As many of my readers know, I broke into the regular publishing world by first self publishing.  Before I wrote books for Baen (2 more on the way, he he he), my first novel was print on demand published through Infinity.  It worked out really well for me. I’ve never posted a review of the book that gave me that idea though.

There is an inclination amongst readers that if a book is self published, then it must not be as good.  For the author, that is an extremely difficult proposition to overcome, because it is mostly true.  However, there are some real gems out there, quality works, that for whatever reason, just haven’t been picked up by a traditional publishing house.  The book that put me over the top, and convinced me that I could do it on my own was Reckless Faith.  I spoke with David Kantrowitz, the author, and he walked me through getting my own work out there.  

http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Faith-David-Kantrowitz/dp/0741419858/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253979577&sr=1-4

The book is sci-fi, and the overall feel reminds me of a really good episode of the Outer Limits, and I say that in the best possible way.  The main characters are not square jawed heroes, but rather very average people, with average lives, and crappy jobs.  (yes, I know, like I’ve got room to talk!)  Three old college friends hook up for a weekend in the woods and encounter alien technology.  Then the fun begins.  The aliens want to provide a ship to go visit them, we just need to provide a crew.

The best part of Reckless Faith is that the characters do things you wouldn’t expect.  There are moral choices, and sometimes, they do things that you wouldn’t do yourself, but you can totally understand their reasoning.  More people find out about the alien tech, and then  the discussions begin on bringing the government in.  And you will want to punch one of the characters in the throat after that point.

The government investigators aren’t traditional stereotypes either, but rather believable people. One of whom, the reader is left believing is going to do one thing, but then totally doesn’t.  That part seemed a little jarring to me at the end, but once again, just because it isn’t what I would have had one of my characters do, is more a comment on me as the reader, than the plausibility of these character’s responses.

I recommend Reckless Faith. It is a very enjoyable first novel from a talented writer.  There is a sequel called The Tarantula Nebula also.  Click that Amazon link above and check out David’s stuff.  I think you’ll be pleased.

I often get e-mails from people asking if I mind them putting the MHI logo on various things.  I’ve only got a couple of rules, 1. as long as you’re doing it for personal use and not selling them to make money (because I want a cut of that action!) and 2. You have to send me pictures afterward.   Check out these awesome custom 1911 grips.

Edit:  These were done by Conrad Berry at www.gungrips.net

Yay!  So the 2nd printing must be out.  Now let’s hurry up and sell all of these too.

Okay, I’ve been having a heck of a time getting a signing scheduled for October 17th. 

My job is sending me to San Antonio for training, so I was going to stick around an extra day and sqeeze in a Texas signing.  It was one more I got to do without having to pay the airfare myself.  But as I’ve been calling around, everyone in the San Antonio/Austin area has been booked.

I don’t really know my way around down there.  If you are from the San Antonio/Austin area, and you’ve got a local store that would have me on that Saturday, could you let me know?

I’ve talked to most of the B&Ns (as that is always a good one) but there is some sort of Texas book event going on then, and most of them are already scheduled. There is a big independant called Book People in Austin, but I’ve not heard back from them.  If you know of something else that would want to host me and order in a case of books, please give me a heads up.

This poster was Miguel’s status on Facebook.  Words to live by right there. Still pimpin’, still tippin’, still wood grain grippin’, you know what I’m sayin’ G?   

It turns out that yet another sting was released yesterday.  This time from National City, which is outside San Diego.  The ACORN immigration expert was extremely helpful in trying to get James and Hanna hooked up on how to import El Salvadoran sex slaves. They told him that they were thirteen to fifteen years old, but hey, whatever.  I can say one thing for ACORN. Those guys have some kick ass customer service.  I’m talking about service with a smile!

Remember the ACORN lady from San Bernadino? The one that talked about how she got away with murdering her husband, and then advised the stingers not to let their teenage hookers learn to read, because then they’d get uppity?  Yeah. That little cup of sunshine.  Well, she was in the paper yesterday saying that she had only gone along with it because she was there by herself, and she was “intimidated”. 

Was she intimidated when she took them across the street to meet with another douchebag who gave them more advice about pimping in the area?  

Meanwhile, you know it is bad for ACORN when the senate votes 83-7 to not give them any more money.  When Al Franken thinks you’re scum, that is really saying something.  It says something about those other 7 senators though, like the ones, ironically, from Illinois. (hmm… I’m trying to think… isn’t there some other famous guy from Chicago that originated in that same evil, corrupt, political machine?)   

Keep in mind that ACORN is part of the same organization that helped Obama get elected.  Billions and billions of stimulas dollars were being funneled to ACORN.  It turns out they’re totally corrupt.  So maybe, just maybe, we should look into this? 

And the government actually wanted to use these corrupt scumbags to conduct the census.  Remember, that little thing that determines US population, and how many congressmen your state gets?  Yeah, the thing that determines the balance of power?  Yeah, that little thing.  The same people who have no problem with 13 year old El Salvadoran hookers were going to take care of that for us.  I’m sure nothing bad could possibly happen there.

ACORN is having an “internal” investigation… I’m sure that will be just swell.  It will show that these 5 seperate incidents were all totally isolated cases, just flukes… figments of your imagination. 

I’d like to see an investigation.  I’d like to see an actual RICO investigation.  I’m talking, old-school, take the down the Gambinos kind of thing.  I don’t want an internal investigation.  That’ s not good enough.  I want the FBI.  And because they answer to Eric Holder, who answers to Barack Obama, I don’t want regular FBI.  Iwant the hardboiled, doesn’t give a crap, bad-80s-cop-drama, alchoholic, wife left him, but does the job, no matter what, kind of investigator to go in there, kick ass and hit people with phonebooks until they confess kind of cop.  I want John McClane and Jack Bauer and Bob Lorenzo to head up this investigation.   

Because I’ve got a sneaky feeling that the corruption runs deep, like a great flowing black river, deep in the bowels of the earth.  I’d like to see heads roll, and not just at the street trash, local ACORN level.  I want to know about the congressmen and senators ACORN (the non-profit) was illegally using tax payer money to win elections for.  I want them to roll over on their bosses, and theirs bosses to roll over on their bosses, until this cancer has been cut out with a bone saw.