• E-Books:

• Order the e-book from Barnes & Noble (for the Nook reader): $4.99
• Order the e-book from Apple’s iBookstore (for the iPad, iPhone and iPhone Touch): $4.99
• Order the e-book from Amazon (for the Kindle reader): $4.99

• Printed Books:

• Order the deluxe signed hardcover: $34.95
• Order the paperback from AdventuresInBronze.com: $24.95
• Order the paperback from Amazon: $24.95

• E-Books:

• Order the e-book from Barnes & Noble (for the Nook reader): $4.99
• Order the e-book from Amazon (for the Kindle reader): $4.99

Please note that we’re working to get the e-book listed in Apple’s iBookstore right now.

Horror in Gold is even longer than The Desert Demons (clocking in at about 300 pages), but we’ve kept the price the same. Early reviews rank it even higher than The Desert Demons, so this will certainly be the perfect Christmas gift for fans of The Man of Bronze.

Here’s a little information on how we’re releasing Horror in Gold. We’ll be making the paperback edition for sale on www.adventuresinbronze.com in just a matter of days. This will be followed shortly by the e-book version of the title. Later on, we’ll be releasing the deluxe, signed hardcover (also on www.adventuresinbronze.com). So although the release schedule of the formats are slightly different than what we did on The Desert Demons, in the case of Horror in Gold we’ll have all the formats out within a tighter timeframe.

Once the paperback is available, we’ll be adding a link to www.adventuresinbronze.com from this site, and, as we did with The Desert Demons, we’ll be posting Chapter 1.

Thanks again for your patience with us as we made sure Horror in Gold was done right.

The concept behind Pulp Obscura is that Altus Press and Pro Se Press will work in conjunction to produce related products. When Altus Press publishes specially selected titles featuring rare and largely forgotten Pulp characters’ original stories, Pro Se will bring together the best writers of New Pulp today and simultaneously release a collection of newly written tales starring the same character. This stunning partnership will showcase both the classic adventures of some of pulp’s lost treasures while simultaneously allowing New Pulp’s finest to bring those characters back to life.

“This,” Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor-in-Chief of Pro Se Productions, “is no easy task. First to provide New Pulp stories, brand new exciting adventures of rare classic Pulp Characters and to coordinate that with Altus Press. But then finding the right creators, the authors who can breathe new life into these concepts and on top of that, deciding and planning which books will come out in the coming year. It’s a heck of a task and one that has been rewarding on so many levels.”

Thirteen books in the Pulp Obscura line from Pro Se have been planned. At least eight of these will be timed to release simultaneously with the reprinted adventures of the same characters as produced by Altus Press. Five more will be published by Pro Se that will feature characters Altus Press has already published the available adventures of in the past.

“We are extremely proud,” Hancock stated, “to be able to announce a fantastic line up of writers for Pulp Obscura. Some of the creators involved are well known figures in the Pulp Community, others are prestigious in other genres and literary fields, and there’s even a blossoming new author or two thrown in the mix. It shows a project has great promise when you as a Publisher simply put a call out for authors who might be interested in participating and you get not only a flood of interest, but also writers who stay on through the selection process of what will be written and who will write it. Pulp Obscura could not have a better line up of creators for both their skill and their commitment.”

“It’s going to be great to see this new material. Interest in the series has been huge and the enthusiasm by the writers will certainly result in plenty of enjoyable reads,” added Matt Moring, publisher of Altus Press. “I cannot recall such a publishing plan ever in the history of the pulp community.”

The writers involved in the Pulp Obscura Line in 2012 are-

• Howard Hopkins
• Allan Gilbreath
• Barry Reese
• Derrick Ferguson
• Joshua Reynolds
• Andrew Salmon
• Nick Ahlhelm
• Jon Edward Klement
• Bobby Nash
• I.A. Watson
• Teel James Glenn
• Nancy Hansen
• Lee Houston, Jr.
• Chuck Miller
• R. P. Steeves
• Don Thomas
• Adam L. Garcia
• Van Allen Plexico
• Frank Schildiner
• Mike Bullock
• Sean Taylor
• Andrea Judy
• C. William Russette
• Phil Bledsoe
• Ashley Mangin
• Russ Anderson
• Brad Mengel
• Terry Alexander
• BC Bell
• James Palmer
• Andrew Hind
• Stefan Dogaru
• Kevin Noel Olson

Just as exciting and important as the lineup of writers involved in PULP OBSCURA is the list of characters and volumes that the Imprint will have in 2012. There are 13 planned volumes from Pro Se for the first year of PULP OBSCURA and the books, along with the writers contributing to them for the first quarter of the year include-

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF RICHARD KNIGHT VOLUME ONE—Adventures of a daring pilot/detective who encounters lost worlds and oddities galore! Writers:

• Josh Reynolds
• Barry Reese
• Adam Garcia
• I.A. Watson
• Frank Schildiner
• Terry Alexander

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE EAGLE VOLUME ONE—Classic Two Fisted Spy Stories! Pulpy Espionage and Intrigue! Writers:

• Rich Steeves
• Bobby Nash
• Teel James Glenn
• Lee Houston, Jr.
• Ashley Mangin
• Nick Ahlhelm

PRICE OF THE MISSIONARY’S GOLD: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ARMLESS O’NEIL VOLUME ONE—Classic Pulp Adventure in Exotic Lands seeking Treasure and Action! And with a Tough as Nails Hook Handed Hero! Writers:

• Sean Taylor
• Rich Steeves
• I.A. Watson
• Chuck Miller
• Andrew Hind
• Nick Ahlhelm

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE GRIFFON VOLUME ONE—Thrill to the adventures of Kerry Keen, the masked hero known as The Griffon! High Flying Escapades in the Pursuit of Justice! Writers:

• Don Thomas
• Rich Steeves
• Chuck Miller
• Van Plexico
• Phil Bledsoe
• Stefan Dogaru

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THUNDER JIM WADE VOLUME ONE—Globe Spanning Adventures into the Darkest, Strangest Corners of the World with A Hero Like No Other! Writers:

• Barry Reese
• Andrew Salmon
• Ashley Mangin
• Nick Ahlhelm
• Andrew Hind
• Frank Schildiner

THE CASES OF MAJOR LACY VOLUME ONE—Follow The Major and his intrepid team of men as they take on crimes and criminals No One Else Can Stop! Writers:

• C. William Russette
• Andrew Salmon
• Bobby Nash
• Andrew Hind
• Don Thomas
• Rich Steeves

“At least seven more titles will follow later in 2012 in the Pulp Obscura line,” Hancock stated. “We are immensely excited not only to be a part of something so great, but also because of the fantastic response this concept has received. We hope everyone joins Altus and Pro Se for the wild roller coaster ride into Pulp Obscura!”

For more information on Altus Press, go to www.altuspress.com

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, check out www.prosepulp.com

Press packets and further information can be provided upon request at proseproductions@earthlink.net.

