And Summer is Knocking

June is upon us: the end of school, outdoor pools have opened, heat has arrived, and I, like many, am reminded that I'm on the wrong end of getting in shape.

Anyway, been a couple weeks and I thought I check in.

Reading


I'm going to start here because in addition to finishing Mythos, I also read Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Landsing, and the later turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read—certainly one of the best non-fiction.  Not to take anything away from Mythos.  If you enjoy the Greek myths, it really was a terrific way to hear the stories of the God and Titans and Stephen Fry is as witty and funny as always.  Despite showing a remarkable knowledge of the subject, his book is very accessible.

As for Endurance, if you don't already know about Shackleton's Voyage to Antartica, don't look it up.  Just buy Endurance and start reading.  You will be riveted by what is not only fantastic writing—the whole book reads like the best of adventure fiction—but by the thoroughly researched true story.  Tears welled up in my eyes at the end and I am not, by nature, a crier.

Currently, I'm onto fiction and at the suggestion of my best of friends (the same friend that introduced me to Joe Abercrombie) I am reading Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

Television

Check In

In order to make it easier for me to stay in touch, I thought I would borrow a bit from some other other authors and just try and write a bullet style check in once a week.  That way, if you are at all interested, we can stay a bit more connected even if I don't necessarily have something particularly insightful to say or perhaps, I'm busy doing other things and don't feel like I have the time to write a blog post.  This takes away many, if not any, excuses.  Feel free to contact me and gripe up a storm if I don't follow through.  Please.  There is nothing like fan driven pressure.

Without further ado, let the bullets begin:


Writing:
Currently I have three ideas in various stages of conception—I say conception because none of them have risen to draft status as yet.  One is a new young adult trilogy and the other two are not.  Of the adult books, one is contemporary, the other fantasy more along the Abercrombie/Martin line.

As to Scarlet, I am at the mercy of the publishing world at the moment.  Both book four, The Barrier's Fall and book five The Shattered Throne are written, however both are still in editing and post production.

Television:

Like most of the world I currently have Westeros taking up a great deal of headspace in my monkey brain.  While I very much wished I could have waited for the books to finish, the HBO series is just too compelling and I am weak.  Like you, I await the conclusion this coming Sunday with great anticipation and bit of sadness.  Hopefully, someday soon, the Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring will fill the void.

My wife and I are currently binge watching—for us that is the same show, one episode a night—West World.  At this stage, I'm fascinated, but impatient.  Verdict is still out.

Our Modern Myths: 10 Years with the MCU

I have held off posting this, or writing it really, until enough weeks had passed that I was hopeful my musings wouldn't spoil anything for those who have yet to see Avengers: Endgame.  That said, I have no intentions of purposefully spoiling anything, but I might end up strongly hinting and you are smart people.  So, if you haven't seen it, and hope to still be surprised, come back later.

On its opening weekend my daughter and I went to see Avengers: Endgame with quite grand expectations.  A little over three hours, some tears, shouts of joy, and an overwhelming feeling of triumph later, my expectations were exceeded.  This film was brilliantly done and viscerally satisfying.  In the grandest of spectacle and with the most intimate of emotion, 10 years of movie making magic culminated on screen and I was enthralled.

So, it's pretty obvious that I am a fan.  I have been since the moment Robert Downy Jr. first walked on screen in Ironman—and while it is certainly true that one of the major reasons for my being a fan is that over the years these movies have entertained me, I think it goes a bit deeper than that.  You see, I am of the opinion that these comic book movies and the comics from which they were conceived, amount to our modern day myths and legends.  What is amazing about this statement, which I fully accept is not a novel concept, is that we get to witness our legends and myths in a way ancient people could have never conceived.  For us, these character move beyond the grand oral traditions, even beyond the printed word and become fully realized versions first in brilliant art work in the pages of comics and now, 52 feet tall on a silver screen.

