Stephen King's Joyland Novel - Did I Love It or Hate it?

Hey folks, greetings from a COVID-19 free environment. That's how things stand now where I live but you never know how a disease like this can blindside you so beware. I hope you are safe wherever you are.

Considering that so many people are homebound, boredom will soon set in after several days. For me, I'm super busy 24/7 so I rarely get bored doing the same thing since I'm juggling dozens of projects at any given time. But lately, I've been reading more books I've had in my office. Stephen Kings, Joyland, wound up on my reading list and I'm loving that story, even more, the second time around. You gotta love how King weaves a tale and Joyland is hilarious.

Now, if you're wondering why I describe a horror novel as hilarious, then you're not a Stephen King fan. Humor is part of any Stephen King book or movie. And this one in particular, which takes place in an amusement park. It's a real humdinger. Check it out.

Next on my list is A Death for Beauty. Yes, that's my own debut novel that goes back to 2009 or so. And it so happens that occasionally I'll pick it up to update a passage (for Kindle) or whatever and I really get into the story all over again.

A Death For Beauty

If you like Stephen King, you'll enjoy ADFB, so give it a shot because I've discounted the price for this coming week. Hey, it's only a few bucks either way and well worth it. Check out a sample chapter and see what I mean.

And right, you'll notice how much bigger I made my cover than Joyland's. Well, King doesn't need free publicity as much as I do. But there you have it. Two awesome stories to help you get through your long days and nights at home.

Those of you who've lost your jobs have no fear, government checks will be in the mail soon enough so no worries, friends. Enjoy the time off and make the best of it by catching up with a few good movies or novels or whatever floats your boat.

These are precarious times indeed, my friends. Count your blessings and stay safe.

Books Update - The Edge of Time Book Series

Hey folks, it's been a while but I'm back and feeling optimistic about my new apocalyptic book series, The Edge of Time.

There's an interesting story behind these three books but the short of it is that I'm a bit behind in my work due to illness. No worries, I hope to finish Book Two, Epic Apocalypse by the end of this year. Luckily these books are 3 short stories (about 100 pages each) that run in a series and all the events tie-in with each title.

The point is that the three-book collection adds up to a novel length book, which will also be available. The hook to the novel is that it will include a backstory about the collection plus plenty of info about the boardgame (Millennium) that spinned-off the book series.

The Edge of Time Book Series - Available 2020

So, there you have it. Time moves on and I'm catching up with it. Or is it the other way around? From a personal standpoint, this book series has been my favorite project to date because it encompasses so many of my life experiences, In addition, it is a topic, which I believe will be a part of our future on Earth in the years to come.

It's a heck of a journey and I hope you can join me as we discover all the possibilities these stories, and life itself has to offer along the way.

As they said back in the day, "Be there or be square."

Search this Blog to learn more about the new Millennium Board Game:
See the game at the developer's website:

Stephen King Has Issues With Mutant Rats [Ask Gerorge R. R. Martin]

Have you ever heard of the Literary Horror genre? Or the Literary Apocalyptic genre or sub-genre?

Probably not but there's a first time for everything and Stephen King certainly has something funny to say about that.

Okay, talk about a bizarre way to introduce a new book series, The Edge of Time, but bear with me because funny stories about Stephen King are worth repeating. If you're a King fan like me, you already know how hilarious and self-deprecating he can be.

In this recent interview, Stephen King, and George R.R. Martin share a good laugh about how they wound up writing in their respective genres. As usual, Stephen King's tale (no pun intended) is quite comical. (@ 4 minutes)

Stephen King never takes himself seriously for good reason and his point is well taken. Besides, he has plenty of reasons to laugh with such an amazing career. So, while fans of literary fiction struggle to find an audience, horror and sci-fi genres have always had a massive fan base.

After years of tinkering with board games, I figured that adding short stories to my games would be a cool way to expand the game narrative. And so, The Edge of Time book series was born.

