D. Scott Apel – författare

"e;Science Fiction: An Oral History"e; features in-depth dialogs with prominent authors of the genre's Golden Age (1930-1960) and New Wave (1960-1980) eras, including Philip K. Dick, Theodore Sturgeon, Fritz Leiber, Roger Zelazny, C.L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, Norman Spinrad and Robert Anton Wilson. Through these interviews with some of the most highly-regarded figures in the field, we get first-hand insight into the changes in style, subject and society that shaped the evolution of the genre over its first half-century. Topics covered include their influences and working habits, analysis of their major works, discussions of science fiction as the modern mythology and its differences from mainstream fiction, as well as numerous anecdotes from their professional and personal lives. Far from a dry history of a dynamic subject, the interview format captures the spontaneity, enthusiasm and humor of spending a couple hours in good conversation with an old friend.

"e;Fans of Donald E. Westlake's comic crime novels will love The Infinite Mistress."e; --ComiCaper. When a bubble-headed North Beach topless dancer hires a young Silicon Valley private eye to investigate the authenticity of her "e;past life memories,"e; little does he suspect that he's about to become entangled in a plot that has repeated itself through several lifetimes--and always ends tragically for the dancer. Or is it all just coincidence? The real question is, can he piece together the past-life clues he uncovers in time to dodge the juggernaut of karma and avoid the fated fatal finale? It's taken several lifetimes, but this time around, time is running out. A fast, funny, and original twist on the mystery novel.

Alec Smart Mystery #3. "e;Fans of Donald E. Westlake will love this wild comic caper!"e; –ComiCaper. When a 13-year-old comic book magnate hires detective Alec Smart to find a rare Batman book stolen from his collection, the curious request sends the dysfunctional duo on an odd odyssey navigating the dangerous straits of chaotic comic book conventions, crooked dealers and crazed parents...one of whom is determined to bed him, and the other, to run him down with his car. And when Smart isn't being tossed off the top of multi-story structures or dealing with his girlfriend's infidelity, he's engaged in a perilous, life-sized game of Pac-Man played out in the streets of his small town. Can he get the book—and his girlfriend—back without serious injury to his body or his ego?

We swim in a sea of celebrity—a sea that's both shallow and surprisingly wide. There are few people who don't have a "e;brush with fame"e; story in their repertoire of personal anecdotes. I've got 100...and then some. This book of short, amusing anecdotes details my "e;close encounters"e; with the famous folk I've run across, interviewed, or even occasionally befriended, including Actors (Robin Williams, Meg Ryan), Directors (Robert Wise), Star Trek cast (and creator Gene Roddenberry), Cultural Icons (Joseph Campbell; Tim Leary), Musicians (Grace Slick), and Writers (Philip K. Dick, Norman Mailer)...not to mention Playboy Playmates, Astronauts, Scientists and Billionaires (Steve Jobs was my boss!). These are the backstage stories and candid moments that happen when the tape recorder is turned off, or when Mary Tyler Moore steps on your foot.

A Comedy Tonight! Treat yourself to a quartet of comic plays you'll never see on stage (unless you attended an early performance). "e;Fourplay"e; collects scripts for two three-act comedies and two one-act farces ("e;A Pair of Shorts"e;) first staged by San Jose's famous Stage One performance company in the early '90s. Bonus material includes the script for a never-performed fifth play—a one-act farce to be staged in the theater of your mind. If you're a fan of The Marx Brothers, you'll love "e;A Night in the Graveyard,"e; an original homage to the films of the boys' early years. And if you hate PBS pledge breaks, you'll love "e;Pledge Night!"e; which reveals what might be going on behind the scenes and off-screen. "e;Fourplay"e; also includes introductions and numerous production photos. Uh-oh...the curtain's going up on these lively reads—better get a copy and take your seat!

