The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Omnibus Edition - AUDIOBOOK

Young Adult Science Fiction

Audiobook

The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Omnibus Edition NOW IN AUDIOBOOK FORMAT! Collecting the entire trilogy in one volume! The 25th Hour; The Tomorrow Paradox; and All the Time in the World. Mackenzie Mortimer is a typical junior high geek. He’s shy, awkward, a bit clumsy, late with his homework, and always late for class. There’s never enough time to do everything he needs to do; after all, there are only 24 hours in a day. But when Mac finds his grandfather’s pocket watch buried deep inside a trunk, he discovers his days have an extra hour. According to the eccentric inventor’s journal, the pocket watch can add up to 60 minutes to a single day by freezing time around whomever holds the watch and presses its button. Time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

All The Time In The World - Now in Audiobook!

Young Adult Science Fiction

Audiobook

All the Time in the World: Book Three in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Mac has left Gramps' diary behind in the future and Victoria Carmichael's ex-husband, Jeremy Bentaine, has stolen it along with Gramps' journals. Now, Bentaine Industries seeks to be the sole possessor of time travel technology... and that means eliminating Mackenzie Mortimer before he discovers the pocket watch! But Mac has followed Gramps' trail to WWII Nazi-occupied Belgium, where he must use his future technology to stay alive, locate Gramps, and unite a pair of star-crossed lovers. The horrors of WWII that Mac encounters will change him forever, but if the Bentaine family has its way, forever will be a very short time for Mackenzie Mortimer! Time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

The Tomorrow Paradox -- Now in Audiobook!

Young Adult Science Fiction!

Audiobook

The Tomorrow Paradox: Book Two in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer After confronting the mysterious time traveler who had been stalking him, Mac's pocket watch was destroyed. Now Mackenzie Mortimer’s troubles are just beginning! Mac finds himself a stranger in a strange land, surrounded by familiar people he doesn’t really know, with only Gemma, a 15-year-old clone, to guide him through the labyrinth of the future. Will the mysterious black, iron key unlock the secrets to returning him home, or is it a harbinger of his impending doom? Time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

The 25th Hour - NOW IN AUDIOBOOK!

Young Adult Science Fiction!

Audiobook

The 25th Hour: Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer -- NOW IN AUDIOBOOK FORMAT Mackenzie Mortimer is a typical junior high geek: shy, awkward, late with his homework, and always late for class. He's never got enough time to do everything he needs to do; after all, there are only 24 hours in a day. But when Mac finds his grandfather's pocket watch, he discovers his days have an extra hour. The eccentric inventor's journal reveals the watch can add up to 60 minutes to a single day by freezing time around whomever controls it. When a crisis looms for Mac and his friends, time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Omnibus Edition

JUST PUBLISHED! Perfect summer reading! The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Omnibus Edition collects the entire trilogy: The 25th Hour, The Tomorrow Paradox, and All the Time in the World in this Young Adult Coming-of-Age science fiction series.

Mackenzie Mortimer is a typical junior high geek. He’s shy, awkward, a bit clumsy, late with his homework, and always late for class. There’s never enough time to do everything he needs to do; after all, there are only 24 hours in a day. But when Mac finds his grandfather’s pocket watch buried deep inside a trunk, he discovers his days have an extra hour. According to the eccentric inventor’s journal, the pocket watch can add up to 60 minutes to a single day by freezing time around whomever holds the watch and presses its button.

"Time is running out... fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else!"

Available now on Amazon

May is National Short Story Month

Did you know that May is National Short Story Month? Amber Book Company plans to celebrate by releasing a new volume of my short stories entitled Shards: The Omnibus Edition. Many of you know me from my social commentary posts appearing on my blog, while others are familiar with my young adult science fiction series The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer. Still others think of me as a novelist or epic storyteller, pointing to my four-book fantasy series Halos & Horns and my current ongoing fantasy series, Fangs & Fur. There are even some readers who think of me primarily as a nonfiction author because of my internationally top-selling book Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law, my two Web design books, and my Collected Essays of a Reluctant Blogger and More Essays of a Reluctant Blogger books. But the truth is, above all else, I’m a short story writer.

