Ian J. Malone

Character-charged sci-fi with a shot of Rock & Roll!

Red Sky Dawning

Mako: The Motion Picture 2020

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Hey folks. In the spirit of The Mako Saga’s release through Theogony Books, and given that we’re now less than a month from the Detron City vice launch on Sept. 18, I thought it might be fun to dig back into the IJM News Desk archives and dust off an old favorite for updating.

Welcome to Mako: The Motion Picture 2.0!

Lots of people have asked me over the years who I’d task to shepherd a Mako film onto the screen, and the actors I’d love to see as part of that project. Well, I’ve given it some thought and here goes.

The following is my dream list for a Mako cast and crew. Let the games begin! 😊

AUTHOR’S NOTE: If you want to know what a Mako film would sound like, be sure to check out the Mako: The Soundtrack playlist on Spotify (free to listen after you download the app).

Director: Jon Favreau

So, has anyone reading this post NOT seen Iron Man or The Mandalorian?

If there were ever a director to nail a Mako movie, it’s Favreau. He just gets it. Beyond the fact that everyone’s favorite Swinger makes an awesome action piece, he’s also extremely adept at showcasing the unique charms and nuances of an ensemble cast. That’s a necessity in a Mako film.

Screenplay Writer: Dave Filoni

Those who listen to The Dudes in Hyperspace Podcast know how much respect I have for Dave Filoni. Put simply, the man is almost singlehandedly responsible for everything that is great about Star Wars in the post-prequel era. Star Wars: The Clone Wars? That’s a Filoni creation. Same with Star Wars: Rebels and several of the marquis episodes from The Mandalorian.

The bottom line for me is this: Filoni knows how to tell groundbreaking stories in the sci-fi/space opera genre with genuine weight and a real emphasis on characters relationships. Couple this with his connection to Favreau from their time together on The Mandalorian, and he’d make a phenomenal scribe for a Mako film.

CAST

(Actor’s real ages as of 2020 were not a factor in this post.)

Lee Summerston: Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) — I’ll admit it. I’m a total mark for Dean Winchester. Having conceded that, Ackles is the perfect choice 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” one needs to stick the role. He also plays “conflicted” better than many give him credit — an important trait given the amount of time Lee spends in his own head.

Danny Tucker: Justin Hartley (This is Us) —I know Hartley from way back in the early-2000s for his work as the original Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on Smallville, and it’s that role that lands him the part of Danny Tucker in a Mako film. For starters, he’s got the look (blond, tan, lean build, good smile), though he also plays “strung out on the ragged edge” better than most. Couple that with his skills as a martial artist in an action sequence and Hartley’s my guy for Danny.

Evelyn “Mac” McKinsey: Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) — In my initial post, I casted Rosario Dawson for the role of Mac, mostly for her work on Clerks 2. For the record, I still think she’d rock the part. Now, however, many years and many new Makoverse characters later, I need our favorite Night Nurse for a different role (more on that later).

This takes me back to the drawing board to the very actress who I modeled this character after to begin with — Elizabeth Banks, specifically the character she played in the Vince Papale biopic, Invincible.

Hint: Banks’s character in Invincible was a smartass, sports-loving bartender from New York with a take-no-prisoner’s attitude toward her customers and a love for running with the boys. Sound familiar?

Hamish Lunley: (Unknown Actor) — Honestly, I’ve racked my brain for years on this one, but to no avail. The truth is, Mako: The Motion Picture would require an actor every bit as unique as the Hamish character himself, and there’s just no one I know of in Hollywood right now who could fit that bill. So, I say we cast an unknown (from the theater ranks, perhaps?) and roll on.

Link Baxter: Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) — I challenge anybody to name one actor in the movie business, past or present, who plays “hot-headed, punk-ass good guy” better than Jesse Pinkman. Seriously, I’ll wait.

*taps toe while listening to the Jeopardy theme*

No one else would even read for this part if I could get Aaron Paul, period.

Dr. Madisyn Reynolds: Rachel McAdams (True Detective, Wedding Crashers) — McAdams has shown a lot of depth in her career, and as any Makoverse reader will attest, that’s key for playing Madisyn, a character who evolves quite a bit from book to book.

BONUS: McAdams looks great as a redhead.

Dr. 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 an excellent Katie. She’s sassy and quick-witted, but she’s also a very cerebral actress who conveys a lot of confidence on-screen.