While King jokes about literary fiction, once upon a time, I began writing in the literary genre (as the title of this blog gives away) and so that's why this hits home for me. Who knew that writing about mutant rats could be so lucrative? Apparently, Stephen King has known all along.

Recently, I've answered my urge to foray into apocalyptic science fiction. As a Star-Trek fan, these days I love many of the post-apocalyptic books and television series that followed, especially the Divergent series and many films that have inspired me along the way; The Book of Eli, Elysium, Blade Runner, to name several.

The Edge of Time Trilogy

Right now, I'm two chapters into writing the drafts for books two and three and having a great time stringing these stories together.

The series consists of three short stories that converge into a full-length novel of about 350 pages.

The difference with this series compared to most other apocalyptic books is that these stories focus on a hopeful future despite all the chaos an apocalyptic event can bring to an already challenged Earth. In short, it's the apocalypse from my world view. And that is simply that life goes on despite the chaos and dangers that the end of days has to offer.

Book One, Edge of The Apocalypse captures the flashpoint moments when the first bomb falls over Austin, Texas. The subplot (an intimate relationship between best girlfriends) comes on strong and carries this story into the second book of the series.

Book Two, Epic Apocalypse, rightfully reflects on the scope of these nuclear attacks and the masterminds behind them, manifesto and all. So, a good deal of destruction, fear, and continued attacks are the epicenter of this book, which leads into the third and final book in the series.

Collectible Edge of Time Trilogy

Book Three, Beyond The Apocalypse, takes a glimpse into the future beyond 2157 when the initial story is set. This book mostly reflects the board game and its themes as it tells of many events related to the game and some pivotal spoilers. Enough said.

However, rest assured that there is a surprise ending that will tug at your heartstrings and will certainly give you something to think about.

Book One, Edge of The Apocalypse,(Paperback/Kindle) is available now on Amazon. Book two and three will be available early in 2020.

To learn more about the new book series and the board game that launches 9.11.2019. See the blog, where you can sign up for email updates: https://boardgame-news.blogspot.com/

Visit the board game website where you can learn more about Millennium: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/millennium

Stephen Markley's Fascinating Debut Novel, Ohio

I just love the smell of literary fiction early in the morning.

After reading random pages on Amazon, I knew right away this was my kind of story and I ordered it so I can gladly add it to my library. (I'll post a funny meme of me sliding this book into my top shelf with a broad grin on my face.)

Getting to finish this book any time soon is another matter but I look forward to starting it and I'll faithfully dedicate my Sunday's to several chapters at a time until I finish the nearly 500 pages. For me, that's around the year 2057, give or take a year or two, or before I die, whichever comes first.

Forgive my Digression

Let's keep in mind this is a debut novel and appearing epic in scope does count. Disregard Stephen King's new offering, Sleeping Beauties; a 720 page tome spliced together by a collaboration of two good authors with one good idea. Really? A pastiche of The Stand and Under The Dome, I've heard.

Only Stephen King can get away with something like this, along with 15-second book teasers. What a pitch! And it works. I'll collect the hardcover and try to get into this one but I am getting older by the minute, gentlemen. Okay, enough of that.

Back To Ohio

Let's face it, I'm not a big fan of long novels because I really live for the endings, not because I want the story to end, but because endings are the best part. (No worries, Mr. Markley, I will read every word of Ohio.)

How do we get through so much stuff on a daily basis? I am only semi-retired, and with so much of my own work, plus hundreds of channels to choose from, imagine that. Oh, I almost forgot; most of those channels are unwatchable. Right.

I don't know about you, but I learned to speedread for good reason. Last time I checked, there are still only 24 hours in a day. And here we go, I just caught a glimpse of American Horror Story: Apocalypse. How can I miss that? (Focus, focus.) I'll record it and watch it on Sunday, right after that annoying Sunday Morning program with Jane Pauley. (Is she really that wholesome?)

Look for my review of American Horror Story soon. Hey, I have a board game with the same theme to promote. What can I say? (Sign up for e-mail alerts.)

