Category Archives: Short Stories

A clarification about the Luther Cross books

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Recently, I’ve gotten some complaints about the second Luther Cross book, so I wanted to issue a clarification.

There is a series of short stories by myself on Amazon that carry the Luther Cross label. Luther first came to life through Pro Se Press’ Single Shot Signatures, a line of short stories and serials.

Some people have been confused by this and have accused me of breaking the second novel into four short chunks, but this isn’t what happened.

Pro Se made the decision to scale back the Single Shot Signatures line, and Luther was one of the casualties. Because I love the character and saw enormous potential, I made the decision to continue his stories in the form of novels.

All the Luther Cross Single Shot Signature stories take place before Devil’s Due. I’ve asked Pro Se to remove the Luther Cross Single Shots from Amazon and they’ve agreed. But I also wanted to let you all know what the story was so there’s no confusion.

If you haven’t read the short stories, you can get them for free in one volume, titled Devil’s Taunt and Other Stories. This also contains an exclusive novella set in Luther’s early days. You can get this collection by clicking here.

The second Luther Cross novel will be titled Devil’s Descent and it’s coming soon. Apologies for the delay in getting it out. I’m in the middle of moving so that’s slowed down the progress.

Thanks for your continued support!

Vanguard Season 3 begins here!

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Vanguard 011This is it! The third season of Vanguard kicks off in Vanguard #11: Vengeance!

This season will see some really big changes for our heroes as events that have been building ever since the first season start to converge!

The Exemplar went missing after Cerberus’ siege on the island he’d built for specials. But now he’s back, and out for blood! What the Exemplar doesn’t know is that Cerberus has gone through some changes since he last encountered them, and are now even working with Vanguard! Can Vanguard subdue the powerful special before he causes irreparable damage?

Be sure to get it now on Amazon or for free on Kindle Unlimited! But hurry up, because the special 99¢ release price is a limited time offer!

Once you’ve read the book, please post up a review on Amazon!

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Vanguard: Season 3 now available for pre-order!

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vanguards3

All five episodes that make up the third season of Vanguard are now available for pre-order on Amazon!

This is the season where everything changes. Old enemies resurface, questions are answered, and events that have been building since Episode #0 come to a head here!

You won’t want to miss the all-out superhero action in Vanguard: Season 3! Pre-order all the episodes now at only 99¢!

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Luther Cross: Bloodlust now available!

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Luther Cross 3 - BloodlustThe long-awaited third installment of occult investigator Luther Cross is now available from Pro Se Productions! Check out the product description:

Author Percival Constantine returns with another tale of Luther Cross—the only man clever enough to con Hell itself. In the third installment of Constantine’s Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series, Cross has to draw the line between passion and hunger in “Bloodlust”.

While helping the police investigate the murder of a high-end escort in uptown Chicago, Cross discovers that the victim is a vampire. Creatures of the night are moonlighting as prostitutes… and as dangerous as they are, something even worse is now hunting them. Cross must decide whose side he’s on—the monster’s or the monster hunter’s—and he must do it quickly before even more blood is spilled.

Bloodlust, the third digital single short story in Constantine’s Luther Cross Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series.

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A new crime fiction anthology!

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The Dame Did It cover_ebookA DEADLY FEMININE TOUCH-‘THE DAME DID IT’ ANTHOLOGY DEBUTS FROM PRO SE PRODUCTIONS

A leading publisher of Genre Fiction, Pro Se Productions announces the release of an anthology that places women in the driver’s seat of each story. Heroines, villainesses, and more are the order of the day in The Dame Did It, now available in print and digital formats.

“Even though,” says Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “having a woman as a lead character is not exactly new, even in Pulp, it’s an arena that still has so much room for fun storytelling and innovation. And the authors in The Dame Did It do just that with both a surgical precision and all the over the top craziness readers expect from Genre Fiction.”

A death rattle echoes down a shadowy alley….
Guns blaze like exploding suns in the dead of night…
And make no mistake about who’s responsible….
THE DAME DID IT!

Pro Se Productions presents a collection of new stories wrapped in the shadows of Noir and definitely Hard Boiled with a feminine touch. Authors Joel Jenkins, Christofer Nigro, Shannon Muir, and Percival Constantine deliver two fisted, gun shooting hard core action in these blood soaked pages, and each tale revolves around a woman. A heroine desperate to save the day, a villainess hungry to destroy, or someone trapped in the middle. All and more will be found in The Dame Did It!