Below is a list of all the e-books we currently have available on the site:

• Doc Savage: The Desert Demons (for the Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and Nook)
• Thunder Jim Wade: The Complete Series (for the Kindle, iPad/iPhone, and Nook)
• Alias The Whirlwind (for the Kindle and Nook)

Recently, we received a few questions regarding our plans for e-books. Yes, we’ve got a heap more titles coming soon… the next wave includes the following:

• The Cobra: King of Detectives
• The Complete Adventures of the Griffon, Volume 1
• The Man in Purple
• Riding the Pulp Trail
• The Weird Adventures of the Purple Scar
• Hell on Friday: The Johnny Saxon Trilogy
• The Complete Adventures of Senorita Scorpion, Volume 1
• The Black Bat Omnibus, Volume 1

Also, we’ve been asked about specific titles and when they’ll be available. We’d like to have all of our titles available as e-books. Some may have legal issues which would prevent us from doing so. I can’t think of any examples at present, but the possibility exists. But a bigger concern is related to just how the interior of some of our books are laid out. Image-heavy layouts will have to be stripped of those images. In the case of interior spot illustrations, this isn’t a big deal. But if the text relies on the images, this would pose an issue.

However, the biggest concern are tables. Two of our more recent titles, Writings in Bronze and The Black Bat Companion, contain complicated tabular data that wouldn’t survive in e-book form. It’s almost a certainty these would have to be omitted from the e-books. While this isn’t a big deal in some cases, it will be in the case of The Black Bat Companion: it contains a 60 page-long table of Norman Daniels’ pay records, and 100 pages of comic book stories. Removing these would really strip an otherwise robust book of a lot of its value.

So we’ll continue to strive to put out e-books at a steady pace, in between releases of all new reprint collections.

We’re converting several titles at a time to e-book format, and I’ll post here, as well as add links to the individual book pages, as they become available.

C’mon Barry, at least show some bravery and at least call out the novel as The Desert Demons, as published by me. After all, it’s quite evident you’ve got an axe to grind regarding my company and our books’ prices. I thought the complaint sounded familiar, and I realized you’d made the same gripe in a comment left on the DD’s page on Amazon.

Is this the same Barry Reese who just 24 hours ago was lamenting the “attack” by Tony Davis on New Pulp stories, only to hear you turn around today and call another New Pulp story, The Desert Demons, “inane” and a “ripoff”?

Your quote:

“The publisher’s response is that the economics of Print on Demand forces those prices. … It’s simply a case of them wanting to boost their bottom line.”

…borders on libel. Please tell me where I ever mentioned such reasoning. If anything, it’s clear you deliberately took passages out of context in order to validate your screed.

I’m temped to detail our rationale for the new Doc Savage novels’ pricing, but frankly, it’s none of your business. No one’s getting rich off these books. And when you get your books carried by major distributors, the vast majority of room for profit is gone. Mr. Reese, since I’ve never heard of you being a writer before, and I had to look up your books, I can safely say you have little experience with such elements of the publishing world, regardless of your claim of being “around POD publishers for years.”

Your boasts that “no paperback is worth” $24.95, and that “the market will correct itself as publishers discover the limits for what the public will pay” only show your naivety even more. We brought scores of copies of the new Doc books to PulpFest and had them all sold in less than a day. If you put out a quality product, featuring a beloved character, people will buy it. The $40 hardcover you bemoaned has sold better than the paperback edition. You’re backwardly right: indeed, the market has spoken.

Perhaps you should listen to the fans a bit more. People wanted a deluxe keepsake edition, a cheaper hardcopy alternative, and a super-cheap e-book. We created all three types (the e-book is coming this month) to meet every price point. No other publisher is doing more to reach more readers. We were happy to do it and we’re grateful to every one who bought a copy. Based on our offerings, it seems that Altus Press is in reality the publisher whose “primary concern is maximizing readership,” to quote you. And I look forward to your eventual rant that our $4.99 e-book is too expensive for your tastes.

It’s too bad you have little foresight, Barry, which is surprising, given your claimed years of experience in publishing. Doc Savage is the most well-known property of all the New Pulp properties. It’s getting a lot of exposure. Just this week it had a 1/4-page color spotlight feature in Previews. It stands to reason that pushing these new Doc Savage novels to achieve success would only help all the other New Pulp authors. A rising tide lifts all boats. Yet you’ve felt it was more important to rant about the pricing based on uninformed conclusions.

I wish to thank Bobby and Mike for a fair, even-handed debate on the logistics that go into a book’s price.

Barry, I look forward to reading more of your sales and marketing expertise on the world of publishing.

Matt Moring
Altus Press

While Riding the Pulp Trail reached #19,379:

Congrats to Will Murray and Laurie Powers for this achievement! I’ve rarely seen any pulp-related book under 100,000, so this is a very impressive showing. And thanks to all of your for your support!

Also, we’ve gone through our book prices from Lulu, and streamlined them all. They’re all now the same price as Amazon’s paperbacks, and $10 more for hardcovers. What does this mean for you? It means that many hardcover prices have been slashed drastically, some by $15. So check out a hardcover if you’re interested.

Lastly, this summer will see the release of our first e-books. We’re going back and reformatting nearly all of our old titles in order to prepare them for e-books. Look for them to begin trickling out this summer in two formats: the complete text of our book for a few bucks, and each story individually, most likely for 99 cents. You can’t beat that price!

Written by prolific pulp writer Will Murray, who has won acclaim for his unequalled ten-year tenure ghostwriting Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir’s Destroyer action-adventure series, The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage is a continuation of the well-received Doc novels Murray wrote for Bantam Books back in the 1990s, along with the late Lester Dent. The posthumous collaborations will be published under time-honored byline, Kenneth Robeson.

“These new novels are kicked-up, over-the-top exploits of the Man of Bronze, pitting him against forces and foes never before encountered,” promises Murray. “This is not some comic book scripter’s concept of Doc Savage. It’s the real deal.”

Fully authorized by Condé Nast, trademark holder of Doc Savage and based upon unpublished outlines and manuscripts originally written by Lester Dent, the originating writer of the seminal Street & Smith superman, and licensed from the Heirs of Norma Dent, The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage begins with a searing story set in the summer of 1936, The Desert Demons!

“I’ve always had an uncanny knack of writing novels that are more topical when published than when I wrote them,” Murray revealed. “Witness Nick Fury; Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D: Empyre. Published in 2000, it reads like a blueprint for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., right down to the use of passenger aircraft piloted by terrorists to decimate U.S. cities.

“In The Desert Demons, a rash of unexplainable tornado-like outbreaks wreak havoc in California, calling Doc Savage and his men into action. And what action! Men and machinery are swallowed up by the scarlet cyclones, never to be seen again. Some chapters read like news reports of the Spring of 2011. Let’s hope we have a happy ending in real life! The entire Doc Savage cast is back for this reintroductory episode, including fan-favorite Patricia Savage.”

Murray also reunites with his other Doc Savage collaborator, award-winning artist and sculptor Joe DeVito, who will paint the covers from never-seen photographs of model Steve Holland, who posed for the best-selling James Bama covers as the living embodiment of the Man of Bronze. These vintage photos were donated to the project by Mr. Bama.

DeVito notes, “Working with Doc Savage again might best be described as revisiting old friends: both figuratively and literally. Collaborating with Will Murray, working from classic photos of the late Steve Holland provided by Jim Bama to illustrate the first super hero of them all… I guess I can also describe it as FUN!”

The Desert Demons will be released in July, followed by a second wild exploit, Horror In Gold, by late summer. Seven new novels are planned. Murray promises the familiar characters in their rightful time period, but with a definite edge to them.

