Beginnings of a Pulp Fiction Writer

Every great science fiction or fantasy writer has to get his or her start somewhere. Jules Verne, the "father" of science fiction, first exercised his literary talent as co-author of a comic opera libretto, Colin-Millard, in 1848, and saw his first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, published in 1863.

Stephen King's earliest stories were presented in his brother's mimeographed periodical, Dave's Rag, leading to the serialized, "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber," published over several issues of the 1965 fanzine Comics Review. His first novel, Carrie, released in 1974, was an international best seller. Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of the bestselling Mists of Avalon, got her start with the publication of "Falcons of Narabedia" in the May 1957 issue of Other Worlds. Inauspicious as they were, these maiden publications marked the beginnings for some of the most successful and popular writers in the history of science fiction writing.

And so it was with L. Ron Hubbard, whose first published work, Tah, appeared in the school newspaper of George Washington University in 1932. A tale of military adventure, more akin to Rudyard Kipling than Jules Verne, it is the story of Tah, a 12-year-old soldier in the Chinese army, forced to undertake a grueling march to a terrifying battle site at which the young combatant loses his life in grisly fashion. In what is clearly an early work, the seeds of Hubbard's brilliance for characterization can clearly be seen, as the author takes pains to delve into the psyche of the young man, exploring his hopes for a future as a general, his compassion regarding friends whose families have been torn apart by the war, and his excruciating pain as he is forced to march without respite to a site that will eventually claim his life.

The ending particularly, in which Hubbard details Tah's last moments - "A huge face leered in back of a bayonet. The bayonet was coming nearer, nearer. The bayonet was long, a thousand miles long. There was red on the end. Tah felt the icy, burning steel rasp against the bones in his chest..." - is particularly effective, demonstrating Hubbard's talent for making a fictional moment real, and drawing the reader inexorably into the action on the page.

Hubbard first entered the field of pulp publishing, the field in which he would make his most indelible mark in the world of fiction, with the tale of The Green God, which saw print in the February 1934 issue of Thrilling Adventures magazine. This story, which could well have served as the inspiration for both Indiana Jones and James Bond, sees Naval Intelligence Agent Bill Malone in a desperate quest to recover a sacred idol - the Green God of the title - and avert a cataclysmic disaster that threatens to overwhelm the Chinese city of Tientsin. A rip-roaring adventure yarn, it's a page-turner from beginning to end.

Although largely remembered as a science fiction author, Hubbard tended to concentrate on Adventure and Western stories during his earliest years as a writer, with the occasional Mystery/ Detective tale thrown in for good measure. In April 1936, however, Hubbard turned to the fantasy genre, contributing the short story "The Death Flyer" to the pages of Fantasy Magazine, a haunting ghost story about a man who inexplicably finds himself aboard a spectral locomotive. Although Hubbard's contributions to the horror genre were minimal; this bone-chilling tale is a top-notch thriller.

In July 1938, in Astounding Science Fiction, Hubbard entered the sci-fi genre with the fascinating short story, "The Dangerous Dimension." In this imaginative story, Professor Henry Mudge discovers "Equation C," a mathematical formula that allows for instantaneous teleportation with the merest thought. Unfortunately, Mudge discovers he has no control over the process, teleporting uncontrollably to Paris, the surface of the Moon, and even the water-filled canals of Mars before struggling to discover "Equation D," which will allow him to stop the frequent unwanted travels that have come to bedevil his life. Light-hearted and fun, the story reveals Hubbard's talent for exploring the fringes of reality and the effect those fringes could have on regular human beings. Mudge is not a superman, or a great interplanetary warrior, but a simple professor who stumbles onto a great secret with spectacular results. Hubbard emphasizes Mudge's humanity, and invites the reader to share in his terror and uncertainty in the face of a power he is unable to control.

Fortunately for lovers of great storytelling everywhere, Galaxy Press has committed to bringing all of Hubbard's pulp short stories and novellas - from Tah onward - to print in a handsome series of paperbacks and an impressive series of fully-produced audio dramas. Hubbard was a writer comfortable in a wide variety of genres, so there's something for everyone in this welcome series. Whether you're a fan of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, mysteries, Westerns, or any other pulp genre, you owe it to yourself to acquaint yourself with master wordsmith L. Ron Hubbard.

Books For A Dazzling Wedding

Jose Villa and Jeff Kent write a book called Fine Art Wedding Photography, a book dedicated to helping you capture stylish and beautiful and artistic photos for your wedding. As this is a major day in your life, this book allows you examples of amazing poses and postures so that you can get ideas for a stunning, creative new way to capture your special moments. There are tips on how to adjust design elements and frame photos, so that if you are searching to have someone take your photos, this book can also serve as a guide for them, as well. There are even chapters that show you how to design and create wedding albums and slideshows, all done in a beautiful and memorable way.

