tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61615260022385860542024-03-13T16:14:24.782-04:00Two-Fisted BloggerThe Cyber-Man-Cave For Literate Action JunkiesHank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-36924613300715716132019-06-23T22:40:00.000-04:002019-06-23T22:40:10.946-04:00Gunfighters and Arachno-MonstersNevermind <i>Cowboys Vs. Aliens!</i> What if huge spider-like vermin were hired by Santa Ana to attack the Alamo?<br />
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Why, nothing less than a gang of badasses including John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Richard Widmark, Lee Van Cleef, James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner could possibly fulfill Travis' mission, buying time for Sam Houston to assemble enough Starship Troopers to save Texas!<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="289" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/268240628" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/268240628">"FAR ALAMO". Short Film.</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/fabricemathieu">Fabrice Mathieu</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Gotta love a mash-up like this. My hat's off to the editor.Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-71972638191790400852019-06-05T08:49:00.000-04:002019-06-05T08:49:15.584-04:00The PredatorThis trailer has spoilers. If you want to read a review of the movie, check it out at <a href="https://wp.me/p9ws0c-Nl">Virtual Pulp</a>.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a8yhdePFEvY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-39345381833407598912018-01-03T21:12:00.000-05:002018-01-03T21:12:14.767-05:00John C. Wright on Robert E. Howard, Conan, and Pulp AdventureReading this article reminded me why I used to blog so enthusiastically. Wright, who is quite the successful author himself, has really done his homework and unpacks what made Howard's barbarian so unique at the time he penned his adventures (and why he's inspired so many imitations ever since), in his article regarding <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Sword-linked-Table-Contents-ebook/dp/B00VBJ5YO6/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1514868154&sr=1-6&keywords=howard+conan+phoenix" target="_blank"><i>The Phoenix on the Sword</i></a>.<br />
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This is not a story about a schoolgirl remembering a stolen kiss from an older boy and contemplating her delicate pastel emotions. This is a tale of bloodshed, of eldritch shadows, of rough men ready to die but full of roaring life. Such savagery seems bright only against a sufficiently dark background.</div>
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The barbarian of gigantic melancholy and gigantic mirth here is set against the shadow haunted cosmos of Lovecraftian weirdness, striding continents overturned by the cataclysms of Theosophists, and conquering cities doomed by Spenglerian cycles of history. Such a figure has a strange but clear appeal to it. Here is the old idea of Achilles’ bargain, who accepts a short life as the price for a glorious one.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Sword-Robert-Howard/dp/1545357722/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514868260&sr=1-2&keywords=howard+conan+phoenix" target="_blank">The tale</a> is romance. Barbarism is romanticized here just as we also see in A PRINCESS OF MARS by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and just as we also see in pirate stories or yarns of the Old West, where the Sioux or Apache are portrayed as savage but honorable warriors, graced with a rough chivalry surpassing the utilitarian cunning Spanish or British colonists. Again and again, Conan is said to have a vitality and strength civilized men have forgotten how to find.</div>
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The cruel reality of savage life is, of course, is passed by without mention. Such injected realism would defeat the story’s purpose and cheat the reader, who is looking for the cold shock of excitement that comes from the mingle hope and nostalgia of glamorizing the past.</div>
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These works are for boys and for men who have not lost the enthusiasm of boys. These works are for readers who are justifiably weary of the cobwebby regulations, courtesies, and falsehoods of polite society, nannying, nagging, and the dreary minutia of a corrupt civilization.</div>
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Such boys, spirits untested, stare at the wild expanse of untamed nature, and wonder if they are equal to the task of conquest; such men, spirits unbowed, see the corruption of overfed cities, dirty with centuries of ill-gotten wealth, and yearn for fires from heaven to overturn them in acts of unearthly cleansing.</div>
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At such times, man and boy alike is wont to call on the spirit of barbarism to refresh his soul, to remind him of the simple and manly truths of strength and steel, of straight talk and plain passion, and how men must fight if the horrors of night are to be kept at bay.</div>
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It is certainly worth the time to read the full post at <a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/conan-phoenix-on-the-sword/" target="_blank">Castalia House</a>. </div>
Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-66709247757020468102017-11-19T09:52:00.000-05:002017-11-19T09:52:15.238-05:00Numbah-Juan Best Sellah!Yes, that's right: my dystopian thriller, <i>False Flag</i> (third in the Retreads series) thrust into Amazon's Top 100 in the paid Kindle Store. Before I went to bed Saturday night it had reached #69 over all.<br />
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Even cooler, it reached #1 bestseller in three categories that I know of: Men's Adventure; thrillers>political; and thrillers>conspiracies. Having learned my lesson from last year when <i>Hell and Gone</i> became a bestseller but I didn't document it very well (or use best-selling status as a selling point), this time I've gone crazy screen-shotting everything. I'm now like that annoying uncle at your family reunion with a stack of photos from his glory days on the high school track team, ambushing relatives who he can force to relive his 15 minutes of fame with.<br />
