Got a Cover

Got a cover for Teen Angel, due out January 27, 2012.

Dragon Fire

by James Hartley



The Reporter followed the Professor into the barn. "My God, it is a dragon!"

"Yes," said the Professor. "Many of the old stories about dragons are true. We found remains with DNA, and were able to bring one to life."

"Does it really breathe flames?" The Reporter looked nervously at the dragon's mouth and inched around behind the giant beast.

"Not exactly. There are flames, but it doesn't breath them ..."

The dragon lifted its tail. There was a loud noise and a tongue of fire shot out, incinerating the Reporter.

"It farts flames," said the Professor to the Reporter's ashes.

Time Travel

Lindsay Below has been running an "August Science Fair" on her blog, and I got to do an article on Time and Time Travel. It is at http://lbelow.blogspot.com/2011/08/time-and-time-travel.html and if this is something you enjoy, you might want to take a look.

Wow! An Award!

I want to thank Lin Holmes for presenting me with the "Stylish Blogger Award." Now I will have to go out and get a hat that is two sizes larger, the current one will no longer fit!

Published!

Today's the day! My new book, "Magic Is Faster Than Light," is now available from the Muse Bookstore at https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=118&category_id=69&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1


A blend of Fantasy and Science Fiction, or as I like to call it, SF-flavored Fantasy, it is best described by "Once upon a time there was a spaceship full of witches ..." Here is a short excerpt:


Nobody but Kendra could see into the large cauldron, but soon the watchers noticed its contents were casting a strange green light on the ceiling. When she finally decided things were ready, Kendra opened the valve on the large pipe, and called to the tech at the control panel, "Start the ship's engines." He threw the switch, and after a moment there was a low rumble, similar to that during the first year of the voyage. Nothing else seemed to be happening.

Then someone who was facing the viewplate cried "Look!"

On the viewplate the stars were moving. Soon they were racing across the plate, faster and faster, as the ship gained speed, and after a while it was impossible to distinguish points of light, just streaks. One of the techs stared at the viewplate and said, "I don't believe this is happening, it violates every law of physics! But seeing those stars, we must be moving at several hundred times the speed of light." People started cheering.

"Magic Is Faster Than Light" Reviewed

My next book, "Magic Is Faster Than Light," is due out in a couple of weeks, so I was pleased that I was able to get it reviewed by Ginger Simpson, a Muse author.

Here is the review that Ginger wrote:

Magic is Faster Than Light is not your mother‘s normal romantic fiction. Or, maybe it is if she‘s a fan of quirky scifi stories told by a narrator instead of stepping into the character‘s shoes and seeing the story firsthand. This is my first experience with this style of writing, and I must admit that author, James Hartley, has a remarkable imagination. He has created a story bound to capture the interest of those who like books featuring more than one POV in a scene. Witches traveling via spacecraft to a new world in a ship destined to kill them, use their magic to save themselves and their family members and land the vessel safely. You don’t have to follow the yellow brick road to get to Oz, and you don’t have to rely on Captain Kirk to steer the Enterprise to a land of people covered with blue fur. Romance? Of course. How else can they repopulate their new home. Magic IS faster than light, and James Hartley proves it with his latest release.

Thanks, Ginger.

$1.99 This Week

Yes, this week, April 1 to April 7, The Ghost of Grover's Ridge is a Book of the Week Special, on sale for just $1.99!! Just go to the Muse Bookstore to take advantage of this special offer.

OK, I'm a Tiger

Ran into a website that tells you which animal of the Chinese Zodiac you are (the owner of the site was a Pig, what can I say?). But I tried it and here's what came out ... I'm a Tiger!

Billionaire New Years Resolutions

I am convinced that Muse books will sell so well, that by the end of the year all Muse authors will be billionaires. So I have come up with some New Years resolutions that can be accomplished with all that money.

First, Baseball. When I was a kid, I liked baseball, but then a tragic event occurred and I lost all interest in the sport. So I am going to remedy this by using some of those billions to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise and move the team back to Brooklyn where it belongs. Then all will be well.

Second, Music. The current output of so-called music, rock and top forty, is horrible. On a drive from Florida to New York and back, there were times it was impossible to find a decent radio station. In addition, a recent study by the noted scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew has showed that Rock music on car radios is a leading cause of Road Rage, and something more soothing would ameliorate the problem. So I'm going to take some of those billions and buy the company (Clear Channel?) that owns all those radio stations, and change their programming. I figure I can put Classical Music on half of the stations, and nice soothing elevator music on the rest of them. Then all will be well.

Third, Ugly Cars. I mean, look at what's on the road nowadays! SUV monstrosities, squat little things, and worst of all, those big boxy ones that look like a packing crate on wheels. All with totally drab paint jobs. Back in the late fifties they really knew how to design cars. So I'm going to take some of those billions and buy a car manufacturer, and start producing cars that really look like cars. Long, low, sleek, and with tail fins. Two-tone paint jobs on most of them, with three-tone paint on the top of the line models. Oh, one other thing ... remember how the driver's and passenger's door had those nice little vent windows in front of the regular roll-down windows? Yeah, they're coming back. Then all will be well.

So there are three resolutions I can accomplish with the billions of dollars I am going to make from my Muse books. I'm sure if I have to, I can come up with more, equally practical and valuable, but for the moment three will do.

Happy New Year, everyone!