Update on UNLIKELY HERO

IFWG will be releasing my second novel Unlikely Hero Soon. The editing for Unlikely Hero is half way through. And as good and quick as my editor is publication will be coming up soon.

Constructed in action scenes that take place on a Global scale, and involve both law and outlaw where the distinction between the two is often muddy. So in the final chapter the murders are solved but a rather likeable criminal escapes retribution.

This statement, revenge is best savored when it’s no longer expected, describes the plot behind the story of ‘Unlikely Hero’. There are a number of angry people in this tale of murder with a sufficient reason to commit the crimes.

Alex Cahill lives a double life as a news reporter and a paid assassin. He has no reservations about killing anyone for money, and does so many times in different circumstances through out the pages. His unusual concern when he accidentally injures a child surprises his cohorts.

That child, Garth Ahern, believes he is predestined to die in prison like his father. He has reached the age of nine convinced of this by the screeches of an abusive mother and the condemnation of an old priest. Deprived of a daddy, the boy needed a hero.

Set in the late seventies, the Ahern brothers raised in the turmoil of Northern Ireland have followed very different paths. The Eldest, with the help of friends escaped to America; his natural ability in electronics in the growing age of computers allowed him to carve out a financial empire. The Youngest, the victim of treachery put this schooling to his advantage by becoming a paid killer. Only the middle brother married, his wife bore a son eight months after his death.

Violence surrounds that boy. Garth is orphaned by his mother’s murder; the event draws his ‘Yankee Uncles’, who previously hadn’t known of his existence, not only into his life but also into each others’. One becomes the predator and the other the prey in a battle where financial gain appears to be the prime consideration. Revenge, however, is the more volatile reason for murder.

Garth’s Uncle Mathew attempts to give the child a secure home and decent future. Those efforts may be wasted when his Uncle David accepts a contract to kill Mathew.

While there is no effort made to hide the actual identity of Alex Cahill from the reader, certain situations will make them ponder which brother is he. Can he be Garth’s father?

Lots of Irish wandering through these pages so the work must impart some humorous incidents along with the violence. I hope to garner a few chuckles when Cahill interacts with certain members of English and Irish law enforcement. A smile or two should occur as the foreign child, Garth, attempts to dominate the Yankees. And if I can’t draw a few giggles along with the

To The Battle Born

To The Battle Born is now avaiable on Nook.

• Books

nookbook

Battle Born [NOOK Book]

• by
• Geraldine Fitzsimmons

Available on NOOK devices and apps

Overview

A political thriller novelette.

Two similar warriors condemned by their nature. Alex seeks financial gains; with Ryan it is a desire to improve society. Once established, a true belief for something creates a powerful passion in some men that allows them to use any method to accomplish their aim.

The two main characters are taken from Geraldine Fitzsimmons' novel, Unlikely Hero.

Update on Unlikely Hero

IFWG will be releasing my second novel Unlikely Hero Soon. The editing for Unlikely Hero is due to start. And as good and quick as my editor is publication will be coming up soon.

Constructed in action scenes that take place on a Global scale, and involve both law and outlaw where the distinction between the two is often muddy. So in the final chapter the murders are solved but a rather likeable criminal escapes retribution.

This statement, revenge is best savored when it’s no longer expected, describes the plot behind the story of ‘Unlikely Hero’. There are a number of angry people in this tale of murder with a sufficient reason to commit the crimes.

Alex Cahill lives a double life as a news reporter and a paid assassin. He has no reservations about killing anyone for money, and does so many times in different circumstances through out the pages. His unusual concern when he accidentally injures a child surprises his cohorts.

That child, Garth Ahern, believes he is predestined to die in prison like his father. He has reached the age of nine convinced of this by the screeches of an abusive mother and the condemnation of an old priest. Deprived of a daddy, the boy needed a hero.

Set in the late seventies, the Ahern brothers raised in the turmoil of Northern Ireland have followed very different paths. The Eldest, with the help of friends escaped to America; his natural ability in electronics in the growing age of computers allowed him to carve out a financial empire. The Youngest, the victim of treachery put this schooling to his advantage by becoming a paid killer. Only the middle brother married, his wife bore a son eight months after his death.

Violence surrounds that boy. Garth is orphaned by his mother’s murder; the event draws his ‘Yankee Uncles’, who previously hadn’t known of his existence, not only into his life but also into each others’. One becomes the predator and the other the prey in a battle where financial gain appears to be the prime consideration. Revenge, however, is the more volatile reason for murder.

