Why can’t they leave great franchises alone?

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Why is it that there are no more original ideas? Instead of coming up with something new, people–and by people I mean comic book editors, movie and television executives–decide to reinvent or re-imagine a classic instead of making an original idea. There are so many original ideas out there from the many independent, self-published authors, why do they have to mess with success?

A great, more recent, example is the Ghostbusters franchise. Now, I may get in trouble for this but hear me out. Instead of going with a third movie in the trilogy, they decided to re-imagine it with an all-female cast. Yes, it had some very funny moments and some of the cast were great (Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon were my favorites) but it failed to grab the spirit of the original. Now, Jason Reitman is working to make a third movie with some of the original cast for 2020. That is getting praise from the fans of the original movies, and panned by some who think we didn’t give the reboot a chance. We gave it a chance and we didn’t care for it, enough said.

Another example is Star Trek. It was great to see Star Trek go from the original series, to The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, etc. I was even a fan of the Enterprise prequel. Then we got the reboot with Chris Pine, which was okay but it seemed to be more about bring the “millennial edginess” instead of a way of telling a new story. Even the new TV series Discovery has redefined Klingons different from the original premise. And now, there’s word the Quentin Tarantino will be given a chance to put his mark on Star Trek. Why? Why mess with something that already has a deep-rooted fan base.

Look at the movie 2015 Max Max: Fury Road. Because it was written, directed, and produced by George Miller, the creator of Mad Max, it had the same feel as the original movies. It was visually awesome, great cast, and a decent story. It even won some Oscars, a first for the franchise. You see, they didn’t need to update it because it was good as it is. You don’t need to make wholesale changes to a franchise just to make it interesting.

Image result for the mandalorianAnother great example is Star Wars. Now, there have been hits and misses with the franchise since the end of Return of the Jedi. The animated series have been top notch, the Rogue One prequel was OUT OF BOUNDS! However, they have not found the original magic from these successes in later projects. The Force Awakens was good, The Last Jedi not so much. Solo was, in my opinion, better than I expected it to be, but it had too many plot holes. I am looking forward to the Mandalorian Netflix series as well as future releases after Episode 9 (which I am patiently holding my breath for) because they will be original movies separate from the Skywalker saga. That’s where they need to go. We don’t need a reboot of the same characters with new actors, but rather, let’s go to another part of the vast universe.

With all these examples, I just want to make the point that there are stories out there that haven’t been told yet, but they need to be done right. Look at Stephen King’s The Dark Tower and how badly it was done. These editors, producers, and directors need to keep the writers in mind to keep the story true to the original intent. Granted, some things may be out of the budgetary range of some movies (though not impossible with today’s CGI technology) but it is from the writer that it even exists in the first place.

Even in comic books, story lines are now being rewritten to accommodate the way they were done in the movies. Really? So, the original stories aren’t good enough anymore? Sorry, but that’s just being too damn lazy to be creative and original.

I have had the great opportunity to meet, talk to, and read the books of other independent authors like me through our connections on social media. There are a lot of great stories out there, worthy of a movie or series. That’s where the inspiration for the next big TV series or blockbuster movie should come from, not someone’s idea of the next reboot should be. Quit re-imagining things and let’s be original for a change.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniversepublishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

Writer’s Block is a pain in the ass and my personal demon from Hell

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I know I’ve already addressed “writer’s block” in some of my previous blog posts, but I really need to vent right now. I have been fighting this demon for weeks and it’s starting to get the best of me.

To briefly explain, I am one of those “unessential government employees” currently furloughed by the partial government shutdown. I have been out of work for over a month now. In that time, I have written maybe 6-8 pages. I have been so frustrated with everything I just can’t focus and write. There’s no inspiration, no joy.

Normally, I would relish in the idea of being off, taking the time to spend on my stories rather than doing what I do at work. It’s what I dream of doing, how I really want to spend my life. But for some reason, it’s not happening.

I’ve tried all the tricks of the trade to get past my writer’s block… Go for a walk, read a book, exercise, listen to music, etc. The problem is it’s hard to “eliminate distractions” when the biggest one is staring me in the face… paying my rent and other bills, buying groceries, etc.

Now, I’m not going to get political here. Personally, I blame ALL of them! These politicians don’t give a damn, no matter what they tell the media. To be honest, this is why I want to be a full-time writer… So I don’t have to worry about things like this anymore.

I just want to write my stories without the nagging frustration hanging over me like a rain cloud. I want to walk through the fantasy world in my head that I created without the “demon” called the government shutdown looming in the darkness.

Sorry for the rant this week. Like I said, I just needed to vent. Any helpful hints or suggestions would be appreciated in the comments. Thanks.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

How many more comic book reboots do we have to endure nowadays?

