ANDREW SCORAH

MEET MY MAIN CHARACTER

2014-06-16T03:08:00.002-07:00

Alex Shaw tagged me in the 'Meet My Main Character Blog Tour' so here's my entry.

1. Tell us a bit about your main character? Is he fictional or a historic person?
I did think about writing about Jimmy Dalton, but there’s enough of him out on the net. So, I would like to introduce you to a feller, that’s going to be around for a while, Private Investigator, Frank Ballard. He is fictional, a former Army Ranger sniper. He came home from Vietnam and kind of drifted into police work. His first assignment was vice, back in SF-PD, but he got kicked back into uniform when some dirt-bag pimp complained he'd roughed him up during a bust. He moved to New York, joined the force there, where he worked narcotics. The first week on the job he killed a dealer in a gunfight. He was shot in the back. The Review Team cleared him–he'd shot first and Frank nailed him going for the window.

He got a commendation, but they put him back on the beat. That was okay for a while. The people in the community knew him, they got along. He caught two guys coming out of a bodega, stocking masks over their heads, one had a shotgun. He cut them both down. Turned out one was thirteen years old. How was he supposed to know?

They sent him to the department shrink. Nice guy. Gave him a lot of tests, asked a lot of questions. Never said much.

The shrink's office was in Manhattan. The locks were a joke. He went back there one night and pulled his file. It made interesting reading. Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder, fundamental lack of empathy, blunted affect, addicted risk–taker.

He'd been a sniper in Nam, so they tried him on the SWAT Team. When he did what they hired him to do, they pulled him off the job. Took away his gun.

Then they gave him a choice. He could take early retirement, go out on disability. Emotionally unsuited to law enforcement, that kind of thing. He walked, and not long after that his wife and his kids walked too. Frank is one fucked up individual, he sees the world in blacks and whites with nothing in-between. When he gets something in his head he can’t let it go, so the bad guys better look out if PI Frank Ballard comes calling, ‘cause they’ll be going to hell, with a card from Frank saying ‘wish you were here’

2. When and where are the stories set?

The stories are set in San Francisco and it’s environs, sometime in the 70’s, full of dames, guns and strange characters with names like Monk, Fast Eddie, and Jimmy the Dog.

3. What should we know about him?

He’s basically as screwed up as some of the people he goes after, most of the time he’s able to keep a handle on it. He sometimes acts without thinking of the consequences. In the early stories he will be okay, but as time goes by, some of the darkness within him will start to leak out.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his life?
Vietnam left him screwed up inside, his wife leaving him didn't help either. Also a lot of what he saw on his return, street pollution as he terms it, puts a dent in his world beliefs.

5. What is his personal goal?
To have a normal life, to be free of the darkness within him. To fix his broken smile.

6. What are the titles of your novels, and can we read more about them?
The Ballard stories will all be shorts, the first is appearing in the Woman’s Aid charity book, Shadows and Light, which will be out in July. The Ballard Files book 1 will be coming out around the same time. Each Ballard book will contain three or four stories.
7. When can we expect the next book to be published?
July 2014, and I’m hoping to get out about three or four before the end of the year.

A Call to Submission

2014-05-26T05:13:00.003-07:00

I'm putting together a charity book, the money from sales will be going to Women's Aid. They are a key national charity working to end domestic violence against women and children. This is an open call to any and all writers who wish to help out by donating a story to the project. What I am looking for is not necessarily stories about DV, they can be in any genre with a word count between 2000 words to a maximum of 6000, although the longer the better. This is a project close to my heart, and I was looking for ways to raise some money for this charity. It hit me, why not do a book, and so here we are. As yet I don't have a title, I will wait until the stories come in and I have chosen the ones to be included.
If you are interested please send submissions to scorah25@gmail.com. Submissions open until 25th July

While you will not be paid for the story, you will be helping a most worthy cause, and will get more coverage for your name, free advertising is always good. Title to be confirmed at a later date.
Attach it as a word file, and neatly formatted 12 point roman text, line spacing exactly 12 point, justified, with correct indents at first line 0.3.

Here is a little information to help you understand what domestic violence is and who it affects. This is taken from Women's Aid website

What is domestic violence?

Women's Aid uses the Home Office definition of domestic violence which is:

"Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse:

• psychological

• physical

• sexual

• financial

• emotional

Controlling behaviour is: a range of acts designed to make a person subordinate and/or dependent by isolating them from sources of support, exploiting their resources and capacities for personal gain, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour.

Coercive behaviour is: an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.”*

*This definition includes so called ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, and is clear that victims are not confined to one gender or ethnic group.

Does domestic violence only happen in certain cultures or classes?

Research shows that domestic violence is most commonly experienced by women and perpetrated by men. Any woman can experience domestic violence regardless of race, ethnic or religious group, class, disability or lifestyle.

Domestic violence can also take place in lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender relationships, and can involve other family members, including children.

Why does it happen?

All forms of domestic violence - psychological, economic, emotional and physical - come from the abuser's desire for power and control over other family members or intimate partners. Although every situation is unique, there are common factors involved.

What are the signs of domestic violence?

Destructive criticism and verbal abuse: shouting/mocking/accusing/name calling/verbally threatening
Pressure tactics: sulking, threatening to withhold money, disconnect the telephone, take the car away, commit suicide, take the children away, report you to welfare agencies unless you comply with his demands regarding bringing up the children, lying to your friends and family about you, telling you that you have no choice in any decisions.
Disrespect: persistently putting you down in front of other people, not listening or responding when you talk, interrupting your telephone calls, taking money from your purse without asking, refusing to help with childcare or housework.
Breaking trust: lying to you, withholding information from you, being jealous, having other relationships, breaking promises and shared agreements.
Isolation: monitoring or blocking your telephone calls, telling you where you can and cannot go, preventing you from seeing friends and relatives.
Harassment: following you, checking up on you, opening your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has telephoned you, embarrassing you in public.
Threats: making angry gestures, using physical size to intimidate, shouting you down, destroying your possessions, breaking things, punching walls, wielding a knife or a gun, threatening to kill or harm you and the children.
Sexual violence: using force, threats or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts, having sex with you when you don't want to have sex, any degrading treatment based on your sexual orientation.
Physical violence: punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning, strangling.
Denial: saying the abuse doesn't happen, saying you caused the abusive behaviour, being publicly gentle and patient, crying and begging for forgiveness, saying it will never happen again.

Is it a crime?

Domestic violence may comprise a number of different behaviours and consequences, so there is no single criminal offence of “domestic violence”. However, many forms of domestic violence are crimes – for example, harassment, assault, criminal damage, attempted murder, rape and false imprisonment. Being assaulted, sexually abused, threatened or harassed by a partner or family member is just as much a crime as violence from a stranger, and often more dangerous.

Successful prosecutions for domestic violence cases rose from 46% (of all cases brought before the courts) in a December 2003 'snapshot' to 65% during the whole of 2006-07.
Not all forms of domestic violence are illegal, however; for example, some forms of emotional abuse are not defied as crimes. Nevertheless, these types of violence can also have a serious and lasting impact on a woman’s or child’s sense well-being and autonomy.

What is the cost of domestic violence?

The estimated total cost of domestic violence to society in monetary terms is £23 billion per annum. This figure includes an estimated £3.1 billion as the cost to the state and £1.3 billion as the cost to employers and human suffering cost of £17 billion. (Walby 2004). The estimated total cost is based on the following:

The cost to the criminal justice system is £1 billion per annum. (This represents one quarter of the criminal justice budget for violent crime including the cost of homicide to adult women annually of £112 million).
The cost of physical healthcare treatment resulting from domestic violence, (including hospital, GP, ambulance, prescriptions) is £1,220,247,000, i.e. 3% of total NHS budget.
The cost of treating mental illness and distress due to domestic violence is £176,000,000.
The cost to the social services is £0.25 billion.
Housing costs are estimated at £0.16 billion.
The cost of civil legal services due to domestic violence is £0.3billion.

The statistics collated by Walby above are recognised as an under-estimate because public services don't collect information on the extent to which their services are used as a result of domestic violence. The research doesn't include costs to those areas for which it was difficult to collect any baseline information - for example cost to social services work with vulnerable adults, cost to education services, the human cost to children (including moving schools and the impact this has on their education), and it excludes the cost of therapeutic and other support within the voluntary sector.
The cost of domestic homicide is estimated by the Home Office at over one million pounds: a total of £1, 097, 330 for each death, or £112 million per year.

How Common is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is very common. Research shows that it can affect one in four women in their lifetimes, regardless of age, social class, race, disability or lifestyle. Domestic violence accounts for between 16% and one quarter of all recorded violent crime. In any one year, there are 13 million separate incidents of physical violence or threats of violence against women from partners or former partners. (Home Office, 2004; Dodd et al., 2004; Dobash and Dobash, 1980; Walby and Allen, 2004) Also view a summary which states the number of women and children who use a domestic violence service on a typical day in England.

2014-01-11T03:42:00.003-08:00

THE OMEGA SANCTION

THE SPARK OF AN IDEA

Most good story ideas start with a ‘what if.’ This was the same with Omega. What if Area 51 was taken over by a hostile force, this was how the thought process started. Why would they do this? What do they want? I did not want to go down the usual UFO/aliens route, or have the hostile force be the usual suspects-Al Queda.

Now, I thought there have not been any Nazi bad guys for awhile, I decided they would be the hostile force. The grandchildren of the Third Reich, going under the name, Geheime Staat-Secret State. In my book, all the high ranking officers and officials from Adolf Hitler down secretly had children, who were spirited away to a secret location, to be brought up in the ideals and philosophy of the Nazi party. They were to be a continuation of the Reich if they lost the war.

These children of monsters had children of their own, they all so wormed their way into the institutions of the new world that came into being at the end of the war, quietly manipulating in the back ground. The children’s children were trained to be soldiers, and when the time was right they made their move, a hostile takeover of Area 51.

For those who don’t know or have not heard of Area 51, here’s a little bit about the place, taken from Wikipedia.

Area 51, also officially known as Groom Lake or Homey Airport is a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the correct names for the Area 51 facility are the Nevada Test and Training Range and Groom Lake, though the name Area 51 has been used in official CIA documentation. Other names used for the facility include Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, Home Base, Watertown Strip, and most recently Homey Airport. The area around the field is referred to as (R-4808N).

It is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles (133 km) north-northwest of Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield. The base's current primary purpose is officially undetermined; however, based on historical evidence, it most likely supports development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems. The intense secrecy surrounding the base has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore. Although the base has never been declared a secret base, all research and occurrings in Area 51 are Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI). In July 2013, following a FOIA request filed in 2005, the Central Intelligence Agency publicly acknowledged the existence of the base for the first time by declassifying documents detailing the history and purpose of Area 51.

The original rectangular base of 6 by 10 miles (9.7 by 16 km) is now part of the so-called "Groom box", a rectangular area measuring 23 by 25 miles (37 by 40 km), of restricted airspace. The area is connected to the internal Nevada Test Site (NTS) road network, with paved roads leading south to Mercury and west to Yucca Flat. Leading northeast from the lake, the wide and well-maintained Groom Lake Road runs through a pass in the Jumbled Hills. The road formerly led to mines in the Groom basin, but has been improved since their closure. Its winding course runs past a security checkpoint, but the restricted area around the base extends further east. After leaving the restricted area, Groom Lake Road descends eastward to the floor of the Tikaboo Valley, passing the dirt-road entrances to several small ranches, before converging with State Route 375, the "Extraterrestrial Highway", south of Rachel.

Area 51 shares a border with the Yucca Flat region of the Nevada Test Site, the location of 739 of the 928 nuclear tests conducted by the United States Department of Energy at NTS. The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository is 44 miles (71 km) southwest of Groom Lake.

The Groom Lake test facility was established by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for Project Aquatone, the development of the Lockheed U-2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft in April 1955.

As part of the project, the director, Richard M. Bissell, Jr., understood that, given the extreme secrecy enveloping the project, the flight test and pilot training programs could not be conducted at Edwards Air Force Base or Lockheed's Palmdale facility. A search for a suitable testing site for the U-2 was conducted under the same extreme security as the rest of the project.

He notified Lockheed, who sent an inspection team out to Groom Lake. According to Lockheed's U-2 designer Kelly Johnson:

“ ... We flew over it and within thirty seconds, you knew that was the place ... it was right by a dry lake. Man alive, we looked at that lake, and we all looked at each other. It was another Edwards, so we wheeled around, landed on that lake, taxied up to one end of it. It was a perfect natural landing field ... as smooth as a billiard table without anything being done to it". Johnson used a compass to lay out the direction of the first runway. The place was called "Groom Lake”.

The lakebed made an ideal strip from which they could test aircraft, and the Emigrant Valley's mountain ranges and the NTS perimeter, about 100 miles north of Las Vegas, protected the test site from visitors.[24] The CIA asked the AEC to acquire the land, designated "Area 51" on the map, and add it to the Nevada Test Site.

Johnson named the area "Paradise Ranch" to encourage workers to move to a place that the CIA's official history of the U-2 project would later describe as "the new facility in the middle of nowhere"; the name became shortened to "the Ranch". On 4 May 1955, a survey team arrived at Groom Lake and laid out a 5,000-foot (1,500 m), north-south runway on the southwest corner of the lakebed and designated a site for a base support facility. "The Ranch", also known as Site II, initially consisted of little more than a few shelters, workshops and trailer homes in which to house its small team. In a little over three months, the base consisted of a single, paved runway, three hangars, a control tower, and rudimentary accommodations for test personnel. The base's few amenities included a movie theatre and volleyball court. Additionally, there was a mess hall, several water wells, and fuel storage tanks. By July 1955, CIA, Air Force, and Lockheed personnel began arriving. The Ranch received its first U-2 delivery on 24 July 1955 from Burbank on a C-124 Globemaster II cargo plane, accompanied by Lockheed technicians on a Douglas DC-3. Regular Military Air Transport Service flights were set up between Area 51 and Lockheed's Burbank, California offices. To preserve secrecy, personnel flew to Nevada on Monday mornings and returned to California on Friday evenings.