“Since I wrote my last Bantam Books Doc,” Murray commented, “a lot of writers have taken a swing at the bronze man, and struck out. It was painful to watch. So Lester Dent and I have come out of semi-retirement to show everyone how Doc Savage is done. With the recent release of Python Isle, the first of my original seven Doc novels to be released as audiobooks by Radioarchives.com, I’m proclaiming this the Summer of Doc Savage. Doc is back. For real this time.”

The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage will be released in a variety of formats:

—6”x9” trade paperbacks which will be available to bookstores and comic shops everywhere, as well as to individual purchasers through the official Wild Adventures of Doc Savage website, www.adventuresinbronze.com.

—6”x9”deluxe hardcovers which will contain an illustrated Afterword detailing the background creation of each novel, as well as bonus articles and biographies by Will Murray and others—available in this edition only. These will also include signed bookplates autographed by Will Murray, artist Joe DeVito, and “Lester Dent” (in facsimile).

—e-book formats available for all the most popular e-readers: Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Apple’s iBookstore (for the iPad and iPhone).

Website: www.adventuresinbronze.com
Facebook Page: The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage

…well, except for: thanks for your continued support!

Matt

As you may know, we’ll soon be publishing a collection of Paul S. Powers westerns… it’s about a 50/50 mix of reprints and all-new, unpublished stories. Now we need your help!

Paul’s granddaughter Laurie is currently running a contest to name this book; get all the details here: The New Paul Powers Book Title Contest. But you’d better hurry: it ends February 25th!

We’ll be complimenting the look of Laurie’s book Pulp Writer (seen at right), so if I could offer a bit of advice in coming up with a book title: it has to fit in the same real estate as “Pulp Writer” does on its cover, as we’ll be using the same typeface. So please have mercy on me, the cover designer!

Good luck!

Barbara Custer and Tom Johnson team up to explore the possibilities of intergalactic adventure. The action and suspense in these stories will keep you turning the pages. Does intelligent life exist on other worlds? Some people believe that God didn’t create the vast universe just for humans. Are they gentle friendly beings, or are they monsters that prey on weaker species?
Custer explores heroic aliens bent on rescuing the human race, and evil aliens intending to destroy it. Humans will be in the crossfire! Brothers will also be at odds in their desire to save or destroy mankind.

Johnson gives us two views of the galactic frontier, with his Captain Danger, a superman of the future who keeps law and order among the spaceways, and a master thief, who operates as a future Robin Hood of the star systems.

Together, Custer & Johnson present their fantastic tales of SF in the first of several anthologies from NTD.
Now Available From NTD www.bloodredshadow.com/ Will be available on Amazon and Kindle, and other Major Outlets soon.

First, a brand-new Powers story, “An Embrace at Bell Chapel” posted at Laurie’s Wild West today! Check it out.

Secondly, Laurie has announced a new contest. Here are the details:

1. Every Monday for four weeks, starting November 1, 2010, a CLUE will be posted HERE (shown below) at pulpwriter.com. You need to figure out what the prize is based on that clue. The PRIZE is located somewhere at the OutWest Western Boutique and Cultural Center Web site Online Store – it’s up to you to find it!
2. Take the clue and go to the OutWest online store (http://www.outwestmktg.com) and find the prize based on the clue. (Don’t worry, the clue will be very easy and we won’t make you search every single page of the OutWest store – we’ll give you a hint as to what pages to go to.)
3. When you find the correct prize, there will be a notice posted on that page that says, “Congratulations! You have found the prize for the Pulp Writer contest.”
4. You will need to then EMAIL me at Powerspulpwriter@gmail.com with the name of the prize AND the item number from the OutWest online store. PLEASE LIST YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, AND SHIPPING ADDRESS (P.O. BOX is ok).
5. You will have until Friday of that week, at 5 PM Pacific, to submit your answer.
6. On the next day, Saturday, I will take the names of ALL of those who submitted the correct answer to Powerspulpwriter@gmail.com and pick a name at random. That person wins the Prize.
7. I will notify that person by email AND their name will be posted on the OutWest Web site as well as the PulpWriter.com site. Please note that your name will be posted on these Web sites and may also be posted on our Facebook pages and blogs.

GOT IT? Any questions should be sent to Powerspulpwriter@gmail.com

HERE IS THE CLUE FOR WEEK ONE OF THE PULP WRITER / OUT WEST CONTEST

This cowboy hero had his own radio show and rode a horse named Silver. He also had his own pulp fiction magazine.

Location: This prize is listed on one of the OutWest DVD pages.

You have until Friday, November 5, 2010 at 5 PM Pacific to submit your entry.

Remember! I need:

The name of the prize

The Catalog # as shown on the prize’s page

Your FIRST and LAST name and your shipping address (P.O. Box is OK).

GOOD LUCK!

Thirty years later, the young man now runs his own mob, coming under the scrutiny of the city’s paladin, a mysterious crime fighter called The Black Ghost. In a deadly gun battle between the hero and gangsters, the mob is wiped out, the mob leader killed during the fight. Seeking revenge, the child, now thirty years old, gathers a new gang to go up against the Black Ghost. Trained in the martial arts from childhood, the new mob leader dons the regalia of a ninja and begins robbing banks and killing citizens randomly, hoping to bring the nemesis to them.

With the city streets running red in blood, The Black Ghost and his aides mount a campaign to stop the ninja’s mob. The action is furious, and sometimes quite violent as the Black Ghost matches guns with the gangsters. In a final encounter between The Black Ghost and the ninja, a martial arts battle between the foes ends with only one victor!

I didn’t know where I wanted to take the character when I first wrote “The Black Widows,” back in 1995. I wanted Jimmy Malone to be something of a Shadow, thus the name, Compere, which means a “shadow” or an “equal.” But it was soon understood that others wanted to call him something else. The younger kids called him The Masked Avenger, who was a comic book hero they were reading, while the underworld was determined to call him The Black Ghost. Eventually, the Black Ghost stuck.

The stories had an odd beginning. In February 1995, Clancy O’Hara published a small press magazine titled, PULP FICTION MAGAZINE, (dated Winter 1995), a Ramrod Publications, out of Hermosa Beach, California. Such stalwart writers as R.T. Lawton, Rick Brooks, and Aaron B. Larson were contributors. Clancy and Quentin Tarantino were friends, so I’ve often wondered if Clancy’s magazine influenced Tarantino in his future movie, PULP FICTION. In early summer 1995, with Issue #3, my first story appeared, titled “Behind The Mask”, featuring Compere. The second story, “What’s In A Name?” was published in Issue #6, Winter 1995. I wrote two more stories for PULP FICTION MAGAZINE, “Creatures of Habit” and “Friendships Declared”, all featuring Compere. Unfortunately, if the last two stories appeared, I have either misplaced my copies, or never received them. Clancy mentioned on a Blog that he published the magazine for three years. However, I only have the first seven issues in my collection. Issue #7 is dated Spring 1996, which covers the first two years.

Clancy’s little magazine did spark a fire under me, though, and I decided to start my own pulp fiction magazine, CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES, in June 1995. With Issue #18, dated November 1996, I gathered the four Compere stories into a novelette, and published it as “Black Ghost” (aka “The Black Widows”). I had no further plans for the character at that point.