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What's that? You have no such uncle? Well, you've got the next best thing now, buddy.<br />
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I'm expecting sales to fall off today, so I don't know if <i>False Flag</i> can improve from #2 in Dystopian (right between <i>A Handmaid's Tale</i> and <i>Starship Troopers</i>), Action-Adventure, and Post-Apocalyptic. In that last genre, something must have been going on because the top eight bestsellers were shuffling around quite a bit. Mine may have actually hit #1 for a hot second--if so, I didn't catch it.<br />
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So, I'm like a kid in a candy store (or an annoying uncle with a photo album). But YOU need to jump on this bandwagon and make me a little richer...er, I mean do your part to help spread love, enlightenment, Christmas cheer, or something.<br />
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All these images are from Amazon, but it's on sale everywhere where E-Books are sold...FOR LIMITED TIME ONLY! I won't post links because it's not hard to find...MUAHAHAHAHAHA...!Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-71383706903761476172017-02-21T22:32:00.001-05:002017-02-21T22:32:21.127-05:00A Must Listen Geek Gab EpisodePulps, and comics, and games, oh my!<br />
<br />
John C. Wright, Razorfist, and Jeffro Johnson <a href="http://superversivesf.com/2017/02/16/geek-gab-gets-best-guests/" target="_blank">geek out about sci-fi and fantasy</a>.<br />
<br />
Check out Superversive SF while you're there--it's pretty cool.Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-56700927998721539332016-03-21T13:32:00.001-04:002016-03-21T13:32:50.503-04:00Homeland: Falling Down by R.A. MathisAs frightening, depressing and infuriating as it can be, these days I
spend more time reading about impending catastrophe than about any
other subject.<br />
<a href="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B009D4I902&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignleft" height="250" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B009D4I902&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" width="166" /></a><br />
When somebody I know produces fiction on the subject, there’s a good chance they will get to buck the line and their book will go to the top of my TBR pile. I read <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004050746799" target="_blank">R.A. Matthis</a>‘ first novel, <em>Ghosts of Babylon</em>,
a couple years ago and it deserves the five-star Amazon reviews it
received. When I found out he was kicking off a TEOTWAWKI series… well,
his new book went to the front of the queue...<br />
<br />
<br />
Read <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2016/03/15/falling-down-homeland-1/" target="_blank">the rest of my review at Virtual Pulp</a>.<br />
<br />
Read <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2016/03/16/when-it-hits-the-fan-falling-down-excerpt/" target="_blank">an excerpt from <i>Falling Down</i></a>. <br />
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Here's <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2016/03/17/all-this-and-civil-war-two/" target="_blank">Part One of my interview with the author</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2016/03/18/all-this-and-civil-war-too-part-two/" target="_blank">Part Two</a>.<br />
<br />
Read "<a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2016/03/15/the-warrior-poets/" target="_blank">The Warrior Poets</a>," a guest post by R.A.Mathis.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01BFF18YK/twofistblog-20" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignright" height="250" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01BFF18YK&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" width="156" /></a>Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-43608675031882303472016-02-29T21:14:00.000-05:002016-02-29T21:14:15.063-05:00It's All About that Force, 'Bout that Force...How, pray tell, do skimpy cheerleader costumes fit in the <i>milleu</i> of a galaxy far, far away, a long time ago?<br />
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WHO CARES?!?!?!?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RV5WqRnFejI" width="560"></iframe>Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-65581268473025729622015-06-19T08:49:00.001-04:002015-06-19T08:49:29.762-04:00Retro Men's AdventureTwo items concerning <i>Tier Zero</i>:<br />
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<ol>
<li>The price has been dropped to 99 cents.</li>
<li>For now, the e-book has an experimental cover image.</li>
</ol>
The sepia tone cover is mainly an attempt to create some visual uniformity to the other books in the series. Not sure how well it will go over, and I will probably restore the original cover before long. It just seems a shame to mute Derrick Early's vibrant colors, however out-of-place that may make it appear in between the first and third novel in the Retreads series.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M8JFP9M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00M8JFP9M&linkCode=as2&tag=twofistblog-20&linkId=NAUSHBM3YJTZA4ES"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00M8JFP9M&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=twofistblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00M8JFP9M" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M8F8EV2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00M8F8EV2&linkCode=as2&tag=twofistblog-20&linkId=KJR4DVV2EN7JI7WN"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00M8F8EV2&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=twofistblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00M8F8EV2" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X6B4RVS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00X6B4RVS&linkCode=as2&tag=twofistblog-20&linkId=H2XUQNEJX54OJFUW"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00X6B4RVS&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=twofistblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00X6B4RVS" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
