tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41172712666022453092024-03-05T19:34:47.507-05:00Keith B. DarrellA prolific American writer of short stories, novels, nonfiction books, and newspaper and magazine articlesKeith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.comBlogger548125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-7573370986862463982023-01-05T20:32:00.003-05:002023-01-05T20:44:28.413-05:00Follow the White Rabbit<p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->For the past three consecutive years I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo which, along with thanksgiving, is a November tradition at least among writers. The idea is to start from scratch each November 1 and write and finish a short novel by November 30. My initial entry was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wonderland-Keith-B-Darrell/dp/1935971514/" target="_blank"><b><i>Wonderland</i></b></a>, in which we follow Detective Alice Dodson to the city of the future (picture Fritz Lang’s <b><i>Metropolis</i></b>) in response to a summons from Police Detective O’Hare. Yes, Alice followed the white rabbit to Wonderland. She meets a variety of vaguely familiar characters, such as the Tweedle twins, officers Dee Tweedle and Dom Tweedle; Mademoiselle Milliner (a mad hatter and socialite), her manservant Haigha and her ever-present tea party guest the narcoleptic Mr. Dormaus; socialite the Duchess and her mysterious daughter Cheshire; and Alice's new partner, Police Capt. Jim Hooker, aptly nicknamed “Hook” because of his metal appendage. Alice hunts for her missing sister Wendy, whom she fears may have fallen victim to a white slavery ring run by Wonderland’s gangland element led by Edmund Tusk (“the Walrus) and his partner-in-crime Carpenter. Alice fear she is losing her grip on reality and wonders if she is slowly going mad.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The following year, in my second NaNoWriMo entry <b><i>Oz</i></b>, readers meet Zebediah Hugson who has booked passage on The Wizard of Odds with Cap'n Bill and his first mate Trot to sail from Emerald City, Kansas downriver to Wonderland in search of his missing cousin, newspaper reporter Dorothy Gale. A guilt-ridden Tinka Belle has fled Wendy and Peter Pan’s luxury penthouse suite in the Wonderland Arms Hotel towering over the futuristic art deco city of Wonderland and returned to her roots in the dark underbelly of the city of tomorrow – the slums of Wonderland, where she shares an alley squat with her young friend Tip, a boy with a long-held secret and a hidden past.<br /><br /> <br /><br />This past year, my third NaNoWriMo entry <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935971646" target="_blank"><i><b>Neverland </b></i></a>finds pedophile Peter Pan enticed into joining river pirate Jolly Roger and his vegetarian pet vulture Gertrude on a quest for buried treasure: casks of water from the legendary Fountain of Youth that hold the promise of eternal youth. But also searching for the treasure are pirates Gentleman Starkey and Mister Smee; the dragon lady Tiger Lily and her assistant Jack Pumpkinhead; and Gen. Jinjur and her army of punk rock lesbians.<br /><br /> <br /><br />While the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PV3GYSD">trilogy </a>will eventually be collected into an omnibus edition later this year, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935971646" target="_blank"><i><b>Neverland</b></i></a>, the third and final volume, has just been published and to celebrate Amazon is offering the predecessor volume <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971573" target="_blank"><b><i>Oz </i></b></a>for only for only $5.78 (paperback and e-book) -- an insane 61 percent discount! All three volumes are available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats.<br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71QUmVY-zXL._CLa%7C1833,1545%7C71iXX9mC1-L.jpg,71TqGZFG4hL.jpg%7C0,0,833,1545+1000,0,833,1545+416,0,1000,1545_._SY300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="356" height="300" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71QUmVY-zXL._CLa%7C1833,1545%7C71iXX9mC1-L.jpg,71TqGZFG4hL.jpg%7C0,0,833,1545+1000,0,833,1545+416,0,1000,1545_._SY300_.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-76372556695550567762022-10-16T06:51:00.002-04:002022-10-16T07:24:51.511-04:00A Double Halloween Treat!<p> Are you ready for a <i>Fang-tastic </i>Halloween? The witches, ghosts, werewolves, and vampires are gathering in at least one small town and lives there will be forever altered! Amber Book Company is proud to release not one, but two, new <span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><b>Vampires Vs. Aliens</b></i></span> books! <i><b> <span style="color: #fcff01;">Book Seven</span></b></i> is the perfect jumping on point for new readers in the hit Young Adult science-fantasy series, as several new protagonists and antagonists join the story.</p><p>In the wake of the revelation of Courtney Cartwright and Nicholas Reznikov's fate, a new Cartwright and Reznikov come to town: Courtney's 15-year old cousin Brandon and the mysterious Alexander Reznikov, a vampire claiming to be Nucholas' brother, long presumed dead. But Alexander's arrival heralds a new alien threat, while Brandon harbors a deadly secret and an uncanny ability that might save the world. Brandon's accompanied by Clarissa Hobbes, an older girl who recently came into his life at a traumatic juncture and turned it upside down with her unearthly presence. <span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><b>Vampires Vs. Aliens, </b></i><i><b>Book Seven</b></i></span> is available now in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VYP127V" target="_blank">paperback</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VYP127V" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, and <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bpwZKJ" target="_blank">EPUB </a>editions.</p><p>Don't worry if you're a new reader who wants to catch up on the series: <i><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"> <span style="color: #fcff01;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/193597162X" target="_blank">Vampires vs. Aliens, Omnibus Edition: Volume Two</a></span></span></b></i><span style="color: #fcff01;"> </span>collecting Books Four, Five, and Six in the series has just come out on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/193597162X" target="_blank">Amazon </a>now; and <i><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vampires-vs-Aliens-Omnibus-One/dp/1935971603" target="_blank">Vampires vs. Aliens, Omnibus Edition: Volume One</a></span> </b></i>collecting the first three books is also available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vampires-vs-Aliens-Omnibus-One/dp/1935971603" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/VVA7.200nb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="200" height="400" src="https://amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/VVA7.200nb.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.2.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-16500859603852960242022-07-28T13:16:00.000-04:002022-07-28T13:16:44.684-04:00The Age of Magic is Here!<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal">I’m pleased to announce the third story arc in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halos & Horns</i> fantasy saga, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Age of Magic</i></b>, has finally been collected in omnibus form. Hot off the
presses, this new volume includes the novels <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alterverse, Warriors & Wizards</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Return of the Djinn</i> as well as an exclusive interview with the
author.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Age of Magic Omnibus</i></b> is 556 pages and, at its larger
deluxe 7x10 size, will fit perfectly on your bookshelf beside the first two
story arcs, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halos & Horns Omnibus </i></b>and the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fangs & Fur Omnibus</i></b>.
The softcover edition is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and the
ebook edition is available at Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, and many other
fine retailers. Please see my blog <a href="a href="http://keithbdarrell.blogspot.com#AOMO"">below</a> for links to retailers.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="a href="http://keithbdarrell.blogspot.com#AOMO"" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="300" height="467" src="https://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/AOM-Omnibus.300.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-86410688212764590802022-06-14T23:19:00.000-04:002022-06-14T23:19:35.824-04:00June 15th is V-A Day!<p> As the American government increases its brutal oppression of the
Hyperion alien refugees, Courtney Cartwright makes a life-altering
decision. Gaunt's failure leads to an Elder's demise. The NSA Domestic
Threat Division closes in on the vampires. <b>Hot off the presses, <span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>Vampires Vs. Aliens Book Six </i></span>arrives tomorrow at your favorite bookstores in paperback and ebook editions. </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNufBWOicUWqGUlkBJUnIofEFxRrFD_y2paO5Xpw7cpguuDwQCOvB0I9jaBS5zme3bZdS9SVdtK0P4XDqTqhUA-IE50E91BppbDSzUbULhYUaqSMrQeQLN6fH5X53fa--6Qoqqf7ft2qfQ1gYgJLiRdDRrOr4azOKP9ACEXbXjxRC7qzFkCXLfMiphg/s326/VVA6.200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="212" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNufBWOicUWqGUlkBJUnIofEFxRrFD_y2paO5Xpw7cpguuDwQCOvB0I9jaBS5zme3bZdS9SVdtK0P4XDqTqhUA-IE50E91BppbDSzUbULhYUaqSMrQeQLN6fH5X53fa--6Qoqqf7ft2qfQ1gYgJLiRdDRrOr4azOKP9ACEXbXjxRC7qzFkCXLfMiphg/s320/VVA6.200.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VCW9HMM" target="_new">Buy paperback on <span style="color: #ffa400;">Amazon</span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VCW9HMM" target="_new">Buy on<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Kindle</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/vampires-vs-aliens-book-six/id1584812696" target="_new">Buy on<span style="color: #fcff01;"> Apple</span> iBooks<span style="background-color: #20124d;"><span></span></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vampires-vs-aliens-book-six" target="_new">Buy on <span style="color: red;">Kobo</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampires-vs-aliens-book-six-keith-b-darrell/1140139336?ean=2940165684425&st=AFF&2sid=Draft2Digital_7968444_NA&sourceId=AFFDraft2Digital" target="_new">Buy on<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> Barnes and Noble</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Keith_B_Darrell_Vampires_Vs_Aliens_Book_Six?id=bGRwEAAAQBAJ" target="_new">Buy on <span style="color: #ff00fe;">Google Play</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://books2read.com/u/31K66M" target="_new">Buy on<span style="color: #01ffff;"> <span style="color: #666666;">Books2Read</span></span></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-42423865955078226322022-03-01T00:41:00.003-05:002022-03-01T03:43:59.126-05:00Author Interview: Vampires Vs. Aliens, Book 5 (coming March 2022)<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">KD:</b> <span style="font-size: small;">First, let me
thank you for conducting this interview, or at least a portion of it on <i>VVA5</i>. I’m told by my publisher and by
Amazon the book is coming out in two weeks and there’s no way I’d have time to
write any marketing blurbs on it. So thank you; you get a free copy. [Laughs]</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:</b> For any of my
readers who don’t know, <i>VVA5</i> is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091PT5PGR" target="_blank"><i>Vampires Vs. Aliens, Book 5</i></a>.</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>KD:</b> Right.