Featuring a terrific cover and logo design by Jeffrey Hayes and print formatting by Percival Constantine, The Dame Did It is available now!

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Vanguard #1 and Luther Cross #2 available now!

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Vanguard 001-01The first episode of Vanguard, my new serial chronicling the adventures of a team of superheroes, is now available exclusively on Amazon!

The world has changed. A mysterious event altered the genetic structure of humanity, granting a small percentage of the population superhuman powers. A small team of these specials has been formed to deal with potential threats. Paragon—telekinetic powerhouse; Zenith—hyper-intelligent automaton; Shift—shape-changing teenager; Wraith—teleporting shadow warrior; Sharkskin—human/shark hybrid. Led by the armored Gunsmith, they are Vanguard!

Callum King’s life has fallen apart. He lost his job, his wife left him, and he was about to end it all—when he discovered he possessed the powers of a superman. Now calling himself the Exemplar, he’s declared himself the world’s first superhero, out to prove those who doubted him wrong. But his arrogance far supersedes his good intentions! Can Vanguard overcome their internal strife in order to face their first threat?

If you’re a fan of superhero comics like the X-Men or the Avengers, then you do not want to miss this new monthly series! Available for only 99¢ on Amazon or free if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited! Buy it now!

Vanguard 000-01And if you can’t wait for the second installment of the series, there’s a special prequel episode of the series!

Want to know how Vanguard was created? Curious about the specifics of The Event that introduced specials into the world? Then you won’t want to miss Vanguard #0: The Event!

This prequel episode shows the lives of the members of Vanguard before they joined the team and why they signed up. Witness the birth of a legend right here in this exclusive episode. It’s and exclusive to subscribers, so sign up now to receive your free copy!

And also don’t forget Vanguard #2: Cold War Frankenstein, scheduled for release on February 23rd and now available for pre-order on Amazon!

This is a big day for release announcements because I’m not yet done! On the same day that Vanguard #1 came out, Pro Se Productions also released the second installment of my Luther Cross series for their Single Shot Signatures line. Here’s their press release:

Luther Cross 2 - The Ties That BindPRO SE PRODUCTIONS SINGLE SHOT SIGNATURE SERIES-
FOUR NEW STORIES TO KICK OFF 2015!

At the end of 2013, Pro Se Productions, an innovative publisher of Genre Fiction, debuted its Pro Se Single Shots line, stand alone digital only short story singles at an affordable price. Due to the success of the single self containted tales, Pro Se launched the Pro Se Single Shot Signature line in 2014. The Signature imprint still focuses on digital singles, but invited authors either write individual stand alone stories under a ‘From the Pen of…” title or a series of their own creation, either featuring connected stories or even ‘chapters’ or ‘episodes’ as well as still features single short stories or recurrent ‘chapters’ or ‘episodes’ written as short stories. The New Pulp Publisher debuts the next chapters in four of its inaugural Signature series today.

“The Pro Se Single Shot Signature line,” says Tommy Hancock, Pro Se Productions Partner and Editor in Chief, “is a project that, although it’s gotten off to a slow start, has in many ways altered how Pro Se sees publishing. We’ll continue with our traditional publishing of novels and anthologies, but the Signature imprint allows us to play with all sorts of possibilities of promotion, distribution, and accessing new readership on several levels. With schedules being sorted in the next week or two as well as multiple series and writer’s imprints debuing within the line over the next month or so, Pro Se is preparing to redefine Genre Fiction and New Pulp in 2015. And the four latest installments to the series that kicked off the Signatures are the best way to move forward.”

The four newest releases from the Pro Se Single Shot Signature line are available at Amazon and www.smashwords.com.

FLY GIRL: THE ICE QUEEN by Russ Anderson

Russ Anderson Jr’s Fly Girl returns, soaring into her second adventure in her Pro Se Single Shot Signature series as she faces The Ice Queen!

Still reeling from the events of the first story, 16 year old Caryn Clay struggles to understand her newfound abilities, her truly awesome connection with her Navajo heritage, and the attack of another strangely powered figure, known only as The Trickster. Before she can come to grips with any of that, though, a new foe presents herself. Can Caryn survive the chilling vengeance of a wronged girl? And are she and her mystical feather to blame for the destruction wrought by this frigid new enemy? Find out in The Ice Queen, Fly Girl Book Two by Russ Anderson, Jr., featuring exciting cover and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Anderson. Available on the Kindle athttp://tinyurl.com/prt4yoo and for most other formats at http://tinyurl.com/q6vm3pl for only 99 cents.

