Mid-week Mini Movie: Chatter

A rare non horror movie review

I usually do not review films outside of the horror or its subgenres but Emeriah Rich of Horror Addicts dot net supports writer/director Omar Haro and asked me to review this film.

Hearts&Kisses is a really good example of how a director can use the setting make the most out of a small budget and a limited time frame. Clocking in at just 14 minutes and 45 seconds the setting does all the heavy lifting, just sixty seconds in and you already know that this is a Christian household and this sets the tone for the strange little story that follows perfectly.

Hearts&Kisses tells the love story of Richie and Liz. They are a fairly young couple and their feelings for each other and the way interact with each other is genuine, tender, goofy, and awkward.

Surrounded by the icons of their faith, with her parents, and brothers, away Liz decides that tonight should be their big night, despite that they are still probably a year or two away from their wedding night. Of course Richie is delighted! But God is watching and Richie has a secret.

The pacing and storytelling of this micro-mini-movie is really good. The ending, if it could be called that, will leave you questioning what the hell it was you just watched but I am not going to fault it for that. I am going to give this one 3 out of 5 stars. Enjoy!

This is what I wanted...

One of the things I quickly got used to when I made the transition from being a ‘signed’ author to a self-published author was, is, that I have complete control over everything I do. Everything. I would be lying if I told you that it wasn't downright terrifying AND stressful but for me it’s worth it because when it works, it really works, and when something I do doesn't it’s a hard learned lesson.

One of the things that I did that hasn't been done before is the way I layout the interior of my anthology. The table of contents is hand written, it’s laden with graphic elements but it’s not a graphic novel. I knocked that shit out of the park! I’m really happy with the way it turned out because having an anthology of my own short stories is basically the gateway drug to the nightmares I create. I know I am not going to be your only horror dealer but I have every intention of becoming a reliable one.

The problem with the layout though is that the format does not translate well into a eBook, which left me reeling because not everyone is willing to spend $14.99 on an up-and-coming-author and at that time most of my royalties’ were coming from digital sales. So even though I had a kick ass print version I felt like I fucked myself because in order to convert it into a digital format the graphics would have to be removed and that wasn't an option because that would completely change the tone of the stories.

So just as I was coming to terms with the fact that I had cut myself off from all the ‘gadget guys’ I met a woman named Kay Richards. And over the next two years this amazing woman that God had sent my way produced two audiobooks for me. A forever free version that is available on Podiobooks and a premium version that can be purchased on Audible/Amazon/iTunes

The free version went live in Dec ’14 and as of this posting has been downloaded more than 33K x, dudes, really? So mind-blowing I’m still kind of pinching myself, and top of that two people have donated despite the fact that it’s absolutely free. I was so moved by that I actually cried…both times.

So fast forward to right now and my control issues. Ok so Createspace is the self-publishing platform for Amazon, and the only thing you can not do is set the price of your paperback below the price it cost to print it. Fair enough. The platform for self-publishing audio books for Amazon is ACX (Audiobook creation exchange) I have no control, none whatsoever, no say at all, over how Audible sets the prices for the audiobooks. So when the premium went live on Feb. 19^th with a sale price of $19.95 Audible members I panicked.

Quitting your job in order to make your dreams come true is insane, hard, and oftentimes ill-advised. There a months were I have to budget to the dime and I mean to the dime. I know how important book sales are but even still I buy my books from a 2^nd hand store and at the end of last year I started bartering books with other authors, some who are far well off than I am. Buying a brand new book is something I have to save up for. As of right now I cannot afford to spend $19.95 on a paperback, let alone on an audiobook.

So, just as I was coming to terms that at least I have a free version of the audiobook, I check my sales report. I sold 12 premium audiobooks in 9 days. I’m paid 40% royalties’ and even after taxes I earned $103.57. Me, more than 100 dollars in just nine days. Selling stories.

Me.

