Böcker av Marcus V Calvert

A vampire owing child support . . . A law student stranded in a war-torn fantasy world . . . A comic book geek with a magic lamp . . . . . . and these are the good guys.Why should it be natural to read tales of valor, carried out by heroes who arebrave, noble, or even good? Why can't the villain save the day once in a while?Or maybe the damsel in distress? Or perhaps a drunken kid on Spring Break? Within this 2nd Edition collection are twenty-five dark little stories wrapped aroundthe odd theme of "unheroic" individuals making a difference. This twisted, eclecticmix of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror tales will leave you looking at the real world throughdifferent eyes.

Benjamin Cly's dead.Betrayed and murdered, the villainous crime fighter's soul was held back for a rainy day. Tonight, he's been restored to life. To keep it, all he has to do is stalk and kill four people.Cly's the hunter. They're the prey.If one of these targets kills Cly, then his or her faction gets the keys to the world. Billions of lives are at stake, over a rigged game where the hunters typically die first. After all, the "prey" have access to magic, minions, super powers, and gadgets.What does Cly have? A few disposable friends, his wits, and the troubling realization that there's more to this hunt than meets the eye . . .

Simply defined, a "scheme" is nothing more than a systematic plan of action. Like snowflakes, no two of them are exactly alike. For example: A time traveler goes zombie hunting in what's left of Baltimore.What if there was an award show for super villains?What if you were being stalked by a demonic comedian?Within this collection is a bizarre grouping of 25 short stories. Each of them revolves around a scheme. Some are brilliant. Others are stupid. A special few of them are utterly warped. So kick back, leave your conscience outside of these pages, and step into the world(s)of the schemers.

His alias is Benjamin Cly.He doesn't just root for the bad guy.He is the bad guy.Strangely enough, the unrepentant super villain's gotten into the world-saving game. His firm recruits crime fighters who stop nefarious schemes throughout the world. It's not about justice. It's about protecting the global status quo-for a profit. Super villains the world over are dying, courtesy of shadowy players with a unique agenda. As ruthlessly brilliant as Cly is, he's about to find himself next on the list.His past deeds are coming back to haunt (or potentially save) him. The question is: Will Cly still have a pulse when the smoke clears?

An unemployed tooth fairy . . . A space pirate with a sense of duty . . . A freelance merc from Jersey . . .. . . and these are the good guys.Why should it be natural to read tales of valor, carried out by heroes who arebrave, noble, or even good? Why can't the villain save the day once in a while?Or maybe the damsel in distress? Or perhaps a disinterested third party? Within this 2nd Edition collection are twenty-five dark little stories wrapped aroundthe odd theme of "unheroic" individuals making a difference. This twisted, eclecticmix of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror tales will leave you looking at the real world throughdifferent eyes.

Simply defined, a "scheme" is nothing more than a systematic plan of action. Like snowflakes, no two of them are exactly alike. For example: What if the 7 Deadly Sins operated out of a beauty salon?What if a blind rock musician got framed for war crimes in another galaxy?What if you could buy a Murderer's License from the DMV?Within this 2nd Edition collection is a bizarre grouping of 25 short stories. Each of them revolves around a scheme. Some are brilliant. Others are stupid. A special few of them are utterly warped.So kick back, leave your conscience outside of these pages, and step into the world of the schemers.

THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO WRITE A BOOK . . .My advice? Never start your writing career with a novel.Begin with short stories (the more, the better). They're easier to finish than 70,000-word novels. You'll figure out your strengths, weaknesses, and "writer's voice" along the way. Do enough good stories and you can submit them to magazines, contests, or self-publish short story anthologies.The best part? Aside from honing your skills, you'll also create characters, concepts, and scenarios that you might later put into a novel or screenplay.Of course, there's just one problem: what do you write about?This thin book has 200 writing prompts-mostly geared toward crime, action, horror, or sci-fi. Skim through these simple steps and you can start writing your first short story within the hour.As for you seasoned writers, think of this book as a time-saving tool. Crack it open and give it a peek. You'll understand.

I'm Benjamin Cly, dangerous super villain.I'm the idiot who has to fight crime in a world where super heroes are nearly extinct. I've saved the planet a few times, grown closer to my kid, and even made some useful allies. Things were going well . . . until tonight reared its ugly head.I've had me some rough ones before; but tonight's shaping up to be the worst of them. With billions of lives at stake, my powers and gadgets won't be enough. Nor will every dirty trick I know. Things get so bad that I'll actually have to show mercy.If I lose, we're all dead - or worse.If I win, it'll come at too high a price.

My current alias is Benjamin Cly.Just over 10 years ago, I retired from my life of violence and became a fixer - a middleman of sorts. Clients brought me their problems. My talented contractors "resolved" them. As long as the money was right, I worked every side of the law and didn't think twice about it. Until one of my biggest clients tried to set me up.Then things went sideways.I lost my growing criminal empire at the drop of a hat. A lot of people started trying to kill me. I should've run away and hid in some distant corner of the world. But that's not my style. I don't run. I thrive.And in a corrupt metropolis like Pillar City, I'll just start a new empire. But I can't be a fixer again. Nor do I want to be a mobster - this town has plenty of those. No, I'm going to do the last thing anyone would ever expect a "harmless" guy like me to do: become a crimefighter.Seeing as I can steal super powers with a touch, it might be fun . . .

Simply defined, a "scheme" is nothing more than a systematic plan of action.Like snowflakes, no two of them are exactly alike. For example: A grieving mother seeks revenge upon a family of werewolves.What if you were getting a truly unique prom speech from a necromancer?What if there was a college for super villains?Within this 2nd Edition collection is a bizarre grouping of 25 short stories.Each of them revolves around a scheme. Some are brilliant. Others are stupid.A special few of them are utterly warped.So kick back, leave your conscience outside of these pages, and step into the worldof the schemers.