful Mad Man Orson Pratt contributing to this world's super science.

I'm also into history enough including the local variety here in Utah, that few if any of the characters needed introduction (local = Porter Rockwell, Brigham Young, Eliza R. Snow, Bill Hickman, John D. Lee) but for the sake of review I'll mention the big ones - Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) as a secret agent for the Union in the coming civil war as well as the not dead yet Edgar Allen Poe for the Confederacy - each has a colorful thug apprentice that you genuinely enjoy seeing also get their point of view. The English adventurer Richard Burton an envoy for Queen and country was also a favorite of mine.
The dialogue and action are crisp and hilarious, I truly laughed out loud at a number of scenes such as this between Richard Burton and Tamerlane O'Shaughessy (Clemens Irish thug)

"I'm not a weakling, " O'Shaughnessy protested, "I'm just a bit drunk."
"Keep your pistols aimed down the stairs, then." Burton urged him. "But you told me before you weren't drunk. Just Irish, you said."
"I'll let you in on a secret, Dick," the Irishman said. "it's the same fookin' thing."


I heartily recommend this if you enjoy smart, action, historical's that are so much fun.

D.J. Butler is also going to be hanging with me this weekend at the Tree City Comic con in Boise - come get some books!

Salt City Steamfest

I went to Salt City Steamfest in Salt Lake City over last weekend. I've been busy building my library and such among a dozen pressing family events but I still made spoke at several panels and participated in a few audience participation games run by my writing/comedy crew the Space Balrogs

And here are a few pics from the con!

The huge Dave Butler and I

The fantastic Kato surprised me with a kiss

Sarah Hunter aka Lady Clankington and I'm hoping she enjoys her copy of Fangs of the Dragon!

I won the Steampunk Smackdown game: Air Pirates Rule!

Cthulhu 3 

Steampunk Ariel was a hit

My son Mathias with Steampunk Boba Fett

We will be doing more con events and games at the upcoming Salt Lake City Comic Con, the Gangrene Film Festival and The Tree City Boise Comic Con! Just to name a few in the next couple months.