Valentine's Week Update

Happy Valentine's Week, Fire Enthusiasts. How did your day go? Were you able to spend time with the one who means the most to you? I hope so.

My wife and I spent a half day together Sunday afternoon without kids. We went to lunch in town and then headed to Fresno, which is our large neighbor to the north, in order to watch a movie. As much as I wanted to watch The King's Speech once again (It had better win the Oscar or I'm going to be ticked!!), we watched The Company Men. It was good. That's the film about lay-off's that affected both the ordinary worker as well as high-end executives. It starred Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Craig T. Nelson and Kevin Costner. It was very good, but made me feel self-conscious about spending money when we went to Costco later that afternoon. Lol! I suppose that was a good thing. So, I'm writing this post with a tall glass of water, rather than the Crown Royal Whiskey that I might have had had that damn movie not crawled inside my head. ;)

The evening concluded with a thrill. Recently I was featured in my town newspaper, The Kingsburg Recorder. Without any help from me, the much larger newspaper, The Fresno Bee, featured the snippet above. The reporter informed me Monday morning that they no longer reviewed books; however, it was still a treat to open up the Spotlight Section of the Sunday Paper last night to find that I was in there.


Before I go, I would like to point those of you who like scary movies to check out the review that I posted Monday morning over at Something Wicked This Way Comes. It is the blog that is shared among four Vamplit Writers. I say that it is shared, but really I have had very little to do with any of the reviewing there. Mostly it is Marissa Farrar and Nicole Hadaway who do all of the work. Saturday, I finally got around to watching the film, Let Me In. It is a vampire story that breaks the mold. If you like vampires...and I know you do...you should really check it out. I really don't watch horror anymore, but this film is special. After you check that out, think about giving us a follow.

That's about all for now. Have a great week.

We'll talk soon.

Newspaper Article Result Update

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. Happy Mid-week to all of you. What’s everyone up to these days? Are you reading anything good? I wish I was reading something good right now, but I don’t have a lot of time for that at the moment. Are you doing any writing? The edits for my second novel, Dance on Fire: Flashpoint, should be arriving in my e-mail sometime soon. I’m excited to get that started. With any luck it will be a spring release.

I try and post something here each Monday; however, with Sunday’s blog fest, taking up most of my time, I didn't get a chance to do so. I hope you had a chance to participate in that, or at least had some fun following along with what some of the others posted with regard to the Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction quotes of all time. I know I neglected Highlander and Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. I love both of those films and am forcing myself to do 100 push-ups as a punishment. Okay, not really. But I assure you that with all of this sitting in front of a laptop, I desperately need it!

Some of you may have read last week that I was excited to be featured in my local newspaper. I was interviewed because of the paperback release of my first novel. Since my book has to do with vampires in my real-life city, I felt that I might have a built-in audience. If you are interested, you may read the article here.

Unfortunately, I find that I get myself too hyped up for these types of things. Picture the old-school business executive pouring over the ticker as the stock market numbers begin to come into his or her office and that would be me. Instead of a ticker, I closely watch my Official Authors Facebook Page, anxiously awaiting my “likes” to go through the roof. It happened last year when I was reviewed by the High School newspaper. I never heard a thing. Later in the year, I was reviewed and interviewed by the magazine that I write articles for, Kings River Life. With 500 hits a week (now 700) over the California Central Valley and beyond, I thought I would see a bump, but it never came. Well, I’m sorry to admit that it has happened once again. This paper is shared with a sister city with a potential audience of 30,000 people, but I gained only 4.

Naturally, the thought occurs to me that perhaps my Horror/Christian crossover vampire novel is a miss. Everyone who has read it has had nothing but positives to say about it. I rarely ask; I usually wait for someone to bring the subject up before inquiring. If it is a well-written and entertaining read, then what is the problem?

It would be very easy for me to throw my hands into the air and quit. Trust me. I’m nearly 42 and work 11 hours a day at my day job; I don’t need the aggravation, or the demand upon what little free time I have! The problem has simply been getting the word out. It is frustrating when you toss overboard a huge net only to pull up a couple of fish. Each reader or follower or fan is important. Never let it be said that I do not appreciate each and every one of you. It’s just hard sometimes.

Many of you may be going through much the same thing. How have you handled the disappointments? Have you thought to quit as well? What keeps you going? Is it the fact that you believe so strongly in the material? I know I do. I know it isn’t Pat Conroy, but I do believe that it is good, so I will press forward, hoping to endure less slings and arrows and more success. Perhaps this is still the tilling of the soil before the planting, or even the watering and awaiting of the season before the plants really begin to take off.

We’ll see. I just received a large box of my books in the mail. I am now plotting further media outlets and preparing to schedule book events.

I’ll be sure and keep you updated on my progress. And please tell me how your progress is going. It will help my morale…

We’ll talk soon.