Shards may sound familiar to you. My first short story collection was entitled Randoms. It was lovingly crafted, published in a hardcover edition with a dust jacket. Unfortunately, the printer had tremendous difficulty printing the dust jacket. Every copy rolled off the printing press with a slightly different hue, making each book and instant collectible and the source of much aggravation and vexation. Ultimately, and with great reluctance, we replaced the hardcover edition with a paperback. My second short story collection, Careywood, was a charitable effort published in a limited print run to raise money to restore a historic mansion. Then, in 2011, almost all of my short stories were collected in a giant 450-page paperback entitled Shards. This mammoth collection included the best of Randoms, the stories from the limited edition Careywood, and a host of new short stories, many of which had been shared in public readings but never collected in print. Shards was to stand as my oeuvre: the complete collection of my short story output.

At the time, it was the largest book I had ever written… Ironically composed of the shortest of stories. But with each new edition over the course of 10 years, Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law grew to 680 pages. After I completed the four-book Halos & Horns series, the saga was collected in a single omnibus edition, The Halos & Horns Omnibus, which clocked in at a whopping 904 pages. Suddenly, the 450-page Shards didn’t seem so big any more. And in the five years since its publication, I had written a few more short stories. I wanted to gather these new short stories into a brand-new collection but the Halos & Horns Omnibus had gone over so well that it was decided to create a short story omnibus.

We began with the original 450-page Shards and reorganized the stories by theme. Then we added 300 pages of new material. That’s right, 750 pages of short stories between two covers. Or 191,523 words if you’re counting. We kept the original front and back cover to Shards and christened it Shards: The Omnibus Edition. The themes in Shards: The Omnibus Edition include man’s inhumanity to man; technology in society run amok; freedom; conformity; slice of life; fear; prejudice; revenge; the inevitability of death; sadness and depression; darkness and light; lust; love; regret; repentance; pity; debauchery and selfishness; hubris; obsession; fusion fiction; Christmas; the quest; the trickster; discovery and wonder; alienation (stranger in a strange land); and farewell.

Admittedly Shards: The Omnibus Edition is a mixed bag. Some of the tales are downright hilarious. Some are frightening. And a few are disturbing. There are stories within this volume you will treasure… and others you may wish you had never read. Good writing isn’t about repeating hackneyed memes; it’s about pushing the envelope and extending the boundaries until the reader finds himself well outside his comfort zone. In Shards: The Omnibus Edition you’ll find stories that make you laugh and make you cry; stories you’ll want to share with your children; and stories so horrifying you’ll banish them to the deepest recesses of your mind. So join me in celebrating national short story month with Shards: The Omnibus Edition.

May is National Short Story Month

Did you know that May is National Short Story Month? Amber Book Company plans to celebrate by releasing a new volume of my short stories entitled Shards: The Omnibus Edition. Many of you know me from my social commentary posts appearing on my blog, while others are familiar with my young adult science fiction series The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer. Still others think of me as a novelist or epic storyteller, pointing to my four-book fantasy series Halos & Horns and my current ongoing fantasy series, Fangs & Fur. There are even some readers who think of me primarily as a nonfiction author because of my internationally top-selling book Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law, my two Web design books, and my Collected Essays of a Reluctant Blogger and More Essays of a Reluctant Blogger books. But the truth is, above all else, I’m a short story writer.

Shards may sound familiar to you. My first short story collection was entitled Randoms. It was lovingly crafted, published in a hardcover edition with a dust jacket. Unfortunately, the printer had tremendous difficulty printing the dust jacket. Every copy rolled off the printing press with a slightly different hue, making each book and instant collectible and the source of much aggravation and vexation. Ultimately, and with great reluctance, we replaced the hardcover edition with a paperback. My second short story collection, Careywood, was a charitable effort published in a limited print run to raise money to restore a historic mansion. Then, in 2011, almost all of my short stories were collected in a giant 450-page paperback entitled Shards. This mammoth collection included the best of Randoms, the stories from the limited edition Careywood, and a host of new short stories, many of which had been shared in public readings but never collected in print. Shards was to stand as my oeuvre: the complete collection of my short story output.

At the time, it was the largest book I had ever written… Ironically composed of the shortest of stories. But with each new edition over the course of 10 years, Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law grew to 680 pages. After I completed the four-book Halos & Horns series, the saga was collected in a single omnibus edition, The Halos & Horns Omnibus, which clocked in at a whopping 904 pages. Suddenly, the 450-page Shards didn’t seem so big any more. And in the five years since its publication, I had written a few more short stories. I wanted to gather these new short stories into a brand-new collection but the Halos & Horns Omnibus had gone over so well that it was decided to create a short story omnibus.

