A list of my books thus far
I figured it was time to update the banner I have on social media, so here’s my current list of books available in print and digital on Lulu.com and Amazon, (the trilogies and children’s books are on Barnes & Noble website as well.)
Feel free to inbox me for inquiries on personalized copies (rickpipito@Hotmail.com). Topics include: Historical Fiction or Alternative History, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Supernatural, Children’s books, Non-Fiction, and short stories
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Day 27 – sCrypt Publishing
Day 27 of #scrypthalloween looks at sCrypt Publishing as a whole. The logo, designed by @dpipito , was originally used only on the spinoff comics, but since we’ve grown and now have services that include editing, advice, cover art, and assisted publishing, it has become our “Script within the Crypt of the mind.” sCrypt Publishing brings those deep, creative thoughts out for new adventures every day. Check more out on my site http://www.rickpipito.com or drop me an email for inquiries. #publishing #book
Day 25 – A Little Girl In The Land Of The Hiccups
Day 25 of #scrypthalloween shows my first children’s book A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS. I wrote this story for my daughter, Lana, and it quickly became a reader favorite. With outstanding watercolor artwork by @dpipito it brought my writing into a whole new genre.
Available at lulu.com, Amazon, and B&N in print and digital…
official description: When a little girl finds herself a long way from home, she must help her new Eskimo friends to rid their land of the Hiccups, miniscule little creatures that are more of an annoyance than anything. From award winning author, Rick Pipito, the story is aimed for a young female audience, but can be enjoyed by all. With art by Dan Pipito, this heart warming tale will inspire young readers to never give up hope and put their best thoughts forward.
Day 2 – Zombie Incidents
short story – The Lost Hour
In the future, time travel is a tool used for learning. There are strict guidelines that the Continuum organization enforces to make sure that no one can tamper with what is already written. Those rules were put in place for a reason. Samantha Clayton wrote those rules, but what experiences did she have to understand the true consequences of diving into the past?
Follow Clayton in events that take place during one hour of her time. It will be an hour that she will never forget, and that history will never remember. To every cause there is an effect, no matter how big or small. This short story bridges the gap between the novels DEVOURED UNIVERSE and A COURSE FOR HUMANITY.
THE LOST HOUR can be purchased in print at http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-pipito/the-lost-hour-a-course-for-humanity-accessory/paperback/product-23346570.html
Updated Section: Talent Spotlight
I used to have an artist of the month section on this site, but since then I’ve gotten more away from making comics, and into main publishing and public appearances. During that time I’ve met some really amazing people. There’s such a vast range of talent out there that deserves to have recognition.
That being said, sCrypt Publishing has always been about spreading the talent, so this new “Talent Spotlight” section will include many different people in an interview type form.
If you know of someone who you think should be on this list, please send me an email rickpipito@Hotmail.com Stay tuned, as the first post is coming soon. Oh, and you can still go back and see the past artists who were in the spotlight here.
Peaceful Politics… and all else
Ah, it’s almost over. The wait that is. Here in the United States Facebook feeds are filled with rhetoric, memes, links, and jokes that are all in bad taste toward other candidates. Yes, I’m talking about election time. We are about to elect our 45th President, and it is downright ugly.
The divide is more than its ever been, and people seem to have forgotten that our founding Presidents tried to find a common ground. That isn’t the case any more. Now it’s a very angry right and a hateful left. Things have gotten violent in some cases. It’s almost as if you are no longer allowed to have an opinion because someone will scream at you if it’s different from theirs.
In all honesty we are at a scary point in history. If something can’t be agreed upon we may end up in dare I say another Civil War. (Some already claim this is happening). Thomas Jefferson once said, “Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.” That was 200 years ago, and it couldn’t be more fitting now.
Part of what makes this country an amazing place is that no matter if you are Black, White, Straight, Gay, Christian, Jewish, or of any other denomination or group, you are ALL American. So why is it that our passions have gone and made us embarrass ourselves? Why can’t I sit at a holiday dinner with family or friends, and have a conversation that is rational and respectful toward other stances?
