Where Did the Covers Come From?

World Killer

I took that photo.  What you are seeing is a basic straight razor you can buy on Amazon, a typical latex glove, and black ink.  The ink didn’t cover like I wanted it too, but some heavy processing in Lightroom took care of that.

Around the World

This is one is a generic fingerprint illustration that I edited after the fact and added some more details.  I had a hard time thinking of something more fitting to represent this book.  The finger print played such a large role; I had to go with it.

Imagineered Death

This one is just fun.  What you are looking at is actual binary code.  It spells out a sentence.  You can google a binary to English translator and enter that code to learn what it says.  It is something that plays into the story.

Nemesis

I knew what I wanted for this cover, but it fell flat.  This cover does not do the story justice.  Anyone who’s read this book knows exactly what this is a picture of.

The Shoals

I took this photo during an evening cruise around the Isle of the Shoals.  This is a photo of White Island.  I toned mapped this photo from three base photos.

Sojourn

I took this photo in my back yard during a thunderstorm.  Very little editing went into this photo.  A fun fact here – this photo is actually upside down.

Titan One

This is a real photo from NASA that I edited.  This is Saturn with its moon Titan in the foreground.

The Harvesters

This is not a real photo.  It’s an artist’s rendering of a super nova.  If you’ve read the book you know what this is the cover.

Changeling

This is another artist’s rendering.  This is a DNA strand.  If you’ve read the book you know how important that turns out to be in this book.

CMDTA’s Pictoral Guide to Disney World

This is a photo I took in 2008 during the holiday season.  There is almost no editing here.  It’s really hard to edit a jpeg from a simple point and shoot camera.  If you try, a lot of noise will show up.

Misadventures in the White Mountains

I took this photo around the mid-2000s.  This is a photo of the upper section of the Boot Spur trail on Mt. Washington.

Where Are the Books?

Fair Weather, Beast, and Camden Lock were announced over a year ago, so where are they?

Well, Fair Weather is about 30% done.  It's been 30% for almost a year.  Does that mean I've got a killer case of writers block?

It depends on how you define it.  Most of the time writers block means someone wants to write, but can't.  They are stuck and don't know how to go forward.  That's not the case with me.  I know what I'm going to write, I just don't care.

I wouldn't go as far as to say I've given up, but I have no desire or motivation to write.  Quite a few factors went into this.

After three years, I have been unable to find even an agent, never mind a publisher.  I have been able to find out fifty rejection letters.  Those are always fun.   On top of that, the editor I had, moved on.  Add that to no little to no positive feedback, and you lose motivation.

Again, this is not really writers block.  I have outlines for the following ready to go, if I ever get some motivation to do so.

Fair Weather - The Woman In White Book One - Featuring Fidel Hernandez and Tina Black.

Beast - The Woman In White Book Two - Featuring Justin Yensid and Hawk.

Camden Lock - The Woman In White Book Three - Featuring  the return of Eric and Jose.

The Depths - Featuring two characters first introduced in Fair Weather.

The Russian - An Agent 23 Novel

The West Wind Blows - A History of Survival in the White Mountains (Non-Fiction)  (writing started)

The Friend - A Novel (writing started)

So I've got outlines for seven more books.  Now all I need is motivation.

World Killer Is Back!

A much improved version of World Killer is back up.  The story is the same, but it's not a much cleaner read.

Around the World is up next for an overhaul.  I think that one will go quick.  It was in the best shape of all the books.

That's all I'm going to say about the future of my books. I'm lucky to have a professional editor who is willing to work for free.   That's not saying they don't get anything.  They get all the books for free and their name on the book.

You can get the updated version of World Killer here.

No More Books?

If you've tried to find my author page and failed, there is a reason for that.  All of my books have been taken down.  This means one of three things:

1. I finally gave up (possible)

2. Disney sued me (unlikely)

3. I got a new editor.

It's number three.  As many of you know, my books (excluding Around the World) were in terrible shape and desperately needed a good edit.  Thankfully I found someone who should be put up for sainthood.  She's blasting through World Killer and, holy crap did she ever find a ton of issues.  That's one of the reason I pulled the books.  I had no idea how bad they were, until she ripped through World Killer.

