At Long Last!

For a long time now, I have been working on the manuscript for my first novel.  I had been working on it when I was on my lunch break at work.  Needless to say the going was slow, but then I changed jobs and it slowed down things even more.  I had hoped to have this thing done this past summer, but that totally fell apart, but now I have finally gotten back into a rhythm, and I am loving it.

Now, let me tell you you a little bit about what I am writing.  It's sort of a dystopian type story.  It is set about a hundred years into the future.  The United States has collapsed and three new nations have emerged, two of which are at war.  One is planning an attack that will alter the course of the war and leave a wasteland in its wake. 

That's all I am going to say about it for now.  I have injected a lot of politics into it dating all the way back to 2001.  I wanted to show how our great nation fell apart, and I must be honest, I think I did a pretty good job of it.  I added a few things I think will get my readers' imaginations going once they see what I have planned.

Unfortunately, it will still be some time before it is ready.  I was just so excited that I got back into a groove that I had to spill a little about it.  I'm hoping I will have a lot of time to work on it and If I'm lucky it may only take a few months.

The biggest thing that will slow me down is a new project I am eager to start.  I will give you a quick peek about it.  It is about the Titanic.  No, there is no Jack, or Rose.

Just some thoughts....

I had not planned on commenting on the tragedy in Connecticut.  I felt that between the news and social media, enough was being said already.  Now that I am seeing so much political B.S. that has been stirred up because of this I feel compelled to throw in my two cents. 

I do have strong political beliefs, but they are mine and mine alone.  If someone asks my opinion I give it, but I do not throw it out there regardless of how good a point it may be or how appropriate it may seem at the time.  Having said that, this is all I have to say about the whole situation.

FORGET the political crap, it does not matter now.  Those kinds of conversations can wait.  Do not forget the victims, the families of the victims (which I consider victims as well), nor the first responders and hospital staff that dealt with, and are still dealing with, this mess.  They are what is important.  Remember the victims.  There is no better tribute.  That is all I have to say.

I will not respond to any political nonsense placed on this post.

A Quick Update

So, I haven't been doing much with my blogs lately, and I'm barely on my social media.  I got wind that some think that I have thrown in the towel.  That could not be further from the truth.  In fact I have a revision of my current book almost ready to go and a new book that is also nearly to go.  All I am lacking is my Achilles heel, cover art, and they will be ready

Beyond that I have been been working on two separate novels, as well as starting the plans for three more projects, which I will not start until I get one of the novels done.  I have also been working to update my blogs and make changes to them, so that they better reflect what I want to show.  I have also have been working on new post for both my main blog and my review blog.  Of course, I have to balance this with that little thing called real life, which has become extremely demanding. 

That's it, short and sweet, and to the point.  Thanks to all who read my crappy blog post and crappier posts on G+, Twitter, and FB it will get better. 

I Remember

Recently my days have been gobbled up by real life, but what is real life?  Very few days in my life have answered that question, but those that have were profound.  Eleven years an event happened that had no direct impact on me personally, but yet it showed what “real life” can really be like, in all its horrific honesty.  So, despite the fact that I don’t have the free days to work on my projects I’m taking this day, even if it late, to remember one day when the complexion of the world was changed.

I worked midnights then, and I had been home from work only a couple of hours.  Like most people that work that kind of shift, I went to bed as soon as  got home, and for once I went right to sleep.  I had not been asleep long before I woke up.  That was not all that strange, it happened often.  I was also living at my parents at the time and on this particular morning when I woke up I decided to see what my parents were up to.

I walked into the front room where my parents were watching the morning news, nothing odd about that.  What was odd was the weird look on their faces and the way they were looking at the TV.  That too, was also odd.  My parents were not dramatic people and their expressions could not have been any more dramatic.  I looked at the TV just as the second plane slammed into The World Trade Center.  I sat down in a chair and did not move for hours. 

I watched the video from New York, I watched the sun silhouette against the burning and smoking towers, I watched them both collapse.  My memory ends there.  I have no idea why, but after that moment I don’t remember much of the rest of that fateful day.

I wish that I could remember the whole day, but I am grateful that I am blessed to remember the events up to the moment the towers collapsed with such clarity.  When my little girl gets older and asks me about that day, I know I will be able to tell her what happened and how it happened, and why in all the terrible color of the truth.

I’m talking about all this not because I wanted tell you about what I was doing that I day, because it is totally unimportant..  I told you this because I remember.  That is the only reason, I remember and I want you to remember.

            I am a firm believer in the idea that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.  I believe that with every ounce of my being.  I ask all of you to remember.  Remember those that died in the attacks, remember those that died trying to save people in the towers and those that died in Pennsylvania and those at the Pentagon.  Remember those tat died in the events that happened directly because of that Tuesday morning.  Remember the fallen and remember the pain, so that the world will never see anything like this again.

I'm Still Here

I'm still around, and I'm still writing some.  I have been absent for so long because of some major changes in my life.  The demands on my time have gotten to the point where I was forced to cut something out, and unfortunately my writing is what got cut.  I am still writing, but it is very small amounts.  I plan to complete the music series I started on my review page.  I just put the finishing touches on all the posts.  Posting them won't be a problem, now that I have them written.

I am still editing my second anthology book.  It should be done by now and out, but like I said I am forced to turn my energy to other places.

I hope to have a new post up on here this week (fingers crossed).  Until then, thanks for not giving up on me. I am serious about my work, but life has taken priority, damn you life!

Help!!!

            I hate plot holes.  In my opinion there is nothing that can gut a story faster than a plot hole.  I'm one of these people that looks for them in any kind of media I come into contact with, from books to movies, and even video games.  It often irritates my friends because I have the habit of poking holes in even the most well written story.  Even stories that I love myself are not immune.  As much as I love the Dragonlance series, there are several places where I can punch a hole in the plot.  I am a terror.

            Why am I bringing this up?  Simple.  A few days ago I was in the middle of doing an edit on one of my short stories for my new anthology book when I stumbled on, you guessed it, a plot hole.  To be fair it's not horrible, and several people I have had read it, never even caught it.  Either that, or they were just being nice.  It's not even about the plot itself.  It has to do with the character himself and an abrupt  transition from one set of actions to another, without any real reason or prior explanation.