Garth’s Uncle Mathew attempts to give the child a secure home and decent future. Those efforts may be wasted when his Uncle David accepts a contract to kill Mathew.

While there is no effort made to hide the actual identity of Alex Cahill from the reader, certain situations will make them ponder which brother is he. Can he be Garth’s father?

Lots of Irish wandering through these pages so the work must impart some humorous incidents along with the violence. I hope to garner a few chuckles when Cahill interacts with certain members of English and Irish law enforcement. A smile or two should occur as the foreign child, Garth, attempts to dominate the Yankees. And if I can’t draw a few giggles along with the sighs and shudders during murder or sex, I’ll have to toss my passport in the Atlantic.

Werewolves: New Twists on an Old Monster Tale

Three Werewolf Movies that Provide Different Takes on the Classic Horror Creature.

Bloodcurdling stories of werewolf encounters have been prowling around for centuries. Nothing chills the soul more than some cursed unfortunate metamorphosing into a hairy beast under the light of the full moon. But just when you thought there was nothing new or unique that could be added to such lycanthropic legends, three recent horror (or urban fantasy, depending on your definition) movies put a new spin on a favorite furry supernatural beastie.

Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers (2002), written and directed by Neil Marshall (who later went on to write and direct The Descent, Doomsday and The Centurion) pits a pack of werewolves against a military unit staging exercises in a remote area of the Scottish Highlands. Starring Sean Pertwee (son of actor Jon who portrayed the third Dr. Who), Dog Soldiers is a combination of gore, black humor and intense, violent action.

The story turns the werewolf mythos on its head by depicting not just one but a pack of werewolves with the point-of-view focusing strictly on the humans being hunted (no touchy-feely, internal human persona vs. animal persona conflict here!). The struggles of the military unit’s members and the mysterious woman who helps them are front-and-center as they can either give in to fear or stand and fight the horror surrounding them.

Skinwalkers

Skinwalkers (2006 – not to be confused with the Tony Hillerman novel of the same name), directed by James Isaac and starring Jason Behr, Rhona Mitra and Elias Koteas, depicts a pack of dangerous werewolf bikers on the loose. They are “skinwalkers,” according to Navajo lore--humans who are able to change their forms into those of animals.

Opposing them are good skinwalkers who are trying to live their lives without killing. They do this by shackling themselves to the inside of their RV on the nights of the full moon. If they taste human blood for the first time, their animal nature will take over completely. And their human personas must remain intact in order to protect the one member of their family who has the power to end the werewolf curse once and for all--a 13 year-old boy who is half human and half skinwalker.

The expert werewolf facial makeup was done by the late, great Stan Winston, giving credence to the expression, “Less is More.” These werewolves really look bestial without the makeup effects being over-the-top or cheesy.

Underworld

The big budget entry of this trio of films, Underworld (2003), directed by Len Wiseman and starring Kate Beckinsdale, Scott Speedman and Bill Nighy, reimagines werewolves and vampires as rival gangs engaging in high-tech urban (fantasy) warfare. Stylishly cool and sexy, the film shows both groups adapting very well to the modern era. The vampires shoot bullets containing silver nitrate at the “Lycans” and the werewolves return fire to the “Death Dealers” with bullets that emit ultraviolet light. Both opposing groups utilize laptops, the internet and cell phones as tools in their centuries-long struggle.

In addition, the werewolves are trying to create a powerful vampire/werewolf hybrid to help them in their battle against the blood-suckers. They live beneath the city streets (the “underworld” of the title) while their vampire foes reside in luxurious mansions replete with state-of-the-art technology.

Oddly enough (with a couple of exceptions), the much bigger, more powerful Lycans get their behinds kicked in this film. Preferring to get down and dirty in their werewolf forms, most of them fall easy victims to the Death Dealers’ modern weaponry.

Stylized action sequences and an in-depth backstory on the ancient war between these two toothy groups give this film a little more substance than most run-of-the mill creature features.

At the end of the day, a werewolf is a werewolf is a werewolf, but kudos to those artists who won’t take the easy way out. Their imaginative slants on classic horror tropes make the old seem new again.

To The Battle Born is now avaiable on Nook.

• Books

nookbook

Battle Born [NOOK Book]

• by
• Geraldine Fitzsimmons

Available on NOOK devices and apps

Overview

A political thriller novelette.

