Life: Why I Moved Again

It's going well for me. I've moved back to my old home (Oklahoma), got my old job back (special education teacher) at my old school in my old classroom, and I may even be moving back into my old complex. Though I've said "old" a lot, I don't see any of it as a sickly animal clinging on for dear life. I see it all as a comfortable shoe that I'm not only familiar with, but very happy wearing, and now that I'm older, I look damn good in them. Meaning, now that I'm older and more experienced, I know how to teach my ass off, and am ready to get back to it.

Leaving Colorado to move back to Oklahoma was an easy decision for me. Living back here now (Oklahoma) I do miss certain things about CO, but nothing that makes me want to pack up anytime soon. I do like that Colorado lacks bugs (there are some insects there, of course, but not like here), that the weather is mild compared to Oklahoma (at least in the Front Range, maybe the High Country is more extreme, I don't know), and that everyone's into being outside (because the weather is mild, and there are mountains to walk around bug-free). That being said, there are many perks to living in Oklahoma, especially if you've been here very long at all. One, everyone knows my name. It's like the town I live in is Cheers. And it's not because I've been here forever (though, that helps). If you spend a year here you'll bump into people you know shopping at Walmart, or eating at Chick-Fil-A (a local delicacy). That can either be annoying or heartwarming, depending on your constitution, but in terms of forming a career, it is a huge perk.  Which brings me to item two, I matter here. Not saying teaching doesn't matter wherever you do it, but the school I was working at in Colorado, we (the faculty) weren't all on the same page as far as what expectations should be (should we help the kids, or just sit back and collect a check), and the sheer amount of students with needs that weren't being met was not only daunting, but demoralizing. Here I am fortunate to work with passionate teachers who care about their student's well-being. And because the community is small, I KNOW I'm having a measurable affect on my community. I feel a part of it, which is a huge pull for me. Three, I can afford to live here. A teacher's salary in Longmont, Colorado is the same as it is here, only in Longmont the median price of a house is $500,000. Here it's $130,000. Those prices will buy you a decent home, something like 1,300 sq. ft. That's a huge price difference, and me being almost thirty, I'm ready to settle down and plant some seeds (pun intended), so being able to afford a house is another huge bonus. Four, you don't have to own a Subaru in Oklahoma. In the mountains my 2002 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 (known on the internet as the "Two point slow") did not cut it. The car is an automatic 4 cylinder with so many problems I've fixed I could literally write a blog post about them. It's a car that could rightly be called a POS, but it works. Gets from point A to B, and does so efficiently, as long as point A and B do not include mountains (found this out when the 2-point-slow wouldn't go over 20 climbing a mountain, and the engine started smoking...turned out it just needed oil—it leaks it. I would have kept going, but my wife didn't want to push it. I wanted to see what the Slow could do, but alas, I'll never know). But here, owning a shitty car is not a handicap. You can get away with driving anything on the Great Plains, and that is another perk for someone who's been part of the working poor their entire life (the mountain of debt I'm in has made it difficult to get out of that caste even with a career job, but I don't really mind. Life is cheap here, and debt is just a number. Sort of like age, and both do disappear when you die).

Well, those are my reasons for coming back to the Land Heaven Forgot. It's a great place to start a life. I can't wait to see where it takes me.

Ubiquity Does Not Equal Victory

I've noticed lately that some of my friends and family are getting a little down about the election (Can we call it that? How many months until November?), and I can't blame them, it's like watching a train wreck. Hillary is cleared of any wrong doing about using a private email server, but the director of the FBI investigation calls her "extremely careless," while on the other side of the isle Trump compliments Gaddafi and Tweets an anti-Semitic picture of Hillary Clinton (David Duke ends up endorsing the Tweet, everyone else who isn't affiliated with the KKK says its anti-Semitic...except of course, for Donald Trump). So I understand looking at those things and thinking "shit," but I don't understand the fear that Trump will win. While I'll say it is possible for him to win—this would require Hillary to make a mistake so huge I can't even conjecture one that would be plausible—it is extremely unlikely. I do, however believe I understand why people are starting to believe he will win, and I believe that reason is simple. He's everywhere. You can't turn the television on for an hour of news without him being mentioned. Some idiotic statement he's made will undoubtedly be one of the top 5 headlines on any news site, and it's even likely one of his Tweets will be the top story. It sounds like a bizarre satire of the American political system, but it's in fact reality. Now, putting aside the fact that this is insane, that we've allowed a sociopath to take over the airwaves, the fact still remains that he can't win the presidency. Here's why:

• Demographics: He doesn't have them. It's no exaggeration to say Donald Trump is the candidate white supremacists have been waiting for. He's the guy who has made being racists vogue again. So, generally speaking, if you're a minority (and there's a 37% chance that you are) you're not going to vote for this guy, if you're a woman (and there's a 47% chance that you are) you're not going to vote for this guy, or if you're a person who cares about either of those above mentioned demographics you're not going to vote for this guy.
• The race hasn't even started yet: Hillary hasn't even begun to hammer at this guy. She's thrown light punches, but as November gets closer those punches will get harder. He'll play dirty of course, it's what he does, but insults will only carry so much weight in the general election, especially when there's a mountain of bullshit that will be used against him.
• He's the weakest candidate in modern history: Trump won a major party nomination off of one demographic for a political party that is primarily made of that demographic (white uneducated males). His campaign has no infrastructure, and no cash. Trump has no policies. Other than "I'm building a wall" he has no concrete proposals, everything changes depending on the crowd and his mood. And if that weren't enough, he's also one of the most disliked candidates in history.
• The Republican Party is 26% of the electorate: Which means he needs to win over independents to win, the 42% of Americans who decide elections. Despite the name, independents are formed of Democratic and Republican leaning voters. In 2008 14% of these voters voted Democrat who said they were Democratic leaning, while 14% voted Republican who said they were Republican leaning. Only 12% were truly independent, who claimed to have no leaning prior to the election. So a Trump victory comes down to winning 7% of a diverse voting block. He can't do it. He doesn't have the numbers on his side.

So, that's my thought on the matter. Trump will not win the presidency, but that won't stop him from Tweeting and saying whatever garbage happens to pop into his "very good brain" between now and November. So, in the meantime, make sure your registered to vote, and never give up hope on good winning out.

The Safest Time In History

I'm a big news guy. I read it, I listen to it, and some days watch it. Just little spurts here and there. NPR in the car, the Huffington post in the mornings on my phone while I eat breakfast, Nightly News in the evening before dinner. It's part of the routine, and it's a productive way to fill those minutes in between other blocks of the day. Usually I enjoy these little moments of information. Finding out what's going on in Congress and around the world helps me to feel less angry, because at the very least I understand the motives and the events that led up to the current events, which helps things feel less out of control. In other words, it helps me feel like a member of society, instead of some loan cog, sitting motionless around spinning wheels. But lately it's been hard to not feel discouraged. ISIS, mass shootings, the BrEXIT, and Donald Trump are all anyone seems to be talking about these days. And when this is all the stuff you hear, it begins to feel that we must be living in a terrible world indeed. It's in those moments that I have to remind myself that we live in the safest time in history. Humans existing today have the highest life expectancy of any humans ever in the history of the world. Our chances of being murdered, of dying of disease, of being killed by another human being in any way (including terrorist attacks) are the smallest they have ever been in history. It's a great time to be alive.

So if that's the case (which it is), then why doesn't it feel that way? Why does the television (radio/newspaper/cell phone) fill us with fear? Because that's what they choose to focus on. That whole news idiom, if it bleeds, it leads, is undeniably true. Talk to anyone in the business and they'll confirm it. Hell, flip on the news and confirm it for yourself, it won't take you long to notice the pattern. So, why does the news choose to lead with bleeding? Simple. It grabs our attention. Showing graphs of the historic peace on Earth isn't as gripping as a plane going down across the planet, or a train falling off the tracks. Now, should those things be news? Sure, but should they be hammered over our head and spun into a greater threat than they really are? Of course not, but that's just what happens every time any disaster happens. The anchor takes it home, makes it personal by asking some expert what the odds are of it happening to us, and then asks us to think of the families, et cetera, et cetera. Yes, people dying is tragic, we should do our best to improve technology and culture so that it happens less (Which we are always doing. Progress has proven to be inevitable), but filling ourselves with fear over things that are very unlikely to happen does nothing to better ourselves or our society. It clouds our judgment by skewing our perspective of the world.

I don't believe that because we've hit a historic high for human safety that we should stop, and nor do I believe we ever will (As I said, progress has proven to be stubbornly persistent), but we need to keep things in perspective. For every 8 deaths there are 19 births. Life is winning out. So instead of turtling up, or getting stress headaches over the world supposedly going up in flames, just remember, that you live in the safest time in history, and that's a great thing.

The Power of Editing and Other Eyes

So I started my 2nd draft of Dick and Henry tonight. I take my laptop with me to my favorite coffee shop, drink my tea, chew on my scone, and I read what my writing buddies have said about my chapters. I already know some of what they've said. I know the major things I should work on, the big character and plot issues that need addressed to satisfy the reader. But I want to know the nitty gritty stuff of the scenes I'm about to work on, so I read their comments. I see that there's a lot of work to be done here, but rather than that looking daunting, it looks fun to me. I see it as an opportunity to not only improve the work, but to come up with something fun to say, to find the meaning of the scene and the motivations of the characters. Because there's nothing particularly wrong with the scene, I've set it up well, it's just the finer points that are off. The characters aren't talking right, not behaving the way their motives should dictate. So I fix those things, and I add some depth. I breathe life into the scene, and I feel like the characters are becoming real. Are becoming more than just things I've imagined, but things people can relate to, things that don't seem like things at all. Which is how I know I'm doing my job right.