Back To Ohio (For real. Hey this is not the NY Times)

Not so in this case because literary(ish) fiction is actually fun to read; as far as I can tell with Markley's book. Thankfully, Mr. Markley seems to have a good bit of writing chops. Good for him. No slouches allowed in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, you know.

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but this cover spells literary fiction all over it. It's all about the words first and then the plot. And none of it disappoints. It's all good.

Think of it this way. Every book; every good book, deserves a spot in literary history; a moment in time to fit in and work its magic. Ohio, the novel, could be one of them.

You never know, I could be reading the next, great American novel. It sure feels that way so far. I'll let you know for sure in 2057. Right. Don't hold your breath.

Congratulations, Stephen Markley. This is quite an achievement and I will savor every word.

Scout's honor.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

Stephen King certainly needs no promotion from me, but I thought I'd spread the love. Check out his and Owen King's new book, Sleeping Beauties, in this very short, but very interesting book teaser.

Is this book really 720 pages long? Oh, I get it, two authors, one launch. How does that work? Who got more words in? Hopefully Owen did. It was his idea, anyway. (Like father, like son.)

I'll have to take an early retirement to get through this one. But sounds like a good read. I look forward to getting it.

Anthony Bourdain's Last Boner

Photo, Melanie Dunea: Anthony Bourdain's Last Supper

Like most fanatics of Parts Unknown, on CNN,  or Travel Channel's, No Reservations, when the news of Anthony Bourdain's death by suicide trickled in, I found it hard to believe.

Why would Anthony Bourdain do such a thing? I thought. He's a man's man; a Dean Martin type, living the life that every man would love to live. He had a beautiful wife, a lovely daughter and a kick-ass job. What more can a man want out of life?

Right. What more can a man ask for?

Apparently, there was something else Bourdain could not have. The perfect life. From the outside looking in, Bourdain seemed to have it all. Both, while on travel shooting episodes, and in his personal life, Bourdain seemed to be on top of the world. Successful. Invincible. Happy.

What more can a man ask for?

So now what?

Fuck if I know. We could get into Sigmund Freud's theory of life and death instincts, Eros and Thanatos. That would be reasonable conjecture, considering Bourdain's outlook on life, which to me seemed a bit on the dark side. But heck, who am I to judge? We all tend to have a dark side and frankly, that dark side was the allure for many of us.

Bourdain, by all accounts was a no-nonsense, no bullshit, take-no-prisoners kind of writer. I can't remember him sugar-coating anything, ever. And I loved that about him. Whether that was his television persona, or part of his true personality, Anthony Bourdain was engaging in a way that most TV personalities were not.

The Church of Anthony Bourdain . . .

Like any true fan, I faithfully tuned-in, recorded, and binge-watched every episode. The show was, The Church of Anthony Bourdain, after all. Most episodes included raw footage of every location's underbelly, sexual, musical and literary references, all with a smattering of profanity along the way. What's not to like? It was Bourdain's secret recipe for irresistible content. Producer's take note. This was how to engage an audience; Anthony Bourdain style.

Like most viewers, I had a boner for this show. I think Anthony Bourdain had the biggest boner of all (don't let that photo fool you.) but regrettably not forever. Sometimes, too much of a good thing is well, not a good thing. And so it seems that Anthony Bourdain wanted to go out on top of his game. You know, king of the hill, sort of thing.

Maybe his biggest fear 
was how to top himself professionally . . .

Maybe his biggest fear was how to top himself professionally or that he might fail in some way as a father or a husband. Maybe he wanted to retire to enjoy more time with his family but didn't want to disappoint his colleagues with a pink slip. Quite a conundrum, indeed. Yet, nothing worthy of this final outcome.

Initially, I was saddened by the news of Bourdain's death by suicide. In a way, I still don't believe he took his own life and that something was amiss because his death does not add up. Maybe it's just wishful thinking because most of us want to believe that Anthony Bourdain would rather keep his most fabulous life and that someone else, out of revenge or jealousy, snuffed it out for him.

