I Cry - newest poem

I cry

I cry for the lonely and the weak
I cry for the people without a means to speak
I cry for the girl who lost all of her friends
I cry for the children whose pain never ends
I cry for the inflicted, the addicted, and the dying
I cry for the children living in fear
Who lost a parent while protecting those things we all hold dear.
I cry the young who are sick, and for the unborn
I cry for a world that has been torn
apart by war, racism, oppression, bigotry, and violence
I cry for those who work in silence
with little to show and hungry mouths to feed
The unloved, the abandoned, and those in need
I cry for those who believe in the lies
of false promises and the lure of an easy prize.
I cry for those who need comfort when they are kicked down
I cry for mankind. I cry for freedom. I cry for healing those who are lost and need to be found.

Female Thor is not the real problem

By the Eye of Odin! Thor is now a woman. What in the name of Asgard is going on?

Well, I’ll tell ya.

First, let me state that I understand that every once in a while the people at Marvel have to change things up to keep it new and interesting to generate sales. By that logic I have learned that they even once turned Thor into a frog…man, I’m glad I stopped reading comic books when my sons outgrew them back in the early to mid-90s. I don’t know if I could have handled the God of Thunder being an amphibian.

How would a frog be seen as worthy? Heck, how would a frog even be able to wield Mjolnir?? Never mind…

So, the powers-that-be decided making Thor a girl fits a story line. Okay. Got it. I admit that at first I thought it was just a ploy to keep fanboy cave dwellers enticed, because Penny from the Big Bang Theory doesn’t happen in real life. But after reading comments by longtime fans I decided I get the thought process of changing Thor up a bit every once in awhile.

Now the real problem – the lack of viable female characters being introduced to audiences in comic book form. Making Thor a girl for a short period of time for the sake of a current story line does nothing to fix that problem.

I was 12-13 years old when Marvel introduced Storm. They did a great job, and she is one of the most popular female characters in comic lore.

I was 16-17 years old when Marvel introduced two more popular female characters: Rogue and Shadowcat. Both have done very well.

In fact, BtVS creator, Joss Whedon, names Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) as an influence to his Buffy. New female characters can be introduced. Make sure they have cool names, a cool story and cool powers. It has been done, and it has been done correctly with huge success. The industry is lazy.

This isn’t just on comic books, movies are to blame too.

The movie industry has seen the popularity of The Hunger Games (female lead),

Divergent (female lead), Underworld, and a few others. Plus, someone like Emma Watson, and her fan base could definitely carry a franchise; or either of the girls from the Percy Jackson movies (Alexandra Daddario and Leven Rambin) could both be leads in action type movies. Jamie Alexander (Lady Sif) could do the same as a main character, though probably not as Sif.

Personally, I think YA literature has taken the lead in bringing strong female characters to the forefront. I hope that my Julie will get a chance to continue to build a strong female presence and fan base. Maybe someday the rest of the entertainment industries will catch up.

REVELATION

Book Three of my "THE HEART OF SERAS" series, REVELATION is available now!! Look for book four, THE DARK WARRIOR, soon :) 

                                                 

       The first half of Julie Ayers' junior year is going horribly wrong. Balancing life between Earth and Seras is taking its toll on her. She doesn't know who she can trust, her best friends are fighting, her basketball coach is harassing her, and things are about to get a lot worse. As the forces of evil in Seras strengthen their resolve against those that oppose them; Queen Pallanex moves to secure aid from distant supporters, and launches an attack on those that Marcus feels necessary to protect. William's plan begins to take shape to destroy Allon and give Pallanex power beyond Seras or Earth. As Julie already struggles to figure out the meaning behind Redderick Bobo calling her the "Betrothed", a much deadly secret is suddenly revealed that will shake her to the core.

This image of Danielle Campbell from the television 

show, "The Originals" is a great representation of how I see Julie Ayers. Smart, spunky, cute, and fierce. 

How about you?

                                                         

This is Stephen Amell from the
television show, "Arrow."
How about him as Marcus?

In REVELATION you will get to read the beginnings of Queen Pallanex as she rises from ambitious maiden to the vessel of the Elderess Eryx as she journeys back to her birth place.

Images I use to create my vision of Queen Pallanex

 

      Julie Ayers is a normal fifteen year old living in the quiet town of Sunset, Ohio. Her world is turned upside down by the arrival of the school’s new teacher, Marcus Campbell. 

Marcus Campbell has a secret. He is a warrior from a medieval dimension searching for the mythical "Heart"-a hero given to the people of Seras to rid their world of impending evil. Marcus’s quest is challenged when he realizes that the "Heart" is the vibrant teenage girl. Now, against his better judgment, he must try convincing Julie to go to his world and begin preparation to face whatever evil lies ahead. 

Journey to Seras is the first book in the five part The Heart of Seras fantasy series. It begins the adventures of the two unlikely heroes as they battle the dark forces of Seras.


                                                 Julie Ayer's freshman year of high school ended horribly. Now Marcus Campbell must try to convince her to return to Seras to learn the secrets of Seras from the mysterious immortal, Redderick Bobo. Going back to Seras is the last thing on Julie's mind. She wants no part of Seras, or her teacher. What secrets does Redderick Bobo have to tell? Who were the Elders known as "The Five Lions of God"? Why is Julie Ayers the chosen savior of Seras? Only returning to the dreaded dimension will answer these questions and more for Julie. Can she bring herself to forgive Marcus, and return to Seras? The future of Seras and Earth depends on it.

A brief overview of The Elders

This Danielle Campbell from the television
show, "The Originals." I think she would make a great Julie.
How about you?

     In "The Journey to Seras" we met the cute, fun, bubbly, Julie Ayers, a fifteen year old girl living with her family in the quiet rural town of Sunset, Ohio.                                                       

Her teacher, Marcus Campbell had a secret. He was a warrior from a medieval dimension searching for the mythical "Heart" - a hero given to the people of Seras to rid their world of impending evil. Marcus’s quest was challenged when he realized that the "Heart" was the vibrant teenage girl. Against his better judgment he convinced Julie to go to his world and begin preparation to face whatever evil laid ahead while keeping his bigger secret, that he is part demon and was once a ruthless leader who terrorized Seras, from his young protégé.

This is Stephen Amell from the
television show, "Arrow."
How about him as Marcus?

The evil Julie must face was manifested in the form of Queen Pallanex. She was a wandering follower of the Elderess Eryx, displaced by her temple leaders as being dangerous and unholy. Little did they know that was the type of follower Eryx preferred.


Pallanex was young, beautiful, and flirty. She seduced the aging Canis, father of Marcus, and became his queen...and his downfall.

What secrets does she have? With the help of William, a demonic warrior equal to Marcus and his former comrade, Queen Pallanex has a plan that threatens both worlds.
 

In "The Elders," we find Julie Ayer's reeling from her freshman year of high school, and how horribly it ended. Now Marcus Campbell must try to convince her to return to Seras to learn the secrets of Seras from the mysterious immortal, Redderick Bobo. Going back to Seras is the last thing on Julie's mind. She wants no part of Seras, or her teacher. What secrets does Redderick Bobo have to tell? Who were the Elders known as "The Five Lions of God"? Why is Julie Ayers the chosen savior of Seras?

Only returning to the dreaded dimension will answer these questions and more for Julie. Can she bring herself to forgive Marcus, and return to Seras? The future of Seras and Earth depends on it.


Book three, Revelation, due out fall of 2017!!

2015 EVIE Awards

And the winners are...

If you have known me for very long, you know I love my Year End Best lists. I've dwindled it down from previous years to highlight the big categories. So here you go! Enjoy!
 