This may be the most fun part of writing. It's the part most writers hate, but I'm finding that with each subsequent book I write that I enjoy it more and more. I also think it helps that the writers in my writing group all have such a great relationship with each other. We're not afraid to speak the truth. Which I can tell you, if I hadn't been told what was lacking in my scenes from someone other than me, it would have taken me too long to discover it. It's impossible to overstate the importance of outside eyes on your first drafts of your books. It's a pivotal part of the process for me. It's the weed killer for my garden. It keeps the dung beetles off my trees. Keeps the Dutch Elm at bay. But yes, here I am again feeling like I'm improving my work and my art more than I have ever before, and I'm positive that I'm right, because it all just feels right. But, I'll let you guys decide. Hoping to have Dick and Henry out by November, but if I keep up this pace, it could be out in September. Until then, don't forget to check out my latest books, Sunborn and Phidelphius.

My 2016 In Writing

2016 might just be my best year for publishing, well, since I've started anyways, way back in November of 2014. I've just published Phidelphius, half of my editing group has already gone through Dick and Henry: The Novel, and I just finished up the first draft of Lady Luck. It's looking like I'll easily get two books published this year. Hell, if I'm feeling ambitious, I might shoot for three. Now none of this means I'm working faster than I have in the past. I've always written a lot, I'm just now getting more efficient at everything else. The big thing being editing.

So with that in mind, here's my current goals for the year:

• Finish a second draft of Dick and Henry in a month. Have it edited by my editor in one month. Commission the cover which will be done in one month. Release the book on Amazon in September or October.
• Have the writing group start editing Lady Luck as soon as the other half finishes editing Dick and Henry (hopefully in one month). Start on second draft of Lady Luck, hopefully finish in one to two months (most likely one month). Go with different artist for Lady Luck cover, hopefully finish the cover in two to four weeks. Publish in November.

So, those are my tentative plans. Things have been going pretty solid at the Buff writing mill, but I'm going to pause that part of the factory and focus on rewrites and good old fashioned editing.

Well, that's it for today's update. Oh, and if you haven't, make sure to grab yourself a copy of Phidelphius while it's still hot off the presses.

Phidelphius Unboxing

Student Debt, Debtors' Prison

I've always joked about it. Having accumulated a ridiculous amount of debt so fast and having received nothing tangible for it. An education is of course a great thing, but depending on your chosen career field, and the amount of student debt it took you to get there, well, depending on how those things went, the situation can sometimes look bleak.

So let me confess. I'm a teacher. I'm a writer too, but teacher mostly. In college I was a dumb kid. I was offered a bunch of money with bad interest rates that weren't explained to me very well, and well, now I'm not so dumb, and I can see the real world implications of what I've drowned myself in. In college taking large sums of money that offer you the chance to go to Europe and drink legally at the age of 19 (that's not what I did or why I went, but it was the popular thing to do for many of my classmates) it's really hard to say no to it. It's also nice to have a little extra when that Geo you've been driving gets struck by a Tundra and you'd like to replace it with an overpriced European car, because hey, Europe is cool, that's why we've got all this money for, remember? But needless to say, I graduated with a lot of debt, probably twice the amount necessary to get the degree I got, and the career field I chose was not a high paying one, despite the amount of work and energy required to teach, and despite the importance teaching has on the future of society. But that's another thing for another time. But my point is, I was dumb. I had no one older than me to look to for advice, and everybody else was taking in the cash too, so who was I to say no? I'm not better than Jimmy. In fact, Jimmy might be better than me if I don't take the money, he's got a new Xbox in his apartment. Who would I be if I were left behind?

So I was dumb. And now I'll pay for it. Not just in the literal since of repayment, but in the sorts of limitations that go with having lots of debt. I try not to look at the numbers, to stare at the interests rates too long, because if I do, I'll feel nothing but an all consuming bout of depression. And as we all know too well, life is very short. Even if you're indebted for half your life, as I will more than likely be, you're still alive. You still eat, laugh, love. Nothing of real value has been lost. And even if it had, wallowing won't water the money tree. So, I choose to stand, instead of fall. Hoping one day I'll work hard enough long enough to find the key to my self-made debtors' prison, but if I don't, if I never see the exit of this metaphorical place, I'll still have my life, and everything that comes with it. What more could I ask for?

