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Have you seen this man?
He lurks in back alleys, looking for crimes.
He skulks on the internet, dispensing words and wisdom, sometimes both.
He writes crime fiction, but also Science Fiction, (about the future), in the past.
He writes songs and makes videos. (Where can I get to see the videos?)
Above all, he writes books.
Regularly.
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Print: $18.90 Manchester, England, home of the Industrial Revolution and centre of the 19th century, struggling to make it into the 20th century. City leaders concoct a plan to bid for the Olympic Games. It's a last throw of the dice.
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Print: $10.99 Mickey and the team are called in to another adventure, but this time it's weird. There's a ship that's been wrecked in the Bristol Channel, but it's two thousand years old and the jars it was carrying hold secrets, vital secrets that could threaten the future of the Christian Church.
Is that why people are willing to spy, shoot and kidnap in order to suppress the words that are listed in the containers?
In a desperate race to decode the scrolls and save them from attackers, Mickey organises a pursuit around England, trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists and two steps ahead of other interested parties - a selfish billionaire, an outraged Archbishop, one or two mad monks and the Heir to the English Crown.
Who needs that sort of attention?
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Print: $11.90 People in Britain and America have fillings in their teeth, it's natural, surely? Well, no, the metal is mostly mercury, and that's a poison. If dentists put poison into people's mouths, that would be damaging, right? Mickey wants to know, but isn't able to make head or tail of the competing arguments. Then people start getting kidnapped and it all gets personal. Mickey swings into action. After all, he's only doing his job.
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Print: $10.90 It's so simple. Everyone in England wants to own their own house. Why, they'd practically kill for it! Mickey, scouting the dark alleys of South Central Manchester for the elusive Rusholme Rapist, is dragged into an investigation of deceit, fraud and arson by an attractive young woman in Fallowfield, a property developer, and a greedy millionairess.
Perhaps they can make beautiful music together, after all, there's always time for singing!
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Print: $12.90 Who wants alternative power? Not the British government. They want to rebuild nuclear power stations. Some residents are out to stop them.
Poor secret agent Mickey finds himself caught in the middle, determined to try and catch whoever killed his colleague, and thinking little about politics.
This time it's personal.
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Print: $12.50 Mickey finds himself at the centre of an unexpected and unwelcome investigation. Manchester's foremost entrepreneur is under threat The future of the city's bid for the Olympic Games is in doubt. Who is behind the supposed 'accidents'? Who doesn't want England to win? Who doesn't want the city to drag itself out of the Industrial Revolution and move on? And, most important, can Mickey help, or is he merely part of the problem?
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Print: $12.50 A hand reaches out. A brick is thrown. A man dies. What is going on? Mickey is called in by an old friend to prove an accident, but Mickey is not so sure. After all, this is Manchester, England's best hope for an Olympic Bid. There's things at stake. It's a city in turmoil, anxious to lose the last vestiges of decay and demoralisation. Anxious to move on. But is that possible? Mickey probes beneath the murkey surface, unafraid, but repelled by what he finds.
(This is the Pocket Edition, ie small size.)
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Print: $10.90 Melia is in Manchester, doing what she does best - working undercover. In this, her latest case, she had been asked to investigate academics, medical people and professionals. Strange. They can't be criminals, surely? Melia is shocked to find it's worse than she ever could have imagined. These people, she realises, are even worse.
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Print: $19.95 Ordered to protect the egregious Editor of the most sordid newspaper in England, Melia finds herself trapped in a car, fleeing bombers and sharp shooters, dodging round the country lanes and byeways, with the Editor and a tantalisingly attractive hitchhiker.
Can she do her job - without falling in love?
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Print: $24.95 Young Marlie is about to be married. But, getting ready in the exclusive hotel her fiancee has hired for the day, she is horrified to see him assaulted and taken away by thugs. What is happening? Why have they picked on him? Calling her family and relatives to help, she seeks him out and confronts the kidnappers, desperate to finish the day as she intended - married.
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Print: $14.50 A short time in the future, but all has changed. The production of all goods has been automated, and most people live a dull and unproductive life, enlivened only by the need to avoid the wild and dangerous animals stalking the city streets.
So why have things suddenly got worse?
The narrator moves stealthily amongst the disintegrating culture, looking for answers.
