Maybe We Run

Start your week with this new rock track from ‪Redline Addiction. It's got a feel-good sound, and the lyrics capture a lot of positive vibes. #MusicRecs

Louder Than Words - an LGBTQ ( GAY ) Film

Louder Than Words is a sensitive and touching gay short film about a deaf dancer, his close friend, and someone new who has entered their lives. Unlike too many other gay films, it's not only well-made but also projects a happy and hopeful tone.

The Whisper that Replaced God Part II: Silent Almighty Book Review

You might want to first read my review of Part I, so I provided that link to my previous post. Unlike most of the book-related ideas that occur to me when I wake up at 3 in the morning, I remembered that one. The review this blog entry’s title promises will now commence.

The Whisper that Replaced God Part II: Silent Almighty by Timothy Wolff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With Part II, Timothy Wolff takes advantage of the story’s split release by letting his MC and narrator Muse comment on some of the reader reactions to Book I. Not surprisingly, it gives this fast-paced volume a level of meta cleverness that makes the pages turn even more quickly.

The story takes unexpected turns, with Mute venting frustration at how so many people follow his new rival, Deaf. Mute resorts to increasingly dark choices and justifications, but the humor keeps the narrative itself from becoming bleak or depressing. Some of the lines work as simply funny, while others reflect clever commentary on human nature, power, storytelling, and social media—even if social media might not exist within Mute’s world. I’ll avoid spoilers and say Mute takes readers on a rewarding journey.

Readers who like fantasy with exciting action and outrageous humor should add Timothy Wolff to their reading list.


View all my Goodreads reviews

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my books, including the small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

The Whisper that Replaced God (A Silent Duology Book 1) Book Review

The Whisper that Replaced God by Timothy Wolff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Whisper that Replaced God (A Silent Duology Book 1) works as an entertaining fantasy, but the first-person narration adds some much-needed levity. Mute remains aware of readers, not wanting to bore, insult, or trouble them with superfluous or unpleasant details. All of it reveals much about his personality and past, thus adding to the richness of the story.

We even get commentary that evokes the art of storytelling and the frustrations of contemporary writers. While such inclusions might become whiny and self-indulgent in less skillful hands, Timothy Wolff uses playful observations about the struggles of storytelling to make the story itself even more fast-paced and intriguing.

Of course, we also get the story itself, with Mute’s tragic life revealed in action-packed sequences and emotional betrayals. Mute’s experiences give him the insight and determination to survive it all.

In just over eighty pages, Wolff captures a lifetime of strife and pain that may or may not lead to a sense that Mute’s fate will justify his journey. One still needs to read Book 2, after all, but this satisfying read makes Book 2 irresistible.

View all my Goodreads reviews.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my books, including the small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

Same Sex Book Review

Same Sex: Gay SF Clone Erotica by J W Steed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Author Peter Schutes introduces two tales of clones and gay male desire. Schutes offers an introduction that shows a love for science fiction and concerns about oppression.

That introduction also explains the unlikely genesis of this unique collection. Despite similar concepts, the stories differ in feel and setting, both going in unexpected directions while both delivering an enjoyable read.

In “Journey’s End,” author J. W. Steed brings readers to a terraformed planet. Jeremy still harbors feelings for Benny, but Benny falls for one of Jeremy’s clones. Complications arise, with Jeremy worried about his obsession with observing that new relationship. It affects his job and his interactions. The tone becomes whimsical at times, thanks to Jeremy’s observations and quirks.

“Billy Club,” by Frank Slater, takes place in a different future but a more down-to-Earth setting, with a crooked system of cloned cops. This story features much rougher characters than the first one and focuses much more on desire. The officers, all known as Billy but with different badge numbers, become entangled with local gay men in a way that might expose corruption. The first-person narrator often sounds like he belongs in an old detective movie, but he takes the story into racier territory.

View all my Goodreads reviews

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my books, including the small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

Books Written or Cowritten by Duane Simolke

Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure. An Iroquois family gets caught in a battle between two oppressive worlds. Free eBook!

Sons of Taldra: A Science Fiction Adventure. In an alternate reality, an Iroquois scientist and her twin gay sons battle shapeshifting aliens.

Taldra: Degranon and Sons of Taldra together in one volume.

