Interview with western novelist Bob Brill

Writer Bob Brill joins me today to chat about his new western, Lancer; Hero of the West – The Broken Bow Affair.

Bio:

Bob Brill is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and writer who is well known in broadcast circles and radio news. A former national correspondent with the UPI Radio Network and currently a news anchor/reporter with the only All News Radio Station in Los Angeles, he has written a dozen books. Aside from other novels and non-fiction books, Bob has just completed the sixth novel in the Lancer; Hero of the West series. There will be ten. He writes one a year.

Welcome, Bob. Please tell us about your current release.

The Broken Bow Affair is the sixth in the series and takes place in Broken Bow, NE. Lancer is hired by the local cattleman’s association to find who is rustling the local herds. He meets up with his usual legendary characters along the way. There are usually a couple of them aside from the men he knows and hangs out with in Tombstone, AZ, such as the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. 

What inspired you to write this book?

Several of the Lancer series deal with International Affairs (New Orleans and Los Angeles in particular as well as Santa Fe). This one deals with a real problem the West faced; rustling and the growing power of corporations (aka associations). I wanted to delve into America’s growing corporate structure as well as bring in some historical figures.

Excerpt from The Broken Bow Affair:

   Lancer stepped in quickly.

  “Look fellas I got breakfast coming and I’d really like to eat it without getting heartburn, if you catch my drift,” the gunslinger registered. “Now if we can put the family squabble aside for a few minutes, I do have a question maybe the three of you can help me with.”

  The brothers agreed without a word to settle this later. Lancer needed help and they were obliged to give it. 

  “I’m going up to Nebraska tomorrow, cattlemen up there in Broken Bow, got some troubles and need my help.”

  Virgil’s ears perked up right away.

  “Range War? Didn’t think you’d get involved in something like that. Nasty business.”

  Lancer waived him off.

  “Nah, rustlers,” he assured the older Earp. “Seems something about they got it going on up there and can’t seem to catch who’s behind it.”

  “Cattleman’s Association hiring you?”

  Lancer nodded. Wyatt didn’t look up from his coffee and said it straight forward.

  “There’s your answer,” he replied. “Never knew an association of cattleman to be anywhere near the honest truth. Probably doing the rustling themselves and looking for someone to blame it on. You look out for yourself up there. We are really talking nasty business.”

  Lancer had thought about it but since he didn’t have much to go on yet, he wasn’t making any assumptions. He took in all that Wyatt was saying however.

  “I’d rather face Johnny Ringo than a cattleman in a suit and tie, any day,” Wyatt pointed out.

  Just then a booming voice came from the doorway.

  “Well, I’m right here law dog.” 

  Johnny Ringo stood tall enough despite not being a man of great stature. When he spoke, whether softly or with a keen sense of power, people listened. Wyatt, surprised, did not even look up.

  “Can’t you figure enough to come in out of the rain, Ringo,” Wyatt suggested. “Oh, I forgot you did.”

  The comment was enough to rile Ringo and move his hand toward his gun. It didn’t take much because Ringo was always looking for a fight, itching to pull his .44. 

  “I wouldn’t do that,” came the voice of Doc Holliday behind Ringo. “Johnny Ringo why don’t you just sit down and have some breakfast? I’ll even pay for it.”

  Ringo stood frozen. He’d love to tangle with Holliday and maybe would one day, but not today. As his hand moved slowly away from his holster Ringo settled down a bit.

  “You keep your money Holliday,” he answered. “I can buy my own breakfast, anytime, any day.”

  Virgil couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

  “Yup, I guess the price of cattle just went up, didn’t it Ringo, I mean some folks got their pockets full of foldin’ money, not just jinglin’ change, ain’t that right?”

  “You got somethin’ to say Earp, you say it!”

  Virgil got up from the table and walked directly over to Ringo. The two men went face to face and stared, neither with a smile to be had.

  “I got something to say, Cowboy,” Virgil held his ground. “Where’s your partner, Curly Bill this morning? Oh, he’s probably eatin’ Tortilla’s and enchiladas somewhere near the Mexican border, I figure.”

  As Ringo’s hand moved closer to his side again, Doc put his hand onto Ringo’s hand and held tightly. Ringo, despite his lack of even temperedness, understood he was not going to win anything here. He stared directly into the eyes of the elder Earp, turned and stormed out. Doc let him move on.

