elcome to The Gentleman from Indiana website, the new and improved version of Gary Madden's writing website (formerly titled Ghosts of the Mind). I started this web page in 2006 as a home for my literary activities and though content has been added the design has remained largely unchanged since the site's inception. Though I've undertaken a major remodeling project, you still will find find information about my various published works. You'll also find information on some of the projects I'm engaged in and general information about the trials and tribulations of the writing life.

The companion blog, entitled The Gentleman from Indiana is updated on a regular basis and includes a hodgepodge of random information and thoughts. You can also visit me on Twitter or follow me on Facebook.

As for this site, I'll do my best to keep the content updated and fresh but please bear with me. This site is a one-man-show - I do all the coding, graphics, and content without external help. After all, I have to spend some time writing new stories!

orn in Indianapolis, Indiana to an average, working-class family in an average subdivision in average, Midwestern suburbia I never quite fit in. From an early age my interests leaned toward storytelling and creating imaginary worlds. Most kids were in to hunting, fishing, sports, and automobiles but my hobbies included reading Tarot Cards, sitting for hours in the dark with an Ouija Board, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Outside the hazy world of the paranormal and the realm of brave knights, I applied my penchant for spinning yarns to get out of trouble at home and to replace required reading materials with improvisational performances loosely based on the subject matter at hand. It filled time but didn't impress my teachers or improve my GPA.

After graduating (or, more accurately, surviving) the Indiana Public School system, I obtained an associate's degree from ITT Technical Institute and graduated with honors. For a couple of decades I made a decent living in the electronics field, specializing in medical electronics and working for several major corporations in the field. I'd attained the kind of career that, according to my blue-collar upbringing, should be fulfilling. It wasn't.

Eventually, I decided that I needed more - the question was more what? Diagnosing misbehaving blood glucose meters and designing circuitry didn't satisfy my need for creativity so I searched for an outlet. I began by writing (gasp) fan fiction for a few on-line shared story sites and eventually even created/moderated a couple of my own. Mostly these sites were science fiction based (Star Trek being a major influence). After playing around with web design and running these groups I decided that, though these sites were fun and interesting, what I really wanted to do was write fiction professionally. So I launched into a drastically short first attempt.

I bounced off the idea of being a professional writer and landed hard. All good writers must harden themselves to the inevitable slew of rejection letters and it took some time for me to develop the prerequisite thick skin. In 2006 I sold my first story. The Bride appeared in Aiofe's Kiss' anthology Bondage - Tales of Obsession. Shortly afterward I published two short stories, both featuring my space trucker, Phil Dyson (Dyson's Planet and Orestes Sleeps) to Amazing Journeys Magazine. Those early successes have kept me writing (and receiving rejections) and my list of publishing credits has continued to grow (though.

In 2010 I sold my inaugural novel to Five Star Publishing. Time of Death is slated for publication in late 2011 and I'm looking forward to the experience of editing and revising novel-length fiction. As of the writing of this biography I have two new novels in process and I hope to complete the first drafts of both before my first novel hits the stands.

Until the next publication I'll remain here in the Midwest, writing and humoring my cat. Living on the lakeside with my lovely wife and making the most out of every day. That's all you can really do, isn't it?

Favorite Movies

ovies were my first form of escape as a kid. I read, but the visual quality of a movie could sweep me away for days after I saw it. I used to stay up late to catch B-Grade horror flicks on the Sammy Terry Show a campy, local late-night TV program that aired on WTTV Channel 4 out of Bloomington, IN. Occasionally my father would take me to the local drive-in theatre and we'd catch the latest Godzilla vs. whatever movie in stunning, window-mounted mono.

Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon - Nobody can out cool Bogart, as the tortured owner of Rick's Cafe American he is everything the wounded knight, fallen from his steed ought to be and as Sam Spade he is the ultimate, hard-boiled hero.