I don’t know who suggested the idea, probably Debra Delorme, but before I knew it, we were collaborating with a story titled, “Hunter’s Moon” for Double Danger Tales. This novelette would feature her Scarecrow and my Black Ghost. It was a whopper of a tale, and appeared in DDT #20, September 1998, and Jimmy Malone meets his future wife in the adventure. After that, my interest in the character was renewed, and I wrote three more tales of the Black Ghost for our magazines: “Calling The Black Ghost”, DDT #44, May 2001, “The Black Ghost At Bay”, DDT #47, October 2001, and “Dark Night of The Black Ghost”, DDT #54, September 2002

.

A short time after our magazines folded, I sold “Town of Fear,” a new story featuring The Black Ghost to Filament Book Club. In the meantime, “Hunter’s Moon” was reprinted in “Masks & Mayhem, Volume One”, in 2005, then a brand new story, “Death And The Black Ghost” was published in “Masks & Mayhem, Volume Three”, in 2006. In 2008, I gathered all of the Black Ghost stories, except for “Hunter’s Moon” and “The Black Widows”, and wrote two brand new stories for a collection that NTD published as “Guns of The Black Ghost”.

In 2009, I decided I wasn’t through with The Black Ghost yet, and wrote “The Spider’s Web”. This time, I wanted to include the forgotten first story, “The Black Widows”, which now makes all of the tales available. At the present time, Debbie DeLorme and I are contemplating a brand new novel featuring our heroes, Scarecrow and Black Ghost. Hopefully, this will be available some time in 2011. Following is a listing of the stories, and where they can be purchased:

1)    “The Black Widows” (see “The Spider’s Web”)

2)    “Hunter’s Moon” (“Masks & Mayhem, Volume One”) http://www,altuspress.com/

3)    “Calling The Black Ghost” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

4)    “The Black Ghost At Bay” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

5)    “Dark Night of The Black Ghost” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

6)    “Town of Fear” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

7)    “Death And The Black Ghost” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

8)    “Highways In Hiding” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

9)    “Bullets of Terror” (“Guns of The Black Ghost”) www.amazon.com/

10) “The Spider’s Web” (A sequel to “Highways In Hiding”, plus contains “The Black Widows”) www.amazon.com/

All of the NTD books are available as electronic downloads from Filament Book Club. www.filamentbookclub.com/

To the right, I’ve posted a thumbnail of a recent ad I did for the new Airship 27 book, The Green Lama – Unbound. We reckon, if someone’s interested in new Green Lama stories, certainly they’d be interested in the original stories. So here’s a sneak peak of the cover to Volume 1… or at least part of it. Enjoy!

During the 1930s and 1940s, Paul Powers (1905-1971) was a prolific and successful pulp fiction writer, writing over 400 stories for such pulp fiction magazines as Wild West Weekly, Weird Tales, Thrilling Western, Texas Rangers, and more. Later Paul wrote an acclaimed full-length Western novel, Doc Dillahay. Paul is also the author of Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street, his memoir of his career as a prolific and successful pulp fiction writer during the 1930s and 1940s. Thanks to the promotions of his granddaughter Laurie Powers, Paul Powers’ work has achieved new-found appreciation in recent years.

Two of these new books will be collections of short stories discovered in 2009. These stories were written between 1945 and 1955 but were never published. Many are westerns, but there are also noir, thriller, animal, horror, and love stories. Together they show Powers’ remarkable versatility: He was an expert at writing westerns, but he loved writing other genres as well. Current publishing plans call for this material to be split into two collections: there will be at least one collection of western stories and one for the stories of other genres.

In addition to these never-before published stories, there will also be a third collection containing Powers’ westerns that appeared in such magazines as Thrilling Western, Range Riders Western, The Rio Kid Western, and other magazines from the 1940s and 1950s.

These stories will be published in traditional book form (both hard and softcover) as well as e-book form. Publication is expected to begin Winter 2009/10.

Altus Press is a premier pulp fiction publisher and has published authors such as Lester Dent, Johnston McCulley, Henry Kuttner, Norvell Page, Frederick C. Davis, Richard Sale, Tom Johnson, Will Murray and many more. In 2009, founder Matthew Moring won the Echoes Award for work benefiting the pulp community and has also won an American Graphic Design Award for book design.

http://www.pulpwriter.com
http://lauriepowerswildwest.blogspot.com
http://www.altuspress.com

P.S: enjoy the soon-to-be announced title to the right!

We’ve released a lot of great titles over the past for years, and in order to get them out in a timely manner I’ve had the good fortune to work with a lot of great proofreaders, most recently Ray Riethmeier and Ric Croxton. However, I’ll soon have a glut of completed titles that just need proofreading done on them, and I’m currently looking for other proofreaders who’d like to proof some of them.

I can’t pay for proofreading, but I can give you a free copy of the finished work, as well as a thank you in print. If you’re interested in proofreading, drop me a line using the form on the Contact Us tab.

All right, I’m back to work!

Are there any pulp/quasi-pulp collections that aren’t being done by other publishers that you’d like to see? If so, drop us a line at the “Contact Us” link above & tell us what you think. We’ve very interested in hearing from you.

Just wanted to let you all know that two new titles are ready & available for purchase in both hard- and softcover. You can now order The Casebook of Seekay and Other Prototypes of The Avenger as well as The Hand of Red Finger from this site.

And more title are coming shorty!

Several people recommended the writings of Dan (Stay Away, Joe) Cushman to me. Before becoming a successful paperback author in the 50s, Cushman wrote many stories for the pulps. Among them were the adventures of hook-armed Armless O’Neil. Set in Africa, these are well-written hard-boiled adventure stories that seem fresh in 2010. Volume 1, entitled Seekers of the Glittering Fetish: The Complete Armless O’Neil Volume 1, contains his first six stories from the pages of Action Stories and Jungle Stories. It should be going to a proofreader in a couple of weeks and I would expect it to be available well in time for the Windy City show. A second volume is already in the works, which would compile the last six stories. I’d expect this to be out by year’s end.

Another title, unannounced until now, is another volume in our Companion series. The Black Bat Companion will be in a similar format as last year’s The Phantom Detective Companion. Though it won’t be as long as the PD book, it should clock in at around 350 pages… not bad for a character with 1/3 of the adventures of The Phantom!

This will include material not only by primary author Tom Johnson, but also Will Murray and Al Tonik, among others. About 70 pages of The Black Bat’s 1940s comic stories will also be included, as well as a lengthy investigation of the German Black Bat. But the highlight of this may be the news that “The Celebrity Murders,” the last Black Bat story written by Norman Daniels & thought lost, has been discovered. We’ll tell you more in this book.

The Black Bat Companion is still being assembled. It is hoped that it will be available in time for PulpFest.

Much closer to availability is The Black Bat Omnibus Volume 1. This is the first volume of the complete reprinting of the series, this one containing the first three stories. It’s tough to guess at how many volumes this will take to complete, since the word counts fluctuated so much. While these early ones are about 40k words each, later ones are 15-20k. The Black Bat Omnibus Volume 1 is being proofread now and should be available for Windy City.

We’re also working on The Complete Adventures of Sangroo by J. Irving Crump. Sangroo is a Tarzan-like fella that only appeared twice in the pages of the ultra-rare Clayton title, Jungle Stories. I’d look for this in around PulpFest.

