book cover art-issue two-fringelords-return to gaia

Fringelords cover idea came out of a discussion with my art photography student son . We traveled a lot when he was young…. he was schooled in many exotic locals. We took a lot of pictures….hmmmmm…small wonder he became enamored with visual arts? The idea of a person with their travel experiences shown like tattoo’s on their flesh was a reflection of how we saw ourselves after one particularily enlightening trip, a year in duration, backpacking around Asia and the South Pacific. I amalgamated the concept of a hereditary mark depicting a sub class of humanoids into my novel, Fringelords-Return to Gaia. This book…like all my work is available on Amazon, KIndle, Smashwords etc…..kind comments only please.

book cover art-issue one-redux-13 angels

I’m not sure how many people understand the process that goes into designing cover art of any kind. In this world of instant media  people are confronted with millions of images every day. The grill of your car is contrived to enunciate a primordial urge… your streets are lined with hungry spendthrift logo’s. Do we block them out….not even close. Are we in control of our thought processes in response to imagery …..not for millions of years. Where does that leave the lonely writers…who don’t have billions to research archetypes and trawl through focus groups? I know my process.. I work with my family.  We do what we think is cool…viva la revolution. All my books are available as eBooks on Amazon, Kindle, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony…be kind to a starving artist and leave a comment…..thx.

13 Angels – chapter one sample

Oh the manic life I lead. A writers life is one of fits and starts… drudgery and exhilaration. After approximately one and a half years I  get to rest my weary head and scream for a day or two now that my newest book is out the door. For my friends who have followed my progress  since the project began I give you the first page of the final manuscript… just hours before it becomes available to the general public. Thanks for all your support. Thirteen Angels will be available on Kindle, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo ( and others- distributed internationally at $2.99 usd) as an eBook. Hard Copy will become available soon for collectors.

CHAPTER ONE

CASTLE D’ARC, 2065

Tangled lightning lashed Castle D’Arc. Its crenulated silhouette outlined a gap-toothed scream against every explosive crack of fire. Each quick following barrage of thunder suggested Armageddon. The embattled redoubt fought raging tides threatening to rip out foundation stones and cast them into the greedy maw of an encircling leviathan. Two cassock-draped figures strode desolate battlements, unrecognizable under long woolen hoods. The cloth was stretched into shapeless socks, a vain attempt to thwart the stinging slap of freezing rain.

“Damn this weather”, snarled the smaller man. His teeth flashed white. No matter which way he turned, an icy wind stabbed at his eyes, blinding him, as if the world vengefully denied him sight of it. Another splinter of ragged lightning shred the gloom, exposing his upturned face, a mask of angry vexation. “This is how I imagine hell”. He beat his skeletal hands and stamped like an impatient stallion.

“It is a hell of your own creation brother”. A familiar voice subtly reminded Azazel they stood on hallowed ground. Conscious-stricken, he choked back his irreverence and offered up a prayer of contrition. The rueful monk hoped his deity would understand a loyal servant’s frustration after a lifetime of disappointment.

“Oh lord”, he begged, “Have mercy”. He bowed his painfully stiff back into the attitude of a grateful supplicant and whispered, “If you look down upon me you will see I have been the victim of the constant and unremitting malice of fortune”. His need for penance sated, the monk resumed his march. “Where is it?” He returned to ranging the impenetrable night with bursts of psychic energy. Azazel shook his fists in the face of the wind like a combatant avowed to fight on in defeat. He prayed the coven’s collective will was strong enough to turn back this storm. It felt certain nature’s wrath was set deliberately against them.

“It’s just a storm”, the same voice chastised. “Remember where you are”. Azazel kept his lips closed with the expression of a man inwardly laughing that he would be the one to welcome the Holy Arc and resurrect the Eye of Ba’al. Destiny chose him to lead this cycle. He hoped it was the final step towards ending his miserable life.

“I don’t see you out here” he shot back contemptuously. His obdurate prayers had been stripped naked by the tempest.

one year anniversary in texas

My how time flies. July is our one year anniversary in Dallas Texas. Honestly, it was a year of unexpected bliss. Texans are wonderful hosts, the place is easy going. We are still discovering new things to do. The media is hard on Texas because of it’s independence …but the truth is people are generally doing well. The Dallas art scene is wild. They love writers. Like a lot of people I had typical outsider misconceptions before I came here. I have even lost friends and readers (who’ve never been here)  sure that I must be wrong about my reporting’s….but the truth is a person can have a pretty sweet time of it here and much of the media diatribe is political bias and false.

I never expected to be here this long. My life has been lifted out of the mundane by a force I can’t explain. The work I have been doing has resulted in a new novel…13 Angels….currently in publication and should be available to the public soon. Writing a novel is a labor of love. The project has consumed many hours of every day over a period of a year and a half. Texas has been a warm fuzzy blanket that has allowed me the focus I needed to get the book done…..and I am thankful for that. My work is surreal dystopia. Please feel free to review any of my books on Amazon and Kindle.

stalking white thunder lizards

I saw a weather system yesterday that I’d never seen before. A herd of Texas thunderheads that resembled giant terrible lizards stalking across the landscape….very intriguing. Several looked like Godzilla come to life…..others thermo-nuclear detonations. I’m easily impressed by simple things… I like odd looking at stains on alley walls and cracks in the sidewalk that resemble something else. Life is short… I like to notice things in detail and not take my space for granted. Yesterday as I blasted down the freeway in my  Camaro convertible the clouds caught my eye. I have recently finished a novel of fiction in a dystopian fantasy genre….my head is in the clouds. I can’t say I’m unhappy living with this creative state of mind, it may be the stairway to heaven.

street art/graffitti deep ellum dallas texas

For those of you who have followed my travel blog  you’ll know I like to record street art and graffiti wherever we go, Dallas is no exception. Underground, progressive, sophisticated, angry, frivolous……subjective…..it’s all to be found wandering the back alleys of downtown Dallas if you dare. The area of Deep Ellum…nexus at Main Street and Malcolm X Boulevard is one of many popular stoops for Dallas’ hip and lively doomsters, freaks, flakes and party crowd to hang in the ….bars, alternative shops and dives. Deep Ellum is where you’ll find rock bars and recording studio’s getting cozy with cool cafe’s like the Brazil….a hipster hotspot if there ever was one…. like everywhere in Dallas the background music is almost always Texas Renegade Radio KNON 89.3 FM…… the best Texas blues ( is there any other kind?)   and Red Dirt ( don’t call it redneck or country ’cause it’s pure poetry) station on the planet…and whoa…free parking …. a real find.  I hope you enjoy my eye……. as always these days I use an iphone4/5 exclusively to capture the images that grab me. Be tripping amigo’s