Pure speculation, of course. Although (this blog-post notwithstanding) conspiracy theorists are out there spinning their tales of doom and gloom.

Fast-forward weeks since this tragic event and my sadness has turned into outrage, anger towards Bourdain, and ultimately, indifference. Who cares? He was just an ordinary man. It was just a show. There are plenty more to choose from; I think.

God only knows the shit-show 

you were really living behind the scenes.

Am I being selfish because one of my favorite shows is over and one of my favorite television personalities is gone and now I can no longer enjoy Bourdain's witty anecdotes, exotic locations, and raw humor? Is the American Dream so horrible that we must now reject it by suicide? Can we no longer aspire to greatness?

Heck, now I have to rearrange all my favorite channels and TV shows too. What a headache that's going to be. Shit, I've even burned my collectible copy of Kitchen Confidential.

Thanks for nothing Mr. Bourdain. You've certainly managed to dim our hope for happiness in one fell swoop.

God only knows the shit-show you were really living behind the scenes. And so you did what anyone else in your shoes would do. You quit on yourself, and you quit on us. Really?

Nice going. And all because you got tired of living such a fabulous life.

How dare you, Anthony Bourdain!

How dare you.

R.I.P.

PBS Great American Read - Lonesome Dove

Carlos Santana, Billy Crystal, Jeanisa Hamrick Moore - Three Revealing Memoirs

Here are three unrelated memoirs that I'm currently reading and enjoying. I'll be posting another memoir about a paraplegic woman who continues to inspire me and I want to share this life-changing tale that you really don't want to miss.

Right now I'm into The Universal Tone, a memoir by Carlos Santana, which is quite fascinating. And another very different memoir by none other than Billy Crystal, Still Foolin' 'Em. If you're looking for a good laugh, and who isn't, this is a hilarious look at Crystal's life at 65.

Also, I've had the pleasure to work with a very inspiring author, Jeanisa Hamrick Moore who inspires me with her never-ending faith as she overcomes so many challenges in her life after a horrible fall that left her in a wheelchair. What a story!

So there you have it. Check out these eye-opening, hilarious, and inspiring memoirs from three different people from very different walks of life who open up about everything and in the process, enrich our lives with their courageous, engaging, and inspirational stories.

       

   

Love Beyond Boundaries will be available soon on Amazon, but you can still connect with this amazing author, Jeanisa on Facebook.

I'll be posting both her book and the book trailer to Love Beyond Boundaries in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, you can get the other memoirs on Amazon.com or you can save a buck or two on my eBay offer below.

Discount Books:

Make Offer / Free Shipping / Carlos Santana Memoir

Make Offer / Free Shipping / Billy Crystal Memoir

MOONLIGHT - A Sort of Indie Movie Revolution

Oscar Winner, Best Picture 2017

This past week, as you already know because of all the commotion (possibly planned publicity) surrounding the Oscars Award Ceremony, an underdog Indie film, Moonlight, won the Oscar for best picture.

That, however, came about in a strange way because the powers that be, or the careless presenters who did not second guess the obvious error when they were handed the wrong envelope (Best Supporting Actress, Emma Stone) went ahead anyway and announced the wrong winner, thereby allowing three producers to give an acceptance speech for an award they had not won.

Who does that? Nice going Warren Beatty for not speaking up and allowing an obvious mistake to perpetuate. What were you thinking? Didn't you know you were given the wrong envelope? YES! He obviously did know and still announced the wrong winner. Why?

The short answer is he's an idiot. The longer answer is that he didn't want to expose either his or the Academy's shortcomings by trying to correct their mistake on live television. So he made the decision to make everything worse instead. Sorry, Warren Beatty but that was as lame as the movies you make.

But who really cares? It's just an award show. And that's according to Jimmy Kimmel.

Okay, enough of all that. We know that most of Hollywood is flaky. The proof is in most of the horrible movies they unabashedly make, year after year.

And that leads to my real story, the Indie Revolution.

