Book promo…

Posted on by February 3, 2024

I finally got my latest novella up- Ice

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

Vengeance is best served cold…

Twelve years old is NOT the time to learn about murder and survival on a mining planet, but Colin Graham didn’t have a choice after his father was murdered.

Colin and Lisabet Sarnov did survive, thanks to Colin’s training. And the people that took an orphaned Colin under their wing re-enforced that training.

Eighteen years later, Colin and Lisabet were reunited in a curious set of circumstances, allowing that final bit of vengeance to take place. What happened next was not what Colin expected…

John Van Stry also has a new one out, the 2nd of the Wolfhounds series-

The blurb-

With the Battle of Portlandia behind him, Chase is a hero now and the rank and file truly believes that he’s the prince the Command Team claims he is. For his part, Chase has made his choice and now he’s committed. As the face of the revolution he’s ‘in it to win it’ because anything else will lead to his death. The twenty-five million-credit bounty on his head will see to that.

The problem he faces now is convincing Fleet Captain Witner, and his Command Team to trust him, when Chase still doesn’t trust them enough to tell them who he truly is. Chase had been betrayed too many times in his past to come clean easily, and for all that he’s doing everything they ask of him, until the Captain and his team gives him a seat at the table, he’s not about to start trusting any of them.

So he’s content to let them continue believing he’s a fraud of their own creation to justify the search for a ‘real’ heir.

Still, he now has Claire on his side, and he can’t think of anyone else he’d rather have there. She’s as driven as he is, and at least as crazy. He’s never met a better fighter and probably never will. As a duchess she’s been teaching him valuable lessons about how to act and what to say. As a friend and lover, she’s giving him something that he never thought he’d have – a reason to win.

And last but certainly not least, Alma Boykin has the fifth in her Familiars Generations out- Harrier and Murder

The blurb-

A murder lurks in Devon County—a murder of crows.

As winter slowly fades into spring, Jude Tainuit struggles to save money and to meet his new obligations to the Sheriff’s Department. An accident in the night brings an unwelcome reminder—Aunt Martha O’Neil is not young. Even less welcome, perhaps, is a falconer who takes offense at Jude’s Familiar, and who may not be quite what he seems.

When Aunt Martha returns, so does trouble. A second worker of twisted magic lurks in deeper shadow, perhaps. Combine growing danger with his hesitant courtship of Lucy Hoffman, and Jude may run out of strength, options, and time before March goes out with a murder—a murder of magic and malice.

OPSEC…

Posted on by February 2, 2024

IS a thing…

Too bad the current administration doesn’t understand that!

Biden has been talking tough with Iran for many, many weeks, and Iran has repeatedly proven that it is not deterred by his words. But the moment troops were killed, Biden was suddenly under pressure to respond with more than just idle threats. And he did promise a response.

And then promptly broadcast those plans to Iran.

Sources within the administration leaked the details of potential moves by the administration to Politico.

Full article, HERE.

This afternoon, ‘reprisals’ started to honor the deaths of the three Army Reserve personnel killed at  Log base Tower 22 in Jordan-  Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, of Carrollton, Ga.; Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders,  of Waycross, Ga.; and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett,  of Savannah, Ga. Thirty others were injured by the drone strike.

So, the IRGC ‘agents in place’ had almost a week to run away and get back to Iran, along with any ‘critical’ items that might have been at those locations being moved out.

There was much cussing about this at supper last night, as once again, the soft on Iran policy has ‘worked’ to perfection for both the administration AND Iran. The Iranians got the notice it needed, Biden to appeared to ‘take action’ and there were no meaningful consequences as far as Iran was concerned.

NONE of the plans should have ever been outside the Pentagon, much less ‘leaked’ to any media!

Grrrr…

 

Déjà Vu???

Posted on by January 31, 2024

Didn’t this come up in 2018, or am I suffering from CRS?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is under fire after reportedly breaking the law to inflate status and salaries of administrative staffers. 

According to Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, ATF improperly and deliberately misclassified thousands of administrative positions as “law enforcement” for decades, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. 

“According to legally protected disclosures made to our offices, ATF management was notified as early as 2018 that the agency’s decades-long practice of misclassifying non-law enforcement positions as law enforcement, including leadership positions, was in violation of the law, but ATF failed to take corrective action,” Grassley and Ernst wrote in a letter to ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. Attorney General Merrick Garland was also sent a copy of the letter. 

Full article, HERE.

Apparently, they ‘fixed’ the issues, then went right back to doing the same thing, although it looks like that actually didn’t do anything!

Of course the ATF has been a loose cannon for years, going back to Obummer, or even further with the way they play fast and loose with the regs, changing them whenever they want.

Grrr…

 

Here we go…

Posted on by January 30, 2024

Again???

