Our entire archive of Laser and Sword Magazine is available through Friday for free.

If you do not have a Kindle, you can still get Tales of the Dim Knight as an ebook at a great price. For all other ebook forms, go to Smashwords and purchase a copy. Use coupon code UN98W to claim a 65% discount, which will give you the book for $1.02.

If you have an extra 99 cents, also check out, “Your Average Ordinary Alien“

If you have another ebook reader, you can purchase your copy at Smashwords.com, just use coupon code, “XG43J.” And let your fans and social networks know about this great sale.

If you would take a minute to click on the links to my books below— and I’ve included links for 3 of my special friends’ books as well— and make those 2 clicks:

See those stars below the title of the book? If you see a like button, click it. If the button doesn’t appear, roll your cursor over the stars.

Then scroll on down below the reviews. You’ll see a list of tags. The quickest thing to do is simply click on Do you agree with these tags? That will check all the tags, making the title of that book show up more quickly when a reader enters one of those terms in a search. Of course, you can select tags individually or even add new ones if you wish, but one click will do it.

This is a very good idea that we’ll “borrow” and of course return the favor by including Donna’s books here as well as my friend Ray Ellis’ new book, NHI. So, it would be a great help to follow the links below to our books’ amazon pages, click the like button there, and add any appropriate tags.

I explained there were many problems with this particular idea and so we agreed on a St. Patrick’s Day sale instead. So for today only, the Tales of the Dim Knight ebook is only $3.17.

You can buy it directly off of Amazon or at Smashwords in any other ebook format.  If you buy off Smashwords, use Coupon Code: CE24E

Boise, Idaho—Authors Adam and Andrea Graham announce their Superhero Parody novel, Tales of the Dim Knight, will be touring on several book review blogs from April 1-May 3 of 2011. Released in November of 2010 from Splashdown Books, Tales of the Dim Knight is available at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.Com, and direct from the publisher.

Tales of the Dim Knight is a Superhero Fantasy that pays tribute to the superheroes many adults will remember from childhood while parodying the genre’s tropes and gaffes. Mild-mannered janitor and superhero fanboy Dave Johnson gets all his wishes at once when a symbiotic alien enhances all his strengths, giving him a super-imagination able to mold reality to his vision. Follow his zany adventures as he fights crime and corruption while trying to keep his family together and avoid being sued for copyright infringement.

“A truly original premise, Tales of a Dim Knight is a light-hearted escape into the world of superheroes and villains with a thoughtful twist as to what matters most in life,” says Jill Williamson, the Christy award-winning author of By Darkness Hid.

Adam Graham is a paid political columnist for Pajamasmedia.com. He also has short stories published in the anthology Light at the Edge of Darkness, and in the Laser & Sword e-zine. He is host of the the Old Time Superman Radio Show among several other podcasts, including the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio. Mr. Graham holds a general studies Associate of Arts degree from Flathead Valley Community College with a concentration in Journalism.

Andrea Graham co-authored Adam’s first novel, Tales of the Dim Knight. Her short story “Frozen Generation” also appeared in Light at the Edge of Darkness. She studied creative writing and religion at Ashland University. Adam and Andrea live with their cat, Joybell, in Boise, Idaho. They are members of several writers groups, including Lost Genre Guild and American Christian Fiction Writers. Adam is president of their local ACFW chapter, Idahope.

Tales of the Dim Knight is available at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. The first chapter is available for free at: www.dimknight.com

The Blog tour’s currently scheduled stops are:

3/17/ James Somers http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/

3/20  David James http://newauthors.wordpress.com

3/27  David James http://newauthors.wordpress.com

4/1/ April Erwin http://www.projectinga.blogspot.com/

4/3/ Phyllis Wheeler www.Christian-Fantasy-Book-Reviews.com

4/4/ Noah Arsenault http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/

4/4/ Sarah Sawyer www.sarahsawyer.com/blog

4/5/ Tammy Shelnut http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/

4/6/ Timothy Hicks http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/

4/7 Joan Nienhuis http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com

4/8 Carol E. Keen http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/

4/11 Morgan L. Busse http://morganlbusse.wordpress.com

4/14/ Emily LaVigne http://southernfiberreads.wordpress.com/

4/15 Chawna Schroeder http://chawnaschroeder.com

4/22 Frank Creed http://afrankreview.blogspot.com

4/28/ Beckie Burnham http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com

5/3/ Amy Cruson http://the160acrewoods.com

#

Please direct all media inquiries to grahams@dimknight.com

Also my digital short, “Your Average Ordinary Alien” is available for free using code RAE100.