Summer 1980: CADDYSHACK is poised to become the highest-grossing comedy film of all time. Co-writer Doug Kenney is counting on it, so he'll have enough Tinseltown clout to launch his crowning achievement: a screwball space comedy he wants to film on location—and a movie with a budget ten times the size of most movies of the era. (Renting an entire mission of the new Space Shuttle ain't cheap!) To get all his ducks in a row in the showbiz shooting gallery, he enlists the aid of the screenwriter of A NIGHT AT THE SPACE OPERA as well as young private eye Alec Smart, who saved Doug's life and is drafted into the role of associate producer. Join the trio as they embark on an epic odyssey into the dark heart of Hollywood, consulting with such notables as Joseph Campbell, Timothy Leary, and studio head Michael Eisner. Will Doug get the "e;Hollywood ending"e; he's hoping for—love and rainbows and roses-roses? Or will it turn out to be Hollywood, ending, when he falls off a cliff in Hawaii?

AN URGENT LETTER FROM SANTA CLAUS: Dear Aging Children: You and I both know that in your heart of hearts you still believe in me...or how could I continue to exist? That's precisely the existential threat I face when a Reality Plague begins infecting the entire Land of Imagination, threatening to overwhelm us with rotten reality and extinguish fantasy altogether, turning Earth into a dull, gray place. Like Kansas! This fantaphage might even be the villainous nemesis behind OzCo's attempted annexation of the North Pole. My first, last and only hope is to import a hero to fight the mysterious new Wizard of OzCo's hostile takeover attempt and the diabolical darkness behind it. Too bad the only help I could conscript is an imagination-deficient corporate lawyer. Sure, he's skilled in takeover strategies and how to block them. Sure, he was exposed in his youth to all the same in fairy tales you all were, like Barrie and Carroll and Baum (oh my!), and he's familiar with Jung's Active Imagination and Campbell's Hero's Journey. But does he possess the proper hero's skill set necessary to save our entire dimension? No one has much faith in his ability to wrest success — not Merlin, not Ozma, not even any of the iconic characters of Oz: Scarecrow, Woodman, and Lion. Thus, dear reader, I must petition you for your help. We fantasy figures exist only through the beneficent bestowal of your attention upon us, and only your continued attention can ensure our continued existence. To that end, you're invited to join in this epic comic fantasy adventure. Is there drama? Of course. Comedy? To be sure. Love? Absolutely! Death? Well…what would a fairy tale be without death? But mostly there's humor and a multitude of misadventures occurring between Once Upon a Time and the inevitable (fingers crossed) Happily Ever After. I know many of you have at one time or another harbored a secret desire to inhabit a fantasyland. But what do you think would actually happen to you if you were suddenly thrust into one? Find out by riding along with our hapless hero as he endures an often comic – and occasionally agonizing – education in how fantasy really works. If I still haven't convinced you, let's let our reluctant hero himself give it a shot: I blame Santa. He's the one who kidnapped me from Earth into the Realm of the Imagination to fight a hostile takeover of his mom and pop operation by the aggressive OzCo and its sinister Wizard. I might be an expert in takeover strategies and defenses against them, but what do I know about Wonderland, Neverland, Oz, and all the rest? On Earth, fantasy worlds were an escape. Now I'm stuck in one and I can't escape. Seriously, how am I supposed to fight a foe whose primary weapon is a dark magic that extinguishes imagination and creativity? I can conscript Dorothy's trio for assistance, but chances are they'll be no help at all, considering that a century after their Big Adventure, they've got their own existential crises to deal with. So I have to wrestle with that as well. Maybe I've been drafted into an archetypal Hero's Journey, but I'm hardly prepared for one: I'm just an Average Joe, not an exceptional Joe Campbell. Bad enough that I'm a reluctant hero. But when I discover I'm not even the White Knight they'd convinced me I was, but just a pawn in a much larger and much darker game, you can probably understand why I'm not too keen to go on another Baumdamn quest. But I will if you will.