Next, I needed a reason for them to take over the base. More research brought to light something called, Die Glocke, German for the bell.

The Bell is said be an experiment carried out by Third Reich SS scientists working in the German facility Der Riese (The Giant) near Wenceslaus mine. The mine is located 50 kilometers away from Breslau a little north village of Ludwikowice Kłodzkie (formerly known as Ludwigsdorf) close to Czech border. Cook and Witkowski visited the site for the UK Channel 4 documentary UFOs: the Hidden Evidence (aka An Alien History of Planet Earth).

The device is described as metallic, approximately 9 feet wide and 12 to 15 feet high with a shape similar to a bell. It contained two counter-rotating cylinders filled with a substance similar to Mercury that glowed violet when activated, known only as Xerum 525 it has been speculated to be Red mercury. When active, The Bell would emit strong radiation, which led to the death of several scientists[6] and various plant and animal test subjects.

According to Igor Witkowski, the Polish aerospace historian who researched this craft for 20 years and was interviewed for the Discovery Channel documentary Nazi UFO Conspiracy, "...The external appearance... was such that it was [a] ceramic cover, bell shaped, which housed a kind of core or axis, around which rotated two cylinders, around the axis in opposite rotation. And after connecting to high-voltage current, the cylinders start spinning in opposite directions... Everything suggests.. it could have been a way to master gravity."

The Bell was considered so important to the Nazis that they killed 60 scientists that worked on the project and buried them in a mass grave and the only reason we know about the Bell is that the SS General that was tasked with the murders, Jakob Sporrenberg, was tried after the war by a Polish War Crimes court for murdering his own people on what subsequently became Polish soil. So it's his Affidavit that gives us the story of the Bell.

What might have happened to The Bell, had it existed, were it to have been evacuated out of Germany is unknown, however there has been some speculation: Witkowski speculated that it ended up in a Nazi-friendly South American country, Cook speculated that it ended up in the United States as part of a deal made with SS General Hans Kammler and Farrell speculated that it did not reach the United States until it was recovered in the Kecksburg UFO incident.

While the purpose of The Bell is unknown, there is a wide range of speculation from anti-gravity to time travel.

Jan Van Helsing claims in his book Secret Societies that, in a meeting that was attended by the members of various secret orders (Vril Gesellschaft, Thule Society, SS elite of Black Sun) and two mediums, technical data for the construction of a flying machine was gathered along with the messages that were said to have come from the solar system Aldebaran.

One of Cook's scientist contacts in The Hunt for Zero Point, was a "Dr. Dan Marckus". (Cook states in his book that he has "blurred" Marckus' name and that he is "an eminent scientist attached to the physics department of one of Britain's best-known universities"). Dr. Marckus claimed that The Bell was a torsion field generator and that the SS scientists were attempting to build some sort of time machine with it.

The original claims about the existence of the experiment were spread by Igor Witkowski, who claimed to have discovered the existence of the project after seeing secret transcripts of an interrogation by the KGB of SS General Jakob Sporrenberg.

According to Witkowski, he was shown some classified files in August 1997 by a Polish intelligence officer (whose identity Witkowski keeps confidential), who had access to Polish government documents regarding Nazi secret weapons. This officer unveiled to him for the first time the details of the testimony of SS Officer Jakob Sporrenberg, who provided details of this secret sub-program during a questioning by Polish military officials in 1950/51, when he was imprisoned in Poland. Witkowski provides lavish details of this in his book The Truth about the Wunderwaffe. Although no evidence of the veracity of Witkowski's claims have ever been produced, these claims reached a wider audience when they were used by British author Nick Cook in his popular non-fiction book The Hunt for Zero Point.

The origin, and only evidence of the story, lies solely on Witkowski's testimony of seeing secret transcripts of Sporrenberg's interrogation and his comments on it. These documents have never been made public and Witkowski claims that he was only allowed to transcribe them and was not allowed to make any copies. No other evidence has come to light.

I decided the bell started life as an energy weapon but after an accident in the testing phase the Nazi scientists working on the device discovered it could harness the power of time travel, Dr Hans Kammler uses it to escape the advancing Russian and American forces, arriving in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1965.

After unsuccessfully trying to make the device work, thay could not replicate the fuel to drive it, something called Xerum 525, the device is packed away in storage deep under the Area 51 base. Geheime Staat know how to use it, they want to go back in time, specifically to the bunker under The Reichstag in the last days of the war.

Pitted against them are Omega, a multinational autonomous team of scientists and soldiers who handle situations outside the purview of conventional forces. The book is a wild roller-coaster ride of action and adventure. Totally different to all my other work, both in tone and style.

Why do they want to go back? Will Omega be able to stop them? Will their be Jaffa cakes? And will their be copious amounts of Jack Daniels consumed by our heroes? The answers to these questions and many more will all be revealed soon. Stay tuned for further information on publication dates.

430 Kings Road- Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die

2013-08-10T05:02:00.002-07:00

In May of 1977 a new band exploded onto the music scene, in all it’s spitting, swearing anarchic glory, The Sex Pistols released their single God Save the Queen. After their little boat ride down the Thames they became part of music’s rich historical tradition.

They were fresh, new, the kids loved them, the parents, and the establishment hated them. But wait, have we not seen this before, way back in the 50’s with Teddy Boy’s, Greasers etc. Elvis Presley with his hip swivelling antics, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Dean, the Rebel Without A Cause. Elvis, Elvis, let me be, keep that pelvis far from me.

The Specials in 1977 created their own record label Two Tone, and went on to become a big name in the industry. Then you had the Madchester years, the Hacienda, and Factory Records.

Now I hear you asking what has all this got to do with writing books, well all these had things in common, they bucked the trend of the day, rocked the establishment and made the men in suits worried. All were eventually accepted.

We who self-publish are walking in the footsteps of giants, fighting the aging stuffy machine of traditional publishing who for too long have dictated what books get out there on the shelves. Just like there are rubbish bands/singers out there, so it is with self published books but hey maybe there are people out there who want to read these books and the stories they convey, the reader should be allowed to decide. Yeah, I know the gatekeepers of trad publishing are there to keep out the dross, but where would we be if the gatekeepers had kept out Elvis and all the others who did not pass muster with the gatekeepers of the music world. We don’t live in a time of Fahrenheit 451 where there is resistance to conformity and control of individuals via technology and mass media, or are we?

The established order has to accept self-publishers are not going to go away, like Elvis, and The Sex Pistols we are going to be part of history, immortalised in bytes or on paper. The authors who put out poor quality works will eventually fall by the way-side or learn to colour between the lines. I feel privileged to be among this crowd that are bucking the trend of the day, we are the new Elvis’s, Sex Pistols, Specials, The New Romantic Punk Teddy Boys of the literary world, and we are all too fast to live too young to die.

Just a short and sweet posting this time, until next time, peace, out.

WHAT ISNT SAID: SUBTEXT IN DIALOGUE

2013-08-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Dialogue is all about getting things said—usually important things: “I am your father.”

“You can’t handle the truth!”
“To be or not to be, that is the question.”
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

We spend a lot of time polishing our dialogue and learning how to make it sound as lifelike and powerful as possible. But amidst all this polishing, we can’t afford to miss one of the most important contrasts in fiction.

Sometimes the most important moments in dialogue are about what isn’t said.

Words aren’t always strong enough to convey the impact of certain emotions. At times, silence speaks louder than words. And, surprisingly often, silence (or its equivalent in the form of seemingly mundane dialogue that pulls double duty by communicating far more than the face value of the words themselves) offers blinding insight into characterization.

So how do you know when you’re better off telling your chatty characters to stuff a sock in it?

When strong emotions are at play. “I hate you” just doesn’t get the message across as strongly as an icy stare (and, yes, Revenge of the Sith I’m looking at you).

- · When an action communicates more strongly or more succinctly. Whether that action is something as dynamic as an angry wife throwing a chicken at her husband’s head, or something subtler, such as her pretending to be so absorbed in cutting the chicken that she doesn’t have time to respond to his entreaties, it’s hard to argue with body language.
- - When dialogue adds nothing important. If small talk isn’t moving the plot forward, cut it. On the other hand, if that same small talk is offering insight into the situation at hand (such as, perhaps, the characters’ fear of discussing deeper subjects), the very “uselessness” of the dialogue becomes a sort of silence unto itself.
  - · When too much information damages the suspense. If your characters are spouting off everything they know, it’s probably time to clap a hand over their mouths. Characters with secrets are always more interesting. Just make sure you’re making the existence of those secrets clear to readers. A character who avoids answering a question or who chooses to change the subject skyrockets the value of what he doesn’t say.
  - When it best serves the character. Some characters just aren’t built to be motor-mouths. The strong silent type can be a challenge to write, but their taciturn natures give authors the opportunity to make sure every word counts. Never be afraid of the silence. Use it to your advantage (as do experienced interviewers) to make characters and readers alike perk up their ears and pay attention.
    Now, go on, away with you, go do some writing peace, out.

Making it Happen: Tips on Writing Action Scenes

2013-07-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

I like action in my entertainment. Books, movies, TV shows, even games. I enjoy a great story to go with it, but I want to see people in peril more than I want to see them examining their lives in a safe environment. I like the external forces that cause the true nature of a person to bubble to the surface. I want to see what people do. As you might guess, I write a lot of action scenes in my books.

Before I dive in any further, I think it's important to clarify that today, I'm talking about action in the traditional "person in peril" way. The action you think of when you hear "action movie." It's not the "start with the action" type you hear in writing advice.

Action can be tough because it's easy to focus too much on the action and not enough on the character in peril. So long descriptions sneak in and what the character does takes center stage. What the character thinks and feels often gets shoved into the background.

And that's bad. Because those emotions are what make or break an action scene.

Get in Their Heads
While I don't have a set rule or anything, I try not to let too many straight descriptive paragraphs go by without hearing from my POV character in some way. A line of dialogue, some internalization, something that puts the reader back inside the POV's head. Readers care about the characters. They want to know how the characters feel about what's happening to them. They want to know what those characters are going to do next. Without that connection, the action is just details on a page.

From a purely structural standpoint, it also helps break up the text so you can better control the pacing. Description slows down the narrative. Dialog speeds up the narrative. Long chunks of text encourages skimming by the reader, especially if it's an exciting action sequence and they're eager to see how it turns out. But when readers skim, they stop on the dialog (spoken or internalized), because that's usually where characters make decisions. So breaking up the scene visually helps keep the reader reading and not jumping to the next set of dialog lines.

Make it Personal
Stakes are critical to an action scene. If the reader doesn't care, there will be no excitement. Think about those summer blockbuster action flicks where there was a ton of action, but you just kinda sat there and waited for it to be over, even though it was cool to see. Was there ever any fear that things wouldn't turn out fine for the hero? Was the outcome ever in doubt? You don't want to do the literary equivalent. Making sure your stakes are high and personal to your protag will help prevent that.

Stakes also help make whatever the problem is larger than life, because it matters to your protag.

Add a Surprise or Revelation
Not every scene is going to lend itself to this, but the thing that keeps readers reading is the desire to know what happens next. If your action scene is one of those where the outcome really isn't in question, but it's a vital scene to the plot (and these are pretty common), add something to it so the reader gets information they weren't expecting. Share a secret, show a talent the character hadn't yet revealed, discover something that affects the plot.Give them an informational reward for watching your action scene. Discovering there are treasures in those scenes will also encourage them to read every word, because they'll never know what vital clue might be found.

Pace Yourself
Pacing is almost as critical to action scenes as stakes. The goal is to get the reader caught up in the action, heart beating, breath racing, turning the pages as fast as possible. Short sentences add speed. They create excitement. Long sentences slow things down and lessen the excitement. Action scenes are typically not where you're going to go into long descriptive passages or deep thoughts. (unless you're purposefully giving the reader a breather)

Narrative flow matters more here than probably anywhere else, because if you write something that trips up the reader, you pull them out of the story. You want your text to flow as smoothly as possible so it sucks in the reader and whisks then along like a leaf on the wind. So watch out for choppy sentences, which are common when you write action and are trying to keep this fast-paced. Keep an eye on your sentence structures and the rhythm of your words. Keep them varied, keep them moving.Read the scene out loud. There's no better way to catch bad narrative flow then to hear it spoken.

I started this post by saying this was all about traditional action-movie-style scenes, but honestly, they can also apply to any scene in the book. Because a good scene is all about something unfolding that the reader wants to see the resolution to. If you treat every scene like an action scene, there's a good chance you'll keep a tight hold on your reader and they won't be able to get away.

Until next time, peace, out.

5 Creative Flaws

2013-07-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

I have only been writing for a couple of years, and probably still not qualified to talk about how to write a book, but what I have done is tried to soak up everything out there to do with moving from the first letter on the page to The End. I know I still have a lot to learn in this journey, but what I am doing is giving little snippets of what I have picked up along the way. I hope in some way it helps you in your journey from idea to publication.

There are a million ways to cripple a story. Here are five of them.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being inexperienced (we’ve all been there). Unless it shows up in your story in a way that detracts from it.

Or kills it.

Pop quiz: which is the more unforgiving audience: agents, editors, or readers?

Used to be that the only answers that mattered were the first two, because you’d never get your work in front of the latter if your story was guilty of and of these five deal killers. They were grounds for rejection.

Nowadays, though, you can skip the grouchy agents and rejection-happy acquisitions editors and go digitally direct to the marketplace. Moreover, if for a moment you think that this brave new world lowers the craft bar, that digital readers won’t care about the small stuff in the same way that agents and editors do, think again.

This is actually good news.

Because when you finally conquer these five demons, you’ll stand out as a professional storyteller worthy of publication – even if you’re self-publishing – amidst a sea of competition that, quite frankly, isn’t. Without word-of-mouth buzz, your digital story is going nowhere beyond your circle of loyal family and friends. And with these five flaws crippling your pages, a wider readership isn’t likely.

Not just because of the technical impropriety of it. But because the writer who doesn’t recognize the folly of these things isn’t likely to spin a story that competes with those of writers who do.

