Warp 9 Comics

I stopped in Warp 9 today to get the November issues of The October Faction and Wytches. I asked Trey Hunt, the new owner, if I could blog about Warp 9 and he said okay.

Warp 9 has been in business since 1999 and Trey took it over earlier this year (he’s in the photo below).

 

If you’re into graphic novels and comics, then Warp 9 is the place to go. The inventory is extensive and Trey is a great source of knowledge and is happy to answer any questions. I asked Trey what got him into comics and he said his Aunt had a lot to do with it. She collected comics, which, among other things, sparked Trey’s interest in comics at an early age.

 

Comic books stores such as Warp 9 are much like local, independent books stores used to be and should be treasured. Unlike  Barnes & Noble or e-tailers such as Amazon, shops like Warp 9 make the comic experience personal The world of comics and graphic novels has its own unique culture and shops like Warp 9 help keep it alive.

Warp 9 is located in downtown Clawson, Michigan on 14 Mile Road just west of Main Street. Check it out- you won’t be disappointed.

For more, go here:  http://www.warpninecomics.com

The System – A Detroit Story – Free Download

The System – A Detroit Story – is now part of Kindle Prime and will be a free download on Amazon.com from Friday September 26th through Tuesday September 30th.  It’s available here: http://www.amazon.com/System-Detroit-Story—ebook/dp/B005HZKIBE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1313788718&sr=1-1

General Fuzz

I listen to electronic music when I write, without distracting lyrics. Trying to write while someone is belting out a song just doesn’t work. I either listen to Pandora for new artists and material or check out recommendations on iTunes. Today I ran across General Fuzz. I already had already downloaded two of his songs from iTunes and liked them, but really didn’t pay attention to the artist. Today I did, and went to the General Fuzz website.

The music is simply great- intelligent, well thought out, catchy and clean. Plus, get this, all of the downloads are free. 

Who is General Fuzz? James Kirsch from Newton, MA, and a true artist. He’s supported through donations.

If you like to listen to quality music when you work, check out General Fuzz. This dude is for real.

Here’s the link to his site: http://generalfuzz.net/index.php

Virgil Bliss

Every once in a while a gem of a movie pops up out of nowhere. One such movie is Virgil Bliss. I first though, yeah, another low budget stinker but I was dead wrong. Virgil Bliss is a great film. Low on budget, yes. High on writing and talent, yes.

Virgil Bliss is an urban tragedy. Virgil’s chances of success in the outside world appear to be doomed from the onset, from the sarcastic prison guards messing with him before his release, to being fired from his job as a janitor for being an ex-con.

Virgil is released from prison to a halfway house in New York where he meets the confrontational Manny Alvarez, who Virgil eventually befriends. After unsuccessfully trying to pick up women, Manny takes Virgil to the gritty, post-industrial street corner that Ruby works. Virgil makes the tragic mistake of falling in love with her, much to Manny’s protests. Virgil is played by Clint Jordan. Ruby is played by Kirsten Russell. Both performances are truly authentic and convincing.

It looks like Virgil and Ruby may have a chance of a new life, but it doesn’t work out that way. At all.

An added bonus is the soundtrack, nearly perfect for this film.

Virgil Bliss was written and directed by Joe Maggio.

Grade A

Free Download: The Day Detroit Went Dark

To celebrate and help promote The Day Detroit Went Dark audiobook, the Kindle version of The Day Detroit Went Dark will be a free download on Amazon.com starting December 24th through December 28th.

Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Detroit-Went-Dark-ebook/dp/B00BIOR5K0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361485307&sr=8-1&keywords=the+day+detroit+went+dark

Here’s a few reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying and excellent, June 19, 2013

This review is from: The Day Detroit Went Dark (Kindle Edition)

As an ex-Detroiter I can assure you that if what happened in the book really did happen, this is about as close to what would happen without use of a crystal ball. Sadly the city of Detroit has been little more than a war zone for the last fifty years and it only gets worse with each passing decade. Mr.Silver has crafted a great and terrifying read. At once gut-wrenching and in some very small ways hopeful. I finished this in less than twenty four hours. Haven’t done that in a long time. Great book.

4.0 out of 5 stars good story!, March 30, 2013

This review is from: The Day Detroit Went Dark (Kindle Edition)

This is one of those books you just can’t put down, plenty of action and you “just have to know what’s going to happen next.