We began with the original 450-page Shards and reorganized the stories by theme. Then we added 300 pages of new material. That’s right, 750 pages of short stories between two covers. Or 191,523 words if you’re counting. We kept the original front and back cover to Shards and christened it Shards: The Omnibus Edition. The themes in Shards: The Omnibus Edition include man’s inhumanity to man; technology in society run amok; freedom; conformity; slice of life; fear; prejudice; revenge; the inevitability of death; sadness and depression; darkness and light; lust; love; regret; repentance; pity; debauchery and selfishness; hubris; obsession; fusion fiction; Christmas; the quest; the trickster; discovery and wonder; alienation (stranger in a strange land); and farewell.

Admittedly Shards: The Omnibus Edition is a mixed bag. Some of the tales are downright hilarious. Some are frightening. And a few are disturbing. There are stories within this volume you will treasure… and others you may wish you had never read. Good writing isn’t about repeating hackneyed memes; it’s about pushing the envelope and extending the boundaries until the reader finds himself well outside his comfort zone. In Shards: The Omnibus Edition you’ll find stories that make you laugh and make you cry; stories you’ll want to share with your children; and stories so horrifying you’ll banish them to the deepest recesses of your mind. So join me in celebrating national short story month with Shards: The Omnibus Edition.

I have three novels nominated for awards at the Imaginarium Convention in Kentucky this weekend.

Flashbacks (Fangs & Fur, Book 1) is up for BEST FANTASY NOVEL

The Tomorrow Paradox  (The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer, Book 2) is up for BEST SF NOVEL

Cops and Robbers is up for BEST GENERAL FICTION NOVEL

A lot of stiff competition, but always nice to be recognized regardless of the outcome.

All the Time in the World

Mackenzie Mortimer just wants to go home. An accident had flung him into the far future where he had an incredible adventure in The Tomorrow Paradox yet now he longed to return to present-day Serenity Valley, USA. But something had gone wrong. He looked around. This wasn't Serenity Valley, or even America. Mackenzie found himself in occupied Belgium in-between the Nazi invaders and the Belgian Resistance. Lost in a dangerous world where life is cheap and death lurks around every corner, the 21st century teenager finds his modern suburban values at odds with a world at war. He arrived as an innocent boy but, if he survives, can he leave unchanged by the horrors of war?

🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻 

She knelt, pulling a knife from her boot, and pressed the sharp blade against Mackenzie’s neck. “Or, I can slit your throat now.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“Don’t get any ideas. I’m a light sleeper and I sleep with my knife under my pillow."

*        *        *        *       *       *

The tip of a black leather shoe poked Mackenzie in the shoulder. He awakened, chilled by the cold floor beneath him. Mackenzie’s eyes followed the black patent leather up from the shoes, along the black trousers, and up to a brown shirt accented by a black scarf secured through a leather knot and a black cross strap running from the right shoulder down to the left hip. A badge displaying the black Lion of Flanders on a yellow shield adorned the shirt’s left cuff, and above it was an armband emblazoned with an intimidating swastika.

*        *        *        *       *       *

"He’s not a spy. He’s a young boy who will blunder right into the hands of the Nazis if he isn’t helped.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“I didn’t ask you to come. This isn’t a game. If someone describes us to the Gestapo, they will hunt us down and kill us.

*        *        *        *       *       *

“You didn’t have to kill him. I would’ve found a way to get us out of here.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“You have a lot to learn. I hope you live long enough to learn it.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“In this war, we are all soldiers... not everyone wears a uniform.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

"He’s been like a brother to me for my whole life, yet he’s so brainwashed that he’d believe it was his duty to send the girl I love to her death.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

Flora gazed at her with hardened eyes. “There is no such thing as childhood. Not in Belgium since the Occupation. Not in Europe since the war began. Childhood is a time of innocence; the Nazis destroy innocence wherever they find it. They trample it beneath their jackboots as they march across the continent.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“Innocence, once lost, can never be restored. My childhood is gone forever, as is the childhood of every boy and girl who hears the sound of a storm trooper’s boots.” Flora shook her head. “No, Monique, we fight for their unborn children so they might grow up in a different world, in blissful innocence, unable to imagine what we are living through. We fight for the future; the present is damned.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

"Maybe where you come from, people can stand on a street corner and say whatever they want. But not here; not in occupied Belgium. Here, there are consequences for speech; serious consequences. People who say the wrong things disappear. These are scary times."

