Airstrike!

Art By Rick Johnson.

Here's a sneak Peek at Lance Star: Sky Ranger's appearance in Operation Silver Moon, a Comic Book Work In Progress from me & artist Rick Johnson. You can find use both on Facebook and Twitter.

Want to see more of Rick's art? Visit http://phatz63.deviantart.com/.


Bobby

Bobby Nash’s FandomFest 2011 Panel Schedule

Bobby will be a guest at FandomFest in Louisville, KY on July 22 - 24, 2011.

Today, the convention released Bobby’s panel schedule for the convention.


Friday
9:00 Panel Room A Writing in Someone Else’s World
10:00 Panel Room B Writing Graphic Novels

Saturday
1:00 Panel Room B Small Press Pro’s, Con’s, and Cons
3:00pm Panel Room D Reading
6:00 Panel Room A Anthologies

Sunday
11:00am Concourse Signing
1:00pm Panel Room B Pulp Fiction (M)

FandomFest will be held on July 22 - 24, 2011 in Louisville, KY.
You can learn more about the convention at http://www.fandomfest.com/

Lance Star: Sky Ranger iPulp Interviews At All Pulp

http://allpulp.blogspot.com/

All Pulp reprints Lance Star: Sky Ranger iPulp Fiction Launch Interviews. Check out Bobby's interview at http://allpulp.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-sky-ranger-from-lance-star-author.html

http://www.lance-star.com/

The Lance Star: Sky Ranger Interviews - Round Up

http://www.lance-star.com/

With the announcement of Lance Star: Sky Ranger joining the iPulp Fiction Library, we wanted to introduce readers to some of the Honorary Sky Rangers involved with making these stories happen. Click on the links below for the interviews.

IPulp Fiction’s Keith Shaw:
http://www.lance-star.com/2011/06/lance-star-sky-ranger-interviews-ipulp.html

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Author Frank Dirscherl:
http://www.lance-star.com/2011/06/lance-star-sky-ranger-interviews-author.html

Airship 27 Air Chief Ron Fortier:
http://www.lance-star.com/2011/06/lance-star-sky-ranger-interviews.html

Airship 27 Artist/Designer Rob Davis:
http://www.lance-star.com/2011/06/lance-star-sky-ranger-interviews-rob.html

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Author Bill Spangler:
http://www.lance-star.com/2011/06/lance-star-sky-ranger-interviews-author_23.html

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Author Bobby Nash:
http://www.lance-star.com/2011/06/lance-star-sky-ranger-interviews_24.html

Visit the official Lance Star: Sky Ranger iPulp Library at http://www.ipulpfiction.com/bookstore.php?sort=Title

Lance Star: Sky Ranger iPulp Edition Launch Dates:
06/17: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #1: Attack of the Bird Man by Frank Dirsherl
07/07: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #2: Where the Sea Meets the Sky by Bobby Nash
07/27: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #3: Talons of the Red Condors by Bill Spangler

For more information on iPulp Fiction's offerings, please visit http://www.ipulpfiction.com/
For more information on Airship 27 Productions' offerings, please visit http://www.gopulp.info/
For more information on Lance Star: Sky Ranger, please visit http://www.lance-star.com/

The Lance Star: Sky Ranger Interviews Continue - Author Bobby Nash

Bobby Nash

With the announcement of Lance Star: Sky Ranger joining the iPulp Fiction Library, we wanted to introduce readers to some of the Honorary Sky Rangers involved with making these stories happen. Next up is Lance Star: Sky Ranger Author Bobby Nash.

LSSR: Tell us a little about yourself and where readers can find out more about you and your work?

One Shot! Art by James Burns

BN: I’m a writer of novels, comic books, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, and the occasional screenplay. My novels include Evil Ways and Fantastix. My comic book work includes Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell, Demonslayer, Lance Star: Sky Ranger “One Shot”, and the upcoming Domino Lady vs. Mummy. My short prose includes A Fistful of Legends, Full Throttle Space Tales Vol. 2: Space Sirens, and the upcoming Green Hornet Case Files and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. My novellas include Lance Star: Sky Ranger, Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery, Domino Lady; plus the upcoming Secret Agent X and The Avenger titles. My graphic novels include Yin Yang; I Am Googol: The Great Invasion, and Fantastix. You can see a full list of credits on my website, www.bobbynash.com. I also regularly post at www.lance-star.com, www.facebook.com/bobbyenash, and www.twitter.com/bobbynash.

