By A thumbnail image of the front cover of The Allston Variant now graces the home page of the Mystery Writers of America New England Chapter‘s web site!
Doug Holder Interviews Phil Temples
Doug Holder interviews author Phil Temples on the Somerville Community Television series, Writer to Writer, Poet to Poet on July 2, 2019 about his book, “Machine Feelings.”
“Uncontacted Frontier” Reading at Mystery Writers of America
On June 12, I was afforded the opportunity read a brief excerpt from my upcoming Carrie Bloomfield mystery novel, Uncontacted Frontier at a meeting of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America in Brookline. Approximately a dozen writers read from recently published works and works-in-progress. The sessions were video-taped; I hope the footage is made available for posting.
The Allston Variant Featured in “BC Bookmarks”
BC Bookmarks (“literary news from the Boston College community”) features a review today on my new book, The Allston Variant.
Gloria’s Reading List
The Allston Variant is on Gloria Mindock’s reading list.
“Non-Fiction”
From The New Yorker:
My “Co-author”
Here’s a great photo of my “co-author” and spouse, Barb Ariel Cohen, at the Allston Variant book launch. I say “co-author” in quotes because Ariel didn’t want to be listed as such even though she contributed extensively to the scientific portion of the plot. (Photo courtesy Ken Porter.)
Book Launch Photos, Comments
From my good friend, Rick Sanger, who attended Saturday’s book launch at New England Mobile Book Fair:
Another Satisfied Customer
“Satisfied customer” Leslie Douglas is shown reading her copy of The Allston Variant.
The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AND… at The Allston Variant book launch party on Saturday, May 11 @ 2 PM at the New England Mobile Book Fair, 241 Needham Street, Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464.
More Book Launch Propaganda
Some Unique Publicity for The Allston Variant
Recently I obtained some publicity for The Allston Variant from an unexpected source: one of the Boston-area ham radio clubs, the Wellesley Amateur Radio Society, ran this item in their May, 2019 newsletter, The Spark Gap:
Michael C. Keith at Cervena Barva Press, May 9, 2019
“No Common War” Book Launch Party
Barnes & Noble Listing for The Allston Variant
Slugging Along
I added another 5,000 words this past week to my work-in-press, Uncontacted Frontier, the third in the series of Carrie Bloomfield novels. I’m currently up to around 24,400 words total.
Drum Roll, Please…
The Allston Variant Book Launch @New England Mobile Book Fair!
Mystery Writers of America New England Chapter Meeting in Brookline, April 10
April 10: I enjoyed the professional reading/ agent reviews of randomly selected manuscripts at tonight’s Mystery Writers of America New England Chapter at the Brookline Public Library.
“Ashanti’s Ham Radio Saves the Day” Artwork
After I read my original children’s story, “Ashanti’s Ham Radio Saves the Day” to the 3rd grade class at St. Columbkille last month, several of the kids wanted to do the illustration for a front cover. Here is one of the more talented drawings:
Cover Art for The Allston Variant–“Dark Version”
My publisher has convinced me to go with the dark version of the cover art. I had been leaning with a white background, however the green text stands out better against the black I think.
It won’t be long now. Estimated book publication date is April 21–eleven days from now.
Keith Book Launch: “Stories in the Key of Me,” April 27, 2019
Additional Blurbs Received
I received two additional blurbs for the cover of my upcoming scientific mystery-thriller “The Allston Variant.” Many thanks to Greg and Luke for their kind words:
“The Allston Variant, Phil Temples’ frighteningly plausible new novel, enthralls with its breathtaking pace and complex heroine, scientist/undercover agent Carrie Bloomfield, while elucidating the latest advances in biotechnology. A smart, steamy thriller! —Gregory Wolos, author of Women of Consequence and Turnpike
“Thrillers are my guilty pleasure, and The Allston Variant is the guiltiest of guilty pleasures. Temples not only spins an excellent yarn, he can write!” —Luke Salisbury, author of The Answer Is Baseball and No Common War
Greg Wolos: “Women of Consequence”
Careful
Catchy Little Video Ad For Helltown Chronicles
Robin Stratton at Big Table Publishing Company produced this catchy little video for Helltown:
Huzzah for the Oxford Comma!
Sullivan’s Featured in My Novel
I couldn’t resist reposting this. There’s a scene in The Allston Variant where the two main protagonists visit Sullivan’s on Castle Island. https://www.wcvb.com/article/sullivans-castle-island-in-south-boston-opening-for-season-on-friday/26539709#
Allston Variant Book Launch
I’m excited to announce the official book launch for “The Allston Variant”, the second in the Carrie Bloomfield Novel series, will happen on Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 2-4 PM at New England Mobile Book Fair, 241 Needham St, Newton Upper Falls, MA. Light refreshments will be served.
