The Serial Series

New things always take some time, and this really isn’t any different.  I always wanted to “clean things up”, so to speak, on the blog.  The organization has began and this is the first step.  The different series that I’ve written (and Zodi has written as well) is now in it’s own different areas.

BM&PR – Black Mask & Pale Rider

And all things related, actually.  Here, you’ll find the different stories of the elven gunslingers Pania Alow and Shani Wennemein.  From their adventures in the United States, to the stories of their home world.  This also includes the stories written by myself and Zodi, and Zodi’s own Lyssa’s tale.

Vote every day for THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK MASK & PALE RIDER @ TopWebFiction.com!

Check out reviews of Black Mask & Pale Rider at Web Fiction Guide.

Series listing

• Black Mask & Pale Rider
• The Hard Road

Lyssa’s Tale

Lyssa Stormwater has known hardships.  From the highs and lows of her downtrodden upbringing, to life on the streets of Stonebridge.  The friends she makes, the loves she finds, and the obstacles she overcomes.  This is Lyssa’s Tale.  A story of fantasy by Zodi Mitchell.

Vote every day for LYSSA’S TALE @ TopWebFiction.com

Check out the reviews of LYSSA’S TALE at WEBFICTIONGUIDE.COM!

BotM – Blood of the Moon

This series contains the adventures of Chelsea Morgan as she juggles a full time job as a lawyer, her nocturnal activities as a costumed crime fighter, and her exploration of her own love life and where it leads.

C.o.S. – Canyons of Steel

The stories of Johnathon Tiberius Walker, Malcolm Montgomery Watt and Marianne Wollcott.  This modern day western will follow the trio as they seek out justice and redemption in a familiar frontier.

Vote for CANYONS OF STEEL everyday at TOPWEBFICTION.COM!

Check out the reviews of CANYONS OF STEEL at WEBFICTIONGUIDE.COM!

 

Sask Books: Who’s That Man

“Who’s That Man?”

by Marny Duncan-Cary and illustrated by Megan Mansbridge

Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing

Review by Karen Lawson

ISBN 978-1-894431-38-5 $24.95

Marny Duncan-Cary is a talented singer and songwriter from Lumsden, Saskatchewan. Her first book, “Linger”, was based on an emotional song that she wrote. Once again, Duncan-Cary has taken one of her songs and created a delightful children’s book, entitled “Who’s That Man?” Her story is based on a real event in the author’s own family history. When her grandfather returned home from fighting in World War II, he had never met his five year old son, Gerry, who was Duncan-Cary’s father.

This touching book comes complete with a special gift included – a DVD of her song which is tucked in the back cover. The words and musical score of “Who’s That Man?” are printed on the last pages of the book as an added bonus.

The pages are sprinkled with black and white photos of her father and grandfather taken from the family photo albums during the time that they were separate. These personal mementos add a realistic touch to the story. The illustrations are by talented artist, Megan Mansbridge. Mansbridge is not only a gifted artist but she is a personal friend of the author. Her bright and colourful pictures make the story come alive. She mixes simplicity with rich textures to create a three dimensional effect that seem to jump off the pages.

This personal story is a tribute to the many families that have been altered by war. Duncan-Cary leaves the reader with the message that although war is destructive and separates families, it cannot destroy the unconditional love and special bonds that exist between them.

This book is available at your local bookstore or online at http://www.skbooks.com

 

Bug Meet Winshield

Recently there has been some epic drama in the life of Zodi. I posted that the bf…though now Exbf and I split up. Currently I’m trying to survive being a single mom with a next to single income. Don’t let anyone tell you different, this is extremely difficult and at times painful.

Everything in my life except my gaming has come to a near screeching halt. The writing is next to non-existent. I sort of lost the bug. There are other things that are affecting this but they don’t really need to be discussed as it would open up a whole can of worms I’m not willing to deal with.

For those that it involved and you know who you are; I’m sorry. For everything and all the crap that went down.

I’m hoping that with all these changes in my life I will be able to get back on the ball and start working on writing again. Thank you all to everyone who has supported me and fanned the museling flames to keep me writing. Keep coming back and checking, updates will be sporadic at best.

Keep it real and rockin’

❤

Tim’s Hijack

For some reason, I feel I have to do this again, as the title reminded me of it.

 

In your wildest imagination…

So, the small change in the banner on the site, not in the complete overall look, per say. Eventually, I’ll be attacking the pages as well, setting up an orderly fashion for the different serial series, and redoing the features page a bit. All of this is part of looking toward the future, as the adventures of the two elven gunslingers draws to a close. Yes, The Adventures of Black Mask and Pale Rider is nearing the end. There will be other serial series in the future, but right now, I’m going to concentrate on another idea that has come along, that being Blood of the Moon.

