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Author Interview with Jeremy Hicks

7/30/2017

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Meet author Jeremy Hicks. If you already know of Jeremy Hicks you are one of the very luck readers. Mr. Hicks can often be seen at local conventions in the Alabama and Tennessee areas, and he is always willing to chat with fans. So without further blathering by me, meet Mr. Jeremy Hicks.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you write.

I’ve always told or written stories, as long as I can remember anyway. I read histories, myths, legends, and various types of fiction to fuel my creative fire. As a result, I have so many influences that different styles of scenes and stories pop up in my head all day long. Some of these make it onto paper. Even fewer of them turn into full blown storylines that I complete. I used to write simply for pleasure and to see how a plotline played out on paper. A few years ago, I decided to turn to professional writing to supplement my income. After a series of debilitating injuries coupled with degenerative conditions, I am trying to pay all my bills and raise a child with my writing.
 
What is the first book that made you think about writing?
As far as the first book that made me consider writing as a profession, I would say it was actually Stephen King’s Danse Macabre. After reading this book on the horror genre and its variations and trends in different forms of media, I thought seriously about writing, though even then my tendencies favored short stories and scripted ideas. Honestly, I wanted to write scripts for the small and big screen and use the short stories to develop those ideas. I didn’t really want to do anything as tedious and long-term as devote myself to a novel. Now, I’m editing my third and longest creative work to date. Also, the first one written solo.
 
Tell us a little bit about your books.
My co-author and I have two novels, part of the Cycle of Ages Saga, which actually started out as feature-length screenplays. They’re fast-paced, character-driven story lines that introduce our dark fantasy world of Faltyr and draw our audience into the main plot line while having story arcs for the other characters. We created a sandbox-style world big enough for all our ideas, one that would allow us to explore creative twists on common fantasy and horror tropes, plot lines, character archetypes, creatures, etc.

Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers
is the initial novelization of our first screenplay, and it introduces us to Kaladimus Dor (The Master-of-Disaster), a dangerous wizard on his way home from a secret mission when he shipwrecks himself and others on an island full of ravenous living and undead residents. He is largely the plot catalyst and primary point-of-view character. Finders Keepers refers to the guild of mercenaries and adventurers who ally themselves with Dor to try and escape from the island.

The sequel, CoAS: Sands of Sorrow, continues the adventures of Kaladimus Dor and Finders Keepers months after their island escapade. It chronicles their accidental and disastrous entry into Faltyr’s Blood War, resulting in an arduous race across a haunted and twisted desert to save thousands of elves doomed to die in a concentration camp created by the Kingdom of Oparre.

I’m editing the third novel now, the first one with just my name on the byline. CoAS: Delve Deep is about three times longer than Finders Keepers and really dives into the main story line, develops the main characters further, and explores more of the weird, wild world of faraway Faltyr in the process. We’re planning two to three more novels to wrap up the Cycle of Ages Saga. But I already have a short story and novelette published in anthologies that connect to this storyline. We have more planned and a few written. So Faltyr will only continue to evolve and expand as a franchise.
 
How do you select the names of your characters?
Hmm…depends on the genre, culture/ethnicity of the character, and their personality or attributes. You try to find a name that fits. Sometimes, the name comes first, though. Then the character writes itself. For the Cycle of Ages Saga, some of the names are derived from previous D&D campaigns Barry or I ran for various groups over the years. For example, much of the character and place names associated with Moor’Dru, Oparre, and the Crimson Phoenix came from Barry’s campaigns, whereas the Unen’ek elves and most of the actual cultures, and their fictional empires, on the continent of Ny come from mine. Many of the names have been changed at one point for one reason or another. Kaladimus Dor started out as Doore, but people kept calling him Door-E, which would not do.
 
What was your hardest scene to write?
Technically, the Battles of Delve Deep in the most recent novels were pretty difficult. There’s also a scene involving a dam that was challenging. I hope I have my research right on that one. If not, I expect to hear back about it from readers. Emotionally, the last two chapters of Cycle of Ages Saga: Sands of Sorrow were the toughest. They came to me in a dream two years after the completion of the initial rough draft and almost wrote themselves. The new editing was much rougher and harsher, but with an awful beauty to it. They left me in tears. Still do when I read them.
 
Why do you write the genres you do?
I tend to write horror, fantasy, or steampunk, but I want to try my hand at space opera, too. If you’ll notice, these are all genres that fall under the broad heading of speculative fiction. My writing tends to lend itself to something speculative regardless of what tropes and settings are used to tell a story. I research, but I am not an expert in every field. And it is not as easy as some authors make it sound to find subject matter experts willing to gab and gab about a particular plot point. Therefore, I’d rather avoid hard science fiction, medical thrillers, and murder mysteries for this very reason.
 
Since you write so many genres, do you have a favorite genre and why or why not?
Honestly, I prefer to write horror. My mind was fed with too many horror movies, history books, and revealing documentaries, so it bends toward dark, depressing, and grim topics and situations. That was why I wanted a dark fantasy bent to Faltyr and our fantasy tales associated with it.
 
