"Philistia" --- A Sneak Preview!!!

“So you see, the Lord Jesus Christ was the Messiah that God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He came to Earth to die for our sins, and He has allowed us to travel through time to save the people of Israel from disaster.”                                                                                                                     

“This borders on witchcraft. I shall require a sign, else I will not believe.”                                     

Gwen watched the couple debating over the Bible with her stomach knotted in tension. She had won over Delilah after they studied the smuggled book together. Only when Delilah brought Samson to visit, the giant was not easily persuaded. Apparently she had deceived him many times before, and he was not going to have his personal beliefs overturned so easily.                                                

“I am a follower of Dagon, yet I could clearly see the Truth unfolding in these pages. Why, it even depicts our past and future. You read the story of Samson and Delilah. How could they know these things were this book not true?”                                                                                                  

“Everyone knows of our legend. As for the ending, it seems as prattle to me. How could these puny Philistines cut my hair and bind me, much less blind me and enslave me? Their lightning sticks cannot even penetrate my skin.”                                                                                         

Her biggest fear was the possibility that these were actors engaged in some sophisticated form of mind control developed by the terrorists. She knew that ISIL was a multibillion-dollar organization capable of anything. They might be here to win her confidence in an attempt to break her father’s resistance to paying her ransom. Yet this man Samson was all too real. His fingers were as cigars, his neck as big as her waist. She had no doubt that he could have ripped the door to this room from its hinges. He might well be her biggest hope in escaping from this place.                    

“Gwen, why do you sit silent? Your words were so persuasive as to soften my heart and open my eyes. Now you sit quiet as I bicker with this stiff-necked man.”                                                    

“The Holy Ghost speaks through you,” she said softly. “You could not preach these things to him if they were not revealed to you by God.”                                                                                      

The couple was dumbstruck by her words. At once they were flooded by memories of Delilah dancing before the altar of Dagon, eating and drinking at his festivals, and committing all sorts of abomination. This did not come close to obscuring thoughts of the lies and deception she had committed against Samson himself. The idea of the Holy Ghost using her as His prophet was unthinkable.                                                                                                                                                        

“I am not worthy of this,” she suddenly began weeping and trembling uncontrollably. “Your God is mistaken in this thing. Have Him depart from me, for I am damned to failure.”                   

“Delilah,” Samson broke out of his narcotic-induced ennui, taking her into his arms with a gentleness that surprised all three of them. “What has happened to you? I have never seen you like this.”                                                                                                                                                                      

“Nor I you,” her beautiful eyes widened. “What is this new way that has overcome you?”               

At once the reinforced door opened, and the three were startled by the appearance of Kal Ghidrah and Bassam Al-Ramadi in the threshold.                                                                                               

“No, not now,” Gwen pleaded. “Please give me just a little more time.”                                             

“Relax,” Kal smiled. “Jamal doesn’t know we’re here. I was the one who arranged for Samson and Delilah to come here. I have also brought Bassam.”                                                                  

“Don’t take all the credit,” Bassam murmured.                                                                                  

“Are you here to rescue me?” Gwen managed.                                                                                  

“No, not quite,” Kal replied. “I ask you to remain strong as this plays out. I cannot tell you everything just now. What I can tell you is that this is part of a master plan developed by Jamal and his Hamas connections. They never expected your father to pay the ransom. You’re being held to divert the Israelis’ resources. He’s got something bigger planned, and the fate of Palestine could be at stake if we don’t figure it out.”                                                                                                                

“To Hades with Philistia!” Samson growled. “I shall set aside the devil powder and destroy the Philistines once and for all!”                                                                                                              

“It’s not quite that easy, though kicking the heroin isn’t a bad idea,” Bassam spoke up. “I think you’ve got an inkling of the bigger picture here. Israel controls what you call Philistia. If Philistia – Palestine – is destroyed, a sizeable portion of the Holy Land goes with it, including the West Bank and portions of Jerusalem. There’s a crucial political issue here. The nations of the world will not stand by and allow that to happen. The question is not whether Samson wants to destroy Palestine, but whether my brother Jamal will allow it to happen to achieve his goals.”                   

