Some people will disagree with me when I say this, which I don't mind, and some will find it funny, again I don't mind, but I didn't really love the Netflix series THE PUNISHER. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was okay, but I didn't love it.

I do think the idea behind the character is an interesting one. I liked the movie with Thomas Jayne, it was fun, the others not so much. I have enjoyed the graphic novels, and the changes that were made to the character when he was introduced in another Netflix superhero show, while a little annoying, weren't unexpected. However, there were several things about this series that I didn't enjoy.

My first issue was the entire anti-military issue this show seemed to have. Several times it seemed to be against the military and the life the military members lead, making them all seem insane or stricken with crippling PTSD, and not all of them are like that. It also made the military members seem like they didn't have minds of their own and that they always follow orders, even if they know they are wrong, which is also not one hundred percent true. Every single military veteran had an issue, and it wasn't an easily treated issue. Even at the PTSD meetings they were all horribly scarred by their service. While this is true for some members, it isn't for others.

Then there is the fake Vietnam vet and the crazy vet who goes insane and kills a bunch of people, without cause, which isn't who he is. It was almost as if this show was strictly against the American milirary.

This show also seemed to be against everything else to be honest. It was against guns, even thought the character of the Punisher needed guns, the whole point was that he NEEDED them, and he couldn't do what needed to be done without getting HIS guns or having guns. So there was a strong anti-gun message.

And, while I really enjoy horror movies I thought there was too much violence in this movie, and too much unnecessary violence. I don't mind violence, I mean I did just finish watching all of the SAW movies for the second, third, or fourth time, but this violence was over the top, especially for a television show. The beating of Castle, the killing of the fake Vietnam vet, the beating of Curtis, they were all so very over the top. To get the point across they could have done what Quentin Tarintino did in RESEVOIR DOGS and the ear cutting scene, less is more. They could have left more to the imagination and shown less, it would have had the same effect as showing all of the violence.

After all of these comments, and thoughts I've had about this, I will say I didn't hate this show, I just thought it didn't stand up to what I feel THE PUNISHER stood for. I feel as if it didn't quite keep the integrity of the premise behind the character. I would have liked to see more character building, of all of the characters, and less anti-military sentiment, and less on the violence of the scenes.

I've done it. Yesterday I finished the contest for the month for NaNoWriMo at 50,334, but this doesn't mean I am done writing. I feel both good and bad about it. Why? Let me tell you.

I have been working on a new project this month. It has been wonderful since it has also been a while since I've written, really written. This idea came to me in the form of a book title, and then the first chapter, and then it kept going. I've gotten a little sidetracked in it and it will need some major work, but at least it is something, and it might even, eventually, be something good. It feels good to have written, and most days I actually got 2,000 words, which means it isn't impossible. The problem, or at least what I tell myself is a problem, is that I am also an English Professor, and I often have 2-4 classes of papers I have to grade, and I have to do it in a timely manner. Do you know how hard it is to write and grade papers at the same time? Well, for me it isn't easy because I get so stuck in the editing of everything and making sure my grammar is correct that I don't know what to do.

But, I can do it, if I space things out properly and don't have to grade all of the papers from all of the classes in one week, which I have planned for better this next semester. So I am planning, after this weekend because I need a break from thinking so I can read for a minute, to write every day like I have been, and my continued goal is to write at least 2,000 words, which is not impossible.

I feel bad because I shouldn't have been working on something new when I have the last installment of my zombie series to complete. I know, sometimes as a write you can't help but get sidetracked by an idea, but I have been, and it hurts because I really do want to get this zombie novel out of me, and round out the series. I know where it is going, but I've been having problems getting there, partly because one of my characters is refusing to die, and I need them dead. Now, there is a flip side and a good part! I know I can keep writing, so next week I will be working on both books, it might be one thousand words in one and on thousand in the other, but I can do it. I look forward to doing it.

My new novel might be crap now, and honestly it probably is, I mean no one writes a great novel in the first draft, no matter what they say. There is always editing, and cutting and refurbishing, and if they tell you any different they are entirely full of themselves. Even the greats don't have a perfect first draft, and they are honest about it. I'll keep plugging away, and we will see where it gets me, and we will see if you out there in internet land even likes it, or me!

Christmas is coming up, and to help you not only find something awesome but support an artist I've done a new interview with an Alabama artist. Meet Sierra Seay, a painter who has talent and personality (she also does commissions).

What kind of artist do you consider yourself?
I feel like there are so many labels I could adhere to myself, but I definitely identify as a green artist. I'm very new to the industry and only recently introduced myself into the public art world. I'm a moderately committed artist. I've not completely sold my soul to my craft… yet! I'd say I'm a compulsive artist, which means I don't tend to do too much planning or preparation, like some artists do with all of their thumb nail sketches and paint samples. When the idea is there, it's there, and if I don't capture it, it's gone.
 