I blame this on the media as a whole. If you’re watching CNN, Fox News, or any of the other mainstream go tos, you’ve probably only gotten a biased reporting. I say probably, but we know that’s the case. The fact is as Americans we have the right to vote, but we have the DUTY to do it responsibly. Taking someone else’s word for it (media or not) is irresponsible.
So how do you figure out the facts? They are out there if you look. Stop voting for Hillary because she’s a Democrat… Stop voting for Trump because he’s Republican. START voting AMERICAN… if you do your research and feel that either of the above, or a third party are what is best for America, then I encourage you to vote that way, but ONLY if you do your research. Otherwise you’re just one of the irresponsible angry or hateful ones.
I want a country fit for my children and generations to come, but politics seem to divide us more each time. I was asked by a friend, “How do you do proper research on the candidates?” The answer is simple. Click on those links you don’t want to view. If you’re an avid Left or Right of center person challenge yourself to honestly look at what the other side is offering. It may irritate you, but you may actually gain a piece of information that your side isn’t giving.
Look, I’m using politics as my main line here, because it is what is happening right now. But this goes for anything. No matter how correct you think you are, you aren’t perfect. No one is. If you’re sitting there behind a screen sharing “information” about how bad the other side is, then you should be looking at your own candidate’s flaws too. If you’re constantly on the offense, then no one will ever take you serious. You will NEVER win an argument or convince someone of your ways because you will seem irrational, and in most cases no one will want to be around you.
I wrote a book a few years ago about arguing, where I presented some facts from both sides of common disputes. I presented it without bias despite having strong feelings about some of the issues. Each chapter is introduced and ended with a humorous experience from my own life. I hope to update it one day soon as it could use an extra fact or two added because of changes in events.
The goal of the book is to find a common ground, or something near common so that we can be civil with each other instead of civil warring each other. Sure there is a chapter about Conservative vs Liberal, but other arguments (some silly and some serious) are presented as well… Cats vs Dogs, Star Wars vs Star Trek, Religion, Sports, Music. The list continues on.
NO, IT’S NOT. YES, IT IS: ARGUMENTS is available in print at lulu.com and in digital at Amazon. Feel free to check it out.
In the meantime, let’s all get along or at least try. Stop doing things such as “voting for the lesser of two evils.” That’s still evil. Stop voting AGAINST a candidate, because if you are doing that, then you aren’t voting FOR someone. Vote for something in which you believe. If you aren’t fighting for something you believe in, then you are just fighting because you’re intolerant of other people.
As a side note, yes I AM voting in this election. I do lean toward one side more. I have toyed with voting third party. I’ve taken into account ALL angles and have decided on one that I believe is the correct choice to lead. I hope this post helps you realize that it is important to negotiate with facts, and not bias. If not facts, then at least have common sense in your stance.
Wrapping up my rant I’d like to say that those who claim “Third party voting is throwing your vote away,” well I agree and disagree. I agree because let’s face it… one of the big two will win (at least in this election). I disagree because if you are voting for someone who isn’t Republican or Democrat, then you are telling the establishment that you don’t like their choices. I’m by no means saying to do that, but if you are then I don’t believe your vote is being wasted. Again, research is the key, not what media and others tell you.
I haven’t pushed my view in this post or who I’m voting for, because that would go against everything I’ve mentioned. Stating my stance would negate the purpose of forgetting outside influence. I encourage comments below. Please do not go off on political rants for or against your choice. Let’s see how civil we can be in a forum, and maybe there is hope for the future. And with that I say cheers.
Day 29 – Looking at a past release
Okay, so I got away easily with this post in doing something similar to yesterday’s. Since time travel is the topic for today I decided to do a little of it myself. Just a year ago I released my first children’s book, A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE HICCUPS.
While the sequel has hit some road bumps, it will be here sooner than we know it. When my daughter was in the womb, I read to her mother’s belly every night. I knew somehow that she’d be a girl, even before we found out by the doctors. As a fan of Baum’s Oz books, and Alice’s adventures in wonderland, I read those to her first. I remember her moving to the sounds of my voice as I told her all about Dorothy’s journey to see a wizard, and her adventures afterwards. By the time she was born she’d already heard four and a half full length novels!
