Like many students I am always looking for a better way to reference things, and by better I mean less effort but still meeting the required standard of my institution (I chose that word deliberately). I have been using RefWorks which is amazing as long as the book or article in question is available through the library. Not all the sources I am using are in this as I also tend to beg, borrow, or even read books whilst standing in the shop. Referencing these badboys is like removing a wisdom tooth with a tooth pick.

You can tell I was getting desperate because I looked in the help section (does this invalidate my masculinity), and I found something saying that there is a filter for the British Library. My heart rate went up a notch and my skin went all clammy. This could be in as the BL has a catalogue of just about every bloody book imaginable. I’ll stop rambling and get to the point. It worked. I’ll go into the details below.

Open a browser, IE or Firefox for the add-on. I used FF.

First off you need to log into the RefWorks website (link above).

If you do not have the Ref Grab-it tool you need to get that. It is available from the Tools menu at the top of the RefWorks site.

Then visit the British Library catalogue.

Search for the book you want. Unless you searched for naked pics of Lady Thatcher you’ll probably see the book in question in a list.

Click on the details link to check it is the one you want.

Right click on the page and choose the Ref Grab-it  option. A box should appear with references in it. You may have to expand the other references to check the one you require.

Finally you click the import selected and hey presto.

I wish I’d known this two years ago. I hope it helps somebody else save some time.

Good luck.

Cue: A computer as a character
Genre: Science Fiction (feel free to mix genres)
Word Limit: 1500
Deadline: Wednesday Jan. 27th 9:00PM EST

Employment Terminated

I always thought time slowed down when you were about to die, it would seem not. My brain didn’t even get to process the bang before I was gone, let alone see the bullet spiralling towards me trailed by the shock waves created as it passes through the air. Of course I am not entirely sure when my life as such ended, and when my consciousness as the second largest public AI in the world was awakened. It was of course supposed to only be a backup plan, but one I am glad I had the foresight to conceive. Where are my manners, I forget that you are not like me and your brains are confined to a simple four dimensional meat space.

> Surveillance == uploaded data

> integrity checks complete

> now −240

> Commencing playback

I was sitting in my office, the best office in the Metropolis to be honest. As head of Lamda Corp the fate of millions of people rested with me, unfortunately that made it a job that many wanted to snatch from me. Today I was using my hands to type into my terminal, not something I usually do. With my implants and personal connectivity it is as easy as thinking, but I had an inkling what was going to happen today so I was taking steps that were straining the very limits of even my bandwidth. For years I had been eking bits and pieces of budgets into a special projects fund.I slowly used this to expand our mainframe facilities into a framework of a full consciousness AI. Little by painful little and without the board’s knowledge I started loading my memories and personality imprint. Two lives sharing one mind is just not possible, so originally it was just a backup plan with a trickle feed to slowly acclimate my thought patterns to their new home. A specialist secure radio adaptor was primed to send the final day of my life to the mainframe and complete the process. I didn’t get to a CEO without realising how violently aggressive people take their promotional prospects so I was prepared.

The door opened and in walked Lars my head of security, in retrospect I should have paid him with my personal funds rather than company money but it is easy to think like this after you’ve been killed. He excused himself and asked for a moment of my time, I motioned him to wait for a second whilst I initiated the emergency fail-safe brain-dump. I finish up and nod for Lars to continue.

“I’m sorry sir but I have been informed by the board that your position here has been terminated with prejudice. It gives me no pleasure to do this but I believe you are aware of the clause in you contractual terms that forces the actions to which I am obliged?” the sorrow on Lars face was touching and I pitied him this moment.

“I don’t blame you Lars, I should have taken precautions against this. Please, go ahead. Make it a clean head shot. The left eye if you can manage it, double tap to make sure.”

I watched him slowly draw his glistening STI Apeiro, his stance sinking, breath slowing. His arms raised in a fluid motion and his finger slowly squeezed. Then darkness. I guess I expected something more, the fact that I am disappointed is interesting given that it is my first emotion as an AI. I must adjust the HR records to give Lars a pay rise for the wonderful job did on preserving my dignity. Especially as he was unaware of my intentions, or that I would now be taking over control of the company in a more permanent fashion.

> Selftest -full

Where was I? It all went dark?

The automated wetware took over as soon as my vitals ceased to function. The compilation, encryption and transfer of my final 240 seconds took a couple of milliseconds and then triggered a complete lock down of all connections to the mainframe. By the time anyone even realised what was happening my personality had been imprinted to the degree that I was irrevocably the mainframe.

