Character-charged sci-fi with a shot of Rock & Roll!
In the May edition of Bull Specs “The Hardest Part,” I discuss the challenges of writing Red Sky Dawning, and what it means to be a legally blind author.
You can read my guest column here.
About this publication:
BULL SPEC was founded in November 2009, and published its first issue in March 2010. While the goalposts move a bit, I’m trying to be a strong voice for Triangle- and North Carolina-area speculative fiction.
In print, Bull Spec is ISSN 2152-5234; Online, Bull Spec is ISSN 2152-5242.
Hey folks. Welcome to another edition of the Mako Manifesto!
First things first, I want to give a big, hearty THANK YOU to everyone who’s purchased and or reviewed Red Sky Dawning on Amazon. Speaking as both the author of the book and a guy running a business, you have no idea how much I appreciate that. Those are the things that keep this series going, and afford me the chance to pay for stuff like quality editing and cover design.
Next up: At Circle’s End. That’s the tentative title for the third and final book of The Mako Saga, and I’m happy to report that I’m already well into writing the first draft. With any luck, I’ll have the beta manuscript ready for edit by the end of this year.
Okay, so now that the housekeeping is done, let’s have some fun, shall we?
Lots of people have asked me what this saga would look like as a film series. Whether it’s for the characters, the action, or the overall tempo of the books, folks seem to think these stories would translate well to that medium — and I, for one, tend to agree!
I’ve made no secret of my love for movies over the years, and I can hardly think of anything that would geek me out more than to see my little slice of the sci-fi genre on the silver screen. But what would that look like?
The following is my dream list for a Mako cast and crew. Coincidentally, it’s also a fairly telling exposition on my at-home viewing habits, so no judging! 😉
(Links go to IMDB pages)
Director: Jon Favreau
So, has anyone reading this blog NOT seen Iron Man or Iron Man 2? If there were ever a director to nail a Mako movie, it’s Favreau. He just gets it. Beyond the fact that he makes an awesome action film, he’s also extremely adept at showcasing the unique charms of each member of an ensemble cast — a necessity in a Mako film. Otherwise, all you’re left with is another SF-themed explosion fest with pancake-flat characters that no one remembers after they leave the theater, and honestly, who needs more of those?
Screenplay Writer: Eric Kripke
Fans of the CW’s Supernatural (a Kripke creation) know exactly where I’m headed with this. For all of the series’ action, horror, suspense, and gore, it’s Supernatural’s emphasis on family, togetherness, and loyalty that’s kept it on the air for eleven seasons. To quote one of the series’ stars, Mark Sheppard, “After all this time, we still care about the Winchesters.” That’s a testament to the characters this show (and its writers) have built, and thematically speaking, it’s exactly the kind of approach I’d want in a Mako screenplay. Oh, and the kickass, classic rock soundtrack. That’s a must, too. 😉
(Visions of an SF-13 Mako Starfighter streaking through space to Van Halen’s “Aftershock”… Hell yeah!!!)
Cast
Lee Summerston: Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) Okay, so I’ll admit it. I’m a total mark for Dean Winchester. Having conceded that, Ackles is perfect for Lee. He looks the part, he knows his way around a sidearm in an action sequence, and he’s a Texan, which gives him the requisite “country boy swagger” for the role. Moreover, he plays “conflicted” better than most give him credit. To this day, I still don’t know why he hasn’t made the jump to big-screen action star, but I’d be thrilled to give him the shot with Mako.
Danny Tucker: Stephen Amell (Arrow) Another CW mainstay, Amell would rock the part of Danny. He can do “pretty boy,” i.e. Oliver Queen, but he can also go full-on darkside like a champ when the chips are down. Pair that with the story told in Red Sky Dawning, and I think most would agree Amell would be ideal for this character.
