Reboot, Reset, Or Stand Alone? (A Ghostbusters 2016 Review)

***SPOILER ALERT***

     So, I know I’ve been saying that I was going to review this movie for quite a while now. It was released on July 16th of this year and initially going into it I was a little worried. I’d written a past blog kind of describing my feelings towards the movie in general, and what as a fan, I would’ve liked to have seen with the direction of this movie. I think that anyone who is a true Ghosthead knew the amount of negative publicity going around about this movie, including some of the stars from the movie having their social media hacked, websites hacked, etc. There is frankly no excuse for this. If you really are against the movie that much then you just need to not go and see it and just let it be. However, with that last sentence just said I think that if you don’t go and see this movie, or even rent it when it comes out then I think that you might be making a mistake on things. Sony Pictures kept throwing around the word “reboot, reboot, reboot”. That the previous two movies had nothing to do with any of the events of this third movie and in fact was going to be a completely different verse where the original Ghostbusters didn’t happen. Again, I grew worried about this fact as I had read that and began to wonder what was going to happen with the movie overall then. If we were going to be seeing the original movie, just remade and updated with a new cast and the events of Zuul and Gozer dropping into central park west and tearing up the city. That’s when Sony dropped the trailers for the new movie.
     It wasn’t quite what I expected to be honest. They give credence to the original team in the trailers’ almost immediately. One version of the trailer saying ‘Four Scientists thirty years ago saved New York City, now a new team answers the call’. The other version of that trailer said essentially all of that, but they changed the wording to ‘Four Friends’. Then Sony began to release little bonus content videos talking about the reengineering and revision of all the equipment. During those videos, they give credit to Dr. Egon Spengler for creating the first proton pack, followed up by the female lead that created the new versions of it in the movie. That’s when I had a hard time believing that this was going to be a reboot. I thought that maybe Paul Feig was preparing for the largest troll on the internet. I watched the trailers several times over, just as my inner kid started screaming and wanting to see the movie regardless of their not being an original cast mentioned anywhere in it. I tried to keep an even keel as well on the movie and the developments of everything going on behind the scenes. What I thought was actually really cool is that both Dan Ackroyd and Ivan Reitman were brought onto the projects as producers and executive producers. Ivan Reitman was quoted as saying he couldn’t do another Ghostbusters movie without Harold Ramis on the set. That, Harold gave kind’ve the push of what he wanted to see done with the movie, as well as the story progression. Harold Ramis’ daughter later confirmed that this was the end of the project once Harold passed away seeing as some of the original cast had no interest in returning or even following up with another movie.
     We DID see the Ghostbusters: The Video Game released in 2009 on various video game consoles, which many of the fans interpret as being a third movie, and at one point Dan Ackroyd was quoted as saying that essentially that game would be considered the third movie in the franchise. Finally, the big day arrived, and I was one of the first ones in the movie theater to buy tickets to go in and watch Ghostbusters 2016. Even though this isn’t exactly the way of my childhood, hearing the theme song almost immediately and wanting to sing along brought me back to my childhood. I went into this movie WITHOUT any possible theory on what it could even be about. In my own mind, as I entered the theater I went into it with a clear thought and I would judge the movie based on what the movie gave me. I had zero expectations for it like I said I would in my last blog. Walking out of the theater, my initial thoughts? ‘Man! Let’s go again!’ the movie was great. While the original cast that wanted to return to the big screen for this movie did! In fact, they made very subtle cameos throughout the entire movie. Was it a reboot? Meh, I personally didn’t think that it was a reboot. I can even give some samples of evidence to why I don’t think that the movie was a reboot. Rather, I think that this movie would make a great stand alone! It would be a good direction for the franchise to go in especially now they’ve got some ground work laid with the characters of this verse. But even if it was a stand-alone, there were things mentioned in the movie by characters or hinted at that could place this movie into the same verse as the other two movies. I know, I know some might think that I’m trying to grasp at straws defending it to the end that this isn’t going to be a reboot. But, for a moment just hear me out and let me explain a few things:

     Harold Ramis Bust Or Egon Spengler?- During one of the scenes in the movie, you see an actual golden bust of the actor or his character in the background. It would make it extremely plausible that it could be Egon seeing as where the setting is. However, it could also be that of Harold Ramis making his cameo into the movie like the rest of the original cast did as well. Since Harold is no longer with us I think that the later would make sense as he was one of the original creators to Ghostbusters, as well being in the movie. But the way that he looks on the bust is how his character looked in stripes. Big afro, with glasses and that signature smirk that he could put on his face. Once you see the movie, I’d be curious on what you think about it.

    Acknowledgement Of Ghosts Existing- As we all know about the original Ghostbusters movie, is that everyone thought they were insane, or really good con-artists just trying their damndest to rob the good people of New York of all their money. However, in this movie the city and federal government acknowledge that they’ve known about Ghosts existence for a very long time. Even one of the mayoral aids citing at one point that big events have happened, and that people will eventually begin to forget about the big things over time. Are they talking about the previous events in the first and second movies, and that’s where they already know about the existence of ghosts is after the battle in Ghostbusters II? They make mention to the girls that they have to make everything appear fraudulent that they do because it’s to protect the public at large. Just something again I noticed in the movie that they were talking about.

     Lay Line Discussion- This actually has quite a bit to do with the plot of the movie itself. They discuss Lay Lines and how the earth has them crossing over various parts and funneling energy all the time. Well, as the climax starts to happen they discover a pattern that makes a huge X over a certain part of the town. They reference a book of New York, and as they open there is already a recorded event in the book they are referencing. My mind almost instantly jumped to Dana Barrett’s apartment when Gozer and Zuul came the first time into the Ghostbuster verse. Could this be a book demonstrating that this event happened already? Again, when you watch the movie check this out and I would be curious again on what you think.

     ‘I don’t go Soho, I don’t go uptown, and I ain’t afraid of no ghost’- This is probably one of the best cameos in the movie which involves Dan Ackroyd himself. He shows up as a taxi driver in one of the scene as one of the girls is asking him to take him to where the main battle is and that he should be careful about the ghosts flying around. The cabby quickly quips about what kind of ghost it is, and the classification of it. Is this Ray Stantz at a horrible part in his life? Again, maybe stretching a bit on this one but I wondered about it.

     The acknowledgement of Egon Spangler- Again as stated above, at one point during one of the bonus clips that Sony released on Youtube leading up to the new movie being released talking about the reengineering of the proton pack Dr. Egon Spengler was given acknowledgement for being the original creator of it. Now, if we are going by some reboots standards then technically this wouldn’t be true. While it would be acknowledged in the verse that was originally created, it wouldn’t in the new. If it’s a reboot then why is Egon still being given credit for it let alone mentioned?

     So now that I’ve got my soap box out of the way on why I don’t think this movie was a reboot what was my general thoughts on it? Overall, I would say that the movie was excellent. The story was completely different than the original one panned by Harold and Dan. Ghosts were different, and we even saw the appearance of slimmer towards the end of the movie. I don’t think that the amount of hate that this movie generated is really warranted. Anyone who is a fan of DC or even Marvel Comics should know that super heroes are rebooted and recreated all of the time. Not only that, but there have been some changes made in the cinematic universes of both Comicverses that not all fans are happy with, that left them with a sour taste in their mouths. Harold Ramis’ daughter actually endorsed this new movie, and stated that her dad would’ve loved to have seen this franchise continue to grow and expand outwards. I shared that article shortly before the new movie came out, and then I shared it once after the movie was released. I think that the villain was a little weak, and watered down but they still gave a very climatic ending to the movie, as well as providing some pretty awesome special effects when it came to the ghosts. 

     I also breathed a little easier knowing that both Ivan Reitman and Dan Ackroyd were involved with the project. Just, if you go and see this movie please just keep an open mind, and even if it doesn’t live up to expectations or what you expected, you can always count it as a stand-alone right? Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me while I worked on putting this blog out. I know I’ve been saying it for a while now, but life has a funny way of getting in the way at times. I look forward to hearing your comments as well about the movie, or anything talked about above.

