Blog Archives

Three Short Sci-fi Films

2/27/2013

Seeing Hollywood is mostly failing us with its groupthink, its entertainment by committee, and its imperative to please the widest general audience, it's a good thing that the technology is arising for independent filmmakers to produce some seriously interesting sci-fi films of their own.

R'ha, is a short film by animator Kaleb Lechowski, produced as a university project.

R´ha [short movie] from Kaleb Lechowski on Vimeo.

The Seed.

Set in the year 2071, where technology has brought mankind to the brink of colonization on a planet named Gaia, one astronaut takes on an isolated mission and discovers unearthly horrors that could bring an end to human life on this planet.

Of the three videos, I like C: 299,792 the most. It has an air of 1980s sci-fi sensibilities about it. The synth music is as important to the film as the acting. It's well conceived. It has style.

C (299,792 km/s) from Seaquark Films on Vimeo.

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Track Changes

2/26/2013

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As I do editing for other people, and use Track Changes, I was curious as to what my own piece would look like after a polite revisitation. Result: I could probably turn off the light and bask in its glow.

My choice of red lighting or green.

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Saturday Showcase

2/24/2013

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Lately I've been privileged to be in the company of some fine quality writers, a few of whom I'll be happy to showcase on weekends. Enjoy.

Claiming Moon
John Peters

People are dying in Southwest Virginia, their bodies ripped open, a vital organ missing.

Clearwater Police Detective Frank Taliaferro has served in larger departments, advised the FBI, even worked international cases for The United Nations, but now he’s back where his career began, in the small town of Clearwater, Virginia. And he’s never seen anything like these killings.

Frank finds himself forced to participate in a charity bachelor auction as a public relations move for the police department.

Cassandra Kincaid, a rising star at the Daily Dispatch who has her sights set on moving to one of the larger dailies – New York, Washington, maybe Los Angeles – is forced into participating in the auction as a bidder so she can write a feature piece on the whole process.

Although she is none-too-fond of police, Cassandra ends up winning a date with Frank. Surprisingly, she finds the detective charming, definitely attractive, and enjoys their evening together until the date is interrupted by a gruesome murder.

That’s when things get complicated. The two find themselves drawn together in an uneasy yet passionate relationship while they both race to uncover what is behind a series of macabre murders.

Cassandra’s probing also uncovers a dark secret from Frank’s past, one that drives a wedge of mistrust between them, yet Cassandra finds she can’t get the detective out of her mind.

In the end her feelings for Frank may not matter because the two find themselves in a deadly face-off with the killer. Only then do they learn there is an ancient evil behind the grisly murders, but that discovery may be too late to save either of them.

"This book is well written and fun. I giggled more times than I can remember!"

Biography

John Peters is the author of the novel CLAMING MOON as well as the short horror tale WARREN HOUSE (which reached #2 on Amazon's supernatural horror list), the short horror collection HOLIDAY HORROR (top 50 on Amazon's Hot 100 New Releases), and a half dozen other horror tales available on Amazon.com.

His fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including the Stoker-nominated anthology series The Horror Library (volumes 1 and 3); Night Terrors 2; the Australian magazine Midnight Echo; the British publication Spinetinglers; the Canadian magazine Dark Recesses; and a host of other markets.

In addition to writing fiction. John works full-time as a daily newspaper editor. He, his wife, and their five children live in the mountains of Southwest Virginia.

You can follow John at http://johnpeters2.blogspot.com/ or at https://www.facebook.com/johnpeterswriter

A Shot in the Bark: A Dog Park Mystery
Carol Ann Newsome

Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn’t, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park. But a violent death brings Detective Peter Dourson into the close-knit group, and he is convinced someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers secrets, Lia struggles to cope with warring emotions and a killer watches.

“ Well thought out plot and realistic characters I could identify and care about. ” B. Sharrock  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The mystery truly will keep you guessing right up to the end, and my favorite part was getting inside the killer's head. ” Sharon Delarose  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement

“ I began reading this book one evening and could not put it down until I finished it. ” earformusic  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement

Biography

I was never supposed to be an author. My brother is the writer in the family (and I'm convinced that someday we'll find a backlog of brilliant manuscripts that he has hidden away over the past several decades) I'm the painter and have spent my life doing odd projects, such as the New Leaf Project, wherein I painted more than 4,000 paintings on wood blocks that have been scattered all over the globe (including Antarctica) for people to find and adopt. (if you're interested, check it out here http://www.newleaf.carolannnewsome.com/)I also like doing collaborative murals with small communities, the most recent of which has been a dragon living under a pedestrian overpass.

