STEVE BENTON

Yes, sorry. Apparently we would be breaking the terms of our agreement with KDP Select (to which we are beholden until mid March), so no further segments will be published until that time. BUT...... if you liked what you have read so far  it's only 3 bucks at Amazon All my best to whoever you are.....

Yes, sadly, as there was no interest in the titles on Google, iTunes or Nook we have pulled the books fro those venues. This enables us to concentrate on our Amazon marketing, and worry less about alternate versions of the books floating around. Plus we will be putting Lives of Future-Past back onto KDP Select. Your in the Galaxy (my head is a bit stuffy, so it's not so universal today) SK

Put up another bit of LOFP for you all to read. Enjoy!

Sorry I haven't kept up with serialization of LOFP, but Santa came a'knockin early this year with my friend, Influenzie Johnson! Yeah, I'm down with fever, chills (actually uncontrollable tremors), and about the worse sore throat I have ever had. So, if I don't pass out soon I'll rip out another chapter of LOFP - if not I ll try to get one in tomorrow. For all 3 of you who actually read this blog (and that's a generous estimate). And a shout out to all you literary agents - I even work when I'm sick.  I don't cry like a whiney-ass bitch. Nope. I suck it up and get the job done. I'll stop crying now hahahaha yours in the universe SK

Two things to discuss here. 1) We will continue with the LOFP serialization tomorrow (Monday) 2) We just released an updated rev of LOFP on Amazon. 3) We are pulling our books from everything except Amazon, as it is simply a bunch of work to track versioning and sales through multiple outlets, especially given as no one to date has purchased a copy of either book from the non-Amazon outlets. On another note, people are going nuts buying both books - must be a Christmas thing Yours in the Universe SK

Something new! Well, we have tunes in our heads when we read stuff and visualize, so I  made a playlist of some songs I like, and connected them to parts of Lives of Future-Past. Go to www.maxgunnarsson.com/playlist.cfm to check em out - just click on the song name and you'll get it on Youtube. SK

It continues tomorrow! http://angelsandlycans.blogspot.com/

I hope everyone has an amazing and excellent Thanksgiving. Positive vibes and thoughts going out to you all. SK

Yup - we did it - before Turkey Day, and downloads will be delivered the day after Black Friday. GET IT NOW! Also, be sure to keep up with the serialization of Lives of Future-Past at the Angels and Lycans blog Yours in the Universe SK

I'll be posting daily partials from Lives of Future-Past on my new blog, Angels and Lycans The Prologue and part of Chapter One are already up. Check it out! It's a great way to read Lives of Future-Past in a serial format. SK

Just got my invite to ELLO (ello.co) and am learning the interface. It's a bit different, and it looks like a great place for artsy types. Also have Lives of Lost Angels out with BETA readers.  Until it's available, you can get Lives of Future-Past for FREE (seriously - free. No strings attached). Go to http:// maxgunnarsson.com/free/   and enter code LOLAPROMO Book #3 (closing the Vrol trilogy but launching even more stories) has been outlined and writing starts before the Holidays' end. Yours in the Universe SK

We finally received our copyright from Library of Congress, which is pretty cool. Then, just a few days later we received a letter from some vanity publishing company. No thanks. I would rather give my books away and have people enjoy them than pay a shitload of money for a company to print and distribute them. Aaaaaand, being as literary agents won't give me the time of day I am trying something new - took 5,000 words out of the beginning (I'll admit that Lives of Future-Past is a slow starter) and we get right into the thick of things. I think it will be a much better read for people with ADD (like me). This is the great thing about self-publishing electronically - If someone has purchased your book they won't buy it again, and if you change it and then re-upload to your online outlet (i.e. Amazon) the next purchaser will get the new version. Simple! So I am just writing a bunch of crap here while I wait for OSX Yosemite to completely install in my two Macs. Ch...