Calendar Scratches

     Honestly, it only seemed like yesterday that I’d gotten the edits back for ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ that Spring was right around the corner and I had plenty of time to concentrate on getting these edits done. Then, you blink and we are already halfway through the summer and a little more than halfway through the year of 2015. Where has this time gone? So far, 2015 has not been the nicest of years to have dealt with as we’ve had a lot of term oil here and dealing with unwanted guests in our household. Most of my stuff is in my office, which has been quarantined for well over a month now because of these guests. The mood has been pretty low in the household as we feel as if we are prisoners in our own household. However, I’m hoping that as of Monday of this week things will begin to change. I don’t mean to start off with such a negative introduction to a blog but rather just some thoughts that have head me leading up to next years’ time line and schedule. I’d already prepped another book for editing, as well as having sent off the information for the copyright office so it could be copyrighted and my editor would be set to receive it. However, as I began to do the edits for this book, ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ I began to realize something. I am beginning to get burnt out on writing!
     For me, this is a horrible thing because for so long I’d used writing as an advantage to escape the real world, talk with my characters, and just get away from the stress of the day. But, as I’ve tried to put out a book every year I’m finding myself feeling rushed, I’m finding myself stressed about the overall content of the book, and it has begun to cut into the personal time that I have with my family. As a writer, I don’t want any of those things. I want to deliver to the readers an awesome story, I want them to enjoy the characters that I’ve introduced them to, and I don’t want something to me feeling like it’s only half cooked coming out of the creative oven. At some points it has been hard for me to work on ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ just because I’m beginning to feel completely burned out on the entire process that this takes. I feel that I could use this to my advantage, as since I’m an individual self-published writer I don’t really have to abide by any schedules or having to put out a book a year, or continuing on with a series. I am looking forward to releasing ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ over the last half of October. I really want to release it on Halloween, or maybe the day before. I’ve got another contest in mind, and am real excited about getting to meet everyone again at the signings much like I’d met everyone at the events I’ve already done this year.
     So, what are you saying Grayson? That you are going to be hanging up the towel after you release ‘Whispers In The Hallway’? Absolutely not. I’m not going to ever quit writing. It is a passion and truly a gift from above that I found early in my life. What I am thinking, and I’m sure other writers’ out there would agree with me on is that I am thinking I need to take a break. I need to make sure everything goes smoothly with ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ for its release and the contest that I have in mind for it. Take time off during the holidays to spend it with family and friends and then start sharp again after the New Year. But, for 2016 I do not plan releasing any book. Like I said, I have one US Marshals story that I’ve got finished and ready to go. I realized that there are other ideas and other genres I’d like to concentrate on first. While the marshals deserve to have their story told, and that yes IT WILL be eventually released right now, I want to introduce some other characters that have been talking to me for some time. Again, this is the reason why I like to think of myself as a multi-genre writer. I’ve been building on so many worlds, for so many years that I’ve got lots of characters that want to come through and have their stories told. A lot of the characters you’ve probably noticed do a lot of cross world appearances. Either in cameos, or they will show up for a short section in the story and leave again just as quickly. To me, it’s more fun to see characters you already know interacting with the new ones that have come to the table.
     2016 I would like to take the year off and kind of regroup my thoughts, and get in touch again with my characters. I wouldn’t have to worry about edits, I wouldn’t have to worry about meeting deadlines for book releases, and above all I would have time to do some real quality writing. Deliver a product that is well worth the wait! I’ve been asked several times about the return of Malakai and his pack and whether or not he’ll have another book. At this current time, I’ve had some new characters come through on that front and we’ve talked briefly. If I could paint a picture for you what the muse has brought to the table you’d laugh I bet. Imagine a conference room with a large oval table, the nice leather chairs all around it and not one of those chairs are empty. All of them have a particular character yelling or wanting something addressed. Then add a few more characters that didn’t come quick enough to the meeting to get a chair and now are standing at the back of the room screaming their heads off because they want attention. I think that 2016 will be an excellent year to regroup and relax. My other hope for 2016 is getting together with fellow writers in the LC-Valley. I’ve had discussions with a few local talents and their seems to be quite a few shows that will be happening next year. I plan on making as many events as I can as well as helping promote my fellow writers around me.
     The other thing that I know I’ve talked a little bit about this last year as well as my wife getting ready to put her book out. I’m very excited that Emma has been working very hard on getting her stuff ready to be sent off to be printed and into a book. She has been there every step of the way for me when it has come to publishing, marketing, and making sure everything looks great. I would like to return the favor for her as well during 2016 to help her get her book off the ground and to make sure that everything gets situated as it should be. There are certainly not enough days in the year to make everything happen as you would like it to and that is why I’ve reached this decision to do this. Maybe during this off time, I’ll use it to explore other things as well (photography, podcasting, and collaborating with other writers, musicians, etc.). The future is very bright. I would like to send out another special thank you to those who have supported Emma and I through this entire endeavor. There are a lot of people who have backed us all the way through it and I couldn’t be more thankful. Too many to list but you know who you are and I continue to thank you for your support and help through it. Being a self-published writer is definitely not the easiest endeavor that I’ve taken on, but in the end it is definitely the most worthwhile thing I’ve done other than the career I am in.
     Please continue to watch my Facebook as I will continue to updates for not only the release information for ‘Whispers In The Hallway’ but I will also be posting other information on there about new and upcoming projects. I don’t really use Twitter anymore. My website has also been updated so please look there as well for updates on events. Thank you everyone and I hope you have a wonderful summer.

 

Returning to Isla Nublar

     Hearing the beginning horns of the Jurassic Park theme as the universal logo slowly twisted out brought goosebumps to my skin. I was reliving one of my favorite movie franchises of all times. There has been quite a bit of hype for Jurassic World, and while it correlates with the Jurassic Park verse and is not a remake or reboot the story stays very genuine even with the return to the island of the five deaths. While I’m writing this review I am going to try and keep it as spoiler-less as possible though it may pop up from time to time. As the movie starts, there really isn’t any kind of backstory the return to Isla Nublar, or why InGen had decided to keep it at the island location where as in the The Lost World movie (Definitely not the book) they decided to try and build the park in San Diego. None the less, the back story really isn’t needed for movie but it would have been nice, perhaps just a bit knit picky on this point. I was curious to into what characters were going to be returning to the Jurassic franchise after seeing in the credits that read ‘based on characters created by Michael Crichton’. However, the only returning character to this franchise was that of Dr. Henry Wu. Which, I guess I find kind of ironic because if anyone had read the books we all know the fate of Dr. Wu. Again, I am trying to keep as many spoiler-less points for this review but still give an honest one at that. The one thing I thought was very fun about the entire movie was the constant reference to the original film. Some of the shots of the movie the same, some lines had doubled up and were being heard again, vehicles from the first movie reappearing, hell at one point you get to see a very ramshackle Visitor’s Center accompanied with a very sad, and mournful soundtrack from the first Jurassic Park.
     I know that there was one thing scoffed at in the movie, that was kind of a double edged sword. Many people were not impressed with the whole ‘Hybrid Dinosaur’ idea that was seen in the initial previews. That now, InGen was making mutated dinosaurs. To me, that seemed like a bit of a genetic horror movie involving zombies, living dead, or something along those lines. This movie definitely involves the Genetic horror of things and the fact man is trying to play God to make a few bucks. That of course the reason for toying with nature is to make more money and bring in more attendance. I won’t go into the exact details of things, but really the monster of this movie does play out like a Frankenstein, or a creature that was created and out of control to begin with ‘seeing the world for the first time’ sort of scenario. The other half of this whole thing is how the climax of the movie turned out. The ending I think could have been a bit better when pertaining to a very key player. Let put it this way, to keep the spoilers out of it. They were catering to a dead man the entire movie. Again, to those who’ve read the novels will understand exactly what I am meaning by that statement. While I can see that they were interested in doing another movie, I am hoping that the path they are trying to take will not stray from the original verse created by Michael Crichton. His concept and novel both were revolutionary and opened many doors especially when it comes to genetics, and genetic engineering. I hope that the franchise doesn’t turn into a Survival Horror type series like ‘Resident Evil’ (AKA Biohazard), with an evil company running rapid in the shadows creating freaks of nature for military projects etc.
     The other thing I know that was scoffed at was Chris Pratt’s ‘Raptor Pack’ that you see in the previews with him training them and basically controlling them. At first, I’ll even admit that I winced and wondered what exactly they were going to do with this and where were they going to take it? As the movie progresses and the story keeps trudging forward all things are revealed including the intended use for these Raptor’s. While some scoff, the idea is really not too far off. Any kind of animal when raised from a young age that doesn’t know better you can train them and ALMOST domesticate them. Some examples of this would be wolves, bears, raccoons, etc. I say almost domesticate because animals have that instinct in them regardless of the scenario or situation. I really dug the idea and even thought it was well played and the imagination was there! The CGI affects I think were great, the overall visuals for the movie were very stunning. I am glad that we didn’t wait and see it in 2D like the missus and I had intended on doing. One thing that I’d always wished you’d see more of in the JP movies was dinosaurs. This movie certainly was not disappointing with dinosaurs. There was a vast amount of species seen in the movie. While I watched this movie something popped into my mind that I kind of wondered if they weren’t trying to make maybe an alternate universe type movie.
     You know, that this is the story that would have happened if all of the original scientists from ‘Jurassic Park’ had signed off on it. What if the dinosaurs hadn’t burst out of their cages, or eaten people? What if this is the aftermath of a successful park for almost twenty years and this incident happened? It could have very strongly been that case if the old visitor center, and old vehicles from the first park had never been seen. There is really no reference to Isla Sonra, BioSyn, etc. I am glad that they decided to make another Jurassic Park instead of rebooting it or remaking it. While the story for Jurassic World was great, I think the story with the two kids could have been left out or maybe the kids could have played less of a role in it. Obviously, the park employees preoccupied the story more than the kids but it was with good reason. Overall, I think that this movie was great. I would recommend it to anyone who is a Jurassic Park fan either having seen the movies that’ve spanned over twenty something years, or the book that was released sooner than that. It was very fascinating that they released this movie on the anniversary date of the first movies release. I think for me that it just adds to the nostalgia of it.