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Despite some bad experiences with traditional publishing, it led me to a career as a professional writer. None of that would have been possible without the ticket I purchased for Imagicon several years ago. That’s where I met another writer friend, M.B. Weston, who recommended the person who eventually published our Cycle of Ages Saga: Finders Keepers. That’s why she was named in the dedication for the first printing of that novel.
 
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
That’s an extensive list, and while I’d rather not drop names, I will credit those author friends who have helped me edit, promote, and even handle cover design and interior formatting for our novels.
Alan Lewis has been a big influence. He has edited short stories and longer works for me and handled interior formatting for our second novel. Alan is also a talented graphic designer who has worked on the cover layout and design for the new editions of our novels.

Kim Richardson and A.J. Johnson are other author friends who have worked as editors on our novels, and the late Logan Masterson was a close friend and a good critical editor for several of my stories. M.M. Schill has helped beta read stories for me, including Delve Deep, where she provided valuable input to help shape the story arcs for certain characters.

There are dozens of others I chat with on social media, hang with at conventions, and discuss or debate everything from movies and books to politics and religions online and in person. Besides the enthusiastic, supportive readers, these author friends have helped me keep going during bouts of sickness and depression and even anger at continued failures and impending financial doom.

Last but not least, I have to mention Barry Hayes, my long-time friend and co-author, who agreed to combine our creative ideas and work on the development and writing for the first two Cycle of Ages Saga novels and a total of four feature-length screenplays. Without his involvement, we would not have achieved our dreams of becoming published writers and small business owners. With his renewed involvement, perhaps we’ll meet with more critical success and find that oft elusive profitability zone.
 
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It’s really the editing process that transforms you as a writer, if you’re learning from your previous mistakes. Heavy repeated edits before publication helps trim and clean the manuscript, shaping it into a better, more refined version of the story you want to tell. You also learn your common mistakes (grammatically-speaking), stylistic tips and uncommon grammar rules (if the editor is worth their salt), and how to avoid those mistakes in the future.

As far as the publishing process, our first novel was published traditionally. It involved a long wait (that drained us financially as we were travelling to cons to promote our upcoming release and paying for the creation of promotional merchandise and swag for potential buyers) for a lackluster cover on a book delivered literally weeks before we were due at a huge literary event. By that time, the second novel was almost complete, but we wait two more years before deciding to pull it from the publisher and publish it on our own.

During that period, I found my writing heavily impacted the inability of our first novel to find sustainable sales; the inaction of our publisher on the sequel; and the mounting expenses of promoting online with little success and paying to attend conventions (our major source of sales). Dealing with another publisher for our Faltyr short stories involved an extensive wait as well, and recently ended with the rights reverting to us (without another of them even being published). This experience motivated me to do more with self-publishing with our own company rather than deal with small-time publishers who are largely wasting people’s time and driving writers to write less, not more. We do have our sticks in the first with a big house, but only we chose to approach them after hearing that they treat their writers well, prompting us to create more and wait less.
 
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
The initial ideas and planning/plotting phases energize me, and the writing and editing phases exhaust me. I find the marketing and promotional phases soul-crushing, financially-draining, and often depressing. That’s truly the worst part.
 
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
For us, it was unscrupulous agents and back-end vanity presses that technically qualify as small-to-midlist publishers because all the costs incurred by the authors are on the back-end, when you have to buy your own books to sell, book your own cons and book-signings, manage every aspect of promotions, and pay for all the marketing costs, while taking home a small percentage as a royalty.

If you plan on having co-writers or illustrators, put everything in writing, have a lawyer look over it, and pay a notary to file it. Then establish yourself as a business, obtain an FEIN, and then keep track of expenses. I think most writers fail to write off their expenses to cover their tax burden on their business expenses. This is the only way to soften the blow of marketing, promotion, and travel expenses for conventions, book signings, and literary events. Treat yourself, or your writing organization, as a business and act like a business, but a legitimate one. Also, don’t spam people to market your book and don’t engage in so-called shotgun marketing to reach agents or managers. It’s expensive, annoying, and those who respond are usually looking to take advantage of new writers. One more thing, build an online presence and platform and start building an email subscriber list before your book is done. We wanted to wait until we had a finished product, so we were “real” writers, not aspiring ones. That’s a mistake. If you don’t market and engage on social media and build a readership, you will have no one to launch your book to, unless you happen to have several years to wait on a traditional publisher to take notice, consider your book, and let you know if they want it or not. Then several more years to wait while it is edited, promoted, and then released.
 
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
Yes, and some of it is intentional. I try to avoid similar books from the same genre as something I am writing or planning to write. I read those in between projects or while working on another genre. And sometimes part of writer’s block is reader’s block. Often you get to the point where you are simply tired of re-reading and editing what you’re writing. Lay it aside for a bit and then come back to it. You’ll be surprised what errors and awkward phrases you will be able to eliminate after some time away from a piece you’re writing or have written.
 
Do you Google yourself?
I don’t Google myself as much as posts involving me, my co-writer, or our creative works. I do that to check and see where we (or those specific posts) fall in various keyword searches. I advise doing that to make sure your posts, interviews, reviews, etc. are showing up on the first search page for each search engine.
 
What question do you wish I had asked and what is the answer to that question?
I would have liked you to ask, ‘What book do I think should be required reading for students?’ My answer would be Mark Twain’s War Prayer. If you’ve never read it, read it. Then you’ll know why.
 