Here they are, in no particular order of toxicity.

1. Proper Names Within Dialogue

Which equates to bad dialogue.

Listen closely to conversations in your life. Count the number of times somebody uses your name in those audible exchanges. Better yet, how often you use the name of the person you are talking to, either face to face or on the phone.

It’ll be a low number. It is likely to be zero.

And yet, some writers seem to think this sounds cool when written into dialogue. To wit:

Hey, Bob, good to see you.

You too, Joe. Been well?

Bob, you have no idea.

Well Joe, times are tough.

Tell me about it, Bob. I hear you, man.

Only a bit of an exaggeration here. I see this all the time in the manuscripts I’m hired to critique and coach. If it only happened once it might fly under the radar – because it does happen, once in a blue moon, in real life, and it sounds odd then, too – but usually when it appears it pops up throughout the entire manuscript like a skin rash.

Rule of thumb: never do this in your dialogue. Never.

With experience comes an ear for dialogue. But you can shorten that learning curve dramatically by simply axing out the use of proper names.

Unless someone is calling on the phone and opens with, “Is Mary there?”, don’t make this mistake.

2. Chit-Chat

William Goldman, the senior statesman of screenwriting who is also an accomplished novelist, advises us to begin our scenes at the last possible moment.

This is huge. Some of the best advice ever, even for novelists. Because implicit within its genius is the assumption – the prerequisite – that the writer completely knows the mission of each and every scene.

Read that again, it can change your entire storytelling experience.

Skip the pleasantries when two people meet. Avoid the weather talk. The how-have-you-beens. Instead, opt for something like this:

After a few minutes of catching up Laura popped the question she’d come for.

“Are you having an affair with my husband?” she asked.

The first of those two lines can replace many paragraphs of useless chit-chat. Even when said chit-chat demonstrates characterization, without expositional value it’s a useless distraction that eats away at pace. And pace is always important.

Characterization when it counts trumps characterization when it doesn’t, every time.

I’ve read pages upon pages of chit-chat before a scene finally kicks in. I’ve seen entire scenes full of it without the scene ever arriving at a point. And I have to remind myself that I’m getting paid to read it.

But never in the story of an accomplished pro.

It’s a judgment call, and with experience comes an evolved sense of pace and reader tolerance.

3. Too Much Description of Food

This is more common than you can imagine among newer writers. Meals are described with exquisite detail. Course after course, drenched with spicy, worshipful adjectives.

Delicious. Steaming hot. Slathered in a sweet sauce.

The only justification for doing this is when the meal is laced with arsenic. Because – and I’m serious about that analogy – because in such a case it would relate to the story.

If it doesn’t relate, skip it.

Nobody cares what your hero has for breakfast. It’s not important to know the menu of a meal prepared with love.

Ever. Unless, like I said, the meal matters. Which it hardly ever does.

4. Overwritten Sequential Time Fillers

Your hero has had a tough day at work. She comes home to shower and have a glass of wine before driving to the rendezvous point for her blind date that evening, which she’d been unable to stop thinking about all day.

As a writer, you now face a decision: cut to the date, or take us home with her for the shower and the wine and some lengthy pondering of her lonely life. Or better yet, cut straight to the date and cover any prior ground (her bad day at work, the shower and wine) with a short introductory sentence.

Inexperienced writers tend to take us home with her. Have us take a shower with her and ooh and ahh about how good the hot water feels. About the taste of the wine, a hint of cherry, a nice finish.

The more experienced writer cuts straight to the date.

This pitfall is similar to the chit-chat and food and transitional red flags described elsewhere in this article. The same standard applies: if it doesn’t deliver salient expositional information, if it doesn’t matter, if it just moves the character forward in time (as if the writer is obliged to show us each and every moment and hour of the hero’s day, which isn’t true), then skip it.

Know what matters, what counts, and why. Then, like a chess piece, move the scenes from one square to the next. Every time you hit the pause button to take a shower or reflect on the drive home, you’re killing your story’s pacing.

Mission-driven scene writing is the Holy Grail of long form storytelling. It is the context for almost every problem and solution you’ll face.

5. Invisible Scene Transitions

Less is more. It really is. Unless we’re talking foreplay, but that’s another blog.

This principle leads us to the best transitional device known to the modern storyteller. The very best way to get from one scene to the next is… to do nothing.

Literally.

Two words: white space.

Just end a scene cleanly, then skip a couple of lines and jump into the next scene. Which happens when either time or place or point of view changes.

Read that again, too. It’s basic and critical.

If you’re jumping to a new chapter this takes care of itself. But chapters are legitimately able to house an untold number of scenes, and if you want to make sure the reader is as aware of the transitions with them as you are, skip a line or two when time or place of POV changes.

Otherwise, your transition might look like this:

The meeting dragged on for several hours, complete with boring PowerPoint presentations and the lengthy pontifications of the CEO, who had never been on a sales call in her life. Tomorrow would be no exception. The sales call began at noon, with a rubber chicken catered lunch already on the table. The client posse arrived together, as if they’d marshalled in the parking lot to finalize strategy and send off any last minute texts.

It’s not wrong, per se, it’s just that the transition from scene to scene (note, it’s now tomorrow, a different time and place) is not as clear and efficient as it could be. A reader who skims is likely to miss it.

Now look at it this way. A simple thing, with an empowering result:

The meeting went on for several hours, complete with boring Powerpoint presentations and the lengthy pontifications of the CEO, who had never been on a sales call in her life. Tomorrow would be no exception.

The sales call began at noon, with a rubber chicken catered lunch already on the table. The client posse arrived together, as if they’d marshalled in the parking lot to finalize strategy and send off any last minute texts.

Such simplicity. The power of the skipped line of white space is amazing.

These mid-chapter scenes – especially necessary transitional ones – can be as short as you want. One paragraph exposition that gets us from one point to the next are wonderful, especially if they replace two-page space fillers that seek to accomplish the exact same thing. The need to pad these scenes is the paradigm of the beginner… which, after being duly warned, you no longer are.

Such is the case with all five of these rookie mistakes. Your radar for them is the most important part of your review and edit process.

And if you can’t wrap your head around it, I’m betting your significant manuscript-reader other can. Because they’re readers, and readers are the victims when these things hit the page.

Until next time, peace, out.

WHAT REALLY DRIVES YOUR CHARACTERS-THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY

2013-07-27T02:19:00.002-07:00

As in real life our characters move through their worlds driven by various motivations, be it, love, anger, greed et al. Having a basic understanding of Psychology helps us round out our characters making them more believable to readers.

There are a lot of Character Outline guides out there, but it's easy to focus on the superficial with them, particularly since most of them focus on the kind of information you'd find in a decent dating profile: looks, nationality, age, career, salary, religion, languages spoken, and turn ons and turn offs.

Which is not to say you can't learn a lot about your character from such guides, only that I'm not sure they dig deep enough into character psychology with their vague references to "temperament," "likes and dislikes," "fears," and "strengths."

To really appreciate any person, you have to realize that they're going to be driven—at least in part—by things they're either not 100% aware of...probably because they don't want to see their own terrible flaws and weaknesses. But that doesn't mean that you, as the author, shouldn't know!

The Psychological Profile

Try identifying the following for each of your major characters:

1. Primary Goal

Psychologist Abraham Maslow argued that human beings are a "wanting animal." As soon as one want or need is fulfilled, we move on to wanting something else. So what does your character want more than anything? What is his character's overarching goal? What is the purpose that not only gets him out of bed each morning, but also drives him or her throughout the story?

a. Obstacles to that Goal

Who or what stands in your character's way? Note that your character may face more than one obstacle, and that other characters' wants or needs may be in direct conflict, creating a battle of wills.

b. What s/he'll give up or sacrifice to achieve that Goal

When someone really wants something, she's willing to make sacrifices. She may not know what those sacrifices are until push comes to shove, but she will make them. When a goal is just out of reach, it's tempting to give up just a bit more than one should. And if that goal stays just out of reach, your character may find herself on a slippery moral slope, inching across a line she never thought she'd cross.

Sacrifices should be things that cause some conflict because they're given up only when the character really has to make a choice between what must truly be a consuming Goal and the rest of his or her life. It's important that you don't just think about physical things. Also consider values and morals. What has your character promised herself she'd never do? And how can you push her past that promise by dangling the Goal in front of her?

An example of a character who goes too far in his pursuit of a Goal is Farscape's John Crichton. Astronaut Crichton is launched into a distant corner of the universe by a wormhole, and he spends much of the series trying to find another wormhole that will get him home. He becomes a man truly obsessed, and more than once it becomes clear that he will do just about anything—including put his friends' lives in terrible danger—to conquer wormholes. He is, of course, pursued by a villain who wants the same thing, which makes Crichton's quest even more dangerous. If Crichton acquires wormhole technology and his nemesis gains that technology through him, said nemesis will use that knowledge to destroy the Earth.

2. Fatal Flaws

Every great hero has at least one Achilles heel. What is your character's?

These flaws may be things the character tries to hide or disguise behind more noble qualities. For example, a character who's afraid to express who he really is and what he really wants may see himself (or typically be seen by others) as modest. A character who's terrified of being hurt again may hide behind intellectuality and assertions that he doesn't need relationships.

Your character is most likely to recognize his fatal flaws in those cold dark hours of the night when he's worn down, exhausted, and out of options. What is it he really wants in those moments? Those wants are his weakest point, and if your villain recognizes them, she might do your hero a great deal of damage.

3. Strengths

Be sure to focus on personality characteristics! Is your character a charismatic leader? Does she persist in the face of great difficulty? Does her determination help her push through obstacles that might break a weaker character?

Don't forget to look at each of these things for your villain as well, including strengths. I strongly believe that the best villains have admirable qualities, but have simply fallen prey to their own flaws and wants. In some cases they may have lost their moral compass, but in others they may be as justified in their wants as your hero or heroine. So don't forget to give your villain strengths as well.

4. Fears

What is your character most afraid of? A loss of control? Or just losing the battle against the villain? How can you force him/her to face that fear in the story?

People do incredible things in the name of fear. I am particularly taken with the story of Snow White, especially in an age of Photoshopping and Botox. Do you remember what drives the villainous queen? She has always been the most beautiful woman in all the land, until one day the magical mirror says that Snow White has become even more beautiful than her. Perhaps this is simply Snow White blossoming into a lovely young woman, but I suspect ageing plays a part in the queen's downfall. And the queen is willing to do anything—including murder—to regain her status.

Although Snow White seems blissfully unaware of her own goodness and beauty, at some point she too will age, and people will begin to treat her differently. What might she do to stay young and beautiful and keep everyone's attention on her? You might think she would avoid the kind of evil to which the queen falls prey, but real life suggests that people often become what they hate most, perhaps because of that hatred.

5. Terrible Secret/s

What is your character hiding from everyone else? Is Snow White secretly reveling in her power over the dwarves and the prince, for example? Or perhaps your intellectual hero, who always stands independent and alone, secretly craves a partner. Or maybe he's miserable and disillusioned in his leadership role, but has to stay strong because there is no one to take his place. Maybe he was once close to the villain, and in spite of himself he still secretly loves/admires him/ her.

Pulling It All Together

There's a good chance that what you write in the different categories will be related. For example, your character's greatest fear may be tied to his/ her Terrible Secret. And she/he may be willing to give up just about anything to protect that secret.

Hope this helps some-way in developing your babies, until next time, peace out.

SERIAL VIGILANTES

2013-06-11T14:13:00.001-07:00

My love of what some people would call trashy fiction, more popularly called Pulp Fiction began many years ago when I was a teenager, I bought a copy of The Destroyer series no 33 Voodoo Die, from then on I was hooked.

So I suppose this has an effect on what I write, not going to apologise for that.
The title of this blog post, Serial Vigilantes was used in “A Real Rain” episode of Criminal Minds to describe a killer who is targeting people who have escaped justice. This term highlights the fact that these characters are vigilantes, taking the law into their own hands, as well as the fact that their activities are organized in a serial fashion.

The serial vigilante is a crusader for moral order. This comes from a sudden realization, typically an act of violence, that society is not doing its job and protecting people.
So I thought I would do a couple of postings featuring some well known, and not so well known serial vigilantes, hope you enjoy.

The typical serial vigilante character has served in Vietnam and learnt the skills used in his crusade. This can be seen in the history of the Executioner, the Destroyer, the Penetrator and Able Team, to name a few. Others gained this training in different ways. The Butcher was a high-ranking member of the Mafia who turned against it as an act of redemption for the evil he had committed. Dagger was a war correspondent, and Carl Lyons of Able Team was a police officer. Others, like The Death Merchant, offer no explanation as to how they gained their skills.

Kettredge and Krause (1978) point out that the serial vigilante’s crusade is sparked by an incident, which alters their perception of society. It may be something that happened to loved ones: The Executioner’s father killed his family after discovering that his daughter was prostituting herself to help pay off his debt to Mafia loan sharks; The Satan Sleuth’s wife was killed by Devil worshippers; Robert Briganti became The Assassin when his family was killed after he refused to help the Mafia; Dagger’s fiancée was killed after he exposed a conspiracy.

Others will have the incident happen to them: the Penetrator was bashed and left for dead after tracking down some black marketers; the Destroyer was framed and went through a fake execution.

The incident does not need to physical. Nile Barrabas, leader of The Soldiers of Barrabas, was court marshaled and dishonorably discharged for crimes he did not commit.

THE VIGILANTES

ABLE TEAM

Fifty-one books by “Dick Stivers”

To get the full history of this spinoff of The Executioner we have to go back to the Executioner #2: Death Squad. In that novel, Bolan decides to use some of his fellow Vietnam veterans in his war on the Mafia, his Death Squad. In the final assault everyone except Mack, Rosario “Pol” Blancanales and Herman “Gadgets” Schwartz were killed. The idea was to confirm to Mack that this had to be his personal crusade. Also introduced in that book was an LA cop by the name of Carl Lyons who was after the Executioner, but by the end of the book he became Bolan’s ally.

