What Are Your Plans For Saturday?

Happy Saturday!

What are you planning to do today? Golf? Fish? Picnic? Read?

Whatever you do today, I strongly urge you to take along a book, an eReader, a phone with reading apps installed…however you enjoy reading, make sure that you have something with you!

Unless you’re at the movies. If you’re going to see a movie, please don’t distract others with your phone, tablet, or anything else that lights up or makes annoying sounds. It ruins the experience for others.

Now, having said that, I want to say that my sweet wife and I are going to the movies today. Our choice? San Andreas. In 3D.

San Andreas looks great, and I’m a sucker for 3D movies. When we went to see the new Avengers movie a couple of weeks ago, it had to be the 3D version. Fan-TAS-tic! And today’s movie looks to be a special effects wonder!

I just want to remind you to pre-order your copy of Cow Patty – A Justice Security Novel at your favorite retailer. It’s available for pre-order at Apple, Amazon, Kobo, OmniLit, and a few others that permit pre-orders. It won’t be available at Barnes & Noble until the July 1^st release day, however. Sorry. Oh, and if you just can’t wait, the paperback version is already available at Amazon and other fine online retailers. You can even order it through most independent bookstores!

Other news: I’m working on the third story in the Tales Of Sardis County series. It’s called I’m Your Boogie Man. I hope you enjoy it! And let me say this, too, about the Sardis County books: I recommend that you read the first two, and keep up with the series closely. There are things coming in later editions that will hopefully liven things up even more!

Work is also progressing on the stories that I’m writing for my new pen name. I have a short story completed, and am well into the first book of the six-volume series that will be introduced under my pen name. I’m very excited about this!

Now, I’d like to take a moment to plug my dad’s stories. He writes stories, too. He’s 77, and I encourage him to keep writing…he’s got several stories that haven’t been published yet, and I plan to keep bugging him about it! Below are links to his stories at various retailers, and two of his longer works are available in print editions.

Here are the links to the stories by my dad, T. Whitman Bilderback:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple

Kobo

Scribd

He’s also available at Inktera (Page Foundry) and the various Tolino sites. Take a look at his work – it runs the gamut from romantic literature to outrageous humor to science fiction! And Cadre is one of his best!

Okay, wrapping up for today. Going to the movies shortly, and then, back to work! As for you, I say that you need to…

Keep reading!

T. M. Bilderback (But you can call me Michael)

Visit my website: www.tmbilderback.com

Follow me on Twitter:  @mrtmbilderback

Check me out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/TMBilderback

Random Thoughts From My Random Mind

Today’s blog: Random thoughts on random things.

After my announcement that I’m going to create a pen name, I was asked if it was going to be a secret name.

Well…yes and no.

I don’t plan to broadcast it to everyone, but if I’m asked, I’ll own up to it.

I mean, it’s not going to be that hard to figure out…my sweet wife will still design my eBook covers, and be given credit for them. Of course, she designs some of my dad’s covers, too…and a well-known author has shown some interest in Christi’s covers, too, so that might not be the indicator to look for.

Trust me, it’s not a big thing. Really!

I’m working on two stories at once again…one is for the new pen name, and the other is I’m Your Boogie Man – A Tale Of Sardis County.

I hope you enjoy that little tidbit of information, because I’m not going to hint about what’s coming next until it hits the pre-order stage...and, if you want to know why, I’ll tell you now:  I’ve already established that Sardis County is a six-hour drive from the unnamed Southern city that houses Justice Security and Nicholas Turner…and you can expect more appearances in Sardis County by people from that city, and that might include more visitors from the Giambinis from Jackie Blue. And that’s all I got to say about that.

My website is a great place to see all of my works in one place, with links to everywhere! It has links to all of the eBook retailers that carry my stories, and it has a link to the store at Amazon’s CreateSpace, too – they’re the ones that produce my print copies. I also have links to Gumroad and PayHip – that’s the two places you can use to purchase my eBooks directly from me! Please take a look - the link is below!

For any of my fans in China, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve teamed with a website called Fiberead. Fiberead will be translating many of my stories into Chinese, both Traditional and Simplified, and will be making them available to readers worldwide. I’m very excited about that!