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And now, M. Scantlebury's Very Own Homegrown Blog
2008 Sep 08 Okay, so you got given the clue last time.
It's puns, right?
It's all about playing with words.
Well, the latest book has got a strange title, even for me. It's all about 'Bones'. Say it a few times and see what you get. Anyone?
Here's a clue.
Try the BBC, try a recent drama series, and maybe, just maybe, there's a link to archaeology.
Well, that's what the BBC was all about, so why shouldn't mine be too?
I'm not saying it's grown-up, I'm not saying it's clever.
Oh, all right then, I will say it.
I think it's pretty darn clever.
Oops, what's that noise?
It's the sound of the lawyer's letter dropping through the letter box and onto the 'Welcome' mat.
Welcome.
2008 Jun 08 Okay, I admit it: it's all about puns. No really, you should have seen it coming. The book about Manchester's Olympic Bid is called 'A Limp Picollo' and inside, you'll read about the Leader of Manchester City Council who is described as a really unimportant member of the orchestra. But no, he doesn't blow a wind instrument. Look inside the book and you'll see a different title at the top of every page. It says, 'Olympic Hello', and that's the title, really. Not only that, but it's also the title of the song, (see YouTube). But, and here's the strange thing, say the two titles. Say them out loud. Yes, really, they're the same thing. Now all I need to do is explain what I meant by the title of the book about the collapse in the housing market. See it? It's at the bottom of the list. Oh, did I mention You Tube? See the song of the book by clicking http://www.youtube.com/mikescantlebury(It works for 'Off The Rails' too.) 2008 Mar 09 Yep, I knew the day would come when I'd finally have to give up the amateur life and start something technical. Mind you, I think I've done pretty well so far to avoid it. Most of the time I struggle with the TV remote, and now we've got a set-top box - My bugbear is that the Instruction Manual is in Japanese English, hard to understand, and there's more than one way to plug in a Scart socket. I could go on. Meanwhile I'll type in a link here - Technorati ProfileI really don't know if that is gonna work, but hey, here's hoping. I'm all pins and needles. Well, needles and pins - uh. 2008 Feb 11 I've said it before and I'll say it again - you think writing the book is the difficult part? Oh, no. Getting the words out of my head and onto the page is a doddle compared to getting the words printed onto the page so that you can read them. Anyone who has been following this saga thus far will know what I'm talking about.
You see, most of us pick up and read so many books, we don't even think about it. Books are printed in a certain way. It's been like that for generations. We take it for granted. For instance, the words are all in a block in the middle of the page, right? There's band of white at the top and a similar one at the bottom. They're called 'margins'. Of course there are. We don't even think about it.
So if a book of mine has a lot of white at the top and none at the bottom - then that's a problem. It shouldn't be that way. There should be equal margins top and bottom. Of course there should. We don't want to debate it, it's taken for granted.
Then why isn't it happening?
Those of you who stuck by me during the 'page numbering' part of the story will be thinking that that episode was the worst thing that ever happened to me, so far. Not by a long way. Not by a huge margin of error.
White space? It's the stuff of nightmares.
2007 Dec 27 No, I'm not talking about late Christmases, you know, the spirit of Christmas Past and all that.
I'm talking about presents that are late for Christmas, this Christmas, ie two days ago. If I'd thought about it, I could have sent out my books to friends, relatives - woow, even to people I don't like - but it was all a bit of a rush in the Christmas just passed.
Then I thought of something else.
I've paid for distribution for several books, (as I may have told you), but they're listed under the name 'Mickey Scantlebury'. Who he? Why, that's me, silly, but the problem is that you try looking up 'Mike Scantlebury' at Amazon, (no, really, try it, I mean - try it) and you won't get me, because them guys in the warehouse know that I'm Mike and think I'm not Mickey. You want a Mickey book? You can have it, but not by asking for Mike.
Well, 2008 is a brave new year, buddy.
Yep, Mike is coming out of the shadows.
Yeah, Mike - not Mickey.
Look out, girls, cos here comes the man. Mike man.
Not Mickey.