*        *        *        *       *       *

Flora looked away. “There are times I try to recall what life was like before the war... those mundane days, when the littlest of things would seem like the end of the world. We got upset over the most unimportant matters, yet I know there were times of unbridled happiness... even if I can’t remember what such joy felt like. Each day the war goes on, it steals the joy from our lives until we have nothing left.” She stood behind his chair and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Mac.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“Oberführer Trommler, I am Finn Peeters and this is my friend, Jan Martens. We’ve uncovered a suspected Resistance member in our midst. He is an American teenager living in Antwerp. His name is Mackenzie Mortimer.”

🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺

All the Time in the World: Some people have it, and some don’t. Available now at these fine retailers:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

iTunes

Even better: Get all 3 books! The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

Have You Got A Minute?

Mackenzie Mortimer does. And you'd be amazed at what he can do in a single minute with a pocket watch that can freeze time.

The final novel in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy has just been published! Click here to learn all about the series, and for links to order the books in multiple formats (paperback, Kindle, EPUB, Nook, iTunes, and more!)

Available in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB! Order the whole trilogy now:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

All the Time in the World (Book 3): order from:

• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• iTunes

All the Time in the World

Mackenzie Mortimer just wants to go home. An accident had flung him into the far future where he had an incredible adventure in The Tomorrow Paradox yet now he longed to return to present-day Serenity Valley, USA. But something had gone wrong. He looked around. This wasn't Serenity Valley, or even America. Mackenzie found himself in occupied Belgium in-between the Nazi invaders and the Belgian Resistance. Lost in a dangerous world where life is cheap and death lurks around every corner, the 21st century teenager finds his modern suburban values at odds with a world at war. He arrived as an innocent boy but, if he survives, can he leave unchanged by the horrors of war?

🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻     🔻 

She knelt, pulling a knife from her boot, and pressed the sharp blade against Mackenzie’s neck. “Or, I can slit your throat now.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“Don’t get any ideas. I’m a light sleeper and I sleep with my knife under my pillow."

*        *        *        *       *       *

The tip of a black leather shoe poked Mackenzie in the shoulder. He awakened, chilled by the cold floor beneath him. Mackenzie’s eyes followed the black patent leather up from the shoes, along the black trousers, and up to a brown shirt accented by a black scarf secured through a leather knot and a black cross strap running from the right shoulder down to the left hip. A badge displaying the black Lion of Flanders on a yellow shield adorned the shirt’s left cuff, and above it was an armband emblazoned with an intimidating swastika.

*        *        *        *       *       *

"He’s not a spy. He’s a young boy who will blunder right into the hands of the Nazis if he isn’t helped.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“I didn’t ask you to come. This isn’t a game. If someone describes us to the Gestapo, they will hunt us down and kill us.

*        *        *        *       *       *

“You didn’t have to kill him. I would’ve found a way to get us out of here.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“You have a lot to learn. I hope you live long enough to learn it.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“In this war, we are all soldiers... not everyone wears a uniform.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

"He’s been like a brother to me for my whole life, yet he’s so brainwashed that he’d believe it was his duty to send the girl I love to her death.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

Flora gazed at her with hardened eyes. “There is no such thing as childhood. Not in Belgium since the Occupation. Not in Europe since the war began. Childhood is a time of innocence; the Nazis destroy innocence wherever they find it. They trample it beneath their jackboots as they march across the continent.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“Innocence, once lost, can never be restored. My childhood is gone forever, as is the childhood of every boy and girl who hears the sound of a storm trooper’s boots.” Flora shook her head. “No, Monique, we fight for their unborn children so they might grow up in a different world, in blissful innocence, unable to imagine what we are living through. We fight for the future; the present is damned.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

"Maybe where you come from, people can stand on a street corner and say whatever they want. But not here; not in occupied Belgium. Here, there are consequences for speech; serious consequences. People who say the wrong things disappear. These are scary times."

*        *        *        *       *       *

Flora looked away. “There are times I try to recall what life was like before the war... those mundane days, when the littlest of things would seem like the end of the world. We got upset over the most unimportant matters, yet I know there were times of unbridled happiness... even if I can’t remember what such joy felt like. Each day the war goes on, it steals the joy from our lives until we have nothing left.” She stood behind his chair and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Mac.”