Two similar warriors condemned by their nature. Alex seeks financial gains; with Ryan it is a desire to improve society. Once established, a true belief for something creates a powerful passion in some men that allows them to use any method to accomplish their aim.

The two main characters are taken from Geraldine Fitzsimmons' novel, Unlikely Hero.

'chap-ebook'!

June 2012 Newsletter 'Word from the Editor'

We are happy to announce the creation of a new line of products for IFWG Publishing. We all know about 'chapbooks', that oddity in publishing that started off as a newsletter a few centuries ago - small books (normally 40 pages or less) that contained a story, or newsletter, or the like. Some authors publish similarly sized beasts as ebooks, and we thought it was a great idea to marry the two concepts together, hence creating the 'chap-ebook'!

We aren't doing this in a big way; we are expressly publishing chap-ebooks only written by our current authors - those who we published novels, anthologies and non-fiction. No one else. The reasoning behind this is to provide readers with extra material from their favorite authors, and sometimes also supplement larger stories with smaller work. We are delighted to do this, and in the spirit of chapbooks, we will turn them over rather quickly, and not necessarily spend a great deal of time polishing the covers. We will be numbering our 'chap-ebook' series in the order they are published.

Gift Horse is the first cab off the rank, and has the honor of being number #001. It is a wonderful science-fiction piece written by our Managing Director, and author of the KnorraSky series of novels, R.A. Knowlton. Over coming weeks we will be adding three more chap-ebooks to our collection - just stay tuned.

Gerry Huntman
Chief Editor
IFWG Publishing

Random Musings about the Reading Experience

I was in a couple of bookstores in Saskatoon a couple of months ago in preparation for some pre-release promotion for The Rebels and some in Toronto. There are still a lot of people who go to bookstores and I must admit that even though I rarely step foot in one, there is nothing quite like the visceral feel of being inside a bookstore, being surrounded by a world of literature. It's nothing like staring at it on a screen, which is an antiseptic experience most days. I think that I will forever, along with many people, equate reading with the feel of paper in my hands, flipping real pages, hearing the rustle of paper. Seeing shadows fall across the pages as I turn to the next chapter.

Don't get me wrong. I also love my Kobo reader. It's portable word power in a compact device. But the worrier in me always wonders if the battery is going and while changing font sizes for my weary eyes is a bonus, I can never quite get the same feel of seeing a full 'page' on the screen. The screen always seems too small.

I hope there is still room in the new world for bookstores. It will be a sad day when we can't go into a store and be surrounded by a world of books and share that experience with real people going to the same place for the same reason.

The Devil Came East

The Devil Came East and found a perfect playground.  Promotional price on this novel still available at Amazon’s Kindle, at Barnes and Noble‘s Nook. If you would like to join a Serial Killer in his trek through the Big City hunting victims or join those trying to apprehend him, take a few minutes to check this book out.

Neil Harris, a psychiatrist, on a late night radio talk show is the first to realize Satan has appeared in New York City. Lonely women who call his show to chat are committing suicide at an unusually high rate. When Neil shares his suppositions with his friend, Detective Sergeant Joseph Farley, of the local police department, the search for the killer commences.

Not only a mystery, but a personal drama, Joe Farley, forty-five, recently divorced with some heavy financial baggage, is a bit of an underachiever. He is hampered by the fact he is given minimal help to find the killer and must share authority with a much younger ‘man on the move’ sergeant. Joe has a new love interest, a belligerent child, and a fierce loyalty to Neil  Harris(considered a suspect) thrown into the mix of complications.

Although this Goal Oriented  Serial Killer will meet and greet you on the opening page, and there are numerous hints throughout the text, it’s unlikely the reader will come to the proper conclusion any sooner than the police.

When our killer finds the perfect female, he makes a mistake and stays in one place too long.
With the police rapidly closing in on him, the Devil decides to go west. Can he escape or will the officer he attacks become his final victim?

Never Judge a Book By its Cover...But...

Just a bit of advice about book covers gathered along my literary journey.

Like it or not, readers do judge a book by its cover. That's why authors go into a book store and turn their covers face front.

A cover must capture the attention. That's elementary, but doing it is a bit more tricky. A lot more.