            Most plot holes can be fixed quickly or sometimes they require a re-write, depending on how bad the problem is.  Obviously you can see where a quick fix would work in this case, I would just have to add either an explanation or a trait that would explain the sudden change in behavior of the character, but you can also probably see where a re-write could possibly produce a better overall flow.  No matter what though, it is there, and in the words of Morpheus it's like a splinter in my mind, and it must be dealt with.
 
            Now I am faced with a simple dilemma, which method do I use to fix it?  It's not that I haven't faced this before in my other stories, but this time it is different because I could use both methods to remedy the problem.  My biggest dilemma, is that a quick fix may make the character seem too unrealistic, or a total re-write may produce a purely malevolent person, which is not what I was aiming for with this character.  To be honest, the character is a villain, but now I must decide what kind of villain he is.  Is he someone who just seems to make bad choices, or is he a sociopath that has no redeeming qualities and should be killed on sight.   I'm not sure which method to choose.

            So, I am going to ask all of you, what it is you think I should do.  Should I just do a quick plug that would do the job, or a total re-write, which could change the overall nature of my character and leave me with something different than what I started from? 

            Granted a re-write may produce something that is superior to what I have now, but I must admit I am quite fond of the story the way it is.  In fact, it is one of my favorites from my new book.  Despite this, I'm leaning towards the re-write since I think it will produce a more cohesive end result.
 
            So give me your opinions and suggestions.  Do I use a quick fix, a re-write or do I forget the whole thing, and go eat some noodles?

The Noise of Inspiration

          So, I have been asked by several people how I come with the things that I write.  I usually just shrug and say it just comes to me, it just pops in my head and I write it down.  They look at me like I'm lying, but I'm telling the truth.  I know that as a writer I should be in better touch with what inspires me, but a lot of the time, I simply don't know. 
         
          After a few times of people asking me this I started to wonder: what really does inspire me.  I'm forced to admit, I had a very hard time answering the question.  Some of my favorite stuff came to me when I was just cleaning.  Not too much inspirational about that, at least to me anyway. 

          Finally, an answer of sorts came to me, music.  Not just any song though, a select few songs that I have discovered over the years that speak to me.  These are songs that I can turn on, close my eyes, and lose myself in the melody and lyrics.  For me, those songs are few and far in between, but some of my best stuff, though not always my favorite, came to me this way.

          You may ask, what particular kind of music gets my attention?  To be honest almost any, if it reaches me the right way.  I am a huge Staind fan, and a lot of their songs rank high on my list, one in particular, but there are other songs besides those from Staind, from all genres, that I feel more than hear.  There is country, metal, rock, pop there is even a few orchestra or classical style songs that I love. 

          I have noticed one thing that many of these songs have in common.  They often have unhappy, or depressive themes, though not all.  I guess those types of songs fit my personality and writing style better than happy and upbeat tunes.  Of course, if you have read any of my work, it's pretty obvious I tend to stray to the darker side of things (no star wars pun intended). 

          No matter what the mood of the song, if it speaks to me then I am in love with it.  I can honestly say without shame, that I have been close to tears because of a song striking just that right chord within me.  I have lost hours upon hours just sitting in the dark listening to music and getting lost in what I'm hearing.  I can see the places that are being described or feel the emotion of a song.  For me that is a powerful experience that cannot be equaled.  Many songs I own, I have kept simply because of a special memory or attachment they have for me.

          So, having said that I have decided that I am going to do a little review series about my favorite songs from various genres.  If I did them all at once the post would be so long, I wouldn't want read it myself, much less ask you to.  The first one is coming soon, when it is out I will let everyone know.  Just click on the "A Scribes Reviews" tab at the top of the page and it will take you right there.

          To end this I will tell you my absolute two favorite songs right now.  The reason should be pretty self-explanatory. 

          1. Zoe Jane by Staind
          2. My Little Girl by Tim McGraw

I didn't make this pic.  I found it online, but I love it.

I'm Still Here

Well, it has been a really, really long time since I have posted anything on my blog, done a review, or even taken a deep breath.  I'm not going to bore you with the details of my life, but I will say that my life has kind of thrown me around lately.  I have been dealing with that, and basically forgotten about everything else. 

Fortunately, things are slowing down for me, at least some, so I am hoping to get back to work for all of you soon.  I discovered that I can use my Kindle to make editing notes recently, so that has put me back on track with my latest anthology book. 

I must admit I can't wait until this thing is done.  It's not that the book itself has been aggravation, in truth I had fun writing it; editing not so much.  Anyway, everything that could have happened to slow the process down, or sometimes stop it completely has happened.  Thank goodness I didn't put out a release date, or I would have become a big fat liar and there would have been many people po'ed at me.

Suffice it to say, it has been slow going, but I am working steadily.  Thanks to all who have to supported me, and I also want to thank those that haven't.  Why?  Well it's simple, I want to shove your faces in it when I get it out there!

I don't see any book reviews coming any time soon, but I do have a couple to read, so hopefully I will get back on the ball with that too.

Thanks to all, be they supporter or nay-sayer.  To the supporters I say thank you, to the nay-sayers I say @#$%&.

I have managed to at least stay up to date on my social empire, so you can join me there.  The links are on the right.  Everyone is always welcome!

I'll leave you with a pic I have that makes me smile.  Later all!

I Wanted to Sceam...Pure and Simple

This was me!

            After the last week and a half, all I want to do is scream.  It has been the most stressful few days that I have endured in two years.  To put it simply my job was on the line.  I may be an Indie Author, but I have to pay the bills, and I have to be honest, I'm not going to do it selling my books, at least not yet.  I, like, almost five thousand of my co-workers lived with this same stress.

           I walked around with little sleep, almost in haze like I was drunk.  I would go from being nauseated to having chest pains, and at one point I was near panic.  My mood ranged from being almost giddy from lack of sleep to being mean and hateful for no real reason.  The worst part was the feeling of helplessness, and the fact that my fate, and my family's was being decided behind a closed door, and I had no say in it at all.  It's quite frustrating to say the least.