Mr. Hicks has two stories coming out it the anthology Chronicles of Mirthstone.
 
Mr. Hicks can be found on Facebook and at jjeremyhicks.com
 
His books can be found at cycleofagesaga.com and on several websites (Amazon and Barnes and Noble)
 
Feel free to ask Mr. Hicks any further questions you might have.

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Movie Review - WISH UPON

7/24/2017

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Taken from the Rotten Tomatoes website here is the plot summary of the movie WISH UPON:

In the latest horror thriller from the director of ANNABELLE, 17-year-old Claire Shannon (Joey King) is barely surviving the hell that is high school, along with her friends Meredith (Sydney Park) and June (Shannon Purser). So when her dad (Ryan Phillippe) gifts her an old music box with an inscription that promises to grant the owner's wishes, she thinks there is nothing to lose. Clare makes her first wish and, to her surprise, it comes true. Before long, she finally has it all: money, popularity and her dream boy. Everything seems perfect - until the people closest to her begin dying in gruesome and twisted ways. Now, with blood on her hands, Clare has to get rid of the box, before it costs her and everyone she loves the ultimate price. Be careful what you wish for.

This movie is a totally unoriginal idea and seems to follow in the footsteps of POSSESSION, FINAL DESTINATION, and WISH MASTER. I was hoping this would bring new and interesting things to the genre, but it almost seems as if people have given up on making original horror movies in exchange for movies full of jump scares, kills that have been done to death, and characters who get stupider as the movie goes on.

Why would you continue to make wishes through a box if those you love die? Plus, this movie makes the main character, Claire, seem like a complete idiot. She isn't a total loser and high school isn't exactly hell for her. She has a couple of really good friends and she has at least one boy who really wants to date her, yet they want the audience to believe that her life is a total hell. I'm sorry but it isn't. A real hell in high school is someone who is beaten up every day, someone who comes from an abusive household, someone who is bullied constantly and doesn't have any good friends. Claire has more than some students get, plus she has a father who loves her more than life itself.

The backstory on the box is lacking, and yet at the same time it feels as if there was more information about the box than there was about Claire and her family. We are never told why the father is not working or why he does what he does. Plus, the audience doesn't get any information on how Claire and her father are living since we have no idea where they might be getting money.

This movie is a mashup of other movies, and the ending was entirely too predictable. Not only was the movie predictable but several of the death scenes reminded me of the movies FINAL DESTINATION, where death plays around a little before it kills ya. And honestly as a horror movie this was not at all scary. There I sat, alone, in a dark theater, all by myself, watching a "horror" movie, did I mention I was alone in this theater?! And not once did I jump, not once did I feel frightened or anxious about what was going to happen, and in fact, since I was alone in the theater, I freely checked the time wondering how long before the movie was over.

This was not a good movie. It wasn't scary, it wasn't thrilling, and it wasn't interesting.


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Author Interview with Wayne Miller

7/23/2017

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Today I have a treat for you, an interview with author and playwright Wayne Miller. Mr. Miller has written and produced several plays in and around the Huntsville, Alabama area, and is known for not shying away from tough subjects. He has also recently released his first novel, to which there are links at the bottom of the interview.

You have written plays and at least one novel, do you have a preference of which you write?
Not really. I love both. Each has its own unique charms. I do like that plays don't take as long to write, though.
 
What is your favorite genre to work on, since you have written in several genres? Why?
I'm a Horror junkie, through and through. As to why, exactly, I don't really know. It could be as simple as my parents letting me watch old monster movies when I was little. Or I could get all deep and psychological with it and comment on the ways in which make-believe horrors make the horrors of the real world easier to process; how Horror as a genre allows human beings to experience fear in a safe way, and how it is vital to our mental health to develop the proper coping mechanisms for dealing with fear. Or, if you ask some people, I'm just a sicko. You can take your pick. :)
 
What is the first book that made you cry? Why?
I honestly can't remember. I know Where the Red Fern Grows damn near killed me in elementary school.
 
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into? What changed your mind about them.
I used to hate the Harry Potter books. Not so much because I thought they were bad. There were just so, so many Fantasy books I thought were more worthy of all the attention, and all these kids had never heard of them. But watching the movies (because my wife made me) led me to a respect for the overall story. Plus Twilight came along and made me realize just how good the Harry Potter books were, after all, and deserving of the accolades.
 
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both. But it's a good exhaustion.
 
You just published your first novel, did you find the experience exhausting or inspiring? Why?
Inspiring. I detest the traditional publishing route, had tried to go that route, and even used to work in that industry. Technology has advanced to the point that an author doesn't have to choose between traditional publishing with all its drawbacks and throwing money away on a vanity press. It is now possible to go around the minefield.
 
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It didn't, really. If anything, maybe I won't second guess myself so much in the future, worrying about whether something I want to do or say will satisfy some industry crony.
 
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
It depends. If the book is set in the present day, that requires little in the way of research. Historical stories are more involved.
 
What did you edit out of this book? Why?
This one? Me – yes this recent one. Just a word here, a sentence there. I didn't make any big cuts.
 