Chinatown - Yes, with the film noir again. The layered plot works so well and the historical references to 30's LA are perfect. What's more, Polanski avoids making his hero, J.J. Gittes (Nicholson) into a carbon copy of Sam Spade.

Blade Runner - Yet more noir. I found Blade Runner's dystopian view of the future where Earth is a backwash, industrial wasteland peopled by dispossessed characters like the hero, Deckard (Ford) spellbinding.

Bubba Ho-Tep - Cult classic, Bubba Ho-Tep's combination of oddball humor and ridiculous characters really got me laughing. This movie (in my opinion) has some of the best quotes ever. One of the best, " Your soul suckin' days are over, amigo!"

The Big Lebowski - The Cohen Brothers story of possibly the laziest man in the world. The Lebowski story never fails to make me laugh.

Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks send up of the classic horror flick (which deserves its own spot on this list but I've got to stop somewhere). The cast is perfect, the timing is perfect, the one-liners are perfect, and it's a perfect comedy.

Favorite Books

s a writer I love books. Initially I would have qualified that as physical books but since acquiring a Kindle Reader and finding Project Gutenberg I'm equally in love with the electronic versions. There is something special about holding a book in hand, especially an old one. The weight, and the smell, the telltale wear left by past readers all lend a romance to the physical book that the electronic version will never possess. Of course, if you're stuck in an airport and you have your electronic reader, you've got the biggest library ever at your disposal - until Trek's transporter becomes a reality, you're not going to beat that! Here are a few of my favorite titles, hard-copy or electronic.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Tolkien) - Possibly the defining fantasy books, the genre is compared to Tolkien's great masterworks.

Hell's Angels (Hunter S. Thompson) - Before Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas HST wrote his account of living among the Hells Angels. His style was fresh and his perspective skewed but not screwed as it was in Fear and Loathing (which I also love and regularly re-read). Too bad HST is the father of the infotainment that passes for news these days.

The Silent Miaow (Paul Gallico) - There's never been another book like The Silent Miaow. Gallico's manual for kittens, strays, and homeless cats is one of the most endearing books I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) - In high school we had to read Fitzgerald's novel about the death of the American Dream of the '20's and I doubt that I got a fifth of it. I did fall in love with Gatsby and the era, though, and after that I had an unquenchable interest in the 20's and 30's.

My Man Jeeves; The Inimitable Jeeves; Carry On Jeeves, Very Good Jeeves, What Ho, Jeeves (PG Wodehouse) - Wodehouse is a tonic, his writing takes me away to a time when things were much more complicated and people much simpler. I love the interaction between his fashionable, young Bertie Wooster and Jeeves the staid, feudal-spirited valet. Some of the adaptations of Wodehouse's Jeeves books are very enjoyable, especially the BBC version featuring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry (Jeeves and Wooster). It should be noted, though, that the BBC adaptation rolls in characters and situations from other stories in the Wodehouse cannon and doesn't solely rely on the novels/short stories featuring Jeeves and Wooster.

Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame) - Wind in the Willows has a great deal more to offer than entertainment for children. The characters are wonderful, the situations compelling, and the underlying magic of the book draws me in every time I pick it up. My favorite chapter in the book is The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, read that and you'll understand what I mean by magic.

Favorite Music

his is a difficult subject to nail down since I love everything from ragtime to hip hop to electronica. All I can do is ramble off a few favorites and know that I've missed the great preponderance of great music.

Men at Work - Yes, I'm a child of the eighties. In my opinion Men at Work had two great albums, '81's Business as Usual and '83's Cargo, and then imploded but I still find myself going back to them regularly. Particular favorites are I Can See It in Your Eyes, Helpless Automation, No Sign of Yesterday, and Blue for You.

Louis Armstrong - With his distinctive voice and flare for improvisational cornet playing, Armstrong embodies Louisiana-flavored swing and jazz. I love his version of St. James Infirmary and (I'll be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You.