A Department of Defense (DOD) office invited two experts to discuss their new book on far-right terrorism in the U.S. as part of a new series featuring guest speakers, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

The invitation appeared to go out via email to “all” staff of SO/LIC, the acronym for the Pentagon’s office overseeing special operations and irregular warfare, according to screenshots obtained exclusively by the DCNF. Bruce Hoffman, a professor at Georgetown University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and Jacob Ware, a research fellow at CFR, were scheduled Tuesday to present their book, which traces right-wing domestic terrorism through U.S history, including the Ku Klux Klan and groups involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots seeking to reverse the 2020 election. 

Full article, HERE.

I haven’t bothered to read it, so I’m not sure if us veterans are once again being made the boogeyman like the last go round…

It IS interesting that these authors are being brought in to brief Special Ops/IW folks, since this definite smacks of Posse Comitatus…

But given the fact that the FBI, DOJ, and IRS have all apparently been ‘weaponized’ by this administration, what’s one more???

Glad I’m an old man.

Hmmm…

Posted on by January 29, 2024

One to think about, especially if you’re putting stuff up via any means!

Something fundamental has changed in space. After decades of slow growth, the number of spacecraft launched annually has doubled every two years since 2015. And the trend shows no sign of slowing, with tens of thousands of planned spacecraft to be launched over the next few years. This exponential growth is reminiscent of Moore’s Law, the decades-long observation that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles every two years. The consequences of the continuation of Moore’s law and the ever-increasing computing power for lower costs over the past six decades has changed the course of our society, our economy, and our way of life. Could we be witnessing a similar revolution in space?

Gordon Moore wrote his seminal paper, from which Moore’s Law derives its name, when the exponential growth he observed was based on less than six years of data. Similarly, the trend line for this proposed Moore’s Law for Space has only been exponentially growing for just over eight years. In that same spirit, it is useful to consider what might happen if this trend continues.

Full article, HERE from Spacenews.com

And the graphic from LEOLABS-

in-line-1.jpg (1921×958)

It’s a ‘tad’ busy up there, and yes, the Astronauts are trained for the ISS taking a hit and how to survive it.

What is getting worse is the launch phase, as you have to get ‘through’ all that mess to get up to altitude. I can’t help but wonder what is going to happen when we lose a crew, or some other country does, when they take a major hit…

A timeout???

Posted on by January 28, 2024

Maybe, just maybe folks need to take a step back from EVs for a bit…

Buying an electric car is all the rage among vast segments of our affluent population. They are self-described ecologically aware people; they are saving the planet from dreaded carbon-based fossil fuels. They are putting the money where their commitments are! You likely have a friend, co-worker, neighbor, or relative who is gung ho about their recent purchase.

Of late, however, we’ve learned of electric cars underperforming in cold weather, with tires wearing out in record time and others literally starting on fire, which is difficult to contain. In a recent most revealing article, the Wall Street Journal reports that government data regarding Tesla’s performance efficiency has been severely doctored by… wait for it… the Biden Administration. Concurrently, Hertz is selling off its entire line of EVs.

Full article, HERE.

Gotta love Ramirez toons, he is definitely worth 1000 words!!!

In a side conversation, one friend who is also retired said he ‘might’ think about one, since he seldom drives more that 20 miles a day, but he wouldn’t try to use it for the 220 mile trip to see his son. He has solar on his house and ‘thought’ he had enough panels to keep it charged during the day. But he also said there was no way he’d charge it off PG&E due to the cost.

We don’t have many in our area, I can only think of 2 Teslas that I know of in our little town, and up until a few months ago, there were only THREE public chargers that were on the other side of Itchy Paw at a new truckstop!

The dealer where I get my SUV serviced has had ONE EV on the lot for probably five months, with no takers that I’m aware of… And the costs of batteries, or installation of a home charging system (hi voltage) apparently runs in excess of $10,000!!!

Also, it appears all the majors are backing off on EV production, and Ford is selling them at a loss of over $7000 per unit!!!

I know I’ll never buy one. What about y’all?

Book promo…

Posted on by January 27, 2024

I know this is a quick turnaround, but I missed these two on the last one…

Sam Robb and Cedar collaborated on an interesting switch in story telling, with Cedar doing a drawing and Sam writing a story to accompany it- One October Night

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

One story every night, born from a drawing. Fantasy, science fiction, mystery, this collection has it all. Come for the night and see what you find, because it’s never boring here in October.

Stories by Sam Robb, following the drawings by Cedar Sanderson.

And Cedar has her third short in the Sumire series, writing as Lilania Begley- Distress Signal

The blurb-

As Sumire reveals her secrets in an explosive climax, a young Patrolman finds that what really matters is taking him in hand and leading him towards danger. Now, he has a chance to prove himself… and find out what love really means.