            At first all we heard was a few rumors here and there, then you start to hear more and more. I must admit I don't put a lot of faith in rumors, but at the same time I have been through this before.  The facility I worked in before my current job closed.  Fortunately I was able to get a new job before the facility closed, but then, like now I heard rumors too.  What's more this was not the first time there had been layoffs at my current job, the last time was, you guessed it, two years ago.

            For the longest time I did not believe the rumors at my first job, that the place was closing, but at some point it occurred to me that the rumors must be coming from somewhere, so I decided to jump ship the first chance I got.  It was the right thing to do.  The case was the same this time too, but this time, for some reason I believed most of the rumors that I had heard.  I knew, in my heart, that they were true.  Once again, unfortunately, I was right. 

            Everything came to a head on Thursday, May 31.  Many people lost their jobs, including a close friend, but I managed to make it through unscathed.  Once I returned home that night and was finally able to calm down after being wound up like a spring for over a week, I started to think more and more about what had happened, and I thought back to a conversation that I had with several co-workers on Wednesday. 

            Many said that if they kept their jobs and their friends did not, which was likely, that they would feel guilty.  I looked at them honestly, and said I would not.  I would feel bad for them of course, but I'm forced to think about my family first.  In this instance I was wrong.  Though I was thankful I was still working, I did feel a tremendous guilt and humility that I was spared and others were not.  I must be honest I do not feel secure right now, but at least the moment of crisis has past, and I can breathe a little, but it is only prudent to be making plans and exploring other options in case it does happen to me.  I made it through this sort of thing three times now, the fourth time I might not be so lucky.

            I finished the day with a single post on Twitter, that summed up the entire last ten days:  "Bad day.  Thankful saddened and humbled.  That is all."  It could not have been more appropriate.

            At first I thought about writing a short story about this, but I decided against it, though I don't know why.  I think it was because I had no right because I was spared and so many others were not especially my friend.

            Obviously I have gotten nothing done, nor have I even tried to get anything done, on any of my projects for quite a while.  I hope to start back up soon. 

"Bad day.  Thankful saddened and humbled.  That is all."

Another Boring Update

            So, this is yet another boring, snooze fest update.  This time I actually managed to get a little work done on both my anthology books and my novel.  I actually have two novels going, but one is a trilogy and I'm a long way from being done with that.  My  anthology book currently out, which is called boc: A collection of Short Stories, is about to get an undated version released.  Not only have some of the stories been revised, but the title will also be changed and maybe even the cover art, though only slightly.  I will release the updated title for my anthology series once I have the second volume done, which should not take long, I will start the final read on it tonight.

           The rough draft of novel is nearly finished, I have completed the outline for the next chapter and I don't expect for there to be any more than one or two chapters after this.   I actually intended to get it done this month, but that won't happen.  I only write on this thing when I'm at work on my lunch break, so you can imagine how long it would take to get it done.  I am currently handwriting it, then I will bring it home and start typing and revising it.   I'm looking forward to seeing this thing completed.  It's a little different what I usually write, but it still has a science fiction element to it, but it is more a backdrop, rather than the focus.

            I'm debating which project to start once my next anthology book is out.  I have two ideas for novels, one would be a four book fantasy series, the other a science fiction book, that I've, been already done some work on.  I'm going to talk to some people I know and see what I can get done on the artwork side for it.  If it works out in my favor, then I will begin on the SF book in earnest, once the revision process starts on my current novel.  If not, then I will probably start the four book series.

           I know I keep promising to launch a new addition to my blog, I have not forgotten, just as before, time is always against me.  I hope to have it ready in the next three weeks.  I have all I need ready to go, except for some of the content I need and some of the artwork for the site, but it's coming along. 

            When my anthology book is ready I promise everyone will know.  I will drive the web nuts plastering it all over the place! 

A Little Experiment

             Recently I have been thinking about how most stories are ended.  No matter what the format, be they video games, TV shows, movies, or books they all seem to ultimately end with a happy ending.  Even those stories, or individual books or shows, which are part of a series may end with neutral or unhappy endings, the overall story arc ends with a happy ending.  Even in my own work I am guilty of this.

            Now I'm not saying there is something wrong with good triumphing over evil, or for the lost loves to finally find true happiness(other than being boring and predictable).  I'm just wondering why more endings are, let's say not unhappy, but interesting?  Why is it that we feel the need to have a happy ending in all our stories?

            Having said that I am going to conduct an experiment.  I'm am currently working on an idea in which the ending could only be described as evil or at best disturbing.  No one will find their lost loves, good will not triumph and no one will ride off into the sunset(unless they have a bag  of severed heads slung over their shoulder).  The problem I am encountering is that no matter what I write I put some degree of a happy or neutral resolution in my story.  I am trying to get as far as I can from that.

            Now, I am not some miserable person, or someone who cheers for the criminals I see on TV, quite the opposite.  I am developing this idea simply because I want to see if I can.  I have several concepts in mind, one in particular, I really like.  When I get this story done I will post it for all to see.  I want to know If I succeeded in my quest, and I will need all of you to tell me if I did.

            Let me make one thing clear, I am not talking about a story in which the bad guys merely wins, or the protagonist does not achieve all his/her goals, or something like that, I am talking about an ending that will make the reader sit up and take notice.  I have read and seen many things where the ending could be termed unhappy, but there are still parts of the ending that are neutral or even happy.  I suppose as not to make it too depressing.  I have also read endings that made my toes curl.  Well, depressing, shocking and evil are exactly what I'm going for!

            To be honest it is very easy to come up with an unhappy ending, the trick will be to be to take that to the next level.  To take the conclusion to a place that freaks us out, both as readers, but also as writers.  I know there are writers out there that are good at such things, but I am not.  I am treating this not only like an experiment, but also a challenge to myself as a writer, to take my work to places I have taken it before(albeit dark places).

             I'll see you at the therapists office!

