tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49231147280967598882024-03-12T19:27:12.298-04:00The Mountain CallerJon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-85594092211394748192019-04-26T13:23:00.001-04:002019-04-26T13:23:28.262-04:00Spoilers Be Damned...<p dir="ltr">So, of course I don't want to see spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. I'm going to do my best to avoid them of course, but no matter what I might accidentally stumble upon, there's no way I'm NOT going to see Endgame. Spoilers would obviously be annoying, but they aren't the thing I'll regret. The only thing I'll regret about Endgame is the fact that my Dad isn't around to finish the journey through this arc of the MCU with me.</p>
<p dir="ltr">My Dad was a huge influence on me. You wouldn't think it to look at the guy but Dad was a nerd. I mean, the guy read books on String Theory, Astrophysics and Quantum Mechanics not because he had to, he was just interested in the subjects. He even planned to write his own book on these subjects for the layman that he planned to call The Stuff of the Universe. Total nerd. And in being a nerd I absolutely take after Dad.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dad was also into Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and he definitely passed the love of those genres on to me, which I've loved my entire life. Pretty sure it was Dad's idea to take me to the first movie I have any memory of seeing in the theater; The Original Star Wars back in 1977 when I was 2. That was my gateway drug into as I said, a life-long love of fantasy and science-fiction, genres I write in, another thing I owe to Dad.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Over the years I ended up going to a LOT of flicks with my Dad, and those are all cherished memories for me. The last movie we went to together before he passed away was Iron Man, the movie that kicked off the MCU. </p>
<p dir="ltr">All throughout my journey through the MCU, there have been several times when I really felt Dad's absence. "Dad would have liked that", or "Man, Dad would've gotten a chuckle out of that." Even subsequent viewings of Iron Man, Tony saying "I never got to say goodbye to my father"(I didn't either), it hits me.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But even though he hasn't physically been here, I feel like Dad's been with me every step of the way, and there's no way we're not going to finish this journey. Even if I do it by myself. As Black Widow said in the trailer, I feel like I owe it to the person who's not in the room.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So, spoilers be damned. In the next few days I will be in a theater, box of Milk Duds(our traditional movie snack) in hand, and I will finish this journey I started with Dad around 10 years ago. Whatever it takes, to the end. Love you, Dad. Wish you were here, and thank you.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Carry on smartly, my friends.</p>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-22740583411876102832019-01-24T11:02:00.001-05:002019-01-24T11:03:03.169-05:00Gamer Savings Time: Beating Bethesda at its Own Game(s)<p dir="ltr">Anyone that's a video game fan has probably heard about the Homeric Odyssey of PR rocks and shoals Bethesda's been through in the past few months. Bag-gate, messing up a bottle of whiskey, Fallout 76's critical scorching all over the internet, a pretty significant data breach, just to name a few. It seemed like Bethesda couldn't go a week without some fresh PR hell. Well, it isn't getting better, not yet anyway, because it looks like 2 other studios are poised to out-Bethesda Bethesda. Yeesh.</p>
<p dir="ltr">First, we have Obsidian's upcoming game, The Outer Worlds. I'm very excited for that game. Judging from what's been shown of it so far, it looks like Obsidian just went ahead and made the game that a lot of folks were hoping Bethsda's Starfield was going to turn out to be. From what we've seen so far, TOW looks like Fallout, Borderlands and Mass Effect went to space, got drunk and had a whacky threesome while rewatching Firefly. Then, someone got in The Family Way and that glorious little sci-fi RPG baby will be The Outer Worlds. And to dump just a little salt in that wound, they had to take that little shot at Bethesda in the Game Awards trailer. It was a bit immature, but funny. I'll admit that I laughed.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As if that wasn't enough, the Ubisoft decided to come in and steal Bethesda's cake. I know that last year, I was hoping for a good post-apocalyptic title. I was uncertain, but I had some hope for F76. Yeah, that didn't pan out. Then Ubisoft stepped in, gave us a hug and said, "There, there. We understand. Don't cry, Little ones. Here ya go, Far Cry goes Post-Apoc. Far Cry: New Dawn. BOOM! You're welcome." New Dawn looks to be a damn good Post-Apoc game, another squirt of lemon on Bethesda's paper cuts. I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic games, so I'll definitely be keeping an eye in this one.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So, it does rather loom like Bethesda is getting beaten to the punch twice in 2 different games by 2 different companies. Ouch. I know it looks like I'm jumping on the Bethesda Hate Train, but that's really not what I'm doing. I'm actually hoping that Bethesda takes a hard look at all this, wakes up, smells the coffee and learns a lesson. I hope they take that lesson and realize they need to knock both Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 out of their respective parks. Then, I hope they keep that train a-rollin' and come up with a new Fallout game that equals or even surpasses New Vegas. </p>
<p dir="ltr">That's what I hope happens. It is possible, but given how lazy and cash-grab focused the AAA game industry can be anymore, I'm not going to hold my breath, and I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket, but I'll remain hopeful until I'm given a reason not to be. In the meantime, well, I'll just look forward to New Dawn and The Outer Worlds, I guess. Seems like a decent plan.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mahalo, my friends.<br>
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Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-31858410087017311812019-01-16T14:29:00.001-05:002019-01-17T10:16:15.769-05:00Bookish Rumblings and Mumblings: The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt<p dir="ltr">I read a lot of fantasy. I write the stuff too. I've always been a huge fantasy reader. Hell, The Hobbit and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles are foundation stones in my geek sensibility. However, I also love sci-fi. The OG Star Wars is another foundation stone for me, as is The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by the late, great Douglas Adams.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The reason I say this is that not long ago, I realized that I'd been getting a bit burned out on fantasy, I needed a bit of a break. That, coupled with noticing that sci-fi's a bit under-represented in my personal library these days, I decided to remedy both of those things. So with gift card in hand, I headed off to a bookstore to both up the sci-fi section of my personal library and to pick up some palate cleansers to let my inner Orc recharge. Browsing the shelves, I happened to stumble across The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt, and I'm damn glad I did.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Wrong Stars takes place about 500 years in the future. Humanity has spread out to 29 other star systems and received many technological advances thanks to a race of aliens that humans refer to as The Liars because, well, they lie a lot. Captain Callie Machedo and the crew of <i>The White Raven</i>, an awesome bunch of space-going rouge-ish types, come across a derelict "Goldilocks" ship, colonization vessels humanity sent out centuries ago when everyone figured Earth was for. The ship is floating in Neptunian space, light years from where it should have been, sporting strange alien-looking modifications. When Callie and the crew bring the sole survivor left on board out of cryosleep, Elena wakes up screaming about First Contact with aliens. The crew breaks it to her that humans have been in contact with aliens for quite some time, but it turns out that Elena isn't talking about The Liars. The race that Elena <i>is</i> talking about could spell doom for, well, pretty much everyone.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Wrong Stars perfectly fit the bill for me. It had awesome space-going action, a good deal of it really. It was the type of story and genre I was craving. I wanted a snarky Space Opera with some great writing, and that's exactly what I got. Pratt's writing is great and makes it a breeze to get through the novel. But what really shines for me is the interaction between the characters. Their interactions are top notch, and yes, there's a great helping of snark to be had. I could easily see the crew of <i>The White Raven </i>going out drinking and having a damn fine time with the crews of <i>Serenity </i>and the <i>Raza.</i> I really don't want to get too in depth about the book for fear of spoilers.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So I'll close this out by saying that if you're in the market for a kick-ass, fast paced space opera novel, then The Wrong Stars is for you. Tim Pratt's writing is a delight. In fact, I've put him in my list of Authors Who Are So Good, It's Irritating. Heh. My only real beef with it was that I burned through it too quickly because I couldn't out the damn thing down. Thankfully, the sequel is already out and I'm trying really hard to take a more sedate pace through that one. But yeah, gonna need Book 3, Tim. Hope you're on that. Heh. Seriously, jump on out and get this book.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mahalo, my friends.</p>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-30705554284443464032019-01-13T11:38:00.000-05:002019-01-13T11:38:20.698-05:00Gamer Savings Time: Resident Evil 2 1-Shot DemoJust got done messing about with the RE2 Remastered, Rebooted, Reanimated, whatever they might be calling it. And I have to say that it did exactly what a demo should do. It got me interested in the game over the 30 minutes I spent with it.<br /><br />
I really didn't have much interest in the new RE2 previious to this, as I hadn't really cared too much about a Resident Evil game since 4. I played 5 and 6 a bit and did the demo for 7, but none of them really grabbed me. Yes, pun intended. Heh.<br />
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The new version of RE2 looks like Capcom went back, took a look at RE4 and said, "OK, we'll make RE 2 more like that, but with sharper, gorier graphics." And I'm absolutely fine with that. RE4 was one of my favorite games of the last console generation to the point where I went and dropped some cash for the remastered XBox One version for this generation.<br />
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The new RE2 will have that same third person, over the shoulder perspective and a very similar control scheme to what got used in RE4. Also, it looks a hell of a lot, well, prettier isn't exactly the right word, but you can see the new hardware strength of the current generation at work.<br /><br />Also, just from the demo it looks like the RE series has gone back to more of a horror game than an action game. Even in the 30 minutes I played there were a couple of times I just about jumped out of my skin, and that's something I have been missing from a Resident Evil game since 4. Nothing creeped me out like the regenerators in 4, but I was only playing what I guess is a very early level, so we'll see what happens when the full game releases in a couple of weeks.<br /><br />I will say that I am looking forward to it now, even though it more than likely won't make me abandon my usual policy to not buy games right at launch. I may get it out of a Redbox if that's an option and spend a few days with it though.<br />
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If you decide to take a run at the 1-shot demo, just be aware that once you start playing, you're only going to have 30 minutes to play. Basically set aside a little block of time and make sure no one bugs you. Hehe. Some people might complain about the relatively short time limit, but I think that the demo did exactly what a good demo should do. It hooked my attention, got me interested and was a great little appetizer for the full game.<br /><br />If you're a fan of survival horror, and you've got a bit of time, give this one a look.<br /><br />Mahalo, my friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-18783212573405106642019-01-08T15:40:00.003-05:002019-01-08T15:40:59.002-05:00Gamer Savings Time: The Fall(out) of Bethesda...Yes, I'm extremely late to the party when it comes to talking about what is probably the biggest dumpster fire in gaming news that was the reception of Fallout 76 and the way that Bethesda reacted to it, and indeed continues to react to it. Hey, I told you guys in a previous post that I'm not going to be an Out in Front type when it comes to gaming stuff. But basically, I just felt like running off at the fingers about this for a bit. And it's my blog, so I will. NYAH!! hehe.<br />
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Anyway, I'll preface this whole thing that even though it may look like it, I'm not jumping on the Bethesda Hate Train. I don't hate Bethesda, I'm not even really angry at the company, what I am is disappointed. I'll also give the caveat that I haven't played Fallout 76 myself and honestly I don't intend to. Not right now anyway. I may check it out at some point in the future because I WANT it to become a good game because I love the Fallout series. Hell, I love more than one of the series of games that Bethesda puts out. I've lost countless hours to Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and my all time favorite Bethesda Era Fallout, New Vegas(quick aside, I will say that I'm hyped as HELL for The Outer Worlds coming out this year from Obsidian. But that's another story for another time).<br /><br />Anyway by now, you've probably heard about all the ways Bethesda has bungled the response to more than one PR disaster after another surrounding F76 so I won't repeat them here. If you haven't well, you can just go and find TONS of stories, YouTube videos and blog posts around about BagGate, RumGate, the 500 Atoms, what have you.<br />
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Like I said, I'm disappointed in what Bethesda's been up to for the past couple of months, apart from seemingly making one of, if not the, most lambasted game of the last few years. I'm not going to pile on. And if you're one of the people that actually likes or even loves Fallout 76, that's great! Seriously, I'm glad that you like the game. I don't want people to be disappointed in the things that they buy, and like I said, I really hope that they'll do something to fix F76 and make it an actually good game. Time will tell.<br />
