Tag: writing

Keeping the history of our world alive through literature

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TARDISat60FathomsDid you ever feel like you were born in the wrong time? I get that feeling all the time. It’s probably why I am such a huge fan of Doctor Who. I could spend a thousand lifetimes travelling throughout history to see everything imaginable. I want to stare in awe at the building of the pyramids or laugh with Queen Elizabeth while watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Globe Theater; but I also want to bear witness to the horrors of humanity as well. From the Holocaust to the “Trail of Tears,” there are events we must never forget or else we may repeat them.

That’s something I hate about the “PC” world we live in today. To ensure we don’t hurt people’s “feelings” or make them feel inadequate about themselves, some people are trying to rewrite history to make it conform to popular thinking. The movie Interstellar had a great example of this when a teacher tried to explain that the moon landings were faked just so the U.S. would win the Cold War. Ridiculous!

I know they’re not teaching this in schools but, you have to admit, it’s a real possibility. There are people out there today who think events like the Holocaust and the moon landings were faked, created by the government  to control people. That’s like saying Africans weren’t thrust into slavery, they walked on those boats of their own free will.

You can’t change history, and if we try to, we are a failure as a society and as writers. We take history and make it real through our stories, myths and legends. There are books that tell the story of a generation within their pages: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Grapes of Wrath, and Gone with the Wind just to name a few.

Even by taking liberties with history, we are telling a very important story. One of my favorite authors of alternate history is Harry Turtledove. He takes one event in time and changes it, then follows it to fruition from past to present. The best example of this is in my favorite book of his, How Few Remain.

51FRPAQSB6LThe novel starts with a Confederate courier, carrying the plans laid out by General Robert E. Lee, wrapped around some cigars. In history, the courier dropped those cigars where they were picked up by a Union Soldier, revealing Lee’s plans to the Union Army, thus winning the war for the United States; but that’s where the twist comes in. If those plans were never lost, could the South have succeeded in winning the Civil War? Turtledove picks up ten years later, with a divided  country heading into another war but with England and France as allies of the Confederacy and Germany allying itself with the U.S.A. Through the next 11 books, he takes you through the Industrial Revolution, World War I, the Depression and ending at World War II, but with a very different but equally shocking Holocaust as African-Americans became the victims of a ruthless Confederate regime that acted like Nazis, sending them to gas chambers and mass graves.

Even in a twisted universe like that one, there are still lessons from our world history written into every word. This is our mission in life as writers. We cannot change the past but we can write about it so that, generations from now, people will know how we lived, laughed and loved … That is until The Time Machine is invented, but H.G. Wells timetable is way off by now!

Who is the Gil-Gamesh? Legendary Hero or Feared Warrior?

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Within many stories today, there are names that stand out when spoken, induce fear and awe into others and make a character imposing. Names like Gandalf the Gray, James Bond, and Elric of Melnibone are known all around the world.

When I began writing Forever Avalon, I wanted to create a protagonist with just such a name. A name that would be remembered by anyone who read my story. That’s when I created the Gil-Gamesh.

gilgameshIn history, the Gilgamesh was known as a hero, a Demigod and a King from ancient Mesopotamia. He was the main character of the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered the first great work of literature. The first half of the story discusses Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to stop him. After an initial fight, Gilgamesh and Enkidu become close friends until the Gods kill Enkidu. In the second half of the epic, Gilgamesh’s distress at Enkidu’s death causes him to undertake a long and perilous journey to discover the secret of eternal life. He eventually learns that “Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands.”

In Forever Avalon, I wanted to reimagine the story of King Arthur and continue the adventures after his death. As the last remaining member of the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Percival was to be a champion of Avalon, not its King, after Guinevere began her reign over Avalon. I needed a name to make Percival stand out and be recognized as the champion of Avalon. So this is where I took my own spin on history and the story of King Arthur and the Gilgamesh.

Before his death, King Arthur sent his knights out on a quest for the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus and the disciples drank from at the Last Supper. In his search, Percival travelled through Persia and Mesopotamia. There, he heard the stories of the Gilgamesh, about his strength, his courage and his love for his people. That resonated within the knight.