  “Now nobody sit with their back to door, ya hear?” Virgil warned.

  “Not necessary,” Doc responded. “You see, Johnny Ringo, while a desperate scoundrel, carries too much pride in himself to back down and then shoot you in the back. He’ll be back, but his breakfast will be eaten elsewhere this morning.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

As far as books go, I start writing the next Lancer in November or December but I have not decided where yet. I'm thinking San Francisco but that's not set in stone. Right now I’m getting ready to shoot a documentary on an event from 50 years ago. February is the 50^th anniversary of the Sylmar earthquake and I was a senior at Sylmar High School at the time. It’s a big project and won’t give me time to write. Although I am working on another book which I’ve been working on for ten years but I only pick it up when I have little else to do, and that’s rare. 

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve always written since childhood but I really began the craft seriously and professionally in 2008 when I started putting together “Fan Letters to a Stripper; A Patti Waggin Tale.” I own the rights to a long dead stripper who married a major league baseball player. It’s a coffee table biography. When I was 7 I started writing jokes for friends and family and I guess that contributed to my quirky sense of humor. 

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I don’t, my day job is as a news anchor and reporter with the only all news radio station in Los Angeles. Otherwise, I also write screenplays and pilots as well as books, a couple of blogs including the very popular “www.baseballinthe1960s.com. It’s a weekly column about baseball from 1960-69. I also produce a trivia show on my YouTube Channel several days a week and once in a while I sleep. I find the time to write in between other stuff and when I decide I need to work on one project I write for hours at a time until I want to stop. The next day or even later in the day I go back to it. It usually takes me 3-4 weeks at most to write a first draft of anything. 

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I buy and sell baseball cards, something which I became well known for. At one time I was considered an icon in the industry when I wrote “The Brill Report,” which was a twice weekly “FAX newsletter in those days. It is a passion of mine (baseball cards not newsletters).

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The Lone Ranger

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

When I am on the treadmill at the gym I still watch half hour episodes of the Lone Ranger on my phone to make it through the exercise. I really hope people enjoy Lancer and my weekly baseball column as well as the short films I’ve produced and hopefully one day I will actually sell a screenplay and see my work on the big (or the little) screen and not just the Internet. Dreams never end and I really do just enjoy working and creating. 

Links:

Book site | Author site | Facebook | Amazon

Thanks for being here today, Bob!

Interview with novelist Ron Kearse

Novelist Ron Kearse joins me today to chat about his new LGBT, Just Outside of Hope.

During his virtual book tour, Ron will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Ron Kearse lists travelling, photography, art, reading and history as his main sources of inspiration.

An artist, broadcaster, actor, and writer, Ron has a colourful and varied work resumé.

Having lived a nomadic life, Ron has finally settled in Victoria, BC where he lives with his partner James Howard.

Just Outside of Hope is the second installment in the Road Without End Trilogy, he has also published a photo book of Vancouver Street Art in the mid-1980s called Lost History.

Welcome, Ron. Please share a little bit about your current release.

Just Outside of Hope is the sequel to Road Without End, and is the second book in the Road Without End Trilogy. It takes us from the Canadian Prairies to the pubs, bath houses and nude beaches of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The place is Calgary, Alberta in September 1980, and ex-lieutenant Jim Whitelaw is dealing with the guilt he feels from the fall out of a military tribunal that happened only a couple of months before. And, there are lingering family issues which makes things worse. Just as he feels he’s getting his life together, cracks appear once more and he has to make some serious decisions.

Meanwhile, in a matter of a moment, Jim’s friend and sometimes lover, Bert Gilhius, finds himself trapped in a serious situation that eventually sees him set off on new adventures in Vancouver.

These are two more stories in the continuing series of the lives of gay men who lived through the most exhilarating and terrifying of times.

What inspired you to write this book?

The thing that inspired me to write the entire trilogy in the first place, was looking for stories by Canadian Queer writers that featured Canadian Queer characters, and noticing there were almost none. There were lots of American and British Queer authors –– but there was a decided absence of Canadian voices.