Another the 20th anthology from Raconteur Press is out- Full Steam Ahead

The blurb-

“In the midst of this danger, dirt, speed, technological changes, and social upheaval comprise the heart of steampunk. The old and new were in conflict, and the outcomes were uncertain and fraught with failures, making it a rich tangle of possibilities for characters to clash and collaborate within. ” – From the introduction by Bart Kemper, answering the question Why Steam?

Steampunk is danger, adventure, and technology with a flair for the dramatic and an eye for beauty. Join these 10 authors as they explore worlds of danger, daring, romance and steam.

And although it’s not out yet, here’s the new cover for my novella… Out soon!!!

Things are getting interesting…

Posted on by January 26, 2024

In Texas!

Twenty-five GOP governors issued a joint statement Thursday defending Texas’s right to defend itself amid the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border.  

The governors said the Biden administration has left America “completely vulnerable.” Instead of enforcing the law, the federal government has attacked Texas for protecting U.S. citizens from the historic surge and its deadly consequences, such as the threat of terrorists entering the U.S. and from drugs like fentanyl that are killing Americans in record numbers, according to the DEA. 

Full article, HERE.

This after Abbott basically said, F’ off to the administration, that Texas has a right to protect the sovereignty of the state from an invasion, which is exactly what is happening with 300,000 illegals crossing the southern border in December! Link HERE.

Also, CBP has chimed in, putting paid to another one of the ‘headlines’

Time after time, day after day, DPS, the troops down there, CBP personnel and the various police forces are dealing with hundreds or thousands of illegals coming across the border across the entire state, and others.

When you add in the Cartel actions on the other side of the border, it’s literally EVERYBODY against those few folks! And the MSM, by and large, refuses to cover any of that, much less talking to the folks that live/ranch/farm down there.

The NGOs seem to ‘find’ money to take care of the illegals, but the administration seems to bend over backward to make sure they get a ‘free pass’ into the US, a new cell phone, thousands of $$$ a month, and maybe a notice to report in 5-10 years for a hearing!

Hell, their ‘paperwork’ is now acceptable as ID, even as we are penalized if we don’t have the ‘new’ verified state IDs to fly… Grrr…

Kicking the soapbox back in the corner and looking for my BP meds.

Book promo…

Posted on by January 24, 2024

Raconteur Press has another anthology out- Or All Will Burn- Fierce Love

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

What would you do if your children were in danger? What would you do to make sure they survived… or to avenge them if they didn’t.

9 more authors answered that question. Some with humor, some with firepower, and some with all of the above.

Next is Cedar Sanderson, writing as Lilania Begley with the second short in the Sumire series- Dust Storm

The blurb-

And last, but certainly not least, Stephen Hunter has a new book out in the Swagger world- Front Sight
The blurb-

In The Night Train, Charles Swagger is on the hunt for notorious bank robber Baby Face Nelson when he traces a tip to the Chicago stock yards. While there, he’s brutally assaulted and discovers that the madman who attacked him is involved in a nearby narcotics ring with plans to spread its new drug to the residents of the disenfranchised 7th District of Chicago. Worse, this is no ordinary drug—it makes some users happy, drives others insane, and kills many of the rest. Will Charles be able to stop the ring before it’s too late? Or is he in over his head among the dark streets of Chicago?

Earl Swagger investigates a violent bank robbery in Johnny Tuesday that left two dead and a fortune missing in small-town Maryland. At every turn, however, he’s met with silence and hostility from the townsfolk, which makes sense when he uncovers municipal corruption, working-class exploitation, gang politics, jaded aristocrats, scheming gamblers, a hitman, a femme fatale. And a whole bunch of men with guns. Luckily, Earl has brought his own guns in this unputdownable noir mystery.

Finally, in Five Dolls for the Gut Hook, a thirty-two-year-old Bob Lee Swagger is back from Vietnam nearly broken over good men lost for nothing. He’s turned hard down that whiskey road to hell. But one afternoon he’s wakened from his nightmares by two men with a problem. As nearby Hot Springs tries to retool its image from gambling paradise to family resort, a butcher has begun to prey on the city’s young women, a figure straight out of a horror movie. Hot Springs Homicide is baffled. “I’m a sniper,” says Bob, “not a detective.”

“But,” comes the reply, “you are the son and grandson of two of the greatest detectives this state has ever produced.” On that premise alone, Bob takes up the hunt for a killer who not only kills but desecrates. Using his sniper’s mind, Swagger is able to see things others have missed, drawing ever closer to a showdown. But equally, we understand, Bob Lee Swagger is hunting his own salvation.

I highly recommend all of them!!!