Other titles from my publisher Splashdown books are also on sale:

$6.99 Ebooks, currently on sale for $1.75:

Legendary Space Pilgrims by Grace Bridges

Alpha Redemption by P.A. Baines

$5.99 Ebooks, currently on sale for $1.50:

Faith Awakened by Grace Bridges

The Muse by Fred Warren

$4.99 books, currently on sale for $2.50:

The Duke’s Handmaid by Caprice Hokstad
Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Caprice Hokstad

For the Kindle, the ebook is available directly off of Amazon.

For all other ebook readers, a copy can be purchased here.�At checkout, please use the Coupon Code, XZ28F to get the discount.

Also available for free this week is my short ebook, “Your Average Ordinary Alien.” at Smashwords. Use coupon code, “QP43N” when checking out. Reviews for the book can be left on Amazon.

Your Average Ordinary Alien tells the story of Kirk Picard Skywalker, a sci fi fanatic who dreams of being abducted by aliens after his girlfriend leaves him and he faces the awful prospect of having to get a real job. Kirk gets his wish, but the aliens are not all what he expected.

Praise for Your Average Ordinary Alien (2007 print version that appeared in the Light at the Edge of Darkness) anthology:

“Your Average Ordinary Alien” made me laugh out loud.”-Debbie Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com

“I love the idea of a hard core SF fan being abducted by aliens and finding out they aren’t so different from us after all. Kirk Skywalker (he changed his name) summed it up best: “I finally get to meet an alien and he tells me that you’re just flying green WASPs.”-Karina Fabian, Virtual Book Tour De ‘Net.

The book is available in the Kindle Store or for the Ipad, Sony Reader, Nook, and other ebook formats at Smashwords.

Tales of the Dim Knight follows the story of the world’s biggest superhero fan after he finds an alien symbiote that gives him superpowers and begins his own superhero career with hilarious results.��

In this superhero parody, we�poke fun at and pay homage to Superheroes as varied as Superman, Spider-man,�the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and much more.

####

Excerpts from Tales of the Dim Knight:

At the tap on his window, Seattle Chief of Police Stone Bachman glanced up from the memo he�d been typing up. Great, his Bruce Wayne copycat. The chief pushed away from his desk and opened the window. Maybe he still didn�t entirely trust Powerhouse, at least not with prowling around the building like that, but he sure came in handy.

Powerhouse climbed in the window. �It�s raining out there.�

�I know. That�s why I had the window closed.�

�How am I supposed to get in stealthily?�

Excerpt #2:

Powerhouse landed, lifted a manhole cover, and flew into the sewer.

He changed back to Dave Johnson, trudged and wriggled a mile or three through the sludge, and climbed out another manhole. Pedestrians gaped at him in a city park and three kids fled away screaming.

Dave bit his lip. �Uh . . . turtle power?�

Excerpt #3:

Powerhouse skid to a halt outside the glass door to the church swimming pool and an open window. Two cranes suspended the Johnson boys over the pool, lowering them inch by inch. Powerhouse whistled. �Good thing I taught them to swim.�

The PA speaker crackled. �Did you teach them to swim through acid with their hands tied behind their backs and their mouths gagged?�

“You know, it’s those things that you don’t think of…”

###

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Tales of the Dim Knight is scheduled for its print release on November 22nd and you can pre-order your copy today.

�

Here’s our blurb:

What happens when the World’s biggest superhero fan gets superpowers? When Mild Mannered Janitor Dave Johnson discovers an alien symbiot that gives him untold powers, there’s only one thing to do. Put on a pair of tights and save the world. In this special free preview, see how Dave’s adventures begin as he faces down drug dealers, car thieves, and the dreaded petty criminals

After some careful thought, I’ve decided to cease publishing Laser and Sword as a paper print on Demand Magazine. This will save us valuable time that’s spent trying to get cover art together. As the single issue magazines really weren’t selling, I have to say that I kind of felt like we were wasting the artist’s time.