(The sepia tone cover is showing on Amazon, but as I write this, the original cover is showing as the link image. Maybe it will have changed by the time you see this. Then again, maybe I will have changed it back.)<br />
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Anyhoo, the images above are all links. If you haven't read <i>Tier Zero</i> yet and appreciate old-school men's fiction, you can get the e-book at 99 cents for a while. Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-13504279521698327782015-05-07T13:08:00.002-04:002015-05-07T13:08:26.797-04:00#SHTF in False Flag!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f5iHnQKIaO4/VUuarFYdJ7I/AAAAAAAAC4Q/6X8RtQBnXlE/s1600/FF1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f5iHnQKIaO4/VUuarFYdJ7I/AAAAAAAAC4Q/6X8RtQBnXlE/s320/FF1.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
What will be the <i>coup de gras</i> in the fundamental transformation of the USA---economic collapse? Race war? Terrorism?<br />
<br />
Maybe all of the above, and then some, in this speculative saga about a near, dystopian future.<br />
<br />
<h3>
"What's that? It's a Rocco's Retreads novel, but not a shoot-em-up?"</h3>
<br />
Fear not, Two-Fisted Blogees: there is enough mayhem spread about to slake your heathen bloodlust. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00X6B4RVS/twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><i>False Flag</i></a> not only shifts the genre, but is a segue into full-blown #TEOTWAWKI (post-apocalyptic), which I anticipate for the fourth book.<br />
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The Kindle version is live now--paperback following up in about a week (for those who thirst for the blood of trees as much as for the blood of terrorists, pirates, and telemarketers).<br />
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Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-87833739411965185152015-01-15T19:57:00.000-05:002015-01-15T19:57:28.222-05:00Triumph of the SunI can't believe I never read Wilbur Smith before I stumbled on this
book. After reading it, I educated myself on the author and his work.
Like many prolific writers who crank out historical fiction, Wilbur
Smith has created some fictional family trees, and crafted multiple
stories around the generations thereof. In this novel, the Courtney and
Ballentine families intersect during the siege of Khartoum. The novel
takes the characters years beyond that event, and makes use of the
author's extensive research on Africa, and the Sudan in particular, to
provide a glimpse inside 2 distinct cultures.<br />
<br />
I suspect Wilbur Smith is a
closet anthropologist...not just because of the attention he gives
animals in some of his novels, but because of the human actions and
interactions he depicts--usually according to type. This book has a lot
to offer: adventure, romance, action, tragedy, and a couple happy
mini-endings.<br />
<br />
<br />
Read the detailed review over at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2015/01/14/triumph-of-the-alpha-er-sun/" target="_blank">Virtual Pulp</a>!<br /><br />I also recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553258478/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Exodus</a> by Leon Uris.Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-23657108965170596732015-01-06T06:47:00.001-05:002015-01-07T11:34:29.643-05:00The Right Stuff by Tom WolfeI didn't see the movie until many years after it came out. When I did,
the intentional mythologizing of history really grabbed me. I just had
to read the book.<br />
<br />
The book didn't disappoint. Wolfe's account of
the early Space Race was both fascinating and hilarious.<br />
<br />
I've never forgotten his colorful expose` on the collective subconscious of the testpilots/astronauts, in particular. Like the ziggurat metaphor used to describe the egocentric construct of the unspoken hierarchy according to how much of the Right Stuff each individual thought he and his peers possessed. In fact, I was obsessed with Wolfe's depiction for a while. I was rubbing elbows with military pilots at the time, and considering becoming one myself, and could see the truth in it: huge egos and equally enormous wristwatches.<br /><br />I at least had the ego.<br /><br />Anyway, the psychological insights are only dressing for the thorough investigative reporting Wolfe wove into an informative and entertaining inside story of an elite subculture in history.<br /><br />For those who haven't both read the book and seen the film, I encourage you to correct that. It's not a case of one being better than the other; instead they compliment each other. <br />
<br />
To read the full review, <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2015/01/07/the-right-stuff-enormous-egos-and-wristwatches-to-match/" target="_blank">click here</a>! Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-91640962993692098932014-10-31T14:08:00.002-04:002014-10-31T14:08:22.672-04:00Another Free Kindle Book (For Limited Time)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KOGTYZM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KOGTYZM&linkCode=as2&tag=twofistblog-20&linkId=HGTEOKDYYO77HZ5C"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignleft" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00KOGTYZM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" height="250" width="166" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=twofistblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00KOGTYZM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Anybody remember <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Magazine-6-Harvey-Kurtzman-ebook/dp/B00DWERESM/ref=pd_sim_kstore_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PY7PZMEERNQDXHZ7T8Z" target="_blank"><i>Mad</i> Magazine</a> back when it was funny? Hmm, probably not. Well, anyway, it was hilarious once upon a time.
