Kevin 'Jaqhama' Lumley

ALF WARZ still looking for home

2011-02-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

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ALF WARZ has been re-edited from first page to last and further inclusions or exclusions have been made.
My ever helpful wife, Linda slaved over the edits for hours, constantly seeking just the right word, in just the right place.
As of today I've subbed my MilSF novel to a well known SF publisher in the UK. Fingers crossed for an acceptance there.
But no matter, write it and sub it and move on to the next novel.
I'm two thirds of the way through an action thriller.
Halfway through a crime noir novel and still knocking out chapters every now and again for Rise of the Bayloks.
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ALF Warz: The Iron Sergeant is finished and sent out into the world!

2010-06-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

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So...finally finished the edits for ALF Warz: The Iron Sergeant, and have sent it out into the world.
Now we just have to wait and see what happens.

Take note that the few pages I orginally had on-line at the Web Fiction Guide were hardly an indication of the entire novel I only recently completed.
The female reviewer who made comment on those pages compared ALF Warz to Starship Troopers. Which shows a decided lack of depth in her ability to discern the differences between MilSF novels.
Almost all of them have soldier's fighting an enemy in a Sci-Fi setting. That's about as far as most MilSF stories go in relation to being similar to Starship Troopers. The reviewer isn't into MilSF from what I could see, hard to imagine why she decided to read or comment on my story over at WFG to begin with.

Still adding to my Baylok story over at BG.
Started another adventure story featuring my new character Doc Havoc.
Now that ALF Warz is finished I can go back and finish my crime noir story, already halfway through that.
Looking thoughtfully at writing another novel in a different genre. News on that in the future, if I manage to get the first half written.
So many stories I can imagineer, so little time.

On the adventure motorcycling front Shalako-Lin and I haven't been anywhere lately. Lin has almost completed a Library Assistant's course at TAFE and finishes in a couple of weeks time.
When she does we're going to go away for a week on the bikes somewhere.
We'll have to dress warm for that, winter here in Sydney, and while it's not as cold as northern countires it still gets down to zero at night, and the wind chill on the bike when you're riding can be savage. Especially down the Snowy Mountains. (Where, strangely enough, it snows.)
Snowy Mountains...that's an original name huh?
Who said the Aussie's don't have any imagination?
Should I mention that one of our deserts that is full of rocks is called the Stony Desert?
No, better not to, I expect.
No, we don't have a big forested area called The Forest, not sure why not, must have missed that oppotunity I guess.
They have a New Forest in the UK...is there an Old Forest?
And what's the difference?

Anyway, that's all our news for now.
Fingers crossed for ALF Warz. A few people have read the trial copy and everyone thinks it's as good as any other MilSF action story out there.
We'll see.

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Things are looking good in 2010

2010-04-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

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G'day everyone

Things are looking good so far in 2010.
I've finished my ALF Warz military SF action/adventure novel!
Linda and I are just doing final edits, reading the story off printed pages, as we find it much easier to find any mistakes or flaws in the structure that way.
Got the red pen out and...haven't had to use it very much, which is a nice surprise.
A couple of tweaks here and there and it will be ready to go.
Very exciting finishing your first full length novel.
Even if no one ever wants to publish it, the satisfaction of actually having written an entire novel is huge.
Plenty of people say they will write an entire book, not everyone manages it.
Dedication is the key.
I wrote a couple of pages every night, even when I wasn't much in the mood to do so.
Would have finished the story in a much shorter period of time, except Linda and I spend a great deal of time riding our motorcycles and bicycles on our days off...and for us that will always come before anything else.
Live to ride, ride to live isn't just an expression with us.

So...I was going to start a new blog for my SF story and put up a synopsis and teasers, and in the future I shall do so, but for now any and all news about the book and how it's going in regards to being published will be posted up here.

