So, now that I’ve recuperated, I’d like to share a little about what I’m reading. It’s sort of like a spotlight, but it also relates to those of us with larger reading piles than we can handle. I’m not going to list the ten books on my Goodreads “currently reading” list because some of them lost my attention and I don’t want to post negative publicity. I’ve learned that I wax and wane between genres and I am currently most interested in horror. That means the Epic Fantasy books have been put down. I know they’re good books, and so I don’t want to ruin the read by reading them when I’m not interested in that type of story.

This process has added up books that I’m currently reading, and I’ve already got a handful of authors and friends that have books coming out in March whom I want to read. It would be great to interview them for my podcast or at least review them to help spread the word, but first I have to finish the books I have.

I’ve narrowed my currently reading list down to two books that I need to finish before I move on to these March releases. The first is The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I’m about 200 pages in, and I’m really enjoying it. If you’re a fan of the movies, this book garners my highest recommendation. The dialogue is snappier than the movie, making you get deeper into the minds of the characters and even laugh at Jason for his quick wit. I don’t remember laughing at Matt Damon’s portrayal, and I like the book version of Jason Bourne better, even though Matt did a great job. The suspense is also more personal. My writing mentor, C.L. Dyck, recommended this book for its psychological tension, and I definitely see why. The set up of a man who doesn’t know his identity and yet finds he has training in murder and a secret bank account is a terrific way to show fear in a unique way. What I mean is, you don’t normally feel bad for assassins, but what if one forgot he was an assassin, then had to utilize those skills in order to survive, all while asking himself if he really wants to survive if it is to become a murderer. Awesome, just awesome. The movie is loosely based on the book, so I feel like I’m experiencing an even better version of the movie I loved.

The second book I’m going to finish is Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. I’m further in this book, past page 400 of 600. I’m glad I’m reading this in the paperback form (though I’m praying the last page doesn’t rip any further…) because I noticed that large books like this progress so much slower on Kindle, when I can read for an hour and only improve 3-5% on the total. This book has been an awesome read, however, so it’s been a pleasure to read through for hours at a time. I picked this one up as research for a Cub Scout zombie flash fiction piece I wrote a month ago. I set up a scary setting to come, but I wanted to read a horror book from the viewpoint of young kids. This book has been a great choice, as Dan’s Voice displays each character so smoothly that you don’t realize you’re in their heads experiencing this with them. More on that in my review after I finish the book. We’ll see if I get the courage to ask him for an interview…

In no particular order, here are the new releases I plan to read (will consider reading)  in March:

Enemies of the Cross by Greg Mitchell is the second book in his Coming Evil Trilogy. I enjoyed Book One this summer and even had lunch with him at The Ragged Edge conference with Ted Dekker and friends. Greg did a great job with his monsters and I enjoyed his characters. I am eager to enjoy this next part of the story, and maybe get an interview for the Holy Worlds Podcast. I just read a cool interview with Greg over at A Flame in the Dark.

Man, beyond this, the rest are up in the air. Like I said above, I really have to be in the mood for a book and I don’t want to get halfway through anymore books that I won’t finish. Here’s a list anyway:

I Am Ocilla by Diane M. Graham. This is a first person present, YA Fantasy book by a dear friend. Like I said before though, I’m not eager to read fantasy right now, and even less YA, so I don’t know. I’ve heard great things about Diane’s voice, and believe I’ll be blown away by her book, I just feel like I need to be in the mood for YA. I’m also going to be editing her audio reading of this book, so we’ll see how much I pick up listening to her read it. I have a feeling it will not be the best way to follow a book, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for her fans to be able to get the audio version.

Carpathia by Matt Forbeck. I started reading this and put it down because it was really good and I knew I wouldn’t be able to put everything else down to finish it. It’s an alternate history of the ship that rescued the Titanic survivors, and has vampires. I’m a member of the Angry Robot Army, so I got it for free. It would be cool to read it and interview Matt, but we’ll see. Matt is super busy with his 12 for 12 idea of writing twelve novels in a year in his Shotguns and Sorcery series, crazy guy, and his kickstarter campaign is still going to support that whacky endeavor (ends March 12).