I am an emotional wreck right now. This is what I wanted, but now that it’s happening I can’t believe it. I’m afraid that at any moment now I’m going to wake up. I've cried, did my happy dance, checked the sales report more than a dozen times to make sure I’m looking at it right…this is the most amazing thing ever! Like I am drowning in a sea of love and support, not really drowning more like bobbing gently in the warm tide.

I just can’t thank everyone enough, I just can’t. I’m going to take a nap now because I really can’t think but the only thing I want to do is to continue to be worthy of your time and support, this is really the most amazing day and it’s all because of you.

Thank you, you guys. I really mean it, thank you…

Here is the link for the forever free version of
Free Version of And They All Lived Happily Ever After!

And here is the link to the premium version with bonus material not heard on Podibooks

Premium Version of And They All Lived Happily Ever After!

I've been fan fictioned!

This morning I got an email note from another blogger who asked me to check out his blog because the latest post was inspired by events that took place in Artificial Light.

I’ve been writing for a while now and some of the most contentious on-line wars I’ve ever seen have been over fan-fiction. I never entered any of those flame war conversations because both sides make really good points which left me wandering someplace in the middle.

I always wondered how I would feel if I had ever been ‘fan-fictioned’ and now that it’s happened I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m pretty stoked! It was written by blogger Craig Whibley and you can read it here:

Quake by Craig Whibley

Now don’t get me wrong, if I had found out about this via a multimillion dollar budget movie trailer I might not be skipping around on cloud 9 but with so much of my writing being inspired by others how would I look if lost my mind and started acting like a dick, claiming ownership of an idea, and threatening legal action over something as cool as this?

Hell the foundation for my short The Lazarus Antidote is built entirely on someone else’s work (used with permission of course, but still):

The Federal Vampire & Zombie Agency's (FVZA) legendary Dr. Hugo Pecos

And The End is Now would be completely different than it is now if not for the inspiration and collaboration I got from for Lori Titus.

I’m still stuck in the middle over the whole fan-fiction idea but I wish this guy tons of success, because the 1^st thing I wanted to do after I stopped screaming in glee was write. I inspired him, and then he inspired me! And so the cycle of creativity continues. And this is why I’m stuck in the middle of this hot button issue because I do believe that the creation of art should have some ownership but to suggest that anything created now is 100% original and wasn’t inspired by anything that came before it is a bit asinine.

The only we as writers are going to be successful and achieve acclaim is if we help each other, encourage each other and be inspired by one another. And we have to allow others, to a certain extent, to be inspired by the work we create.

This industry isn’t every man, woman, and child for themselves. It just doesn’t work that way. In  Monopoly the game is over once ONE person has EVERYTHING. We as artists and creators can’t let that happen because the end game would be the end of books, the end of art, the end of music. Do we really want that?

Well because no post would be complete w/out shameless self-promotion here are two chapters from Artificial Light that inspired the short story Quake. Have a good one guys!

***

Book II Chptr 8

     “Who’s guarding the gates of Hell while you’re walking Lucifer’s dog?” Dr. Farley questioned when he was within speaking distance. Ken and I both smiled at that.

He looked over his shoulder, then up at the watchtower before addressing me again. “And you are?”

     “Dr. Farley. I’m Artemisia, this is Dr. Kenneth Astor, and this,” I said while nodding toward my dog, “is not Cerberus, but Sentinel.”

    “We belong to the Skyward Group. We’re the ones responsible for your release, because we feel you’re too brilliant of a scientist to rot away behind bars. ” 

     Dr. Farley crossed his arms and looked up again at the watchtower, which, like before, he found empty. In the seven years he resided here, he had daydreamed of escaping and had never once seen the tower unmanned. The mistrust that was written all over his face now migrated to the rest of his body as he took on a more combative and hostile posture.

The large Rottweiler equalized the tension by matching Dr. Farley’s posture of bellicosity. The doctor realized that he was no match for the 107-pound guardian, whose ancient was breed was prized for their fearlessness, strength, and power, and he instinctively took a step back.

         I shrugged my shoulders. “You can go back if you want.”