In 2001, I suffered a head injury from being struck by a car while riding my bike. Head injuries are funny things, hard to predict what you'll experience, and not much you can do about it except take care of yourself and find a way to pass the time during those periods when you can't function. For several years I spent a lot of time reading popular fiction, often the same books over and over, while hanging out with my dogs. (To this day I am a huge Harry Potter fan because those were the first new books I could read, 5 months after my accident.)

I wrote the first draft of "A Shot in the Bark" longhand during my horizontal episodes. I discovered that it's fun to commit mayhem on paper. I like to write stuff that is fun and scary and romantic, and oh, it has to have dogs. I expect Lia and Peter to have more adventures with their furry children. My only goal is to bring you pleasure. At the end of the day, if I've managed to entertain you, I'm happy.

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To This Day Project

2/20/2013

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There's lots of 'anti-bullying' ads out there, but this is not really what this is. This is a spoken word poem by a survivor, and rather moving. To This Day by Shane Koyczan.

The original video and home page may be found HERE.

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Not Your Average Writing Advice

2/18/2013

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It's usually a good idea to pander to your strengths in whatever you do. And I feel that, as a writer AND an editor, I have some pretty cogent things to say about how to get things done with writing. I see the same kinds of mistakes all the time.

Like ya, know. Whatever.

So I made this:

Of course, if I'm trying to help out with site traffic, who's this for: other writers, the very people to whom I already have a surfeit of access. Go on my twitter account and they're always there, yelling at me to take their free books and then never read them so they can feel good about meaningless numbers on their Amazon pages.

Still. I like it. And because I'm like a four year old who always wants to show you what he's made, even if it's a mud pie that he wants you to eat, here it is: I made this.

Take my mud pie, internet. Take my filthy mud pie and you like it.

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Saturday Showcase

2/16/2013

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Lately I've been privileged to be in the company of some fine quality writers, a few of whom I'll be happy to showcase on weekends. Enjoy.

Not A Whisper
Donna B. McNicol

When Cherie Marshall catches her fiancé and best friend in a compromising position, she cancels her upcoming wedding and jumps at the chance to escape to quiet Klondike, Pennsylvania to care for her elderly aunt. She thought her biggest issue would be adapting to life in the middle of a National Forest, so very different from her upbringing in the deserts of Arizona.

But that was before she met State Trooper Fire Marshall Jamison "Jazz" Maddox at the scene of a mysterious fire. As they both become acquainted with the close-knit Klondike residents, things get complicated as Cherie and Jazz find themselves in the middle of a local crime wave where arson, kidnapping, embezzlement and a decades old murder are just the tip of the iceberg.

Be sure get your free copy of the Klondike Kompanion from the author's website and read the "Meet the Characters" interviews.

"If you like mysteries set in small towns, with all of their quirky characters and secrets, you'll like Not A Whisper. "

"It is fast paced, has twists and turns and a little romance thrown in for seasoning."

Biography

Donna B. McNicol retired after 30+ years in the IT industry. In 1996 she started moonlighting in freelance writing; she spent the next ten years writing for such online sites as The Mining Company, Suite101, BellaOnline and About.com.

In 2005, a year into widowhood, she decided to ride the 48 continental US states on her Harley-Davidson motorcycle, solo. She managed to ride through 42 states, covering over 27,000 miles. In 2006 she decided to try her hand in the world of blogging. She now maintains several blogs on varying topics including her writing and an upcoming two month motorcycle ride via Route 66.

Donna currently lives and travels full-time with her husband, Stu, and their pup, Sadie, along with their two Harley-Davidson motorcycles in a 41' fifth wheel toy hauler trailer pulled by their medium duty Freightliner.

