What does Corsis fear?

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Corsis is the primary villain of the Players of the Game series.  He covertly manipulates the events of Sufrinzon, Trojis, and many other realms all for his depraved entertainment.

His urbane demeanor hides a monstrous personality.  He has more power than a pantheon of gods.  He also takes on many forms.  The Lizard is the first one that readers encounter in Repenter.  There are many others.

Here’s a sample of his interaction with Ashe from Repenter:

“Harm?” He spoke the word with an absurd shrill of his voice. “Ashe, you couldn’t touch me even if you could mance the most potent fire in existence. I have no fear of you in that regard.”

Ashe stepped back once more. “Then we’re fine.”

“Oh, no. We’re not.” The archmancer drummed his fingers on his leg. “You see, I do fear you.”

Ashe cocked an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious.”

“Deadly.” Corsis rushed to him. His toothy jaws came within inches of Ashe’s face. The feint smell of fruit from the chilled beverage filled the Lizard’s breath. “I fear your mind.”

James McGowan Reader Group- A Boy Named Sous Vide

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Hey there.

The slog through the 2020 year of clarity continues.  In addition to work and novel writing, I’ve started dabbling in Sous Vide cooking.  It’s pretty idiot proof.  You buy a device that looks like an oversized curling iron, put in in a big pot, have it heat up the water via a smart phone interface, let the water to warm up to sub boiling temperatures, then put in whatever you’re wanting to cook in a freezer bag, and let the heat do the rest. 

I’ve made some fantastic chicken and some decent New York Strip steaks.  Pair it with some baked sweet potato wedges, and you got yourself a tasty meal.  I’m going to try making hamburgers with it at some point, though I remain skeptical on how those will turn out.
Players of the Game Updates
Repenter: The Hidden Chapters is also re-released on Kindle.  And it is permanently zero dollars.  Get it now.
Grab Repenter: The Hidden Chapters
Other Players of the Game Updates:

I’ve just received the edits back for bonus content books: The Brigands: The Favor and The New Players: Origins. I’ll be releasing them both in the coming months on Kindle.

I’m also about two thirds of the way through the revision of Players of the Game Book 4: The Breakers. I’m adding details and fixing logic problems. Here’s a fun little dialogue excerpt:

Xax released his friend’s shoulder. “Vance, meet Smiley and Tammy.”

“Tamona,” the Chan’la said.

“Ashe,” the masked man said.

Vance gave them a weary nod. “Vanzvulkous.”

Tamona let out a chuckle that sounded more like weak coughs. “Good to know that you’re consistent, Xax.”

Tamona, Xax, and Vance are newer characters that are introduced in New Players and Breakers.

The Prairies Book Review also gave Brigands a good review. You can read it here.
October Recommendations
The Man Who Effed Up Time: 

This is a fun mini series from Aftershock Comics by John Layman and Karl Mostert.  The premise is that a lowly technician uses a time machine to try and make his lot in life better, and well, effs up time.  The first page had me with a crossbow-wielding samurai constable riding a dinosaur chasing the main character.  That’s a pretty quick indicator on whether you will like this series or not.  I fall under the “likey” column.

Network Effect by Martha Wells: 

Murderbot is back!  This introverted anti-Terminator is the hero we both deserve and need.  This time around, it has to help its friend, an intelligent ship it calls ART (Asshole Research Transport).  ART has run afoul of contaminated alien tech and cult-like followers that Murderbot only refers to as “Targets”.  The introverted android may want to just watch entertainment media, but on more than one occasion it demands, “Don’t hurt my humans.”  Its inner conflict as it gets embroiled in the fight against the Targets is both fun and compelling.
That’s all for this time.

Stay smart.  Stay safe.

Jim

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James McGowan Reader Group- September Stuff

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Hi, folks.

The Brigands is re-released this month with this great new cover. 

Grab it on Amazon if you haven’t already done so.
Grab The Brigands on Amazon
Other Players of the Game Updates
Repenter received a good review from The Prairies Book Review.  Check it out.

I have also been commissioning more portraits of characters from the Players of the Game Series.  I’ll be sharing them in the months to come.  Here’s a preview of one for ViRauni, the haunted woman in red armor.
This fantastic image from Mikhail Palamarchuk will be getting adapted to a bonus content book called The Brigands: The Favor in the near future.

I am currently working on an updated draft for the 4th book in the series, The Breakers.  I think it’s shaping up well.  Its epic with bunches of characters, conflicts, and interactions.  I’m having fun writing it.
September Recommendations
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey.