Katie is funny and charming, sure, but she’s also more than capable of taking command in a crisis when needed. Sackhoff does all of that and then some.

Chief Engineer Kris Wyatt: Connor Trinneer (Star Trek: Enterprise) — Mild-mannered gentleman with humble origins and the engineering IQ of a savant… Trip Tucker, maybe?

Trinneer would nail Kris Wyatt. Furthermore, it’d be nice to see him in more than a bit role outside of Enterprise.

ASC Fleet Admiral Markus Katahl: Dennis Haysbert (Major League) — Long before Haysbert was the spokesperson for All State, he was (and still is) a decorated actor. His portrayal of Jonas Blane in CBS’s The Unit was out-of-this-world good. Combine that with his physical stature and presence on-screen, and Haysbert would make a phenomenal Katahl.

Alystierian Commandant Alec Masterson: Ian McShane (Deadwood) — McShane is a world-class actor, no matter the medium. It was his portrayal of Al Swearengen, the sleazebag bar owner with the silver tongue in HBO’s Deadwood, however, that earns him the role of Mako’s top villain. Alec Masterson must ooze evil through every pore of his character, from the manner in which he carries himself physically to the way in which he annunciates his speech.

Simply put, Masterson should crawl up your skin like a disease. McShane would deliver that in spades.

Alystierian Chancellor Lucius Zier: Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Thor) — Do I seriously need to explain this one? He’s Anthony freaking Hopkins, y’all. Nobody does “noble patriarch” better.

Sgt. Major Keith Noll: David Ramsey (Arrow) — ‘John Diggle’ would kill as the hard-nosed, battle-hardened drill instructor for the Renegades.

Dr. Jon Reiser: Michael Shanks (Stargate: SG1) — In addition to the obvious fact that both characters are brilliant scientists who wear glasses, Jon Reiser and Daniel Jackson (Shanks’s SG1 character) have a lot in common, from their academic demeanor to their ability to drop a line on a dime.

Sgt. Nathan Briggs: Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order, Doctor Strange) — Bratt is a rangy actor who’s been in this business for a long time. Most know him as Detective Rey Curtis from Law & Order. However, it’s his role as ex-junkie-turned rehab superhero William Banks from A&E’s The Cleaner that lands him the Briggs role. That show ended long before its time.

Other notable cast members:

Les Reegan: A young Lou Diamond Phillips (Henry Standing Bear from Netflix’s Longmire)

Obadiah “Doc” Khard: Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth from Justice League)

Wade Shotzel: Michael Cudlitz (Abraham from The Walking Dead)

Remy Tanaka: Osric Chau (Kevin Tran from Supernatural)

Xayna Lorne: Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano from The Mandalorian)

Auran President Rick Wylon: Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd from Grey’s Anatomy)

ASC Capt. Vince Ryan: Joe Flanigan (Col. John Shepherd from Stargate Atlantis)

Shannon “Layla” Baxter: Michelle Rodriguez (Letty from Fast and Furious)

Kendu-Tephala Rikanun: Jason Momoa (Aquaman)

Spiggy (voice): Sam Witwer (Darth Maul from Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

That’s gonna do it for now, gang. Take care, stay safe, and drop me a line on social media if you think somebody else deserves a shot at one of these roles.

Cheers,

IJM

NEW RELEASE: ‘Red Sky Dawning’ arrives from Theogony Books

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I’m proud to announce that RED SKY DAWNING (Book 2 of THE MAKO SAGA) is now available for purchase on Amazon! I hope you enjoy it, and humbly ask that you please leave a review if you do!!!

Huge thanks to Chris Kennedy and the staff from Theogony Books for helping me bring this series to a whole new realm of readers and push it forward into the future with a brand-new installment (DETRON CITY VICE) coming later this summer.

Stay tuned to the IJM News Desk as more details unfold! Also, don’t forget to sign up for the IJM mailing list and get the MAKO prequel, MAKO: GENESIS!

COVER REVEALED: Red Sky Dawning

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RSD 2500x1563-Amazon-Smashwords-Kobo-Apple

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.

RED SKY DAWNING arrives on Amazon April 30

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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

Christmas Under a ‘Red Sky’

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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

The brick and mortar conundrum for indie authors

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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.

Change, Change, and More Change!

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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!!!