That's Why It's An Idiom

I love learning. It's a quality I think every good teacher needs. In my opinion it's a quality every person needs in order to have a life that's worth living. I'm not insinuating you should knock yourself off if you don't have a particular taste for Nietzsche or DIY home improvement projects, but I do think everyone should be constantly striving to understand something. It's really the biggest problem we face, well, if we avoid all the other problems we face. Starvation, cancer, random and cruel death, if none of those things ever happen to us, eventually we run out reasons to keep going, our bodies literally wear out. I think the same goes for our minds.

Now, I've written before about my particular learning style The old learn by failing. It's not a bad strategy. You look at what doesn't work and then don't do that. Only I tend to be the thing I'm looking at that didn't work. There's better ways to learn things. Reading (about other people's failures; about their successes), videos, talking to people. It's really endless in the world we live in. We can become quasi experts in almost anything. You can learn how to publish a book. Build a table. Raise a guinea pig. Whatever it is you're interested in, you can do it. You don't even have to be interested in it. You might need to learn how to do something out of need. Car breaks and you can't afford to pay to have it fixed, but you can afford the part. Type in your car's symptoms into google and you'll find an answer, probably even a video detailing how to make the repair step by step visually. 

The thing that is so awe inspiring to me about getting older is that I feel that I'm becoming a better learner. I'm less stubborn, I'm more patient, and probably not as much of a pain in the ass for other people (though that'll never be fully cured till I'm dead). To me, not only does my life have more purpose since I've dedicated to one of improvement, in gaining more knowledge and skill in the crafts I've chosen to craft, it's also more enjoyable. There's less worry over simple shit. The little things that can eat you up. You know, those things. You know what they are when you see them in other people. When the woman at the grocery counter curses the bag boy for putting the vegetables in the bag with the meat. When the college frat boy threatens to call corporate if they don't return his dirty flat screen at the service desk (yes, there's a pattern here with my examples...I spend too much time inside Walmart). But it's these things, the little things that we think if only they were right. If I could just have this one thing be the way I want it to be. Then my life would be perfect. That's a lie we tell ourselves. A story. Because there's always something else. Nothing is ever perfect. And here's a secret you already know: There is no perfect. Perfect is an idea. It doesn't exist, and it can't. Google defines perfect as having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be. We know this never happens. We believe we've experienced perfect moments. But even in them we could find things that weren't ideal, but those things just add to our endearment of the memories, the fact that we endured less than Nicholas Sparks perfection and still found enjoyment in any moment makes it that much more special. When really that's just life. That's existence. Things are neither inherently good or bad, they just are, and we assign our feelings towards them and give it a label. I think this is something all of us know, on some level. Our coffee wasn't cold today because we've been spited, it just happened to be cold today for whatever reason. Shit happens. That's why it's an idiom.

But I guess, all I'm really trying to say is that I'm enjoying the aging process. I think it's done me good. I'm sure at a certain point I'll think it's done me bad, and I hope to be lucky enough to live long enough to be able to say that. Because nothing is certain. That's why it's an idiom.

Phidelphius Is Here

So that's another one in the bag! You can snag Phidelphius today in ebook or paperback by clicking here for the ebook or here for the paperback. Also, Sunborn, the first book in the series, is on sale today for 99¢, so take advantage and grab both books if you don't have either. They're also both in Kindle Unlimited, so if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber you can read them both for free (as well as my other books).

I'd like to say some thanks to a few people for helping this book to be the book it's become. Thanks go to Quinn Baldwin, Sasha Abernathy, and Kyle Frederick. Their comments and suggestions helped shape where the story ended up going, and I'd like to thank them for their time and honest opinions. I'd also like to thank Michael Rubi for being a constant reader of my first drafts, and for helping with cover design, text, and formatting. Thanks also go to Tony Cleeton, thanks for lending your eye. Lastly I'd like to thank my wife. Thanks for letting me spend countless hours working on these things, babe. I swear they'll help pay the electric bill one day (or at least the water bill).

Poem

The nights are lonely. The nights are long. Fill the time, but it all feels wrong.

The door is open, but there's no one home. I sing her song to an empty room, I hear applause but there's no one home. I've loved empty, I've loved strong. I love her more when I belong. I want to belong. I want to belong. It won't be long till I am gone.

Phidelphius & Writing Flow

Well, the time is finally here (almost). The art is in for Phidelphius, the edit is done, now the only thing left is the text. My text buddy (or typography buddy, if you will) is in Mexico right now, so it'll be a little bit before that's completed, but the book will be available on Amazon by next week. So that puts me at just under a year between my last publication (Sunborn was published in July of last year), which means I need to publish these guys a little faster if I'm going to meet the quota I've set for myself (2 books published a year). That quota is totally doable for me, I just need to get more efficient at a couple things. Those things being editing (which I'm getting my team to be faster at) and cover art. I definitely write two books a year (at least first drafts), so all there is after that is sanding down of the rough edges and then packaging (editing and cover art). Editing is becoming more efficient as I do much of the final steps myself, but the first major steps of editing I rely heavily on my writing group, which is great because their eyes catch story and character things that need strengthened that I might not otherwise catch without them. And the as for the art, I'm going to play around with covers with a few of my coming titles, trying more of a bear bones approach (one it'll be cheaper, but it will also get the books out faster, which is a win win).

