CYNICISM MANAGEMENT

(Cynicism Management Series, Book 1, 2^nd Edition)

$ 3.99 @ these digital stores

A cast of hilariously eccentric characters get sucked into a maelstrom of ridiculous events: can they stumble blindly out of a complex and terminally dangerous conspiracy with their hides intact – and save the world while they’re at it?

Finnegan Frotz, an anonymous, bitter and extraordinarily pale black musician, lyricist and compulsive cynic of German-Scottish origin, flies from Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, to Slovenia, a small country to the northeast of Italy. Upon his arrival he joins Amalia Winegirl, songstress and occasional fling, and her half-brother Randy, bass player and herb aficionado. Together they form a band called Cynicism Management and pump all their efforts into creating what can only be described as a collection of smash hit singles in odd time signatures.

However, prying eyes notice Finnegan at the airport. Something has been etched into his skin, and this catches the wrong kind of attention. Unbeknownst – at first, at least – to any of its members, Finnegan’s band finds itself in the middle of a complex international conspiracy involving a malevolent corporation and a couple of executives with a diabolical plan. Add a colourful crowd of peculiar characters, an ad hoc group of female undercover agents, a voluptuous Portuguese nymphomaniac, a few bearded mujahideen, a sexy case of Stockholm syndrome, an online computer game, a slightly out-of-place but horny U.S. marine, a swarm of nosy cockroaches, and Bear in Underwear to the mix… And get ready for a roller-coaster of entangled plot lines, bizarre dialogues and ridiculous incidents, culminating in a shocking revelation.

Please note that this novel is adult, poignant satire. As such it contains explicit language, sex scenes, politically incorrect depictions, and may be offensive to the more irritable readers, particularly those who hold the values of the American (or Slovenian) Dream paramount.

This is the second edition of the novel, containing many improvements and formatting changes. The novel also includes links to free music by the fictional musicians appearing in the story – to the actual soundtrack for this literary work.

CYNICISM MANAGEMENT – ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

The Cynicism Management novel contains references to songs, recorded specifically as a soundtrack for the story. The music is in no way crucial for following the plot, so you will miss nothing if you cannot or will not listen to it. Besides, it is always possible that you might like the writing but hate the soundtrack… or vice versa. The novel as a purely literary work is my top priority, and therefore I by no means wish to force my musical escapades on you.

However, if the idea of songs enhancing the story’s atmosphere appeals to you, feel free to use the relevant links in the novel or the dedicated SoundCloud player below to have a listen.

Should you wish to download the complete collection of tracks mentioned in the book, you can do so here. I apologise for restricting the download to subscribers, but it is crucial for me to be able to inform you of any new literary and music releases.

Note that the tracks from the 2011 Cynicism Management debut album, poetically titled Tit (a small bird of the Paridae family, of course) have been reworked (or “augmented”) in honour of the 2020 River Boat Books (United States) and corona/samizdat (Slovenia) publications of actual paper books. In 2021, on the tenth anniversary of the original album, the modernised versions of songs were also released as a standalone album titled Tit Augmented.

DOWNLOAD THE “CYNICISM MANAGEMENT” SOUNDTRACK (320kbps mp3)

PENDULUM PET

(Cynicism Management Series Book 2)

$ 3.99 @ these digital stores

Pendulum Pet is a romp through the vicissitudes of a gregarious advanced culture with too much time, information and technology on its hands. Paranoia is placed and misplaced, the devious succeed through manipulations of those who gaze in wonder at the mundane like chimps on acid, or fail when the truly bizarre and unthinkable inadvertently stand in their way.

Civilizations clash, as they will, when Metaore, a transnational mining corporation headed by CEO Budd Dimples, purchases a field behind Boris and Beeba’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Tavern, a cult concert venue and meeting place of an eclectic collection of feckless artists, in order to undertake a remarkable experiment: drilling a geopunctural borehole to heal the Earth. Budd has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and taken a sudden turn toward esoteric wisdom, much encouraged by his healer and sex therapist Ashtara Wolf.

Bogomyr Yadvig, one of the more outré of the regulars, lives in a tent nearby with Rex the tavern hound – his idea of communing with Greek Cynics in preparation for an upcoming performance piece. He has cause to lose sleep and accumulate suspicion that the corporation has nefarious unstated ends in mind, particularly when he has his Roswell moment, if that is indeed what it is.

The corporate endeavour comes to a sudden halt when their drill runs into an impenetrable barrier, leading to mutually unfortunate and potentially combustible discoveries, along with stunning truths about parallel evolution and devolution. Yes, the world of the techno-information age has gone mad and survival may very well depend on the whims of a pendulum pet.

Please note that this novel is adult, poignant satire. As such it contains explicit language, sex scenes, politically incorrect depictions, and may be offensive to the more irritable readers. Even though the work is part of a series, the story is self-contained and can be read independently of the other Cynicism Management Series novels.

PENDULUM PET – ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

The Pendulum Pet novel contains references to songs, recorded specifically as a soundtrack for the story. The music is in no way crucial for following the plot, so you will miss nothing if you cannot or will not listen to it. Besides, it is always possible that you might like the writing but hate the soundtrack… or vice versa. The novel as a purely literary work is my top priority, and therefore I by no means wish to force my musical escapades on you.

However, if the idea of songs enhancing the story’s atmosphere appeals to you, fell free to use the relevant links in the novel or the dedicated SoundCloud player below to have a listen.

Should you wish to download the complete collection of tracks mentioned in the book, you can do so here. I apologise for restricting the download to subscribers, but it is crucial for me to be able to inform you of any new literary and music releases.

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE “PENDULUM PET” SOUNDTRACK (320kbps mp3)