Scott Roche

I've been writing stories since I was a boy, but only recently have made inroads into becoming a published author.

Website: http://www.scottroche.com/blog
Twitter: spiritualtramp

• spiritualtramp: @unclemonster True, true.
• spiritualtramp: Ginnie Dare for just $.99? Am I crazy? Crazy like a FOX! http://t.co/89UjfgF0
• spiritualtramp: @silvervale If you think of it, let me know, thanks!
• spiritualtramp: @silvervale Which is more about beauty than truth, but it was one suggestion for a title.
• spiritualtramp: @silvervale It's not cyberpunk so much as it's just sci fi. I was playing with the "eye of the beholder" saw.

Blog: http://www.spiritualtramp.com

action    adventure    alt history    alternate earth    alternate history    alternate timeline    anthology    blood    christian    colonial    crime fighters    demon    demons    dragons    dystopia    fae    fairy    ghost    gritty    history    horror    intrigue    macabre tales    magic    manapunk    military    military action    mystery    pirates    post apocalypse    pulp    romance    sci fi    science fiction    space travel    steampunk    steampunk science fiction    super heros    superhero    superheroes    supernatural    suspense    transgender youth    vampire    werewolf    werewolves    world war i    zombie    zombies   

Drew Beatty
Latest book: Night of the Were-Squirrels. Published on May 20, 2011. (5.00 from 1 review)
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Jake Bible
Latest book: The Man With No Face. Published on December 22, 2011.
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View their blog. Latest post: "It’s Galactic Football Time!!!"

James Melzer
Latest book: Hull's Landing. Published on April 14, 2011. (5.00 from 1 review)
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Jennifer Hudock
Latest book: Beauty and Other Dangerous Things. Published on April 8, 2011.
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Modern Evil Press
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Nobilis Reed
Latest book: Inspector Grape and the Curious Case of the Killer Corset. Published on January 15, 2012. (4.00 from 1 review)
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View their blog. Latest post: "No episode this week"

Paul Cooley
Latest book: Garaaga's Children: Legends. Published on December 19, 2011. (5.00 from 1 review)
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Travis King
Latest book: The City of Hope. Published on March 10, 2009.
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View their blog. Latest post: "Book Review: Bukkake Brawl"

• Double Deal on April 21, 2010
  
  I quite enjoyed Lost Gods, so when I found out Drew was on Smashwords, I sought him out. This is an excellent little story, gritty yet charming.
  
• Lilith on Dec. 03, 2010
  
  The Bible as it stands tells us that in the beginning God created one man and one woman, Adam and Eve. There is a tradition however, in texts from the Middle Ages, that God created an equal to Adam and her name was Lilith. In the short story, or rightly classified faeirie tale, by Dan Sawyer begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting we get to see what she might have been like had she existed. I first got to hear this story in podcast form. If you’re not familiar with Dan’s podcast work I highly recommend it, particularly Down From Ten. You can find it all at his site http://jdsawyer.net/. Why, you may rightly ask, would I go through the expense, however minimal, of buying a short story I’ve already heard? Well, that’s a good question. I think that some stories benefit from being read in addition to being heard. There’s also the matter of thanking an author for an excellent story by buying it where there’s opportunity. My purchase of Lilith is actually a result of both. There’s a fair amount of sex in this story, though much of it is less about titillation than it is about power. Sexual politics is at the core of this story. The struggle for equality, the different roles and gifts that men and women have, things that have been plaguing relationships since perhaps the very beginning of civilization are played out in these three thousand plus words. Of course all of this is filtered through Lilith’s point of view and like any first person narrative you have to ask yourself how reliable a witness she is. She does, after all, represent chaos and all of the pros and cons that involves. Like any good fiction, this story raises a good deal of questions about our own reality and our relationships with others. Does Lilith fall into the same traps that some men do in achieving her desires? She holds the Voice, the creator of the universe, responsible for the state of things. We strive to do the same with God, hesitant to take responsibility for our own actions. Is that warranted? There’s a lot more I could say, but that risks revealing things about Dan’s story that I’d rather you discover for yourself. If you’re looking for a provocative and interesting tale for your e-reader then I can definitely recommend this one. When you’ve read it make sure you reach out to Dan and let him know what you think. Then drop me a line and we can talk about the rest of the story. I give Lilith four and a half out of five Golden Delicious.
  
• Breakers on Dec. 30, 2010
  
  I’m a big fan of Paul’s. In a world where most fiction classified as “horror” involves an excess of gore/sex or sparkly undead, he’s a breath of fresh air. What fiction of his I’ve read uses a degree of subtlety that I appreciate. It’s also horrific in ways that truly exemplify the word. At four thousand words it goes quickly and the price tag of “FREE” is perfect. A true “review” of this is difficult without going into too much detail. I find that’s always true with short stories. Here’s what I can say. He sets up a world in this story that could easily be the one we’re living in right now. That alone makes this frightening. Check it out and if you like it, I think you’ll enjoy his other fiction. I give it four out of five scalpels.
  