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Why does it seem that comic books don’t know what to do with themselves anymore? We’ve gone through several reboots, character deaths and subsequent rebirths, time travel, alternate realities, etc. Entire books have ended only to restarted under a new brand or idea, with revamped characters. It’s a never ending cycle.

I will admit that sometimes they have good ideas. Crisis on Infinite Earths and Age of Apocalypse are two of my all-time favorites. These multi-issue, cross brand arcs are what the comics need, from time-to-time. But lately, they seem to be doing it more for sales than content.

DC did the “New 52” back in 2011 after the Flashpoint crossover to give the characters a “jump start” into, what I would consider, their DCEU personas for the movie franchises. However, that didn’t last as the DC universe was rebooted again in 2016 with its Rebirth, as they called it.

So let me get this right… The original DC characters, in their first incarnations, lasted more than 60+ years until the New 52, which only last five years? What does that tell you?

Marvel is better at hiding these changes and reboots, but they’re terrible at killing characters off. In DC, three members of the Legion of Superheroes–Invisible Kid, Ferro Lad, and Chemical Kid–died and have stayed dead. Can you say the same for Jean Grey, Nick Fury, or anyone Deadpool killed in a dozen alternate realities? They even revived Scott Lang in the comics just to make the Ant-Man movie!

They’ve tried subtle reboots to invigorate the brand, like during the Onslaught crossover where Rob Liefeld got to create a new universe for the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, but it failed miserably. They tried to create a new “Ultimate” universe with new renditions and origins of classic characters, but then decided to combine them into one in the new Secret Wars (and I’m not talking the one where Spidey got his black suit).

Not all reboots are bad. Some bring fresh characters into the mix. During the Inhumanity crossover, we got a new Ms. Marvel as Carol Danvers finally became Captain Marvel. Two thumbs up for that one! And DC’s Dark Nights: Metal gave us one of the most twisted renditions of Batman ever seen in The Batman Who Laughs. Unreal!

So, let’s review. Reboots can be good at introducing new characters but some consistency please. We don’t need one every couple of years. It’s making “Silver Age” readers like me antsy!

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

Reviews are the lifeblood of independent authors

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An author lives, and dies, on book reviews. It’s how we gauge the interest of the audience, how we write and develop our stories, and what works. Its essential for authors to get reviews, both good and bad.

To give you an example, here is a review of my first novel, Forever Avalon, when it was first published in 2009.

“Nice try, but the book seems to be the effort of someone truly not gifted in the art of writing. Skip this one and save your money.“

Yeah, that hurt a lot. It made me wonder if I even had a future as an author; but I didn’t waiver. I forged ahead, corrected my mistakes, and strived harder to be a better writer.

Did you know that reviews on Amazon determine if you get a higher placement and “pushes” by the algorithms built into the Amazon search engine. That makes reviews even more important.

To be frank, I’ve invested a lot of money in my writing career, from publicity and marketing, to art, editing, and publishing. I consider it an investment in my future career, although my wife has a different opinion. This is why reviews are more important, especially to self-published authors like me.

We are making phone calls, setting up our own book signings, sales, and other events to promote our books. Getting reviews is how we can grow as an author, good or bad. That bad review was really the worst one I ever got, but I took it to heart to make myself a better writer.

I would like all my reviews to be “5 Star” glowing reviews, praising my work, but that’s not the case. I want people to experience the world I created and enjoy it as much as I do. I’ll take the good with the bad, just please, leave a review!

In a final note, I will do exchanges for reviews… book for book… to support my fellow independent authors. Leave a comment or email me to exchange books. Thanks for your support!

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

My favorite anime of 2018, and there are too many to name

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I have to say, I really loved a lot of the anime that came out in 2018. Overlord III, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Cells at Work, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, Violet Evergarden, and The Seven Deadly Sins were just a small part of the many successful animes that came out last year.

The year ended with a bang with Goblin Slayer, Sword Art Online: Alicization, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, A Certain Magical Index III, and the final season of Fairy Tail. There is not enough time in the day to binge watch all the anime I need to watch.

I know there is a lot of anime I’m not going to talk about here. I’m a big sci-fi/fantasy fan. So please, let me know your favorites from 2018 in the comments.

First off, I have to admit, Cells at Work was my guilty pleasure of 2018. It was fun and educational. It was better than Osmosis Jones, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), and so many other TV shows and movies that tried to demonstrate the inner workings of the human body. All the cells have such unique personalities you would expect from cells and viruses. Cells at Work did it in a fun, captivating way that taught me something new. And those platelets are so darn adorable.

