JACK WARNER is the author of SHIKAR, published in June 2003 by Forge. Previously, he spent 30 years with United Press International in Dallas, New Orleans, Washington and Atlanta followed by 13 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
1 April 06 2010 at 22:39:43 Fullname: Allen Ross Email:
Siscosdad@att.net Comments: Dear Jack:
I can certainly empathize with your trying to get published. I sent in my first manuscript summary and have nothing to show for my books except a pile of rejection letters. The most frustrating thing is that 90% of them say they aren't taking any new manuscripts. Would that I might find some new agent, desperate for clients, and with an eye for a good story.
I picjed up "Shikar" at the library because I have exhausted the works of my favorite authors and am constantly looking for new ones. When I saw the blurb by Stephen Coonts, whom I have recently discovered, I decided to check it out.
Imagine my delight and surprise when I discovered my new "suspense" novel was in fact, one of the funniest comic novels since "Portnoy's Complaint." I loved the way you threw in some half-baked, two-paragraph excuse for the tiger's existence (about 3/4 of the way through the book,) and it's fascinating how you avoid giving a reason for Roy's rapport with the tiger.
But the best part is the ineptitude and the blatant ignorance of the local Georgia Crackers. Further fascinating is how you chose an overweight, middle-aged elected lightweight as your hero. I couldn't put the book down, wondering what these bumpkins would do next.
Another wonderment is that not one of your characters, (except Graham)Had any idea that tigers always attack from behind, nor that a 9MM or a .223 would never stop a fully grown male Bengal. I once saw a video of a Bengal attacking a gaur, and the tiger damn near won! I saw a gaur once in a zoo; 2,000 pounds and seven feet tall. Most of your readers don't know that a .470 Nitro cartridge is about six inches long and looks like an artillery shell.
I recently saw a CSI preview where Catherine is rising from the pavement drenched in her own blood, and an SUV is bearing down on her, accelerating. End of episode. See you next week.
It wasn't funny that we never discovered the reason for Jim's sixth sense, or why the Slashfoot tiger wasn't our Georgia killer, nor if the tiger's post-mortem showed any physical reason that it had become a man-eater.
Roy's character was so whimsical as to be a weak glue that held the story together, but nothing more. Obviously, Col. Graham and the tiger are the most interesting characters; the rest are merely cariacatures from "Deliverance."
I'm happy you got your book published: You justified the saw,"You can't judge a book by it's cover."
Good luck.
2 May 02 2009 at 15:24:50 Fullname: John Salisbury Email:
jsalisbury3rd@yahoo.com Comments: I read Shikar about 3 years ago; I loved the book and recommended it to others--I actually got my local library to obtain the books you recommended for me to read.
I'm siting here today watching a movie called "Maneater" on SCIFI channel and didn't see any credit for your story...We'll see how the movie plays out--Doubt it'll be as good as your book.
Great job, sir.
John Salisbury
3 June 08 2007 at 18:18:05 Fullname: Peggy Davis Email:
pdavis@burr.com Comments: I read Shikar when it first came out, purchased it at your booksigning at Chapter 11 in Atlanta. Wonderful book! I didn't realize until I checked Amazon.com today how successful it has been. Congratuations! My husband and I, as well as my mother and I, bought your pottery and turned wood over the years. Always thought you and your lovely wife seemed like special people, but I had no idea until seeing your website what interesting lives you have had. Hope life is good in NM for you both.
4 March 27 2007 at 03:05:00 Fullname: Frank Email:
tfs102080@yahoo.com Comments: Just finished reading Maneater after buying it on e-Bay. Great book, but like all great books, way too short. I'd like to thank you for paying homage to Col. Corbett, who has been a hero of mine ever since reading his books in high school (more than two decades ago). Maneater brings back all the same feelings of those days. Thanks again, looking forward to your next book.
5 March 11 2005 at 22:40:29 Fullname: Clementine Trott Email:
karategurl3xx@aol.com Comments: Wow. I never knew that Mr. Warner actually worked with my dad in Dallas! This is so cool.
Im just wondering, has anyone here actually read Shikar more that one time? I am reading it for the fifth time!
6 July 08 2004 at 12:59:23 Fullname: Lee Honeycutt Email:
honeyl@iastate.edu Comments: Congratulations on the book, Jack! Looking forward to reading it.
Retired life seems to agree with you.