No doubt you noticed the book cover at the top of the page. Over a year in the making, The Weird Adventures of The Blond Adder: The Complete Casebook of Lee Nace by Lester Dent should be quite a tome. For those who don’t know Nace, it was a series Dent wrote for Ten Detective Aces in 1933, and it’s quite interesting to read the adventures of another gadget detective of Dent’s which were written during the first year of Doc Savage. Only two of these stories have been reprinted before. But what makes this special is that we’ve used the original Dent manuscripts as the source for four of the five stories (sadly, one’s manuscript doesn’t survive), and for one of the four, we’ve utilized sections of TWO drafts. It’s augmented with Dent’s original Nace character Bible, and scans of part of an early draft of one of the stories… which contain Dent’s hand-written corrections.

This is to be proofread soon, and will certainly be out well in time for Windy City. If not, much sooner.

A pair of Popular Publications books are nearly done being proofread, and will be available soon. The Hand of Red Finger collects all 12 of the Red Finger backups from the pages of Operator #5. Written by Arthur Leo Zagat, it’s a unique series written in a unique way. It’s one of Tom Johnson’s favorite series, and Tom’s included a newly-written Red Finger story to round out the collection.

The Casebook of Seekay and Other Prototypes of The Avenger is also nearly ready. Clocking in at over 300 pages and written by Paul Ernst, it collects all the known Avenger prototypes written for Popular’s mystery and crime pulps. In fact, several in the collection were only discovered while assembling this volume. It’s sure to be a page turner.

Tom Johnson’s Triple Detective is also back. Issue #4 should be available in 1-2 weeks and it’s our biggest one yet, clocking in at almost 180 pages with no price increase. A highlight of this collection is the first all-new adventure of The Eagle, Thrilling’s now-forgotten detective.

Tom’s also got another collection of pulp prose nearly available. Called The Pulp Detectives, this includes nine of Tom’s stories (featuring characters such as The Black Bat and The Phantom Detective) wrapped in a vintage cover. Look for it in a few weeks.

Another interesting title is by Chandler Whipple. Published in Dime Mystery magazine, The Curse of the Harcourts is a 6-episode story which is prime for a revival. You’ll have to read it to see what I mean. It’s going to be tough to write a back-cover blurb for this one! I’ll be out around PulpFest.

Nearly ready are three volumes in our Lost Race Library: Under the Andes by Rex Stout, Wings of Danger by Arthur A. Nelson and Yellow Men Sleep by Jeremy Lane. All come from 1910s pulps and are quite enjoyable. If you’re a fan of the lost race genre, these are for you. These will be out in a few weeks.

Finally, be on the lookout for Volume 4 in our Secret Agent “X” series. Containing four more stories and with a new introduction by Will Murray, it’s going to be a nice book.

Whew! I’m beat. But not to worry, there are plenty more collections coming. I need an intern…

The big news this time around is the release of three books from Altus Press that I’m very proud of. First up is the collected Red Finger series by Arthur Leo Zagat, from the back pages of the Operator 5 magazine. This has long been a favorite character of mine from the pulps. Since there were only 12 stories in the series, Matt let me contribute a final story for the book, which I had fun writing. I hope everyone will check out, THE HAND OF RED FINGER, from Altus Press. I think you’ll like the character also! On the heels of the Red Finger volume is the latest Triple Detective, which will likely be my last involvement with this wonderful title. I hope Altus Press will continue the title, though, and bring in new writers for the book. This issue contains the first new Eagle story after 70 years, titled GIBBERING GAS OF MADNESS, plus the Phantom Detective and Black Bat finally meet in CITY OF PHANTOMS, then my final Masked Avenger story, THE DEATH PLAGUE rounds out the issue. However, Matt had asked for a special Feature this time, so I wrote a piece about pulp legends, then got carried away and wrote a story featuring, The Legend! To make the book even more interesting, we included another Phantom Detective comic that was left out of the Phantom Detective Companion. Folks, this issue of Triple Detective is the biggest and best yet, and is a good way for me to say farewell. My third release is PULP DETECTIVES, my tribute to both Johnston McCulley and the pulp heroes I loved so much. There are nine stories in this huge volume, featuring such costumed heroes as the Black Bat, Secret Agent X, and Phantom Detective. For fun, I’ve written the first new Masked Detective and Lone Eagle stories since their pulp days. Also included is one of my own costumed characters, Nightwind, a masked rider of the plains. Unless Matt can really interest me in another project, these will likely be the last pulp stories I will ever write.

I have had the privilege of knowing so many of the giants, that it is going to be impossible for me to remember all of their names. But let me name a few that I was able to call friend and acquaintance. There were Harry Steeger and his wife, Norman Saunders, and Norman Daniels. Leigh Brackett, Tommy Thompson, Hugh B. Cave, Ryerson Johnson, John Jakes, Michael Avallone, Norma Dent, and Walter B. Gibson! Good grief, I brushed shoulders with so many others! Least I forget let me add Nick Carr, Bob Sampson, Fred Cook, Lyn Hickman, Tony Tollin, and Will Muray. If I tried to name them all, this would turn into a book, so let me stop with those names. All of them giants.

With the start of 2010, it has been nearly 60 years since the pulps died in 1953. Thankfully, we have publishers like Altus Press and a few others who are reprinting the old stories as they were originally written. But after so many generations of readers have joined the ranks, new trends are taking over the old heroes. New writers, all top-notch, are writing new stories about the old heroes, though they may not have ever read one of the original stories. Or if they have, they want to change the character to fit in with the world today, and the results are characters that are nothing like the original pulps I loved so much. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. These writers are keeping the pulp characters alive in their tales, so that has to be a good thing. But for me, I wanted them to stay the same forever. Our heroes only fought gangsters and super villains, not floating alien heads from another dimension. They were not faster than a speeding bullet, and could not leap tall buildings with a single bound. But perhaps that is what the reader wants today, so I give my blessings to the new writers. And with that, I think it is time I bid adieu to pulp fandom and the pulp community.  As I said at the beginning, I will still be around, but I plan to be reading a lot of good books as I relax in my old age. The last forty plus years that I have been involved in pulp research were the best years of my life!

Tom

First, you’ll notice that Volume 3 of our complete reprinting of the Secret Agent “X” series has been released. It’s the best edition yet, as Stephen Payne has written a thorough introduction for it. And the stories ain’t too shabby either. Two other books, A Man Named Jones and Super Detective Jim Anthony: The Complete Series Volume 1 are already available in hardcover. Their softcover counterparts are a few weeks away from availability on Amazon.

A Man Named Jones also ushers in a new sub-set of our book line: the Altus Press Lost Race Library. This will reprint material from this wonderful genre which was popularized by H. Rider Haggard and lasted until around 1920. Some of this material will be culled from the pulps, while others are taken directly from rare hardcovers. The inaugural wave of this series is comprised of four books, with Under the Andes being redesigned to match the Lost Race Library dress. The other two releases will be announced shortly.

Further pulp titles are coming soon, among them a collection of all of Arthur Leo Zagat’s Red Finger stories from the pages of Operator #5. There are several other Popular Publications-owned titles coming as well, and they’ll be announced soon.

I have completed Triple Detective #4 for Matt, though it may not be printed until the first of next year. There are a couple of surprises in this issue, but I think it’s best we keep them secret until release date. I don’t think readers will be disappointed, but then readers are never disappointed with books from Altus Press!

