No, my faithful readers, I have not forsaken thee.
I’m simply tired. This has been a full work week. Yet I’ve managed to come up with another chapter for my Serial, Unbreakable. Be sure to read chapter 12, vote for it (because let’s face it, why the hell wouldn’t you?) and then get your friends to vote on my serial, and get their friends and family to sign up, read it, and cast many votes in my favor.
Bribery doesn’t work when you don’t have any money, folks, so I’ll have to rely on your good judgment.
…
Fuck that shit. Free Aikido lessons to the next fifty voters. 😛
On another note, it’s come to my attention that links to my current chapter may only work if one is signed in with an account already. This is strange, and not at all convenient. Methinks a conversation with my lovely editor is in order 🙂
Getting out there is hard. I know some people think it’s easy to go out in public, meet new people, hang out with them over a few drinks, cut a rug, shoot the shit, whatever the hell it is that they’re into. But for me, that’s never been an easy task. I’ve always been incredibly shy. I’ve also learned to out-muscle that shyness and put myself in heart-pounding situations that seem so simple for the socially apt. I wouldn’t say I was socially challenged, but I have my days where all I want to do is curl up and forget that anyone else exists in the world.
But those are becoming less and less common.
Part of that for me is having a reason to have fun out there. I’m not going to actively pursue conversation with random strangers, but it seems to happen more and more of late. It helps that someone dear to me was thoughtful enough to get me the best early Christmas gift ever. Nikon is the name of the new love of my life.
I know I have waxed pretty about the New York City. I like to write posts where I explain what it is that I see when I walk down these streets.
But sometimes, words just won’t do it.
Now I’ve been given an opportunity to show you some of what I truly see.
I hope you enjoy it.
I’m sort of relearning Christmas in New York. Some would argue that it’s been blunted by the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the Presidential Election. Who am I to argue? I’m too busy noting how beautiful New York is at this time of year.
Hard Rock Cafe
Times Square in the daytime.
Rockefeller Center Tree.
The best Christmas Tree in the world to me …
As promised, Chapter 11 of my Serial, ‘Unbreakable’ is finished and posted at Jukpopserials.com for your reading pleasure.
Much has happened in the last few days. An unexpected bit of news has left its mark. But I will keep writing. That is really my best choice at the present.
I kid you not when I say that working on four major projects at once is a daunting task. Only writing could ever make me work that hard or be this rewarding.
Speaking of my writing, Unbreakable, chapters one – ten has done fairly well in the rankings, but I am not yet among the top thirty. While my determination says that this serial is bound to be a success no matter the votes, the reality is I still need a fair fan base voting on my serial in order for it to continue. The editor at Jukepop Serials has been kind enough to remind us of this fact every once in a blue moon, and I for one do not intend to be voted off the island, as it were, by not getting votes.
I’ve gotten 60 votes. That’s not bad for something that’s only ten chapters in length. I’ll need more, though. I know you guys are out there. Even your Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, black Friday and Cyber Monday are over (though the deals are still kind of hot), and you’re going to need a break from it all. Those who enjoy horror/paranormal stories should take their goose bump- enjoying, thrill-seeking selves to Unbreakable and get something out of it. And when you get there and vote on any or all of my chapters, tell your friends and have your friends tell their friends.
I wonder if I can hit seventy + votes this week. I’ve got a new chapter coming tomorrow. Let’s see how this goes, shall we? Look forward to this newest installment. It provides some interesting insights into two of my favorite characters ever.
Speaking of, it’s time to finish writing chapter 11. Adios for now.
Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Hope your tryptophan hangovers didn’t kill you today.
That being said, this title pretty much says it all folks. I like to write about killing shit. To me, writing this stuff well can be a major art form. It is done for books, movies and television. I seek to do it for my Serial, Unbreakable. You all know where it is by now, but I’ll provide the link to Chapter 10 because I love my readers. If you like what you read, cast your vote. If my serial has moved you in some way shape or form (revulsion counts, you know – I am writing horror here!) than by all means, tell your friends to sign up, read, and cast their votes on all my chapters. Keep me in the running so I can continue to bring you some of the truly twisted meanderings of Logan Mackay and friends. I almost said Logan Mackay and the Superfriends. Comic book geek, I am. EERRrrrrmmm …
If you’re going to ask me “what’s new,” I’m going to answer you with the following sentiment: There’s a lot to tell.