Evelyn “Mac” McKinsey: Rosario Dawson (Daredevil) Candidly, I’m just an all-around Dawson fan. Whether it’s for her dramatic work on Netflix’s Daredevil or her comedy in Clerks 2, she’s just a wonderful actress to watch. On a related note, few do “snarky tomboy with a twist of demure” better than Dawson (kinda crucial for Mac), plus her native-New Yorker status means she’d rock a Yankees cap.
Hamish Lunley: (Unknown Actor) Mako needs an actor every bit as unique as the character he’ll be playing. To date, I’ve seen plenty with Hamish’s charisma and personality, but none with that AND the necessary physical stature. I’d probably go to the theatrical ranks for this one.
Link Baxter: Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) Seriously, does anyone in Hollywood do “hot-headed, punk-ass good guy” better than Jesse Pinkman? No one else would even read for this part if I could get him.
Madisyn Reynolds:: Rachel McAdams (True Detective, Wedding Crashers) McAdams has shown a lot of range in her career, and as any reader of both books will attest, that’s fairly key for Madisyn (a character who evolves quite a bit from books one to two).
Katie Summerston: Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) Any chance to put ‘Starbuck’ back in space is fine by me. However, my love of Ron Moore’s BSG reboot notwithstanding, Sackhoff would make a fine Katie. She’s sassy and quick-witted, but she’s also a very cerebral actress who conveys a lot of confidence on-screen. Katie has to be funny and charming, sure, but she’s also got to take command in a crisis. Sackhoff does all of that and then some.
Chief Engineer Kris Wyatt: Connor Trinneer (Star Trek: Enterprise, 24) Mild-mannered gentleman with humble origins and the engineering IQ of a savant… Trip Tucker, maybe? Trinneer would nail Kris Wyatt. Furthermore it’d just be nice to see him in more than a bit role outside of Enterprise. He’s a solid actor, really solid, and it’d be great to see him on this kind stage.
ASC Fleet Admiral Markus Katahl: Dennis Haysbert (The Unit) Okay, go ahead and get the “you’re in good hands” jokes out now. Long before Haysbert was the spokesperson for All State, he was (and still is) a fine actor. His portrayal of Jonas Blane in TV’s The Unit was out of this world. Combine that with his physical stature and presence on-screen, and he’d be phenomenal as Katahl.
Commandant Alec Masterson: Ian McShane (Deadwood) McShane is a world-class actor, period. However, it was his portrayal of Al Swearengen, the sleezebag bar owner with the sliver tongue in HBO’s Deadwood that earns him the role of Mako’s top villain. Alec Masterson has to ooze evil from every aspect of his character, from the manner in which he carries himself to the way in which he annunciates his speech. He should crawl up your skin like a disease, and McShane would deliver that in spades.
Alystierian High Chancellor Lucius Zier: Timothy Dalton (Penny Dreadful) The former 007 is regal and proper, though he’s also got a down-to-Earth charm about him that’s essential to the character. Zier’s a grizzled old dog with a lot of moxie, and he’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone in parliament when the occasion calls for it. At the same time, he’ll kick back a shot of Smithson’s with any grunt at the bar, and Dalton has the chops to deliver all of this with ease.
Sgt. Major Keith Noll: David Ramsey (Arrow) ‘Diggle’ would kill as a drill sergeant, plus he’s already got an obvious rapport with Stephen Amell on-screen.
Capt. Shannon “Layla” Baxter: Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast & the Furious, Lost) Admittedly, this feels like a bit of a copout on my part since Rodriguez played a character eerily similar to Layla in 2009’s Avatar. In my defense, however, I’d like to state for the record that I penned the early draft of my character in the summer before Avatar hit theaters, so there. I call dibs.
Dr. Jon Reiser: Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) Like most genre fans my age, I was a huge Herc fan back in the day. But Sorbo’s come a long way since then, as an actor and a person. I just finished his autobiography, True Strength (great read), and there was a lot about Kevin’s story that resonated with me, especially since strokes run in my family. He’s a tough guy, and those experiences combined with his already affable personality would translate well to the role of mentor that is Mimic Project founder Jon Reiser.
