I’m a writer. I don’t say that with a trill in my voice or with a fluttering wave of my hand, as though what I do is something magical or lofty. It isn’t. I get an idea, I put one word down after another on a piece of paper (or, really, on my monitor, who am I foolin’?), and hopefully at some point it ends and I have an entertaining tale to tell. I’m not curing cancer or protecting innocents. I don’t have airs about what I do.

I say all that because one thing that bothers is when other writers try to make the craft out to be something it isn’t. I’ll hear them say things like, “I listen to my characters and they tell me… blah blah blah.” In an of itself, that sentence isn’t particularly egregious, but it’s always the way it’s said that annoys me.When they say “characters” it’s as though they’re talking about people outside their head that they’re channeling through some strange subspace astral portal that only they have access to. They say the word “character” and you can see the mysticism in their eyes like fairy lights from faraway realms that have opened up and poured secret knowledge into them. They speak about writing like it’s a sacred act between them and some ancient god, with their voices light and their head at a poetic tilt. To hear them tell it, they’re sorcerers shooting brave new worlds from every finger, Artists with a glowing capital A.

To them I say “Pah.” Writing isn’t sacred – it’s work. It’s wonderful work, invigorating work, and occasionally even revelatory work, but it’s still one word after another. Characters aren’t spirits from the other side or beings from an alternate dimension whispering wonders to us. They are us. They are in our heads, made by us, doing what we tell them. Perhaps some people need that quasi-spiritual outlook on it to maintain their interest or motivation, but I think it’s needless claptrap that really only gets in the way. Writers are craftspeople, like carpenters. They use wood to make something new and hopefully pleasing, and we use words. Simple as that. Make more out of it if you must, but know that I think it only makes you look foolish. Me, I respect those who put their shoulders to the plow/keyboard and work.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.

Hey, everybody! The design of my blog hadn’t changed since I got it, so I thought I’d try and spruce things up a bit with a new look. Please let me know what you think. There are other themes I have my eye on, but this one sings to me a bit more than the rest. Just know that there’s nothing I can do about the way it displays images in the preview. I wish I could.

If anyone has a blog or website, and they wouldn’t mind running a banner ad for me, I would be very much obliged. The image looks like this:

If you would like to add it to your site, you can paste the following code into your site:

<a href=”http://www.justinmacumber.com/short-stories/the-ties-that-bind-a-tale-of-the-breaking-dawn/”>
<img src=”http://www.justinmacumber.com/images/breakingdawnbanner.jpg” />
</a>

Thanks in advance. I’ll try and have more versions up soon to fit whatever banner space you have. I couldn’t do it without you guys and gals.

I’m done! After over a year and countless hurdles, I’m done. The first draft of “Digital Decay” (working title) is done! Today I wrote a little over 2,800 words to finish this sucker up. Whew! And, I have to say, I’m pretty damn happy with the ending. Much better than I thought it’d be. I’m pleased that I’m pleased. Now I get to let it sit for a week or so before I go back for my first editing pass. Can I get a w00t?!

This is my wife standing in front of the hotel we stayed at. I booked the place because I wanted something… authentic, not commercial or big business. After a day of climbing stairs and not having 24/7 access to vending machines and ice, not to mention a broken door to a balcony we would have liked to use, I was ready to head to the nearest Radison.

Here we are at the Tower of London, with Tower Bridge just over Krista’s shoulder. I love taking pictures of her, and getting a nice snap of the bridge was a bonus.

Here’s the Tower of London. I’m not here to give you a history lesson, but I will say that it was fascinating to walk around. Here in America we think we have history, but we’re really just children compared to places like this.

Most of our traveling around London was done via the Underground, also called the Tube. All things considered, we didn’t have any trouble with it. Most areas are clearly marked, and I don’t know if we ever spent more than fifteen or twenty minutes getting from one place to another. We only took cabs when we were either too tired to make it to a tube station, or during Christmas when the subway system was shut down.

Something you constantly hear in the Underground is, “Always remember to…”

Here is the outside of the British Museum. It’s a really nice museum, and completely free. I took loads of pictures inside it, but I’ll only post a couple.

This is something Krista really wanted to see – the Rosetta Stone. Seeing it in person was remarkable.

I just thought this was pretty. It’s Aphrodite taking a bath from water in a vase. It looks so soft, which I guess is the artist’s gift to the stone.