A Chick-Flick with an awesome ending

I'm calling it The Indie Revolution because that's exactly what it wants to be and it has been on the verge of becoming a revolution for the last 20 years or so. Well, it's almost here and now. The Indie Movie Industry is officially the new kid on the block. Or they should be.

Not that any of this matters to Hollywood but it's about time they got their ass kicked playing their own game and they totally deserve it for being money-hungry charlatans with astronomical budgets that mostly produce lavish, uninspired movies as shallow as a puddle of muddy water.

I certainly hope this is a chance for independent writers to count in an industry mired by so many trivial stories and inept producers who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

But I really doubt it because the Hollywood elites and their machinations are well entrenched and stronger than ever and eager to spew out their few really good movies, such as 21 Grams or Thelma and Louise as notable bookends to a litany of studio losers in between.

But in all honesty, we must credit the writers and directors of such films. Thank you Alejandro Inarritu, Guillermo Arriaga, and Callie Khouri for your refreshing work.

"Blair Witch Project was the best example

of Hollywood's inept, greedy ways."

But forget the creatives, Moonlight's budget was 1.5 million and so far has grossed close to 28 million and counting. Not a bad ROI. (Go Arri Alexa! Forgive me. I'm a camera techie.)

In 1999 The Blair Witch Project debuted at The Sundance Film Festival with a small budget of only $60,000 and eventually went on to gross about $250 million worldwide making it one of the most successful independent films of all time.

That was almost twenty years ago and the number of independent films since then has grown exponentially and this year's Oscar-winning, Moonlight, will undoubtedly inspire the Indie Film Industry as we've never seen before.

What does that mean for Hollywood? Nothing, apparently. They haven't taken a clue since Blair Witch so what makes you think they will follow Moonlight's lead? BTW, kudos to Mahershala Ali for his Oscar-winning performance and props to director, Barry Jenkins for his vision bringing Moonlight to life in such a fascinating and unexpected way. We need more stories like this. Black stories. LGBT stories. Meaningful stories that are culturally important and relevant. Stories that lead with their hearts and minds and not their wallets. Well, sort of because it's always about the money first.

But you see, Hollywood makes money either way. To Hollywood, movies are all about DVD sales, cable distribution, global markets, etc. Hollywood could care less about blowing 100 million dollars on a lame movie because they know they'll eventually make their money back via one revenue stream or another either in the U.S. or more importantly, abroad.

"Art is secondary to Hollywood . . ."

Art is secondary to Hollywood because the big money is in high concept formulaic blockbuster films with the old tried and true themes and plots and gimmicks, otherwise known as, required scenes or set pieces that every movie must accommodate in order to be relevant and "successful."

Interesting Indie-like Film

And this is why Hollywood producers and apparently its writers are okay with their standard scripts because they are sure-fire money makers. Although that's debatable but the point is that Hollywood is always going to be Hollywood because they can be and they don't need little films like Blair Witch or Moonlight to influence them in any way because it's not about art but about the almighty dollar. We get it. Nothin new under the sun.

The LGBT Angle

Speaking of winners and losers and nothing new, let's mention the obvious. Hollywood still comes out on top because Moonlight is more than a culturally important film but also an LGBT offering featuring an all-black cast. And it's no secret that creatives, especially the executives and producers, and its influencers in Hollywood, for the most part are a big part of the LGBT landscape. Hmm, sounds like a win, win, win.

Nothing wrong with being a hungry Hollywood producer either. But it's us, the audience, the end user who ultimately pays the price for their capitalistic ways, whether we like it or not.

After all Xfinity's HBO programming is still peddling 20-year-old movies. Go figure. Plenty of poor schmucks are still buying them too. Whether they like it or not.

Not exactly breaking news, but it's all about advertising dollars, my friends.

And you thought this was an Indie Revolution?

Right.

Thanks for the Advertising Revolution, Hollywood!

What Would You Do With a Death Sentence?

