Tag Archives: Science Fiction

BQB’S Zombie Apocalypse Survivor Journal – Intro – Part 5

PREVIOUSLY ON BQB’S ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE SURVIVOR JOURNAL…

Part 1

My little green friend was stretched out on a table in the employee’s break room of Price Town.  His hat and glasses had fallen off in the chaos, leaving his face on full display.

“He gave his life for us,”  VGRF said.

I sniffed and teared up.

“I…I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“I can’t believe your kid was so ugly,”  Bernie said.  “No offense dude but you might be better off.”

Esteemed Brainy One

Esteemed Brainy One

“He wasn’t my kid,”  I said.  “He was Alien Jones.”

“What?”  Bernie asked.  “You’re saying that alien who writes on your blog is real?!  I thought that was just you pretending!  I thought you pretended to be all the characters.”

“No comment,” I said.

Alien Jones shot his head up into the air and let out a loud gasp.  It scared the crap out of all of us.

“Sweet Zanacostia’s Upper Filter!!!”

Alien Jones was always saying phrases that sounded like they might have been outer space forms of swearing.

“AJ!” I said as I hugged my intergalactic friend.  “You’re alive!”

“But I checked your neck,”  VGRF said.  “You didn’t have a pulse.”

“You don’t even want to know where I keep my pulse.”

Together, we walked out into the store.  It was fully stocked.  From hardware to groceries, it had everything we needed to survive.

Everyone was gone.  I assumed all the employees and customers hightailed it when they heard everyone becoming zombie lunch.

“Guess we picked a good spot to ride out the zombie apocalypse,”  Bernie said.

“Ignorant human,”  Alien Jones said as he pointed at the zombies pounding on the security gate.  “The structural integrity of our barrier will not last forever.”

“So you can just do that bubble thing again,”  Bernie said.

“It saps me of all my energy,”  Alien Jones said.  “Alas, I will not have the power to make another one for a full twenty four hours, and only then, it will last for about five minutes.”

“We’re screwed,”  Bernie said.

VGRF tended to look on the bright side.

“At least we have each other.”

“AJ,”  I said.  “Can’t you just call the Mighty Potentate and ask him to send some shock troops to cook these fools?”

“No,”  Alien Jones replied.  “For the time being, the Mighty Potentate is following Intergalactic Space Law, which mandates that no advanced world get involved in the affairs of primitives such as yourselves.”

“Right,”  VGRF said.  “The Prime Dir…”

“Intergalactic Space Law!”  I interrupted.  “Come on, VGRF, the last thing I need is to have Shatner shove a lawsuit up my ass.”

“The MP is bending the law enough already just by having me aid BQB in his insipid bloggery,”  Alien Jones said.  “He gets away with it because BQB only has 3.5 readers and none of them believe I am real.  He won’t take the chance of landing battle units.”

Alien Jones pulled out his phone.  It was orange, had a screen that displayed holographic images, and looked incredibly expensive.

“What are you doing?”  I asked.

“Consulting news reports.  Alas, it seems that the zombie infestation has spread all throughout East Randomtown in a matter of moments.

“Is West Randomtown safe?”  VGRF asked.

I knew she was worried about her family.

“It appears the surrounding communities were evacuated in time.  Military units are descending on the area to cut East Randomtown off from the rest of the world.”

“Alien Jones,”  I said.  “Can I borrow that for a minute?”

“Be careful,”  AJ said.  “It’s official Mighty Potentate property.”

I loved technology so I relished the chance to look over a phone constructed by aliens.

“What is this?”  I asked.

“A Kondoferian Class Sub 9NM1 Intergalactic Communications Unit.”

“Whoa,”  I said.  “A space phone!”

“No,  it’s a Kondoferian Class Sub…”

“We’re calling it a space phone,”  I said.  “It can call anyone anywhere in the world?”

“Anyone anywhere in the universe,”  Alien Jones replied.

“Is it fully charged?”  I asked.

“It is operated by a plutonium pebble with a half-life of a thousand years.  There is no need to recharge it until the year 3015.”

“I know exactly what to do with this,”  I said.

“Call the Army and ask them to rescue us,”  VGRF said.  “Thank God!”

“Take some dope ass selfies in front of the zombies and post them all over the Internet,”  Bernie said.  “Shit, with publicity like that the Funky Hunks will be back in no time.  High five!”

I left him hanging.

“No,”  I said.  “I’m going to call…ZOMBIE AUTHORS!  As the owner of a magic bookshelf, I am beloved and revered throughout the literary world!  With AJ’s space phone, I can call the world’s foremost zombie experts, individuals with vast knowledge of the undead that they’ll be able to advise us on how to extricate ourselves from any zombie related situation!”

“I’m pretty sure we should call the Army,”  VGRF said.

“Perhaps you should call your charges back at Bookshelf Battle HQ,”  Alien Jones suggested.

He was right.  As caretaker of a magic bookshelf, it was my duty to make sure that the various characters who called my shelf home were ok.

I dialed my number.

“Woof?”

“Bookshelf Q. Battledog!  My noble Security Chief!  Is everyone ok?”

“Woof.  Woof woof.”

Bookshelf Q. Battledog

Bookshelf Q. Battledog

“Really?”

“Woof.”

“And the Yeti?”

“Woof.”

“Very well,”  I said.  “Keep the entire facility on lockdown.  No one is to enter or exit.  Be safe, noble hound.”

“Woof.”

I hanged up the phone.

“Well?”  VGRF asked.

“Battledog says the zombies have already made it to our neighborhood, but they’re no match for BQB HQ’s high fortress like walls.  The bookshelf characters are safe and ready to fight if necessary.  My nemesis, the Yeti, remains imprisoned in the basement.”

I was able to get a lot out of those “woofs.”