Thanks. We abbreviate all the titles here, so I just think of it as VVA. And
for my blog readers, just let them know, this is part of a larger interview
that’ll be on your site — well, the rest of the interview will be on your site
but this portion strictly devoted to <i>VVA5</i>
will only appear on my blog so if anyone wants to re-blog this excerpt, that’s
fine by me.</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:</b> <span style="line-height: 115%;">So what
type of series is</span><i> Vampires Vs.
Aliens </i>and how did you come up with such an oddball title/concept?</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>KD:</b> <span style="line-height: 115%;">I’d been
doing some deep philosophical writing and I wanted to take a break and write something
completely different so I mixed two genres I’ve done a lot of writing in:
science fiction and fantasy.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b>But how did
you come up with that?</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>KD: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I’d</span>
been hearing some buzz about a British kids’ show — those and Australian
children’s television are about the closest thing you can find to the good
old-fashioned fun stuff we had in the U.S. during my childhood — so anyway,
this show was titled <i>Wizards Versus
Aliens</i> and I thought, with a title like that, even if it’s bad it’s going
to be entertaining to watch. So I watched three seasons and<span style="line-height: 115%;"> I’d</span>
been watching<i> The Vampire Diaries </i>and
I thought, let’s mix these in the blender and see what we get.<span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I’ve seen </span><i>The Vampire Diaries</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> but I’m
not familiar with the British show.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>KD: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">It’s
probably still on YouTube. There’s an alien spaceship secretly orbiting Earth
commanded by their king with the focus on his Young Adult son and daughter, the
prince and princess. So I started with that premise but as time went on I
gradually developed the alien culture and religion, and increased the size of
the alien cast.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">So how did you tie the vampires into that?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>KD: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Since
you’re familiar with </span><i>Diaries,</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> you know
that’s simply a love triangle between a teenage girl and a pair of vampire
brothers. So I took the love triangle aspect but changed it to a teenage girl
going back and forth between a handsome young vampire and a dashing young alien
prince. Of course, when I say “young” they only look young because both aliens
and vampires have lifespans of centuries or longer.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Do you have other vampires, as well?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>KD: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oh sure.
There’s a whole hierarchy. When they first become vampires they’re called New
Bloods and they have these hyped up sensory perceptions and emotions, along
with powers they don’t know how to use. Once they settle down, they become
Young Bloods who are less wild and more in control of their supernatural
abilities. After a few centuries, they’re sort of middle-aged, so they’re much
calmer and wiser. By the time they’ve been around for thousands of years, they
become Elders who’ve experienced so much that nothing fazes them and they can
no longer experience any emotions — they’ve become mere husks acting purely on
logic.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">So as they age, they lose their humanity.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Exactly. And lastly, we have the really old vampires called
Ancients. They’ve been around longer than the Earth and may have arrived before
humankind developed.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">How do the vampires get involved with the aliens?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">The aliens come from a planet whose sun has gotten extremely
hot and now they keep running out of water. They’ve developed a technique to
raid other worlds and steal the water they need to survive. Of course, without water,
all the humans and animals on our planet would die out — and we’re the food
supply for vampires.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">So the vampires want to stop the aliens purely out of
self-interest?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Exactly.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Besides the teenage girl, are there any characters who
aren’t aliens or vampires?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oh sure. Many segments of society are represented. There’s a
crusading reporter — sort of a noir character who keeps a Glock and a bottle of
scotch in his desk drawer; a lot of the protagonist’s Young Adult friends, and
her father who’s a general commanding the local military base.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Now, you structure your books differently from other
writers —</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I wouldn’t say —</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">What I mean is, you’ve blogged about episodic fiction
—</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oh, right. I see where you’re going. The generations of
writers that preceded me were all influenced by the literature they read. I
read the classics as well but I was also part of the television generation so
TV influenced my writing as much as books did. I’ve blogged about how, when I’m
writing a series as opposed to a one-off book, I treat each book in the series
like a season of a TV series and each chapter like an episode in that season.
So, my series aren’t like <i>The Hardy Boys</i>
or <i>Nancy Drew</i> where there are fifty
books in the series and you can pick up any one and get a self-contained story
in that one book. In all my series, my books are in chronological order so you
really have to start with Book 1 and read them in order. Because it’s all part
of a larger, ongoing story.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ:<span> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">So if you start with Book 4, you won’t understand the
backstory plot or the characters?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Plus, if you do that, you’re gonna find out a whole lot of
spoilers. That’s why it’s hard for me to talk about<i> VVA5</i> without giving away things that happen in the previous books:
I don’t want to spoil the story for those who haven’t read them yet.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">You’ve been
criticized for —</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">[Nodding] I’ve seen that Amazon review, too.</span>
[Laughs].<span> </span>Whether it’s three books or
ten books in a series, you have to look at it as one long story being told in
installments. Now each book has its own theme and its own plot related to that
theme but it’s also part of a larger storyline and there are multiples subplot
threads, some of which are continued from the previous books and may be resolved
in this book but there are also new subplots that may start in this book but
continue into the next book. Sometimes the subplot will become so significant
that it’s a lead-in to the following book. So that gives me the opportunity to
use a television and film writing staple known as the cliffhanger.</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">But doesn’t
that make the reader feel like they’re being cheated out of the story?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oh no. Just the opposite. I grew up watching <i>Flash Gordon, Lost in Space, The Time
Tunnel, Batman </i>— they all had cliffhangers and that made it even more
exciting.<i> Flash Gordon </i>always ended
on a cliffhanger with Flash, Dale Arden, or Dr. Zarkov at times literally
hanging from a cliff. Batman made us tune in “same bat-time, same bat-channel”
to see how Batman and Robin would survive their latest peril. Now what Irwin
Allen, the producer of <i>Lost in Space </i>and<i> The Time Tunnel</i> would do, is tell a
self-contained story for fifty-five minutes and the last five minutes was
basically the first five minutes of next week’s episode — also a self-contained
story but since you were five minutes into it and the words “To Be Continued”
flashed across the TV screen, every episode ended with a cliffhanger. But they
were all complete stories and sometimes in syndication they’ll lop off last
five minutes to add more commercials and you lose the cliffhanger but you don’t
lose any of the main story. That’s sort of what I do. You get your money’s
worth; you get your story. But, you also get a preview of what’s coming.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">As a writer
myself, it sounds like you’re ending on a climax rather than a dénouement.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Well, remember the rising action that leads into the climax
is coming from a subplot, not the main plot. For example, to bring us back to <i>VVA5</i> without giving away spoilers, one
of the characters had a running subplot in the previous book that turned her
entire life upside down and led into an unfortunately common YA theme of
depression and suicide. So while that may lead to one of the previous book’s
cliffhangers, in <i>VVA5</i> her story and
entire subplot is capsulized as the first chapter and it becomes the inciting
incident for the rest of the book and the one that follows.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Are we
talking about your protagonist, the teenage girl?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">No, this is a different character, a very religious girl who
starts out with a schoolgirl crush and ends up demoralized, losing her faith,
and suicidal. Regardless of what choice she makes, there’s someone who pushed
her to this point and there are people who care about her, so there will be a
reckoning. Of course, when that happens it will spawn consequences as well.
Always new plot threads.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">You
mentioned themes —</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Yes, it’s a very topical series. Since it’s not deeply
philosophical like my previous series was, I started referring to <i>VVA</i> as my little bit of fluff but it’s
been heavily influenced by current events so I don’t think I can call it fluff
anymore. I’ve been willing to change the dynamic of the series and make it very
fluid, very flexible to adapt to new themes. At one point the aliens were
potentially conquerors but in the real world at the time I was writing it we
had a serious refugee problem. It dawned on me intergalactic aliens would make perfect
refugees, so the refugee crisis became a dominant theme in the third book. Book
6 deals with the theme of authoritarianism. While we’ve all been dealing with
COVID-19, my characters had to deal with a deadly so-called “alien virus”. One
theme has been the targeting of certain groups by hatemongers. Once the alien
presence becomes known, humans are divided on the issue with groups like “Alien
Lives Matter” and “The Earth For Humans League” springing up. I had one beta
reader who told me “I don’t know who to root for. I keep alternating between
the aliens and the vampires.”</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">So who are
the bad guys?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Well, you know life isn’t always about good guys versus bad
guys, heroes and villains. I think it’s more about people who find themselves
in situations where they must make choices, and that often means moral relativism
comes into play. Is it wrong to murder hundreds of aliens? What if doing so
saves the lives of eight billion humans on Earth? And if you go through with
it, does that make you a hero or a villain?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">How many
books are in the</span><i> <a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/Catalog/catalog06.html">Vampires Vs. Aliens</a></i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> series?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">At the moment, it’s an ongoing series. I’m just finishing
writing Book 7 now. I believe Books 5, 6 and 7 are scheduled to be published
this year. There’ll definitely be a Book 8 to follow. A second omnibus
collection is also going to be released in 2022.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span> </span></span><b>JJ: </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">The omnibuses are —?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>KD: </i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">The omnibus editions are print collections. The first omnibus is already out at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971603">Amazon </a>and <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampires-vs-aliens-omnibus-edition-keith-b-darrell/1139568753">Barnes & Noble</a> and it collects Books 1
through 3. The second omnibus will collect Books 4 through 6; and Book 7 will
be a good jumping on point for new readers because it introduces a new
protagonist and some major plot changes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> Some housekeeping notes</b>:</span> I can't post the links for the print edition until the publication date (March 15) so I'll come back and add those links and the link to the rest of your interview when they're available. Meantime, the <b>ebook</b> editions of <b><i>Vampires Vs. Aliens Book 5</i></b> can be pre-ordered now at both <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091PT5PGR" target="_blank">Amazon </a>(for Kindle) and <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bWrzyz" target="_blank">All Other Ebooks</a> (including Apple, Nook, and Kobo). We'll also be updating the links on my <a href="http://keithbdarrell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog </a>and the Amber Book Company <a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/">website</a>. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/VVA5.200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="210" height="400" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/VVA5.200.jpg" width="260" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></p>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-83054042461956438532021-12-05T06:00:00.001-05:002021-12-05T06:00:00.210-05:00OZ, BOOK 2 IN THE WONDERLAND TRILOGY – HOT OFF THE PRESSES!<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal">Zebediah Hugson books passage on The Wizard of Odds with
Cap'n Bill and his first mate Trot to sail from Emerald City, Kansas downriver
to Wonderland in search of his missing cousin, newspaper reporter Dorothy Gale.