“The nations of the world?” Delilah wondered. “Who can stand against both the Israelites and the Philistines?”                                                                                                                                                

“This isn’t going to be easy,” Bassam cupped his brow.                                                                     

“Honey, the world is a hundred times bigger than you realize,” Gwen rose from her cot and sat down alongside Delilah on the chaise longue next to Samson. “If they gather here for battle it could mean the end of the world. It’s all there in the Bible. The Muslims believe it the same way we do. I don’t know what these fellows have in mind, but we have to do what we can to help.”                        

“She’s right, we have to work together,” Kal agreed. “I was sent here by the Israelis to return Samson to Tel Aviv.”                                                                                                                          

“That is no problem,” Samson started to rise. “Come, let us leave now.”                                     

“No, we need you here to stop Jamal’s plan,” Bassam insisted. “If you leave, Delilah will go with you, and that will cause Jamal to change course and resort to a more devious strategy.”                       

“I can’t imagine what that could be,” Kal shook his head.                                                                       

“I can stay here and see this through,” Delilah insisted.                                                                       

“Ha!” Samson growled. “Is that what you think?”                                                                            

“No, let the five of us work together and we can stop my brother – and Hamas – from carrying out their plot. We just need Gwen to stay strong and Samson and Delilah remain as if they know nothing of this. Jamal is planning to complete his transaction with the Sudanese any day now. Once he’s achieved that, I’m certain it will convince him the time is ripe to make his big move. That will be the time for us to act against him.”                                                                                   

“Take care, Bassam,” Delilah beseeched him. “If Jamal finds out you are working against him, he will kill you.”                                                                                                                                     

“God will protect us,” Gwen insisted. “He will protect us all, I know it.”                                     

“I think,” Bassam turned to leave, “Allah has turned his back on me a long time ago.”              

“That makes two of us,” Kal smiled as the men walked out the door.

"Hezbollah" Coming Soon on Editions Dedicaces!!!

It's come a long way, baby.

Hezbollah was originally conceived in 1992 when I decided to pay homage to my old band, my bandmates and our organization. Since I didn't want to write a tawdry rock novel, I decided to give it the JRD treatment with a 'what-if' scenario full of adventure and intrigue. It was nearly indie-pubbed by Ed and Jane Doherty, and would have ended up as a rare out-of-print book by now if I had chosen to do so. Fortunately their critic friends convinced them to back off, and I carried the project into the 21st century.

Time ended up dating the book so that I had to bump everything up a decade to keep the storyline relevant. Punk rockers became grunge rockers, Desert Storm became the Invasion of Iraq, and the male protagonists gave place to the females. All of a sudden the novel provided the female perspective of what the lives and times were all about. Suddenly I realized I had what would become a truly enduring work. After all, the females are the true survivors. Rock and roll warriors live fast, die young and leave a pretty corpse. The women remain behind to tell their stories.

I'm not fooling myself, this is a last will and testament from a dying breed. I went to Chi-Town and St. Louis for Halloween weekend to visit the last two punk clubs in those cities. Club Foot in Chicago is scheduled to close this month (Nov 2014). The Way Out Club in St. Louis is barely hanging on. We've got a metal club, Aftershock, outside our border in Kansas. Beyond that, nada. We're dinosaurs, my fellow punkers. 

I'm leaving Hezbollah behind in the care of its new publishers, Editions Dedicaces. Hopefully the Millenials will pick up on it and discover what it means to be individuals, the need to stand alone from the pack rather than desperately seeking acceptance. Soon you find that there's others on the fringe, and your band of outcasts finds their own way of life.

Punk rock might even make a comeback.

"Standard II - The Citadel" Coming Soon on World Castle Publishing!