Just in case I didn’t mention our new Phantom Detective Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Phantom_Detective/?yguid=321995096

I also found a Pulp Chat group that looks interesting. Check them out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pulp-chat/?yguid=321995096

I did receive a nice Review on “Pangaea: Eden’s Children” from Coffee Time Romance; at least as good as could be expected from a romance review group on an adventure SF novel. NTD will Post the Review on their Site shortly.

NTD has released my science fiction novel, “Tunnel Through Space”, with a fantastic cover. Below is the release notice for the book. I hope everyone will pick up a copy.

Tunnel Through Space by Tom Johnson

ISBN #978-0-578-03589-5 $16.50

Pulp thrills in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs!

Sucked into a Black Hole, their cargo ship is spit out at the edge of the universe. Crashing on a primitive planet in a binary star system, Captain Lamont Rogers and his copilot, Lieutenant Marsha Tomlison are separated by hundreds of miles in a savage jungle on an alien world, where they must survive deadly peril while attempting to reunite. Each must deal with personal dangers in their own way, knowing they can never return to their home world.

On the heels of his popular Pangaea series, Tom Johnson creates a new world of excitement and adventure as fascinating as any pulp science fiction yarn today. Just released from Night To Dawn Books, this 265-page novel will make the reader beg for a sequel! http://www.bloodredshadows.com

The first of which is the magazine Pulpdom, published by Camille Cazedessus. Caz recently sent me two sample issues of the the mag, and they are great. If you like to read about the nuances of the pulps from ca. 1880 ’til their demise, Pulpdom is for you.

But first, a bit about the title. Caz has been been publishing it since 1997, and the 56th issue just came out. What’s really nice is that images are beautiful and in color. The sample issues contained a plethora of pics and articles on the early days of Argosy as well as the pulp writings of the sons of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Pulpdom retails for $30 for a five issue subscription. Contact me for details.

Another thing to check out is Anthony Schiavino’s Sergeant Zero comic book. No, it’s not out yet, but what I’ve seen via samples looks great. The art is beautiful, and it’s obvious he’s put a lot of thought and effort into the typography and lettering in order to make the art look as authentic as possible.

What I really like about this is that Anthony’s working hard to have several issues done before the first issue is released. This is one of the worst problems comics faces these days: creators who start a series, but just slack off, leaving readers hanging for months (and sometimes years). This won’t happen with Sergeant Zero.

Take a look around his website, pulptone.com, and see for yourself how good Sergeant Zero looks. And let’s get a publisher to get this in comic stores!

Speaking of the Echoes Award, the 2009 Echoes Award went to Matt Moring for his dedication and service to the pulp community. It’s good that our people are being recognized for all that they are doing within the community today. Let’s remember to congratulate both Bill and Matt for these awards, and thank them for their service to the community!

Some more good news, apparently Altus Press books sold very well from Mike Chomko’s tables. Good news for me, I heard that a lot of copies sold of both The Phantom Detective Companion and The History of The Purple War. And I understand that Matt picked up a lot of pulp treasures this year. He also gathered up some F&SF magazine give-aways for me, since I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere and can’t get copies. Thanks, Matt!

After over two months, there’s still no review of Eden’s Children, but Ginger and I did review a couple of books, so I thought I’d Post them this time around.

Tom

PAST SINS (Police Procedurals)
ISBN #978-1-890096-40-3
By John L. French
Padwolf Publications, Inc.
www.padwolf.com
$16.00 paperback
216 pages
5-Star Rating

Baltimore Police Department cop, Matthew Grace wasn’t beyond planting evidence to convict the bad guys, and when he’s forced to leave the Force, becomes a licensed P.I. “Past Sins” contains 17 masterfully written short stories featuring John French’s popular detective that originally appeared in such magazines as Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Detective Mystery Stories, Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, and several others over the years.

The author is a crime scene supervisor with the Baltimore Police Department Crime Laboratory, and each story rings with reality while entertaining the reader. The writing is superb, and Matthew Grace comes alive in these stories of hardboiled police cases, based on the author’s experiences on the streets of one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Each crime is different, and a subtle clue leads Grace to the climax in every adventure.

It’s refreshing to read a police procedural by an actual crime scene investigator with such credentials as John French. You won’t find soap opera dialogue or sloppy police techniques in these stories, and the clues are based on real evidence often found at the scene of crimes, not made-for-television episodes. After reading “Past Sins”, the reader will want to learn more about Private-Eye Matthew Grace, and his pals on the Baltimore Police Department.

Ginger Johnson, Editor

Detective Mystery Stories

DREAM ROOM (True Crime)
ISBN #978-0-9818400-2-4
By Chet Nicholson
Oakley Publishing Company, Inc.
http://www.oakleypublishingcompany.com
$17.95 paperback
417 pages
3-Star Rating

Chet Nicholson’s writing is superb, and his storytelling keeps the reader turning pages!

The author has dramatized actual events surrounding the so-called Dixie Mafia that operated in the Gulf Coast and Deep South from the 1940s through the later half of the century. Although based on real life events, Chet Nicholson tells the story in a fictionalized dialogue as he follows the reign of crime from the early stages of murder and robbery to gambling, prostitution, and dope.

The story is told in short sequences as the characters are fleshed out, until small-time hoods become crime lords ruling the South. The author keeps the reader turning pages as he unravels the long years of terror. It’s as dirty as any criminal enterprise anywhere. That it lasted for so long can be credited to our lenient judicial system, and the bribery of police officials.

This book is a must for readers interested in True Crime. If you read it as a work of fiction, or as actual accounts of the Dixie Mafia, you are in for a treat. The author takes you on a roller coaster ride that doesn’t let up, and you’ll find a thrill on every page!

From a great cover to the author’s story-telling ability, this is an interesting account of a violent period in the South. Chet Nicholson is an intelligent writer, and the sequences keep the reader involved. However, the dialogue is one of the drawbacks to an otherwise fine story. These characters are, for the most part, uneducated southern gangsters. The dialogue makes them sound like college graduates out for a good time; there is a lot of cussing, but the characters would have been more realistic with more southern background in their language.

Tom Johnson, Editor
Detective Mystery Stories

http://www15.brinkster.com/jur1/index.html

Many collectors loaned me vital issues for my research, and that was something great about pulp fandom in the early days. We helped each other, and willingly shared information. So many of the old timers are gone now, and I do miss the old days, and special friends like Bob, Will Murray and Nick Carr remain close, and we go back to those early days. A while back I was looking through Bob’s book on The Spider, and couldn’t find what I was searching for. So I wrote Will, and asked him when Norvel Page brought Gunner McGlone into The Spider. I just couldn’t find any mention of him any where in Bob’s book. Will told me, “Gunner was in the Phantom Detective, not The Spider.” I said sure he was, the safe cracker with thick glasses. Will probably had a good laugh, then told me I was thinking of Blinky McQuade! Well, of course I was. I can only blame old age and failing memory for my confusion in the names. Anyway, when Matt asked me if I would mind for Will Murray to join me in the Phantom Detective Companion, I was thrilled. I think the readers will also be glad that Will is part of this thick book. Matt has gathered a lot of material that wasn’t in the original version of this book, so much of what the reader will find is due to the effort of Matt Moring and Altus Press.

The Thrilling Comics of the Phantom Detective alone is worth the price of the book. I would venture to say that I bet not many have ever read any of these, let alone nearly the whole run. When I first wrote this book all that I included was the synopsis of each story, and possible authors. This edition contains much, much more than the original work. Unfortunately, I will never be able to thank everyone involved, like those many collectors that kindly loaned me their copies to research so long ago. But I can thank Will Murray and Matt Moring, and the names on the cover for making this edition the book that it is.