LSSR: How did you become involved with the Lance Star: Sky Ranger series?

Space Ranger Art By Jeff Austin


BN: It’s all Ron Fortier’s fault. Ron my table neighbor at the 2005 Dragon Con convention in Atlanta in 2005. At least I think that’s the right year. The cons start to run together after awhile. Anyway, Ron and I had corresponded via message boards and email before, but this was the first time we’d met in person. Ron picked up my novel, Evil Ways, and reviewed it at his Pulp Fiction Reviews site. When he started up what eventually became Airship 27, he invited me to work on an anthology featuring a pulp aviator hero. That book became Lance Star: Sky Ranger. The rest, as they say, is history.

LSSR: Who is Lance Star? What makes pulp characters like Lance and the Sky Rangers appeal to you as a writer and a reader?

Lance Star Vol. 2 Cover by Shane Evans

BN: Lance Star embodies the best aspects of a pulp hero. He’s smart, inventive, courageous, fearless, and not afraid to do what’s necessary to stop the bad guys. Lance is also a nice guy. You want to be his friend, and if you are his friend you know he’s got your back. He’s a little bit John Wayne, a little bit Jimmy Stewart, and a little bit Indiana Jones. As a writer and reader, that’s a lot of fun.

LSSR: Digital content has changed the publishing landscape. As a creator, what excites you about digital content? As a reader?

BN: The digital frontier is an exciting undiscovered country for me. I’ve not read many eBooks, but that’s mainly because I spend all day writing and doing edits on computer so when I read for enjoyment it’s to get away from the computer. I like the idea of electronic books. Imagine the possibilities when you can have your entire library at your fingertips wherever you are. That’s pretty amazing.

The Adventure Continues...

As a writer, I think that eBooks, because of their easy access and generally lower prices, make it easier for readers to try something new. Someone who has never read my work may be more willing to give it a try for $1 as opposed to buying an entire novel or anthology. Digital content helps make that happen.

LSSR: Your Lance Star: Sky Ranger story, “Where The Sea Meets The Sky” is currently available in print and as an eBook from Airship 27, and is soon to be released individually at iPulp Fiction. What can you tell us about this story? (plug it, tease it)

Where The Sea Meets The Sky. Cover art: Rich Woodall

BN: “Where The Sea Meets The Sky” was the first pulp story I ever wrote and I am quite proud of it. Lance Star flies his newest creation, a specialized seaplane called “The Nessie” to Hawaii where he intends to present it to the US Navy. Lance looked on this trip as a working vacation. The last thing he expected to find waiting for him was a sunken treasure, pirates, mobsters, and a rival pilot with a massive chip on his shoulder. If Lance isn’t careful, this adventure could be his last.

From the back cover of the anthology: Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, off the shores of Tropical Hawaii, a hidden treasure has been discovered. Now a band of sky pirates is out to steal it no matter how many innocent lives must be sacrificed in the process. Only Lance Star and the Sky Rangers can end their bloody assault.

LSSR: Airship 27 currently has two Lance Star: Sky Ranger anthologies in print and available as eBooks with several of those stories soon to be released individually at iPulp Fiction as well as a Lance Star comic book. What’s next for these pulp heroes?

Still flying high...

BN: Volume 3 of the pulp anthology series from Airship 27 is in the works now. All four stories are in and the artist is currently busy working on the interior illustrations. Volume 3 features Lance Star: Sky Ranger stories from Bernadette Johnson, Sean Taylor, Van Allen Plexico, and myself. Interior art is by Shannon Hall. I’ll wait on the cover artist until the publisher announces it first.

In addition to volume 3, there are more comic book stories in the works, as well as some digital comic book offerings as well. Plus, the Lance Star: Sky Ranger novel, “Cold Snap!” is in production. I’ve had to set it aside for some other work, but it will be completed in 2011 to come out in 2012.



GH Cover Art: Reuben Procopio

 LSSR: Any upcoming projects you would like to plug?