“We won’t be able to stay here indefinitely,”  Alien Jones said.  “Gather supplies and prepare bug-out bags should we need to leave in a hurry.”

“Yes,”  I said.  “And I know just who to call about that.”

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BQB’s ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE SURVIVOR’S JOURNAL – INTRO

BQB EDITORIAL NOTE:

Hey everyone!  You might remember in July I put out a call to recruit authors of zombie books to participate in a fun month long event in October – “31 Zombie Authors.”  Each day, Bookshelf Q. Battler will present a new page in his Zombie Apocalypse Survivor’s Journal, featuring an interview with an author of a zombie book.

I haven’t forgotten you, zombie authors, and will be getting in touch with questions soon.  In the meantime, here is how I foresee the story beginning.

FYI if you’re a zombie author and you want in, please let me know.

WELCOME TO THE EAST RANDOMTOWN MALL

Thank you for choosing to do your shopping here, instead of that damn Internet, which we’re sure is totally just a fad that will die out any minute now.

Three stores are still open and we asked the manager of the pretzel stand to stop spitting into the batter.

Also, the police caught that weirdo who was stabbing people at random.

Enjoy your visit and please tell your friends we’re still open.

No, seriously.  Please tell them.  PLEASE!

It was a chilly fall Saturday afternoon.

I’d been stressed out lately.  Almost a year into a one post a day challenge on my website, “The Bookshelf Battle Blog,” and I was only at a mere 3.5 readers.

The bad news was that Aunt Gertie had given up on it, labeling it “too pedestrian.”  Everyone’s a critic.

The son I never had.

The son I never had.

The good news was that I gained a new reader to replace her, so it was a wash.

On top of reader recruitment woes, my attorney, Delilah K. Donnelly, had warned me that she was pretty sure that Jake Hatcher, my site’s Pop Culture Detective, wanted to pound my face flat for withholding the secret of his 60 year nap from him.

I needed a day off.

My girlfriend/video game correspondent, Video Game Rack Fighter, held my hand as we strolled past a whole row of empty stores, the steel gates yanked shut to prevent bums from turning them into makeshift condos.

“This place used to be jammed packed on Saturdays,”  I said.  “Bernie and I would grab a table at the food court and practice our beats all day long.”

Bernie Plotznick, my old East Randomtown High School buddy.  In the late 90’s/early 2000’s, Bernie and I were a two-man rap duo known as, “The Funky Hunks.”  If you like good rap, you’ve never heard of us.  If you were a soccer mom around that time, you probably threw your blue denim stretch pants on our stage, as our non-threatening, goody two shoes style made us a hit with the over forty ladies’ circuit.

But I digress.

“I miss the arcade,”  VGRF said.  “My mom used to drive me and my sister here all the way from West Randomtown just to play.”

Randomtown began as a settlement in pre-USA colonial days.  Alas, a split came when Zebediah Weston accused Jericho Eastward of oggling his sister’s ankles.  War was declared, a bloodbath ensued, and the town was divided down the middle.

VGRF and I were from opposite sides of the tracks, but somehow we made it work.

“Pitiful humans,” came a low, baritone voice from my right side.  “Outsource your economy to the machines and eventually they take control.  This is exactly what happened to those dimwitted Moloklaxons, the…”

“We know, AJ,”  VGRF interrupted.  “The a-holes of the universe.”

“Exactly.”

Oh, if you’re just tuning in, I should inform you that the Mighty Potentate, the maniacal despotic overlord of a planet the name of which I’ve been repeatedly told is none of my business, has decreed that I am the chosen one.

Specifically, said all powerful being:

  • Is a big fan of fiction and scripted television
  • Was aghast when he discovered just how many reality television programs Earth has produced.
  • Fears that a day will come when Earthlings will learn how to broadcast this trash throughout the cosmos, thus turning other alien races stupid and replacing his beloved scripted programming with shows about models shopping for clothes.
  • Has dispatched his emissary, Alien Jones, aka “The Esteemed Brainy One,” a three foot tall green alien with almond shaped eyes and a bulbous head atop a skinny body, to help get my writing career off the ground by promoting my blog through an “Ask the Alien” column.

It’s a lot of pressure knowing that an extra-terrestrial dictator believes my fiction may one day prevent the dumbening of the entire universe.  I try not to think about it.

Alien Jones usually beamed his columns to my blog from his ship and only visited my home, the Bookshelf Battle Compound, on Thursdays for Scandal night.  It’s become a regular tradition.  He brings the dip.

Other than that, this was the first time we’d gone out in public together.

The little guy was in disguise. Earlier, he dug into a box of old clothing Aunt Gertie had saved from when I was a kid and put on my “East Randomtown Mascots” baseball cap, a striped shirt, a pair of corduroy pants, sneakers and a little beige zip up barracuda jacket. A scarf covered most of his face.

He also borrowed VGRF’s sunglasses to cover his out of this world peepers.  They were purple and girly, but Alien Jones doesn’t have any junk, so I don’t think he cared.

“AJ, are you sure it’s safe for you to be out here?”  I asked.  “I don’t want the government catching you and slicing you up or anything.”

“Fear not,”  AJ replied.  “If anyone asks, I am a typical Earth boy.  My interests include super heroes, sports teams, and amphibians with martial arts training.”

The Esteemed Brainy One barged his way between VGRF and myself and reached his three fingered hands up to grab ours.

“We are an average Earth family on a visit to the commerce emporium,”  Alien Jones said.  “Anyone who implies otherwise will be vaporized.”

The key to the Mighty Potentate’s rule was his vaporization technology, which he used to turn anyone who disappointed him in the slightest way into a fine mist.  As one of the MP’s trusted advisors, AJ was allowed to carry a vaporization pistol, though in any given week, the Mightiest of Potentates threatened to make AJ use it on himself unless his various missions were carried out.