Horror/Science Fiction Quote Blogfest

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts and distinguished guests. A couple of weeks ago I participated in a top ten song of all-time blogfest. It was so much fun, and I spent way-too much time building it. I laughed that I spent more time working on it then I ever have for any of the other blog posts or articles that I have written! Now, if you know anything about me at all, it's that I have a head full of useless trivia. I know a lot about music (even the stuff that I don't like), television, books and...movies. So, I was more than pleased to be participating today with a new blogfest: Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction Quotes. It is being hosted by Ellie Garratt and Jeremy over at iZombielover.

I hope you enjoy this recollection of some of my favorite or memorable quotes. Some you will recognize right away, while others may be new to you. If you are not a Superbowl fan or are simply waiting for the actual game to start, rather than listen ad nauseum to all of the endless build-up, then take the time to check out all of the other participants. It may take a while, but should be well worth it, and a lot of fun.


1) “You’re gonna’ need a bigger boat!” This particular quote is great because it was ad-libbed. The late Roy Scheider just pulled it out of the thin air off of Martha's Vineyard, where the classic film Jaws was being shot. I could have used several other lines from the film, but this might be one of the great scenes in the history of filmmaking. After a long while, the shark finally pulls up out of the water. Chief Brody sees it and stiffly sits up in shock. He slowly walks backwards into the cab of the small boat and the rest is history.


2) “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some Fava beans and a nice Chianti.” The Silence of the Lambs is a masterpiece. It was evident when it stunned Hollywood by essentially sweeping the Academy Awards in 1991. This quote was made famous by yet another ad-lib. As the story goes, Anthony Hopkins turned to Director Jonathan Demme and told him that he wanted to say the line and try something. He did, adding his trademark noise at the end, creeping everyone out. I can well imagine the words "cut!" and "print!" soon followed.


3) “Just remember what old Jack Burton says when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, 'Give me your best shot, I can take it!'". It's campy, it's John Carpenter and it's Kurt Russell in an unforgettable role as an over the top John Wayne. He's a quote machine in Big Trouble in Little China. One might question my taste in films at this point, but I can't help loving this movie. I just jump right into the Porkchop Express and ride along with old Jack Burton.

4) “You son of a bitch! You moved the cemetery, but you left the bodies, didn't you? You son of a bitch, you left the bodies and you only moved the headstones! You-only-moved-the-headstones!” Poltergeist is a fantastic film which I grew up with. I don't own the DVD yet because I've been hoping that they might put a large collector's set together. This film has a bit of everything: great actors, great effects, great writing and, if nothing else, Spielberg. 'Nuff said? Rumors persist that Steven had to step off of his producers chair at the last minute and see this film completed as an uncredited director. In any event, it is still good after all of these years.

5) “But,...then he's still out there.” Whether the producers knew it or not, they set up their franchise perfectly with the last lines in the original Friday The 13th back in 1980. The lone survivor (at least until the first minutes of part 2) awakens to find herself in the hospital. She asks the police officer what happened to the boy, Jason Voorhees, who pulled her into the water. They explain that they didn't find any boy...


6) “Listen to them, children of the night. What music they make.” Many have played Dracula or other vampires. Some have done well; however, for me, there is none better than Bela Lugosi. Don't believe me? Try looking up regular photos of the great actor and he still looks like the famous vampire.


7) It's perhaps one of the most memorable exchanges in film. In The Exorcist, Father Karras walks into the bedroom of Regan McNeil for the first time. She is fully possessed:
[Demon with Regan] “I'm not Regan."
[Father Karras] "Well, then let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras."
[Demon] "And I'm the Devil. Now kindly undo these straps."
[Father Karras] "If you're the Devil, why not make the straps disappear?"
[Demon] "That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karras."

8) I typically do not see a film multiple times until it is released onto DVD or video before that. With the classic film, Jurassic Park, I saw it three times in the theater. As often as I use the quote: "I hate this hacker crap!" whenever my pc is acting up or I am unable to access whatever it is I want on the 'net, the following is my all-time fav. When John Hammond attempts to explain away the trouble the park was having as totally explainable, Ian Malcom counters.
[Hammond} “All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked!"
[Malcolm] "But, John. If the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists."


9) "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" There have been many remakes and all-too many poor sequels, but nothing beats the classic original, The Planet of the Apes, and this signature line. After all, it is the late great Charleton Heston!


10) Lastly, as much as I really didn't want to use this quote, it was probably inevitable. My wife encouraged me to use it. It was brilliant at the time, and has been used and overused since George Lucas surprised the world with it back in 1980 in the The Empire Strikes Back. It was one of the great all-time cinematic twists. Therefore, whether I am tired of it or not, I shall leave you with the exchange:
[Luke Skywalker] "I'll never join you!"
[Darth Vader] "If you only knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."
[Luke] "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"
[Darth Vader] "No. I am your father."

Once again, I hope you all find this blogfest as fun as I have. I look forward to reading what everyone else considers to be the greatest quotes in Horror/Science Fiction.

We'll talk soon.

A Built-In Audience?

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How is everyone? While we're at it, what happened to January? It seems to me that we were just wishing one another a Happy New Year, and suddenly it's February! Any moment now and we'll see that flowers are blooming!!

I was a bit absent last week, and I'm sorry for that. The week started off with a bang as I (and many of you) participated in the music blog-fest that was sponsored by Alex J. Cavanaugh and well attended by well over 100 bloggers. I don't know about you, but I had a wonderful time talking about music and reminiscing about old memories that the tunes conjured up. I also got to meet a whole bunch of new people, which is always fantastic. I'd like to think I made some new friends in that group. I hope so.

Unfortunately, my allergies flared up. I made it through a terribly busy week at work, but feel as if I lost a day somehow. Friday morning, I was sure that it should only have been Thursday. I love my Fridays too much to have thrown it back, however. Just sayin'.

Something potentially earth shaking did take place last Tuesday. I was interviewed by my local paper. The reporter came over to my house and stayed about an hour. The paper is a shared one, including both Kingsburg and our neighbor, Selma. We'll find out this week how well it went.

Being a local author featured in one's paper should generate some interest, right? How about if you wrote a vampire book? With a trending topic like that you'd hope that the interest would be more magnified, right? Now how about if the setting of the novel was Kingsburg? What if the action in the fictional novel took place just before the very real event of the Kingsburg Swedish Festival which I have been going to since I was a kid? How large might that interest potentially get now?

I'm not bragging or anything. I'm only saying that what might take place in the next few weeks could potentially GROW VERY BIG! I don't have any circulation numbers for you, but the combined population of these two cities is about 30,000.

I thank those of you who stopped by a few weeks ago to offer ideas and advice about what I should be doing with my new paperback. I'm doing some and thinking about doing others. We'll see which way the wind blows this coming month. I have reached out to the local Branch of our library, the large retailer in both Kingsburg and Selma, and a magazine in the much larger city of Fresno, California, which is 25 minutes away.

Rest assured that you will be amongst the first to know how the interview worked.

P.S.: You can't discern him, but my oldest son is one of those students pictured beside the headline above who are going to New York City. My wife and I are going as well. It's going to be amazing because I have never been there before. I'll be reporting back about that, too.

Take care of yourselves.

We'll talk soon.

Favorite Songs of All-Time Blogfest

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. For those of you who know me well, you are keenly aware of the fact that I must have music surrounding me at all times. If you worked with me, you would see what appeared to be me talking to myself, but I assure you that it is me singing. No one needs to call Bellevue for a pick up. I’m good.
Today’s blogfest is being hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh over at his blog.

The idea was to have a bunch of people sharing their favorite all-time 10 songs. Knowing me the way you do, it probably doesn't surprise you that my original list had 34 songs. It wasn't easy, but it was a heck of a lot of fun compiling.

I had bands in my head like Pink Floyd; however, one doesn’t really listen to only one of their songs, but entire albums. Dark Side of the Moon needs to be played front to back, am I right? I then felt bad that I was skipping songs by Van Halen or “All Right Now”, by Free. How could I skip over some of the hair metal bands that I grew up with from the Eighties? What happened to Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and Judas Priest. I cut my teeth, as it were, with Kiss. How could I leave off “Rock N Roll all Nite” or Shout it Out Loud” or “Lick it Up” even? Do you know how many times I have listened to those songs over the years?

Finally, I came to the conclusion that I should not try and record the best 10 songs ever, but rather the 10 that mean the most to me. The 10 that I could not possibly do without on that fabled deserted island. After much consideration, I realized that what I really needed to list were the 10 songs that would make me drive around the block in order to hear the entire song; the 10 that make me stop what I’m doing and crank the volume.

With that thought finally in mind, here are the 10 tunes that rock my world. Prepare yourself, I have eclectic tastes:

"Don’t Look Back” by Boston. It was a sad day indeed when Brad Delp took his own life in 2007. There are not too many bands that sound like Boston. The debut album is one of the best debuts by anyone: however, if one song summed up what made that band work it is this one off the second album. It has power, a great vocal and a hook that stays with you for the day.

“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen. Folks, I don’t even really care for The Boss all that much. I do own the big 1975-85 live three-disc set; however, when this one song comes on, I stop in my tracks. There’s simply something about this tune that makes me want to sing along. I do a mean imitation, but you’ll have to buy me a drink if you want to hear it.

“Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath. I’m a big Ozzy fan. I also own much of the late Ronnie James Dio’s solo albums; however, there’s something about the haunting vocals and Tony Iommi’s rhythm guitar work in that first verse that makes me want to pause and journey with them.