• A Ghostly Christmas Present on Dec. 30, 2010
  
  This is as noir as the previous entry, so if you like it, you’ll like this. This one is a bit more fun than the first, though no less dark or edgy. I read it all in one sitting and it kept me going until a quarter to one in the morning. If that’s not enough to push you in the direction of buying this, then let me see what I can do to nudge you along. In addition to being a modern noir, this is also a classic murder mystery with a twist. He makes a number of nods to Agatha Christie and/or Sir Doyle, but as with the classic noir of “And Then She Was Gone”, he adds modern sensibilities. Dan takes the time to walk his readers through the processes Clarke uses to solve the crime, though never at the expense of pacing. There’s a dash of action, a dollop of sex (handled with humor and taste), and more than one laugh out loud moment. The only thing that really hurt the story for me were a few sections of prose early on that I had to re-read a time or two for clarity. I think $2.99 for a story that comes in at over thirty thousand words and provided me with a few hours of pure entertainment is money well spent. I give this story four and a half out of five bloody icicles.
  
• Through The Last W.H. on Feb. 18, 2011
  
  Twisted, gripping, vicious science fiction. Buy this.
  
• Alive From New York (Terrorist Chronicles Vol 1) on March 08, 2011
  
  I'm not a huge fan of the political thriller genre, preferring to confine my reading to horror/sci-fi, but I listened to New World Orders and thoroughly enjoyed Ed's work. When I found out he was coming out with a new work I was excited. This didn't disappoint. This is a tightly written and gripping story. It's very timely and well worth that buck you've been saving for your next e-book fix.
  
• Borrowed Time on June 13, 2011
  
  Time travel as a sci-fi trope is pretty haggard by this point. I got particularly tired of the various Star Trek series attempts at doing interesting things with it, but they aren’t the only culprit. So when I see a book whose central plot line relies on it, I’m skeptical. Enter Borrowed Time by Keith Hughes. First, let’s get the science-y bits out of the way. The way that time travel works in this universe, essentially using an app built in to a PDA to harmonize you to a future or past universe’s resonance, seems a little wonky. But then so does slingshotting around the sun or a nuclear powered DeLorean. The interesting twist in this particular tale is the farther forward or back you go, the shorter your stay can be, thus the title. The requisite dramatic tension is supplied by the men with guns and power that are after the PDA. Very Bad Men want what Relevant has and intend to do Very Bad Things with it. They’re willing to do anything they can to get it and Relevant needs to think fast and use every skill at his disposal in addition to taking advantage of time hopping to get and keep the upper hand. It moves very quickly and kept me anticipating the next chapter. What’s this story really about though? Is it just a good read or is there more to it? (If you want to honk a writer off, ask them that question.) Not to be corny, as the story never falls in to it that I notice, but it’s really about making the best use of time that you have with the people in your life. That’s reflected in Relevant’s relationship with the professor that invented the device as well as in his failed relationships. Lacking a time machine it’s best for us all to remember that we’re all on borrowed time. I think this story could stand to be fleshed out a bit. I’d like to get to know the professor and Relevant a little better. I’d also like the Very Bad Men to be fleshed out a little. As it stands they’re kind of two dimensional. It works in the framework of a fast paced sci-fi thriller novella, but I’m a sucker for a well written, complex bad guy. Overall, it’s that that keeps this from being the five star book that this could be. This book is well wroth the price of admission though, and I hope you check it out!
  
• Invasion of the Orb Men on July 05, 2011
  
  “Orb Men” is a novella clocking in at about twenty-thousand words. It’s not exactly science fiction, so much as it is historical fiction with a pulp sci-fi feel, a touch of the political thrills, and a dash of good humor. Paul’s put a lot of work into this story and it shows. The lead investigator, Creeger, is a well thought out and well executed protagonist and the whole story has the feel of a fifties movie. I’m not sure how he accomplished it, but I could see the scenes playing out in my head in black and white. The dialog is tight and the rest of the characters, including Creeger’s team, are believable. The most satisfying part is the ending (are the endings>) and while I won’t spoil it for you, I can say that everyone gets what they deserve.
  
• Angels Unawares on Sep. 14, 2011
  
  I don't give stories five stars very often, but when I do it's for a well told story that you will read more than once. This is one such story. Dan breaks a few of the "rules" that I hear on a somewhat regular basis: "Don't write in dialect." "Don't write in first person." "Don't get involved in a land war in As.." Okay maybe not that last one. Suffice to say this is a touching, haunting, beautiful story and is underpriced at $.99 in terms of how much pleasure I will get out of it.
  
• Smoke Rings on Jan. 21, 2012
  
  Once again, Dan has hit it out of the park. A sexy, emotional, dangerous story that I almost literally couldn't put down.