FYI - Today is my half-birthday. Exactly six months from my birthday. How do I remember this? Today is also my younger daughter's birthday. Happy birthday, Dani! Love you Daaaaaaad

The mazes were aMAZing (heh heh), but i had to give them an "F" on park access. When you pay 4-5 times a normal ticket for a supposed "VIP" experience you should not have to push through a crowd of gen admin people waiting just to get to your tiny little line in the MIDDLE of everything. It should be off to the side and easily accessible. For the last 3 years we also got private backlot tours. Last year's was especially fun, as they had people and props scaring us. This year we were driven around a bit, but no stops. That was disappointing. The mazes were top-notch, as usual. An American Werewolf in London was a great retro maze, featuring scenes from the iconic movie. Alien vs Predator was cool - a crashed spaceship is your entrance into a terrifying experience where you could be killed by either species (well, not really, but it was fun). On a comical note, the bar  entrance in the From Dusk til Dawn maze was called The Twister, not The Titty Twister, li...

Every year my wife and I go to USHHN, with the VIP passes. It is spendy, but worth it. We are going on the 27th of September, so if you are there say hello.

We'll be at Comikaze 2014 at the Los Angeles Convention Center Nov 1 and 2. I am going with my entourage - including the Valenzuela Doctor Brothers and my wife. So, if you want to go and meet me (and join me in a delicious, frosty beer) look up  http://comikazeexpo.com / and get tickets. And yes, I like beer.

I was interviewed by a book review fellow last week. He was wearing a bow tie, so I should have figured he would be one of those snotty people. Anyway, here's the transcript from the interview (which I will soon post on YouTube, against the interviewer's wishes). I = Interviewer (name deleted because he was such a whiner) M = me I : We are here with SK Benton, author of Lives of Future-Past, from the science fiction/fantasy book series The Chronicles of Max Gunnarsson. Hello SK. M: Heya I: So, why did you give the protagonist such a long-winded name? M: That’s kind of a sucky first question. Couldn’t you lead off with something like “do you like cats?” I: Why would we ask something like that? M: Well, the really cool people in my books are lycans, and are kinda related to wolves, and wolves eat cats so -    I: Are you sure about that? M: Sure about what? I: That wolves eat cats M: Um yeah, totally. My brother raises timber wolves. We feed t...

Go to www.maxgunnarsson.com   for links to your favorite stores!

I invented the hashtag SurgicalSelfies !!!!!!!!!

Lives of Lost Angels, the follow-up to Lives of Future-Past, is screaming along, nearly 80% complete. Get ready for a quirky, off-beat adventure slightly different than LOFP. We guarantee a good read when it is released in September.

Okay, I'm not really a super-duper pro on certain stuff, and I simply write what I write. Sure, there are probably a bunch of college professors who would literally savage me, but I really don't care. My writing tips are coming from a common-sense perspective, so here we go: Do NOT write while drunk. I have done this. You think you are jotting down some great stuff, but then you waste a good hour or two the next day trying to decipher the crap you typed, and at the very least have to correct massive typos. You end up writing weird shit, as your brain is not functioning normally. So, Do NOT write while drunk. Unless it is your intention to write crap.

Heya peoples - SK here, and bring you an update on Lives of Lost Angels, book #2 in the Max Gunnarsson series. Well, you all know Max is lost. You also know basically where he is, but what's in store for him? Lot's of fun, upside-down stuff. Jennie and Draagh are looking for him, Liliana is taking her frustrations out on more than the castle's feral cat population, and then we can't forget about Bagatelle - he went back to Azul, but what is he up to? Len Johnson has a hand in this for sure. LOLA will bring in some new characters (quite a few) that play critical roles in the storyline. While I can't really say who they are (as it would give some plot details away), I can say they are not shallow, throw-away peeps - they are cool and fun. I plan on publishing before Fall comes around, so keep an eye out. SK

After yesterday's disappointing result with Portugal, we decided to write some more. And we wrote a very dark chapter (always need dark chapters in dystopian novels) Anyway, it's all looking great!