Over at the Brass Goggles steampunk forum I've been terribly slack at adding to my Baylok serial, but now I've almost sorted ALF Warz out I'll be continuing the adventures of Captain Kregan and Nikola Storm again.

I'm also halfway through an action/adventure horror novel and it looks like I only need to add another 20K words to finish that.

Got some 3 day and week long adventure motorcycle trips planned in the coming weeks/months also. It's getting close to winter here in Sydney and I find I enjoy my dirt road riding more when it's cooler.
Hoping to do a week long ride down the Snowy Mountains in the middle of winter. Did a 2 dayer last year and loved it. Must remember to buy some handlebar muffs this time, as my hands were the only parts of me that really felt the cold.

All for now.
Take care.

Cheers: KJL.

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Nov/Dec 09 update

2009-12-08T04:11:00.000-08:00

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Linda Macauley (better known online as Shalako-Lin) and I got married on Nov 21st.
Sorry we couldn't invite you all, but feel free to send mega expensive and rare/exotic presents if you want!

For our honeymoon we went trail biking down the Snowy Mtns into Victoria.
When we returned to Sydney we went to the Galaxy SF bookshop and used the book vouchers friends had given us as wedding presents (at our request) and bought a small horde of SF books.
Which we are gleefully reading now.

On the writing front: I will shortly be deleting my ALF Warz story site and re-writing the tale of Sgt Iron Ryker into a complete novel to be submitted via traditional methods to an agent or a publisher.
I will begin a new site for Sgt Ryker where I will share some info and the occassional teaser as the story moves along.
I'll post the new site address up when I start making in-roads into my re-written story.
It will be more MilSF than fantasy SF and I'll be deleting the space vampires segment and probably the tentacled creatures also.

Over at the Brass Goggles forum I'm still penning my Rise of the Bayloks tale. Having no idea where I'm going with it, I'm just along for the ride myself.

I have no plans to write any new short stories at this stage, mainly concentrating on full length novels.
I'm halfway through a tough as nails UK/Africa based crime thriller.

That's about all the news I can think of at this time.

I'll take this oppotunity to wish everyone a Happy Xmas and a great New Year.

All the best: Jaq.

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And yet more praise for my Crow story.

2009-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

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"The Beast in the Lake" is a good tale of how teamwork, with the help of a clever leader, can overcome where brute force cannot. The beast of the title had managed to kill two princes of the realm, so Crow Thiefmaster, a friend of their father, decides to help. Through a combination of wit and ingenuity, Crow takes on the beast. It is quite an exciting story, and author Kevin Lumley is to be commended for it.

The quote above and another full review of Rage of the Behemoth can be found here:

http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/2009/04/
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Another nice review for my Crow: The Beast in the Lake story

2009-09-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

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I'm pleased to say I can post up another good review for my short story feautured in Rogue Blades Entertainment fantasy anthology: Rage of the Behemoth.
The review of my tale was written over at the Library Thing book website.

The Beast in the Lake (2nd favorite of this theme)
This tale is a bit different, as it is related in first person. It works. I liked the main character here (Crow Thiefmaster). He is mysterious, even though it is told in a first person perspective. The behemoth practically steals the limelight in this tale. Another good ending.

You can read the entire review of Rage of the Behemoth here:

http://www.librarything.com/work/8586268/reviews/

And if you like the review you can order the entire anthology from Rogue Blades Entertainment here:

http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/

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A nice critique for my story in Rage of the Behemoth

2009-09-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

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A chap who does reviews for The Cimmerian ezine recently posted up a review of the Rage of the Behemoth anthology.
Here's what he had to say about my short story contribution.

“The Beast in the Lake,” from Australian author, Kevin Lumley, is a fast-moving tale set in a vaguely ”Caledonian” milieu. His take on “Nessie” is a good one, working in several facets from the Scottish legend. The protagonist, Crow Thiefmaster, is a likeable (and honorable) rogue.

