Tag Archives: michael riehl

Illustrations from the Middle of Eternity

For our third and final trek into the Middle of Eternity, artist Michael Riehl returns to provide a gorgeous cover and is joined by Laura Inglis, Tim Marron, Cheyenne-Autumn Christine Reilly, and authors Julie Feedon and Christopher Ochs to grace each story with a black and white illustration.

Below is a gallery of some of the artwork you’ll find in the pages of Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity.

We hope you’ll check out the perks we’re offering in our Indiegogo campaign and consider a contribution to help us fund the publication of Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity. Thank you for supporting small press writers!

Surge of Pride-Illlustration   "It Just Happened" Illlustration by Tim Marron

"Girlfriend in the Basement" Illlustration by Tim Marron    "Queen of Forest" Illlustration by Laura Inglis

So Hungry-Illustration by MIchael Riehl     "Eyes of the Beholder" Illlustration by Tim Marron

"Connecting Vines" Illlustration by Laura Inglis     Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity Prototype Cover

 

On Gods, Monsters, and the Rainbow Bridge in the Middle of Eternity

In keeping with tradition for this anthology series, I have three diverse stories in our final installment, Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity.

My New Mexico ghost story, “So Hungry…” is discussed in another blog post here.  My other two entries include “Take a Cue from the Canine,” and “The Forest for the Trees.”

Take a Cue from the Canine-Illustration by Laura InglisBoth “So Hungry…” and “Take a Cue from the Canine” took Honorable Mentions in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable contests in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and as a sneak preview to Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, you can read “Take a Cue from the Canine” here on my website. 

I was inspired to write the story when the Bethlehem Writers Group announced animal stories as their 2019 contest theme. I wanted to write a “boy and his dog” story, but with a fantastic and emotional twist that answers the question, what is at the other end of the fabled rainbow bridge?

Illustration by Laura Inglis.


Forest for the Trees-Illustration by Michael Riehl“The Forest for the Trees” takes place in Finland during the great famine of 1697, but was originally one of three stories pitched to Crazy 8 Press for their ReDeus mythology series. They chose one of my other stories (“Root for the Undergods” published in ReDeus: Beyond Borders) so I rewrote “The Forest for the Trees” into the epic tale you will read in Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, incorporating battles among gods, monsters, and mortals where willpower is the greatest weapon.  Illustration by Michael Riehl.

We hope you’ll check out the perks we’re offering in our Indiegogo campaign and consider a contribution to help us fund the publication of Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity. Thank you for supporting small press writers!


PHIL GIUNTA enjoys crafting powerful fiction that changes lives and inspires readers. His novels include the paranormal mysteries Testing the Prisoner, By Your Side, and Like Mother, Like Daughters. His short stories appear in such anthologies as A Plague of Shadows, Beach Nights, Beach Pulp, the ReDeus mythology series, and the Middle of Eternity speculative fiction series, which he created and edited for Firebringer Press. As a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, Phil also penned stories and essays for Write Here, Write Now, The Write Connections, and Rewriting the Past, three of the group’s annual anthologies.

Phil is currently working on the second draft of a science fiction novel while plotting his triumphant escape from the pressures of corporate America where he has been imprisoned for over twenty-five years.


Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity

We look forward to launching Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity in February 2021. In the meantime, check out the first volumes in the series by clicking on a cover image below.

Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity  Elsewhere in the Middle of Eternity

 

Terrors from Beyond the Grave in The Middle of Eternity

There is no dearth of paranormal tales in the Middle of Eternity and for our final installment, we bring you two chilling ghost stories provided by series editor Phil Giunta and newcomer Julie Feedon.


Vicious Victoria-Illustration by Julie FeedonRegarding her entry, “Vicious Victoria,” Julie says, “My inspiration for the story was the old familiar rhyme, Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. It always creeped me out and left a fascination in the macabre with me.”

Illustration by Julie Feedon.


So Hungry-Illustration by MIchael RiehlPhil’s inspiration for “So Hungry…” stemmed from the legend of Starvation Peak in Bernal, New Mexico where Spanish settlers were allegedly chased to the top of the mesa and starved out by the Navajo. Of course, Phil took some liberties with the fable and added an even more grisly embellishment.

Illustration by Michael Riehl.

As a sneak preview of what you’ll find in Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, you can read “So Hungry…”  for free on Phil’s website.

We hope you’ll check out the perks we’re offering in our Indiegogo campaign and consider a contribution to help us fund the publication of Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity. Thank you for supporting small press writers!


JULIE FEEDON is originally from Scranton, PA, but has been living in the Lehigh Valley since 1986. She is a specialist in the sales support department of a large capital medical supply company. Her hobbies include writing, painting, and crochet. She is also a certified Jane Austen junkie. Next to her daughter and husband, she loves the beach most dear.

PHIL GIUNTA enjoys crafting powerful fiction that changes lives and inspires readers. His novels include the paranormal mysteries Testing the Prisoner, By Your Side, and Like Mother, Like Daughters. His short stories appear in such anthologies as A Plague of Shadows, Beach Nights, Beach Pulp, the ReDeus mythology series, and the Middle of Eternity speculative fiction series, which he created and edited for Firebringer Press. As a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, Phil also penned stories and essays for Write Here, Write Now, The Write Connections, and Rewriting the Past, three of the group’s annual anthologies.