At that time, for whatever reason, if you went looking for stories on what it was to be queer in Canada, what you’d find were excellent journalistic books and periodicals filled with facts and figures… but lacking in human insight, and personal experience. So, I wanted to help change that.

Excerpt from Just Outside of Hope:

A fellow rides by on a ten speed. He smiles and says hello to me. I stop and watch him as he disappears around a corner. Goddamn he reminds me of Jim. Jim! I forgot all about him! What a revelation that is, considering how hard I fell for him. I did receive a couple of letters from him since he moved to Winnipeg, and everything seemed to be going okay. I did answer both of them from jail, but then I didn’t receive any more. I don’t know why the letters suddenly stopped, and maybe I never will. It’s too bad; because Jim was one guy I would have done just about anything for had we gotten together.

I walk across the street to my sister’s place, the house I’ve called home since I got out of the slam. The boulevard tree outside of the house is starting to bloom.

I ascend the three steps to the veranda and unlock the door. I’m the only one at home again since Patty and Keith are at work. I take off my shoes and head into the living room. Puddles their cat meows at me as I pass him, and I bend down and give him a few short affectionate strokes on the top of his head.

“Hey Puddles,” I say to him as he purrs. “How has your day been so far?”

I go to the phone to see if any messages were left for me. A small piece of paper is lying beside it. Hopefully this is a job interview.

It says Bert call Warren with a phone number scribbled below. I immediately smile, this is the best news I’ve had in four months. He said he’d phone me when his sentence was through.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’ve got a couple of “irons in the fire,” as it were.

Firstly, I’m working on the third installment to the Road Without End Trilogy called Last Chance Town. I’m hoping it will be available to the public this autumn.

And I’m in the beginning stages of compiling and editing a second edition of an anthology I edited two years ago called Sharing Our Journeys, Queer Elders Share Their Stories. This new edition will feature the voices of Queer Elders of Colour. I am talking with the folks who published the first anthology and they are very interested in this project. I already have three people who are interested in sharing their stories. So, look for that by the end of next year.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve written all of my life, especially when I wanted to express my emotions. I found writing how I was feeling came so much easier to me than trying to verbalize my feelings. I was encouraged by my teachers in elementary school. They would say things like, “I love your imagination, keep writing.” I always seemed to be a good story teller.

Do you write full time? If so, what is a routine day like?

I do write full-time. I like to get up early, have coffee, check my daily e-mails, and then I’ll turn on the laptop, go to my story, read what I’ve written the day before, and change anything that I feel needs to be changed. It’s then that I can carry on to the day’s writing session.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

While I’m writing, I like to listen to the music that was popular during the time period I’m writing about. So, I’ll create a playlist of songs from that time, for example, a play list from the year 1980. Problem is, if I’m playing music while I’m writing, the music distracts me. So, every so often I’ll stop writing, and listen to a couple songs from the playlist. It gives me the feel I need to carry on writing the story.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The first thing I remember wanting to be when I was very young was a doctor. Then, about the time I entered the fourth grade, I wanted to be an actor. I was a teenager in the 1970s when I decided I wanted to be a disc jockey with my own radio show.

Anything additional you want to share with our readers?

Many times, when people find out that I’m a published author, they will say to me things like, “I’ve always wanted to write a book, but who would be interested in what I have to say?” My answer is, “You would be very pleasantly surprised.”

Sure, many things may have all been said before, in many different ways…but not by you. I encourage people to write. All it requires of you, is for you to just start writing. And a good way to start is by keeping a journal. That gives you the discipline to make time in your everyday to write.

I’ve found that journaling can also provide inspiration, especially when you have been doing it for several years. I’ve turned to my journals several times, to lift slice-of-life scenes directly out of them, and set them in my novels.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon CA | Indigo | Barnes and Noble

Thank you for being here today!

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Interview with novelist Kathryn Schleich

My special guest today is writer Kathryn Schleich. She’s chatting with me about her new crime thriller, Salvation Station.

Bio:

Kathryn Schleich has been a writer for thirty years. Her most recent publications include the short story “Reckless Acts,” featured in After Effects: A Zimbell House Anthology, and her story “Grand Slam,” published in The Acentos Review in May 2017. She is the author of two editions of the book Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, and Other Images, which evolved from her master’s thesis. Her guest posts have been featured on the Women On Writing blog, The Muffin, and she writes for the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation’s volunteer newsletter. When she’s not writing, Schleich is likely volunteering in the education and arts communities in the Twin Cities, where she lives. Friends, family, good food, wine, and traveling are important aspects of her life. Salvation Station is her first novel.

