Go West, You Old Bastard

I’m writing this from the Residents Inn in Topeka, Kansas.

Last Friday (11 May 2012) evening, I departed my old (temporary) abode in Ballston Spa, NY in favor of my new home in San Diego.  Yeah, I know.  Poor me, right?  I have to give up all the awesome weather….erm…wait….no…all the amazing culture….erm….wait….no…all the unpretentious people….erm…no….can’t find them in NY…all the awesome scenery….ok, that’s true…the job satisfaction….yeah right, don’t make me laugh, I was working in Naval Nuclear Power….all the joy (chortle) of living in upstate New York, in favor of the hell of living in the consistently good weather, lovely scenery, friendly people, good food, fun atmosphere, and all around awesomeness that is San Diego.

Yeah, I cry myself to sleep every night.

Not.

Upstate NY (in fact all of NY) can kiss my pale white buttocks.  Good riddance.

God, I hate New York.  The city blows (too many people in too small a space, all of whom think they and their city are the center of the universe; well screw you, you’re not, and it’s not).  The upstate is slightly better, but overall, it’s only a slight step up from New Jersey, which is to say it’s just scummy, not the scum that scum scrapes off its shoes.

Not that I have an opinion on that.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I have no illusions about where I’m going.  I’ve often said the only problem with San Diego is it’s in California.  And I meant it.  NY is a fascist state.  California is just a hair’s breadth from out-and-out socialist (and no, the two are not on the opposite sides of the political spectrum as some deluded ignoramuses try to claim.  Do your homework.  Fascism is Socialism light.  They are in essence the same thing, and both inevitably lead to the same place unless checked somehow, namely bloody dictatorships and mass poverty except for a select few who rule over everyone else).  Which of course explains why California is going bankrupt.  But San Diego is nice.  And it’s just a temporary assignment.  So I’m looking forward to it.

But that’s not the point of this point.

Point is, on Thursday, before we left, I put up two new stories for sale: The Billionaire’s Daughter and Bag Man.  Both are mystery/crime stories, under my new mystery pen name, Alex Mariner.  Both are fun (IMHO).  And both are live on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords as we ‘speak’.  Kobo et al will have them in a few weeks, once the stories make their way through the Smashwords distribution channels.

So here’s the scoop on them:

The Billionaire’s Daughter

The strong-willed daughter of a wealthy man. The son of a notorious mob boss. And his grandmother’s engagement ring.

When the unlikely couple split up, she kept the ring.

It is Ronald Harper’s and Kathleen Davidson’s job to get the ring back, before the mob boss learns it is missing and takes care of the situation himself.

The Billionaire’s Daughter is a available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, and includes Bag Man as a bonus story.

Bag Man

A mysterious bag that everyone wants. An employer who is as dangerous as she is beautiful. A man on the run.

It was supposed to be a routine pickup, just another day on the job.

If only it had been that easy.

Bag Man is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, and includes The Billionaire’s Daughter as a bonus story.

As I’m sure you can tell, you can get both stories by buying either, so it’s a pretty good deal.  Have a look, if you’re interested.  Or even if you’re not.  😉

Right.  I’m hitting the sack now.  It’s been a long day of driving, and tomorrow promises another.  Until later, then.  Adios.