Historian?

On the cover material for "Vis Major" the publisher refers to me as an "historian." Can you believe that? Look at this photo of yours truly proudly holding his first hardbound and first softbound editions of "Vis." Historian? They've lost their minds.

Would a real historian have a chunk missing from his left thumb and losing the nail on his right thumb, not to mention ground in grime under the nails of all ten digits? Obviously this "historian" digs up his facts the old fashioned way, grubbing in the dirt.

Then there's that gray fast going to white hair. Looks to me like this "historian" is writing from memory not research.

Now, in the background is "Vis Major" command central. (BTW...notice how many times I'm working the title "Vis Major" into this little essay. Product branding, folks...ef the art, it's all about the sales units from here on out.) Anyways, what you see is where the book was written. Looking close, you'll even see a couple of the binders holding the hard copy of one of the many rewrites. See that stain on the thicker of the two? That's evaporated milk spilled on the manuscript by none other than "White Cascade" author, Gary Krist. Gary read that very manuscript while doing the research for his book.

No folks, I'm no historian. If I honestly thought being one would sell more books, I'd be sitting in a a lot fancier chair, I'd have one those tweed sport coats with the big leather patches on the elbows and a close cropped goatee. No, "Vis" is a blue collar story, told about a bunch of blue collar boys. Historians just wouldn't get it.

Oh, and no, I don't "love" to sew.......

We're Official!

Well, I got an interesting e-mail from a Facebook friend today. He had ordered two copies of "Vis Major" off of Amazon.com!

Huh? Today the publisher, iUniverse sent me my two printer's copies of the book for my final "oaky." I will probably receive them early next week. Once I give them the thumbs-up, then full production will begin. Still, I guess they aren't wasting any time. The title is listed and a little surfing around on the Amazon listing will reveal iUniverse's little promotional blurb on the book. Me, a historian? They gotta be joking!

And speaking of not wasting anytime. Amazon is already listing 2 "Used" copies of "Vis." Now whoever has those must be a serious speed reader. I mean, I haven't even SEEN the damned things yet!

Take a quick buzz over to Amazon and do a search for "Vis Major." Who knows? Maybe you can score one of those cheap "Used" copies.

A Little Teaser

Well, here it is, folks...the cover for "Vis Major!" And yes, I'm pretty damned excited. There's been a small hold-up...the publisher is less than stellar in their communication skills and thus we're having "issues" getting the maps embedded in the text, but even at that, I'm still thinking the book will be in production my mid to late September. iUniverse is the publisher, they are a "print on demand" press. The title will eventually be listed on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and I believe Boarders as well, but you probably won't see it in your local independent bookstore anytime soon, unless it really takes off. Whether that happens is actually up to your folks.

Anyways...along with a glimpse of the cover, here's a little taste of the story itself.

Enjoy and put "Vis" on you Christmas wish list!

Dougherty’s nose and ears had grown numb, but he scarcely noticed. He sat on the roof of the plow, peering through the blizzard. The excitement he felt just prior to leaving Cascade Tunnel Station now consumed his mind and body. Lantern in hand, he knew it, he felt it, he truly believed it—all of the Great Northern Railway was depending on him at that moment.

Just clear of Snow Shed 2, his eyes squinting against the attacking snowflakes, Dougherty picked up a shadow of something large on the tracks. His heart leapt to his throat.

“Slide! Half a car length!” he hollered into the cab below.