Welcome, Kathryn. Please tell us about your current release.

Salvation Station is a crime thriller published by She Writes Press.

Synopsis:

When committed female police captain Linda Turner, haunted by the murders of two small children and their pastor father, becomes obsessed with solving the harrowing case, she finds herself wrapped up in a mission to expose a fraudulent religious organization and an unrepentant killer.

Despite her years of experience investigating homicides for the force, Captain Linda Turner is haunted by the murders of the Hansen family. The two small children, clothed in tattered Disney pajamas, were buried with their father, a pastor, in the flower garden behind a church parsonage in Lincoln, Nebraska. But Mrs. Hansen is nowhere to be found—and neither is the killer.

In St. Louis, the televangelist Ray Williams is about to lose his show—until one of his regular attendees approaches him with an idea that will help him save it. Despite his initial misgivings, Ray agrees to give it a try. He can’t deny his attraction to this woman, and besides, she’d assured him the plan is just—God gave her the instructions in a dream.

Multiple story lines entwine throughout this compelling mystery, delving into the topics of murder, religious faith, and the inherent dangers in blindly accepting faith as truth. While Reverend Williams is swept up in his newfound success and plans for his wedding, Captain Turner can only hope that she and her team will catch the Hansens’ cunning killer—before more bodies surface.

Praise:

“Salvation Station is your next must-read mystery. Kathryn Schleich perfectly blends together a taut tale of murder in the church. A devilishly good tale.” —CARA LOCKWOOD, USA Today best-selling author of I Do (But I Don’t)

“Salvation Station is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning thriller that might possibly leave you unable to sleep. This book is what we need in the world right now—a killer we can hate and a model cop we can get behind, showing us that women are as fierce as men and then some.” —MARGO DILL, Managing Editor, WOW! Women On Writing

What inspired you to write this book?

Two specific instances inspired Salvation Station. First, I worked with law enforcement trying to solve a suspicious death in my family (unfortunately we didn’t, too much time had lapsed). But I was fascinated with how the police actually work. And second, I was married to a Catholic deacon over 20 years. During that time, I witnessed first-hand a very dark side to religion. I’m not just speaking about hypocrisy among the ‘faithful’, but the often disturbing elements of lying, fraud, and taking advantage of others. Add to that the sex abuse scandal within Church. Other faiths have sexual outrages, but generally other religions are not the immense hierarchy the Catholic Church is and don’t merit the same amount of attention. What all these examples have in common I think is the inconceivable breach of trust, a major theme in the book.

Excerpt from Salvation Station:

His voice was as smooth as good Kentucky sipping whiskey, the southern lilt forceful yet refined. Among the crowd, a few responded, “Amen!” as the Reverend Ray Williams, his body six foot three inches of sinewy muscle, strode across the cramped stage on a mission to save and assessed his sparse flock. The set was tightly confined; on TV, the lighting, color, and camera angles would give the illusion of spaciousness.

“Remember what the Bible tells us in John, chapter eight, verse twelve. Jesus proclaims, ‘I am the light of the world! Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life!’ Believe in Him and I tell you, brothers and sisters, all who accept Jesus Christ will have everlasting life!”

Rev. Ray had done this work long enough to know everything looked better on television, except the numbers. For five years, he’d courted an audience from a low-power cable TV station in St. Louis, confident his message would attract followers looking for salvation. A couple thousand worshippers invited The Road to Calvary into their homes, but it wasn’t enough. He had spent more of his own money than he cared to admit; however, expenses kept rising, and there was relentless competition for viewers, members, and revenue.

Even now, Ray was conflicted in his decision to close what had seemed a promising venture. He’d never lost his enthusiasm or the feeling he was indeed proclaiming the word of God and news of salvation. Ray knew everyone was a sinner, including himself. He hoped The Road to Calvary would spur people to rise above their sins, accept the Good News, and find the true meaning of Christ in their lives. The reverend smiled warmly at his audience and motioned for them to stand. “Let us share our belief in Jesus Christ by praying together our prayer of deliverance.”

