Martin sat in an old office chair. It didn't seem odd in the New Old West saloon. End o' the world and all, he thought. He knew them the moment they walked in. The man and woman were dressed right, but out of place. "Evenin'" Martin said casually. "We understand you buy new technology," the man said The lanky woman reached under her poncho and held a small black rectangular object out to him. Martin looked at it, said, "OK, I give up. What's it do?" The man dropped something, and there was a blinding explosion. "Flash-bang," Martin thought as he holstered his pistol. He scooped up the black rectangle, shoved it in his pocket and left. Back at his house Martin, looked at the device, set his drink down. He pulled out a cheroot, lit it, examined the device closely. His thumb ran along the flat surface and everything got loud suddenly. There was a blast and white light and the room disappeared. Martin felt rapid movement, said, "Another mission," and was gone.

Be wary, ye whoÉ Sorry. Just wanted to warn you up front that some of these stories donÕt have conclusions. Most of them do, but some I just never could finish. Oh, yeah, and some of them are parts of series that are here published alone because I just was unable to find the other stories. I swore when I was young that that would never happen to me. It did. IÕm dealing with it. The reason that such stories Ñ those without endings and those for which there are other, connected stories Ñ is that, well, IÕm getting old. I wanted to collect the majority of my writings before IÕm dead. Some of these are very early stories. The earliest, I believe, is ÒCounterterrorist.Ó Yes, the main characterÕs name is Jack, but it was written many years Ñ decades Ñ before Jack Bauer, counterterrorist, made it to TV in 24. That should be obvious, but I thought IÕd mention it. Just try to enjoy the stories.

I discovered very quickly that the Pentax 645 was much easier to use than the Hasselblad 500c. I got more photos per roll, too, even though they were smaller than the 6-by-6cm of the 500c. The were/are 6-by-4.5cm, which is where the Ò645Ó comes from in the name. One thing I did notice was the clarity and sharpness of that prime lens. To my eyes, it was just as good if not a tiny bit better than the renowned Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 prime lens. I started shooting with the Pentax 645 a lot because unlike the 500c and the two Mamiyas, it isnÕt a pain to use. It acts a lot like a 35mm SLR or even a DSLR, much more so than my three other medium-format cameras.

Since Five Easy Pieces was already taken as a title, I guess Short Rounds will have to do. Also, it seems appropriate that, as of this writing, I have five published books in print. These five short stories can serve as a complementary addendum to those five books. I also include a short ñspiritual memoirî titled Faith Came Easy and two previously unpublished poems. I will try to let the short fiction speak for itself, but I should add that it is as eclectic as I can make it. There is mystery, science fiction, scene portraiture and even an attempt at horror. So here goes. Some quick reads and, I hope, interesting pieces. They pretty much all stand alone, except possibly ñInside Out, î which utilizes the main character from my Adirondack Mystery series, Hallum Johnson. The other stories are all orphans in character and the fact that this is the first time they have seen the light of day in publication.

Outside was crazy. The thick, coming storm weighed me down. It could come any minute: thunderous, hurricane rain, followed by all kinds of hell. I dashed across the lawn, into The Lab and up the stairs. The bookcase was locked. Most of our books anyone can look at. Some, we donÕt think would be wise to let out. I fumbled the key chain, looking for the tiny key that could open the door. I managed to get it near the keyhole when the electricity died. Cara may curse my pipe, but right then, I think sheÕd have been glad I had a lighter. The lighter helped me again. The deep, old books were a window to the past. We had read few. That would entail things like dying horrible deaths. Instead, we had a collection of Òabout books, Ó essays written anywhere from last year to a thousand years ago. The one I was looking for was deep red, 'AichlanÕs Deimos.' In it I hoped to sort out how to send Xith back to wherever the hell it came from before it ate Lily Dale, or whatever it does.