-- Lee
7 May 11 2004 at 23:12:16 Fullname: Harry Email: Comments: Man, I am getting old. I go away and come back in a month for the punch line! LOL, that idiot in the gun shop had to be on something...
8 April 14 2004 at 22:34:36 Fullname: Jack Warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: Thanks for that, my friend.
I've always enjoyed the one from several years ago, from a Western state I can't remember, about the bandit who decided to rob a gun store. He pulled up to one, walked past several parked police cars, walked in the door, pulled a gun and announced his intentions. There were half a dozen customers, including cops, in the place, and all were armed. I think every one of them got at least one round into him before he hit the floor.
And many years ago, there was a great story from London about a man who walked into a bank and handed a tellere a note saying "Give me all your money or I will shoot you."
The teller looked at him curiously and asked "Where's your gun?"
The bandit looked around, leaned forward and muttered "Give me all your money or I'll go home and get my gun and come back and shoot you."
9 April 14 2004 at 03:51:28 Fullname: Harry Email: Comments: By the way, this may have been a long-lost relative of mine...
Intoxicated Man Seeks Job With Police
ORCHARDS, Wash. (April 12) - A man who stopped by Washington State Patrol headquarters to ask about a job didn't get what he wanted - but he did find out how a hand-held alcohol tester works.
Robert Gulley, an unemployed radio technician, was ticketed for alleged drunken driving as he drove away from the patrol office in this city near Vancouver. He had asked for a job application.
''I guess it was a bad time to go there,'' Gulley, 25, of nearby Sifton, told The Columbian newspaper. ''It was a bad judgment call.''
When Gulley walked into patrol headquarters Wednesday afternoon, he was slurring his words, had glassy eyes and his breath smelled of alcohol, Trooper Maureen Crandall said.
When she told him it wasn't a good idea to apply to be a trooper while intoxicated, Gulley denied drinking, another trooper said.
So Trooper Rich Bettger, who'd overheard what was going on, offered to measure Gulley's blood alcohol level with a hand-held breath tester.
Gulley blew a 0.095, above the state's legal limit for driving of 0.08, indicating he'd had at least three drinks, March said.
Gulley said he had only had one drink - a Long Island iced tea - and that it likely caused a high alcohol reading because he hadn't eaten in more than a day.
When the troopers asked Gulley how he got to the station, they said he told them he'd been given a ride. The officers said they warned Gulley not to drive home.
But after leaving the office and pacing back and forth on a nearby side street for 10 minutes, Gulley got into his car and drove away, troopers said.
He was promptly pulled over and ticketed. Gulley was given two more alcohol-breath tests, which both gave readings of slightly over 0.08, Trooper Garvin March said.
The troopers then arranged for Gulley's sister to drive him home.
''I actually still want to join the police department,'' Gulley said. ''Those guys are doing their job keeping the roads safe.''
But state troopers said Gulley's career prospects with the patrol appear dim.
''I guarantee he's not going to get a job with us,'' March said. ''We've arrested drunks in unexpected ways and places before, but this one just blew me away.''
04-11-04 2232EDT
10 April 12 2004 at 01:34:25 Fullname: Harry Shannon Email: Comments: Jack, nice meeting you face-to-face at long last at the Arizona World Horror Convention. Two old coots sitting side by side, eyeing the young Goth chicks! Come and say hello on my board once in a while so we can all remember you're a'hanging around here. Hope to meet the wife next time...? Best, Hairy
11 February 05 2004 at 00:01:50 Fullname: Ron Dickie Email: Comments: Jack,
My best wishes to you and your wife during this, uh, odiferous time. Geez that sucks!
Ron
12 February 04 2004 at 19:10:42 Fullname: jack warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: I'm sure some of you will remember that great old Arlo Guthrie ditty, "The Road Kill Song":
"Ya gotcher dead skunk
in the middle of the road,"
etc.
Well, it's rather personal now. Ours in somewhere under the house. The house smells of eau d'skonk. We had a fellow who calls himself Skunkbuster come out. He specializes in removal of live skunks. He said that from the facts
that we don't hear any activity under the house, and the dogs don't hear any either, it is 10-1 our skunk is deceased. It is already about as decomposed
as it will get, he said. The problem now is that every time moisture comes along -- snow or rain -- the critter will swell up just enough to squeeze a few drops out of his scent sac. This, Buster said, can go on for years.