I’m not usually one for zombie books, but this one grabbed me.  These are the sprinting variety with minds taken over by a fungus.  A little girl named Melanie is one of them, but she doesn’t know it, and she still has her mind.  In fact, she’s a genius.  And kindhearted.  She goes to school in shackles.  With unethical and conflicted people studying her.  Fantastic writing.  And the Audible reader, Finty Williams, gives a performance that’s both fragile and harsh. 

If you have any other good zombie reads, please feel free to let me know.

Parks and Recreation

My wife and I are making our way through the series before it leaves Netflix at the end of September.  Every character on the show is great.  We’re about halfway through the second-to-last season.  I haven’t read spoilers, but I have to wonder if Gary (aka Jerry and Larry) will have some kind of vindication.  I kinda doubt it. 

My favorite line so far is of course one from Ron Swanson: “Not only should this not exist, but you have denied us all cake.”

Followed closely by one from Ben Wyatt: “Does she think he’s some kind of friendly hat?”

What are some of your favorite Parks lines?
That’s all for this month.

Stay smart.  Stay safe.

Jim
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James McGowan Reader Group- Doctor Who Online Sponsorship

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Hi, everybody!

Cool news to lead this month.  So I shall jump right into it.
Doctor Who Online Sponsorship
The folks at Doctor Who Online reached out to me when they saw one of my Twitter blasts for a Bookfunnel promotion.  They liked my new cover and my updated summary blurb. 

Repenter and my other to-be-released books will be sponsoring the fan website for the next year.  The books should be showing up soon on the website.

Feel free to give it a visit at www.drwho-online.co.uk.

Doctor Who is a bit of a blind spot for me.  If you have a recommendation for the best place to start and the best Doctor, I’d love to hear it.
Players of the Game Series Updates
Repenter is re-released this month with a fantastic new cover.

I have finished the latest draft of The New Players: Origins bonus content anthology.

Right now, I’m going through the rewriting process on Book 4: The Breakers.  I have a decent rough draft, but it still has miles to go.

The Brigands will be getting it’s re-release in September.  And many bonus content books shall follow.
In the meantime, if you haven’t grabbed the main Repenter book yet, you can grab it with the button below in Kindle or Paperback format.

Repenter is re-released this month with a fantastic new cover.

I have finished the latest draft of The New Players: Origins bonus content anthology. Right now, I’m going through the rewriting process on Book 4: The Breakers.  I have a decent rough draft, but it still has miles to go. The Brigands will be getting it’s re-release in September.  And many bonus content books shall follow.

In the meantime, if you haven’t grabbed the main Repenter book yet, you can grab it with the button below in Kindle or Paperback format.
Grab Repenter on Amazon
August Recommendations
Palm Springs on Hulu

This movie is fantastic.  It’s a time loop movie where Andy Samberg is already in the time loop when the story begins.  He’s stuck at a wedding in Palm Springs.  Cristin Milioti (aka the Mother from How I Met Your Mother) plays a self-destructive sister of the bride.  They are hilarious together.  JK Simmons is fantastic as another time loop victim.  I do believe this is as good a Groundhog Day.  That’s right.  As.  Good.  Give it a watch.  It’s a great date movie too.

The Old Man’s War Series by John Scalzi

I’m working on The End of All Things currently.  A very compelling read throughout the whole thing.  Humanity makes use of elderly volunteers to fight in colonial wars against other aliens in exchange for extending their life span.  Captain Perry and Lt. Wilson are fun POV characters.
Be smart. Stay safe.

Jim

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James McGowan Reader Group- July Stuff

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Howdy, all.

I’m writing this on Independence Day, one that has little of the usual stuff, and plenty of the atypical.

It will be interesting to see what changes stick around and which ones are fleeting.

Let us hope the rough road behind and ahead of us leads to better days for all, not just some.
July Recommendations
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi:

This is a very intriguing high concept short story read by Zachary Quinto on Audible. 

Anyone who dies through violence, disease, or accident, disappears and “respawns” naked in their bedroom.  People only have a 1 in 1000 chance of actually dying permanently.  The main character is someone who “dispatches” patients when risky surgical procedures or other high risk events go wrong in order to save them.

Intrigue ensues from there.  Good stuff.

Westworld Season 3:

They had me at Aaron Paul.

I liked this season much more that season 2.  They gave up on trying to be cute with non-linear chronology.  It still had plenty of twists.

And again, Aaron Paul’s character was a nice addition of a human who is actually likeable.
Players of the Game Series Updates
The New Players: Origins bonus content anthology is nearly completed.

Following that, I’ll be re-releasing Repenter and Brigands with their new covers sometime in next few months.  The main New Players third book in the series will follow sometime after that.

Here is the new Brigands cover without the logo.  I love Avril and Nirva’s redesigns. 