Slices by Michael Montoure. I had him on the Saturday Spotlight twice for his excellent short stories in this collection. Now I need to finish it and get a review up for him, possibly an interview as well. This guy writes some really scary stuff, so I guess it makes sense that I give myself a break between frights. But, I’ve got to finish it so I can get to his collection, Counting from Ten, and the story he sold recently into the collection, Detritus.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Terri Blackstock‘s publicist reached out to me for an interview on the Holy Worlds Podcast regarding her new release, Downfall. I’m not one to turn down NY Times best selling authors when they request interviews, so I’m packing that into my reading schedule.

Okay, enough slacking, time to write so I don’t feel so bad about reading later.

Thanks for stopping by. What are you reading/looking forward to reading in the next month?

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I really like Evolved’s motto as being an “author-centric” publishing house. As Lane will say in this interview, their goal has been to create a publishing house that they would want to join as authors. From what I’ve seen, they not only take care of their authors, but they are dedicated to producing top quality fiction. I’ve really enjoyed Lane’s book, Forgive Me, Alex, and the anthology, Evolution: Vol. 1, and anticipate many more quality reads in the future.

Evolved Publishing Upcoming Releases: T.G. Ayer’s book, Dead Radiance: A Valkyrie Novel, comes out Feb. 25. Angela Scott’s Zombie Western, Wanted: Dead or Undead comes out between then and mid-March. D.T. Conklin’s Epic Fantasy book, Eulogy, is set to release March 14. I also mentioned Emlyn Chand as the newest author to Evolved Publishing. She has three children’s picture books that will release soon, the first coming in the Spring of 2012.

In case I wasn’t clear in the intro, the podcast feed has been pointed from my host at Posterous and moved to this website. Thanks to my friend, Mike Templeton, for making that a seamless transition. If you were subscribed before, you should still be subscribed. The only difference is the podcast will be down at the bottom of your list with the title, “Timothy C. Ward >> AudioTim.”

***News 2/20/12*** The new placement has all my AudioTim episodes so you can delete the old one. Same feed, no need to resubscribe.

If you’re not subscribed via iTunes, you can by clicking here on the AudioTim image above.

Ruby has a book out with Evolved Publishing called Circles.
In her bio, she says “Life presents us a path; how we choose to navigate that ‘circle’ is up to us.” I would say this philosophy is part of what nailed me into the hero’s quest in “Courage through Fear;” I was captured by her dilemma and cared deeply for her to find her way to safety. I imagine her novel, Circles, will evoke the same sense of connection with the main character’s quest.

I asked Ruby to share a little about the unique setting of Circles, and she also gave us a brief excerpt to illustrate the main character’s voice.

Circles is set in a time rarely written about, in a place of plenty and peace. Seldom bothered by outsiders their culture’s not challenged, but rather deeply rooted in every person from birth. Families passionately connected through bonds with band member share everything, be it food or goings on within the band. Little happens that others do not share in.

Life is happy with humor always part of everyday experiences as well as Spirituality, and fears.

Dreaming of the Spirit world is as natural as breathing…unless you are a confused eight winters old boy who only wants to play, and be free from responsibilities. Feather’s dreams show him a being that frightens him. In its wake only grey dust remains, no life is able to escape the coming advancement his dreams show him. Not even his grandmother can get him to fully open up to her, and she is an important teacher in his life.

White Paws, a grey wolf comes to share his life, offering guidance he does not see at first. They become fast friends; one never is without the other…then a Great Elder of a ragged band of survivors finds her way to the “Shining Light” in her dreams—the camp of Feather’s people. She shows him how to find his way within the Circle of All Living. Now, he must learn what to do with this knowledge, how to use it to save his people from a grey future he cannot see beyond.

