Phil Elmore: Individual Authoring Services

Published Work

	Demon Lord was my first novel. It took me years to finish it, mostly because it sat for long periods of time during which I did nothing with it. Loosely based on my experiences in college, I like to say that it's a true story -- sort of. I also think it holds up fairly well for a first novel, but of course that's going to be a matter of opinion. I've certainly learned a lot about writing since I started, and the more I write, the better I hope I get. Once, while reading science fiction author Steve Perry's blog, not that long after perusing Barry Eisler's latest Rain novel, I realized how easy these men make it look. I also realized how much more I have to learn before I'll begin even to approach them as an author. Still, I think Demon Lord is a cut above many most self-published novels on the market. This one could have used some edits for typographical errors, though, I will admit. Demon Lord is a sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a washed-up former assassin who, together with a group of friends who are also mercenaries, becomes embroiled in a political and spiritual upheaval with far-reaching consequences. It's available from Booklocker.

	Mechanical War was my second novel, and I'll admit it's a lot better than my first. I translated the characters from Demon Lord -- well, most of them -- into a science fiction setting. I then set out to write a larger-than-life action adventure, in which a former government agent becomes embroiled in a series of political intrigues, an almost-genocide, and a world-shaking battle while half the galaxy tries its best to murder him. I like this book a lot better than my first novel. It's a better novel, just overall, with a more coherent plot and better character development. Again, I still had a lot to learn when I published this, but I am proud of it, and I think most people will enjoy reading it. The science fiction setting means it's faster paced than my first novel. Both Demon Lord and Mechanical War read like pulp action books, though. My own father told me that the books read something like Executioner novels rather than entries in the fantasy and scifi genres -- which I guess means even, that then, I was working toward the future of my career. Mechanical War is available from Booklocker, and like Demon Lord can also be had from most online booksellers like Amazon.

	Shorthand Empty Hand was my first self-defense book. I sat down one day, thinking about some of my friends and family members who have no self-defense training at all. I asked myself, "What would be the absolute basics for someone with no previous training? What would I want to impart to such a person if I had the time to show them how to look out for themselves?" The SHEH curriculum was the result of that mental exercise. Shorthand Empty Hand is a conceptual handbook for self-defense. It also includes the basic physical methods you can use to this end. While certainly not exhaustive, it's definitely the least you need to know to achieve success in self-defense. It's available from Booklocker and Amazon.

	Warriors: On Living with Courage, Discipline, and Honor was originally released in late August of 2004. Edited by Loren Christensen, the book is a collection of non-fiction pieces written by an impressive group of luminaries from the self-defense, martial arts, military, and law enforcement/emergency response arenas. I am fortunate and honored to be one of these people. The book has since been expanded and offered anew by Paladin, with the stories of even more warriors. These were purportedly recommended to Loren after the first edition was published. Warriors is available from Paladin Press, Amazon, and other online booksellers.

	Flashlight Fighting was my first book for Paladin Press. It applies the principles of Shorthand Empty Hand to the age-old concept of the yawara or pocket stick, teaching you, the reader, to employ a small pocket flashlight as a striking tool. The book has sold consistently well and addresses a topic that was not really covered at length previously -- that is, how to use just a flashlight for self-defense. Flashlight Fighting is available from Paladin Press and other online booksellers.

	Street Sword was originally to be titled Sloppy Swordsmanship. As a result, I think a lot of people got the wrong idea when it was introduced, thinking I was advocating some sort of Dungeons and Dragons approach to self-defense in which one totes a sword around like Duncan MacLeod. The reality was just the opposite. What I wanted to do, basically, was explain the mechanics of the long blade without all the traditional nonsense and trappings that usually accompany the use of the sword. As you can imagine, traditional swordsmen (such as exponents of Iaido and Kenjutsu) had a grand mal freakout when the book was published by Paladin Press. It has since been discontinued, but I will be revisiting the subject matter it covers in a future martial arts book.

	If you've seen the movie The Punisher, you've got the basic idea. The Executioner was the series on which The Punisher comic book was based. After his family is killed, somewhat indirectly, by the Mafia, Mack Bolan returns home from Vietnam and does what anyone would do in his situation: He decides to kill every single member of the Mafia, ever. Over the next forty novels or so, he did, until the original author sold the rights to Gold Eagle (an imprint of Harlequin/Worldwide Library). Ghostwriters have written the series every since, and I'm one of those authors. Vigilante Run, which is about 300 novels in order beyond the original author's last efforts (I'm not making that up) pits Mack Bolan against an unstable vigilante who is murdering gang members and innocent civilians alike in an effort to avenge the death of his daughter.

	Killing Trade drops the Executioner into a shooting war in the middle of New York City, trying to track down the source of a new, explosive, incredibly deadly ammunition that is making an already bloody conflict that much more dangerous to all concerned. I based my observations of New York on a trip I took there in 2005. I was particularly taken by a couple of tourist attractions like the Public Library, so these feature prominently in the novel.

	Blood Toll takes place in Hawaii. Chinese sleeper cells cut off the city of Honolulu in a bid to seize the island as payback for US interference over Tawain. I had a lot of fun creating several different villains for this one, though the Communist Chinese do figure prominently (as they have in several of my books).

	Drawpoint was my first Stony Man novel. While The Executioner focuses on Mack Bolan, the Stony Man series is about two different commando teams, Able Team and Phoenix Force. In the past, both teams assisted Bolan, but now they work together without his direct involvement for this longer-format adventure series spinoff. Drawpoint is a relatively complex tale about environmental extremists, South American would-be dictators, and a plot to use missiles to threaten the United States.

	Dangerous Tides was inspired by the many stories of modern-day Somali pirates taking cruise ships and cargo vessels hostage in the general vicinity of Indonesia. Our hero, Mack Bolan, liberates a cruise vessel held by pirates, only to stumble onto a larger conspiracy headed by a bitter Russian naval officer.

	Season of Harm, my second Stony Man follows the commando units Able Team and Phoenix Force as they track down, simultaneously, a drug smuggling ring with ties to corruption that is in turn linked to the Russian presidency. This was a lot of fun to write.