If you do want to read us print, don’t fear. We’ll be putting out our Annual Edition at the end of the year with a nice cover.� But for now, Laser and Sword we’ll serialize the three stories we’ve been doing and we’ll also be posting a Quarterly Issue on Kindle.

The Heroes of Laser and Sword are back for another year in nine new adventures:

–Small Packages must find out who’s behind the disappearance of the stranded heroes and avoid being the next victim, while Captain Justice plots his comeback in the absence of the Sword.

–The Angel Jirel has to save Snyder from an abusive commanding officer, and Snyder has to thwart an anti-human ecoterrorist group.

–Powerhouse’s flies smack into reality. It’s one thing for Dave Johnson and his super powered symbiot to face down car thieves and small town hoods, but can Powerhouse stand against the Seattle mob?

You can review the archive if you’d care to read from last year’s stories or you can order last year’s annual edition as well.

Meet our three maiden storylines:

* The Sword, Sword Comics owner Jesse Miller seeks to defeat terrorism by uniting the world�s greatest superheros. Will he learn bad guys masquerade as good guys before the traitor in their midst sends the heroes to their doom?
* Snyder, a juvenile delinquent living in the 78th Year of the Empire, loathes Earth�s dictator while hailing the regime�s American governor as a hero. Getting caught meting out vigilante justice gets him inducted into the Imperial Army under threat of a noose. Can a double agent get Snyder back on the right track? Will Snyder survive to discover his destiny?
*Lastly, Mild Mannered Janitor Dave Johnson discovers an symbiotic alien and this superfan�s dreams of being a superhero come true with hilarious results. One question haunts: can there be such a thing as a good Symbiot, even if he is a silver cylinder rather than black tar?

What would you pay to buy all four issues individually? $29.75* Order Laser & Sword Annual 2008 now, and you’ll get all four issues for just $19.50*.�

Tight budget? The e-edition of Laser & Sword can be downloaded for just $1.25 an issue–a great deal for the frugal tech geek that loves reading PDFs. Download e-issue 4 here or check out our back issues.

*plus shipping

I swallowed hard as I looked down the conference table. �Okay, guys. This is a big decision, and I thought since you have a stake in it, I should ask you about it.�

The familiar faces stared back at me. Each headed, nodded, almost in unison. Almost, but not quite. They�d look like bobbleheads that fell out of the case together.

�There�s a really great Christian Writer�s Conference in Oregon,� I said. �My problem is that it�s $600 for both Andrea and I to go and I really don�t feel going without her.�

Colonel A.L. Snyder laughed. �Ha! That�s a problem? I don�t even know if I�d say that�s an inconvenience. Now, being at war with a power-mad Hollywood action hero whose decided he can use slaves as extras so he can blow them up, and him having the firepower of an Army Division. That�s a problem.�

�Okay,� I said. �It�s not your type of problem. It�s my type of problem.�

�And you have something I don�t.�

�A strong faith and a consistent record of church attendance.�

�I actually meant an American Express card,� said Snyder.

�You want me to put this whole thing on my credit card,� I shuddered. �You want me to carry credit card debt. Don�t you know how risky that is?�

�Yeah, like that whole taking down the Imperial Battalion at Moscow was a piece of cake. I guess I should have given a medal to the guy who put the Army�s gas on his Visa account.�

Reverend Don Robinson, an old man in a hospital gown said, �Colonel, with all due respect, you haven�t taken a lot of risks. You�re a fictional character.�

�Oh yeah, and fictional characters don�t die? Two words: Obiwan Kenobi.�

�He�d never kill you off, Snyder, you�re too popular.�

Snyder sighed. �Yeah and sometimes writers get tired of popular characters.�

�He hasn�t worked on my manuscript in two years, you don�t see me complaining.�

I perked up. �Actually, you just did, Don.�

�Oh, I�m sorry. You just kind of get insecure. I mean you got Superheroes and Snyder here. It�s kind of easy to forget about the old Reverend and the young man.�

�I will get that published. After I get �Genesis of Judgment� out there.�

�You know,� said the Sword. �Statistically, it may be easier to get the contemporary fiction story published before the Christian dystopian vision of the future with a descent into Hell.�

Snyder stared at the Sword�s Black Tonksium uniform. �Hey, Black, what side are you on? He starts publishing this stuff and he�ll become a regular Gilbert Morris. He�ll tell stories about the Pilgrims and the Visigoths.�

I chortled. �Come on, Snyder, why would I write about the Visigoths?�

Snyder smiled. �You�re at least original enough. How many Christian Visigoth stories are there out there?�

Craig, the twenty-five year old hospice orderly piped up. �What�s a Visigoth? Is that like Jeff? Jeff was Visigoth, wasn�t he?�

�No, he was a goth,� said Don. �Big difference.�

I bit my lip. �I could look it up. I think it�s some ethnic group.�

Snyder said, �Graham, I wonder how your mind works. Instead of figuring about this conference, we�re going to go on Wikipedia.�

The Sword shuddered. �And you know what happens when he gets on Wikipedia.�

Snyder nodded. �Goodbye, plot line. He�ll go from Visigoths, all the way to IMDB to read the biography of Robert Culp. Then he�ll look at the clock.�

The Sword said in a mocking tone, �Wow, it�s late. I guess I can�t finish my story tonight.�

I said, �Now, come on, guys. It�s really not becoming to make fun of my writing habits. Besides, I don�t that�all the time�.at least not every week�or at least not every day of the week. Okay, so, how about we talk about objections.�

�How about we talk about why you should go?� said the Sword.

�Well, why do that?�

�Sure, let�s talk about all the scary things that might happen,� said the Sword. �Oooh, credit card debt�What if no one likes your work or you have a miserable and it�s all for not. Bah on the negatives. Humbug on getting fearful. You know, I think you have to focus on the possible. Your problem Graham is that if you had a road before you paved with gold, you�d be focusing on the possibility that there might be a land mine in the middle of the road!�

�But the road�s not paved with gold,� I said. �It�s lined with the broken bodies of writer�s dreams. People with thousands of manuscripts written, but none published.�

�So why would you want to go?� asked the Sword. �What not just work your regular job until you�re 52 and you retire?�

�Because I want to write.�

�Oh yes,� said the Sword. �You want to write. Without pain, without risk. Without having to spend money you don�t have to chase your dream. You want to like a dog on a run chasing a rabbit at one of those tracks. The difference between them and you is that the dogs at the track would gladly chase a real rabbit, but you harness yourself and chase the safe rabbit and wonder why you don�t catch him.�

�What are you saying?� I asked.

�He�s telling you to chase your Rabbit,� said Dave Johnson, mild-mannered Janitor, in his gray coveralls.

�Wait a second,� said Craig. �Can we agree that we already have enough characters in this story?�

The others who had spoken all nodded.

�But, I�m one of his favorite heroes,� said Dave. �He had a ton of fun writing me.�

�What do you add to the discussion?� asked the Sword. �I mean you�re a parody of us.�

�No, I�m not. I�m a parody of a lot of characters.�

�Still, I really can�t justify this,� said the Sword.

�Excuse me,� said my wife. �In case, you haven�t noticed. He�s the writer. He can have as many characters as he wants.�

�Look, I know a thing or two about publishing,� said the Sword. �We can�t have too many characters.�

Dave said, �Um, all you�re doing is expanding the length of the story.�
�No, I�m not,� said the Sword. �You are.�

�No, you are.�

�No, you are.�

I shot a look down the table. �You both are. Please. Dave, what�s your point.�

�I think it would be cool if you went.�

Silence went across the table.

The Sword said, �Is that all you�ve got?�

Dave shouted, �Well, it sure beats, �chase your rabbit,� whatever that�s supposed to mean.�

�I didn�t say �chase your rabbit,� said the Sword.