My writing career was one of many MP mandated tasks AJ was juggling.  I felt for the guy.  He was swamped.

“AJ!”  I said.  “You didn’t bring your vaporizer with you did you?”

An old lady who’d been walking near us overheard me and ducked down in front of my alien.

“Vaporizer?  Oh no, what’s the matter?  Does this poor little guy have a cold?”

She reached under the scarf to pinch AJ’s cheek.  VGRF and I looked at each other, unsure what to do.

“He does feel a little clammy.”

The thing you have to understand is that Alien Jones’ normal speaking voice sounds more or less like that smooth ass soul singer Barry White.

That’s pretty cool…unless you’re supposed to be a kid.

“Unhand me hideous creature.”

The old woman stood up, shocked and in a panic, practically ready to have a heart attack.

VGRF swooped in with a save.

“He’s got a sore throat,”  she said.  “And possibly ADD.  We’re getting him tested.”

Befuddled, the lady walked away.  We carried on.

“You know if you’re supposed to be a kid you probably don’t want to sound like you’re going to break out in a love ballad,”  I said.

“Right,”  the alien replied, and then after shifting his voice lower to mimic that of a little kid’s, added, “How’s this, daddy?”

Here, I should point out there’s little Alien Jones can’t do.  Mind reading.  Voice changing.  You name it.

“Incredibly creepy,”  I said.  “And don’t call me daddy ever again.”

“AJ,”  VGRF said, “What could possibly be happening at this mall that was so important to drag us out here anyway?”

As we closed in on the food court, the Esteemed Brainy One relinquished my hand, and pointed toward a stage.

On it, a video monitor had been set up.

Displayed on it were the words:

Today only at one p.m.

Infamous Inventor Dr. Hugo Von Science Presents His Latest Achievement:

The Reality TV Star Transmogrifier!

My diminutive friend returned to his bass voice.

“The Mighty Potentate demands I purchase every one in stock.”

Copyright (c) BQB 2015.  All Rights Reserved.

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Ask the Alien – PBBPB of “Paperback Beauty Pageant” – What’s Your Favorite Snack Food?

Greetings Earth Losers.

I'm covering my lack of bits and pieces with a guitar so PBBPB won't laugh at me.

I’m covering my lack of bits and pieces with a guitar so PBBPB won’t laugh at me.

No.  You know what?  I won’t even call two of you Earth losers this week, for when Bookshelf Q. Battler put out a notice that my illustrious overlord, the Mighty Potentate, was going to vaporize me lest someone ask me a question for this week’s column, two of you nobly stepped forward and put yourselves between His Potentosity’s vaporizing cannon and my tiny green body.

And they say chivalry is dead.

Pandora Spocks stopped by to inquire what my favorite X-Files episode is.  I’m going to get back to her on that one because that show was more or less a documentary of the Mighty Potentate’s 1990’s era efforts to colonize Earth and impregnate a skeptical female FBI agent.  I need to consult with the Potent One to see what he does and doesn’t want you humans to know.

So this week, I’m taking a question from PBBPB of the Paperback Beauty Pageant.

Ahh, the book cover.  That often shortchanged yet oh so important part of the publishing process.  3.5, you could write a tale so eloquent that it makes Shakespeare’s collective works look like a pile of stinky crap and yet, if it’s packaged with a cover that looks like it was drawn by weirdoes, no one’s going to bother reading it.

Sure, you might argue, “I’m a writer, not an illustrator!”  And while that’s true, the cover is usually taken by the reader as the first sign as to whether or not you’re taking your craft seriously.  Do you, as an author, understand the burden of keeping an audience happy?  You might fail, or more likely, some of your readers will love what you do and others will despise it, but the key question answered by the cover is whether or not you are at least making an effort to entertain your readers.

That’s why I stand by Bookshelf Q. Battler.  No matter what, he’s at least trying to entertain people.  (Oh, and also, you know, the MP says he’ll make with the vapey vape if I abandon him so there’s that.)

On his blog, PBBPB posts covers from old and lame sci-fi novels, usually published somewhere between 1950-1980.  From his writing style, he’s clearly gifted with a unique sense of humor, one that he uses to lambaste these covers and poke out their failures (as well as their nonsensical plots).

Some of my favorites:

The robot that’s spooning a spaceman. 

Inappropriately placed alien hand.

Metal monster has hots for space babe.

Self-publishers, let this be a lesson for you.  Do your research to find a designer with a proven track record of producing quality book covers, then dig deep into your pockets to pay him.

Otherwise, you might end up with a book cover featuring characters wearing nothing but leather lederhosen, because for some reason, people from the 1950’s to 1980 assumed that space was going to be lousy with people wearing nothing but German S and M bondage gear.

Now then, on to PBBPB’s question:

Mankind has enjoyed and suffered millennia within what is essentially a fish bowl. We look out at the stars which, though distorted by our atmosphere, speak volumes to us from distances likely untraversable in the lifetimes of ourselves or our posterity. Should we, as a species, encounter a traveler from a world who was able to bridge the gap between the cosmic backdrop and our planet, those millenia of history will come crashing down upon the poor being’s head, whether we intend it or not, through interaction and negotiation with us. It isn’t our fault, really, but we’ve only had ourselves to talk to for as long as we’ve lived, and have no operational context with which to engage in first contact. Given the vast differences in our experience, cultural and personal, I have to know—what’s your favorite Earth snack food?

I like it.  So many writers take themselves way too seriously.  This dude is a fresh change of pace.

You pose a question within a question here.

Humans do have a bad habit of envisioning themselves as the only beings in the universe.  You’re right, it’s not your fault. It’s all that you know.  In many ways, I envy you.  You get to go about your lives and focus on the mundane and the trivial without having to be preoccupied by constant Moloklaxon attacks as my species does.

