Twisted Tails II Volume 2: Out of Time

Overview

Does time exist as a separate dimension? Does it have a unique place with definable limits in space? Does it move independently according to its own purpose? Or does it only move when other things move, completely dependent on prevailing conditions and binding dimensions in its surrounding space-a causal result bound to the whole? Perhaps it's just a simpleminded construct humans have concocted to explain the inexplicable. Is it vaguely possible that it's a set of branes slightly out of sync and we may pass from one to the next at will? Maybe it's a simple kink in dimensions that can be crossed by anyone walking in precisely the right direction. It could be that it's just a mental state altered simply by a minor amount of imagination applied correctly. Perhaps it is no more than a drug- or mantra-induced change of mental state-something hallucinated-something seen but unseeable. Or is there more to it than we can fathom? In the world of physics, all of this-and much more-is being looked into by serious, conservative scientists as well as those with their mental equipment more loosely adjusted-or even unfastened completely, their brains rolling about like marbles in an empty railroad freight car.

Whatever time is, it is a concept that has fascinated our species since we became capable of contemplating more than just our navels or being eaten by hungry predators. We consider the future, the present, and the past-how they may all relate and...interrelate. We wonder what it all means or if it means anything at all.

All of the following stories pursue these and other ideas-each in its own way. Time gives way to the authors' imaginings in ways astounding. Amazing flights abound as they probe orthodox disciplines in physics combined with unorthodox musings, stretching the envelope all the way to the breaking point, or take fanciful flights of mind into the unknown realm of ethereal time, gleefully, sometimes flippantly breaking the bonds of "real" science-whatever that means. There are even times when the concept of movement through time is naught but a ploy-means to an end. But they are always asking, "What if...? Just, what if...?" Then, they answer their own questions with trips up, down, through, across or outside the time and dimension lines, crawling cautiously from one time line to another, being ever vigilant so as not to fall off in the wrong where or when. But beware, these stories were designed around the surprise of twist endings, going places unknown, unforeseen. They have been written specifically to catch you looking in some other direction. Some are subtle, others-just this side of a Force 5 tornado-will send you careening through space-time to another place or a different when-perhaps both-and we cannot ensure you safe passage. From now on, you are on your own. No guiding hands. No protective wings. No way to say that, once you're into a story, you'll ever come out. Sorry, that's just the way it is, was, and will be-no guarantees.

Editorial Reviews

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Author Information

Bio of J. Richard Jacobs

Well, hello to you and welcome. I'm J. Richard Jacobs, but you can call me "J" and dispense with all the rest of it. I've been an avid and active amateur astronomer since my "first light" through a telescope in 1947 (is he that old?) and began writing professional level in 1956. Technical writing, copy writing and technical illustration were the income generators until 1965, when I turned my attention to naval architecture. There was a brief (28 year) hiatus in my writing while I spent my time doing the science and engineering involved in the largest moving structures on Earth, although I continued to write papers and articles on applied math, science, engineering, design, and astronomy. These days, now that I'm "retired," I write Science Fiction in both the hard and soft varieties. But, honestly, I tend to cross genre a lot because of the way I feel about populating a story with reachable, touchable characters with all their strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures and foibles. I write Fantasy, too, but I've never managed to do it successfully in novel lengths--just can't seem to hurdle that short story wall, but I have a lot of fun with the short stories I write. I've tried my hand at Horror, but, for some reason, I've had trouble with that, too. Someday, when I'm in a particularly nasty mood, I may be able to do it. In the meantime, my horror pieces tend to be very short...and funny. Oh, well...I guess I'm stuck with Humorous Horror.

