Cliffhanger Books sent me my author’s PDF of Gods of Justice a week or so ago and I just finished reading all the other great stories in the book. The editors managed to put together a really surprising mix of stories from traditional super hero yarns to some pretty creative takes on the genre.

Super hero western “The Dodge” really stood out for me as a great story, but there are some other gems too. The stories do a great job of taking the genre in directions you don’t often see in comic books.

The book comes out in July, but it is available today on Smashwords if you like your books digital. If you like men in tights with super powers, totally worth checking out.

The Mass Grave of John Johnsons by Micah Urban
The unearthing of several bodies prompts a doctor to summon a “super” forensics team. But he questions his decision when he realizes they may be stranger than the mystery they’re investigating.

Daughter of Nyx by Kelly Wisdom
In a dystopian future, Veronica must hide her unique ability from a regime that hates those who are different. Then she is attacked and must make a choice–remain in hiding or rise up and fight.

Going My Own Way by Dayton Ward
Though endowed with a unique power, young Daniel chooses not to follow in the footsteps of his famous superhero father. That is a decision that may ultimately cost him his life.

Identity Crisis by Lisa Gail Green
After the superhero, SolarFlare, is injured, her twin sister, Leslie, takes her place. Leslie soon discovers that it will take more than just a flashy costume to save the city from a mad man.

Blunt Force Trauma by Kevin Hosey
When his ex-partner’s daughter is murdered, retired superhero, PsyKore, goes after her slayer with a vengeance. What he ultimately discovers is even more devastating than the murder itself.

Neutral Ground by Jordan Taylor
During World War I, a British corporal hears rumors of a mysterious man saving wounded soldiers on the battlefield. He vows to uncover who or what is out there, even at the risk of his own life.

Breaking The Circle by Derek Tyler Attico
When the hero, Vitruvian, vanishes in a massive explosion, his wife, Kendra, resolves to discover his fate. Yet her search leads her through nightmarish deceit to the very edge of her own sanity.

The Dodge by K. Stoddard Hayes
Sheriff Wilder owes his fearless reputation to a secret ability to phase through bullets. But when his rash younger brother follows him into a deadly standoff, Wilder’s secret may get them both killed.

The Justice Blues by Carla Lee Suson
As the wife of a beloved superhero, Angelica seems to have the perfect life. Then she learns of an evil secret that threatens her marriage–and her life.

Death and Life of The Hero by Ricardo Sanchez
Decades ago, The Hero gave his life while protecting The City. Now reporter Laura Halsey thinks she’s discovered what really happened. But revealing the truth may cause more harm than good.

Final book cover for upcoming Gods of Justice anthology from Cliffhanger Books featuring my short story, Death and Life of The Hero.

I’ll be signing copies of the book at San Diego ComicCon. Schedule to be revealed in a puff of smoke sometime soon!

Just finished up a 10 page comic script for an undead story of love and loss. I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I’ve always had sort of a morbid fascination with death. Not the gross, dead body, kind of death, but the iconography and subtext of death. In college, my second video project was a pseudo-documentary shot with real footage of behind the scenes mortuary action. I have skeleton tattoos. Like I said, iconography.

My new comic script let me play with that, just a little. Not sure who the artist will be yet but am super excited to see who it might be.

Twenty five years ago I got a tattoo. It was skeletal/zombie theater masks. I wanted to be a writer and, well, I loved horror. Still do. So spooky theater masks seemed like the perfect tat.

But 25 years of blurring and fading made my ink look like a blot. I have the week off so I decided it was time to fix it up. One hour and $100 later, it looks soooo much better.

Before

After

Working on three separate writing gigs this week.

Just finished a major re-write of the story I did for my short in Cliffhanger Books‘ anthology Gods of Justice. Have I mentioned how much I love the name of that company? There was a TV series back in 1979 called Cliffhangers that I absolutely loved as a kid. It was three different shows in one, and each episode ended on, you guessed it, a cliffhanger. I wasn’t so enthralled with the international conspiracy story Stop Susan Williams, but the Gene Autry Phantom Empire knock off The Secret Empire and The Curse of Dracula had me glued to the TV. I managed to get the series on a bootleg DVD. Looks like crap, but it’s fun re-living the show.

I also got sign off on treatments for two unannounced but in the works comic stories. One I will loosely describe as a zombie western, the other is straight up high fantasy. Will be finishing scripts for both. This week…Yikes.

But it is so much fun to be writing so much.