1) First of all, a cover needs to be simple. Cluttered covers confuse the eye and leaves a reader wondering what the heck the focus of the book is. Remember that the cover is not meant to be a visual summary of all the important elements of the book. Pick one or two. Or a single eye-catching scene perhaps. Make it dynamic, or give it meaning, or both. Leave a question in the readers' minds that they will want to answer by reading your blurb or flipping the pages, and ultimately buying it.

2)  Choose colors that will pop out visually. Don't use dull colors except as background. Up the contrast. Make the color wheel your friend. Using colors that are opposite on the color wheel will make your visuals  stand out.

3)  Mind the 30 foot rule. Does your book stand out even from 30 feet away (i.e. from the front of the store). This applies even in today's online age. When your cover is reduced to a thumbnail, can you tell what is on the book cover? Can you read the title and the author's name?

That last one is important. Make your fonts large enough that it can be read, even at a glance, at a distance, or as a small icon. Be careful not to bleed it into the visual elements. Don't be too 'cute' with your fonts. It just comes across as amateurish.

Don't just use simple black or white for your title. Make it more interesting. Use colors from your visual in order to tie it all together, or use the color wheel.

Try using all caps, all no-caps, enlarging the first letter, etc. The author name doesn't have to be the same font as the title, but try not using more than two.

4) Give the eyes a direction in order to give a cover more impact. Have the visual elements naturally flow in one, or at most two directions (that make sense). You can 'point' it to your title.

5) Make it unique, exciting, sexy. Guns, gals and explosions. They work for a reason. The cover is your first hook. Grab them by the...well, you know what I mean.

6) Try adding a tag line, but make it an interesting one. Look at movie posters for some great examples. My favorite is the one from Alien ("In space, no one can hear you scream...")

Hope that helps.

Vampire High School

Book 3: The Rage Wars.

By Ian Hall and Lachelle Miller

I could see uniforms all around me, all ready to attack the compound; it was so bizarre.

A whole Helsing army, clad in desert camouflage, surrounding Alan McCartney and his vampire horde. The tension in the air was palpable, and I was literally shaking in my desert-colored, company issue boots.

As I listened in my headset for the order to advance, I had time to consider the depth of the crap I had gotten us into. We were drafted members of the Helsing coalition; weapons, uniforms, a command structure, organization, for goodness sake. All far from the individualism I’d joined less than a few months ago.

It was all too much, and I knew it. Lives were on the line here, and that meant mine too. I wasn’t sure I wanted my life on the line in the first place, but to be at the call of someone else’s command seemed wrong. I’d risked my life in the past, sure. But it had always been at my discretion.

Through the glass of my gas mask, I could see the farmhouse, only two hundred yards away. I could see the big generator, and even the movement of some heads in the farmhouse windows.

“Forty-seven.”

The pressure was incredible.

Frank turned to us. “Oxygen on. Whatever happens, breathe normally.”

I flipped my valve.

I can’t exactly remember when I first heard the noise, but it grew from distant humming to a dull roar. Then it almost burst my eardrums. As the first aircraft burst over my head, I knew I was suddenly at war.

My personal vendetta against Alan McCartney had turned into all-out chemical freaking warfare. As exhaust trails crisscrossed overhead, the ground became saturated with the Helsing version of WMD.

Reynolds gave the command we’d been waiting for, “Oxygen on. Whatever happens, breathe normally.”

A rush of forced air pressurized the mask and it suctioned up to my face with a “sllllurp”. It didn’t keep the toxic odor from getting through as acid rain sprayed down on us from above.

Lyman was shouting, “What is it?”

I kept my head down and listened only for Reynolds’ voice. “Coagulator! I can smell it. It’s strong.”

Finally the moment came: “We advance. We watch for trip wires, we carry both side arms. We shoot everything that doesn’t wear camouflage.”

It was a slow, deliberate decline and the stuff the Helsings were lacing my blood packs with wasn’t helping my coordination any. Out of the brush surrounding the bowl-shaped valley, more camouflaged figures emerged, converging on the compound in the center. The effect was nothing less than surreal; slow-walking trees with plastic faces and space-aged-looking weapons. And I was one of them.

Fifty yards downhill, the valley slithered with vampires, already dropped to their bellies and lungs fighting against the coagulant stiffening their muscles. They were fish in a barrel (as Dad would have said), easy pickings for the Helsing militia. Too easy.

Thanks for reading so far. This is the first segment from out third Vampire High School novel. We hope that it sparked interest. It's been a blast to write, and we hope that the ideas are fresh, and not relying on so much recent so-called "vampire-lore". Our vampires don't glisten.