“You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC. Come on. Do I really need to say anything with this tune? The lights don't go down at a concert until this song is done. They even play it at dances!

“Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)" by Marvin Gaye. I had no idea until I took a chance and bought this album well into my 30's, and now I know that no collection is complete without What's Going On?. It is haunting, honest, beautiful, tranquil and, of course, hopeful.

“Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue. When I'm in a poor mood or feeling tired, I just cue this bad-boy and run it over!

“Closer to the Edge” by 30 Seconds to Mars. If one wonders how a song that is merely months old could end up on this list, I agree with you. However, if you don't know this band, you should. The album before had some great tunes on it, but This Is War kicks all ass. After this song plays once, you will not get it out of your head.

“Limelight” by Rush. Talk about stopping you in your tracks! When Alex Lifeson begins this classic from Moving Pictures with that riff, I stop what I'm doing, end the conversation and jack up the volume. It took a long time before I realized how fantastic this band was. Every bass player wants to master "YYZ",and when Rush plays, all I do is stop and watch Neil Peart. Best drummer ever, hands down

"You're My Best Friend" by Queen. My wife and I are huge Queen fans and I was pretty devastated when we had one day to soak in the fact that Freddie had AIDS, only to be greeted by the news that he was dead the next day. This song played on one of our first dates together and became our song.


"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. Sorry, folks. This list only ever was about the other nine songs. I came to this party late. Although I was born in '69, I didn't discover what the world already knew until I saw the three remaining members of the Mighty Zep on MTV during Live Aid. I know Jimmy isn't happy with the play from that fateful day, but the next day I was ordering the fourth album. Once I heard that record, with this landmark cut closing the door, I was never the same. Starting slow and building to a magnificent crescendo, this is the the greatest rock song ever.

Well, what did I miss? I listen to almost everything. Where do we disagree? I look forward to checking out everybody's lists. I just know I am going to hate myself later for having forgotten something.

We'll talk soon.

Tina's Book Reviews

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How's the weekend treating everyone so far? Mine has been very interesting, to say the very least.

My oldest son, the honor musician, is auditioning for another thing. Yesterday was for the new play at his high school (Wizard of Oz), which he got. Today is for County Band. If he gets this, then he'll have made this and County Choir. He's got skills!

Anyway, I have been on the road all morning because it is foggy as hell and I wasn't about to let him drive himself that far to Madera, Ca. (45 minutes into a fairly large city. In an hour or so, we have to go back and leave him a car, trusting that it will be better visibility when he comes home. If he makes it, he stays all afternoon to rehearse. We then are going to Fresno to have an afternoon with our youngest who is turning 13 next week. We're going to buy him his first phone, a guitar for his Xbox 360 game and have a good lunch.

On top of all of this, I am the Saturday Author Spotlight today over at Tina's Book Reviews. I just haven't had much time today to tell you about it until now.

I want to thank Tina for this very nice opportunity to share a little bit about myself with all of her followers...and there are many. I hope some of you will go over there and visit her as well. Perhaps, if you do not already, you might give her a follow.

Thanks to her and to all of you.


I'm heading back out onto the freeway again soon. *sigh*

We'll talk soon.

So I've got a Paperback - Now What?

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. I hope you are having a good week.

As you know, my novel was released as a paperback just before the holidays. The e-book version has been available since February 2010. It was positively reviewed by my high school; a local magazine, Traffic; and the Internet magazine for which I work, Kings River Life. It was also positively reviewed on a few blogsites. I have several satisfied customers on the Smashwords.com store, as well as iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Sony. I am grateful for everyone who has given my debut novel about vampires loosed in my home town a chance.

Now that I have the paperback I am beginning to focus my energies toward print media. I have reached out to a major magazine as well as the major newspaper in the Central Valley of California where my family and I live. We’ll see how that goes. Rest assured that you will be amongst the first to know.

I am currently reaching out to local retailers in Kingsburg as well as the local Starbucks to see whether we might be able to do something together. From there I will be attempting to get through to the major book sellers in my area.

I will continue to push the e-book, and for those of you who own e-readers already, you know why. It is the convenience of the thing, wouldn’t you agree? It is what caused CD to push out vinyl, and probably why digital storage devices will push out the CD eventually.

The thing that the paperback has done is to allow so more doors to open to me now. Whether they allow me in the store is quite another thing, however. As I mentioned before, we’ll see.

Mentioning all of this was not to present my feathers to you, but to put all of my cards out upon the table. What do you folks think I should be doing now? Am I going about this the right way or am I barking up the wrong tree? For those of you in similar situations, what have you done that worked well and what not so much? I’m really curious and would like to know your opinions as well as to hear your PR stories. For those of you who will have a novel released in the near future, what sounds right to you and what does not?

I’d really love to know.

We’ll talk soon.