Our house is so low to the ground that I'm not sure that I -- or anyone -- can navigate all around under it. Mr. Buster said that not only does he charge hundreds of dollars to crawl around under houses looking for dead
skunks, his success rate under mobile homes has been exactly zero. Ours is a heavily remodeled triple-wide.
At that point, we decided to dispense with his services. I can fail to find a dead skunk for free. Of course, I think ol' Buster charges so much in case
he encounters whatever killed the skunk.
When the snow is melted and the temperature gets back up around 50, I shall don a respirator and go dead skunk hunting. In the meantime, we find that we
can rise above a little skunkiness.
This is part of rural life. Our nearest neighbor had Skunkbuster out last year and he removed eight live ones from under the lucky neighbor's house. I suppose we're fortunate that bears and lions can't get under there.
Pray for us.
13 January 28 2004 at 03:45:27 Fullname: jack warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: Gina -- if I ever get to Tampa again, I will surely let you know. It is among my life goals to meet a real live Gina Dabasinskas. Of course, I realize that I might not survive the encounter.
Harry -- I'm retired, remember? I ain't begging anybody to read my work. Being retired is wonderful. On the other hand, if I want to do anything but eat tacos and go to be early, maybe I better start begging.
Bit of a thrill today -- went into the SO to type up some notes I made on a burglary interview, then to Big O to buy new tires, and while waiting there a detective buddy picked me up and I wound up being part of a team that took down a little slimebag we've been hunting for 40 days on a charge of child neglect leading to death. All I did was watch the back door, but I watched it good and hard.
Plus, I got started again on Wild Thing yesterday. Life is still good.
14 January 27 2004 at 15:04:20 Fullname: Gina Dabasinskas Email:
jrdabao@tampabay.rr.com Comments: Hi Jack:
Glad you are feeling better - come to Tampa for a book signing. I promise to come and bring all my friends (I had two but now just down to one) or maybe I could streak your signing and we could be on the news and get lots of publicity!!
GIna
15 January 26 2004 at 21:47:59 Fullname: Harry Shannon Email: Comments: What a weird, spooky freaking business this is, eh? We bust our asses for months and months and then have to plead with folks to read our work. That's what I love about places like Horror World and Shocklines, you get people (many of whom are authors themselves) cheering you on. Welcome back among da living, Jack.
16 January 26 2004 at 14:45:29 Fullname: jack warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: Snowed in today. Got 4-5 inches yesterday, and due to my putting off getting new tires, we can't get out. Not a big deal.
Book signing in El Paso Saturday resulted in one sale -- I had one in Tucson where nobody even talked to me -- but the community relations manager at the store made it very pleasant. Her name is Karen Morosgo, and she was a most attentive and excellent host. I don't think book signings are very useful unless you have an established name or they're done in a place where you have a lot of friends or relatives.
17 January 24 2004 at 15:39:28 Fullname: jack warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: Hello out there. I'm feeling better now. Still bleeding a little, but most of the time I can breathe through my beak. Signing my book at Sunland Barnes & Noble in El Paso today at 2p, in case there's anybody around there.
18 January 18 2004 at 05:08:38 Fullname: jack warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: This being Horror World, I have a small horror story to report.
Late last year, I succumbed to numerous blandishments from the Author's Guild to host my web site for a mere $6 a month. I was paying nearly $20 a month.
The problems started when it became apparent that their server did not provide FrontPage extensions, although their promotions indicated it did. As a result, neither my guest book nor my hit counter would work.
Compounding this was the fact that my old host left some sort of cache lying around that prevented me from accessing my new web site at the Authors Guild. I was trying to figure this one out when I had the operation on my snout. This left me unable to cope with much of anything.
Basically, after I began recovering from the surgery, I discovered that tech support at the Authors Guild is, to put it mildly, incompetent. I had been lazy, depending on them to help me solve these problems, and some of the messages I received from them were classics.
Finally -- today -- I realized I'd have to get off my duff and fix it myself. I got a free guest book from one outfit and a free hit counter from another. Now my home page is looking a little like a NASCAR racer, but at least the stuff works.
So this is a cautionary tale -- if you go with the Authors Guild, make sure you can deal with problems yourself.
19 January 18 2004 at 04:56:38 Fullname: jack warner Email:
jwarner@cybermesa.com Comments: Thank you very much, Pat. Hopde you'll come by often.
20 January 15 2004 at 05:56:23 Fullname: Patrick (Pat) Nicholson Email:
pnicholson@sbcglobal.net Comments: Jack,
Just a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed SHIKAR!
