I’m Featured in “Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2021”

who's who

Cover art for Who’s Who if Emerging Writers 2021

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I made the list of Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2021. The blurb at Amazon says:

In the second annual Who’s Who of Emerging Writers compiled and published by Sweetycat Press, the bios of 128 writers worldwide are included, along with seven essays by professionals in the writing field that should be of interest to every writer at all stages in their careers as writers. An emerging writer is one who has reached a level of proficiency and publication to be deemed a professional writer but not yet reached the level of fame and recognition they deserve. Their bios are as interesting as any story or novel. In this Who’s Who are bios of novelists, short story writers, poets, playwrights, screenwriters and journalists. In this 2021 issue discover WHO the 128 emerging writers are, WHAT they have written, WHERE they live, WHEN they started writing, and WHY they write. Many of them have websites where you can find out even more about them. Open the pages of the Who’s Who of Emerging Writers 2021 and enter a world of unmatched writing talent.

My bio says in part:

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Film Review of “Blade Runner 2049”

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Promotional image for the film Blade Runner 2049

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I finally got around to watching Blade Runner 2049 (2017) last night on DVD. At 2 hours and 44 minutes long, I felt it was too long. Yes, there was a story to tell, and it’s a good story, but if this is the theatrical version, then the studio allowed director Denis Villeneuve to indulge himself.

I’ve never seen the theatrical version of Blade Runner (1982), only the Director’s Cut which I reviewed here. It’s considered the better of the two 1980s films, so I probably will never get around to seeing the original.

Since this movie is four years old, I’m not really worried about revealing spoilers, but if you’ve never seen it and want to at some point, stop reading here.

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The Conclusion of “Woman Under Repair” is Now Available to Read for Free

woman under repair 3

Promotional image for part 3 of “Woman Under Repair.”

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Part 3 of Woman Under Repair is now available in the fifth issue of The Green Shoe Sanctuary. You can also find Part 1 and Part 2 on that page.

This is the conclusion to my short story about Mikiko Jahn, a young nuclear technician who was horribly mutilated and disabled in the worst nuclear power plant accident since Chernobyl. Thanks to a revolutionary technology developed by eccentric genius Dr. Daniel Hunt, six years later, she has not only rebuilt to exactly duplicate her former body, but as the world’s first synthetic woman, she becomes more than human.

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“Woman Under Repair Part 2” Now Available to Read for Free

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Promotional image for “Woman Under Repair, part 2” at the Green Shoe Sanctuary

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As promised, today in the current issue of The Green Shoe Sanctuary (find links to parts 1 and 2 here), the second part of my short story Woman Under Repair is available to read for free.

Now that Mikiko’s rebuilding is nearing completion, what will the Japanese and British governments expect from her since they paid for the entire six years the procedure required?

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Book Review of “Kor’Thank, Barbarian Valley Girl”

kor-thank

Cover art for “Kor’Thank, Barbarian Valley Girl” by Kent Wayne

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I’ve been reading Kent Wayne’s Kor’Thank, Barbarian Valley Girl for a while now, and even though it’s gotten terrific reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, I had a hard time getting into it.

It’s not because the book is uninteresting or that it lacks action. It’s packed with action and suspense. I can only assume that it’s me.

Okay, here’s the deal (spoilers ahead). A fictional high school in the San Francisco Bay area is located next to a super-secret government research lab that has captured creatures from other worlds and has an inter-dimensional gateway.

A narcissistic, self-absorbed (didn’t I just say that) Asian super nerd named Peter who is always being bullied by the school jocks and cheerleaders, has a serious love/hate relationship with Holly Dent, who has just become captain of the cheer-leading squad after cheating her butt off (which involves doing significant harm to her rival). He also has a female friend who seems to be the “only adult in the room” named Eun Yin, but she can’t keep Peter from starting something he calls “the Fuckrising” to get revenge for his mistreatment.

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Deep Space Volume 2 is Now On Sale!

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Happy Twilight Zone Day.

It’s here! The official launch of the Black Hare Press SciFi anthology Deep Space Volume 2: An Adventure into Science Fiction.

The official blurb says:

Travel through the universe discovering the possibilities of the unknown,
explore the infinite worlds of the future, and of alternate timelines.

Seven talented authors bring you a dynamic collection of science fiction and space epics in one amazing collection.

Those writers are:

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“Woman Under Repair Part 1 Available Now!

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Promotional image from The Green Shoe Sanctuary

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As promised, my science fiction short story “Woman Under Repair” is available now. Just click the link and read part 1 for free in the May issue of the periodical The Green Shoe Sanctuary (alas, it could use a bit of editing).

I’ve never had one of my stories serialized before, but it reminds me that many classic science fiction novels from decades past were serialized first before becoming novels. I don’t know if that’s going to happen here, but it’s an interesting and exciting thought.

It also makes me think of the old “cliffhangers” from times gone by when not only stories, but films were constructed to bring the viewer back to the theater week after week to see what happened next.

Here’s the blurb:

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“Woman Under Repair” to be published by The Green Shoe Sanctuary magazine

under repair

© Mark mungkey Vincente – Found at coroflot.com

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My short story “Woman Under Repair” will be featured in three parts in The Green Shoe Sanctuary magazine themed “Under Construction.”

The dates are May 10th, 17th, and 24th. So starting tomorrow the 10th, click the link above and start reading my latest published short story.

This one’s special because the material comes from an “almost novel” that I wrote in a different form here on my blog a few years back.

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Review of the Lovecraft Country Episode “Strange Case”

ruby

Wummi Mosaku as Ruby Baptiste in the television show “Lovecraft Country”

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So, I watched the Lovecraft Country episode Strange Case last night. The title refers to the title of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, only Misha Green‘s version is far more disgusting.

The show starts where A History of Violence leaves off. Yahima (Monique Candelaria) has seemingly disappeared. Leti (Jurnee Smollett) thinks that Montrose (Michael K. Williams) has just let her go, but Atticus (Jonathan Majors) knows his Dad killed her. In a rage, Tic tries to beat Montrose to death, but Leti manages to stop him.

Montrose also destroyed the Book of Names, but Tic figures out that Leti photographed the pages. After rough sex (doesn’t this guy ever just kiss his girlfriend and treat her gently?), she develops the photos and he starts to work deciphering the code.

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Part Two of Reviewing “Lovecraft Country”

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Letitia (Jurnee Smollett), Atticus (Jonathan Majors), and George (Courtney B Vance) in a scene from the show “Lovecraft Country”

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After my review of the first episode of Lovecraft Country Sundown, I thought I’d just keep watching and maybe review the entire first season as a whole. But after viewing three more episodes, because each show is so densely packed, I was afraid of losing a lot of the details.

So now that I’ve watched Whitey’s on the Moon, Holy Ghost, and A History of Violence, I thought I should recap them now.

In “Whitey’s on the Moon,” the creepy white guy at the door of the huge mansion in the middle of nowhere is William (Jordan Patrick Smith) and he seems to treat Tic, Leti, and George very well. They all wake up in their rooms with objects of their most cherished desires. George is hip deep in books while Leti has a closet full of wonderful clothes all exactly her size, and they couldn’t be happier.

Tic, on the other hand, remains deeply disturbed by their encounter with monsters the previous night, and finally comparing notes with the other two, realizes that they didn’t remember a thing. Even their car Woody has been restored to them. All of this is due to magic spells, but I’ll get to that.

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