When some of the books return (some will never see the light of day again) they should be in much better shape.   I can't guarantee that all the novels will be back.  I have no idea how kind my new editor will be.

Disney Book Update

A lot has gone down since I last did a book update.  Here is the current status of all my books and what's in the cooker.

1 - Twisted Disney - A book for the hardcore Deek only.  This book of satire is borderline insane.  It's available in ebook and paperback,

2 - CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World - The alternative Disney guide book.  This book was designed to compliment most other guidebooks.  It's available in ebook and paperback

3 - "World" Killer - The first book in the DW Mysteries.  In many ways this is the darkest book in the serious.  It lays the foundation for the next two books and The Advocates.  It's available in ebook and paperback.

4 - Around the "World" - Book two of the DW Mysteries.  This book is bigger, better, and more exciting that the first book in the series.  It's available in ebook and paperback.  It has the best editing out of the four books available in paperback, it has the best editing.

5 - Imagineered Death - The unpredictable end to the DW Mysteries.  Out of the three books in the DW Mysteries, this one is the most dynamic.  It's currently available in draft form and is being edited by my editor.  Right now, it's ebook only.

6 - Nemesis - Book one of The Advocates.  After the shocking end to Imagineered Death, Nemesis hits the ground running and doesn't stop until part of Disney World explodes (literally).  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

7 - The Shoals - Book two of The Advocates is less a mystery and more a thriller / adventure.   This is my personal favorite.  It has a major twist at the end.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

8 - Sojourn - Book three of The Advocates and the final book in the main story line.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

9 - Titan One - I take on sci-fi in this book.  It's the first book in The Unity series.   As a warning, if you have not read my other books, you will not understand the abrupt ending to this book.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

10 - The Harvesters - Book two in The Unity series.  This book takes the massive universe "Titan One" created and takes it to the next level.  The first draft is about 50% complete.

11 - Yukon Rush - A spin off of the DW Mysteries - This book revolves around a vacation Fidel Hernandez and Tina Black take.  That vacation spins into chaos when they stumble onto what appears to be a random killing.  This might get written someday.

12 - Beast - A spin off of The Advocates (Nemesis to be exact) - This book focuses on a string of strange killings near Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Hawk and Justin Yensid try to figure out if a strange monster is on the loose, or if something more sinister is going on.  If I ever write Yukon Rush, I might write this book.

That's all of them for now.   You can find all of the available ones here.

The Special Edition of "World" Killer is Now Available!

A special edition of "World" killer has been released.   This version of the book includes over sixty photos, video links, and research material that help the book come to life.

Beyond the new features, sections of the book have been rewritten to align the writing style with the other books in the series.  During the re-write a number of small typos were corrected as well.

If you are a Amazon Prime member, you can borrow the book for free.  If you are are a member of Kindle Unlimited you can get all my books for free, without having to deal with the one book a month limit.

The Special Edition is available here.

Imagineered Death Is Out!

Imagineered Death has been released.  Kinda...

Since I am an independant author, I rely on editors who are willing to work for credit.  I managed to find two editors.  One of them just bought a business and has no time.  The other bought a house and has no time.  That means I had two options.  I could wait years to release the books or I could release them in a draft state with the promise that they will one day be fully edited.

That being said...more than Imagineered Death is now available.  The following books have all been released in a draft state.

Imagineered Death
Nemesis
The Shoals
Sojourn

Within the next couple weeks Titan One will also be released.

You can get all of the books here.

New Books Coming Soon!

I finally have an update in regards to the squeal to "World" Killer.

Around the "World" (The DW Mysteries Book Two) -  It's being edited now.  I found a new editor who was willing sign on.  I'm hoping it will be done sometime in June.  It should be released within a few days after editing is completed.