Through the seasons

     The other day, on my Facebook I had asked a question that I thought would make a great blog topic. I had asked the other day, I had asked “What ways do you like to make memories during the various seasons?” A little further explanation into that is do you find yourself interacting more with your family and friends during the summer? Or do you find more interaction with family and friends around the holidays? For me really, it’s kind of a split. I really don’t take any particular part of the year to spend more time with the family than the other. To me, I think quality time with family and friends all year round is a great thing. For the summer months, I think it’s great because really it’s a little less confining and you don’t have to spend it in doors. I’ve got a lot more memories of the family during the summer now than I did before.
     It’s funny that growing up as a kid all of those BBQ’s, and camping trips, and boating, and other various activities spent with the family were kind of a drag. I don’t think that many of us out there would argue that fact that as kids we often waited for the summer to roll around so we could sleep in, spend all of it with our friends, and essentially do whatever we wanted without the authority of a teacher being around us. With this in mind I created a bunch of memories with my friends growing up during the summer months. Again, the more clear ones are those spent during our years in transition between Junior High and High School. One of my fondest memories was that of co-authoring a book with a friend of mine during the summer months. I had come up with an idea for a book and I sent him the concept and some of the real skeletal structures of the story. He thought it was a great concept and we took turns authoring short stories back and forth to each other during the summer transitioning from Junior High to High School.
     So that there is an only one example of how I have made some later memories in the summer months. With family it was a little bit different. Growing older, I’ve learned that really, you can’t have enough time with family and friends alike. Jobs, kids, and other responsibilities tend to get in the way. The moments that we can spend time together, especially in the summer months should be the most important. Some of the most recent and fondest memories I have with friends and family is that of small fire in a fire pit. Gathered round it in lawn chairs, benches, custom made chairs that if you sat wrong would completely fall apart underneath you. Watching the flames dance in the night, embers burning brightly at the base of the copper pan. Sometimes, the conversation seems to fall to one side or the other, and sometimes there is no conversation at all. It doesn’t always take the constant chatter of people to enjoy one another’s company. Sometimes I think, it’s just being together and being around each other that count.
     The fire helps set the mood, and the setting for the night but what else? What about a purple sky with stars beginning to poke through the fabric of blue that was once day? Often times we have a radio setup outside. The sound of classic sounds from yester-year drifting out slowly from the speakers as again the family and friends sit in silence. Sometimes it might be the beach boys, sometimes; it’s the Doobie Brothers, Sometimes its Billy Joel and his piano. It is always a very relaxing setting after a great BBQ and a day full of work. Story swapping that, no matter how many times before you may have heard it; the story is just as amusing as it was the first time that you heard it. It’s never long enough it seems as the hours and the time seem to slip away. Escaping with those around you for a good couple of hours before reality comes back and reminds everyone that those duties we tend to every day will be back again tomorrow. I always get a little bit depressed and sad when these kinds of things have to come to an end, but I always look forward to the next night we get to spend together. Whether it’s in a yard or out camping under the stars and admiring those summer nights and memories being made are always unbeatable.
     The winter, well the winter can be just as good as the summer. Granted, the conditions are a little blustier, a little colder, and you aren’t able to do as much. But, in the same instance it’s almost the exact same thing. All you’ve done is taken your fire pit that you have outside and have moved it inside (if you are lucky enough to have an indoor fireplace). Great meals still can be enjoyed with family, choice beverages of the season can be shared, and then of course you have the music to add to the event. I have found though that in the winter months and having house guests something a little easier listening is something I keep nearby. In the summer months it’s wonderful to listen to the oldies music outside enjoying the summer nights as it’s cooling off around you. But with house guests and a little more confined space it’s nice to put a little easier listening music on in the background so you aren’t having to scream out over the Big bopper or other classic singers of yester-year in conversation. The weather outside is also what makes the events. We’ve hosted a few parties with the snow falling outside and it just adds to the atmosphere of whatever is going on around you. The winter is a great time to get together with family and friends as with the holidays and the meaning of the holidays. But, do people feel obligated to spend time with their families as those holidays approach? I’d hope not. My holiday season is a bit more complex and a little bit different as my brother passed a few days before Christmas. The family though I think on both sides has always gone out of our way to spend time with each other more-so during the holiday season but we try to get together more as well with the summer months.
    The stress of the holidays to may put people a little more anxious and stressed than great summer night.
So, I guess after blogging this, it seems that I favor having summer get togethers than I do winter. Maybe it’s because you don’t feel as guilty or like you are committed during the summer because there aren't any major holidays that surround it. The most important thing though is spending time with one another. It seems that these years are going by faster and faster. That with the way the world works right now is that everyone is having to work more, and spend less time with family and friends. Don’t let this overtake you and keep you from your family. They are just as important and just as needed. Spend as much time with them as you possibly can. Because I have found out through the hard way tomorrow is never guaranteed. Please don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. You can find me on Facebook by typing into the search bar, “Author Grayson Michaels”, or you can find me on Twitter at @GraysonMichaels. Don’t forget to leave a comment on which time of season you enjoy more to spend together with family and friends! Have a good day.

One In The Same

    Last night, I came to a conclusion about something that I’d only thought just a few times before and dismissed it. This morning, it woke me up out of a dead sleep and I found I couldn't do anything until I got this out onto blog. I have created a lot of characters since I started writing. Characters come, characters go. But, there is one that has been with me for a long time. Very prevalent, and honestly didn't understand why he was. Why despite storylines and settings he always came back like a lion and out like a lamb. I have always enjoyed letting him tell his stories to me for well over ten years...unfortunate he has aged but his stories are solid. I look forward to telling his stories as long as he wants me to. This character has appeared in ‘OceanView’ time and time again. It’s hard to not see him on a steady basis in that book and often times he really takes the spotlight in a lot of the books dealing with first responders. Even dealing with Law Enforcement you are inclined to see him make an appearance, if nothing more than a cameo or mentioned by one of the officers. For those who have read the book, or know anything about my past there is one character that I feel particularly connected to. Whether, it’s because I created him so long ago (Around 1998 or 1999) or it’s because he has such an elaborate history in the running with my short stories he seems to come on strong at times, and then remain relatively quiet at others.

     I find that this character tends to emerge when I’m dealing with conflict in my life. As if he’s coming to my aid rather than me coming to his. For those who don’t know who I’m talking about, I am talking about my character Tal. He’s had a VERY elaborate history with not only some of the things he’s been attributed to in OceanView, but there is a world away from here where Tal has made a pretty elaborate stamp with not only his presence, but also the course of Law Enforcement within this fictional community. I’ve always kind of seen Tal as a white knight, amongst the sheep. He is a natural born leader, which will take his own path and follow intuition not assumptions. Facts, not fiction, and will base his opinion based on those things listed above. Lately, he’s been knocking at the door again as there is a lot of conflict within my life. A strong leader, and has good moral character. To those who know the character, they know how he is and what kind of person he stands for. Tal existed long before publishing, and has a VERY thorough history that hasn’t even been shared, but exists within the notebooks, shoe boxes, and vast e-mails that I’ve sent out over the course of the last fifteen years…Wow, that feels so strange to type that. How much of a light, and guidance that this particular character has been to me. But why? Why is Tal so important to me that I look up to a fictional character that doesn't exist? Maybe it’s because what Tal himself stands for. The basis of why I created him.
     His moral compass, along with the things he has seen in his life and how he has managed to stay on the straight and narrow even in situations that made him the bad guy, or turned whom he thought were friends against him. I’m not meaning to put him on a pedestal by any means, and again those who know the character or experienced him in OceanView, know that this man definitely has flaws, regrets, and scars both emotional and physical. But in the same instance we share some common bonds of things he’d dealt with in his life that I myself, have dealt with long and hard. We've both learned that hard work, and perseverance towards goals in life are the right road to travel. Regardless of what other’s tell you or suggest. Sometimes, being the lone wolf in a sea full of followers and sheep is the best course of action. Never lose sight of what your true intentions are because of other’s opinions of you or your thoughts on progression. Move forward; keep moving forward with that bright light in the distance. You are the only one who can move you closer to your goal. Choosing not to act is the only way you will fail not only yourself, but potentially those around you. The final and hardest thing we've both failed together is rejection. Whether it’s been from co-workers, friends, or family rejection is been one of the hardest blows to us. Regrets and skeletons in our closet of decisions that we both think. “You know maybe if we just caved and gave them what they wanted maybe we would have been happier about things”. Then we shake our heads no, and look at the outcomes of the decisions of making our own minds up and following our own course. A good majority of these decisions have ended in a positive light and it reminds us.
     It reminds us that it’s important to follow your own path and make your own decisions. It was once said that you are the only person you will have to live with your entire life so make the best of it. I surely think that Tal and I both agree with each other when it comes to this. Law Enforcement seemed to be such a natural calling to him as a character and has been pretty much in every role working his way up the chain to where he is today, as an active US Marshal. I don’t normally talk so much about characters in particular. As I had said above there have been many characters I've seen come, and I've seen go. All of my characters have made a lasting impression on me. Some of the characters good, some of the characters bad. But I felt compelled to write a little bit about Tal this morning after dealing with almost a year’s worth the conflict and how it’s odd how a character can give you a support system. I've thought about retiring him from the pages of my books to let him finally be, and he’s provided some hints I think that he’d like it as well. For several, several years now I've debated on whether or not to write his memoirs. It is always something that I’d considered doing because of the fact he HAS such an extensive history that only myself and him know. He feels obligated to share it with the rest of the world and to let other people in on his trials as not only what he faced as a cop, but also for his personal life.
     In Oceanview, we delved into it a little bit dealing with after his ex-wife left and some of the issues that arose there. But he’d like to tell everyone what he’s seen and experienced in his life and his fifteen years of law enforcement. Starting from a beat cop, all the way to where he’s at now. I’d like to think Tal is a respectable character I've never had any kind of complaints about him from those who have read OceanView, or had experiences with him. He’s very proud of what he does for a job and how he affects people. Has anyone out there ever had a character that influenced them in some way that no matter what has happened to them you just don’t have the heart to say a final goodbye to them? Several characters I've written about have gotten quiet enough that I’m not even sure they’d mind about never being heard from again. Other characters lie in wait, and are awaiting the perfect time to spring back up in order for their stories to be told. I hope that you've enjoyed this little insight into Tal and who exactly he is. If you have a character that you can relate to just like Tal, leave a comment below and tell us the reason why you feel so strongly connected to them!