Meanwhile Tinka Belle, guilt-ridden over having overdosed Wendy's sister
Detective Alice Dodgson on the hallucinogen fairy dust, has fled Peter Pan's
luxury penthouse that towers over the futuristic art deco city of Wonderland.
Tinka Belle returns to her roots in the dark underbelly of the city of tomorrow
– the slums of Wonderland, where she shares an alley squat with her young
friend Tip, a boy with a long-held secret and a hidden past. This sequel to
Wonderland reveals what lies in the shadows of the glitz and glamor of the art
deco architectural marvel of Wonderland, where the Yellow Brick Road leads
through the dangerous Tenement Row, home of Old Mombi who sells abducted children
and young women to the highest bidder; the local brothel, Glinda Goodwitch’s
Palace of Pleasure; The Quadling, the seedy bar belonging to ex-prizefighter
Jack Pumpkinhead, whose face resembles a smashed gourd; and the territory
claimed by Gen. Jinjur and her army of punk rock lesbians.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/Oz.RGB.200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="210" height="324" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/Oz.RGB.200.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b><i>Oz</i></b> available December 1, 2021 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971573" target="_blank">paperback</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBRTBXH" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, or ebook.</span></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-51669187755997595862021-12-03T04:30:00.008-05:002021-12-03T04:30:00.195-05:00OZ, BOOK 2 IN THE WONDERLAND TRILOGY – HOT OFF THE PRESSES!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif";">Exactly one year ago, I published
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b>.
I had planned for <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b> to be a standalone novel but the following November
it seemed logical, even preordained, that I should write a sequel sourced from
the L. Frank Baum’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b> books. (And if I were doing that, then it would have to be a
trilogy with the third book sourced from J. M. Barrie’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peter Pan </i></b>the following
November).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif";"> Since it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i></b> a trilogy, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b>
will make more sense if you read the first book, so go out and purchase <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b>;
I’ll wait.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif";"> You’re back? Good, now where
were we? Oh, yes —<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Oz</i></b>. Each book in the trilogy is written in the mood or tone of
its source material. While <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b> is more whimsical, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b>
is the hero’s journey The characters may bear the names and some of the
attributes of their literary namesakes but they, and the world they inhabit,
are much darker. Alice is a police detective; so is Capt. Jim Hooker, who goes
by the nickname Hook since he has a prosthetic metal hook for his left hand. Hook
has established Neverland Ranch in the valley north of Wonderland as a refuge
for abused boys he calls the Lost Boys. Edmund Tusk (nicknamed the Walrus
because of his physical similarity to the sea creature) is a criminal kingpin
ruling over the futuristic city of tomorrow, Wonderland. Dorothy Gale is a
reporter from Kansas. Peter Pan is a middle-aged pedophile who’s not only
attracted to boys but considers himself one as well. Wendy’s the abducted child
turned nurturing young woman who finds in the older yet childlike Peter someone
to mother. Tinka Belle is a badass drug dealer peddling her recreational drug
Fairy Dust in Tenement Row and the rest of Wonderland’s slum, where we find
Glinda Goodwitch and her house of prostitution (“Just follow the yellow brick
road”); Old Mombi, who specializes in abducting children and young women; Jack
Pumpkinhead, ex-prizefighter turned owner of the seedy Quadling bar; Gen.
Jinjur and her army of punk rock lesbians: Buzz, Skinz, Rainbow, Mo Hawk, and Spike;
and a host of other unsavory characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif";"> In addition to the Art Deco
skyscrapers illuminated by spotlights and the squalid underbelly of the city of
tomorrow, Wonderland has a scenic wharf in its harbor separating the river from
the inlet to the sea. There you’ll find the avuncular Cap’n Bill — whose left
leg is a wooden stick of hickory from the knee down — smoking his briar pipe, and
Trot, the young woman who’s both his first mate and ward. Most likely, they’ll
be at The Mock Turtle bar drinking with Capt. Griffin, a lobster fishermen and
rummy, along with his parrot Munchkin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif";"> Wonderland wouldn’t be
Wonderland without the wealthy and powerful players that comprise its high
society. Mademoiselle Milliner — a delusional schizophrenic who made her
fortune designing outlandish hats — hosts a daily tea party at her mansion,
aided by her manservant Haigha and her ever-present guest the somnolent Mr.
Dormaus. A more distinctive antebellum mansion belongs to the Duchess, the
ugliest woman in Wonderland, who lives with her daughter Cheshire (the city’s
enigmatic information broker), her son Pepper, her butler Mr. Frogge, her
footman Mr. Fish, and the eponymous Cook. In addition to meals, Cook also
prepares the drug they manufacture named Pepper, which the Duchess’ young son
Pepper and his constant companion Mouse distribute through the city. Cat
Pillar, the second ugliest woman in Wonderland, is frequently a guest at the
Duchess’ mansion where she can be found seated on an ottoman smoking her
hookah.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif";"> The Duchess’ ex-husband Nome
King now lives on his own island, the Isle of Ev, which is inhabited only by a
tribe of native Quadlings. Prof. H.M. Wogglebug — the creator of both Pepper and Fairy Dust — also resides on the island and his latest creation is an hallucinogenic gas he calls Scarlet.</span><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242; padding: 0in;"></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Thorndale for VST","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/Oz.RGB.200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="210" height="324" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/Oz.RGB.200.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b><i>Oz</i></b> available December 1, 2021 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971573" target="_blank">paperback</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBRTBXH" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, or ebook.</span></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-43275723688356101942021-12-01T00:50:00.002-05:002021-12-01T00:50:18.170-05:00OZ, BOOK 2 IN THE WONDERLAND TRILOGY – JUST PUBLISHED!<p class="MsoNormal"> Last year I gave you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b>; today, welcome to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b>!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> My novel <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b> relied heavily on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland</i> </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Through the Looking-Glass</i></b> by Lewis
Carroll, with some characters borrowed from The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b> books by L. Frank Baum,
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peter
Pan</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>by J.M. Barrie. Okay, I
took a few creative liberties. Wonderland is the ultimate stream of consciousness novel, much like its namesake. In Carroll’s original stories, there’s no plot or conflict: Alice goes to a strange place, encounters weird people, and returns home – or, as we called it in the 60s, a wild LSD trip. When I embarked on adapting the Oz books, I hit a snag: they were not stream of consciousness novels. They each had a plot, albeit the same one – the Hero’s Journey: a protagonist who goes on an adventure, overcomes a conflict, and returns changed
by the experience. Following this formula results in a book with a completely different
“feel.” Since <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b> is a sequel to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland</i></b>, I worried the difference
would be too jarring for the readers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Nevertheless, some beloved, perhaps lesser known, characters
from Oz made their way to Wonderland, the “city of tomorrow” whose art deco
skyline is filled with skylights and skyscrapers. But where the previous novel
focused on the gleaming city, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oz</i></b> reveals what lies in the shadows
of the glitz and glamor of the art deco architectural marvel of Wonderland, deep
within the dark underbelly of the city of tomorrow. It follows the Yellow Brick
Road through the dangerous Tenement Row, home of Old Mombi who sells abducted
children and young women to the highest bidder; the local brothel, Glinda
Goodwitch’s Palace of Pleasure; The Quadling, the seedy bar belonging to
ex-prizefighter Jack Pumpkinhead, whose face resembles a smashed gourd; and the
territory claimed by Gen. Jinjur and her army of punk rock lesbians. In short,
another acid trip. Enjoy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/Oz.RGB.200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="210" height="324" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/Oz.RGB.200.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b><i>Oz</i></b> available December 1, 2021 in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971573" target="_blank">paperback</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBRTBXH" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, or ebook.</span></p>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-63353582422335238012021-08-11T14:00:00.001-04:002021-08-11T14:00:00.221-04:00More Fang-tastic News!<p class="MsoNormal"> The <a href="https://books2read.com/u/ml2MjB" target="_blank">ebook</a> version of<i><b> </b></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book
Four</i></b> in the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens </i></b>series was published this summer; now you can purchase the paperback edition from <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampires-vs-aliens-book-four-keith-b-darrell/1138517295" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971565" target="_blank">Amazon</a>! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> The most action-packed installment yet! Kevian's past from
the Water Wars returns to haunt him and threaten the safety of Earth. Anti-alien
prejudice breaks out on the planet. The vampires must deal with a werewolf in
their midst. Courtney Cartwright confronts Sebastian after discovering his
secrets but has his inadvertent action already sealed their fates? The Jabari
have learned their former foes the Hyperions have been decimated and are
helplessly in orbit around Earth's moon. Now the Jabari fleet is headed into
our solar system on a mission of vengeance and obliteration!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> This volume is yet another turning point in the series as
readers get to see a side of Kevian that up until now has only been alluded to.