As a writer I came up with an idea for her own children’s book. One of the things she used to do, other than twirl around in circles in the belly, was to send jolts of excitement. These came in the form of hiccups. It dawned on me then. A story about a girl who is lost in a land with some strange creatures by the same name. There would be a certain degree of education in the book, while keeping it fun for kids and have an underlying moral to the story.
While we wait for its sequel A LITTLE BOY IN THE LAND OF SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS, we can always go back and share a fun reading with our little ladies. Here’s the description of A LITTLE GIRL IN THE LAND OF THE SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS: When a little girl finds herself a long way from home, she must help her new Eskimo friends to rid their land of the Hiccups, miniscule little creatures that are more of an annoyance than anything. From award winning author, Rick Pipito, the story is aimed for a young female audience, but can be enjoyed by all. With art by Dan Pipito, this heart warming tale will inspire young readers to never give up hope and put their best thoughts forward.
What are some of your favorite memories of the past? Do you have a favorite children’s book? Make sure to use the hashtag #scrypthalloween when commenting, and you may win a copy of one of my novels. You can find this book and more of mine in print at Lulu.com, and on Amazon in digital.
No one likes a case of the Hiccups. Here’s one of those tiny pesky creatures. Art in the book is by Dan Pipito
Day 23 – Alien Encounters
ALIEN ENCOUNTERS is the short story spinoff of my novel PLANET ATE. Looking at the cover, you may feel as though the cover is familiar. That’s because you probably have at least in some way. I took a public domain image of an alien looking through a window. Its a supposedly leaked image from FBI files of an extraterrestrial here on Earth; at least that is according to conspiracy theorists. By passing the image through a negative filter, and then making it slightly pixelated, I figured it’d make a good cover for a book wrapped in conspiracy.
Beneath the title I added an eye and pyramid to represent the all seeing eye, Illuminati, and secret organizations involved with hiding the truth or trying to expose it.
Here’s the description: A phone call from a friend leaves you frantic. He claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy that could get him killed. His final words were, “I’ve seen them. We aren’t alone,” right before the line went dead. Whoever intercepted the call may now have you in their sight.
ALIEN ENCOUNTERS is now available in print on Lulu.com and is available as part of the BEYOND HUMAN TRILOGY extras download on Amazon. Or the whole trilogy in print.
Day 22 -Planet ATE
The title of my novel PLANET ATE was the hardest to come up with of my books so far. It’s because of that extra thought that it has the most meaning of them all. First off, in the book the main government organization in charge of dealing with the antagonist is the Alien Threat Elimination organization… A.T.E.
It doesn’t stop there however. This is also book # 8 in the series (Ate instead of eight), AND it keeps in line with the food related theme with the past tense of eating. All of the fun entendre aside the title is just the beginning.
For the previous book, artist Dan Pipito did a chalk board layout. Here we see a briefing room like white board. It’s designed to look like a dry erase board with pictures held on as to what information they have.
In writing PLANET ATE I wanted to go beyond just an alien threat and have it focus more on conspiracy. There are countless conspiracies talking about the cover up of UFOs, alien life forms, and so much more. I went with that line of thinking, and exposed (in the story) the truth behind these. The characters go so far as to figure out why we were created, and what is coming to end us. I tried to do it in a way where God and science could go hand in hand. It’s a wild ride that after you read will have you truly wondering what truths are being hidden from us.
Throughout the ages human history has held many unsolved mysteries. Why were we created? Were we a product of evolution? Were we created by God’s hand? Or is the answer more complex? When a creature as ancient as the universe itself targets earth for destruction, the truth must be revealed. Enter the A.T.E., a group of government agents dedicated to uncovering that, which has been hidden for so long. But by looking into past UFO and alien conspiracies, they may not be prepared to deal with truths that will provide proof of our real origins. An extinction event, a Biblical hero, a pilot lost at sea, an artist, and a founding father are only some who held clues to the overall puzzle. Will humanity solve it in time to stop the threat from above?
PLANET ATE is available in print at lulu.com and on Amazon in digital.
What are some of your favorite conspiracies? Make sure to hashtag #scrypthalloween in your answer, and you may win a free copy of one of my novels.