Party Poppers & New Directions

     As soon as I had posted on my Facebook this morning in regards to asking people what they’d hoped for in the upcoming year, or what they wanted to accomplish in 2015 it got my own mind going. I’m striving towards more in 2015, I’m wanting to reach out more to those who read my books and I’m wanting to be more active with my creativity. 2014 was a hard year for me to get a lot of things accomplished on the sidelines in regards to projects, marketing the books, or meeting other writer’s mainly due to time constraints. Not to say at all though that 2014 wasn’t successful. I was incredibly blessed with the reception that ‘In With The Pack’ got back when I released it in August. I met a lot of other great people along the way and made some very close friends in the process which in itself is an automatic success. But, maybe what I’m trying to get at is I want to branch out a little more with myself. Try to dedicate more time to my projects and make them just as successful as I did with Malakai and his pack. I’ve already got another project going that will probably not be released until 2016, but that is ok. It has been slow going and even though I’m trying to put out a new book every year, it’s added a lot of stress to me as well as trying to find the time to keep up with everything else in my life. Hell, I’m an independent and self-published author I am really my own boss that decides on the when’s and where’s of things. But, in the same instance writing is something that I just can’t turn off and walk away from and decide to be done with it for a while or even take a break from.
     Just like one of those internet meme’s that I saw online the other day, ‘Writers can’t take vacations from writing because even on those vacations you are still writing’. It’s the absolute truth of the matter. But in the same instance, it’s just not that. I love to tell stories; I love to give something to someone who says ‘Wow, this was great! When’s the next one happening?’. I’m not meaning to toot my own horn here but if I can entertain someone other than myself when it comes to writing stories then I have succeeded as a writer. But at the same time, I’ve been mulling over ideas of things that I’d like to do in 2015 as well as my writing:

Meeting other local talent- For those who have met me in person, or know where I live. The Lewiston-Clarkston Valley is an extremely small community. With both populations of Lewiston and Clarkston we probably top out at close to around forty-thousand populous. So, when it comes to meeting other local writer’s or talents I am always excited to meet them. I think as writers, artists, photographers, etc. It’s important for us to stick together especially in small towns. But it’s also fun to plan events were you can have more than one person available for signings. It helps with exposure as well for them! One of the things I’d like to do in 2015 is organize more events or even some kind of a writer’s guild locally here in the valley for all of us to come together. Non-judgmental and the first meeting don’t even have to be about reviewing anything. It’s fun just to get together and talk and learn about the other various types of talent that we have here locally. Maybe even organize some events for us all to participate.

Photography- Though this is done away from both pad and paper I’ve always enjoyed photography. At the beginning of the month I shared some pictures on my Facebook with that of an old flour mill that is located just outside the city park in Asotin. When I got them home and photo shopped them a bit and posted them the response I got was very humbling. So, I was thinking of maybe also doing some kind of photography class or just doing freelance and working on what I already know to take some pictures here locally around the valley and beyond. Where I live there are lots of woods, rivers, canyons, and even some ghost towns for pictures to be taken in. That is also something else I’d like to do both with snowy weather, and sunny weather. Photos capture so much, and even with landscapes that stay vivid in your head it could lead to potential story settings. Really, it’s a win-win situation for me.

Video Productions- Though I know very little about this particular field, I had the opportunity in both 2013 and 2014 to help with video productions of a few budding directors. While the opportunities have been smaller and not as abundant as they had been, this is something that I’d still like to help in. It’s exciting to see people’s ideas jump from the paper to flesh and blood characters. How excited the entire production team is to making this the best product that they can regardless if it is a serious movie or if it’s a humorous movie. The expectations and standards that these independent film artists hold themselves to are phenomenal. It’s almost as intense as writing a book. A little more stress added when you are dealing with the actors/actresses. Where in the process of writing a story you can tell them exactly what you want them to do and you won’t get any fuss about it. With actors/actresses you may get a degree of defiance whether it’s something they don’t agree with on their character or time constraints. Either way, I enjoyed being a part of the production value and helping them realize their own dreams.
     I’d also considered doing more video blogs in the upcoming months of 2015. From what I understand blogs are kind of going on the wayside of things and that VLOGS are the most popular route to go when you are trying to reach out to subscribers. Maybe it’d be a way as well to show off the pictures that I plan on taking. Making a mini-slideshow or something with them. Something to toy around with I guess. I really never learned on how to use the video editors because by the time I graduated *cough* 2002 *cough* things like Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows Movie Maker, Excel etc. were all beginning to come into popularity with not only business professionals but also teachers. I guess my question is do people even use cardboard to make presentations anymore? Or, has it gone to this new digital format? But I digress. So, those are just some things I’d like to concentrate in the upcoming year that I’d like to branch out into. Will it happen? If I can put my head to it and get things situated anything is possible. My own indecisiveness will be my only enemy. 

     

     What do you plan on doing for 2015? Feel free to share with the others at the bottom of this blog, or you can leave a comment on my Facebook page!

Returning to old trails

     This summer has been a summer of nostalgia for me. We have really seen a surge in movie remakes, reboots, and re-conceptualizations. The one thing that stuck out the most for me this summer that I’d really like to cover and have been talking about on and off on my Facebook now for a few months is that of Ghostbusters. I was a child of the 80’s and during the 1980’s a movie came out that would be forever in grained into what and who I am. Ghostbusters was released in 1984 and it being 2014 we have crept right up on the 30th anniversary of this movie. With the movie’s anniversary coming out Sony Studios re-released it into theaters for selective showings, and completely revamped the movie putting it into a Blu-Ray format for purchase. It’s bitter sweet as the series original writer, Harold Ramis passed away earlier this year and was not able to see the 30th anniversary come to fruition. But, since the anniversaries release, and the passing of Mr. Ramis it has created a huge buzz around the Ghostbuster fan universe and forums. It was announced that Ghostbusters III may actually see the big screen as the co-writer and creator Dan Aykroyd confirmed that Ghostbusters III was going to happen. Overall, the fans of Ghostbusters have been waiting for a very long time to hear this announcement.
     But, with this announcement came the possibility o reboots, and a re conceptualization of what the Ghostbusters are all together. Aykroyd had originally confirmed that he wanted to do another story, as a kind of ‘passing of the torch’ to a new generation of Ghostbusters. Which, if they find the right actors, and can lie down the best script and story possible I think it will be great. Now, with that said I would like to clarify my position on this. Over the years, there have been many scripts that have been swung around. Harold and Dan both had another script written and ready to present. Unfortunately, that script never got off the ground, and they were in the midst of revamping It and redrafting it shortly before Ramis death. I feel, and this is only my opinion is that the script should be completely done by the co-creator(s) of the series this next movie. I think that this third movie is imperative especially since the passing of Ramis. I’m not going to be one of those fans, or writers that will go in with a closed mind to the movie either way. I just want to see justice done for the series and overall the franchise of ‘Ghostbusters’. They need to make this almost an ode to Ramis, in my humble opinion because of the fact he had been the original writer of Ghostbusters. Make it almost a tribute If we are going to do this movie right, then let’s do it right. Think of Ramis and keep him in thought. I would hope that Aykroyd would hold all creative decisions over the movie and the making of it, much like him and Harold did for the Ghostbusters video game that came out in 2009.
Now, with all of that said if Aykroyd decides on another script for the movie, and doesn’t have any actual assistance in writing it. I would hope he would stick around for the screenplay. 