Capt. Nathan Briggs: Matt Smith (Doctor Who) I remember when Smith was cast in the titular role of the hit BBC series, and the uproar that ensued from a lot of old-school fans who thought he was too young and “pretty-boy looking” for the part. But then he hit the screen and it was all over. Smith’s portrayal of the eleventh (later the twelfth) doctor was not only good, it was one for the ages on a show that’s been around for nearly a half-century. True, he played the character with all of the quirky panache that fans know and love, but there was an unmistakable gravitas to Smith’s Doctor that hadn’t always been there. Despite all of his charms and flamboyance, you always got the impression that there was A LOT going on this character’s head. He had a history, a long one, and it hadn’t always been kind to him. Thus, no matter how light or campy the stories got, it was Smith’s ability to bring that ever-present, “man out of time” weight to this iconic character that made his version of it… well, timeless. It’s also Nathan Briggs to a tee.
Other notable cast:
Auran President Rick Wylon: Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) NO JUDGING!!! 😉
Capt. Vince Ryan: Joe Flanigan (Stargate Atlantis) Cocky fighter-jock commander with spiky black hair.
Capt. Jeff “Blazer” Hastings: John Cena (WWE Raw) Aside from the fact that he just looks the part of Hastings, Cena’s an amazing guy in real life, and it’d be my pleasure to have him in my film. Read this article about his involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation if you want to know why.
Lt. Victor “Scar” Mann: Terry Crews (The Expendables) Again, Crews looks the part of Scar (minus the shaved head), and I’m just a fan.
Lt. Marshall “Tino” Weller: Zachary Levi (Chuck) Much like John Cena, there will always be a place in my movies for the original nerd-herder himself, Chuck Bartowski. Love that guy.
“Bartender” Bruce: Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness) Be honest: with a line like “you primitive screw-head,” would you want anyone else? Plus, I’d totally write a demigod reference into the Praetorian OC scene if Sorbo took the Reiser part.
In closing, you’ve probably noticed the absence of any bigtime, A-list movie stars on this roster, and there’s reason for that. For starters, I’ve always envisioned the cast of a Mako film as being only modestly familiar to a lot of mainstream movie-goers. Perhaps the biggest reason, though, is because in many ways, Mako has always been an homage to the stuff I grew up with as a kid (movies, TV shows, etc.). So what better way to draw that out on-screen in a Mako film than to cast a lot of those actors and actresses in the very roles they inspired?
Okay, gang, that’s gonna do it for this edition of the Manifesto. Have a great week, enjoy the new book, and as always… keep on rockin’ in the free world!
RUAH!!!
IJM
Arrives exclusively on Amazon April 30, 2015.
PROMOTIONAL NOTE: Book one in the series, titled MAKO, is currently available for free download from Amazon. Offer expires Tuesday, March 31, at 11:59 pm EST.
RSD Story Synopsis
Five years after the historic Battle of Dulaston, Danny Tucker, Lee Summerston, and the Renegades have settled nicely into life on Aura — yet none more so than Tucker. Fueled by a rising career as an ASC staff sergeant and a love unlike any he’s ever known, Danny is in the prime of his life and at last free of the demons that have stalked him for years.
Some demons never die, though, and when an old enemy beckons to settle a personal score, Danny soon finds himself swept up in the backlash of a climaxing civil war, and straight into the crosshairs of a father’s bloodlust for revenge.
RED SKY DAWNING is the much-anticipated sequel to 2013’s MAKO, and the tale of one man’s quest to bury his past and protect those dearest to him as the fate of billions hangs in the balance.
Hey guys, Ian J. Malone here.
Well, it’s official: RED SKY DAWNING (the direct sequel to MAKO and book two in THE MAKO SAGA) arrives for sale in e-book and paperback on Amazon, April 30, 2015. The audiobook will follow shortly thereafter on Audible and iTunes.
I know it’s been a long time coming, gang, but I think you’re really gonna like this one. 😉 As always, thanks for your support of the series, and hit me up anytime via my website (ianjmalone.com) if you’ve got questions.
