gonzo

Works by John R. Clark

Updated 5/05/07

My most recent writing efforts have been short horror stories as well as more of the YA fantasy stories that I hope to compile in the anthology I plan to call Hardscrabble Kids.The most recent ones are called Summer Romance, Stopping on A Dime, ATVs Welcome, Nowhere to Hide, Be Careful What You Wish For and Just Passing Through. One new twist is my ability to write very short (under 1000 words) stories. Some of my writing time has been siphoned off by a resurgence in sweepstaking that has netted me $1100 worth of Groceries, a new 32" plasma TV, a $250 Amex gift card, a week at Maine Audubon's Hog Island Camp and best of all a new Dodge Charger worth about $40,000 plus a trip to the Citizen's Bank 400 at Michigan Raceway on Father's Day. Link to car pictures below.

DA CAR!

Published work

In Riptide: crime stories by New England Writers, published Nov. 2004 by Level Best Books- the short story "In Your Dreams."
In Windswept: crime stories by New England writers, published Nov. 2005 by Level Best Books-the short story "Tower Mountain"
In Seasmoke: crime stories by New England writers, published Nov. 2006 by Level Best Books: "The Man in the Glass"

In Wolf Moon Press: A Maine Magazine of Art and Opinion

Essays:
Got FILK?,
Sam's Ghost,
It's Her Face.
Looking For Mr. FedEx
On the Death of an Old Family Friend
Blueberry Summers
Purple Asters
Zen Sunday
Space Cowboys in Hawaiian Shirts; BOSCONE 2006
Clipping the Devil's Toenails (appearing in early 2007 issue on the nature of evil)
Book & Music Reviews:
The Works of Cornelia Funke
My Best Books of the Year
The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy by T.A. Barron
Time to Fall Into A Few Good Books
Pretty Dead by Gerry Boyle.
Rising From The Dead, a review of Runes of the Earth by Stephen Donaldson.
Bitch Creek by William Tappley
Flu Shot by Kendrick Lacey, M.D.
Like Honey on a Magic Carpet: The Music of Serah
Back on Track With A Vengeance: Dance of Death by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Childs.
Ten and Two to Grow On; great fantasy to start 2006
HEART OF THE MIRAGE: Another Great World Unfolds By Glenda Larke
A Deadly Good Finish: The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs
The Power of Wind: an appreciation of the works of Eliot Pattison
Called Copper, But More Like Gold: a review of Copper River by William Kent Krueger
Sunset and a Promise: The Great Tree of Avalon: the eternal flame by T.A. Barron

Professional publication: Contributing author to Library Services in Mental Health Settings published by Scarecrow Press in 1997.Internet editor and regular contributor to BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRARIAN, a peer reviewed journal published by Haworth Press.
Published articles:
Identifying Useful Websites BSSL V.17:1 1998
State and Provincial Government Documents on the Web BSSL V.17:2 1999
African Resources on the Web BSSL V.18:1 1999
International Government Resources on the Worldwide Web BSSL V.18:2 2000
Libraries' Electronic Presence at the End of the Century: a Look Back and an Assessment BSSL V19:1 2000
Innovations in Useful Web Tools BSSL V.19:2 2001
Intermediate Web Site Utility BSSL V.20:1 2001
The Social Science Research Network BSSL V.20:2 2002
The Psychological Collection BSSL V.21:1 2002
The Sociological Collection-BSSL V.21:2 2003
With a Rhyme and a Reason: A Focus on AMICUS and a Window on National Libraries Around The World BSSL V.22:2 2004
Dictionary Resources on the Web BSSL V.23:1 2004
Online Peer-Reviewed Journal Resources BSSL V.23:2 2005
Oral History Resources on the Web BSSL V.24:1 2006
Podcasting and RSS: The current state of affairs BSSL V.24:2 2006