�I think it was implied,� said Don. �Why would it be cool?�

�It�d be a convention,� said Dave. �Adam, I know what it�s like to be a nut.�

I stared at Dave.

�I mean what it�s like to have people think you�re a nut.�

Snyder laughed. �Yeah, you were a real misunderstood genius.�

�No,� said Dave. �But I was misunderstood. No one could get why I tried to special order Adult Sized Fantastic Four under-roos. Why I collected Superhero memorabilia no matter how lame outsiders might consider it.�

�I don�t know if I�d consider a Superhero collection lame,� said the Sword.

�I paid $500 for a Christopher Reeve autographed Video of Superman IV.�

�Okay, that is lame.�

�See,� said Dave. �Misunderstood.�

Andrea asked, �Why didn�t your wife kill you?�

�Well,� Dave Paused. �She hasn�t gotten the bill yet.�

Andrea said, �Okay, then for your next purchase: extra life insurance.�

�Exactly,� said Dave. �Here�s the point. In a room full of fellow writers, you�d be sane. You�d actually belong and fit in. Hundreds of people who all year are just the �geeky writer guy� come together and become �the geeky writer people.� You might make a friendship that could last a lifetime.�

I sighed. �I�m not that optimistic.�

�You might make a friend that might last one e-mail.�

�You know,� said the Sword. �Dave actually has a point. You know what your problem is. You�re strongly right brained, but you spend your time using your left brain all the time. You desperately seek those moments to be creative, fun, just for a few minutes. Being around fiction writers could make you feel more at ease.�

�And I believe there�s a Jeff Gerke guy there,� said Snyder. �Sounds like an important contact.�

�Yeah, he�s got his own press: Marcher Lord Press, � I said.

�That sounds like a Superhero,� said Dave.

�No, it�s a publisher,� I said.

�Well, there you go then, go for it,� said the Sword.

�No,� I said. �I can�t sell him �Genesis of Judgment�, it�s too short: 56,000 words and �Tales of the Dim Knight� is about the same.�

� You could think of some new ideas,� said Dave. �What about one telling how I met Naomi. It was the cold war, she was a Russian Spy and I was a comic book writer.�

My jaw dropped. �You�re not suggesting I rip off Condorman, are you?�

Dave sat silent.

�You are. You�re suggesting I rip off a 1980s film and append it to the story even if it makes no sense.�

Dave said, �I�ve just thought they should remake it.�

�Unfortunately, they will have to be the Walt Disney Company,� I said. �Besides, we all know there�s only one Condorman.�

All the characters nodded, though Dave was somewhat grudging.

�He�s not the only fish in the sea,� said the Sword.
Snyder said, �Graham, what type of motivational tapes did you give him?�

I sighed. �The ones I found at the Dollar store.�

�Well, it shows,� said Snyder. �Not the only fish in the sea. How much of a clich� is that?�

The Sword said, �Well, it works.�

�No, it doesn�t,� said Snyder. �I�d say, it�s not the only fighter jet in the hangar.�

�Who catches fighter jets in hangars?�

�Me, genius,� said Snyder. �I don�t have a �super sword� that does everything. I have my wits.� Snyder pulled out his gun. �And my colt.�

�My blade doesn�t do everything.�

Snyder pulled a can of soup out from his jacket. �Blade, open can.�

The Sword�s blade fired at the can and the lid flew off.

�Blade, heat to warm, but not too hot.�

The blade fired a beam. Snyder pulled a spoon out of his coat and began to eat. �I bet it can even slice onions.�

�Wait, why did the Blade respond to your command,� said the Sword. �It doesn�t respond to any commands but mine.�

�I think it was because Graham thought it would be funny,� said Snyder.

�And do you always carry a can of soup with you?� asked the Sword.

�Nope,� said Snyder, putting a spoonful to his mouth. �Tomorrow�s uh-spinach.� Snyder took another bite. �The point here-�

�I was hoping there was a point,� I said.

�Yeah, you don�t have to get Gerke on board, you just have to find the right publisher.�

�And then what?�

�Slip a little something in his Coke, take him down in the basement and wait for him to break and give you a contract.�

�That sounds like the Plot to Misery.�

Snyder laughs. �You haven�t even seen that.�

�I could look it up on Wikipedia.�

�No!� they all shouted in unison.