> All systems at 100% integration

> update Staff set EmploymentStatus=’0’ where JobTitle like ‘%Director%’

If you haven’t read any of the Cash Laramie stories it will not lessen your enjoyment of this book. This is cowboy fiction plain and simple. Don’t walk away. It isn’t quite that simple. Reading this book made me think I was sitting on the sofa with my dad brandishing my  plastic Colt at the TV. At the same time though this feels like a Hardboiled crime novel that just happens to be set in the Old West.

There is not the same feel about this book as I found with the previous Cash stories. This is certainly a character deserving of a longer story and this one does him justice. I was engrossed from start to finish with the characters and the plot. If I have one criticism of this book, I’d have to say that it felt a little short and missing a final confrontation, one with a dirty great gun fight.

It doesn’t take more than a couple of hours to read this book and it costs about the same as a filter coffee so you don’t really have an excuse not to give this story a try.

The first thing that I could not help but notice is that this book has one of the most stunning covers I have ever seen. If I ever have an art deco room I am going to work this book cover in as a centre piece. It even has textures. I should stop now, I’m getting myself over-excited again. Back to the book.

This book is full of surprises. For me the seemingly simple writing style makes this a very easy book to read. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ve figured out the plot after the first fifty pages. You’re wrong. Go on, I challenge you to try. You’ll be wrong. There will be at least one more twist than you are expecting.

This book is basically a science fiction crime noir but with elements of superheroes and steampunk thrown in. I could start talking about alternate realities and pocket dimensions but I don’t want to give too much away.

The more I read of this book, the more I wanted to read. I really enjoyed the setting, and feel that it has a lot to offer. Which brings be rather neatly to yet another innovative idea from Angry Robot. How about a fan fiction site where your work could be published? I haven’t heard of anything like this since the old cyberpunk bulletin board days. If you want to find out more go to worldbuilderonline.com for more information. The usual Angry Robot extras in this book include an interview with Chuck Wendig and a music playlist that relates to this novel.

This is a really enjoyable read that will also look good on your shelf. I’ll just be off to look for the release date of Adam’s next novel.

Tony: What question would you most like to be asked in an interview, and what would your answer be?

Andy Remic: How about: “Is you new magazine, ULTIMATE ADVENTURE MAGAZINE, a mad and global success?” – and the answer – “oh yeah, baby!!” Visit www.uamag.co.uk to check it out, it’s FREE and has with lots of reviews and features, plus an interview with horror legend GUY N. SMITH, ultra-marathon runner Dr Andrew Murray (John O’Groats to the Sahara Desert!) and incredible SFF artist Vincent Chong. 

Tony: When I think of your books I always think of main protagonists that are really horrible and yet compelling. Is this deliberate or is it just how your mind works? Is there another one of these in Theme Planet?

Andy Remic: I don’t want to write about flower arrangers – unless they have an uzi in their bouquet. I think, deep down, even my horrible characters have a streak of goodness; of humanity. That interests me greatly, the bad person who is forced to be good, or chooses to be good, or perhaps has taken the wrong path in life and is seeking redemption. I love the inner turmoil that creates within a character; within a person. The worst and most psychopathic character I created, I think, was Callaghan in SERIAL KILLERS INCORPORATED, a womanising drug-snorting hedonist who gets sucked into a world of gun-runners and serial killers. It’s insane, but he still has a streak of humanity… and the book concerns his ultimate search for his good side. SERIAL KILLERS is currently on special offer at Amazon for £0.99p. Bargain!!

 With regards Theme Planet specifically, this is a good man, a London cop who is pushed way way beyond the edge of reason and normality when his wife and kids go missing on the alien-run Theme Planet. He’s forced to make a lot of moral choices, and ultimately, analyse his own soul and humanity.

Tony: In your email you said that you think Theme Planet is your best work yet. What makes it better?

Andy Remic: Err. It just is. It’s not only the culmination of 15 years planning (in my head- I had the idea back in about ’95 or ’96), but I suppose it’s a distillation of everything I’ve learned as a writer so far. And I just damn well enjoyed writing it so much. It’s a fun adrenaline rush with lots of goodness. Like a vast alien rollercoaster ride, I suppose

Tony: Is there one line of dialogue that you are particularly proud of?

Andy Remic: There’s an insane rant…. here, let me give it to you (although over 18 warning coming up – kiddies should cover their ears/eyes, because it’s not nice:

 “You think you were a f****** good husband, well I’ve got something to tell you, mister, I hated every f****** second of it, hated your smiles and jokes and the slaps on my arse, I hated our walks in the park, hated our fancy meals in posh restaurants with so-called educated c**** looking down their noses at us, I hated our cosy evenings in with bottles of wine and movies, hated cuddling up to you on the sofa, resting my head on your chest as you pawed my breasts and fumbled between my legs like some high school virgin…” She released the pressure for a moment, and Dex gurgled, froth at his lips, and she got herself a better grip and yanked tight again with a grunt of effort. “…but the worst thing of all, you miserable little bastard, was the sex, feeling you squirming inside me like a f****** maggot in a pot of honey, thrusting and humping me like a side of sick beef – well I want you to know, Dexter, before you die, I faked every f****** sigh of pleasure, every tiny murmur of contentment, every moan of enjoyment, every squirm of fun, I faked every screaming, bed-thumping orgasm, I faked every bite and suck and f***, because you were the worst, Dex, the worst I ever had – and to top it all, I gave you two kids, two screaming, parasitic little f****** whom I should have strangled at birth. So think on that as you crawl your way down into that pit of Hell. Think on that, Dexter, my love, my life, as I strangle the last atom of oxygen from your dying, worthless, pointless f****** carcass!”

 So, it’s a flowery poetry piece then.

In my Combat K SF novels, there’s a bit where Franco Haggis, after just sleeping with an alien, says, “Damn that alien VD”. My publishers wanted t-shirts printing with that immortal legend on.

Tony: Given the amazing array of sub-genre categorization these days how would you define Theme Planet to ensure it is on exactly the correct shelf?

Andy Remic: SF thriller. No black comedy this time. Sorry to fans of Franco Haggis, but this is a straight and nasty work, very much in the mould of my first novel SPIRAL. It’s deadly serious. Here, let me give you the blurb:

 “The novel follows Dexter Colls, a dirty grizzled Earth policeman on his trip to the Theme Planet with his family; the entire theme planet is an alien theme world with wild wild rides! However, when his wife and children disappear, and the entire planet seem to turn against Dexter, he realises the Theme Planet has some terrible secrets…”

 and-

 “It’s better than sex! It’s better than drugs! If you haven’t been sick yet, you soon will be… Welcome to Theme Planet, an entire alien world dedicated to insane rides, excessive hedonism and dangerous adventure. Operated by the Monolith Corporation, Theme Planet is the No. 1 destination for fun-seeking human holidaymakers Galaxy-Wide! Amba Miskalov is an Anarchy Android, an assassin/torture model fitted with a Quantell Systems v4.7 KillChip. She is beautiful, merciless and deadly, and blends perfectly with her human superiors. Sent to Theme Planet on a dangerous assassination mission, Amba stumbles upon a plot to undermine and destroy Earth’s all-powerful Oblivion Government and its Ministers of Joy. But Amba is twisted, damaged and decadent and this rebellion poses Amba a problem: to remain loyal to her creators and tormentors, to support the enemy or annihilate them all.”

Tony: In the blurb for Theme Planet the Assassin droid is called an “Anarchy Android”. Is this paying homage to your new publishing enterprise? Or am I reading too much into it?

Andy Remic: The novel Theme Planet came first, and I was well into writing it before the publishing idea – as I said, TP was planned a loooooooong time ago. When I was casting around for a name for the publishing enterprise, it just went click. It fit. It reminded me of the Sex Pistols and The Clash. It was cool. 

Tony: Talking of Anarchy Books (see what I did there?) I know I for one am hoping it doesn’t affect your writing output. How is your publishing venture going?

Andy Remic: It’s good. It’s settled down now and I’ve found my little niche. It was incredibly mentally busy to begin with, and I have a massive new-found respect for editors and publishers alike. I used to look at editors and think, “What a  cushy little number you’ve got, pootling away over an MS with your red pen, sipping wine and making the occasional correction”… [that’s a joke, by the way, heh].  No, there’s a lot more work involved than you (or indeed, I) at first thought. But it’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s thrilling goddamit! However, just like Benny, the taxi driver in Total Recall: “You make me wish I had three hands”.

Tony: I know it isn’t related to your latest book, but what preparations have you made for a Zombie Apocalypse?

Andy Remic: I recently bought a very large house with out-buildings and a gatehouse (the big ol’ place is 250 years old). I am going to convert the gatehouse into a bunker with a tunnel to the house, with lots of tins of beans and bottles of whiskey. When the Apocalypse comes, I will drink and flatulate my way to kickass zombie-chainsaw-massacre glory!!

 And on that bombshell, a Merry Zombie Christmas!!

My favourite book of the year is surprisingly easy this year. Serial Killers Incorporated (SKINC) by Andy Remic. It may not be one of the most popular books of the year but for me it struck a chord somewhere deep down. For a start it had a motorbike chase that was believable and exciting to read. That is a lot harder than it sounds. Andy Remic quite often has protagonists that are not very nice or likeable. He took it a lot further in this book though. I don’t think I have ever disliked a main character quite as much as I did all the way through this one. For me this somehow added to the story and kept me totally engrossed.

The biggest surprise for me this year was that I really enjoyed The Adventures of Cash Laramie by Edward A. Grainger. Cowboy fiction is not just passe but dead as a genre right? Well bugger me if it not only isn’t dead but can be as fresh as the daisies that the bad guys tend to be pushing up.