        “And what will my brilliance cost me this time?” he snapped. “I have been stripped of my license, labeled a crook, a fraud and unreservedly ruined. I have lost the appetite for flattery in the form of half-truths and whole lies.”

         “You’ve already secured a piece of real estate in Malebolge. Why don’t you just wait until you get there to move in? I’m sure you’ll be more than comfortable with the housing arrangements our group can provide while you’re still living, which thanks to you, could be a very, very long time.”

        “What is it that you want from me?” the doctor demanded.

       “Nothing,” I answered while admiring the way my gold bracelets played in the light, wondering if my earring danced in the sun the same way. Dr. Farley noted my distracted vanity with an expression akin to that of one trying to swallow hot sand.

        “I know you have reservations, Dr. Farley,” Ken noted. “However, we are nothing like your former associate, Mr. Sheldon. One hundred percent of the funding for the studies we conduct is legal, and so is twenty percent of our research.”

         “Only twenty percent?” Dr Farley questioned.

           “Twenty percent,” I repeated. “Publicly, I sit at the head of the Artemisia Luxury Group, the core of which is jewelry. I am the owner of Periodic Element AU and Atomic Weight 196, and my jewelry boutiques are scattered over every continent on the planet.

        “You and your associate raised 93 million dollars over the course of six years, which is admirable. However, the revenue generated through the Seattle, New York, and London Periodic stores alone is twice that in just six months.

        “After taxes, payroll, and insurance, the Artemisia Luxury Group earns nearly half a trillion dollars a year.”

Dr. Farley’s mouth fell ajar. “Ken,” I continued, “is the head of the Astor Corporation. You might have heard of them; with over 300 firms worldwide conducting military weapons research, you’d be right to say that the Astor Corporation is the world’s most powerful and influential defense contractor.”

           “It pains me to admit that the Astor Corporation earns more money than The Artemisia Luxury Group.”

          “There are twenty-one founding members of the Skyward Group,” Dr. Astor explained. “All of us own independent organizations that gross more than one hundred million dollars a year, and we’ve all partnered with global organizations who are researching and developing things such as wind and solar technology, weapons, deep-sea exploration, crops that will grow in barren lands, cancer research and the like. Our alliances with these firms and the multitudes of fundraisers we host throughout the year make up the twenty percent of the research that is conducted at the Skyward Group and provides our firm with the first tier of funding.”

“Our second tier of funding comes from covert U.S. military research,” I explained. “But we also conduct experiments for militaries of other nations as well. Two percent of the private earnings of our founding members are pooled together and added to the funds we receive for these projects, which leaves more than enough money to fund an organization such as ours.”

           Dr. Farley remained silent as he once again looked at the unmanned tower.

           “The biggest weapons project we’re working on is the Tesla Project. We’re studying the effects of geophysical manipulation, but you will not be a part of that.”

            “Geo …” Dr. Farley stammered nervously, looking again at the empty watchtower. “You people are trying to control the weather?”

            “Dr. Farley.” I did the best that I could to keep the irritation out of my voice. “There are more neural connections in the human brain than there are stars in the sky that can be seen with the naked eye, yet you have found a way to clone the human mind, so let me be the first to welcome you to the ranks of ‘you people.’”

            “Like you, Dr. Farley,” Ken explained, “Nikola Tesla was a pioneer, and we are simply continuing the research he started in the 1940s.”

“Everyone tries to control the weather,” I said, answering Dr. Farley’s question. “From the sacred ceremonial dances of ancient peoples to children signing ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away,’ everyone tries to control the weather. But we’re not trying to control the weather, Dr. Farley, we’ve weaponized it … and our experiment surpassed all of our expectations.”

“The Indian Ocean earthquake that caused the deadliest tsunami in recorded history was man made. The quake was the second largest ever recorded, lasting almost ten minutes. The entire earth shook as a result, because the initial earthquake triggered other quakes as far away as Alaska.”