Now, the excerpt from her debut novel, Circles:

He picked out a nice thick splay of grass upon which to sit, and called to his grandson, whose many stones spilled over his tunic. “Let the stones go free and come sit beside this old man. I have a story to tell you.”

The stones fell from Feather’s tunic as he turned and ran to Hawk Soaring.

“Dust off your breechclout and sit.” Before Hawk Soaring could add, “away from my face,” sparkling dust sprinkled his cheeks and eyes— and his mouth tasted of dirt. With his grandson now sitting, he stood to brush himself off.

The young boy looked puzzled by his dirty tunic. “How did you get so dirty, Grandfather? I do not remember you throwing stones.”

“Oh, I think it was maybe some boy who tossed dirt on me.” He laughed as Feather turned looking for that boy.

“I did not see him. He must have been very fast!”

“Yes, he was very fast. Too fast to see.” He sat down again. “Fast, all right.”

“Why do birds have wings and we just have arms? That boy was maybe a bird, but he was too fast to see for sure. If we all had wings, would the sky get too crowded? I bet then birds would have to walk. But then—”

“Feather! Too many words spill out of your mouth all at once.” He grabbed his middle and laughed. “You will make this old man’s belly come apart if you do not slow down.”

The boy’s eyes widened with disbelief. “How could your belly come apart? Everything would fall out, and then I would have to run and get Grandmother and Mother to sew you back up before you turned into nothing but skin!”

Hawk Soaring fell and rolled onto his side, until he choked and had to stop to catch his breath. Tears streamed down his cheeks and chin. “Oh! Oooohhh, you are a precious little one. I hope you never grow up!”

He rolled back over, sat up, pulled his hand through the soft hair on the boy’s head, and yanked on it. “Soon, your hair will be as long as mine. You will grow up to be a proud hunter with a woman and children. Maybe even more than one woman.”

No sooner had he said it, than he wished he could stuff the words back into his big mouth.

Feather Floating In Water’s jaw dropped. He cocked his head and stared at him. “Why do I have only Grandmother? I bet she would love it if you got another woman. She would have somebody else to help her and my mother, and they could all be friends. I would have two grandmothers, and they could take turns cooking and helping each other with all the hides after a hunt. And when it was time to move our people deeper into the canyons during the colder winters, we would have more help, and…. Why do you look like you are holding your breath? Are you choking on something? Why is your face a strange color?”

“I… I just took too much air in all at once. I think a drink from the river will help me feel better.” Learning not to let words spill from my mouth before my mind has a chance to think would also help!

He leaned forward and used his hands to pull himself up. He laughed and shook his head as they walked to the river.

The boy mimicked his actions by kneeling beside him at the water. The drink soothed Hawk Soaring’s throat and gave him a chance to catch his breath.
The boy also sipped the cool water from the bank’s edge. “What if we sucked up a fish? Would he just go down with the water? I bet that would tickle. Have you ever sucked up a fish?”

Hawk Soaring choked and spit out his water, and choked some more through his laughter. He would definitely have to let the boy walk him more. He had forgotten how much fun a child could be, especially one as amusing as Feather.

Man, then boy, stood and turned around… and remained still.

An unexpected guest stared at them from just a few steps away.

—————————————————————————————————————

Cute little guy. I wonder whom the unexpected guest is. Go check out Ruby’s stories, and come back soon; I’m releasing the first part of two podcast episodes interviewing the founders of Evolved Publishing, Lane Diamond and D.T. Conklin, on Wednesday, February 15th.

Scott’s intro for this story on their website:
“In The Deep Dark” is a keen example of the sort of psychological horror I love. He builds good atmosphere and gets at the core of one of our primal fears. Something wicked is at the heart of the Bluestone Mine and unfortunate things follow. This is a prequel of sorts to a novel that Justin will be putting out, and I look forward to it.