Mindy Weiss The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day. This book gives you amazing tips on how to keep your head clear and calm even in the face of the most stressful wedding. It allows you tips on how to design your wedding table, your altar, your gown, your details and style and in a way that is sure to match your budget and preference. More than just the wedding itself, the book guides you on how to share the news of your wedding with people who might be less than thrilled about it, refers you about how to set up a good budget, and even informs you about choosing flowers, cake, and a dress.

Denise and Alan Fields write Bridal Bargains, a book that is rich with ways to save money on usually highly expensive things. For example the book talks about how you can save up to 40 percent on a brand new wedding dress, as well as offering websites on flowers and dresses and invitations, all that will be bought at an affordable price. Also, there are ways to order flowers and affordable ways to print invites so that you don't stress out your budget. There are ways to save on your cake, as well, and also ways to stay eco friendly as well! This is a great book if you are about to get married because you will be able to do it without going bankrupt and by still being able to save money that will be important after the wedding.

David Elliot Cohen writes William and Catherina, a book that documents their wedding through photos that capture the process of the wedding as well as the special moments and instances, as well. Including a historical viewpoint on royal weddings, as well as personal stories of the couple and of royal couples before them, the book is an entertaining outlook on weddings and might even inspire you with a few new traditions, such as the special kiss on the balcony, or something royal that you might wish to include.

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner by Carley Roney is a book that is mainly a guide to planning a wedding. It allows you to create your budgets, check off things on your to do list, and to go through a series of worksheets. There are many interactive features, such as a phone contacts list, budget tracker, and gift log so you can use all these things to write your thank you notes later etc. The goal of the book is to help you with a stress free affair that is sure to help you.

The Era of the Pulp Fiction Super Heroes

It was the great depression and the world was at war. During this tense economic and uncertain era, America was ready for the welcome relief of the pulp fiction magazine.

With the poor economy, many of the slick magazines and novels were out of reach for the mainstream public. When the cheaply made pulp magazines made its way to the shelves they were being scooped up in droves. They were mostly dime novels with artfully done illustrations. As the popularity of these issues increased, the stories and the art work on the covers became increasingly more garish and fantastic. The quaint stories of the American west became harsher, wildly descriptive, bloodier and bolder than it had ever been and we could not get enough.

The pulp fiction era was from the 1920s up to the 1950s and during that period as many as one million copies per month were flying off the shelves. Many great writers honed their skills writing pulp fiction stories and went on to become accomplished, successful and influential novelists. Novelists such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, H. P. Lovecraft and L. Ron Hubbard are a few of the most successful writers to come from this era.

The genres were plentiful and appealed to a wide audience so there was something for everyone. There was saucy pulp, exotic pulp such as tales from the Orient, mystery, romance, fantasy and science fiction, westerns, hard boiled and spicy detective, sea and air adventures and so on. From this vast body of work some of our most beloved characters were born, many of which lived on in comics, television and movies.

This era produced the likes of "Sherlock Holmes,' "Buck Roger," "Doc Savage," "Fu Manchu," "Hopalong Cassidy," "The Spider," "Tarzan," "Zorro," " The Shadow" and "Conan The Barbarian" etc., too many to list here. It took the incredibly creative minds of these writers to churn out on a regular basis these fabulous stories.

The pulps ruled for almost thirty years and then the television and motion picture era began. But it is the pulps that are responsible for much of the characters and story lines we have had the privilege to enjoy and many of the pulp characters were expanded upon, super sized if you will, which may not have come about without the pulp writers.

I find it fascinating that because of the depression and war our pulp super heroes were so well received. When people are struggling in their lives, it is seems we have a desire to out create the unpleasantness and embrace almost super human qualities. The success of the pulps is self evident.

After almost eighty years most of the pulps have been collecting dust in basement and attics or mom and pop bookstores and can be difficult to find. However, there has been a renewed interest in these stories and a vast number of the stories are back in print and are currently being recorded as audiobooks for a new generation to enjoy.

Audio Books on CD - Not Just for Long Trips Anymore

The past hundred years or so have produced many well written books by well known authors that have entertained us, taught us and improved our mental and spiritual outlook on life. Reading has also been a way for us to relax and unwind from the rigors of life. The problem with reading the old-fashioned way is that you sit in one location and concentrate on the pages in front of you. This may or may not be a bad thing but for a busy person, the audio book can be a god send.

Audio books began to take off in the 1980s but have gained in popularity exponentially over the last few years. Advances in technology have given us great tools in the form of CD's and iPods that lend themselves perfectly for the audiobook. Cinema quality sound effects and music in combination with more actors and actresses lending their voices have helped bring about their popularity.

We live in a busy world so multi-tasking with audio books have become an excellent way to entertain or learn something new. Whether you are jogging, driving, taking public transportation or doing housework are all opportunities for listening to an audio book. Listening to an audio book with your eyes closed is also a great relaxation and stress relieving tool.

Actors' using their voice to enhance the quality of stories is not new. Animated feature films from the 1930s on up have greatly contributed the emotions and flavor of the characters portrayed. From the 1950s and up, famous actors such as Jimmy Stewart, Donald Pleasence and Danny Kaye began to telling children's stories on vinyl records which are now highly sought after collectors items.

There is a saying, "what was old is new again," applies to the latest batch of audio books being produced. We are talking about stories from the early 1920s to the mid to late 1950s, "The Golden Age of Pulp Fiction Stories!" I'm not talking about the Quentin Tarantino's pulp fiction movie but rather the era of the cheap pulp paper magazines that gave us timeless stories such as "Tarzan of the Apes, "Zorro," "Doc Savage," "The Spider," and "The Phantom Detective" etc. Many awesome story tellers and writers came from this era such as "Raymond Chandler", "Lester Dent" and "L. Ron Hubbard" to name a few and the stories are well worth revisiting, especially in the form of the audiobook.

These vintage stories can bring back fond memories to the old timers who may enjoy reading or listening to these stories again but is also a blank canvas for a younger generation that could benefit from these classic stories. The internet makes it very easy to find and purchase these books and audio versions of the stories.

The audio books of today have something for everyone because of the multitude of genres, including, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, romance, hard boiled detective, air and sea adventures, far flung adventure and tales from the orient. There are more but you get the idea.

Audio books are still great for long trips but they are equally popular when you are multi-tasking in cooking, cleaning, walking your dog, commuting etc. Got to love technology for giving us such great entertainment!

All Frontiers Are Jealous - A Pulp Fiction Story

During the pulp fiction era, the 1920s to the 1950s, writers churned out stories from all genres, such as fantasy, science fiction, romance, hard boiled detective, spicy detective, westerns, air and sea adventures and tales from the orient etc. "All Frontiers are Jealous" falls into the category of "far flung adventure," something that was dear to the heart of L. Ron Hubbard.

Hubbard was quotes as saying, "Adventuring is a state of mind. If you adventure through life, you have a good chance to be a success on paper." I think this is so true. In his story, "All Frontiers are Jealous," you experience the flavor of the country and its people and adventuring is an understatement!

The story, originally published in June of 1937, takes place in Africa in the south west portion of the Sudan. American engineer, Dan Courtney, is attempting to survey the route of the Sudan railway in its first attempt to connect major cities together. If surveying through the harsh jungle is not tough enough, he soon finds himself in tremendous danger. Of course there is an alluring American woman involved whom he must save from the terrifyingly fierce "Dinka Tribe." (An ethnic group believed to be some of the tallest men in all of Africa, who herd cattle during the warm dry season and grow grains in the rainy season.) Not much was known about these people in the early nineteen hundreds other than they were fiercely protective of their people and lands.

In true Hubbard style, he creatively weaves the story from an avenue you believe the story is going, and then he throws a curve ball you did not see coming. In this story, as if Courtney wasn't already in deep trouble, in his attempt to save the girl, he inadvertently kills a "Diamond Cop," who is part of an international police force that fights the lucrative but dangerous diamond smuggling business.

The pulp fiction era, (named such because of the cheap pulp paper they were printed on) had its own unique style but remains a great read none-the-less. Galaxy Press Publishing in addition to recreating the books in their original format and illustrations has produced the audio book version of "All Frontiers are Jealous."

In reading the book you create in your own mind how the characters may look and sound but the audio book gives a whole new experience with the story. The full-cast audio version is professionally done with cinematic quality sound effects and music. The voice talents of Richard Rocco, R.F. Daley, Christina Huntington, Jim Meskimen, Enn Reitel and Thomas Silcott, all give their characters the realism and life that carries the story right to the very end. It's refreshing to have the options of reading or listening to the stories.

This book is one of sixteen far flung adventure novels that Hubbard wrote but by no means his only style. He contributed stories in most of the genres of that time period but I found this particular book a fun read! I also learned a little history of Africa that I may not have known if not for the book. Check it out!

Fred Duckworth is working to reintroduce Stories from the Golden Age, a line of 80 books and multi-cast, unabridged audio books, featuring 153 stories written by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1930s and 1940s. Click here to view the "Spy Killer trailer; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpqUD5tiTZo&feature=youtu.be

Revival of the Pulp Fiction Story "Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead"

From the late 1930s to the 1950s, L. Ron Hubbard wrote and published hundreds of stories in various pulp fiction magazines and now after six decades these timeless classic stories are being brought back to life by Galaxy Press Publishing.

In October of 1936, Hubbard's story, "Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead" was released to avid pulp fiction enthusiasts. It is a story about Captain Gordon who is hired to fly a group of American anthropologists into a remote arid mountain region (which is now part of Pakistan bordering the Arabian Sea). This civil group, the Lancaster-Mallard Expedition, is bound by the common goal of obtaining scientific information but soon find themselves pitted against each other when the team finds an ancient map in an old pottery jar that is twenty three centuries old. It tells of a tomb built by "Alexander the Great" and the vast treasure he collected from their conquests in India. Buried there is not only the treasure but 10,000 Macedonian Soldiers. It is a tragic tale of these anthropologists falling prey to greed and their willingness to kill for the contents of the tomb. Captain Gordon will be lucky to make it out of the desert alive, with or without the treasure.

These collections of 153 stories in 80 volumes are being reproduced in their original format as a paper back with the beautifully done original pulp art work and inside illustrations. It also comes in a full-cast audio book with cinema quality music and sound enhancements. Reading the book is great but listening to the story on a cd gives a whole new dimension to the quality of the story that puts you smack in the middle of all the action. The audio book of "Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead," features Josh R. Thompson and also stars R.F. Daley, Jim Meskimen, Ralph Lister, Joey Naber, Noelle North, Enn Reitel, Fred Tatasciore and Michael Yurchak. These actors breathe life into their characters and are worth listening to.

Included as a bonus is two more adventure stories; "Price of a Hat" and "Starch and Stripes" "Price of a Hat' was originally published March, 1936 tells of a Kubanka (a Russian fur hat) with a secret message stitched into its hatband. It cost the lives of six men in their many efforts to save the last Russian Czar, Nicholas II and his family.

"Starch and Stripes," was originally published January, 1936 and is a story that takes a humorous stab at the expense of the Marine Corps brass. A marine captain tries to capture a dangerous rebel leader, but just as the Marines are closing in on this villainous character, some U.S. senators and top brass decide it is time to inspect the base and decide on future funding for the marines.

Hubbard seems to have an ability to tell a timeless story with unique characters that are as fun to read today as it was in the 1930s. If you are not familiar with pulp fiction stories then it behoove you to explore the writings from that era. Many great writers came from the pulp era such as H.P. Lovecraft, Lester Dent, Agatha Christi, Raymond Chandler etc. all of whom contributed to what is fondly referred to as "The Golden Age of Pulp Fiction" and Hubbard is a part of that alumni.

Fred Duckworth is working to reintroduce Stories from the Golden Age, a line of 80 books and multi-cast, unabridged audio books, featuring 153 stories written by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1930s and 1940s. Click here to view the "Spy Killer trailer; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpqUD5tiTZo&feature=youtu.be

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

I will be honest. I came across this book on many review blogs but I never gave it any thought. The cover did not attract me and I could barely understand the plot. However with time there was a huge buzz surrounding this now trilogy.And so I decided to give the book a try. And am I glad I did!?! I loved The Hunger Games.

This is one of those books that reached great heights of popularity and is extremely different from other books out there. The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future. It is written wonderfully well and has a killer plot. How do you think the world will be in a century or so? Suzanne Collins has portrayed a very accurate if brutal view of what she thinks America will be in the future. The rich have grown richer. Poor have grown poorer. And reality TV Show has taken over the form of entertainment. Suzanne Collins also seems to be inspired by Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Iraq War. The post-apocalyptic world she has created with Panem is rich and exciting. It's amazing how different life in the Capitol is from life in the various districts.

Now The Hunger Games are a little like Survivor except the contestants ( here Tributes) must kill each other off instead of being voted off. The Game is brutal and savage and yet extremely addicting. I loved each part of the game and how it was detailed.The protagonist even carried out a fake relationship to attract sponsors. The protagonist sixteen-year old Katniss Everdeen is startlingly different from other female protagonists in young adult fiction. She is calculating and shrewd. She is strong and independent and far from the damsel in distress. She kills and barely feels the remorse. I was shocked by her at times and yet I could not have loved her more. The supporting characters were interesting and well developed. I am especially in love with Peeta Mellark who also goes to The Hunger Games with Katniss. There is some romance there.

For those worried about the violence I must say this book does not have that much of gore and there was nothing shocking there. ( But then again I love Dexter so maybe I am just underestimating it ). It's one of the best books I have ever read and I recommend it highly to everyone. Similar Books: Eragon by Christopher Paoline (Not really but yeah if Eragon had no magic/dragons) There is a movie in production starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson AKA the kid from Bridge To Terabithia who is all grown up now is playing Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth AKA Miley Cyrus's ex-bf though perez hilton says they back together as Gale i.e Kat's BFF.