To Hell in Gasoline Raincoats

After five years in the making, Fat Duck creeping, Captain wins, screams as bones shift, Greaton Raw Power…

It’s hard to believe that the series book that I have been working on for five years is finally available. First day of ebook sales for Zachary Pill, The Dragon at Station End are also very encouraging (I think my best sales day ever, but I’d have to check with Focus House to be sure of that). Thanks so much for buying and reading my books. I hope you know how much I appreciate it and how dedicated I am to always creating the best stories and novels possible. My other books have been getting amazing reviews, and I sincerely hope that the new Zachary Pill series is equally well-received. All books require word-of-mouth sales, so I hope you’ll tell your friends and family how much you like reading my novels. People can’t read an author they’ve never heard of, so I hope you will consider spreading the word. Please, please, pleaseJ

Yesterday, my wife, youngest son and I went to visit my daughter at her new apartment. I’m pleased to say that she seems to be content and the dishes were washedJ. She also has a very cute young kitten that went crazy with all the attention. Our two cats are something like thirteen and sixteen years old, respectively, so we haven’t seen that kind of feline energy in years. All in all, it was a great visit and again makes me thankful that my children have all done so well. I have friends who haven’t been so fortunate, and my heart goes out to them and their children.

This weekend was partly a working weekend. With the new book release, I wound up with a whole new to-do list from Focus House Publishing’s in-house publicist. I’ve spent a lot of time posting stories and bio information all over the web. It’s hard to disagree with the time-investment, however, because my sales have been increasing steadily for the last three months. Again, thanks everyone who has been spreading the word about my efforts. Keep it up and I promise to visit each and every hometown as my touring efforts go further and further afield. I should be visiting the first northeast schools, libraries and bookstores in late-September or early-October. I’m really looking forward to it.

After visiting with my daughter yesterday, I took my wife and youngest son to see Captain America, The First Avenger. If you like superhero movies, you will not be disappointed. We liked it. Be sure to stay until after all the credits have rolled, because like most of the Marvel movies there is a bonus Avengers scene at the very end. That Avengers movie, by the way, comes out next year and the previews look good.

Part of my weekend was also spent doing some landscaping around my home. I have to say it has been a lot of work, but before the season is out I will take photos and let you see what all the effort has been about. Overall I’m pleased. A friend of mine is also helping me to transform an old chicken coup (part of the old farm we hadn’t gotten to yet) to a gazebo. He spent an hour or more here earlier today and helped me plan the project. He, of course, asked where Fat Duck was, which lead me to realize he was still hiding up on the porch (60+ feet long, 10 feet wide and filled with tables, chairs and a swing—plenty of places to hide). My wife came out and herded Fatty off the porch, so he of course flew over to see what we were doing. Fatty was especially funny because while we talked and hung around near his corner of the pond and brook he hid behind some bushes. But as the conversation continued, we noticed him creeping closer and closer. He never got quite within petting distance, but it was obvious that he wanted to be part of the conversation. Of course, I intend to hire him as lead foreman when the work commences on that building in a few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.

I’d like to thank Recluse and Mary G tonight for all of their help of late. Mary G. was especially helpful in the development of the Zachary Pill… cover text, and I am really pleased what Focus House did with her advice. If you haven’t seen that cover yet, please take a look. You can find it on Facebook, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even Smashwords, which has sold a few more copies than usual today.

It’s been a great week, thanks to you all. I really appreciate your readership and your friendship. It means so very much. I’m going to end with the prologue to Zachary Pill, The Dragon at Station End followed by another very much appreciated review of From My Cold Young Fingers. First the prologue…

The orc held him from behind, its hot stinking breath making him want to gag. Helplessly, Zachary watched as hundreds of orcs streamed out from the dark tunnels all around them. The tall muscular creatures had already captured Robin and her baby brother, and others were chasing Bret. Gefarg the Troll bellowed from the center of the huge underground room.

Zachary suddenly realized he and his friends were about to die.

Knowing he didn’t want to transform into a monster but seeing no other way, he yanked at the cord around his neck. It didn’t break. The orc’s muscular fingers were digging into his shoulders. He struggled to free himself and ripped at the cord again. This time the rawhide snapped and the wizard medallion fell into his hand.

Like a roaring locomotive, pressure rushed into Zachary’s head and pushed against his skull. A prickling sensation raced across his shoulders and sent goose bumps down his arms. Feeling an inexplicable sense of freedom, Zachary flung the medallion across the room where it struck a tapestry and fell to the floor.  A primal scream passed his lips his joints erupted in pain. He could feel his limbs contorting and stretching. From the bottoms of his feet to the top of his head, bones shifted and made cracking noises as they grew and bent at odd angles. Both arms shot out and the flesh around them swelled with dense muscle and newly formed scales. His joints burned in agony, and his fingers grew long and curled with knife-like claws sprouting from the ends. He saw his skin harden into a golden red crust.

He heard himself screaming as his clothing tore and fell in shreds onto the floor. His neck pitched forward and his cheeks grew wide and long. His gums ached as rows of pointed teeth erupted from his upper and lower jaws. He felt thick slabs of muscle filling in the area around his cheeks and sensed he had enough power to chew through stone. Zachary tried to run his tongue over the new teeth, but it flicked out beyond the end of his snout and forked into two snakelike ends. His knees were forced into a crouch by flesh that thickened like tree trunks around his thighs. When he moved, the claws on his toes scraped the floor.

Just when the pain of morphing began to fade, a fiery itch erupted from behind. It felt like something was trying to crawl out of his back as two additional limbs sprouted and unfurled like huge kites behind his shoulder blades. Within moments, a pair of golden red wings thickened into layers of muscle that rippled like eels beneath his scales. He stretched the new limbs and felt a glorious sense of power. For the first time, Zachary realized that the orc no longer held him. He could see its legs pumping toward one of the exits.

Zachary roared and spewed fire across the room.

He was now a dragon!

Thanks, Recluse, for your exciting review of From My Cold Young Fingers (Amazon). His review…

««««« (five out of five stars) Simply Incredible, July 19, 2011     

By recluse "reclusive thinking..." (Copiague, N.Y.)

A truly stunning book. I haven't felt this kind of visceral emotional impact since I first read Harlan Ellison! Tim Greaton's raw power totally floored me! A brilliant dark carousel of pain and loss and love and hope. After this, Mr. Greaton's fans will follow him into the fires of Hell in gasoline raincoats. I know I will!

Dark Fiction in its purest form.

My Thanks: I once dreamt of writing for a living. Though a lot of my time is spent writing for nonprofit corporations and charities around the country, work that is incredibly fulfilling and that I will continue to do long after it is required on my end, each and every day more of my income comes directly from readers of my books. Please know that I couldn’t be more sincere in my appreciation.

THANK YOU ALL FOR GRANTING ME THIS LIFE, THE LIFE OF A WRITER!