BOOKS IN SEARCH OF A PUBLISHER

1-The Wizard of Simonton Pond. Seventeen year old Berek Metcalf suffers from the dual woes of an extra finger and scorn of his peers and is far more adept at conversing in butterfly or chickadee. His first foray into romance results in disaster when Julia, the girl he has admired from afar turns him down and her ex-boyfriend and his cronies beat him up in front of the other teens at Simonton High. Berek retreats to his secret circle, hidden in a hemlock grove above the family farmhouse. Just before darkness settles over the forest, a mysterious black bird drops a small silver flute into the circle. Berek follows the admonition on its underside: "I am the way, but you must play me to get there." Life changes forever when he suddenly finds himself in a parallel circle halfway across the universe. On Ballicore, he is not only accepted, extra finger and all, but desperately needed to save a race of mysterious creatures that may already be too far gone to rescue. Love, coming of age and high adventure blend as Berek Metcalf learns the true meaning of the admonition-"Believe in yourself." currently being evaluated by a potential publisher.

2-Hither We Go. In this sequel to The Wizard of Simonton Pond, Berek finds himself abruptly ripped back to Earth; wiser, but still not immune to the emotions of early adulthood. Can he make a successful return, especially once he learns that the Chieftain may have kidnapped Elspeth? What does the spider's cryptic "You must enlist the aid of two seemingly flawed companions in order to return successfully" mean? Follow Berek's eventful quest to return to the world where he first found love and heroism.

3-Married With Familiars What happened after Berek tossed the Scrying Stone to the mysterious Tarn. Did he and Elspeth make it safely through their expulsion from Ballicore? Where will they end up and will Berek be able to help his Uncle Leland save another world from destruction? **I scared myself with this one. I began writing it on 01/01/02 and completed the rough manuscript exactly 60 days later. It's a shorter book (just over 80,000 words) but there's a lot that happens-much more action in this one with a surprise at the end.

4-Like A Thief In The Night: the further adventures of Kallista Wolfblood. When Kallista vanished during the battle with the Shadow Militia, she had every intention of returning to Vespersea and confronting her evil uncle...but even on Ballicore, life gets in the way of the best of plans. What happened between her abrupt disappearance in the Crags of Dread and her rescue of Berek and Greg? Follow Kallista as she wends her amoral and always interesting way through the shadowy underbelly of Ballicore and discovers a new and horrifying meaning to the term 'possessed'.

BOOKS IN PROGRESS:
1-Statue of Limitations-(This was originally going to be a short story, but when it hit 40 pages, I knew something was up. After sharing the plot with Toni Buzzeo, she said I had a book instead of a short story). The Norris family has been saving and scrimping for years so they can take the vacation of a lifetime and climb Mt. McKinley. It seems like everything is on the fast track; money saved, acation time accrued. Then Peter Norris has a horrible accident while cutting up a dead elm for firewood and has to spend the summer in North Carolina instead of climbing his dream mountain with the rest of the family. What happens to save his summer and get him to stop feeling sorry for himself is at the core of this story.-In progress Winter 2006-07.

2- The Catnip Pentagram: When Josiah Parker went into the sub-zero cold of Boston in an attempt to escape his personal demons, little did he expect his act would result in the rescue of a mysterious cat lying near death in an alley. Trippicar Saastamoinnen, last of the Mango Firecats has just been waylaid and someone stole one of his remaining lives in a very nasty way. Follow Trip and Josiah's adventures as they try to unravel the mystery without standing modern Boston on its ear by the imprudent use of magic.

BOOKS IN BORGRESS OR CONCEPTUALLY DEVELOPED:

1-Hardscrabble Kids : an anthology of fantasy stories set in Maine for Young Adults.

2-J.A.M.B.: the revenge. Are there really two codes of justice along the Maine Coast. Jerel Linfest certainly thinks there are. Zen meets hip boots as Jerel finds himself sent to prison at age 18 for assaulting a rich summer resident. An interesting series of events moves him from Melrose State Prison to the Federal Penitentiary in Danbury where he meets the mysterious foreigner who starts him on the trail of revenge.