The Acorn Stories. “A lush tangle of small-town life branches out in this engrossing collection of short stories.” -Kirkus Reviews.

The Acorn Gathering: Writers Uniting Against Cancer. Join the fight against cancer by purchasing this fundraising fiction collection.

Free Story: Fat Diary: Humor.

Holding Me Together counters homophobia, promotes equality, and celebrates life!

Selected Poems eBook.

The Return of Innocence: A Fantasy Adventure blends humor and romance with exciting fantasy action.

Stein, Gender, Isolation and Industrialism: New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio examines the best-known work of the influential American writer, Sherwood Anderson.

That Jacobs Boy #badboystexas #smalltownlife #smalltownstories #smalltownproblems

Maybe the Right Girl at the Right Time Can Save a Kingdom

@duanesimolke The Return of Innocence: Maybe the Right Girl #booktok #fantasy #fantasybookstok #fantasybookstagram #yafantasybooks #booktoker ♬ O Fortuna - Techno Remix - Karmaik

The Return of Innocence: Maybe the Right Girl video. #booktok #fantasy #fantasybookstok #fantasybookstagram #yafantasybooks #booktoker

Discover unity, courage, and love as Taldra fights for humanity’s survival.

Discover unity, courage, and love as Taldra fights for humanity’s survival. https://t.co/42Pd7d05MR @duanesimolke#SciFiBooks #ScienceFiction #SciFiLit #SpeculativeFiction #Dystopian #IndieScifi #FuturisticWorlds pic.twitter.com/twVi0tPolc

— PromoCorner - Find your next Book. (@PromoCornerX) April 10, 2025

PromoCorner created this video for Sons of Taldra: A Science Fiction Adventure and posted it on social media.

"Refreshingly different, and at its beating heart is some much needed diversity that slots in effortlessly and with purpose." –Doctor Who Online

"The most intriguing aspect of the story is controlled by emotion as relatable characters grow and brave it all together, selflessly helping each other." –Enas Reviews

"A quick fun read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi and adventure books. The plot was compelling and the characters were engaging." –Fiction Flock

"An explosive book that will mean different things to each reader. The familial love and romantic love that shine make it even a deeper read." –N. N. Light's Book Heaven

"I recommend this book to science fiction readers and those who like complex storylines." –Review Tales

"In Acorn, Texas, every hidden story wrestles with humor and heart."

In Acorn, Texas, every hidden story wrestles with humour and heart.https://t.co/8K70gN75Oi@DuaneSimolke #booktwitter #bookstoread #booktwt #bookreader #booksbooksbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booklove #kindlebooks #kindle pic.twitter.com/9QrPKNgSR2

— PromoCorner - Find your next Book. (@PromoCornerX) April 7, 2025

JP MacDougall's Indie Author Features

JP MacDougall, author of The Pangean Chronicles, has made the following announcement about free book promotion on his website. Authors looking for more exposure should visit now.

Promoting books online can feel like shouting into the void. That’s why I’m offering FREE promotion on my website, https://t.co/5epWtkHCrr, to help you reach more readers. 📚✨
📩 Send your book details, links, and images to authorjpmacdougall@outlook.com, and I’ll showcase your… pic.twitter.com/UouD1QmEpN

— JP Macdougall (@PangeanChrons) March 25, 2025

About The Pangean Chronicles

Millions of years ago in the time of Pangea, when the continents were still as one, there existed the demon world. A race known as the Sanctorians reigned over a peaceful existence until the mysterious and unsettling birth of a dark demon cast a long shadow over this peace. Following the rise of this dark lord, who became known as Satanicus, a terrible war ensued, with Sanctorians leading a resistance against this new tyranny. By the end of the catastrophic war, with Satanicus incarcerated within 'The Book', the super-continent of Pangea was shattered into its separate continents and human existence, as we know it now, came to be.

Now the human race faces a threat greater than ever before. Lord Masshawus has spent millions of years in the shadows, raising an army and now plots to unify Pangea. It is down to Michael Shaw and his allies to stop the unification of Pangea and to recover 'The Book'. The future of civilisation is in the balance and there are very few who can be trusted.

