The Soundtrack to Your Life

Finding snippets of music and song that have taken on a meaning in your life or recall some event or place in time has become much easier with the advent of Itunes. In a few minutes I can download a particular Led Zeppelin song and Ted Nugent's 'Stranglehold' and remember driving home late one hot summer night twenty years ago.

Other songs are not so easily recovered, but are perhaps more meaningful to me since I helped create them. 'Blood Adonis' from the band Dreamer's Eye is forever lost as is 'Shotgun' from Count Zero. Maybe there's a poor quality recording of these in a box lost in a former bandmate's garage...but probably not. These songs exist only in my memories and in the memories of a few others.

However, some songs have been recorded and saved. I found a couple of master tapes from the band Static Condition and through the technical expertise of Flow Motion Media I now have newly digitized version of Chemical Corruption , Maddas, Rollin' On, and Satan Dog.

What do these songs mean? Well, they have different meanings to the writer and to the listener--but for me, beyond my initial intended meaning, they are an audio snapshot of the energy, excitement, and even the budding disillusionment of my lost youth.

The Savage Bathos Primer

For those of you not familiar with the City of Bathos, the background--and it should be said, truly the main character--for my novels Escape from Devil's Head and Through the Groaning Earth there happens to be a handy primer available at SavageBathos.com.

The State of Fantasy Fiction and Through the Groaning Earth

Derrick Ferguson, author of the most excellent Dillon series (Dillon and the Legend of the Golden Bell, and Dillon and the Voice of Odin) has written an essay about my novel Through the Groaning Earth which, among other things, discusses the state of modern fantasy fiction.

Check it out at Derrick Ferguson's Notebook.

Coming Attractions

Through the Groaning Earth is now blurbed at the Coming Attractions website. This website specializes in previewing products that feature pulp characters from the pulp magazines of the thirties and forties or publications that are written in a style characteristic of the pulps of that era.

What, you might ask, qualifies as pulp-style? Ask any number of pulp-aficionados and you might receive any number of different answers, but they will all probably agree that the pulps were known for their fast-paced storyline that included plenty of action.

Does Through the Groaning Earth have plenty of fast-paced action? You better believe it. It's also got plenty of paranoia, intrigue, and characters you'd never want to meet in a dark alley--or anywhere else, for that matter.

Copies of Through the Groaning Earth are available at Amazon or cruise over the the Pulpwork Press website and if you order quickly enough you might be able to pick up a free copy of the prequel, Escape from Devil's Head. The free copy of Escape from Devil's Head is largely unadvertised and is only good until supplies run out.

The City in Darkness

In discussing my new book, Through the Groaning Earth, author Joshua Reynolds gives an interesting treatise on The City in Darkness and its place in fantasy. I only wish I would have had this treatise earlier. I think it would have made a great introduction to Through the Groaning Earth. Maybe if I ever get around to writing a third novel set in the City of Bathos...

Aaar! A Mistake.

Typos, grammatical errors--they're the author's worst enemy. Recently, a grammatical error slipped through on the back book cover of a handful of proof copies for my newest children's book (for children of all ages, naturally) Pirates of Mirror Land.

If you can spot the plural possessive problem on the back cover shoot me an email at joel dot jenkins at gmail dot com (just convert the dots and at to form a proper email address), and I'll award your grammatical prowess by sending you a free copy of the problematic pirate book.

Summer of Fun Cowboy Contest

Derrick Ferguson, fellow Pulp Work Press author and co-host for the Better in the Dark movie review Podcast posted this information about the Summer O'Fun Cowboy contest that Better in the Dark is sponsoring:

How to enter the Summer of Fun Cowboy Contest-

First of all, go on over to the BETTER IN THE DARK MESSAGE BOARD. Then what you’re gonna do is write a 1000 word essay on your favorite western movie or TV show. Or if you’re in a more creative mood, a 1000 word weird western story. Please, no 30-page epics, okay? There’s a Summer O’Fun Cowboy Contest thread on the message board for you to post your entries. That’s why you’ve gotta sign up, okay?

Affiliates of PulpWork Press and Earth-2.net are not eligible.