The congregation rose to their feet and repeated the words they had come to know by heart: “Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe You died for my sins and rose again to save me from a world mired in sin . . .”

At the prayer’s end, a cheerful male voice yelled off stage left, “That’s a wrap!”

The prayerful opened their eyes. Ray bid his flock goodbye. “Thank you for joining us, and see you next week for another taping.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

Currently, I have two short stories I’m seeking to publish. Later in 2020 or early 2021 I will rerelease Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace, a novel which I published in 2008 under a pen name. It’s primarily a domestic thriller based on true events. The reviews have been so positive that I decided to relaunch the book for a larger audience. Lastly, I’m half-way through writing a mystery set in a rural college town.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I really considered myself a writer when I wrote my master’s thesis in the early 1990s on the image of Catholic women in Hollywood films. That evolved into my first book, Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, and Other Images. It’s essentially a college textbook which has been used around the country.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I have a chronic illness, so often it depends on how I’m feeling. My goal is to write every day, but it’s not just my own pieces I work on. I’m very involved in volunteering with a local foundation (the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota) and I do quite a bit of writing articles on their programs and amazing volunteers for their newsletter and/or website. I also have my blog and other volunteer activities. 

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I have to be by myself, with no noise or other distractions. When I see people happily writing away on their laptop in a coffee shop, I can’t for the life of me figure out how they do it.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A nurse, like my mom, Louise. There was only one problem – I couldn’t stand the sight of blood!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Thank you so much for featuring me on your blog, Lisa!

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Goodreads

Interview with spec fic author Richard Hacker

My special guest today is novelist Richard Hacker. He’s chatting with me about his new speculative fiction and book 2 of the Alchimeia series, Vengeance of Gimbald. It’s a cross of sci-fi, thriller, and historical fiction.

During his virtual book tour, Richard will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:Richard Hacker, lives and writes in Seattle, Washington after living many years in Austin, Texas. In addition to the science fiction/fantasy novels of The Alchimeía Series, his crime novels ride the thin line between fact and fiction in Texas. Along the way, his writing has been recognized by the Writer’s League of Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. As a judge in literary contests shuch as PNWA and ChicLit, and as a freelance development editor, he enjoys the opportunity to work with other writers. In addition, he is the Sci-Fi/Fantasy editor for the Del Sol Review. Die Back was his first novel in the Alchimeia series.

Welcome, Richard. Please share a little bit about your current release.Battling evil through time and death.

Six hundred years after a fifteenth century scryer gains the alchemical knowledge to create a dark future in his own image, Addison Shaw inherits a destiny: to fight this ancient war that threatens all he loves with extinction. Using an alchemical pen, he writes himself into past lives, leaving his body in the present. Upon completion of his mission, he must die in order to break the link and return home. Addison, and his inking partner, Jules, are members of the League, a secret alchemist society of Inkers who protect the time continuum. They believe they defeated their enemy, Cuthbert Grimwald, known to them as Kairos. When he resurfaces filled with vengeance, intent on destroying the League, and acquiring the Alchimeia, a book of such power the League has hidden it for millennia, Grimwald leaves a path of destruction across centuries. As he quests for absolute control of reality, Addison and Jules pursue him through time and death in a desperate struggle to save the world from his vengeance.

What inspired you to write this book?
This might sound odd, but it started with a fountain pen. I was holding a fountain pen one day and my mind wandered to the power of words. Human beings have been naming things since the beginnings of language. It’s how we find our place in the world and in some cases I think, gives us a sense of control. Or at least the illusion of control. So, what would happen if a character had a pen filled with alchemical ink that when he wrote the name and a date for someone living in the past, his consciousness would be transported into that person? What would he do with that astounding capability? And as with most technology, what if someone decided to use the alchemy to acquire power and control time itself? How would the protagonist fend off this attack on the time continuum and reality as he knows it? And then I put the fountain pen down, pulled at the laptop, and started writing.

Excerpt from Vengeance of Gimbald:
This is an excerpt from a chapter early in the book. I’ve included it because I think it introduces the idea of die back and ripping, which happen often in the book, as well as a taste of the relationship between the inking partners Addison and Jules.