To use some dated lingo:

It looks rad!
Be smart. Stay safe.

Jim

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James McGowan Reader Group- June Stuff

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Hi, folks.

Summer is a comin’. I hope all of you can have some kind of fun in the socially-distanced sun as the weather warms up.  It’s been a pretty chilly May in my neck of the woods, so I’ll be happy for the warmth that will likely progress to sweltering a day later.

In addition to writing, I spent much of the last week doing some much needed spring cleaning, mostly involving organizing several years worth of comic books into long boxes, and getting about six of the heavy behemoths out of the house.  I still have plenty more.  I love physical comics, but I HATE dealing with storing them.  I get some on Comixology, but it’s not the same as a physical copy, especially splash pages.  So, it shall continue to be a little from column A and a little from column B.
June Recommendations
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie:  

This is a sequel series to the events in the First Law Series.  All the characters from the other books have aged, and new characters including many of their children now take the center stage.  Good intentions gone bad and wry gallows humor abound throughout the book.  The series has veered slightly into steam punk territory with a burgeoning industrial revolution. The audio book version has fantastic narration by Steven Pacey.  Good stuff.

Middleditch and Schwartz on Netflix: 

This is somewhat akin to an R-rated version of Who’s Line Is It Anyway?  The two title comedians ask the audience for topics, pick one, and chat through some details with the audience member. They then make up everything on the spot.  It is hilarious.  “I AM LOOSE” is one of my favorite quotes.  It’s just fun.
Players of the Game Series Updates
I’m currently working on a bonus content anthology, The New Players: Origins.  It’s a companion to the main New Players novel that’s third in the series.  It contains a lot of interconnected short stories with new characters: Gath, Xax, Joe Wrenrot, Harry Mang, Vick Burnhelt, and Ed Burnhelt.

I’m also removing Repenter: The Hidden Chapters from Kindle Unlimited and will offer it for free on Amazon and other venues as an ebook only.  It didn’t really work as a physical book, as it was too thin.

Oh, and here is the finished version of Repenter’s updated cover.  I’ll release it sometime this summer with a new version of The Brigands’s cover as well.  I plan to show that on next month’s email.  I might post it on James McGowan, Author Facebook page in advance of that.  Feel free to become a fan of that page if you’re so inclined.
It’s just awesome looking.

That’s all for now. 

Keep on keepin’ on.

Jim

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James McGowan Reader Group- May Items

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Hi, folks. Summer is a comin’. 

I hope all of you can have some kind of fun in the socially-distanced sun as the weather warms up.  It’s been a pretty chilly May in my neck of the woods, so I’ll be happy for the warmth that will likely progress to sweltering a day later.

In additional to writing, I spent much of the last week doing some much needed spring cleaning, mostly involving organizing several years worth of comic books into long boxes, and getting about six of the heavy behemoths out of the house.  I still have plenty more.  I love physical comics, but I HATE dealing with storing them.  I get some on Comixology, but it’s not the same as a physical copy, especially splash pages. 

So, it shall continue to be a little from column A and a little from column B.
June Recommendations
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie:  

This is a sequel series to the events in the First Law Series.  All the characters from the other books have aged, and new characters including many of their children now take the center stage. 

Good intentions gone bad and wry gallows humor abound throughout the book.  The series has veered slightly into steam punk territory with a burgeoning industrial revolution.

The audio book version has fantastic narration by Steven Pacey. 

Good stuff.

Middleditch and Schwartz on Netflix: 

This is somewhat akin to an R-rated version of Who’s Line Is It Anyway? 

The two title comedians ask the audience for topics, pick one, and chat through some details with the audience member. They then make up everything on the spot.  It is hilarious. 

“I AM LOOSE” is one of my favorite quotes.

It’s just fun.
Players of the Game Series Updates
I’m currently working on a bonus content anthology, The New Players: Origins.  It’s a companion to the main New Players novel that’s third in the series.  It contains a lot of interconnected short stories with new characters: Gath, Xax, Joe Wrenrot, Harry Mang, Vick Burnhelt, and Ed Burnhelt.

I’m also removing Repenter: The Hidden Chapters from Kindle Unlimited and will offer it for free on Amazon and other venues as an ebook only.  It didn’t really work as a physical book, as it was too thin. Oh, and here is the finished version of Repenter’s updated cover. 

I’ll release it sometime this summer with a new version of The Brigands’s cover as well.  I plan to show that on next month’s email.  I might post it on James McGowan, Author Facebook page in advance of that. 

Feel free to become a fan of that page if you’re so inclined.
It’s just awesome looking.

That’s all for now. 

Keep on keepin’ on.

Jim

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