            “Wha …?” Dr. Farley was beyond astonishment. “But over 200,000 people were killed.” Dr. Farley’s eyes quickly darted between mine and Ken’s as he took another step back. Beads of sweat began to appear across his forehead as he glanced again at the unmanned tower and the large iron gates of the prison, which had locked behind him.

            “Yes. That was quite unfortunate.” I explained, “The Skyward Group donated two point eight million dollars as a result of the humanitarian plight that resulted. But of course, that wasn’t good enough, because it took them less than a year to retaliate.”

          “Them?” William had been scared beyond description at the prospect of being thrown into and then spending the rest of his life in prison. Now, as a free man, Dr. Farley found himself paralyzed with terror with the company he now kept. 

        “Yes,” Ken explained. “Ten months later, they counterattacked by creating Hurricane Katrina. The scientists behind the assault, the ones who controlled and directed the super storm, were caught and assassinated. In the three years following Katrina, the United States has not been attacked by a hurricane, and that is no accident.”

        “But there was Rita,” Dr. Farley recalled.

          “Hurricane Rita wasn’t a weapon. She was just your good old-fashioned natural disaster. There’s nothing we can do about acts of God,” I explained. “But we’re working on it.”

He appeared stunned, and I was becoming exasperated by the contentious way Dr. Farley was looking at us. 

          “You’re working on it, with weatherized warfare? What is it that you want from me? I don’t want to be involved with manipulating weather; there are limits to what man can …”

         “No there aren’t, Dr. Farley,” I interrupted. “And like I said, you will not be a part of that project. We’re here because of Project Six Thirty One.”

        “What the hell is …” I cut him off again.

         “Dr. Farley, I’m pleased to tell you that efficacy has been established with the pre-clinical trails you were conducting before your imprisonment.”

        The expression on the doctor’s face was indescribable as he looked beyond me to focus on something that wasn’t there. I handed Dr. Farley a thick confidential folder labeled The Children of Project 631, which contained smaller folders with information on six young subjects.

Subject one, female, 11 years old

Professor Mary Stemple PhD, 64, transitioned to Amy Rebecca Winsten.

Subject two, female, 10 years old

April Tanner, 42, transitioned to Stephanie Johnsten.

Subject three, female, 10 years old

Elizabeth Whitley, 64, transitioned to Elisabeth Tiffany Gunnell

Subject four, male, 9 years old

Samuel Whitley, 63, transitioned to Jeffery Samuel Winthrow.

Subject five, male, 9 years old

Army First Sergeant James Earl Lake III, 68, transitioned to Allen Kenneth Morgan.

Subject six, female, 7 years old

Annette Smith, 72, transitioned to Olympia Dawn Michaels.

             “We have taken the liberty of securing all the data that were compiled while you were under the umbrella of the Lotus Foundation. Dr. Farley, we are here to invite you to continue your research under the protection and with the unlimited funding that a group such as ours can provide. However, sir, if you wish to return to prison, that can be arranged, as we can continue this research without you.”

Dr. Farley was no longer uncomfortable in our company or distracted by the unmanned tower. The accomplished geneticist pulled his glasses from his shirt pocket and quickly scanned the patient files that were handed to him. He was back in his element for less than a minute before all the files were quickly flipped through and scanned.

 “Invite me, what an interesting choice of words. Where are the others?”

            “The others?” Ken and I asked in unison.

            “Yes,” he answered irritably. “There are only six patient files here. Eight transitioned, so I ask you again: Where are the others?”

            We said nothing, as we looked at each other in stunned silence.

            “Arrogance breeds incompetence.” Dr. Farley actually turned his head and spat before he glared down at me from over the top of his glasses, clearly no longer bothered by our research or by Sentinel, who issued a growl of warning. 

           “Complete this research without me … maybe. If you paid as much attention to the data as you do to the idol god that you’re wearing around your wrist.”  

         I was furious. “Let me remind you that I’m not the one who spent the last seven years in prison, Dr. Farley.”