Percival was given Twilight and Dusk, the Twin Swords of the Dragon Moon, by Queen Guinevere to take up arms against the forces of Morgana Le Fay and defend to Avalon. He accepted the task and took a name that would strike fear in his enemies and bring hope to the people of Avalon.

He declared himself the Gil-Gamesh, the champion of Avalon, protector of the realm and defender of the innocent. He took the name from one culture and brought it into his own, to honor the demigod King and bring hope to the people of Avalon.

This is something we do as writers … We honor and recognize the past by including their stories in what we write today. I know many people have never read the Epic of Gilgamesh and don’t know who he was; but I hope through my stories, they will.

The Dark Tides is now available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

Frustration is the bane of all independent authors!

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facebook-frustration_fullI realize the headline is a bit of a bold statement, but it’s something I’ve experienced quite a lot since I started writing and marketing my novels. It’s not a frustration associated with writer’s block but more so the after effects when you’re trying to get yourself out there through marketing, sales, etc.

I really believe this is the bane of all writers. We all love to write and enjoy sitting down at the computer, typewriter or with paper and pencil to let our ideas flow. it’s what comes afterwards that compounds the situation.

This week, I traveled up home to N.J. for a book signing event for local authors at a local bookstore near my hometown. There were more than 20 authors there signing books. We were cramped together in long tables scattered about the bookstore. Through it all, I only sold two books to friends of mine who came to support me and get signed copies of my book, The Dark Tides.

That was pretty much the highlight of my trip. As authors, we get these images in our minds of long lines of people waiting to get their book signed, taking selfies with fans, talking to everyone about your book, getting feedback, etc. In reality, especially for independent authors like me, that never happens.

That’s what can be so frustrating when you’re trying to break into the publishing world and establishing yourself as an author. You know you have a great story to tell and want to share it with everyone else, but marketing and publicity cost money. Unless your name is Rockefeller or Kardashian, its hard to make ends meet when you’re doing all your publicity on your own.

I came home to Virginia feeling frustrated, disappointed and unfortunately, I took some of that out on my family. I broke down, wondering if this is worth all the pain and frustration I am putting us through, not to mention the downward spiral of financial woes piling up.

On my long drive back home, I was flipping through channels and came across pastor Joel Osteen. As if fate, destiny or ordained by God, his sermon was on frustration. He said that people can get frustrated with things happening in their life and pray to God to remove them, but He doesn’t always do that. God puts these obstacles in our way to help put us on the path he has carefully carved out for each one of us.

I’m trying to preach but I realize that he was right. Each one of the setbacks I’ve experienced since I started writing my novels is just another step forward to bigger and better things. Every author who made a name for themself has experienced this at some point in their career. I can’t let it bring me down. I have to pick myself up and keep moving forward.

If you let the frustrations associated with publishing your book keep you from doing what you love (and that’s writing) then you shouldn’t have started this journey in the first place. It may not line up perfectly for you but, in the end, it will make you a better person.

Writer’s Block and, uh, well … How to get past it as quickly as possible, nor not!

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writers-block-text-cubeI’ve been sitting here for the past five minutes, trying to figure out what to write my next blog about, but I hit a wall. Writer’s block can be a royal pain in the … Wait a minute, that’s it! Writer’s block!

Writer’s block can and always will be the angst of anyone who spent time writing everything from a term paper to the great novel; but it’s especially frustrating for new authors like me. You have all these great ideas swirling around your head but every time you try to put pen to paper or hands to keyboard, it just won’t come out.

When I started writing my first novel, Forever Avalon, I found it rather easy to write. During the two years I spent writing, the words flowed quite freely. That changed when I started writing the next book in the Forever Avalon series, The Dark Tides.

Before I go any further, I need to provide you with a little bit of background on my novels. Forever Avalon is about a Sailor who falls overboard during a storm at sea and finds himself on the magical island of Avalon. A year later, his family follows him and ends up on the island with him, but time passes differently on Avalon so one year for them has been ten years for him.

That being said, when I started writing the next book in the series, I originally wanted to do a prequel, focusing on the 10 years Bryan MoonDrake spent on Avalon before his family showed up. It started out easy for me. The story flowed as easily as my first novel. Then, I hit the wall.

