Can you judge a book by it's cover?

My first cover for "Mountain Misery" was a quick photoshop hack - and it always looked that way. I am pleased to announce the joyfull demise of said artwork, the content of which is not worthy to appear in this post, and proudly present the new and improved Mountain Misery 2.0. Much better.
  

Just my Luck.

So the wheels of literary progress grind on, fueled by ink and coffee, and eventually if all goes well a novel is birthed. This was my situation earlier this week when I uploaded Hot Heads (the sequel to Mud lane) now available on Amazon Kindle.

But little did I know plans were afoot to rob me of my 15 minutes of fame.

Apparently there is this lady called Harper Lee, who is supposedly quite a famous author, and who had greedily and inconsiderately decided to announce her sequel at the same time as mine. This news will no doubt overshadow my brief moment in the spotlight. So to Harper Lee I humbly ask that you re-think this book release. I mean, come on – it's not like you need the money after selling 60 trillion copies of that book about the 'mockingjay' thing AND having Jennifer Lawrence star in the movie!!

Click here for shameless plug.....

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Heads-Mud-Lane-Book-ebook/dp/B00STQS8Y2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423145889&sr=8-1&keywords=stephen+r+drage

Hot News for Hot Heads

Finalizing the uploads for Hot Heads. Soon to be available on Amazon and Smashwords

When the local policeman's bike is stolen, Steve, an aspiring pre-teen detective, is intent on solving the crime. Meanwhile, his dad, plans to win a gardening contest, and organize a bowling match to win a donated pig, who the local children call Patch. The pig charms most of the local populace but a small contingent, including Dirty Ronnie – an evil vagrant hobo – aims to win the pig for it's nutritional value. Steve and his friends embark on a mission to solve the bicycle crime, help his father win the competition, and rescue the doomed pig.

Steve concludes that it must fall upon his friend Sarah, who has become quite attached to the pig, to win the bowling competition and save the animal, but his dad's bowling extravaganza is fraught with problems, as are his attempts to construct a fish pond to win the garden contest.

Tempers begin to flare and the village is divided as false accusations fly and rival factions begin fighting over the pig, the garden contest and the village fate festivities. Things get worse the night before the event when Steve's dad is arrested for bike theft, and the pig mysteriously disappears.

Of course, it all turns out well in the end, despite the bungling misguided efforts of our armature detective.  

MUD LANE PODCAST

Episode 3 of the Mud Lane podcast is out. You can download it FREE or listen to it on iTunes – search Stephen R Drage.

The story of a boy's family holiday to Wales, which soon becomes a disaster-filled diary of grief-stricken hardship, bad weather and misfortune.

http://drage.libsyn.com/

Editing -

Working on editing the latest iteration of Hot heads. Deciding on comma placement really gives me pause

Mr. Relonzio

Mr. Rolonzio would never be present at Church. In his life, Catholicism took a back seat to football. 
Each Sunday the best football game of the week was televised, and although it did not start until much later in the day, the head of the 
Rolonzio household was going to take no chance that may lead to him missing a minute of this important event. He said that he felt God would understand, but I thought he was a little fanatical in this regard. My brother once heard him say that he thought Jesus must support Leeds United, since his robes were all white and the same color as the Leeds players uniforms, but this supposedly powerful following did not explain the team's gradual slide down the first division following a recent string of defeats.

Mud Lane

by Stephen R Drage

ISBN: 13 : 978-1466291805

GRANNY'S DIET

Granny was known for not just tolerating, but favoring foods which a normal person might find insufferable. One glance at Granny's shopping bag after a trip round the local market was enough to turn the stomach of a Glasgow sewage plant worker. It would contain several items, all of which were locked into fierce competition for this years “most disgusting substance award.” There would be a misshapen lump of some sort of white rubbery gristly that Granny would call meat. Perhaps some type of decaying marine creature that the local fishmonger was about to throw away and a varied assortment of putrid vegetation and rotten fruit that could only be used to make soup for the residents of a third world prison camp. All obtained for less than the price of a bag of gobstoppers.

From: Hot heads - out later this year.

http://www.mudlane.net/