Let’s see…do I have any other news…hmmm…

Okay, one more item: Some of you know that I collect comic books, right? I found a great one just the other day, from Dell Publishing. It’s Four Color #1349 – Yogi Bear Visits the U. N. It’s from 1961, and is in Very Good/Fine condition! I’m very happy about it, because, to me, the title is unusual.

{sigh} I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Digital comics are great, but I don’t see that title making a digital appearance anytime soon…sometimes, print is the way to go!

Well, that’s all I have right now – just random things to share. I hope you just…

Keep reading!

T. M. Bilderback (But you can call me Michael)

Visit my website: www.tmbilderback.com

Follow me on Twitter:  @mrtmbilderback

Check me out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/TMBilderback

Pen Name? Huh?

I’ve decided to launch a pen name.

It isn’t because I want to hide behind an unknown name. It isn’t that I’m ashamed of the stories that I want to appear under the pen name.

It’s much simpler than that.

I want a name that I can use for stories that aren’t named after song titles.

[Chuckle} I know, I was going to do that before with Empty Eyes, and I let my dad talk me out of it. Rest assured, if a sequel ever bursts forth for that novel, I’ll publish it under my own name. As for my “can’t-quite-categorize-my-short-stories”, if I run across one that is inspired by a classic song, it will also pop up under my own name.

But I want another name.

I want one that I can use for one-time-only stories. I want one for stories that may not be part of a series, and that will stand on their own merits. I want one that I can use for stories that might not be what I normally write. I want one that I don't feel obligated to use a song title as the story title.

I understand why some authors use pen names.

Perhaps the author doesn’t want readers to know the real person behind the stories. Or maybe they’re afraid of retaliation by some crazed fan. Or crazed reviewer. Or crazed publisher.

Perhaps, like me, they want to write stories that aren’t tied to what they normally write, so they use pen names for the additional stories.

Perhaps the author is so prolific that he/she can’t possibly publish everything under their own name, but that situation is more related to traditional publishing than independent publishing.

Or, maybe they’re embarrassed by the type of story they’re writing. For instance, a man writing a romance novel might sell better if he uses a female pen name…but he might also be embarrassed by the fact.

Oh, and for the record: I can’t write a straight romance novel, so that isn’t the reason. I tried with Junior’s Farm, and we all saw what a left turn that turned out to be…{snicker}

So, I’m writing a short story right now. It’s going to be the first story under this new pen name, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t find a way to assign a song title to it. Not one that I want to give up, anyway…some song titles I jealously avoid using outside of my two current series. There is one, however…but I need it for Sardis County.

So, when I’m done with this short story, I’ll publish it under the new pen name in the hopes that it does well on its own. I’ll follow it with other stories (and one whopper of a series) later on.

Meanwhile, I ask that you pick up a copy of the new Justice Security novel, Jim Dandy. It’s available everywhere. And, while you’re at it, pre-order your copy of the next Justice Security novel, Cow Patty. I promise you’ll have lots of fun with both!

And, as always,

Keep reading!

T. M. Bilderback (But you can call me Michael)

Visit my website: www.tmbilderback.com

Follow me on Twitter:  @mrtmbilderback

Check me out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/TMBilderback

Jim Dandy

I’m getting excited!

The release date for the eBook Jim Dandy – A Justice Security Novel is getting closer, and I can’t wait for fans of the Justice Security series to get their hands on this one!

Of course, the paperback is already available, if you can’t wait…LOL

This time, Esteban Fernandez is only background. Money coming from him in the form of a payoff to a high-ranking, powerful member of the U. S. Government is the basis for the story. Clues are accidentally found by a bank branch manager in a small town in Oregon. He realizes that knowing about this information is a death warrant, so he mails it off to a friend in the city. This friend has his own security company.

The friend is Jim Dandy, the main competitor of Justice Security.

Jim quickly discovers that the information he holds is deadly, and that he needs help finding out who is killing off people that know about it. He decides to bury the hatchet in his long-standing feud with Joey Justice, and enlists their help. Things escalate quickly after that, and become even more deadly.

I’m excited about this book, because it sends Justice Security into a new direction. It lays a foundation for upcoming events, and teases you about things that are upcoming in this series, much like Mama Told Me Not To Come teased you about things to come…and they’re still coming! Events hinted at in both of these books will play out in future volumes.

The release date for Jim Dandy is May 1^st. You can preorder Jim Dandy at Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobo, and other online retailers.