Goblin Slayer was an emotional journey I never expected. I played D&D for years, and I never thought of goblins the way they are represented in this anime. I mean, capturing women and brutalizing them was never something I even considered in all my fantasy writing and roleplaying. It shocked me, but in a way I never expected. It gave me an appreciation that goblins are not a throwaway monster that many stories and games treat them as. They’re evil and viscous and need to be wiped out. Beyond that, the show had some of the best characters I’ve seen in a fantasy anime. They were believable, and that’s what made this anime so special. I cant wait for Season 2.

One of my favorite sequels released in 2018 was A Certain Magical Index III. I have always loved the idea of bridging magic and science and this anime does it for me. I love the parallels between the two in Academy City and how religion plays a big part in all of it. Additionally, the anime has great characters that you either want to root for or kill outright. There is no gray area in this series. Some might consider this a “harem” anime, as there are more females after the main character, Kamijou Touma, than you can shake a stick at; but I’m rooting for Misaka.

One other great thing about 2018 anime is the theme songs. I have an entire playlist on my phone of just anime theme songs, and most of them are from 2018. The music is vibrant, toe-tapping, and out of bounds. Even if I don’t understand the lyrics, I love it. It has been a great year for anime music.

I’ll close this by saying I loved the emotion behind Fairy Tail, the over-powered characters of Overlord, the spirit of My Hero Academia, the beauty of Kakurio-Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, the humor of Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, and the story of Violet Evergarden. There are times I wished I lived in Japan, so that I could watch these anime when they come out. That would be awesome.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

Editing makes you a better writer

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I may or may not have mentioned it before, but I work as a writer-editor for a government agency. It’s what pays the bills. It also, as I’ve found out in the past year, helps my growth as a writer as a whole.

I also help friends of mine, who are also aspiring writers, edit their work. It has been an eye-opening experience all around, but it’s also part of my own personal growth.

Normally, many people rely on the ever-present and evil “spell check” to keep them on the straight and narrow. The problem with that is it doesn’t always work. When you write “he” and you meant to write “her” it won’t make that change. I also believe that spell check makes you lazy as a writer. As much as I love auto-correct, it sometimes allows me to skip spelling it right as I know it’ll do it for me. Even now, as I write this blog, it’s doing my job for me.

Some say this is the benefit of technology, but I disagree. I started my career as a Navy Journalist, learning on a manual typewriter and editing in pencil. That’s how it was done for decades, and it worked then, so why change now?

Sorry, I got off track there. Technology is a blessing in disguise for writers. It makes it easier for people to edit your manuscript and comment on why these changes are important. It helps in the overall growth of a writer.

At the same time, being a writer and editing another writer’s work has its benefits. You see how others write–a similar benefit you get from being an avid reader–but you also see things from a different perspective.

For example, how many different words are there for the word said and when is it appropriate to use them? These are things that can drive a writer crazy, but it’ll make an editor a little loopy too. I just edited a friends manuscript, and everytime his characters thought something, he wrote “he thought” or “she thought” down. I got to the point I stopped editing it and just made a comment to remind him to use other words for thought, like “wondered” or “pondered” for example. You learn as you edit.

That’s my advice to all my fellow independent and self-published authors out there… Connect with your fellow authors and offer to edit their work. Do it for reviews, exchange manuscripts for editing, what ever it takes. It’ll help you as a writer and your efforts will help someone else in the long run.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

What makes a movie a Christmas movie?

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There is an age old question that has haunted people since the 80s… Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? It takes place at the holidays, there Christmas decorations, Christmas music playing, so doesn’t that make it a Christmas movie? Bruce Willis himself answered this question at his celebrity roast earlier this year when he said:

“‘Die Hard’ is not a Christmas move! It’s a God Damn Bruce Willis movie!”

I know many who would disagree with that sentiment, but that’s where this idea originated. Besides an obvious holiday theme, what makes a movie a Christmas movie?

A great example is the classic Gremlins. It has all the elements of a Christmas movie, just like Die Hard, i.e. it’s Christmas time, decorations, music, etc. The cute little Mogwi is a present for the main character. So what if they turn into deadly little gremlins that kill, maim, and destroy everything in sight. It’s still Christmas, right?

Tim Burton likes making non-Christmas movies at Christmas time. How can you forget Batman Returns with “the Bat, the Cat, and the Penguin” amidst the Gotham City Christmas tree lighting. Then there’s Edward Scissorhands and his freakish hands carving ice to make it snow every Christmas. These have that holiday feel, but are never really considered a holiday movie. I could list dozens more… Trading Places, Lethal Weapon, Rocky IV, and You’ve Got Mail to name a few.

Is it weird to watch movies like this at other times of the year or does it make you one of those Christmas weirdos that watches White Christmas in June? (Hint, I live with one of those weirdos so I know what I’m talking about.)