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
On books I want to read. The best thing a writer can do is read as much as he can get his hands on. Read for pleasure. Read to educate yourself. Read to study style.
 
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
There are so many. One of the biggest, I'd say, is grammar. You have to learn the rules before you break the rules. Back when I used to work as a submissions editor, if a manuscript came across my desk and there were grammatical mistakes or misspelled words, I'd dismiss it out of hand. One must learn to write properly before he can make the words "sing."
 
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I've been to Cross Plains, Texas, home to Robert E. Howard, several times. I've visited the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia, where they have the original notes Bram Stoker wrote for Dracula and a whole wing dedicated to Maurice Sendek, author of Where the Wild Things Are. I've sat in the sharecropper's shack in Louisiana where the "Brer Rabbit" stories were first compiled.
 
In your opinion, what is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
Those literary agents who've figured a way around the rule against charging reader's fees, in fact some of the biggest names in the business are guilty of it, and they get away with it because of who they are.
 
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I have to be alone to write. If anyone else is around I can't do it.
 
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I'm not the fastest typist. I really should have taken typing in high school, but who knew I'd need it one day?
 
Websites Mr. Miller writes for: vampires.com, werewolves.com, zombies.org, topcomics.com, and darkness.com.
 
Mr. Miller’s newest novel is The Confessions of Saint Christopher: Werewolf and it is available at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763
 
His personal website is evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com and he is on Facebook as "Evil Cheez Productions."

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Interview with Artist and Gallery Owner Joanna DeAtley

7/22/2017

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Joanna DeAtley is an Artist and Gallery owner in Huntsville, Alabama. She works in multiple media and with several different concepts, and one of her greatest passions is recycling used or trashed materials into exotic pieces of art. If you are interested in her art or in visiting her gallery the information is at the end of this interview.

What kind of artist do you consider yourself?

I don't tend to classify myself, I try to work with as many materials as possible. Maybe a recycled artist in that I like to use recycled materials as much as possible, in addition to painting and woodworking.
 
What is your favorite type of art?
My favorite type of art isn't necessarily a certain media, but more having to do with the message that's being told. I love art that truly tells a story and tries to open people's eyes, expand their views, express what the artist has felt or experienced. I love art that challenges something, the status quo or the powers that be.
 
What is your favorite media to work with?
I think that paint is my favorite to work with, mainly because I've not been at it very long. I learn so much each and every time I start a new project. I'm exploring and expanding my abilities each time I paint and I really enjoy that.
 
What started you in art?
I've always been interested in art, from childhood.  As I grew up I got more and more into trying new things and exploring new forms of art. I took Photography in college and fell in love with that; I've work with mixed media for years since then which is always new. Now I'm getting into painting more and more and loving it.
 
Do you have a favorite artist (Past)? Why?
Probably  Ansel  Adams. I absolutely love his photography. His black and whites are so crisp and clean, and he beautifully captures the elegance of nature. I never tire of his photos and would love to fill my home with them.
 
What inspires you?
It's hard to say what inspires me, it comes and goes in waves. Some days it's the beauty of the nature, some days the pain of depression, other days it's something I see somewhere that I want to try and emulate. Sometimes I feel like I should be inspired and nothing comes, other days I'm exhausted but the ideas flow like water. Inspiration is a strange and fickle friend.
 
What do you feel is an overused media?
Instagram  photography. I'm tired of all the filters, frames, easy editing. I miss the darkroom, the personal creation, the feel that work really went into the photo you're seeing. I've never been a huge fan of digital photograph, I feel like such a photography snob, but darkroom created photos have such a depth to them that, for me, digital does not have. Instagram has made it so much worse I think.
 
Do you find a judgement for the type of art you do? If yes what kind and how do you feel about it?
I haven't found much judgement for what I do, but I'm also just now starting to get into the really edgy kinds of pieces. I've been pretty lighthearted in my art up to this point, and the few darker pieces I've done haven't had many views.
 
Does art energize or exhaust you?
I think this goes back to being inspired. If I'm feeling inspired and the work is flowing out the way I see it in my head, then I feel energized. If things aren't quite coming out right, or if I get stuck with an idea and can't complete it, then I feel exhausted. I have a lot of unfinished projects that make me tired just thinking about trying to complete them. But too, I look at the things that I love how they turned out and I feel stoked to start another project.
 
Why did you start a gallery?
I started the gallery because I tried to get into Lowe Mill a couple times and never got juried in. At the time I was working out of a studio apartment style place but my lease was coming up, so I needed to move elsewhere with my finished work and supplies. I had friends that also happened to be looking to set up somewhere, so I thought why not start my own sort of gallery. I wanted to help others starting out, grow my own art following, and take on the challenge of being a business owner.
 
How does it feel to be a gallery owner?
It's terrifying. Honestly, it's much more of an undertaking than I ever thought that it would be. Part of me loves the challenge, part of me wishes I had a business partner. I love the personal side of things, the art side of it, the supporting locals artist portion; however, I wish I had more business experience and this is a huge learning curve for me.
 
What kind of art or what brand of artist do you want to represent in your gallery? Why?
I just want to represent local artist, regardless of media or artist message. I just want to support local works, up and coming artists; if they have a political message, that's great; if their art pushes boundaries, that's great; if it doesn't fit any mold then that's great too.  I just want to bring art to people and share it with everyone.
 
