Amazon Kindle: “New eBooks by Lawrence Dagstine…”

Posted on February 2, 2013

Well, after a year in the making, the six-novellas project comes to a close. Six brand new releases for Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Kobo, Sony eReader (via Smashwords), Apple iPad (Smashwords), Smashwords.com, and I’m sure over the next few weeks a couple of more. I have a wide range of science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, satire and suspense titles available (including the almost-40,000 word A CHILD WEEPS IN MOSCOW), some inspired by authors like George Orwell and Kurt Vonnegut to Stephen King and Ray Bradbury. Quality fiction with characters and plots that boldly go where no other (at least I hope) author has ventured before. I’d like to take this time to thank my cover artist Bob Veon, and fellow editor Edith Marlowe. With that said, these titles below are only 99 cents to $2.99 each, worth the price, and a welcome addition to any eReader. Just click on the buttons beneath the covers to access the ordering page for your favorite reading device. Or go and visit my eBooks & Kindle page (up on top). Most of all, happy reading!

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How Jones Goes by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “How Jones Goes”

Price: SCIENCE FICTION (FREE on Smashwords)

In the late 21st century, overpopulation is a problem. There’s also the problem with mental health. In one particularly unusual asylum, there is Dr. Born (psychiatric intern) and Dr. Bloch (sexologist). And then there’s Jones. You have not met anyone like Jones. You see, it’s not every day that patients claim they are from Mars. And it’s not every day they come and go as they please. A science fiction story filled with loads of satire (and lots of oddities that will make you shake your head) by speculative fiction author, Lawrence Dagstine.

A Child Weeps in Moscow by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “A Child Weeps in Moscow”

Alien possession meets alternate history, in this communist tale set in 1923 Russia, about a boy named Abraham (Abe), whose parents suddenly disappear one day. Like many of the adults throughout Russia, they are being taken away in the night by a special police force put together by Lenin’s “new” government, a government put together after the arrival of spacecrafts with biomechanoid origins and higher intelligence and influence. Aliens the citizens simply call, The Invaders!

Klara Izolyev, Abe’s teacher, tells the boy that the only way he can learn the truth about the Invaders is to go to Moscow. There he will learn what they really want on Earth, what role they play in the current socialist movement, and possibly find his missing parents and sister. There he will fight starvation, arrest, combat homelessness, and meet an even more influential figure. Arkady, the leader of a Moscow street gang, whose parents have also been taken away. Together they will all journey to find the people they once loved, discovering just why the aliens are so interested in helping Lenin.

The Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “The Mysterious Lady of the Caribbean”

Mercer Hollingsworth is not your typical pirate; he’s more a buccaneer of the freelance sort, with a bit of the old hero in him. No job is too big for his merry crew, so long as it helps bring down the Great Armada and plenty of booty is involved. But when he brings his own wench aboard, members of the crew start disappearing. Who is this mysterious young woman? Why does she sing so much? Why is Mercer still alive? When they find themselves stranded on an island in the Caribbean, blood and death will go hand in hand, as the wench reveals her true form and purpose in this speculative pirate story.

“The Paraplegic” by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “The Paraplegic”

“Doc, I’m telling you. I just woke up in a hole in broad daylight. No memory!”

When Herbert was told he had amnesia, he knew things were bad. When he couldn’t feel anything below the waist, he got scared. When the doctor told him he’d be paralyzed for life, he got depressed and wanted to die. After all, no one wants to be a paraplegic. But what made him crippled so suddenly? Did somebody do this to him? And if so, why? Now in the hospital, undergoing intensive surgery, little does Herbert know that the force responsible isn’t done with him, not by a long shot! Something’s coming back. There’s a little unfinished business to take care of, and it comes in the form of vampires.

“Family Reunion” by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “Family Reunion”

When Kendra was a teenager, she got raped and knocked up more than once. When she finally found the courage to run away with the children, she went back to school, got a job, and set up a nice life for herself far away. The children are now eight, and Howard has come ‘home’ for what he feels belongs to him. He swears he’s a changed man, he wants to get married and be a dad. Even if it kills! He wants this reunion to be one that Kendra and the kids will never forget… should they live to tell about it.

“The King of Trumpeters” by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “The King of Trumpeters”

Salamand (Sal) was a slippery donkey, and a troublesome one. Escaping one bad owner, only to find himself in the hands of another. But after being sold to a nice couple, he swore he’d finally escape and start the perfect coup. The one that would help all donkeys take over Jerusalem and the human race. The plan might work, as humans are stupid creatures; might even give Salamand the edge he needs. After all, what could possibly go wrong in a parody?

“Overcast” by Lawrence Dagstine

Story Name: “Overcast”

It’s not every day that a 1920’s flying ace risks his life to bring a plane down safely for a little girl. But when a horribly disfigured Sal and Lillian land in the remote, snowy mountains of Montana, a friendship will occur, a bond like no other. As the winds blow and the snow accumulates, the pilot will do everything in his power to get this child down harsh ravines and rocky slopes. Through darkness and despair they will do whatever it takes to stay alive. A bittersweet story of survival, with an emphasis on the importance of not giving up and working together, no matter what age group you are.

Or purchase the NEW 150-page print version of Child Weeps in Moscow for $5.95.

Other New Entries: “New Releases, eBooks & Kindle”

If you can’t find a Dagstine story on a particular reader or android device, just get to me at Facebook or Twitter. Every few weeks I will be ironing out formatting issues, adding on stuff, and working out other kinks. Family Reunion and King of Trumpeters will also be available in print sometime in March or April.