A New Addition

So I had been wanting to do several reviews on several different things for a while.  Movies, TV shows and of course books.  The problem, besides time, was I did not want to fill my author blog up with reviews.  After all, it was supposed to be primarily about my work, not everyone else's.  So, I decided to simply start a whole new feature separate from my author blog.  A Scribe's Reviews will contain all my reviews.  That is not to say they won't appear here also, but only book reviews will appear here.  All others, along with my book reviews, will appear on my new site.  Just click the tab above and you're in business. 

This is only the first feature I'm going to introduce.  I have more coming.  The site URL is www.1ebtaylorreviews.blogspot.com easy to remember huh?  I hope you enjoy it!  I will have all sorts of new reviews going up soon, just remember only book reviews will appear on my author blog, the rest will appear on A Scribe's Reviews

A Scribe's Review: Dragonlance Chronicles

I'm going to review a set of three books that are responsible for setting me on the road to being a fantasy geek, The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.  I read these books as a teenager, and since then I have read them so often that I consider myself an expert on them.  These is my own personal thoughts on a trilogy that I still love and read today.

            The series centers around a group of adventurers called the Companions.  Tanis Half-Elven, a bastard half elf, the grumpy yet kind dwarf, Flint Fireforge, the fleet fingered and childlike kender, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, the Plainsmen Goldmoon and Riverwind.  A Knight of Solamnia named Sturm Brightblade and the twins Caramon and Raistlin Majere.  Later on they are joined by the elven princess Laurana and a fiery barmaid Tika Waylan.   The group forms an unlikely force for good, during a period of evil called the War of the Lance. 

            To tell the entire plot would take way longer than this post should be, but summarize Takhasis, a god and the Queen of Darkness returns to a land that had been ravaged by the Cataclysm hundreds of years before.  The people of the land are scattered and fractured.  Of course Takhisis wants to dominate the world and all the souls on it.  She is opposed by Paladine the god of light.  In essence it is a celestial battle that comes to the mortal world of Krynn.

            Along the way the Companions must battle all manner of evil things in their quest; they must also fight distrust and dissention among themselves, the power of evil magic and clerics, and of course dragons.  In the end two of the group will perish and another will betray them.  It all leads to an epic battle that of course leads to the defeat of the evil goddess.

            That description really does not do the book justice.  I'm leaving out huge parts, like the three kingdoms of elves the mountain fortress of the dwarves and the power of magic, and the magnificent return of the dragons of light.  It is simply too much to describe here.  I could really write an entire novel about these three books.  That's ok though, I just wanted to give you a glimpse into the trilogy and a look at my own feelings about the series.

            I do see a lot of similarities with the Lord of the Rings trilogy in these books, but that's all they are, is similarities.  These three book are completely different and are  a work of art all themselves, but if you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings then I suggest these books, they will blow your mind.

            Later on they released a fourth book to end the original trilogy.  While not technically a part of the first three books;  it is spectacular in own right.  I read the fourth book cover to cover in about three days, which at the time, was a record for me.
           
            These books eventually led to a second trilogy, Legends, which focused on the twins Caramon and Raistin.  Then more and more books followed from full novels to anthologies.  Many dealt with the original cast of characters, and many created their own new ones.  Some expanded on the world that Chronicles created, while others delved into the history of Krynn.  This series took on a life of its own.  I don't know how many books there are total, but I have personally read around forty or so and I have barely scratched the surface.  I only wish a feature length film would be made.  If the same care that was shown for The Lord of the Rings was given to this trilogy, it would be a treat to watch.

            There it is, my opinion.  This set remains one of my favorites of all time.  I recommend them to anyone who loves a good epic fantasy novel.

This made me laugh!

Just Thinking

I have been thinking about something for quite some time.  I realize that it's likely that I will never be a famous writer.  It's very likely that I will never get a Pulitzer, or a movie deal or anything close to what may resemble great success.  You know what?  That's OK.

I don't write for riches, fame or adulation; I write simply because I like to, nothing more.  I like to tell stories, I like to read back over my work and smile to myself when I know that I got it right.  To me that is reward enough.  If people like my work then that is simply icing on the cake.

I'd be lying if I said I don't want any kind of success, but I don't need a lot of success, I just need to know that I completed my work, did the best I could to get it out there and let the cards fall where they may.

To all my fellow indie authors out there who have projects going and wonder what's the point, I'll tell you the point.  The point is to do what you love and to hell with what anyone else has to say about it. 

Having said that I'd like to give you all a quick update.  So far things are proceeding well.  Soon I will begin the final read on my second anthology book then I will launch it.  The first draft of my novel is nearing completion.  I don't have much time these days to work on my projects, so it's taking a lot longer than I had wanted, but that's life and I accept it. 

Good luck to my fellow Indie authors.  We kick ass!

Just A Quick Update

This will be very brief, simply because I do not the time to do a real post.  In short I am close to completing my second anthology book.  I am also starting on my first partnership project.  It will be a novel about the Titanic, but I doubt it will be finished this year.  My novel is going no where.  Due to an excessive lack of time I have been unable to work on it for weeks.  My schedule just got even tighter this week, though I think I will be able to steal little time for it soon. 

I am also working on two new features for my blog, and once I get some content ready they too will be ready to go.  The first is a flash fiction section, which is pretty self-explanatory, the second which also needs no explanation, will be a review section.  It will cover whatever the hell I feel like reviewing; books, movies, TV shows, games whatever strikes my fancy, but books will be the majority of it.

So that's where I am.  Time it seems is always against me and it is a recurring theme in my posts.  I have no doubt many of you can sympathize.

A Scribe's Work VII

This story in my newest anthology book is by far the longest short story I have ever written to date.  It is set in Stave, like several other of my short stories, I introduce several new characters in this story that I hope to use later.

The lead constable, Gunther, is called to the scene of a grisly murder of a shop keeper.  Though Gunther had seen many slayings in his career, the sheer violence and brutality of the act shocks him.  He also has no leads to go on.

He is forced then to turn to a mysterious woman named Jenna, a seer who works as fortune teller in the town.  Neither Gunther, nor Jenna is pleased by the idea, but Gunther is forced to admit she may be useful and Jenna knows it would be useful to have some good karma with the local authorities, especially since her neighboring shop keepers have tried to have her removed before.