I was also hoping to have a Review of “Pangaea: Eden’s Children”, but it hasn’t come in yet. Maybe next time. For now, I think the big news is the release of “The Phantom Detective Companion”. I know I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy! Thanks, Matt and Will, and all the contributors who made this edition come true.

Earlier this year Altus Press released Triple Detective #3, and from what I hear it’s another good issue. Unfortunately, it’s all Tom Johnson this time around. I had invited a couple of friends to contribute stories for the volume, but they were busy with other projects so I ended up writing all three stories: “The Black Bat’s War”, “The Eyes of Satan”, and “Dark Street of Doom”. I believe the book is only $14.95, plus postage, so is a real bargain for books this size. Plus, Altus Press packages their books beautifully, and looks great on your shelf.

http://www.altuspress.com/2009/04/triple-detective-3-summer-1956/

NTD has also just released my SF novel, “Pangaea: Eden’s Children”, the sequel to last year’s “Pangaea: Eden’s Planet”. This series is in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The first adventure was set in the Permian Period, sixty million years before the rise of the dinosaurs, while “Eden’s Children” takes place in the Jurassic Period. The sequel is priced at $13.95, plus postage, and can be ordered from NTD’s website. It will be a few months yet before the distribution people have the book on Amazon, but it’s coming. All of NTD’s books have been picked up by Filament Book Club, and electronic versions are available through their website. http://www.filamentbookclub.com/

http://www.bloodredshadows.com/newNTDbooks.htm

I think the big news that everyone is waiting to hear about, is the soon to be released Phantom Detective study from Altus Press. “The Phantom Detective Companion” was originally published in the 1990s under the Fading Shadows imprint, listing synopsis of all the stories, and the possible authors. This old book has been updated by Altus Press, with lots of new material, including the Phantom Detective comics from Thrilling Comics, and a couple Phantom Detective proposals that never made it to the series. Will Murray joined me in digging into the hidden authors of the series, and I think everyone will be surprised at some of their identities. No price or release date has been set yet, but watch for more information on Altus Press and Bill Thom’s Coming Attractions.

http://members.cox.net/comingattractions/

I also want to mention a couple of my Yahoo Groups while I have your attention. My author’s Site is Tom Johnson’s Jur at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tomjohnsonsjur/?yguid=321995096

I also have a Site devoted to 1960s paperback collecting at Action Sixties:

http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Action_Sixties/

Another Site that might be of interest is SF Digest Mags at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SF_Digest_Mags/?yguid=321995096

As of now, I’ve just listed a few Doc Savage pulps, but I’ll add more soon. And I’ll also list some other pulp-related books as well. And perhaps I’ll add several Altus Press titles to it, maybe at a discount. Keep watching!

To access the Store, just click on “Pulps for Sale” in the nav at the top of the site.

The Saturday night auction was a marathon; several hundred lots in 4 hours. I personally don’t get the appeal of Weird Tales, but I could certainly appreciate the beauty of the many high grade copies that were auctioned off. Between the two auctions, I’d say that if you weren’t just looking for high-grade copies, plenty of deals could be had. For example, several early Shadows (like #2-5 or so) only fetched a few hundred bucks.

Here are a few more pics of the con. Two are from the Saturday auction (sorry for the shaky camera), and the other is long-time collector Michelle Nolan.

I won the auction I needed to win; the 7 issues of Doc from 1933, which means I’ve now completed the Doc Savage pulp collection. And I picked up a small lot at the end of random pulps. I was surprised to find one of the books in that lot was signed on the cover by Baumhoffer!

I picked up the new Blood n Thunder and it looks great. Chris Kalb has completely redesigned it and it’s twice as thick.

I bought a pile if Triple Detectives. I bet there are some pulp nuggets on that series.

Met Mike Chomko and Frank Eisgruber as well (see pic). Nice to meet two great guys finally.

I’m eating now and then it’s back in until the auction.

I didn’t stick around too long, as I’m beat from a long day.

BLOOD MOONS AND NIGHTSCAPES
TOM JOHNSON & BARBARA CUSTER
ISBN: 978-0-615-26116-4
Night to Dawn
www.bloodredshadows.com
Trade Paperback
$13.90
200 Pages
Historical / Science Fiction / Horror / Fiction

Bad Moon Rising

Private Martin is RA or Regular Army, better known as a lifer to all company men. He makes Sergeant, and sees much of the world and definitely too much death. The men in his company are survivors. They live with fear as a constant companion, but do their duty just the same. Sergeant Martin is a veteran of the Korean and Viet Nam wars. He has seen death up close and personal. Along the way he has lost many, some friends, some not. To the enemy, they were all the same. It does not matter if you have a wife and kids waiting for you – war does not discriminate. The only real heroes are those that are able to fight despite the fear that threatens to consume them daily. Some men talk big, but when it comes time to fight, they duck and hide. This is an amazing look into the life of a soldier. The descriptive story telling of Tom Johnson allows the reader an insight into one man’s journey. His fears, his laughter, and his pain are wondrously laid out, and give you a glimpse as to what a hero really is.

Chopper Down

Airman 1st Class Jim Stewart is going down. The chopper carrying him and several others has just been hit. The little gray man watches the scene with sad and soulful eyes. His duty is about to begin. He is the soul stealer. The pilot is shot, and the copilot as well as the rest of the crew, have been ejected from the chopper. The only survivor is Jim. Now he must make it to a rescue point before the men who shot them down find him. Surviving in the jungles of Vietnam is no easy feat. The snakes are as deadly as the Viet Cong. One bite, and Jim will be dead in minutes. However the little gray man is there to ease his suffering. This one will definitely make your heart race. The action is constant, and if you dislike snakes, this will only encourage that feeling. The range of emotion in such a short story is remarkable.

Little Ricky’s Monster

As a young country boy Little Ricky is just as impressionable as his friends. They struggle to hide any fear that may cause them to look weak in the eyes of their friends. Paula is a freak of nature. She is known as “The Monster” because of her large stature and the hair covering her body. Monsters are in stories not in real life, but Ricky swears he saw one in the barn. Screwing up his courage, he goes to investigate. What he sees frightens him, but the soft words spoken by the monster calm his nerves. She is hurt, and he needs to help her. But she is not the only surprise for young Ricky. The little gray creature helping Paula has another one for him. One can find a friend in the most unlikely places. Little Ricky stumbles upon one such person. This story is sadly sweet, and shows the kindness of a young boy without the prejudice of society.

Rebirth

Life has been very difficult for young Heather Raytzis. Her mother’s death left her an orphan, and the neighborhood boys are relentless in their harassment. The worst bully is Mark Welsh. He got rid of Heather’s mother, and now he has his sights set on Heather. Heather misses her mother more than she can bear. Her mother was her only friend, and although her foster parents are loving and kind, they cannot make up for the loss. The horrible way her mother died will be with her forever. Mark and his buddies decide to prove once and for all that Ms. Raytzis is a vampire in a very deadly way. Now Heather is left alone with only her memories, or is she? This tale is dark and mysterious. It is the perfect combination of suspense and horror with a touch of the paranormal.