What really grabbed me about this story is that it highlights how even grownups can be afraid of the dark. Being afraid of the dark is one of the purest types of fear, and reminds us of when we were vulnerable children with active imaginations about our basements or closets. In this case, that fear is justified, and even added a few twists to make it a more horrific tale. Justin has a very creative setting and his description of mining is accurate enough to this reader to have felt right in there with the thick of things. It gets thick and quite hairy. Well worth your $1.49 for this chilling thrill ride. The fact that this is a prequel threw me off in a good way, and I look forward to the novel. Justin is also the host of the Dead Robots Society podcast, one of my favorite podcasts on writing.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first story, “If I Should Die,” by Amanda Papenfus, was very well-written. It gives a brief glimpse into a girl’s life as she deals with the hopelessness of her cancer prognosis, and yet the ending was inspiring.

The second story, “The Last Earthling,” by D.T. Conklin, was a difficult read for me because of the setting conflicting with my belief system. However, you have to give credit to the story living on in my mind’s spare moments for more than a week later. The story was well-written, with empathetic characters in a creative world, so I kept reading. The ending had the type of surprise you hope for in good fiction, and is left open for your interpretation. I spoke with the author, D.T. Conklin, and he mentioned how this story highlights how important forgiveness is to him. In that we both agree, and this story is highly recommended because of the type of discussion it evokes. Read it and tell D.T. I sent you.

The third story, “Timothy,” by Anjuli Bowen, is fantastic. I love the concept of a man who doesn’t age, and who decides one day to bring the sand jar that keeps him alive outside and risk dying. Emotional and satisfying.

Lane Diamond‘s story, “One Last Thought,” is a complex picture in prose of a man’s dependency on a woman. The twist surprised me, but I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to take from this story. I can’t really get into it without spoiling the twist though.

Jeffrey B. Burton‘s story, “A Building This Size,” is a mystery built on clever dialogue that emphasizes the power and motive behind what isn’t said. I really enjoyed this one as well. There is definite reread value on this one. I even made his story a Saturday Spotlight post, and highlighted his future and published novels.

“Courage through Fear” by Ruby Standing Deer. This story caught me off guard with fear and concern for the main character. This 21 year old girl grifting cross-country with alcoholic husband finds out too late the cost of their freedom. Emotional attachment and the temptations for survival prevent her from escaping just as they would anyone else in her situation. This is a story that will keep your firm attention till the end. There is a brief content warning, though I won’t say what to keep the surprise.

Ruby has a book out with Evolved Publishing called Circles. In her bio, she says “Life presents us a path; how we choose to navigate that ‘circle’ is up to us.” I would say this philosophy is part of what nailed me into the hero’s quest in “Courage through Fear;” I was captured by her dilemma and cared deeply for her to find her way to safety. I imagine her novel, Circles, will evoke the same sense of connection with the main character’s quest. I’m in contact with Ruby for a future Saturday Spotlight post and possible reading.

Overall, I rated this anthology as a 3.8, but will round up to give it 4 stars because I really enjoyed reading it. There are three five star stories in here, “Timothy,” “A Building This Size,” and “Courage through Fear.” The rest are good stories, and with this variety, I imagine you might find more five stars than I did.

View all my reviews

He’s also teaming up with J.A. Hite to produce A Method to the Madness: A Guide to the Super Evil. Submissions are still being accepted to this anthology, so check out their guidelines and submit to your inner super-villain.

This episode’s promo is for Scott Roche and his 52 Weeks of Indie (books).

I look forward to February, where Chila Woychik, managing editor of Port Yonder Press, is going to work closely with me to improve said short story. The goal is to submit the story to The Writers of the Future Contest by the March 31 deadline. The edits I’ve made in the past month have been a massive project, to the point where I could barely see straight as I looked at the critique comments (see last NAF post, “Productive Patience”). It’s hard to imagine what Chila has in store, but experience tells me the story, and my writing, will improve substantially. I have three short fiction pieces out in submission queues right now, and may find out in February if any get accepted.

