Book Secrets and Facts

 

Book Secrets and Facts


Facts about “The Soul Cage” Series

  • The theories behind the teleportation device are based on current research. Some believe the teleportation of humans is impossible. But if it were, it would not happen as shown on “Star Trek.” In theory, a person would have to be literally disintegrated, killed, in one location to collect their data stream. Then the data stream would be sent to another location where the person would be duplicated using a reservoir of particles. In essence, the new person would be a sort of clone of the original. This process raises all kinds of questions and moral issues. It’s these questions and issues that inspired the series. If you want to learn more about teleportation, read David Darling’s book “Teleportation: The Impossible Leap.”
  • The original Burt Campbell was intended to be somewhat of a bumbling, absent-minded sheriff like the Burt Campbell (Richard Mulligan) portrayed in “Soap,” an American TV sitcom that ran from 1977-1981. Although the name stuck, an inept personality made it impossible to relay the gravity of Burt’s situations. The “real” Burt had to be a shrewd investigator and cunning warrior, but part of his clumsy humor remained.
  • Directed energy and sonic weapons are already part of military research, although not available in a pistol or rifle form (as far as I know). Nano-acid sprayers are an invention, but plasma doors, shields, and concealment fields are all theoretically possible. Science fiction really does often lead to reality.
  • The four Alaskan Malamutes in the series were real, and can be seen in the website photos. My wife and I got Cala first in 1987, and then her cousin, Sergeant Preston, three weeks later. Cala was always the grumpy, leave-me-alone one. Sargy was the playful, pesky clown. They brought us a great deal of happiness, and amused the neighbors while pulling tires behind them on their daily walks. Cala and Sergeant Preston died after long, happy lives in the year 2000. That left a huge void in our lives that was filled by huge Hana and her sister, the bear-like Amber, in 2001. Hana weighed close to 150 pounds, but was as sweet and fun-loving as a small child. Amber, the Great Hunter, was slightly smaller and the ultimate schemer. She always had an evil gleam in her eyes, and you knew she was up to something. Unfortunately, they both developed cancer and died at a young age in 2009. When I realized the potential of a teleporter, I knew I had to bring the four Malamutes back to life. If only the science were possible today. So much sadness could be averted.

Facts about the “Second Chance” Series

  • Although the characters in Second Chance are obviously fictitious, the places described are real. AHS (American High School, also known as The American School Foundation) existed as described in the 1970s. High school enrollment was approximately 625 students. Middle school and elementary enrollment brought the total up to approximately 1,500 students, representing some 140 countries. The other schools and sports teams were real as well. And yes, the other schools were notorious about breaking league rules when it came to age limits in sports.
  • Mexico City was the largest, most polluted city in the world second only to Tokyo in the early 1970s. Although extremely poor by U. S. standards, it didn’t have the much publicized drug problems it has now.
  • Club de Golf la Hacienda exists to this day, but I hear it’s gotten even larger, and a round of weekend golf costs over three-hundred dollars.
  • Many of the events in the series are true. They’re either based on personal experience or things that happened to friends and acquaintances. Mexican hatred of Americans was very real. Police would stop you just for appearing foreign, but were easily bribed for fifty pesos. A student could get stabbed outside school grounds over a girl, but I guess that’s common place in inner cities nowadays.
  • There was no smoking or drinking age in Mexico at the time. If you knew what you wanted, you can go into a pharmacy and buy narcotics without a prescription. A driver’s license could be purchased for a few hundred pesos to the right official.
  • Tiger and Gigi (Amor de Abril) were our actual dogs, and can be seen in the website photos. Born in 1971, Tiger was the best of friends, the greatest of dogs. He died in 1984, but I’ve never had another dog so affectionate and loyal. Gigi was the latecomer and lived longer. She was a great guardian, and could scare the frijoles out of the bravest Mexican. She was also a loving companion, but a bit of a bed hog.
  • Fiasco was one of the family horses, and just as big and mean as described. He died at a relatively young age. We suspected that someone poisoned him. Although no one ever proved it to my satisfaction, Lancero was said to be the son of the 1953 Kentucky Derby winner, Dark Star. He was a gentle, loving horse, but he sure liked to run.
  • If you were born after the late 1980s, early 1990s, imagine a time without personal computers, the Internet, or social media. Imagine a time even before microwave ovens or Cable TV. The 1960s and 70s weren’t necessarily happier times. Happiness is relative to one’s lifestyle and experiences. But it was a more trusting and open era. Politicians could be trusted to do an honest day’s work, not flaunt their “stuff” in public. Kids played in the streets without fear of child molesters. You could hang Christmas decorations outside your house without having them stolen. Would you be happy without a cellphone glued to your ear? Join Jack Bucher, and find out.

Facts about the Rex Bana Series

  • To understand the reasoning behind Rex Bana’s name, you’ll have to read King Slayer. Here’s a hint. What does the Latin word, Rex, mean in English?
  • Inspired by Thomas Harris’s 1988 novel Silence of the Lambs, I made several attempts to write about a husband and wife investigative team hunting a serial killer on Maui. The market soon became saturated with Harris copycats, so I switched tactics. What resulted became King Slayer. The original version was published in 2004. The 2012 version is an edited rewrite, much changed, and hopefully better.
  • Sara’s Garden, Tonono Manor, and Lefty’s don’t exist, but the rest of Maui and Moloka’i are as described. Lahaina, particularly the stores and restaurants along Front Street, has changed over the years. But it’s still a mecca for the shopaholic. Most of the series takes place in the 1990s.
  • Most of Rex’s “FBI serial killer data” comes from the 1990s publications. Those facts many have changed in today’s ever-changing world of crime.
  • The Yakuza is a real crime syndicate, although their Maui operations are purely fiction. I read about their involvement with Japanese whaling on the Internet after I wrote Yakuza’s Revenge, so I don’t even know if that’s true. Yet despite an international ban against it, Japan does continue to kill whales for “research” purposes. A complex and heated debate regarding Japan’s whaling practices continues worldwide.
  • Pacific humpback whales do gather around Maui to calve and mate from around October to March. This central location made Lahaina one of the world’s largest whaling ports in the 1800s. Thankfully, due to international laws forbidding whaling, the humpback population around Maui is increasing. They’re a great tourist attraction, and can often be seen even from the beaches.
  • Moloka’i is still said to be the “old Hawaii,” and the “most native” of the major islands. They’ve shied away from tourism and development, and many of the 7,500 inhabitants live on local farming and fishing.
  • I first heard the legends in Nanaue from an old Moloka’i tour guide named Rudy. I researched them further on the Internet, so don’t kill the storyteller if they’re wrong or a different version of what you’ve heard. Of course, we all know they can’t put anything on the Internet that isn’t true.
  • If you’re going to visit Hawaii, do yourself and the Hawaiians a favor. Learn about their great culture and history. Treat Hawaiians and their islands with the respect you would give a friend when entering their household. Hawaiians are a proud and gracious people whose lineage dates back to 300 CE. That’s eleven centuries before Columbus even arrived in American. Hawaii became the 50th state in August, 1959. They do speak English, and they do take dollars.
  • For cat lovers, there are no dogs in the Rex Bana books—yet. And I stress—yet. Rex has other adventures, and I have more dogs.
 

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A famous quote from motivational author Napoleon Hill once hung in the football locker room at Purdue University that read, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” I don’t know if that quote helped us win any football games, but it inspired me to live my dreams. Since I was a young American teen growing up in Mexico City, I got lost in the books I read and daydreamed of the stories I’d write. It was through the loving support of my hardworking wife of nearly thirty years that I realized my dream of becoming a writer.

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