Santa Anita 5k Photos

Overweight Author Shambles to the Finish Line

myepevents.com

Well, there you have it. It's not the glory of Eugene, but it is a welcome return to running on this Boston Marathon Day.

Here is my bling. Pretty fancy for a 5k.

Book Review: On The Burning Edge

On the Burning Edge: A Fateful Fire and the Men Who Fought It by Kyle Dickman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life hangs by a sudden wind shift.

For 19 men fighting the Yarnell Hill fire, that shift was fatal. An elite firefighting crew, the Granite Mountain Hotshots battled a wildfire outside Prescott, Arizona on June 30, 2013. As a thunderstorm brought in heavy winds that changed the fire's direction, the men left a safe spot in order to move to another position. Caught by a wall of flame, they were 'burned over,' leaving behind grieving relatives and many questions.

Author Dickman, a former wilderness firefighter, might have taken time to map out the movements of the doomed crew. It was difficult to follow his narration. Also, he writes out the men's thoughts, particularly during the last moments of life, adding an unnecessary fictional element to a story that needs no extra dramatization.

Dickman does a good job of describing hotshot culture as well as the last few months of mostly young men engaged in a difficult occupation. The pacing is fast and builds toward a tragedy that, despite two investigations and lawsuits, still remains a mystery.


View all my reviews

Meanwhile, Hallow Mass inches toward an April 29 release. May you pre-order a Kindle copy? Why, yes! Thanks for inquiring. Paperback versions will be available on the release date.

Or you may click a button for a shot at receiving a signed copy of my horror tale over at Goodreads. Decide as you will and may the rest of the day pass in quiet and a general sense of well-being.
 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hallow Mass

by J.P. Mac

Giveaway ends April 28, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Santa Anita 5k: Ten Years Later

A Runner Returns to the Scene of the Ouch

A decade ago, almost to the day, I broke my fifth metatarsal running a 5k with Team in Training. I was gearing up for my second marathon in San Diego and really wanted to nail it. Jeff Carroll walked me back to my car and said I'd probably cracked the bone. Naturally, I didn't believe him.

I should have.

Subsequently, I lamented my fate here and here and here. 

Trading crutches for a walking cast was delightful. 

Time passed, I ran again, set prs, and was injured once more in 2008 and that's pretty much been the end of my racing life. I did a 5k in 2010 and another the next year, but seemed to develop a pattern of running for three or four months, usually no more than 3x a week, then suffering knee pain and backing off. In between there were knee and shoulder operations, plus a skin cancer surgery to vary the routine. 

Four years ago, I wearied of my accordion-like training pattern and chucked running for good. So long. Thanks for the medals. I took up eating instead. And added a prostate cancer operation for good measure.

Finally, back in January, I reached a point of absolute disgust with my own physical deterioration and signed up for a 5k. Having dabbled in chi running for the last eight years, I decided to recommit. If done correctly, the technique results in minimal pounding to the knees. 

So I've been running 3x a week, no more than 3 miles a session. I don't sweat pace and often don't take a watch. All I concentrate on is my form. So far, I've dropped ten pounds and whittled three inches off my waist.

And this morning, I once again finished the Santa Anita 5k.

What has changed over a decade?

No more plastic tie strips as the chips are now inside the bib. 

A mere 5k offered a technical shirt, plus finisher's bling of better quality than I've received for marathons.

A small drone circled the start line shooting video.

Compression socks are all the rage.

So are selfies at every stage of the race. (It's only 3.1 miles, not Badwater.)

What's the same?

Excitement, anticipation, goodie bags, kids running like mad through the pack, running out of gas, walking, then running like mad as before. 

Here is my time from ten years ago. I ran almost the entire first mile in around eight minutes before twisting and rolling my ankle. 

Hard to see, but hobbling along I finished in 37:41, averaging 12:07 a mile.

Here is my time from today:

  Forty pounds heavier and ten years older I averaged the same pace and finished five seconds faster.

Eerie.

But rewarding. 

So I'll relax today, do some yoga tomorrow, and run three miles on Monday, always working on my form. It would be nice if the running continued as I do enjoy it out of all exercises. 

On the subject of enjoyment, if you're in the mood for a creepy horror novel, feel free to enter Goodreads Giveaway for my latest book: Hallow Mass. 15 signed copies are being distributed free of charge. Just click to enter. The postage is on me.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hallow Mass

by J.P. Mac

Giveaway ends April 28, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Hallow Mass is also in pre-order on Amazon and will launch April 29. 

Have a kind robust weekend.

UPDATE: Safety pins are still used to attach your race bib to your shirt.

The last tenth of a mile is run on the Santa Anita race track proper. Ten years ago it was thick dry dirt, like running in cotton. A decade anon, thanks to the rain, it was an oozing quagmire. A truck had driven along the track earlier and people were lined up Indian style, running one after the other because the tire track was the hardest surface. To pass, you had to slop out into the muck and punch the gas. It wasn't worth the effort. 

How Much 'Science' Is Necessary in Science Fiction?

