by J.S. Holland
We're not even a full year in since the debut of The Devil and Daniel Boone last July 4, and the world now has four, count 'em, four peculiar little pulp-fiction novellas to contend with. Three more are on the way this year, and I expect to DOUBLE my output in 2014, by which time the JSH Book Club will be in high gear! Here's what's here, and some of what's a-comin':
The Devil and Daniel Boone. Two of the greatest explorers in American history - Daniel Boone and Jim Bridger - join forces to hack their way through Kentucky and blaze the Wilderness Trail for Richard Henderson‘s Transylvania Colony in 1775. But the longer they lurk in what they thought was a previously unexplored spooky part of the region, the more they find that mysterious others have already gotten here first. And as Boone, Bridger and Henderson each pursue their own idealistic goals, the spectre of the approaching Revolutionary War threatens to throw their plans into disarray. (Currently available in paperback and Kindle editions)
The Moleskin Checklist. The Moleskin Checklist is a detective-noir tale of a private investigator named Jack who does more chain-smoking and jazz record collecting than solving crimes. When Jack receives a disturbing package in the mail from criminals whose motives are unclear, he's reluctant to take action. But his mischievous lowlife friend Sappy - who tends to live his life as if he's in the movies - urges him to play this cinematic situation out to the hilt. They soon quickly learn, however, that real life is nothing like the movies and real villains do not behave as predictably as on TV. (Currently available in paperback and Kindle editions)
The Bartender. A man with a lifelong dedication to bartending looks upon his profession as having the elevated status of a religious order, a fraternal organization, or a secret society promoting mankind's betterment. But he finds his good will to humanity is increasingly challenged as he watches American society going in an ill-mannered and amoral direction. And when one of his inebriated customers lets something slip within his earshot - information that could be played to his personal advantage - he finds his own ethics being put to the test. (Currently available in paperback only, but Kindle edition is on the way!)
The Seventeenth Island. A sailing vessel of French pirates search for the buried treasure of their evil arch-enemy, a sadistic buccaneer named Vincenzo. While the crew are out to get rich on the spoils, the Captain's motivations are about revenge over some past grudge that remains a mystery to the crew. Soon the dissonance between the goals of the Captain and the crew begin to form a growing wedge between them, as a series of strange incidents convinces the superstitious men that a curse has been placed on their voyage. (Currently available in paperback and Kindle editions)
Solar Station A. A science fiction epic set in the not-too-distant future when technology just starts to reach the point when individual citizens can get their own spaceship to go zipping around the solar system. But with this new freedom comes the gradual realization that everything we've been told about the true nature of the Universe is a lie. (Coming in late summer in paperback and Kindle editions!)
The Alternation of Night and Day. In a story set in the 1940s, an ambitious Louisville boxing champion immerses himself in the world of Haitian Voodoo in an attempt to gain the ability for his spirit to leave its body. (Coming this winter in paperback and Kindle editions!)
Matilda Heron. An actress for a rag-tag traveling theatre company undergoes some life-changing mystical experiences in the wilderness of 18th century Virginia and Kentucky. (Coming this winter in paperback and Kindle editions!)