The book won’t be listed at Barnes & Noble until release day.

I strongly urge you to preorder Jim Dandy. I think you’ll enjoy it!

Here’s a peek at the cover, in case you haven’t seen it:

Coming up in a few days:  a sneak peek at the cover for Cow Patty – A Justice Security Novel. Stay tuned!

Mostly, I’d just like for you to…

Keep reading!

T. M. Bilderback (But you can call me Michael)

Visit my website: www.tmbilderback.com

Follow me on Twitter:  @mrtmbilderback

Check me out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/TMBilderback

I Love Comics

I love comics.

Surprised? Ha! You shouldn’t be!

My collection contains both print and digital. I like digital comics, because they allow me to own comics that would be wayyyy out of my price range, like Batman # 1. I like print comics, too, because I like being able to hold a copy in my hands.

If you’ve read any of the Justice Security stories, there’s a taste of “comic book” in them. Some of my short stories that lean toward the unusual also have that same "comic book" taste. The Tales Of Sardis County series also has a strong “comic book” feel to them.

Why is this?

Simple. I love comics. Ever since my first Yogi Bear or Casper The Friendly Ghost comics when I was a wee toddler to the current stories of Batman, The Walking Dead, Afterlife With Archie, and X-Men, I've read and collected comics.

Honestly, in the Justice Security books, everything that has that “comic book” taste to it is based in the possibility that it could happen. The event may not be likely, but it’s possible. I have two strong examples of that. Let me explain:

In the short story Saturday In The Park, Joey, Louie, Dexter, and Megan are pinned down in the city’s park by ambushers. They have no idea who the ambusher might be, but they know that one is in a tree several yards away. When the shooting started, everyone else in the park seeks cover, leaving everything behind them…including a man that was selling balloons. A shot from the sniper in the tree…well, here’s the passage:

“Louie could see the man with the rifle, however.  The man kept looking through his scope, trying to get a clear shot at Joey.  Finally, just as Dexter and Megan reached cover with Joey, the rifleman could stand it no longer.  He squeezed off a shot toward Joey.  The shot hit the nozzle and control valve on top of the helium tank and loosened them.  The force of the shot also pushed the helium tank just enough so that it began to fall from the hill it was placed on.  The top of the tank fell toward Joey, and the nozzle and valve hit a rock on the ground as it fell, breaking them off.  The helium tank had just been filled, and the pressurized gas released at just the right speed to propel the tank up the small hill.  At the top of the hill, the tank became airborne, and the tank’s angle and trajectory carried it directly to the man in the tree.  It hit him solidly, and knocked him out of the tree.  He fell the twenty feet to the ground, and didn’t move.”

I laughed to myself as I wrote that sequence. Even Louie laughs and is incredulous that the tank hit the sniper, and says that it was like a cartoon!

Likely? Nope. Possible? Yep. It could happen exactly that way, and that’s what makes it fun!

The second sequence that comes to mind as an example is in the upcoming release of Jim Dandy – A Justice Security Novel. While the paperback is already available through Amazon and other retail outlets, the eBook won’t come out until May 1^st. When you read it, watch for a sequence with Joey, Misty, Jim Dandy, and Marcus Moore in an airplane…and that’s all I got to say ‘bout that. I don’t want to say too much about it because it’s the climax of the book. As a matter of fact, I have two aerial sequences in that particular novel, and both are hair-raising! Check it out! If print isn’t your thing, pre-order your eBook copy now at most major eBook retailers.

Comic books…and comic strips…have always been a major portion of my reading, and have influenced my writing to some degree. The Sardis County books have magic and demons and mystical mayhem, occurring in a place populated by people that aren’t surprised by odd events. Think Creepy…Eerie…or Tales Of The Unexpected. Everything that happens is driven by the Sardis Family magic, and more magic is coming…and it isn’t limited to witches! The third one will be out this year, titled I’m Your Boogie Man – A Tale Of Sardis County. It will delve deeper into the questions raised in Don’t Come Around Here No More and Junior’s Farm…and will hint at what’s to come in later novels. If you haven’t started this series, please do!

Most of all, I invite you to…

Keep reading!

T. M. Bilderback (But you can call me Michael)

Visit my website: www.tmbilderback.com

Follow me on Twitter:  @mrtmbilderback

Check me out on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/TMBilderback