The investigation begins with them both going to the scene of the first murder, but things go badly, and Gunther begins to believe that Jenna is hiding something.  Then they are informed that there is another murder, and the two proceed to the second scene, which is fresh.  They enter and Gunther is shocked to find that it actually worse than the first scene.  Once again they gain very little information and Jenna is forced to conduct a ritual, to see who the next victim might be.  In the meantime Gunther sends one of his men to nearby town to learn what he can about Jenna.

The ritual works and the pair learns who the next target will be.  They set up a trap to catch the killer, which of course goes badly.  The killer manages to make it to the victim, but in the ensuing fight, the killer is defeated by an old magi brought back from Jenna’s home town. 

Afterwards, Jenna realizes that she can no longer function as a seer and wonders what will happen to her.  Fortunately Gunther knows right where she can go in the town to start over.  Gunther leaves the young woman with Suman then the story ends.

This is one of the more involved stories I created.  It borders on being a novella, but I am especially pleased with the new characters I have developed for it.  Later on, maybe two or three more anthology books later I am going to create a combined story arc that will incorporate characters from different serials, and from these kinds of short stories.  It will be awesome, and I am looking forward to it.  Until then I hope you check out my work.  I have another anthology almost ready as well as a full novel I am working that I hope to have done soon.  Until then I’ll keep everyone posted!

A Scribes Review, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I must admit, I had little to no expectations going into this book.  The only reason I read it was because a friend of mine suggested it, and we have similar tastes.  I must admit the concept was awesome.  I mean seriously, the 16th President of the United States, a man that arguably saved the nation from imploding, was a vampire hunter?  The first thing that I thought of was, where did he find the time?  How did he not get caught in his endeavor?  As well as various other things I tried to nit-pick.

 When I began the book it was about twelve-thirty in the morning or so, and I was just expecting to read for maybe a half an hour.   I put it down around three hours later, and only then because I had to work the next day.  To put it simply, I was amazed.  It may have had something to do with the fact I thought it would be adequate at best, after all I got my hopes up about A Game of Thrones, and I was disappointed (insert your gasp here), so it had no where to go but up.  The more I read the more I realized, that I simply loved this book!  So here is my honest opinion on the book.  I will do my best to divulge as little as possible, because I do not want to ruin it for you.

In a nut shell, the story begins with Abraham's childhood.  He was already gifted at telling stories and the like.  When he discovers that his mother was killed by vampires he resolves to kill very single vampire he can.  His first attempt proved quite successful, and it leads you to believe that he is like Blade and some sort of natural vampire killing machine.  However, his second mission goes very badly and he is nearly killed himself.  He is saved by the Yoda type character, Henry.  He takes the young Abraham under his wing and teaches him the right way to hunt vampires. 

After several years of killing the foul beasts, he is introduced to a plot by the vampires to actually seize control of the United States, and make humans no more than cattle.  I must apologize for the next few sentences, it will give a little away.  Henry and a group of like minded people who called themselves the Union aid Lincoln in getting elected to President and in fighting the civil war.

He obviously wins the war, and the Union is preserved, this book just adds a lot more behind the scenes action than recorded history.  In truth if it were not about vampires it could almost be believed! 

How Lincoln dies is obvious.  The book does not deviate from major historic accounts about our sixteenth president's life, it just adds a few extra unoffical entries to the official record.  I gave the book the four stars.  Why not five?  As much as I prased it, that should be a given right?  The answer is simple, the ending.  Call it my nit-picking, but I cannot overlook it.  Don't get me wrong the ending is sheer genius, I love it, but it leaves a question open, that begs to be answered.  There are answers to this question, good answers, but I'm not able to accept them. I guess I'm too logical.  It probably also doesn't help that the book is so well written that it actually sounds like a true historical account.  So in a sense you do not have suspend your sense of logic to accept what is written, but if you do, it's much more enjoyable.

Obviously I will not go into the ending, it would ruin a huge treat  if you decide to read it.  Suffice it to say I highly recommend this book, if for no other reason than sheer curiosity (you can't tell me you're not).  It would be well worth your time.  I just hope the movie adaptation will be half as good, but I must admit I have more faith in authors, than in Hollywood.

Edit is done...AT LAST

I finally have completed the edit on my second anthology book.  All that remains now is re-read it once more then I can get it out there.  It has taken a lot longer than I thought it would, but it was worth it.

This new book easily surpasses the old on in every way.  I think the stories are more polished and more engaging than my first book.  I will make available a release date when I have one, but for now I just want to sit back and enjoy the fact I finally got it done.

I'm sure there will be a few tweaks here and there, and I still need to settle on the final layout of the book as well as cover art, and a couple of other things, but the guts of it is done and I could not be more happy!

A Scribes Work VI

So this story is one of the longer ones from my upcoming anthology book.  It is tentatively titled "Odd Jobs".  I may change this title, but I kind of like the irony it has, So I'm probably going to stick with it.

Anyway, this story is about three guys who walk  into a swamp looking for an old tower.  One guy named Z'ehle is a historian who hired the other two named Malac, and Gunthry to escort him into and out of the swamp.  The two protectors are essentially nothing but sell-swords who only go because they were promised a healthy pay day.

As the group travels both Malac and Gunthry show there mutual dislike of Z'ehle, who in turns thinks very little of them as well.  They eventually reach the tower and make their way inside.  At first they find nothing at all, until they come to a door that Z'ehle says leads a crypt.

As they enter the last room looking for their riches Z'ehle turns on them (face it you knew that was coming) and tells them he is going to unleash an ancient demon on the world.

Of course they fight it out, but I will not go into those details here, if you want to know how it ends just buy my book when it comes out.  (shameless plug)

I was really pleased with the way this story turned out.  I honestly believe it is one of the better stories in the book.  I have a few rough copies out there I am awaiting feedback on, but so far it had been pretty positive.  I enjoyed writing this one, especially the bickering between the main characters that I injected into it. 

If any of you are wondering when this book will be ready it should be soon.  At the time of this blog post I have only two stories left that I need to fine tune.  After that I will do one more read through then it will be ready.  Don't worry, I will make a HUGE deal out of it when the times comes.  Until then, thanks to all who have bought my first book, and I look forward to getting my second out there for all of you.