LUTHER CROSS: TIES THAT BIND by Percival Constantine

Author Percival Constantine returns with another tale of Luther Cross—the only man clever enough to con Hell itself. In the second installment of Constantine’s Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series, Cross finds himself embroiled in a missing persons case and becomes dangerously entangled in Ties That Bind.

A stop for breakfast in a small diner becomes a case of life and death…and more for Cross. Overhearing a distraught woman’s plea for help to find her missing brother, Cross senses there is more than simply an absent sibling at work here. Finding themselves on their own deep in the woods, Cross and his new companion discover that small towns not only hide skeletons in the closet. There’s something much worse they keep in the barn.

Ties That Bind, the second digital single short story in Constantine’s Luther Cross Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series, features evocative cover art and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. The latest story in Cross’ saga is available for only 99 cents for Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/l79xflt and at Smashwords for other formats at http://tinyurl.com/o76jp2j.

MAGEE: TWO SOULS by David White

The Angel Heaven and Hell hate to see coming discovers new truths in the third installment of author David White’s Magee, a Pro Se Single Shot Series from Pro Se Productions.

Finding love in the arms of a witch, Magee seems to be finding his stride in the mortal world. That is, until a guitar wielding demon shows up, fully intent on playing Magee’s funeral song on his corpse. As the battle ensues, Magee finds himself face to face with unbelievable secrets now revealed as well as an evil older than God itself. An evil that offers Magee the world…or suffering beyond even his imagining.

David White’s Magee: Two Souls is the third digital single short story in this supernatural action Pro Se Single Signature Series and features striking art work and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. Get your copy for only 99 cents at Amazon for the Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/k6qcrxb and for most other formats at Smashwords at http://tinyurl.com/pqaptzy.

THE FABULOUS WORLD OF ZENITH: MY FLORIDA IDYLL, PART TWO
by Chuck Miller

Chuck Miller, the master of Psychedelic Pulp, returns with the second episode of the wildest, weirdest Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series yet. The Fabulous World of Zenith, a new and original series that will examine the world of the Black Centipede, Vionna Valis, Mary Kelly and Doctor Unknown Junior from a variety of strange and oblique angles continues on with The Journal of Bloody Mary Jane: My Florida Idyll- Part Two!

Finding herself trapped in the small Florida settlement of Cotton Mather and Ponce De Leon, Mary Jane Gallows continues on her odd mission for the now vampiric Professor Moriarty, as well as her own personal twisted journey. Strange creatures inhabit the dilapidated village surrounding the mysterious Fountain of Youth. Three men stumble their way into the crop of building and strangeness seeking a murderess, not knowing that Bloody Mary Jane is indeed among them. And Miss Gallows finds out much and yet nothing about the future, her destiny, and secrets that could mean her own demise or even better, the end of the world.

The Journal of Bloody Mary Jane: My Florida Idyll- Part Two features a fantastic cover and logo design by Jeff Hayes and ebook formatting by Russ Anderson. It is available for only 99 cents at Amazon for the Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/kxfgfme and at Smashwords for most other formats at http://tinyurl.com/pkbcslh.

For more information on these titles, interviews with the authors, or digital copies for review, contact Morgan McKay, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations, at directorofcorporateoperations@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

Luther Cross: The Reckoning now available!

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Luther Cross 1 - The ReckoningHELL KNOWS NO FURY…UNTIL NOW.
NEW PRO SE SINGLE SHOT SIGNATURE SERIES DEBUTS- ‘LUTHER CROSS’ BY PERCIVAL CONSTANTINE

Continuing with its innovative approach to Genre Fiction and New Pulp, Pro Se Productions announces the debut of its newest Pro Se Single Shot Signature series of digital singles. Author Percival Constantine brings an occult action thriller to the Signature line centered around a man who has literally been through Hell. The Reckoning: Luther Cross Book One is now available from Pro Se Productions.