How 'bout the early movies of Mel Brooks and the Zucker Brothers? (<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Frankenstein-Gene-Wilder/dp/B000G6BLWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1414584004&sr=1-1&keywords=young+frankenstein" target="_blank">Young Frankenstein</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blazing-Saddles-30th-Anniversary-Special/dp/B0001Z4OXS/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1414584072&sr=1-2&keywords=blazing+saddles" target="_blank">Blazing Saddles</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Airplane-Robert-Hays/dp/B00AEFXDO6/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1414584124&sr=1-2&keywords=Airplane" target="_blank">Airplane</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Airplane-II-Sequel-Robert-Hays/dp/B00AEFXDAK/ref=sr_1_7?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1414584124&sr=1-7&keywords=Airplane" target="_blank">Airplane II</a></i>) Get the picture now?
That gives you an idea of the type of humor to be found in this short political satire. But it's not from the typical/obligatory left-wing perspective--quite the opposite.<br />
<br />
Well, hmm. It's written as if it is, in fact, from the typical/obligatory leftist/feminist/homophile slant, but with razor sarcasm that lampoons the typical Marxist (usually called "liberal"), feminist and white knight memes, tropes and so-called logic.
It's free for a couple days.<br />
<br />
Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-38625730655968278732014-10-30T13:53:00.001-04:002014-10-30T13:53:17.575-04:00Fight Card Novella for the Kindle Goes Free<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O3GTJAO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00O3GTJAO&linkCode=as2&tag=twofistblog-20&linkId=MGSHBQEMBZFINDZ2"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignleft" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00O3GTJAO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" height="250" width="170" /></a><br />
<br />
The <i>Fight Card</i> series is a growing collection of retro-pulp boxing novellas--deliberate throwbacks to the sports fiction of yesteryear by some of today's most talented authors (writing under the house name "Jack Tunney"). <i>Fight Card</i> has spun off into MMA, romance and such, but <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O3GTJAO?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00O3GTJAO&linkCode=xm2&tag=twofistblog-20" target="_blank"><i>Tomato Can Comeback</i></a> is from the original hardboiled series.<br />
<br />
Set in Detroit, 1954, it's the story of a young man fighting to redeem himself, both physically and psychologically. It's free for a couple days on Amazon.<br />
<br />
Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-77824610538320873612014-10-22T17:10:00.002-04:002014-10-22T17:10:42.357-04:00Meira Pentermann's Nine TenthsIt took me a while to get around to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005MQNXG0?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B005MQNXG0&linkCode=xm2&tag=twofistblog-20" target="_blank">this book</a>. Not because the hammer & sickle on the cover made it look like a Hillary Clinton biography, but because of all the books in my towering To Be Read pile.<br />
<br />
If they all read as fast as this one, though, I might actually catch up one day.<br />
<br />
There's no doubt in my mind others have compared this to 1984. Of course it reminded me of the Orwell classic, too. But it truly is a thriller--as fun a read as you can hope for considering the subject matter.<br />
<br />
Leonard Tramer is a pain in the ass, but I couldn't help sympathizing after reading the first chapter. Despite some stilted dialog here and there, and some minor plot complaints, this was an easy novel to give five stars. Meira Pentermann knows how to hook readers, and keep them hooked. Bravo.<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=twofistblog-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B005MQNXG0&asins=B005MQNXG0&linkId=KUXFRNS6UKKLASJF&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"> <br></iframe>Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-66874531050017997672014-07-17T06:58:00.001-04:002014-07-17T06:58:29.484-04:00Remembering Shifty Powers, E/506th PIR, 101st ABN Div.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T2ESudxBiL8/U8esR751N6I/AAAAAAAAC0c/LWQKxQYR_sw/s1600/shifty101st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T2ESudxBiL8/U8esR751N6I/AAAAAAAAC0c/LWQKxQYR_sw/s1600/shifty101st.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I recently received an e-mail that has made the rounds for the last few years. As I received it the story therein was attributed to Chuck Yeager. I was skeptical of that, and yet the story itself rang true. I did a little cyber-legwork and found the story was most likely originally told by a guy named Mark Pfeifer. Here it is:<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the <nobr>506th Parachute</nobr> Infantry Regiment, part of the <nobr>101st Airborne</nobr> Infantry. If you've seen <i>Band of Brothers</i> on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all <nobr>10 episodes,</nobr> and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
<br /><br />
I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the <nobr>101st Airborne,</nobr> on his hat.
<br /><br />
Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the <nobr>101st Airborne</nobr>
or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and
how many jumps he made.
<br /><br />
Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in <nobr>1945 . . . "</nobr> at which point my heart skipped.
<br /><br />
At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the <nobr>5 training</nobr> jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into <nobr>Normandy . . . .</nobr> do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
<br /><br />
I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what <nobr>D-Day</nobr> was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war <nobr>hero . . . .</nobr> and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of <nobr>D-Day.</nobr>
<br /><br />
I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes.
And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and
those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my
throat and I didn't know what to say.