But alas, I started this post to let you guys see the new cover, so here it is:

Pretty cool art, right? My buddy Maciej Wojtala did the art for this guy and Sunborn and Dick and Henry. He's looking for more indie authors to work for, so if you're interested in hiring him, check him out on his site.

Filling You In

So, I wanted to fill you guys in a little on where my current projects are. So Phidelphius (the sequel to Sunborn) is going to be released sometime in the next two weeks. The final draft is completed and edited, just waiting on artwork. I have two other completed novels that need to be redrafted and edited several times. Those are Dick and Henry: The novel (real title still to be decided) and a dystopian sci-fi called The Breachers. Dick and Henry will come out first, it'll be released somewhere around the end of the year. Then either The Breachers or Lady Luck will be next. Lady Luck is a dark fantasy that I'm currently working on about a guy who just can't seem to get things to ever go his way.

The process of releasing novels has become a long one for me, but in a lot of ways that's good because it ensures quality control. I'm trying to strike a balance between releasing a good amount of novels a year (2 is ideal) and making sure the edit and rewrites for them are as strong as I can possibly make them. It's been a learning experience, getting down a project flow that works for me, and I'm always adapting as things change. But I'm definitely working on it everyday, writing, editing, and planning out the future of my two current series (Sunborn and Dick and Henry).

Speaking of my series, if you have any comments or suggestions for Sunborn or Dick and Henry, feel free to reach out on here or Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads. I know some people have expressed their excitement for a full length Dick and Henry novel, but if you have anything you'd like to see in a future novel or story with those guys, let me know. Same goes for Daniels' adventures in Sunborn. If there are certain aspects about that world or Daniels' history that you'd like to know more about, drop me a line. The world definitely gets expanded on in Phidelphius, but the third book in the series (possibly final book) will take things even further, so let me know if there's anything you're dying to have revealed and maybe I'll work it in somewhere if it fits the story's current progression. No promises of course, but hey, you never know.

Character Voices

I love putting little stuff in my writing that comes directly from real life. The car the antagonist of my newest book I'm working on, Lady Luck, is a broken down Buick Skylark. That's the car my best friend in high school (and still best buddy) Michael Rubi drove. The passenger side handle wouldn't open the door on the outside of the car, this feature is also present on the car in the book. The book also takes place in the mountains of Colorado (where I was living for the last year up until just recently), so all the places in the novel are are real places I've been with a bit of my imagination thrown in for good measure (basically combining different parts of different cities into one for convenience and theme). There's other things present in there, but those are the biggies I can think of off the top of my head. I do this in most of my books and stories, I dear say in all of them, and I imagine most writers do too. Want to make a character feel real? Throw in traits that you know a real person has. Take the Dude from the Big Lewboski. The Coen Brothers created the Dude as a composite character of two different people they knew, and one of them actually did have a rug that he said "really tied the room together." Classic character, that everybody loves, and knowing that he's almost a real person somehow makes him even that much more endearing.

I think the easiest way to make a character seem real is to make them like you. But I also think this is a bit of a trap. No matter how hard you try, I think most of your characters are going to have pieces of you in them, unless you're trying really hard to make them not, but I definitely think you should put forth effort to try to do it as little as possible, especially with side characters. For me it's a big turn off when every character in a book has the same voice. When they all talk the same. That's why I focus on differentiating people's speech in my books. In real life people don't have the same vocabulary list in their brains they pull from. I tend to use bigger words for certain descriptions of things, so sometimes when I'm writing a character I intentionally use a word I would never use, because it's right for the character, and it makes them sound different than the main character (who likely sounds like me, unless I'm trying to have him not. Examples of MCs I've tried to have sound different than me would be Dick from Dick and Henry or any character from my short stories). And how the character speaks tells you so much about them without you ever revealing any back story about them. You learn about a character's morals and interests as a story goes on, but you may or may not learn about their education background, their family history, etc. But by watching their behavior and speech you do get a sense for who they are, and you can infer their history, much like you would if you were people watching, or what you may do when you've met a new person and they're still a mystery to you.

So next time you're writing any kind of fiction, be sure to squirt in a little of real life in the fantasy. It's fun to write, and it makes it fun to read, by adding a sense of realism for the reader it makes it that much easier to imagine the world you're creating.