Unlikely Hero

Unlikely Hero
By Geri Fitzsimmons
All rights to the author

“Sure,” the Old Fellow said, “revenge is best savored when it’s no longer expected.”

Chapter One

The land around had been bulldozed so dark soil encircled a massive structure. Barbed wire topped stone walls that stretched for miles. Slimy green mold discolored the gray stones of those walls. An oppressive silence polluted the air outside the walls.

There was noise aplenty within those walls, howling, cursing, and even the sobs of men mixed with the incessant barks and yells of warders. At nine years and a few days old, Garth Ahern knew all this though he had never actually heard it.  Hadn't his mum spit it at him for as long as he could remember, accompanied by her usual cuffs and slaps. "Sure'n that's where you'll die Gareee, squawking in a prison, just like your pa."

Now he rocked his buttocks back and forth lifting one then the other to keep the dampness from seeping through his short gray pants. It was wasted effort but he did it out of habit. As if the movements could somehow prevent his dirtying his pants. Tears dribbled from his eyes to streak his cheeks. He rubbed at a nose, more like a pop up button, in the center of his small face. A chubby hand reached up to shove the dusty blond hair from his forehead. Managing to soil his face sufficiently, he then slipped his hands beneath his cold buttocks. Back and forth he continued to rock.

No adult could see what his innocent eyes viewed through the fog of his tears. Parading the dead land around those prison walls were big men, broad of chest, heads held high. Strong voiced they sang to him. He had only a smattering of an idea of what their words meant. Battle, glory and death all connected as one concept within his immature mind.  Most of the phantoms he didn't recognize. The few he did were from faded pictures in books that didn't look all that much like these heroes.

Garth never sat here with his friends. He never let on to them what he knew and saw when he came here alone to visit. Among his pals, Garth was a comic who teased and made other boys laugh. He sang nonsensical rhymes of things that could never occur. Dreaming up goblins and ghouls, he could entertain his restless young chums for hours. Some of the older lads dubbed him The Rainmaker and swore, “Surely his lies cause the angels themselves to weep endlessly.”

No one ever saw Garth cry. Even when his ma whipped him in her meanness or a Holy Sister blistered his palms for, “Taking the Good Lord's name in vain.” Garth never shed a tear. The heroes cried for him. He knew that was what caused the rain, not some silly angels who didn't give a hoot. The heroes cried because they knew he would soon join them and die in the prison like his pa.

Garth didn't know his pa. Daniel Ahern was dead eight months before Garth was born. His ma had burned even his pictures that might have given the boy some vague remembrance. “Nay, Gareee, I'll not have ya grow inta a boozing, fighting, wasted lump the likes of Dan'el Ahern.” She told him daily but Garth knew different.

His eyes burned as he watched the ghostly heroes marching around those prison walls in time to their battle hymns. A sly smile formed on his lips and he licked at them. He knew that in the middle of that parade, Daniel Ahern was marching, waiting for his only son to join him.

Garth shivered from the chill inside as well as outside, his chest hurt as a patch of ice replaced his heart. He trembled and jumped to his feet, dancing about trying to restore the flow of warm blood. He didn't concern himself with hours or minutes but he realized he had been here a long time. Time enough to get in big trouble. Since he was always in trouble, he didn't waste effort on worry. The emptiness of his stomach caused noisy grumbles and a bit of a gas pain. Abruptly the heroes began weeping and the rain splashed on his head. His school uniform would be dirty and wet and his ma would whip him good. Her slaps didn't bother him much anymore, but that yowling. How he hated the sound of Leona’s voice. How he longed to smash a burning brick of peat into her wide yap. He snickered. Sure’n, but weren’t he the Devil's child like the Good Father Reagan said.

The rain came harder. He ran. Faster and faster his legs pumped, his feet keeping time to the rhythm of the rain. If he could move fast enough, the speed of his legs might carry his body above the heroes' tears; he might run all the way to Hell. The sound of his childish laughter rang loudly. Sure'n he'd never be cold again.

He couldn't see much through the haze of the downpour but he knew the way by heart. He'd entered the road to increase his speed but when the auto came around a bend he didn't hear it. When his small body suddenly took flight, it was as if he'd gotten his wish and left the Earth behind.