New Kindle and Paperback Cover

In 2009 I prematurely published my first novel after a harrowing brush with death while editing. Among worst things (divorce) and despite all the chaos surrounding my life at the time, I still consider my first novel A Death For Beauty, a small success.

I can't even begin to tell you what I went through between 2007 and 2009, except to say those were the best and worst years of my life for so many reasons.

I can't explain how all these strange events (open-heart surgery, hip replacement surgery, divorce, writing, editing and publishing my first novel) intersected my life at a time when I was drowning fast in a difficult marriage with three wonderful children.

I'll spare you the shit story. Life is full of them and I'm just one more victim of a horrible relationship (and so was she) who was down for the count and so far I've made it through 8 more years of turmoil because my life never seems to get easier. Cry me a river. Nobody gives a shit and that's ok. I'm not looking for sympathy. Just stating the facts that might inspire you if you're going through difficult times.

"I'll cite Ernest Hemingway

as my favorite author."

I'll cite Ernest Hemingway as my favorite author because he had the discipline to write in the midst of so much chaos and drama in his life and he was smart enough to use many events in his life as a basis or as inspiration for all his stories. It's an amazing body of work. The Snows of Kilimanjaro being one of my favorite short stories of all time.

Since I like to focus on the positive I've reinvented myself in other ways until my time is up on Earth. Sounds dramatic but life is full of drama, folks. After my heart surgeon game me six months to live, events like that tend to change your perspective in life if you can survive through such an ordeal.

My theory is that most people don't take their life seriously until it's too late. Newsflash folks, we're not immortal. Life is short and there's simply no time to waste. I remind my children of that and it's the most important thing I can teach them.

The strangest thing is that I set out to write a Western novel and turned out something, a cross between a Western and a mystery using many of the troubling events in my life as themes in the story. Go figure. The ending of ADFB is especially personal to me because I use all my children's names and I managed to deepen my characters with traits borrowed from my older children.

Tentative New Title and Hardcover

It's amazing how things work out. Overall I think this is a very successful story that works on so many levels. It's a shame I wasn't able to get the publicity at the time to launch this book properly but I was in a worse place at the time and limited in so many ways due to health issues. Bottom line, I should've waited until my health improved but at the time I wasn't sure I'd survive at all.

The good thing is that this story is set in the past, 1863 to be exact so in that sense it is timeless and readable for those interested in that time period, which in this case intersects with Abraham Lincoln as President during the Civil War. So the potential for another release of this novel is in its very near future.

The new book cover for the paperback is shown here. The main difference is the title is bolder and larger, set in a Subway Novella font, which gives it that worn and torn feel, befitting that turbulent era.

In hindsight this is the book cover I think works best. Although I like the previous covers, especially the hardcover depicting the farm.

Dear reader, please realize you must

always live your life as if you were dying.

I really fussed with that cover as I do with most of my work. Once I get an idea I try dozens of variations until I settle on the best one. The hardcover really shows the farm and the hard life Virginia lived comes through those images and really captures the essence of her amazing and improbable story.

The central theme is uncertainty and despair. Other relatable themes on a smaller scale are also weaved through the novel and in retrospect, I'm not sure how I pulled it off at the time but it all works.

If there is one objection to any of the story it is that I threw so much into it that for that reason alone it can seem unfocused. Sometimes less is more although I have no regrets with the novel's outcome. My main problem was the opening pages and I'm happy with the first pages now but you never know. I've thought of revamping the whole thing into a short story with a much simpler story line.

Anything is possible and just a matter of time. And when I say time I realize that I don't have forever and whatever changes or goals I have now, I can't hang on to much longer.

Dear reader, please realize you must always live your life as if you were dying.

Because you are.



**************************************

For my next post I'd like to talk more about Ernest Hemingway and his amazing legacy and what he has meant to me as a student of literature and how this great author has inspired me to keep writing.

Subscribe for more posts like this.

For those of you interested in the ADFB novel, I'll post the first pages of this story in Screenplay format, which is also in the works and I'll talk about the benefits for novelists about learning to write screenplays.

Don't miss it!