These three characters appeared sporadically throughout the series as Pendleton continued writing. Pol and Gadgets set up a detective firm, Able Investigations, with Pol’s sister Toni.

Then Pendleton sold the Executioner to Gold Eagle. Mack Bolan had been pardoned and given the new identity of John Phoenix, the base Stony Man Farm and a new war on terrorism. Pol, Gadgets and Lyons became Able Team, Mack’s force to fight terrorism on American soil, although the team operated in other countries.

Carl “Ironman” Lyons was the team leader, Gadgets was responsible for the electronic equipment, and Pol, which is short for Politician, was the negotiator for the group. Over the series Able Team was aided by other warriors but these three remained the core.

Behind the Scenes

Initially, the series was written under the byline Don Pendleton and Dick Stivers, highlighting the series’ connection to the Executioner series. The non-existent Stivers was given the biography that he was a volunteer for Vietnam but was too young to see any action. His first taste of battle came during a mugging in Los Angeles. A traveler and adventurer, Stivers travels the world tackling crime. In truth Stivers did not exist and the books were written by several writers using the house name. These writers include:

• Norman Winski, also the author of the novelization of The Sword and the Sorcerer, the Hitman series and several works on astrology. Winski was also a member of the Chicago Beat scene and Charles Bukowski (Barfly) was godfather to his son.

• Ron Renauld, who wrote five A-Team novelizations as Charles Heath and wrote book 7 under his own name. He has also written for the Executioner.

• Nicholas Cain — a former military police officer. Cain wrote the semi-autobiographical Saigon Commandoes series. Under the pen name Jonathon Cain, he wrote the Little Saigon series about a former MP turned LA police officer working in the Vietnamese community. As Sgt. Nik Uhernik, he wrote the War Dogs series; Uhernik also appears as a character in the Saigon Commandoes series.

• Steve Mertz, who, along with Mike Newton, got his start working with Don Pendleton on the Executioner for Pinnacle Books, later ghostwriting a number of Executioner novels for Gold Eagle books and plotting the MIA Hunter series for Jove books.

THE ASSASSIN (ROBERT BRIGANTI)

Three books by Peter McCurtin

Robert Briganti was born in New Orleans in 1935, the descendant of Tommo Briganti who arrived in America from Naples in 1892. At age sixteen Robert joined the Carnival and left New Orleans and become one of the best sharpshooters on the circuit, and he toured America for years, gaining friends and contacts. With the death of his mentor, Briganti joined the Marston Arms company, selling surplus arms throughout South America and gaining an expertise in nearly all weapons. After marrying, Briganti retired from Marston and opened a sporting goods store and had a son Michael in 1963.

In 1972, Briganti was approached by mobster Joe Coraldi to get him weapons for his current gang war and Briganti refused him. So the mobsters ordered that Briganti be killed; the attack killed Briganti’s wife and son but left Briganti alive. After getting out of hospital, Briganti began his war against the Mafia, starting with Coraldi. Next, The Assassin took out a Mafia summit held in New Orleans and finally wiped out the Boston Mafia family after they tried to kill him. Briganti sends tapes recounting his exploits to the authorities and these tapes form the basis for his three books.

Behind the Scenes

Peter McCurtin was an editor for Belmont Towers books before becoming an author.

McCurtin, under his own name, was the author of several western series such as Carmody and Sundance as well as the Soldier of Fortune/Death Dealer series; under various pen names he contributed to theSexecutioner and Marksman series. McCurtin also novelized the movie The Exterminator as well as several exposés on organized crime, such as Mafioso, The Syndicate and Omerta.

BLACK SAMURAI (ROBERT SAND)

Eight books by Marc Olden

Robert Sand was an African-American soldier serving in Vietnam and while on leave in Japan came to the rescue of an old man being harassed by a group of racist soldiers.

During the skirmish Sand was shot in the belly. The old man took Sand home and tended to his wounds and revealed that he was a Samurai Master and in gratitude for his help wanted to train Sand in the ways of the samurai. Seven years later, Sand had become the best pupil of the master, when a group of mercenaries attack the master’s dojo, killing everyone except Sand.

The Black Samurai tracked down the men who killed his master and brother samurai, discovering a group of disgruntled soldiers intent on taking revenge on America for turning its back on them.

During his quest, Sand is contacted by a former United States president named Clarke. In many respects, Clarke bears a number of similarities to former President Lyn-don Baines Johnson, including the fact that they both come from Texas.

Clarke offers to finance Sand’s quest and gives him information on situations that suit Sand’s unique talents, ranging from stopping a nuclear attack on New York, destroying a conspiracy, and fighting cults, slavery rings, right-wing takeovers of America and terrorist attacks.

Behind the Scenes

Marc Olden was born in Baltimore, Maryland, before his family moved to New York in the 1940s. He attended Queen’s College and graduated with a degree in Creative Writing and Journalism. Initially working as a Broadway and entertainment publicist, he retired from that field to become a full-time writer.

One of his earliest nonfiction works, Cocaine, brought Olden into contact with a number of law enforcement personnel, which he used as the basis for his first series, Narc, about an undercover narcotics officer.

Olden was a lifelong student of the martial arts and the Orient and several of his thriller novels, such asKasieng, Giri and Oni, explore the theme of Eastern culture.

Olden passed away in 2003.

BUTLER

Twelve books by Philip Kirk

Butler (no first name is ever given) is a former CIA agent, fired for being too critical of the Agency. He discovered that rather than being part of the solution to the world’s problems, the CIA was part of the problem, being part of the military industrial complex and the secret society dedicated to taking over the world known as Hydra. Hydra is The Butcher responsible for the assassination and removal of world leaders, including the assassination of President Kennedy.

Butler is not alone in his battle against Hydra as he is quickly recruited by the Bancroft Institute. The institute is known around the world as a leader in scientific research but its true mission is protecting the world against hydra

Butler is the Bancroft Institute’s top agent, called on to tackle the hardest jobs, such as stopping assassination attempts, stealing military secrets, preventing the release of deadly viruses, stopping rogue satellites and ending other threats to world security and freedom.

One of the more unusual aspects with Butler is his relationships with women. Like many other secret agents and serial vigilantes, he has a number of sexual encounters with women but while the sex is fantastic, the women all seem to turn on him and accuse him of forcing them. In one instance Butler was forced to perform at gunpoint and the woman, a fellow agent of the Bancroft Institute, still accused him of rape.

Behind the Scenes

Leonard Levinson born in 1935 served the US Army from 1954 to 1957. Under a number of pseudonyms and house names, he has contributed to a number of series, including Bronson, Kung Fu (Mace), The Sharpshooter and The Sexecutioner.

Thats it for now, I will post some more soon. Till next time peace.

JERICHO BLUES

2013-05-25T13:06:00.001-07:00

Well Jericho has been on sale for the last month and a half, and it has turned into a bit of a best seller compared to when I released the other books, don't ask me what I did different in terms of marketing it, because I did nothing different. A lady called Teresa Joseph Franklin (click on her name to go to her blog page} has done a fantastic review of Jericho, and I just wanted to share it with you here.

JERICHO BLUES

Written By Andrew Scorah

A 5***** REVIEW

Terrorist threats from foreign aliens that could upset the whole of the United States. And then Martial Law is to be established to protect the country for an indefinite duration ensuring that all of its citizens and there properties be protected, any undesirable will be brought into custody for questioning, all the citizens are being asked not to be afraid of being rounded up and to comply with the issuing Executive Order 903813, titled Emergency Defense Procedures and Allocation of Interim Authority Martial Law. This to me sounds and feels heavy but not heavy handed who in their right mind and position would be expecting their president, prime minister to be doing everything humanly possible to protect them?

The number one priority of this government is to safeguard the interests of the country, and its citizens, and any threat from foreign or domestic terrorism will be dealt with to the full force of our powers.

I can only say at this stage that Andrew Scorah has me hooked right from the beginning of the first chapter and I have not stopped reading and re-reading just in case that I have missed an action somewhere, it is fast paced, you’ll want to go back to make sure that what you have read is REAL, IT IS HAPPENING just like a movie. You’ll not want to leave your seat or make that cup of coffee or tea.

It’s raw, rough, tough, but for whatever reason the government was rounding up citizens from across small townships, they are all left stunned, shocked, battered and bruised and their homes lost for always. But I will let you read Jericho Blues to find out why. And who and what had assassinated the president of the USA.

“We need to find out what is happening,” I said as I turned on the radio. I dialled through the frequencies, but all I got was static, or a tone similar to what you get when you dial a disconnected number.

So far it seems that the country is in disarray, more like martial law enforcement where no one or anything is exempt from the break-down of Statute Law that is set by the House of Senators, this is Military Law at its worst or best? Only you the reader can decide.

Six black clad bodies, armed with Heckler and Koch machine pistols. They moved, silent, bent legged up the road. As if by some unspoken signal, four split from the group. Two were going to the left of the house, the others to the right. Once again we had a professional hit team coming for us. The remaining four moved around the van. I had to time this right. I edged over so I could see them better. They were mugs, not one paid any attention to the Van. In a combat situation, never assume, assume makes an ass out of you and me; I had the phrase drilled into me so many times; it became a mantra to put me to sleep at night.

One of the assassins pulled a gas grenade from his utility belt and pulled the pin. Now the time was right. I put a round in his ankle, half blowing off his booted foot. He collapsed, dropping the grenade.

When I read this passage from Jericho Blues I was on the brink of taking a break but Andrew kept me right where I am sat now! I wanted to know what the heck was going on. You get drawn into intrigue and mystery as to why Martial Law has been imposed on a Nation yet here it seems that even Martial Law has broken down. There are renegade factions within the Military with their own laws and lawlessness on the innocent citizens and military personnel, and it is getting REAL personal. The next thing you know there is an announcement from the White House and the President Lecompte

People of the United States of America, it is with great sorrow I stand before you today, making this, my first address to you. I have only just learned an evil has befallen the city of San Francisco. Despite all our efforts to safeguard you the people, terrorists have detonated several dirty bombs. The death toll is massive, and for all purposes, the city has been wiped off the map. The resulting explosions triggered a failing of the San Andreas Fault; earthquakes have been widespread and continuing, hampering the efforts of emergency responders.

Reports are also coming in of dirty bomb explosions in several other cities around the globe. Notably Manchester, England, Paris France, Sydney, Australia and Moscow. So far, no one has claimed responsibility, but all intelligence is focused on finding these monsters.

This is a colossal misfortune to befall our country, and the world, ever. However, be forewarned; our anger at these atrocities is biblical. The perpetrators and those who give them their orders will be hunted down like dogs. We are now on a war footing, and as such hard decisions will have to be made, law-abiding citizens will have nothing to fear. Those who pose a threat to our way of life I give you this message, run, because we are coming for you. There is no place for you to hide, we will find you, and have our justice.

Whatever you do when you get to this part of the book DO NOT go and make a meal (call for a takeaway instead) you will not want to leave this part at all. This is where all the action starts. How on earth did this get to the stage of it affecting the World as a whole? What went wrong? Who went wrong? How on earth did the fractions cause so much devastation, destruction wiping out San Francisco’s City and causing the bomb to go off on the infamous San Andreas Fault? Earthquakes, Andrew draws you in and at times you can only imagine what and how such things could and can happen. Do not leave your seat or go to sleep yet! It’s not over yet!

Dirty bombs, dirty tricks it’s all here within the covers of Jericho Blues

Sleep depuration, hunger, battling against the wounds of battle

“We are known as the Council of Three Hundred, and if all goes well you are going to be President of the United States after the next elections.”

“What would you say if I told you, life is an illusion Michael?”

Is life an illusion? Are we all living a life of dreams, fantasies? Is life truthful? Are we being deceived by those that we trust the most? Who is trying to impress upon us the truth or lies, cheating and deceitfulness? Is the Council of Three Hundred like the corrupted or are just painting pretty picture of a better world? Read on Andrew had me hooked

Who is the Council of Three Hundred? What do they do? What do they want of Michael? Besides being the next President of the United States of America, how does this organisation affect the world as a whole? Will and do they influence the political face of the world? Would it be one party that rules dismissing democratic polling? Fixed voting? Can this create further political unrest, citizens demonstrating against the one party system without choice and losing their Human Rights?

Read on further, further, deeper and deeper the plots thicken and you wonder when and where it will all end

Can the Leaders of the Free World come together as one and face all the issues that are dominant and dominating and not plunge us into a Third World State? Only time will and can tell of the outcome with their extension, exhausted talks.

Andrew’s Jericho Blues is an awesome read

I am going to leave the rest up to you to read at your leisure and pleasure

Andrew this novel has my 5*****’s not only for content, but also for keeping me glued and having read it twice and I am positive that I am coming back for more in the very near future. And I am also looking forward to your follow up to Jericho Blues too.

Below is the link that takes you to Andrew Scorah novels they are a must purchase whether it be kindle or paperback edition he has not left anything out of either

JERICHO BLUES

All of you out there who have not got your copy, hop over to Amazon and grab one so I can go and buy some posh coffee.

JERICHO BLUES UNLEASHED

2013-04-19T04:36:00.001-07:00

At last my novel Jericho blues has been released to the world, if you want to buy it you can find it here Jericho Blues(Amazon UK) and here is the link to Amazon.com Jericho Blues .
Just to refresh your memories here is the blurb.

JERICHO BLUES

In Homecoming Blues he faced the London Underworld.

In Border Town Blues he faced the Mexican Mafia and Al-Qaeda.

Now Dalton returns in his most explosive thriller yet!

Terrorists explode Bombs in several cities around the globe,
at the precise moment of detonation an assassin's bullet takes out the President
of the United States. In Virginia, a hit team attacks the headquarters of Unit,
the organisation Jimmy Dalton and Jamie Duggan are now working for, forcing
them to go on the run again, running from an elite group of families who have been
controlling world events, from behind the scenes, for over a thousand years.

The Council of 300 use the attacks to step out of the
shadows with a message of peace, and a hidden agenda, world depopulation, and
total domination.

