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Showing posts from December, 2008

Happy New Year!

Venus is sitting pretty beneath the moon tonight, and it paints a nice picture to usher in the New Year. 2009 is finally here. 2008 continued to bring me grief even today, so I'm looking forward to turning the page. It's cold and extremely windy tonight and the Harbor's party is cancelled, and rescheduled for tomorrow. Maybe I'll be in a more partying mood then. I know I didn't get much done today like I wanted to. I was summoned to court for a charged-off credit card (I've been hurt several times and couldn't work, so this is nothing new) first thing this morning. Oh, bring on the new year... It's only gonna get better. Wish me and UNIQUE luck for '09! Happy New Year everybody! Stay safe out there...

Make Room For My Ego!

Okay, now I'd say it's about time to revel in a lil egotism here. While searching online at Barnes and Noble for vampire books to lighten the balance of my gift card, I came across several books that just made me say, "Wow." I often self-deprecate on this blog, but after browsing some of the vampire books that have been published, I was left thinking that I may have what it takes to potentially become America's next great white hope! Seriously, there's shit out there, my friends. This is just the kind of kick in the ass I was looking for. In all seriousness, I'm far from a great writer. But I believe that I'm a good writer. And while UNIQUE isn't the Great American Novel, I believe that it is a fun book to read, within an interesting series. Perhaps all this "shit" that is published annually is marketed correctly, and that's why certain writing ass-clowns have a job today. And this "shit" helps good stuff become great. (Thi

Warm Winter Days

What a Sunday! It's lovingly warm outside, and the Baltimore Winter sky is beginning to look a lot like the Pacific Northwest. It's cloudy 'round here damn near daily. And the Ravens are in the playoffs! What a day... I'm two days out from a nice 5-day vacation and I've got a couple six packs of Bud American Ale, my new favorite beer behind Guinness. I've come up with a few new things to implement into UNIQUE , and I'm looking forward to this evening so that I will be able to sit down in quiet. I'm going to sleep tight, tonight. Goodnight, Baltimore!

Thank You, 2008

One thing I noticed about the holidays is that simply put, they suck. My holiday cheer went out with the Christmas tree and is lying in the gutter with a dead mouse. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that bad, but this year wasn't the delightful treat I've grown accustomed to. No, oh no! This one was full of naughty little nephews running around and generally being bad. I even caught a foot in the crotch. On Theresa's side - well, it started off nice enough, but on Christmas day it didn't end so wonderfully. But 2008 wasn't so awful. I had another great time in Chicago. The Raven's actually won 9 more games than I thought they could. And I'm still alive, kicking and pouting my way into publishing. Now we're heading to New Years and the only thing I have goin' for me is five days off. Now this is a wonderful Christmas present. Let's see, what am I going to do with all this time off? Well, I'm sure I won't leave the couch and the remote will be

Excerpt from UNIQUE Chapter 1

Walking into the makeshift den, which was now simply a playroom and recording studio (okay, it’s not much more than a closet), Shao Kahn shouted “Finish Him!” from the Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet. I kept the thing as a relic from my glory days. I found it in a flee market in Dundalk, and it was actually more expensive than it was worth, but that game had kept me out of quite a bit of trouble during my stay at Patapsco High. I headed to the workbench and turned on the power strip. I turned on both of the turntables, the synthesizer and mixer, and just in case things were to go well, the recorder. Flipping through some records in a box next to the stand, I pulled out Method Man’s Tical and popped it onto the left TT-1. I was working on a mix of “Mr. Sandman” for a Mid-skool tape. This was a collection of hip hop from the 90s, the stuff that we grew into men with. My wheels of steel were new Numark TT-1 turntables, and they weren’t nearly as good for scratching records like my old Tec

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Disclaimer: No, this is not Santa fuckin up a random black dude. This is Santa doin his best for the Vampire Nation by chokin' out Blade! Merry Christmas everybody!

Weekend to Remember

What a great weekend! My little brother arrived in Baltimore and the Ravens win on Saturday blended right into Christmas with Theresa's family all day Sunday and our friend's at night. I wanted to post here over the weekend, but for the first time in a while I did not have a chance. But that's a good thing. I kept busy and stayed optimisitic throughout the weekend. Now we're gearing up for Christmas with my family and I'm finally in the spirit. I'm spending every dollar I have on everyone I can think of. And...I'm enjoying it. Weird. Now, if the Raven's win on Sunday and I get some editting done, I'll be ringing in the New Year like a madman! Also, while reading a new vampire book collection I was given yesterday, I began to see things about descriptive narrative differently. So that is something I'm looking for while doing revisions tonight and this week. There are certain times when I use words like Victorian in place of describing the characte

A Summer Night Forgotten

It's warm. Damp with large drops of rain pelting the windshield every now and then. The Crystal Method's The Winner fades into Over the Line , and I roll the windshield down. In my pocket are two white pills. I fish them out, and pop them in my mouth, downing them with a Diet Pepsi. To my left is the Patapsco River, capped by downtown Baltimore a little further to my north. Yellow street lamps guide my way on either side, and I close my eyes to inhale the watery breeze. I stop in front of an old basketball court. Just past the court is a small field that ends at the water, a stubby pier jutting out in broken planks. I remember the place from my earlier drinking days. Friends and I would come here before we were old enough to hit the bars and drink. We would drink cans of Bud and bottles of Zima and we would make out. I slip my hands in my pocket and lean back on the hood of the Mustang. Crystal Method's High and Low is on now. It's perfect and I smile. I'm happy i

What's So Special About You?