Between editing “The Mess I’ve Made,” I have two projects: organizing the notes on my novel and adding a new level of what changes need to be made, then making them; and continuing to write “Campus Zombies.” Campus Zombies is in my WIP page as well. It’s at 8k so far, and could stretch beyond novelette length to novella, or even novel length. I worked on structure using Anatomy of a Screenplay, and am now just discovering as I write how I’ll find my plot points.

As for the podcast, AudioTim, I plan to release three episodes this month: on every other Wednesday starting on the first of February. I have an interview with Michell Plested on writing fast and outlining, an interview with Lane Diamond and D.T. Conklin of Evolved Publishing, and with Rebecca P. Minor, author of the new Fantasy book, The Windrider Saga. These were all recorded prior to my recent purchase of a Rode NT1A mic and new PreSonus Audiobox interface. I’m excited to introduce that new sound to upcoming shows, and to my fiction I hope to be published soon.

The website currently has a weekly Saturday Spotlight post, where I choose a five-star short story to highlight, along with news about the author. I am building content on my Bookmarks to Publishing series and a few new segments, one on podcast creation, and another discussing the topics seen on my 12 Days of Creepfest page.

That’s all for now. Thank you for stopping by, and if you haven’t already, you can subscribe by email, RSS, or like my Facebook page to keep up to date.

The main character of this story is a hopeless optimist, who is willing to sell whatever he can to put him on the investment track towards becoming the world’s next quadrillionairre. gutligpinkstink128 (couldn’t afford to pay for capitals) lives in a world where white-collar crime has been legalized and one man is CFO of Earth. One day as gutligpinkstink128 lies in a gutter, letting the toxic waters burn one of his remaining limbs (he sold the rest to help fund his celebrity bobblehead doll franchise), a hover limo pulls up and a man offers him a job working for the aforementioned CFO, Monly Slim. What he does for Mr. Slim, as well as what he discovers while working, is fascinating sci-fi and as humorous as it sad. Thankfully, gutligpinkstink128′s ceaseless optimism and dry humor keeps the tale fun and worth many relistens. I’ve heard it three times and laugh out loud every time, often to parts I didn’t notice in earlier listens. I’m tempted to share some of my favorite parts, but I don’t want to ruin them. I’m sure you’ll laugh and really enjoy this story.

Martin has a book just released from Creeping Hemlock Press, Reanimated Americans: A Zombie Novel. Tales to Terrify shares a little bit about this book in the second episode’s intro, and it sounds like if I enjoyed the humor of “Chair,” that I’ll enjoy the humor in this book. I will definitely check it out, and you should too.

Looking into Creeping Hemlock Press, I see they have quite a few zombie books newly released. Their new imprint, Print is Dead, has a sampler of the following three titles:

Bio from his website: The stories of Jeffrey B. Burton have appeared in dozens of genre magazines (mystery, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, literary). Jeff is an Active member of both the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) and the Horror Writers Association (HWA). A collection of his short stories, Shadow Play, was published in 2005. His mystery novel, Sleuth Slayer, was published in 2008.

America's leading mystery writers are being brutally murdered. Third-tier author Guy Davitt—a would-be Dashiell Hammett—stumbles upon the killer's bizarre M.O. But Davitt cannot convince deeply skeptical police a Sleuth Slayer actually exists. Through a dark labyrinth of film studio power brokers, publishing industry politics, a decadent family's wealthy influence, police immorality—as well as the dawning realization that he himself is on the killer's list—Davitt pursues the truth.

Don't turn around. Walk fast, faster, because someone or something may just be after you. Shadow Play is a story collection that offers enough mystery, murder, and mayhem to fill a whole season's worth of the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents or Twilight Zone television shows.

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Podcast music is brought to you by Daddy Scrabble, from www.freemusicarchive.org, “Lorda Mercy.”

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