Kindle Romance Novels: A Star Falls on Oklahoma by Samuel Ben White

I don't just blog and write westerns, I also write novels!  Check out this great review for one of my recent novels:

Kindle Romance Novels: A Star Falls on Oklahoma by Samuel Ben White: Look here! A Kindle Romance Novel for $2.99 / £1.90! In the US Kindle Store In the UK Kindle Store Rising star Sonya Kiel suddenl...

You know, it kind of is a western.  It takes place in western Oklahoma, and part of the conflict is the difference in thought processes between a London girl and a man of the American west.

Reviewing “Hydroland” by Justin Martin & Mel Todd

            a review of the preview by Sam White

A powerless member of the new media, I was given the gracious opportunity to preview an upcoming comic book by the above-mentioned Martin & Todd called “Hydroland”.  Briefly, Hydroland is the story of a people who live in the water.  They’ve lived in peace until, suddenly they are invaded.

Now, the preview I got to see gives some hints at what the invasion is (thematically) but not how it is carried out practically—in the comic book, anyway.  I won’t give that away, except to say that it’s going to take some skill to carry out.  These guys have it, I think (they tell a good preview, anyway), but it’s tough.  How many times in school were you shown a painting or read a poem and the teacher told you about all the deep, sensual or violent undertones and you sat there thinking, “I thought it was about a basketball that’s gone flat.”  And try as you might, you can never see anything other than the flat basketball.

Martin and Todd are creating (the full book’s not out, yet) an ambitious story of sin and redemption, couched in a story of an underwater society and depicted in an artistic style that is reminiscent of the best of R. Crumb’s work but (IMHO) more cheerful, even when the story itself takes a grim turn.  The bits of artwork we get to see in this preview (download the preview for free here: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=99418) are intriguing and make me anxious to see the finished product (many of the pics in this download are production art, but I love looking at that kind of thing and seeing how an artist goes from pre-production to post-).

"Long Road to a Second Chance"

After much thought, I have finally come up with a new (and hopefully better) title for the novel that used to be named “Psalm 88″: “Long Road to a Second Chance”.

Why the change? I liked the original title, and it does have a lot to do with the book itself, but it kept confusing readers who saw the title and thought I had written a commentary on the 88th Psalm.

As I rethought the story of the book in an effort to find a new title, I kept coming back to the thought that it’s the story of two people who run away from their problems by running together. Playing with different ways to express that, I finally came up with “Long Road to a Second Chance”.

You can order “Long Road to a Second Chance” here !

Read it, you’ll like it!

Tradition

I've come up with a good ad line for my next novel ... "A futuristic fantasy in the tradition of Louis L'Amour!"

The people who have read it so far--those wonderful free proof-readers without whom I could not publish--think this is a great idea. You see, the novel is set ten thousand years in the future, so that's where the futuristic part comes in. It's about a man who is washed ashore after a battle against the forces of evil (hence the fantasy) in an unknown land. In the process of getting back to his wife and children, he has to cross deserts, fight bandits, and lead a revolution. Hence the Louis L'Amour.

It's more than that, though. I actively set-out to evoke a sense of Louis L'Amour in the writing, in the way the sentences were constructed, in the way the story played out.

I once heard of an author who was well-respected (though I never cared for his work) who thought "The Great Gatsby" was the greatest novel ever written. So he copied it down by hand to see how each sentence was written.

I have never done that with Louis L'Amour, but I have read his books over and over. I have a notebook of favorite phrases of his on my computer and notes I have made for myself about his work. They say that flamingos are naturally grey, but they turn pink because of all the shrimp they eat. If my writings evoke Louis L'Amour, it's probably because of all his work I have ingested. This book, though, is the first time I specifically tried to be "L'Amour-colored".

Here's hoping it worked and that you enjoy "A Thousand Miles Away". (Coming soon!)

New covers for my time travel novels. Other covers are coming for at least 7 of my other published novels. Plus, the covers of the forthcoming novels will follow along in this theme in an effort at establishing some branding.

What do you think?

What to read on your new Kindle or Nook

Did you receive a Kindle or Nook for Christmas—or just thinking about buying one for yourself? Now you’re looking to stock up on some excellent reading, right? Some words to carry you through these cold days of winter and into the new year.

Look no further! (Or, buy all that’s available here, then feel free to look as far as you want!) Find one of these stories below you want to read, then click on the “Library/Store” link above and find convenient links for ordering them on Kindle or Nook (and some even in paperback!). Most of the Kindle and Nook versions are only 99 cents each!

Looking for some stories about time travel and alternate history?

First Time: The Legend of Garison Fitch – Book 1 – Garison Fitch is a scientist in the Soviet Americas whose experiments land him in the 1700s. When he returns to the twenty-first century, he finds the world changed. There’s something called “The United States of America”, his parents are still alive, and a woman he’s never met before claims to be his wife. Should he go back in time and try to return everything to normal, or try to live in this world he somehow created?

Saving Time: The Legend of Garison Fitch – Book 2 – It’s two years later and Garison discovers that there is a hole in time. And it seems to be centered around his trip through time. Garison has to figure out how to sew up the rend in time, but he can’t use his time machine to do it. Can he do it before time itself is destroyed?