The Following
Dale Roberts

When eager, young journalists Tyson Palmer interviews the occupant of a torched building, a reputed lunatic who blames the blaze on a cult with ties to terrorism, Tyson believes he might have just found the story that will launch his career. Only thing is, he has nothing to go on but the ramblings of a paranoid conspiracy theorist .
Much to the chagrin of his mother and his best friend, Tyson decides to infiltrate the group and get the story from the inside.

Armed with his formidable denial of vulnerability, and as much information as he can find on the group, Tyson slips in undetected, or so he thinks. He plays the part to perfection, becoming one of them, until he encounters the one thing he hadn't counted on; Krista.

As this beautiful, intriguing woman woos him into dropping his guard, he falls deeper and deeper the under the control of a charismatic leader with a dark political agenda. By the time Tyson learns the truth, he knows too much to ever be allowed to walk away.

“ I felt sort of unhinged as I tried to figure out what was real and who were the good guys/bad guys. ” LM

“ I look forward to more books by Dale Roberts, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. ” Nick Russell | 1 reviewer made a similar statement

“ The details, the characters, the dialogue, the plot, they are all well drawn. ”

Biography

In the past 22 years I have been a firefighter/paramedic, flight paramedic, police officer and ER nurse. I thought I had seen everything imaginable until my wife asked a "what if" question.

I pondered it for a while and decided the idea would make a great book. IRREFUTABLE was my first novel.
Many thanks to my readers who have made this dream a reality.

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Saturday Showcase

2/10/2013

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Lately I've been privileged to be in the company of some fine quality writers, a few of whom I'll be happy to showcase on weekends. Enjoy.

The Journals of Jacob and Hyde
Randal Morris

The first in the Jehovah and Hades series.

Jake was just a normal kid who enjoyed hearing his mother's bedtime stories. The stories became shockingly real when he discovered that he was a descendant of Dr. Jekyll and that he had his own Mr. Hyde living inside him. Driven by a desire to do good, he attempts to hunt down and kill the remaining Hyde monsters. Can he finish off the onslaught of Hyde monsters and keep the girl he loves safe from their retaliation?

"Has all the technology and adventure I like in a short story/novel."

Randall Morris

I was born very close to Death Valley in California, but I grew up in Seattle, WA. I've loved reading and writing since I was a little kid and it's what helped me choose to pursue a bachelors degree in history. I've worked for Best Buy / Geek Squad for the past five years. I served as a missionary for two years in the Philippines and I speak Tagalog fluently. I love to travel and I tend to incorporate places that I've been and experiences that I've had into my writing. I plan on publishing short stories and history articles.

SODIUM: 1 Harbinger
Stephen Arseneault

Before an invasion it is wise to gather intel on your foe. Harbinger begins the tale of the fight to save Earth as told from the perspective of an unlikely hero...

In 1957, a group of wilderness adventurers are confronted with the unexpected. They are forced to defend themselves against an unworldly enemy. Will man's first encounter with aliens force them to run or will they stand and fight? This is the first thriller in the SODIUM series. Follow along as the unwitting group determine their own fate.

“ I found this book to be a fun read. ” RadRob  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement

“ This was a very original story that had an unpredictable plot. ” Bruce N Humphrey  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The writing was direct and clear without a lot of frivolous details. ” Tom G  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement

Stephen Arseneault

I took up writing in 2011 for fun and have since been hooked. Self publishing is a blast. Aside from eBooks my writings are also available in print from my web site http://www.arsenex.com. If you are so inclined, I enjoy feedback. Please send any comments to comments@arsenex.com. If you choose to read any of my works I sincerely hope you enjoy them. If so, please come back and leave a review!

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Question: Why? Answer: Cave Man

2/5/2013

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They're out there.

Picture this if you will. A chilling scenario which reads like a Choose Your Own Adventure Book:

You're seated at a fire with as many as eight or nine other people. You're scared, you're restless, you're tired. At your feet, and within easy reach, each of you has a weapon: sticks with crudely-hafted stone blades, or sharp hand-axes with serrated edges.

Behind you, beyond the furthest reaches of the light, monsters slide through the darkness. Picture fangs the length of your fingers, claws like knives; they're as quick as regret and as quiet as cold. Only the fire keeps them from dashing in and snatching you away at will. You try to forget they're there and enjoy yourself, but sometimes you catch brief glimpses of oval eyes glittering in the light.

