Saturday, December 17, 2011

review of Of Swords & Sorcery


1.Review from 4 out of 5 stars

Posted October 10, 2011 by Toni, Lincoln, NE

A collection of short stories of adventure set, not just in faraway places with strange-sounding names, but also in the good ol’ US of A in various eras. A backwoods sculptor leads a group of volunteers to rescue captives from a Huron shaman; former female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Reed once more don their sabers and pistols to save their children from a Chippewa raiding party; a transported Marine helps battle a fire-breathing dragon; a young New Orleans duelist learns humility the hard way with a twist of an ending; an up and coming movie star lands the script for his greatest performance ever, but there’s a very important catch; A Renaissance Faire cad—in armor or out—learns you’d better not mess with a lady who’s really into creative anachronisms…

MY OPINION: A short description of some very interesting reads, I know, but I couldn’t excerpt one story without including the rest, and each of these nineteen tales is a little gem. Individually prefaced by a poem or an explanation of the style in which the story is written and what inspired the author to write it, these essays are so enlightening they ought to be included in a textbook on the subjects rather than simply as forewords. The tale of pioneer sculptor Declinn leading a group of pioneers and King’s soldiers into the deep forest could’ve been written by a contemporary of James Fennimore Cooper. In “Fever Pitch,” TK Mitchell, a marine finding himself on the island of Z’n Sa, might be John Carter’s double as penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The adventures of Ku’Zn of the blue-furred Z’n race sound like something Robert E. Howard might have written in between tales of Conan the Barbarian, and the other stories, set in more modern times, are delights to behold. Some lighter-hearted than others, they all have excellent language and enough twists and turns—especially in their endings—to keep the reader guessing as well as entertained.

Drawing on his experience as a swordsman, a Renaissance Faire player, an actor, and a stuntman, Mr. Glenn has peppered his stories of the more magical adventures in Hollywood with the names of the famous and not-so—but names a good number of us will remember from our childhoods—of events made believable even when the magic starts. You’ll feel a frisson of disquiet as actor Race Austin prepares to meet the make-up genius for his new movie “Synbad and the Sorceress.” You’ll think you know how it’s going to end, and you’ll be right…in a way…

When you open this book, settle back and expect the unexpected, and go with the flow… It’s an enjoyable ride into an adventurous time when men were handy with a sword and women were even more so, and life was to be lived for the moment… I’ve enjoyed every word of TJ Glenn’s that I’ve read…he’s creative, humorous, descriptive, and entertaining…besides, you gotta love a guy who can pose for his own covers!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Anthology-palooza!!!


Another mad month with placement of five stories (that's more than one a week folks!) with four different publishers/anthologies.
My World War II story The Musicbox Warrior is going to be in Satan's Toybox: Toy Soldiers from Angelic Knight Press.
My article on the swordplay in E.R. B.'s Mars books "A Fighting Manual of MArs" is going to be reprinted in the Heroes of Mars book from Pulp Empire.
My Dr. Shadows tale "A Bargain with Bandit Ping" and my alternate world adventure tale featuring Robert E. Howard "The Crusader from Cross Plains" have both been purchased to run in Tales of Old audio magazine.
And last but certainly not least Altus Press/Pro Se has launched a new line of new stories by new authors of classic pulp characters called PULP OSCURA.
I am writing a story for the Eagle, a preWWII spy character and a future volume/character that I can't talk about yet.
Whew!! oh, and I finished novel and got it of to a literary agent, taught sword classes, performed at a couple of kids parties telling stories and even managed to get some sleep in during the month.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A Song to Sing!


Another mad month; I performed in and choreorgaphed the fights for As You Like It at the Pied Piper Theatre in Inwood, did fights for a new play "Francine", sold a short story to Tales of Old audio magazine, finished a new novel and sent it off (as requested) to an agent and signed a contract on Songs of a Warrior Priest!
Yes, my Altiva stories will be in print again from Whiskey Creek Press in 2012. This collection of shorts, novellas and a novelet tell the tale of the Priest of the Kova Lord Erique Shoutte. It will also sport this cover by myself, a first for my time with WCP.
So when it comes out, everyone buy it to convince them to do art on covers again and not just slap photos together!!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Another crazy quarter!!!


Its been a while since I posted and in that time I've performed at my 53rd renaissance faire, taught stage combat at two school summer sessions, choreographed As You Like It (which I'm also in) oh, and yeah, written two more books!!!
My newest book out is

*Shakespeared or Wally and the Fairy Queen by Teel James Glenn

From Eternalpress.biz

"Struggling actor and lifelong nerd Wally Chambers gets his big break when

he is cast as the masked part of Bottom in a production of Midsummer Night's

Dream. His joy is muted when he learns he will only be doing the masked part

because the obnoxious and famous Regis Fillmore doesn't want the bother of

wearing the donkey head make-up!

Wally is shocked to find out that his Titania is the voluptuous Hollywood

sex kitten, Audrey Flax! She is his dream girl so, despite hiding behind the

mask, he immediately signs on.

Regis has run up some debts with loan sharks and collectors start coming

around looking for the famous actor. That's when things get strange. A

stranger, cast in the role of Puck, turns out to be the real forest spirit!

Can Wally overcome his attraction to Audrey in order to keep her friendship?