*        *        *        *       *       *

“Oberführer Trommler, I am Finn Peeters and this is my friend, Jan Martens. We’ve uncovered a suspected Resistance member in our midst. He is an American teenager living in Antwerp. His name is Mackenzie Mortimer.”

🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺     🔺

All the Time in the World: Some people have it, and some don’t. Available now at these fine retailers:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

iTunes

Even better: Get all 3 books! The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

The final novel in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy has just been published! Click here to learn all about the series, and for links to order the books in multiple formats (paperback, Kindle, EPUB, Nook, iTunes, and more!)

Available in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB! Order the whole trilogy now:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

All the Time in the World (Book 3): order from:

• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• iTunes

Action-Packed Adventure!

I’ve authored many books and short stories and I’m often asked which is my favorite. I usually answer whatever I’m working on at the moment, because that’s where my enthusiasm will be. But there’s one book that may well be my best; I believe it’s certainly the most important I’ve written. If you have a moment, I’d like to tell you about it.

The book is part of a three-book series I crafted for teenagers and young adults. I wanted to re-create the adventure series of my youth but tailored to the modern reader. Anyone who grew up watching HBO and cable TV, and exploring the nether regions of the Internet, would find books from my childhood too tame and rather boring. So I sought to create a poignant adventure series, packed with action and cliffhangers, that would deal with issues relevant to young people today.

Our protagonist – I won’t call him a hero because he doesn’t want to be one – is a teenage boy; one part Peter Parker, one part Archie Andrews, and one part Marty McFly. It’s a coming-of-age story told in three books. In the first novel, The 25th Hour, 13-year-old Mackenzie Mortimer finds a pocket watch made by his long-missing inventor-grandfather. He discovers the watch can freeze time around him, which comes in handy dealing with bullies and school lockdowns. Of course there’s a girl: not Vanessa,  the one he’s infatuated with from afar, but his BFF Marlene who’s struggling to free herself from the friend zone.  Mac learns his first coming-of-age lesson: With great power comes great responsibility.

In the second book, The Tomorrow Paradox, Mac learns the hard way that the watch can be used to travel through time. Life in the future is very different but some things never change: Mac still finds action and adventure at every turn; and of course, there’s a girl: Gemma, a clone who’s legally considered property, not a person. Didn’t we fight a civil war over that? Mac learns the second coming-of-age lesson: If you have the power to make a difference when no one else can, then you have a moral obligation to do so.

But it’s in the just published conclusion, All the Time in the World, that Mac learns his most important coming-of-age lesson. Mac experiences fascism firsthand in occupied Belgium; encountering the Resistance, the Hitler Youth, the SS, and a concentration camp. These experiences change Mackenzie Mortimer, just as writing about them had a profound impact on me. I hope it’s the best book I’ve written; I know it’s the most important. You can order All the Time in the World now from these vendors:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

iTunes

Even better: Get all 3 books! The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

Time's Up! The Adventure Starts Today!

The final part of The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy will be published April 29!

Available in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB! Order the whole trilogy now:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

All the Time in the World (Book 3): pre-order from:

• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• iTunes

All the Time in the World

I’ve authored many books and short stories and I’m often asked which is my favorite. I usually answer whatever I’m working on at the moment, because that’s where my enthusiasm will be. But there’s one book that may well be my best; I believe it’s certainly the most important I’ve written. If you have a moment, I’d like to tell you about it.

The book is part of a three-book series I crafted for teenagers and young adults. I wanted to re-create the adventure series of my youth but tailored to the modern reader. Anyone who grew up watching HBO and cable TV, and exploring the nether regions of the Internet, would find books from my childhood too tame and rather boring. So I sought to create a poignant adventure series, packed with action and cliffhangers, that would deal with issues relevant to young people today.

Our protagonist – I won’t call him a hero because he doesn’t want to be one – is a teenage boy; one part Peter Parker, one part Archie Andrews, and one part Marty McFly. It’s a coming-of-age story told in three books. In the first novel, The 25th Hour, 13-year-old Mackenzie Mortimer finds a pocket watch made by his long-missing inventor-grandfather. He discovers the watch can freeze time around him, which comes in handy dealing with bullies and school lockdowns. Of course there’s a girl: not Vanessa,  the one he’s infatuated with from afar, but his BFF Marlene who’s struggling to free herself from the friend zone.  Mac learns his first coming-of-age lesson: With great power comes great responsibility.