To find out your fate, turn 600,000 pages to the future.

The people in this scenario didn't really have much of a choice, because this isn't fiction, this is history. This is the beginning of culture, the beginning of what makes us human. This is page one, the beginning of you.

Our ancestors gathered around campfires like these nightly, while real monsters watched. Back then, claws and fangs didn't fear us like they do today. We were soft and slow and blind at night. So why should they?

The other day I was asked to give a quick blurb about stories. Stories: what are they? Having degrees in English and Anthropology, I'm always like that guy who only has a hammer: to him, everything looks like a nail -- ask me a question and all my answers come back 'caveman.'

(Okay, not 'cave man,' that's an outdated and always-has-been inaccurate term, but you know what I mean.)

Because, hey, the answers for most questions do involve cavemen if you wish to be properly thorough. So what if 600,000 years have passed since the campfire. Inside we're still the same. Except now we have more stuff.

I need to use this more often.

We have our scenario. Campfire. Monsters. Weapons. Now add: Stories.

While we were making all our great stuff, concurrently we were sculpting ourselves through our stories, and this process began in the safety and comfort of the flickering firelight, the birthplace of all culture.

Because any of the people sitting there in the light who didn't physically have the propensity for storytelling, or for listening to stories, probably wouldn't be your neighbor, or anyone's neighbor, much longer.

Scenario within the scenario: Bob the Caveman was out that day and ran into a spot of trouble. In fact Bob was attacked by a gyro-slug, the huge imaginary prehistoric slug the size of a bear. Ferocious, were gyro-slugs, famous for having two spinning antennae atop their heads which they would use to commit acts of unparalleled aerial predation upon poor bipedalists stuck to the ground by their feet.

Page one is a strange and scary place.

Normally, meeting a gyro-slug would mean certain death for poor Bob, but this day Bob evades its first assault, the slug crashes to the ground, and quite by sheer dumb luck, lands near the salt lick which Bob had been quarrying, and melts with many unpleasant raspberry noises into a pile of gyro-slug mush.

Bob is ecstatic, and fortunately for everybody around the fire, Bob is a good storyteller. He arranges his thoughts about the incident in an orderly and rational fashion, using compelling details about the event, and is skillful at providing emotional cues about how he felt at the time to which his audience can relate. Finally, he brings the tale to a satisfying crescendo. Everybody sighs. Denouement. Good ol' Bob. What would we do without him. For a few moments, the monsters sliding through the darkness are forgotten.

Here's where I need another graphic: WHERE I ACTUALLY REALLY, REALLY COME TO A POINT.

Instead I'll creep you out with this. Aptly creepy.

REALLY. FOR TRUE.

Half the people around the campfire don't have the physical propensity for storytelling, or for the rational organization of information that Bob possesses. But just for the sake of simplifying a ridiculous scenario, let's say that one of them is very, very poor at it, even while being wonderfully bright in every other respect. From Bob's story he fails to take away -- with any serious retention -- the location of where Bob was attacked, where Bob found salt, or how he evaded certain death. The rest of the group begins carrying salt with them wherever they go. When attacked by gyro-slugs in the future, suddenly they are the victors, until the terrible squishy predators learn to fear humans.

But not before they fall upon our hapless outlier -- saltless -- and lacking the genetic predisposition for storytelling, removing him from the gene pool.

This example is a bit extreme, of course -- Gyro Slugs were only two-thirds the size of what I've described -- but, in essence, the propensity for storytelling allows for the greater diffusion and retention of facts and ideas. Those with the best ideas and communication skills were the best suited to survive and pass on their life-saving storytelling acuity to successive generations.

Especially since what our unlucky outlier lacked most from that fireside meeting was the sense of growing closeness and comaraderie with the rest of the band, the buddings of cultural identity, without which, we could hardly call ourselves human.

And if you question in your mind whether unconscious keys like this really could have been passed down through the ages, ask yourself why people have an intrinsic fear of the dark, or why so many find fire so immediately comforting.

A mere 600,000 pages later, we still crave stories that involve danger, triumph, and reward, even though we no longer have to face these things on a daily basis. Now we crave them because we love them.