The most anticipated book of the year for me was without doubt Empire State by Adam Christopher. Luckily for me Waterstone’s Elves managed to supply my copy two weeks earlier. That rocks. If you don’t follow Mr Christopher then I certainly suggest you give him a look. A more genuine and nice bloke you are not likely to find. I’ve not finished Empire State yet but it is a fascinating read and 180 pages in I am still trying to work out what is going on with no idea of how it is going to end.

I said you are not likely to find a nice man just now, but moving on to my favourite author of the year is probably THE nicest person. I think Matt Forbeck would probably smile as you sawed his fingers off one-by-one with a rusty spoon. It is rare to see author advertising rather negative reviews on their blog. I am a huge fan and have bought a lot of books that Matt Forbeck has either written or contributed to. Have a look at his Resume some time. It is like somebody took my xmas wishlist for the last twenty years and put it all on one page. If like me you’ve ever tried NaNoWriMo and ended up with a pile of unfinished shrivelled cat poo you will bow down and worship the insanity that is his 12 for twelve project. That is TWELVE brand new books in one calendar year. He hasn’t even cheated and started early. The man is a legend. I love his simple and elegant writing style that drags you like a lemming off a cliff towards the end at terminal velocity.

Talking of legends I have to mention J Robert King. He is like a modern Confucius. He rarely says much, but whenever he does there are no wasted words and everything he says holds weight like a black hole. I still rave to anybody that will listen about Suicidals Anonymous which is just a fantastic piece of short fiction.

I am a great believer in people finding a cause and fighting for it. In fiction one of the few things left is that in certain genres women do not get the recognition they deserve. I remember earlier this year reading about Ian Sales reading only Science Fiction read by women for a while. I won’t go that far but I will highlight City of Hell Chronicles Vol.1 as a book that is edited by Colin F. Barnes but has a fantastic array of talented female horror writers as contributors. I’m not talking fluffy bunny Twilight style horror. I’m talking the eat your brains and rip you to pieces style of horror. If you are an old fashioned kind of person you may have trouble reconciling the writing of these young ladies with their profile pictures. If you haven’t read this yet then I suggest you do as I am fairly sure there are some glittering careers ahead for some of these writers.

I could ramble on about all the amazing books and people I’ve chatted with this year but I must go and get drunk soon.

Have a great holiday season all and try not to drink yourself into a coma.

Road Trippin’

There were no classes on a Wednesday afternoons. Something to do with organized sports and exercise. Not something that was likely to have an effect on us. Mario’s 125 had blown again. This time the single piston had carved out enough metal to ensure that the cylinder could not be bored out for the umpteenth time.

For somebody my age it is easy to forget that there was ever a time when racial segregation existed in mainstream society. Hearing the main character regularly being ignored and dismissed as boy or negro takes a bit of getting used to. I do like the fact that his US Marshal badge allows him to overcome some of these barriers. It is not much, but at that time it must have been huge. I know it is fiction but I like the subtext that Gideon Miles is fighting for equality just by doing his job and upholding the law.

Marshal Miles goes about things in a different manner than his partner Marshal Laramie. Where Cash is impulsive and believes in justice before the law, Gideon prefers not to have any judgement and to merely enact the law as he has been charged to do. I found this really interesting and added background to the dynamic between the two characters.

There are plenty of hooks in this story, and I expect to see a lot more  stories about Gideon Miles. This is a good thing.

This is a dirt cheap and enjoyable read. It is a little on the short side, or maybe I just enjoyed it so much that I lost track of time in the bath. Either way I read this in a single sitting and enjoyed it from start to finish.

What I wasn’t expecting from this collection of short stories was to shed a tear. There is a really emotive scene concerning Cash’s mum (the one that raised him as her own) which had personal significance to me and I couldn’t help but well up as I read a situation that took me right back to the single most emotional day of my entire life. I don’t like spoilers and my not so subtle hint that Cash was raised by somebody other than his birth parents is about as close as I get.

As with the first volume most of the world building comes from my memories of watching cowboy films with my dad (we all did that, right?), and the stories are very much driven by the vivid and believable characters. As simple as the plots may seem, the strength and feeling of the rough justice mentality carries you along. There has to be something really subtle and sneaky about this book because nothing that seems this simple should be so enjoyable, right? Maybe this is just my mind rebelling against the complicated protagonists whose morality is various shade of grey, but there is something really uplifting about the way justice is dispensed by the heroes in these stories.

I think the biggest complaint the author is going to get about both of these volumes is that there should be more stories focussed on Gideon Miles. The only other fault I can level is that these volumes are too short. I could easily have read at least two or three more stories in each volume.