Cajamarca, Peru - 1532

I rise from the ground and the world spins. I close my eyes to make the carousel stop. When I open my eyes again, I catch something in my peripheral vision–a cop? No. Crap. An Incan warrior with a spear in one hand and a copper and wood shield in the other walking with purpose toward me. His copper chest armor clatters softly with his gait. He looks pissed. I drop the stone, reaching for the sword. If I’m in armor, shouldn’t I have a sword? I find the hilt in my hand, but before I can remove the blade from its scabbard, he speaks–in English.

“What are you doing?” He drops his shield and shoves me. Hard. I crash up against the wall. The man’s face is a scowl, nostrils flared. He bangs on my chest armor with a fist.

“Addison, what the hell are you doing?”

Jules? Crap.

“Come on genius. Speak.” She drives the point of her spear into the ground beside our feet.

I left Jules in Peru. This is the Jules from a different continuum. 2.0. Yeah, Jules fucking 2.0. “How’d ya find me J2?”

“I went by the house, mi amigo. If you’re going to ink without anyone knowing about it, you might try somewhere other than your study. And who the hell is Jay Two?”

“I don’t have to defend myself to you. You think you can just waltz into my house anytime you want?”

“I found you by a bottle of whiskey. Thought you were passed out until I saw the pen in your hand. God, you reek. Did you throw up on yourself?” She shoves me again, then paces away. “I told myself that my inking partner wouldn’t be stupid enough to drunk ink.” She turns back, glaring. “Obviously, I was wrong.”

“You stalking me now?”

She paused, her eyes fixed on me. “Why are you here?”

“I just had a loose end to tie up. That’s all.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” She grabs my arm. “You ink a fucking conquistador five hundred years in the past to tie up a loose end? If Nikki finds out about this she’ll be tearing you a new asshole.”

“I just wanted to set something right.”

“First of all, Einstein, what is there to set right?”

“What’d you mean?”

“Maybe you should tap into Pizarro’s consciousness,” she slaps me repeatedly on the head, “to find out what the hell you’re doing. You did ink into him, you know. Pizarro has slogged for days through the mountains from the sea to this place.”

“Yeah, Machu Picchu.”

“Addison, we’re in Cajamarca, Did you also sleep through every history class you’ve ever taken?”

“Cajamarca?” This can’t be right. I need to be in Machu Picchu to save Jules. Well not Jules 2.0 going all ape shit on me, but my Jules. The Jules I left in Peru in another continuum.

She smacks my chest plate again, holding me against the wall. “Yes! Pizarro captures the Incan Emperor and it all goes downhill from there. I just got here a few days ago–wanted to be sure what I was getting myself into, waiting for you to show up in Pizarro–and I swear to God, if I eat another sweet potato, I’m going to puke.”

“Jules, just leave me alone.”

“Addison, you can’t do this. You’ve got to die back.”

I push her away. “Well, you’re here too.”

“The Spaniards hack my guy to death tomorrow morning. Pizarro doesn’t die until 1541. Do the math, Addison. Just being here could alter the time continuum. You know as well as I do that every mission we run is carefully planned. I don’t think emptying a bottle of whiskey qualifies as careful planning. Do you?”

I wrench her hands away. “Don’t you get it. I’ve lost too much, made too many mistakes. If I can set something right, I’ve got to try.”

She lowers her voice. “I don’t know everything you’ve been through, but you won’t talk about it. So, it’s a bit difficult for me to sympathize.”

“I don’t need your sympathy.”

“Fine. But whatever you’re up to, what do you think is going to happen?”

She’ll never understand. Not Jules 2.0. “I just wanted to fix it.”

“Addison, listen to yourself. Would you let me keep my mother from being murdered, knowing if I did, the continuum would shift in ways we couldn’t anticipate?”

“This is different.”

“How is this different? You told Nikki and me how things spiraled out of control because you kept trying to ink your way to a fix. Remember? You just managed to pull off a reset before you were nuked to oblivion and the rest of us were lost in time and space. So don’t tell me this is different.”

“Jules…” She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know about Peru. “I’m not leaving.”

“You can’t, Addison. I won’t let you.”

With a suddenness I don’t anticipate, a blade flashes in the warrior’s hand as Jules slashes the side of her neck. The Incan’s carotid artery gushes blood. Our eyes lock.