What does the name of your gallery mean and why did you chose it?
Originally The End, Not was in reference to my recycling materials in my art, as in this is "the end" of this item....NOT!  Like the 90's term Psych and what not. So it was a play on that. Now it's continuing to mean that for my art, and for the theme of the store in a lot of ways. The displays I use for the art are all recycled, one of the photographers in my gallery uses upcycled frames. I'm trying to encourage and continue the recycling and upcycling throughout my gallery, even with the other artists coming in, at the very least by using upcycled displays. It's also sort of a push for me to keep going. Not getting into Lowe Mill really set me back and for a while I thought that would be the end of my art career, but then I decided to start my own business and that was my "NOT" moment. So I wanted to keep the name.
 
Ms. DeAtley's etsy page can be found here: www.etsy.com/shop/TheEndNOT?ref=shop_sugg

Ms. DeAtley's gallery: The End, NOT!
                                 1026 Winchester rd STE B 35811
                                 Hours vary

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Author Interview with Salice Rodgers

7/17/2017

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Author Salice Rodgers is a multi-genre author who explores many different topics in her novels. She has several novel series and a few standalone novels that you can find on Amazon.com. Here is your chance to get to know a little bit about her. If you are interested in her novels or getting to know even more about her, she is easily found on Facebook and you can message her there.

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
Definitely in high school. Reading class we would go in to a small library and pick a book to read and at the end of the class we had to write about what we read that day. It was then that I truly fell in love with reading. 
 
What is the first book that made you cry? Why?
A Child Called It. The story is so deep and at times it grabbed my heart and ripped it out.
 
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly? Why or why not?
Hmmm, Hard question. I would think that it would be hard to write a scene in a story if you didn’t feel any emotions about what you are writing about.
 
What genre do you write and why?
I write in many genres. I have Romance and Paranormal. I love writing in any genre. I love paranormal because there are no limits with what you can write whether it be vampires, wolves or anything else you can dream up. And I love Romance because I who doesn’t love a good love story right? 
 
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Why?
I haven’t really ever thought about that, but it would probably be something with a skull, just because I love skulls.
 
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Bing is my best friend. I research anything I am not sure about until I know I won’t mess it up when I write about it. I will do research until I am sure about something.
 
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
No. When I wrote my first book many pointed out that the lead character was described to look just like my husband and I didn’t realize I had done it. I guess if I had to pick out one thing it would be that A LOT of my stories are in Louisiana. I would pack up and move to NOLA today if I could talk my husband in to it. lol
 
What was your hardest scene to write?
I have found YA to be a pretty hard to write. It isn’t a scene but for some reason it’s been difficult for me to write. As far as a scene it would have to be sex scenes.
 
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I learned a lot. I learned how to write better and editing tips to make the editing process a lot easier as well as formatting.
 
What’s the best way to market your books?
Hmm, I use Facebook and Twitter. But I am always looking for more places to market so if anyone knows any let me know. Lol

What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Be careful when looking for agents and publishers.
 
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don’t second guess yourself so much. Let the story flow.
 
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
No.
 
What is your favorite childhood book?
Anything Dr. Seuss, I still love those even now.
 
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
I still tend to second guess myself and sometimes doubt myself even knowing I shouldn’t. Starting the story is usually hard for me. I will have the story in my head but end up writing the first chapter at least once or twice.
 
Is there anything you wish I would have asked? If there is what would you have liked to have been asked?
No 😊
 
You can find Ms. Rodgers books on Amazon. Her current titles are:
 
Series 1
Master May I
Lilies
Mistress A
 
Series 2
Destruction
Temper
 
Series 3
Say Something
Forgive Me
Revive Me
Redeem Me
 
Surviving This Life (Co-wrote with N. Nieto)
Sanguinosa Notte
The Deception of Annika
 
You can find her on Facebook as Author Salice Rodgers and Twitter: @AuthorSalice
 
My PA: Emma Lloyd
 
Ms. Rodgers is hoping to be going to the book signing in NOLA in November 2018, and since she loves NOLA so much she is looking forward to it.

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Movie Review - RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER

7/15/2017

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I was excited to finally see the last movie in the RESIDENT EVIL movie series, or at least what I hope is the last movie in the series, but I was really let down. As a zombie lover I have followed and watched every one of these movies, because it felt as if I had to keep up with the zombie genre, and because I really enjoyed the first two movies (yes they did have a lot of problems but they were fun entertainment). This movie was a huge disappointment.

The plot is Alice is basically forced to return to Racoon City and the Hive to bring the Umbrella Corporation to an end and save the last living survivors. That was all that it was about, literally this is all that happened, and there was no character development or plot development, neither did it add anything to the rest of the series. The only thing it did was put an end (maybe) to the Resident Evil franchise. I am sure that if they feel like it they will find a way to make another movie since they have been so profitable.

I had so many problems with this movie. It begins with Alice coming out of a hole with no additional information, and if it has been a while since you have watched the last movie you might not know what is going on. From the beginning Alice seems to have forgotten everything from the previous movies, and she no longer seems to know how to fight or protect herself, against anyone or anything. She continually gets her ass kicked throughout the entire movie, by monsters, by zombies, by humans, and by clones. She acts like she isn't strong, and she acts like she doesn't know how to protect herself, which is something she has been doing the entire series.