Simply put, medium-format photography is quite a bit more complex than shooting with 35mm film SLRs or 35mm-style DSLRs. It takes a bit more skill - and experience - to handle medium-format cameras. Not only do you need to learn to think differently about how you shoot, but you also have a whole new type of equipment to learn. Medium-format cameras produce bigger images, which allows for more detail and greater enlargement. And because they, in general, were designed for professional photographers, the lenses tend to be of better quality that most 35mm lenses, which also adds to the detail in the images. In this book, we'll take a look at medium-format SLRs and TLRs, and we'll even touch upon some other types. We'll also consider a few lenses, although these largely are a matter of choice. And there are far fewer choices for medium-format cameras than for other types. Time to do some weight training and heft those medium-format cameras and lenses into position. Let's go.

It has been a long, strange road, and probably has no end clearly in sight. Many more books are in the works as I write this in early December 2018. For example, I have published nine novels to date, and am writing nine more, with plans for some beyond that. The Shawn M. Tomlinson's Guide to Photography series has 29 titles in print, with another five or six nearly complete, and plans for 30 to 40 more. I'm also trying to rework and rearrange those books into omnibus editions by chronology and by theme.I never will get every book done I want to do, but it keeps me busy.I always planned on putting out a catalog of all the Zirlinson Books, but kept getting waylaid for one reason or another until now. This catalog is available as a print book in color. The color print book will be cost prohibitive for many people, so there likely will be a black and white version available, too.

ÒJust like me to never have any money when the end of the world comes, Ó thought Martin Fahy as he walked through the bitter, ceaseless rain. He laughed slightly and wondered what he was going to do now. Sure, he had been the one who always knew The End was coming soon, but he just couldnÕt convince anyone else. He wasnÕt a religious fanatic or anything and his predictions of the coming doom had nothing to do with apocalyptic visions or cultist beliefs. It was based largely on his continual observation of scientific predictions. And now, it all was happening. Fahy realized what heÕd always said was his prime philosophy still was true: The only way out is throughÉ

Phenomenal Stories #11 is our first Special Issue, focusing upon the editor's obsession with once-world-famous author Robert W. Chambers. The editor literally wrote the book - the only biography - about Chambers, a writer who influenced such luminaries as H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard and many others. This Special Issue features two of Chambers' classic horror stories - thankfully in the public domain - "The Yellow Sign" and "Repairer of Reputations." Also featured are cover art depicting Chambers by Carole A. Tomlinson and takes on Chambers from J.D. Hayes-Canell and Richard H. Nilsen, as well as the 2nd part of the 'The Darkness' from Carlos Rios. Don't worry, we're also continuing the Adirondack mystery story of Hal Johnson in 'An Old-Fashioned Shooting, ' as well as the science fiction novel 'Time: Book 01: Timenami' from Shawn M. Tomlinson. Phenomenal Stories is a modern-day tribute to the science fiction/horror/fantasy/speculative pulp magazines of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s

ÒYouÕve never been here before?Ó Wanekia asked. ÒNo, Ó Chloe said. ÒYour father wonÕt fly. He never even told me about this place until he was delirious after that wound. IÕm glad he did.Ó ÒDo you think weÕll make it?Ó Wanekia asked, obviously scared. ÒDo you think theyÕll come after us?Ó ÒWe will make it, even if they do come after us, Wanekia, Ó Chloe said. ÒI donÕt think theyÕll pursue us all the way, anyway. ItÕs a long way to go.Ó ÒIs Father going to be alright?Ó Wanekia asked, looking back at Martin again. ÒYes, of course, Ó Chloe said, not sure of her words. ÒHeÕs been hurt worse before. The skinner is working.Ó ÒIt wonÕt even estimate how long, though, Ó Wanekia said. ÒItÕs done that before, too, Ó Chloe said. ÒHeÕll be fine. We just need to get him someplace safe.Ó ÒWe could have gone back to England, Ó Wanekia said. ÒWe couldnÕt, and you know it, Ó Chloe said. ÒThe way things are going, they could trace us through Time and then weÕd drag the Burnsides into this and theyÕd die. I wonÕt do that."