Those Moloklaxons.  Truly, the a-holes of the cosmos.  Don’t even get me started.

Humans, think about it.  You sit on a giant ball in the middle of a vast sea of black nothingness.  Your scientists have determined and demonstrated to you there are other such balls throughout the void.

When you look at all these balls (stop laughing!), how does it not occur to you that there might be sentient life on another ball other than your own?

OK.  You know what?  Fine.  Just keep laughing at the word “ball.”  This is why you people are falling behind the rest of the universe.

Would an alien find it difficult to communicate with you?  Depends on the being.  A Moloklaxon would just eat you.

Meanwhile, I’m able to communicate with you just fine, but I’m a highly advanced being able to express myself in your language.

There are limits.  You can’t pronounce my real name so I have to go with “Alien Jones.”  And I refer to myself as a “he” even though I am junkless, just because your language doesn’t account for the possibility of a sentient life form that isn’t a man or a woman.

Sorry, but I’m too accomplished to allow myself to be referred to as an “it.”

Oh, and I do wish the Mighty Potentate had chosen a forum with more range than a book nerd’s blog that only draws in 3.5 readers, but who am I to question the Mighty One?

To get to the more important question, what is my favorite Earth snack food?

I am partial to funions.  They are delicious and the name on the bag does not deceive for they are made out of (or at least taste like) onions and they are fun.

The Mighty Potentate is partial to buffalo wings, so much so, that he once tried to shoot me out of a cannon directly into our world’s sun because I failed to bring him the requisite blue cheese sauce when I picked up an order for him.

It wasn’t my fault.  They always screw you at the intergalactic drive thru.

See?  We have some of the same problems you do, incompetent fast food workers chief among them.

Finally, my government mandated life partner, Alien Rosencrantz, is a big fan of chili cheese fries.  Luckily, we have very efficient metabolisms so they don’t go straight to his thighs.

You have to have an efficient metabolism when you don’t have a butt, after all.

Thank you for saving me from death by vaporization, PBBPB.  Your name has been added to the protected rolls in the event that one of the Mighty Potentate’s plans for Earth conquest proves successful.

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, on a mission to raise Earth’s collective intelligence levels one question at a time. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Tweet it to @bookshelfbattle on Twitter, leave it in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com, or stop by Bookshelf Battle on Google Plus. If he likes your question, he might even promote your book, blog, other project in his answer.

Image courtesy of a shutterstock.com license.

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Authors Who Dared to Consult the Esteemed Brainy One

All Hail the Mighty Potentate!

All Hail the Mighty Potentate!

AND NOW A SECURE TRANSMISSION FROM THE MIGHTY POTENTATE, SUPREME AND UNDISPUTED OVERLORD OF A PLANET THE NAME OF WHICH IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Alien Jones!  I demand a full list of all the Earth authors who’ve dared to consult your highly evolved mind!

Step forward, oh Esteemed Brainy One, and notify me whose names shall be added to the protected rolls  in the event it is deemed that an invasion of Earth is the only means necessary to prevent the intergalactic spread of reality television!

Do this quickly or be vaporized!

Alien Jones, The Esteemed Brainy One

Alien Jones, The Esteemed Brainy One

Certainly, oh Wonderful Potentate!

The indie authors who’ve consulted my are as follows:

A.H. Browne – Do aliens still probe?

Java Davis, The Road Trip Writer – How do I contact Alien Jones?

G.P. Eynon – Why do aliens have better stuff?

Pandora Spocks – Who is Jon Snow’s mother?

Marion Stein – Is Alien Jones related to Yoga Jones from Orange is the New Black?

Justin Sloan – Pit one of my books against a classic.

KD Rose – Make Higgs Boson funny?

Brannon Hollingsworth – Who would win in a fight of robots vs. aliens?

Connie Flanagan – Intelligent plant life?

Sledpress – Is Hollywood really capturing what aliens look like?

Daniel Waltz – Have you ever water traveled?

Oh Mightiest of Potentates, forgive this alien and spare the vaporizer, for in the beginning, I was less efficient and crammed multiple authors into one column.

These brave pioneers, who dared to attach their name to a column purported to be written by an alien in the service of a man who claims to own a magic bookshelf include:

DC Graylocke – I don’t plan to participate in reality TV

AND

Gary Henry – Will the alien provide advice for the lovelorn?

READ HERE

MEI MEI/JEDIBYKNIGHT – Can you tell me about your alien ancestors?

AND

Gary Alan Ruse – Have you read my books?

AND

Kai Delmas – who would win in a war between orcs and men?

READ HERE

Kim Magennis – Was Tesla one of yours?

Tara Ellis – I’d love to share my book with your readers.

READ HERE

TJ SIEBENECK – Which book cover should I use?

MEI MEI/JEDI BY KNIGHT – Are any aliens from Star Wars based on real aliens?

Kim Magennis – Elvis, Bermuda Triangle, and Socks

READ HERE

Julie Shackman – What is your favorite genre and why?

Joe Schwartz – What color is that damn dress?

Kim Magennis – Who built the pyramids?

READ HERE

ALIEN JONES’ FINAL THOUGHTS

Oh, Mightiest of Potentates!  In summation, a total of 21 indie authors and/or bloggers have consulted the precious wisdom of my genius mind.

Surely, this is a sign the humans are worth salvaging.

Especially worth noting is that for the past 9 weeks, I have not gone a single week without one human seeking my counsel.

Bookshelf Q. Battler informs me that he is honored that so many authors would trust this blog to promote them.  He put out the call for humans to ask an alien a question and the questions have been coming in since this column began March 1.

