Archive for the ‘Novels’ Category

Mischief Managed!

Friday, July 29th, 2022

Had an absolutely wonderful time at the recent Christmas in July book sale sponsored by Author! Author! For me, there were two big highlights: getting a long-overdue to sign side-by-side with my dear friend — an amazing horror writer — Morgen Leigh. That, and being told by a very charming and enthusiastic young woman that it was as if I wrote Mr. Menace just for her. I hope she likes the book itself as much as she liked the idea of the book.

Many many thanks to Chris Mandeville and Laura Hayden for organizing this event and being so kind as to invite me. And of course, thank you so much to everyone who came out for it and especially the very lovely and probably pretty close to perfect human beings who were nice enough to buy some books.

Yours Truly and Morgen Leigh at the Christmas in July Book Sale organized by Author! Author!

Now Available!

Tuesday, July 19th, 2022

Mr. Menace — Audio Book

Narrated by Christopher Harbour

The Windwalkers Return!

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

After several years of being out of print, my first novel Windwalkers is now back in print, available from Amazon.com in both Kindle and paperback formats!

Windwalkers by R. Michael Burns, paperback w / new cover art!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098RW83B1?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

MR. MENACE is here!

Saturday, October 17th, 2020

When a mysterious woman saunters into his office and begs him to help her find a missing person — herself — detective Frank Orpheus is intrigued on more than just a professional level.  The perplexing puzzle of his client’s lost memory is the most interesting case he’s gotten in years . . . and the fact that she’s rich and gorgeous doesn’t hurt his enthusiasm, either.  Despite dire warnings from his devoted and prescient secretary Cass, Frank takes the job.  

But even as his fascination with the mysterious Lady in Gray flares into passion, Frank finds himself drawn into a shadowy underworld populated by devilish dilettantes and notorious criminals, all of them the puppets of the cryptic crime lord known only as Mr. Menace.  As Frank uncovers the clues that might lead him at last to the Lady in Gray’s lost identity, he learns that her world holds dangers far more diabolical and deadly than knife-wielding thugs and insidious criminal syndicates.  His obsession with his strange client could get Frank and the people he cares about killed — or worse.  The closer Frank gets to finding the answers he’s determined to unearth, the more he suspects the truth might be too terrible to live with. 

Just who — and what — is this woman he’s fallen for . . . and how hard will the fall finally be?

My new hardboiled, haunted crime novel is now available from WordFire Press!

BUY YOUR COPY HERE!

Now available from WordFire Press

WINDWALKERS

Friday, August 30th, 2013

So it appears that there’s a new movie coming out coincidentally(?) called “Wind Walkers” and coincidentally (?)  featuring people menaced by cannibalistic spirits (which is to say, wendigoes).

Just for the record — so to speak — my novel was, of course, released a year ago, and the first draft (under the same title) was written over a decade ago.

Not at all sure how to feel about this, friends.

Okay, yes I am.  Not happy.  That’s how I feel.  And frankly, a tad suspicious.

Progress on Shadows from Firelight, Book I

Monday, July 8th, 2013

With three tales of Hokage the samurai now out there in the world (visit www.heroicfantasyquarterly.com to have a read) I have been at work on a trilogy of novels to explore Hokage’s world in greater scope and detail.  I unambitiously describe the project as a cross between Shogun and The Lord of the Rings.

I recently pooled the notes from my excellent beta readers and am now roughly 1/4 of the way through the first major revision of book I.  (Book II exists as a complete outline and III exists as a partial outline.)  If all goes well, the current draft of the novel will be finished before the 2013 – 2014 school year begins and my free time vanishes like a gambler’s paycheck.

Revision has been a challenge.  Going into it, I felt rather adrift — as if I hadn’t gone through the whole thing several times with Windwalkers.  (Even now, roughly one year later, that work seems grueling to me.  I’m extremely lucky to have had a top notch editor in Henry Snider, who prodded me to fix problems large and small and definitely helped transform Windwalkers into a better book than it was when I handed it to him.)

Furthermore, many of the comments I got from any one beta reader were echoed by another, or several, but some were directly contradictory.  And, while the feedback was extremely helpful and unnervingly accurate, it’s been tricky trying to solve the various problems folks have pointed out to me.  I’ve also found that, because I have a writer’s ego, I have to process the comments and digest them until they seem like my own observations that some other very clever people were willing to reiterate for me.  Once it seems like it was my idea all along I have a much easier time of incorporating it into my work.  It is, admittedly, rather silly, but that way it feels less intrusive to me — I’m not doing someone else’s writing, I’m doing my own.

In any event, the process certainly has served to reinforce in my mind — if it were at all necessary — the value of good beta readers.  I can’t be certain that I’m implementing the changes as well as I ought to be, but I am completely confident that the book will be substantially improved when I finish.

Then, of course, there’s the small matter of the next round of revisions and edits and, assuming I survive all of that with my minimal remaining sanity sufficiently intact, looking for someone who’s willing to bring the thing to life in print.

So, if you’ve given this a read and you’re with me, wish me luck!  I’ll happily take every little bit that I can get my karmic fingers on.

New Article!

Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

For the first time here, I’ve posted my article “Creative Writing 301”, an article about the use of theatrical techniques to improve the conflict and pace in writing.  This article was selected by Predators and Editors as one of the three best articles on writing when it first appeared on the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group’s website.  Just click on over to the Articles page and enjoy!

Try WINDWALKERS for FREE!

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

Today and tomorrow only (March 19 and March 20, 2013) you can get the Kindle download of my novel WINDWALKERS for FREE!

So, if you’re at all curious, why not dive in and see what you’re missing?  Just visit http://www.amazon.com/Windwalkers-ebook/dp/B0093DFMOO/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363729285&sr=1-1&keywords=windwalkers and pick up the electronic version!  You only have about 24 hours left from the moment I publish this!

If you read it and like it, drop me a line!

Read the first few pages of WINDWALKERS for FREE on Amazon.com!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

If you’re at all curious, you can read the first few pages of Windwalkers — totally free — on Amazon.com — right here:

http://www.amazon.com/Windwalkers-R-Michael-Burns/dp/0615666787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348767747&sr=1-1&keywords=windwalkers

 

Check it out, let me know what you think, and think about picking up a copy!

Windwalkers’ New Look!

Saturday, February 16th, 2013

Windwalkers is getting a face lift!  Check out the brand-new cover art below.  This should be available in the Kindle version already, and will be available in the paperback format within a few days of this post (February 16, 2013).

Who knows — maybe at some point the copies with the original cover art will be collector’s items…

New Cover

Cover Art by Evil Jester Press