One day we went walking around Hyde Park, and the Memorial Fountain for Princess Diana was there. This is Krista taking a brief rest there. It was a nice place to sit and enjoy the park.

“Look, kids, Big Ben…”

Buckingham Palace was closed, which was a bummer. Looks like a pretty swank pad.

Here is Krista and I standing at the gate for Buckingham Palace.

This is just one of the many outside shots I took of Westminster Abbey, and it does not do the place justice. It is an amazingly beautiful building.

Here’s another shot.

This isn’t the original Globe Theatre (it burned down a long time ago), but it is as close a recreation as is possible. I think Shakespeare is one of the greatest literary minds in the history of mankind, and being able to absorb some of his atmosphere was wonderful.

Here’s the inside of the Globe. Not a bad seat in the place. I’d *LOVE* to see a play performed there.

Well, I’ve finally gotten everything put together, and now my short story collection, “The Ties That Bind – Tales of the Breaking Dawn” is now available for purchase. Right now I have it in the following formats:

Printed Chapbook

CD – this is a little different from the audio version I podcasted

Kindle

Free PDF Download

An iPhone/iTouch version is in the works as we speak.

Now, some of you might have read parts #1 – #3 of this story in the previous three issues of Ray Gun Revival (#4 will hit in the next issue), so you might be wondering what makes the printed version special (other than the amazing cover art created by my brother), or you might have listened to the free podcast version and now wonder what the CD has that’s so special? Well, first, the chapbook and Kindle versions of the story have an essay at the end that tells how the story came to be, from its small beginnings to what it is now. The CD has brand new opening and closing credits, and there is a final track that contains hilarious bloopers and outtakes from the voice recording sessions. I hope those spark your interest.

And listen, don’t just take MY word for it. Here are just a few of the kind words that have been said about the story…

“Hard-hitting space opera in the golden age tradition, relentless and full of dark action.”
– David J Williams, author of The Burning Skies

“Whether regaling us with tales of anti-gravity pirate ships sailing an ocean of sand, or putting us aboard a cargo runner racing through coven gates and deep space perils, Justin Macumber delivers one hell of a fun story. What more can any reader ask?”
– J.F. Lewis, internationally published author of ReVamped (Void City, Book Two)

“The Ties That Bind is some of the best sci-fi I’ve read all year and the crew of the Breaking Dawn will have you rooting for their success on every page. Exciting, smart and well written, this is a story that is seriously worth reading.”
– Jeremy Robinson, author of Pulse and Antarktos Rising

Anyway, I’m really proud of what I’ve put together here, and I hope some of you decide to check it out. This story won Honorable Mention in last year’s Writers of the Future contest, and this year it was in Ray Gun Revival, so I couldn’t be more happy with what it’s done for me.

Thank you for reading this. And, if you buy a copy, thank you especially for that.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to see a higher rez version of the front and back cover, click HERE.

* Download File *

Hello all, Justin here. We’ve made it! It’s taken longer than I thought it would, but now you can listen to the fourth and final part of my four-part series “Tales of the Breaking Dawn: The Ties That Bind,” a science fiction story about the star-freighter Breaking Dawn and its crew. I hope you’ve enjoyed the story thus far, and that you’lll find the ending satisfying. Please send me feedback letting me know what you think. My email address is justin@justinmacumber.com

Here is the cast list:

Justin Macumber – Narrator
Kimi Alexandre – Captain Jessica Quimbly
Terry Mixon – Boo
PG Holyfield – Cam
Ryan E Stevenson – Ferron
John Mierau – Duka
Keith RA DeCandido – Yinushan Captain
Amanda Cales – Traxal Captain
Jonathan Schiefer – Tol Defense Command
Mur Lafferty – Tolesian Captain
Nathan Lowell – Gorawnie Caller

* Direct Download *

Hey, everyone, Justin here. Well, we’re nearly to the end. Here is Part Three of my four-part series “Tales of the Breaking Dawn: The Ties That Bind,” a science fiction story about the star-freighter Breaking Dawn and its crew. I hope you enjoyed Parts One and Two, and that you’lll be back for the exciting finale. Please send me feedback letting me know what you think. My email address is justin@justinmacumber.com

Here is the cast list:

Justin Macumber – Narrator
Kimi Alexandre – Captain Jessica Quimbly
Terry Mixon – Boo
PG Holyfield – Cam
Ryan E Stevenson – Ferron
John Mierau – Duka
Matthew Wayne Selznick – Coven Gatekeeper