What is your favorite type of art?
I love surrealism. I think of all art types, surrealism is likely to invoke the most curiosity and abstract thought, even in people who only see the ordinary.
 
What is your favorite media to work with?
Oil paint, hands down. It is a beast. Every time I start an oil painting, I feel like I'm preparing for battle. There's this sort of dread, because I know just how much work is in front of me. It's daunting, but who doesn't love a good challenge. Oils don't come easy to me, so it's a fight to achieve what I'm looking for. I haven't had much instruction, so I feel I lack a lot of the technical ability for oil paint.
 
What started you in art?
I really couldn't say. I remember being drawn to a character in an anime who painted and lived on her own in a cabin. She seemed very strong and sure of herself, and I liked that. But that's really the only heavy influence I can really attribute my start to. I was always encouraged by my family to draw, also to keep practicing. I kept the front of our fridge very full.
 
Do you have a favorite artist (Past)? Why?
Hieronymus Bosch. He was my first favorite. He's also how I discovered surrealism. His paintings are beyond his time in my opinion, and full of curiosities and creatures he conjured up. Today we have so many preconceived notions of certain animals and monsters. We have CGI and technologies to really bring these things to life, but he didn't really have any of this, only his imagination. His paintings remind me of Where’s Waldo, so cluttered, but with purpose. You could look at one of his paintings every day for a year and find something new each day.
 
What inspires you?
This is a hard question because I'm not sure I can narrow it to a thing, or even an emotion. If I need to paint something, say a commission or something with a due date, and I'm not feeling in the mood, I'll listen to electronic music to get it flowing… but honestly that's the only thing I can think of.
 
 
What do you feel is an overused media?
Digital painting. Don't get me wrong, people make some stunning and beautiful works of art digitally, but I'm afraid of seeing less and less traditional artists as the years go on… I suppose I'm biased since I'm a traditional painter.
 
Do you find a judgement for the type of art you do? If yes what kind and how do you feel about it? If no do you find that people are accepting about the art you do?
Not entirely, with some of my anatomical heart paintings people have made comments that they're morbid, but that's not the popular opinion. And honestly if someone forms an opinion about my art, whether I think it's good or bad, my work has done its job.
 
Does art energize or exhaust you?
Sometimes, both. Oil paintings definitely stress me out at times, but the smell and the feeling of brush on canvas, are soothing to me. The process in general gets my endorphins going.
 
What is your favorite thing about being an artist?
It's the skeleton of who I am. You think it only applies when I'm painting, and I used to think that too, but I've found that it's actually wired into every part of who I am. For me it's less of a talent and more of a lifestyle.
 
How do you feel people look at artists? Are they respected or not? Why or why don’t you think so?
I think artists have always been and continue to be respected. People respect things that they cannot do themselves. I say that meaning that's the opinion of the majority. There are plenty of folks who find a lot of art weird, or they don't get it, or think we should get real jobs, but those people will always exist.
 
Is there a kind of art that you wish you had the ability to do but can’t?
I would love to be able to sculpt things out of salvaged items, but I have a hard time thinking in 3D. How people create dragons out of tin cans and windmills out of bottle caps and rubber bands is so far over my head.
 
Anything you want to add for people who might be too shy, or scared, or uncertain about their artistic abilities?
Everyone has an outlet for creation, everyone. And I think we've narrowed art to this small niche and category some people feel like they can't belong in. Just because some people submerge themselves, doesn't mean you can't just dip your feet in. I try to encourage everyone to paint, create, build, sculpt, sketch, doodle, fold, burn, bend, and whatever else they can do to bring a little part of themselves to life.
 
Sierra doesn’t have an official website for her work but you can find her online store at:
Sierraseay.storenvy.com
She not only creates and sells original art but is up for commissioned art, so get your requests in before the holidays get too busy for her!
 
Sierra is also available on Instagram at: @sierraseay
 
Last words: There are a lot of ways I am creative, and there are a few which I am not lol.

I don't know how many people saw this movie when it came out in the theater, but I don't think it was a lot of people. I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, since the trailers seemed to suggest one thing, while the movie synopsis seems to suggest something else.

Here is the synopsis - A malevolent force is terrorizing the world and a father must decide how far he is willing to go to protect his wife and son when another family shows up looking for help, or a safe harbor.

I thought this was a horror movie, but in all honesty it was more of a slow burning suspense. There wasn't much that is frightening, but there was a scene, a predictable scene, where I wondered if what I thought was going to happen would. Of course since what I thought was going to happen did, it wasn't as suspenseful as if could have been.

So what was this movie about, well it wasn't actually about something that came at night, although what seemed to happen did seem to happen at night. The malevolent force is the same force it almost always is, the human population. The man trying to protect his family, well there are two families, so when you watch the movie you can go either way.