Cheers, and hope you’re staying warm.
IJM
Hey guys, keeping this one brief since most of us still have tons to do before Thursday. That said, I didn’t feel right about closing down 2014 without giving you at least a taste of what’s to come this spring.
So, without further ado…
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RED SKY DAWNING Official Synopsis
Five years after the historic Battle of Dulaston, Danny Tucker, Lee Summerston, and the Renegades have settled nicely into life on Aura — yet none more so than Tucker. Fueled by a rising career as an ASC staff sergeant and a love unlike any he’s ever known, Danny is in the prime of his life and at last free of the demons that’ve stalked him for years.
Some demons never die, though, and when an old enemy beckons to settle a personal score, Danny soon finds himself swept up in the backlash of a climaxing civil war, and straight into the crosshairs of a father’s bloodlust for revenge.
RED SKY DAWNING is the much-anticipated sequel to 2013’s MAKO, and the tale of one man’s quest to bury his past and protect those dearest to him as the fate of billions hangs in the balance.
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Merry Christmas, everyone. Thanks as always for your support, and God bless you and yours this holiday season.
Cheers,
IJM
Hello again, everyone! Welcome to fall and the Halloween edition of the Manifesto!
Today we’re discussing what has long since been the great unicorn for most indie authors- — brick and mortar book sales. I use that metaphor because, like the unicorn, most indie authors have heard that bookstore sales exist, but few if any have every actually seen them.
Before we get started, though, I did want to take a sec to remind all of my Carolina peeps that this weekend marks the return of HonorCon to the Hilton North Raleigh-Midtown, Friday, Oct. 31, though Sunday, Nov. 2.
HonorCon is a science fiction convention held annually in Raleigh to celebrate achievements in the genre of military scifi. Guests this year include the likes of David Weber (THE HONOR HARRINGTON SERIES) and Timothy Zahn (STAR WARS: THE THRAWN TRILOGY) among others.
I myself will be doing a panel on indie publishing with my colleague, Chris Kennedy (THE THEOGONY) in Room D on Friday at 5pm, so hope to see you all there!
FYI, for those who can’t attend, you can view the slides from our presentation on my website’s For Writers page.
Okay, let’s get on to the meat n’ taters of this puppy, shall we?
The Backdrop
Like many indies, I knew when I started out that I wanted to offer my book in paperback. And why not? For one, it’s just one more platform to make money on, and for another, what author DOESN’T want to see his or her work in printed form?
I was also quite cognizant, however, that sans the help of a major publisher, I’d never have the resources to print a thousand copies of my work for the purposes of trying to flip them for profit.
… Enter the world of Print On Demand (POD) Publishing!!!
How does POD work?
POD is a glorious thing because it gives your readers the option to purchase your work in paperback form—albeit at a few bucks more per unit—but in a way that precludes you, the publisher, from paying any overhead. In a nutshell, if a reader wants a paperback, he or she simply logs onto Amazon, B&N, etc. and clicks the “buy” button, at which time the company prints a single unit, mails it out to the customer, then deducts that order’s production and royalty costs from the retail price before sending you the rest.
As POD services go, there are tons to choose from, but only two that really matter:
• CreateSpace: A subsidiary of Amazon
• Ingram Spark via Lightning Source
I know some might say that Lulu and or BookBaby are good ways to go, but I’ve never dealt with either, nor have I ever heard a good story about their services from those who have. Just sayin’…
Which POD service is better?
CreateSpace is pretty much a must. Now I know there’s a lot of hate out there for Amazon these days, but frankly there’s a reason why they’re the 800-poud gorilla where sales are concerned. Thus, as an indie, you can’t afford to not be on Amazon. There’s just one problem with that… outside of Amazon, and in some case B&N, no one else will order from CreaseSpace BECAUSE it’s owned by the aforementioned gorilla that seeks to put them all out of business.