3-In My Father's Footsteps: Book 5 in the Berek Chronicles. I can't say too much without giving away the secret in Books 2 & 3, save to say Julia and Kylin are the early protagonists in the book and a new major character debuts. (planned for Summer 2006)

4-Just before the Wall: Book 6 of the Berek Chronicles. Tats, attitude and nose ring aside, there's no mistaking where Josia Parker Metcalf got his looks and powers, but can he adapt to the universe before it eats his lunch?

5-Extended break: When Josiah Ingersoll and Kirin Leach take a break from their academic library jobs for their weekly walk, little do they know that events will soon send them to another dimension where they have to survive the travails of an unpopulated wilderness equipped with only a Swiss Army knife, a butane lighter and a half-empty tube of super glue. (planned for fall 2005)

6-Page 449. A teen romance about a young alcoholic coming to grips with the pain and humility associated with his addiction and finding hope. (planned for fall 2006)

Short Stories Under Development

1-There's a new Wrinkle Down at the Mill: What happens when a desperate work force in a Maine mill town is offered a job by the new owners who have some secrets that shouldn't be told.

2-ATVs Welcome-What is going on? Kids and their 4-wheelers are disappearing and nobody knows why.

3-Stopping on a dime: Suppose aliens imprint on the first thing they see...even money on the sidewalk.

4-Untitled: What if visitors from outside the galaxy have no physical form, but manifest themselves as odors. Can they survive arrival in the Italian quarter of a big city, and what happens the first time they encounter a can of Lysol?

5-A Thousand Ducks: the story of a man who measures his personal milestones by the ducks he has shot.

6-Machiasport Shuffle or Set 'em Again Boys:What happens when a couple of downeast lobster thugs decide to adapt the Nigerian Oil Scam has very unpredictable results.

BOOKS IN VERY LOOSE FORMAT-still spinning in the gray matter.

1-An unnamed thriller about a virus from space that has a ravenous appetite for rock.

2-Another unnamed thriller/sci-fi novel with the premise: What would happen if all those free CDs from an unnamed company suddenly developed artificial intelligence and got pissed because everyone makes fun of them...hmmm.

3-Musical Interlude: What happens when a respectable and sedate librarian who is happily married and has two children suddenly finds himself back in his own past at age 16, but with the history and maturity of someone 25 years older. How does he deal with a steady girlfriend who is clueless about the substitution, more importantly, how does he maintain a facade and find his way back.

ESSAYS and SHORT PIECES IN PROGRESS.

1-Of Pumpkin Soap and One Trick Ponies; a writer looks at eBay.

2-Did I Mention His Name? a review of the Gordon Lightfoot Songbook.

3-Perfect Tens; An essay on ten perfect New Age songs for dancing under the stars, imagining places you've never been, jumping up and kicking out the jams, etc.

4-an essay for Wolf Moon Press called "Where is God's Country anyhow?

JOhn R. Clark is a member of the Level Best Books Web Ring:

www.levelbestbooks.com - Level Best Books, publisher of an annual crime anthology

www.skyealexander.com - Skye Alexander, author of astrology and metaphysical books

personalpages.tds.net/~berek/gonzo.html - John R. Clark, author of essays, short stories and novels

www.david-compton.com/ - David Compton, author of non-fiction and fiction

www.susanoleksiw.com - Susan Oleksiw, author of the Mellingham Mystery Series

www.margaretpress.com/index.htm - Margaret Press, author of the Gabriel Dunn Mystery Series

www.stephendrogers.com - Stephen D. Rogers, author of horror and fantasy

home.earthlink.net/~Ej.e.seymour - J.E. Seymour, author of mystery short stories

www.parlezmoipress.com/mermaid/parlezmoiblog.html - Kathleen Valentine, author of essays, short stories and novels

www.lesliewheeler.com/ - Leslie Wheeler, author of historical mystery novels

www.fvblacksheep.com - Mark S. Williams, poet and author of non-fiction adventure

www.nancymeanswright.com - Nancy Means Wright: author of the Ruth Willmarth series

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