Author Wrestles with Proper SF Ratio

Attempting to move ahead with my next book, but keep hitting speed bumps. How much science do I need for verisimilitude in a sci-fi story?

Over the last week I've burrowed deep into the work of Tesla at Colorado Springs, his Wardenclyffe Tower, HAARP, Lenz's Law, Telluric current, Knot Theory, String Theory, and much more in the realm of quantum physics.

I'm growing to hate the whole project, but I can't start unless I know what result a certain character sought to achieve in the realm of science and what what wrong. (Then comes the relatively easy part: how do the characters deal with disaster.)

But last night while watching Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, it struck me that I don't need any heavy theory. Not really.

fanpop

There's a reason Stephen King's The Mist is listed a horror story and not sci-fi, even though something involving the fictional Arrowhead Project goes haywire and kicks everything off. We don't really need to know the science of popping open another dimension. All we really need to know is that it's a hazardous thing for people.

Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy also comes to mind when pondering light, breezy  space fiction.

And despite the setting in 'a galaxy far away,' Star Wars is often referred to as space opera and not science fiction.

So this morning I feel much better, rejuvenated, and ready to outline. Since I'm not bucking to publish in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, all I require is starter science to get the story rolling, then put the characters in maximum jeopardy.

Speaking of books, and that's pretty much all I'm doing these days, Hallow Mass is in pre-order for Kindle editions.

Or, if you feel fortunate, you might enter a giveaway for a free signed copy, courtesy of Goodreads.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hallow Mass

by J.P. Mac

Giveaway ends April 28, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

And now, back to my rump science.

OregonMuse Delivers First Review of Hallow Mass

Michael Komarck via Space Cadets

Nods to Upcoming Horror Novel

Thanks to OregonMuse, who honchos the Sunday Morning Book Thread over at Ace of Spades HQ. He reviewed my Lovecraftian effort,  Hallow Mass:

"In Dunwich, Massachusetts, only a small, beleaguered band in the Antiquities Section at Miskatonic University is keeping back trans-dimensional horrors from wiping all human life from earth in preparation for the return of the Great Old Ones . . .

Into this simmering conflict steps Mercy O'Connor, an aimless party girl grad student in the Antiquities Section who has yet to find herself or her place in life. She's about to be thrust to the front lines of the age-old battle against ultimate evil . . .  

I liked this book very much. I loved the characters, the bad guys are suitably creepy . . . "

If so motivated, scroll down to What I'm Reading and scope out the rest. 

Hallow Mass is available for pre-order at Amazon. Pre-order delivers you the eBook version on the April 29, release date, but fine durable paperbacks will also be awaiting you at that time. I know this. I know it well.

If you're feeling fit and fortunate, then you might ready yourself for a Goodreads Giveaway starting in three days. 15 signed paperback copies of Hallow Mass will be mailed free of charge to fifteen readers selected via Goodreads algorithms. All you need do is sign up. 

Are you more visually orientated than most? Then stop by here and view a 63-second Hallow Mass book trailer. Or visit BookReels, a site specializing in trailers for the written word. In Staff Picks, check out the trailers for Hallow Mass and Fifty Shades of Zane Grey.  

Oh, what a Sunday. I'm buried in technical details for my next book, a sci-fi effort. Something says I'm overthinking everything, but eventually, I'll burn through the verisimilitude stuff and start writing. 

A happy April weekend to all. 

Hot New Horror Novel Giveaway

Hallow Mass Headed for Late April Release

Sign Up Soon for Free Copy

In seven big days, April 7, you can enter a drawing for a free copy as Hallow Mass prepares to hit the stands in time for Walpurgis Night. Yes, I'm sure you already know the book is available for pre-order on Amazon. (Only in eBook format. However, paperbacks will be available for the Friday, April 29 launch.) But now you have a chance to receive a free SIGNED copy by the author himself, as opposed to a sensitive fellow at the local Starbucks with literary aspirations. Lovecraftians will find much to savor, while readers without knowledge of eldritch doings will enjoy a tale of sorcery, suspense, and stupendous evil entities bent on trashing earth with only a party-girl grad student and a country & western loving Zulu security guard standing in their way.

 Should you have a spare minute and six seconds, visit YouTube and check out the book trailer.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hallow Mass

by J.P. Mac

Giveaway ends April 28, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Hallow Mass Trailer Staff Pick on BookReels

BookReels

Kindly Book Trailer Site Salutes Upcoming Horror Novel Promo

For the second time in the last few weeks, BookReels has seen fit to promote one of my book trailers in its featured spot. Hallow Mass is now available for eBook pre-order on Amazon.com, slated to go live April 29.

In the screen grab above, do note that Fifty Shades of Zane Grey is still visible as a Staff Pick. I like BookReels.   

Hallow Mass Horror Novel Inches Toward Pre-Order

hqwallbase

Lovecraftian Tale Driving Author Mad

Mostly with little details: Library of Congress, ISBN, front and back matter, reviewer copies, new back cover head shots by photo ace Dan Hoffman. All combine to weary me. On a darker note, they are a perfect excuse not to be writing the next book. "Well, I have to research." "I must contact this artist about promotional artwork." "I need to spend hours on Pinterest, checking out sc-fi boards." Any and every excuse not to write the first draft. But the worst is over once that's done. This I know from experience. 