Imagineered Death (The DW Mysteries Book Three) - It's being edited now.  My normal editor is currently working on it.  I hope to have it in hand sometime in September or October.

Nemesis (The Advocates - Book One) - Principle writing has been completed!  At this point I don't know who will edit this book.  My guess is, whichever editor finishes their book first, is going to get this one.

I've received some feedback on the rough drafts of Around the "World" and Imagineered Death.

Around the "World" is a great step up from "World" Killer.  "World" Killer laid the foundation and Around the "World" really takes off with the story and characters.

Imagineered Death had the best results by far.  I was worried about this one because it takes a bold path.  I thought that might alienate some people.  It actually did the opposite.  It seemed addict the reader instead.

No one has read Nemesis yet.  That book is going to irk some people, but in a good way :-)

World Killer and CMDTA's Pictorial Guide Now Available In Paperback

World Killer and CMDTA's Pictorial Guide are now available in print for the first time!

World Killer is available on Amazon.  It's 11.99 but sometimes Amazon discounts that price.  Why is it so expensive?  I didn't opt for the cheapest format.  It is available in a 6x9 format which is much better than the usual mass market paperbacks.  The quality is much higher as well.

The Pictorial Guide is over $20.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, it's in full color. That alone raises the price.  Second it's full sized.  I'm not talking about 6x9.  I'm talking about a full 9x11.5 format.  The thing is beautiful. With the larger size, I didn't have to scale back the size of the photos.

You can get World Killer here.

You can get the Pictorial Guide here.

Free Books!

You can get a free copy of "CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World" and "World Killer."  All you need is a PC or smart phone!

Starting on December 24th and ending on December 26th, both books will be available as free downloads on Amazon. 

Just use these two links to claim your free copies during that timeframe:

CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World

World Killer

Why "Twisted Disney" Isn't On iTunes

If you are reading this blog there is a chance you have heard of or even read Twisted Disney.  If you have read it then you bought or downloaded it from Amazon. 

Currently Twisted Disney is only available in the .mobi format which is Amazon's Kindle format.  One of my friends said he wanted to download the book once it was available through iTunes.  He has been waiting six months and he'll be waiting a lot more.

Apple allows almost anyone to sign up and sell books.  They do not charge you any upfront fees to get started with them.  In fact I have an Apple account and it has been approved.  Everything is pretty much done.  So why isn't Twisted Disney on iTunes yet?

Apple requires all books on iTunes / iBooks to have an ISBN.  There is your problem.  Apple requires no upfront fees but to get an ISBN cost $125.  Considering Twisted Disney hasn't made that much in six months on Amazon it's safe to say it would never break even on iTunes. 

Unless Twisted Disney suddenly blow up I doubt I'll have the money to get it onto iTunes anytime soon.

New Disney Book Available - Twisted Disney: Satire and Shenanigans

Twisted Disney: Satire and Shenanigans is now available for the Kindle e-reader.  The book is basically a “best of” from this blog with additional commentary about each of the articles.

This is my first book and if it goes well I have two more in the works.  The next book would be my guide to Disney dining and the third book would be a pictorial guide to Disney World.

Right now the book is only available for the Kindle.  If anyone actually buys the book I might try to convert it to an epub format and see if I can get it released through iTunes.

Please forgive me for the quality.  I did everything myself so I don’t doubt that there are a few (or more) typos and grammar errors.  Also I couldn’t get the table of contents to work but other than that it seems to be fine.

The price is 2.99 and for that you get over 100 (actual)pages of Disney madness.  The mobi format clocked in at over 2000.

You can download the book from Amazon here.

Review: The Dark Side of Disney

I’ve read a lot of Disney related books over the years. Most of them focused on either going to the parks or the historical aspects of Disney World. Out of all of those books I can honestly say that none of them were like “The Dark Side of Disney” by Leonard Kinsey.