No matter what I tried, I just lost my train of thought. I spent months writing about 1/3 of the book and I was stumped with a bad case of writer’s block. Nothing helped getting me back on track, so I just walked away. I had to take a step back for the time being until I knew where I wanted to go with the story.

I knew the story I wanted to tell but I just couldn’t translate that on paper. It was so frustrating. All the while, I kept having thoughts and dreams of the next chapter of the story, picking up where I left off. Then … Light bulb!

I started writing again, but this time I continued the the adventures of the MoonDrake family as their daughter Ashley returned to Avalon with her new husband Andrew for a honeymoon on a medieval fantasy world.

The problem was, I didn’t want to lose the huge amount of work I already put in on the prequel. That’s when I decided to use those pages as flashbacks to help move the story along. This was something I saw before in a great novel by Robert McCammon called The Wolf’s Hour.

In my 30 years as a journalist and author, I have found that the best cure for writer’s block is to walk away, collect your thoughts and then get back in there and break though. You have to keep writing, no matter what you do.

Writer Meme

I also realized that you always have to go with your gut. I ignored the idea of continuing the Forever Avalon story right where I left off because I had my heart set on writing a prequel. It was because of that writer’s block that I finally put myself on the right path and was able to writer The Dark Tides.

Do let writer’s block stop you from finishing your work, use it get yourself on the right track and tell the story you were meant to write.

The great search for what to write about, better known as “Research Hell”

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The-writer2-e1374715549958As both an instructor at the Defense Information School (DINFOS Trained Killer!) and a guest speaker to high school students about writing, I always stress one thing above all … RESEARCH! Youcan’t write the next “Great American Novel” unless you do your research and to that I say, thank God for Google!

I don’t know how I survived high school, college and military “A” school without the internet. I can remember looking things up in gigantic volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica, both at home and at the local library, whenever I had a paper due. Even though they were outdated after a few years, you had to reference them in practically everything you wrote about.

After the internet and home computer came online, the best source for research was Microsoft Encarta. I remember buying it for my home computer so my kids had an available reference tool without having to go online. In the days of 56 kbs, the internet was slow moving and tedious, especially when all we had was dial-up.

Research is the key for any writer, and not just about your subject matter. For both Forever Avalon and The Dark Tides, I based a lot of my story on my own imagination and characters I played during my informative years of Dungeons and Dragons. That’s when I discovered I had a lot of holes in my story that I needed to fill.

So I began researching mythologies of every culture from Norway to Germany and Britain to Africa. I learned how to curse in Viking and used a latin translator program (thank you University of Notre Dame) as the basis for spells. I can’t even begin to imagine how long I would have had to spend in my local library, looking through book after book, tearing through the card catalogue to find every last bit of research I needed.

That’s why I said “thank God for Google!” As much as many of us hate the “Big Brother” aspect of the internet giant, they are an invaluable tool for the writer. Add to that dictionary.com, because you always need to find different ways to say words in a story to avoid repitition.

Most of all, remmeber where every story begins … in the heart and soul of the writer. As I’ve said before, the Forever Avalon series came from recurring dreams after long hours of D&D while deployed thousands of miles from my family. It was in that emotional void that I found the story I was waiting my whole life to tell.

“How the Japanese influenced my life as a writer” or “My childhood was fueled by Anime”

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speedracer2

There are many things in geekdom today that have been influenced in some way, shape or form by Japanese anime. It fills cartoons today as it did when I was a child. Before the days of cable TV, cartoons were mostly relegated to Saturday mornings. During the week, it was only found on UHF (that’s Ultra High Frequency to those born after 1980). That’s where I found my love for anime.

Speed Racer, Marine Boy, Gigantor were all English dubbed anime from the Far East. There was even Ultra Man before there was something called Power Rangers. They had wild animation, catchy theme songs and out-of-this-world adventure for a young developing mind to suck in. These shows are to me what Bonanza and The Andy Griffith Show are to my parents.