BN: July will see the release of two anthologies featuring stories by me. The Green Hornet Casefiles and Tales From The Zero Hour Vol. 4: Weird Tales. There are several other anthology tales in production, but I don’t know release dates as yet. On the comic book side of things, I wrote a Secret Agent X story (with Jeremy McHugh on art) for All-Star Pulp Comics, a one-shot comic anthology that should be out sometime this year. In October, Domino Lady Vs. Mummy will be out from Moonstone. Co-written by Nancy Holder and myself, this one-shot story is part of Moonstone’s Return Of The Monsters Halloween event and features gorgeous art by Rock Baker and Jeff Austin. Keep checking in at www.bobbynash.com for more information and release dates.

ZH Cover Art: Dirk Shearer

LSSR: Thanks, Bobby.

#####

Release schedule for Lance Star: Sky Ranger tales on iPulp:
06/17: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #1: Attack of the Bird Man by Frank Dirsherl (now available)
07/07: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #2: Where the Sea Meets the Sky by Bobby Nash
07/27: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #3: Talons of the Red Condors by Bill Spangler

DL Cover Art: Dan Brereton

Visit the official Lance Star: Sky Ranger iPulp Library at http://www.ipulpfiction.com/bookstore.php?sort=Title
For more information on iPulp Fiction's offerings, please visit http://www.ipulpfiction.com/
For more information on Airship 27 Productions' offerings, please visit http://www.gopulp.info/
For more information on Lance Star: Sky Ranger, please visit http://www.lance-star.com/
For more information on Bobby Nash, please visit http://www.bobbynash.com/

Earth Station One Vs. The Green Lantern Corp. Place your bets.

Bobby joins the Earth Station One crew for episode 65 where they discuss all things Green Lantern.

In Brightest Day.
In Blackest Night.
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might.
Beware my power... Green Lantern's Light!

On this this week we will be taking all things Green Lantern, from the history of the Emerald Warrior to our favorite GL Stories. Then we go in depth in our review of the new Green Lantern feature film staring Ryan Reynolds.


Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: – I pledge allegiance to the lantern, naa that’s too silly.

Listen to Earth Station One Episode 65 at http://www.esopodcast.com/.

The Lance Star: Sky Ranger interviews - Author Bill Spangler

Bill Spangler

With the announcement of Lance Star: Sky Ranger joining the iPulp Fiction Library, we wanted to introduce readers to some of the Honorary Sky Rangers involved with making these stories happen. Next up is Lance star: Sky Ranger Author Bill Spangler.

LSSR: Tell us a little about yourself and where readers can find out more about you and your work?

BS: I’ve been selling fiction for a number of years now. Primarily my work has appeared in comic books, but I’ve been selling prose short stories—such as “Talons Of the Red Condors”—too. My most recent credits are a graphic novel based on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, the classic sf TV series from the 1950s, and “Mutual Assured Destruction,” a prose story featuring the Green Hornet. The latter is in the first volume of The Green Hornet Chronicles, published by Moonstone Books.

The Green Hornet Chronicles

You can order either of those through your local comics shop, or through Amazon.

My comic book work also includes The Argonauts, a pulp-adventure series in the tradition of Doc Savage and Buckaroo Banzai, and several series based on the animated TV show Robotech. Frankly, the best place to find them is probably in the three-for-a-dollar box at your local comics shop.

LSSR: How did you become involved with the Lance Star: Sky Ranger series?

BS: I wish I had an interesting story to tell you here, but the truth is I just don’t. Ron Fortier graciously asked me to participate, and I said, “Sure!” Ron and I have been corresponding since the late 1980s or the early ‘90s—you know, back when you actually sent paper letters to people—but, now that I think about it, I don’t think we’ve actually been in the same room together more than two or three times.

Talons Of The Red Condors

LSSR: Who is Lance Star? What makes pulp characters like Lance and the Sky Rangers appeal to you as a writer and a reader?

BS: Lance is an inventor, a pilot and an adventurer. From time to time, he and his team help out the government. You could say he’s part Doc Savage, part Indiana Jones and part Blackhawk. When I wrote “Talons,” I started to visualize Lance as a young Jimmy Stewart…or, his modern analog, Tom Hanks. He’s smart and competent, but a bit of a dreamer.

Personally, I’ve always found that to be an appealing mix. Some of my favorite characters fall into that tradition, like Tom Swift Jr., for instance, and the Tracy family from the Thunderbirds TV show. And I think some of the exotic airplanes in these stories are the ancestors of the gadgetry and vehicles in anime.

