Stopping in at the Writing Cabin

Lisa* had the sun tea all ready when I arrived, but seemed disappointed when I couldn’t stay long.

“It’s the new puppy. I can only get stuff done while he’s napping.”

“So what are you going to work on?”

“I really don’t promote on the blog very often. I think I’m going to post about my books.”

“Can I watch?”

“Sure.”

***

Most of you know I’m a writer by now, and I have a decent sized catalog of titles. It seems like they don’t have much of a lifespan, because something new always comes along. Other authors are cranking out projects and it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Today’s post is all about mentioning some of my efforts. Maybe one of you will want to take one on vacation this year. Great poolside reading, and all that.

The Playground is my newest title. A power-mad businessman built a line of elaborate toys, just in time for the Christmas season. He loaded them with a special new social media for children. His plan is to brainwash the children into his own personal army. To this end, he turns to occult methods.

A cancer survivor, and former doctor finds herself working in end of life care. She is abducted into a strange secret society that can see into the otherworld. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, but she’s our best hope to stop the next generation of The Playground Network before it comes online.

She’s up against a brutal thug, racing to recover the software to speed up this nefarious plan. He’s bigger, has more street smarts, and a head start. Think of this one like my tribute to Tarantino, and Frank Miller.

Will O’ the Wisp is the story of fifteen year old Patty Hall. She’s being stalked by an ancient curse, but has no idea what it is. She’s perfectly prepared for the wrong problem, and if she doesn’t figure it out soon, she’ll join her relatives in the family cemetery.

This one is set in the 1970s, and features a strong coming of age story. Readers enjoyed the setting in a time before the Internet and cell phone technology.

The title is the North American Link. This is the one for the rest of the world.

The Cock of the South is my mashup of traditional fantasy characters with Greco-Roman fantasy characters. Follow Cobby as he gathers bands of oppressed non-humans and opposes the forces of Remus.

Part Exodus, part “hang together or hang separately,” this one pokes the idea of what might have happened to centaurs, Amazons, dwarves, elves, and others.

“Hail Cobby!” Check it out.

 

Arson is the story of Perry Wolfe, a elite firefighter who fights his battles in space. He loses everything due to a freak accident. He’s depressed, and tries to regain some of his former glory as an ATF Arson Investigator. This means traveling to another planet to attend training.

His first arsonist seems to have ties to his murdered sister, but he’s in the wrong bureau to do much about it.

Living up to the family business isn’t for everyone, and maybe he needs something (or someone) else in his life. This story heats up in more ways than one.

Panama is the story of two dipshits who are in over their heads. Ethan and Coop took an assignment to look into some unusual events plaguing the construction of the Panama Canal.

They run into monsters, ghosts, witchcraft, and more in their adventure. It’s all driven by a Carlist pretender to the thrones of Spain and France, who wants to recapture the New World.

Panama also has a few fun celebrity cameos, appropriate to the turn of the century.

***

“Seems kind of dry,” Lisa said.

“What do you mean? I’m just trying to give a sample of what the stories are about, in case someone wants to take one on vacation.”

“Can I try?”

I turned my computer over to Lisa. “See if you think you can do better.”

Not that way, sillies. My stories are great for reading in bed. The adventure starts in my origin story, Wild Concept.

Wild Concept is the story of a new kind of robot, built in a concept lab to be the showcase of what technology has to offer. The robot, Lisa, takes a job at Hudson PD to test out her abilities in a human world.

What she doesn’t know, is that her creators intend to disassemble her for research purposes at the end of her experiment. When she finds out about the plan, this concept goes a little bit wild.

 

Then there is a really cool short story involving me, called Bombshell Squad. It’s tucked inside the Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack.

The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack is a collection of short stories across the speculative genres.

It covers some science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy stories. Priced permanently at 99¢, it is a nice way to explore the kinds of stories Craig writes.

These stories are great for coffee breaks, commuter busses, and times when you can’t dedicate a weekend to writing.

***

“Yeah, um, I… Remember when we talked about the word naiveté?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, this may be one of those times, where readers aren’t quite going to understand.”

“Sure they will. It’s a joke. See they can read my stories in bed. Get it?”

“I get it, but you have to remember that picture you were sent too. That’s the world we live in. And stop shaking. Something is going to fly out if you keep it up.”

“But I have mad sign shaker skills.”

“I know. How about if we just return to the books?”

“Fine. Read one of Craig’s books while you’re on Summer break. They cover a broad spectrum of speculative categories, and are highlighted with great characters like me.”

“Perfect.”

*Lisa Burton is my personal assistant, and the official spokesmodel for Entertaining Stories. She’s a robot, and super smart at anything dealing with computers. She may be a little bit naïve in other ways.