“Luther Cross,” says Tommy Hancock, Partner in and Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “is a character and a series that will strike a few notes with Genre fans. It has a definite horror/supernatural angle to it and the action sequences sing like fine bloody opera, but the real fun here is the main character himself. Luther is simultaneously a skilled troubleshooter of all things strange and beyond and a man with his own troubled history, which definitely colors his view on the world. Also, Percival instills Cross with this sort of relaxed, deliberate approach to the world around him, both of them, and that makes the character both likable and more approachable to readers.”

Pro Se Productions goes to Hell and back with the debut of its newest Single Shot Signature Series. Author Percival Constantine introduces readers to the enigmatic, inexplicable Luther Cross.

Luther Cross has been through Hell—literally. Born of a mother he watched die, conceived as part of a demonic ritual, and raised by monks after being saved by a mysterious, murderous individual, Cross now makes what living he does through confidence schemes…and the death of demons. What led to a school shooting in a small town, and why is there a mystic component involved? The spirits of the victims call out for help, and only Luther Cross can answer their cries.

“Ebooks,” says Constantine, “have changed the entire market and I’m thrilled to be part of Pro Se’s efforts to take full advantage of the format with the Single Shot Signatures. With the ability to quickly and cheaply publish stories, eBooks are the pulp paper of the new millennium.”

The Reckoning: Luther Cross Book One features stunning cover art and design by Jeff Hayes, main title logo by Constantine, and eBook formatting by Russ Anderson. The first issue of the latest Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series is available for the Kindle via Amazon and for most eBook formats at www.smashwords.com for only 99 cents.

For more information on this title, interviews with the author, or digital copies for review, contact Morgan McKay, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations, at directorofcorporateoperations@prose-press.com.

For more information on Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com.Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

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Want a Discount eBook? How About a Free One?

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Been a long time, unfortunately have been very busy with classes—both teaching and taking them. But what I have to bring you today is two great offers!

First, for the month of July, you can pick up SoulQuest for the sale price of 99¢! It’s available on all platforms, so whether you’re an Kindle, Kobo, iOS, or Nook user, you can get access to it. One of the reasons for this sale is because I’d like to boost up the reviews for the book. So if you buy and enjoy it, then please post up a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Without reviews, it’s very hard for indie books to find an audience.

The next thing to offer is “The Wild Hunt.” If you’ve previously bought a copy of the PulpWork Christmas Special 2013, then you’ve already read this story featuring Asami of The Myth Hunter series. But if you haven’t, now you have the chance to read it for free! How do you get it? All you have to do is subscribe to my mailing list.

Check out the details for both books below:

[mybooktable book=”soulquest” display=”summary”] [mybooktable book=”the-wild-hunt” display=”summary”]

The PulpWork Christmas Special 2013 is now available!

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The PulpWork Christmas Special 2013 is now available for sale! This book contains four short stories, penned by myself, Joel Jenkins, Russ Anderson, and Josh Reynolds. My contribution to this is “The Wild Hunt,” a story that features Asami, the kitsune changeling from The Myth Hunter and Dragon Kings of the Orient. In this tale, Asami is back in Japan and while tracking a yuki-onna (snow woman), she discovers something far more dangerous.

For those who are waiting for the third Myth Hunter book, you’ll…have to wait a bit longer. I’ve got a rough idea of the plot and some scattered notes, but I’ve got a few other projects I’m focusing on at the moment. So hopefully this story will be able to tide you over for a bit!

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Back to School

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backtoschoolSeptember has brought about a return to school on two fronts for me. At the beginning of this month, I began my new day job. I’m still teaching English in public schools here in southern Kyushu, but now I’m working for a private company instead of the JET Program (which imposes a limit of five years). The other major difference is that before, I taught at elementary and junior high schools, whereas now I’m teaching at only elementary schools. I’ve also got a much longer commute, around forty minutes to an hour and a half depending on the school (I have a lot of schools to visit). The good thing with that is I’ve gotten a chance to catch up on a lot of podcasts, as well as discovered some others.

On that note, if you aren’t listening to Tommy Hancock’s excellent PULPED! and Pro Se Presents: The Podcast shows, then you need to jump over to iTunes right now and search for those. Every week, both are updated with Tommy speaking to a different New Pulp writer and they’re well worth a listen.