In the second book, The Tomorrow Paradox, Mac learns the hard way that the watch can be used to travel through time. Life in the future is very different but some things never change: Mac still finds action and adventure at every turn; and of course, there’s a girl: Gemma, a clone who’s legally considered property, not a person. Didn’t we fight a civil war over that? Mac learns the second coming-of-age lesson: If you have the power to make a difference when no one else can, then you have a moral obligation to do so.

But it’s in the soon-to-be published conclusion, All the Time in the World, that Mac learns his most important coming-of-age lesson. Mac experiences fascism firsthand in occupied Belgium; encountering the Resistance, the Hitler Youth, the SS, and a concentration camp. These experiences change Mackenzie Mortimer, just as writing about them had a profound impact on me. I hope it’s the best book I’ve written; I know it’s the most important. You can pre-order All the Time in the World now from these vendors:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

iTunes

The e-books will be published on April 29 and the paperback will be available on Amazon.

Even better: Get all 3 books! The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

The final part of The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer Young Adult SF trilogy will be published April 29!

Available in paperback, Kindle, and EPUB! Order the whole trilogy now:

The 25th Hour (Book 1)

The Tomorrow Paradox (Book 2)

All the Time in the World (Book 3): pre-order from:

• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• iTunes

You’re Dead Meat!

We hear a lot about bullying these days. It’s trending in the news and the media and the Millennials act as if they’ve just discovered it. The truth is, bullying has been around for a very long time. As a kid, I was bullied in school just about every day. I had two perennial bullies who were the bane of my school years, but there were others who came and went— predators who recognized weakness when they saw it and who took gleeful pleasure in causing pain in those they knew wouldn’t or couldn’t fight back.

Most of them were little boys my age who didn’t look particularly terrifying to any adults, who wouldn’t have recognized them as bullies. In the world of kids and grown-ups, they were the Eddie Haskells of our world – the unctuous troublemaker teen on TV’s “Leave It toBeaver” who would always say “yes sir” and “you look lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver” to the parents, never hinting at his true nature. I say most: some were girls and they could be just as cruel as the boys. Worse, back then we were taught never to hit a girl – that would be a cardinal sin, so girls had carte blanche to bully as much as they wanted without fear of any consequences.

I was thinking about my grade school classmate Joseph today. I wish I could call him a friend, but in truth, I didn’t really have many friends growing up. I didn’t hang out with other kids, I didn’t go to parties with them, I didn’t go to their houses after school, I didn’t do the things friends do, so when I met Joseph I really didn’t know how to be a friend. But I was always pleasant to him and I even looked up to him. He was one of the Italian boys at our school and back then that meant he was a decent kid who came from a family steeped in strong morals and values. It also meant he knew how to take care of himself, if he had to, in a fight. I, on the other hand, was an avowed pacifist. I was against the ongoing Vietnam War and all wars in general. I thought fighting was wrong and rational people should be able to solve their differences peacefully. That made me a wimp in the eyes of many, with a target painted on my back.

One day, Joseph observed a boy bullying me. He told me at lunchtime, the next time the bully did that, I should tell him “Joseph said that if you do it again, you’re dead meat.” I had no idea what “dead meat” was, but to my 12-year-old ears it sounded awesome. Later, in the schoolyard, the bully approached me and I relayed Joseph’s message to him, word for word. He looked up, glanced across the yard, and saw Joseph nodding at him. I think Joseph even smacked his fist into his palm one time. The bully released my shirt collar and slowly backed away. That particular bully never bothered me again.

I don’t recall if I ever thanked Joseph. I probably did, but if not, I’m doing it now, 45 years late. I’m sure Joseph doesn’t remember that day, and probably doesn’t even remember me, but I never forgot him or his act of kindness. He didn’t have to fight the bully or even say a single word to him, yet he made a difference, eloquently and powerfully. When I wrote The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer coming-of-age trilogy, one of its defining precepts was “If you have the power to make a difference when no one else can, then you have a moral obligation to do so.” It’s one of the most important things I’ve ever written. A 12-year-old boy named Joseph understood this; if we can teach this to other kids and maybe even to their parents, we can make the world a better place, beginning by eliminating bullying.

Mackenzie Mortimer Takes an Unexpected Detour in Time

An Excerpt from The Tomorrow Paradox (Book Two in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):

Mackenzie found himself standing beneath a lamppost. It was night, which surprised him because moments before it had been daytime. The streetlight illuminated the curb on which he stood and a portion of the cobblestone paved road running parallel to it. The road curved at a 130-degree angle and there were rows of two and three-story buildings on either side. Even in the dim light, Mackenzie could tell the buildings were far older than any he was used to seeing in Serenity Valley. Wherever he was, he realized, it wasn’t home.