     I’m not going to go completely fan boy here, but I would like to see his hand involved with the movie and the progression of the storyline. Another big rumor going around is that the reboot will feature the four original Ghostbusters replaced by four female Ghostbusters. There is a huge up-roar over this as this option is also being explored. Initially, I really didn’t know how to take it. But, after giving it some careful consideration I’ve decided on this. This could be the perfect opportunity to introduce a whole new generation to the ‘Ghostbusters’ let people be taken into their world. It would bring a whole new light to the franchise and spark a whole new interest for it. Again, if the reboot is something that they are eyeing then I would hope that Aykroyd would be involved with the project. Ghostbusters is truly what got me interested in the paranormal (ghosts, UFOs, strange happenings, etc.) I will be happy to see another movie, but my hope is that it will be done correctly.
     Now with all of this said, I would like to take on my interpretation of movies and prequels, sequels, and after thoughts. Regardless of what Dan Aykroyd decides to do with the movie when it comes to fruition I will respect whatever he decides to do with it. You can’t be mad at the creator or co-creator of something if they decide to take their series in a new direction or a new path. The biggest thing I have a problem with at times is that when things are created and does not follow the canon idea. Anything that Dan Aykroyd or Harold Ramis did, does, or are going to do is going to be completely canon for me. There were a lot of upset people with Star Wars as well when the prequels came out. People were upset on the story, how it progressed, and how badly some of the characters in the movie were. But, again in the credits it says right there, written By George Lucas. The other thing that people have to remember to is that all of those stories had been drafted while he was in college. This wasn't a new idea that he decided to just draft up a prequel to the what we would considered original trilogy (Episodes 4,5,6). Of course, you will either like the movies, or you won’t. But, again you can’t be mad at the creator when he took the story, series, etc. in a direction that you didn't want him to.
     It would be like any writer out there that would take on the challenge of either continuing his story, or releasing another part of the story that no one had any idea about. People may like the concept? People may hate the concept. But, it is what the characters wanted, and it is what the writer wanted. I’ve been approached by people telling me how much they've hated a character, or they didn’t like what I did. I ask them what they didn’t like about it. They might have thought that the character acted out of character, or it didn’t seem like it would be something that the character would do. I follow up with. But! Did it add to the story and keep you engaged. They will agree with me, and I will smile and tell them that I did my job.

Wolf Tracks

     So, as the release date for ‘In With the Pack’ approaches, I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the book itself. When I opened up the question forum, I had a lot of the same questions so I thought I would go ahead and address them on the blog. I truly pride myself as a multi-genre writer. It is in my opinion, that if you take the time to only write in one particular genre and the idea of another type strikes you, then you are doing yourself a disservice as a writer, but also to the characters attempting to reach you to tell their particular story. However, with that said I also recognize writers that are only comfortable with one genre and prefer to stick with that. Just, for me it’s extremely hard to because of the fact I’ve always got characters coming to me on such opposite ends of the spectrums and where they place themselves. So, below I have three of the most asked questions about ‘In With The Pack’. Now if you are afraid that I’m going to reveal any kind of spoilers don’t worry about that. I won’t reveal anything that would ruin the book. I appreciate all of those who submitted questions, and are curious about the book. It excites me because this was truly an undertaking to write about such a strong character, and his story.

What inspired me to write about a wolf?

     I loved this question! As I had stated above, I have prided myself on being a multi-genre writer. Malakai actually appeared to me about two years ago. I was going through some tough emotional times, and the more I attempted to find a way to cope and deal with it I caught the sight of a Timber wolf in my mind’s eye. It was always the same that he approached me and the muse. Often times it was through a brushy area and just seemed to watch me. The idea of writing about an animal in itself really excited me because of the challenge that it presented. Not only, to come up with a story that keep people riveted but also a story that would be genuine and heartfelt, but I also embraced the challenge of writing about an animal, and the fact they are so limited to the kinds of things that they have the ability to do compared to a human character. I’ve always felt a kind of connection to the wolf, and as I proceeded through with the novel of ‘In With The Pack’ I’d continued to research native American legends, and the importance of the wolf in their culture. I’d found a description of animal totems, and the significance that they play in everyone’s life. I became totally enveloped more-so after the research I’d done and the novel came freely to me after that. Another driving force behind the inspiration of the book was Celtic music. It was easy to listen to any kind of a pan flute piece, or a piece involving a violin and I could see my pack. The Muse seemed to be absolutely driven by that type of music for this book it seemed to put her at ease and scenes where easily writeable if I had some soft music playing in the background. It was exciting getting to see everything come together like it did.


What was the motivation behind the story?

     Malakai came to me VERY much a loner in his own right. I started typing one night as I listened to him narrate to me. The more I wrote about this particular character I felt I could sympathize with him and his current plight that he had going on in his life. The more I wrote about him, the more he began to unravel his story to me. Originally, his story was about twenty pages long. It was more of a dictation to me and more of a revealing of what he’d been through. At that point, I figured I was living vicariously through him because of the kinds of issues that he was having, but soon found that we were completely different. His dictations had been broke up into actually three different short stories about significant changes in his life. The more I wrote about him, and the more he evolved as a character I began to wonder if he hadn’t been seeking me out as a way to help himself out. He questions everything as you will come to find out in the book, and maybe he just needed someone to bounce his own ideas off of. He started off incredibly depressed, and just in a black void. I felt compelled to help this wolf as I wrote, but as we all know characters will only take so much suggestion before they put their foot (or paw in this case) down. The story took off and evolved quickly as I wrote with him.

What kind of frame of mind was I in?

As I had stated, when I first started writing about Malakai I was in a very depressed mood. So the character reflects it at some points of the story. I was feeling kind of hopeless at the time when I started writing, but felt relieved after the three sections I had written. Two years go by, and Malakai appears to me again. But the wolf had come completely different to me. In fact, this time he was much more ambitious and curious about the world. So as we began to see him tell me his story my frame of mind had completely changed, from this dark and dreary back history to one of hope, and one of change. Malakai seemed to welcome that as I wrote on with his story, and things began to be whispered to me by other characters that appear in the book later! The overall result went from being depressed and alone in the world to realizing that if you search hard enough you will find ‘pack’. Or what Malakai considers being ‘pack’. What exactly is that? I cannot, and will not say because that is up to you as the reader to find out.


     A very special thank you again to all of those who submitted questions to me about the book. I am looking forward to meeting all of those who will be attending the book signings as well. I will have the dates, times, and places announced very soon! I will be traveling a little bit of all over the place. A few places here in the LC-Valley, St. Maries, Idaho, Sandpoint, and more to come!

When Characters Come Knocking...

     I think that if you had asked any writer ever, if they’d ever dreamt of seeing a book, a novel, maybe a comic or graphic novel, or a piece of their own music on the big screen that they would probably admit to you that it’s been a day dream. Even if it’s a fleeting dream, or even just a light consideration I would say that we’ve all probably thought about it. But then that begs to question really, what book, comic, music, etc. would you like to see of your own private work? Is there a certain story that you would like to share more than another being portrayed on the big screen? I’m just as guilty maybe day dreaming of which piece of my work I would like to see on the big screen. OceanView, would probably be better as a television show, as it is a continuation of stories about Fire/EMS and law enforcement. But, are there a lot of those shows on now? Would it make it anywhere? Or would shows like Chicago PD and Chicago Fire beat it out? Definitely things to consider when it comes to stories like that. But at the same time, maybe there is more substance that one can add to that particular genre that the creator’s and writers of the other show didn’t add before? But with that said what about the content of your stories?