�Perhaps, � said the Sword. �rather than committing a Class 1 felony, you might try finding another publisher or agent.�

�I guess you could do that,� said Snyder. �I just prefer the direct approach.�

�There�s a reason you�re not published,� said Andrea. �And on the wanted list.�

Snyder tipped his cap. �Touch�, Andrea.�

The Sword said, �You have nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Why spend all these hours slaving away if you won�t go for it?�

�But the debt thing is a serious concern,� I said. �You can�t always have everything you want. You have to be responsible and good stewards. You go into big time debt and it takes over your life. I mean I skipped out on going to Blogs for Life because of that. It�s a dangerous road to go down.�

�Okay,� said Snyder. �So, you need money. Take up a collection. Embed a Paypal donation link in the dialogue.”

�That�s lame, Snyder, but sure, maybe I�ll get a couple nickels. But I don�t even know if I�ll be able to go. Is the time on the PTO calendar even available.�

�E-mail them,� said Don. �They�ll tell you.�

�Okay, so I should probably pray about this some more and get the time off.�

�Prayer�s a good idea,� said Don. �but don�t use prayer as an excuse not to act. Really pray and really find God�s will. If it�s His Will, he�ll make a way.�

Snyder said, �So, you got to pray. So was there any point to this? I mean if the Big Guy tells you no, you�ve wasted all of our time.�

�Did you have anything better to do on a Thursday night?�

�No.�

�Alright then,� I said. �Thanks for your advice. I�ll see you around.�

UPDATE: Since I wrote this, I did get time off for the conference and thanks to Andrea Genesis of Judgment is now above 65,000 words.

�Research indicates that Christian stories are more likely to sell if they�re historical romances,� said Graham. �Therefore, in consideration of Christian principle and making tons of money, I�m announcing we�re redoing all of our stories as Historical Romances.�

Graham, who says the publication will now be called, �Cannon and Sword Magazine� issued a list of proposed plot changes:

Instead of �Order of the Sword� being set in the modern day, it will be set in the 17th Century. Instead of his protagonists being Superheroes, they will instead being an international team of privateers protecting the high seas from cut-throat pirates. Instead of being betrayed by the Dark Mystic, a �Superhero� possessed by a demon, they�ll be betrayed by the ship�s magician, who is also a privateer.

�Why a privateer is a magician, I don�t know,� said Graham. �but let�s be clear he doesn�t have any magic powers. He�s an illusionist.�

The Story instead of focusing on the shipwrecked privateers will mostly focus on the Sword�s lovely wife trying to survive and wondering what happened to him.

�I�ve got a plan where a message in a bottle floats from the Bermuda triangle to Philadelphia where his wife opens it,� said Graham. �Hey, stop laughing, reporter! You may think it�s ridiculous, but it�s my plot point.�

Graham also said the story, �Rise of the Judge� would no longer be a futuristic story of a young man conscripted into a dystopic Imperial military, but will be redone as an 18th Century story of an American Colonialist forced to join the British Navy. Insiders expect Private A.L. Snyder to fall in love with an Indian princess and become city judge of a small town in Massachusetts by the end of the story.

�Tales of the Dim Knight� instead of being about a modern man who becomes a Super Hero, will be about a clumsy cowboy who finds an alien horse.

�I�m sure our old readers will be happy with this sci fi twist,� said Graham.

The Talking Alien Horse leads Cowboy Dave Johnson to become the �Masked Ranger�, a mysterious stranger who helps those in need and seeks to win the heart of local pastors daughter Naomi Bartlett.

�Bartlett is a great last name for a Western woman,� said Graham.

Graham picked April 1st because he said it was the most appropriate day to make this announcement.

�Readers can expect when the next issue of Laser and Sword-excuse me Cannon and Sword-comes out on April 6,� said Graham. �For it not to be action packed, seat of your pants thrills. We definitely won�t be featuring new and exciting heroes. Nor will our magazine be available at the easily affordable price of $1.25 per E-issue. Nor will you be able to download the first issue for free here.