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And I'm not particularly worried that this whole thing will kill Bethesda as a company. Although it seems like with the regularity with which they keep shooting themselves in the foot, PR-wise, I can't help but occasionally wonder if this whole thing as been some kind of odd, The Producers-esque scheme to get out of the business. I doubt it, but the idea has occurred from time, mainly because my brain loves a good Mel Brooks reference. heh. Anyway, it's been bad for them for the last couple of months or so, but they can take some comfort in the fact that people on the internet have VERY short memories and attention spans.<br /><br />Seriously, if Bethesda could just avoid shooting themselves in the foot for a month, Hell, even a couple of weeks, I think most people would largely forget about all the cattywampus around Bethesda and Fallout 76, the whole thing would blow over, and they could get back to doing what they're supposed to do, and folks won't be kicking them in the teeth on a daily basis.<br />
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That's not to say that there won't be any lasting consequences from this whole thing. There will. Bascially, I think that Bethesda has pretty much burned up their entire stock of Community Good Will with their fan base. Basically, Bethesda REALLY can't afford to mess up again. Both of their main upcoming games, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, and probably at least a couple more future titles have to be simply awesome. I mean, I think they need to make Game of The Year contenders for at least the next 4 games they put out as a studio. That's about the only thing that's going to replenish that stock of good will at this point.<br /><br />And I WANT them to succeed in doing that. I mean, I'm huge fan of Sci-Fi games so I definitely want Starfield to completely knock my socks off. I'm a huge Elder Scrolls fan. Hell, I bought Skyrim for the 360, bought all the DLC, and then got it AGAIN when it got remastered for the XBox One. And Skyrim has spent a huge amount of time living in my various consoles. It's a very rare thing when Skyrim spends more than a couple of weeks not loaded into my console. So yeah, please give me an awesome EC 6.<br />
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Basically, I'm disappointed in Bethesda, but I want to see that they've learned a lesson from all of this and they'll actually take that lesson to heart. Basically, I hope they've learned to stay in their wheelhouse. And their wheelhouse has always been engaging, single-player, story-driven RPGs, not Online-Only Multiplayer games. Please Bethesda, go back into your wheelhouse, make Starfield, EC 6, and at least your next few titles just gobsmackingly awesome. Not only should it be your goal anyway, I think it'd do a huge amount towards getting you back a lot of the good will that you had. Just my many cents. Heh.<br />
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Mahalo, my friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-37342556442531597342019-01-03T13:24:00.001-05:002019-01-03T13:24:38.963-05:00Gamer Savings Time: The Slow and the Slothful<p dir="ltr">So, I'm the type of gamer that the current AAA game industry couldn't give a wet slap about. I don't much care for multiplayer, I prefer story-driven single player games. I almost never pre-order, I tend to not buy special editions and season passes until they've been deep discounted for a holiday sale or something like that. I also avoid loot boxes and microtransactions like the digital plague they are. I mean, if I see something really cool that I can get with the game currency that I actually earn I'm game, then I may snag it. But I'm certainly not going to spend real money on it. No thanks. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I also have limited time and cash to game with, as well as actual adult responsibilities, so my income and time aren't disposable in a way the AAA industry would like. So when I review a game, it could he weeks, maybe even months after the initial release. But that could be a good thing, since I'll be talking about games from the perspective of a dude with limited time and cash, so is this game worth it? </p>
<p dir="ltr">Also, the fact that I'll be way later than other sites can be another good thing. Given the fact that more and more AAA publishers seem to have the philosophy of Release Now, Finish/Fix it Later, or Get Our Mod Community to do it, me waiting a few months means there's a better chance I'll be reviewing an actual, finished game. Hehe.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So if that interests you, pop back once in a while and look for the Gamer Savings Time label. It'll be some gooood eatin'! Hehe.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mahalo, my friends.</p>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-23830435084740413642019-01-02T17:35:00.001-05:002019-01-02T17:35:31.422-05:00Writer Tip: By Grabthar's Hammer! What a Savings!I will admit that I'm absolutely addicted to notebooks. I mean actual paper notebooks, especially Moleskines. I adore Moleskines, and I've found that the combination of a Moleskine with a Uni-Ball Signo med. gel pen makes handwriting just glide across the damn page like wordy butter. It's glorious. I'll frequently write things out in a Moleskine that way, then type them into my laptop later.<br />
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Now of course the problem with Moleskines is that they're a bit on the pricey side. I personally think it's worth it because I love the damn things, but I'm always on the lookout for savings. Each year, I tend to get one of their excellent Daily Planners for the year and use it for a daily writing notebook so that I'll be sure to do at least a little bit of writing every day. And this year was no exception, my family got me yet another daily planner to scribble in. It was as I was scribbling(my handwriting is terrible) that I had an idea.<br />
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I remembered that Barnes and Noble tend to sell the year's daily planner for 50% off once New Year's Day has come and gone. and even though I already had one, I decided to see if B&N was continuing the practice. They were. Then it hit me, the "Well, DUH!" moment. Why not just go and get a couple of them with the Gift Card cash my wonderfully enabling family always gives me on gift giving occasions, ignore the Daily Planner aspect and just use them like regular Moleskine notebooks. It was a forehead slapper. Something that should have been incredibly obvious that I'd just never thought of before.<br />
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So the upshot is that now, I'm the happy owner of 2 Moleskine 18-Month Daily Planner Journals probably a good 3 times thicker than the standard Moleskine ruled hard cover journal for only a few bucks more than the price of one of those bad boys(which I still love, but this opens up so many new avenues, heh).<br />
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<br /><br />So, writer friends who like to hand write and are in search of a deal, go check out your local B&N! You may find a couple of these puppies hanging out on the shelves and BOOM! You've got some nice, thick, high-quality notebooks!<br /><br />Here endeth the lesson. Hehe.<br /><br />Mahalo, my friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-72131100908220656192019-01-02T14:09:00.001-05:002019-01-02T14:14:52.041-05:00New Year, New Content...<p dir="ltr">So we're into a new year, and I've decided that I'm going to try and keep this thing updated more regularly and alter the focus a bit. I'm not doing away with the Indy Author Takeover/Interview posts, I love that stuff, plus I like doing what I can to help out my Indy Author buddies in my small way. So that staff's sticking around, no doubt. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What I want to do around here is add more types of content, focused on the nerdy side of life, which is where I live. Heh. So there will be more reviews on books, movies, T.V., comics, and video games. And especially the gaming stuff, I'll be talking about it from a perspective that normally isn't all that represented in your usual nerd media. That of the guy who's pretty much a perpetual late-comer, due to the type of gamer I am. Planning to talk about that more either later today, or in the next couple of days.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Also, I plan to do my damndest to get cooking a lot more diligently on my fiction writing this year, and I'm sure I'll chat about that here too. Probably with a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Heh. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't know how interesting any of this will be to people, but I used to blog pretty regularly and I've been missing it, so I figure the New Year is as good a time as any to dive on back in. If any of this interests you, awesome. Come along for the ride. If not, cool. Thanks for stopping by and I will say good day to you, sir or madam. I SAID GOOD DAY! Hehe.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mahalo, friends.</p>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-69192705970768837312018-12-11T10:29:00.001-05:002018-12-11T10:29:14.977-05:00Takeover Tuesday! World Building WIth Stacy Overby, Author of Tattoos...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello all and welcome once again to a Takeover Tuesday here on the Ol' Mountain Caller. Now with the great scent of pine for your additional enjoyment. Hehe. Today, our guest is Stacy Overby author of the Sci-Fi thriller Tattoos, coming to your hot little hands on December 15th. We've had Stacy here before, and I'm pleased to have her back(Guess I didn't annoy her enough to run her off last time. Heh) Let's check out the back cover blurb...<br />
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One hushed cry in the middle of the night, and Eli Thorson's life unravels. A highly trained Black Ops specialist, he is used to danger, but Eli's path forces him to confront the illusions he’s been taught his whole life -- ones that make him question all the good he thought he was doing.<br />
Unable to work for a command that defiles the oaths he swore, he works to untangle the web of lies and deceit he finds woven throughout his worlds. The tattooed marks of his profession run more than skin deep. As a Specialist it is his duty to protect the people, the laws, and all the United Earth Government stands for, even if it means taking down the entire Black Ops division to do it.<br />
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Sounds pretty damn cool to me, gentle readers. Anyway, Stacy very kindly agreed to stop by the main offices of Mountain Caller Media, broadcasting to you from an undisclosed location, to give to you guys some tips for building worlds of your very own! So without futher guilding the lily, take it away, Stacy!<br />
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I had an interesting time with the world building aspects of
my novel, Tattoos. Some things were great, others were a bit more challenging.
Here’s are five things I wish someone would have told me when I created the
Black Ops world.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I don’t have to use a Judeo-Christian base
to the world.</b></div>
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What does that mean? Hint, it’s not what you think. The most
prominent piece of this actually comes from a rather entertaining aspect to the
Black Ops world—the cursing. See, in the first draft, I used the curses I’m
used to hearing. You know, standard American swear words. How many other
military-esque novels and movies use standard American English curse words? But
I had a dear friend and beta reader offer me a great piece of advice. Standard
American English curse words are based in a Judeo-Christian worldview. Hell is
derived from this religious structure, as is Christ, when used as a curse.
That, my friends, is how much of the cursing in Tattoos is in Greek instead. There
is some Standard American cursing because we are talking about multiple
cultures and worlds, so it is conceivable these curses also survived, but they
weren’t the only ones.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Speaking of language, think about
languages.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Even though the dialogue in Tattoos is in English, I did put
some thought into the languages being spoken. There is a standard or universal
language, which is essentially the English the characters use. But, through
implication, and directly in later books, other languages show up. This is
really about making sure readers are aware English is not the only language
being used in a world where there are multiple planets and cultures. I would
argue you don’t have to go so far as to invent new languages, like J.R.R.
Tolkien did, but at least write as if those languages exist.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Create new creatures.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is something that should go without saying. After all,
this is one of the things I love the most about writing in the speculative
fiction genres. We get to create whatever we want, and it doesn’t have to be
even close to real. But that being said, we do need to pay attention to ensure
there is consistency and logic to what we create. That’s what makes these
fantastical realms believable. If you create a massive creature, but then argue
it’s as light as a feather, you’d better have a good explanation for it that
carries through other parts of your world as well, or readers won’t be
propelled into the story. Same thing goes for building creatures that are
completely invincible. Everything has weaknesses, so make sure your creatures
do to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>4</b>.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Don’t get
lost in the technology</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While Tattoos has some awesome technology in it, you’ll
notice I did not make this a big part of the book. There are several reasons
for this, but one of which is that it’s so easy to get lost creating all this cool
technology that can do so many things. Think of the scene in Hitchhiker’s Guide
to the Galaxy where Trillian is showing Arthur around the Heart of Gold
spaceship. She’s so excited by all the different technological gadgets that
didn’t exist on Earth. While they’re cool, they are not what’s going to keep
readers hooked into the book and they are not generally going to be the pieces
that propel the story forward. So, even if you’re writing a hard science
fiction piece, the technology still needs to be balanced with things like
characterization, plot, and settings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Write it all down as you invent it.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is probably the biggest thing I wish someone would have
taught me before I got as far as I did with the Black Ops world. I found myself
in the unfortunate position of having to constantly go back through the book
looking for references to planets, to different pieces of technology, and even
the curse words I mentioned earlier. This is even more important if you’re
going to write more than one book, which I am in the Black Ops universe. Taking
good notes about all the world building will save you a lot of time with making
sure things are consistent within the book and across books.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> Bonus Tip: Science
Fiction world building is a lot of work.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yep, it is. Even though it’s a cool way to world build
because you don’t have to worry as much about making sure specific details to
real life places are accurate, it’s got its own challenges. See, because you
can literally make it all up, there’s a type of paralysis that happens with it.