Day 21 – Superior Inspiration
Inspiration for my novel GENETIC MORSELS and its spinoff EVOLVED MUTATIONS began before I could even hold a pen. Since then it has grown to various different outlets. Something about super human beings fascinates me. In real life we’ve seen cases that have been unexplained. Spontaneous human combustion, clairvoyants, feats of strength and survival that are above the norm. The fact is that a great deal of the human brain is dormant. We’ve yet to unlock the potential of utilizing the full capacity of our brains.
This is where my novel came in. I wanted to present a story where the people in it had abilities in a real world setting and environment. Imagine a generation of super powered people. How did they get these abilities? Is it the next step in evolution? These are questions answered in the plot.
As I said my fascination began before I could hold a pen. I grew up reading MARVEL and DC comics. Unlike most comic book “fan boys” I typically don’t hate a movie or side with one company because I equally enjoy both. I find the faults in these movies and tv shows, but the bottom line is MOST of them are very enjoyable to different degrees.
But Marvel, DC, and other comic book companies aside, there have been some other great movies that have a similar idea of putting the characters into a real world scenario. Two of my favorites of these are UNBREAKABLE and CHRONICLE.
Unbreakable caught me off guard. Back when M. Night Shyamalan was producing some really great content, he showed trailers for this film and they didn’t reveal a thing. I had no idea what to expect going into this, and had no inclination that this was a “superhero” movie at all. I knew nothing, and it turned out to be a really decent film.
I had a similar reaction with Chronicle. I’d heard very little about it other than I needed to see it. I knew this was a found footage superhero movie, and to me it was very refreshing (in ways different from Unbreakable and other movies). If there is one superhero movie you should watch that is underrated, it’s this one.
When it came time to write GENETIC MORSELS, I had been swept up in endless hours of research. As fascinating as superheroes are to me, my one problem is that comic books fail to recognize real world physics. In my research I found the book THE PHYSICS OF SUPERHEROES by James Kakalios. It is presented by a number of physicists who answer such questions as “How much food would the Flash need to consume in order to keep up his speed” and “How would Spiderman’s webs hold him to buildings without ripping chunks off or dislocating his arms?” They use scientific fact and equations to show the answers. I took much of this into account while creating some of my characters and the situations they’d be in.
While EVOLVED MUTATIONS seems a little bit more over the top than the novel it came from, it too uses real world common sense to keep everything as grounded as possible. Prime example? Bernie Johns. He’s a character I created who has the ability to generate fire from his hands. The problem is that his skin is not immune to fire. He is a horribly scarred and misfigured man with a good heart and tragic story. Daryl Dartmouth is another character who has super speed, but gravity and friction makes a speedster have difficulty in stopping. In real life while moving at over a hundred miles an hour you’d have to slow down first to stop. Comics don’t take that into account. Someone moving at that speed could easily slam into a wall if they weren’t careful.
So what are some of your favorite super hero or villain stories? What kind of freaks do you find intriguing? If you’ve read Genetic Morsels, who is your favorite character? Make sure to hashtag #scrypthalloween in your response and you may win a copy of one of my books. 🙂
short story – Evolved Mutations
New release day! EVOLVED MUTATIONS is a short story expansion of my novel GENETIC MORSELS. For the cover I took a close up picture of each of my family member’s eyes. From top left clockwise it is my son, me, my daughter, and my wife. After passing them through some filters and adding a hint of power in each of their eyes we were able to convey a pretty fun, yet enticing look.
Think about this: One morning you wake with a tingling sensation in your spine. Your veins feel as though they have a river of fire flowing through them. You scream out in agony as the change takes over, and suddenly realize you’re on fire. The fire doesn’t burn you, but it incinerates all around you. You panic, but are not alone. Your generation has had its DNA altered. The possibilities are both frightening and promising.
EVOLVED MUTATIONS is available at http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-pipito/evolved-mutations-a-genetic-morsels-accessory/paperback/product-22864378.html
It will be part of the upcoming Beyond Human Trilogy release as well.
Day 16 – Techno Feast
Technology is a great asset to society, but the advancements have made life a little scary at times. For day 16 of #scrypthalloween I decided to repost about my novel TECHNO FEAST.