     What kind of age demographic are you going for? Are you looking at pre-teens which a lot of movies are now-a-days, or are you wanting an adult genre? OceanView is aimed for more of an adult audience because of the content, language, and some of the scenes that the characters find themselves in. What about my Wolves and there Motley Crew of misfits? The content wouldn’t be that bad for any real type of audience. Since the book is getting ready to release I don’t want to include many spoilers about it, or what the book is about. I want my readers to enjoy the full satisfaction of getting to Meet Malakai, and his pack full-on without being told anything about them ahead of time. With this said, we’ve moved on and selected the piece of what we are wanting to use tougher questions are going to arise out of this. Since, I’m closer to the field of writing I’ll be touching more on this subject then I will with the graphic novels, or the music. I think it would be safe to say that several writers can tell you that a character is crystal clear in their heads. That, when the character comes to you and tells you they want discovered you see them for who and what they are. Every characteristic of them, from attitude to mentality, there looks, and all the way to what they really want out of their story being told. Is it as simple on the big screen for something like that to be achieved?
     What does it take for a character to come to life? Is it safe to say that if they somewhat resemble the character it’s ok? Or do you want them to channel the character, to be possessed by the presence and aura of the character? My characters are all very important to me, even the ones that are kind of standbys that are in the story but disappear throughout it and reappear. If you are going to do something dealing with another person’s world then you need to achieve it in such a way that the writer and all involved can walk away without feeling like they’ve been cheated. J.K. Rowling very clearly stated to Warner Bros. upon the making of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows movies that she wanted two separate movies, because if it’d been compacted into one movie than it would have cut a lot of the story out and explanation to the plot. Would you retain such an important role in the making of your movie or production? I think creative writes as a writer would definitely help secure your story from being tampered too much and it would keep the main plots in the movie or whatever the production to be true. I certainly know, that I would retain full creative writes over everything if someone approached me to make either “OceanView” or “In with the pack” to make sure it stayed true to itself and it wasn’t made into a scrappy idea that the production, or director wanted. This has sadly happened to several writers including one that was not allowed to finish his novel before the sequel was made.
     Is it better to find actors/actresses that haven’t been discovered yet to play your characters? Or is it better to go along with the A-list of people that are asked to do a lot of the movies today? Is Tom Cruise a good choice for a romantic heart throb character you have in your romance novel, next to Megan Fox? Is the chemistry right? Can they pull off the true emotions between the characters? Or is it simply better to look through the portfolio of actors/actresses that have applied and have them audition that way? I personally think that if I was put in the situation of casting for the movie, for my characters I would want someone who was true to the character. I would want someone that fit the personality of the voice that I can see in my head talking to me while I write. It would have satisfy me as well as the muse to say “Yes! That is my Marc Kennedy!” or “Yes! That is the voice of Malakai!” they would have to be heart felt about the rolls, and indicate to me that they could capture the essence of my characters in order for us to get this process moving forward.
     Walking through this now, we are at the point of “Are we going to need this to be an animated film? Or are we going to be able to do live action with this particular story. For me, the answer is two different ones. Yes and no. I don’t think you’d be able to pull off Malakai and his pack in a live-action film. Could it happen? Surely. But maybe another style would be better. With OceanView? Absolutely, I think that a live-action movie or show would be better pursued with this particular story. But for other writer’s there worlds may be a lot more complex than mine. Whereas I prefer to write realistic fiction some prefer the supernatural or fantasy realms. Can characters be re-created in all of their glories or again are different avenues to be taken. Maybe events, or fights in the story you’ve written couldn’t be physically possible for the screen. All things to be considered if you ever made the big times and got all the way to Hollywood.
     Now, some of you I can see saying “Grayson, is the only reason why you are writing is to become rich and famous?” Absolutely not, as I’ve mentioned in my blogs before I enjoy telling a good story. I’ve been writing for a lot of years. I started around the age of 12 and continue to be fully involved with my writing today. Even, if they are incomplete ideas I make sure that characters have voices, and events happen. Hell, sometimes you can get characters and scenes to match each other and you may be able to take totally separate ideas and mix them together to make one complete story. The point of this blog was just to ask all of you writers’ out there if you’ve ever just day dreamed and thought “If I had the opportunity would I take it?” Not only that, but not everyone is a reader. Not everyone can sit still long enough to read a book. I would look at this as another avenue for people to meet my characters. Whether it’s my officers from the OVPD, or meet some of the wolves from the plains they just may find joy in them! That is why I love to write, I love to tell stories to entertain people and if I can branch out from just literature to say, Graphic Novels, movies or short films I will! Today’s technology has provided boundless opportunity for both music and literary authors to reach out into unknown space.

Fandoms Today

     I know that it’s been a very long while since I’ve sat down and managed a blog. I felt compelled tonight to write one after having seen ‘Godzilla’ last night. I had managed to get some tickets to a pre-screening event and ended up taking my mother to the showing since she is a HUGE Godzilla fan. She always has been, and I have a feeling that she will always be. But with that said, this is what I’d like to concentrate on tonight for tonight’s blog. I would like to talk about the Fandoms and the huge span of comic books, graphic novels, and television shows that have impacted us today as a society. I think that it is safe to say that back in school (at least when I was in school) that you didn’t really expose to everyone that you had a fascination with comics. Either A) A fascination with comics or B) Television shows that would be considered geeky, nerdy, or outlandish to watch. If the bullies or anyone for that matter anyone in your grade found out that you were watching these shows, or reading these kinds of comics it often resulted in a total blacklist of your friendship and isolation from the rest of the kids in your grade. Always looked at as the nerd and teased about.
     To be honest, I’d never been one of the kids in school that was really into comics. Sure, I knew the difference between Marvel and DC Comics but that was about the extent of my knowledge on either of these groups. We had kids that kind of stuck to themselves with the comics. X-men had been HUGE when I was in school, trading cards, games, etc. It wasn’t until a few years ago that Mrs. Michaels introduced me to DC Comics, and Batman in almost a unreal way. We’d bought the game ‘Arkham Asylum’ for one of our gaming consoles and we started playing through it. Again, I’d never really been on the whole comic book scene so as we played through the game you started learning about these complex characters, and stories that all kind of intertwined with each other. Instantly, I knew that I was hooked. I’d always been huge into stories and good plot. Batman’s world surely didn’t disappoint me as we played through the game. Batman to me was always two people: Adam West or Michael Keaton? But, as we played through this game we became completely immersed in Batman’s world and wanted to learn more. To be honest, I have a couple of friends that I knew I could approach and really talk about this complex world of this one particular Superhero. That there was much more to Gotham’s Universe and the Dark Knight. The complexity of the mental struggle within Bruce Wayne. It was amazing!
     Pretty soon, it was beginning to fan out, and as I got drawn more into the DC universe it became apparent to me on really…how many people out their enjoyed comic books anymore! That, it was ok to express now-a-days that “Hey! I’m an avid Spiderman reader”, or “Hey! I’m an avid Batman reader”. I’ve mentioned time and time again that I’m HUGE into ‘The Walking Dead’ which started out as a Graphic novel. I think that TWD really got me drawn into wanting to explore more worlds, that where drawn rather than written. But this is only my example that I could help relate to this blog and kind of explain where I was coming from. Another great example is the amount of ‘gamers’ that are open about it now. Again, when I was a kid growing up if you were a gamer regardless of the system (Nintendo, Playstation, Genesis, etc.) you were considered a nerd and an outcast. Not as bad as the comic book kids but you were still an outsider to the social groups of the school. Now? Being a gamer is cool and accepted. It’s one of the biggest ways people spend time together now is through over the internet playing games! It’s amazing on how accepting and open our society has become in the means of peoples interests and those being able to express their likes and people being able to find others with similar interests!             

Not Unlike The Pack...

     Rejection. It’s hard to not concentrate on the feeling when every passing day the truth becomes stronger, and things become more and more apparent to you. I’m not here to complain, and be extremely negative. But at the same time, I've been looking for a way to vent. I’m going to try and keep this blog as positive as I can. If it comes across incredibly negative then I am sorry. It’s been a difficult set of years since my brother passed that I’m finally beginning to see a bigger picture in a particular situation that involves me with family. As much as I try to be a part of them and want to spend time with them, it all seems that it’s in vein for the simple fact that often times we are left out on things. Always hearing about events days after? Or moments before something is said to take place. In the dark constantly, with no firm communication between anyone on that side. It’s been difficult for me, and after the history that has scarred my life it still shakes down the foundations of which I used to stand on it. I think that my brother was aware of the situation well before I was. He tried to point it out to me several times, but now that he is gone I can see a clearly defined set of circumstances that he once tried to point out to me over and over again. It seems the more that I deal with these particular set of circumstances my pack becomes more clear to me, and the more I begin to write. Whatever the reason is for being constantly rejected, pushed away, and shunned by these particular people hurts. It hurts like a damned knife. But having been writing and continuing on with my pack and watching them from a far I’ve come to an even more clear revelation.
     Sure, blood is thicker than water, but at the same time. Sometimes family doesn't always come in the form of that. Something I have learned from writing and watching my characters, is that you don’t need blood relations to feel wanted, needed, or for this matter loved. As much as it pains me, and how much it bothers me, to feel like I’m unwanted or am not important enough to share in their lives. I still have what I would consider my own family standing next to me and by my side. The more I have written and the more their story has played out the more I’ve come to realize that really, me and my main character are not that far off. It’s not like I had planned this thing or anything, it’s just what I’ve written with my trusty pen in a blackened room, with a nice cup of tea by my side. Apparently, just not needed at this point and time, and everyone has become very self-sufficient and they don’t feel the need to want to include me with anything at this time. However, with that said MY family, friends, and whom I would consider blood related demonstrate to me everyday exactly, how much I am needed and that gives me a comforting feeling unlike the cold shouldered, mentality of what I had felt. Which, I might I add is almost comparable to the wind that is blowing outside my window currently. Slowly the delightful cooling breeze of the fall is beginning to become tainted, and spoiled by that of the winter that is quickly approaching. I guess, what I have learned overall and sitting down and writing this blog, is that we are never alone. At the darkest times, when you feel you are don’t.
     Though I yearn, for a bit of attention from these particular people, I know now that it might not be a possibility for a week, a month? Maybe longer. But to my family, friends, brothers, etc. I know all I have to do is call them and they will be more than happy to lend an ear and be there for me. If you have made it through the blog, I thank you for taking the time to read my frustrations and let me vent a little. I hadn’t meant for this blog to be too extremely negative but I felt that I needed to vent. Not only that, but it has helped demonstrate to that I have found a way out of this darkness. That, with the power of writing, my imagination, and to those who CHOOSE to surround themselves around me anything is possible. That there is a comfort in knowing I have them when I need them. A quick way to jot down my thoughts, opinions, and my feelings real quick in this short paged blog. I do promise that the next blog WILL BE more positive. Because hopefully by then, I will have two stories to go off to the editor, and I can finally relate and tell you some more information about this upcoming Wolf book that I’ve been writing for almost eight months! For those who have followed me on Facebook and Twitter, I’ve dropped a few hints there but nothing too much. I’d like to talk a bit more about characters, and familiar settings. But until then, everyone be safe and take care! Have a VERY Happy Halloween and thank you again for taking the time to read about my frustrations and feelings and not turning away!