LSSR: Digital content has changed the publishing landscape. As a creator, what excites you about digital content? As a reader?

BS: I’m hoping that the minimal overhead of doing digital books will encourage publishers to take chances on stories and authors that you don’t see often in the big book store chains. With a little luck, publishers will be more willing to give authors the time to develop an audience or not demand that every title make Steven-King level profits. I guess that applies to me both as a creator and a reader because, in general, the stuff I want to write is the stuff I want to read.

Lance Star: Sky Ranger

LSSR: Your Lance Star: Sky Ranger story, "Talons Of The Red Condors" is currently available in print, as an eBook, and soon to be released individually at iPulp Fiction. What can you tell us about this story?

BS: Basically, I started out with the idea of wanting to do a big springboard, a big McGuffin, and I wanted to set it in a foreign country. So, “Talons” is set in Panama, and the bad guys perform an audacious…well, let’s call it a hijacking. There’s a lost city and a woman who changes sides during the course of the story, along with some other pulp riffs. I had a lot of fun researching it, and a lot of fun writing it.

LSSR: Thanks, Bill.

http://www.ipulpfiction.com/

Release schedule for Lance Star: Sky Ranger tales on iPulp:
06/17: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #1: Attack of the Bird Man by Frank Dirsherl (now available)
07/07: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #2: Where the Sea Meets the Sky by Bobby Nash
07/27: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #3: Talons of the Red Condors by Bill Spangler


For more information on iPulp Fiction's offerings, please visit http://www.ipulpfiction.com/
For more information on Airship 27 Productions' offerings, please visit http://www.gopulp.info/

20% off on select books by Bobby Nash - Ends June 30th

20% off through June 30th

Get 20% off on 8 books featuring stories by Bobby Nash through June 30th.
Use discount code SUNSHINE305 at check out.

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 1. http://www.gopulp.info/

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 2. http://www.gopulp.info/

A Fistful Of Legends. http://stores.lulu.com/expresswesterns

Ravenwood - Stepson of Mystery. http://www.gopulp.info/

Peculiar Adventures #3. http://stores.lulu.com/proseproductions

The Comic Book Scripts of Bobby Nash Vol. 1. http://tinyurl.com/yatt4a6

Sentinels: Alternate Visions. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/sentinels-alternate-visions/4375413

Startling Stories #3. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/startling-stories-#-3/1399605

Get 20% off on 8 of Bobby’s books through June 30th. Use discount code SUNSHINE305 at check out. This includes all Airship 27, Express Western, Pro Se Productions, White Rocket Books, and Wild Cat Books titles.

Happy reading.

20% off through June 30th

The Lance Star: Sky Ranger interviews - Rob Davis

Rob Davis Self portrait

Redbud Studios

With the announcement of Lance Star: Sky Ranger joining the iPulp Fiction Library, we wanted to introduce readers to some of the Honorary Sky Rangers involved with making these stories happen. Next up is Lance star: Sky Ranger Art Director and Designer, Rob Davis.

Captain Hazzard

LSSR: Tell us a little about yourself and where readers can find out more about you, your work, and Airship 27 Productions?

RD: I've been a freelance artist since 1986 working on such diverse projects as a Saturday morning cartoon adaptation for Marvel to Star Trek books for DC and Malibu Comics. Presently I'm the art director/designer for Airship 27, which encompasses the actual design and look of each of Airship 27's books to cover and interior illustrations. I'm also a comics publisher using the Redbud Studio Comics imprint to sell "print on demand" comics through IndyPlanet.com. Yeah, I'm busy!

LSSR: How did you become involved with the Lance Star: Sky Ranger series?

RD: Through my design work for Airship 27. We have been the publisher of the prose versions of the tales of Lance Star through anthologies and eventually novels featuring the pulp-era air ace.

Lance Star: Sky Ranger

LSSR: Who is Lance Star? What makes pulp characters like Lance and the Sky Rangers appeal to you as a creator, a reader, and a publisher?

RD: Lance is another star in the pantheon of pulp heroes in that he has a definite sense of right and wrong and will fight to the end to defend the right. In the pulp age aviators like Lance were like today's astronauts in that they were envied for their daring flight into the atmosphere. It's interesting to me to see what the interest was of pulp era readers in these cousins of Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart.