Xbox Drought, British Aristocrats, and Inside Out

Movies:

I am in constant amazement with Pixar.  I can honestly say that I cannot think of a studio that can boast such unparalleled consistency when it comes to not only producing commercially successful films, but quality ones.  Inside Out, the latest from the Disney Studio, is no exception.  The movie is remarkable, touching, and quite poignant.  It isn't easy to write a book, movie, or play that is both meaningful and entertaining, especially one that can appeal to younger children and adults, but I thought Inside Out did just that.  Not surprising, mind you, as it seems that Pixar owns the secret formula to such a balanced cinema concoction.  It reminded me a bit of UP!, although the story line was completely different.  There was the same very human story underneath the fantasy and excitement.  Turning the turbulent time of preadolescence into an animated movie is a seemingly impossible task that turned out brilliantly. Unfortunately, I don't get to the movie theater much anymore, and when I do, it tends to be a family outing.  That being said, I'm glad Pixar continues to offer up such great films.

I was able to escape to Antman the week it came out.  I try as hard as I can to get to the superhero movies, be it Marvel or DC.  Antman was solid in my opinion.  The special effects were unique and well done, and the movie itself had the "not take itself too serious" vibe that worked so well for Guardians of the Galaxy.  Unlike Guardians, however, I did not think it was fantastic.  Just solid and entertaining.  Guardians of the Galaxy remains number one on my list of funny Superhero movies.

TV:

This might not be interesting to the younger readers on the blog, but my wife and I have been marathon watching (one show a night—we are getting old) Downton Abbey.  We've made it to season five, and with two exceptions which I'll try to hint at without spoilers, I have to admit, I really enjoy the show.  It is so well acted that it took me until the third season to realize I was essentially watching a soap opera.  If you are looking for a bit of romantic escapism for yourself or you and your significant other, I can definitely recommend.

To those who have already watched the series here's my hints of displeasure.  Thomas: Need to have a character arch already.  Nobody is that nasty, even to people who go out of their way to help them.  At best he would just leave the helpful people alone.  Bates and Anna: What occurred in the fourth season is, in my opinion, a very worn out story line that had no place in the show.  It was shocking, but only because it nearly ruined the series.  My wife and I actually quit watching for several weeks.

But, aside from those two issues, a wonderful show that offers a view into a world most have only read about.

Xbox:

wiki

I don't really have the time to sit and play Xbox like I used to.  Comes with having a job, a family, and needing more than 3 hours of sleep a night.  So when I do play, it is specifically to socialize with my brother and my friends whom I don't get to see very often.  And since the Xbox One came out, I feel like there has been a drought in games to play with friends.  Other than Destiny, Titan Fall, and Call of Duty (I just can't play CofD as I am hopelessly out classed) there has been next to nothing to play.  We have dabbled at a recent rerelease from the Xbox 360 (not at all appropriate for younger readers so I won't mention it by name) but although it has a solid co-op, it is the same game I bought and played a couple years ago.  Xbox and Xbox Game developers, where are the games already!

Update with a Sneak Peak!

It has been a busy and successful holiday season, and the new year is looking rather bright.  A most sincere thank you to all my fans who have made the Scarlet Hopewell Series a success.  There are a lot of good books out there and only so many hours in a day; it is humbling that so many of you have chosen Scarlet and the Keepers of Light to occupy some of your precious time.  I hope that I have given you a magical experience that has allowed your imagination to run away with you.  At the very least, I hope you've had fun.

Writing

I finished the first draft of the fourth and final book in the Scarlet Hopewell Series.  The title, for those who haven't been keeping up, is Scarlet and the Barrier's Fall.  It was a bitter sweet moment that occurred in the wee wee hours of the morning.  It's been quite a journey with Scarlet and her family and friends, and although it certainly isn't goodbye (lots of editing, reading, and rewrites left in the coming year) I now know how it all turns out; I had an idea of course, but you never really know until it's out of your brain and on the page.  You might ask what a writer does after pulling an all nighter and wrapping up an epic fantasy series (and the fourth book is definitely epic).  He sleeps most of the day, wakes up, prints a copy, and goes to pick up his kids from school.  Not the most exciting celebration, I know, but true nonetheless.  Perhaps we'll have a big party when the last book releases.  I'm still toying with the idea of providing some background and insights into the world of Satorium, perhaps on the website, with the opportunity to add some short stories and essays, but right now I'll be focused on the post writing for books two, three, and four.  There is also a new novel to be written this year, although I haven't decided which one as yet.