5.0 out of 5 stars PHENOMENAL BOOK!!! February 22, 2013

This review is from: The Day Detroit Went Dark (Kindle Edition)

This book is incredible. The author pulls me in and keeps my attention throughout. I love the characters. It’s like I’m literally watching a movie and it’s an easy read. Great Job!*****

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than I had anticipated!, September 23, 2013

This review is from: The Day Detroit Went Dark (Kindle Edition)

So nice to be pleasantly surprised when giving a book a chance! Not to say that this was a pleasant book! No. In fact, both the implications AND feasibility of the story is frightening to say the least! The storyline was smooth and non stop. Not lots of flowery filler. Every word necessary to moving the story along. The short length of the story was enough time to get to know and care about thanks to the author’s style.

The audiobook is here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Day-Detroit-Went-Dark/dp/B00HEFDJCK/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1361485307&sr=8-1

And here: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Day-Detroit-Went-Dark-Audiobook/B00HCP9C64/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1387841012&sr=1-1

The Day Detroit Went Dark is also available on iTunes.

Thanks, everyone for making this book a success and Happy Holidays!

The Day Detroit Went Dark Audiobook

The Day Detroit Went Dark hit retail yesterday on audible.com and on iTunes.

Getting the book into production was a lot of work, mostly on the narrator’s part, Stephen Marsden, PhD. Steve is a great voice talent and his work ethic is unparalleled, making the whole process painless.

Before an audiobook goes into production deadlines are agreed upon, and Steve hit them way in advance. I think the worst thing that could happen is that someone, either the rights holder (author or publisher) or the narrator slacks. The disaster scenario is that the contract is voided and the rights holder starts the audition process all over again. This could set the production back by many months.

The System – A Detroit Story is categorized as “headed for retail” in the production process and will be available soon, both on audible.com and iTunes.

Steve has agreed to narrate Reckoning in Escobara which makes me very happy. Here’s the new cover:

Having a quality narrator is more than just a good voice. A voice without a professional behind it is the equivalent of a pretty face with no brains behind it. One tires of that in a hurry. I got lucky.

New Thomas Edison: RESURRECTOR Cover

I’ve refreshed the cover for Thomas Edison: RESURRECTOR since I felt it needed a change. Here it is:

I took the photograph inside Edison’s Menlo Park lab at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.

Also just got word that The System- A Detroit Story and The Day Detroit Went Dark are ‘headed for retail’ on Audible.com. They should appear on Audible any time now. The covers had to change, since Audible requires square covers (just like CDs) instead of rectangles.

Black and Blue Friday

We’re witnessing another significant decline in culture, and it involves Thanksgiving. What is Thanksgiving? Gathering with family and friends, looking back at the good things that happened during the year, eating turkey and maybe watching some football. That’s more like what was Thanksgiving. Now it seems to be all about Black Friday’s bottom line. Black Friday (and its associated violence) is becoming the holiday, not Thanksgiving.

Cases in point:

A fight over a parking spot at a Wal-Mart in Claypool Hill, VA resulted in one man knifing another in the arm “so viciously that he hit bone.”

A man was pepper sprayed and arrested at a Wal-Mart in Garfield, NJ after arguing with another man over a TV. He then lunged at a cop trying to intervene, resulting in charges of aggravated assault against the officer.

A police officer’s wrist was broken while attempting to stop a fight between swarming Rialto, CA Wal-Mart shoppers. The doors were opened early and 3000 people bolted inside.

There were reports that a woman used a stun gun on another during a Franklin Mills Mall brawl in Northeast Philadelphia. 

Check out this link and watch the videos: http://nypost.com/2013/11/29/cop-shoots-shoplifter-near-chicago-amid-black-friday-chaos-others-hurt-around-country/

From Reuters: “A suspected shoplifter was shot by police in a Chicago suburb and a woman spat on another woman’s child in an argument over baby clothes.”

Check out this link and videos: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/29/us-usa-retail-blackfriday-crime-idUSBRE9AS0ON20131129

Check out this video at a North Carolina Wal-Mart:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101235261

 According to the website medicaldaily.com, Wal-Mart “took in over 22 million shoppers this past Thursday.” Check out the videos here: http://www.medicaldaily.com/black-friday-violence-2013-top-7-worst-displays-mayhem-caught-video-263983

 According to the New York Post, the hash tag #WalmartFights started to trend early. One of the best tweets compared the Black Friday masses to Spain’s Running of the Bulls, “but replaced with badly dressed people.”

 It’s not just Wal-Mart. Even the more upscale Macy’s broke a 155 year tradition by being open on Thanksgiving. 15,000 people lined up the Herald Square Macy’s for the doors to open at 8:00pm.

 So where does Black (and blue) Friday lead us? Nowhere good. Where is the traditional Thanksgiving trending? Severely downward. So what can we do about it? Simple. Stay home and enjoy our friends and family.