These shows are what I got up early to watch before going to school and raced home to watch after school. When I watch them today, it evokes such emotion and memories of childhood. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s absolutely true. These are the stories of my childhood.

And the best one of them all was Star Blazers. In Japan, it was called Space Battleship Yamato, named after the great battleship that sunk during World War II. Where I remember names like Wildstar, Nova, Captain Avatar and Leader Desslok, they had Kodai, Yuki, Captain Okita and Leader Deslar. It didn’t matter what language it was in or their names, it was one of the best animes ever made.

argo-3Best of all was the ship, the Argo (or Yamato for purists) was my Enterprise. It was a sleek battleship with retractable wings, a third bridge underneath the hull and a KICK-ASS weapon in the Wave Motion Gun. Nothing can compare to the thrill of watching them fire that weapon. It was nothing short of awesome!

The show was riviting, with every episode ending with the countdown for the “Star Force” to complete their mission. I couldn’t wait until the new season started as they faced peril again, this time at the hands of the Comet Empire, but with the aid of a super-powered alien woman whose voice sounded like marshmellows soaked in honey. It was another clash with an alien super-power against a ship and crew that couldn’t be destroyed and would never give up.

When I think back to these animes, I can’t believe how much they influenced me as a writer. Yes, the stories were a little cheesy, overly cliched and highly predictable but I loved them. They taught me the basics of any good story … Have a beginning, middle and end; be consistent throughout and see the humor in every lesson about life.

Anime today has it’s good and bad but, in my eyes, it can’t compare to what I grew up with. They recently made a live action Space Battleship Yamato and, though I loved seeing the ship in all its glory, the story was nothing like the original. I think that’s the key.

Five things I’ve learned about self-publishing

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self-publishing-in-india-whySelf-publishing my novels has been a learning experience for me, and I will admidt an expensive one. Between my two books, “Forever Avalon” and “The Dark Tides,” I’ve put out a little over $10,000 in publishing, travel expenses, setting up book signings, a publicist and more. To some people, that’s probably right up there with people spending thousands of dollars on extreme Christmas decorations or collecting Ty Beanie Babies.

I have to admidt, it wasn’t an easy decision for me either. As much as I love writing, I know that publishing these books has to be beneficial for me and my family, not just a boost for my ego. I honestly believed that my stories about the world of Forever Avalon can and would bring that financial success to me. That’s why I decided to self-publish.

When I first started the process of finding someone to publish my book, it was a completely different story. I honestly thought that once someone read my manuscript, I would get that call, sign with an agent and be able to retire, spending my days writing about the things I love. However, that wasn’t how it happened. Rejection letter after rejection letter showed me I had a lot to learn. If I wanted to see my story in print, I’d have to pay for it myself.

So what did I learn from this experience? First and foremost, be prepared for the expense of self-publishing. If it’s something you truly believe in and want to pursue, be prepared for the cost. There are a lot of little expenses you don’t realize once you start down that road. I’m talking travel expenses, book signings, advertising and publicity, not to mention editorial changes and corrections. In the end, they all add up.

Second, don’t rely on spellcheck when editing your book. Most self-publishers don’t edit your novel unless you pay per word. I missed so many errors in my first book I had them pull it to make the corrections before re-issuing it. This then falls back to the extra costs I talked about before. When you’re doing this on your own, you’re not going to catch every mistake, so make sure you have an extra set of eyes looking over your manuscript.

Third, pick a good publisher. There are many companies out there for self publishing, but the best ones are associated with big name publishers and offer a large variety of services, not just formatting your manuscript and slapping a cover on it. Do your research and you can find the publisher that fits you best.

Number four, patience is a must in self-publishing. I found myself checking numbers and sales each and every day. You can’t delude yourself into thinking that your book will be an overnight success, selling millions of copies in the first month. You’re one book in a world where thousands of books are published each and every year. You have to find your niche and hope they like it.

Last but not least, never give up on yourself or your book. Being a writer isn’t easy and, for those of us working hard at our craft, it takes a lot of dedication and practice, practice, practice. Keep writing and believe in yourself and your novel. As my wife always tells me, “Put your faith in God and the rest will fall into place.”

Faith and family, that’s what it’s all about.