Which Wolf Will You Feed?

Which Wolf Will You Feed?

     It has certainly been a while since I've typed a blog. According to my Blogspot here it’s been since June 30th of this year. I apologize for the lack of blog writing, as it is something to do in between writing sessions and it gives me a chance to clear my head a little bit about what I am currently writing about. For those who have been following me, or maybe you aren't quite in the loop My story about my fictional pack is almost complete. One more major obstacle and the book will be finished. I currently have another book that is waiting to go off to the editor’s. It’s a matter of getting everything put together and as of late my schedule hasn’t really allowed me to do much, and consist much of me being in a car. No worries though! It will be done this year. I’m shooting for the next release to be in the summer time of 2014. My Wolf book, I’d like to be in the winter. But we’ll see how things fall. Life has been very busy as of late. So, those who do follow me on Facebook and Twitter, I thank you for all of your support, your responses, and your conversations. Now? Onto my blog now that I’ve given a bit of an update on where everything kind of stands with book releases, and scheduling.
     What an interesting way to start a blog off right? Which Wolf Will You Feed. I’d like to clarify right up front that this has actually nothing to do with Wolves. For those who have followed me on Facebook they know how much I believe in the conservation of Wolves. But not only the Wolves, but for all of the animals really. Since I have started my writing my book I have found how important conservationism really is to everyone. It has brought on a whole new perspective for me and the world that I live in. The title of the blog is really about a Native American short story. I will have it copy and pasted and the bottom for those who are wanting to read it. But the story deals with life, and some of the challenges that come up in life. Recently, I’d have a huge trial that I was dealing with. It dealt with some personal relationships within my family that carried very deep scars. Some of which, have not completely healed over, and still remain fresh. Without giving a lot of details into the entire situation, I will say that conversation was very difficult and hard with this person. It’d gotten to a point that we had completely quit talking. Nothing was happening on either side, and this continued on for almost a month. Then? Out of the blue I received a text message from this particular person apologizing for the absence on their part and how they really wanted to meet up with me again to do lunch. At first? I didn't quite know what to do. I wanted to completely ignore the text message all together and go about my business like I had been. But, I begin to think further down the road and what the possibilities could be. Unfortunately, I lost my brother December 22, 2010. Almost three years ago, and that scar will never go away. The sudden passing had really left a lot of things unresolved between the two of us. Things that could have been said, things that should have been said, and feelings that could have been expressed. That entire situation came to mind as I stared at the text message debating on whether or not to answer it.
     Being a writer it is so easy to think up moral dilemmas and situations to put your characters into. It is completely the opposite when you are dealing with your own personal dilemmas and how exactly to handle these situations. In your novels, short stories, poems, novelettes, and series you know the outcome. The outcome that you have very specified for your character. It’s always within sight as you right. Sometimes you almost curse yourself because dealing with personal issues it’s not always that easy. I stared at the text message for a very good while, and decided I needed a second opinion. I called a very good friend of mine and told him what the situation was. My very good friend is quite the jokster. This conversation for him was the exact opposite and he brought up some good points. Points, that I had already discussed about with myself as I studied this text message that had been sent to me. Life, I have found out is all about second chances. Sometimes, it’s about three or four chances more. This is true to say not only about personal relationships, but very much about things you encounter. Whether your testing for a promotion, you are attempting to publish a book, the beauty about life is that we don’t always have to leave things at only one or two tries. Often times, it takes much more than that to really get at where we are going or where we want to end up with things. He reminded me of all these things and then brought up the real personal facts about this instance. Life can change so suddenly, and so rapidly that these instances where we get these opportunities to really take charge of our own destinies does not happen often, or in my case doesn’t seem to happen enough.
     Just like the instance with my brother, I realized that it’s important to not let these kinds of small opportunities to pass you up. That, if we continue to hold these kinds of grudges against our own family and friends, and even if it was over something small in the end? You really need to ask yourself ‘Is this problem really worth the de-railing of my friendship or relationship with this particular family member’? In this world, that is all we have is friends and family. That is why I embrace anyone and everyone that talks to me. It’s important to have friends and acquaintances. I knew what my friend was talking was straight truth and after hanging up with him, I ended up calling this family member back and we met for lunch. The result? We had completely worked out the issue that we’d been feuding on for a very long time. So, I felt that I wanted to talk with everyone who followed me on Blogspot about this issue. Opportunities like this come up, are not only a chance to help move on with these problems and get them resolved. These opportunities will also help bring closure in case you never get the chance to speak with the person again so you don’t have the guilt of what could have been said or needed to be said hanging now in limbo. I appreciate everyone who took the time to read this, and let me vent a very personal detail with the world. I hope that if you are in a similar situation like I have been. That there is nothing wrong with being the bigger person even if you are the one who instigated it, or you are the person on the receiving end. If these people matter enough to you, then in the end you will find the closure to the problem that is between you and them. The Native American story about the two wolves came to mind after I thought about it some. I've included it below for all to read. It brings up a good point, and begs to ask. Which side will you feed Light or Dark? In the end, when you leave this life how do you want to exit out. I am still in the process of attempting to write a blog about Fan-Fiction but am trying to be very careful about how I write it.

The Story of Two Wolves

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” he told the young boy, “a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil, full of anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity and false pride. The other is good, full of joy, peace, love, humility, kindness and faith.”

“This same fight is going on inside of you, grandson…and inside of every other person on this earth.”

The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asks, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”

The old man smiled and simply said,

“the one you feed.”

Goals On The Ocean Of Imagination

     I have always valued myself as a writer. Whether it be in short stories, novels, opinions, or critiques it’s always came easy for me to be able to write something on a given subject. I have been writing for a very long time. I have been writing since I was about twelve years old, went all the way through Junior High School (Middle School for some) and into High School. I’d won an award my Senior year of High School for a writing contest that I entered into, taking home third place and a cash prize. Believe it or not, I have the check in a frame still on the wall. To me, writing has never been about the money. Nor, the popularity? To me, writing has always been about being able to produce a good story that keeps people interested in with what’s going on with characters. I take critiques and enjoy hearing what others have to say about ideas. I try to keep all of my ideas somewhat within the realms of reality. An idea, that “Yeah this could happen but it hasn’t yet”. Always been about entertaining those around me with what I write. OceanView has been very popular amongst the people that I used to send it out to. OceanView, started as a story concept back in 2006. Over the course of about seven years it has grown and adapted into a collection of short stories. This will also be my first published book on the market. To me, publishing this book has been a dream come true. It’s something that I have always wanted to do, and something I have enjoyed as a hobby. Though as a writer it seems that it’s slipped away from a hobby and keeps me constantly thinking of ideas and characters.
     I had always been intimidated by the prospect of being published. Having seen some of the agents on Twitter, and how they talk about potential writers, and in a way make fun of them because of the way they submit something. To me, I think it’s those writers that keep those agents in business. We are the ones that allow them to keep their jobs! Could you imagine that if EVERY writer in the world decided to self-publish (like me) how quickly they would be looking to sign anyone that was willing to turn in a manuscript. So, again going back to the original topic it was so very intimidating to me to see these kinds of things posted. The amount of rejections that people have gotten saying their work was no good, or crap. But like anything in life, you can’t accept failure you have to prosper and keep on over the top of the negativity. Self publishing OceanView has been a very scary and exciting step for me all in the same process. It’s been exciting for me, because it’s allowed for me to branch out and meet some of my fellow writers out there. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become outlets for people to get together and exchange ideas, or promote their books. The road hasn’t been easy with having to go back and do the edits, along with having to buy a state business license (For the state that I live in), along with all of the other fun investigable things that I have had to do. But it is so very well worth it in the end. I have several other local Authors here that we’ve been talking and have been attempting to get together for a panel for our books. The stress level of trying to keep things on a deadline, and keeping everything within time constraints has been hard.
     While I want to push through these edits, and get it released to Smashwords, and start getting my books on the print and sent to me, I want to deliver a good product. Yes, I am a writer but at times my English can be a bit off. I have been trying very hard to take things easy, and take them slow. Once OceanView is released, I would rather you concentrate on the story and everything going on in it, rather than the amount of spelling errors, grammatical errors, or things that just don’t make sense because I overlooked it while I was doing my proofing. I want everyone to be happy with my first finished product. I currently have another book that is sitting with it’s copyright papers ready to be sent off to another Beta editor. However, I am going to take some time between the release of that book and OceanView, just to unwind from this huge undertaking of Self-publishing. Now, I’m not trying to convince anyone that going through an actual publisher is a bad idea, but to at least Self-Publish yourself it might work out in advantage. Some writers have been contacted about their books from publishing houses. Below, I am going to be posting a link to a video that Anne Rice posted about publishing books. Her advice, and words on how the best way to pursue things. I am so grateful for everything that has happened with me, my book, and my lovely wife as we are on the verge of this exciting point in my life. You may feel as if it is a burden, and get disheartened as you start through the processes of self-publishing but please, don’t give up! If this is truly what you want, and want to make it happen look that diversity in the face and tromp over the top of it.