Book #2 is coming along strong. Great storyline and all fans will be super-happy. Have a great rest of your Sunday! SK

LOLA is cruising along at warp - erm... side space carrier current velocity! The FIFA World Cup has unleashed a new flood of creativity within my brain (no, the book does not have soccer in it). Anyway, I'll try to write in the blog a bit more. Just been busy getting stuff prepped with my day job - Sprint has over 100 ways to build cell sites, so we have to make database configs for each individual site type, which requires a good 12 hours of work - do the math, friends :) Till next time

Got back to writing on the follow-up to LOFP last night. LOLA (seriously, that is the acronym) will be way cool, and anyone who liked the first will definitely LOVE the second because it gets right down to meat and potatoes and doesn't spend 30% of copy detailing Max's universe. Been there, done that! Now time to move on and kick some major poto!

Each rejection from a Lit agent is simply one closer to getting picked up. Smile and forge ahead! #scifi #indieauthor — SK Benton (@AuthorSKBenton) June 9, 2014 You know, I just kinda came up with this one - I hope it wasn't a George Harrison moment where I heard something while I was asleep, and then went and plagiarized the living shit out of it. It just sounded right. As writers we throw our souls out on the street for people to either brush off and pick up, or viciously stomp. As I still send out queries to Lit agents I still get rejections, but it's not their fault - they have a job to do and they want/need to pick up someone they think will really sell, which translates to dollars in their own pockets. Will Max's world sell? Hell, I would like to think so - he just needs some repping and promo. Most of the rejection letters have been quite cordial - only one was a total ass, but maybe he was having a bad day. Or year. Or life. Who knows - whatever. So, to ...

So we started a new Twitter account Saturday. Following some good advice we are already up to over 300 followers, and are dutifully retweeting cool stuff from other people. It's all about micro-blogging, networking and maybe giving each other a hand.

@AuthorSKBenton is our new twitter account. Follow for info, freebies and sneak previews of Lives of Lost Angels

Name: Maximilianus Xavier Gunnarsson, PhD Occupation: Commander - Azul Navy / Military Scientific Division Residence: New Sydney, Azul Place of Birth: Córdoba, Nueva Argentina, Azul Likes: Beef, yerba mate, single malt Scotch whisky, science, Jennie Escalante, Horror-Metal music Dislikes: Cats, vampires, poor cooking Blood Type: A+ Recessive Genes: Lycan, Seraph

Name: Draagh Kalinakov Occupation: Primulus Residence: The Hub, Rhönen Dominion Likes: Food, Cannabis Sativa, messing with DNA Dislikes: Rogue Prīmulī, lame mages, dishonest people Relatives: Taxiarch Michael, Max Gunnarsson Blood Type: Unknown

Well, Max got his first review on Amazon.com and it was a doozy. 5 stars. Seems like Lives of Future-Past covered all of the reader's genre preferences and left him hanging, wanting book #2 - Lives of Lost Angels . Here is his review: By Anthony Nguyen Format:  Kindle Edition | Verified Purchase This is my first time writing a review of any sort. I truly love this book. The author did an awesome job of mixing all my favorite genres into a great story telling adventure. The story telling was well paced with great character development to keep you interested through the entire book. I couldn't put the book down. The narrative on how the lycans transform into a werewolf was very detailed. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book. Highly recommended.  Well, this individual will receive a digitally-signed, advance copy of Lives of Lost Angels before it is released. Mr. Nguyen, thank you. We are glad you enjoy Max and Jennie'...

Name: Jennifer Escalante Occupation: Lieutenant - Azul Navy Residence: New Sydney, Azul Place of Birth: Córdoba, Nueva Argentina, Azul Likes: Beef, yerba mate, tequila, malbec, fighting, 21st century pop/rock music Dislikes: Cats, Max Gunnarsson, Draagh's herb, eating utensils, geeky guys Blood Type: A- Recessive Genes: Lycan

Welcome to the official blog for author SK Benton, creator of The Chronicles of Max Gunnarsson series. Comments are open and not moderated, so we welcome you to post anything you like (just try to be polite). If you have read Lives of Future-Past gives us your opinions, or tell us which part you liked best. Who is your favorite character? Favorite species? Who makes you really, super mad? Warning - get testy and SK can get testy back - it's all for fun :)