<br /><br />
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it,
that I'd take his in coach.
<br /><br />
He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still
some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old
man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are
brimming up now as I write this.
<br /><br />
Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.
<br /><br />
There was no parade.
<br /><br />
No big event in Staples Center.
<br /><br />
No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.
<br /><br />
No weeping fans on television.
</blockquote>
<br />
Back in the day I attended a few 82nd Airborne Association Conventions, and met some of the war veterans who went before me. BTW it wasn't just 82nd veterans who attended these events, but there were guys who had been 101st, 11th Airborne Division, 503rd PIR and "Triple Nickle" 555th PIB.</div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span> </span></div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span>A lot of these guys, had they not earned jump wings at one point in their lives, would have joined the Moose Lodge or something so they'd have a fraternity of drinking buddies to BS with. For them it was that kind of thing. But I also met some guys who were a lot like Shifty as he's presented in this anecdote. Paratroopers were bad dudes, but these guys had a quiet humility about what they did that I couldn't help admiring.</span></div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span> </span></div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span>There aren't many WWII veterans left in 2014, and most of the US population is oblivious to the sacrifice made and what we owe them. I will never forget. </span></div>
Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-45286499336142445832014-06-10T05:20:00.000-04:002014-06-10T05:20:04.180-04:00A Mastermind of Men's Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n41/n206898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n41/n206898.jpg" height="320" width="197" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Using the pseudonyms Gordon Davis and John Mackie, Len Levinson has delivered some of the most entertaining war fiction of all time. His Ratbastards and The Sergeant series stand out to this day as a model of how to blend action, adventure, character development and humor, creating a virtual reality in your mind of pulpy explosions and epic bayonet combat.<br />
<br />
At long last I've been able to ask Len some questions about these two series over at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2014/06/08/interview-with-a-master-of-war-fiction-len-levinson/">Virtual Pulp</a>.Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-91823788362120955532014-06-03T18:59:00.000-04:002014-06-03T18:59:22.812-04:00Free For the Kindle: The Greater Good<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KOGTYZM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KOGTYZM&linkCode=as2&tag=twofistblog-20&linkId=B4RJEISM4ZIAXU4W" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00KOGTYZM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=twofistblog-20" /></a>For a while it appeared that I would get nothing written or published in 2014. But alas, I have just released an e-book.<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=twofistblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00KOGTYZM" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
I've been writing mostly serious stuff, and decided to take a short comedy break. I would classify <i>The Greater Good</i> as a satire, which happens to spoof superheroes and action/adventure flicks (as well as politicians, the media, rednecks, feminists...nobody is safe from my poison keyboard!).<br />
<br />
Imagine Mel Brooks and the Zucker brothers collaborating on an all-prose issue of Mad Magazine starring the Marx Brothers. That may or may not give you an idea what this book is like.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo, it's free to download for a short time. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=twofistblog-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00KOGTYZM&asins=B00KOGTYZM&linkId=USQ5U6URWNWBBYS6&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-80125966238889526052014-05-19T07:24:00.003-04:002014-06-12T18:13:09.040-04:00The Amazing Spider Mash-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
I'm going to break convention in this review and give you the good news first. This Spiderman flick has a few things going for it that make it worth a watch despite the bad news.<br />
<br />
First and foremost, this one movie accomplishes something that Sam Raimi couldn't pull off with an entire trilogy: it got the Spiderman character right. When this actor puts the costume on, he closely resembles the Spiderman of the comic books I remember: an incurable smartass; nerves of steel; bubbling over with cocksurity even when doom seems imminent; and a selfless hero in the truest sense of the word.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DlM2CWNTQ84" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
As Peter Parker, the character was somewhat less canonical...but I don't mind that so much. (BTW, the Toby McGuire Peter was closer to the high school nerd of the earliest comics.) Frankly, Parker's personal life in the comics was often so angst-ridden, disastrous and...<b>real</b>...as to be depressing. This Peter Parker is some kind of preppie-hip, though he certainly has his problems.<br />
<br />
Read the entire review at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2014/05/16/the-amazing-spider-mash-up/">Virtual pulp</a>!Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-81640458172141876402014-05-07T13:38:00.001-04:002014-05-07T13:38:13.452-04:00Spec Ops Head-to-Head 2But wait–there’s more!<br />
<br />
This time the original (not counting the OSS) specops warriors throw
their ego into the ring to show they can trash talk too. That’s
right–the SF “Green Berets.”<br />
<br />
And in this corner…the new kids on the block…the USMC MARSOC!<br />
<br />
Watch the video and read the discussion at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2014/05/05/spec-ops-head-to-head-2/">Virtual Pulp</a>. Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-46845038619513764532014-04-19T18:01:00.002-04:002014-04-19T18:01:15.333-04:00Spec Ops Head to Head 1Okay, some of you clowns over at SOFREP and Kit Up (fans of <em>Deadliest Warrior</em>
or some similar drivel, I’m sure), etc., have been in a pissing contest
for years about who the baddest dudes are to wear a uniform…and who is
truly an “operator.” Finally, we’re about to settle the matter once and
for all.<br />
<br />
The pressing question of whether Rangers or SEALs stand atop the
Great Zigarat can’t be settled by a wargame or other field evaluation.