A feeling of being overwhelmed by choices can happen. This means you have
basically two approaches you can use. There’s the careful planner who will
spend quite a bit of time detailing out all the aspects I mentioned and more
before ever starting the story. Then there’s people like me. We just start
writing and pray to whatever higher power that we don’t make too much of a mess
with it. While the first method may produce elaborately detailed worlds and may
resolve some of the consistency issues, the second can help generate a much
more organic feel to the story. It also can help authors get to the story
faster, though it does mean doing some research on the fly. Just make sure you
don’t go into the story thinking science fiction world building is easy simply
because you can make it all up. It’s perhaps some of the most challenging world
building for that very fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, there you have it. Five things I wish I would have been
told while creating the Black Ops universe. I even threw in a bonus tip for
you. Science fiction world building is great fun, but also challenging. I hope
what I offered here helps and, as always, let me know how it goes!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Awesome. Thanks, Stacy! *MAKES NOTES* So once again that's Tattoos by the Splediferous Stacy Overby, available for preorder now, releasing on Dec. 15th published by our good friends over at <a href="https://ourwriteside.com/" target="_blank">Our Write Side Ink</a>.<br />
<br />
You can get your hot little hands on a copy from Amazon Kindle <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KKYP8WT" target="_blank">HERE,</a> from Smashwords <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/895399" target="_blank">HERE,</a> and from Draft 2 Digital <a href="https://www.books2read.com/u/4DlGB7" target="_blank">HERE.</a><br />
<br />
Want to follow Stacy on the various Social Medias and let her know what a Hoopy Frood she is? Sure you do. You can do that...<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> Website: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com/">www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> On Facebook at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide">www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> On Twitter at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011">www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> On Google+ at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby">https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> On Instagram at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/mamawisper78">www.instagram.com/mamawisper78</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> and on Pinterest at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011">www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011</a></span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
That's going to do it for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this Takeover Tuesday. We'll see you next time here on the Mountain Caller when I find something else to ramble about. Hehe.<br /><br />Carry On Smartly, My Friends.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-24470239195962206852018-10-23T13:55:00.000-04:002018-10-23T13:58:48.385-04:00Author Takeover! Rebekah Jonesy Interviews Pitch From the Upcoming Clay and Blood!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Afternoon,
all. Today here on The Mountain Caller, we're going to do something a bit
differently. Today, the splendiferous Rebekah Jonsey is making a return
appearance as part of her blog tour for the upcoming Clay and Blood, Mab's Doll
Series book 2. But hey, why should I have to do all the work around here? So
today, Beks is going to be interviewing one of her characters, the Kelpie
Pitch. Should be fun. So take it away, Beks!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hello everyone, my name is Rebekah Jonesy and I
am here today on Mountaincaller to interview Pitch the Kelpie. To start things
off I have to let people know that “Pitch” isn’t his real name. It is a name he
has accepted to use during this time. Because you won’t give us your real name,
will you?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch shakes his massive head, mane flapping
around the room hitting the ceiling.*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok instead of having to crane my neck up to see
your massive Clydesdale like head up there, could you maybe lay down or </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*eyes go wide as Pitch shrinks in size and shape
to resemble a small Greyhound dog*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch wanders around the entryway sniffing at
shoes that have been placed neatly by the door before disappearing behind a
cloak hanging from a hook on the wall*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok yeah, you could do that too. Uhm, what was I
saying? Oh, anyway, we don’t know Pitch’s real name so we will stick with his
username for the purpose of this interview.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch appears to think about it, then nods his
head sagely before walking off slightly*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok, so, another thing about Pitch, he doesn’t
talk. While kelpies can talk, they prefer not to do so. Right?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch looks over and sticks his tongue out and
lifts his lip in disgust*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I’m taking that as a yes. That’s why I am doing
most of the talking here. Having a bit of experience with him, I thought I
would do a better job talking with and understanding Pitch. Or maybe
translating is a better way of putting it.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So Pitch, you are a friend of Gillian’s the hero
of the story Clay and Blood. Can you tell us why you came on this journey with
her?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Pitch?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch lifts his head, just his head, up from
behind the couch where he has wandered off to*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Did you hear what I said?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch nods and I have to wonder where his neck
is*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Are you going to answer? Or give me a hint at
least?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*With a snickering laugh Pitch shakes his head
violently in denial, doing a good impression of a tea kettle being shaken on a
stick as I finally see his pencil thin stretched neck*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Is it because Danu asked you to come?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*more snickers waft out from behind the couch
along with some snuffling sounds*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I think that might be a no-</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*more snickers*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Or a yes?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*a tiny rat shape trundles out from under the
couch and wanders over to the bookcase*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I really hope that’s you, Pitch</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*the shape on the floor stops and looks over a
me, growing slightly in size until I can see the red vapor wafting around the
eyes*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Yup, that’s Pitch. Unless Drew is using a very
interesting and possibly radioactive bait for mutant rats. Ok if it wasn’t Danu
that asked you join Gillian then why did you join? And how did you know where
and when to meet with Gillian and Mab at the pier?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch’s grin stretched back farther than his
face reached*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Are you going to tell --</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch’s nose is now big enough that I realize
he is growing it larger on purpose*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Oh you smelled them? You sniffed them out so you
knew where they were.But how did you know that they would-- Pitch? Where are
you-- Pitch I don’t think Drew would like that.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch stops pawing at the books on the bookcase
to turn a baleful gaze on me*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Those are his books Pitch. His stories. That is
how we humans share information and pass them on.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch turns back to the books and sniffs at
them delicately. With a pleased smile he leaves them alone and walks off to
wander around a desk*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok so back to … uhm. Oh, you and Gillian swam to
shore in New Jersey where you met Officer Brown. He was the one that first
suggested your usename. What did you think about him?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch sits down on his haunches to think about
it. After a moment he lifts both front legs with his paws facing up in a way
that proves that despite his shape his is no dog. He moves alternates both paws
up and down as if he is weighing something.*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So not good or bad? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch goes back to sniffing around the desk*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok, how did you feel when you learned that he
was being controlled by a siren?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*raucous laughter erupts from under the desk*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Why is that funny?</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch struts out from under the desk. A gold
championship belt is wrapped around his middle.*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Where did you even find that?!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Ignoring the question Pitch grows in size and
rears up on his hind legs until he is taller than I am when standing. Sitting
he now towers over me as he flexes his front legs in an exaggerated pose
framing the championship belt he has somehow managed to wear on his waist*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">What are you doing? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch snarls and stomps around on his back
legs, continuing to make silly strong man poses which look even more bizarre on
his contorted canine shape then they do on humans*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">That’s Drew’s trivia championship belt. We
shouldn’t mess with that.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch laughs and shakes his head*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">What do you mean no? That’s his. He made it, and
won the rights to wear it.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch shrugs and nods*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So it’s his.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch shakes his head again.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Yes it is. This is his place. All of this is
his.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch shakes his head again*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">How is it not? We’re at his place doing this
interview now --</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch shrinks in size, the belt sliding off.
Using his back feet he scrapes at the carpet, kicking the belt away and
continuing to scratch at the floor*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“I’ve seen my dog do the same thing when another
dog has been in the… yard… Pitch.. Oh no. Tell me you didn’t.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch laughs uproariously and prances around
the room scratching at the floor near every place he has stopped*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“You’re removing his scent. Which means you used
your own scent to mark… Oh. Oh no.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">*Pitch dashes around the room, jumping on
furniture and laughing his fool head off*</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Please tell me kelpies mark like cats with
their cheeks and not like dogs!”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">*Without responding Pitch
laughs again and races to the door, knocks the door handle down, and bolts
outside. His laughter can be heard fading into the distance*</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">Uhm so that’s all we have time for, folks! We’ll get out of Drew’s lair
here, hopefully before he gets back. And before I have to pay for a carpet
cleaning. Uhm, in case anyone is wondering… uh… being marked by a kelpie is
considered good luck. Yeah! Yeah it is. Yup. Let’s not tell Drew about that
just in case he doesn’t know though. Ok? Ok. So thanks for listening, watching,
whichever, I’m not really sure what happened here and if you would like to read
more about this and the others characters, I promise Pitch isn’t making any
more stops in anyone else’s homes this tour, please check out my book Clay and
Blood. <br />
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://books2read.com/u/mqZk6v"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">books2read.com/u/mqZk6v</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">And </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">please
join me on the rest of the stops on my book release blog tour for Clay and
Blood. I did a lot of fun interviews, different flavor for each one. I also
wrote character spotlights and articles that I thought were a lot of fun. So
check out <a href="http://ourwriteside.com/">ourwriteside.com</a> for those links or my blog </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://rebekahjonesy.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">http://rebekahjonesy.blogspot.com/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> for the list, that’s also
where I post glowing reviews on all of JD’s works so far. I will also be
posting the links on my reader group on Facebook where I let my geek flag fly
proudly and talk about my books and writing. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864</span></a></span></div>
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Dang it, you guys! It's a mess in here! Hmmm, I may have to rethink letting other people in here. Well anyway, check out Rebekah online and go get Clay and Blood when it comes out on Halloween! And be sure to check out the other stops on Beks' Blog Tour. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the carpet steamer...</div>
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<br />Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-57189803258409946222018-09-11T11:43:00.004-04:002018-09-11T11:55:00.235-04:00Blogside Chat: Stacy Overby, author of Scath Oran,,,Back once again with the blog behavior, friends. And today we have another Blogside Chat with a really cool author I know. Today, our guest, hitchhiking in from beyond that Gagralacka Mind Zones is Stacy Overby, author of the upcoming fae poetry collection Scath Oran, available on September 22, 2042. No, wait, I meant 2018. Hehe. Anyway, let's get to it!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nUJBBcDgSH0/W5fjswO62YI/AAAAAAAAAY4/zRGmkCLBASEkoa_anViDkHb9GV6d3dX9QCLcBGAs/s1600/Quote%2B5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1200" height="236" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nUJBBcDgSH0/W5fjswO62YI/AAAAAAAAAY4/zRGmkCLBASEkoa_anViDkHb9GV6d3dX9QCLcBGAs/s320/Quote%2B5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>-What got you into
the world of pure imagination that is writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>A childhood of avoidance.
Writing is an ultimate form of dodging things. Seriously, I was pretty
introverted as a child and grew up in a family where books and writing played a
big part. My dad taught me to love sci-fi and fantasy through the books he
bought and passed on to me to read. My mom would come into my elementary school
classrooms with stories she’d written for whatever recent holiday. The stories
would feature all the kids in the class. I loved it. These things probably
didn’t help my introverted tendencies much. Getting old and ornery did a much
better job of addressing those introverted tendencies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>-Tell us a bit about
Scath Oran. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>This poetry collection takes
readers on a journey through the Otherworld. Some of the denizens there you may
recognize, such as the banshee and the fae themselves. There are others,
though, who are not quite as well known, such as cait sith and the merrow. Even
Death himself puts in an appearance before you find the doors back into our
world, safe on this side of the Veil. The question is, what will you find when
you take this journey?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>-What inspired you to
write Scath Oran? One too many viewings of Labyrinth? Kidnapped by the Fae as a
child? Fae Curse?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>No picking on Labyrinth! I
love that movie. I don’t think I was ever kidnapped by the fae as a child,
though if I grew up a Changling Child, would I know it? I do sometimes think
there are some fairies I pissed off somewhere that have cursed my life—you know
that whole “May you live in interesting times” thing. Wait, that’s a Chinese
curse. It still applies, though.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>Shoot. I did it again,
didn’t I? Squirrel moment. Anyway, Scath Oran came about as a cross between
poetry lessons and a challenge I couldn’t back down from. An amazing classical
poet friend was giving lessons in things like meter and form—stuff I struggle
with since I am a thoroughbred pantser—in one of my writing groups. About the
same time someone else threw out a challenge of seeing through an entire
project. Throw in the love for all things Celtic I hold, and I ended up with
what would become Scath Oran. Which, at least from what I could find online, is
a cross of Irish and Scots Gaelic for shadow song.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>-When you sit down to
write, what’s your process for getting yourself into the groove?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>*Hangs head and cries while
muttering “why do I always get asked this???* Wait, you heard that? As you can
tell, my process is rather minimal as an organized process. Between running a
teenage co-occurring treatment program and a six-year-old at home, processes
tend to be impossible to keep for long in my life. I write in between meetings,
during swim lessons, while staying up way later than I should. You get the
picture. One trick I use, though, is music. I have a variety of playlists for
different stories and such I am working on. So, while I’m in the car to and
from the various places I need to be, I have that on. Let me tell you, it’s
pretty cute to hear my son singing most of the words to songs from the likes of
Shinedown, Linkin Park, and Breaking Benjamin. I also tend to compose quite a
bit in my head and pray to the writing powers I don’t forget what I’ve got
worked out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>-Do you know where
your towel is?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>Always! As with all good
hitchhikers, I never leave home without it. Never know when it may come in
handy. Just ask Ford and Arthur.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>-What is your
favorite Fae creature?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>Oooo. Tough call. I love the
origin stories of the banshee, but cait sith and cu sith are cool. Though, the
selkies tend to draw me back. There is something about the way the
shapeshifting takes place with the selkies that fascinates me. I’m not sure
I’ve run across a shapeshifter who, as a natural part of the process, dons or
shed skin to transform. Plus, rather than being this terrible or cursed
existence, the selkies tend to be one of tragedy. However, there is one variation
I used in Scath Oran. This myth talks about the selkie wife who returns to the
sea when her husband’s ship is wrecked in a storm. She gives up her happy life
on land to save his life. I know this is still somewhat a tragedy, but there’s
a brighter ending in that the selkie saves her husband’s life. I think some of
the unusualness of the selkie myths—the tragedy rather than horror and
trickery, the gentleness rather than blood and war—are what hold the selkies
apart for me. Plus, they’re not a very common creature to read about in fantasy
right now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>-When the mischievous
Fae descend on you and steal your motivation, what do you do to get your mojo
back?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> </b>Go have some fun. Fairies
will sometimes steal things when you’re in a foul mood. When you let go of
that, they’ll give it back. See, they like having fun and music and such—at
least the nicer fairies. If it’s the darker fairies who stole my mojo, then it’s
a whole different story. They won’t give it back, so I have to conjure more
mojo to replace what they stole. Movies and music are good starters for me. I
have a whole board of prompts on Pinterest to play with in the hopes of
conjuring mojo. I’m also a fidgety person, so going for a walk, riding my bike,
cleaning, or most anything where I can move will help as well. Worst case
scenario when these things aren’t working? I take a break, conceding the Fae may
know more than me at that point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>-Describe your
perfect writer's hideout. Cabin in the forest made of enchanted books?
Candlelit room in a tall tower? Faery glade?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> </b>All of the above. But
they’ll be on the edge of an ocean in a place where the weather cooperates with
me most of the time. I don’t like the cold that much, but snow is a must in the
winter. It also has to have room for the family, but enough stuff to keep them
occupied so that when I’m writing they’re happy and leaving me alone. I’d need
a scribe, too, so I can hang with my family but still dictate stuff—ooo, better
yet, a mind reader who only can tell what my story is and can get it written
down for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>-Which magical realm
would you pick to retire in?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> </b>Hmmm. Tough call. My first
thought is to pick Middle Earth because it’s Middle Earth. Nothing else needed
to say there. However, there are so many other cool realms to explore. Bishop’s
three realms from the Black Jewels series is amazing. Then there’s Narnia with
the animals and fairy creatures and all. But I also like some of the more
sci-fi worlds like L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Stargate-Atlantis, and Star
Wars. Can I just build a realm hopping machine so I can visit them all?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>-Where can we find
you on the interwebs?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> I can be found at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com/">www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> On Facebook at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide">www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> On Twitter at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011">www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> On Google+ at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby">https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> On Instagram at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/mamawisper78">www.instagram.com/mamawisper78</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b> and on Pinterest at: <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011">www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011</a></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>-Lastly, what do you
think the question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe and Everything
is?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Everyone
knows the answer is 42, but it’s the question that’s so tricky, isn’t it? I
think the Ultimate Question is “How many stuffed animals will it take for my
son to settle down and go to sleep?”. Yes, he insists he must bury himself with
stuffed animals before going to sleep. Life, the Universe, and Everything
depends on that, trust me. (And yes, I know it is really “What is six by nine?”).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thanks, Stacy! Hope you all enjoyed this latest Blogside Chat! Now, off you go to preorder Stacy's book. And if you read it and you like it, one of the best things you can do is to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads and places like that. Really, we authors love that! Until next time, Carry on smartly, my friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GujhhStYVWk/W5flT-jgkYI/AAAAAAAAAZE/v7JMYxYZNH87PHlwOpOTG_NU4t-1ZN4RACLcBGAs/s1600/scathoran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GujhhStYVWk/W5flT-jgkYI/AAAAAAAAAZE/v7JMYxYZNH87PHlwOpOTG_NU4t-1ZN4RACLcBGAs/s320/scathoran.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-24195339769135821982018-07-17T08:53:00.001-04:002018-07-17T09:22:32.750-04:00Blogside Chat: Robert Cano, author of The Dark Archer...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Back once again with the Chat behavior. Today, we've got Robert Cano, author of The Dark Archer, coming out on July 26th. So let's get into it, and see what Robert has to say...</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-So this book of yours,
The Dark Archer. Tell the folks at home a little something about it. And really
sell it, get them clamoring to attain a copy!</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, <i>The Dark Archer</i> is focused on Bene, who we last saw
at the very end of <i>The Suffering</i>. Bene was once a captain of the
guard, highly ranked in the Kingdom of Preju. He held a high station, and
he was charged with the protection of the princess whom he helped to raise when
she was sent away to neighboring kingdom. What came of that, we see in
TS.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, what I really wanted to do with TDA was expand out the
world. I wanted the world to start getting much bigger, and not only for
my characters, but for my readers. So often, we find ourselves contented
to live out our day to day lives, in our small little corners and
neighborhoods, many times never leaving the cities in which we grew up.
Sometime we never leave our neighborhood.
This tale is not about that. It’s
about both the beauty and the danger of everything we rarely, if ever, have the
courage to see.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have long believed that the things most worth fighting for, the
things we find most beautiful in our world, are often the scariest, or most
dangerous.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the end, the story is about Bene. But what we get to see
through his eyes, as he sees it...well, I hope it takes your breath away.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">-What got you into this
whole madness we call being a writer? Were you rummaging around in your
grandparents’ attic and discover a strange, dusty old leather tome called
“1,001 Weird Fantasy Plot Ideas?” Or did you just think, “Hey, that’d be really
cool to do?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Madness is right! So, my writing began with poetry, at the
ripe old age of 19. Now, I’ve long had the gift of writing, I’d argue,
but to think I could actually pen something worth reading? I think that’s
a way different beast. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My imagination is always
running. I remember being a kid in middle school, where I spent the
majority of my time grounded, in my room, without even being allowed a book to
read if it wasn’t for school (my parents knew reading for me was an escape, a
passion, so they could never use it as a punishment). And so, because my
time was spent staring off into the blankness of four walls, I had to conjure a
way to make it through… and that’s exactly what I did.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-What got you into
fantasy? Did a wizard show up at your door and make you cook for a bunch of
hungry dwarves? Did an owl drop off a mysterious letter? Did a dragon steal
your lunch money? What are the deets, man?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Definitely the wizard. That doggone Maia came at me bro.
I fell in love with The Hobbit at a very young age, thanks to my mom.
That led to reading everything I could by Tolkien, and this led to a
lifelong love of fantasy. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, I read all sorts of genres. Some of my favorites
being The Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice, particularly those stories where we
go back in time, like Blood and Gold, or the Vampire Armand. I love
Thomas Harris, Steinbeck, Hawthorne, and many others. And I would have to say that each of these
authors have contributed to my writing in one way or another. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">But fantasy is the one thing I always came back to. I read
through Tolkien’s works every year. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
enjoy Sanderson, Brooks, Jordan, McCaffery and many others. I love
comics, where the idea of superheroes really lends itself to thinking big.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And then there is one of my first loves,
mythology. The myths and legends of our own world are so rich and diverse
and extraordinary, that using them just made sense.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-If you could form a
dream team of fictional archers, who would get the nod and be drafted by Team
Cano?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">First one? Bene.
Hands down. The bow and arrow isn’t necessarily his only weapon,
as he’s proficient in many weapons, but with his skills as a wraith… he don’t
miss. Second would have to be Green Arrow. Then Legolas.
And then Sylvanas Windrunner, of Warcraft fame.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-What would your ideal
Writer’s Fortress of Solitude look like? A lonely room at the top of a tall
castle tower? A roadside inn? A nicely appointed cave in the middle of the Fae
forest? Paint me a word picture.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve always dreamed of having a tower with a view. With
tempered glass making the walls of the tower, up to a circular office space
with 360 degree views of the world around me, complete with a decent balcony
all around. Perhaps one, perhaps not…
But that would be amazing. And
this tower can be jutting out of the top of my home, resting above the second
or third floor, depending on what I decide to do.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-If you could go live in
the fictional world of your choice, where would we have to forward your mail
to?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Obviously, Arda is on that list. For those who aren’t as
massive Tolkien lore nerds as I am, that’s the world where Middle Earth can be
found. Valinor is the other huge continent, which is also called the
Undying Lands. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I also wouldn’t mind GRRM’s world, as long as I’m not too far
north. Or a part of a major family.
Or in the politics at all.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope you and many others will want to adventure in my world of
Arduil. In The Dark Archer, we get to see a glimpse of Tylirion, which is
one of the continents (one which we will get to see more of later), and we
spend the most of our time in Aariad. Even with expanding the world,
there are great swathes of land we will yet have to get to. Tales coming.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Apart from being a
writer, what’s something that the folks at home and out there in Webland should
know about you?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am actually an archer myself. I’m a father, a job I take
super seriously, and I enjoy probably more than anything. My girls are my
world, and some of my biggest fans, even if they can’t read my works just yet.
I also love to teach both poetry and writing, and I do a fair bit of
editing.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m pretty easy-going. I just love to live life, enjoying my
time with my girls. While I would say I have a good number of friendships
I’ve cultivated over the years, people I’ve come to love and admire, it is like
pulling teeth trying to get me out of my house. I much prefer to be
behind my screen, writing, or watching a good movie, or just having a quiet
night, uneventful and without craziness, or, much like you, escape to books,
since reality sucks. The addled life of an introvert</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-When those wicked,
tricksy and false Doubt Hobbits steal your One Ring of Inspiration and hot-foot
it towards a volcano to chuck it in, what are some of the things you do to cut
those nasty little flat-foots off at the pass and get your mojo back?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Simple answer? Live. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let me explain. I’ve found that when the well runs dry, it’s
either from doing too much not associated with getting my creative juices flowing,
or it’s from running out of things to write about. So I go out and live a
bit.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I taste the world again.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I chase down those nasty hobbitses and have a
riddle battle with them, maybe enjoy some potatoes with them.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our world, our universe, is all the inspiration I really need, but
sometimes us writers get stuck and forget to go visit the world beyond our
windows. So I’ll take time off from writing. I’ll learn, I’ll live, I’ll put it all
together and figure out how to better myself.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-If we were to give you
the bow of your dreams, what would you want? Old English longbow? Mongol
Warbow? The God Gorgon of Brave Raideen? Choose your weapon, sir.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’d probably go with the Crimean Tatar bow. It was a
composite bow, recurve design. There
were other types of recurves, but the longer design of this particular recurve
allowed for more kinetic energy. The kinetic energy output from a bow is
different from the speed. We’re talking
about penetration power vs pure speed. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Compound bows are okay, but they’re created for speed. What
I want is for my arrows to shatter bones, should they come into contact with
them. With the right broadhead, my quarry will bleed out in short time
with just a decent shot...doesn’t even have to be perfect.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And I’ve won tournaments with my shooting skills. hehehe.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Do you listen to music
while you write, and if so, what’s your favorite writing playlist?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yes! I kinda have to. I have ADD, and the music helps
me focus. With that said, I usually pop on YouTube and listen to the Mixhound
Chillstep 24/7 livestream. Most of the time the music is exactly what I
need to get my fingers flowing. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Specific artists that I love include: Ferven, Michael FK, AK,
Phaura, Skrux, Headphone Activist, and many others.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-What can we look forward
to in the future from your fingers and brain?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well, I have this series I’m working on, with the sequel to TDA,
The Shadow Cult, coming hopefully next year. The Shadow Cult continues
the adventures of one or more of our heroes from TDA, and it explores in more
depth the darker elements that had left us with only questions at the end of
TDA. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also coming from that world are: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Fall<br />
The Great War<br />
Aurelle<br />
Reyvyn’s Dance<br />
Reyvyn’s Song<br />
Reyvyn’s Sorrow</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">From my science fiction series:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Mother’s Love<br />
A Daughter’s Hate<br />
Death’s Widow</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Lastly, let the folks
know where they can find you on the InterTubez.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can find me on my blog at <a href="http://www.shadowyembrace.com/" target="_blank">www.shadowyembrace.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter and Instagram are both @shadowyembrace</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And
feel free to follow me on Facebook, at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/RobertECanoII/" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/RobertECanoII/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Awesome. Thanks for being here, Robert! Remember to check out The Dark Archer on July 26th. And thanks to all the folks at home for tuning in and checking out another Blogside Chat. Hehe. Until next time...</span></div>
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<br />Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-46101194481238385532018-05-15T09:09:00.004-04:002018-05-15T09:09:29.500-04:00Blog Tour stop with Rebekah Jonesy, Author of Moss and Clay...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OjXOvyhYOlI/WvrZSNnpFCI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/o5wFfcZtU3cYMj7wRUC6ZvmSyGJz9eYgQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Moss%2Band%2BClay%2Brectangle%2Bbanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OjXOvyhYOlI/WvrZSNnpFCI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/o5wFfcZtU3cYMj7wRUC6ZvmSyGJz9eYgQCEwYBhgL/s320/Moss%2Band%2BClay%2Brectangle%2Bbanner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello again, friends. Once more, we journey into the breach of the mind of one of the author folks I know as she's doing a blog tour. Today, our guest is the splendiferous Rebekah Jonesy, and, well, without further ado and/or gilding the lily, let's just go ahead and jump right into it. Take it away, Beks! And, um... Me. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-So this book of yours, Moss and
Clay. Tell us something about it. Justify its existence!! Hehe<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lilian told
me to write it. So I did. She made me do it! *sobs*<br />
For reals though, Lilian and I were chatting one day and this concept came up.
Of a crafted fae warrior sent to America to sort through all the crazy mixed up
ghost stories, urban legends, myths and creepy pasta that exists here and see
if any are fae related. Which evolved into this amazing story line and series
that I just can’t stop writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- So what was it that made you take
the boat down the terrifying rainbow tunnel into the world of pure imagination
that we call writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reality
bites. The worst part is, no one really knows the truth of it either. Instead
we all have our own versions, our own perspectives. Ever since I was a little I
tried to figure out the why and how of people’s perspectives. My brain always
likes to come up with “waht if” (This is why I need Heidi RedPen Angell)
situations. And after a time I realized that if I honed those ideas, and got a
good editor, I could have a good story of “What if a character like this was
put into a situation like that? How would they react? How would the world be
influenced? Why would someone end up in a situation like that?” Instead of the
random ideas that floated around in my head nonstop that never developed real
form on paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And to be
perfectly honest I wrote my first, and my last, book as a clapback to the 50
shades BS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-If you could form a literary
super-team of authors, each having powers based on what you think their
strengths as writers, who would be on your team, what would their powers be,
and of course what would you call your team?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My first
thought was of course Joshua Robertson. Then I thought about what his power
would be and immediately dropped him from the team. I know what he does to
heroes. Same with Robert Cano. But…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lilian, the
Sassinator Oake, she adds sass and joy to all the things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Diane
“Revealer” Duane, shows how even the most mundane things like cars can have a
magic all their own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Andy, the
Worldbuilder, Peloquin, he can make anything epic and fit together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">R.A.
“Righteous Attitude” Salvatore, makes sure all the heroes are on righteous
paths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anais
Babygirl Chartschenko to bring heart, love, and feeling to all the works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And of
course Heidi “RedPen” Angell, to make sure all the words are right and true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By their
powers combined, they are Script Squad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think I
had a book geekgasm just thinking about that. *shivers*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-What would your ideal writing cave
look like? Old Irish pub? Room in the Library of Alexandria? An actual cave?
Set the scene!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I already
have this planned out. I live on 5 acres of mostly wooded property. About ⅔ of
the way back there is a natural clearing. It’s surrounded by cedars, poison
ivy, and trilliums of all things. It’s half in shade, half in sun because of
the tree canopy. I want to build a writing cave in the middle of that. It will
have giant barn doors, a clear roof that retracts or folds back. It will have a
bench with a thick cushion to lay on and tons of pillows and that awesome 360
desk that is completely adjustable and holds your keyboard and everything in
place no matter how you set it. And of course a massive 5 gallon coffee maker,
bar, fridge, and microwave for food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-If you were granted the chance to
retire in the fictional book world of your choice and live out your days there,
where would I have to go to come visit you and get you to make me some coffee?
Hehe<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Midkemia,
one of Feist’s worlds in the Riftwar saga. I like the balance he created with
his world and cultures. The magic system is also amazing and I would hope I
would have some magic ability. Also, dragons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But not your normal dragons. Oh no. These are dragons that evolve as
they age. Not to mention they have coffee and cigarettes there. hehe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-So apart from being a writer,
what’s something else that the folks at home should know about you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am one
hell of a cook. For the last few years, since I moved back down to near sea
level, I have been experimenting with cakes. I make super awesome cakes now. I
used to run a catering gig to a Naval base too. And pilots would find reasons
to land at the base to get some of my food. It caused quite an issue. But the
officers were also stopping by to get food so we never got in trouble for it.
Quite a few people have told me that I should open a catering business because
my party food is off the chain. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-Marvel or DC. Which is best in
life?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As comics I
prefer Marvel. The story lines and stories were on point. The characters were
well developed and complex. They often touched on real world issues, including
ones that were hard to deal with. Sadly, the movies do not live up to that. The
characters are all wrong. I don’t think any of the actors even read the comics that
the movies were based on. For sure the directors didn’t. It’s just very sad and
really pisses me off that they got so much wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So as movies
I would say DC. Just because they held true to the original characters and
stories a little bit better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-When the Doubt Mongols come
screaming over the horizon, what do you do to vanquish them and keep yourself
motivated?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Put on my
cranky or sassy pants. I have three older siblings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m used to being criticized and doubted. It
stopped bothering me a long time ago. So when doubt pops up, I ignore what it
says and bang out even better work. If anything it motivates me to do better
every time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-If you listen to music while you
write, what sort of music lives in your writing playlist to make your brain
rawk out?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I actually
don’t listen to music. Or anything. I put on noise cancelling headphones and
kinda bebop to the story in my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-Anything else coming soon from your
fingers and brain?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All kinds of
stuff. I have a bdsm billionaire romance coming out that mocks 50 shades. It’s
already written and just needs finishing touches on covers and whatnot. I am
finishing up writing book 2 of Mab’s Doll. I have a few short stories I plan to
write. Some about Gillian of Mab’s Doll, some are a new silly thing I am
playing with I am calling unRomances. I take “romantic” tropes and stereotypes
and see how they would play out in real world situations. I’ll give you a hint,
a lot of people end up getting slapped, dumped, and having charges filed. For
that I will probably set up a Patreon account so I have someplace useful to
post it all. And of course gobs of reading for research and fun. I have a
readers group, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bekah’s Books</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and we’re about to start discussing urban legends and their origins. I’m
really excited to see what people from different regions have as their local
stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-Let us know where people can find
you on the Interwebz so that we can bombard you with Words With Friends and
Candy Crush requests.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can find
me at any of these places<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/dirtyrjonesy"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://twitter.com/dirtyrjonesy<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorRebekahJonesy/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://www.facebook.com/authorRebekahJonesy/<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://rebekahjonesy.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://rebekahjonesy.blogspot.com/<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8292001.Rebekah_Jonesy"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8292001.Rebekah_Jonesy<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RebekahJonesy"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RebekahJonesy<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebekah-Jonesy/e/B00NQ5Z1CS"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: Verdana; mso-highlight: white;">http://www.amazon.com/Rebekah-Jonesy/e/B00NQ5Z1CS<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864/"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864/<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
sign up for my </span><a href="http://eepurl.com/cUPhiX"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white;">Newsletter </span></a><a href="http://eepurl.com/cUPhiX"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: white; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">to get it all
condensed and delivered to you.<o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_gjdgxs"></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-Say good night, Rebekah.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good night,
Rebekah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbqTZOVe2g0/Wvrb9qms7xI/AAAAAAAAAWc/Al2HTcJm0j401ZdE_j9pTCGSXlKHrW6sgCLcBGAs/s1600/trollking.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IbqTZOVe2g0/Wvrb9qms7xI/AAAAAAAAAWc/Al2HTcJm0j401ZdE_j9pTCGSXlKHrW6sgCLcBGAs/s320/trollking.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Awesome, thanks, Beks! So that's going to do it for another blog tour stop(I need to come up with a better name for these things. heh). Thanks to Rebekah Jonesy for stopping by, and thanks to all of you for stopping by. Be sure to check out Beks' book, follow her on the Interwebz, read the book leave a review, generally be cool. Heh. Join us again, at some point probably, for a blog tour stop. In the mean time, I'll probably be rambling about random topics. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.<br />
<br />
Carry on Smartly, My Friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-28956390019194748732018-04-10T00:00:00.000-04:002018-04-10T00:02:42.551-04:00Blog Tour Stop: A Chat with Amanda Mabry, Author of Darker Daze...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uexGWM_efBY/WswJcjSd4GI/AAAAAAAAAVM/R9moMYTiaHMT3LdO2M-OP9hO4U0K6z6LACLcBGAs/s1600/DD%2BLong%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="890" height="107" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uexGWM_efBY/WswJcjSd4GI/AAAAAAAAAVM/R9moMYTiaHMT3LdO2M-OP9hO4U0K6z6LACLcBGAs/s320/DD%2BLong%2BBanner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Welcome to the first of what will hopefully become many interviews with some of the truly kickass indy author folks that I know. Today, we're talking to Amanda Mabry, author of the recently released short fiction collection Darker Daze. Without any further guilding the lily, let's get to it!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-Tell us a bit about Darker Daze<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Darker Daze is collection of short stories that share a theme of
suffering, told from various perspectives. Each story is gut gripping in it’s
on way and is meant to give voice to the voiceless. The fact is, not everyone
gets a happy ending. That’s real life. A lot of people get the extreme opposite
of happy endings and their stories are important too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-So what made you decide to get into
this tilting at windmills that we call writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have always loved writing but I strayed and stumbled back
to it. Throughout my teaching career I was using my writing without even
thinking about it. I wrote stories, and songs, and even a whole curriculum.
Then, when I was struggling with being a special needs parenting I discovered
the special needs blogging community. From there I found fiction writing
prompts and then a group and BAM, here we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-If you could hang out with any
other author, living or dead, who would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
knee jerk answer would be Stephen King but honestly, it would be Lovecraft.
They both have a writing style the is so like the way my mind works. I would
love to really interrogate them and find those few key details that separate my
writing from theirs. (Theirs being amazingly phenomenal and mine being...mine.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-What’s your normal writing process like?
Where do you usually write? Sitting in a castle tower room lit by one candle as
the breeze fetchingly blows your hair back? Starbucks? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
write when and where I have the opportunity. Sometimes, but rarely, that is
actually sitting at my desk in my home office. We’ll call it a castle for
clarity. But, more often it typing while curled up on the couch or in bed.
SOmetimes, it is using a voice recorder or dictation while in my kayak..or in
the shower...or grocery shopping. My life is literally so crazy busy I will
take whatever I can get!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-What’s one thing that people should
know about you?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
one thing people should know is that I cannot think of impressive or
interesting facts about myself under pressure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-When you’re afflicted with a severe
case of ButtOnSofa, how do you break yourself out of it and get back to work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is
this similar to DepressionInBed? If so, I usually hit the point of panic where
I realize I risk losing everything I have worked for and start working on
digging myself out of the hole I created.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-When your brain decides to be a
jerk and let the evil Kobolds of Doubt whisper in your ear that, “YOUUU
SUUUUCCCKKK!! YOU WRITE CRAAAAAP!!!” what do you do to get them to shut their
filthy mouths and go away?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wait,
you can do that? I mostly just argue with them and try to write over their
annoyingly high pitched voices. Seriously, I live with Imposter Syndrome daily.
I am pretty sure what is epic in my head is crap in theory but I keep trying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-What fictional characters would you
put on your Zombie/Monster Hunting team?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Buffy
Ann Summers, Dean Winchester, Scooby Doo, Rupert Giles, and Piper Halliwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-If you could spend a two-week
vacation in a fictional universe of your choice, which one?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
really WANT to say the Hellmouth but that would probably be a super stressful
vacation, no? Let’s go with Avalon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-Anything coming up soon from your
lovely brain and writing fingers?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am currently working on two pressing projects both due out this fall. One is a
Cinderella reimagining. Cinder Baby paints poor Cindy as a desperate victim of
the cruel Prince Charming. Will the Stable Boy seal or fate or change it? This
short story will be in OWS Ink’s 2018 Anthology, Class & Ashes. Also, I am
working on rewrites for Soul Purge. It was slated for release this Spring but
we found a glaring plot hole that had to be rectified. So, it will be epic and
it will be released during my Birthday Bash Bonanza in October.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-Anything else you’d like to plug?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
would like to thank all the wonderful people at the academy...wait...no...um,
all the people at OWS Ink who help make dreams come true every day and who
promised me a puppy for shouting them out! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_xxomu36sfr43"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-Say
good night, Amanda.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_l9qh8bd1btm3"></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Good night, Amanda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_gjdgxs"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">*whispers*
Also, visit me at </span></b><a href="http://authoralmabry.com/"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">http://authoralmabry.com</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> to find all my social media
channels and keep up with my consistently inconsistent workflow!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
Well, there you have it, folks. Many thanks to Amanda for letting me put her in the lukewarm seat today. Hehe. Go check out Darker Daze in spots such as <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BDRC62T?ref_=pe_2427780_160035660" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/805676" target="_blank">Smashwords</a>, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39357572-darker-daze" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, and be sure to follow Amanda on all your favorite social media apparati.<br />
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<br />Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-31053603419845002962018-01-23T16:35:00.000-05:002018-01-23T16:35:09.050-05:00Review of Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames: One Does Not Simply Rock Into Mordor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEAx_9LnTtA/WmejzGGsVWI/AAAAAAAAAT0/kgSemyZks-okhhN5_0PF56cXg31Ft8pmQCLcBGAs/s1600/kingsofthewyld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEAx_9LnTtA/WmejzGGsVWI/AAAAAAAAAT0/kgSemyZks-okhhN5_0PF56cXg31Ft8pmQCLcBGAs/s320/kingsofthewyld.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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Kings of the Wyld is the debut fantasy novel by Nicholas Eames, and it's awesome. In the universe of Kings of the Wyld, mercenary bands share the same status that rock stars have in our world. The story focuses on one of the most legendary merc bands of all time, Saga. When the story opens, Clay Cooper, one of the members of Saga is living a quiet life, settled down in the town of Coverdale with his wife and daughter. Out of nowhere, Clay's old bandmate Gage shows up begging for Clay's help. Gabe wants Clay to come with him to try and save Gabe's daughter Rose, who is trapped in a city on the other side of the nightmare forest, the Heartwyld by a gigantic horde of monsters. Initially reluctant, Clay agrees to go with Gabe and try to help, but first they're going to have to go and try to track down the other members of Saga if they're going to have any chance of getting through the Heartwyld and rescung Rose. It's time to get the band back together.<br />
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Kings of he Wyld is a great breath of fresh air in a time when so much fantasy seems to be of the more "realistic" or "Grimdark" bent. KoW is definitely not in that vein at all. The more rock and roll feel of the book is a nice change of pace. The overall story is a fairly standard, "Small, elite group tries to accomplish a seemingly impossible goal" storyline, but Nicholas Eames tells it wonderfully and shows that even something that could be considered a "trope" can be extremely enjoyable when it's put in the hands of a capable storyteller. Besides the fantastic action sequences all throughout the book, dialogue and the characters is what will really keep you engaged and reading. And KoW is chock full of great characters. Not just he main members of Saga, but many of the backup characters like Jaine and the Silk Arrows, Larkspur, Gregor and Dane, and even the book's main villain Lastleaf, and there are many more. Also, a great thing about the book is the fact that Eames has taken pretty much any monster a DnD fan could want to see and thrown it in here just for the fun of it. Plus, Owlbears. Yes, there are multiple Owlbear references in this book. That alone, in my less than humble opinion should win Nick Eames some kind of award.<br />
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Kings of the Wyld is simply, from first page to last, an awesome story. It's great to be reminded that a fantasy story doesn't HAVE to be realistic. Kings of the Wyld definitely isn't. There are Deus Ex Machinas and magical cheats peppered liberally throughout the book. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that Gabe, Clay or any of the other characters didn't use some fnatasy novel version of the Contra Code to get something done. Don't take that as a criticism. Sometimes fun is just fun, and a fantasy novel doesn't have to be serious and dour. One of the best things about Kings of the Wyld is the very fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's almost like reading a transcript of a great DnD session with your nerdy friends and that's spectacular.<br />
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Kings of the Wyld. The Boys are back in town. Go see 'em.<br />
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\m/\m/\m/\m/\m/<br />
5 Metal Hands out of 5.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-55638659525105345112016-08-04T14:02:00.001-04:002016-08-04T14:02:46.348-04:00Writer Problems: When Ideas Won't Shut Up<p dir="ltr">So, I now have the Blogger app on my phone. I forsee problems with this. Well, maybe not problems so much as an increased productivity here in my little corner of the Blog-o-sphere(that's good!), but perhaps a bit of a decrease in my productivity at my 9 to 5(that's bad!). Well, maybe If I promise really REALLY seriously to myself, honest to goodness, nofoolin' to only blog when things are slow. Yeah, I'm sure that will work out. Totally. Hehe.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Anyway, today's little ramble is on a topic I'm sure several writers have experienced. One that does happen to me from time to time, the idea that just won't shut up. Yeah, I know. I can hear you other writers out there. "Oh poor YOU! You have an idea that actually wants you to work on it! How terrible!" Believe me, I'm not angling for sympathy here. I guess I just felt like addressing the phenomenon, because it seems like a largely writer exclusive brain issue. Anyway, here's what's going on in my weird writer brain.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Awhile back, I had an idea for what I refer to as a Rollicking Steampunk Adventure Tale, basically a story about, let's call it Sky Pirates of the Caribbean. Or, I should say that I had a beginning scene, but that was about it. I wracked my brain for awhile, trying to figure out what the story actually was, but I just couldn't crack it. So, I put it on the back burner, figuring I'd get back to it at some point and focused on other things. Well yesterday, out of nowhere, I figured out what the story is. While that's great, the idea has been somewhat rude, diving in front of my other ideas and DEMANDED my attention. Again, not necessarily a bad thing. I can get back to work on a story I want to write, and the thing requires some research on Caribbean Pirates. Or at least that's the excuse I'm using to read Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly, which I've wanted to read for awhile(Hey! Research! Heh) and to play Assassins Creed: Black Flag. Because, you know, style research is important. Come to think of it, I should probably re-watch the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie too. You can never have too much style research, after all. Hehe.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So my question is this, to my other writer friends. How do you react when an idea gets uppity like this? Do you take my approach and spoil your idea rotten by giving it all the attention it demands, or are you able to tell your idea, "NO! Naighty idea! You sit there and wait your turn!" Or do you go a third way? Let me know in the comments if you're so inclined. Either way, happy writing! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go help Edward Kenway plunder a Spanish ship. Style research. Hehe.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Carry On Smartly, My Friends.</p>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-39514767712190326432016-07-23T09:17:00.002-04:002016-07-23T09:17:20.054-04:00O Captain! My Captain! Please Come Back, We Need You Now More Than Ever...The other day over on my Book of Faces, I said that I was going to try and cool it with the political posts. I tried, I really did, but I guess what's been said is true. Politics is like Malaria. Once you've been infected, even if you have a period of remission, you're always going to get re-infected. And it's true. I wanted to keep politics off of this little corner of the internet as much as possible, but I just can't help myself. But at least it's not going to be me ranting about the horrible Shit-Capade that is our current election cycle. Yes, we just finished up what has to be the most odious Republican National Convention in living memory, or at least the worst one since I first became infected with politics. And we've got the Democratic National Convention about to kick off on Monday. Most likely, that will be a circus as well. But anyway, as I said, you're not going to have to read my semi-coherent ramblings on the state of this election. No, I'm going to leave that to a true master, but more on that in a minute.<br />
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The landscape of journalism as changed dramatically in the last couple of decades, both in print and on TV. There are no Edward R. Murrows, Walter Cronkites, no H.L. Menckens, no Woodward and Bernsteins, and no Hunter S. Thompsons. And it's a real tragic shame because we need people like them now more than we ever have. The only real bastion left it seems for their kind of fire is the world of Political Satire. Now don't get me wrong, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, Larry Wilmore, and Trevor Noah are great, and they're doing great things. But the man that, in a way, "trained" all of them, their Jedi Master, if you will(See? I brought it back to nerdishness for a sec) has been sadly absent for the last year. And I think that the timing of that fact was unfortunately the worst it could have been, considering what's been going on in the election for the last year.<br />
<br />
Well, on Thursday night for 10 glorious minutes, the Master Skywalker(did it again!) of Political Satire returned. After the end of the RNC, Jon Stewart popped up and took over Stephen Colbert's desk on The Late Show and proceeded to show us that even after a year of retirement, he is still the master. Stewart unleashed a blistering attack on Fox News and The Republican Party for their shamelessly hypocritical lauding of Donald Trump for the exact same reasons they claimed to despise President Barack Obama. I won't even bother to try and quote it, Stewart is much better in his own words than I could ever be. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means watch the clip <a href="https://youtu.be/mNiqpBNE9ik" target="_blank">HERE</a>, bask in the awesomeness and fondly remember that time when the sight of a man sitting at a desk scribbling on blue paper struck terror into jackasses on both sides of the aisle.<br />
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As awesome as it was, the segment was bittersweet too, because it was most likely a one-time thing. But I'm really hoping that it's not. While I would wish that Stewart would be able to relax and enjoy his retirement, I have a feeling that what's going on has a good chance of driving him back to the desk. We can only speculate on what would be going on if Stewart had been here this whole time. Personally, I'm hoping he would have given Trump a heart-attack by now, or at least an attack in whatever that pump thing is that moves the black sludge through his veins.<br />
<br />
Ah, what could have been. But seriously, as great as all of his "Padawans" are, we need Stewart back, at least until the election is done, and the segment on the Late Show showed us exactly why. No one articulates Political Outrage like Jon, and maybe, just maybe, it could shake some people out of their complacency and get them to wake up. We can only dream.<br />
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But it's a good dream, and one I'm going to partake in. So, for now, I will just say, O Captain! My Captain! We need you, please come back to us. We'll keep a seat at the desk ready for you.<br />
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-Carry On Smartly, My Friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-28649152638596332982016-07-20T18:16:00.002-04:002016-07-20T18:16:46.059-04:00Some Thoughts on Ghostbusters 2016: I Ain't 'Fraid of No Reboot...<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, I’ll admit that once again, I’m baffled by some ridiculous nonsense that people are doing. Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, it’s puzzling me and
really getting on my nerves so I figured that I’d run off at the fingers about
it a bit if for no other reason than to get it the hell out of my head. Our
topic today? The new Ghostbusters movie. Honestly, I just do NOT get why this
thing is getting all the hate it’s getting. Do I think it’s going to be as good
as the originals? No, I don’t. Do I think it’s going to suck? Well, maybe, that’s
a definite possibility. However, based on what I’ve been hearing from people,
that’s not the case at all. Now, I haven’t gotten the chance to see it yet,
though I’m sure I will at some point, so as usual, I’m reserving my final
judgement until I do. But I will say that at this point, I don’t have any hate
for the movie. I don’t have any hate for it as an older geek who prefers the
Old Skool to the new, and I DEFINITELY don’t have any hate for it because I’m a
guy and the main characters are women. We’ll get into both of those types of
hate in a minute and why I think that they’re absolutely re-freakin-diculous.
But first, let’s address the third and most odious kind of hate suddenly
associated with this movie. The Leslie Jones question.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, I’m sure you’ve probably heard earlier today about how
Leslie quit Twitter because of all the racist bullshit she was getting
bombarded with on there. Yet again, ignorant mouthbreathers have struck and
caused a legitimately funny woman to have to distance herself from something so
that she’s not being waylaid by jackassery every minute of the day. I don’t
have a lot to say about this particular kind of hate because, really what else
is there to say about it other than the fact that if you are one of the racist
assholes that drove her off Twitter, or if you’re simply a racist asshole in
general, at this point I would like to cordially and respectfully invite you to
go somewhere quite far away and feel free to roughly fornicate yourself with an
iron stick. Go ahead, do it now. Seriously, go. We’re trying to have a
civilization here, and you are all surplus to requirements. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into the other two
typed of hate the new Ghostbusters reboot is getting. First off, the geek hate.
Yeah, it’s just as dumb as the women and racist hating, but I can at least
understand this one a little bit. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t condone, but I
kinda get it. Whenever a beloved franchise that’s been dormant for a time gets
more chapters or a dreaded “Reboot”, it can cause a mixed bag of emotions,
especially for geeks, as I’ve noticed with myself and others that certain
movies, certain books, certain franchises are building blocks and load-bearing
pillars for our future selves. But on
the one hand, there’s a part of you that really excited to see more of, or a
fresh take on something that you loved. But then, of course, there’s also the
part of you that gets afraid that the new installments or the reboots will “Ruin
your childhood”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll admit that I’ve said that a couple of times, but when I
really sat down and thought about I realized that that’s one of the dumbest
things said in the long, sad history of dumb things that got said. News flash,
kids. The new Ghostbusters is not going to ruin your childhood, and neither is
any other new interpretation, addition or reboot of a movie or TV show you
loved as a kid. Your childhood is done. It’s in the past. It’s safely locked
away in your personal history. The only way that anything can ruin your
childhood is if you allow it to happen. It can’t take away what you felt when
you watched the original Ghostbusters. That was over 30 years ago. It can’t
touch those memories. Those memories are yours, they’re a part of you, and the
only way that they can change is if YOU allow them to change and you change
them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, do I think that the new Ghostbusters has the potential
to be crap? Sure. It’s a reboot, and statistically speaking, reboots tend to be
awful, very pale imitations of the original. But from what I’ve been hearing
from people I know whose opinions I trust, it’s a lot of fun. Hell, a friend of
mine who’s possibly the biggest Ghostbusters freak on the planet gave it a 4
star review, which to me is a pretty ringing endorsement. Based on that, I’m a
good deal easier in my mind. So will I see it? Yeah, at some point I’m sure I
will. Will I go see it in the theater? Probably not, but that has more to do
with the fact that I’m cheap and don’t want to spend 10 bucks to see a movie
when I can wait and spend around 2 bucks for it at Redbox and watch it in the
comfort of my own home where I don’t have to take out a loan to pay for
popcorn, a drink and some candy. Heh. But yeah, I’m sure that at some point I
will see it. It might be bad, and if it is, I’ll just go and watch the original
Ghostbusters. I might register my opinion that I didn’t like it, but I doubt I’m
going to hate on it unless it’s truly terrible. And in that case, I’ll be
complaining that the movie was bad, but not that it “Ruined my childhood”, and
I certainly won’t be griping about the fact that I hated it because I’m a guy
and I’m threated for some ridiculous reason by a movie with 4 female main
characters like the Mens’ Rights/Nouveau Masculinism fuckrumpets(pardon the
language), and that brings us on to the final stop on our tour of dumbass
reasons to hate the new Ghosbusters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, right from the get go, I’ll freely state that I have
ABSOUTELY no patience at all for the MR jackasses, and I think that their
arguments for why movies starring and focusing on women are complete and utter
100% USDA Grade A Bull Cookies. Let’s not forget that these are the same idiots
that said that Mad Max: Fury Road was going to be terrible because it was “too
feminist”. Probably mainly because Imperator Furiosa was liberating Immortan
Joe’s harem of slave wives/breeders, and they probably didn’t want to see what
is probably one of their biggest, most lizard-brained juvenile fantasies
spoiled for them on the big screen. Well, witness me, Mens’ Rights idiots, Fury
Road was fantastic. I watch, I don’t watch, I watch again! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyway, these ignoramuses are back again, honking on about
how “Ghostbusters will be RUINED because vagina!!!” I just don’t get why these
guys get so fucked off and butt-blasted about movies prominently focused on or
mainly starring women. Honestly guys, what the hell are you so afraid of? Is
the vagina really THAT scary? What, do you think that you’re going to get
bewitched by some kind of strange feminist vagina sorcery, or Vagimancy if you
will? I can promise you guys that it’s not going to happen. It’s ok, you can look
at the girls. They’re not some kind of weird femal Ark of the Covenant, and
they won’t melt your face with Vagimancy, even though you probably deserve it.
And even if you were to be ensnared and bewitched with the Vagimancy, is that
really such a bad thing, little boys? I mean, I thought as straight guys that we’re
supposed to really LIKE that particular section of the female anatomy. Hell, I
know that I do. But then, I’m obviously a hopeless thrall to Vagimancy. Oh
well. But if you’re going to be, as I said before, that fucked off and
butt-blasted about it, then it’s ok. You don’t have to go see the scary girl
movie. Go down the hall to Theater 6, there’s a new Bourne movie in there. You’ll
be fine. Super-swear, dumbasses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So yeah, whether you subscribe to the Ruined Childhood fear,
or the dark, gripping dread of Vagimancy, then your solution is very simple.
Just don’t go and see the damn thing in the first place. I’m relatively certain
there’s something else that you can be doing that you’ll probably find more
satisfying. And if you are going to blast the film, here’s a crazy idea. How
about you actually wait to do that until after you’ve actually SEEN it, instead
of just assuming with no real evidence that it’s going to suck and getting up
on your soapbox and shaking your tiny fists of rage about something when you
actually don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Oh, no wait, never mind.
That was an actual logical suggestion, and this is the internet, where there’s
absolutely NO place for logic. Sorry, must have lost my head there for a
minute. Forget everything I just said. Sorry to have wasted your time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Carry on smartly, my friends. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-24750717273764790462016-05-25T16:44:00.000-04:002016-05-25T16:44:22.765-04:00Don't Hail HYDRA-Cap, Hashbrown, NotMyCaptain...<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">By now, you've probably heard about the
big ERMAHHGEHRD thing that Marvel dropped today. Captain America, as it turns
out, has been a HYDRA double agent the whole time, since he was a kid,
actually, and being a Good Guy has been a really, REALLY long con. Many of you
are probably Nerd Raging right now, or are sunk on the floor wailing and
gnashing your teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">So at the risk of being redundant, I
figured I'd share my feelings on this whole Captain America shenanigan that
exploded on the intarwebz today. I'll say straight off the bat that here there
be spoilers. Fairly warned be ye, says I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">So, I went over to my local purveyor of
funny books because I did want to take a look at Steve Rogers: Captain America
#1. No, I didn't buy it, I didn't give it a full read. I pretty much just
flipped to the last few pages to read The Twist. So there's a captured
scientist who I assume worked for HYDRA and Jack Flag was supposed to be off
supporting another hero, Cap told him to do that, but he decide Cap needed
help. Cap says he regrets that Jack did that, then proceeds to throw him out of
the plane they're in, presumably killing him before turning to the scientist
and saying Hail HYDRA. There's a comics voiceover going on too, but I don't
know if it was Cap, or someone else or what. Honestly, I didn't care that much.
I still don't. And what I mean is, I don't care to know the story. After
reading that, I put the issue back, shook my head and went and bought an issue
of Howard the Duck and 2 issues of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">Now, I'm not going to sit here and stoke
myself up into a frothing nerd rage about this. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY
don't like it. I've always really liked Captain America, and one of the things
I liked the most was that unlike pretty much every other Marvel Character, he
wasn't carrying around steamer trunks full of emotional baggage. He was a hero
because he's a good guy at his most basic level. He wants to help, he wants to
save people. Now to have Marvel tell me, "Nope, he's been a bad guy the
WHOLE time, just fuckin with ya!" Well, to me that just feels like a giant
middle finger. A gimmick that they're doing because they think that Captain
America needs to go "Dark" to stay relevant. Yeah, don't think so,
House of Ideas. This is a DUMB idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">Like I said, I'm not going to beat my
fists, I'm not going to stoke myself up into a towering nerd rage, and I'm not
going to say "BLEAARRRRGH!! ME BOYCOTT MARVEL FOREVER!" Nah. I mean,
I probably won't be reading any more Captain America any time soon, at least
not Steve Rogers because I just think that this is a damn stupid idea. Yeah, I
can see how people are pissed about this. Like I said, I don't like it either.
But my feeling is, instead of raging on the internet, just vote with your
dollars. Stop talking about it, stop freaking out, stop buying it. And if you
really hate the idea of HYDRACap, don't worry too much. If this storyline
remains this reviled and hated, it looks like Marvel's next universe reboot is
only a few short months away. So yeah, just ignore it for now, True Believers,
and I'd say it's got a good chance of going away before too long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt;">Carry on smartly, Dear Friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-34227681116475858462016-04-10T09:03:00.001-04:002016-04-10T09:11:36.594-04:00The Adventures of Nerd Boy and Geek Girl...My last post in here still has me thinking about male and female realtions. No, this isn't what this blog is always going to be about, it's just the subject that's occupying my head space right now. I'm sure that tomorrow I'll be on to something else. Like wanting to talk about The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl or something like that. Hehe.<br />
Anyway, like I said, I've spent the last couple of days thinking about the ways that guys and girls react to each other. This was touched off of course by the idiot male backlash to the Rogue One trailer where these creampuff milquetoast idiot men and Men's Rights advocates(By the way, one of the STUPIDEST "causes" in existence, but that's a rant for another time), were reacting to another Star Wars movie that had a strong female lead. Well, probably at least 2 if you count both Jyn and Mon Mothma. Anyway, not going to rehash that, you can read the last post if you want to see what I've said about that.<br />
<br />
But once I closed the books on that particular rant, I found myself over the last couple of days thinking about relationships, and about what kind of head space you have to be in to get to the point where as a man, you're somehow "threatened" by a strong female, or become like one of the assholes I see on the Maury Povitch show who want to abuse and dominate their wives and girlfriends. Oh, and quick aside, yes I just mentioned the Maury show and I can see you shaking your heads. Quick explanation, I work at a TV station, where it's my job to make sure that the right things go on the air. Sadly, one of those things is Maury, so I have to see it every day. Yep. That's my life. I'll go into more detail in the future, since I have a whole rant about Maury, Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos(all of which I have to at least pay some attention to for my job. Yeesh). But I digress.<br />
<br />
I was talking about the types of guys who are actively angry about Jyn being a strong woman in Rogue One. I was thinking about the type of head space you'd have to live in to feel that way, and I realized that while yeah, I still had contempt for, and vehemently disagreed with those guys, I found myself feeling bad for them. I feel bad for them because after a good deal of thought the last couple of days, I realized that their lives must be not very awesome. Having gone through non-awesome times myself a lot through my life I can sympathize. Maybe these guys have had bad relationships or interactions with women. Certainly does happen, but it seems that the way they're reacting to it is to want to keep geekdom a Dudes Only sort of club, and I think that's just completely wrong. Geekdom should NOT be a Men Only club. But some of these guys seem to think that letting girls in is somehow going to wreck it, or make it lame or something, and to be honest, I don't get that, because I think about the relationship that I'm in right now with someone who is, I guess you could say, less experienced of a geek than I am. She came to it later in life than most geeks do.<br />
<br />
Some background. My girlfriend, I'll call her Willow to protect the innocent. heh. Anyway, Willow and I don't have what I'd say is the most "traditional" of relationships. I mean, we love each other and enjoy spending time with each other but there aren't really gender roles in our house. At least not about who does the dishes or who cooks dinner and does chores and things like that.. Either one of us might do that, although to be honest, I do the dishes a lot more often than I cook because hey, doing the dishes never really changes, and cooking does. I do cook from time to time, but Willow's scorecard is WAY ahead of mine because my Cook Fu is very limited. Yeah, I don't have a lot of range. But hey, if Willow wants spaghetti or Chicken and Long Grain and Wild Rice she knows to hit the phone and say "Hey good lookin, get cookin!" Well, ok, she doesn't say that word for word, but, you know, that's basically what she says. Hehe.<br />
<br />
Anyway, to keep going, Willow and I share things, chores lilke I mentioned, sometimes she'll drive, sometimes I'll drive. Sometimes she'll pay when we're out, sometimes I will. Nobody has a set role because we're a team. We're a partnership, and that's the way it should be. That should be how everyone is with their significant other. At least that's what I think. You are on a team. Backup your team mate, and you will in turn get backed up by her or him. And I have to tell you, that feels great.<br />
<br />
Now you might be thinking that I wrote that last section just so I could brag on my girlfriend for a minute. *GASP* How DARE you?! I most certainly DID!<br />
<br />
Anyway, the point I was getting to was to show that Willow and I are on equal grounds because she's a strong woman, and perfectly capable of getting along without my help in most areas. Now we come to the area where I'm way more leveled up than she is. Geekdom in general. I'm in my 40s now, and I've been a geek since way back in the day. First movie I was ever taken to was the original Star Wars back in 1977. Granted, I was 2 and I don't remember much about seeing it the first time, but that really started my geekdom forming, so since then I've been there for pretty much every geeky or nerdy thing since the late 70's. So yeah, my geek/nerd credentials are in good order, and I'm High Level. I've unlocked specializations and spent many bonus talent points. Basically, I'm close to Level Cap when it comes to geek/nerd-dom. Willow isn't nearly as high level as me because she came into being a nerd much later in her life. She didn't start reading fantasy or sci-fi as a teen like a lot of us did, she didn't grow up LOVING the Orginal Trilogy the same way many nerds did. But she is genuinely into nerdy/geeky things, and I'm doing my best to help her learn as much about geeky/nerdy things as she wants to. I'm helping her to level up.<br />
<br />
According to the type of guys who are freaking out about the Rogue One trailer, I'm a traitor. I'm helping a GIRL get into the clubhouse. And my answer to them is simply... You're goddamn right I am. Guys, just learn to deal with it. Girls are part of fandom. They are part of gaming culture, they are part of fantasy, they are part of sci-fi. They're coming to the cons, they're buying the limited editions, they're standing in line to hear a panel in Hall H at San Diego Comic Con. They've already bought their tickets for Suicide Squad, and they'll be damn sure to get in line early for Captain America: Civil War. They're going out cosplaying and not just in the skimpy costumes that give you funny feelings in the bathing suit area. Women are in nerddom and geekdom now, guys. And you know what? That's awesome. Because I actually remember the days when nerd stuff was largely a male subculture. It was me and a bunch pf my other nerdy guy friends sitting around the table playing D&D. We couldn't get girls into playing D&D, they didn't give a shit about The X-Men, they wouldn't be caught dead at a screening of Empire Strikes Back. There were exceptions of course, but back when I was growing up nerd, girls were VERY few and far between. Nowadays, a LOT more girls are getting into the nerdy stuff, or maybe they're just coming out of the nerd closet, so to speak.<br />
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I don't know, and to be honest, I don't care. I think it's great that women are here. Really, I love the fact that last night at dinner, in the course of conversation with a couple of our friends Willow glared balefully at me and said "We are GOING to see the Warcraft movie when it comes out!" in a tone that allowed for NO dissent whatsoever. When I was 17 or so, a girl like Willow, an attractive girl who was into nerdy things that was DEMANDING that I take her to see a movie based on a video game? I thought that was a mythical creature!<br />
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I just don't get how these gamergate, and Men's Rights idiots can be so against women joining us in our hobby. I mean, don't you want Star Wars: Episode 8 to be a date night? Don't you want to spend your saturday wandering around a comic con in costume with your special lady? Don't you WANT to be with someone who can walk past a jewlery store with barely a second look, but when she walks past a weapons vendor shrieks "Oh look at all the PRETTIES!!!" and claps excitedly at the idea of that replica of Frostmourne hanging on your living room wall. Wouldn't you like to be with some who demands that you continue binge-watching Supernatural on Netflix while you eat dinner? Oh wait, that's MY relationship again. But if you read that and think "Well screw THAT guy. Lucky bastard!" Maybe you should pause for a second and think about what that means. Just an idea.<br />
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Carry on Smartly, My Friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-25374370018660556402016-04-08T17:08:00.001-04:002016-04-15T05:21:15.148-04:00Calm Down, Boys, It's Perfectly OK to Let Girls Into the Clubhouse...<br />
Yesterday morning, the first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released. If you haven't already seen it, you can see it <a href="https://youtu.be/Wji-BZ0oCwg" target="_blank">HERE.</a> The fan reaction was swift, and most of it was in the territory of "YAAASSSS!!" Myself included. I watched that 2 minutes of footage and the grin just would not leave my face for a good hour afterwards. If we can judge from the trailer, Rogue One is going to be an awesome movie. It looks to me like we can look forward to a grittier movie than anything that we've seen before. Rogue One looks like it will be more of a Dirty Dozen in the Star Wars Universe. After my very positive experience with The Force Awakens, I was already excited to see Rogue One. Now that I've seen a trailer, I'm really chomping at the bit for December to arrive.<br />
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Of course, nothing good lasts forever, and in this case it didn't take long at all before the euphoria I felt from the trailer was tainted. In less than a day, the backlash started. The backlash coming from idiotic, small-minded jackasses who for whatever reason are absolutely FURIOUS at another damn GIRL coming to play in their beloved Star Wars Universe. I mean, seriously, I thought we'd gotten this all out of our systems last year when people were bitching about Rey in TFA. Of course, I should have remembered the wise words of Bullet Tooth Tony in Snatch: "You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity."<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I do have some sympathy for the "No Girls Allowed" attitude. I used to have it myself. Then, I left Elementary School and realized that girls are actually pretty damn awesome. The trailer wasn't even out for a DAY when it started. "Oh, man! ANOTHER Female-led Star Wars movie!" "WHAT?! ANOTHER female main character?! WTF?!" and the one that made me start banging my head on the desk, "Man, Han Solo will probably be a woman in that spinoff!"<br />
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Actually, that would be fantastic. Han Solo started out as a woman and became a man. Making him THE GREATEST TRANSGENDER CHARACTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GALAXY! Ok, so that's really not likely. But you know what? There's also going to be a Boba Fett movie, and we've never seen underneath that armor. And we all know what happened the last time we had a "Greatest Bounty Hunter Ever" who was completely encased in armor, don't we? Two words: Samus Aran. Two more words: Justin Bailey. hehe.<br />
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Honestly, I don't get the hoopla about strong female characters in general, but I really don't get it when it comes to Star Wars. I mean, it's not like we've never had a strong female character in the SW universe before. Let's run a list, and yes, I'm going to dip into the Expanded Universe here, Rey, Leia, Mara Jade, Maz Kanata, Shada Dukal, Shalla Nelprin, Dia Passik, Mon Mothma who's also in Rogue One and who, oh I don't know, only LEADS THE WHOLE FREAKIN' REBELLION!<br />
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Seriously, boys, come out of the clubhouse. Click off of PornHub, put down your Boris Vallejo calendars and your Rob Liefeld comics. Women are SO Much more than damsels in distress and sex objects. A strong, capable woman is SO much more attractive than a vapid, bubble-headed Damsel in Distress. Honestly, a Real Man should not have anything to fear from a strong woman. Strong Women help make us strong, and they add so much more to a life than one who just needs to be rescued. Bascially, I think it's best summed up in this picture I saw online awhile back that I really want to blow up to full poster size...<br />
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Trust me guys. Give that a try. You'll ultimately be glad you did. Well, that is if you can get your head out of your ass and can join the rest of us in adulting.<br />
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Carry on Smartly, my Friends.Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-91991602963118005372016-03-09T17:49:00.001-05:002018-06-11T10:10:24.227-04:00Keeping Your Sanity During This Batshit Election Cycle: A Brief Reading List<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I originally published this back in March, but I just found a typo I'd missed and had to fix. Author OCD. Heh. So that's with this is now out of date. Sorry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So, once again, we are in the thick of an absolutely
insane election cycle, when we’re all sitting here watching our country’s
whacko primary process to determine what our two choices are going to be for
the next President of these United States. Now, normally I make it a point to
try and not get too much into poitics online. It rarely goes well, people’s
feelings get hurt, and usually, no one changes their opinion. This post isn’t
about that. It’s not about any specific set of political leanings, it’s not
about showing a preference to one particular candidate over the other. This
would be more of a poitically ecumenical post, it could appeal whether you are
feeling the Bern, planning to Choose Cruz, or even *SHUDDER* Make America Great
Again. Hmmm. I guess I did give a little bit of a clue as to my own political
leanings there, huh? Sorry. I promise, no more of that for the rest of this post.
Well, I’ll try anyway. Like I said, this post isn’t about a particular
political stance. Basically, if you’ve been paying attention to the election at
all, you can see that for the most part, this has been without a doubt, one of
the most batshit insane elections we’ve ever experienced in this country. I
mean, you couldn’t write a show like this, no producer anywhere would let you
make it. So, whatever your political leanings might be, I’d guess that there’s
a pretty good chance that you’re feeling like your sanity’s taken a bit of a
beating during the hustings of the last few months, and let’s be honest, it’s
not going to get any better from here on out. I mean hell, if the front-running
GOP candidates can turn a debate about becoming the next President of the United
States into a literal penis-measuring contest, I’d say we’ve got exactly two
chances for this election to turn around and settle down into something sane;
Jack, and shit. And Jack just left town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyway, like I said, your brain’s probably taken a
beating from watching all these shenanigans, so I’m here to recommend
three works of quality literature that I think might just help you keep what
sanity you do possess. Two of them are works of total fiction, and the last is
MOSTLY factual. Hehe. Anyway, we’ll start off with the fiction. And just so you
know, these are only in the order in which I thought of them. They’re all
fantastic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Orange
Crush by Tim Dorsey<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Tim Dorsey writes books that are similar in tone to
Carl Hiassen. Pretty much all of Hiassen’s books could be titled the same
thing: “Weird Shit Happens in Florida”. Well, Dorsey fits this kind of vein
very well. Much like Hiassen, Dorsey’s books could also all be called the same
thing. It would even be a similar title, but Dorsey’s books could pretty much
all be called “Weird Shit Happens in Florida, With an Extreme Florida-Phile Serial
Killer Who Targets Jerks”. Orange Crush departs from the formula a bit, but
there are still plenty of weird goings-on, and the madness is pretty much all
focused on the Florida governor’s race. Check out the back blurb:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The Republicans'
"golden boy" -- and a loyal, unquestioning tool of the powerful
special interests -- handsome, unthreatening, Florida governor-by-default
Marlon Conrad seems a virtual shoo-in for re-election. That is, until he
undergoes a radical personality shift during a bloody military action in the
Balkans. Now it's just three weeks before the election and Marlon is suddenly
talking about "issues" and "reform" as he crosses the
length and breadth of his home state with an amnesiac speechwriter and a chief
of staff who turns catatonic in the presence of minorities. The governor's
new-found conscience might well cost him the election, though. And it appears
that pretty much everybody from Tallahassee to Miami Beach is trying to kill
him...</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And that about tells you everything you need to know.
This is a newer edition to my Keep Sane During Elections Reading List, but I don’t
hesitate to recommend it. The entire governor’s race in the book is pretty
nutty, but you just may find yourself wishing that you could actually vote for
Marlon in real life. I know I’ve wanted to that a few times over the last few
months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Transmetropolitan
by Warren Ellis and, Darick Robertson</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Transmetropolitan, or Transmet, as many of the cool
kids call it, is a fantastic comic book. Instead of the usual superheroes and
supervillains, the comic focuses on the struggle between our hero, intrepid,
drunk and drugged-out investigative reporter Spider Jerusalem, who is basically
the somewhat distant future’s version of Hunter S. Thompson and two insane and
insanely corrupt Presidents of the United States, first, The Beast, who is
basically Future Nixon, and then, Gary Callahan, or The Smiler who looks like a
cross between Tony Blair and The Joker. Though he acts a lot more like The
Joker. The comic is all about Spider, who when the story begins is happily
living up a mountain in isolation, but has to return to The City to write two
more books for his old editor or get sued, haunting the streets in search of The
Truth, armed only with his fists, his Filthy Assistants, Channon and Yelena,
his wits, and his illegal Bowel Disruptor(and yes, that’s a gun that does
exactly what you’re probably thinking it does). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Spider tackles all kinds of
subjects throughout the course of the series’ 60-issue run; things ranging from
prejudice, religion, corrupt police, the bizarre City of the future trying to
hang on to pieces of the past, and especially politics. The series is at its
best when Spider is going against The Smiler and trying to bring down his
presidency with the power of journalism. Vol. 3: Year of the Bastard is where
this is especially in evidence. This is the PERFECT series to read during this
political season, because things in the comic are possibly even more insane
than what we’ve all been watching for the last several months. I’m not sure
though, I’m going to have to give the series another look, because I think this
may indeed be a case of reality being stranger than fiction. Anyway, the series
finished its run a few years ago, and all the issues are collected into trade
paperbacks, or a couple of DC Absolute editions if you feel like shelling out
the ducats. It’s absolutely worth it though. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, we leave the world of fiction and come to…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fear
and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72 by Hunter S. Thompson</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It may seem out of date, considering that this book is
more than 40 years old at this point, but honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to
find a better book on an election anywhere, no matter when it was written.
Forget Game Change, forget any of the drivel written by Ann Coulter, this is
the election book you want to read. Written by the late, great Hunter S.
Thompson of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas fame, the book covers Thompson’s
experiences covering the 1972 Presidential election between Richard Nixon and
George McGovern, and he really manages to capture the insanity of an election
in his trademarked Gonzo journalism style. Once again, check out the back cover
blurb:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">From the legendary
journalist and creator of “Gonzo” journalism Hunter S. Thompson comes the
bestselling critical look at Nixon and McGovern’s 1972 presidential election.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Forty
years after its original publication,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>remains a cornerstone of American political journalism and
one of the bestselling campaign books of all time. Hunter S. Thompson’s searing
account of the battle for the 1972 presidency—from the Democratic primaries to
the eventual showdown between George McGovern and Richard Nixon—is infused with
the characteristic wit, intensity, and emotional engagement that made Thompson
“the flamboyant apostle and avatar of gonzo journalism” (<i>The New York Times</i>).
Hilarious, terrifying, insightful, and compulsively readable,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Fear
and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>is an epic political adventure that captures the
feel of the American democratic process better than any other book ever written<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m telling you, if you
only read one book on this list, you should read this one. Then, you should
honestly go out and read the rest of his work because you really can’t go
wrong. Yes, a lot of references to drugs, alcohol and a LOT of bad language,
but dig down a bit if that kind of thing bothers you and look at what he was
saying underneath all that. Honestly, I’m really disappointed that Thompson is
no longer with us, because I’d love to hear his thoughts on these current
shenanigans we’re going through. Honestly, if the last few months are any
indication, if he was still around, I’d imagine that Hunter could have gotten
another great book out of it; Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail 2016.
Especially all this Trump nonsense. I think that was right up Hunter’s alley
and he would have gone to TOWN on The Donald. Ah well, a man can dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So there you have it,
dear readers. A short list of a few things that may just help keep you from
going completely out of your skull this election. Hope this list is helpful,
and that just maybe, you find something new that you really enjoyed reading. All the cover images I've used here are of course copyright by their respective publishers, and all of these books are available online, or from your local seller of quality tomes. hehe. And
lastly, no matter what side of the aisle you come down on, when the time comes,
be sure to get out there and vote. If for no other reason, than to retain full
rights to complain about things when they don’t go your way. Hehe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Carry on smartly, my
friends.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923114728096759888.post-69883592733796907492016-02-20T13:59:00.000-05:002016-02-20T13:59:06.603-05:00Greetings and Salutations...Welcome to The Mountain(Drew) Caller. Hehe. I'd love to say that there was some sort of deep meaning behind that name, but there's not. Basically, some friends in a writing group nicknamed me Mountain Drew. I like that, and I thought it sounded neat. Plus I like the sound of The Mountain Caller for a blog name. *SHRUG* Anyway...<br />
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Again, I wish that I could say I had some sort of deep meaningful reasoning for polluting the webspace with yet another blog, but I don't. I used to blog a lot and recently I've found myself rather missing it and wanting to do it again. So here we go! Aren't you glad you're along for the ride? Hehe.<br />
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What I aim to fill this thing with is general ramblings, reviews of things, and perhaps some incidents from my journey to becoming an honest to goodness professional writer(yeah, I can hear the groaning. "Oh GOOD! Another one of THEM!") Well, I'll try to at least keep it humorous. hehe.<br />
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So welcome. Kick back, relax, grab a beverage. Hope you enjoy your stay. Hehe. =)Jon Carmodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033330497063005686noreply@blogger.com0