As I step away from the wild west, I’ll be writing about stories set in today’s world.  The main character is a super hero, and she’ll fight crime in both her day job as a lawyer and at night in her disguise.  All that and she’ll find time to build a romance.  It’s a bit different for me, as the genre of romance is one I’ve never stepped into before.  The idea is partially from the pages of Canyons of Steel, and there will be flashbacks with familiar faces from that series.  The writing will begin in February (actually, it already has begun) with the hope to begin posting the story in March.

In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of Black Mask and Pale Rider, and if you want to link to this site, I’ve even got a fancy banner all ready to go.

Until next time…

…keep ’em flyin’!

 

Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Forty-Two

Having dealt with Ya’Row for the second time, the elven gunslingers find themselves about to outrun the law once again.

Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Forty-Two

 

Art… and a teaser

Clarissa sent me another piece, this time a coloured version of Chelsea Morgan.

Here’s the deal behind this piece.  Chelsea Morgan, as some who have read Canyons of Steel, was an ex-op from the group that Johnathon Tiberius Walker was a part of.  As a matter of fact, she was under his command.  When they escaped from the notice of this underground Illuminati known as the Red Hand, Chelsea began her life anew.  She joined a law firm to seek out her dreams.

But her dreams did not include becoming a costumed vigilante in The City.  She soon found out that she needed to combat the gangs along with some unscrupulous characters in the justice system.  Many of the streets of The City are controlled by a group called the Crimson Skulls.  Go to any of the poorer sections of The City and you’ll see the tell tale signs of their territory.  Chelsea dons the red and black costume of Black Bowhunter, and takes to the streets to meet out street level justice, and give the common folk some hope.  Armed with an array of tricks, her arrows, and a katana, she stops crime before or as it happens.  At least, that’s what she hopes to do.  Things don’t always work out as planned.

Add to her life, the stresses of a public defender in a well known law firm.  She doesn’t use dirty tricks in the court room, but she will defend the rights of her clients; even if they are guilty of their crimes.  Plus, her love life is in complete shambles.  An ex-boyfriend makes his presence known from time to time, but Chelsea believes it’s just to rub her nose in what they had.  Along comes trance industrial recording artist, Cecilia delRay.  A chance meeting at a party, and something clicks between Cecilia and Chelsea.

It’s a story of heroism, justice, love and lust.

I’ll be writing this during the month of February, with the hope to begin posting the serial series in March.  As that happens, Clarissa and I will go over layouts, and the web comic will hopefully take shape.  Tentatively called Blood of the Moon.

 

More artistry

More stuff sent in by Clarissa.  She kindly offered up a rendition of Shani Wennemein, a.k.a. Black Mask.  Just a head and shoulders shot.

Also, she sent a layout of important things to remember for Pania.

Things are shaping up pretty good for a possible web comic for Black Mask and Pale Rider. More details about that in the weeks to come.

Clarissa also sent off a drawing of a character that I created for a different story arc.  Anyone who has read Canyons of Steel and has seen the cameo with Chelsea Morgan will recognize this.  She’ll be in her own comic coming soon(ish).  Details are still in the works, but we’ve been discussing things.  Here’s a shot of Chelsea.

The plan for the story arc is a little more risky than the safety of Black Mask and Pale Rider, as it’ll move into the realm of erotica.  The difficult thing will be to keep in mind erotic scenes have to be done in a way to make sense for the story.  So for this first arc, it’ll be a sort of love story as Chelsea finds her true love while donning a costume and fighting crime in The City.

In the meantime, Clarissa has also set up her own blog site, and will showcase her own work there.  And in time, the web comic will be hosted there as well.  Here is the link for her new site, The Adventum Projects.

 

Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Forty-One

Shani makes her move as Pania faces down Ya’Row.

Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Forty-One

 

Sask Books: Tuckahoe Slidebottle

“Tuckahoe Slidebottle”

by Neil McKinnon

Published by Thistledown Press

Review by Shelley A. Leedahl

$18.95 ISBN 978-1-897235-07-02

“The town itself is homeless. It lies on the prairie like a drunk on a sidewalk.”

The town is Tuckahoe, a fictional SK community invented by gifted writer Neil McKinnon, and on the strength of these first two sentences, I knew I was going to enjoy his short fiction collection “Tuckahoe Slidebottle”. McKinnon renders a cast of characters simultaneously outrageous and credible; if Tuckahoe were on a map, readers would be flocking there.