Top 5 movies of 2015
1) Antman
2) Avengers: Age of Ultron
3) Jurassic World
4) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
5) Pitch Perfect 2

* apologies to Spectre, Mockingjay part 2, and Terminator: Genysis because I have not seen them yet...and I know I will love them.

Top 5 television shows of 2015
1) Supernatural
2) Castle
3) Game of Thrones
4) Modern Family
5) tie: Dancing with the Stars/Sleepy Hollow

Farewell to Forever, and Blood and Oil we barely got to know you.

Top 5 songs of 2015
1) Crash and Burn by Thomas Rhett
2) Lose my Mind by Brett Elderidge
3) Girl Crush by Little Big Town
4) John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 by Keith Urban
5) Save it for a Rainy Day by Kenny Chesney
* not a single pop/rock song made my top 5 this year…sad.

 

Best books I've read in 2015 (other than my own :) ) and not necessarily released in 2015
1) The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
2) The Boys in a Boat by Daniel James Brown
3) You by Caroline Kepnes
4) The Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki
5) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Worst book read...ever = Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Swords and Shields

       A few months ago my grandsons, Jacob and Jamison, and I were playing with a pretty cool tic-tac-toe board themed appropriately for my wife's beach décor.

      After a few games, Jacob decided to try something different. He put the lighthouses on each corner, and the sailboats in between them. The object was to take turns moving one piece at a time until somebody could no longer make a move, trapping them. 

      Above - you will see the original game (with me being trapped (I'm the lighthouses)) and below is my very rough drawing of a medieval board game, named "Swords and Shields.

 

 

 

 

Look for the game to make its first appearance in book 3, "Revelation."

 

Backstory to the name, Swords and Shields:

 

Once Upon a time, my brother, David (readers will recognize him as I loosely based Darius off of him), my best friend, Willie (readers, may I present William from my series), and I created our own superheroes and supervillains.

 

David had a group of villains named Killer Clowns, who were like a gang of crazed Jokers. Willie had a villain, The Bull, who was like Spiderman's villain, The Rhino. He also had a hero named the Black Panther, pretty much like Marvel's Black Panther.

 

I had heroes named Leopard, my version of Spiderman; Green Tiger (Wolverine); Cardinal (Green Arrow); and The Hawk (Falcon). I needed a group of heroes to combat David's Clowns, so I came up with a group called Swords and Shields, in part due to my love of Captain America, and in part, my love of the movie "Jason and the Argonauts."

 

So when it came time to name my game I pulled out the old Sword and Shield name, dusted it off, and put it to good use.

 

- side note: Argos in my series "The Heart of Seras," is named for the Argonauts.



Poetry Time

Someday I will have the time to blog more often, or at least have cool things that people want to read. So Wednesday night the moon was full, and it illuminated the sky with a golden hue.

This started a series of poetic thoughts and ideas swirling through my head. Though I am no Poe or Lord Byron, I'm pretty happy with them.

I hope you enjoy :)

Oh Playful Muse

Oh my playful muse, what stories have I dreamt?

Cherubs blush at the nocturnal eves I have spent.

I sing praises of your beauty as my silent soul cries.

The hunter’s moon reflects from your viridian eyes.

Like two oceans sparkling with deviltry delight.

Surrender my doubt with trembled voice in the night.

A bees temporal visit to flower sweet bliss.

Come melt me with the sweet honey from your lips.

Carnal Serenade

A carnal serenade tangled in silk and skin

Sighs whispered from candied lips begin

Vigorous passion radiates essence craved

Limbs linger, sparks ignite, lovers saved   

Wisps falling on petite, creamy skin glistened from above

Two are entwined with poetic pulsating rhythm of love.


Amidst Darkened Skies

Amidst darkened skies

dancing candle light reflect

as heaving breasts rise

Inch by inch, my flesh traces yours

Taking me in, enveloping my love.

Look at the stars. Are they the cause of my strangled cry?

No, it is you, my jewel, my flower, my dove