Growing Slowly Nowhere Book Review

In his memoir Growing Slowly Nowhere, Iwan Ross writes about growing up in apartheid-era South Africa. His life throws readers not only into a world of injustice but also into one with a manipulative mother and brother.

Despite the troubling contents, which also include abuse and a local criminal hierarchy, the narrator manages a friendly, inviting tone. In fact, the narrative feels much like a weekly blog or newspaper column, with the end of each chapter teasing what lies ahead. It even manages a good deal of optimism.

Initially, that first-person style seems playful to the extent that the narrator sounds somewhat unreliable, even implying with a Mark Twain flair that what he says might not stick with the truth. As the story unfolds, Iwan Ross reveals a unique style that captures the human tendency of not wanting to grapple with too much pain and loss at the same time. His glimpses forward keep hinting at just why he keeps giving more chances to loved ones who only seem determined to hurt him. Somehow, the narrator’s life remains vibrant amidst an atmosphere of injustice. Rather than avoiding reality, he reveals it in gradual steps as his painful life experiences make him more insightful and resourceful.

With Growing Slowly Nowhere, Iwan Ross delivers a creative work that provides both entertainment and hope to the reader. The charming style and vivid descriptions will make readers glad they joined him on a sometimes painful but never boring journey.

I posted the above review at Goodreads, BookBub, and TheStoryGraph. Read more about the author at IwanRoss.Com.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

Gay Movie: Strapped (Repost)

Summary:

A young hustler becomes trapped in an apartment building. The tenants there affect him in surprising ways.

Text:

Young hustler Adam (Ben Bonenfant) shares a surprisingly honest and gentle encounter with a man who longs for a gay experience. Adam tries to appear concerned while actually remaining detached, but his concern becomes real.

After leaving the man’s apartment, Adam becomes lost in the apartment complex. His encounters with other tenants range from touching to funny to scary. Adam transforms, chameleon-like, whenever his eyes meet another man’s. He becomes what that man wants, in order to make money. Behind the games and the handsome face, however, Adam obviously wants something other than money. He wants an acceptance and understanding of himself.

Writer/director Joseph Graham manages to create a world within the tangled confines of the apartment complex. Every room reveals a different part of that world, and a different side of Adam. It all happens within that small setting, and within the span of little more than a night.

Ben Bonenfant’s charm and emotional range help make the story believable and compelling. Though he works with several actors, the movie relies on his individual chemistry with each of them. A strong soundtrack and intriguing camera work further strengthen Joseph Graham’s unusual film.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

Gay Movie: At the End of the Day

Directed and co-written by Kevin O'Brien, At the End of the Day effectively uses humor and drama to challenge hateful attitudes. A religious professor with anti-gay views finds himself involved with the LGBT community in surprising ways.

For Poetry Lovers!

My eBook Selected Poems is part of the Indie Poetry Sale hosted by Author, Poet & Graphic Designer Despoina Kemeridou. Despoina wrote Pieces of my Heart, Of Darkness and Light, and Whispers of the Soul. Though many of the discounts there are temporary, please keep visiting Despoina’s site for more indie writing and resources.

Indie Film Review: Accidental Texan

Though mostly shot in or near Austin, Accidental Texan takes place in New Orleans and Abilene, Texas, but mostly in Buffalo Gap, Texas. I was born in New Orleans and spent a lot of time there, lived in Abilene for two years, and visited Buffalo Gap several times. All of that caught my interest in this indie film, which I came across on Hulu. It also didn’t hurt that the cast includes Rudy Pankow (Outer Banks), Thomas Haden Church (Wings), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Maz Dugan (the NBC version of Friday Night Lights), and Bruce Dern (Nebraska).

Erwin (Rudy Pankow) sabotages his acting career with a careless error that shuts down an action movie set in New Orleans. During Erwin’s attempt to drive home, his car later breaks down in Buffalo Gap, where he meets Merle, who initially comes across as possibly unhinged, a conman, or both. However, Merle and some of the other quirky characters in Buffalo Gap soon turn out to be much more complicated and emotionally engaging than Erwin might expect.

The story takes some surprising and not-so-surprising twists, resulting in a charming small-town tale. I hope to see Rudy Pankow in more lead roles and look forward to seeing where his career takes him. Hopefully, it turns out better than his character’s acting career at the beginning of Accidental Texan. Also, he’ll hopefully keep surrounding himself with talented co-stars like in Outer Banks and in this movie.