BQB and I continue to fight the good fight against the reality television that so offends your eyes by promoting fiction.  Also, BQB is even working on a series of his own, and that’s a far cry further from where he was at the start of this year when I found him.

I had my doubts, your Potentosity, but perhaps BQB is indeed the chosen one.

That’s why you’re the Potentate.

Humans, please keep the inquiries coming.  Let’s keep the MP happy and keep the hot streak going.

Yours in Braininess,

Alien Jones

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, on a mission to raise Earth’s collective intelligence levels one question at a time. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Tweet it to @bookshelfbattle on Twitter, leave it in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com, or stop by Bookshelf Battle on Google Plus. If he likes your question, he might even promote your book, blog, other project in his answer.

Image courtesy of a shutterstock.com license.

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Ask the Alien – 8/16/15 – G.P. Eynon – Why Do Aliens Have Better Stuff?

Greetings Earth losers!

Alien Jones here, beaming the Bookshelf Battle Blog full of extra-terrestial extra-intelligence.

This week’s question comes from G.P. Eynon, proprietor of the blog, “How Do You Pronounce Eynon?”

I can relate, G.P.  Humans can’t pronounce my name either, so that’s why I have to go with “Alien Jones” for the purposes of this column.

Have you ever considered you might be an alien?  Food for thought.

The Esteemed Brainy One, Champion of Science, Despiser of Pants

The Esteemed Brainy One, Champion of Science, Despiser of Pants

Anyway, G.P.’s inquiry:

Ok, here’s a question for you Esteemed Brainy One. How come you aliens always have better stuff than us, you know: starships, probes, laser guns, and the like? And when we finally get ourselves some quality starships, probes, laser guns, and the like, what the hell are you guys gonna be using? Do we even stand a chance…?

Good question.

The short answer is…we are totally smarter than you.

The longer answer starts with…sex.

Or rather, my species’ inability to have it since we’re clones and those pesky bits and pieces that often manage to be the downfall of human kind have been written out of our genetic code for eons.

For more on this issue, I recommend picking up a copy of the Mighty Potentate’s copious volume, “Sex:  The Bane of the Universe’s Existence.”

In it, the Mightiest of Potentates explains:

  • How all beings pretend like they do the work they do to fulfill themselves but really, everyone’s just looking for an angle to get rich and famous so they can obtain the mate of their dreams.
  • That in theory, this sounds like a good motivational tool to inspire the masses to dream big, live large, and dedicate themselves to education and hard work.
  • But in reality, all the greats who invent something magnificent usually switch their brains off once all the money and sex starts rolling in.
  • That my planet, the name of which is none of your business, was, many thousands of years ago, not unlike Earth.  War, pestilence, plagues, famine, reality television, all which came about due to various despots seeking to prove their worthiness in the hopes of getting, well, you guessed it.
  • That once aliens of my species were cloned sans junk, our world became a happier place, one where we were free to experiment, try new ideas, explore, discover and create without fear that failure might lead to us not getting sex, because you know, we’re not interested now.
  • And finally, that despite our sexless existence, sometimes our egos get in the way, thus the need for the Mighty Potentate to remind us that our transgressions = vaporization.

By the way, more than lack of sex, the Mighty Potentate’s threats of vaporization are additional factor to which I attribute the advancement of our society.

For example, take the memoirs of Alien Guzman, inventor of the first intergalactic flight capable spaceship:

“While many before me looked at the stars and saw them as mere decorations dotting the sky, I dared to dream that one day I would be able to visit them.  They are real, tangible, and the only thing that separated me from them was science.  I would deny my dream no longer, for the limits of my ability are only limited by the depths of my imagination.

Also, the Mighty Potentate wanted a spaceship and said he’d totally vaporize the shit out of me if he didn’t get one.”

– Alien Guzman, The Esteemed Flying One

How moving.  Or what about this quote from Dr. Alien Himmelfarb, who discovered the cure for alien cancer?

“This disease had cut short the lives of too many.  It left nothing but suffering in its wake, for its victims as well as the caretakers of those afflicted.  Something needed to be done.  Society could no longer be allowed to live in fear of the ravages of this intolerable malady.

Also, the Mighty Potentate was diagnosed with it and threatened to vaporize the crap out of me if I didn’t cure him.”

– The Esteemed Healing One

There you have it.  In short, the key for humans to become better inventors is two-fold:

  1.  Clone your genitals out of existence.
  2. Swear allegiance to a maniacal despot who will motivate you through threats of vaporization.

Really, number three would be “invent vaporization” but I suppose you could replace it with any manner of demise until one of your human scientists realizes that a vaporization cannon can be created by hooking up a dehumidifier to a leaf blower and filling it with…

Nope.  Never mind.  I’ve said too much.

Now, to the next part of your question.

And when we finally get ourselves some quality starships, probes, laser guns, and the like, what the hell are you guys gonna be using? Do we even stand a chance…?

We aliens have done our best to keep humans from inventing these items, largely as we fear you’re not able to handle the consequences of them, but mostly because we fear you’ll use them to export reality television.

Surely, we can’t keep this up forever, and you are correct.  By the time humans develop breakthroughs that are yesterday’s news to us aliens, we’ll already be onto the next thing.

Predictions:

STARSHIPS – will be replaced with intergalactic teleportation.  The venerable Alien Reynolds has already developed the technology, it’s just a matter of creating a business model.  Some aliens think there should be a gateway portal every ten miles, while others believe that there should be a gateway in every alien’s living room.  Rumor has it that the Mighty Potentate is currently considering the issuance of a vaporization threat, so you can expect this to get off the ground shortly.

PROBES – Already obsolete.  After millennia of probing, there’s no spoilers left in your spoiler, as it were.