We are indebted to urban gangsta culture for providing the most
empirical, objective venue for separating the hardcorps from the pogues:
a video of both sides trash-talking to a beat.<br />
<br />
Watch the video and read the panel discussion at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2014/04/19/spec-ops-head-to-head-1/">Virtual Pulp</a>. Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-25849208999963131472014-04-11T13:21:00.003-04:002014-05-19T07:26:03.149-04:00The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammet<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://crimeways.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/red-harvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://crimeways.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/red-harvest.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Dashiell Hammett is credited with creating the hardboiled genre, along
with Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane. Considering the time in which
it was published, this novel is about as hardboiled as they come. Even
compared to a film maker like Quentin Tarantino, who faces no
limitations on how dark and crass a story he can tell (and is applauded
when he finds a way to offend somebody in the audience), this story is
hardcorps.<br />
<br />
Read my review over at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2014/04/10/the-glass-key/">Virtual Pulp</a>. Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-73115340899526641552014-04-09T13:49:00.000-04:002014-04-09T13:49:04.552-04:00The Skinny on the Captain America Sequel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bhmpics.com/wallpapers/captain_america_the_winter_soldier_movie-1366x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bhmpics.com/wallpapers/captain_america_the_winter_soldier_movie-1366x768.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I was not prepared for what happened at the theater. Knowing full
well the sequel factor, and having seen a poster for a movie about Cesar
Chavez on the way inside (a bad omen if there ever was), I was
expecting Hollywood business as usual.<br />
<br />
(In fact, it’s kind of surprising Captain America wasn’t turned into
“Captain Global Village” long ago, replacing his stars-and-stripes motif
with rainbows and olive branches. Well, Marvel did turn him into
“Nomad” for a while in the 1970s, but I guess the fans wouldn’t stand
for it.)<br />
<br />
Read the rest over at <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/2014/04/07/captain-america-the-winter-soldier/">Virtual Pulp</a>! Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-63127623117723321682013-10-11T22:10:00.001-04:002014-03-12T21:38:21.663-04:00Movin' On UpHey Two-Fisted Blogees, I've got news.<br />
<br />
The only good thing about unemployment is I've been more productive than I've found possible in quite a while--at least about what matters to me. So after my previous misadventures trying to get Virtual Pulp Press firing on all cylinders, and throwing my hands up for a while...I'm back at it.<br />
<br />
I'm moving the Two-Fisted Blog over to a <a href="http://www.virtualpulp.net/">Wordpress-powered site</a> where it is integrated into Virtual Pulp (or vice-versa), and I once again finally have my own domain name.<br />
<br />
I will resume posting here again, but the really cool stuff will be over at www.virtualpulp.net. You mos def gotta visit.Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-75001097583397280172013-10-07T20:03:00.002-04:002013-10-07T23:04:41.841-04:00The First Fight Card Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gyQbAkGNM1c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<i>Fight Card: Front Page Palooka</i> has it's own book trailer. Spotted some Joe Louis fight footage in the mix. Haven't read this one yet but if it's half as slick as the cover and this trailer, it should be great.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=twofistblog-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00FN9PJDQ&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-7178274969918246492013-10-02T17:54:00.003-04:002013-10-02T17:54:50.489-04:00Sank My Foot in the Internet Marketing Quagmire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bxPNX2u34gU/S4H3E5gMSDI/AAAAAAAAEb8/Oymp4SOz2X0/s400/pyramid-camel-750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bxPNX2u34gU/S4H3E5gMSDI/AAAAAAAAEb8/Oymp4SOz2X0/s320/pyramid-camel-750.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I just lost my job last week. It didn't come as a surprise, but neither was I prepared for it. I had just updated my resume and was starting a job search when the axe came down.<br />
<br />
I've held many different types of jobs in many different places over the years, and like so many others must be, I'm sick of the job-searching/resume tweaking/interviewing/hiring rigamarole. I'm tired of putting on my best face and pretending to be interested in playing the respective corporate politics to be underpaid for work I'm sick of doing.<br />
<br />
And despite how much the government and media fudge the numbers, the economy is still the worst it's been since the Great Depression, so you really have to jump through hoops to find a job now.<br />
<br />
And I'm not getting any younger.<br />
<br />
So the missus gives me a call a couple days ago. One of her former co-workers and a Facebook friend posted a link to a video. The guy had health problems and lost his job recently, but thankfully he discovered this work from home opportunity that grew his business to the point that it was now paying his bills. That's the story I initially heard.<br />
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By-the-by, I've been wishing I could get a work-from-home job. If I HAVE to work for somebody else, that's how I'd prefer to do it. Bye-bye working in the Florida heat, sitting in Florida traffic and being at the mercy of out-of-order restrooms, etc. And the closer I am to my computer, the faster I can get back to writing when the work day is done. In theory, anyway.<br />
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So anyway, wifey watches the video, and says I should. If we didn't know somebody that vouched for this deal (let's just call him Dreamer Dude for short), the red flags would have trumped my curiosity, desperation and wishful thinking. I've been exposed to scam artists before, and would have assumed this was just another one without personally knowing somebody involved in it.<br />