Bio of Christopher Hoare

I live with my wife, Shirley, and two shelter dogs, Coco and Emmie, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. As a lad I lived, breathed, and dreamed aeroplanes; I won a place at RAE Farnborough learning to engineer them. But the reality didn?t fit my dream, so I took off into a stint in the army and then away to join the oil circus. Flying objects are tools when they now appear in my writing I guess that's the effect of maturity, but I hope, not a constricted, resigned, and unimaginative maturity. The mind still soars, even without wings, and the dream of carrying others to a better future is now on the page. Some readers comment that none of my stories take place next door to the lives most people live; the less charitable find similarity in characters who tend to be stubborn, independent, and out of step with the world's expectations. Perhaps there's a connection between the worlds I portray in fiction, and my working life in oil exploration in the Libyan Desert, the Canadian Arctic, and the mountains and forests of Western Canada. I ve written stories set in Anglo-Saxon Britain, in modern industrial projects, in the alternate world of Gaia, and the fantasy world of Rast. Sometimes I satirize jobs I?ve done. Many of my central characters are smart, beautiful, and dangerous women who lead unwilling males to fulfil the duties before them. Lt. Gisel Matah in ?Deadly Enterprise? is perhaps the most Bond-like of these. I like writing novels about realities my readers can enjoy in the guise of dashing adventurers; loyal comrades; lovers; or pledged sovereigns. I hope they find there the spark that brings them to realize greater dreams of their own. You can also visit me and my author friends at www.novelpro.com

Bio of Anderson Gentry

Born and raised in the Midwest, Anderson Gentry's life has been shaped by wartime service as an Army officer, years as a business owner, and a lifetime of writing. This is his first major work of science fiction. Anderson Gentry now makes his home in the heart of the Rocky Mountain West with his wife and three daughters. .

Bio of K.L. Nappier

K.L. Nappier is an award winning author who has been writing for over 20 years. Regardless of how light or dark her plots may be (though she confesses they're usually dark), she's exploring how the human experience can lift us up, give us hope, teach us how. "After my stepsons Matthew and Nicholas flew the nest, my husband Richard and I left Indianapolis, Indiana, for a four year sabbatical. We bought a sailing sloop and collected terrific friends, wonderful memories and great book material as we toured parts of the Caribbean. We're now permanently settled in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, where I've set up my computer and haven't stopped writing since." Kathy writes in multiple genres. Her supernatural thriller, Full Wolf Moon, placed in the Draco Awards' Final Three in the Horror Division, placed in the Kay Snow Awards and was a finalist in the New Century Awards, along with another of her novels. She is a contributing author to The Twisted Tails Anthology and her latest release, Voyagers, is a paranormal mystery/adventure. Presently, Kathy is working on Full Wolf Moon's sequel, Bitten. All her titles are available in both trade paperback (exclusively through DDP) and ebook (in wide distribution). Her work has been reviewed by the Gothic Journal as "stunning" and "fresh", with suspense that "is razor sharp." The Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Web Site calls Voyagers "original and totally addictive." Scribes World calls Full Wolf Moon "amazing." A complete list of all online reviews of her novels -the positive, the negative and the curious- can be found at www.klnappier.com.

Bio of Marilyn Peake

Marilyn Peake grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, spending many afternoons climbing trees and exploring the woods in her three-acre backyard. Always interested in writing, she experimented as a young child with writing short stories. In high school, she wrote newspaper articles for two local newspapers. In college, the author graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She later obtained a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. She has worked as both a Social Worker and Staff Psychologist in a variety of settings. In 1985, she completed a Masters Thesis, later presenting her research data at a meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association. At the present time, the author lives with her husband and two children. Her hobbies include photography and traveling. She has traveled with her family to Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean islands. In Mexico, the author photographed fish while snorkeling under water. Marilyn Peake is the author of a published series of children's fantasy adventure novels: The Fisherman's Son, The City of the Golden Sun, and Return of the Golden Age. All three books have received excellent reviews. More recently, Marilyn has had an adult dark fantasy short story published in Double Dragon Publishing's Illuminated Manuscripts anthology.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Double Dragon Publishing

Filesize

789.53 KB

Number of Pages

N/A

eBook ISBN

1554044502