LASER GUNS – have been obsolete since the invention of vaporization cannons.  Currently, firearms expert Alien Alvarez has been commissioned by the Mighty Potentate to develop a prototype explode-o-vaporizer cannon.  If successful, the device will cause a target to spontaneously explode, and then the remaining pieces are instantly vaporized.  Word has it that AA is behind schedule and that the MP has declared that if he doesn’t pick up the pace soon, AA will be required to invent the device and then immediately use it to explode AND vaporize himself.

In closing, humans will always be woefully behind aliens, but by adjusting your society, getting ridding of your sex drives, and swearing fealty to a vaporization happy dictator, you’ll catch up in no time.

Look at that.  I finished this column on schedule.  I won’t be vaporized today!  Huzzah!

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, on a mission to raise Earth’s collective intelligence levels one question at a time. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Tweet it to @bookshelfbattle on Twitter, leave it in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com, or stop by Bookshelf Battle on Google Plus. If he likes your question, he might even promote your book, blog, other project in his answer.

Image courtesy of a shutterstock.com license.

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And Now a Message from Alien Jones

Hello.

The Esteemed Brainy One enjoys the dog days of summer...pantsless.

The Esteemed Brainy One enjoys the dog days of summer…pantsless.

Alien Jones, the Esteemed Brainy one here, reminding you to “Ask the Alien” a question and get plugs for your books and blogs in my answer right here on the Bookshelf Battle Blog, bookshelfbattle.com.

Help me get Bookshelf Q. Battler’s writing career up and running so my boss, the Mighty Potentate, will release me from this mission.

“But Alien Jones,” you ask.  “What are the pros and cons of asking you, an alien, a question?”

PROS:

  • You help your planet become one answer smarter.
  • You help promote self published authors and strike another blow in the Mighty Potentate’s war on reality television.  You thought reality tv was harmless, didn’t you?  But now a reality tv star is running for president.  Next thing you know it’s Secretary of State Kardashian.  Don’t say you weren’t warned, 3.5
  • You’ll get a free plug and maybe even gain a new reader or two.  I’ve helped 20 indie authors already.
  • The Mighty Potentate won’t vaporize me.

CONS:

Literally, nothing.  Why are you humans so quick to look a gift alien in the mouth?  A representative of a hyper intelligent species wants to share all the mysteries of the universe with you and you’re all still like, “Well, I dunno, let me kick the tires on this one and get back to you.”

So ask me, Alien Jones, a question today.  You can ask away on twitter.  Tweet @bookshelfbattle #AskTheAlien and our resident Blogger in Chief will forward your question to my ship.

Or, just leave it in the comments here.

“But Alien Jones, where else can I, a mere human, get in touch with you?”

If you can reach BQB on his other social media, go for it.

Here he is on facebook.

Here he is on Google Plus 

And finally, here’s the World Renowned Poindexter on Wattpad.

And finally, you might ask, “Alien Jones, how long will it take for you to answer my question?”

Normally, I try to answer questions in the order they’re asked.  I used to bunch several questions into one column, but now I like to give each author a column all their own.  That doesn’t mean that repeat askers aren’t welcome.  They are.  And if you’re one of the 3.5 people out there without a book to push, feel free to ask away.  I like to help indie authors promote their works, but you don’t have to have something to promote in order to ask away.

Thank you, Earthlings.  Continue your normal functions of duck faced selfies and scratching yourselves at inopportune times.

Alien Jones, signing off.

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Ask the Alien – 8/9/15 – A.H. Browne – Do Aliens Still Probe?

By:  Alien Jones, Intergalactic Correspondent

Plus 5, carry the one = get some more roughage in your diet.

Plus 5, carry the one = get some more roughage in your diet.

Greetings Earth losers!

Earth losers, this is a very special edition of Ask the Alien.

Sometimes societies do things that are wrong and don’t realize those actions are wrong until years later.

It’s happened on your planet.  Europeans arrived in the New World, declared it to be theirs, ignoring the natives’ protests of, “Hey, guys, we’re right here.  We can totally hear you.”

To put it in perspective, imagine how P.O.’d you’d be if you were relaxing in your living room, watching some human sporting event, enjoying a beer and a pizza and out of nowhere, a European explorer plunks a flag down on your barca lounger and announces your crap is his crap now.

But I digress.

Aliens have their own sordid past and a question from science fiction author A.H. Browne of “Pouring my Art Out” causes this outer space traveler to rehash a dark time in my species’ history:

Actually, my first question was going to be; “Uh, you aren’t going to probe us, are you?” You jumped the gun on that one.

Indeed, I’ve addressed this difficult topic before, but since only 3.5 people read Bookshelf Q. Battler’s nonsense, it’s worth repeating.

Yes, it’s true.  In the past, and for many, many years, our Supreme Overlord, the Mighty Potentate, commissioned a series of abductions, which were carried out as follows:

  • Kidnap humans
  • Insert probing devices in hind quarters
  • Retrieve data on what makes humans tick, how they function, and what they had for breakfast
  • Return humans to Earth.
  • Spritz them with gin so NOBODY believes them.
  • In fact, to make sure nobody believes them, we usually took eccentric folk in the first place.  You know that guy at the bar who’s always babbling about how the government is reading his mind and cats are actually spies that report all of your activities to the CIA?  Yeah, we’d usually scoop him up in a heartbeat.

Was probing our finest hour?

No, but we learned a lot about you and after 10,000 years of experience, we offer, in the name of peace and putting this sad chapter behind us, the full summation of our probing knowledge:

Eat more fiber.  Seriously.  You’re all backed up worse than I95 after a semi-truck rollover in the eastbound express lane.

Further, a public service announcement:

The Mighty Potentate cancelled the probing project over a thousand years ago.  There has not been an officially sanctioned probing expedition since medieval times.  If you want to know why the dark ages were full of angry people who were constantly hacking each other to pieces, it’s because they were so angry that we were probing the bejesus out of them.