“Sorry, Addison, but you know I’m right.”

I put a hand to her gaping wound, but there’s nothing for me to do. The warrior’s eyes fade and he falls to the ground. Jules has died back. What is she up to?

She’s going to rip me. Son of a bitch. “Jules! DO NOT…!”

***

Jules opened her eyes to the study, rubbing her arms to find some warmth against the memory of cold Andean mountain air. Addison sat motionless, still in an inking trance across the desk from her. Finding him in the study with a nearly empty bottle of whisky could have only meant trouble. IUI, Inking Under the Influence, was high on Nikki’s list of severely punishable offenses. So Jules had inked after him hoping to get him back before Nikki discovered what he was up to. Drunk inking. What, are we in high school or something? And what’s the deal with Pizarro? And who the hell is J2?

She reached into her backpack where she kept some makeup, a couple of energy bars, a small nylon shopping bag, her iPad, and a ‘rip kit’. Jules unzipped the black leather kit, spreading it open on the desk. Passing over a variety of cables, electrical plugs, and pliers, she picked up a stun gun. Checking to be sure it was charged, she pressed it against Addison's exposed neck and pulled the trigger.

Pzzzttt.

His body, still seated in his chair, jerked, then collapsed over the desk. She put the stun gun back in the kit, zipped it closed and walked around the desk, where she slipped the kit into her backpack.

Ripped from the inking, Addison startled, clutching his throat. “Do not rip me, dammit! NO!” His eyes wandered as his mind, floating in an alcohol induced haze, tried to connect with the present. He took a deep breath, his gaze rising to meet Jules’, then he vomited across the desk.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m currently working on the third book in the Alchimeia series—untitled at this point. And I’ve got another project I’ve worked on and off over several years, a humorous science fiction story along the lines of Tom Holt’s novels, called The Bifurcation of Dungsten Crease. The initial draft with a different title was selected as best science fiction novel by the Texas Writers League way back in 2010. So I’ve come back around to it and will publish this year. Hopefully, Book 3 of the Alchimeia will be out in 2021.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I say in the third grade. Other kids were bringing various things to show and tell: steam engines, mice, grandfather’s watch. I brought short stories.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

Yes, I write full-time these days, but in a rather eclectic way. My day is usually divided into writing, music, drawing, cooking, and miscellaneous. So I reserve several hours each day for writing, usually in my study or I’m one of those guys you see at the coffee shop. I sing with a vocal jazz ensemble called The Offbeats, About an hour each day is used for rehearsal music. A couple of years ago I decided to re-awake my inner artist. I hadn’t drawn anything since I was about twelve and didn’t really think I could draw. I’ve been at it for a couple of years now and have gotten into urban sketching. Each day I try to either do some drawing at home, or go out in the field to do a sketch. And I absolutely love to cook. I’ve always got something going. I’ve recently gotten into bread baking.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hmmm. I know folks who have to be in certain places or eating certain foods or drinking a double latte. I’ve made a conscious effort to write anywhere at anytime. I suppose the quirk would be that I will write anywhere at anytime. I’ve written on trains, planes, cars, buses; in coffee shops, restaurants, malls, churches, park benches, bathrooms, stadium stands; at all times of day and night. There’s a thing with urban sketching that you always carry a pencil and sketchbook with you so you’re always ready to draw. I try to keep the laptop close. You never know when an idea will come to you.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Yes and no. I had ideas. I first wanted to be a jazz trumpet player after seeing Louis Armstrong. Then I was going to be a writer, then a scientist and for quite a while I was definitely going to be a doctor.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Two things I’d like to add. First, the underlying message of the Alchimeia series is about courage and perseverance. When life looks hopeless, when everything seems to be turned upside-down, the people who make a difference are not superheroes, but people like you and me, who persevere in spite of the odds. And second, readers are the reason for the season. Without you, writers would be lonely people sitting in coffee shops pounding on laptops. With you, we become the tellers of fantastical stories, entertainers, philosophers, and poets. And together, a writer and a reader, we make magic. Thank you for sharing some of your life with me.

I hope you’ll check out Die Back and now book 2 of the Alchimeia series, Vengeance of Grimbald. Both are available on Amazon.

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