There are even classic movies that have nothing to do with Christmas but are usually only seen at the holidays. This is because they are family movies and, since families gather at the holidays, it’s the best time to air them. The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are some of the movies regularly seen this time of year.

So if you’re tired of watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the tenth time since Thanksgiving, I’ve got four words for you… “Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Fucker!”

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

Update: The Outlander War is progressing with its first interior artwork

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I am happy to report that The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is progressing nicely through Austin Macauley Publishing and I have my first update.

For the book interior, I requested the Coat of Arms of Lord Bryan MoonDrake, the Gil-Gamesh of Avalon. This is the rendering they sent me. It’s a good likeness, similar to what I had in mind when I created it. Their first rendition had traditional medieval long swords, but I explained the importance of Twlight and Dusk, the Twin Swords of the Dragon Knight. They replicated them beautifully.

The Coat of Arms represents the three tenants of Lord MoonDrake: The swords are the symbol of his title as a Knight of Avalon and the Gil-Gamesh, the Eternal Champion of Avalon; the dragon is a symbol of his magical prowess as a DragonMage and, combined with the crescent moon, represents his name MoonDrake.

This artwork is a first step in working with the artists at the publishers for both interior art and cover art. They responded to my request for changes and came back within a week with the updated drawing. This is what you want to experience in that writer/publisher relationship.

More updates to come as the publishing process continues. I’m still waiting for them to finish editing and send me my manuscript back with red line edits, and cover art. I will keep you I formed as it progresses. Any questions on my publishing experience, please ask in the comments below.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

Vote for me! Vote for FOREVER AVALON for Cover of the Month!

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I NEED YOUR HELP! They say not to judge a book by its cover but I’m gonna need you to do just that and VOTE FOR ME!

The cover for my novel, Forever Avalon, has been nominated for “Cover of the Month” by allauthor.com! The cover was designed by artist Dennis Saputra. This is a great honor for both of us. Please support us by voting for us! Click the button below to vote!

Thanks for your support!

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.

Stop trying to justify “political correctness” by bashing fantasy classics

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I wasn’t sure what I was going to write this week, then I heard about an American science fiction author bashing J.R.R. Tolkien as racist. When I read the article, it became even more laughable because he claimed that he was racist because of the way he portrayed Orcs as an “inferior” race.

Yes, you read that right. The greatest fantasy author of all times is a racist and a bigot because he made a make-believe race that were considered inferior by most people, i.e. those who read Tolkien and the author himself. Never in my life have I heard anything so ridiculous and self-serving. These comments seem to be coming from a man trying to sell his own books, because he sure doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Now, before I go any further, I want to inform you that I hate political correctness. I am “old school” for lack of a better word. I don’t agree with changing words just because you don’t like them. To me, free speech is everything. If you don’t like it, then don’t read it, watch it, or listen to it. However, I hate stupidity and he’s just downright stupid.

The author (who will remain unnamed as I will not promote him in any way, shape or form) said Tolkien “depicted evil creatures such as Orcs as ‘worse than others’ and said this had ‘dire consequences for society.'” Sorry, what? Is President Trump planning to turn away immigrants because he’s afraid they’ll join the dark lord Sauron to destroy America? Gimme a break!

Okay, first you have to understand what Orcs are… They’re mostly evil. Some like Warcraft depict Orcs as neutral or evil–like some do in D&D–but most portray them as evil. It’s part of what Orcs were meant to be.

Remember, Tolkien created Orcs, so all of us fantasy authors go by his writings for reference. Beyond that, it is well known that Tolkien was one of the most staunch critics of racism, fascism, and Nazism. It is well documented in his writings.

Now, here is where he gets really, really wierd. The author says, “I can easily imagine that a lot of these people that were doing the dark lord’s bidding were doing so out of simple self preservation and so forth.” Really? I guess they killed all the humans because they were afraid of Sauron, not because humans tasted good. This quote shows me that this man never read Tolkien, and if he did, he’s trying to use today’s “PC bullshit” to justify his opinion.

Why? Why do we have to do that? Why do we need to take one of the Top 5 novels in America (as per The Great American Read) and trash it because you want to be politically correct. If you want to do that, write your own damn book about Orcs being the downtrodden of society, but to me, it’s pretty insulting comparing Orcs to South American migrants (yes, this idiot did that too!)

There is a place for criticism. I have negative reviews on my own novels, and I take them to improve myself as an author. It just seems that for this author to go after a literary legend like Tolkien is more about bringing attention to himself.

You can read the article about this author and his comments here and decide for yourself. I, for one, don’t plan on reading any of his books anytime soon.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon from Austin Macauley Publishing.