Will the loan shark's men break parts of him before he can convince them he

is not Regis? And, who is that mysterious woman lurking in Belvedere

Castle?" "

Friday, July 8, 2011

more books, more reviews- no sleep!!!


It's been months again since I posted-mostly due to my mad schedule: I'm teaching sword, comic illustration and stage combat at Different Directions, the NY film Academy and the Pied Piper theatre--and still making my 2K word count each day!
I have a new website on the way soon, so keep watching...
Now--I've had two books out in the last two months- Shadows of New York book one in the new series about my 1930s adventurer Dr. Shadows. Mystery, adventure and fast paced pulp style action!!! This one is out from BooksforaBuck.com and is set in the same pulpverse as Deadline Zombies and the Skullmask stories.

And from EternalPress.biz is "Wake of the Red Mistress" a fantastical pirate tale with romance and shapeshifting! Its already been reviewed and here is an excerpt from that review:

Wake of the Red Mistress by TJ Glenn

From http://www.tony-paul.com/

Sister Shinara is caring for her group of novitiates when their ship the Courage is attacked and boarded by the crew of the pirate ship Red Mistress. With part of the Courage’s crew killed, Shinara realizes the chances of her little band coming through the experience unharmed isn’t very good, so she makes a bargain with the pirate’s female leader, Aurzia: spare them and she’ll take her to more treasure than she’s ever seen—the treasure of the Ardula Monastery.

…: A little different from Mr. Glenn’s usual offering in that this one features a bit of graphic sex and a lesbian villainess, Wake of the Red Mistress is nevertheless still full of the usual excitement and adventure we expect from one of his tales, There’s magic and shape-shifting and some twists..but the tale’s as filled with derring-do as most of his stories, and there’s a truly ironic reward awaiting the would-be pillagers of the Monastery. Indeed, the blurb from the book cover—a fantasy tale of thwarted love and piratical lust, blood, and treasure—says it all.

Read Wake of the Red Mistress, and sail into the sunset with this adventure.

RATING:

4 out of 5 stars!!!


So there you all have it--madness is the normal!! I edit my new book "Shakespeared: or Wally and the Fairie Queen" this weekend, have an online chat and then start on the edits any day for my western "Silence in God's Valley" and my fantasy "Queen Morgana and the Renfaries" both for Whiskey Creek Press...I'll sleep when I'm...well- you know...

Teel

Friday, February 25, 2011

New review of Gaslight Occurrences!!!


Review by TV Sweeny (2/25/11)


It’s the time of Queen Victoria...of SHerlock Holmes...and Septimus Argent. This gentleman is Her Majesty’s loyal servant, and he handles cases along the same lines as his venerated colleague Holmes...but on the other side of the coin...the occult side. Join Argent and his aide-de-camps, Jack Stone, (late Captain of Her majesty’s Royal Horse Guard)as they travel the breadth of the British Isles saving Queen and country from denizens of the Dark Side..
MY OPINION: Steampulp...and another of TJ Glenn’s informative Prologues to explain the genre. These stories are a delight, well-written and definitely in the Holmes-Watson line, though Jack Stone is definitely more athletic and ready for adventure than the Good Doctor. The fates of the villains are so awful and ironic one has to feel pity for those cads, though Greystone’s Descent reads more like a sad fairy tale than a thriller. Several names and characters tun as a thread through the stories, giving them coherence.

Score another hit for Mr. Glenn! They just keep coming.

RATING: 4 Stars
Gaslight Occurrences is available from Whiskey Creek Press.
Read the full review at: http://www.tonivsweeney.com/

Monday, February 21, 2011

A little love for everyone...


I've turned in the final edits on my new collection of strange romances to gypsyshadow.com "Love Gods and Labyrinths". It should be out by March!!! Here's the cover... and yes, that is the author himself on the cover (no--not the guy with the horns!!!)...

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

the new book covers...


I just turned in the final edits on "Love Gods and Labyrinths" for GypsyShadow.com which will be out a a week or two and had approval on the cover for "Shadows of New York" the relaunch of my Dr. Shadows 1930s adventurer series from BooksforaBuck.com. Here are the covers folks--I'll keep you posted on the actual release dates...

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A Great new review of Deadline Zombies!


I'm pleased to post a part of this Four Star Review of Deadline Zombies by Tony-Paul (http://www.tony-paul.com/) Stop by and visit Tony's site...
January 7, 2011

Moxie Donovan is a fast-talking, hotshot reporter who just can’t keep out of trouble. His nose for news just won’t quit, or perhaps it’s just that sensationalism keeps an eye out for him. This set of stories chronicles Moxie’s brushes with the wild and the supernatural, filled with beautiful dames, villains bent on personal and world domination, and one determined hero who only wants to make his next deadline….
Just like a Saturday morning at the movies! Complete with cliffhanger, a hero who cracks wise, a beautiful and equally verbal heroine, and more weird villains than you can throw popcorn at. Falling back on his cinematic background, Mr. Glenn has peppered his stories with movie facts and fiction, dropping names like a gossip columnist…it’s still all great fun; even the preface “The Reporter Hero” is an entertaining as well as interesting read. If I had to make a comparison, I’d say this volume of novellas could be called “The Front Page meets The Bowery Boys.” Witty, sharp, and above all, great fun!"

And you can get this book at Amazon.com or the publisher Booksforabuck.com!