But that’s all done now.  Once we reached the limit of all possible data available through lodging roving robotic devices into human nether regions, the MP put the kibosh on the whole deal.  After all, no one wants to waste their time watching something they’ve already seen.  It’s like MASH.  Why are the reruns still on the air?  We get it, Klinger.  You’re wearing that dress in the hopes the brass will send you home.

However, we do have some young aliens who don’t know any better.  Your human teenagers range from 13-19.  Our aliens have their young and dumb period between 100-1,000.  I always say, “Boy, I hope no one thinks ill of me just because of some stupid stuff I did when I was 999 and didn’t know any better.”

Anyway, our younguns often get rowdy and their idea of a fun Saturday night includes:

  • Flying to Earth
  • Probing humans
  • Teleporting cows to different locations, thus confusing the cow and the human farmer who’s left wondering where his cow went.
  • Crop circles (the Mighty Potentate had once ordered these markings to show our shock troops where to land, but the hostile takeover was cancelled once your planet invented reality TV, thus proving to the MP that your species wouldn’t be a welcome addition to his empire.)

In short, if an alien demands to probe you, he does this without the Mighty Potentate’s blessing, and thus you may feel free to defend yourself from insertion of a Probe-o-matic.

Usually, all you have to do is state to the alien intruder, “I’m telling the Mighty Potentate on you!” and they’ll skeedaddle.

Ornery aliens always wise up once the possibility of vaporization is on the table.

Now that you humans no longer have to fear probing, might I suggest that you use your new found free time to read one of Browne’s books?  For example, a lazy, opinionated janitor at an intergalactic Texas saloon becomes an unlikely hero during a spaceship hijacking in Saloon at the Edge of Nowhere.

Browne seems to have a good sense of humor, so the 3.5 of you who enjoy BQB’s scribblings will probably like this book too.

(Did I really get through an article about probing and not make a Browne/brown pun?  I’m slipping.)

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, on a mission to raise Earth’s collective intelligence levels one question at a time. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Tweet it to @bookshelfbattle on Twitter, leave it in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com, or stop by Bookshelf Battle on Google Plus. If he likes your question, he might even promote your book, blog, other project in his answer.

Image courtesy of a shutterstock.com license.

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Pop Culture Mysteries – Fan Dime Drops – For the 3.5 (Part 2)

PREVIOUSLY ON POP CULTURE MYSTERIES…

Part 1

AND NOW THE POP CULTURE MYSTERIES CONTINUE…

In a cramped study room, we sat across a table from one another, sizing each other up, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Delilah was a gorgeous specimen of a lady, everything perfect, not a single hair out of place.  My inner animal wanted to gobble her up, but we weren’t there for hanky panky.

We were there to bargain.

Never cross a lady lawyer.

Never cross a lady lawyer.

She clacked open her briefcase and handed me a dossier.  Inside?

Printouts from the Bookshelf Battle Blog.

“Your reports have pleased Mr. Battler.  Sometimes his readership spikes to a grand total of 17.5 readers when there’s a Pop Culture Mysteries post.”

“Good for him,”  I replied.  “He might as well start packing his bags for LaLa Land.  He can have it.”

“Mr. Battler’s readers have enjoyed your files to the point where they have mysteries of their own.”

“As much as I’d like to stare at your lovely face all day, Ms. Donnelly, I’ve got a beep boop machine class to get back to, so let’s grab a pair of scissors and cut to the chase, shall we?”

“Very well.  Three readers have stepped forward with entertainment related questions that deserve an answer and as Mr. Battler’s resident detective, that task falls on your shoulders.”

“How much?”

“Nothing,”  Delilah said.  “You’ve already agreed to do it gratis.”

The conniving counselor handed me the contract I signed the night I first met her, as well as a magnifying glass.  I scrutinized the document and low and behold, she wasn’t just whistling dixie:

Mr. Hatcher agrees to solve any Pop Culture Mysteries posed to him by Mr. Battler’s 3.5 readers.

Take a note.  When you’re dealing with a foxy broad, always check the fine print.

“What in the name of J. Edgar Hoover’s evening gown are you trying to pull here, sister?!”

I took another peak through the magnifying glass.

“What’s this about selling my kidneys?!”

Delilah snatched the paper back.

“Best we focus on the matter at hand, Mr. Hatcher.  You should be delighted.  Mr. Battler’s renewing your tales for a second season.”

“I don’t care about any of that, doll.  I just want to go home.  Your client is a real snake in the grass for holding out on me.”

Our client, Mr. Hatcher.  Now then, Mr. Battler does not expect a thorough investigation for these questions.  He has simply asked me to relay his 3.5 inquiries and to obtain your reaction.  Certainly, these shorter mysteries will be no match for a investigator of your skill.”

I doubt she meant it, if there was any way to win over the shattered pieces of my heart, a compliment from a good looking lady was it.

I’m sure she knew that and used it to her advantage.

DELILAH:  Mr. Hatcher, Michael Gunter of “Michael Gunter’s Tales of Today and Yesterday” contacted Mr. Battler with this concern:

Here’s one for ya, Hatcher!

The mark’s name is Nedry. Dennis Nedry. He ticked off the wrong people (don’t mess with mega-corporations) and got eaten by a dinosaur. But that’s not your problem. What we want to know is why the idiot shut down ALL the security systems. If he programmed the whole system, why didn’t he just set it up so he could shut down specific systems, instead of letting every dinosaur in the park loose? I’d make a joke about buggy code, but he got eaten, didn’t he? Joke practically wrote itself.

I lit up my cigar and had a puff.  The carcinogens danced to and fro in my lungs as I mulled over my answer.