LSSR: Digital content has changed the publishing landscape. As a creator, what excites you about digital content? As a reader?

"Robyn of Sherwood" with Paul Storrie

RD: As a reader it's exciting to think about being able to carry my whole library of books with me in my new iPad. As a creator and publisher it excites me that we now have a new, thrilling and inexpensive outlet to get our productions out to the reader. The first few weeks after Airship 27 opened up our Airship27Hangar.com site we had phenomenal response! It's exciting to put up another new book and see sales within just hours or minutes of the upload.

LSSR: As you are both a designer and artist, tell us a bit about your process for both the print and digital versions of the Airship 27 stories.

RD: Fortunately, there's not much difference in the two. Since I have so many irons in the fire I don't have a lot of time to devote to producing our digital versions. Mostly what I do is add the front and back covers to the interior PDF file that we send to our printing sources, reduce the file size (since digital screens need less resolution than traditional print) and then mark each page with a watermark to keep our books safe from pirating. The whole process takes less than an hour for each book. Add in the design time to create the online catalogue entry and within just a couple of hours we have a version of our latest masterpiece of New Pulp ready for viewing and enjoyment!

"Daughter of Dracula"with Ron Fortier

LSSR: Any upcoming projects you would like to plug?

RD: We have a number of different books in the Airship 27 pipeline. Right now my next illustrating gig for Airship 27 is calling to me: Robin Hood: Arrow of Justice written by Ian Watson, a very talented writer from the UK. This is the second of a three-part retelling of the Robin Hood legend and it is rollicking good fun! Ian is very gifted and his version of Robin Hood is a joy to read and illustrate!

LSSR: Thanks, Rob.

RD: Thanks for having me!

Release schedule for Lance Star: Sky Ranger tales on iPulp:
06/17: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #1: Attack of the Bird Man by Frank Dirsherl (now available)
07/07: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #2: Where the Sea Meets the Sky by Bobby Nash

07/27: Lance Star: Sky Ranger - Vol.1 #3: Talons of the Red Condors by Bill Spangler

"Daughter of Dracula" with Ron Fortier

For more information on iPulp Fiction's offerings, please visit http://www.ipulpfiction.com/

For more information on Airship 27 Productions' offerings, please visit http://www.gopulp.info/

For more information on Rob Davis, please visit http://homepage.mac.com/robmdavis/

"Robyn of Sherwood" with Paul Storrie

Airship 27 Announces Artist For Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 3



Shannon Hall's Art From "Open Range"

PRESS RELEASE:

Airship 27 has announced that Shannon Hall will be the artist for volume 3 of the Lance Star: Sky Ranger pulp anthology series scheduled to premiere in 2011.

The artwork to the left (click image for larger view) by Shannon Hall comes from Bobby Nash's story, "Open Range."

Story contributors to Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 3 include Bernadette Johnson, Sean Taylor, Van Allen Plexico, and Bobby Nash. Interior art by Shannon Hall. Edits by Ron Fortier. Design wrok by Rob Davis. Published by Airship 27 Productions and Cornerstone Books.

Look for an announcement naming the cover artist soon.

To learn more about Shannon Hall, please visit http://shannonh.carbonmade.com/.


To learn more about Airship 27, please visit http://www.gopulp.info/.

The Lance Star: Sky Ranger interviews - Author/Publisher Ron Fortier

Ron Fortier

With the announcement of Lance Star: Sky Ranger joining the iPulp Fiction Library, we wanted to introduce readers to some of the Honorary Sky Rangers involved with making these stories happen. Next up is Lance star: Sky Ranger Publisher Ron Fortier.

LSSR: Tell us a little about yourself and where readers can find out more about you, your work, and Airship 27 Productions?

RF: Okay, Reader's Digest version here. Been writing professionally for past thirty-five years, mostly comics and now pulps. Folks can visit my website (www.airship27.com) to see what I'm up to on a weekly basis and learn more about Airship 27 Productions etc.

Airship 27 Productions

LSSR: How did you become involved with the Lance Star: Sky Ranger series?

RF: Having been a fan of the old pulp aviation heroes, we wanted to do our own series and Lance Star was the answer. He and his Star Rangers are classic aviation heroes with tons of adventures to tell.

LSSR: Who is Lance Star? What makes pulp characters like Lance and the Sky Rangers appeal to you as a writer, a reader, and a publisher?