More about Captain America 3

Okay, so I'm usually not a big Marvel movie fan. I liked the first few movies, but they just kept going, and as they went the fun of the first films died off with each subsequent sequel (Guardians of The Galaxy being the exception). Now, that being said up front, I still see some of them (actually, I think I've yet to skip one, despite initially planning to skip Civil War, I ultimately saw it because so many people said good things) and I review them just how I would any other movie, based on my experience I had while viewing them. And on top of being bored for the first hour of Captain America: Civil War I was also disturbed. The film siding with Captain America's absurd premise that any government oversight is a bad thing is one issue, but that's not the main thing that disturbed me. So he's a libertarian, okay, I can live with that I suppose, but the film goes on to have Captain America be a hypocrite. He claims to have the best judgment, yet throws police officers off stair cases and kicks in their ribs to help out a friend wanted for murder.

Now, I believe I brought this up in my original review, but after being bombarded with #TeamCap comments on the internet, ranging from people in internet comment sections to personal friends on Facebook, I just felt I had to bring it up again: Captain America is the bad guy in Civil War. Spider-Man said it best when he repeated Stark's opinion of the Captain, "He says you're wrong, but that you think you're right. And that makes you dangerous." How many bad guys believe they're bad? How many of them think the law knows what is right? That's the ground Captain America stands on in this movie, that he knows what's right above anyone else, and that you're either with him or against him.

To further my point, take a look at Iron Man's herorism verses Captain America's

Iron Man firing a tank missile at terrorists.

Iron Man saving the Middle East.

Captain America throwing police off stair cases to save Bucky, a wanted murderer.

Captain America: Civil War--Movie Review

Captain America: Civil War is the 13th Marvel movie, and the third Captain America movie. So, if you haven't had enough superhero yet, don't worry, this movie, like almost all superhero movies these days, advertises many-many sequels to come.

Well, let me start by saying the only reason I gave this movie three stars is because a little over halfway through we get a battle that is actually fun. And the biggest reason it's fun is the inclusion of Spider-Man. I really wasn't looking forward to a kid Spider-Man, but since he's just a supporting character in a few scenes here for comedy it really works. He shows up to crack a few jokes (the best joke in the whole movie being how Captain America's shield doesn't follow physics at all, summed up the whole movie for me). But on top of the actually funny Spider-Man we have a cool new black superhero named Black Panther, and Ant-Man is back, and he's actually likable in this movie, though not as likable as Spider-Man (the Ant-Man movie was one of the worst movies I've seen in theaters). Those three characters actually make this sequence—the only scene where we get what we were promised, superheroes fighting each other in mass—fun. Everyone else is doom-and-gloom for the whole movie, and honestly rather boring. Even poor Tony Stark has lived past his glory days on screen. There's still the occasional bright moment with him on screen, but it feels like even the writers have grown tired of coming up with interesting situations and dialogue for this character.

The characters and the movie itself seem to be just going through the motions for the first hour of the movie. Nothing really happens. There's some set up for the Black Panther towards the end of this hour, but other than that, it's pretty dull. Another major problem with the first half of the movie is the absent of major side characters who were so important in balancing the main characters in previous movies. Those being Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. The Pepper Potts character was really important to giving some humanity to Tony Stark, and to giving him a straight-man to play off of. None of the silly fantasy characters on the avengers team have that same spark with Tony, so the attempted playfulness (which there isn't enough of anyways) feels flat in comparison. Nick Fury was the character who set up the Avengers, and has been in all the movies previous, so it feels strange that he's absent for no apparent reason when something that threatens the fabric of the team's existence is going on, and even weirder that nobody bothers to mention his absence. (Also, where the hell are Hulk and Thor at? Their absence also leaves a hole in the movie.)

So, other than those mechanical problems, there are some moral problems as well. So, there's an argument at the core of the movie of oversight vs. no oversight for superheros. Iron Man is for oversight, Captain America is against it. So I live in the real world where we want oversight for government (let's use Flint Michigan for example), police (think of the recent documentation of brutality), et cetera, so when a movie is pretending to add some seriousness to it, and wants us to take the argument serious, I have to side with the guy who makes sense, Iron Man. The movie sides with Captain America. Now, that would be fine (I mean, the argument to have people running around doing whatever they want as vigilantes is silly if the vigilante's are trying to be poster children for America, like what Captain America does. Batman is different because his character's struggle is that he'll do anything to get the results he wants, look at The Dark Knight and how he takes down Joker) if the movie then didn't make Captain America a hypocrite. So Captain America argues they have the best judgement for deciding when they should go intervene (he says this after a montage of video plays on a monitor of the cities they've destroyed in the last 13 movies), and then later rescues his buddy Bucky, a known murderer, from a police raid on his apartment, and in doing so Captain America breaks the ribs of several cops, and throws them over stair rails. Yeah, this guy seems to certainly have "the best judgment" and I'm glad a movie targeted at children sends the message by the end credits that he's the one they should look up to. The guy who attacks police rather than have his friend face a court of law for crimes committed.