The alien prince has been Courtney Cartwright’s white knight whom she views as
kind, generous, and at least with her, tender. Yet Courtney and the readers
have been warned there’s another side to the warrior prince and that he’s not
as he appears. As a writer, I worked carefully to craft this duality in Kevian’s
character and with the fourth installment of Vampires Vs. Aliens it comes to
the fore. The book begins with a flashback to Kevian’s time as a warrior during
the Water Wars on the ice planet Jabari. We see what Kevian, Saskia, and Quill
were truly like in wartime, and we learn the painful secret of what occurred on
Jabari that Kevian has refused to speak of for two centuries, even to his
sister Kira. We also get to see Kevian’s first encounter with the symbiont and
learn the reason for their mutual hatred. Then, it’s flash forward to the
present day where, thanks to Victorian dandy and Elder vampire Sebastian, the
Jabari have located Kevian and the remaining Hyperions now in lunar orbit and
have launched an invasion fleet toward Earth and its moon. For only the second
time, the Hyperion command ship Calpernia leaves lunar orbit, headed to the
edge of the solar system to engage the Jabari in battle. Kevian’s mother, Queen
Dowager Nula, bids him “Go do what YOU do best.” Will readers still feel the
same after seeing this side of Kevian?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Now that humans are aware they have aliens among them their
reactions are split between groups like the Earth for Humans League, who feel
threatened by their presence, and Alien Lives Matter, who welcome them. Are arrivals
from another planet the ultimate illegal aliens and will they be treated any
differently from immigrants from another country?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amberbookcompany.com/vva/VVA4.RGB.400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="400" height="373" src="http://amberbookcompany.com/vva/VVA4.RGB.400.jpg" width="239" /> </a></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> Miss the first three books in the series? Buy them individually
<a href="http://amberbookcompany.com/vva/index.html">online </a>or order the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971603"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens Omnibus</i></b></a> collecting all three books, just
published this summer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampires-vs-aliens-omnibus-edition-keith-b-darrell/1139568753" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" height="354" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"> <br /></p>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-83379610388395820662021-08-11T09:00:00.000-04:002021-08-11T09:00:00.204-04:00It’s Your Fault!<p class="MsoNormal">There’s a trend these days for companies to blame their
customers for the businesses’ errors. Perhaps it began in the computer
industry, where tech support workers would ask users calling in with a problem “What
did YOU do to cause the error?” My
standard response to this question is “I purchased your product.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Last month, I ordered a pizza from Papa John’s website. I
chose “The Works,” which is their version of all the toppings. I tipped the
deliveryman, who promptly drove off, and when I opened the box I found a plain
cheese pizza with no toppings. I called Papa John’s and spoke to the manager
who, besides being incredibly rude to a customer who had just purchased their
product, told me they were “not responsible for errors” if the item was ordered
from their website, even though they made it at their store. She then went on
to place the blame on me saying I must have clicked on the wrong button online.
Needless to say, I will never again do business with Papa John’s.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It happened again today. Every two years I receive
correspondence course books in the mail from real estate schools seeking my
business. I usually choose the first one arrives, fill out the paper test in
the back of the book, and mail the answer sheet back to them. For the past
several years, that’s been the Bob Hogue School of Real Estate. They emailed me
my score (100%, no sour grapes here); however, my credit card issuer emailed me
too: it turns out Bob Hogue had billed me twice, each charge a minute apart. I
presumed someone at the correspondence school must have run the credit card
number through, thought for some reason it didn’t go through the first time,
and submitted it a second time. That happens sometimes with businesses, so I
called to tell them what had happened and receive a refund for the erroneous
charge. I wasn’t angry; I was very calm; I simply wanted my money which should
never have been withdrawn returned. I assumed it was a mistake on their part
and that they weren’t even aware of it. But then, the young lady on the phone
proceeded to tell me how this was all my fault.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You must have clicked twice on the form online,” she
insisted, placing the blame for their error on the customer. Before she could
continue, I interrupted: “I’m going to stop you in your tracks. I was never
online. I’ve never been to your website and I didn’t click anything. Your
company sent me an unsolicited course book. I placed the answer sheet in an
envelope, stuck a stamp on it, and returned it in the U.S. mail.” You would
think that would cure them of the need to shift blame for their own failures.
Nope. She moved on to blame the credit card issuer for double billing me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s bad enough we live in a society where there is no
longer any accountability for one’s actions from the president down to the
lowliest peon; and that individuals no longer assume responsibility for their
own mistakes. But there is something seriously wrong with a business culture
that fosters a “blame our customers for our mistakes” mindset. In these
situations, the customer’s only mistake is having done business with the
company in the first place; a wise customer will not compound the mistake by
continuing to patronize such a business.</p>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-47605429647269185842021-06-07T17:19:00.000-04:002021-06-07T17:19:15.388-04:00A Graduation Message During the final week of classes, the graduating elementary
school students had a tradition of taking a small book of blank pages around to
their friends and classmates to be inscribed with parting thoughts. Most were
rather inane, as might be expected from sixth-graders. Having only a few
friends, I filled the remaining pages with comments from the teachers and
staff. Most of those inscriptions read surprisingly inane as well; however, one
stood out then and still does half a century later.
<p class="MsoNormal"> Mr. Taylor was the school janitor. He was a pleasant, jovial
man with enough white hair interspersed in his crew cut to appear to be in his fifties.
I would speak to him as he was emptying the classroom wastebaskets or sweeping
the halls; he was always kind and to my 12-year-old eyes a man of vast wisdom.
I don’t think many other students, or teachers for that matter, bothered to
speak to Mr. Taylor. While he was a fixture within the grade school, to them he
was merely the janitor. He was the one to call when the bathroom ran out of
paper towels or one of the pupils threw up on the classroom floor. I doubt any
of them, including myself, could tell you if Mr. Taylor had always been a
janitor. Did he have previous careers? Had he been in the military? Did he have
a wife and children? They were never curious enough to inquire because Mr.
Taylor was merely the janitor.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Nearly 50 years to the day, I still have that little book.
The pages have browned and Mr. Taylor’s penciled inscription has faded yet is
nonetheless legible. He wrote, very simply, “Never give up until you have tried your very, very best.” It was the most important thing I learned from
elementary school, and I learned it not from a teacher but from the janitor.
Although (or perhaps because) I was only a child, I viewed Mr. Taylor as an
adult with valuable knowledge gleaned from decades of life experience, which he
was always willing to share but few were willing to listen to one they deemed
beneath their station. I think the second most important thing Mr. Taylor
taught me was that everyone, regardless of their status in society, has a
lifetime filled with experiences we can all learn from. In that half-century, I’ve
become a wise man because of the pearls of wisdom given to me by a lifetime of
wise teachers, some of whom possessed degrees while others pushed brooms.</p>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-46256087478668350602021-06-01T08:32:00.036-04:002021-06-01T08:32:00.221-04:00Fang-tastic News!<p class="MsoNormal"> We’re two weeks away from publication of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book
Four</i></b> in the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens </i></b>series! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> The most action-packed installment yet! Kevian's past from
the Water Wars returns to haunt him and threaten the safety of Earth. Anti-alien
prejudice breaks out on the planet. The vampires must deal with a werewolf in
their midst. Courtney Cartwright confronts Sebastian after discovering his
secrets but has his inadvertent action already sealed their fates? The Jabari
have learned their former foes the Hyperions have been decimated and are
helplessly in orbit around Earth's moon. Now the Jabari fleet is headed into
our solar system on a mission of vengeance and obliteration!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> This volume is yet another turning point in the series as
readers get to see a side of Kevian that up until now has only been alluded to.
The alien prince has been Courtney Cartwright’s white knight whom she views as
kind, generous, and at least with her, tender. Yet Courtney and the readers
have been warned there’s another side to the warrior prince and that he’s not
as he appears. As a writer, I worked carefully to craft this duality in Kevian’s
character and with the fourth installment of Vampires Vs. Aliens it comes to
the fore. The book begins with a flashback to Kevian’s time as a warrior during
the Water Wars on the ice planet Jabari. We see what Kevian, Saskia, and Quill
were truly like in wartime, and we learn the painful secret of what occurred on
Jabari that Kevian has refused to speak of for two centuries, even to his
sister Kira. We also get to see Kevian’s first encounter with the symbiont and
learn the reason for their mutual hatred. Then, it’s flash forward to the
present day where, thanks to Victorian dandy and Elder vampire Sebastian, the
Jabari have located Kevian and the remaining Hyperions now in lunar orbit and
have launched an invasion fleet toward Earth and its moon. For only the second
time, the Hyperion command ship Calpernia leaves lunar orbit, headed to the
edge of the solar system to engage the Jabari in battle. Kevian’s mother, Queen
Dowager Nula, bids him “Go do what YOU do best.” Will readers still feel the
same after seeing this side of Kevian?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Now that humans are aware they have aliens among them their
reactions are split between groups like the Earth for Humans League, who feel
threatened by their presence, and Alien Lives Matter, who welcome them. Are arrivals
from another planet the ultimate illegal aliens and will they be treated any
differently from immigrants from another country?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amberbookcompany.com/vva/VVA4.RGB.400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="400" height="373" src="http://amberbookcompany.com/vva/VVA4.RGB.400.jpg" width="239" /> </a></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> Miss the first three books in the series? Find them individually
<a href="http://amberbookcompany.com/vva/index.html">online </a>or order the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971603"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens Omnibus</i></b></a> collecting all three books, just
published last month.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" height="354" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"> <br /></p>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-47316057783564813022021-05-15T07:40:00.001-04:002021-05-25T06:42:18.564-04:00Just Published: Vampires Vs. Aliens, Omnibus Edition Vol. One<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal">It's Omnibus Day! VAMPIRES VS. ALIENS, OMNIBUS EDITION
VOLUME ONE is now available! More than 800 pages of science fiction - fantasy
collecting the first three books in the hit series. This is your chance to
catch up before next month's installment featuring the thrill-packed Jabari
Invasion in Book Four. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sixteen-year-old Courtney Cartwright finds herself attracted
to two strangers -- not realizing one's an alien prince and the other's a
200-year-old vampire. Handsome Nicholas appears to be a typical teenage sci-fi
fan but he lives in a mysterious boarded-up mansion with his unusual vampire
"family" of New Bloods and Old Bloods... and the ancient Elder
vampires residing in the basement. Kevian and his sister Kira are spearheading
a covert alien invasion designed to steal Earth's most precious resource for
their home world Hyperion. Both the vampires and the aliens require a
life-sustaining fluid to survive: blood for the vampires and water for the
aliens. But if the aliens succeed in robbing Earth of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>its water, all life on the planet will cease to
exist... including the vampires' food source.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chills and thrills! Memorable characters, surprising plot
twists, and science fiction you can sink your teeth into! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971603" target="_blank">Order your copy</a>
today!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" src="http://amberbookcompany.com/images/3d/VVA.Omnibus.1.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971603" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971603</a></div><p></p>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-87929830530782696132021-03-09T22:30:00.002-05:002021-03-19T03:46:11.898-04:00The Age of Magic, Book 3: Return of the Djinn arrives next week!<table>
<caption><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><font color="B1B1FF">"In The Age of Magic, Anything is Possible."</font></b></i></span></caption>
<tbody><tr><td>
<p>
<a href=" " target="new"><img hspace="12" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/AOM3-Return_of_the_Djinn_cover.proto.RGB.300.jpg" width="200" /></a> <br />
</p>
<p> 288 pages. Coming March 15, 2021.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R78P648" target="new">Paperback</a><font color="00FFB1"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Return-Djinn-Magic-Book-Three/dp/1935971522/"> </a>(Amazon) </font> <br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R78P648" target="new">Kindle</a>
<br />
<a href="https://books2read.com/u/3RnXpv" target="new">EPUB</a> </p><p></p></td><td>
<br /></td><td><p>
What would the Age of Magic be without the Arabian Nights? Aladdin and his magic lamp; Ali Baba and the 40 thieves; genies and djinns and ifrits, oh my! Flying carpets, desert palm trees, and harems filled with voluptuous women. That Moorish architecture, and oh the clothes: turbans, fezzes, and curled pointy shoes. Belly dancers, and the Dance of the Seven Veils. The bazaar and the café. The magical city of Baghdad, with its spires, keyhole arches, and minarets glittering more brightly than the Emerald City of Oz.</p>
<p>And then there's vampire Sharon Mordecai, a prominent character in every <i><b>Halos & Horns</b></i> novel since the first book but noticeably absent in the previous installment, the ninth book in the series. Where was Sharon? All we were told was that she was on a case with her spectral private investigator partner Kara Islington. Readers got a clue at the very end of the previous book when Ursula Fenris, teenage daughter of Sharon's BFF Pandora, was polishing an oil lamp she had been given by the mysterious proprietor of an even more mysterious curio shop. Kara's ghostly form wafted from the lamp's spout with the dire message that she and Sharon had been captured by a djinn. But how on Earth did they end up in such a predicament?</p>
<p>
</p><center><font color="00FFB1">*** Book 10 in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Halos & Horns</span> fantasy series *** <br />***Book 3 in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Age of Magic</span> story arc ***</font></center>
<p></p>
<p></p><center>
<font color="00FFB1">Available March 15, 2021.</font>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Return-Djinn-Magic-Book-Three/dp/1935971522/" target="_blank">Paperback (</a><font color="00FFB1"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Return-Djinn-Magic-Book-Three/dp/1935971522/" target="_blank">Amazon)</a> </font> , <font color="00FFB1">(Barnes & Noble)</font>,
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R78P648" target="new"> e-book <font color="00FFB1"> (Kindle)</font></a>, and
<a href="https://books2read.com/u/3RnXpv" target="new"> e-book <font color="00FFB1">(EPUB)</font>,</a> <br />Ships Mar. 15, 2021 .