New Sequel in the Carrie Bloomfield Novel Series: “Uncontacted Frontier”
I’ve begun writing the third book in the Carrie Bloomfield series of scientific murder-mystery novels, with the working title Uncontacted Frontier:
Scientist-turned-entrepreneur Carrie Bloomfield is caught up in adventure and intrigue when she goes on an expedition to the Amazon in Brazil to collect fauna and flora for potentially promising pharmaceuticals.
I’ll sit down face-to-face with a literary agent, pitch my manuscript and obtain feedback at the upcoming Muse & the Marketplace Writers Conference.
Muse and the Marketplace Writing Conference, April 5-7, 2019
I’m attending the Muse and the Marketplace writing conference at the Park Plaza in Boston at the beginning of April. The Muse is billed as “the number one writing conference in North America” with over 140 well-known authors and “more than 800 people on some 100 panels.”
GrubStreet
I wanted to put in a plug for GrubStreet. From their website:
“GrubStreet is one of the nation’s leading creative writing centers. We believe that narrative transforms lives, builds bridges, and produces empathy. By rigorously developing voices of every type and talent and by removing barriers to entry, GrubStreet fosters the creation of meaningful stories and ensures that excellent writing remains vital and relevant.”
I’ve attended a few of their free workshops in the past. I finally decided this week to become a member.
Allston Variant Artwork, Book Launch
I have some amazing artwork that I hope will become the cover design for my upcoming scientific-murder mystery novel, “The Allston Variant.” It’s slated to be published in mid-April, 2019.
I’m also making arrangements for a book launch at one of the local Boston-area book stores.
Stay tuned!
Jeremiah’s Hearse
From Helltown Chronicles:
The hearse struck Randy head-on. The impact threw him in the air and he landed almost twenty feet away. The same collision dealt Kyle only a glancing blow. “Wh- Wha…?” When Kyle came to he saw an old, sinister-looking man standing over him. The man smiled an evil grin, and struck Kyle on the head with a club, knocking him unconscious again. The two were interrupted by the sound of an approaching car. It was situated just on the other side of the rise in the road ahead. They couldn’t see it yet, but judging by the sound of the engine, the driver was really gunning it. The car came upon them fast. The two quickly stepped off to the side of the road. Seconds later, a long, dark vehicle with only one working headlight crested the hill. Veering off the road, it headed directly for the two fifteen-year-olds.
“Five Bottles” Published on 365 Tomorrows
The market 365 Tomorrows has accepted and published my flash fiction story Five Bottles today.
“The Winship Affair” Lives on Robin’s Book Shelf
Pleasantly surprised to see Big Table publisher Robin Stratton keeps a copy of my novel, “The Winship Affair” (Blue Mustang Press) on her book shelf.
“Ambush”
I’ve produced the third in a series of Rambo vignettes entitled “Ambush” and am shopping it around. The 1,360-word fictional piece is set in a dystopian near-future in which regional wars fought by both human and alien mercenaries abound.
… the Rambos are the meanest, orneriest, most despicable form of life in the galaxy. They fight for Black Scorpion, Limited. Unlike the human mercenaries they fight alongside with, the Rambos fight for one reason and one reason only—for blood sport. Money don’t mean shit to them.”
“Do they speak English?” a soldier asked.
“They speak better English than you, Janson.”
A few chuckled.
“Most of them are multilingual. I met one that spoke sixteen different Earth languages. They’re smart mothers. They’re big. And they’re afraid of nothing. If they kill you, they’ll take your scalps or your thumbs for souvenirs. The good news is, they bleed and die just like us. So, make sure they die first.”
After a moment, someone said, “If you call that yellow puke they have in ’em blood…”
“Because No Great Story Ever Started With Someone Eating a Salad”
Haiku: “Proud Spider”
Behold, proud spider /
Web in our condo window /
You’re gonna starve in here!
–Phil Temples
Michael C. Keith Featured at the Dire Literary Series, September 1, 2018
Allston Variant Comes to Life
WCVB carried this interesting story today entitled, “High-security Boston lab begins growing Ebola virus for experiments“.
It’s similar to the BSL-4 high security lab I describe in The Allston Variant. However, in the novel I go into far greater detail about the BSL-4 safety features in the fictional Allston lab.
“Whirlwind”
I’m shopping around a 100-word micro named “Whirlwind” about two boys who encounter a dust devil in a Kansas cornfield.
“Yeah, Machine Feelings”
The Scientific Case for Two Spaces After a Period
From The Atlantic:
This is a time of much division. Families and communities are splintered by polarizing narratives. Outrage surrounds geopolitical discourse—so much so that anxiety often becomes a sort of white noise, making it increasingly difficult to trigger intense, acute anger. The effect can be desensitizing, like driving 60 miles per hour and losing hold of the reality that a minor error could result in instant death.
One thing that apparently still has the power to infuriate people, though, is how many spaces should be used after a period at the end of an English sentence.
[Full story]
“Fake News” Accepted for Publication
My satirical piece “Fake News” was accepted for publication by the online ‘zine Children, Churches and Daddies, Volume 287 which will debut in November, 2018.