I’ve found myself wondering why some people have a tendency to tell me that there “isn’t much to tell” when it comes to their own lives. I know this isn’t the case. For my short time on this earth, I’d like to think that I’ve learned some things about the complexity of life. I tend to want to hear people’s stories. If I’m asking you what you did before you came to work, for instance, I genuinely want to know what makes you tick.
And don’t make the mistake of thinking that I interview people on the spot because I’m a writer and I want to secretly write them into my books. That isn’t the case for me. People’s motivations for getting up and being alive matter to me in the same way that mine do. I like to think that there are reasons for some of the crazy shit I end up doing. I believe that there are deep roots behind the emotions I experience when I run into an unexpected situation.
But maybe the real reason I’m writing this entry is because I can feel myself changing.
I don’t want to get lost in the crowd. I don’t want to be invisible or anonymous anymore. And part of the reason I don’t want these things anymore is because they no longer serve me.
It used to be a romantic concept for me to be the silent, wandering observer. In many ways, I still do that when the mood strikes me. If I want to think about the next few chapters of a book I am trying to write or edit, nothing does me better than to wander the streets of Manhattan and watch people. But I’ve been looking into people’s faces more and more of late. Instead of making up stories about them without their knowledge, I stare straight on and almost dare them to speak to me. I smile, I laugh, and I even interject myself into the occasional conversation about ice skating and coffee at a Starbucks just before I buy that white chocolate mocha and wander into the park.
That’s not the me that I am used to. If you want to know the truth, I haven’t done things like this since I was a very young kid.
I began to ask myself questions at the beginning of this week about how closed off I’ve been since I’ve moved back to New York City. In a city that seems to teem with life, how is it that I haven’t made new friends? Oh yes, it still appeals to me to some extent to keep myself a mystery; to hold onto the secrets of my sordid existence. But how secret is my presence on this planet going to remain if I’m busy trying to make a career out of writing? True, writers need a lot of alone time, and I finally seem to be able to get some when I need it. But people are social creatures, no matter how alone they wish to be. The art of being alone seems to manifest best when loners have the choice to reintegrate and be among others on a moment’s notice. Nobody can be truly alone, or they would cease to exist. If I wanted total Isolation, I could try something like solitary confinement, but I can pretty much guarantee that I wouldn’t like it once I woke up from a twelve hour sleep.
Certain aspects about my history are still very difficult to reconcile. Integrating the lessons from my past with my progress toward my long term goals is still a challenge. But utter silence and self isolation both fly in the face of everything I truly know about myself. I can yammer with the best of ’em. I can hold my own in a political debate or a contest to see who can murder the most songs in a karaoke stand-off. Life is so damned funny to me these days that I stop every few minutes and laugh at nothing in particular.
How can I not explore social interaction when I have trained myself to read people so well? That’s easy. What I learned about people was how to read extreme, negative emotion. I can tell right away when someone is a bully, a sexual predator, a child abuser, or just not a nice person. But that’s a lot like a police officer who can spot a perp at 50 yards before he or she does anything to get themselves arrested. After decades of honing that skill, it’s become clear to me that it actually keeps me pretty separate from people. Don’t misunderstand me. It’s a fine thing to be able to tell these sick individuals apart from the rest of the populace if you mean to live another day on this planet or otherwise avoid trouble. I’ll neither understand nor accept child rapists, but I can spot them a mile off thanks to my past experience as a mental health professional. It helps to have a family member who was in law enforcement for more than two decades. But if you were to ask me if a woman was attracted to me, for instance, I’d say that more than half the time, I would give you the exact wrong answer.
So here’s to a new challenge for me coming in 2013. I haven’t waited that long to start the journey, but I’ll certainly continue it. The rule, if I want to call it that, is simple. I’ll hold my head up high, stop pretending that I’m invisible, and I’ll stop turning around and looking for trouble whenever I hear excited shouting in my own neighborhood. It seems simple, doesn’t it? Don’t think for a minute that this is not a major undertaking for me. But spending years in a shell after having been dealt a crappy hand by life has finally gotten old. I’ve already reclaimed writing as a part of my being. It’s time for the next step. It’s time to stop playing the social ninja.
No, that is not the new title of an autobiography!
That is the result of the votes I’ve gotten so far for all the chapters of my serial, ‘Unbreakable’ at Jukepopserials.com. I’m sitting at 39. I want to hit forty and go WAY beyond that. Take a few minutes and read Chapter 8 and vote on it if you haven’t done so already. If you’ve got longer and haven’t done so yet, read and vote for all eight chapters. You can’t lose if you love horror and paranormal writing!