Dalton and Jamie, together with a rag tag army of
misfits, are the only ones standing between the Council, and the death of freedom,
as we know it.

From Washington to New York, and on to an explosive ending in the New San Francisco Ghetto, Jericho Blues takes you into a world under the oppressive boot of a heartless regime, who will stop at nothing to achieve their aim of world domination.

'Dalton is a bit like what Lee Child's Jack Reacher might be like if he was from a working class British background'

So there you go a quick update, go out and buy it, then I can go take a holiday and get refreshed after all the hard work which goes into this stuff. Oh, and here is a link to my Amazon page where all my books can be found. Amazon Author Page Anyway have a nice day/evening/night untill next time peace out.

Coming Soon!

2013-02-21T03:22:00.000-08:00

COMING SOON!

JERICHO BLUES

Jericho Blues has actually been about three years in the writing, or rather the idea of it has been. The story started out as something different, it was also the story that really pushed me into the writing game. It is said that everybody has a story in them, my story began to take shape when I was perusing conspiracy websites. I have always had an interest in UFOs, Area 51 and other such subjects. Don't get me wrong I'm not one of the tin foil hat wearing brigade or one of those who think the aliens are going to come and save us from ourselves, although part of me thinks if aliens are going to come here after the distances they would have to travel I don't thing their intentions would be altogether altruistic. I came across a site called Above Top Secret a kind of social network for all things conspiracy wise. I came across a story about a man called Andy Pero the site I was directed to was an account of a man who had been subjected to what was called Trauma Based Mind Control, resulting in turning him into some kind of super-soldier. All very science fiction, but as a story in itself I found it fascinating, and thought the details would make for a great novel. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with a tale called Patient-X, a mind controlled Manchurian Candidate assassinates the president, the only problem was his programming had started to break down, he started to remember what had been done to him at a place called Camp Hero, a disused air force base in Montauk.


Camp Hero

The main character was Jason Cutter, he teams up with a bloke called Shaun Kane, a reporter, and together they go after the bad guys, uncovering a conspiracy involving aliens, time travel and other such stuff.
I drifted away from the story when I came to do my piece for Action Pulse Pounding Tales Vol 1. Moving on to my Jimmy Dalton stories, the book was put on the back burner, always at the back of my mind. I finished Border Town Blues, and now started working out the sequel to BTB.
Patient-X was still crying out to be written, so I sat back and thought, hey maybe P-X could be the third Dalton book. I would have to take out the alien, and time travel stuff but all the other stuff should fit. So, that's what I did, with a bit of jiggering, Patient-X morphed into Jericho Blues. Jason Cutter is still in and so is Shaun Kane, although he is now an Army Ranger who helps Dalton out of a particularly sticky situation.
I have even managed to keep in the first chapter of P-X, it is now the prologue.
Still a work in progress but will soon be finished and available from all good on-line stores, here is the basic blurb.

In Homecoming Blues he faced the London Underworld

In Border Town Blues he faced the Mexican Mafia and Al-Qaeda.

Now Dalton returns in his most explosive thriller yet!

The President is Dead and the organisation Dalton works for is all but wiped out. Dalton and Jamie are on the run again, running from an elite group of families who have been controlling world events from behind the scenes for over a thousand years. The Council of 300 have stepped out of the shadows to wrap the world in a totalitarian grip.

Dalton and Jamie together with a rag tag army of misfits are the only ones standing between the Council and the death of freedom as we know it.

So, there you go, get yourselves ready for an explosive thriller of global proportions, to be published soon, tentative month of publication is April.

Jericho Blues-a sample

2013-02-16T02:06:00.001-08:00

JERICHO BLUES

For those of you who are waiting on the sequel to Border Town Blues, here for you is a taster from Jericho Blues. If you do read it leave a comment telling me your opinions. Thanks.

Chapter 2

Twenty minutes after the explosion, we regrouped in downtown Roanoke, at Martins All Night Bar and Grill. I took my Detonics MTX-H .45 from the lock box in the van, and secured it in the modified Talon holster under my jacket. I felt human again now I had changed out of my mission clothes, and not so naked without my new favourite handgun. I had fallen in love with the Detonics pistol during training. The Combat-Master Mick Rix, an ex Navy Seal had provided us trainees with a variety of handguns to choose from, our final choice would be our permanent issue sidearm.

I fell in love with the Detonics right away, with little recoil, and ten in the mag plus one in the barrel it was ideal.

After getting us all my prescribed medicine for shock, Jack and Coke, we found a booth near the rear of the half empty bar, I made sure we were facing the window though. It had been a night of shock and surprises; I wasn't in the mood for anymore crap.

We were all silent for a few minutes sipping our drinks. Clark had been with Unit more or less since its inception, so I was hoping he had some idea on what our next move was.

“So, Mr Clark, what are the protocols for this situation . . . You know when the only man in the Government knows of your existence is dead, and the rest of the workforce has been wiped out?”

“There are several agents still out in the field, we have to go to ground for forty eight hours, then there is a number to call, it’s secure, and whoever answers will make arrangements to bring us in.”

“Fuck me, my question was rhetorical, you mean they actually prepared for this?”

“Oh yes, dear boy, forewarned and all that.”

“So, what are we supposed to do for forty eight hours?” Jamie raised an eyebrow as she spoke.

Clark shook his head, “Whatever, just stay off the grid, no contact with anyone, and definitely no showing out,”

“Good lets get pissed then, I haven’t had a good sesh in two months.”

“No, we need to stay sober, we need to work out who targeted us; and fast, before they come after us again.”

I looked at Clark, “When we get back to the van, you work your magic on those gizmos of yours, and see what info you can come up with.”

I took out the flash drive from the pocket of my jacket, and passed it across the table to him.

“I wanna see what’s on this as well.”

“Where on earth did you get that?”

“I took it from the Senators safe.”

“Dalton, that was against mission regs!”

“So sack me, the point is moot now, I had a gut feeling it may be important.”

Clark disappeared the flash drive, and we made small talk while finishing up our drinks. We were just about to leave when I saw a strange sight outside the large pane glass window of the bar. Four M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, followed by six canvas covered trucks rolled by the bar.

“What the hell, they called the army out on us now!” Jamie downed her drink, and headed for the door, Clark and I followed behind her.

“I don’t think this is to do with us, it’s something else,” I said when we caught up with her on the sidewalk outside.

We looked up the street to see one of the tanks had parked by the intersection, the others had moved on. One of the trucks had disgorged its load of troops who were setting up saw horse barriers, and piling up sandbags. This was a checkpoint of some kind.

“Let us get out of here; I know somewhere we can lay low.” Clark headed across to the van parked on the opposite side of the road. I took one last look at the checkpoint then moved to join him.

We headed across town, Clark had a house on Timber view Drive, outside Hanging Rock, and buried on a hill shielded by trees. During the journey we saw more Military vehicles, and check points being erected. This was quite scary, I could understand a mobilisation of law enforcement after the assassination of the president, but what we were witnessing as we drove through the streets of Roanoke, was nothing less than Martial Law being put into place.

“Oh dear, that is not good,” Clark said, as he directed the van onto North Electric Road taking us towards Hanging Rock, a small township where a large battle was once fought in 1864, becoming a Confederate victory. Union General David Hunter, notorious for his hatred of slave-holding states, was driven to retreat. Here’s hoping we would be safe, up here in the hills surrounding Roanoke, and would not have to fight the second Battle on the rock.

“Why’s that?” Jamie asked.

“That tone we are hearing, someone is using a powerful jammer to block radio signals.”

“Looks like somebody somewhere does not want people knowing anything,” I looked ahead of us, we were approaching the State Route 630 flyover bridge, dawn was breaking, the sky was taking on a lighter hue. For us though we were approaching dark waters, the Military had set up a checkpoint on the bridge. Two machine guns barricaded behind sandbags covered the approaching traffic. Ten heavily armed National Guard soldiers operated the checkpoint.

Clark applied the breaks, and we came to a stop four cars away.

The lead car's trunk was open. Soldiers peering in. The owner stood on the verge with another soldier. He looked nervous.

“What do we do if they want to search our van?” Jamie whispered.

“Don’t panic, I got it covered,” Clark reached into the glove compartment and after a brief search, he pulled out a leather ID wallet.

“Tonight Mathew, I am going to be Major General Thomas Buckner, goin’ a huntin’ with his daughter and son in law.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, we cracked up laughing; old Clarky gave us the best South American accent I had ever heard come out of the mouth of a posh boy.

“Where the hell did that come from?”

“Eton Boys Theatre, I was Rhett Butler on many occasions, dear boy.”

We silently watched the events before us.

One of the soldiers pulled out a plastic bag. He showed it to the driver. For a moment the tableau was frozen. Then all hell broke loose. The driver punched the soldier next to him. He took off, sprinting down the line of cars. Another soldier stepped forward. He lifted his weapon. The runner drew level with us. Crack! The driver went sprawling, his brains exploding out of the front of his head as the 5.56 slugs tore through his skull..

Jamie flinched, grabbing my arm.

“What the fuck!”

“Do not react, either of you,” Clark told us in the most serious voice I had ever heard him use.

He climbed out of the van as the shooter approached. The soldier pointed his M16 at Clark.

“Return to your vehicle sir, this don’t concern you!”

“You bet your gosh darn boots it does soldier,” he said. His voice stern, and commanding.

“What kind of army are you in that don’t salute in the presence of a superior officer?”

The soldier looked unsure. He looked back at his buddies then at Clark.

“I’m Major General Thomas Buckner, and you salute me boy!”

Clark stepped over and jammed his ID in the soldiers face. He went red, and nearly dropped his rifle, as he gave the clumsiest salute I had ever seen.

“What the fuck orders have you been given, that gives you the right to shoot civilians, and from behind no less.”

Another of the soldiers came forward, he bore the insignia of a Sargent, so I took him to be the one in charge. Clark continued to harangue the pair of them.

I had to give him his due, for a techno geek, he was showing some big brass ones.

After a bit more apoplexy from the fake Major General, where at one point I was sure he was going to slap the both of them, he returned to the van, and climbed back behind the wheel.

“My work here is done,” he sighed.

I shook my head, and watched the pair return to the checkpoint. A soldier moved the dead man's car out of the way, and the little jam that had formed was waved through the checkpoint.

“I don’t know what you said to them but it seems to have worked.”

“They have been ordered to shoot anyone who resists them, in any way shape, or form, something is rotten in the state of Denmark!”

“I don’t know about Denmark, something queer is going on here as well,” I felt Jamie shiver as we passed the hard faced soldiers.

We travelled for another ten minutes before pulling up in front of a run down stone and clapboard three storey house, set back from the road, and surrounded by Aspen and Beech trees. We climbed out of the van and I stretched, and yawned, I needed a shower and some kip.

Clark threw me a set of keys.

“You two go make yourselves at home, I am going to get to work, see if I can find out what is going on.”

“Clarky, you need to get some rest, we have been awake all night.”

“I need to do this first, I will not sleep otherwise, dear boy.”

He disappeared into the back of the van. I shrugged, and Jamie and I trudged up to the front door.

“Bagsy I get first go in the shower,” Jamie grabbed the keys out of my hand, and ran the rest of the way to the door.

“Be my guest, I’ll see if I can’t rustle us up some coffee.”

Jamie unlocked the front door, and we stepped into a large room. With a Cathedral ceiling, and a balcony, overlooking the room. A breakfast bar separated the room from the kitchen area. One wall, dominated by a floor to ceiling log burning fireplace. The furniture was old, but functional. A flight of stairs led up to the balcony, and the upper floors.

She disappeared upstairs, and I set about making a brew. While waiting for the kettle to boil, I crossed the room and switched on the TV. We had only been out of the loop news wise for twenty four hours, how had so much changed in that time? The only reason I could see from the amount of Military on the streets, the country was under attack, or massive civil unrest. This was Roanoke though; the only unrest here would come from the local sewing circle.

I dialled through the channels, all seemed to be showing reruns of old shows. The news channels, all of them, stated they were ‘having technical problems and normal service would resume shortly’.

I switched off the TV, and returned to the kitchen. Made the brews, then thought about what had happened to us over the last few hours. What I could not get out of my head, how the chopper team found us. The only people who knew our location were those in the hub. No information existed outside, nothing on paper or in a computer file somewhere.

A mole, there had to be a mole within the Unit, feeding information back to whoever our enemies turned out to be.

I took a sip of my coffee, and gazed out the kitchen window, at a small overgrown garden. The list could not be that huge, we had only become operational a week ago, and in that week there had been one ‘happy accident’. Something else was niggling me, and had been since joining up with this outfit. Any number of clandestine agencies could have done the job we were doing, I had a feeling the Unit's purpose was more than I or Jamie had been told. I made a mental note to question Clarky.

Jamie disturbed my thoughts, returning fresh faced from her shower, and smelling of flowers. She grabbed her coffee.

“I was thinking about those mugs that attacked us,” she said after taking a sip of her coffee.

“And me, I think there was a mole in Unit, the only thing I can come up with, no else knew where we were.”

“That’s what I thought, but what if they tracked our position by the van?”

“What do you mean?”

“All of Units vehicles are fitted with a GPS tracking device, maybe that was how?”

“Shit!”

I made for the front door. Clark came tumbling in before I reached it.

“We have company!”

“How many?” I asked as I drew my weapon.

“Six, they have barricaded the end of the road off, I was keeping a watch on our surroundings while I worked.”

“Soldiers?”

“Some kind of Special Forces I think. They are dressed all in black, wearing gas masks.”

I looked through the window at the side of the door. Nothing moved outside.

“Have you got any weapons here?”

He crossed to a cabinet under the balcony, and reached underneath. He retrieved a Glock 26 and tossed it to Jamie.

“Okay, you two upstairs.”

“Where you gonna be?” Jamie checked her weapon had a full mag.

“Outside, I’m gonna show these mugs a bit of Brit grit!”

I took another look, before I opened the door. I stepped out, and ran for the Van. Dropping to the ground, I rolled underneath.

