Mark Newell
Bio
Mark Newell, PhD, RPA, is a writer and archaeologist in Lexington, South Carolina. In addition to working major archeological projects, he writes historical action adventure, science fiction, non fiction, Ghosting and horror.
Stories (35)
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Burning Kiln
Burning Kiln… Mark Newell 1998 The sun had not long sunk below the pines, the crimson sky was fading to violet blue and the final burn began. The younger men worked furiously as the kiln master ordered them to load the firebox with smaller splits of pine. Even in the cold November air they were sweating, it had been a hard three days and nights and now the kiln was nearing its final searing crescendo of heat.
By Mark Newellabout a year ago in History
Magic & Archaeology
Burning Kiln… Mark Newell writing as Jack Rees 1998. The sun had not long sunk below the pines, the crimson sky was fading to violet blue and the final burn began. The younger men worked furiously as the kiln master ordered them to load the firebox with smaller splits of pine. Even in the cold November air they were sweating, it had been a hard three days and nights and now the kiln was nearing its final searing crescendo of heat.
By Mark Newell2 years ago in History
Yellow Journalism and Fundament Kissing...
If the blurb on the jacket is to be believed, Brian Hicks is a journalist of some accomplishment - sadly, “Sea of Darkness” will do nothing to enhance his resume. It is a one sided collection of blatant falsehoods, poor historical research and (bearing in mind this is supposed to be a piece of non-fiction), fantasy in which the author enters the minds of the historical characters. The first rule of professional journalism is to verify one’s information by checking with more than one source. Hicks has clearly failed to do this. Instead he has accepted a trove of falsehoods and self serving puffery from Cussler and his organization. In doing so his book is filled with inaccuracies and howlers. For example, on page 147, Hicks describes “a thoughtful scientist and SCIAA official," - a person who in fact was a malcontent diver-gofer on USC staff. Similarly, Hicks faithfully quotes Cussler's description of his staff as "archaeologists." Again, the truth is that none of his staff had a single archaeological degree among them. One was a student who begged SCIAA to be on the two week field project that ended the twenty year search, the others were divers with some experience.. The sad truth, to be revealed in a forthcoming book, is that the actual location of the Hunley, located in secret in the fall of 1994, was leaked to Cussler's amateur crew. They immediately excavated the submarine - originally in pristine condition beneath two meters and one hundred and sixty years of anaerobic mud. They then left it exposed to oxygenated salt water for five years before it was raised. The result was a corroded wreck - atrocious damage to the most important submarine in our history. Cussler boasts about video taken of the excavation - not realizing it documents the excellent condition of the metal, now ruined by arrogant ignorance in search of fame and book sales.
By Mark Newell2 years ago in BookClub
The EarthMasters
Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say... Janine Azzaria’s heart skipped a beat as she opened the service portal. Beyond it was a landscape of horrors. The door opened to reveal places where the soil heaved and boiled. Fumaroles spouted steam and noxious gases. Spontaneous combustion caused some gases to explode in balls of fire. Elsewhere water vapor would freeze on the inside of the outer shell - eventually breaking free and crashing down into the center of the landscape.
By Mark Newell3 years ago in Fiction
On Dogs
I hate dogs. The big, hair shedding, slobbering, crotch nosing variety to the tiny yapping toys with sharp teeth, I hate them all. They sleep and defecate everywhere and when they are not doing that they are eating voraciously followed by throwing up on whatever expensive carpet or favorite item of clothing is nearest.
By Mark Newell3 years ago in Humans
Valley of the Dragons
Art by Roel Wielinga "There weren't always dragons in The Valley. There was a time, so they say, when the first families settled here, when the valley was safe, fertile and families grew into tribes. For the most part there was peace. Swords and knives were used only to slaughter pigs and cattle, for weapons were forbidden. The sages told us that far, far back weapons had become so advanced that humankind almost destroyed themselves and the world we live in.
By Mark Newell4 years ago in Fiction
SECRET CITY OF THE SUN
I bid farewell to Prestwicke and Bostrum and mounted a carriage for the ride across New Providence Island. Even though it was the beginning of November, the heat and humidity was oppressive. With my involvement in the Prestwicke affair at an end, I felt suddenly free to revel in the anticipation of a great Peruvian adventure. The town of Nassau itself was so different from the sanitized streets and buildings of Charleston.
By Mark Newell4 years ago in Fiction
The Watch
It was a curse. This deep, smoldering anger that colored every moment and every action of the day and night, every thought, even his dreams. It was like, he thought, a deep underground fire of the kind that spends years eating away at a coal mine, bursting to the surface now an then in flames to be extinguished or at least dampened down, only to appear somewhere else on the landscape days, weeks, even years later. Alois Schickelgruber could not remember a day in his entire life when the anger was not there. But then, there was never a day when there was not a reason to be angered.
By Mark Newell4 years ago in Fiction
Blindman's Breakfast
Chapter three: A Plan Is Set De La Ronde's preoccupation with these thoughts, never, of course, at the expense of counting paving stones, street lanterns, or listening to traffic, was suddenly brought to an end by a particular footfall ahead. It was her. He was certain of it. He edged closer, fifteen, then ten feet, and the scent of the woman confirmed it. She was walking leisurely toward Brennan's.
By Mark Newell4 years ago in Fiction
The Dream Book
Larry Page, University of Michigan Commencement Address, 2009: "You know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night with a vivid dream? And you know that if you don't have a pencil and pad by the bed, it will be completely gone by the next morning. Sometimes it's important to wake up and stop dreaming. When a really great dream shows up, grab it. "
By Mark Newell4 years ago in FYI