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I watched the video. It's a new company that just started 20 months ago and has made billions for the folks involved and is going to get even bigger yada yada yada. But what really got my attention was the part about their blogging support program.<br />
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For those who don't remember the whole saga with Virtual Pulp Press, I got in over my head when I attempted to upgrade the website from 1994 technology. I used Wordpress, watched a ton of tutorials, took advice from different people "in the know,"bought themes and plugins...then pretty much pulled my hair out trying to make the software do what I wanted it to. I had a guy who agreed to help, but he flaked out. I knew what I wanted the site to do was not unreasonable, and experts told me it Wordpress could definitely do it.<br />
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In fact, what I wanted was fairly simple: An online store where I could advertise the stuff I sell as an affiliate, with something like this blog incorporated into it. But the plugins that sounded like they should help me accomplish this actually were designed to do something else. There was a language gap with a learning curve that was just taking forever while I was working a full-time job with lots of overtime, travelling a lot and dealing with more than my share of domestic drama.<br />
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Finally, while I was transferring my domain name from Go Daddy to Host Gator, calling Host Gator back-and-forth and it wasn't done, wasn't done, wasn't done... the domain name expired and somebody in the former USSR bought it. Not to use it--just because they realize <b>somebody else</b> wants to use it and they don't have the intelligence or imagination to come up with their own ideas, so they're hoping I'll pay them to get it back.<br />
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Not gonna happen. I cut my losses.<br />
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Well, the guy in this video says his company's marketing gurus and software developers have perfected a selling process that have made all these people all this money yada yada yada. And there's an affiliate program and this program and that program but I could concentrate on selling my own product if that's what I wanted.What got my imagination sparked was his claim that his staff of experts would walk me through setting up a blog custom-tweaked to sell my products, then if I followed their 8-step business plan my stuff would sell like flapjacks. After all, Hoodie Thunkitt and Joe Shit the Rag Man did that and were turning in record profits, blah, blah, blah. This staff of professionals were waiting to hold my hand through the process and I could be completely computer illiterate and still succeed because they were all about helping people as well as making money.<br />
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The cost of the program I wanted (the custom blog) was $25 a month (reduced from X amount because they're all about helping people, see). Well, I've blown more than that on advertising and other stuff, with absolutely no effect on book sales for me or anyone else. Not an unreasonable deal, if they delivered on their promises.<br />
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I have product to sell, and I've got more time on my hands right now than I have in many years. And this expert help getting my blog set up? That's exactly what I needed months ago when trying to build Virtual Pulp Press into a modern online store. I'd gladly pay $25 a month for the use of that expertise. After all, Dreamer Dude was using this system and his business was taking off, even though the product he's selling is far more specialized and niche, if not obscure.<br />
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So I signed up and paid.<br />
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This company has probably thousands of videos. Every new page that loaded had another video to watch. I watched a few of them because they all promised some kind of powerful marketing technique if I would only keep watching. I even watched an hour of a live webinar by them (later found out it went on for three hours) also promising some powerful new information. In the case of the webinar, the startling revelation is that people can blog and post video from their smart phones. I forget what the other powerful info was because cumulatively, it accounted for probably about 45 seconds amidst all the hours of video I sat through. Everything else was instructions from the company founders to upgrade to this package and that package for only $100, $500, $1,500, $3,500, etc., which are such bargains because you'd have to pay X more to get this important info anywhere else.<br />
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That's where the familiar old bad taste really began setting in. I already paid you, numb nuts, why are you still greasing me so hard? How do I start setting up the blog already?<br />
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Well, you need to start off with the 8-step path to success, see. And if you don't go there voluntarily, it will re-route you there when you click on the button to set up your awesome blog. Guess how the 8 steps are presented? More videos, of course.<br />
The first step is to buy into their affiliate program for an additional $19.95 a month. I skipped Step One and started watching the other videos. By the third or fourth one I began skipping ahead to see if there actually was any useful information. Nope. I'll summarize the content of every video:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Our stuff is great, and cutting edge, and people are getting rich off it.</li>
<li>You're a wussy if you don't follow our instructions. </li>
<li>Your next step is to do X.</li>
<li>Buy this additional package and we'll tell you how to do X.</li>
<li>Go "all in." (Buy everything we ask for money for.) </li>
<li>Don't be a wussy.</li>
<li>Did we mention how great and cutting edge our system is?</li>
</ul>
So much for the 8-step path.<br />
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With the help of their "badass" customer service reps, I overcame a glitch and got to the blog dashboard, finally.<br />