From my prone position I could see the front of the house on one side, and on the other, part of the road leading to the house. No sign of life as yet. I knew that would not last.

When we had arrived, the birds had been singing in the trees. Silence reigned now.

And here they came.

Six black clad bodies, armed with Heckler and Koch machine pistols. They moved, silent, bent legged up the road. As if by some unspoken signal, four split from the group. Two going to the left of the house, the others to the right. Once again we had a professional hit team coming for us. The remaining four moved around the van. I had to time this right. I edged over so I could see them better. They were mugs, not one paid any attention to the Van. In a combat situation, never assume, assume makes an ass out of you and me; I had the phrase drilled into me so many times; it became a mantra to put me to sleep at night.

I closed my eyes and held my breath. The explosion was deafening close by.

Rolling out from under, I shot the other three. The gas filled the area in front of the house. The man I had shot in the ankle was screaming, I ripped off his gas mask, and put it on. Remaining in the centre of the cloud, I squatted and waited. The other four appeared, weapons ready. The gas cloud was too thick for them to see me. They came, weapons up, and in a combat crouch, paying more attention to the house: assuming again.

I took them out, double tap, one after the other. The only one left alive was ankle boy, and he was gagging and puking. I put him out of his misery with a shot to the head.

I know I could have questioned him, but it would be a waste of time, professionals never give up their secrets, especially in the limited time we had.

There were still the goons up at the road block. That would be a simple job.

I banged on the door and called out to Jamie, letting her know it was safe. The cloud had dissipated in the slight wind that had picked up.

They emerged from the house; Jamie had her weapon at the ready.

“You took your time, getting slow Jimmy?”

Clark looked at the bodies with distaste.

“Did you get them all?”

“We still have the boys up at the barricade, time for me to do some play acting.”

While Jamie played lookout, Clark helped me to strip one of the bodies, and I changed into his uniform. After depositing my clothes in the back of the van, I told them to be ready to move on my word, I was still wearing the throat Mic so Jamie would have to drive while Clark rode in the rear.

They had used two Humvees to blockade the road, two black clad troopers leaned against one of them. I approached casually, like I belonged.

The two moved away from the Humvee.

“Is the job done, you get ‘em?”

I nodded, and gave a thumbs up. Before they could say, or do anything else, I opened up with the machine pistol. With looks of shock, they both bounced off the Humvee, and fell dead to the ground. I moved fast. Putting the bodies in one of the vehicles before driving it off the road. I called Clark. Thirty seconds later they rolled up, and I clambered aboard. Jamie informed me she had disabled the tracking device, so that should give us some breathing space.

We had survived the second battle of Hanging Rock, but were still no closer to finding out who was coming after us, unless Clark had found something with his gizmos, and gadgets. That would have to wait because we had to find somewhere else to hole up.

Interlude 2

Statement from President Lecompte

Location Oval Office April 7th 2014

People of the United States of America, it is with great sorrow I stand before you today, making this, my first address to you. I have only just learned an evil has befallen the city of San Francisco. Despite all our efforts to safeguard you the people, terrorists have detonated several dirty bombs. The death toll is massive, and for all purposes, the city has been wiped off the map. The resulting explosions triggered a failing of the San Andreas Fault; earthquakes have been widespread and ongoing, hampering the efforts of emergency responders.

Reports are also coming in of dirty bomb explosions in several other cities around the globe. Notably Manchester, England, Paris France, Sydney, Australia and Moscow. So far no one has claimed responsibility, but all intelligence is focused on finding these monsters.

This is a colossal tragedy to befall our country, and the world, ever. But mark my words; our anger at these atrocities is biblical. The perpetrators and those who give them their orders will be hunted down like dogs. We are now on a war footing, and as such hard decisions will have to be made, law-abiding citizens will have nothing to fear. Those who pose a threat to our way of life I give you this message, run, because we are coming for you. There is no place for you to hide, we will find you, and have our justice.

The ten regional security sectors are now all in place, and governors have been appointed. Each governor will be answerable only to my Office; all Police within these sectors will be subsumed into the Military force providing security within the sectors. Travel will only be allowed with the special passes, provided at the Fusion offices. I beg all of your indulgence during these dark times. We must all stand together, and I ask you to trust me to protect you during this transfiguration. Unfortunately, and with the agreeance of the Senate, and Congress, I have suspended the Constitution as pursuant to Article One. This historical unusual move, which I know will be unpopular with many of you, is vital in our pursuit of the threat that faces us all. This will mean it is now illegal for anyone other than the security forces to own a weapon. Firearm Revocation Centres will be in place for you to deposit your weapons, your details will be held on file, and once the situation returns to normal you will get your weapons back. Please fully cooperate with this mandate, as any dissent will be seen as resistance against the common good and dealt with accordingly. Gatherings of any kind are henceforth prohibited. A curfew will be in place countrywide from 20 00 hrs. Until 0700, a special curfew pass can be obtained from your local Fusion Centre. A full list of the new mandates will be broadcast after this message.

A special meeting of the United Nations will take place in New York in two days’ time, this is a global threat we face not just a threat to our country. The leaders of all nations will be in attendance, and by the end we hope to have a solution to the threat, a solution which will lead us to a new world order, a world of peace and prosperity. For now, god blesses the United States, and peace to you all.

Angel Fire Radio Broadcasting on 256 KHz

Location unknown.

It’s seven PM, and you’re listening to old Cootie Nordstrom on AFR 256, coming at you wall to wall and treetop tall, as my old Pappy used to say back in the day when he rode the big rigs up in Kane-a-da; that’s Canada to you folks.

Did yawl see President Incompte on the ‘lactic box tonight, I tell you I am terrified of what is to come, heck takin’ all our weapons away. This country was built on our rights to bear arms, how the heck we gonna defend ourselves when these terrorists come a knockin’ on our door. I’ll tell you this for a nickel, old Cootie ain’t relinquishing his guns, they’ll have to pry ‘em from my dead hands first. I have a feelin’ the ‘spiracy theorists will be rubbing their hands and sayin’ I told ya so, he’s talkin’ ‘bout a new world order, didn’t we tell you?

Folks, I heard about a little town near Charleston, the army boys went in there, and rounded everyone up, all because the town’s folk protested, and spoke out against President Incompte. I do believe they are on their way to one of the so-called Residential Centre’s operated by FEMA. These are prison camps folks, prisons for you and me. And not because we have committed any crimes, you don’t need to have done anythin’, to be sent here, all you need to do is be a threat to the status quo of this new world order.

Well old Cootie is gonna say no, loud and proud, I ain’t gonna be a licking dog to the jackboots of your oppression . . . The revolution starts here! I didn’t fight in Nam for this to happen to my country. If yawl feels the same come stand with old Cootie, ‘cause I can see where we’re heading, I hope yawl can see too. Cootie is going to be the back-beat to the revolution, stay tuned for more information, we are going to have to move again after the show tonight but hopefully we will be back, come in at cha tomorrow night. Time for some Muzak now, ‘n old Cooties got a rare treat for you, a young girl called Roxanne Gunn, she sent in a demo tape, I gotta say she rocks, here’s Roxie with Running Home!

ANDREW SCORAH'S WRITING WORLD

2013-02-14T10:37:00.001-08:00

ANDREW SCORAH'S WRITING WORLD

A Very British Blog 2013

2013-02-14T04:55:00.001-08:00

A VERY BRITISH BLOG 2013

Welcome to A VERY BRITISH BLOG TOUR 2013 – a collection of blogs, books and authors who are surprisingly very British.

Paul Anthony invited me to take part in ‘A Very British Blog’ by visiting and supporting the websites of authors involved in the tour and who are dedicated to turning out some of the finest books available in Britain today.
Each author named at the bottom of the page has been asked the same questions but the answers will obviously all be different. You merely click on the author’s name at the bottom of the page to see how they have answered the same question.
By the way, we British have certain conventions, traditions, and procedures that are expected. There is a dress code in the reading of this British blog and you are expected to comply with it.
For example… NB… (You may chuckle if you wish)
Gentlemen will wear suits, white shirts and dark ties. (Military ties are expected wherever possible). Ladies will wear dresses (one inch above the knee, no higher, no lower) and floral summer hats. A break for TEA and cucumber sandwiches is expected at some stage and is permissible. The list at the bottom the page is not a queue. We British hate queues and will accept them no longer. It is an invitation and you are expected to accept that invitation and support the home-grown product. Now then, let us proceed in an orderly fashion. As you know, we are all very boring and staid in Britain, aren’t we?
Well, there’s a myth about the British and your starter for ten Stuffy, class conscious, boring, staid! But is this still relevant in today’s world? Let’s find out from our wonderful writers what they feel about it.
So, without further ado, here are the questions from THE VERY BRITISH WRITER:

To Andrew Scorah
Q. Where were you born and where do you live at the moment?
A.I was born in Doncaster, a town in South Yorkshire in 1965. I lived in Doncaster until I met my fiancée Lisa in 1999. She was from Swansea originally, after a bad bought of homesickness we moved to Swansea.

Q. Have you always lived and worked in Britain or are you based elsewhere at the moment?
A. I have always lived in the UK, apart from the usual trips to sunnier climbs for holidays, you know the usual Spanish destinations.

Q. Which is your favourite part of Britain?
A. I love the rugged beauty of the Gower coast down here in Wales, it’s visual poetry and abundance of wild life and history. Stretching from the Loughor Estuary in the North to Swansea Bay, no wonder it was designated an area of natural beauty. I can see how Dylan Thomas drew so much inspiration from the area.

Q. Have you ‘highlighted’ or ‘showcased’ any particular part of Britain in your books? For example, a town or city; a county, a monument or some well-known place or event?
A. My book Homecoming Blues is set in London and ends in Hastings, all the locations exist though some are changed a little to suit the story line. You do get a glimpse at the darker side of London, the side the casual tourist never views.

Q. There is an illusion – or myth if you wish - about British people that I would like you to discuss. Many see the ‘Brits’ as ‘stiff upper lip’. Is that correct?
A. You see in a lot of movies especially from back in the day, the archetypical image of the British character, a person who spoke the Queens English. Every word pronounced correctly in a clipped no nonsense manner. I for one have never heard anyone in real life speak this way, it’s a nonsense perpetrated by filmmakers and the films were possible the only contact with a British person people abroad would have. I don’t know maybe back then people from elite schools, Eton, Oxford etc did speak this way. I prefer to think the ‘stiff upper lip’ pertains more to our indomitable spirit, especially through the two world wars, never giving up striving through adversity, the Bulldog breed.

Q. Do any of the characters in your books carry the ‘stiff upper lip’? Or are they all ‘British Bulldog’ and unique in their own way?
A. No, if you said to my main character that he had a stiff upper lip, he would probably give you a fat lip of your own. He comes from a working class background, but has unique traits and values all his own.

Q. Tell us about one of your recent books?
A. I published Bordertown Blues on Amazon a few months ago, this is the sequel to Homecoming Blues. The book follows my main characters Jimmy Dalton and Jamie Duggan who are on the run in America, after the events at the end of Homecoming. They find themselves in Ajo, a town near the Mexican border. After being recognised by an eagle-eyed official of a shadowy Government agency, one of the Alphabet Companies, they are coerced into travelling across the border to locate some missing agents. They uncover a plot by Al-Qaeda to infiltrate the US and unleash biological weapons at various locations. What ensues, is a race against time through the wilds of Mexico and Arizona to put a stop to this plot. Homecoming was only meant to be a one off book, but the response I received from those who read it cried out for a sequel or two. Both books are fast paced thrillers, like a rollercoaster of death and destruction, with a few twists and turns of course.

Q. What are you currently working on?
A. Currently, I am working on a book called Jericho Blues, which is the third in the Dalton series. Dalton and Jamie face their biggest threat yet. They go up against a shadowy cartel of elite families who have secretly been pulling the strings of history for over a thousand years, their aim total world domination. Alongside a rag tag bunch of individuals, they fight back. It’s another fast paced thrill fest. JB is actually a merging with another story I was working on a couple of years ago about a mind-controlled assassin, the opening is taken directly from that story.

Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. I like to spend my leisure time with family, doing the usual family stuff, love music and my secret indulgence is Karaoke, queue the groans, ha ha! What can I say, I love to sing, it’s the frustrated Rock Star in me.

Q. Do you write for a local audience or a global audience?
A. I write for who ever want to read my work, I write because I enjoy writing, if I ever make any money out of it then that is a bonus.

Q. Can you provide links to your work?
A. Of course, here they are.
Andrew Scorah’s blogsite
Andrew Scorah’s Amazon Uk page.
Andrew Scorah’s Amazon.com page
Andrew Scorah’s Lulu page (printed copies only)
Andrew Scorah’s Facebook Page

To see how our other authors responded, click on an author’s name below.
1. Clive Eaton
2.Paul Anthony
3. Nicholas Rose
4. Diane Major
5. Rags Daniels .
6. Bob Atkinson
7. Danny Kemp
8. Pandora Poikilos
9. John Hanley
10. Andrew Peters
11.Tim Vicary
12 Andy Szpuk
13. Alex Sumner
14. Maria Savva
15. Terry Tyler

AUTHORS DATABASE

2013-02-03T12:36:00.001-08:00

Under the auspices of the group ASMSG (http://asmsgbooks.wordpress.com/) I came across something called the Authors Database. This is a platform for all authors, whether you be Indie or trad published to list everything about you and your work. You can have links to all the platforms you publish with, whether it be Kobo, Smashwords or Amazon. Your links to Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or whatever platform you use can be added. This is a fantastic place for authors and readers and all free of charge.
Here's the blurb about what they are, and what they do.