The entire review, of the majority of the stories in RBE's new anthology can be found here:

http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=5130

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The Rise of the Bayloks!

2009-08-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

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Last year I wrote a very popular novella for the good people at the Brass Goggles steampunk forum.
My original story was called Gaslight Fantasy: A Ripping Yarn and I got many compliments on the action packed tale.
http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,9781.0.html

I did suggest I might pen a sequel...and tonight I started on the new novella.
The Rise of the Bayloks!
http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,17888.0.html

I'm sure anyone reading this blog who enjoys plenty of thrills and action in their sci-fi/fantasy will like my alternative history fable.

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We're back!

2009-08-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

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Linda and I have returned from our adventures overseas and we haven't slowed down at all.
In the month since we arrived back in Sydney we've been on two motorcycle trips that took us into the mountain areas of NSW.

I'm afraid my pulp horror novel has not yet been published; but whilst we were away I did have one of my short horror stories included in a British pulp horror anthology.
The anthology is called Creature Feature and was published in the UK by Ghostwriter Publications.
My story is called Le Carcajou and was quite short...but a dark and eerie tale nonetheless.
I'm 50/50 about the cover myself, although it does remind me of the covers that used to adorn the old pup magazines.

If you feel the urge to read some good old fashioned pulp horror fiction, the book can be ordered here: http://www.ghostwriterpublications.com/page18a.html

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I'm about to published in the UK and Linda and I are off on the adventure of a lifetime!

2009-04-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

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And whilst I'm not at liberty to say exactly who...I'm shortly going to be published by a UK book company that actually gets books on shelves in the United Kingdom!
How cool is that?
The novel I recently completed is a pure pulp action/adventure/horror tale.
More on that in the very near future.

The other big news is that Shalako-Lin and myself are about to leave for the UK and embark on an epic motorcycle adventure spanning the length and breadth of the Continent and also taking in Morocco, Turkey and Eygpt.
As such my continuing and popular ALF Warz story will be put on hold for the entire three months that we will be on the road.
I shall try and conclude the latest installment before we depart. (Can't leave the mystery of the space vampires weighing on readers minds.)
We will be attempting to write a ride report as we travel and that will be posted up at ADVrider, the worldwide adventure motorcyclists website.
I will post up a link to that here when we begin our journey.
We've already bought a pristine condition BMW R 100 GS dual sport bike in the UK and it's awaiting our arrival in Essex.
We're packed, we're ready, we're raring to go. May 15th is our departure date and it cannot come quick enough.
The lure of exotic countries and cultures is calling to us.
Motorcycling: It's not just a mode of transport, it's an adventure!

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My Crow: The Beast in the Lake story appearing in Rage of the Behemoth

2009-04-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

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Out now; the Rogue Blades Entertainment spectacular: Rage of the Behemoth.
A heroic adventure/fantasy anthology featuring some of today's best sword and sorcery authors.
The emphasis in this anthology being men and women battling giant creatures out of myth and mystery.
My own contribution is my character Crow the Thiefmaster and his epic fight with a fabled lake monster.
A limited number of special issue wraparound covers is also available, one of them showing a climatic scene from my story.

RBE also has an interview I did for them here:
http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/2009/04/mini-interview-kevin-lumley/

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Sci-fi action and adventure at A.L.F. Warz

2008-10-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

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I'm currently writing an ongoing military science fiction action/adventure story at:

http://alfwarz.blogspot.com/

Feel free to join Sgt Iron Ryker as he encounters all manner of excitment and danger on exotic alien worlds, battling against nature, hostile humans and Alien Life Forms.

The story begins on the last page. The latest part of the story is always on the front page.
Journal entries are numbered.