So, overall the film is better than Ant-Man, Thor 2, Avengers 2 and Captain America 2, but that's about it. I can't really recommend it unless you're just dying to see Spider-Man on screen for 20 minutes.

Switching Gears

It's been awhile since I've discussed my novel plans. I think the last estimated release date for Phidelphius (the second book in the Sunborn triology) was in early 2016, so that would be now. But until recently I was going to settle for a summer release (the data shows this is the worst time to release a new book...and my own data shows this as well) and the reason I was going to wait was because it was looking like it was going to take my writing group at least a couple more months to finish editing the first draft, then I'd have to write the second draft, then have it be edited again and then approve the edits. So that would put me releasing it sometime this summer. But I decided that I can't wait that long to complete this story. I need to finish it. So I'm going through, carving out my second draft, polishing the writing and strengthening the story and the character motivations (I think you guys are going to like where Daniels ends up in this one). Spoke with my writing group, and they're all for finishing up the manuscripts faster. Quinn's actually already finished his edit on the first draft of Phidelphius and will be sending it to me soon, I'll go back over my second draft with his notes, and the notes of the other group members (author Sasha Abernathy being one).

I've been on a long path here, learning as I've been going along. My first four releases I invested a lot of money into professional services, some of those investments were worth the expense, others were not. The editing for my first novel was below par, and was not cheap. I've had it re-edited since, and the response from readers has been noticeable in the reviews. It's because of these experiences that I've been trying to minimize my expenses, adjusting them to the sales I project to make (though, these projections are based off past sales, and it's impossible to predict how readers will react to a given title).

It feels good to be getting closer to my next release. I have several other finished drafts, and a couple of beginnings for others, but Phidelphius has always been the title I wanted to release next. It's a sequel that I think my readers will really love. I've always said there's no point in a sequel if it has nowhere to go, if it doesn't have its own story to tell. And Phidelphius is its own story. I can't wait for you guys to read it.

Returning Home

So I haven't really talked much about this. I updated my author bio, but I never made a post talking about my move. It was a pretty big deal. My wife and I were working, making the most we've ever made at a jobs that we loved, living in a town we'd lived in for ten years. We had lots of friends, and we felt like we were an important part of the community. In retrospect it seems odd that we moved, but my wife and I were inflicted with something I like to call "the grass is always greener syndrome." We had this idea of what our lives should be like, and it was always something different than what it was, even though what we had was pretty great.

I think the reason I haven't talked about it was because it was pretty hard. Even in the beginning it was hard, but as time went on it only got tougher. Being away from everything and everyone I know. Don't get me wrong, Colorado is beautiful. It's very dry, but it's beautiful (never thought I'd say this, but I miss humidity...itchy dry skin is not for me). It's also incredibly expensive, and can be pretentious at times. But more than anything it doesn't feel like home. It's not an unwelcoming place, but at the same time it's not welcoming either. Where when I first moved to Oklahoma 10 years ago I felt very much welcomed. The southern hospitality thing, it's real, and I think I'm now old enough to admit I'm partial to it. Growing up in Kansas, I've always considered myself a northerner (hey, we fought for the Union), but I don't know if I can truly call myself a Kansan any longer. Few of my coworkers here would be able to tell you that I'm from Kansas originally, but most could tell you I'm from Oklahoma. I guess that makes me an honorary Okie, and at this point I feel I've earned it. Sure, there are things I'm not proud of about Oklahoma. Our education system (like many states who align themselves culturally with the South) needs a face lift, but I am proud to say I taught in one of the best districts in the state and am very proud of the work we do in Stillwater. We also have a dark past with race relations with Native Americans and black Americans (The Trail of Tears, The Tulsa Race Riots), much like our nation as a whole has. But home is home. It's made by the people who live in it, and the relationships formed there.

That's why my wife and I have decided that when her master's program is complete, we're returning home. We can see now what we've left behind, and where we truly want to take our future. Can't wait to be home.

Why Trump Is Winning

"New York. My City."--Donald Trump.

Trump is winning. That's undeniable at this point. The debate for most people (especially the Republican party) has become, "Why?" Poor Jeb couldn't figured it out, and always seemed bitter about that on the stage. The initial response (after ignoring him didn't work) by most of the candidates was to emulate Trump, to out "Trump" him. This is where Cruz' "targeting carpet bombing" came from, and his "I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out" stances came from. Rubio backed Trump's "there's going be a wall" stance by saying "First, we must secure our border, the physical border, with a wall, absolutely." 