Promotion

Next bit of news is promotional, both of the shameless self variety and for my publisher and some fellow authors.  If you haven't already, you should certainly click on the link for my publisher, Manor Minor Press and sign up for their news letter.  Doing so with give you access to information on my upcoming release dates and information on some other authors you may have yet to discover.  You can try their website at http://manorminor.com or if you're more of a Facebook person, https://www.facebook.com/manorminorbooks.
Scarlet and the Keepers of Light is doing quite well, remaining in the top 100 on various children's and teen genres on Amazon Top Sellers Lists, even reaching as high as number 3—my highest ranking to date.  If you are one of the many who have bought and read Keepers, I would love to hear what you think.  Amazon reviews are a great way to both help me out and start a dialogue.  Of course you can always just jot me a line and send it via my Facebook Page, Twitter, or the blog, but Amazon Reviews are still (here's me humbly begging) much appreciated.

Dragon's Burden

Scarlet and the Dragon's Burden releases on Groundhog Day, February 2, 2015 and is currently available for preorder.  This is the book were the action and adventure really take off and I can't wait for you all to read it.  In my opinion, it's even better than Keepers.  Pirates, riddles, new magical abilities, a dragon—Dragon's Burden is where the scope of the series begins to open up and you see the breadth of just what Scarlet and her family are facing.  And of course, there is a plot twist or two that you might not have seen coming.
While we wait, I thought you might like a sneak peak at the cover.  Still some tweaking to be done, but the concept is complete.
I really like the old world charm of the piece.  Reminds me a little of a book I might have had on my shelf as a kid.  Miranda and Krister, the artists, continue to come through with amazing artwork that reflects the characters and events of the books in wonderful and imaginative ways.

Great Show Putting me to Sleep

In my constant pursuing of Netflix in search of new and interesting, hopefully bearable things to watch (as many of you know I am a chronic insomniac), I have recently stumbled across the BBC miniseries Wallander.  The series is adapted from Swedish novelist Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels and stars the Kenneth Branagh.  This would be the actor who in my humble opinion is the quintessential Shakespearean actor and one who can bring the Bard's tales to life in a way no actor can.  Watch Henry the V and you will be a fan for life.  Wallander is a great series.  Filmed much like BBC's Sherlock (one of the best series I seen in a long time and a personal favorite) as hour and a half long mini movies, the series follows the very human and fallible Wallander, a police inspector who, like one would expect, investigates crime in a small Swedish town.  What makes the show interesting however, is not the great acting, unusual location for a murder mystery series, or the well developed characters; it is the fact that despite all of these positive elements, I keep falling asleep while watching it.  Normally, this would be an event foretelling a negative review.  But that is not the case.  The show is well done and quite compelling.  All the more reason I can not for the life of me figure out why I keep falling asleep.  I mean, I've managed to stay unwillingly awake through some pretty spectacularly awful Netflix choices.
It took me two separate viewings to make it all the way through the first episode.  The third I haven't finished yet despite three separate attempts.   I can't help but be reminded of an old man falling asleep during his favorite episode of Matlock or Murder She Wrote.  Following the obvious logic string, I can only deduce that I must be getting old.  Prematurely old I might add as I thought my falling asleep during Murder She Wrote days were at least another thirty years away.  Ironically, I've seen Murder She Wrote on several occasions and not once fallen asleep.
In conclusion, I have, for the time being, discovered a cure for my insomnia.  Unfortunately, I really want to know what happens at the end of episode three, titled One Step Behind.  It may be that I'm gong to have to head to my local library and pick up Mr. Mankell's books.