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 1

RF: Lance Star is an flying adventurer and veteran of World War One. He and his crew travel the globe of the 1930s and setting them against this ear as historical background is always fun.

LSSR: Digital content has changed the publishing landscape. As a creator and publisher, what excites you about digital content? As a reader?

RF: Obviously the ability to get our books out to a much larger audience, folks who own Kindles and Nooks, is the biggest attractions. We want lots of people to have the fun of reading our books and the digital market has opened that possibility far beyond our wildest dreams.

Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 2

LSSR: Airship 27 currently has two Lance Star: Sky Ranger anthologies in print and available as eBooks with several of those stories soon to be released individually at iPulp Fiction. What’s next for these pulp heroes?

RF: Simply more of the same. We have a third Lance Star anthology in production and hope to follow it up with his first ever full blown novel.

And I'm told there are more shot comics in the works. We plan on keeping Lance and the Sky Rangers flying high for a long time to come.

Damballa

LSSR: Any upcoming projects you would like to plug?

RF: Airship 27 Production just released its third SHERLOCK HOLMES - CONSULTING DETECTIVE anthology and will soon be releasing the first ever African American 1930s avenger, DAMBALLA by novelist, Charles Saunders. It's a book we're damn proud of.

LSSR: Thanks, Ron.

Sherlock Holmes Vol. 3

For more information on Airship 27 Productions, please visit http://www.gopulp.info/
For more information on iPulp Fiction, please visit http://www.ipulpfiction.com/

Happy Father's Day

Just wanted to wish all the Dad's out there a Happy Father's Day. Special thanks to my Dad, The Real R.O. for being such a great Dad.


Bobby

Something I drew on the envelope of my Dad's Father's Day Card.

Sky Ranger interviews - Author Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis’ thrilling Secret Agent X novel, The Sea Wraiths is now available as an eBook from Retrograde Press at Amazon (just click the title link above), Barnes & Noble, or wherever your favorite eBooks are sold.

Joining The Man With A Thousand Faces this time around is Lance Star and his Sky Rangers in a small, but pivotal role. We asked Sean a few questions about his novels and all things pulp.

LSSR: Tell us a little about yourself and where readers can find out more about you and your work?

Secret Agent X: The Sea Wraiths

SE: Well, I’m an Aries, and I enjoy tennis and long walks on the beach. I also write thrillers. I’m the author of…let’s see, I think I’m up to seven novels, along with some shorter stories, including several pulp titles. Most of my novels are contemporary action-adventure, with a bit of the paranormal thrown in, but I also enjoy working in “new pulp.” In addition to the Secret Agent X stories, I’m also the creator of a series featuring an original pulp-era hero inspired mostly by Doc Savage. Ultimately, it’s all “pulp” really; I have no ambitions to be the next Hemingway or Fitzgerald. I like to write the kind of stories that I like to read.

The best place to learn about me and my varied scriblings is my website http://seanellisthrillers.webs.com/

LSSR: What is your Secret Agent X novel, The Sea Wraiths about? Where can readers find it?

SE: The Sea Wraiths is novel length adventure featuring Secret Agent X, “The Man of a Thousand Faces.” The original pulp magazine that featured this character ended its run before the outbreak of World War II, so what I wanted to do with this novel is explore what the character might have done in the war years. The Sea Wraiths are actually miniature submarines that Nazi agents are using to intercept cargo ships on the high seas as part of a plan to invade the United States. X’s girlfriend, the intrepid Betty Dale, is investigating the disappearances of those ships, while X is busy tracking down Nazi agents who are trying to enlist mob figures in New York to help them with the planned invasion. Ultimately, X ends up going behind enemy lines, venturing into the Wolf’s Lair for a face-to-face confrontation with…hmm, should I give that away?

Secret Agent X: The Sea Wraiths is available for Kindle and Nook at Amazon.com and BN.com respectively. For old school Luddites (like myself) who prefer a good book in hand, you can order an earlier edition of the book from Age of Adventure graphic library.

LSSR: How did Lance Star: Sky Ranger become a part of your Secret Agent X novel, The Sea Wraiths?

SE: I love putting Easter eggs in my stories. Many of the characters readers will encounter are named for friends and fellow authors, and once in a while, I like to work in a cameo from a favorite fictional character. In The Sea Wraiths, I wanted to work in some guest appearances from other characters from pulp stories. So when the novel called for X to be dropped behind enemy lines by a daredevil pilot, I naturally thought of Lance Star.