Lost Time: The Legend of Garison Fitch – Book 3 – Jason Kerrigan and Brownyn Dalmouth are pilots in the Republic of Texas Army Air Corp in World War II when an experimental aircraft propels them thousands of years into the future. When they return to 1947, they find the war over, the Republic gone, and people they once knew no longer recognize them. How can a trip to the future change the past?

How about a good western?

Overstreet – John Overstreet leaves Texas ahead of a vengeful family of outlaws and settles on a horse ranch in Colorado. There, he tries to make a life for himself, but is always having to look over his shoulder, lest the family of the man he killed come after him. (Set against the real life events and terrain of the town of Como, Colorado, and the South Park Valley.)

Need a fantasy story about the beginning of the end of the world?

All the Time in Our World – Edward and Marianne are a couple of teenagers on their first date when an other-worldly storm sweeps them onto a vast, barren plain. Yet, there’s something familiar about the landscape. Soon, they are traveling with an enigmatic man named Marcus who claims to be able to get them home, but first they must lead an army against evil himself.

Some of the Time – Edward and Marianne are again called to the strange land of Nid, but this time their travels take them under ground, where they find an entire civilization that hasn’t seen real sunlight in thousands of years. But the tunnels are collapsing and soon they will burst forth on the world—an event neither those who dwell under the ground or those who dwell above are ready for.

Marianne – (Coming soon!) Edward Garrett finds himself shipwrecked on unfamiliar shores and embroiled in an effort to rescue four teenage girls who have been kidnapped from their school. Edward just wants to get back to Marianne, but can he leave the rescuers leaderless and the four girls to their fate?

Or maybe your taste runs to an irreverent detective who never quite realizes he is in over his head …

The Nice Guy – Bat Garrett is a Dallas private detective whose cases usually involve proving that someone is being unfaithful to their spouse. Then, one day, he’s hired by a secretive government group called “The Home Agency” to investigate a drug smuggling ring. It seems like it’s the kind of case Bat always dreamed of: beautiful women, spies, nefarious bad guys … but someone is keeping the bad guys one step ahead of Bat. Are they that good, is he that bad, or is there someone who just wants Bat to be the fall guy?

the Return of Nice Guy – Bat Garrett is called in to investigate the murder of a Dallas banker two years before. The police and the justice department are confident they have their man, but the widow has never been satisfied with the why. Bat tries to discover why the mild-mannered banker was killed and the trail leads him into an amateur archeological society and through the ruins of Mesa Verde in Colorado.

Up to Bat – (coming in January 2012!) Bat Garrett is hired by a wealthy oil man to find out who is trying to kill him. Less than a day later, the man is found dead and everyone but Bat thinks it was just the protective brother of a spurned lover who did it. Bat digs in to find the dead man led more than one life, and every one of his lives had enemies.

If your tastes lean toward a relational drama about imperfect people trying to find the perfect love, try …

Psalm 88 – Joe Whitcomb is a preacher who hates God. Ellen Whitcomb is a teenage alcoholic hiding her problem. It seems easier to run from a problem when someone runs with you. Called “superior Christian fiction” by one reviewer, this novel has been loved by everyone who has read it. [Note: if you look for this title on Nook, it’s called “Hating God—a Love Story”.]

So Many Books – Chris Farmer is an investigator with the Bureau of Indian Affairs who tries to help a young woman named Alyste Smith escape from an abusive step-father. In the process, Chris has to grow up himself and take on the responsibility of a daughter of his own.

The Woman Caught – Opie Gates is the cleanest-cut Okie in New York City when he meets Chrissy, who is everything he’s not. First Opie falls in love with her, then he finds out what she really is. Can Opie find enough forgiveness in his heart to really love her? Does Chrissy really want to be forgiven? A modern story inspired by the Biblical story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

Writing (and other Obvious Blog Titles)

I love the mountains and, therefore, I have this daydream in my mind where I go to a mountain cabin for a couple weeks and do nothing but write. This is, of course, a terrible idea.

If I ever tried, I know I’d end up just like the time Rob tried it on “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. For those of you who haven’t memorized the classics, Rob goes to the mountain cabin of a friend and ends up doing everything but writing. That would be me.

On the other hand, I have thought about this one motel I drive past in Texline. Texline is the last town in Texas before you hit New Mexico in the far northwest corner of the TX panhandle. It used to be a farming town, but now it’s one of those towns that you pass through and wonder why it’s still there. Just a wide spot on the flat plains. But it does have a motel. I have no idea if it’s a nice motel. I do know it doesn’t have a pool. If I’m lucky, it won’t have wi-fi.

I don’t know if I’ll actually do it, but I keep thinking about heading over there for a few days and getting a room. No distractions. If I get hungry, I can walk to the convenience store down the street. And then come back and just write, write, WRITE! That sounds like a phenomenal idea!

Kinda doubt that it’ll happen. For one thing, even if it’s an inexpensive room by modern standards (and even if it’s open, it looked a little overgrown the last time I went by), it would still cost some money, I’m sure. Money that’s not easy to come by at this time, in this economy. And second? Even if it’s just a room with a bed and a bath like the Mayberry Hotel–and even if the TV didn’t work–I’d probably still find ways to be distracted. What I need to do is just concentrate, buckle down, do some writing, let nothing distract … hey, look! a Volkswagen!