Phil is currently working on the second draft of a science fiction novel while plotting his triumphant escape from the pressures of corporate America where he has been imprisoned for over twenty-five years.


Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity

We look forward to launching Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity in February 2021. In the meantime, check out the first volumes in the series by clicking on a cover image below.

Somewhere in the Middle of Eternity  Elsewhere in the Middle of Eternity

 

And We Are LIVE on Indiegogo!

MIME Cover PrototypeSteven H. Wilson and Phil Giunta are thrilled to bring you the third book in our Middle of Eternity anthology series—Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity—with stories of science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal by Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Michael Critzer, Sean Druelinger, Julie Fedon, Chris Ochs, Peter Ong, Bart Palamaro, Stuart Roth, Susanna Reilly, April Welles, Lance Woods, Steven H. Wilson, and Phil Giunta.
With cover art by Michael Riehl and interior art by Tim Marron, Laura Inglis, Julie Fedon, Chris Ochs, Cheyenne-Autumn Christine Reilly, and Michael Riehl.
Check out our Indiegogo campaign here and consider helping us bring this book to publication. Thank you for supporting small press publishers and authors!
Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity

Approaching the Middle of Eternity!

MIME Cover PrototypeWe’re ecstatic to announce that all stories are locked in for the long-awaited third volume of the Middle of Eternity speculative fiction series—Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity! All content editing has been completed and the manuscript will be compiled over the holidays. No official release date has been set, but stay tuned.

Contributing authors for book three include Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Michael Critzer, Julie Feedon, Phil Giunta, Christopher D. Ochs, Peter Ong, Bart Palamaro, Susanna Reilly, Stuart Roth, Richard Shawn, April Welles, Steven H. Wilson, and Lance Woods.

Cover art once again provided by Michael Riehl. Interior illustrations by Tim Marron, Laura Inglis, and Michael Riehl.

Meanwhile (pun intended), you can catch up with volumes one and two on Amazon by clicking on the cover images below. Each book presents a stellar selection of tales from the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal written by established and burgeoning writers and edited by Phil Giunta.

And remember… in Eternity, all stories are timeless.

   

The Publishing Pipeline

The Fandom Fifty by Diane Lee BaronThe next book in Firebringer’s publishing pipeline is The Fandom Fifty by Diane Baron.
The history of Maryland’s SF convention scene is chronicled through interviews and anecdotes from many longtime organizers, guests, and attendees. The Baltimore region is home to a number of popular and enduring SF cons that include Farpoint, Balticon, Shore Leave, and others. The Fandom Fifty is slated for release in mid-2019. Cover art by Todd Brugmans.

In eternity, all stories are timeless.
 
Join gods and mortals in combat against slithering demons in famine-stricken Finland…
 
Witness an unconventional battle of wits as a devious genie tries to outfox a clever robot…
 
Ride with two hapless deliverymen as they stumble upon a frightening ritual to propitiate an ancient and malevolent power…
 
Escape to a remote corner of the globe with a desperate family fleeing an insidious alien invasion…
 
Follow a fraternity pledge as he undergoes an initiation to terror at a local cemetery…
 
The second project in the pipeline is the third volume in our speculative fiction anthology series—Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity. This collection of sixteen spellbinding tales of SF, fantasy, and the paranormal follows in the tradition of its two predecessors.
 
Our august cadre of storytellers includes returning contributors Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Michael Critzer, Phil Giunta, Susanna Reilly, Stuart Roth, April Welles, Steven H. Wilson, and Lance Woods. Joining us for volume three are Richard Shawn, Julie Feedon, Christopher Ochs, Bart Palamaro, and Peter Ong.
In addition to magnificent cover art by Michael Riehl, each story will be accompanied by one black and white illustration provided by a team of artists including Mike Riehl, Laura Inglis, and Tim Marron.
 
Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity is tentatively scheduled for a late 2019 release. For now, you can catch up with the series in paperback or ebook:
   

We Got It Covered

We’re proud to reveal two of the three covers for our upcoming books.

First up is Laura Inglis’s cover for Phil Giunta’s paranormal thriller, Like Mother, Like Daughters, with title design by Chris Winner.  Like Mother, Like Daughters is the latest adventure of psychic-medium Miranda Lorensen from Phil’s novels By Your Side and Testing the Prisoner.

We’re working on the cover for Steven H. Wilson’s vampire novella, Freedom’s Blood, which will be paired with Phil’s novella in the format of the ACE Doubles from the 1950s through the 1970s. We look forward to going retro!  Look for the Kickstarter campaign to begin soon. We’re currently looking at a fall 2018 release.

Like Mother, Like Daughters Cover

We also have fantastic cover by Allentown, PA artist Michael Riehl for Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, the third volume in our Middle of Eternity speculative fiction series that we hope to release in early 2019.

Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity