What Will My Influence Writing Today?

21SEP2019 

I never know when the muse will strike, when something in my day to day will transfer to my writing. I can't tell you of all the weird and wonderful things that happen in my day to day job, but those experiences must carry over somehow to the fictitious stories I try to sell. I don't know how the events of Rowling's mundane days infused her mythic tales of Harry, but they must have tainted her tea, so to speak. 

I guess that is the best way to look at it. I must sift through what I experience, pick out the tastiest and most flavorful moments, tie them together in a bag of thought and time, and drop them in the hot water of an afternoon's writing session. The moment someone's phone went off in a middle of a lesson, twice, causing the n-word to be sung liberally over and over again as the student sort of, not really, quickly tried to get his cracked screen to respond to his commands and shut off the insipid noise. The maddening sight of scores of blurry pictures turned in from the yearbook staff at the end of a wonderful pep rally filled with precious and perfect yearbook moments that will now never see the light of day. The look of utter happy embarrassment on several faces as a goofy, somehow in-focus photo from the aforementioned pep rally was displayed onscreen for all to see. Heated discussions of Trump, people who identify as a different race and the ramifications thereof, and why did slaves allow slavery to happen. Who knows how those moments will end up? 


Pic for today is a scene down a long building, eerily lit at regular intervals. Not Halloween yet, but a hint of it floats through the air...

Happy Halloween Eve!

30 OCT 2018

Hello all! Bit of good news! My recently released short story, The Legacy, is currently sitting at #170 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 45 minutes (22-32 pages) > Science Fiction & Fantasy
Go buy it and help me break into the top 100! It's just .99 cents.

The Legacy on Amazon


In other news, I really like the word Gasconade. It means extravagant Boasting. Good word that, I'll have to see about putting it in somewhere.

I recently found a story bit I wrote long ago. It's very rough and unpolished, definitely needs a lot of work, but it could become something in the future. Here it is in all its unvarnished glory:



***

The Rescue

As the rosy hues of dusk approached, Dunham the wagoner spied a small body up ahead at an approaching crossroad. Anyone out here was obviously in need of rescue, there being nothing around for miles in either direction. Dunham clucked his tongue loudly and drew softly up on the reins.

There, at the intersection of two small trails, was a young man.

“Good eve to you,” the wagoner said, as he drew his horse up alongside the young man. The stranger, for surely he was one, was dressed rather oddly for these parts. A little too warmly. One never knew what sort of person you’d meet on the road, but this lad didn’t seem to be a danger to anyone but himself. “Need some help?”

A face without whiskers looked up from the side of the road with a smile. “Why do you think I need help?”

Dunham took off his hat and scratched his balding head. He was a nice fellow, but didn’t take kindly to people complaining about help being offered. Kids these days, he thought. No manners. “You wanting some help or not?”

The stranger looked to the left and right, before him and behind him. “Yes, I would, thank you. I’m Fortune.”

“Nice to meet you. Name’s Dunham. Put your pack back there and climb on up here with me.” He motioned to the wagon. The stranger threw his pack in with the hay and other goods for sale, and accepted Dunham’s hand as he climbed up and sat next to him. Fortune’s hand was very soft against Dunham’s.

Boy’s never worked a day in his life, Dunham thought, as he lit a lantern and hung it behind their heads.

Sitting there at the crossroads, the wagoner turned to his new passenger. “Now where might you be heading so late in the day?”

“I know not, kind sir. Just that what I’m looking for is nearby. I’m hoping you might know.”

Odd one, the wagoner though, a very odd one.

“Well, these crossroads here lead to no place close. To the left is a low plain that eventually leads to a small, salty lake.”

At this, Fortune shook his head.

“To the right the trail leads up into some low hills. Nothing up there.”

Again, Fortune shook his head.

“Behind me is nothing for a day’s drive but more trail. Ahead, well, seeing as I’m going on ahead you might as well ride along and see what there is.”

At this, his passenger seemed satisfied. “Yes, let us ride ahead. It’s just my luck to run into you!”

Dunham clucked once and motioned with the reins for the horse to get going over the next low hill.

They rode for a few moments, listening to the sounds of the evening. “I’m looking for a friend,” Fortune said, looking around as they crested the hill. “He is supposed to be, uh, wandering around here somewhere.”

Dunham looked around at the deepening darkness. “’Round here? Told you already, boy. There’s nothing ‘round here for miles.”

“Is there a structure nearby?”

“A what?”

“A building. With walls and doors.” Fortune struggled with finding the right words. “A, uh, castle?”

“Nope, like I said, nothing around for miles. There’s Tun’s Tavern about a day’s journey behind me.”

“Has it been there for a while?”

Dunham shook his head at the question. Has the tavern been there for a while? What an odd question. “Ya, been there for nigh on half a century or so. It’s run by the grandson now.”

Fortune shook his head. “That’s not him then. Anything up ahead?”

“Wait. You mean he wouldn’t be there at Tun’s Tavern?”
“I mean that’s not him. He’d be pretty new here.”

Dunham was confused, but let it pass. There were many things that confused him, and this stranger and his talk was just another oddness that he might never understand.

They crested the next hill and both men saw a castle off to the left, silhouetted against the last of the sun’s fading light.

Fortune pointed excitedly. “Over there! That might be him!”

Dunham had had enough. He knew of no castle in the area. The closest castle was five day’s journey from here, and abandoned at that. Even from here he could see that there was some light coming from the castle. “I’ll have you off right here, stranger. I’ll have no truck with such odd happenings.” He thought of the tales he was told as a kid, of strange doing at dusk, especially at crossroads. He left the stranger and his bag right there, and put his horse into a fast motion with a loud “Yaw!” and a crack of the whip.

The stranger stood there, surrounded by the dust stirred up by the departing wagon. Although he was rather rudely dropped off, Fortune still wished the wagoner luck, which in this case manifested as a fortuitous wedding celebration in the next town over. Dunham was able to sell all the goods that he had left for a huge profit.

The sun’s light was dying quickly as Fortune started straight away for the castle in the distance.

*****

Night was well along when Fortune finally reached the castle. Lights shone in a few of the windows, and the large, front door was open.

“Hey Eddy!” he shouted as he walked in the entrance. “This is you, right?”

The entrance opened up to a massive hall. At his feet was a large marble inlay, with the words ‘Phortress Peripatetic’ inset with green striped stonework.

“Eddy! I think you’re supposed to use the letter ‘F’ for fortress!”

“Eddy?” Fortune looked around. “I’ve come to bring you back. We’ve missed you! How am I supposed to talk with you like this?”

There was a stranger at the dinner table. Something so strange as to be almost inconceivable.

***
FYI: Eddy is short for Edifice. :)



Another story idea floating around in my head:

The Romany are immune to curses. Non one can curse them. They've been cursed enough already. They have to travel constantly, being welcome in no one country. They have, though, made do with the terms of the curse as best they can.

Picture for today: something macabre for Halloween...

Helping Other Authors

21 OCT 2018

Happy Sunday all! I haven't written much of my own stories lately. Been helping out fellow authors with their tales. While I am not a professional editor, nor will I ever be one, I do know enough to be a second set of ears and eyes for others. Heck, I taught the English for many years, lol. And I even speaka da English too! 

I'm currently working with a few other authors on editing their works. I know I really appreciate it when others do that for me, so yeah, I don't mind helping others out occasionally. 

I have recently done some non-fiction work too, writing a couple of reviews (comic book and a vlog post) for the TSR's website Multiverse. I used to love love love TSR's products when I was a kid, so a little bit of thrill to be creating some small pieces for them. If you don't know what TSR does, head on over there and find out! 

Pictures for today, in honor of Halloween coming up: 

Next Story: It's a Trap!

28 OCT 17
So I have decided on my next project. It's a story I wrote a while ago, called "It's a Trap!" I pulled it down from Wattpad, where it's been for a while, and I'm going to rewrite it, with an aim for more imagery and maybe a little more background integration. The story has some grammar issues with it that I've never fixed, and that is the first thing for me to change. I'm also going to throw in a small sketch or two. 

If you've already read the story on Wattpad, you'll be able to see the growth and progression of the story from it's first draft to its final version. The story started out as sort of a western, hopefully that feel comes across at the beginning. I may try to return it to that original western feel.

Here's a piece from the story now, no clue on what the final version will look like though, so don't fall in love with it yet! 

"You bastard!" Black Char snarled as he got up off the ground. He staggered back from the trio and prepared to fight. Jagged Edge still had that horrid knife in his hand. Black Char could see the rough, serrated edge of the blade, covered with his blood. Well, Jagged Edge indeed, he thought. The blade had an oily sheen to it as well. Must be something magical about it. Char had to be careful with this bunch. They were trickier than he thought. He put his hand to his lower back and felt the tear in his clothes.

Murg smirked. "Bastard. Yeah, I'll give you that one. But mind your tongue and remember who is in charge. Now let's go get a sword or two."***

Besides writing, I've also been practicing some of my photography skills. I am not good at low light photos, so I decided to see what I could about that. I went to a haunted house and was allowed to go through it and take pictures. 

Here is one I am happy with for the post picture:

Some techniques I worked with to get around the lack of auto-focus (it doesn't work in low light) were using lit objects (like the exit sign at the end of the hall) to manually adjust focus, also using a monopod to try and maintain a steady image, and trying to use occasional lighting (strobes, flickering lights, a door opening such as with the picture above) when possible to set a dark picture. 

Although a bit early, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and other 'dark' celebrations. I've read about different traditions from around the world, such as All Saint's Day, Dia de Los Muertos, etc... It's amazing to me the many ways that people have for dealing with the shortening of the days and the lengthening of the nights. 

What's Next?

22 OCT 17

So I'm done with the Ice Pirates story, it's released out into the wild. And we'll see how sales go. I hope it does well. I'm concerned about the cover a little bit. Should I have gone with something different? Something more professional? I do like supporting artists. In fact, I have another cover being completed, one that my daughter and a friend of hers created. I may go with that. I also have plans to do small interior illustrations for all of my stories. 


So what's next? Well, for starters, I went running again and came up with another great story idea. I really need to keep up this running inspiration thing! It's an idea (about the name and properties) regarding the ocean between the Old World and the New Lands.

Once I process this new idea, I'm going to go back to sketching out some other ideas, and maybe do some actual sketching as well. I have another story that is ready for release as well. Will probably happen by the end of the year. 

Other author things done today. I got messages from a fan of Pirates & Demons! She said it was really good and was waiting for more to come. Amazing to hear from someone who liked my work. I also updated my Goodreads author page, checked for messages, created a post for this blog, and created an author Facebook page.

Well, that's all for now. Picture for today is one I shot a while ago, Halloween-themed. May your days be long and good upon this earth.

Glitter Zombie Apocalypse & Other Stuff

13 OCT 17
Happy Friday the 13th! 

If you're seeking some salty adventures on the high seas, buy my new short story, Pirates & Demons. It's less than a dollar and will leave you craving more dog! Dog? Yes! Here's the link:

Pirates & Demons: Eye of Dog

It's perfect for Halloween! Get your spooky on with pirates, sailors, demons, enchanted swords, and other things to get you in the mood for trick-or-treating!

Okay, now that I've mentioned my new short story (and feel free to order any other ones from my Amazon author page) let's talk about other things, like the Glitter Zombie Apocalypse Ball at Artscape in Downtown Shreveport. It was a great night out! Here are some pictures from the event. I took more, but I am selective about which ones I release for public viewing. On the plus side, I have other pictures from the same evening to share as well.

 Love this picture! It screams Halloween to me. There were evocative decorations and installations throughout the venue.

Now these crack me up. I call them the Three Stooge Hecklers. "Hey, you live guy down there! Yeah you! Toss my leg back up here will ya, before the dog buries it?"

"What is she wearing? Did she dress for Halloween or is this just a usual Tuesday for her?"

"Who let him in?"

 

This is a beautiful cityscape picture from downtown Shreveport. I like this one a lot, reminds me of the future city scenes from Blade Runner, a little less smoky but would fit in nicely. I'm going to play with this one and get some more color in it. 

Here are a few more random pictures from the Artscape party. I love the level of creativity! 

These last two purple pictures are from the Confederate Memorial in Downtown Shreveport. The color is intentional. I think it was meant to be pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, but it was a pretty solid purple color, no color alterations on my part. 

Just to make sure no one gets the wrong idea, I am not endorsing the Confederate States of America or anything. I just wanted to get some cool color-filled photos of the monument before anything happens to them. I see both sides of the argument and think that while the statues should not be destroyed, they should be moved to a place of much lesser prominence. The grounds of a museum perhaps.

I love how the lighter shade on the busts and statue makes it look like they are ghosts or some other spectral creature. Perfect for Halloween. Reminds me of The Haunted House at Disneyland in California.

DON'T forget to purchase my short story! It's also free to read on Kindles right now I think.

The Walking Dead, Halloween, and Running Inspiration

01 OCT 17 What would Halloween be like in a world full of death and desperation like The Walking Dead? Would people still want to celebrate? Would the traditions of Halloween mean more or less if loved ones could come back, albeit as brainless flesh-eating monsters? What would the costumes look like? These are the types of questions that keep authors up at night. 

My personal take on it, which I may work into a story sometime in the future, is that, much like Halloween today is an amalgam of superstitions and traditions from around the world, the future in a post-apocalyptic world with real dead walking around would see a mixing of old traditions and new. Sort of like El Dia De Los Muertos with a side of 'let's do things that keep them rested and in the ground'. Maybe a group of people figure out a way to keep restless spirits 'resting' and these practices spread around the world as an annual holiday tradition with some purpose. I could see dressing as outlandish dead, putting some sort of gifts on graves, to bribe the bodies to stay underground. Maybe too when people die, teeth are automatically removed when possible. That way there is no worry about getting bit. Who knows. Still have much to think on this idea. Some of the stories I plan on telling will be set in a world where death is not absolute.

I had a great idea while I was running today (which means I'm limping now lol)! Those endorphins 'jogged' something loose in my brain. Can't really reveal the idea though, it's still in its infancy, but it has to do with one of my main characters, his relationship to the dwarves, and dwarven culture in general. It will help define both the dwarves and my main character quite a bit, making them more unique in my world. Looking forward to writing again. I have to go running more often, see what other ideas spring forth!  

Three pictures for today. Two of them are mine, one is from the mighty Internet. The first is a black and white pic, a root that looks like a 3. I like taking the occasional black and white. Some things just look better like that. The other one that is mine is a Dia de Los Muertos gato (or Halloween Day of the Dead Cat, as my daughter said)! Bought it and it will go on the Christmas tree this year. The last pic, not mine, is a cat with a hat! 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

28 OCT 16

One of my short stories won a contest! The "Lost Shrine", which is a small piece of a larger, as yet unwritten novel, was submitted and won a Halloween story contest. It's a semi-Lovecraftian tale, containing some of my favorite things: sailors, magic, and unusual things.  Head on over to Benny's Place and check it out!

Benny's Place - The Lost Shrine - Halloween Contest Winner

Picture for today is from Benny's Place:

Camp NANOWRIMO

17 OCT 16 Mondays

Not much happens writing-wise on Mondays. Hate to say it but it's true. What is cool though is that there is a great vibe right now heading into NANOWRIMO. Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

If you haven't heard of it, NANOWRIMO is a month-long national writing challenge that starts every November. The goal is to write 50,000 words toward a novel. It doesn't have to be great stuff, the idea is to get it all out in November and then spend the next months editing and tweaking it. I'm not sure what I am going to write about, but it will probably be a cataclysmic fantasy story. My only problem is that the story that I want to tell has a female heroine, which I need to work on making believable. I am better at writing male protagonists.

Picture for today is below, in keeping with the winter theme of the story I am writing and, come to think of it, of spooky Halloween coming up. A lone sentry on the snowbanks watches as a gigantic skeletal figure trods across the horizon. Where is he going? Does he feel the cold? Does he have any thoughts in his head at all? What is driving him forward in the snow? What magic is holding him together? Is it even a male? What doomed him to such an existence? These are the questions that run through a writer's mind when I see something that intrigues me...What do you think?