When she meets up with a group of survivors we learn very little about them, so why should the audience care when anyone dies. In fact the only character to root for is Claire (played once again by Ali Larter). If you have watched the movies you have seen her go from a wide-eyed innocent to a kick ass woman. The problem is that she isn't used very much in the movie, and the only character development we get for her is that she is in a relationship. It is all very dull.

This movie has none of the things that I enjoyed in the past few movies, especially since she continually gets her ass kicked. Part of the fun of these movies were the action sequences, but they weren't much fun in this film. I can't believe I am about to write this, but there were way too many zombies, and none of them were interesting. The monsters weren't even interesting because there were only a few of them throughout the movie and they were sparsely used. The biggest monsters are the humans, and even they aren't interesting.

I really disliked this movie. It didn't bring anything to the Resident Evil series, and it wasn't very well done. I feel like someone could have done a lot better job ending the series, in a more cohesive and interesting manner, that would have made me feel like the series was ending as well as it began. But, no, it lost steam and was just awful.

I don't recommend watching this movie, not only was it not good, but it did not live up to the rest of the movies in the series, even the last one RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, which I didn't think was great, but it did have some fun in it.
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Artist Interview - Dan Hollenbaugh

7/9/2017

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Dan Hollenbaugh is a photographer who specializes in classic nude and era specific photography. He resides in Alabama and has had prints of his photographs shown is several galleries and shows. I interviewed him because without artists authors would not have a whole package. Artists add to the distribution of novels by creating covers and taking those author bio photos you know you look at an often find funny. He is the first of a select few artists who I will be interviewing.

Let us learn about Dan and his photographs!

What kind of picture you take and sell?
 
I'm going to stick with art nudes for now. There are plenty of landscape photographers, plenty of people producing abstract photos, tons of portrait photographers, but not many folks working in what I consider a classical style. Fortunately, my retirement income ensures I'll never, ever have to shoot a wedding to support my art.

What is your inspiration? What inspired you to take the pics you do?
 
At about the same time digital cameras began to carry so much capability, I came across some nude art photos from the early 20th century. The most striking of these to me were Alfred Cheney Johnston's photographs using dancers from the Ziegfeld Follies as models. The models brought their natural beauty and dance training. Johnston brought skills in photography, artistic composition, and lighting. Together they created beautiful images.
 
I dug into early 20th century art photos deeper. Others that had an impression on me were Lucien Walery, Studio Manasse, Man Ray, and Frantisek Drtikol. My largest influence from the postwar era has to be Peter Basch - his use of lighting to define and dramatize the female form is eye-opening. I began collecting images from photography's beginnings up to about 1960 (I now have something like 50,000 on my home computer.) Burlesque promotional photos, French postcards, art photos from all over the US and Europe, became my education. With my head full of these great pictures, and all this new technology at hand, I decided to see what I could do.
 
I've never been into expressionist or abstract art, as I don't find it approachable by people like me with no art education. I didn't want to learn anybody's rules, I just wanted to go produce something beautiful. Staying in the forms developed before 1960 allows me to just make pretty pictures.

Why do photography, what got you into it?
 
First of all, I feel that photography is visual art for people who can't draw. I can sometimes see what I want in my head, but I can't put those images on paper with a pencil. I first learned photography with a 35mm Minolta SLR in the late '70s. Since then, I've used nothing but automatic cameras, and taken nothing but snapshots. Three years ago I retired, and began exploring the arts to keep myself busy. One of the things that intrigued me was the capabilities of the new digital cameras and photo editing software.

What kind of camera do you use?
 
Everything I've shot and sold to date was done with my Samsung Galaxy S6 cell phone. It's really an excellent camera, with one primary limitation - its fixed lens. I've recently purchased a Nikon D3400 DSLR. The first thing it taught me was that I need a larger studio. As I work with it more, all those techniques from my 35mm days are coming back - use of aperture settings, film speed, shutter speed, depth of focus. I'm sure the knowledge and skills will improve my work, but damn, that phone takes some good pictures.
 
I use a freeware program called GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) to do cropping, editing, and period aging on my photos. It's not quite Photoshop, but it's a lot cheaper, and does just about anything I can think of.

Where do you find models? What are they like?
 
I started out advertising on Craigslist, in the "creative gigs" section. My first model, whom I still work with, is a young housewife who wanted to make some extra money. She's become very professional in her approach as we've worked together, and we've each come to understand how the other works. We've also become good friends. I have two other local models I've worked with, women who work in modeling as a sideline, and are looking to make it more of a full-time job. Most recently I've been working with full-time professional models I found through ModelMayhem.com, a website for models and artists to connect.
 
With the non-professionals, it's a matter of education, teaching them how to do something that is basically still-image acting. I've worked with one non-professional who had dance training, and she was wonderful - she understood how to use her body to express emotion. With the professionals, it's sometimes a matter of de-education, getting them out of the routine poses they've used dozens of times in formulaic pinup photos and into the artistic frame I'm trying to fill. With all models, there's the same challenge - finding something honest and real, finding the person down there behind the lights, costumes, and poses, and getting that person into the camera. I don't have a method to do that, other than putting the model at ease and exploring together, but when it happens, it's magic. It's art.

