THE MADAGASCAR MATTER – Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

We rode most of the rest of the way to Itasy in silence. The revelation that Joobah was Andrian’s brother didn’t make me feel particularly comfortable, but then again, I’d known other families with worse secrets.

I was still trying to fathom all of mine.

“When did you see him last?”

Andrian shrugged. “What you mean when was the last time we had words for each other? Before he kidnapped her. Afterward, there seemed to be no point to it. We went our separate ways.”

“Until now.”

Andrian considered this. “Things do seem to be coming to a head, I suppose.”

He seemed pretty nonchalant about things considering Joobah, in the short time I’d known him, had managed to track us, shoot RPGs at us, hunt us in the jungle, and seemingly move heaven and earth to find us. It made me wonder why we were rating such interest. I asked Andrian.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, it can’t be you,” I said. “Otherwise, he would have dealt with you before Zero and I touched down. That tells me there’s something else going on.”

“It might have something to do with Hjelm and your mission to get to him.”

I nodded. “You heard anything about Joobah and Hjelm working together? Maybe they’re bosom buddies now.”

Andrian wheeled us down another road. I could see the beginnings of more residences and suspected we were coming into the Lake Itasy area now. After a few minutes of driving us past progressively larger buildings and advertisements for canoe rentals, Andrian sighed. “I suppose it’s possible that they are working together. But I can’t be sure. Joobah does not strike me as being someone who would be willing to forfeit control in a partnership.”

“Maybe Hjelm promised him something that was enough to give up that love of control.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. Everyone has a price. Just a matter of finding it. Once you do, there’s very little that they won’t consider doing.”

Andrian frowned. “He may be using Joobah to hunt us while Hjelm goes into hiding.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. If Hjelm went to ground, the chances of finding him were even more remote than when we’d started. And with Zero out of the equation, that just made my job a helluva lot harder.

© 2010 by Jon F. Merz All rights re­served

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Reminder…

It’s always a good idea to remind readers that they can order or get a lot of my stuff still at various venues (my website is actually being moved to a new platform & once it’s done this will all be streamlined much better than this, but for now…)

Let’s start with the Lawson Vampire stuff:

THE FIXER graphic novel debuts in October, but it’s very VERY important to get pre-orders in now. Use the button below to order it: Cost for this gorgeous trade paperback is $15.95 + $4.00 shipping anywhere in the world. Estimated publication date is October 2010.





THE MADAGASCAR MATTER is an on-going e-serial spanning all of 2010 (although this week we went on hiatus because I’m haulin’ butt to finish the first draft of a new novel) $7.95 for the entire year, delivered each week to your email. Order below:

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Amazon Stuff

PARALLAX – my first psychic thriller which has consistently garnered amazing reviews. Click here to buy it for the Kindle!

VICARIOUS – supernatural thriller that people love. Click here to buy it for the Kindle!

Prisoner 392 – my short story originally featured in FROM THE BORDERLANDS. You’ll love it. CLick here to buy it for the Kindle

The Brank of Khosadam – another old-timey short guaranteed to thrill. Click here to buy it for the Kindle

You can also order any of the above as an ebook if you don’t have a Kindle. Drop me a line by emailing jonfmerz AT verizon DOT net and I’ll be happy to tell you how to order.

So, go on and have some fun this weekend – grab some of my stuff! 🙂

A Storm Rose In The East…

I’m very pleased to announce the first chapbook in what I hope is a fun series – NINJA (yeah, not exactly a big surprise given the martial art I study, lol) from UK publisher Ghostwriter Publications. This is going to be a crazy fun series, mixing authentic ninjutsu with swords & sorcery like you’d find in the works of Robert E. Howard (if you like his Conan The Barbarian and Solomon Kane adventures, you’ll love this) with an Eastern flair.

Ran, the hero, is a recent graduate of the Komugakure-ryu Ninjutsu training school hidden deep in the fog-enshrouded mountains of a land to the Far East. As a newly-minted genin field operative, he must travel the wilds of the world and test his skills against the harsh realities of life. Encountering a wide variety of races, cultures, and bizarre creatures, Ran will pursue perfection of his mind, body, and spirit while battling evil in every form.

This chapbook series will hopefully lead to larger works, so early interest is obviously very important. News on the publication date will be released soon. Retail price is 1.99 GBP or about $3.07 US – you can’t beat the price for a high-quality chapbook filled with a extraordinary amount of fun. I hope you’ll come along and keep Ran company on his many wild journeys!

First Look: THE FIXER Graphic Novel (Cover)

I’m very happy to release this preliminary sketch of THE FIXER graphic novel cover. It’s going to be an amazing cover, painted by artist Brian McCulloch. Interior art glimpses coming soon. Remember, this may well be your only chance to own this incredible book, so please get your orders in now by using the convenient button below. Cost for this gorgeous trade paperback is $15.95 + $4.00 shipping anywhere in the world. Estimated publication date is October 2010.





Recent Events Round-Up…

So, to recap for the new folks following me on Twitter and Facebook:

1. I have a new deal with St. Martin’s Press for the Lawson Vampire series. Book 5 comes out in Spring 2011 and I’m thrilled to be with a major publisher and awesome editor.
2. A special 3-chapbook series of Lawson missions called DARK OPS will see print in April 2010 from UK publisher Ghostwriter Publications. Pre-orders should be up soon.
3. A Lawson graphic novel is coming in October. Cover art and interiors are being sketched right now. Details when I have ’em…
4. The Lawson e-serial THE MADAGASCAR MATTER is on-going. If you haven’t subscribed yet, use the form below to get in on the fun:

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5. BOSTON NOCTURNE has been redesigned as a 10-page monthly magazine featuring free fiction, non-fiction, reviews, etc. but you need to subscribe by Emailing Me to get your copies.
6. THE FIXER TV series is moving ahead, albeit slowly. More news on the next release date of teaser #2 as soon as I have it.
7. More ROGUE ANGEL novels written by me will be coming out over the next few years.
8. My website is being redesigned again and will debut fairly soon.
9. The first installment from HELLtalkers (co-written with Joe Nassise) is available by going HERE!.
10. Be sure to check out my PublishersMarketplace Page for some exclusive video clips.

Thanks for catching up with me!