As promised, chapter 8 of my serial, ‘Unbreakable,’ is now available for your reading pleasure at Jukepopserials.com. Take some time to read it and cast your vote for it if it meets with the approval of your sick and twisted mind. Also, if you haven’t yet done so, read through chapter 7 which has been up for the past week. I realize that for many of you, Halloween didn’t exactly leave you with a lot of free time on your hands. That’s okay, but do read through that chapter too, especially if you’ve been keeping up with the serial. It may be one of the shorter chapters I’ve ever written for a project, but it packs quite the punch. It doesn’t need to be Halloween for MY twisted mind to come up with something horrifying. Don’t let that stop you from seeking the thrill of a good story.
I’m aware that I keep explaining things as I discover them about Jukepop’s website. I imagine that if I’m still discovering how things really work, that probably means that my readers are still figuring things out. That being said, I was e-mailed not too long ago by the editor and told that the site will be going international sometime soon. Why that is a surprise to me is because I thought that being on the world wide web sort of meant that it was international already. Nevertheless, this spells good things for me, especially since my blog already has international readers. Yay for me!
Another thing that I wanted to mention is the feature known as “book-shelving.” If I’m not mistaken, any of my readers can ‘book-shelve’ my serial once they’ve signed on and begun to read. The option to bookshelf is located in the dark grey bar at the bottom of the screen whenever you red a chapter. It is the third link to the right of the chapter arrows. Book shelving my serial would mean that you automatically receive an email whenever I post a new chapter. What could be more convenient for a reader? Do yourself the favor of book-shelving my serial if you like it so much. There are already eight chapters in total. There will be many more to come. Trust me. Check out the links above and read on.
On that note, I must be off. More writing awaits me like a lover with a bottle of wine. How intoxicating ..
It seems that the website for Jukepopserials.com has evolved. Either that, or I’ve discovered a feature that’s new to me. Each of the serials on the site now reports the number of votes that each story has obtained. I was able to hover the point of my mouse over my serial, “Unbreakable,” and read the total number of votes I’ve gotten so far for my five chapters. That number is 22. I’m happy!
I am able to see where I rank literally by looking at where the cover for “Unbreakable” is in relation to the other covers to other serials. It would seem that this can be done by genre.
I’ll just say I aim to be the best.
I think in time, I will garner more votes. I prefer to allow my writing to speak for itself. But I know my kick-ass new cover is going to get more and more attention. It seems that people need to get onto the site and create an account to cast their votes. I urge as many of you as possible to do this. I just KNOW you’ll like my story, so I’ve no need to worry that you’ll sign up and cast a vote my way, right? 😉
I no longer feel a need to project a false humility about my talent. It’s there. But pure talent is not enough. Practice makes perfect, and there is no way for me to hone my craft if there are no readers to appreciate it. So go, read, enjoy! The moment you elect to read more of my chapters, I get a vote. I just hope to keep my readers’ interest in the long run with my crazy imagination.
Chapter 6 of ‘Unbreakable’ will be arriving this Thursday. It’s already underway. Let’s just say things are about to take a turn ..
Whoot! As promised, I have attained a cover for my story, “Unbreakable.” This was mostly thanks to my friend, E., who directed me to a fabulous, professional cover artist named Glendon Haddix. I’ll let his work speak for itself. Come take a peek at my “sure-to-get-lots-of-attention” new cover! And while you’re at it, read the story and cast your votes. You won’t regret it if you’re a fan of paranormal horror!
Time for this Voodoo Drummer to lay out some serious licks ..
By J. Marie Ravenshaw – Look for the story, “Gable’s Leatherworks” in Siren’s Call’s “Now I Lay Me Down to Reap” anthology. You won’t ever see the old woman across the way in the same light!
Look for J Marie Ravenshaw’s “The Silver Comb” in Siren’s Call’s “Twisted Realities of Myth and Monstrosity” Anthology
By Edward Lorn – Buy it NOW!
By Edward Lorn – Check it out NOW!
By Edward Lorn -Highly Recommended- BUY IT NOW!!
By Edward Lorn – A Great Read for Halloween or Any Other Night!
By the Lovely and Talented Adriana Noir
By Mara McBain – A great read. It’s on MY kindle. Get it and put it on yours!
By Shaun Adams. Also Recommended. I’ve got my Kindle copy. Get yours!
Voodoo Drummer 