As my closest friends know, thirteen is my lucky number. I'm hoping that my thirteenth publishing deal (through World Castle Publishing) is the breakthrough score. Hopefully these guys will realize they have a potential movie deal on their hands.

Well, why not? Who wouldn't think that the story of Berlin Mansfield and Princess Jennifer in Tiara is ready for prime time? Or how about watching Sabrina Brooks plunging from the skies in Nightcrawler on the big screen? Imagine watching Tomny Jackson and Orrin Rampersad racing against time against a robotic Combo and the vengeance-crazed Jerome Browne in Transplant. Hell, I've got twenty-plus worth of them out there. The list does go on.

The Standard didn't go far with Tenth Street Press. Those guys are too busy peddling their softcore porn novels. But, damn, wasn't it a great read? William Shanahan is a narcissistic GQ-type looking to nail that last big case en route to a desk job in London with MI6. Only he gets teamed up with a UDA racketeer and serial killer named Jack Gawain, who happens to be one of the most charismatic of all my anti-heroes. They are pitted against Amschel Bauer, a Goldfinger wannabe who encourages an international drug cartel to buy up surplus gold across the globe before launching a series of terror attacks against financial hubs in NYC, London and Zurich. The anticipated return to the gold standard by the nations of the world precipitates Operation Blackout, and Shanahan and Gawain have their work cut out for them. The main event awaits in Miami, where cartel enforcer Enrique Chupacabra has his world turned upside down by the unpredictable Gawain. Sounds good? Well, go buy a damn copy.

Standard II - The Citadel picks up where the original left off. Gawain is doing contract jobs for the PSNI and the Garda Siochana before being re-upped by MI6. He is teamed with Shanahan and newcomer Lucretia Carcosa to derail a Russian plot to smuggle weapons into NYC. The Russians are seething over economic sanctions imposed by NATO in response to their hostile takeover plot against the Ukraine. Only their deal with a European criminal network is being compromised by the mysterious Citadel, who plan to take control of the Russian operation. Shanahan, Gawain and Carcosa are faced with the task of capturing the Black Queen of the Citadel before she gains exclusive rights to a nuclear bomb headed for the USA.

Think it'd make a great movie? Take it up with World Castle Publishing. I'm just the poor bastard slaving over the keyboard.

Robin Williams - In Memoriam

When I first heard about this, my first reaction was somewhat blase. I only grew piqued when one of my publishers set up a tribute time on his webpage for the dead actor. At that point I kinda lost it. I proceeded to publish what might be called a 'disturbing' review on Amazon and linked it to my comments on said webpage. I wasn't sure how things might unfold after that and considered a three-day Internet moratorium. As it turned out, my post created no ripple, so it's business as usual. The event did make an impact on my end, hence this post.

I wasn't a great fan of Williams, though no one could say they didn't at least admire his work. Now that he's gone and the tributes are saturating the news, one can truly put his contributions in perspective. He was a great performance artist, on the level of (if not surpassing) Andy Kaufman. He was a master of spontaneous combustion, and unlike most on-the-spot funnymen, he was genuinely amusing. He mixed inanity with brilliance, and always failed to embarrass his audience and himself in doing so. Many great comedians become legendary actors, and Williams is no exception. While acting requires exceptional talent, exceptional comedy is a work of genius. In that regard, then we may consider him a genius.

What separates him from Tom Hanks is that rubbery face. Acting isn't all talent, a lot of it's about looks. Hanks' boyish looks may have elevated him past Williams, but it was Robin's face that made him the better comedian. Maybe that's part of what caused the depression - we'll always grope for answers. You have to grope in wondering what made such a man take his life. He would've had a choice of beautiful women, and had enough friends and admirers to last for more than a lifetime. He was a millionaire many times over, and left a legacy that few can match. Killing yourself? That's what pissed me off.