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Hmm. Wordpress. Wordpress blogs are free for anybody. Well, after all, my $25 is for their badass team of experts that will help me customize my blog and maximize its selling psychology, handle SEO and all that, so hope is still alive. On a friggin' resperator and defibulator, with a priest standing in the corner mumbling its last rites, but still alive.<br />
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I take a look at the dashboard. Hmm. Looks bare-bones Wordpress to me. Where are all the widgets or whatever to advertise my products? I click on the link to see the blog as a customer would see it.<br />
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Well, the ads are already there. There are banners and stuff everywhere--so many that you couldn't squeeze more on the browser display if you wanted. I don't know if all the hype about the marketing psychology is true, but it does look slick. Problem is, every single ad is for <b>THEIR</b> stuff. You know--what I already paid for. Plus the affiliate deal, plus the increasingly expensive (tiered) packages they've been hard-selling me from the beginning.<br />
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This can't be right. I just <b>know</b> they don't expect me to pay them $25 a month, spend my time and effort, tapping into my imagination to create blog content... to sell <b>their</b> pyramid scheme. No doubt plenty of folks are content to do that, trying to make money by recruiting human building blocks to fill in the pyramid underneath them. Hey, whatever floats their boat, but that's not what I signed up for and not how the blog deal was pitched.<br />
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Where are the widgets to replace their ads with mine? Nowhere I can see. Where is the army of badass programmers and marketing experts who were able and willing to help me customize the blog to sell my product, even if I'm computer illiterate (because they like helping people so much) that I heard about in the first video? Nowhere obvious.<br />
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I called customer service. Already irritated with the whole experience so far, I asked the above questions as politely as I could. No problem, says the "badass" representative--she's sending me an email with instructions.<br />
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I follow the link in the email, and there is absolutely no information of value to me. Oh, I can change the theme so <b>their</b> blog selling <b>their</b> stuff (that I'm paying for) looks different. I can change the mugshot from the company founder's to mine on <b>their</b> blog selling <b>their</b> stuff. I can do other basic Wordpress stuff like add text and images in the blog section (create content to draw people to <b>their</b> blog to sell <b>their</b> stuff). But it's painfully obvious by now that they expect me to both pay them money and do all the work to pimp their packages to other suckers.<br />
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I'm wondering by now if anyone on the pyramid has made a dime of profit or sold a damn thing other than these "badass" packages that hard-sell ever more expensive packages.<br />
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BTW, at some point during this process I spoke with Dreamer Dude on the phone. Turns out he's not yet making enough to pay the bills, though he is buying more and more of their packages to get "all in." I took a look at "his" blog to see if he found something I missed. Nope. Looks exactly like "my" blog. He's been blogging faithfully, but even if I was looking for the specific product he's selling, and stumbled across the blog in question, I'd still have no idea I could purchase it through him. I don't want to call him a liar, but I'm extremely skeptical that any of the money he's allegedly made came from sales of his own merchandise.<br />
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The refund policy is three days. I called to get my refund the evening of the same day I bought in. Was told I'd get an email with a confirmation number. No such email came. I called back today and was told that they don't do confirmation numbers. By the time I hung up the "badass" sounded close to tears exclaiming, "Don't worry--you'll get your money back!" Makes me wonder how many other irate people have called him for refunds today.<br />
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What's the lesson in all this?<br />
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Well, first of all, <b>nobody</b> with a slick sales pitch on the web is trying to make an honest buck, or to help you to make one. I kind of knew this already, but hope is a persistent cuss that keeps coming back to life like the villain in a suspense thriller.<br />
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Second, the average internet business person will work much harder to scam you out of your money than they'd ever work to produce something worthy of your money.<br />
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Hundreds of thousands of gullible people around the world will flock to these kinds of swindlers, even though the swindlers don't have a single original thought and have absolutely nothing to offer the world. They produce nothing; they innovate nothing; they understand nothing but how to use others. Hmm. Sounds a lot like the politicians we're allowing to run our government, doesn't it?<br />
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There's a familiar old saying that goes, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."<br />
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Though certainly accurate, that adage also falls short of the whole truth. If it sounds like a reasonable deal; if it sounds better than the unethical SNAFU we've gotten used to; if it sounds like somebody put reasonable thought and imagination into a system that could feasibly benefit anyone besides the entity asking for your money...it is definitely too good to be true.<br />
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Sadly, these dirtbags must know that people are gonna see them for what they are. But as long as there are potentially more who will fall for it, they're gonna drive the hell on.Hank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.com0