What is it like, taking nude photos?
 
I show men my work, and I get a wink, a smile, an elbow, and "Hey, tough job you got there!" It is hard work. Find the model, decorate the set, do costumes, reset lights between shots, take the photos. I spend hours looking for vintage clothing and accessories to set the scene. I can't say I don't enjoy the view during a shoot, but I don't just sit around looking. Usually I'll take about 100 photos in a two hour session. By then I've run out of energy, ideas, or both. Then it's hours at the computer, selecting raw images I think I can do something with (out of that 100, I may use 5), and editing them into what I think is art. The final product, as mounted on a wall, includes mattes and frames. I use vintage and antique frames when I can find them. I haunt thrift stores seeking suitable frames (when I'm making some money at this, I'll move up to antique stores.) When I'm editing a photo, I'm thinking of the whole package - what type of frame will enhance the image I'm trying to present? What do I have on hand that will work, and how do I compose this image to fit that size? I farm out my printing to professionals who have equipment I can't justify buying and don't have room for. I mount, frame, and finish the final product myself. It's hard work.

Do you find that there is a stigma attached to nude photography
 
Yes. I've had galleries tell me they wouldn't exhibit my work. The usual line is, "I love these, they're very beautiful, but some of our customers might be offended." Facebook shut down my access and warned me to remove a photo I posted because somebody complained about. It was on my separate Capitalist Tools Artworks page, in a folder with a big "adults only" label. I understand all that as part of the culture, and a limitation I accepted when I decided to go this way. I know that I'll always be a niche artist for this reason, and my goal is to be a damn good one. I've managed to find a few outlets as I've progressed. I sold a number of pieces from a space in The ARTery, a Huntsville gallery that unfortunately has closed. I have a dozen or so currently on sale at The End, NOT, a new gallery on Winchester Road in Huntsville, Alabama.

You can find Dan's art page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/CapitalistToolsArtworks/about/?ref=page_internal

And you can buy his photographs on Etsy:
www.etsy.com/shop/CapitalistTools



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Movie Review - 13TH

7/9/2017

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What do you know about the prison system and how it came to be? That is one of the questions 13TH asks. It also begs the question of did America start things to keep African Americans in one or another type of chain and slavery?

13Th is a documentary about the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality, as stated on IMDb's database. It starts exploring slavery and how African Americans were treated, showing the scarred back of a man who had been severely beaten over and over as a slave. And let's get past the, some slaves were treated well, yeah, they may have been, but hey, they were still slaves so were they really treated well? There is a movie, part of the silent film era, titled THE BIRTH OF A NATION (no not the one from a year ago), that shows a man in blackface attacking a woman and then being killed without any type of justice or judgement. He is killed and proved guilty because he is "black".

Next the movie goes to show the beginning of the criminal system and chain gangs. The country moved from slavery to slavery of a different type with prisons and people being punished without pay.

The movie then moves to the time of segregation, and how we move from keeping men and women in literal chains to virtual chains. Separation of Caucasians and minorities didn't stop harsh punishment and actions against minorities. Yes the movie focuses on the plight of the African American, but all minorities were segregated and punished for being born anything but Caucasian. The movie touches on the murder of Emmett Till and the lynchings of the 1950's and 60's. The destruction of Emmett Till played into the ending of the movie as the people interviewed were asked do we need more images out there to shock people. One of the reasons Emmett Till's mother allowed an open casket for public viewing was for the world to see what had been done to her fourteen year old son. It shocked the nation to see his battered and unrecognizable face. And it should have.

After this the film makes a point of exploring the prison system and how from 1950 to today the incarcerated has grown so large, that there are over two million people incarcerated at this time, and this does not count the immigrants being held in detention centers as they are not considered prisons. America has a broken system in place as people who are charged with first time offenses are now, depending on the offense, stuck in prison for life without the possibility of parole.

The movie focuses a lot on poverty stricken communities, but the end does admit that the prison system, the entire corrections system is broken. To fix it we need to get out of the business of corrections and into creating more chances for rehabilitation, and restructure the time that criminals have to spend vs automatic sentencing.

I readily recommend this movie. It not only shows a side of the government that people often don't think of, but it also shows a lot of things to make all races think about how we are treating each other, and why.
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Movie Review - KONG: SKULL ISLAND

7/9/2017

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I'll admit, I am not familiar with the King Kong mythos....besides maybe the video game where he is throwing barrels at Mario to keep him from Princess Peach. I have never seen any of the other King Kong movies, mostly because I always thought to myself, "How can a movie about a giant gorilla be interesting?" I was wrong, a movie about a giant gorilla can be totally interesting.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND is set in the 1970's and it is the beginning of King Kong.

Skull Island is an island "somewhere in the pacific" that is shaped like a skull, but there are other reasons this movie is titled skull island. A group of scientists, explorers, and soldiers who are to act as an escort to the scientists The explorers are off to the island to see what it has that might be developed into useful tools to save or help humanity. When they get there the audience sees that humanity is the monster.

