Action Adventure Fiction

Online Serial Fiction

Sandy Copeland left a message on a recent chapter of Oasis. Apparently Sandy is also writing serial fiction. Here’s a link to Chapter 1, Part 1 of his story. Actually, I’m not sure if Sandy is the author’s name or the just main character’s or both. What other online serials are out there?

Doc Savage Winner

Congrats to Glenn. I’m sending him the Doc Savage novel “The Annihilist.” After reading it, Glenn will no longer be satisfied by second-rate action heroes (like Jason Bourne, James Bond, Batman…), although I hope he keeps reading Oasis anyway.

Red Alert

In random news, somewhere between half and three-quarters of all my spam is now coming to me in Russian.

I’m Losing My Fingernail

I shmooshed it while changing a tire for a friend. Now it’s all black and starting to come off. Just thought you should know.

Oasis In Paperback

I’ve been asked by several people if I’m going to attempt to get Oasis published. The answer is yes. I am currently planning to do a few edits after I’ve finished and then self-publish via lulu.com or somewhere similar. Unless somebody mysteriously offers some great publishing deal between here and there. (My definition of great publishing deal = pretty much anything)

Halloween

My wife, daughter, and I went to two Halloween parties over the weekend. My wife used to work in a costume shop for a theater, and I’m just a nerd, so we spent a lot of time on our costumes this year. Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll put up pictures of our costumes her in a couple of days.

Amusing Spam

My wife got an amusing piece of spam the other day. This is what it said:

Three houses in your neighborhood have had high amounts of spiritual activity. Our instruments show strange energy radiating directly from your home.

Please dont wait until it is too late!

***Scum-sucking spammer url deleted here***

Click Here to find out if your house is Haunted.

For some reason I just thought that was funny.

Ok, sorry about this, it looks like the next oasis chapter is going to be late. A whole bunch of other things have come up. Hopefully, early Monday or maybe late Sunday.

However, because I know you’re just dying for something new to read, I do have a couple of suggestions.

1 - In the comments to my last chapter,  Glenn pointed out an author named David Wellington, who’s been doing serial novels online for a while now. He has several zombie-flavored works up, including his current serial, Plague Zone, as well as a Vampire and a werewolf book. So if horror is your thing, you definitely need to check him out.

2 - For those of you who are more into pulp type fiction, you need to check out the first issue of a new pdf only pulp called Astonishing Adventures Magazine!

If you haven’t read Chapter 18 yet, go do that and then come back here.

I’ve been working on Oasis for a while now. I’ve really been enjoying it. Anyway, if you like Oasis, please help introduce it to others.

There are many ways to do this:

Send an email to a friend, or just tell them about it, and where to find it.

Post a link to http://www.storyhack.com/oasis somewhere.

You’ll notice that there are some little icons at the bottom of each individual post (after you click on the title) now. They are there to help you submit to social bookmarking sites. (Digg, Technorati, etc.) I’d especially appreciate it if you helped submit/vote for/bookmark the Oasis main page and Chapter 1.

Give Oasis a vote at Bloodee.com (Bloodee is like digg, but for horror stuff. I think you need a free account to do this)

Give Oasis a good rating at Horrorfind. (No signup necessary)

There, now I’m done with the shameless mooching.

Yeah, things got busy and I couldn’t get the chapter done. Oh, well. I am now on track to having chapter 17 up this Friday. Here’s a teaser:
__________________________________

From the time I rounded the first corner, I didn’t see any more of the infected outside.

The city streets were devoid of life. Devoid of life, perhaps, but not sound.

Anguished screams echoed around me.

Unspeakable horrors were occurring across the city. There was nothing I could do to help. I wasn’t sure there was anything anybody could do, short of evacuating the survivors and (more…)

I know last week I said I’d have something new up for Oasis every Friday…

But it looks like it probably won’t be until Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning this week.

Sheesh.

I just added a number of link and things to the writing resources page for everybody like me who wants to be a novelist.

Is it a blog about learning to make your stories better?
-or-
It it simply a blog my a writer you just happens to be a hack?

Only time will tell.

I’ve moved all the posts from my old wordpress site, so things should be pretty much the same around here as they were there…

I’m back writing Oasis again. I think I’ll get a new chapter up tomorrow.

Chapter 7 is done and I’m well into Chapter 8, I just need to get them up. Sorry for the wait.

OK, I had stopped using wordpress right afterI started using it, and I had a blog on my main website. However, the site's host bonked and I didn't have a backup. So I'm just going to start again here and stick to it this time.

This will be a place for me to blog about storytelling, writing, pulp stories, and like everyone else in the blog world, anything I feel like.
Just to start things off, here's a little essay I wrote a while ago. It's based on a conversation I had with a friend, after which she asked me, "We weren't really talking about strawberries, where we?"

Not a story, but at least I still find it amusing.

On Eating Strawberries
by Bryce Beattie

In order to have a truly enjoyable experience, clearly the selection of the strawberry is of paramount importance. Now, there are few un-rotted strawberries that could still be considered bad. However, there is a special certain class of strawberry that can define the goal experience. The ideal strawberry must be plucked fresh from the plant by the eater. It is firm. It is the perfect shade of red. It is plump and juicy to the point that it appears to be ready to burst its skin.

Upon choosing an ideal strawberry, it is torn or cut from the plant, leaving all less than exemplar fruit behind, for imperfect strawberries may become perfect over time. The strawberry is raised casually to the lips. It is brought to rest gently between the teeth. In the instant before the first bite is preformed, the tip of the tongue is placed on the tip of the strawberry, preparing itself for the inevitable rush ahead. The slightly rough texture is swiftly fondled and the flavorless skin is savored for a brief moment of increasingly sweet anticipation.

This anticipation lasts only half an instant, but is still quite unbearable. And so it happens.

The initial bite issues a fine burst, a tiny wave of flavor, striking first the sensitive, waiting point of the tongue. The gentle sweetness awakens the dormant taste buds. If this glimpse of a taste was all this little fruit had to offer, it would be enough. Fortunately, and to our great pleasure, it does not stop there.

As this bitten piece is moved to the side of the mouth a trail of nectar is left on the tongue, exciting every instant more taste buds. The full sweetness is finally at hand. As mastication commences, all firmness and form of the strawberry are sacrificed to envelop the tongue in a blanket of juicy ecstasy. The delicious taste is at last accessible to the entire mouth.

Each successive bite hails a new wave of enjoyment, building upon the power of the last, pleasure and excitement expanding, until the mouth is encased in rapture.

Then altogether too quickly, the strawberry is gone, and the leafy green top is cast aside. After all, it is only a strawberry. That perfect taste lingers momentarily, however, with no sticky film, no unwanted residue, soon fading to the tenderest whisper of taste.

Although the strawberry is now gone, the lips can almost still feel its weight and texture. The tongue can almost still taste it. The ultra-sensory experience hangs on the very verge of reality, pleading to be encountered, to be indulged in, again, and again. Every time another strawberry is seen or even thought about, this memory comes close to actuality, and the event is craved afresh. Having once been known, how can the fruit be resisted?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs2.5 License.