</center><p></p>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-74437235816178679732020-12-23T05:19:00.002-05:002020-12-23T05:19:35.247-05:00Wonderland<p> </p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_7e"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">If you think the world has gone insane in 2020, just wait until you see what Alice encounters in 2021!</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">WONDERLAND... A descent into madness.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Available for <a href="https://books2read.com/u/3kAO7g">pre-order.</a>now! <span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">Publication date: January 29, 2021.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/u/3kAO7g" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="206" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7385PJRQV6jgRNrf0D5ixHZuXx2Iss0w59peK-ZiWruw8pt4_KaRfLTTNYxdLqtdaC6nmNgMX_9djv566zZnF_GcUB4wMGH3dJFNQiebwv8nxmcX-Vu6En1cCPWG6RiDhuaJpD0D7QcAP/w260-h400/Wonderland+200.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /> </div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-87048830325531457252020-12-18T11:39:00.000-05:002020-12-18T11:39:02.092-05:00A 15-Year Anniversary Retrospective<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fifteen years ago this month, I submitted my first
book for publication. <i>Issues in Internet
Law</i> became the flagship title of Amber Book Company in December 2005. Nowhere
on its cover did it proclaim it was the first edition: it never occurred to me
there’d be another edition, let alone ten more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In fact, I had begun to doubt it would even be
published. The first typesetter we hired screwed up the book. They used InDesign
to create the book but, as I later figured out, they didn’t know how to use the
program properly. InDesign has two settings, for printing either documents or
books. They used the document setting instead of the book setting and the
result was spaghetti text between two covers. When they wanted to charge us
more to fix their mistake, I decided we’d bring the project (and all others
since) in-house. With only weeks before the deadline to get the book published
in time for the winter school term, Larry, Marc, and I set out to learn
InDesign. I’m not saying there was a steep learning curve but the reason I have
less hair today definitely stems from having pulled out half of it during those
frustrating weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">More books followed. My next two were on web design:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Web Designer's Client Handbook</i>;
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Putting Your Business on the
Internet: Your Website, Your Web Designer, & YOU!</i> My fourth book was
the novel I had started 30 years earlier. Some famous writer (I think it was
Hemingway but I’m too tired to look it up) said after completing a first
manuscript, one should take a celebratory sea voyage, lean on the ship’s
railing and toss the manuscript into the sea… then return home and write a
second novel that would be worthy of publication. Regrettably, I didn’t follow
this sage advice. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I returned to what had been successful: I wrote the
second, third, fourth, and fifth editions of<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Issues in Internet Law</i> (now subtitled “Society, Technology, and the Law”).
From the fourth edition forward, the book was published in both softcover and
hardcover, and somehow holding the hardcover copy in my hands made me feel like
a true author. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In 2009, I published my second hardcover, this time
with a dust-jacket. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Randoms</i> was a
short story collection. I was interviewed by the local newspaper and did book
signings across the country. The printer had enormous difficulty with the
dust-jackets, though. No two covers were quite the same color. To resolve this,
we published a paperback edition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">About that time, I pulled two typed pages out of my
desk drawer. They had been sitting there for several years, remnants of my
failed attempt at writing a play about Heaven and Hell. Playwriting, it turns
out, is surprisingly difficult. I decided to turn it into a short story
instead. It became a lengthy short story but at least I was able to finish it. But
had I? The open-ended conclusion was actually an enticing premise, so I wrote a
sequel. I wanted it to be about gangsters but somehow during my research it morphed
into a completely different story. Yet I still wanted to write the gangster
story, so I had to write a sequel to the sequel. By then, the characters had
started to grow on me. They had taken on lives of their own and they had more
stories to tell. Enough to fill a book. And so, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paved with Good Intentions</i> was published.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I went back to writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law</i>. The 6<sup>th</sup>
edition was published in both paperback and hardcover. During this time, I
joined (and later ran) a local writers group at which we would present a short
story each week. I collected the stories I wrote into a 560-page book called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shards</i>. A small selection of these tales
would appear in 2012 in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Careywood</i>, a
charity book published with all proceeds going to benefit repair of a famous Rhode
Island mansion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But people kept asking when I was going to write the
sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paved with Good Intentions</i>.
“What sequel?” I’d reply. As far as I was concerned, it was done. After all, I
had turned two pages into a novel. But I had left nagging questions (like
“Who’s the father?”) unanswered. And so I wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And a Child Shall Lead Them</i> in 2010. This time, I knew the story
wasn’t finished. I ended with a cliff-hanger, possibly the best cliff-hanger
ever written (even topping the ending of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beneath
the Planet of the Apes</i>, in which the Earth is blown up yet they still
managed three more sequels).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then it was back to writing an updated edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Putting Your Business on the Internet: Your
Website, Your Web Designer, & YOU!</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law</i> (7<sup>th</sup>
edition). I wrote the storyline to conclude my fantasy series but it was so
long I decided to break it into two books: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To
Hell in a Handbasket</i> (published in 2011) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Witches’ Cauldron</i> (published in 2012). The four-book series was
rebranded as “Halos & Horns.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I had told my Heaven and Hell story, albeit over
four books, yet in the process I had created an entire fictional universe and
intriguing ancillary characters. I decided the four books comprising Halos
& Horns would be the first arc in a much larger saga. The second arc would be
called Fangs & Fur and focus on what had been the supporting characters in
the first arc. Written in 2014 and published in 2016, the initial book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flashbacks</i> picked up where the first arc
had left off, revealing the origins of the key characters through a series of
flashbacks while advancing the present-day storyline.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">You may be wondering what happened during that
two-year gap. Besides writing the eighth and ninth editions of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology,
and the Law</i>, three other significant events occurred. The first Halos &
Horns story arc was collected into an omnibus edition with lots of extras:
interviews, essays, and 61 magnificent illustrations by various artists. As an
omnibus, the book was already large, about 900 pages. That meant higher
printing and shipping costs. Additionally, we were printing two versions: both
paperback and, for the first time, Halos & Horns would appear in hardcover.
