The Great War of the Worlds

What happened after the Martian Attack chronicled in War of the Worlds ended?

The aliens succumbed to Earth's microbes, but left their weapons and war machines scattered across the globe.

Governments worked hard to assert control over these deadly technologies, so they could keep it out of the hands of the wrong people, while taking advantage of it for themselves.

Sometimes they failed.

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It's 1915, twenty years after the Martian invasion chronicled in H.G. Wells War of the Worlds failed. The aliens left behind advanced technology and weapons, and now humanity is on the brink of a catastrophic war. Caught in the middle of the chaos are two unlikely heroes: Emil Zimmerman, a young German soldier, and James Brogan, an introverted radio engineer.

Shadows of the Past is a science fiction, alternate history, survival adventure. Do you love War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells? Then this thrilling journey of humanity grappling with the legacy of Martian technology is the thrilling ride you're looking for.


Headed to the obnoxiously-named Genius” bar to get the keyboard fixed on my Macbook Air.

I still prefer Linux for my daily driver, but the MacBook Air platform has always been one of my favorite platforms. (I’m typing this on a 2013 11” Air running Linux Mint.) But newer 2020 M1 Air has great battery life, which is great for day trips to the cafe and Vellum, the best ebook formatting software around, only runs on MacOs.

Hopefully the M1 will remain my last-and-only MacOs system.

The final cover for the Grovers Mill novella is in:

Just need to finish the damn story now.

And the Tesla Fire Short story is on Book Funnel. Go get it!

The link is pinned on my page if you’re reading this on Facebook.

February 12, 2024 blog daily diary






I guess late posts on Sunday will be a thing now.

Spent yesterday polishing a guest blog post, updating my Synology NAS, which was a huge mistake since they decided to cripple the open source software I was running on it, and starting on another character bio for this week’s newsletter.

Unwound before bed with That Touch of Mink,” a 1962 romantic comedy pairing Doris Day and Cary Grant for what seems to be the only time. Largely a generic rom-com, although Gig Young and John Astin steal the show, IMO.

Does your public library offer a Kanopy subscription? It’s the best streaming service you’ve never heard of, and it’s free!

February 11, 2024 blog daily diary






Got some great feedback on The Tesla Fire, the short story that I’ll be giving to subscribers to my newsletter. (Subscribe over here if you’re ready this on the blog. On my page if you’re on Facebook. ) I’ll make the changes this weekend, then format for PDF and ebooks.

I slapped together a cover this morning:

I need to think about it for a few days.

Back to the dojo after a few days resting my (still) sore shoulder, then over to a friend’s house to plan a bike trip from the northwestern tip of New Jersey down to the southeaster corner. Yes, NJ has some nice cycling, and you can good bagels on the way.

February 10, 2024 blog daily diary






It’s Friday! The weekend is nearly here, so I can try to catch up on work for the next two days.

On Deck:  New post about developer metrics for a client. Overdue email newsletter.

Inbox: Out of control.

Listening: Radio Paradise. Sonos had some network issues, which bodes ill.

Reading:  Still on Imperium. Good stuff.

Last Watched: Criminal Record over on AppleTV+. Doctor Who as a dirty London cop.

February 9, 2024 blog daily diary






Back to the grind.

With the short story and big tutorial finished, I head back to the queue. Keyword research, lesson plans for Nose Work classes, and a novella for Patreon.

On Deck: See above.

Inbox:  Scary.

Listening: Radio Paradise. Spinning some Jeff Beck as I write this.

Reading:  Still in Imperium.

Last Watched: Quantum Leap.

Condition:  Okay, I guess.

February 8, 2024 blog daily diary






After a week of dragging ass, I’m finally getting stuff done. I’ve finished the short story that will serve as a giveaway for joining my email list and will post it after feedback from my writing group this weekend.

I’ve also made considerable progress on the tutorial I’ve been struggling with at the day job. It will be done today, too!

Next is to finish up the novella I’m planning for Ream or Patreon (or both?) I already commissioned cover art for that. This is the latest revision. I think it’s close to done:

On Deck:  Finish the tutorial. Finish some lingering keyword research. Back to the novella.

Inbox: Eight unread.

Listening: Silence.

Reading:  Imperium Descent by Christopher Hopper.

Last Watched: Nothing new.

Condition: Meh. Shoulder is stil sore. About to try a 30 mile ride on the trainer.

February 7, 2024 blog daily diary