I’ve been thrown a curveball in my writing career this year.
I hoped to show everybody my second novel Famous
After Death but, due to circumstances beyond my control, its release with
Silver Leaf Books has been delayed a year.
The bright side of that, for readers especially, is that I’m
about to share an action-packed piece of fiction that I wouldn’t have otherwise
had an outlet for. Silver Leaf Books has decided to release a handful of short
stories on Amazon, among them my roughhousing work – Medical Martial Arts.
The cover art (before title added):
The story was inspired by athletes who continue competing
past their prime despite the harm to their bodies because they need that one
last run at greatness. Normally, the body has its limits. I use a science
fiction theme, yet one not too far from reality, to remove all boundaries.
Putt up your mitts, here’s the summary:
Cliff "Bones' Bonner lost everything last time he
stepped into the cage, his title, his health and his pride. His wife begs him
to retire and relish in a successful career, but this mix martial arts fighter
won't take off his gloves until he silences his critics. Bones get his chance
in the Hardcore Combat League, a bloody spectacle in the Bahamas where stem
cell implants and sculpting bones into deadly weapons are as legal as a pair of
shorts. Victory in this sport pays well, but it comes with a price.
His first opponent is a four-armed man. One of the more climactic
scenes makes use of South Florida’s most overlooked Cold War landmarks.
As some of you know, I’m a former high school wrestler and a
fan of both mixed martial arts and the WWE so I take great pleasure in writing
a combat story like this. Individual sports can bring out the best or the worst in you. Losing is such an empty feeling because you can only blame yourself. Winning, knowing that you just physically defeated someone, is such an unbelievable high.
The key to making people care about a fight, whether
real or fiction, is selling the characters involved. It’s the difference
between seeing two strangers battle in a parking lot and watching your brother
fight a bully.
Medical Martial Arts
will be available in the coming months. Stay tuned and have your favorite
e-reader ready.
As for my novels, I’m eager to share the breakneck thriller Famous After Death with everybody soon but
next year’s the more likely target for it. The sequel to Mute is pretty far along. I’m keeping the plot quiet (he he)
to avoid spoilers.
I honestly wish I had more time to write fiction because
that’s what I love. I know that sounds funny when I’m talking about all these
projects, yet I have so many ideas that I can’t wait to get to next.
And so the fight continues…
