Ed Teja's Blog

 Changing SpeedI'm not a good blogger. I'd rather put things in my stories. So I haven't posted here much, and it's unlikely I will be in the future. BUT, I do want to stay in touch.
Currently, I'm working on a complex, serialized crime story ( PROPER CRIMES ) that's a bit dark for Amazon's new Vella platform. The launch date for that is still unknown. I'll also be publishing a series of speculative fiction (imaginative fiction?) stories. Think Twilight Zone or One Step Beyond. So watch for those.
And how should you know when they come out? The best way is to sign up for my newsletter. I'll give you some thoughts about the source material for stories, a free story for signing up, and other free things from time to time. Just go to My Newsletter signup form.
And if you are in the mood for an exciting Caribbean thriller adventure, there are now four books in the Martin Billings series.

And my website is www.edteja.com

I mentioned before that I'm writing new trilogy of Ron Anejo stories (tropical mysteries with a twist). While you wait, you can listen to the original story. The audiobook is available for free right now... first come, first served. And sign up for my newsletter to learn when the new books are available.

I'm working on a trilogy of cozy mysteries featuring my old friend Ron Añejo, the world's best Caribbean boat bum. It wasn't his idea to become a detective... but circumstances make for odd outcomes. And, while Ron will take on the job with his usual enthusiasm and optimism, he doesn't know much about it. That means he'll bring his own style to the task of finding the killer--for better or worse.

Caribbean Dreaming by Dagny SellorinThe stories all take place in my favorite place in the world--the fictional island of Kayakoo in the lesser Antilles. If the name sounds vaguely familiar, well, it's not far from the name of the real island it's based on. And if that isn't enough of a clue for you, here is a map of the island, showing the prominent features mentioned in the story.

What the map doesn't show is that the stories involves old wooden boats, a little Caribbean Obeah (Voodoo) and some shady development deals. In short, nothing you won't find all the time in the Caribbean.

Audiobooks keep getting more popular, and right now you can listen to the short story that J. Lee Porter and I wrote in Cartagena, Columbia, a story of crime, and cryptocurrency, and right and wrong, for FREE (as long as our codes last, so move fast). John Witstijn did a beautiful job of narrating the story and we think you'll love it.




If you like the story, we hope you'll check out the Bitpat series. The second book, CRYPTO CITIZENS, is now available through Amazon.




In fact, check out all our work at Nomadic Giant, LLC.

I just got back from spending a few weeks in Asia. I caught up with my co-writer J. Lee Porter and his wife Gigi, in Koh Chang, Thailand. At Elephant Bay, on the southern part of the island, we sat down and reviewed the current draft of CRYPTO CITIZENS face to face. This is our second book in the BITPATS series.

After long discussions, we decided that a few major changes were needed and we set about making them, as well as exploring the island and taking in Muy Thai kickboxing events.

We also went to Cambodia, visiting Koh Kong, where I used to live, and then to Phnom Penh, where I had to say goodbye.



I've just returned to the US and am digging through notes and revisions. We expect to finish the new version this month and send it to our editors. The cover is done (courtesy of Elizabeth Mackey
www.elizabethmackey.com) and we hope to get the book published in the first part of the year. If you are a reviewer looking for an advance copy, email me at FLOATSTREET@gmail.com and I'll put you on the list to get it in an acceptable format.

We are also blocking out a short story based in that part of the world. It will be another expat story... the expatriated, the marginalized are always interesting characters for us.

Everyone ready for Pchum Ben (បុណ្យភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ)? 
In Cambodia, the 15 days prior to the 15th day of the tenth month in the Khmer calendar, at the end of the Buddhist lent, or Vassa, lead up to Ancestor's Day or the Hungry Ghost Festival. The last day of the 15 is Pchum Ben and starts a two-day public holiday.
On the first day of Pchum Ben, the gates of hell are opened and the devil releases all the ghosts, some of who are ancestors of the people. Monks chant the sutras in Pali (not Khmer) before the gates of hell open releasing the hungry ghosts. 

As the ghosts with serious sins cannot receive food during the day, food offerings (usually Bay Ben -- balls of sticky rice and sesame) are presented at dawn.


Wat Neang Kok, Cambodia

When J. Lee Porter and I were writing CRYPTO SHRUGGED and researching the Bitpat series, we made a trip to Colombia -- the scene of some of the action. The stories we envisioned were about the global ramifications of cryptocurrency, in big and small ways.

We managed to spend time in both Cartagena and Medellin. Both were great, but in completely different ways.

In Cartagena, we managed to rent a place in the old district, just walking distance from the Walled City. We went there several times, and an idea for a short story, actually based on some experiences Jeff had in Mexico, started to bloom. In Medellin, we talked about how it would develop. At the end of the trip I was flying back through Cartagena, so I got a room in the walled city and revisited some of the places that inspired us.

The short story, INVISIBLE FORTUNE, worked well enough that we made it into an audiobook, narrated by John Witstijn, who did an incredible job.

To let people know it exists, I took the photos and videos I'd taken on the trip and combined them with John's intro to the book and some of my music, to create a teaser that's also something of a travelogue -- an introduction to Cartagena. I hope you enjoy it.

Hot on the heels of CRYPTO SHRUGGED J. Lee Porter and I are working to wrap up the second book in the Bitpats series. This one is called CRYPTO CITIZENS. Naturally, we still are looking at the implications, the political, economic, and social ramifications of implementing blockchain, but this time the issues that come under our microscope are those of citizenship, surveillance (both government surveillance and surveillance capitalism) as the world tries to monitor international travel and implement smart cities.

As with so many things, smart cities act as a double-edged sword, and the goals set for them, such as being able to adapt to the needs of the people, also mean anticipating those needs, which, in turn require watching how people use the existing resources. When combined with a desire to preserve "order" within a community, the results can be satisfying or terrifying.

Citizenship is something that is considered a birthright and a privilege, yet it can also be perverted into something more sinister. A person from a certain country is bad, and one from another is good. It's a matter of generalizing so that people are easier to deal with. The problem is that, taken that way, citizenship becomes degrading.

The natural reaction to that is for people look for ways to have multiple passports, or perhaps none at all. This is a complicated topic, and our new novel can only begin to explore some of the issues involved. But we make a start. And, in future books, we will pursue that more.

While we edit, Elizabeth Mackey designed another wonderful cover for the upcoming book. We are definitely excited and hope you are too.

As part of planning out the trilogy of mysteries I'm writing that feature Ron Anejo I needed to create a map of the island of Kayakoo, where the story takes place. To a certain number of people, my fictional island won't seem quite so fictional, but that's how it goes.

Kayakoo is located in the West Indies, near the southern end. It is one island of several in the country and not that far from Onion Island, which is a part of St. Voracious. Just a day sail if you are so inclined.



The boat you see is Ron's Danish fishing boat, MeinGott. Here she is in close up.

I'm about halfway through the draft of the first of the new stories featuring the world's best Caribbean boat bum, Ron Anejo. While I'm working on those, I wanted to make sure everyone knows that the original story is available in audio as well as ebook and print. Paul Aulridge did a fine job of bringing the story to life and if you prefer listening to reading, give it a try.

And the cover art is by Dagny.