What is the sound of one hand typing? In my case it is silence. Typing with one hand is absurd, and for the past several days that's all I've had at my disposal.
But my poor, mutilated right paw-- which I injured a week or so ago while doing something any sane adult would have had better sense than to try-- has mended to the point where I can get busy and do some serious typing. I am back at work on "The Return of Little Precious," the first novel-length installment of the adventures of Doctor Unknown Jr. and her "Watson," Jack Christian. This book will also be the third and final part of the Moriarty, Lord of the Vampires trilogy. The first two are complete, and are currently being made ready for publication.
Yes, I mean that Moriarty. In the first book, "Vionna and the Vampires," we learn how the Professor went from Victorian crime lord and arch-foe of Sherlock Holmes to Ruler of the Undead. In this one, he is pitted against psychic detectives Vionna Valis and Mary Jane Kelly (in their full-length debut). The Great Detective himself renders some welcome assistance. I would give you a brief synopsis of the plot, but you wouldn't believe it. Just wait and see for yourself.
The next Black Centipede novel, "Black Centipede Confidential," serves as part two of the trilogy. Moriarty is hunting for the Analytical Engine, a diabolical device Jack the Ripper left behind when he was rather harshly dealt with in "Blood of the Centipede." The vampire lord has assembled a team of super-baddies to aid him in his quest. Members of Moriarty's Order of the Sunless Circle include John Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Doctor Herbert West, Stagger Lee, the Bell Witch and the Loch Ness Monster. The Engine is somewhere in Zenith, and Moriarty is determined to find it, even if he has to destroy the city in the process. The Centipede mounts a counter-offensive, leading his Invisible Round Table: Amelia Earhart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Doctor Unknown Sr., Gregor Samsa, J. Alfred Prufrock, Anonymoushka, Lester Dent, Walter B. Gibson, and a couple of urban legends. I had a lot of fun with this one, and it is either a masterpiece or a total piece of crap. I hope all of you are willing to shell out 13 bucks plus postage to find out which.
I'm also working on a few short stories. None of them have what you would call an actual plot at this point, but they're beginning to sprout. The Black Centipede tale is a love story of sorts, in which Zenith's top gangster, Baron Samedi, becomes infatuated with a new costumed bank robber who calls herself La Calavera Catrina. Real-life guest stars include Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Apart from all that, I have stories in several upcoming volumes of Pulp Obscura, a joint publishing venture from Pro Se Productions and Altus Press.
Stay tuned to this blog for new developments and information on upcoming releases.
