Rick Stepp-Bolling
Rick Stepp-Bolling, a retired professor of writing from Mt San Antonio College, now resides in Ramona, California, with his wife, Francie, and their collection of rescued animals. He has published four books with a fifth on the way: SMOKE AND MIRRORS (a book of poetry), AUTOCIDE (a collection of short stories), ICARIAN, and his first novel in a fantasy/science fiction series, PATCH MAN, published by Crimson Cloak Publishers. He can be contacted at his website rickstepp-bolling.com.
https://www.facebook.com/RickSteppBolling/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8424607.Rick_Stepp_Bolling
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick.stepp.bolling.82796347
Also by Rick:
Autocide: Tales From The Unknown Fork In The Road
Smoke and Mirrors
Patch Man
Books:
SMOKE AND MIRRORS by Nuvein Press 2009
AUTOCIDE by Claremont Village Press 2014
Anthologies:
BEGGARS CROSSING by Coffee House Writers Group 2013
DARKNESS BREWING by Coffee House Writers Group 2015
Contests:
Urban Ocean Festival (Sponsored by Aquarium of the Pacific) First Place: 2011, 2012.
Whittier Poetry Contest: First Place, 2011
Poetry:
Published by Dirty Dog Press
Statement Magazine (published by CSULA)
Rostrum (published by CCC Academic Senate)
Nuvein on-line magazine
A variety of other small press magazines
Short Stories:
“Chameleon”
“Fire and Ice”
“The Sorcerer”
“Simon Says”
“Autocide”
Nuvein on-line magazine
PATCH MAN
A prophecy declares a small child will decide the victory between two countries paralyzed by war…
An old man sells magical patches on the ruined streets of Hagra-Dis when a small, one-armed girl begs him to fix her doll. An Imperial missile blast kills the little girl, Meesha, but Var patches her back to life, and they flee marauding storm troopers. Imperial High Command unleashes Ulan, a formidable assassin and mystic who chases the Patch Man and his ragged band of followers through a labyrinth peopled with powerful beings and monsters. Both the pursued and pursuers find themselves in life or death situations when they encounter the Greeter, a mysterious being who controls the entrance to parallel worlds populating the labyrinth. It is in these domains they discover clues to end the war—with little Meesha as the secret key to ultimate victory and peace.
The Battle For Summia: PATCH MAN II
For Summia, the war against Imperiana has reached the point of desperation. President Gelfson vows to end the fight with the total annihilation of every Summian man, woman and child. Var, the Patch Man, has been trapped inside the Source for seven years, unable to use its magic until now. He knows that Summia’s only hope for survival lies in their ability to recruit warriors from other domains. Meesha, the one-armed teenager, and Ten, the leader of a rebel band, travel to Haba-Yan in search of the Lore Mistress, Kerash, but they find more than they bargained for in the attempt. Meanwhile, the former Imperial assassin, Ulan, has ventured back to the Chunee seeking redemption. What she finds instead may well turn the tide in the final battle for Summia.
The Battle For Imperiana-PATCH MAN III
With the war in Summia over, Imperiana becomes the new battlefield. Var arrives in Adriat hoping to convince President Gelfson to end his insane attempt to create an army of dead Imperialists and invade Summia to complete his plan of total genocide. Meesha, in an effort to save Ten, travels to Imperiana only to discover Moab has set a diabolical trap for her. Now she must choose between freeing Zefa, her adopted mother, or Ten, the love of her life. One will live and one will die.
ICARIAN
Ka, half raptor and half man, must undertake three tests to become a member of the elite Icarian Squadron, flyers who dedicate themselves to the destruction of Summia and to an alliance with Imperiana. In order for him to succeed, he must first overcome his own fears, but in the process he discovers how Imperiana has manipulated the trials and Ka’s own emotional needs. Captain Harriman, under Imperial command, is ordered to make sure the fledgling flyers bow to Imperiana’s control. Will Ka be able to survive the trials and become an Icarian as his father was in the first war between Imperiana and Summia, or will his failure lead to disgrace and exile from the Rookery?
Harry and the Beta Reader
A Young Adult author wants to try his hand at writing an adult novel, but he has no experience with romance. Desperate, he searches the Internet for a willing beta reader to give him some feedback on his manuscript. The only drawback, she charges $500.00, unless he can find a way to make her fall in love with his main character, an Aussie “James Bond” wannabe detective.
ANTHOLOGIES
THE RIDER
A compilation of the prizewinning and best runner-up stories of 1500-3000 words, based around a stock picture, that were entered in the 2016 Crimson Cloak Publishing short story writing competition.
Rick’s story GRAY RIDERS relates the rescue of bonded riders and their horses from the castle where the evil king seeks to break their “perverted” bond ..
CRIMSON ENDINGS
Rick’s stories The Mysterious Case of the Brain Snatchers, and Bob’s Story appear in the Crimson Tales anthology Crimson Endings.
Equine Adventures
Rick’s story Grey Riders can be found in volume 8 of the Crimson Cloak Anthologies.
Feline Fancies
Harold and Claude Save the World is Rick’s short story in
Feline Fancies, volume 9 of the Crimson Cloak Anthologies for charity.
Den of Dragons
Rick’s story DRAGON DIPLOMACY can be found in this anthology.