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Rogue Blades Entertainment book trailer

2008-09-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

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My partner Linda and myself just made this book trailer advertisment for a small indie press publisher.
We've had some good feedback about it.
It was the first one we've made.
Linda did most of the hard work.
The text is supposed to be bright and stand-outish.
The music is supposed to have a decent beat and sound modern.
Some people suggested we should have used more genre related music.
Like the stuff you hear in the Conan movies or such like.
No way! That music is so boring, boring, boring!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOWQDAYdQio

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2008-09-05T02:29:00.000-07:00

Xssurdinynexes from the REH forum wrote: "Jaq is pretty good! Actually he's very good!"
http://www.conan.com/invboard/index.php?act=idx

"Jaqhama, I must say that this story has kept me glued to my screen and utterly entertained. Is nothing short of utter brilliance and a joy to read. I look forward to your future writings.
Thank you for a most enjoyable read."
James Cromwell writing about my Gaslight Fantasy: A Ripping Yarn. Over at:
http://www.brassgoggles.co.uk/bg-forum/index.php?topic=9781.0

And Victoria wrote about the same story: "Oooh, I am so enjoying this - you have stolen my morning. But I am really not complaining!! It's very gripping indeed."

"Dude! Sorry. Mate!
You wrote Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick and Jet-Bike Boogie over at Pulp and Dagger?!
You totally rock!
Sorry, hadda gush like a rabid fanboy for a minute. I'm better now."
Tim; from http://forum.sfreader.com/default.html
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Flashing Swords # 11

2008-09-05T01:57:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of Flashing Swords is now for sale and I've got an eerie Crow the Thiefmaster novella in it entitled: A Strange Knight's Tale.

Elkedoring, from the Brass Goggles forum wrote about A Strange Knight's Tale: "Yes and I was so very excited to get it and today I did! Mich you really will not be disappointed by the story. I devoured it immediately. I would encourage anyone wanting to read it to buy the magazine. It's definitely worth it."

2008-06-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Flashing Swords Summer Special has just been released and I've got a story in it entitled:

Perchance a Pendant, featuring a likeable rogue of a character named Crow the Thiefmaster.

Copies can be purchased from the Flashing Swords website.

You can read some of my short stories and novellas here: Perchance a Pendant in Flashing Swords special summer edition June 2008.

Wolves in the Forest in Flashing Swords magazine issue #10 May 2008

http://flashingswords.sfreader.com/titlepage.asp

Please note: All of my shorts stories and novella's have been removed from the webzine below at my request and will hopefully appear in a book anthology later this year.

Skulkers. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. RAT's. La Carcajou. Jet Bike Boogie...at http://www.pulpanddagger.com/

Swamp Story. Down South. Florida Haze.Wild Justice...at http://www.bikernet.com/ (Plus many of my motorcycle related articles.)

The Covert OP. Chick Prick...at http://www.milstory.com/

On board with a new American motorcycle webzine

2008-04-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Joshua Placa has started a new motorcycle webzine in the USA called JP Boulevard.

http://jpblvd.com/blog/

It covers many different aspects of biking and the lifestyle and gear that goes along with it.
I'll be contributing to the webzine from time to time with motorcycle related travel articles and tips.
My first article; Adventure motorcycling in Cambodia has just been published there.

JPBLVD has only just begun...I have no doubt that in the months ahead it's going to be a great online publication.
If you're a motorcyclist yourself go check it out.

Flashing Swords issue 10 preview of cover.

2008-04-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

To order a copy of Issue #10 go to:
http://flashingswords.sfreader.com/titlepage.asp

2008-03-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of years I've been fortunate enough to have been published by various internet webzines.
My fiction appears at the following sites:
http://www.pulpanddagger.com/
http://www.bikernet.com/
http://www.milstory.com/

I've recently signed a contract with Flashing Swords to have a series of my sword and sorcery stories published in their magazine.
The first story; Wolves in the Forest will be presented in Flashing Swords #10 May 2008 issue.
To order a copy of the magazine in either paper format or as a download please visit:
http://flashingswords.sfreader.com/titlepage.asp

I'm currently at work on some new short sci-fi stories and a full length novel.