Enter Ingram Spark via Lightning Source whom EVERYONE ELSE orders from.
NOTE: It also bears mentioning that both companies give authors the option of selling their works at a discounted rate to bookstores and venders — a must if you hope to get carried. Before you reach that point, though, you’ll want to purchase your own ISBN from Bowker and make sure NOT to utilize Amazon’s expanded distribution feature.
So… now that you’ve gone through all of that work (and financial investment if you had your books professionally formatted), you’re good to go, right? You’re on Amazon; you’ve opened a Spark account for your local bookstore on the corner; you’ve offered all at a discount to make them as cheap as possible for everyone involved… now it’s all about building business relationships with your local venders, right?
Well, as my buddy, Lee Corso of EPSN’s College Gameday would say, “Not so fast, my friend!”
See, there’s just one little problem: Bookstore owners, and rightfully so, want the option to return books that don’t sell to the publishers who printed them… publishers, which in this case, means you. Not Amazon/CreateSpace or Ingram Spark/Lightning Source… you.
Example: let’s say John Smith Bookstore in Raleigh wanted to stock 10 copies of my book, MAKO, in their store using the $10 discounted purchase price I offered them through Ingram Spark — a price that netted me somewhere around 15 cents per book after Spark’s production and royalty fees were deducted. (Gotta spend money to make money, right?)
Fast-forward three months, and Smith has only sold 1 copy of MAKO, at which time the store opts to return the other nine for a total value of $90. I, not Ingram Spark, am obligated to repay that amount, even though I made less than $1 on the entire transaction.
See where this gets sticky if you’re an indie?
Of course, the simple solution would be to set up your Spark account with non-returnable books, which authors are certainly entitled to do. However, as one local vender told me, 95% of most bookstores won’t even look at you, much less consider stocking your books because you’re name isn’t a proven sales brand and they don’t want to get left holding the bag for unsold units.
So what’s the answer?
Sadly, right now there isn’t one, which, sad to say, means that as an indie, seeing your book on physical shelves should in no way be a priority to you. Offer a non-returnable POD option then concentrate all of your efforts on selling e and audio books since those will bring in 95-99% of your revenue. That sucks, I know, because like a lot of you, it really does mean something to me to support, and be supported by, my local stores. But if they won’t work with me, then I, as a business person, need to focus on working with those who will… and that, dear brick and mortar stores with your endless tales of falling fiscal skies, is Amazon.
Bloggers Note: I have seen where some bookstores are beginning to stock “local author sections,” and I’d definitely encourage any author who can get in on that to take full advantage of it where possible. Even if it only means they purchased one copy of your book, they still PURCHASED one copy of your book. So reward that. Throw them the occasional tweet or Facebook post, and take the extra second to plug in their corresponding handle or hashtag so people can find them straight out of your text. Con-goers, let fans know that they can find your work on shelves at those locations. Anything that shows the vender, “Hey, thanks for supporting me. Now let me return the favor as best I can.”
It’s all about mutuality, folks.
Ta ta for now! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Halloween this weekend, and can’t wait to see a lot of you at HonorCon!
RUAH!
IJM
PS – Should have my first round of editor feedback on RED SKY DAWNING within the next couple of weeks. From there, it’s on to line edit then to a proofread then to formatting. All told, the second book in the #MakoSaga is set for an early 2015 release.
Greetings again, dear readers, and welcome to another edition of the Mako Manifesto — this time by way of its new home at WordPress! Why the change from Blogger, you ask? Eh, it’s complicated. But suffice it to say, the decision to move had a lot to do with the business end of things, i.e. better distribution options, better analytics, and well… mainly because I’ve never been one to go too long without change.
And so here we are, with a new site, a new look, and lots of MAKO news to discuss.
RED SKY DAWNING (RSD) BETA is in the can
As of July 31, eyes not belonging to me were reading the latest adventure of Lee Summerston and the Renegades, thus officially beginning RSD’s final run to print whereby I get beta feedback by Labor Day then make changes in time for submission to my editor on Oct. 20. After that comes another round of changes followed by a round of line-edits followed by more changes and a proofread — BREATH — then the file is finalized and sent off to my e- and audiobook designers for production.