When the proof came back from the printer something was missing. All those
beautiful illustrations appeared washed out in black and white. I shook my
head. I said, “These artists worked as hard on their drawings as I did on my
writing. They deserve to be seen in all their glory, in color.” I was
immediately told that wasn’t feasible. It would mean tripling the retail price
of the book. But I insisted it be done right or not at all. While retailers are
free to mark up a book at any price they choose, Amber Book Company published
the full color <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halos & Horns Omnibus Edition</i>
at only one dollar above cost. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In 2014, I published a collection of essays selected
from my blog, entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Collected Essays
of a Reluctant Blogger</i>. The third significant event during the gap was that
I wrote my young adult science fiction trilogy, The Adventures of Mackenzie
Mortimer. In 2015, the first book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The 25<sup>th</sup>
Hour</i> was published and met with much praise. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Tomorrow Paradox</i> was released in 2016, and the conclusion <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All the Time in the World</i> (considered by
many to be my finest novel) in 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The year 2016 also saw publication of the tenth
anniversary edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Issues in Internet
Law: Society, Technology, and the Law</i>. The previous year Amber Book Company
had entered into an agreement with VitalSource, the world’s largest distributor
of textbooks, to offer a digital version beginning with the ninth edition. The
book was used as a textbook on four continents and received glowing reviews as
far away as India.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Cops
and Robbers</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">, published in 2016, was my first entry
into the quirky crime drama genre popularized by David Lynch’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twin Peaks</i>. Befitting its irreverent and
serious duality, it was published with two covers, which we referred to as “the
grim cover” and “the whimsical cover.” That same year, the second collection of
my essays was published in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">More Essays of
a Reluctant Blogger</i>.</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Cub:
The Story of a Boy Reporter</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">, a book I had worked on for 40
years containing my photographs of, and interviews with, famous actors and
actresses, athletes, authors, comedians, politicians, producers, and other
celebrities was finally published in 2017. The eleventh edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology,
and the Law</i> was also published that year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nightstalkers</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">,
the second book in the Fangs & Fur arc, was published in 2018. My third
essay collection, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Return of the Reluctant
Blogger</i>, was also published that year. The year ended with publication of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nosferatu, Inc.</i>, the final book in the
Fangs & Fur arc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This year, 2019 was a banner year with the
publication of the first three novels in my new young adult science-fantasy
series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shards</i> was updated with new material
and reissued as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shards: The Omnibus
Edition</i> featuring 900 pages of short stories.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Omnibus Edition</i>, collecting
the entire trilogy in one volume was published this year. The three books
comprising the Fangs & Fur story arc were also published in a single
volume, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fangs & Fur: The Omnibus
Edition</i>. The third Halos & Horns story arc, entitled The Age of Magic
began and the first book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alterverse</i>,
was published in 2019. And all four books in the first Halos & Horns arc
received new covers for their international editions.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Of course, 2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. Yet Amber Book Company continued publishing new books. In April, my science fiction time travel novel <i>Justin Tyme</i> came out. It was followed immediately two months later in June by another science fiction novel, the dystopian young adult book <i>The QuaranTeens</i>, about teens emerging from lock-down in a post-coronavirus apocalyptic future. September 2020 saw the release of </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Warriors & Wizards</i>, Book Two in The
Age of Magic story arc.</span></span><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It’s been a productive 15 years but we’re not
slowing down. The first quarter of 2021 will see publication of the quirky crime drama <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonderland </i>in January and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Return of the Djinn</i></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, Book Three in The
Age of Magic story arc, in March. Then, in June, </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens, Book Four </i>will be published as the series hits its stride. In December 2021, expect to see <i>Oz</i>, the second book in the Wonderland trilogy. We'll also be releasing a <i>Vampires Vs. Aliens Omnibus </i>and an <i>Age of Magic Omnibus</i> in 2021.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I’ll be doing some writing in 2021 as well. I’m working on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Absalonis'
Emporium & Curio Shoppe</i> (a themed short story collection); another
collection of essays; a book of quotations; and a few projects I can’t reveal yet. I expect I'll be writing </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vampires Vs. Aliens, Books Five and Six, </i>as well as <i>Neverland</i>, the conclusion of the Wonderland trilogy.<br /><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Fifteen years. On behalf of Amber Book Company I’d like to thank all the individuals who’ve helped us along the way, starting with proofreaders Jennifer Jackson, Kayla Martinez, Jeff Kupfer, Margaret McDermott, Michelle Krane, and the late Eido Cohen. Thanks also to the fantastic people, past and present, at LightningSource (Judith Woodall Tonan, Joan Williams, Gayle Cantrell, Natalie Mozingo, Jim Patterson, Carrie Smitty, Brent Spears, Heather Henderson, Carol Egan, Adam Hughes, Sherry Holland, Ann Decker, Amy Yates, and Jenna Hall); VitalSource (Kevin Hoyle, David Bernheisel, Sheena Morris, Maureen Prosser, Margaret Mathis, Tanya Wick, and Zach Harris); Draft2Digital (Tara Robinett, Dan Wood, and Kevin Tumlinson); CreateSpace/KDP; MBS Textbook Exchange; Quality Books (Bill Hennis, Tiffani Griffin, and Stephanie Hilton); The Distributors (Patty Walsh); Coutts Information Services; Follett Higher Education Group; Diane Kaczmarczyk; Chris Finan; Larry Brown; Margo Berman; Ellen Reid; Colt Taylor; Lisa Cutter; Michael Dasch; Faith Jackson; the late Batton Lash; Daniel Reed; Vanessa Montes; Jeremy Pound; Rino diStefano; Schamell Padgett; Lynn Glascoe; Jason Freeman; Alain Gomez; our web hosting company; Google for hosting this blog; and anyone else I’ve unintentionally forgotten to thank for aiding our success during these 15 years. And of course, Amber, who was there from the beginning and who will remain in spirit. See you in 2021.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRrtVbxqNQILQUasof40a0cqL8DoaV8F6tHdYsH9riludBtW8SuxX8c4nhzw0psIy4e6y9VP6HmMVFaEPlJq-bbPT_N5Bz7nA8jV2bZUeWyQBa2_KMXqQ5fQzRuW7fcgxQy_1Bjiug-9f/s1600/15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="1173" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRrtVbxqNQILQUasof40a0cqL8DoaV8F6tHdYsH9riludBtW8SuxX8c4nhzw0psIy4e6y9VP6HmMVFaEPlJq-bbPT_N5Bz7nA8jV2bZUeWyQBa2_KMXqQ5fQzRuW7fcgxQy_1Bjiug-9f/s320/15.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-26770211132780407182020-09-20T04:31:00.003-04:002020-09-28T03:16:12.631-04:00Just Published: Warriors & Wizards
<table>
<caption><font color="B1B1FF">"In The Age of Magic, Anything is Possible."</font></caption>
<tbody><tr><td>
<p>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/xxxxx" target="new"><img hspace="12" src="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/images/Covers/AOM2-W&W.cov.RGB.300.jpg" width="200" /></a> <br />
</p>
<p> 314 pages. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971425" target="new">Paperback (Amazon)</a><br /><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warriors-wizards-keith-b-darrell/1137734279" target="_blank">Paperback (Barnes & Noble)</a> <font color="00FFB1"> </font><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JJ8QXFX" target="new">Kindle</a>
<br />
<a href="https://books2read.com/u/4jW6QD" target="new">EPUB</a>
</p></td><td>
<br /></td><td><p>
Taking place 15 years after the conclusion of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Halos & Horns</span> story arc, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Age of Magic</span> marks Lucifer's return to the series but much of the story follows the next generation: the children of Samantha (witch) and Lucifer (demon) Cypher; Pandora (vampire) and Cody (werewolf) Fenris; and Kita (kitsune) and Reggie (mortal) Forster. Alaric Cypher spends his summer before starting college in Japan with the family of the kitsune Kita, where he finds love and danger. Lucifer travels back to the ancient land of Thenesia to aid the barbarian King Caliban and the wizard Balthazar in their fight against the Dark Gods. Bartholomew follows twins Quinn and Ursula Fenris through a dimensional portal to the Otherworld, where the Morrigan is preparing for final battle with Hecate, the goddess of all witches. A traitor is discovered at Nosferatu, Inc., and Asabi returns to Siofra after Alterverse... but in a dramatically different form.
</p><p>
</p><center><font color="00FFB1">*** Book 9 in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Halos & Horns</span> fantasy series *** Book 2 in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Age of Magic</span> story arc ***</font></center>
<p></p>
<p></p><center><font color="00FFB1">Available in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971425" target="new">paperback</a>,
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JJ8QXFX" target="new">Kindle</a> and
<a href="https://books2read.com/u/4jW6QD" target="new">EPUB</a> e-books.</font></center><p></p>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-88469443290034820212020-07-24T05:57:00.000-04:002020-07-24T05:57:00.499-04:00QuaranTeens Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: Tell me about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
QuaranTeens</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: It’s probably the most timely novel I’ve ever written. All
of us. . . the whole world is in the grip of the devastating and deadly
COVID-19 pandemic. No matter where you live or what language you speak, the
coronavirus is constantly on the minds of every human on the planet right now. COVID
is an acronym for COronaVIrusDisease and 19 indicates the year – 2019 – it was
discovered. It’s a unique virus mankind’s never seen before and has no immunity
against, and the worst part is scientists and epidemiologists say we can expect
several new strains of coronaviruses in the years to come.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The QuaranTeens</i>,
mankind has faced another of these in the near future, COVID-25, and they think
the worst is over when, four years later, a super coronavirus – COVID-29 –
comes barreling in and wipes out 80% of humanity. One of the Earth’s
governments, realizing they’re facing an extinction-level event, rapidly
constructs a massive underground biosphere they call “the bunker” and selects
fifty infants and young kids to be the mankind’s last hope.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: Which country?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: (Laughs). Well, that’s left open for the reader to
decide.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: And you say “last hope” in the event there are no other
survivors?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Right. So they’re sealed up in this bunker with a few
adult scientists, all but one of whom die in the first months. The book opens a
dozen years later–</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: 2041?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Right, in the year 2041, when the kids are now teenagers
and the only remaining adult has just died. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: So the kids are now in control of the bunker; sort of a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the Flies</i> scenario?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: That’s one possibility. They obviously need to establish
some sort of social order or society. But without adult supervision, they may
also be curious about what lies outside the bunker’s titanium hatch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: The virus? Other survivors? Zombies?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: (Laughs). No zombies. Definitely nothing supernatural.
This is strictly science fiction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: But for a Young Adult audience?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Of course. The story revolves around teenagers so I think
younger readers will relate to the characters. But I believe anyone 13-and-up
will enjoy it. I had beta readers in their 30s and 40s that went wild over it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: Tell me about these characters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: There are the twins: Covid, the quintessential hero, and
his sister Corona, the adventurer. Kai is the rebel. Corbin is a cross between
Dickens’ Artful Dodger from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oliver Twist</i>
and Michael J. Fox’s character Alex P. Keaton from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Family Ties</i> TV series. Coralie is the loner. Lucian and Tristan are
the entertainers, a vital role when you’re locked away in quarantine for your
whole life. Lucian writes songs while Tristan is the group’s jester. Fiona’s a
fair-skinned redheaded girl who becomes the group’s empathetic caregiver.