Just Too Darn Busy (running from law)!

Hello out there on planet Earth, and beyond, if you have a really great internet connection.  Sorry it's been so long since I put up a post (cops closing in).  I've simply been too busy to do much of anything, other than what is required of me to pay my bills (work).

This post won't be too much, just a little peek into what is going on my mind (crickets chirping).  I have been giving a lot of thought to my first full length Sci-fi novel (in other words dreamed).  I am coming closer to settling on a ship design.  You would be surprised how hard it is to come up with a ship design that isn't campy or a rip-off of the design of another ship from some other SF series (please don't sue).  Anyway I have a lot of notes (mental) and the people I have run the concept by have been very receptive (bribery).

With the help of a friend (should be committed), I also came up with a concept for a zombie book.  Now, I don't want to hear any wise cracks about jumping on the bandwagon (turned down speaker volume).  I have thought of that already (hanging on to coat tales).  I really like the concept that we came up with, and we are thinking about trying to put it together (I will take all the credit).

Other than work I have gotten little else done.  I had hoped to have my second short story book edited by now, but that has proven to be difficult.  I also had hoped to have a manuscript done by now.  I'm on the last couple of chapters, so there really is no excuse (dog ate it).  Once I get that done I will begin my SF novel in earnest (not Earnest goes to camp). 

So sorry this isn't what many of you would like to see from me (I'm a slacker), but I hope that I will be able get a little more done in the near future.  The next "Scribes Work" post (hate that title) should be out soon. 

Oh, one last thing.  When I do get boc Vol 2 ready, I am going to a simultaneous launch of volumes one and two on smashwords as well as a launch of volume two on Amazon (I'm starving please buy it).

Until then, thanks for your support (you rock) and I will see all of you soon (I stalk).

A Scribes Work V

So, after a delay, I am finally sitting down to write about another short story in my upcoming book, boc vol2.  This is titled The Scrolls of Recondite, and it is the third, and final, serial story.  It continues the story of a young magi named Devlin as he tries to uncover the secrets of an ancient artifact known as, oddly enough, The Scrolls of Recondite.

I won't delve too much into the character of Devlin himself, but to give just a quickly back story, Devlin is a young magi, who instead working to gain greater power, he works to discover ancient artifacts.  While his elders consider this a worthy task, they still believe him to be somewhat silly for going after a set of lost scrolls, that most of their order do not even believe exist.

They are said to contain an ancient and great pwoer.  Devlin searches out of pure academic interest.  However, there is another that searches for them for a more insideous reason.  Both of these men want the scrolls, for two totally different reason, despite the fact neither of them are sure what power they, or like, if Devlin's elders claim, they simply are not real.

Anyway, the story starts off with young Devlin following up on some clues from the previous story (if you want to know pick up my book, link is to the left, shameless plug).  Anyway, his journey takes him to a set of ruins near his own home city. 

While there he stumbles upon a secret chamber and makes a discovery in a long sealed tomb.  The problem is, why is there always a problem?  The problem is, he too has been discovered by the necromancer, again refer to first story.  He is saved by a mysterious figure, who is obviously a mage themselves. 

This is where the story ends.  I know exactly where I am going to take this, and I also want to mention that many of my short stories, including this one, are set in the same place.  I am planning a massive cross-story arc that will involve characters from many different stories, but that is not until sometime in the future.

I have been told by several people that the "scrolls" stories were their favorites and they could easily see this set of of stories turned into a full blown novel (hmmmm maybe).  Anyway this was one of the first stories I created for my first book, and while I like the Atonement serials more, these are a close second.

I hope you will check this story and all the others in my second book when it comes out.  I hope to have it done soon, but unfortunately my timetable was thrown off, but I am close to getting it done, and when it is I am going to do a simultaneous launch on Amazon for the bocvol 2 and on Smashwords for both volumes of my short story book. 

Until then, please pick up my first book, boc: A Collection of Short Stories, that is already available on Amazon, and for only a paltry .99 cents.

Thanks for all your support, and I hope to have an poss launch date for my second book very soon!

A Scribe's Work IV

This story is my first attempt at doing something kind of spooky.  When I wrote this, the rough draft turned out really bad.  So bad in fact, that I almost dumped it all together, but something told me to take a second stab it, and I'm glad I did.  I think it turned out well in the end.

The story concerns the flight (running not flying) of a man who is wanted for a heinous crime.  He is being pursued by what could affectionately called a mob.  After a while, he manges to evade them and he takes refuge in a barn, which is stupid by itself.  I mean seriously, what mob would not look in the barn for this guy?

Anyway, as he decides to settle in for the night the story reveals what it is he did (which of course, I wont reveal here).  After he drifts off to sleep he discovers that they had indeed found him (big surprise) and they intend to meet out there own justice. 

This is where I will stop telling you about it.  If i do, I will have to spoil things and what fun is that?  However, since I know my readers all kick ass, I am going to post the story in its entirety on Wattpad.  The link is to the left.  I'm going to leave you now with a little piece of it, just to wet your taste buds, enjoy!

He felt himself falling, falling.  He fell into a pile of wood, the rope was gone, but the same people were still there watching him.  Several people had ringed the pile of wood each with a torch in hand.  He tried to flee, but he was suddenly bound to a massive wooden pole.  He could now see that some people held Bibles in their hands, and others appeared to be praying.  He could not be sure, but he doubted that they were praying for his forgiveness.  The next instant all the torches were thrown onto the wood pile, which had been soaked in oil.  It instantly caught fire.  He could see the flames, and smell the smoke.  Slowly the heat around him started to grow, becoming more intense and more unbearable.  He could feel searing pain where the flames began to lick at his skin.  He could see his skin begin to blister and bubble away, the pain was indescribable.  It would not be long now.

Osric's Wand: The Wand-Maker's Debate....A quick peek

So this post will be a little different.  I am going to do a review on a book by a couple of authors named Jack D. Albrecht and Ashley Delay.  The name of their book is Osric’s Wand: The Wand-Maker’s Debate. 

