Fluid Shock is here

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on October 14, 2023October 14, 2023Categories Holocaust Engine series, UncategorizedTags , , , , , ,

So excited that Book 2 of The Holocaust Engine is here. Fluid Shock A team of investigators and military operators join the survivors in a race to stop the spread of an otherworldly plague. After one year of quarantine, the Lower Florida Keys have descended into madness. The last of the local officials cling to power, hoarding supplies and using sheer brutality to force submission. When a second strain of disease burns its way through the enclaves of survivors, the … Continue reading “Fluid Shock is here”

When pen hits the page

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 20, 2020September 20, 2020Categories Holocaust Engine series, Our process, The Writer's LifeTags , , ,

Today’s “Writer’s Life” post explores the “when” of our writing: When do you write and why? DAVID RIKE: I like morning best.  I’ve found I only have a certain amount of creativity each day and if I don’t use it writing I wind up exhausting it just in the other details of my day. STEPHEN PATRICK: Morning before the family is awake and late at night when they are asleep are my most productive times. I’m a big fan of speech-to-text, … Continue reading “When pen hits the page”

The end?

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 13, 2020September 13, 2020Categories Our process, The Writer's Life, Thought Experiment, UncategorizedTags , , , , ,

All good things must come to an end, but some endings are better than others. We started this journey to our launch date talking about famous first lines. While we hope this journey never ends, it made us think about last lines. Sometimes they are the perfect bow on a perfect package. Othertimes, they leave us wanting more. Books, movies, whatever comes to mind, we’d love to see yours in the comments. Here are a few of ours: “The creatures … Continue reading “The end?”

Dog-eared pages and faded ink

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 11, 2020September 12, 2020Categories Our process, The Writer's Life, Thought Experiment, UncategorizedTags , , , , 1 Comment on Dog-eared pages and faded ink

Today’s thought experiment is about “that one book”, the one with the worn edges, the notes in the margins, the one that has traveled with you through time and space. Other than religious volumes, what is “that one book” on your shelf that you’ve read the most often? Drop yours in the comments, and add any backstory that goes with it! Ours are below. Mine is a bit classic, and, to be expected, David’s is hyper-practical. STEPHEN: This one is … Continue reading “Dog-eared pages and faded ink”

The perfect tool or a perfect waste

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 7, 2020September 12, 2020Categories Survival, Thought ExperimentTags , , , , , ,

Any disaster book has to explore the tools, skills and essential needs required to survive. Sometimes you have the perfect tool for the job and other times you’re lost in the woods with a writing journal and no pen. Our thought experiment for today is: What is the one item that you consider absolutely essential in a survival situation? AND What is the one item you consider absolutely useless in a survival situation? (extra credit if you add on why … Continue reading “The perfect tool or a perfect waste”

Out of nowhere?

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 4, 2020September 12, 2020Categories Our process, The Writer's Life, Thought Experiment, UncategorizedTags , , , , , , , , ,

One of the joys of being a writer is finding inspiration in the most unusual spaces. My question for today: What is the most obscure thing you’ve read/seen in the past month that impacts your writing? Here’s a few gems we’ve found in obscure places that have impacted our writing. Leave your own in the comments or feel free to comment on ours. Enjoy! DAVID RIKE Attack of the Mushroom People is a Japanese horror movie from the 60’s on … Continue reading “Out of nowhere?”

What we’re reading

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 4, 2020September 12, 2020Categories Our process, The Writer's Life, Thought Experiment, UncategorizedTags , , , , , , , , , , ,

From Stephen Patrick: One of the best things about working with a writing partner is how we compliment each other to make us and our stories better. Our individual reading tastes are hard to describe, but we both have a unique discipline beneath the madness. Below is a small snippet of what we are reading as The Holocaust Engine prepares to launch. Please share your own in the comments. We’d love to see where you are casting your gaze these … Continue reading “What we’re reading”

Where to start?

Author stephenpatrick1 Posted on September 2, 2020September 12, 2020Categories Our process, The Writer's Life, Thought Experiment, UncategorizedTags , , , , , , 1 Comment on Where to start?

As we move toward the release of The Holocaust Engine and our own first lines, it seems fitting to drop a few of our favorite fiction first lines. Add yours in the comments section It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984   A screaming comes across the sky. —Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow All this happened, more or less. —Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five  He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the … Continue reading “Where to start?”