So, tonight, as I Lord of the Rings myself to sleep, I'll take a moment to remember page one and my predecessors who listened.

And I'll remember to bring a small bit of salt in my pockets tomorrow when I go to the store.

Just in case.

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Biggest Ice Calving Ever Captured on Video

2/5/2013

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I know this is not about writing, but it's incredible and majestic. If I say it's 'awesome' I'd probably be the first human to use the word correctly in years. Seeing a video like this one makes me just want to spin around in my wheelie chair and march outside to simply look at ... everything.

Taken from this blog. Worth the read.

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Saturday Showcase

2/2/2013

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Lately I've been privileged to be in the company of some fine quality writers, a few of whom I'll be happy to showcase on weekends. Enjoy.

Prior Earth
Scott Langrel

Part one of a serialized novel. 13,000 words.

What if everything you thought you knew about your home, your friends, your family--even yourself--was a lie?

A storm of change is coming to the planet Earth, and no one will escape it. Many will perish, unable to accept the total reshaping of reality as we know it. In the aftermath that follows, a handful of ragtag heroes must adapt to this strange, new world and begin a quest to save the Earth's remaining inhabitants from total annihilation.

Combining elements of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, PriorEarth takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through a world that is alien yet familiar at the same time.

"PriorEarth Book One starts out with my kind of fantasy, magic of old, and hints of times long forgotten."

"...the author's style of storytelling drew me in and made me want to read the entire story; as he is working with an intriguing twist on the genre."

I was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, a town nestled in the mountains of Appalachia. Which, by the way, is pronounced "apple-atcha", not "a-puh-lay-shua". My favorite TV shows as a kid were "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and "Night Gallery" with Rod Serling. I was also drawn to books with larger-than-life heroes such as Doc Savage and Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane. I was (and still am) a big X-files fan, along with Lost, Supernatural, and The Walking Dead.
I prefer horror and thrillers where there is a real, supernatural villain as opposed to psychological horror, and I try to incorporate such characters into my stories.

Covert Dreams
Michael Meyer

THIS INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED SUSPENSE THRILLER by Michael Meyer has been compared to Robert Ludlum's Bourne series, and the writing style has been compared to that of Dean Koontz.

Imagine waking up remembering intimate details about a country in which you have never traveled and fluently speaking a language that you have never spoken. B.J. is living the ideal life. He has a great wife, a wonderful job. And yet he is experiencing life-like vivid dreams of Munich, a city he has never visited.

Stan Halsey is a professor in Saudi Arabia, who sends for his wife to join him. She arrives, and, in the blink of an eye, she vanishes, leaving no trace of ever being alive in either the United States or in Saudi Arabia.

COVERT DREAMS is a fast-paced international suspense thriller that moves from Munich to the burning sands of Saudi Arabia. What is real, and who is responsible for the terrifying nightmare?

“ I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery and suspense. ” Janet | 12 reviewers made a similar statement

“ This story will not disappoint as it sucks you right into these lives from page one and doesn't let go until the last page is turned. ” D. Everetti | 10 reviewers made a similar statement

RETIRED ENGLISH PROFESSOR WRITES FICTION - mysteries, thrillers, and humorous fiction

I have resided in and have visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to my own published writing. I have literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. I have lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia (where COVERT DREAMS is set), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (where DEADLY EYES is set). I gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left me. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as I have aged. I try to travel internationally at least once a year. In the interim, I spend lots of time traveling around both my home state of California and other nearby states.

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L.S. Burton

Farewell, third person bio.

Lee Burton doesn't have cats or kids, but he does have a lot of books, a couple of mugs he thinks are really fantastic, and a good pair of shoes which haven't fallen apart yet despite his best efforts to murder them with kilometers.

Burton has written almost six books. Almost six as some are still scantily clad in their respective drawers. Each of them had their own goals and were written differently, and he is very fond of them all -- except perhaps for his first attempt at a novel, which remains a travesty. That one he keeps locked in a dark basement and feeds it fish heads.

In 2011, Burton won the Percy Janes Award for Best Unpublished First Novel in the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Competition for his novel Raw Flesh in the Rising.

And just recently, in the fall of 2013, Burton published his first science-fiction novel, THIS LAND, about which he boasts constantly.