Lawrence Dagstine: “Masters of the Universe 2010…”

Posted on July 19, 2010

The birthday of all birthdays approaches. Three. And this year’s theme is actually the very expensive, 30th Anniversary re-release of some funky figures I grew up to in the very early 1980s. He-man and the Masters of the Universe: Adult Collector Series. These are for my son, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had a little fun with them myself (he he). The artwork and detail is out of this world, done by the Four Horsemen, and if you have an action figure or toy news blog, please feel free to use these pics. I was most surprised by how expensive they were. First off, they sell out in less than 24 hours all the time on Mattel’s main homepage… So your only shots are places like eBay or Amazon if you want to own these high-end figures. Next, when I say high-end, I mean it. The 2010 Masters of the Universe line-up runs between $25.00 and $80.00 per figure on average; with $35.00 to $60.00 being that in-between number with S&H. Are they worth it? Yes and no (I also managed to pick up a 2002 Castle Grayskull MINT in the box. Some of the more memorable characters are even more awesome-looking than when they first came out in 1982. Characters like He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Trap-Jaw, and Moss Man included. And they include better weapons and equipment, too.

Word, yo. It all good... Later we go to Mr. B's for a Nickel and Shiznit!

It should be noted that I didn’t pick up Skeletor but, rather, Scareglow instead.

No hard feelings, Skeletor. I’ll give a little description of the figures further down.

Sorry, Skeletor... but Scareglow looked wayyy cooler than your candy ass.

So with the castle and the average forty-fifty dollar action figure I ended up spending close to $700.00 in He-man related toys. Why spend so much, you ask? Well, while I agree they are for my son and I’m reliving my childhood through him, and hope one day that he might want to repeat the process… It wasn’t just a birthday celebration or bunch of gifts I just “had to own!” Yes, I do collect my own Doctor Who and Star Wars action figures. Yes, I have Matchbox/Hot Wheels cars. Yes, I have baseball cards made of chrome. Oh, and don’t even get me started on Transformers, Thundercats, Smurfs, G.I.Joe, and some now-old school 8-bit NES games. These toys were a celebration to welcome my son into my home as I now have custody (visitation rights) of him 7 to 8 days a month. In the event a weekend lands with a Monday as a holiday, there’s your eighth day. So I have my kid for lots of cartoon fun (and the park outdoors) one week a month. Which means more to me than my writing, so yes, along with a new bed directly across from mine, makes $700.00 seem all the more worth it.

2002 Castle Grayskull - MIB; with Action Chip/Sound Effects

2002 Castle Grayskull - Back of box/castle interior view

Other gifts included a Superman “Through the Ages” gift set, a 13″ tall Cyberman, a pair of Iron Man sneakers, and a 2010 AT-AT Imperial Walker. But let’s concentrate on the Masters of the Universe line-up for now.

Scareglow - Skeletor's Henchman from another dimension

Beast Man - Skeletor's Original Henchman with realistic paint job

Tri-Klops - Skeletor's Henchman who can see through one eye

Trap-Jaw - Skeletor's iron-mouthed, claw-armed henchman - RARE! $50 and up!

The He-man adult series also comes in nice collectible boxes

It appears I’ve picked up an unequal amount of good guys versus bad guys. Maybe that’s because the bad guys always looked cooler. I’ve also picked up the whole 130-episode television series, which lasted four years in the early 80s — they tried to bring it back in 2002, but failed — and they were the basis of my childhood and fantasies growing up. It’s now time to introduce it to another generation, just as some parents from Generation X are introducing Star Wars and Transformers to their young ones. Who knows, maybe the 80s culture will always be with us. Why? Because the 80s into the early 90s were probably one of the coolest periods for things in general. And not just toys. Though cheesy to some today, you had your clothes, music, movies (ala Empire Strikes Back, Predator, Terminator, and Aliens), comics, graphic novels, and even science fiction, fantasy and horror novels when it was at its height. There is a man by the name of Stephen King we can thank for that. Anyway, on to some more action figure pics.

He-man in Battle Armor - paint job just like the day he premiered

Faker - The evil He-man which Tri-Klops & Skeletor put back together.

Wun-Dar - Savage ancestor of He-man; great grandfather - VERY RARE

Moss Man - authentic green fur and he smells like a Christmas Tree

Man-E-Faces - Good guy robot from the 2002 collection with three faces

Now before I go, get a load of this… Not only did they make the new figures look just like the older figures, only with superior paint jobs — once again, the Four Horsemen are responsible for these figures — but one of them included a ring. The ring you see below I used to own and wear almost thirty years ago. The Castle Grayskull Ring. Every detail has been repeated. I don’t know what’s funnier, the way it looks since I lost it in the early eighties and the fact that I still remember it, or when I was running around second grade with it on, raising my hand to the sky, shouting, “I HAVE THE POWER!” Actually, what’s probably hilarious is the ring still fits my ring finger, and I wore it outdoors by mistake one day, not realizing I had it on. Nevertheless, when I was young I loved that He-man ring, and I’m glad to have an exact duplicate of it back. It sits on my writing desk, and believe it or not, it even gives me a little inspiration when it comes to penning horror stories. I fiddle around, put it on, or sometimes just stare at it. Oh yeah, I also picked up the NEW Webstor figure.

The Castle Grayskull Ring - Memories that still fit almost 30 years later.

Castle Grayskull put together w. The whole gang saying goodbye.

Once again, there’s nothing wrong with reliving your childhood or passing it on to the next generation. And it’s things like this which helped inspire me to become the one thing I do most these days. Being a genre writer.

With that said, everybody say goodbye. Until next time. BYE BYE. Bye everyone. See ya.

Cheers,

Lawrence Dagstine