Bizarre Books: "Six-Gun Gorilla"

My book Six Guns of Madness and proposed series based on it are part of a genre known as Weird West. I didn't even know the term existed until recently, but I knew I loved it. Weird West is basically putting supernatural or science fiction elements into a Western theme. One of the weirdest of all Weird West stories has to be Six-Gun Gorilla.

Why "Too Short" is a Good Thing #IWSG

Welcome to the Insecure Writers Support Group!

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

8 Best Sci-Fi Steampunk Novels of All Time

My Western/sci-fi novella Six Guns of Madness includes elements of steampunk, a genre I've wanted to write for a long time. The best definition of steampunk I've seen is "what if the future happened earlier?" Steampunk imagines an alternate history where modern or even futuristic technology is created with the primitive machines of the time, usually powered by steam. It also includes elements of pulp action adventure. Here are eight of the best in the genre.

Sample Sunday: "Six Guns of Madness"

This week, I'll be featuring an excerpt from my scifi/Western/horror novella, Six Guns of Madness.

A cloud of dust came down the main street. Three horses burst out of the cloud, driven by men in black gear. As the three men came out of the cloud, Blaine could make out plates of metal wrapped around their chests, arms, and legs.

As they drew closer, Blaine saw the creatures the men rode only looked like horses in general appearance with their four legs and elongated heads. These creatures had dark green skin like frogs, and no hair on their necks or tails. The biggest change came from the heads, which had long snouts ending in clusters of tentacles instead of mouths. Blaine stepped off the sidewalk into the center of the street as the three horse-things pulled up in front of the saloon. He could see all the men wore backpacks connected by pipes around their bodies, and ending in guns on their holsters.

One of the men on the horse-things glared down at Blaine. "Where's Barnaby?"

Blaine hooked his thumbs on his belt. "Who's asking?"

"Vincent Darke, that's who. Darke gave Barnaby until noon today to give up the scroll. So either he brings us the scroll or we send him six feet under. Now where is he?"

Blaine glanced over his shoulder. He didn't have to check to know Tombstone and the Kid had taken their places by his side. "Can't rightly say. But if he's willin' to die instead of givin' up this scroll, I'm guessin' it must be pretty important for him to hang onto."

The men on the horse-things exchanged a look before reaching for the guns on their holsters.

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Cover Reveal: "Six Guns of Madness"

It's finally here! Check out the new cover for my novella, Six Guns of Madness.

Here's the description:

Something evil will be unleashed in the Old West.

 Dylan Blaine and his gunfighters have seen a lot on their journey through the West, but they face a new danger. The town of Blackwood is being terrorized by the Darke Boys, a gang armed with bizarre and exotic weapons. They want an Aztec scroll guarded by an eccentric inventor, the key to awakening an ancient evil. Blaine must take up conventional and steam-powered weapons to stop a nightmare from rising out of the desert.

 It's Western. It's steampunk. It's Lovecraftian horror. It's a pulse pounding adventure unlike anything you've read before.

You can check it out at the Amazon Kindle store. Also, stay tuned for an announcement on my next anthology of short stories.

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