I can’t help thinking that the writer wore a smile while penning most of these twenty stories. First, let’s look at the town itself. Tuckahoe’s a place where “Dried potholes slam your teeth as you drive.” There’s the inevitable coffee row, called “The Jury” (“five or six tobacco chewers and sunflower-seed-spitters who met every day to pass judgement on the private lives of others”). And there are wild characters like one-eyed Old Alex, who took off his black eye patch Saturdays and “used a silver dollar to cover the hole where his left eye was supposed to be,” because he believed in dressing up on Saturday nights.

Reverend Davies is the minister at Tuckahoe’s Singing Evangelist Holy Gospel Church; his young wife Abigail is anything but devout. The teen narrator of “Going Blind in Tuckahoe” says: “When she crossed her legs her skirt hiked up until I could see the tops of her nylons. It got me going so much I couldn’t get up when the service was over.”

Constable Dave is the town’s cop three days a week. “The other days he pumps gas down at Mac’s Garage. The town hasn’t got around to buying him a uniform, so he puts on his gas jockey outfit for both jobs.”

It’s impossible not to adore these characters and envy the author’s talent. McKinnon could publish a book of his similes alone: “Keeping something private was like using your hands to scoop water into a hot radiator,” he writes. One character “spoke slow and deliberate, like someone trying to explain nuclear physics to a group of morons,” and stranger Morton Goldsak “strode onto Main Street, walking boldly in well-shined shoes like a banker on a mission of foreclosure.” The man had “a stook of red hair that stood straight up and waved in the breeze like a nervous campfire.”

Outlandish business schemes are common in Tuckahoe. Goldsak, a down-on-his-luck gambler, arrives to start a newspaper, “The Tuckahoe Wind Breaker.” (Ha!) One local eccentric “invested all his money in a scheme to crossbreed a mink and a kangaroo so as to produce a fur coat with pockets.”

The first four stories are narrated by “Obbie” Robertson, whose AWOL cousin stirs up trouble with other men’s wives. Many of these stories concern love, but romance in Tuckahoe might just involve “[holding] the barbed wire for each other.” Time and again, McKinnon’s characters demonstrate that love is “elegant in dreams but awkward in practice.”

This book’s difficult to put down, easy to recommend. You will laugh out loud.

 

Artistry in motion

Okay, not in motion, but still art.  I have been talking back and forth with someone who has been doing some drawings for Black Mask & Pale Rider, plus discussing a possible web comic in the future (maybe with the two elven gunslingers, most likely with a new story concept with different characters, leaning into some risque aspects, more details as the project gets off the ground).

Anyway, allow me to introduce to you Clarissa.

The name is Clarissa R. Hummel, so it’s a little formal and bit mixed with cultures, but that’s grand actually. I love culture and I love to hear from others, and no that has nothing to do with me living in the “melting pot of the world” (Yay America, how the entirety of the planet hates you). I’m 18 years old, born June 4th, 1991 and yes, I’m out of high school, finally! I’m an early grad and proud of it, no I didn’t get my GED, I graduated early; as in, GETTING ALL MY CREDITS BEFORE THE REST OF MY CLASS. I will brag about that, yes because for that I am proud of myself. Anyway, I adore things like art, romance, a good story with a good plot, I enjoy photography – taking it and seeing it – I’m a big fan of photo manipulations; however I HATE to see a photo killed with the whole, “fish-eye” thing you see on a lot of cards with animals. I enjoy tattoos and I design them in my free time. Normally for others so I do take requests like that. I’m not the best artist, but that isn’t my goal, I just want to see how much I can improve myself, either it be through sketches, human study (I’m an anatomy fan), or through photographs. I’ve taken pretty much all the art courses I could while in High School.

I plan on being a business owner, that is why I’m going to go to college for my business degree, not to make my friends jealous or my father proud, though that would be nice. I want it because I want to prove to myself that I can accomplish something in my life, simply to accomplish it. I want to help people, in ways that not everyone thinks of. I’ve always wanted to do a comic, but I thought I couldn’t because my art style changes from time to time. You can tell when it’s a bad day by how my art appears and you can tell when I’m inspired on other days. It’s all about the time, that is, I guess why I can’t keep a job at a fast food restaurant. I’m honest and usually straight to the point because I believe that everyone can lie, but a real person will have the balls to be honest. Oh! And you can pretty much talk to me about anything.

You can e-mail me at Someonesdreamer@hotmail.com or you can give Clairerehu@aol.com a shot, granted I don’t check it as much as I do my hotmail. My deviant art is someonesdreamer.deviantart.com I don’t upload as often as I used to, but I try. You can also contact me on MSN if you feel the need / want to, just let me know who you are and where you got my info.

And now, for a full colour version of Pania Alow, a.k.a. Pale Rider, from the web series Black Mask & Pale Rider.