Tag Archives: Urban Fantasy

New Mr. Lake Video – The Favor

Mr. Lake Cover
Mr. Lake

I’ve posted a new YouTube video, my first in several months. It’s me, reading another excerpt, the eighth, from my Arthurian coming-of-age fantasy-dramedy, Mr. Lake. In this excerpt, their “frenemy,” Larry Tucci, tries to recruit our hero, Joe Marino, and his faithful if reluctant companion and best friend, Billy Harwell, into an endeavor that smells of skullduggery. Larry tries to convince the boys that Mr. Lake himself has asked Larry to break into Lake’s house and steal some ill-defined personal items, which Larry calls Lake’s “things.” Lake, according to Larry, fears that a local gang of toughs, the River Rats, wants the “things” and is keeping Lake under observation. He allegedly fears to go home himself.

Joe doesn’t buy Larry’s story. Billy shows unusual spunk in daring to question Larry, which leads to a degree of vein bulging and eye bugging.

I sometimes think I should have subtitled Mr. Lake, maybe “An Arthurian Fantasy Set in 1960s Suburbia.” But no, it struck me as too long and more of advertising copy than title. Alas, in the words of Pontius Pilate, “What I have written, I have written.”

Mr. Lake is available in Kindle eBook and paperback formats on its Amazon bookpage. Please hop over there and try out the “Look Inside” feature for a sample. I think you’ll like it.

 

A New Story

Sketch for Cover of “The Case of the Unchained Immigrant”

Hi, Everyone. I’ve just posted a new FREE STORY, entitled Early To Bed, Early To Rise, about a young boy whose midnight rambles drive his parents to distraction. I hope you read it and I hope you like it.

The occasion for the story’s posting is the imminent release of my latest, greatest, much-awaited and long-overdue fourth story in the Snarkey & Putts Paranormal Attorneys-At-Law series,  The Case of the Unchained Immigrant. In it, Snarkey and Putts must deal with serial murders, a mythological demon from another country, contractual disputes and issues of immigration and insurance law.

The book will be available on Amazon in both Kindle eBook format and paperback. Right now, I’m awaiting artist Angel Nichols’ final version of the cover illustration, but I’ve posted her most recent sketch above, showing poor Putts, my lawyer cum everyman, getting an earful in stereo. You’re going to like The Unchained Immigrant.

Mr. Lake Is Live And Other News

 

Mr. Lake
Mr. Lake – An Arthurian Fantasy?

Mr. Lake, my latest novel, is now live on Amazon.  As of this writing, it’s only available as a Kindle eBook, but the paperback should be available within the week, so check back soon.

What’s Mr. Lake about? It’s an Arthurian fantasy (that is, “Arthurian” in the sense of Knights of the Round Table), set in the imagination of a grade school boy living in the 1960s. He bears something of a resemblance to myself, but that could be only in my imagination. There’s a sword, some sorcery, a witch, a wannabe motorcycle gang, a brick, a buttinski school principal, voodoo, a modicum of violence, a boy and his dog, a best friend, and a special guest appearance by a vintage Volkswagen, but I don’t think it’s a spoiler to admit that King Arthur himself does not appear.

Writing Mr. Lake made me come to grips with a few things, including mortality and change. Listen to me talk about them here.

I’ve got to get back to writing. I’ve got a couple of new stories I want to work on, one of which I’ll post here within a day or two. Also, I’ll be heading into a deep edit of the completed first draft of my latest Snarkey & Putts paranormal lawyers adventure, The Case of the Unchained Immigrant, but more on that later.