AUTHORS DATABASE

We are a dedicated website that helps authors for free. Why free ? We have a few Angels who simply want to see authors flourish.
"There are very few places where authors are able to add their information, one time, including promoting links to buy their books on all bookseller platforms. A place where authors continue to write while expert SEO people can assist in Social Media Marketing for free. Authors need an unbiased place to shout out about their creative works without 'big brother's' control—without fear of loosing to unknown algorithms."
-Angel Investor-
AUTHORSdB uses software that engages search engines in a friendly manner. As an AUTHORSdB author you can enjoy the benefits:

Organic (non-paid) Google backlinks are critical to any Social Media Marketing. There is no guarantee however authors on AUTHORSdB are enjoying being indexed in Google in less than 24 hours. See for yourself. Google search: site:authorsdb.com and see if your listing comes up.
Share. Share. Share. In the new world of Social Media Marketing, sharing on social platforms helps gain exposure to our authors. When an author is listed, we tweet @[author name] #gotlisted NEW AUTHORSdB Pls RT [link back to author details] We also Like author's facebook pages and when liked back, we share something from the authors Facebook page. (Must have a Twitter and Facebook page to qualify)
TOP10 AUTHORSdB. The more views you receive on your author details page, the more you climb to the TOP10 list. Announced every Friday. @[author name] AUTHORSdB TOP10 & is currently #1 Pls RT [link back to author details]
TOP1 Sociable AUTHORSdB will receive a free banner for one week. Announced every Friday. Tweet & Facebook @[author name] TOP1 Socialble AUTHORSdB FREE BANNER Pls RT [link back to author details] To qualify you must be one of the TOP10 authors and the author with the most social media actions (Likes, Tweets, etc)
Featured Author is a random author is selected via our database to receive a FREE banner for one week. Announced every Friday.
We like when author's share the word about AUTHORSdB on their blogs. We have an VIP Blogger Award for bloggers who blog about AUTHORSdB. As well, bloggers are entered into a weekly draw for a FREE banner. Announced every Friday.

Like our Facebook page and we will share a post from you on ours.

Here is a link to my page on the site.
http://www.authorsdb.com/index.php/component/content/article/8-authors/312-andrew-scorah
So if you are an author who wants to up their profile or a reader who wants to find new stuff, head on over and check out the database, there is bound to be gold hidden in there somewhere.

How to Annoy a Jobsworth

2012-12-29T01:26:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, you hate Job worthy bureaucrats well I came across this article in the Daily Mail. I thought it was hilarious, and deserved to be shared on my blog, sadly the book is out of print now maybe an updated version should be created. Anyway here it is the article in full, maybe it will give you some ideas if you ever come across the modern version of what Sir Patrick Moore called Twitmarshes.

Sir Patrick Moore, who died earlier this month aged 89, is best remembered as the motor-mouthed frontman of television’s longest running show with the same presenter, The Sky At Night on BBC1.
But the astronomer and entertainer had another side, as a self-appointed scourge of bureaucracy.
In 1981, under the pen-name R. T. Fishall, he published an irreverent guide to causing havoc and taking vengeance on the people who were burying Britain under paperwork and tying the country up in red tape.
The book, now sadly out of print, was called Bureaucrats: How To Annoy Them, and it was inspired by a correspondence with a man named Whitmarsh from the Southern Gas Company, who had sent Moore a final demand for £10 of repairs, despite the fact that the central heating at his cottage in Selsey, West Sussex, was oil‑fired.
The great astronomer snapped. He realised that Britons everywhere were being harangued, overcharged, harassed, bullied and driven to distraction by the Whitmarshes of this world — or Twitmarshes, as he renamed them.
‘We are not ruled directly by Parliament,’ he wrote, ‘but by minor officials — bureaucrats of all descriptions, safely embraced in the arms of the civil service, with immunity from dismissal and nice, inflation-proof pensions.’
The dedication of the book made his intentions clear: ‘To all bureaucrats and civil servants, everywhere. If this book makes your lives even the tiniest bit more difficult, it will have been well worth writing.’

Here, in blistering extracts, he sets out his manifesto ...

Ten commandments for bureaucrat bashing

1. Never say anything clearly. When writing to jobsworths and timeservers, word your letter so that it could mean almost anything…or nothing.
2. Don’t be legible. Always write letters by hand, and make your verbose scrawl as impenetrable as possible.
3. Garble your opponent’s name. Misread the signature. If the correspondence is signed ‘M. Harris’, address your reply to ‘N. Hayes’ or ‘W. Hardy’. Don’t get too flippant though — the penpushers might lack a sense of humour, but if you write to ‘M. Hedgehog’, they will sense a legpull.
4. Give fake references. If you have a letter from the tax office, ref: EH/4/PNG/H8, mark your reply with some other code in the same format, such as DC/5/IMH/R9. This should ensure that the taxman wastes minutes, or hopefully hours, rooting for a file that doesn’t exist.
5. The same goes for dates. Get them slightly wrong, every time.

Stamp away: And make sure it's in the wrong place

6. Follow up your fakes. Write to request a reply to letters that you haven’t sent, and include bogus reference numbers. This is a surefire timewaster and might even, if your Twitmarsh is of a sensitive disposition, reduce him to tears.
7. Never pay the right amount. Include a discrepancy in every envelope — never too much, but always more than a few pence. A sum between £1.20 and £2.80 is recommended. Then you can start an interminable correspondence to reclaim the overpayment (or dispute the underpayment).
8. When enclosing a cheque, staple it to the letter. With two staples. Or three. Right in the middle of the cheque. At the least, you’ll waste someone’s time — at best, you might wreck their computer.
9. As a point of honour, never give up on a correspondence before at least six pointless letters have been exchanged. Think big and aim for double figures.
10. If a postage-paid envelope is not supplied by your Twitmarsh, send off your reply without a stamp. The bureaucrats will have to pay much more at the other end.

Stamp with fury

By way of a variation on point 10, you could put the wrong postage on, in the wrong place.
One man who got into a war of letters with the Royal Mail itself persisted in sticking his stamp right in the middle of the envelope. This makes it difficult for the franking machines.
This petty but effective tactic riled every official in the postal hierarchy, right up to the district chief manager. He wrote to the rebel, warning him never to stick a stamp anywhere but the top right‑hand corner of the envelope.
By return came an envelope with the stamp dead centre, and a little rhyme enclosed: ‘Hey diddle diddle, the stamp’s in the middle.’

Grease is the word

Endless invention can be employed, providing you follow the Fundamental Rules.
For example, when filling in a form, always keep a candle handy. Whenever you come to a box marked ‘For official use only — do not write in this space’, rub the candle gently over the box. A thin layer of grease will make it impossible for your Twitmarsh to write on the paper, and might muck up his ballpoint, too.
When filing in forms, do not feel obliged to use English. Why not employ that smattering of Spanish you picked up on your holidays, or the residue of schoolroom French from your third-year days?
If you or a friend speak a really obscure language, so much the better — especially one that doesn’t use the Roman alphabet.
Nothing makes Twitmarsh’s brow perspire more freely than the sight of a form filled out in squiggly script. Do the first page in Russian, the second in Chinese and the third in Hindi.
For extra marks, find someone who speaks Klingon, the language of Star Trek’s aliens.

Tax the Taxman

Public enemy No 1, of course, is Twitmarsh the Taxman.
The inland revenue strives to give the impression of a service staffed by kindly, conscientious, basically decent officials who are doing their jobs efficiently and who are always ready to help and advise.
Alas, this is not always the case. Sometimes one encounters a real maggot.
The tax inspector, unfortunately, occupies an unassailable position. He can persecute his victims to the point of breakdown — that’s his job.

Confusion is the solution: An annoyed civil servant equals a job well done

It sometimes seems that the tax office is staffed by specially selected sadists. Take Twitmarsh of the VAT office. He has everything to gain by pursuing excessive demands, and nothing to lose. It isn’t his money at stake, and the worst that can happen is a gentle reprimand from the ombudsman, who has all the ferocity of a raspberry blancmange.
He must be fought. Have no mercy. Bombard him with convoluted enquiries, in bad handwriting and worse English. Scatter invented Latin phrases throughout — my favourite is the schoolboy motto, ‘Itisapis potitis andatino ne’ (I’m not going to translate it, but you can work out the meaning if you move the spaces around).
The reply you receive will probably be terse. Leave things for a few days, and then send a photocopy of exactly the same letter, requesting a reply. You needn’t say that it has already been answered — that will only dawn on Twitmarsh after he has wasted more time.
Another useful tip is to send the tax man, out of the blue, a small cheque (or better still, a postal order) for which he hasn’t asked. Make it a really trifling sum, say £7.86 — certainly no more than a tenner.
Enclose a grumpy letter, to the effect that you really can’t understand why this piffling sum is being demanded but that of course you will pay, as ordered.
If the cheque is returned, write back, demanding to know why the tax office requested it in the first place, and whether they have nothing better to do but waste your time. Be sure to add bogus reference numbers in the appropriate format — that really sends them running in circles.
When you pay your next genuine tax demand, be sure to hold back that £7.86, with a note reminding Twitmarsh that you have already paid.
When eventually it is decided that you still, in fact, owe that money, jumble up the numbers on the cheque – send them £6.87, or £8.76. Then send a letter querying the discrepancy. Repeat ad infinitum.
The revenue offices never stop complaining that their staff are overworked and their departments underfunded. Unless something is done to alleviate the crisis, they insist, the entire tax system could break down.
This is your goal. Never cease to dream.

Jobsworths’ jargon and what it really means

Do not be fooled by the conciliatory tone of a bureaucrat. The Twitmarsh is at his most dangerous when using bland officialese. Study the following guide to official jargon:
Your letter has been carefully considered and its contents noted = I haven’t looked at it.
A full survey of the problem has been put in hand = Nothing will be done.
I assure you that action will be taken as soon as possible = Nothing will ever be done.
Urgent action will be taken in the very near future = Nothing will be done until hell freezes over.
I fully appreciate the problem = I couldn’t care less.
I have every sympathy with your point of view = I’ve already forgotten your existence.
You are fully entitled to make your views known = Nobody here takes the blindest bit of notice.
Your complaint is being fully investigated = Your letters have been filed in the wastepaper basket.
Your complaint appears to have some validity, and will be thoroughly investigated = Your letters were torn into small squares before being dropped in the wastepaper basket.
I will refer the matter to the appropriate department = Your letters have been shredded, your computer file has been deleted and all future correspondence will go straight into the wastepaper basket unopened.
A full and detailed reply will be sent to you in the near future = You’ll never hear another word from us.
The possibility of an administrative/computer error is being investigated = Life in this office is one foul‑up after another, but you’ll never get us to admit it.
You will appreciate the complex nature of this matter = I just can’t be bothered to think about it.
The increase in our charges is, regrettably, unavoidable = You are going to pay for my bonus.
This department endeavours to process all matters outstanding with the minimum of delay = I’m playing golf this afternoon.
I will be delighted to see you to discuss the matter at your convenience = Just try getting past my secretary.
I do not really feel that any useful purpose is to be served in pursuing this matter further = Get stuffed.
May I assure you of our attention and consideration at all times = Go and boil your head. And then get stuffed.

Plods on parade

Beat a bobby: The simplest way to annoy an officer

Special care must be taken with PC Twitmarsh.
The police do a splendid job, on the whole, but most police constables go through a difficult stage, a sort of puberty, usually after being passed over for their sergeant’s stripes for the first time.
They look for someone to take out their frustrations upon, and the most convenient victim is invariably a motorist.
Drunken, incompetent and reckless drivers deserve no sympathy. The menace of PC Twitmarsh is that he’s out to catch the motorist who is doing a few miles per hour too many on a safely deserted road.
When he pulls you over, he will adopt one of two personae: Good Twitmarsh and Bad Twitmarsh.
GT is affable, charming, even apologetic. He’ll say: “I’m sorry to trouble you, sir, but were you aware that this is a 30mph area and you, in fact, were doing 34mph?”
BT is intimidating, blustering, even rude: “Who do we think we are, James Bond? Been drinking, have you? Martinis, was it? Come on, licence and insurance, let’s be seeing them.”
In both cases, the end result is the same — a fine and the risk of losing your licence.
About traffic wardens I will not write here, in view of the laws regulating the use of obscene language. Suffice to say that these wretched creatures, sub-human and depraved, are the worst of all manifestations of modern civilisation. Let’s leave it at that.

Plan your attack

A good opening gambit is to write to the planning officer, putting forward some constructive comments about the local one-way system. Make them just sane enough to be taken seriously.
You will probably get a rational reply, and before Twitmarsh knows it he will be embroiled in a long and quite futile correspondence.
You could suggest, for instance, an elaborate underpass below a level crossing, and a flyover to replace the mini roundabout.
Extra marks if you can induce the planning department to enter into a discussion on the feasibility of introducing trams into a pedestrianised area. Or a monorail. Planners can never see the farcical element in monorails.
When the correspondence is well under way, leak it to the local paper. Use an assumed name, such as Mrs U. Rynall. Nothing is more calculated to make a pompous Twitmarsh grind his teeth in rage.

Troublesome priests

Stock phrases, all of which I have tried with degrees of success, when confronted by a missionary from some sect or other on my doorstep:
1. ‘I’m sorry, I’m a druid. And I’m a busy druid. I have a sacrifice to perform. Good afternoon.’
2. ‘No, I haven’t looked at the Bible lately. I really don’t have time to be delving into science fiction.’
3. ‘I happen to know that my friend Dr Alonzo Schmidt is very keen to talk to someone like you. A very probable convert, I should say. You must visit him. He lives at 52 Mulberry St…(and then name some town at least six miles away).’
There probably won’t be a Mulberry Street, and there certainly won’t be a Dr Alonzo Schmidt.

The Next Big Mr Bloggy Thing

2012-11-29T02:38:00.001-08:00

I have been asked by Andrew Peters of Otis King Blues Detective fame, and Ian Graham, Patriots and Tyrants, to take part in a blog chain thing going on at the moment called The Next Big Thing where an author answers ten questions about their next (or most in need of a push) book. At the end of the blog post I have to 'tag' five other authors and they answer them on their blog the week after... And we all FB and/or
tweet the bejesus out of it to spread the word."
And these are the 10 questions:

1) What is the title of your book?
The title of my next book is Jericho Blues, the third in the Dalton's Blues saga.