Origins of The Sixth Precept - Part 7

My writers’  group members had questioned my resolve to combine the short stories into the overall novel I was writing more than once. They suggested I take all references to the short stories (except for “Shadow Hunt,” which had become Chapter 9) out of the book.

I declined to do that and set about polishing the novel as it was. I really thought I had meshed all the disparate parts of the short stories seamlessly into the grand whole. As a result, I decided to pitch my novel to a respected and well-known genre editor.

I belong to a Pennsylvania state-wide writers’ group called Pennwriters. Every year at their annual conference, members can set up appointments with guest editors and/or agents to try to sell their novels. A few years ago, I got a 10 minute spot with Ginger Buchannan of Ace/Penguin/Roc – a very big deal indeed! I was pretty nervous but had practiced my pitch and went into the interview with all guns blazing. She actually kept me over 5 minutes, saying my novel had a “reverse terminator” plot and sounded interesting. She gave me her card and told me to query her when I had cut out 30,000 words!

I was pretty much in a daze about that – how could I cut out so much? And then I remembered the comments my writers’ group had made. I was able to cut out all those words pretty easily. As a result, The Sixth Precept, became a much leaner, tighter and better book. I know you all think that I never listen to my group but, honestly, this was the only time I had rebelled against their infinite wisdom! Of course, I had rebelled about 3 times but I’m much better now.  J

I queried Ms. Buchannan and then, per her request, sent the entire manuscript to her. Nine months later it was rejected by another editor – there had been a reorg at Ace and Ginger was promoted. I’d like to think that she would have given The Sixth Precept a shot had she not been booted upstairs but this left the door open for IFWG!

Origins of The Sixth Precept - Part 6

So I decided to write a Kim Yoshima novel.

It seemed a logical step to progress from the short stories to a larger piece although it turned out that the way I set about writing the novel was anything but logical. In my infinite wisdom, I planned on combining all three short stories with their very different plots into one coherent narrative. I knew I could do it! I knew it could work!

Ha!

It was a challenge (as my writing group warned me it would be) but I threw caution to the winds and dove right in! I had written two previous novels – the first from fifteen years before that took me five years to finish. It was a science-fantasy comedy that, in the end, really didn’t work although I have taken out bits and pieces of it for other stories. The second novel I wrote is one that I’ve shopped around and still hold out high hopes for publication someday. It’s dark science fiction (of the soft variety) and does have blue-skinned aliens in it – I’ll sue the producers of Avatar!  J

Anyway, it wasn’t like I hadn’t taken on a big writing project before so I should have known better and certainly should have listened to my writing group whose advice I once again rejected.  Hindsight, you know.

The Sixth Path was envisioned as a very large novel divided into six sections, each one representing the six axioms of my unknown ancient philosopher and titled as such. Kim not only had to deal with comic book characters come to life but ETs, time travel, alternate dimensions, mental telepathy and my old friends Wing Toy and company! Yikes!

During this time, I also tried my hand at another Kim Yoshima short story but realized as I was finishing it up that it should also go into the novel. It was called “Shadow Hunt” and is now Chapter 9 of The Sixth Precept, the only short piece that actually fit and made sense for the longer work. In it I introduced Kim’s friend Lazo Sibulovich and the shadow-trackers who became integral parts of the novel.

I ended up with a 130,000 word novel that had way too much going on it. But, as the old expression goes, I couldn't see the forest for the trees.

IFWG will be releasing my second novel Unlikely Hero in June of this year.

IFWG will be releasing my second novel Unlikely Hero in June of this year.

Constructed in action scenes that take place on a Global scale, and involve both law and outlaw where the distinction between the two is often muddy. So in the final chapter the murders are solved but a rather likeable criminal escapes retribution.

This statement, revenge is best savored when it’s no longer expected, describes the plot behind the story of ‘Unlikely Hero’. There are a number of angry people in this tale of murder with a sufficient reason to commit the crimes.

Alex Cahill lives a double life as a news reporter and a paid assassin. He has no reservations about killing anyone for money, and does so many times in different circumstances through out the pages. His unusual concern when he accidentally injures a child surprises his cohorts.

That child, Garth Ahern, believes he is predestined to die in prison like his father. He has reached the age of nine convinced of this by the screeches of an abusive mother and the condemnation of an old priest. Deprived of a daddy, the boy needed a hero.