Humanity has survived through countless threats, but when a super computer begins to think that the human race is flawed, survival may prove an impossibility. In order to conquer the self proclaimed “Network Entity,” differences must be put aside. Every person on earth will be put to the test. Alliances must be forged, obstacles must be eliminated, and sacrifices will be made to ensure a future for the entire planet. Forget everything you know about the past, as technology becomes our greatest enemy yet. The Network Entity’s plan to take over everything that makes life simpler is executed in various stages. While a team of disjointed specialists race to stop each digital upgrade, a sinister man lurks in the shadows with his own plans for the future.
TECHNO FEAST is available in print at lulu.com and in digital on Amazon.com
What’s your biggest fear about technology? Make sure to use the above hashtag when responding or posting.
Day 11 – Ghostly Hauntings
You’re speaking with your grandfather. It seems like forever since you have last seen him, but your conversation reminds you of being a child again. Then it dawns on you. Your grandfather has been dead for years. As you focus your eyes on him, he vanishes. His absence forces a feeling of dread as your hair stands on end.
#scrypthalloween continues with GHOSTLY HAUNTINGS. This spinoff of my novel Souls 4 Supper, was the last graphic novel we published at sCrypt. It is now available in short story text form as well, so for the rerelease you can grab a copy in print at lulu.com or on Amazon as part of the Pandora’s Chaos Trilogy download.
What’s your favorite ghost related item, story, or topic? Post on social media and hashtag #scrypthalloween for a chance to win one of my novels. The more posts the better.
Day 10 – Souls 4 Supper
SOULS 4 SUPPER was the novel that broke some major ground for me. It gained me a place in the top 100 and top 25 author lists, and continues to soar.
When the search for Pandora’s Box takes a team of military and civilian specialists into the heart of Atlantis, they are not prepared for what they find. Can they locate the artifact before the lost souls and spirits of the dead haunt the living forever?
SOULS 4 SUPPER is available in print at lulu.com and in digital at Amazon.
What are some of your favorite ghost related things? Be sure to post them and hashtag #scrypthalloween.
Day 5 – Legends of Vampire
Originally available in comic book form, I’m happy to announce that a text version of LEGENDS OF VAMPIRE is now available in standard print format at Lulu.com, as well as for the Kindle on Amazon in the EDEN’S ORDER TRILOGY.
LEGENDS OF VAMPIRE is a short story spinoff of my novel (Blood, The Second Helping), and expands upon the characters and stories going on in the novel.
You are alone with someone you just met. You hit it off and lean in to kiss that person, only to realize that their teeth are now two inch fangs. Your “friend” is a vampire thirsting for your blood.
This post is part of my 31 days of #Scrypthalloween, and you can be a part of it by posting something you like as well. The best posts from each day will win giveaways. Check the previous posts, and the chart below to know what to post each day. It can be anything from topic related books, movies, food, drink, toys, hobbies, or anything you can think of. Tag me in your posts @rickpipito. Feel free to ask me any questions.
Day 2 – Zombie Incidents
Part 2 of the Zombie theme in a month of #scrypthalloween is my spinoff short ZOMBIE INCIDENTS. After the success of FLESH AND LEFTOVERS, I wrote ten short stories for the graphic novel spinoff. Now for the first time the stories are available in a text quick read release version only at http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-pipito/zombie-incidents-a-flesh-and-leftovers-accessory/paperback/product-22861751.html
Make sure to post your #scrypthalloween favorite picks for a chance to win any number of giveaways this month.
Day 1 – Flesh and Leftovers
Day 1 of #scrypthalloween is zombies, so my first post will be my first novel. FLESH AND LEFTOVERS brought together multiple types of undead lore into what became the beginning of a long journey for Gordon Lightcap.
In the novel, Lightcap and Moira Donatelli recruit survivors of various zombie incidents in order to assemble a team to take on a bigger threat than just the walking dead.
FLESH AND LEFTOVERS is available at Amazon in digital form, in print at Lulu.com, and on Audible in audiobook form.