A funny thing about humans - we think we're special. We gave ourselves a soul, so that we would never really die. We gave ourselves gods so that we'd truly never be alone. And for thousands of years our literary characters have benefited from this as well, and we made them worship us, too. And the reasons are easy enough to spot. Apparently Earth's the only planet with life, and dogs can't talk and fish can't walk. We inherited the universe for lack of any other intelligent life. And it shows in our fiction, especially literature. The vampire is no different. As amazing as their physiology would be - to sustain life even after death - they hold us high on a pedestal. Dracula did in his novel, and this worship of humanity continues to this day. Evander Cambio, the protagonist of UNIQUE , wants to hold onto his humanity, too. Hell, I even had to develop different species of vampires so that this was a possibility. He's a Clean Blood, a vampire from the original so

Don't Tap Out!

When inspiration and creativity is absent for so long, can you deduce that the story is no longer worth writing? Is there a point when an idea is simply dead? And have I stumbled into a brain-snapping grapple that I should just succumb to the pain and tap out already?! Well the short, perhaps ephemeral answer is no, not just yet. There are plenty of stories out there that exist - and popularly - in the world of novels, comic books and graphic novels that give me hope that one day my story will see the dimly fluorescent -lit shelves of bookstores, eventually. And while I do sometimes have a tinge of doubt that pinches me at the temple, usually the confidence that has kept this first book alive takes large Pacman - like bites out of that doubt. Chomp, Chomp, Chomp. Sometimes I find it curious that I spend more time and effort on posting on this blog than I do actually trying to sit down and write. I've listed in other posts the numerous distractions I have - that most of us share - b

Yo, This Book MIGHT Suck!

You know, I don't get much feedback at all on my writing. Besides my significant other, I don't think anyone has ever read my novel. That's a shame. But I'm starting to wonder how I would take the criticism. I watched The Day the Earth Stood Still this past weekend and sat in awe. I love films where humanity just doesn't have a clue how to stop something so unimaginable from happening. I was much more enamored with the special effects and the cinematography, but the story wasn't so bad either. Nor was the general message, which was faithful to the original and still remains true to this day. Go figure. But while the credits were rolling, it was the first flick I've been to in a while where the people were obviously left unsatisfied. "Yo, that movie sucked," I heard above the others. I held back the "You suck" reply, figuring that this was not my film and I shouldn't take it personally. But I enjoyed it, so I did. But only for a momen

Countdown to 2009

I have no idea what's in store for 2009, but I'm optimistic. I'm hopeful. I read today that, even though the the auto bailout fell flat on its face in Congress yesterday, the Treasury department will not let the Big 3 fail. And I have a few friends that have lost their jobs. But on January 1st, you have to believe in something magical, and I think they will get back on their feet. It's a new, fresh start. And with a bit of faith, and some confidence, you have to believe everything's just going to work out. American Exceptionalism may be fizzing away, but with Barack Obama soon to lead this country, I'm excited that this country may be heading in a new direction. I hope that foreign policy will be reinvented for this new globalized world and that energy technology leads our economy back to preeminence. Hopefully something inside my head will click and regardless of where I write, I will write . And maybe I'll get married . And make a son. And win the lottery

Rain, Rain Go Away

Or not, I don't care. I'm taking my last final exam. My nose is leaking like a bastard. I'm out of pills and next I have to go to work. At least I get paid tomorrow. So I was reading an issue of Wizard magazine. Nothing really gets me back into writing quite like Wizard, for some reason. I don't know if it's because there are a lot of scribe interviews in the mag, or if it's the plethora of new writers they embrace. But it's refreshing to see that some people have luck making it in the biz. I'm hoping that January will provide me the quiet lull in activity that abounds me at the moment, and I can write. Maybe something new, I don't know. Back to this final now. Ta!

Christmas Rapping

When I left for work it was nearly 65 degrees already and raining. Thunder was rattling the windows and set off the car alarm behind me, leaving me looking suspicious as I pulled away for work. Laughing, I rolled down the window and enjoyed the warm air and cool rain. It's amazing what a walk will do for you. Hitting the treadmill for an hour yesterday did wonders for my cold-riddled body. It got me out of the cave I call residence for now and I eventually began a Christmas list. I have an iPhone, so now I can finally enjoy buying for others. This little gadget is taking up way too much of my time. But seeing as how I'm mostly just doing nothing, it can't hurt that much, can it? Okay, I don't have any rapping skills, but things are at least looking up today. (And I'm working over 10 hours, weird...)

My Grades, the Publishing Industry, and the Earth and the Moon

It's been a while since I've had anything to blog about, apparently. Christmas shopping, final exams this week and a blown final project, and I'm a year older. I haven't mustered much writing today, and I'm stuck in my hole watching The Wire. I've been doing way too much thinking lately, that's for sure. Wondering what America would be like without an auto industry. The fact that I'm still years away from graduation. And how is it that I'm just so F-ing lazy? And maybe depression really is as simple as a chemical reaction in the brain... But I wonder mostly about the State of the Publishing industry, and how much room there are for new writers. Obviously the economy is hurting everybody . And it seems time to back off with the query letters, and concentrate solely on finishing revisions of this first book. Perhaps I'll have a fighting chance when this country is climbing out of this hole that's larger than the one in my futon. Here we go agai