Michael Keith’s “Let Us Now Speak of Extinction”
I wanted to put in a plug for my friend Michael C. Keith’s latest book, “Let Us Now Speak of Extinction” from Mad Hat Press.
Keith’s opus possesses shades of Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allen Poe, and aNew Yorker cartoon for extraterrestrials. Let Us Now Speak of Extinction is eerily addicting. ––Jo Maeder
Michael C. Keith’s short pieces seem relatively benign at first, but wait a moment and you feel the snap of his literary whip. Keith subverts things with a smile––like putting a dagger in the back of the iconic Jack Kerouac by posing whether his girlfriend was a better writer than this Beat patriarch. He brings an amused eye to our inevitable demise, our strutting and posturing before the black void. Keith is a writer who can shake your hand or use a well-appointed whoopee cushion to blow the hot air out from where the sun don’t shine. He keeps you honest. He keeps you thinking. He keeps you reading. –– Doug Holder
Buy it. It’s money well-spent.
“The Kanawha Anomaly”
“When employees of the Green Creek Coal Company detonate an explosion to strip-mine Kanawha Mountain, the blast triggers a series of unexplained—possibly supernatural—events in the rural West Virginia hills. Blue Avalon, an elite team of civilian and U.S. military personnel formed to investigate Unidentified Flying Objects and other unexplained phenomena, is activated to investigate whether an intelligent entity or force is responsible “the Kanawha Anomaly.”
“The Blue Avalon team is assisted by three civilian consultants: Shawnee Native American tribal members Leon Great Eagle and Ben “Dancing Bear” Grayson; also, Sarah Muller, a young Georgetown graduate who has a special connection with the entity. The team must work against the clock to determine whether the Conundrum is benevolent or constitutes a direct threat to all of mankind.”
Kanawha is a county in West Virginia; also, Kanawha was a proposed name for the 39 counties which later became the main body of the U.S. state of West Virginia, formed on October 24, 1861. Finally, the Kanawha River flows through West Virginia. It’s said the river was named by the Native American Delaware tribe.
The story takes place in coal mining country in West Virginia, and has a strong First Nation theme.
Duotrope
I wanted to put in a plug for Duotrope. It’s a fabulous resource for writers. I’ve been a subscriber now going on six years.
Duotrope is a subscription-based service for writers and artists that offers an extensive, searchable database of current fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art markets, a calendar of upcoming deadlines, a personal submissions tracker, and useful statistics compiled from the millions of data points we’ve gathered on the publishers and agents we list.”
3 Habits That Separate Good Writers From Tragic Wannabes
From: https://writetodone.com/3-habits-separate-good-writers-tragic-wannabes/
…The only true measure of whether a piece of writing is any good is the impact it has on its intended audience.
Did it engage them? Did it move them? Did it change them?
Allston Variant Publication Date
From Gene Robinson from Moonshine Cove Publishing:
…We have placed your manuscript on our publication calendar in the next available slot and have assigned it the ISBN 9781945181573. As things stand now, it looks like publication will be near April 21, 2019. We should begin work on the manuscript about a month before that. In the meantime, as you suggest, it’s not too early to start thinking about what you’d like for a cover. We’d be pleased to hear your ideas and if you come across any interesting images, let us know.
It seems unbearably far in the future, but I’ve waited longer for some of my books to be published.
“Allston Variant” Picked Up By Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC
Huzzah! I just signed a contract with a small publishing house, Moonshine Cove Publishing LLC., to produce the second installment of my Carrie Bloomfield Novel series called “The Allston Variant.” (The first in the series is “The Winship Affair”). I’m hoping the novel may be available for purchase on Amazon and elsewhere before year’s end.
Here’s a synopsis:
When scientists recover a deadly bacterium from the partially thawed permafrost of Alaska’s Northern Slope, the ancient pathogen kills the team members and decimates a small native village before mutating into a harmless version of itself. The U.S. Army moves in to collect samples for further study; the case is marked ‘Top Secret’ and closed. Eighteen years later, Cumulus Industries, a Boston biotechnology company, is tasked with developing a cure for the dangerous bacterium but the U.S. intelligence community soon suspects the company’s executive management of secretly engineering a biological weapon based on the bacterium. It plans to sell the weapon to a shadowy Middle East terrorist organization.
Suspicions are heightened when a Cumulus employee who is an undercover FBI informant mysteriously goes missing. The Bureau decides it must have another informant on the inside. It recruits the brilliant Boston scientist and entrepreneur Carrie Bloomfield who masquerades as Janice Silberman, a newly-hired researcher from Toronto. Silberman is befriended by an exotic and attractive fellow researcher, Argie Khorui. The two become best friends and lovers. But Khouri isn’t who she appears to be.
Bloomfield struggles to remain true to her mission while facing a daunting scientific challenge—the bioweapon is accidentally unleashed upon an unsuspecting Boston populace and Bloomfield must find a cure.