The Economancer – Chapter 2

I get off the train at 59th and Lexington and head up the stairs, stopping just long enough to give a young homeless girl a dollar bill infused with luck.

By noon, she’ll have enough money for a room with a hot shower, some new clothes, a real meal, and a bus ticket back to Georgia.  And yes, that’s what she’ll use it for.  I scribbled a little suggestion on the bill to make sure.  Her eyes will never notice it, but her unconscious mind will.  I usually don’t like to do stuff like that, but if I didn’t, she’d still be in the City next Wednesday, at which point she’ll be hit by the M60 bus.  How do I know? 

Because that’s what I do.  Economancy.  Money magic.     

Continue reading “The Economancer – Chapter 2”

The Economancer – Chapter 1

80s Business Witch by msjobee

Hey all. I know I haven’t had a lot of material for you over the past few months. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing at all. One thing I’ve been writing is a piece of serial fiction for a private newsletter that I call The Economancer. Now, thanks to the generous permission of that newsletter, I’ll be able to share The Economancer with all of you in weekly serial format – my own little penny dreadful. Hope you enjoy.

You probably don’t think of New York City as a place for magic.

Or maybe you do.  You’ve been primed by tv and movies where if anything weird happens, it happens in the Big Apple – Dr. Strange, Men In Black, The Avengers, Ghostbusters – everything from aliens to ghosts to giant lizards.

(Though I have to ask: who starts a whole business just to “bust” ghosts?  Sure, some ghosts are trouble, but most are just minding their own business.  I mean, you’ve been here all this time, and I bet you never even noticed Phil in elevator shaft A1!  Are you gonna bust ghosts just for being ghosts?  That’s vitalist!)

But I’m not talking about magic in movies or TV.  I’m talking about the real stuff. 

Continue reading “The Economancer – Chapter 1”

Dreams of the Boardwalk Still Available for Free Download!

Hey all! We are halfway through the giveaway for Dreams of the Boardwalk! Thursday is your last day to download this novella of urban fantasy and romance absolutely free.

After all, in these dark, isolated times, what better way to escape than to read about that long hot summer where love was young and true and perfect…

Literally perfect…

So perfect that you maybe start to wonder if there isn’t something going on here…

Want to find out just what the heck is going on here? Download the book!

If you like the story, please leave a review, and remember that the whole library of my work is always free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

Stay healthy!

Download Dreams of the Boardwalk For Free!

Hey All!

The shelter-in-place continues, and I have one more book to share for your entertainment: Dreams of the Boardwalk. This one is a story of hot summers, bright beaches, better worlds, and the dreams of the city. Maybe the best thing I have to offer for these troubled times, and it’s free to download now through Thursday, April 2.

Careful, though. This one is rated R.

And don’t forget, once you’re done with Dreams of the Boardwalk, ALL of my stories are available for free reading on Kindle Unlimited!

Take care and keep healthy everybody!

The Truth of Rock and Roll Is Available for Free Download!

Hey all!

Well, St. Patrick’s Day has passed, but even more of us than before are now trapped inside to avoid the Coronavirus.

So you all can have something to do until we can all go out again, my novella The Truth of Rock and Roll is now available for free download on Amazon. And remember, my entire library is always available for free reading on Kindle Unlimited.

Stay healthy! Or get well soon. Whichever applies to you.

Clan Brennan Free Giveaway for St. Patrick’s Day

So how’s this for a St. Patrick’s Day, I ask you? No parades. The bars are still open for now but highly inadvisable. Even mass is affected in a bunch of little ways to avoid sending those older parishioners off to their reward before their time.

But we all do our best, don’t we? My wife and my sister and I had our own little celebration with corned beef and cabbage and potatoes and a viewing of The Boondock Saints.

In the same spirit, you might consider making it part of your celebration to read the story of an Irish family who continue St. Patrick’s tradition of driving out the dark things.

So in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, The Clan Brennan Family Album is available for free Kindle download now through Thursday 3/19.

And hey, if you still need something to read after that, my entire library is always available for free reading on Kindle Unlimited.

PS – If you like Clan Brennan, please leave a review!

I Answer Questions From My Fans #1

At last count, Hometown was up to 57 reviews, and most of them were very positive (52% 5 star and 25% 4 star bay-beee!). Unfortunately, I haven’t received the boost in readership that I expected when I hit fifty reviews. Apparently, while something does in fact happen at twenty reviews, the additional boost at fifty is a hopeful indie writers’ urban legend.

As I read through these reviews, though, I’ve seen a number with questions or issues that I’d like to address. And no, that’s not my way of saying I’m going to go through and curse out my 1- and 2-star reviewers. That’s just self-destructive and pointless. There’s some genuinely interesting stuff here.

Continue reading “I Answer Questions From My Fans #1”

Hometown Got A Wonderful Review!

Erik Henry Vick, another author at Bookbub, has given me a five-star review! Head on over and check it out!

Here’s a sample:

Where do I start?

Oh, how about this: You went to high school with these characters. Oh, sure, their names were different, and maybe even they were two or three people, but still… Every single one of them.

This book is set in small-town America (specifically in Upstate NY) in the ’90s. It’s your typical high school–drama club, psychos, chorus, child prodigies, football, monsters, field hockey (??), more monsters, preppies, murderers, homecoming, insatiable evil, racist assholes, prom, parties, ghosts, friends-turning-into-lovers, strict parents, bad parents, the hip hangout joint run by a hippie, lynchings, grandparents, a horrible, horrible past, and completely inedible school lunches. See? Just like your high school.

Check out the rest of the review! And when you’re done with it, check out Hometown!

And Speaking of Reviews…

I’ve got good news and bad news when it comes to the reviews I’m getting for Hometown. The good news is that I’m up to 45 reviews, tantalizingly close to the 50 reviews that will get Hometown into Amazon newsletters and other promotions. The bad news is that I’m starting to get my first one- and two-star reviews, which are bringing my overall rating down.

So if you’ve read Hometown and liked it and haven’t reviewed it on Amazon yet, now’s the time!

Thanks in advance!