2) Where did the idea come from?
The idea behind the book actually came to me a couple of years ago, I started writing a story about a Manchurian Candidate type character who assassinates the President of the USA, he finds out he has been the subject of trauma based mind control experiments since he was a child, a puppet for a shadowy group of powerful families who have been controlling events for thousands of years. I found after doing some tweaking I could turn the book into the next in the Dalton saga.

3) What genre best defines your book?
It's definitely an action adventure thriller.

4) What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?
Too be honest, I have no idea, if you could get a cross between a young Jason Statham and Danny Dyer you would have Jimmy Dalton, Jamie Duggan, maybe Martine Mccutcheon.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis?
Thirteen families control the world from behind the scenes, now they want it all; only Dalton stands in their way.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It will be self published, agencies are too scared to handle Dalton, he he.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?
Still in the process of writing the first draft.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within
your genre?
I can't compare it to any others, I am trying to be me, I am trying to write books that are not the same as other book in the genre, of course they contain the usual stuff, action, gun fights explosions etc. In Jericho Blues there is also a touch of Orwells Animal Farm, and 1984.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My fiancee Lisa is a continuing inspiration for me to write, ever since I did Eastern Fury for Action Pulse Pound Tales, as are the rest of my family.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
Ever since the story of David and Goliath people have loved stories about the little man triumphing over the bigger man, that is what you have with Jericho Blues, Dalton going up against the biggest 'gang' the world has ever known. The story will be told over two novels, the end of the first novel will be a massive cliff hanger involving one of the main characters. Story spoiler I know, when it comes out buy it enjoy it tell the world about Jimmy Dalton.

Now it is time to pass on the baton, I choose Rags Daniels author of Lallapaloosa
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rags-Daniels/e/B007ZBX856/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Stephen W Cheshire author of The Field Trip http://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Trip-Stephen-Cheshire/dp/1616673087/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354185041&sr=1-1

Francis Laveaux http://www.amazon.co.uk/Francis-Laveaux/e/B0086MKL58/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1354185131&sr=1-2-ent

SWANSEA BLUES

2012-11-24T07:02:00.001-08:00

A NIGHT ON THE TOWN

For about five years I worked in a bar on one of Swansea's busiest party streets; Wind Street. Filled with bars of all description where you can get your fill of wine woman and song. The sights I have seen down there would probably fill a book itself.

   I was working as a Karaoke DJ, and the customers were a real eclectic bunch, from students to hard-core power drinkers, imbibers of disco biscuits etc.; And every colour in-between. When I first started the pub only had door staff on a Friday and Saturday night. I was working during the week, where usually there was only one bar staff on, two if it was a busy night. It became the norm that I ended up doing the bouncing as well as the Karaoke. Many times I would be singing a song, and some numpty would decide to be a dick so I would end up throwing him out while still singing, that would usually get a round of applause or a few laughs. The idiot would be so surprised they would go without much of a fight.

   It always amazes me how adults turn into idiots after a few drinks spoiling it for others who just want a good night out. Wind Street is a road packed with all the main Swansea bars, you get people coming from all over Swansea to pack into this one small road. The authorities have to close off the road on the busiest nights because it is awash with party-goers, this came to be after several collisions with drunks. The closed in atmosphere is in my opinion a real tinderbox for trouble. Whoever thought this up must have been a right Muppet. You get various families coming in from the surrounding villages some of which have on-going troubles between them and it all comes on top when they meet down this little road. If the pubs were spread a lot further this would lessen the opportunity for trouble as the chances of them meeting would be smaller. I guess the planners thought if it was all contained in one small area it would be easier to control.

   Swansea nightlife really is colourful, and can be exciting at times, but what I can't get my head around is how you can enjoy packed to the rafters pubs where you literally have to fight to get served, if you are lucky you will manage to get one drink per pub. That for me is not enjoyable, yet they do it week in week out, may as well call the whole adventure Sardine nights. The town centre is normally busy from Wednesday night which is student night and goes right through to Sunday night. Friday night you usually get all the 'roid' heads out trying to out testosterone each other. I was out last night with my family and happened to bump into or rather was bumped into by one of the night freaks, this wasn't by accident it is one of the many rituals they use to start a fight. I ignored it the first time but when it happened the second time half an hour later I had to help him sit down because my thumb was lodged in his solar plexus. I abhor violence but sometimes you have to pre-empt to stop it escalating to something worse. You could feel the aggro coming off him like something alive, this dissipated while he was sitting on the floor with his mates laughing at him. I walked away to continue my night with no more trouble from this nugget.

   One of the funniest incidents involving violence, although violence is never funny, two smack heads had been involved in a fight with some students outside the main nightclub on the Kingsway, they walked away full of themselves, re-enacting to each other how they gave the students a dig. They walked past a group of men dressed in drag. Comments were exchanged and these two hapless smack heads decided to start a fight with the drag queens who turned out to be members of the local cage fighting club out on a charity night. They ended up knocked out and then shortly after in the back of a police wagon. Never judge a book as they say, or start a fight with a drag queen. I wasn't there but did see the CCTV footage.

   It is unfortunate Swansea like many towns/city has its fair share of beer bums that spoil it for the rest. I hadn't been out for quite a while so I was surprised how dead Wind Street was for a Friday night when we finally arrived, we had attended a charity event earlier in the night so did not actually hit the street till about eleven PM. Maybe it's a sign of the times, beer prices, the smoking ban and too many idiots. People seem to be staying local or drinking at home now. I think it will be a while before we risk the atmosphere-less pubs and clubs of Wind Street, I like to think it all went downhill after I stopped working on the Street it certainly seems so.

Path of the Writing Ronin 1

2012-11-23T02:09:00.001-08:00

The Journey So Far

I have not written anything here for a while, so I thought I had better get something down, and not just something to advertise my books. I'm not a blogger or any kind of social commentator, I don't want to shout out my views or ram my opinions down peoples throats, which is why I haven't put anything down here on a regular basis. I thought well I have been plodding along in this book-writing thing since May, well that's when I had the opportunity to have something published, many thanks to Matt Hilton on that score. I have been writing on and off for the past couple of years, posting in Writers Cafe, and other web based literary homes. With the advent of the whole Amazon publishing boom, it has taken me a little further down the road, I have gained quite a few friends from around the globe while plunking away at my keyboard, people I could never ever meet if I was packing shelves at Tesco, not that there is anything wrong with doing that, I've done it myself. Even though I was working Security at the time, the management in their infinite wisdom decided the best use of their Security staff was to stock their shelves, I digress, just one of my bugbears.

I did say I'm not one to shout out my views so I do apologise, I have three books out in the world now, well four really, but one is a book of poems, which does not count as hardly any sales have been made on it. Just for jollity though, here is one of the poems from it.

MANCHURIAN MACHINATION

A Poem by Andy Scorah

In a Manchurian world of lysergic dreams

The world is not as it may seem

Just like Marco and Shaw turned into a political whore

Stalking the streets till you reach the killing floor

Was the queen of diamonds your call to war?

Or Salinger's angst ridden tome

That made you carry a Glock from your home

Was it murderous visions driving you through the door?

The soundtrack to your mental machinations

As the bodies hit the floor

Do you think you’re a soldier of the class war?

Victims, aren't we all of your death dealing gyrations.

There you go just one of my attempts at the poetic. Anyway, sometimes I look back at the books I have completed and sometimes I wonder, did I really write that, where the hell did it come from, especially when I compare it to my earlier stuff, which wasn't bad, just rough around the edges. Sometimes I think I should revisit my earlier work and smarten it up, but I tell myself no, they are part of the journey to where you are now, leave them be, in the words of the big I AM Simon Cowell, it is what it is.

From my humble beginnings way back in the mists of time in a little village called Campsall, seven and a half miles from Doncaster, that's in South Yorkshire folks, I buried my head in books. I dreamed of one day becoming a writer myself, not that the local Careers office would offer any advice, even my English teacher said I would be better off going down the pit or joining the army, even though I consistently received top marks for my class work.

Part of me is glad I never got back into it until my adult years; I do think one of the main qualities of a writer is a life experience, especially if you are writing for an adult audience, just my opinion before you start shouting at me. One of the pieces of advice I was given along the way was to join a writers circle, and attend some sort of writer’s workshop/Course. I chose not to do these things, not that I thought I could do it all by myself or that I would not get anything from them, for me I felt it would dilute what I had, make my writing mechanical, this was an informed choice after checking out what was available in my area. My teachers have been books, thousands of them which I have read along the way, other help has come from authors I have met, some who have read my work, and given me helpful comments, and/or advice. The advice I would give to someone just starting out, is to read loads in the genre you want to write in, study what the writer does, how they tell the story. Also don't get too panicky over your grammar, that can be fixed once your piece is finished. WRITE YOUR STORY, sort everything else in the edit/proofing.

Nothing about my journey so far has been disappointing or unsatisfactory, quite a few of the characters I have met along the way could be characters in books themselves, writers are a fascinating bunch, mind they would have to be to crank out the stuff they do.

One last thing I would like to mention before I close this, if the police were to check my hard-drive, and I am sure this is the same for most writers, they would think they had got themselves some kind of terrorist or serial killer, researching the likes of crime scenes and types of bombs, poisons, weapons. I hope they never have too, be kind of hard to explain, for now I'm out of here, and have a nice day.

777 Challenge

2012-07-26T15:23:00.001-07:00

Today the gauntlet was thrown down by the illustrious Joe McCoubrey in the 777 challenge, what is it? I hear you ask. Well the challenge is, I have to choose 7 sentences from either page 7 or page 77 of a work in progress, before I pass it on to 7 other writers I admire. Currently I am working on the sequel to Homecoming Blues, titled Border Town blues. Also I am working on some short stories as well, I think Border will be my choice. The hardest part will be the 7 authors to pass it on to as I admire so many. So decisions, desisions.
Any way I shall worry about that later. Here are my sentence choices.

“You saw us and thought we might be a better bet.”

He pointed his fingers at me like a gun and clicked his tongue.

“He was no father of mine,” she spat.

“Let’s just say, I know good folks when I see them. The mutts you all took out were heavy duty shit kickers. This goes down well; I will have your crimes expunged and make you free again.”

I knew a few of the horrors that would face us over the border. It was not a pretty place; corruption was rife from the top down.

“How dangerous is this going to be?” Jamie asked while Deacon was at the counter, ordering coffees.

“There is a mole in my department, feeding info back to some of the Narco gang, that is why this is off the books,” he stood up and took off his jacket then loosened his tie.

“Ugh, even worse, we gonna get bit by rattlesnakes or eaten by dingoes.”

Well there you go my 7 from page 7, and now to choose who to pass the challenge on to.

Matt Hilton

Zoe Sharp

Ian Graham

Graham Smith

David Foster

David Barber
Michelle Wright

Okay gentlemen and ladies, it is over to you, have you got the chutzpah to accept the challenge and pass it on to others, we will see.

2012-05-18T02:05:00.003-07:00

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eastern-Fury-Other-Tales-ebook/dp/B00846TG8E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337331162&sr=8-1

Out to buy on Amazon now Eastern Fury and Other Tales, following the further adventures of Chihiro Kitagawa as he battles against a religious madman, hunts a renagade Ninja and faces a family of cannibals. My character first appears in ACTION:Pulse Pounding Tales, I enjoyed writing it so much I decided to do a couple more stories which is what you have here. Go check it out.
Got a couple of other stories in the pipeline plus a novel set in Swansea, got a meeting thursday 24th May with a DI Jason Herbert at Swansea central for some research into Police procedure, this for my Swansea novel-Gangsters, a serial killer with a hidden agenda and plenty of action.

2012-05-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

Eastern Fury and Other Tales-I found the process of writing my short story for inclusion in Matt's anthology so enjoyable and also the character I created Chihiro Kitagawa i found likeable made me decide to do a collection of short stories featuring the adventures he has on his journey back home after completing his mission. The stories have a religious madman, cannibals, and a prison where he has to fight to the death to gain his freedom and once arriving in New York to catch a ship home he makes a discovery that changes his life forever, you will have to read the book to find out what it is. For now here is a sample of one of the stories.

The Quick and the Fury.

His name was Chihiro Kitagawa, he sat on the bed attached to the wall of the dank room as the man slammed and bolted the cell door. Adam, Isom and he had been bushwhacked outside the town of Darnell, and thirty miles from their destination; New York. A posse of fifteen riders had descended on them from behind a hill. Isom had been brought down by a flurry of blows from the men wielding billy clubs, Adam had been pistol whipped and a lasso had caught Chihiro, pulling him from his horse. Quickly binding them with ropes, the leader, a peppery looking man with slitted eyes and a neat little mustache approached them once they had been secured. He stated they were fugitives wanted for the murder of Jubal Kane, he called Chihiro ‘The Eastern Fury.’They were to be transported to what he called the Roundhouse to await the arrival of circuit judge Josiah Spicer. The Roundhouse turned out to be a secure stockade consisting of outbuildings within a walled fort and at the center giving it its name was a three story circular building. Chihiro checked out his surroundings, the cell had a bed attached to the wall by chains. The only light came from a square opening in the door and a pot had been placed in the corner, somebody's idea of a toilet. Chihiro cursed himself and wondered why he had not sensed danger. There was nothing he could do to change his situation so he just sat cross legged on the bed; and waited for something to happen.

Time passed differently for Chihiro than it did for other men, he had drifted into a meditative state, when somebody dragged the bolts back and opened the door only a few minutes seemed to have gone by.

“On your feet yellow man, the boss wants to meet you.” Chihiro uncurled from his position on the bed, and stepped towards the door. Two men with rifles waited for him, one attached manacles to his hands and feet. The cell was in a corridor lined with other cells similar to his own, one of the men nudged him towards a door at the end.

They stepped out into a courtyard lit by torches and he was propelled towards a crowd of other inmates, he saw Adam and Isom looking dejected at the circumstances they found themselves in. Standing nearby, their guns trained on the crowd, were several guards. The prisoners had assembled in front of a colonial style brick building with a small garden next to the door and flowers in pots hung from the eaves. Chihiro shouldered his way through the crowd till he reached Adam and Isom.