Esme’s the needy girl who has to be in a relationship and will do anything for
love. Blaine’s the needy boy who simply wants to belong and be accepted by the
others. Nessa’s the youngest: she’s the innocent, filled with optimism and
naïveté until reality comes crashing down on her. Ian’s the jock. Varian’s the
older, authoritarian wannabe leader. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Obviously there’s no television or Internet, but they do
have a library. Destine and Keiana are the most well-read of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The QuaranTeens </i>but while they’re the
smartest, they have different motivations. Destine believes Covid should lead
them and she endeavors to serve as his mentor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: Sort of an Obi Wan to Luke Skywalker?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Yeah, or Merlin to Arthur but obviously her wisdom comes
from book learning, not from age.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: A subtle plug for the benefit of books and reading. (Laughs).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: (Laughs). Of course. Keiana, meanwhile, sees herself as
more of a puppet master, manipulating those around her for her own agenda.
Then, there’s Dax. She’s a mysterious character. Arlo and Nico are pair of
sociopaths who would have felt right at home at Columbine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: So those are your bunker rats.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Ouch! (Laughs). I like that term. I may steal it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: Feel free. Does the story take place entirely inside the
bunker or do we get to explore the post-apocalyptic world?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Both. One plotline follows what happens at the bunker
while other plotlines follow the adventures of what we might call the ‘away
teams’. The year 2041 isn’t that far from now but life has been changed
dramatically as a result of the COVID-29 pandemic and its aftermath. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Q: In what way?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Having to survive in a world of scarce resources leads
people to do things they ordinarily wouldn’t. There are scattered outposts of
Raiders like the former trailer park where teen siblings Archer and Robin
reside. There’s a domed city taken over by far-right authoritarians they’ve
dubbed ‘Utopia’ . . .</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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A: One character asks what Utopia’s like and the response
is, ‘It depends on who you are.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Laughs).
I’ve written some fairly evil characters, especially in my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halos & Horns</i> series, but Proctor in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The QuaranTeens</i> may be the worst yet.</div>
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have several other series—</div>
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A: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Adventures of
Mackenzie Mortimer; Vampires Vs. Aliens;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fangs & Fur; the Age of Magic;</i> and my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reluctant Blogger</i> series.</div>
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QuaranTeens</i> be an ongoing series or is this a one-off?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A: Or as we say on this side of the pond, a one-shot?
That’ll be up to the readers. There’s no cliffhanger but the ending is left
open to imply there are more stories that could be told. I enjoyed writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The QuaranTeens</i> and if enough people
enjoy reading it, then I’d certainly write more. But I am doing several series
at present, so there’d have to be a fair amount of demand. </div>
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Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-40243821897988917102020-07-18T05:53:00.000-04:002020-07-18T05:53:20.050-04:00Justin Tyme Now Available in EPUB Format<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Justin Tyme is now available in <a href="https://books2read.com/u/3nWDEK" target="_blank">EPUB format f</a>or Apple, Kobo, and Nook! Order your copy today!</span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Justin Tyme </b> – <i> Just published!</i> Finally! No pun intended but this has been a long time in the making. I started writing <i>Justin Tyme </i>10 years ago and it's finally published. You can download your <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086R5R81S">Kindle ebook now</a> or order the paperback edition from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971441" target="_blank">Amazon </a>or <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/justin-tyme-keith-b-darrell/1136878753?ean=9781935971443" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>. I think it's fair to say you've never read a time travel story like this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Justin Tyme: Impulsive, brilliant, protégé, physicist. He's the brains.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Elizabeth Madison: Martial arts fighter, polyglot, government agent. She's the brawn.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Together they'll make history… while hopefully not changing it.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When
the government pulls the plug on Dr. Daniel Spencer's Top Secret time
travel project his brilliant young protégé, physicist Justin Tyme,
impetuously sends himself into the timestream to prove Project Chronos'
viability, undeterred by the fact they haven't yet figured out how to
return a chrononaut safely. Fearing the brash scientist might
inadvertently change the past, the Defense Department sends agent
Elizabeth Madison to join Justin Tyme as his time-traveling companion.
She's perfect for the job: she speaks 15 languages and is skilled in
hand-to-hand combat.Elizabeth is proficient in judo, karate, jujitsu,
aikido, kendo, tae kwon do, and wushu, the shaolin form of Chinese kung
fu. Now Elizabeth must keep Justin Tyme out of trouble and prevent him
from altering history – even if that means terminating him.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086R5R81S" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSvjAv7Zv5NLUVSGZ2WFiYvQY6K2F5PoEmXsj9j2EeQDOAtTgP_33935GIBDIq2Sp93Bhi4Isyo0KI_SUYHY5b-aXvGNnslrCulq5IA-6r04v7AYQBh5mj467ZZI4GUAKpzW710bYrJfu/s320/Justin+Tyme.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-54343888995176639192020-06-19T03:28:00.000-04:002020-06-19T03:28:47.070-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><b>When the Lockdown Ends, the Danger Begins!</b></i></div>
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2025 – A new coronavirus, COVID-25, spreads across the globe killing hundreds of thousands before disappearing. They thought the worst was over… until four years later, when the more virulent COVID-29 strikes, wiping out 80% of the world’s population. The government rapidly constructs an underground complex – the bunker – to safeguard 50 specially selected infants and young children to be mankind’s last hope. When the bunker’s last adult dies 12 years later, the quarantined teenagers must form their own society within the bunker or venture out into the post-plague world.</div>
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<b><i>The QuaranTeens</i></b> hits bookstores today, June 19th.:<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0897YWM9G" target="new">Paperback from Amazon</a>
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<br />
<strong>E-Books</strong>:<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0897YWM9G" target="new">Kindle</a>
<br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-quaranteens-keith-b-darrell/1137156692" target="new">Nook</a>
<br />
<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-quaranteens/id1517688230" target="new">Apple Books</a>
<br />
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-quaranteens" target="new">Kobo</a>
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In Australia: <a href="https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/ebooks/the-quaranteens-keith-b-darrell/p/9781393516170" target="_new" title="Avaiable in Australia">Angus & Robertson</a> <br />
<br />
<em>Available from <a href="http://www.amberbookcompany.com/forms/order.html#QuaranTeens" target="_new" title="The QuaranTeens">Amber Book Company</a>, in Paperback and e-book.</em><br />
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<i>"It's 2041: Do you know where Your children are?" </i></div>
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<a data-original-attrs="{"data-original-href":"http://amberbookcompany.com/forms/order.html#QuaranTeens","style":"","target":"_blank"}" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4117271266602245309/8161063005964947822#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghngi81QlPrmSyAK17SoUtTn4Fgpr2BbaXpRqsQmliISlCjucoeqdA0T8qCFXSHEyfxFsio-EKUH0K_-8alKs1jQGpGAGFSWKo2edIuwkrfbNBAq8m-eNcwk7gvL15mcZaGI1ES6Bew1J3/s320/QuaranTeensRGB.300.border.jpg" /></a></div>
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Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-81610630059649478222020-06-09T01:00:00.000-04:002020-06-09T01:00:02.728-04:00The QuaranTeens are Here!<div><i><b>When the Lockdown Ends, the Danger Begins!</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>2025 – A new coronavirus, COVID-25, spreads across the globe killing hundreds of thousands before disappearing. They thought the worst was over… until four years later, when the more virulent COVID-29 strikes, wiping out 80% of the world’s population. The government rapidly constructs an underground complex – the bunker – to safeguard 50 specially selected infants and young children to be mankind’s last hope. When the bunker’s last adult dies 12 years later, the quarantined teenagers must form their own society within the bunker or venture out into the post-plague world.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The QuaranTeens</i></b> hits bookstore June 19th. But you can <b>pre-order </b>your <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0897YWM9G" target="_blank">Kindle </a>and <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bOxAL0" target="_blank">EPUB </a>copies now!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>"It's 2041: Do you know where Your children are?" </i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amberbookcompany.com/forms/order.html#QuaranTeens" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghngi81QlPrmSyAK17SoUtTn4Fgpr2BbaXpRqsQmliISlCjucoeqdA0T8qCFXSHEyfxFsio-EKUH0K_-8alKs1jQGpGAGFSWKo2edIuwkrfbNBAq8m-eNcwk7gvL15mcZaGI1ES6Bew1J3/s320/QuaranTeensRGB.300.border.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-73772704440445795272020-04-22T23:30:00.000-04:002020-04-23T04:22:17.147-04:00Earth Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As billions of Planet Earth’s human inhabitants lock themselves indoors, sheltering in place to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus that has infected more than 2.6 million people and killed 186,000 worldwide, the devastating pandemic appears to have had a beneficial side effect on the environment.<br />
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An estimated two billion people -- one-quarter of the world’s population – have placed themselves in lock-down mode. Concomitant with the ensuing shutdown of heavy industries and factories, China has seen a 50 percent decrease in nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide. Levels of nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide have also dropped sharply in the U.S. due to the near cessation of automobile traffic. Airborne concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in Bergamo, Italy are 47 percent lower than normal; levels in Rome were 26-to-35 percent lower than in 2019; and Milan saw a 50 percent improvement in air quality. With most airplanes grounded, another pollutant has been curtailed. The murky waters of Venice’s canals are now so clear a jellyfish could be filmed swimming in them. Los Angeles skies are clear now, as are those surrounding the Himalayan Mountains. Maybe damage to the Amazon Rainforest can be reversed as it enjoys a respite from mankind’s deforestation. Perhaps the drop in greenhouse gas emissions may slow global warming enough to give us a chance to reverse that, as well.<br />
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All of which started me thinking: What if the coronavirus isn’t really a virus, after all? What if COVID-19 is actually an antibody? Mankind has inflicted enormous damage on the Earth’s ecosystem in the past century. We have polluted the air, the oceans, and the land; deforested the rainforests; and even shaken the planet’s core with fracking. To the ecosystem, mankind has become a harmful invading virus. Perhaps like any other biological entity, the Earth’s ecosystem has unleashed antibodies – COVID-19 – to destroy the harmful human virus attacking it.<br />