Dr. Steel - Got to love anyone who plots to take over the world with an army of toys. Dr. Steel mixes hip-hop influences with steampunk and goth overtones to come up with a unique sound which perfectly suits his lyrical style. Personal favorites are We Decide, Bogeyman Boogie, and Lullabyebye.

here is a truism that I've never put much stock in. It goes something like this: to be a good writer you must read constantly. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not coming out against reading. After all, I'm a writer and if nobody read then I'd have some difficulty making a living at my chosen profession! I am, however, saying that I don't think you get any measurable benefit from reading the works of others beyond knowing whether your ideas are original and possibly getting ideas for your own writing. Of course, another professor once told me that there are no new subjects, only new ways to write about them.so that kind of eliminates the first justification for reading voraciously, doesn't it? Regardless, here are the books that currently occupy my reading list. They don't move quickly - I'm not what could be defined as a voracious reader.

Also, as a note, I do not do book reviews. The main reason is I'm one of those people who read really slowly. Pay attention to my reading list and you'll see what I mean. Books can languish in my dusty bookcase or on my Kindle for months before I get to them. If I wrote reviews, that'd only exacerbate the problem! Besides, good is what you like, no more and no less and that's exactly how it should be.

The following are links are to sites that are directly associated with my writing or the writing of my wife, Kelly Madden.

• The Gentleman from Indiana - My blog providing updates on my various writing projects, general observations, and random thoughts.
• The Worlds of Kelly Madden - The writing website of my talented and wonderful wife.
• The Worlds of Kelly Madden - Kelly's blog and companion to her website with information about her writing.
• Blue Suede Souls - A different kind of blog shared by Kelly and me and detailing our experiences dancing.

The following are links to a few writing resources that have proved useful to me in getting pieces published, including links to my various publishers.

• Absolute Write - A blog about writing that provides links to conferences around the country.
• Aoife's Kiss - Home of the first publisher in which my work appeared.
• Duotrope's Digest - A great resource for checking out publishers and finding outlets for your writing.
• Gale - Five Star Publishing - Publishers of novels in many different genres including my inaugural novel, Time of Death.
• How Publishing Really Works - A wonderful blog giving a view of the inner workings of publishing from someone in the business.
• International Thriller Writers - ITW is an organization dedicated to helping thriller authors and one of the few that doesn't charge dues.
• Predators and Editors - A wonderful place to check out potential publishers and agents.
• Wild Child Publishing - An incredible e-publisher with wonderful people.

• Clarkesworld Books - Purveyors of out of print periodicals and back issues of in-print magazines.
• Project Gutenberg - An incredible resource for out-of-print, out of copy right books. Gutenberg also includes some audio books. Best of all, it's free!

Q: What advice do you have for new writers?

A: It might sound trite or cliché but the main things you should be doing as a writer are: writing, submitting, and not taking the rejections you get too seriously.

My high school creative writing teacher once said "A writer writes, always." I've never found anything more true. Keep a journal and when you travel, write down your impressions or even just descriptions of the places you go. You never know when this material might inspire a new piece or be useful in resolving a block in your writing. Be flexible in your method of writing too. If you're absolutely married to composing at the keyboard you'll never be able to do it anywhere else. If you are able to compose electronically and in longhand, you will be able to compose anywhere.

When you're ready, send your work in to the publisher of your choice. Research your chosen publisher thoroughly and get a feeling for what they expect. Follow their guidelines carefully. Write a respectful cover letter. And, finally, send your work in.

A part of writing is being rejected. My first rejection was heartbreaking and it kept me from writing for years afterward. Don't let this happen to you. The reasons for rejection are many and you usually won't know why a particular piece. I recommend re-reading the piece to make sure you didn't miss anything during previous edits and then starting the submission process again.

Q: Will you read my novel/story?

A: In short, no. I'm a very slow reader and I have to marshal my time toward working on my own works.