Guest Blogger Stan Hampton

Good morning, one and all! Please welcome today's guest, author Stan Hampton, who has bravely answered  my Rick Reed questions, and is going to tell you about his release, The Mumbai Malaise. It's too hot to be outside today, so Stan and I are relaxing in the den, enjoying some cold ones. Come join us, why don't you?


While I get the drinks, Stan, why don't you answer the questions?

The Questions

1) You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

Such a hard decision, but I’d have to say, Katy Perry—no, no, Lady Gaga, and a digital camera. Most of my life I’ve been a photographer, and my favorite photographic subject is women.

2) Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life—and which character in that musical are you?

I’ve only seen two musicals in my entire life, Camelot, and Evita. Neither one exemplifies my life, whether “paradise on earth” coming to a bitter end, or that of someone “sleeping” their way up from the socio-economic depths to riches. Other than King Arthur, and Evita, no other characters come to mind from those musicals. Nor do other musicals come to mind.

3) Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them: sacrifice, excess, held.

Germany’s Eastern Front, Summer 1943. The massive Russian offensive has erupted along the entire front, and the German Army Group Center has been destroyed. The needless sacrifice of so much of Germany’s manpower and equipment was due to an excess of stupidity in Berlin. And fear, for very few generals had the guts to stand up to a lunatic. The front was reestablished, and even held, due to the desperate courage of the individual soldier and NCO. Such is the big story, as told through the eyes of a single Tiger tank crew who lived through that summer.

4) You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?

Ahhhh, well, okay. The 1970s comic book character, Vampirella. She looks wonderfully dangerous. I’m reminded of something a friend once said, regarding a woman he ran into (and he wasn’t being complimentary)—“She looks like if you didn’t do it right, she’d hurt you until you learned to do it right.” Not that I enjoy pain in any way, shape, or form!

5) What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

I don’t have a significant other. Women generally aren’t interested in unemployed, poverty-stricken, homeless veterans who don’t have a college degree.

6) When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

I’d have to say that for the most part, it’s an idea, followed by names only, then the plot. Once I have the basic plot established—not an outline, but the basic idea of going from A to Z via D and G, with a side trip to S—then I start developing the characters to go with the names.

7) If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

Graham Greene. He’s Native American like me, he’s about my age, and he can, in turn, look as old as I sometimes feel, he can look as puzzled as I am, many times, and he can be determined, which I am at times.

8) Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

None comes to mind. Actually, I thought of the Creature from The Creature from The Black Lagoon movies, but it wasn’t a villain. Just a creature who happened to terrify people and sometimes killed them.

9) Do you have a historical crush and if so, who is it?

I don’t. If I were to have one, it would be Helen of Troy, as presented in a PBS documentary, “Helen of Troy.” In one section, Bettany Hughes, an historian, met with an archaeologist, and they observed a model undergoing makeup, hair styling, and dressing in period clothing in an attempt to guess how the real Bronze Age Helen might have appeared. What was fascinating was that they used the facial decoration of an “idol” found in a ruined temple. The essence was that in full dress and makeup, the woman transitioned from ordinary humanity into being more than human; Helen might have been a priestess, a human, but she was also one who interacted with the gods and goddesses. Once the model was completely made up, she was quite fascinating, intriguing, and mysterious. And sensuous—to me at least.

10) Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

Not really.

The Mumbai Malaise

Blurb:

"The Mumbai Malaise, a pestilence far deadlier than the 1918 Spanish Flu, is ravaging the world. Only the moon-based Lunar Scientific Research Station, a thousand people strong, is immune from the unexplainable scourge that threatens the existence of mankind. The Station Director, Oscar Bailey, orders the Station quarantined, and a party to distract the people, to celebrate their survival, though the Earth dies. But then, there is a famous entertainer, Lady Gaia, waiting in the wings…"

Sounds great! Thanks for stopping by, Stan! It was a pleasure to have you!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

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