The other “back to school” front is I’ve begun the second semester of my online masters course at Southern New Hampshire University. The first semester was a difficult one. I took two classes with the assumption that I’d have plenty of time—after all, I was taking five classes a semester during my undergrad years, why couldn’t I be able to handle two? Famous last words, as those two classes took up a lot of my time and I was burning the candle at both ends. This semester I’ve only decided to take one class. Initially, I was enrolled in a Masters in English, but when registration time came around and I looked over the required classes, I realized they were pretty much identical to classes I took in my undergraduate years. Not wanting to just repeat myself, I changed my major slightly—I’m still going for a Masters in English, but now it’s more specific: a Masters in English and Creative Writing with a Screenwriting Concentration (man that’s a mouthful). Poetry doesn’t pose much of an interest to me (and I’m not very good at it) and while there’s no harm in improving my prose skills, screenwriting and film has always been one of my first loves, so I wanted to focus on that. This semester, I’m taking a class called Fiction Fundamentals and today’s the first day. I popped in on the message boards and introduced myself (as is customary at the beginning of these online classes), talked a little bit about myself, and was surprised to find someone who recognized me from my work with PulpWork Press! Always a nice feeling.

On the education front, last semester both of my final papers focused on pulp work. One of them was a linguistic analysis the language of Fleming’s Bond novels and how Fleming used that language to promote notions of British superiority. After a semester full of struggle and my professor getting really frustrated with me just not getting ig (although still disguising it with nearly endless patience), imagine my surprise when she sent me an email in response to my first draft and asked me to post it up on the class message board to serve as an example!

My other paper was comparing Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan to another jungle hero, Charles Saunders’ Mtimu, who made his debut in Black Pulp. As an editor for Pro Se, I’m entitled to digital comp copies of their entire library, so I emailed Tommy and asked him if I could get one of Black Pulp and explained why. Tommy was more than happy to provide me with a copy (and go pick up yours, it’s an excellent book). Once I finished the essay, I sent it to him and Tommy loved it to the point that he asked me if he could post it up on the Pro Se website as one of Pro Se’s Free Extras and I said sure, albeit with some trepidation. I hadn’t yet received a grade on it, nor feedback from my classmates, so the self-conscious part of me who has been out of college for about seven years kept telling me “this is crap, you don’t know what you’re doing.” But Tommy liked it and so I allowed him to post it up.

Nothing could prepare me for what would happen next. A few weeks ago, I received an email from Ron Fortier, who really needs no introduction (but go on over to Airship 27 if for some reason you do need one). Ron’s always an interesting guy with a story to tell (if you’ve ever heard him on any of the podcasts he’s appeared on, you know this, and he just did one for The Nocturne Travel Agency that you should listen to), and this was no exception. This time around, Ron told me about how he’d been trying to convince Charles Saunders for some time to write a jungle queen novel focused on the character of Lulama, who was at first an antagonist of sorts in the Mtimu story. Saunders gave it some thought, but once my essay was posted on Pro Se’s website, Ron took advantage of it and sent it to Charles. The essay apparently delighted Charles to the point that he decided to move ahead with the Lulama novel! You can read the full account on Airship 27’s press release. Needless to say, I was floored by this news. What turned out to be a simple essay (and writing about pulp in a positive light in an academic setting is a steep hill to climb) turned into something that served as inspiration for a great writer!

And yes, I got an A on the paper.

Things have now calmed down after I’ve moved into my new house and settled into my new job. I’ve managed to jump back on the writing horse. SoulQuest, my next novel, is close to print. My old friend and wonderful artist Brad Horton is handling the cover art this time, and from the concepts he’s shown me, this will probably be the best-looking book I’ve published to date.

After living with SoulQuest for far too long, I decided to recharge by doing some short story work. I’ve also finished two short stories for Pro Se, and I’m in the process of working on a third. I’m not sure if Tommy would like me to go into more specifics than that, so I’ll keep quiet about what those projects are until there’s a press release. I’ve also got another short story to work on for the 2013 PulpWork Christmas Special. This will be the first time I’ve participated in that anthology. I had to decline in the past because I was in the midst of other things and couldn’t get it ready in time. But this time, I had an idea for a great Christmas story. So rejoice, Myth Hunter fans, because this story will focus on Asami, Elisa Hill’s changeling partner!

Once I’m done with those stories, I can get back to my next novel project. I put it to the side for a while so I could recharge myself with these shorter projects. But now I’m chomping at the bit to get back to work on it. I won’t say much more about it than that. I’ve started using the Magic Spreadsheet to chart my progress, and you can find out more about that here.

That’s all for now. Hopefully with some more time, I’ll be able to post on here more frequently.