Since then the candidates have switched to taking a condemning approach, simply saying he's not qualified, but of course they'll support him if he's the nominee. There's been talk by the Republican party elites of a brokered convention, where the party elites would pick the nominee, but that's unlikely. In all likelihood, Trump is going to be the Republican nominee. There's quite a few reasons why he's popular (he plays to bigoted fantasies in a way that no Republican candidate has done before: racism, xenophobia, etc.), and I don't think the Republicans are confused by why those things are working, they know those tactics work because they use them themselves, just not to the extremity that Trump is using them. What they're confused about is why none of their attacks are working. No matter what they say about him, whether it's about Trump University, or the size of his hands (the candidates never go into detail about Donald's racism because they've been guilty of the same crimes, only to a lesser degree) none of it sticks. And I think I know the reason why. It's his "toughness."

That's a huge part of the Trump brand. The take-no-shit attitude that the base he's pandering to love. But it's not simply that he acts tough, it's that he never, ever, let's himself appear weak. On Thursday night's debate it was obvious that both the Fox News moderators, and the other candidates (especially Rubio and Cruz) were going on the offense on Trump. The goal was to weaken Trump, but looking weak goes against the Trump brand. That's why that with every attack someone throws at him, he has an answer, whether it's true or not doesn't matter in a televised political debate, not as far as "winning" is concerned. And if he didn't have a response right away, he'd throw out an insult or an attack of his own. He even goes as far as to deflect attacks about him that happened outside of the debate, as when he assured the American people that his hands are in fact quite large despite Rubio's claim otherwise, and that they needn't worry about the size of his penis, it is in fact huge, and probably terrific. Now, as ridiculous as Trump may seem to someone who cares about facts (and if we're going there, the other Republican candidates only fair slightly better), when you just look at his body language, and his confidence, he appears quite strong. Cruz came off whiny at Thursday's debate, if you were just looking at his tone and the phrases he started his responses with (often with a complaint about Trump, not an attack). Trump also sounded more hopeful this debate, when he wasn't fending off attacks he was talking about being someone who "brings people together," which is probably foreshadowing to the type of candidacy he'll be pivoting to as the general gets closer.

The inspiration for this realization came from an NPR story, where they played a clip of the Apprentice. Trump's about to fire someone, he says, "I didn't like what she was doing, and it was repulsive to me, but worse was the way you took it. I have no choice, and I have to say, that you're fired." This perfectly sums up the Trump brand, and once you know what the corner stone of it is, you can see it everywhere in his candidacy, and you can see that it's working, and at this point, there's probably nothing that can stop it from winning him the nomination.

The First Edit of Dick And Henry

It's done. The first step, or I guess second step (had to write it before I could edit it) toward Dick and Henry the novel (still working on that title). I've finished typing up my hand written edits, and I think I'm ready for a nap. Which means I'm going to drink some tea and edit my writing group's pages (hey, it's only 7 pm).

It feels good staying busy. It leaves me with little time to worry and keeps me moving in the direction I want to be going, which is forward. I'm already working over in my head how I'll improve Phidelphius, the sequel to Sunborn. There are some issues with Daniels' motives for entering into a new adventure that my writing buddies have brought up, and I think they're right. And boy, do I have a good motive that I'm excited to thread through the whole novel. It's going to add a lot of depth to the book, while also answering some of those longing questions some readers have had. Well, if that's piqued you're interest, you should join my mailing list. When the book is completely finished I'll send out an email asking for interested reviewers. You'll get a free copy in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Well, that's all for now. See you next post.

I'm A Mentor

I've been assigned a mentee through my work. An 8th grader who wants to be a writer. I sent my first email to her today. It was pretty fun. Gave a little background info on who I am, explained my writing habits and my ten year writing plan. As part of the formats required by the program, I had to mention a problem I think that the younger generation will have to address in the field. I said that half the market still only shops in Barnes and Noble. Which really isn't a problem that should be addressed, in my opinion. In time B&B will simply go the way of Borders, along with crumby traditional publishing deals, agents, and the big five publishing companies. I guess a more accurate problem would be trying to set yourself apart in a crowded market place, but even that, to me, is not a problem. If your work is good, then it's good, if people haven't found it yet, just keep writing. Get a day job that you enjoy and write until your hands fall off. If your goal is to get rich quick, then you should find a different career. If you enjoy writing, and the idea of making a little extra money on the side is intriguing to you, then you're living in the perfect time in history, because that is now easy to do. There's also the small chance that you'll have a break out hit somewhere in there (an incredibly small chance), and there's a guarantee that if you keep up with it for a decade, releasing at least two books a year, that you will gain a real supplemental income from your writing, and probably be able to retire from your day job if you're able to live frugally. 

So, basically I want to tell this kid there aren't any real problems with writing, not if you love working hard, but I haven't gotten there yet. Also haven't mentioned yet that you'll need a second job, or that college isn't even required for this gig, just a few good craft books and a writing group, but the whole point of this mentor thing is to push the kid into college, so I'll try not to bring that up if asked. I will however point her into real things that help. A few blog posts by the man, Hugh Howey, and a couple craft books that really set me straight on the craft that is required for good writing.