When I saw the cover of the book I almost didn’t buy it. I’m not a fan of walking around with a book that has a topless, tattooed, porn star on the cover. Even if it’s a digital book I’m not a big fan of having any book that uses shock value to sell itself. After reading the book I’m not sure if the cover matches the content. The book doesn’t need such an eye catching cover to sell itself.

The content of the book ranges from great to completely ridiculous. There is some information I took notes on to try the next time I’m in the parks and some information that is so offensive I want to hunt down anyone trying it and find a way to get them banned for life from the parks.

Just to give you an idea of what is in this book the author tells you how to sneak in pot baked snacks to get high in the parks, tells you how to break into the utlidors, get cheap drinks on some airlines, where to…do public adult shenanigans without being on camera, and a complete overview of the ticket resale scams.

Almost the entire book is entertaining. Whether the entertainment is good or bad depends on the reader. I guarantee you that some things will make you laugh, some will make you mad, and more than a few will shock you.

I do not recommend buying this book in a paper copy instead buy the Kindle version. The Kindle version is only $2.99. The paper copy is about ten times that price.

Review: The Complete Guide to Disney World: 2010

I recently purchased "The Complete Guide to Disney World" by Mike and Julie Neal. This is a top notch Disney guide book.

Visually the "Complete Guide" is stunning. Not only does it have a lot of color photos, the photos are top notch. Many of the photos make you want to get off your butt and run down to the parks. I don't I've ever seen a guide book with better photos.

The guide isn't that long. It's about on par with the official Disney World guides and about a fifth of the size of the Unofficial Guide. You could bring this guide book with you but you'd want a backpack for it. It's a little too large to fit into a cargo pant pocket.

The information in the guide is diverse and they attempt to cover a lot of subjects. For the size of the guide there is a decent amount but if info is on the top of your list you'll want the unofficial guide. One thing this guide does well is adding a list for "fun finds" and "hidden Mickeys" for each ride.

The quality (wear and tear resistant) is very good. They used high quality gloss paper. This makes it slightly water resistant and helps to reduce wear and tear.

Overall this is the guide that will get you pumped up for your trip or help you while you are on your trip. If you are researching your trip, buy the Unofficial Guide. If you own both you will be prepared for all things Disney World.

Another Year, another Group of Blocked Disney Books

Disney continued its practice of blocking books it felt were inappropriate or displayed the company in a negative light. The following list of blocked books was leaked to the press last week. This is the second list to be leaked in the last year.

I Act This Way to Get Chicks – By Dopey Dwarf

I’m Addicted to Helium– By Carl Fredrickson

Smiles in the Front – Punches in the Back: Why the Princesses Hate Each Other – By Goofy

101 Ways to Cook Venison – By Thumper

What Does Carl Smell Like? – Depends – By Russell

I’m Not Really a Hunchback – I Fake It For the Disability Benefits – By Quasimodo

I’m Not Grumpy I’m Just Tired of Stupid People – By Grumpy Dwarf

He Talks That Way Because He’s Always Drunk – By Daisy Duck

Kids Annoy Me but It Pays the Bills – By Mickey Mouse

Princess Wars: Cinderella is Mentally Ill – By Aurora

Princess Wars: Aurora is a Tramp – By Belle

Princess Wars: Jasmine Never Shuts Up – By Snow White

Princess Wars: Belle is an Arrogant Snob – By Jasmine

Princess Wars: I Want to Punch Snow White in the Face! – By Ariel

Princess Wars: Ariel is About as Smart as a Sponge – By Cinderella

Bar Hoping With the Mouse – By Kermit the Frog

I Thought He Was the Easter Bunny: How I Met My Husband – By Jessica Rabbit

Why I Refuse to Take My Ritalin – By Stich

Squirrels Are Yummy – By Dug the Dog

I’m Embarrassed by the Final Scene Too – By the Father (Carousel of Progress)

I Love French Fries – By Mr. Potato Head