Mackenzie perused the unfamiliar setting. The street was deserted, the shops closed, and the lights turned off in the apartments above the darkened stores. “I don’t understand. This isn’t Serenity Valley. I’ve never seen streets made of stones. But I set the watch exactly as Alex showed me.” Mackenzie ruminated. “The Morse code left behind by Gramps in his diary! What if those numbers were coordinates? When Alex entered them into the watch, they might have been stored in its memory, waiting for the time travel controls to be activated. Since we never deleted the entry, the controls homed in on those coordinates when I activated them, because Gramps’ coordinates had been entered before mine. Whenever I am, Gramps must be here, too. Gramps’ coded instructions must’ve been set to work only when the watch was set to travel through years, not minutes. When I tried to go back to my own time, it took me to whatever time Gramps was in. I’ve got to find him.”

A girl crouched in the shadows by some large wooden packing crates called out softly to Mackenzie. At first, he couldn’t understand what she was saying. Then, the nanoelectronic implant in his head activated its universal translator. Language recognized: Dutch. “Get out of the light, you fool. You must be addled to be standing out in the open under a streetlight after curfew.” Mackenzie’s universal translator had translated the foreign language into English in his mind.

“What do you mean?” Mackenzie asked. His translator automatically verbalized his thoughts in the same foreign language. In his mind, Mackenzie was asking next, “Where am I?” but the sentence came from his lips spoken in Dutch.

“Keep your voice down,” she whispered. “Loud voices travel far at night. Come here, away from the light.”

Mackenzie took a few steps in her direction. “Who are you?”

Before she could reply, two armed soldiers, one driving an Army motorcycle and the other riding in its attached sidecar, barreled down the street, stopping a few yards from them. The soldier in the sidecar shined a mounted spotlight on them. The driver shouted at Mackenzie: “Halt!”

Language recognized: German. Mackenzie frowned. First Dutch, now German? Where am I?

“Run!” the girl called out to him, turning to flee.

The soldier jumped from the sidecar and ran after her. He returned a moment later, having captured the struggling girl. He gestured with his gun for her to stand beside Mackenzie.

“Why are you out after curfew?” the driver asked Mackenzie.

“I didn’t know about the curfew.”

The German soldier snarled. “Everyone in Belgium knows about the curfew. If you are going to lie, at least make it a plausible lie. Show me your papers.”

“What papers? I haven’t got any papers.”

“And you, girl. Do you have a better excuse for being on the street after curfew?”

Her hand trembled as she reached for her identification papers. “I work at the bakery. Our shipment of wheat arrived late.”

“Surely, you were not baking bread in the evening? It would be stale by morning. I do not believe you, either. Your friend cannot tell us who he is and neither of you has an acceptable explanation for being out after curfew. I suspect you are with the Resistance, although you could be spies. No matter. I’m sure you’ll be more talkative at Gestapo headquarters.”

“Hertz,” his companion said, “I can ride behind you on the motorcycle, but the sidecar will only hold one of them.”

“That is not a problem,” the German soldier replied. “The Gestapo has ways of getting all the information it needs from either of them, so we need only bring back one.” He pulled his Luger from its holster and fired a single shot.

Available in paperback or Kindle exclusively on Amazon.com. 

Time is running out… fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else!

Return of the Fox

An Excerpt from The Tomorrow Paradox (Book Two in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):

The sleek silver sedan pulled up to the curb outside the Mortimer Enterprises building. Mackenzie Mortimer stepped out of the car and straightened his jacket. He leaned inside and addressed the woman in the passenger seat. “Drive around the block a few times. I’ll phone you if it’s safe inside, and you can park in the garage and join me. Otherwise, drive straight home.”

“Mac,” she replied, sliding into the driver’s seat.

“No, Marlene, you can’t come with me, and yes, I’ll be careful.”

“That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

Mackenzie arched his eyebrows. “That’s what you always tell me.”

Marlene grinned. “So, you have been listening all these years, after all.”

“Then what—?”

“I was reminding you to kiss your wife before you go off on another adventure.”