Secre Agent X: Masterpiece of Vengeance

LSSR: Who is Secret Agent X? What makes pulp characters like Secret Agent X and Lance Star: Sky Ranger appeal to you as a writer and a reader?

SE: I first discovered Secret Agent X when I volunteered to participate in an anthology series featuring classic pulp characters that are in the public domain. I didn’t know anything about the character when I started, but as an inveterate James Bond fan, I figured I’d have an easier time writing him than some of the others. As it turned out, all my preconceived notions were wrong; X is more of a crime-fighter than a spy, but as I worked on that anthology submission, I really grew to like the character.

Secret Agent X was a popular character during his run in the 1930’s but never quite as popular as Doc Savage or The Shadow. He’s a master of disguise, and in fact, his true identity is never revealed, and as I mentioned, more of a crime-fighting vigilante than a spy. He would use his talents and gadgets to fight villains, most of whom utilized fantastic technologies to threaten New York City’s residents.


I’m a big fan of action movies and I like stories that capture the kind of action that you find in Indiana Jones and James Bond movies. When I write a thriller, I try to capture that action on the page, but today’s readers are a little more critical when it comes to egregious violations of the laws of physics. Pulp allows both the author and the reader to stretch those limits a bit. It’s a lot easier for a reader to accept that Secret Agent X can use the make-up kit in his shoe to believably transform his appearance in a matter of a few minutes, because he’s a pulp hero.


Secret Agent X: The Scar

LSSR: Are there any plans to revisit the character of Secret Agent X?

SE: No concrete plans at the moment, but I definitely enjoyed my time with X, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that I might explore further wartime missions. Aside from The Sea Wraiths, I’ve also penned two novellas—Masterpiece of Vengeance and The Scar—that are available for download as well

LSSR: Digital content has changed the publishing landscape. As a creator, what excites you about digital content? As a reader?

SE: I’ll answer the reader part first. I’m actually still stuck in the paper age. I do read content on my computer, but grudgingly. It’s hard on the eyes. One of these days I’ll take the advice of my many friends who have nothing by praise for their Kindles.

As an author, I can’t deny that the digital revolution has thrown open a lot of doors. Most of my titles are published by smaller independent presses, who simply don’t have the resources to go toe-to-toe with the mainstream publishers, so it would be a real uphill struggle to get my books into the traditional bookstores. But with digital content, people can discover my books, and usually at a price that encourages them to take a chance.

The Adventures of Dodge Dalton

LSSR: Any upcoming projects you would like to plug?

SE: It’s been a very busy couple of months. In addition to releasing this new edition of The Sea Wraiths, I’ve also got a new adventure novel called Dark Trinity: Ascendant, which should appeal to fans of the Tomb Raider franchise—that will be out late June. I’ve just finished a collaboration with novelist Jeremy Robinson that explores characters from his Jack Sigler/Chess Team series—military fiction with a paranormal twist. My contribution to the series puts Sigler on the hunt for the legendary elephant graveyard—a popular theme for safari tales of the pulp era. That should be out in the next few weeks. And of course, I hope readers will check out my pulp series The Adventures of Dodge Dalton, and my contemporary Nick Kismet adventures.

About Sean Ellis’ Secret Agent X - The Sea Wraiths:
Cargo ships are mysteriously disappearing on the high seas. Dozens of men and millions of dollars worth of cargo have been erased from existence. Despite her concern over the long absence of Secret Agent X, Betty Dale, star reporter of the Daily Herald, cannot resist the lure of adventure and sets out to discover the secret of the shadowy villains known as the Sea Wraiths. Meanwhile, in the City's organized crime underworld, Nazi agents are hatching a plot to turn New York's capos into foot soldiers for the Third Reich, and threatening a quiet peace that has kept the streets free of violence. Will Secret Agent X emerge from hiding to thwart the machinations of Nazi spies? Or will he rescue his beloved Betty Dale from the clutches of....The Sea Wraiths!

Danger On The High Seas

For more information about Sean Ellis, visit him on-line at http://seanellisthrillers.webs.com/

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Agent-Wraiths-novel-ebook/dp/B0055V3EB6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1308266235&sr=1-4