His last act gives many of us the green light. It's okay to give it up and opt out. Hell, Robin Williams did, and look at all he had going for him. All of us starving artists, all the veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, all those submerged in poverty, abuse and neglect - go ahead, hang yourself. I look at all the scars on my wrists, all the failed attempts, trying to summon the courage to take the coward's way out. That's socialism for you. If you're one of their heroes, you can hang yourself and they'll say you went out with your head held high.

So let's go ahead and drink a toast to Robin Williams. A great talent, a superb actor, a legendary comedian. Maybe he offed himself, but at least he left the world a better place than he found it.

For those of us on the lunatic fringe, let's sharpen our razors, reload our pistols, and try it again tomorrow. Today we know they aren't gonna miss us near as much.

"The Bat" Signs With KDF Press!!!

Huzzah! After over a year of marketing, JRD's psychological thriller The Bat (An Existential Fable) has finally been signed to an indie publishing contract. Although it was JRD's first solicited manuscript, it had been on the shelves for a record time before getting an offer from KDP. Only Tiara (which JRD has no serious intent in selling), like The Bat, has gone unpurchased for over a year. 

The major reason why The Bat had been rejected for so long a time was because most publishers felt that readers would automatically think of it as a Batman knockoff. JRD felt that the subtitle (An Existential Fable) would have attracted a more discerning audience. Also, as the author points out, The Bat only appears in about 15-20% of the entire novel. Most of it follows the vigilante epidemic and its effects on New York City. It's more about the effects of the 21st century War on Gangs on society and culture than the gangs and anti-gangs themselves.

Always optimistic, JRD is hoping that KDP may be the one to sell this off to a major publisher or (gasp!) a movie producer. 

The next in line will be King of the Hoboes, a women's fiction suspense/thriller. Hezbollah (The Party) has been around longer, but JRD has self-pubbed this through Spoiler Publishing Company as a first and second printing. Part Three is still a work in progress and not quite ready for prime time.

"La Momia" (The Mummy) Coming Soon On Black Bed Sheet Books!!!

Momia (The Mummy) is a suspense novel set in modern-day Mexico where the citizens are once again caught in the middle of a raging drug war between the Mexican Mafia, Los Federales, the American DEA and Homeland Security. Ricky Valdez is facing the death sentence in northern Coahuila, recently reinstated as a backlash against the epidemic of drug violence. He has been framed by the Government for a string of executions by the Aztec 666, the most vicious of the drug gangs in El Norte. Numerous witnesses claim that an Aztec mummy had been resurrected to carry out the murders. Lieutenant Leo Narvaiz of the Mexican Federal Police has been assigned to the case, and finds himself on a trail of superstition, witchcraft and ritual murder.  

Ricky and Mark Valdez are rising stars in the Aztec 666 led by drug lord Tony Ramos. Their beautiful sister, Liliana, is treasured by her brothers and their grandmother, Socorro. The brothers are detested by Socorro and are forbidden to visit her shack in the most impoverished area of Coahuila. The brothers bring money and food to Liliana, and are continually rebuked by their fellow gang members for allowing her to remain in the barrio. Yet they, among many others, dread the supernatural power of the old woman who is said to have the Evil Eye. The bruja has sworn that anyone who attempts to draw Liliana into the narcotics network would suffer a fate worse than death.

It is the aura of terror surrounding the bruja that inspires Tony Ramos to prey upon the locals’ primitive beliefs. He approaches a local lucha libre company and obtains the costume of La Momia. The obsolete gimmick is resurrected as his assassins allow neighbors of their murder victims to see the mummy in the area before the disemboweled corpses are discovered by police. The local communities are paralyzed by terror as the hit list of La Momia grows ever longer. Finally Lt. Narvaiz is assigned to the case, and he immediately begins targeting the Valdez brothers, who he senses to be the weak links in the gang’s infrastructure.