Upside: I'm in charge of the creative process.

Downside: (See Upside.)

Goodreads Paperback Giveaway Ends Soon

Act Today to Receive a Free Softcover Edition

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Fifty Shades of Zane Grey

by JP Mac

Giveaway ends March 14, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Make that a CHANCE for a free SIGNED edition. (Not worth much now, but I have dreams.) At last count, 579 readers had signed up to learn more about the lives and loves of Anna Ironhead, seeking romance and a bedbug-free room in the Old West. Here is a brief video, explaining her quest.



While on the subject of self-promotion, the keen-eyed folk at BookReels continue to feature Fifty Shades of Zane Grey on the front page. Slowly, I slide to the right, but it's been an enjoyable electronic movement.

50ZG is one in from the right.

Now I return to Hallow Mass. The first book trailer is ready, awaiting a pdf draft that I will release to reviewers. Then it's up on Amazon for pre-order. This is not a parody, but an actual book about people in ugly situations involving warlocks, black magic, and drinking too many mimosas. Due to release on April 29.

My arm is weary from patting myself on the back.  

Staff Pick on BookReels

BookReels

Fifty Shades of Zane Grey Book Trailer 1 Scores a Hit

Nice to be appreciated. The kind workers over at BookReels have plunked my first 50ZG Trailer onto the front page. Furthermore, they complimented the work over on Twitter calling it "super clever." 

Considering I lost my wallet last Monday and had a nasty urinary tract infection keeping me up all night on Friday, this is the best news I've had in six days. 

Building Book Trailers, Smashwords Launch, and Missing Wallet

Andrzej Krauze via Inside Policy

Writer Bedeviled by Software, Bureaucracy

More on my paperwork woes in a moment. The second trailer for Fifty Shades of Zane Grey is now up over on YouTube. (As well as linked on Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.) Shorter with more competent editing, it captures the book's flavor and hopefully brings the viewer a smile or two. The weak point remains the voice overs. I need a good microphone. Come to think of it, Garageband would be a excellent place to mix the voice over and track, but it would require learning Garageband and I'm awash in iMovie tutorials at the moment. 

Book Trailers Three, Four and Five

Amazon pre-order March 11

First on the list is Hallow Mass. By next week, I hope, Hallow Mass will be available for pre-order on Amazon. I'll build a pair of trailers teasing the April 29 release. Since the book isn't entirely humorous, crafting the message will take a little thought. The fifth trailer will be for the current book I'm writing in between trailers, Kaiju vs Alien Scum. A man sets out to take his elderly aunt to Walmart for a white sale and finds himself caught between cruel alien invaders and a big fat monster. In any case, I've been impressed by the business model of author Jeremy Robinson who makes trailers for works-in-progress. 

Smashwords Welcomes Fifty Shades of Zane Grey

They have and I'm delighted to be listed there. The book is on sale through Monday, March 7. Save a buck and buy an eBook (or PDF) for a pleasant weekend read. 

Ah, the Government

On Monday, I lost my wallet containing driver's license, medical card, credit cards, Social Security number, the lot. So I call around and cancel everything. Charming. Online, I make an appointment for the Department of Motor Vehicles for a new license. They say I'll need a Social Security card to prove I'm a citizen.  So SSN is the first stop. Because I lack certain documentation, I can't do my business online. I had a passport, and, though it was expired, thought it might serve as proof of citizenship. I wanted to call SSN and double check but there is no incoming phone line for the general public to seek clarification on such matters. (Possibly dealing with the public's questions would interfere with their work.) 

At the office I stand in line just to get into the office, empty my pockets for the metal detector, then stand in another line at an electronic kiosk to input my need. Then I'm given a receipt and directed to hunt for a seat somewhere in the teaming sea of humanity, several of whom spoke English. 

Amazon

Time passes. I read Michel Houellebecq's  H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life. (Fascinating stuff.) Two hours pass. I'm directed to a window where a young bureaucrat informs me that my passport is unacceptable. 

Me: "You understand that they don't issue passports to anyone but U.S. citizens.

Young Bureaucrat: "But it's expired."

Me: "But they issued it."

Young Bureaucrat: "The system will reject an expired passport. You could have your medical records notarized. We'd accept that."

My mouth gaped at the thought of trying to obtain my medical records, get them notarized, return with them to SSN, wait two hours, and hope nothing is expired. She continued:

Young Bureaucrat:  "Why don't you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles? They'll give you a temporary license. We'd accept that."

A supervisor was finally consulted and sided with the Young Bureaucrat. Steamed, I walked out, musing that the government didn't want a fraction of this proof when I joined the Marines. I was tempted to drive five hours south to Mexico, walk across the border, walk back, declare myself a refugee, and have all my documentation handed to me. 

Monday will be another test at the Department of Motor Vehicles, but at least I'll have an appointment.