Austin’s Mark Bristol produced and directed Accidental Texan. Besides directing the horror/comedy The Monster Hunter, Bristol worked as a a storyboard artist for directors Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Terrence Malick, and Christopher McQuarrie. Julie B. Denny cowrote Accidental Texan’s screenplay with Bristol, adapting it from Chocolate Lizards, the debut novel of West Texas author Cole Thompson.

Read more about Mark Bristol’s work via IMBD or SquareSpace.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

For Your 2025 Dystopian Reading List

If you’re building a 2025 dystopian reading list, please download Degranon for free via B&N, Kobo, or many other online bookstores.

In an alternate reality, the Iroquois scientist Taldra questions her world’s ban on space travel and free speech, but that world funds her research. One of her sons becomes trapped on the other side of a time portal while the other loses himself to the religious cult Degranon. Can they find their way back to each other before the Degrans destroy Valchondria?

Gay Movie Review: Longhorns (revised repost)

Summary:

The writer/director of Redwoods and Rock Haven switches to outrageous comedy. During 1982, a Texas college student meets a man who makes him confront his gay feelings.

Watch the Longhorns trailer on YouTube. NSFW.

Text:

Set in 1982, Longhorns draws its laughs from several intertwining lives. Stage and short film actor Jacob Newton plays Kevin, a young Texas college student who lives in denial about his gay identity, even while constantly acting upon his feelings. Derek Villanueva—from the upcoming web series Fabulous High—plays Cesar, a gay man who is decidedly open about his orientation, which makes Kevin both interested and uncomfortable. Kevin flirts with Cesar, while telling himself that Cesar makes all the advances.

Kevin’s college buddy Justin (Kevin Held) clashes with Cesar while pursuing Cesar’s best friend, Marsha (Bonnie Marion). The tangled lives of the four characters provide humor and occasionally touching scenes.

It all becomes even more complicated when Kevin flees his budding relationship with Cesar for a getaway weekend with his two best friends. Dylan Vox (from The Lair, Homewrecker, and Vampire Boys) plays Steve, who enables Kevin’s closet games by taking advantage of him. Writer/actor Stephen Matzke plays Daniel, not Danny. Matzke’s facial expressions and adorable awkwardness give the film even more heart and humor.

When plans with their girlfriends collapse, Kevin finds himself alone with his buddies and his thoughts. The entire film leans toward raciness and silliness, but always with an affectionate look at the characters, making it funny and charming.

Writer/director David Lewis previously made the dramas Rock Haven and Redwoods. Producer H.P. Mendoza also directed the musical Fruit Fly; he provided original music for Longhorns and several other films.

Producer Lewis Tice also worked as a producer for Bear City, helped market numerous TLA Releasing films, and worked at numerous film festivals. Lewis passed away in April 1, 2014. Though we never met in person, I enjoyed our email correspondence about upcoming LGBTQ movies and his enthusiasm for supporting independent films. The image below is one of his publicity pictures; you might have seen him at a film festival.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please also read about the Texas comedy, drama, and closet cases in The Acorn Stories.

Science Fiction TV: Resident Alien. #ResidentAlien #series #SyFy

I loved Alan Tudyk’s performances on Firefly/Serenity, Dollhouse, and A Knight’s Tale, to name some favorites. He can say a lot without saying anything, thanks to an expressive face, comic timing, and just a willingness to try anything to make his role memorable. I’d never read the Dark Horse Comic Resident Alien, but the description made Tudyk sound perfect for the title role.

Not only has he delivered on those expectations during the first three seasons, but the show surrounds him with a great array of quirky characters and odd situations. It’s bizarre, funny, exciting, and surprisingly touching. In a recurring role, a very serious Linda Hamilton brings more conflicts and surprises.

The upcoming fourth season will apparently air on SyFy’s sister station USA. SyFy seemed a more logical place for a science fiction series, kind of like keeping music on MTV Music Television, but at least the move doesn’t mean adding yet another channel or steaming app. I haven’t seen a definitive premiere date yet, just probably well into 2025. I’m looking forward to it and also recommend SyFy’s outer space series The Ark.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.