So what do you get if you win? Thought you’d never ask. The Prize Package contains:



GRIMJACK OMNIBUS #1: The original GrimJack stories by creators John Ostrander and Timothy Truman gathered together in one kick-ass 400 page volume. Collected are stories from ‘Starslayer’ #10-#17 and ‘GrimJack’ issues #1-#13 as originally published by First Comics between 1983-1985.

But wait! There's more!

You also get an autographed copy Derrick Ferguson's first novel, DILLON AND THE VOICE OF ODIN

And Moly Hoses! There's STILL more!!!

You’ll also get a copy of HOW THE WEIRD WAS WEIRD, an anthology of weird western stories edited by Russ Anderson and written by Joel Jenkins, Barry Reese, Mike McGee, Joshua Reynolds, Ian Taylor, Ian Mileham, Chris Munn, Bill Kte’pi and others.

But wait! Believe it or not there’s still more…

You’ll also get a copy of the ultra rare, ultra hard to find FRONTIER PUBLISHING PRESENTS #1 which features among other things “Dillon And The Escape From Tosegio” the legendary 10 page comic book story illustrated by Alex Kosakowski and scripted by Russ Anderson. Also in FPP#1 is “The Skiff” a story by the co-creators of The World’s Most Awesome Comics Magazine: EL GORGO! That’s right, we’re talkin’ about Mike McGee and Tamas Jakab and if you’ve been diggin’ EL GORGO! There here’s your chance to get your hands on one of their earliest masterworks.

Any winning weird west short story entry will be forwarded to the attention of editor Russ Anderson who compiled the PulpWork Press anthology How the West was Weird.

WHEW!

Now if that ain’t enough to get you crackin’ then I dunno what will. Get busy writing those essays and stories and get ‘em in, pronto. The deadline for the contest is August 31, 2010.

Buy One Get the Prequel Free!

Through the Groaning Earth is slated for release the 30th of July, however if you're the kind of person who likes to get a head start on things or the antithesis of a procrastinator there are a couple of ways you can beat the release date.

I did a quick search at Amazon and it looks like Through the Groaning Earth is already posted for sale. I personally have no problem with anyone who is sneaky enough to order it before the release date.

Or for those who live by the maxim 'The early bird gets the worm' and don't like to make their purchases through massive internet conglomerates cruise on over to the Pulp Work Press website and purchase Through the Groaning Earth. Do it now, though, because the first NINE purchasers not only receive a copy of Through the Groaning Earth but they receive a free copy of Escape from Devil's Head which is the prequel to Through the Groaning Earth.

Now that you've been informed of this secret bit of insider information you're probably saying to yourself, 'sounds like a great deal' but what is Through the Groaning Earth about?

I'm glad you asked. Here's the cover blurb:

An unnatural storm arises with great fury and breaks the spine of a foreign warship upon the reefs of Bathos, casting the few survivors into the merciless machinery of the City of Corruption; A silver mine haunted by the vengeful dead; An Assassins Guild that will stop at nothing to slay one that was formerly their own--the woman known as the 'siren of slaughter'; a perilous journey through the bowels of a mountain where lurk the half-breed children of man and demon. Welcome to the City of Bathos!

You can check out a preview of the first chapter right here.

The Nuclear Kindle

The Nuclear Suitcase is now available on Amazon.com for Kindle download. It's only $2.99 and I get nearly as much royalty on a sale as if you bought a hard copy at four times the price!

The Nuclear Suitcase is my love letter to the 1980's. It's got cold war warriors, guns, guitars, pop starlets, and heavy metal icons. If you've got a Kindle please pick up a copy!

Breaking the Silence

It's been a while since I've posted, but don't take my silence as meaning I've got nothing to say. I've got a lot to talk about...really. It just seems that I've been too busy to do much talking.

I've got a review of the Barnes and Noble E-Reader, the Nook, which I'd like to share. A contest for free copies of The Pirates of Mirror Land, an announcement about a Better in the Dark Podcast Weird West Fiction or Essay Contest, a pre-order give away for my new novel Through the Groaning Earth, more Dire Planet compendium entries, and even an announcement about The Nuclear Suitcase. And for a sneak peek into my wasted youth, I've even got newly digitized song versions of my old band Static Condition which I'd like to share.

I'll get to all these just as soon as I can!