2007 Jun 12 I purchased a package for one of the books above, (oh yeah, I told you that), and then spent another 99 on another. So where's ot gone? I can't seem to find the package in question. Or, more important, has it been delivered? The postperson always knocks twice at our house, well, he has to, with all those handwritten novels to get through the letterbox. Still, he hasn't been to call just recently. It seems I'm up-to-date. All books uploaded and accounted for, (except for the distribution package mentioned). Yep, apart from that, it's a quiet day in author land. All going well, and ideas a-spinning for the next book in the series. This one will be about windmills and alternative power. I'm not saying it's controversial - oh well, why not? It's controversial. The thing is, I heard a man on the radio today. He said that wind turbines were all very nice but 'they didn't work when the wind was too quiet' and 'didn't work when it was too fierce'. How does he know that? A very wise man once said that Common Sense is always pretty logical, but it's usually wrong. What that guy said about wind power is wrong. Want to know why? Read the book. Or, go to one of my other websites and see what I'm saying there. Try http://www.mikescantlebury.comOr, read the next instalment of the Mickey saga and find out how alternative sources of energy could really benefit our civilisation. Like now, before it's too late and the lights go out. 2007 Apr 02 Wow, a month is a long time....
Looking back at the last blog, it seems ages ago.
Then, I was worried about the first two books not showing up on the Storefront page.
Problem solved.
When?
Can't remember.
I've had a few crises since then!
The latest one was selecting a Distribution Package for my first female Action Adventure.
I paid the 99 dollars, waited for the print out -
Woops, not right.
Went back, started again.
(You know, all the time since last August has seemed to involved making small steps then waiting, waiting, waiting for the printed thing to arrive -
just to check, and re-check, and re-consider, and re-evaluate.
Well, the printed version arrived via postperson Saturday morning, as usual (always seems to arrive at the weekend) and it seemed fine.
Sat down at computer, signed it off.
Hmm, book not on Storefront!
(Stop if you've heard that one before.)
Okay, thanks to Online Help (again) I've got the book loaded and onto Storefront.
So that's working.
Now for Book 3, and a print out of that (and a Distribution Package later).
Onward and upward.
If this works -
Well, I've been here for 6 months already.
I guess I can spend a few more weeks, waiting.
2007 Feb 28 Another frustrating day.
I'm checking out my projects, and I suddenly find that the first one I did, the one I thought was fine and no problem, has been 'disabled'.
Who did it?
I can't find out.
What does it mean?
Nobody knows.
What difference does it make?
Who can tell?
I got on to Live Chat and someone there suggested it might be all because I'm trying to do another version of the same book, but larger size.
Can't I do that?
One is the Pocket Size, and on is 6x9 (which is the standard size for Distribution).
Ahhh, 'Distribution', the man says.
Yes, that could be where the problem lies.
Can't be sure, of course, which is why we have to send for 'a Tech' and get advice.
More later.
I'll keep you informed.
This is one hell of a saga.........
2007 Feb 26 OK, I've fallen for it.
More advice.
Everyone wants to help, wants to say something.
Wants you to do things the way they would.
Hey, what do I need?
I've been working on editions, and new editions, and more editions, since August.
There can't possibly be anything else, can there?
Something I've forgotten?
Well, apparently, you need pages at the beginning.
No, not just a title page, but an Intro, or a Prologue.
Or a blurb.
Or an Author 'Profile'.
Great.
One more thing to do.
One more 'tinker' to tinker with.
Okay, I've done it.
Tell me what you think.
2007 Jan 23
Well, that's it.
I uploaded a new version of text today and agreed my first 'Published by Lulu' package.
Wow, a hundred dollars down and I've feeling up.
Elated.
The plan is that 'Heartless Running' will get out there, onto Amazon and all the other online bookstores, and into the hearts of readers the world over.
That's the plan.
And I've made a start.
What happened, you ask?
How did it happen?
I finally read through ALL the instructions, including the bit about margins and making them equal top and bottom.
I went back to the word processor and started a new version, tinkering, tinkering, just like before -
but hey, this time it should be right.
(And if it isn't, they promise to let me know!)
It's a wierd feeling, knowing that the book you toiled over for months and months, (years), is finally out in the open.
It's like a child leaving home.
(Ah, but that's happened recently too.)
Meanwhile, the biggest shock -
I had to amend the comment on the back.
I'd put 'Copyright 2006', but of course that isn't true anymore, is it?
It's 2007.
Hard to believe that so much time has gone by, while this thing is being pulled together.
So many hours.
So many uncertainties.
So happy 2007.
Hope it carries on like it's started.
Did I mention my book is up for sale, on Amazon and real grown-up places like that?
Wow.
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