It’s a lot, I know, but I consider myself extremely fortunate as an indie author to be able to afford such a rigorous process this time around. That wasn’t the case with MAKO, as I was operating on a shoe-string budget and completely out of pocket. That meant one round of edits through friends then another through a solo-editor I found online who, to her credit, did a fabulous job considering the size and scope of the task she was hired for.
(Author’s Note: MAKO was re-released onto Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc. in January 2014 following a comprehensive re-edit and proofread.)
Fast-forward to the present, and RSD is getting the manicured treatment by comparison — a good thing, too, given the size of this story. As I’ve maintained all along, RSD is a much bigger tale than MAKO in nearly every way, though especially where world and character development are concerned. Bigger stakes, bigger themes, bigger conflicts, bigger everything.
Out with the story stuff already!
For those who follow me on social media, some of this might seem a bit redundant to you. However, in the interest of wetting the whistle a bit for those who don’t, here are a few of the themes we’ll be tackling in book two of the Mako saga:
• Five years have passed since the events of MAKO: At the conclusion of book one, it was pretty clear that every member of the Renegades (Lee, Mac, Danny, Link, and Hamish) had found something on Aura that he or she had begun to latch onto. Be it a career, a person, or in Danny’s case, the outright dread of returning home to Earth, something clicked for each of them, and that’s played a major part in sculpting their lives ever since.
• Danny is the star of the show: Yes, everyone is back — Lee and Mac included — but Danny Tucker is the protagonist of RSD, and it’s made abundantly clear right out of the gate that while he’s very similar to Lee in many respects, he’s also quite different in many others. Chief among these differences is the manner in which he deals with people who cross him… and we’ll just leave that right there for now. 😉
• Who are the Alystierians… really? In many ways, MAKO was the story of the Aurans, i.e. who they are as a people, where they came from, and why they’re at war with the Alystierian Empire. As is usually the case in war, however, there are two sides to the equation, and RSD is where we get the other’s point of view. Why did the Alystierians attack Aura in the first place? What forces drove that decision, and how have things changed since the ASC’s advent of a pure-caldrasite (C-100) technology, i.e. the SF-13 Mako Interceptor? Then finally, why are the empire’s commandant (Masterson) and chancellor (Lucius Zier) seemingly at odds as was briefly referenced in MAKO?
With regard to that last point, trust me when I say, folks, that not only is this rift explained in RSD, but it has far-reaching consequences for everyone involved.
• Lots of new characters: As has been alluded to already, RSD sees the introduction of several new characters — among them Katie Summerston (Lee’s sister, and a worldclass scientist/surgeon), Nathan Briggs (an Alystierian soldier on the Kamuir), and Zier. It also sees the fleshing out of other characters like Layla, who sports a new title in RSD, and Kris Wyatt, a man who readers will find has changed quite a bit in the last five years.
When will RED SKY DAWNING hit shelves?
Ideally, I’d love to have RSD out by Christmas. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, though it’ll largely depend on how soon I can get through my editors’ suggested changes which will surely be extensive—as they should be. That’s the job of a good editor, to point out where your story is weak so that changes can be made, and where your story shines so as to maximize that impact for the reader. It’s a long and arduous process. But in the end, and as any NYT bestseller will tell you, any story is always better for having gone through it.
Okay, gang, that’s gonna do it for this, our maiden voyage on WordPress. Thanks as always for stopping by, don’t forget to stay tuned to FB and Twitter for all the latest updates, and see you back here next time for another edition of the Manifesto!
RUAH!
IJM
PS- Just three more Saturdays until my beloved Seminoles of Florida State begin their defense of the 2013 National Championship in college football. Cool weather, ice cold beer, football, and a crock-potful of homemade chili… MAN, I love this time of year!!!
IJM