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It makes sense: nature unleashing her antibodies to save the planet from the human pestilence that is destroying it. A world with significantly fewer humans would result in a healthier ecosystem. After all, a healthy patient is the result of antibodies defeating a virus. Maybe we’ve been looking at COVID-19 all wrong.<br />
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With the 50th anniversary of Earth Day today, this would be a good time to reflect on what mankind can, and must, do to ameliorate the damage it has inflicted on the planet. Not only because we need a healthy planet to live on but also because if we continue destroying it, the planet may realize it doesn’t need us.<br />
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Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-61450238758783725252020-04-18T18:09:00.000-04:002020-04-18T18:09:59.118-04:00Barnes & Noble is Now Accepting Pre-orders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/justin-tyme-keith-b-darrell/1136878753?ean=9781935971443" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> is now accepting pre-orders for the Justin Tyme paperback! Order your copy today!</span><br />
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<b>Justin Tyme </b> – <i> Just published!</i> Finally! No pun intended but this has been a long time in the making. I started writing <i>Justin Tyme </i>10 years ago and it's finally published. You can download your <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086R5R81S">Kindle ebook now</a> or order the paperback edition from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971441" target="_blank">Amazon </a>or <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/justin-tyme-keith-b-darrell/1136878753?ean=9781935971443" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>. I think it's fair to say you've never read a time travel story like this.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Justin Tyme: Impulsive, brilliant, protégé, physicist. He's the brains.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Elizabeth Madison: Martial arts fighter, polyglot, government agent. She's the brawn.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Together they'll make history… while hopefully not changing it.</i></div>
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<br />
<br />
When the government pulls the plug on Dr. Daniel Spencer's Top Secret time travel project his brilliant young protégé, physicist Justin Tyme, impetuously sends himself into the timestream to prove Project Chronos' viability, undeterred by the fact they haven't yet figured out how to return a chrononaut safely. Fearing the brash scientist might inadvertently change the past, the Defense Department sends agent Elizabeth Madison to join Justin Tyme as his time-traveling companion. She's perfect for the job: she speaks 15 languages and is skilled in hand-to-hand combat.Elizabeth is proficient in judo, karate, jujitsu, aikido, kendo, tae kwon do, and wushu, the shaolin form of Chinese kung fu. Now Elizabeth must keep Justin Tyme out of trouble and prevent him from altering history – even if that means terminating him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086R5R81S" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSvjAv7Zv5NLUVSGZ2WFiYvQY6K2F5PoEmXsj9j2EeQDOAtTgP_33935GIBDIq2Sp93Bhi4Isyo0KI_SUYHY5b-aXvGNnslrCulq5IA-6r04v7AYQBh5mj467ZZI4GUAKpzW710bYrJfu/s320/Justin+Tyme.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Note to Bloggers:<a href="mailto:info@AmberBookCompany.com" rel="nofollow"> E-mail me</a> if you'd like to interview me about <i>Justin Tyme</i> for your blog.</div>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-15625615505596522402020-04-17T13:42:00.000-04:002020-04-17T13:46:07.955-04:00Together they'll make history… while hopefully not changing it!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Justin Tyme </b> – <i> Just published!</i> Finally! No pun intended but this has been a long time in the making. I started writing <i>Justin Tyme </i>10 years ago and it's finally published. You can download your <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086R5R81S">Kindle ebook now</a> or order the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935971441" target="_blank">paperback </a>edition. I think it's fair to say you've never read a time travel story like this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Justin Tyme: Impulsive, brilliant, protégé, physicist. He's the brains.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Elizabeth Madison: Martial arts fighter, polyglot, government agent. She's the brawn.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Together they'll make history… while hopefully not changing it.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When the government pulls the plug on Dr. Daniel Spencer's Top Secret time travel project his brilliant young protégé, physicist Justin Tyme, impetuously sends himself into the timestream to prove Project Chronos' viability, undeterred by the fact they haven't yet figured out how to return a chrononaut safely. Fearing the brash scientist might inadvertently change the past, the Defense Department sends agent Elizabeth Madison to join Justin Tyme as his time-traveling companion. She's perfect for the job: she speaks 15 languages and is skilled in hand-to-hand combat.Elizabeth is proficient in judo, karate, jujitsu, aikido, kendo, tae kwon do, and wushu, the shaolin form of Chinese kung fu. Now Elizabeth must keep Justin Tyme out of trouble and prevent him from altering history – even if that means terminating him.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086R5R81S" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSvjAv7Zv5NLUVSGZ2WFiYvQY6K2F5PoEmXsj9j2EeQDOAtTgP_33935GIBDIq2Sp93Bhi4Isyo0KI_SUYHY5b-aXvGNnslrCulq5IA-6r04v7AYQBh5mj467ZZI4GUAKpzW710bYrJfu/s320/Justin+Tyme.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Note to Bloggers:<a href="mailto:info@AmberBookCompany.com" rel="nofollow"> E-mail me</a> if you'd like to interview me about <i>Justin Tyme</i> for your blog.<br />
<br /></div>
Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4117271266602245309.post-89071946332952704352020-04-05T06:00:00.000-04:002020-04-05T06:00:43.754-04:00We Interrupt This Blog for an Important Message<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Twice a day, I provide a service to my friends on my private Facebook page, updating them with the latest Covid-19 numbers and my interpretation of them. As a public service, I’m sharing today’s post with you on my blog. This is obviously off-the-cuff so please forgive the typos. It’s just a quickie summary to keep people informed. Bottom line:<b> Please take Covid-19 seriously. Stay home. Wear a mask if you go out. Stay safe.</b><br />
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<b>** ** ** </b></div>
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Good morning. Lots of important info so I encourage you to read this update fully.<br />
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<b>April 5, 2020:</b> We now have 1.2 million Covid-19 cases worldwide. I'm now rounding the numbers since they're so large. It's actually 1,202,777 people infected but we're going to round it down. Only three weeks ago, those 2,777 cases would have mattered statistically; not now. Of course, they still matter on a human level: they're someone's aunt, uncle, sister, brother, best friend, co-worker, mother, father, son, daughter, grandparent. But for the rest of us, they're data rounded to the nearest decimal. So let's go with 1.2 million.<br />
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Except 1.2 million is not an accurate number. It turns out the NSA has revealed the Chinese, once again, were lying to the world. They lied about the start of the pandemic and they're lying about their numbers. Don't necessarily blame the Chinese government this time: Local Chinese officials have lied to the Chinese government about the number of infections and deaths fearing they would be blamed for them. <i>The truth is always the first casualty in war. </i>So that 80,000 China case figure could be 800,000. <u>The death toll is likely many times higher than what has been stated</u>. China claims the virus is under control and diminishing. <b>Fact</b>: <u>They don't even know their own numbers, and wouldn't reveal them if they did</u>. Let's extrapolate: We expect 80% of any population to be infected (including many asymptomatic who thus do not appear to be infected). China's population in 2019 was 1.435 billion. That means 1.148 billion Chinese infected with Covid-19. Probably more due to poor sanitary conditions (remember, this began in Wuhan, China’s unsanitary “wet markets” where Chinese buy bats and other live animals to eat), no initial testing or tracking of those testing positive, and a government that not only downplayed the virus and arrested Dr. Li Wenliang, the doctor who brought it to light (he died from the virus). But let's go with 1.148 billion Chinese infected anyway. Assume an average 3.5% morbidity rate (it varies by many factors that differ by a country's demographic make-up -- Italy, with a high proportion of elderly will have a much higher morbidity rate, but we'll use an average for this example). That comes to an ultimate death toll in China of 40.1 million by the end of the pandemic. An enormous number, but still only a fraction of China's 1.435 billion population.<br />
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Worldwide infections (I'm not using the word <i>cases </i>anymore as it confuses people) are 1.2 million and rising. The US has topped 311,635. Spain and Italy are about 125,000 each. Total US deaths today at 8.454. Only Spain (11,947) and Italy (15,362) have more Covid-19 deaths.<br />
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The only country with exceptionally high recovery numbers is China and <u>the NSA says China has made up their numbers</u> so we won't be counting them. <u>So, 1.2 million infections and only 169 thousand people have recovered. Not good</u>.<br />
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The US has nearly 300k of the nearly 900k active cases. <b>That's 1/3 of the entire world's active cases</b>. <b>Stop and let that sink in.</b> The next highest nation has 88k.<br />
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The US and France have the <u>highest number of critical (near-death) cases </u>- almost 7,000 - nearly double the next highest nations.<br />
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That US "Deaths per 1 million" number I told you to watch when it was 1, and, 2, and 3, and 4 and climbing? Today it's 26. This is an epidemic out of control. <b>Mitigation efforts have not been applied in a timely manner and emergency production of essential supplies has not occurred.</b> I extrapolate that number will be 260 by next week.<br />
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We have two new and very important columns in the <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/" target="_blank">chart </a>: "Total tests" and "Tests per million". The US has done a whopping 1.6 million tests -- but in a population of 320 million, that's nothing. (4,933 people out of a million). That's half of one percent. <b>99.5% of America remains untested! Stop. Let that sink in.</b><br />
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<u>If 99.5% of America remains untested how many Americans have the virus?</u> <u>We don't know. </u>No clue. We have to guestimate. Epidemiologists suggest 80% have or will have the virus. That's 4 out of 5 Americans. Some are asymptomatic and don't realize they have it. Those are carriers. Some have a mild case like the flu. Some are suffering. Some have been hospitalized. Some have died. And a few have recovered.<br />
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Eighty percent of 320 million is 256 million infected Americans. Wear a mask. Better yet, stay home. <b>The official 311,635 figure is misleading. Try 256 million instead. Then act accordingly.</b><br />
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One of the most important factors -- and unanswered questions -- is <b>How much of the increase in reported cases is due to exponential spread of the disease versus how much is due to pre-existing cases only now being reported due to increased testing? </b><u>Despite the rising numbers, we still do not know the true rate of infection.</u><br />
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Of course, we could try to extrapolate from the death figures, but <u>since the disease has a two-week incubation period, any calculation derived will be a lagging indicator</u>-- and a two week lag renders it practically useless.<br />
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Keith B. Darrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12797839222223414701noreply@blogger.com0