I went into reading this with no expectations; I was going to give it an honest look with no preconceptions.  I’m going to talk about the overall setting first. 

I’m not sure what expectations the authors had for the setting in this book, but let me put it simply; the world they created for this book was spectacular.  The way that magic was approached was really intriguing.  The ways that the various races of people interacted was great, and there are a lot of races of people, more than I expected.  The world itself, was vibrant and full of life.  It was easy for me to picture, in my head, the places that were described, and let me tell you, I’ve got a crowded head!

The characters I like a lot, especially a prairie dog named Gus and a dwarf named Machai.  These characters’ sarcasm made me smile, which I suppose gives a little away about my personality.  The rest of the characters were equally interesting.  I genuinely cared about the characters for the most part.

The plot revolves around Osric, and his efforts to stop a war that may break out after an attack on a treaty signing.  Along the way he is accompanied by Gus, and prairie dog wand-maker, his son Pebble, whose innocence I loved, Bridgett, a young woman who spent years living among unicorns, Kenneth, Osric’s right-hand-man and a grumpy dwarf (big surprise) Machai.  Of course, things get a lot more difficult for Osric very quickly, when he discovers an old plot concerning the dragons, he must deal with also.  I’m not going to say any more about the plot, I don’t want to give it away, but trust me, it’s good.

The story line was excellent and it was easy to follow.  The story flowed well for me and there was very little if any, “down time” as I call it, in the plot.  The way that the different subplots blended in together was great.  I really hope there are more of these books coming, or maybe they are out there and I’m not smart enough to find them.  I’d love to follow these character’s more, and see where their adventure takes them.

To put it simply, I loved this book. It was easy to read and quite enjoyable.  I found myself caring about the characters, especially Gus and Machai.  I was always interested to see what was going to happen next.  In short if you like a good novel, give this one a look, you will not be disappointed.

I do feel I should say one more thing.  This is my first book review, so if seems kind of choppy and amateurish, well that’s because I am an amateur, but this is my honest opinion!

A Scribe's Work III

This is yet, another continuation of another story from my first book: Atonement.  Just as before if you want to know what happened in my first story, pick up my book(shameless plug #2). 

Anyway, the story centers around a young drifter who is searching for something.  As he is traveling by night through a forest he hears the scream of a young girl.  He investigates and finds a camp of outlaws holding both the young girl and her father captive. 

He moves in to rescue them, but once he does he is astonished when the father asks their rescuer to do even more, to stop an attack on a convoy.

The father is vague, at best, as to what is being carried by this convoy.  He reluctantly agrees and goes off in search of the convoy, with both the young girl and father in tow.  He finds the convoy and ultimately stops the attack, but a  black robed figure appears in a field of magical energy, just after the attack, and once again kidnaps the young girl. 

He will hold the girl for ransom, and the price will be the very thing in the convoy that the young man was asked to protect.  This story ends with the protagonist heading off to the nearest town, where the black robe man said to make the exchange.  He asked the father to stall in hopes he can rescue the girl.

I made this character into somewhat of a troubled soul, though it is not yet readily apparent.  He has a strong sense of justice and will not kill, or even attack unless provoked.  He is a skilled warrior and carries with him many surprises, which the first story in this series explains.  He has a troubled, secret past, which will be revealed in future stories, along with his motivations and goals of his travels.  Right now I am simply trying to establish the overall personality of the character.  While he may appear to be harsh and maybe even cruel at times, he is always playing both ends against the middle tyring to do what is right.

Of three Short stories that are serials this one is probably my favorite, due to the emotional factor and angst I plan to inject this character with.  I hope you will enjoy it too.  The next "Scribes" entry will be the last of my continuing stories, and from what I'm told it is the best of three. 

Thanks to all for your support!

A Scribe's Work II

The next story I am going to talk about is actually a continuation of a story from my first book.  I designed this one as well as two others from my first book to continue from book to book,

Anyway, this story centers around a Terran (human) battleship, the Lexington as she goes on in her duties.  The Terrans are at war with a group of star systems called the Coalition.  The war is essentially at a stalemate at the moment, as the Lexington and another ship are on mission trying to track down a coalition raiding party that attacked a convoy.

The small coalition ships stand no real chance against a Terran battleship(the first story in this series goes into this further) so they flee into a nearby star system.  The two Terran ships pursue it and just when they seem about to close in on them to destroy them, a new Coaltion weapon that the Terran's knew nothing about is unleashed on them.  The two ships now must fight a new, superior foe. 

The name of the story is called Island Universe.  There will not be a lot of back story in this, as I have already dealt with a lot of it in the first story in the series.  If you want to know what happens in the first story you'll need to pick up a copy of my first book (shameless plug)

I'm still currently working on the second book, but I am far closer to completing than I have been.  I go a lot done today and managed to get a rough e-book version done.  All it needs is cover art (which I am currently working on) and some final editing and formatting stuff.

I hope to have it done soon, maybe before I get all these done.  I know I will probably never get rich from my work, but that's not my goal, I just want my work to be appreciated by readers.  Thanks for all your support!

A Scribe's Work

As promised here is a little peek at one of my new short stories that is coming in my next short story book.  I don't really remember how I came up with the idea for this, but once I did I liked it so I ran with it.  It took me a long time to get this one ironed out.  It seemed that my brain wanted to take this in several different directions and stupid me let my brain do this. 

Anyway, the story centers around a warship that is sailing to investigate the disappearance of trading ships.  The lone survivor told a tale of that no one could believe, so the crew brought with them a mage to investigate the more fantastic parts of the survivors account. 

I really enjoyed working on this one, even though it gave me a headache on more than one occasion.  Below is a piece of it that I thought you might enjoy. 

Spread the word about my blog and my work!  I would love to see more people enjoying my work and hearing back from you.