Make sure to take part in my 31 days of #scrypthalloween. The best posts from each day will win giveaways. Check the previous post for full details, and the chart below for what to post on each day. It can be anything from topic related books, movies, beer, food, the sky is the limit. Tag me in your posts on social media @rickpipito.
- art for cover depicted is by Dan Pipito
31 Days of #scrypthalloween
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is the one time of year where we can be anyone we want by donning costumes and enjoying Autumn. This year to celebrate, I want EVERYONE to get involved in this social media fun.
Oh, and did I mention that there will be giveaways for the ones I feel are the best? Extra points for costumes inspired by my books. 😛
Here’s what to do. Each day there will be a topic. Post anything you want on that topic. For example, you can see that days 1-3 are about zombies. That means you have 3 days of posting anything zombie related. It can be your costume, your favorite book, movie, news article… anything you want!
When you post, make sure to tag me on social media @Rickpipito and I’ll retweet or share. Also, don’t forget to use the hashtag #scrypthalloween.
Let’s get this going to see how many people we can get involved. I will be using it for promotional purposes, but also to share my favorite things. Here’s the list of what to post on what dates. Any questions feel free to ask. It starts October 1st, and here’s a breakdown of FAQ:
Oct 1 – 3: Anything ZOMBIE
Oct 4-6: Anything VAMPIRE
Oct 7-9: Anything WEREWOLF
Oct 10-12: Anything GHOST/SPIRIT/HAUNTED
Oct 13-15: Anything DEMON/HELL
Oct 16-18: Anything TECHNOLOGY/MACHINES (things that may one day become the Terminator?)
Oct 19-21: Anything with GENETIC ABNORMALITIES/SUPERHUMAN ABILITIES/FREAKS
Oct 22-24: Anything CONSPIRACY related (could be your own conspiracy or a popular one)
Oct 25-27: Anything ALIEN
Oct 28-30: Anything TIME TRAVEL related
Oct 31: Anything HALLOWEEN. Post whatever you’d like that has to do with the topic.
*Remember to try to be tasteful. You can post whatever you’d like, but if its too far out of the realm of comfort I won’t reshare. Other than that, have fun and feel free to spread the word.
**Winners of the giveaways will be contacted throughout the entire month of October.
novel – DEVOURED UNIVERSE
It’s here! Available in paperback and digital is DEVOURED UNIVERSE.
Beyond the farthest reaches of the universe lies a threat to the very existence of reality. When Earth receives a signal from deep space, they must embark on a dangerous mission into the unknown. Gordon Lightcap returns to duty after a brief retirement. He will have to use what he has learned to bring together a mismatched group of astronauts, and discover the secrets to existence. Only then will they be able to prevent the annihilation of everything, but at what cost?
$7.99 + shipping for paperback http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-pipito/devoured-universe/paperback/product-22842737.html
$3.99 for Kindle and digital https://www.amazon.com/Devoured-Universe-Eternal-Hunger-Saga-ebook/dp/B01L7AFS2Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
A Little Girl in: The Land of the Hiccups – trailer
We are approaching the long overdue release of my next children’s book, so it’s only fitting that a trailer be shown for the previous one. A Little Girl in The Land of the Hiccups is a favorite among young girls and parents.
Written by Rick Pipito
Art by Dan Pipito
available in print and digital at Amazon and Lulu.com
Think, Sip, Write – Ep 7: sCrypt
For this episode I talk about what got us into sCrypt comics, the process of it all, and how it evolved. At the end I included a slideshow with samples of the art.
Special thanks to the artists. They are: Dan Pipito, Leanne Wiedmeyer, Asher Humm, Joe Parisi, Angela McQuillan, Fred Loeffler, Tiff Pugliese, TJB, Phillip Allie, J.C. Spence, Jacob Greenawalt, Sakura Jones, Ivy Duffy, Scott Modrzynski, Vince Pipito, Kelly Swann, Mike Coppolecchia, Ken Hensley, Michael Garard Jr, Kristie Vanderzee, Muhammad Nurul Islam, and Mao Estheim
PLANET ATE – Trailer
My most recent novel has gained some momentum recently, so why not add to the hype with this new trailer? PLANET ATE is available in print at Lulu.com and for Kindle on Amazon.
sCrypt Publishing 