I Saw the Light

Jerry Stone is the lead singer of the rock band, the Heavy Stones. They are working their tails off to get recognized. This means working in some venues that leave a lot to be desired. The little gray lady has her eyes set on Jerry. She watches from a dark corner, and only he notices her. It is almost time to meet him. Jerry is nervous, as he has seen the same old lady at several of his shows. No one else has noticed her, and the uneasy feeling will not go away. But they have a show to put on, and he sets his feelings aside. The club they are playing in is a serious fire hazard, and it only takes one bar brawl for things to get out of hand. However it is the little old lady who is there to ease the pain. Spooky is what comes to mind with this story. Jerry’s concerns with the building they are playing in, and the little old lady who shows up for his last song will give you chills. You can almost hear the eerie music playing in the background.

War

Sergeant Martin is with the 119th Infantry Regiment in Bardenburg, Germany, leading a group of young soldiers against Hitler’s forces. They are little more than boys, and it is his job to keep them alive. The unknown soldier is keeping watch over the young man. It will soon be his time. Sergeant Martin is concerned when one of his young soldiers starts seeing people who are not there. But with weapons fire going nonstop, he has little time to determine the problem. Many soldiers crack under the pressure, and he fears that the young man is doing just that. The nameless soldier will help many cross over in this war, and easing their pain is what he does best. It is a comforting thought to believe that there is help in the end. The soul stealer is a relief for these men, and you can feel their initial reluctance turn to peace.

A Lesson on Suffering

As a certified nursing assistant, Viola Gaunt has a promising career. She is good at her job until one incident with a patient leaves her with chronic back pain, and an anger that warps her senses. Dr. Chuck Walters is Viola’s surgeon when her back is badly damaged. However it is her mind that concerns him most. Viola takes her rage out on her patients. The frail and the elderly never stand a chance against her evil. She systematically drains their lives and their bank accounts. Dr. Walters is ultimately her judge and jury. He is much more than just a doctor, and he can take Viola to a place deserving of her kind. This story will send chills up your spine. The main character is evil incarnate, even more so because she is as human as she is inhumane.

The Bag Lady

Police officer Francis “Frankie” Martin is in her element. She patrols the streets of Chicago with her fellow officers, and is as tough as the next guy. A fact she is quite proud of. The little old bag lady watches as Frankie goes in after a fellow officer. He has already met his maker, but her work is not yet done. The creep that kills Johnny Morales gets away that night, but Frankie receives a second chance. She is quick to determine his M.O., and takes up a position to stop him. He is not going to get away if she has anything to say about it. The bag lady once again makes an appearance, but only the deserving get a pain-free ride out of life. The soul stealer is more of an angel on earth. Her arrival may herald certain death, but it comes with peace and understanding. Each of these stories is told in a unique manner and always gives the reader a new perspective in the face of a tragedy.

Walter’s Matrix

Respiratory therapist Walter Mooney has a good life, a decent job, and a loving wife. A dream changes all of that. Frank Nunzio is the programmer of Walter’s life. He wants a life, and if it means taking over Walter’s, so be it. The dream leaves Walter feeling physical ill. However nothing could prepare him for the terror to come. Upon awakening, Walter steps into his own personal Twilight Zone. Nothing is as it seems, and the final straw is his aged doppelganger showing up as his boss. Walter learns that his life is nothing more than a programmer’s pastime. Only now the programmer wants Walter’s life as his own. The Matrix comes to life for Walter Mooney. His character is spiraling into a vortex that ultimately leaves him really looking at his life and his behavior for the first time. Quite a concept if you can wrap your mind around it.

The Elevator

The man in the elevator is just like everyone else in his building. He arrives and departs from his job at the same time every day, and generally has no contact with anyone other than the occasional hello or goodbye. They are all little more than robots. The little gray person takes the same elevator as the man. They do not speak, but the man is curious; the little man is so small and frail, he appears to be ill. The man taking the elevator finally hears the little gray man speak, and strikes up a conversation. This is so rare, he really surprises himself, but there is something compelling about the little man. After hearing a disturbing news story on the radio, the man is even more anxious to confront his new acquaintance. He gets his chance. This feels so real it is unsettling. How much of our lives do we spend completely oblivious to our surroundings? Hopefully this is a lesson learned that we must become actively involved in life, before it is too late.

Roses for Elaine

Elaine struggles for every breath she takes. Her emphysema has led to pneumonia, and it takes all of her energy just to suck in the tiniest of breaths. Paula Blaine is Elaine’s primary care nurse at the Silver Springs Nursing Center. She takes great joy in watching people suffer, and helps them along in any way she can. Elaine teeters on the edge of life and death, but no matter how bad it gets, she does not want to return to Silver Springs. The threats made to her by Paula will only get worse. Going home with her son Kevin and his wife is what she longs for. However she must tell someone what she knows before any more people die. Even if it means risking her own life. The fact that there are people in the health care industry like Paula is frightening but real. This story really hits home, by showing how easily these patients can be mistreated.

The Naturalist

The Naturalist grew up in the sixties; hippy clothes, smoking pot, and protesting the war were his life. It took a few years, but he finally grew up and became an adult. The little man stops by The Naturalist and admires his paintings. The renditions are so real they look ready to step off the page. But he is not here to admire artwork. Painting wildlife is what The Naturalist does best. His work is so lifelike that most people compare it to a photograph. He especially enjoys painting in the mountains outside of San Bernardino. He is just getting packed up when the little man shows up on the lonely road. What starts out as a pleasant conversation quickly becomes the dire realization that this may be the end. Lives can take many twists and turns throughout the years. The Naturalist was a hellion as a young man, and could have easily chosen a life of sin. However he found his niche in the world and prospered as an admired and talented artist.

The Storyteller

Big Jim Martin has lived a full life, and seen most of the world in his fifty years. He can tell a good story, and is willing to do so at any opportunity. The small man enjoys listening to Big Jim’s stories. Getting to know his clients always helps in the end. Big Jim and his dog, Sugar, have hiked together many times. They put a lot of miles behind them, and sometimes Jim gets lonely for human conversation. He will talk to anyone who stops to listen, and the little man who comes upon them on the trail is a great listener. When the time comes for Jim to depart, the little man is more than willing to help ease his way. Big Jim likes to tell some pretty tall tales, but it is all in good humor. You believe in his goodness, and his story will touch your heart.

The Road Home

Emily Mayes is in the last stages of the nerve disease, ALS. She has battled fiercely, but moving back to the city and into a nursing home is out of the question. Her son, Joe. understands his mother’s reluctance to go into a nursing home, but he has never figured out why she refuses to live in the city. Serenity Springs holds so many memories for Emily, some good, but also some that are horribly sad. The domed city would be so much easier on her and her family, but she just cannot live there. Her late husband comes into her thoughts with more regularity now, and he wants her to return to the city. She must forgive herself if she is to move on, and that forgiveness lies miles away in the frigid cold and blinding snow surrounding Serenity Springs. An old woman’s grief has crippled her life for decades, even more so than her disease. However she can only move past this in her own time. This story is achingly sad and tender.

Tom Johnson writes with a passion that is hard to ignore. His stories are sometimes brutally honest and always emotionally profound. I am a huge fan of his work and highly recommend it. Barbara Custer has a flair for the unusual. She will take ordinary people and twist them into the most bizarre and strangely compelling storylines. The compilation of stories in this book varies greatly. Some are fantastic, some are odd, but all are expertly written.

Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

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