Set in the late seventies, the Ahern brothers raised in the turmoil of Northern Ireland have followed very different paths. The Eldest, with the help of friends escaped to America; his natural ability in electronics in the growing age of computers allowed him to carve out a financial empire. The Youngest, the victim of treachery put this schooling to his advantage by becoming a paid killer. Only the middle brother married, his wife bore a son eight months after his death.

Violence surrounds that boy. Garth is orphaned by his mother’s murder; the event draws his ‘Yankee Uncles’, who previously hadn’t known of his existence, not only into his life but also into each others’. One becomes the predator and the other the prey in a battle where financial gain appears to be the prime consideration. Revenge, however, is the more volatile reason for murder.

Garth’s Uncle Mathew attempts to give the child a secure home and decent future. Those efforts may be wasted when his Uncle David accepts a contract to kill Mathew.

While there is no effort made to hide the actual identity of Alex Cahill from the reader, certain situations will make them ponder which brother is he. Can he be Garth’s father?

Lots of Irish wandering through these pages so the work must impart some humorous incidents along with the violence. I hope to garner a few chuckles when Cahill interacts with certain members of English and Irish law enforcement. A smile or two should occur as the foreign child, Garth, attempts to dominate the Yankees. And if I can’t draw a few giggles along with the sighs and shudders during murder or sex, I’ll have to toss my passport in the Atlantic.

Aliens and X-Files

Alien Corridor. This is the new cover, I hope you all like it.
Linda Fields, at www.sparkinspirepublishing.com is the artist, and there's a story to the whole thing.
I met Linda through a jewelry sale (my 'real' work), and we hit it off immediately. She writes, and has some amazing artwork too.
I looked at her work, and was so taken by this image, I wrote a scene in 'Alien Corridor' which was set in this mysterious house at the edge of the lake.
Much later, I then told Linda about the scene, and she promptly offered me use of the image.
A few negotiations later, it was mine.
It does, however pose a serious problem.... it does raise the bar.
Now all my other covers have to be brought up to the same standard.
Click on the pic to go to my amazon books.

SANGO

Sango the god of thunder was held in healthy respect in her village and you do not swear in his name in a trivial manner. One of the things her mother always told was not to stand in the doorway when it rains as that might irritate Sango if he was on a mission. One of the several functions of Sango was like some kind of investigative police officer as you could appeal to Sango if you wanted to catch a thief, or someone had refused to tell the truth about something and it was important. Interestingly, you could have your answer within seven days, the standard regulation time.

Ife had been skeptical until one lazy afternoon, during a previous visit when she had

heard a scream and rushed out. The day had started innocently dry and sunny with no

hint of rain in the wind nor in the sky, then a slight breeze had started and while still

sunny some showers of rain started. Suddenly there was a loud rumble and flash of

lightning, the rain stopped, as the screams came.

Lying on the ground with a bag of cocoa beans on his chest had been a pastor. It was

clear what had happened. He had stolen the bag of beans and the victim had appealed

to Sango to fish out the thief. No one could touch the body in obedience to the custom, her grandmother was sent for and she started up drums and songs, to summon the devotees who soon joined her. They had to search for Sango’s axe round the victim and they danced watched by crowd as they searched for the axe, when they found it they needed a black smith to extract it from the ground, so they took the man to the blacksmith. Sango was known as a blacksmith in his earth days when he lived as a man before he became a god so blacksmiths were always consulted on anything that had to do with him.

However the devotees found the axe just a few meters away. Ife had stared awed by the whole drama. Just before the pastor finally died, the devotees revived him and asked him to explain what had happened to him, he confessed to stealing the bag of cocoa beans, the Sango priests were asked to conduct the funeral by a shame faced congregation. Ife had wondered a lot about traditional religion and became hesitant about seeing it as a joke.

She remembered that her Dad had said religion was a matter of faith, experiences and

conviction. He had said those who practiced traditional religion believed it and it worked

for them. He just wished to be left alone because he felt it was presumptuous attempting to describe a Creator or the concept of one. She did not really know what he meant but she had nodded in some dim understanding.

There was also her mum who insisted that the world was full of evil spirits and could only be overcome by constant prayers, fasts, and seeing visions. She would light candles everywhere, refuse to drink palm wine or even water that was in bowl that had contained palm wine. Will pray into water to make them holy or sanctify them as she

said. Her father would tease that the savior she followed took the occasional bottle or

else why would he make casks of wine from water as a wedding guest? Ife would be afraid to laugh with her father because of her mother’s scandalized expressions and pursed lips of intense disapproval.