StanleyWheeler

 Interview with Wayne Turmel Author of The Urban Fantasy Series Werewolf PI and more Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. My work in progress is scheduled to be out December 8. It’s the sequel to my Urban Fantasy Detective Thriller, “Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk.”   Book 2 is called “Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker.” Johnny has to leave Chicago for Las Vegas. He runs into witches, a psychic pawn broker, and something even bigger and meaner than he is.. and he’s a werewolf! ( I note that Mr. Turmel's 3rd book in the series, Johnny Lycan and the Last Witch Finder , is currently on pre-order at Amazon ) Where did you get the idea for this book or series? I’ve always loved detective thrillers, and Lycans (werewolves and shapeshifters) are my favorite Urban Fantasy Trope. I literally had a dream one night I was a werewolf in a fight trying to save someone… and the rest came from there. I think a writer’s greatest gift is to ask “what if…...

   A little Pub Battles Marengo from CommandPost Games this week. The Marengo Map spreads out large and beautiful. The year is 1800. France is at war with Austria. Bonaparte deftly handled the Austrians in Italy a few years before. Now he has risen to the position of First Consul of the French. With part of his army across the Bormida River from Alessandria, where General Melas has massed an Austrian army nearly double the size of Bonaparte's force, Napoleon has blocked Melas' supply lines. Melas must attack or maneuver away. A double agent man, for whom I know neither the name nor number, provided false information that Melas would maneuver. Based on that information, Bonaparte sent part of his forces away to monitor other possible avenues for Melas. Instead of Maneuvering away, Melas attacks the divided French force.  I've never been disappointed with any game I've played that is a re-fight of Marengo. I've played with Napoleon's Battles and a few other miniat...

  The winners of my flash fiction contest will be announced tomorrow in my newsletter (click the newsletter link at the top of the page to get signed up for it).  The war began this week. I rolled out the war machine and replaced the deck belt. The illustrations and directions I saw for completing the task required detaching the deck. Naturally, I did not do that. Although I'm sure it would've made the replacement operation easier, it would've taken more than twice as long to remove and replace the deck. The method I chose, after removing the ouroboros-esque item from the simple packaging in which in had arrived by post from the big river site, was accomplished on my knees by feel with limited visual assistance. I placed the new belt as I removed the old one. The theory being that I would be sure to match the course of the old one by proceeding in that manner. My hypothesis proved correct--mostly. I did run into a little trouble manipulating the two belts in removing the ol...

  I know I just did a movie review last week, but the eclipse approaches for some (not me), and Ladyhawke is available to stream for free on tubi. It's as if the planets have aligned. So, it's a sword and sorcery movie from the 80s for the win. Directed by Richard Donner. Written by Edward Khmara, Michael Thomas, and Tom Mankiewicz We begin with the true star of the show. The character is Phillipe Gaston, played by Ferris Bueller--apparently he took another day off to go to Italy to film this gem that is supposed to be set in the south of France. Why start with him? First, because he is the star of the show, getting more screen time and lines than any other character (by my gut reckoning), and because he's the character that makes the show worth watching. His witty banter and conversations with God are the best reasons for watching the show. Second, when the movie first came out, my neighbors saw it and told my parents they enjoyed it and that Phillipe reminded them of me. ...