Chagrined, the middle-aged man leaned into the car and kissed her. He stepped back, shut the car door, and watched his wife drive off. Mackenzie entered the lobby, surprised not to see any police in the building. He tensed, expecting the worst. His stress activated the TSR nanites within his body, and they quickly devised bionic improvements to his optic nerve. Mackenzie’s irises flashed as they scanned the lobby with his infrared vision for any traces of heat signatures. Seeing none, he walked toward the elevator.

As he passed the front desk, the concierge robot greeted him. “Welcome back, Mr. Mortimer. I hope you had a pleasant trip.”

“Are there any police officers on the premises?”

“Negative, Mr. Mortimer. Would you like me to request some from the Serenity Valley Police Department?”

“No. Thank you, anyway.” Mackenzie sighed. Artificial intelligence still had a long way to go. He phoned Marlene. “There’s no sign of any police presence in the building. I’m heading upstairs to see Dad and Alex. Go ahead and park in the garage but don’t come up until I know what’s going on. The police might yet be on their way.” He entered the elevator and ascended to the penthouse.

Available in paperback or Kindle exclusively on Amazon.com. 

Time is running out… fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else!

What Awaits Young Mackenzie?

An Excerpt from The Tomorrow Paradox (Book Two in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):

“I told Dad to use my watch to return to his own time.” Alex shook his head. “But you know what he’s like. Do you think he’ll do it? Or will he try to be the larger-than-life hero, as usual?”

“Mackenzie’s loyal, but he’s not stupid. He knows he’s out of his depth and there’s nothing he can do. He’ll have no choice but to use the watch, and in doing so, permanently remove it from the grasp of the authorities.”

The pinging of the videophone interrupted their conversation. Alex glanced at the phone. “It’s the secure line. There’s only one person who could be sending us a scrambled call.” He accepted the incoming call and an image appeared on the screen. “Dad, that looks like your car’s interior. Are you back from London?”

The driver had only a touch of gray in his sideburns and looked far younger than his sixty-three years. “Marlene and I landed an hour ago. We were going to stop by the house but I thought I’d call and see if you were still at the office.”

“It’s not safe here, Dad. We have a situation. The authorities, or at least Lysander Bryant and his son, are heading here to search the place and arrest us.”

Mackenzie Mortimer sighed. “I’ve had trouble with Bryants since I was in grade school. Lysander’s father, Tucker Bryant, was the schoolyard bully who made my life miserable until we eventually became friends. Have you activated the contingency plans?”

“Yes, Grandfather and I are doing that now.”

“Don’t worry, we can be at the office within twenty minutes. I’m sure the Fox can buy you enough time to get rid of any incriminating evidence.” The video screen went blank.

“You were right, boy.” Raymond chuckled. “Mackenzie Mortimer always has to play the hero. Still, I feel much better now that he’s home. I have complete confidence in your father’s abilities to deal with the Bryants. The Fox has gone up against much tougher opponents than Lysander Bryant, and he’s outsmarted every one of them.”

Alex nodded. “Dad is amazing. Even more so, now.”

“What do you mean?”

“As I was growing up, I formed a picture in my mind of what Dad must’ve been like when he was my age. But now that I’ve met young Mackenzie, I can see when Dad was a boy he was nothing at all as I had imagined him to be. How does that boy we met develop the necessary skills to turn into a saboteur and anti-corporate freedom fighter, attacking the governing bodies in the guise of the mysterious Fox?”

“I found young Mackenzie to be quite intelligent and resourceful, for his age.”

Alex shook his head. “No, that’s not it. Dad has a certain… hardness within him that enables him to do what he does. He’s like tempered steel that’s been forged in a furnace. Something made him that way. Something changed the boy I brought back from the past into the Mackenzie Mortimer of today. When young Mackenzie returns to the past, he’s going to encounter whatever that traumatic or momentous event was, and without the time viewer, we won’t be able to help him. He’ll be entering that forge alone, and it will shape and mold him into the man we know. I wonder what it was.”

“You could always ask your father, but I doubt he would speak about it. I saw the difference in him; even in the depths of his depression, I knew something had changed him long before Vanessa’s death or the bankruptcy. But he would never acknowledge it, and I had been absent for so much of his life that I didn’t feel I had the right to pursue it.”

“I suppose if he wanted us to know what he’d gone through, he’d have told us. Still, I wish he had, so we could have warned young Mackenzie what awaits him.”

Available in paperback or Kindle exclusively on Amazon.com. 

Time is running out… fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else!