Narvaiz begins interviewing Liliana, and they soon grow romantically attracted to one another. Socorro sees Narvaiz as the answer to her dreams, the kind of man who could rescue Liliana from the poverty of the ghetto and give her the life she deserves. Tony Ramos learns of the situation and demands that her brothers take immediate action to end the relationship. Narvaiz begins refocusing his own investigation, zeroing in on Ramos’ other lieutenants. It causes Ramos to suspect that Narvaiz has made a deal with the brothers, and reminds them that the penalty for cooperating with the authorities is death.

Narvaiz puts together enough circumstantial evidence to have one of Ramos’ top guns indicted as an accomplice in one of La Momia murders. Ramos responds by having Mark Valdez murdered as a warming. Socorro initiates an ancient ritual that conjures up a Satanic demon, manifesting itself as La Momia Azteca of legend. The monster embarks on a string of serial murder, believing Liliana to be the reincarnation of an Aztec princess. It leads to a horrific climax of mayhem and murder as the ancient prophecies are fulfilled at last. For horror buffs, crime enthusiasts and Mexican history enthusiasts, Momia (The Mummy) is a collector’s item.

Sneak Preview of JRD's YA Christian Novel "Philistia"!!!

Philistia is a young adult Christian novel featuring a couple who finds themselves stranded out in the middle of the Judean Desert. It is a time of military conflict throughout the region, and they are taken into custody by the Bethlehem Police. They identify themselves as Samson bar-Manoah and Delilah Sorek, and are arrested for disorderly conduct. Samson is able to disable the police truck en route downtown and the couple are able to make their escape. They wind up in the Palestinian community of Bethlehem in the West Bank where they are taken in by a Muslim family. They experience a culture shock as the family tells them about the conflict between the Palestinians and the Jews throughout the Holy Land. Eventually they learn of Samson’s superhuman strength and convince the couple to seek refuge with their relatives in Gaza.

The conflict begins as the couple begins learning more about the mysterious land where they have found themselves. Delilah is able to locate the ancient Sorek Valley and tries to rediscover her roots with the inhabitants. Samson identifies the Gaza Strip as the Biblical land of Philistia and grows distrustful of the Palestinians, who try and turn him against the Israelis. Word of Samson’s inhuman strength spreads throughout the community as does his propensity for partying. The people in the neighborhood of Ashdod do their best to keep the couple entertained. Only an incident between the Palestinians and the Israelis result in a police action during which Samson takes out a riot squad. He and Delilah are given shelter by Hamas, and eventually indoctrinated into their anti-Zionist philosophy.

The insurgents convince Samson to accompany them on a raid in Jerusalem, and Samson gets split from the group as they make their escape. Samson seeks refuge in the Jewish neighborhood and is taken in by a local family. He realizes an epiphany as the father, a rabbi, engages Samson in a religious discussion. Samson is told the other side of the story of the Palestinian conflict and learns of the conspiracy to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. The rabbi’s older son is convinced that Samson is a paranoid schizophrenic, while the younger son becomes intent on introducing him to a local band of Zionist militants. Samson is introduced to Isidor Horowitz, who convinces him to join their group.

Samson soon learns that Delilah has become a key figure in Hamas, infiltrating the Israeli settlements and abetting saboteurs in carrying out terrorist strikes. He eventually hunts her down and persuades her to join him in withdrawing from the hostilities. They retreat to a Christian community where an evangelical pastor and his family takes them in. There they are exposed to the Christian faith which gives them a fuller view of both their traditions and the modern-day conflict. The couple decides to settle down but Hamas learns of Delilah’s whereabouts and bring her back to Gaza with them.

Delilah is coerced to bring Samson back into the Hamas network, while the Pastor is given a vision of Samson’s purpose in Palestine. He warns Samson that history could repeat itself if he were to have his head shaven and become a captive of the Palestinians. Samson disregards him, is taken prisoner and shorn as a result. The Pastor allows himself to be taken, and he eventually finds his way to Samson’s side in foiling a diabolical Hamas terror attack on Tel Aviv.

This is a fast-paced action-adventure novel bringing Christian traditions together with tomorrow’s headlines. Philistia is a young adult Christian novel you won’t forget.