I hate to say it, but I didn't like this movie. The reason I hate to say it is because it seems like I am often saying I hate one movie or another. I didn't like the last movie I watched, which was BEDEVILED, and I am starting to wonder if maybe I am burnt out on the horror genre. Thought I would never say that, and I am surprised now to realize that this is actually how I feel.

There are some tropes that are stereotypical in horror movies, and most of these are: the pet gets killed for some reason, there is often a good versus evil force, often if you have two strangers meeting and working together eventually one of them will either hide a deadly secret that gets them killed or they kill the person who helped save their life. These are all true for the movie IT COMES AT NIGHT. I expected something to actually come at night, but since nothing really did the movie left the title up in the air. The unfortunate thing is that I really did find the title interesting, and I wanted to know what "it" was, but this was also the problem I had with IT FOLLOWS, there was no explanation of what "It" was. And yes, I like when things are left up to my imagination, but I didn't even get a hint of what the issue was besides the fact that whatever "it" was "it" would kill you.

The acting was well done but he characters didn't seem to get much to work with, as I didn't get to know anything about their characters, or I didn't get to know enough to really care about the characters. This seems to be a theme of movies these days. Don't say a lot about the characters, then kill them, make the audience wonder why they died. This doesn't create a good story, since we don't care about the characters why would we care about the story?

The entire point of this story is that during a time of extreme crisis, don't try to get from someone more than you deserve, and don't try to take something from someone just because you think it is the fair thing. If that person takes you and your family into their house, and you are hiding a secret that might get everyone killed, then just leave, just leave.

Do I recommend this movie? Absolutely not. It was slow, and underdeveloped, and not at all a horror film, and incredibly predictable. Was it a good movie? I mean some people might think so because there were several people who really liked IT FOLLOWS, and I did not.

Have you ever watched a horror movie so bad that you hoped every character died? Because that is how I felt about BEDEVILED. A poorly acted, poorly developed, and not at all scary horror film that not only plays on all of the stereotypes possible, but kills in the most boring ways, and doesn't even show the audience the kills.

The plot if about a group of friends who get an app request from their dead friend, and they all decide to download the app, like idiots. The friends get the request from their dead friend, who died mysteriously after being "frightened to death." The girls boyfriend and her group of friends are all still mourning when they receive the mysterious request. One by one the teens die after being "scared to death" by something from their past, and really most of the things they are scared of are totally idiotic. I wouldn't have been scared of the things they were scared of.

The movie tried to add a little humor, but was just racist and uncomfortable. The characters were flat and dull. Not one of them stood out and I kept thinking that the two girls were the same person. The characters were so dull that I was hoping they would be killed, fast, slow, I didn't care as long at they all died. Not only were the characters flat and interchangeable, but the kills were lifeless and unimaginative.

BEDEVILED tried to be a movie of psychological horror, trying to scare the audience without giving them a view of the bodies, which made it even more boring. For a scary movie I needed to see the horrific ways in which these people were killed, instead of hearing their choked off screams as they were slaughtered. In fact, the kills would have made the movie a much better movie, or at least a little more fun.

The ending was predictable, and unnecessary. It should have been rewritten, but it wouldn't have made it a better movie.

So, I am going to tell you to skip this disappointment. It was not scary, it was not interesting, and really after watching a movie like UNFRIENDED (which wasn't the best movie but was at least and entertaining movie) it wasn't even an original idea.

First I want to apologize for not blogging for a while. Life has been very busy and of course I will talk a little about that in a minute.

I want to post about a book signing event I will be doing in December. I will be at the Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia library from 1-3pm. The address is 1201 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 and I hope to see some people there. I am very excited to introduce myself to the people of Virginia. I am currently working on the final book for my zombie series, and another project for NaNoWriMo. I decided not to work on my zombie novel for NaNoWriMo because I didn't want to rush myself. Yes, I know some of you are asking why not, since I do need to get it out and you are waiting anxiously to see how things end.

Besides the books I have been teaching several English classes, which means lots and lots of grading papers. So I haven't been as vigilant with my blog, or updates, or even watching movies. In fact the last thing I watched was the entire SAW series since it is currently on Netflix.

I also received some bad news about one of my kittens. Well, she isn't really a kitten since she is seventeen years old. She is sick and was given less than a year to live, which has been very upsetting. I am trying to make sure that she has a good quality of life, and am giving her anything she wants to eat. In the last three months she has lost 2 1/2 pounds, which is not good at all for an already thin cat.

I do promise to try harder, and I will hopefully have some things to blog about in the next coming weeks.

So please, if you have a chance try to come to the book signing!!! It will be a blast and hey, you can get to know a little more about how a horror writer thinks.