Anne’s video: http://youtu.be/bw2KXX7WrOY

Shadowed Contractual Agreements

     I’ve noticed something about the muse, and I’m sure as writers everyone here has one. Sometimes, she’s a roaring lion, other times she as soft as a lamb and just as quiet. Since my injury that I received almost two weeks ago, my muse has been pretty quiet. But, at the same time I think it’s because she knows that I’ve been injured. Not a whole hell of a lot of things you can do while you’re injured especially when it deals with your wrist, as well as dealing with your shoulder. The whole typing thing becomes incredibly hard to do and since I’m left handed and not right handed (Thank God) I found that I think it would have been easier to just write things out. But even then the Muse seems to be sitting in the back of my mind with her hands up holding them up in front of her and going in an up and down motion for me to just quiet down and sit there. This startles me very much. Never, has my muse been this quiet or willing to let me do something other than rest and not work on any of my current projects. It’s been nice though, to sit and find some other things I can work on while my right shoulder is on the mend. It wasn’t till about a week ago that I was cleared to not have to wear the brace. Oh boy, you would have thought that was some kind of flare sent up in the darkness. That, like the loving Gym coach that the Muse had been before the injury had respired to life. I could almost hear her asking me ‘Oh your hands are both free? Guess that means they are good enough to pick up the electronic pen and get back to work’. But at the same time we reached a pretty subtle compromise.
     Even though I was down an arm, with limited mobility to do anything I found that I could use sticky note pads (I know, I know, things of the past right?). I used these and jotted down quite a few different story ideas. Though some of the ideas didn’t really revolve around the Wolves, and my furry friends the other ideas coming to me where just as wonderful and I am looking very forward to getting a chance to let everyone read them. As a writer it never seems like my brain ever takes a break about not exploring different possibilities. The best kind of metaphor I can give is like a bank thief attempting to rob a bank. He decided one day, on a whim to just walk into a random bank and rob it. After getting back to the safe (Using the old pointer finger in the coat routine might I add) he simply stairs at this big metal monster. These metal monsters that is so large, and so in charge that he now realizes that he’s in over his head. Then his best method of trying to crack this safe is to use the old vintage idea, the one thing that never fails, and you can always get the safe cracked! Insert heavy gasp of breath with the finger in the air here folks. Listening to the internal gears of the safe. My mind feels like that all of the time. I’m constantly attempting different combinations of things from ideas that I already have. For instance, I could match up characters fine, setting fine, the plot is the thickest thing to try and weave after that point. Sometimes, I take away from the plot to make it a little less dense, a little less complicated, and overall a little more fun for the reader. But on the other hand, sometimes I find I add plot, I add complication, twists, suspense even when it’s not needed to keep the reader guessing the whole way through. I know the rush I get when I have watched TV shows or movies and a twist and turn in plot is presented I find myself going ‘Whoa! That’s cool’ right along with the folks.
     The one thing that the Muse and I can come to fully agree on, and this is where the title of the blog fits in. We find it mutually wonderful when we go on car trips. It could be thirty minutes from here? It could be six days from here it doesn’t matter. I asked my wife tonight about this, curious if it was because maybe the change of scenery was better? Or if it’s just for the simple fact where we went today was also where I grew up, born and raised. But with that said as well I find that if I go higher up into the mountains, less populated places, lakes, camping, any of that kind of thing the Muse and I get along wonderfully. She breaks out of the Gym teacher mode and instantly wants to become my friend and confidant! Anyone else have this kind of an issue when it comes to writing? Maybe it’s the fresh air and the change of scenery that helps shake off the cobwebs of the same day to day same ole, same ole writing room. I’ve got a lot of family up in the mountains, maybe what I need to do one of these days is just pack it up and spend some time in the mountains for a week and just settle in and do some writing there. It’s worth a shot. What do you do to help enhance the creativity to write? Or, is it one of those things that you have to be in the mood to do so; and does it have to be more centrally located to you as to what the setting in the book is (I.E. Big City, Cattle Ranch, etc.) Please feel free to comment below in the comments and share with the rest!

Writer's That Double As Gamers!

     So, today after I’d posted about Diablo III and that I was an avid gamer, I felt compelled to go ahead and write a blog about it. Now, that I can actually type again. The injury had me cornered for about a week, including doing the edits to my book and writing on the newest venture I’d taken on with my Wolf. It feels good to be back in the saddle again and back at the writer’s desk. I don’t think I could have taken it much longer. I’ve scaled all of the wonderful walls in my house; I was running out of room. If I’m going to be scaling any kind of mountains it’s going to be out in the wilderness with my characters; not within the confines of my own house. While I was down and out, I found myself turning more towards the huge stack of games that I have for the Computer as well as some of what most people call the ‘Next Generation’ consoles (XBOX360, Wii, Etc.) to help pass the slow ticking time. I’ve always been a bit of a gamer but with my busy schedule I’ve always found it very hard to sit down and actually get anywhere in any of the games. But because of my injury I was not allowed to move said limb and to keep it immobilized, hence came fourth my ‘clicking finger’ of destiny. That not only helped with figuring out taxes, building new cities, and keeping the evil Trash monsters away in Sim City that knocked down almost my entire town. But to the more recent of keeping Demons’ at bay and killing there warlords with ease in Diablo III in which, I noticed a little bit of a pattern.
     As writers, are we drawn more towards a particular genre that we either write about? Or we are spellbound by? Personally I’ve always liked Survival Horror, good mysteries, and a paranormal twist on most on modern day twists. This, ironically said is typically the genre that I write. One of the other games that I picked up from my collection that I hadn’t played in several decades (Or at least how it feels) is the game LA NOIRE which takes place in The late nineteen forties of Los Angeles, California. It’s a great Detective game dealing with having to determine on whether or not people are lying to you based on their facial expressions, body movements, and overall statements. Constantly reviewing the evidence you collect at each crime scene and going from there. Those kinds of games enthrall me, I like a good mystery but I also like a game that makes you think, and not just blindly kill your opponents. But with all of that said, a good game can have glitz, it can have glamour, it can have the critics ranting and raving about a ‘Game of the year’ potential but for me, if the story isn’t good, character development sucks, and things aren’t fluid then I’m probably not going to be able to finish it. But, I think that goes back to being a writer, things need to make sense for me and have a good pace going through things. Stories, which go too fast or leave too much out and then reveal it at the end, annoy me. What are your thoughts on today’s’ games? Too much blood? Too much Gore? Not enough story? Not kid friendly enough? All reasons and complaints I’ve heard about why people have shied away from the current systems out there.
     Myself? I have my opinions on the matter and the gaming market, but am very specific on what I say. Again, if a game can present a decent story to me, it can keep my interest, it can make me think, and reward me in the right direction then I’ll give it a thumbs up. However, I’ve never been big on the games where it’s straight through killing. Again, being injured and not being able to physically type, and do edits on a final draft, and work on a rough draft of a new story makes it incredibly hard. I again, found my inner gamer and embraced him fully. Anyone else out there gamers? What types of games do you enjoy? Are they from the old school? (NES, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, etc.?) Or do you prefer the newer modern consoles? Or, are you a computer gamer? I know this blog is a little far off from writing, but it’s a topic that I wanted to cover because I’m sure a few of you were shocked out there. But I feel that we are all writers’ here. We are all friends (I consider you all my friends), and I feel that we should be able to kick our feet up once in a great while and be able to have some fun doing some gaming online. I posted my tags earlier today for my games, but if you are looking to join me on Diablo III, or Sim City and you lost it the first time, I will include them down here at the bottom of the blog. Again, I apologize for the lack of logs the last few weeks. It has been very busy with things as the weather improves, weddings pop up, and friends’ children are being born. In the word of writers’ some days it just pays to not have any kind of a schedule am I right? Heh, Good day everyone!


Sim City ID:
XxRogueWoifXX

Diablo III ID:
RayvenScript#1964