“Gunter,”  I said.  “Another one of these Mickey Spillane types with a blog-a-ma-call-it?”

“Indeed,”  Delilah said.  “I’ve heard he can even be followed on twitter @GunterWriting.”

I turned away and exhaled my exhaust.  I’d no sooner coat Ms. Donnelly’s visage with fumes than I would the Mona Lisa.

“I’m the last cat you want to be asking questions about beep boop machines,”  I said.  “After all, I am a student in an introductory computer course taught by an old broad who can beep boop laps around me.  Why was this Nedry character on the lam?”

“Corporate espionage,”  Ms. Donnelly answered.  “Mr. Nedry was secretly paid for a rival company that wanted Jurassic Park’s dinosaur genetic material.”

“Yeesh,”  I said.  “The stuff that passes for cinema now.  Well, like I said, computers go over my head higher than a Boeing, but I’ve caught a lot of crooks and I’d wager Nedry did it just to screw with the employer he was already screwing.  Maybe he thought it’d be harder to track him down if his co-workers were busy wrangling dinosaurs.  Or, and I know this is probably an unsatisfactory answer, but maybe he just did it because it wouldn’t have been much of a flick if all the dinosaurs remained in their cages in a safe and secure manner.”

“An astute answer,”  Delilah said.  “I shall have Mr. Battler contact Mr. Gunter with the details shortly.”

“Who else wants a piece of the Jersey Jabber?”

Do you have a Pop Culture Mystery?  Drop a dime!  Tweet your entertainment questions to @bookshelfbattle or leave them in the comments below.  

Copyright (c) 2015 Bookshelf Q. Battler.  All Rights Reserved.

Image courtesy of a shutterstock.com license. 

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Ask The Alien – 8/02/15 – Java Davis, The Road Trip Writer

Greetings Earth Losers!

The Road Trip Alien

The Road Trip Alien

Another Sunday and that means another installment of “Ask the Alien,” the only column where a) a representative of the most intelligent species in the universe does what he can to raise Earth’s intelligence levels and b) another fiction author is supported, thus striking another crucial blow in the battle against reality television.

Scripted media is where it’s at and my boss, the Mighty Potentate, hates any kind of TV show that features words in the title like, “Who Wants to Be a Blank…” or “Something Something Wars” or “Blank Makeover.”

This week’s question comes from Java Davis, The Road Trip Writer.

Java is a modern day Jack Kerouac of sorts, traveling the open road and sharing stories and photos of his journeys, as well as his love of coffee.

He reminds me of Voro Chabadox, the only alien to visit every planet in the universe, fueled only by Starbucks (we have them out here too.)

In his book, Flying with Chabadox, Voro claims that he actually reached the edge of the universe, only to find a giant sign on an insurmountable wall that read, “There’s nothing to see here.  Go away.”

All kinds of theories abound about what’s behind the great end of universe wall.  I’ve deduced it’s a locale where the answers to the greatest mysteries of life are kept.  Other aliens argue it’s where the afterlife is located.  The Mighty Potentate is certain it’s where all your socks go when they go missing, as well as your lost keys, cell phones, and other stuff you swear you just put down a second ago and now for the life of you can’t find anywhere.

Perhaps we’ll never know what’s behind that wall, but at least fellow traveler Java has shared what he’s learned on the open road.

He’s also authored a number of books, all of them conveniently laid out here.  Java does one thing that I rarely see indie authors do and that’s offer a large print edition of his books.

The Mighty Potentate will appreciate that.  He doesn’t like to admit it but he just had his 999,999th birthday and once we aliens start pushing a million, the old visual receptors aren’t what they used to be.

(Don’t tell him I said that.  You know, his penchant for vaporization and all.)

Of particular interest to self-publishers might be Java’s non-fiction book, On Becoming a Dinosaur.  Java used to be a typesetter, an occupation that was replaced by desktop publishing, and so he explains how that all came about and his adjustment to his career becoming obsolete.

It happens to the best of us, you know.  As a hyper intelligent alien, I have impeccable foresight, and can advise you all that this whole Internet craze will one day be remembered as quaint once the neural implants start but whoops, I’ve said too much.

Java has been a fan of Pop Culture Mysteriesa blog serial that Bookshelf Q. Battler is currently working with hardboiled detective Jake Hatcher on turning into a book.

Personally, I wonder when the Alien Jones book is coming because, you know, it’s not like my epic life as a space traveling warrior/diplomat/servant of the Mighty Potentate could ever be fodder for a fantastic book that would blow the minds of BQB’s 3.5 readers or anything.

Don’t worry.  I’m not bitter.

But in addition to dropping some pop culture dimes to BQB’s gumshoe, the Road Trip Writer was also concerned enough about how to help indie authors learn how to consult my genius brain that he asked:

Dear Alien Jones, how does an indie author go about engaging with your alien self?

May you continue to wow us with tales of your cross country travels, JD.

Thank you for stopping by with your question.  The answer is as easy as checking out the weekly after column blurb below:

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, on a mission to raise Earth’s collective intelligence levels one question at a time. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Tweet it to @bookshelfbattle on Twitter, leave it in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com, or stop by Bookshelf Battle on Google Plus. If he likes your question, he might even promote your book, blog, other project in his answer.

Image courtesy of a shutterstock.com license.

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Free Promo Do-Over – Free Promo Saturday

Oh alright.

Promote anything you want in the comments below all day Saturday…

and you don’t have to swear fealty to the Mighty Potentate at all.

Just don’t tell him I said that.  I don’t want to be vaporized.

(Those who do hail the Mighty Potentate will get a promotional tweet as well though.)

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY POTENTATE!

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY POTENTATE!

Gee whiz, asking your 3.5 readers to pledge allegiance to an alien overlord goes over like a lead balloon around here.

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