The island is full of giant creatures that can tear a human limb from limb. From prehistoric birds to spiders that can kill you with one well placed foot. As soon as they reach the island terrible things start happening, from helicopter crashes to skull crushing monsters who will eat anything in their path. While there are several predictable scenes, and characters, this movie give the audience what it wants, a good King Kong movie.

The predictable characters were the military man who can't get past his own need for revenge, even after he sees that he shouldn't be seeking the revenge he desires. Another is the man who was lost several decades before who provides the comic relief. Another is a female character who not only gets through the movie unscathed (even though the helicopter she was in crashes and she is blown off of a cliff, not a single mark on her) but, as it was pointed out, is the one character who of course has to strip down to a tank top, even though all of the other characters continue to stay in their military uniforms, long sleeved science jumpsuits, or fancy button down shirts.

So, with all of this why do I think this movie was pretty good? It showed a monstrous side, but also a reason, for King Kong to be how he is. This not only adds a bunch of backstory to his character, but it adds depth to him. The island is stuck in time, and there are creatures and animals there that are probably genetically related to dinosaurs.

This movie also shows how inhuman man is when they are faced with things that they don't understand. Some people will try to understand the unknown, and others just want to bomb the hell out of it, in this movie there are both types of people. It rings true to me that often when humans are faced with things they don't understand or things that frighten them they seek to understand it by destroying it, or destroy it so it can't hurt them. This is something we, the entire human race, needs to think about. Often times to find a cure for something we destroy something else. If there is something we are faced with that we don't understand, we destroy it so we can understand it. If something frightens us the first reaction we have is to destroy it. Sometimes this is the answer, but often we need to look at what we can do keep the unknown intact to understand it.

A little problem I did have, besides the ones already mentioned, was that some things (like the inhabitants of the island) were not explored. Why were they there? How long were they there?

But, besides the issues I really did enjoy this movie. I look forward to what they might do with Godzilla in the future. If they treat Godzilla and Mothra as well as they treated King Kong, they will not be bad movies.
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Movie Review - ALIEN: COVENANT

7/8/2017

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The description of ALIEN: COVENANT seems like it could be the plot description of any ALIEN movie. From IMDb - The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape. The only thing to change would be the type of ship.

ALIEN: COVENANT is a prequel to the original ALIEN movie and a sequel to ALIEN: PROMETHEUS. Some who saw PROMETHEUS wanted a sequel to explain what they had just watched in the train wreck that was PROMETHEUS. Those people had to be disappointed in what was given to them.

A group of colonists are on their way to settle a new planet. The journey is interrupted when an accident causes the ship to have difficulties in which the crew is needed. After waking most of the crew successfully, Walter (the new android), tells them what happened, how many crew members were lost, and how many colonists were lost. While on the outside fixing the solar wing one of the crew members experiences a disruption in their system. Later they find that what they are hearing is in a popular song from earth, so they decide that they need to look into where it is coming from. They find that the transmission is coming from a planet that might just be a good one to settle on, so the captain decides they must check it out, much to the chagrin of his second in command.

Once they get to the planet everything that can go wrong does, and when the survivors are finally back on the ship and ready to settle in again for the rest of the trip to the new planet they find that things aren't over, which seems to lead to another prequel to the original ALIEN movie.

Now, what did I think about this movie? I think it did not need to be made, and I don't feel like it adds anything to the ALIEN franchise. Not only were there several plot holes in this movie, but there was a lot of information that was changed throughout. For example, they kept saying that there were 2,000 colonists on the ship, even though there were a few whom were lost during the original incident which woke up some of the crew members. This became annoying throughout the movie as it was not the only thing that was inconsistent.

The only character who was at all interesting in the movie was the Android, played by Michael Fassbender, however, even he was annoying and inconsistent. This movie was full of idiotic moves that are tropes of horror movies, and the audience is really tired of these tropes. One of the things that was a blatant sign of laziness was the actions of the characters. People are being killed and one by one they walk off, which leads anyone watching to think what... well, they are dead, and SPOILER... they did die. All of the actions you expect in a horror movie, they happened in ALIEN: COVENANT.

People make stupid decisions that get them killed: Check.
People walk off on their own and get killed: Check.
People get sick and think that they can save the sick person: Check.
People die because they want to save the sick person: Check.
People die because they trust a stranger: Check.
People trust the stranger who tells them to look at something, which in turn kills them: Check.
People believe that the copy of what they trusted is actually the one they trusted, which gets them killed: Check.
People don't question anything that is going on, which kills them: Check.
The twist is exactly what you think it will be: Check.

So this movie was entirely predictable and unnecessary. I don't understand why anyone feels the need to go back and explain the beginnings of the alien creature. The new versions of things don't add as much to the story as they should, and the Engineers are just useless int he evolution of the alien creature. Lastly, there was at least one scene which tried to explain some things, and not only was it incomplete, but it didn't even explain itself.

So, will there be another Alien move, probably. Will I watch it, probably. Will it be any good, oh god I really don't think so. I think they should have stopped trying when they added Winona Ryder as an android, because she was just not good.

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    Stacy Kingsley

    Stacy has a lot on her mind, so sharing helps. She also has a great love of movies and books, so she decided to blog about it. Get her reviews here! 

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