The Isle of Cascade was used as a way station for years.  Ships stopped there often to restock their food and water supplies; it also gave a place for weary crews to rest and relax.  A sudden, short war changed all of that.  The enemy attacked the Isle in a sudden strike.  Only one ship was stationed at the isle to protect it.  The way station was destroyed and the ship disappeared.  It was presumably sunk; though wreckage was ever found.  The war ended soon after with the enemy being easily defeated.  That was when the trouble started at the isle.  The admiralty sent ships to rebuild the way station, they promptly vanished.  More ships were sent, they too vanished.  For a time it was thought that pirates or maybe a privateer were to blame.  Then ships that were passing near the Isle began to disappear.  After a time things quieted down, and the admiralty lost interest in the isle, until a few months ago when yet another ship was attacked.  This time however, there was a survivor, another ship that was traveling a few hours behind rescued the lone sailor from the wreckage.  He told a terrifying tale of a ship whose hull was full of holes, but it would not sink.  The sails were rags, but they harnessed the wind as though they were perfect condition, but that was not the worst part.  The worst part was that none of the crew that the sailor saw was alive, yet they were not dead either.  That was why Adiel was here.  He was to investigate the more fantastic parts of the sailor’s story.  Captain Gagen was here to investigate the rest of the sailor’s story; which Gagen thought odd, because all of it was a fantastic tale.

Current Novel

So I am closer to completing my first novel.  I think I have gotten enough done that I can yap a little about it and kind of throw the general idea and plot for it out there and see what happens.

I set the book about 100 years from now.  During this time the United States has fractured into three different nations and two of those nations are now at war.  I go into what brought on the split in the book, but its too complicated to put here or this thing would be longer than anyone would be willing to read.

Anyway, the story centers around a character that I have named Grunt for the time being but i think it's going to change.  He is a soldier of one of the warring nations and he is the quintessential hard-ass soldier.  He is outspoken and doesn't care to tell anyone including his commanding officers what he thinks, but he's the best so his superiors let him get by with it.  Despite this he is an honorable man, he can be a jerk but he is honorable.

Grunt finds out about a weapon, created by the other warring nation, that could devastate the entire continent.  He tasks himself with stopping it, of course.

Even though the setting is about 100 years from now, I still kept a lot of the technology from this era (though updated) in an effort to make it seem more real.  I also threw in a couple of new elements, one of which I didn't even think of until I had started writing it. 

I could go into more detail, but I haven't finished the book so editing is no where near ready to start, so many details I could put here may change.  I just wanted to throw it out there since I keep bringing up novel and my projects.  I

I hope to have it done by June (fingers crossed).  Ill post more about it as it becomes more and more concrete. 

Thanks to all for your support!

A Work in Progress

I finally got the chance to work on my second short story book.  I friend of mine did the editing and, well to say the least he made me feel like I was a first grader trying to grasp the English language!  That's okay though.  I'm good at coming up with the stories not the fine pleasantries of comma placements.  Commas are evil and should be eradicated, but enough about that.

I'm looking forward to getting it out there for everyone to see.  Three of the stories are continuations of three stories from my first book(which by the way is on sale on the for the Kindle for .99).  The rest are totally new straight from my brain for your eyes. 

I have already posted one story on Wattpad, just click the link to the left.  My Wattpad page also has stories from my first book all right there for all to see.  I can't wait to get it out there.  Well, enough of this stuff, my next few posts will start to delve into the stories themselves.  Ill give little tastes on what is to come.  Once that book is out I will get to finish my first full novel, which I will also start posting about soon! 

Have a blast everyone!

A New Completed Story

I finally got one of my new short stories done.  I have posted it on Wattpad, just follow the link to the left. 

I took all the theories about ancient alien contact and decided to have a little fun with it.  The story revolves around a young man named Melvin who is a huge pessimist that does not believe anything that conspiracy theorists say about anything, but suddenly he is forced to deal with these theories in a way he never imagined.  I hope everyone enjoys it.  I tried to have a little fun with this story!  Below is a little piece of it.

“Militaries worldwide are on their highest alert.  There have also been reports that both Russia and the United States have readied their nuclear arsenals for launch, though both countries are denying this.”  That statement cut through the fog of apathy.  Suddenly he was on his couch, even Joe returned too, as though he understood the enormity of what was just said.

Now that the self important reporter had his undivided attention he could see how haggard the guy looked.  He looked as though he had just been handed the meaning of life and did not like what he saw.  “What the hell is going on?” he said aloud.  Just then his phone rang.  He picked it up without saying a word.  He immediately recognized the voice on the other end; it was his best friend, and he sounded very agitated and excited.

Thanks to my friend Jason, whi helped me come up with this idea!

Too Many Irons in the Fire!

After some figuring I came to realize that I have three rather large projects under way. One is the second book in my short story series the second is a manuscript that I am close to completing then believe it or not somehow I forgot that already had one manuscript done that I need to edit. This third project I actually started first as part of a trilogy. I put it on hold due to a myriad of reasons.
What it boils down to is I have too many irons in the fire.
You may think that three isn't too bad and that they are fairly advanced projects. That's all true except for one little problem! I have two more concepts in my head I can't get rid of. One of them is for a four book series.
My head hurts even thinking about it but you know what? I'm excited to get them all done! It's going to be hard to be sure but it's going to be a blast!
I know I keep promising snippets and I fully intend to give them in the form of an excerpt from one of new short stories.
Ive already decided which story I'm going to use. I just need my grown up responsibilities to give me an hour of breathing room! I hate being a grown up!
Thanks to all and keep the ideas flowing!

Finally

Well I have been working for the better part of a day on my social media empire and I think I finally have it finished. Or, at least I've got to a point where I'm not longer ashamed of it.  Anyone who is trying to accomplish what I am trying to should make sure they have interconnected all there social goodies so that they all overlap. 

I am close to completing a rough draft of my latest book.  It will be my first novel and I am looking forward to seeing it completed.  I will soon start to post little snippets about it as soon as I am able.  Until then thanks for all your support and check out my pages for more info!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! Here is where I will post updates about my work, sneak peaks and even snippits from stories I have already completed. You might even see something about a giveaway or two! I may even post a random or stray thought on here that I think everyone might enjoy. I hope you enjoy my blog, please subscribe to my blog by email and help by telling others about me! Click on the links to the left for my twitter, facebook, and wattpad pages and follow them too!.

I hope to post at least once a week, maybe more depending on what time I have available to me which is hardly any!