         “And I need not remind you that I’m not the only one who’s placed a deposit to dwell in the fourth Bolgia! Let me ask you something, Artemisia, what is it that you need me for?”

        “I do not need you for anything.”

         Dr. Farley barked out a harsh laugh. “Of course you don’t. I assume I have a workspace in all of this.”

         “State of the art,” I snapped.

          Dr. Farley brushed past me and got in the car. “Then take me to it.”

Ken offered to drive.

Book II Chptr 23

              The density of the woods started to recede, and slivers of shimmering skyline began to expose themselves between the branches like a flirtatious burlesque performer, but we were still an hour away from our destination. Dr. Farley had his window down, and cold air was gushing in. I turned on the heater, and Ken slowed down and then stopped.

        “Do you feel that?”

       After a few moments, I did. “An earthquake.” It was strong enough to bounce loose rocks and pebbles on the asphalt.

        “Is this one of yours?” Dr. Farley sarcastically asked from the back seat.

        “No,” we both answered at once. When the rumbling stopped, Ken and I both reached for our phones and placed calls to different departments within the Facility. I brought Dr. Farley up to speed once I got off the phone.

       “The calls were placed in accordance with the Skyward Group’s emergency management procedures, which mandate that all of the founding members and our most senior staff call in to report locations and receive assessment reports on any outside environmental threats, ground or structural damages, and quarantine conditions and, if necessary, obtain any rerouting instructions for the safest and quickest way to the Facility.”

I reached into the center console and handed Dr. Farley a company cell phone, gave him the number, and brought him up to speed with regard to his status reports.

       “When speaking to anyone within the Skyward Group, clients of the Skyward Group, or anyone working for our supporting organizations, you need to do so on the phone I’ve just assigned to you.”

      “Because cell phones and base stations use low-power transmitters, we’ve purchased our own cell phone company to ensure that information traveling through our channels and frequencies does not collide with any other providers and, of course, to prevent any verbal communication from being intercepted and/or recorded.”

        “We also own our own networking and Internet infrastructures, tons of domain names and IP addresses. Anything you can dream of that will allow us to control and monitor the traffic of communication and information, we’ve thought of it first, and we’ve already implemented it.”

        Dr. Farley placed the phone on the seat next to him and commented sarcastically, “Big brother is always watching.”

     “Of course, you can acquire your own personal cell phone,” Ken offered, “but we will tap into and monitor all communications through that phone as well.”

Dr. Farley took a deep, slow breath, checked out mentally for a moment while he thought something over, then turned his head toward the window to allow the cool air to wash over his face.

            Two low-flying Army gunships screamed past us, racing toward the city ahead. I turned to regard Ken with a questioning look.

            “This is intriguing.” Ken placed another call. “Put a squint team together, find out what just happened, and get General Addison on the phone.” Ken ended the call before whoever he was just talking to had a chance to respond.

         “All of your staff has been accounted for, and they are at the Facility,” I continued. “Your personal assistant reported that all of the glass in your apartment building has been shattered, so you won’t be able to sleep there tonight.         It will be too cold; it’s on the eighteenth floor. We have housing at the Facility, but if you wish to stay in a hotel or at a nearby resort, your assistant can arrange that.”
          "My apartment?” He asked the question slowly and in a slight state of confusion, as if he were just coming to after being knocked unconscious.

         “Well yes.” Ken glanced into the rearview as he spoke, throwing quick glances at the road. “The apartment is spacious. The view from the library overlooks the park while the living room and bedroom offer views of the city’s skyline.”

        “It’s a little over a thousand square feet – not too big, but much bigger than where you slept last night, and graciously furnished. The property belongs to the Skyward Group, so we’ll have all the glass replaced in a few days, but if you wish to live somewhere else or buy your own property, by all means do so.”

        “I am a convicted felon with no money, and you’re talking to me about purchasing real estate? And another thing: I am no longer a doctor, so please just call me William.”

         I turned to look at Dr. Farley, ignoring the antagonism in his voice and the lines of irritation across his forehead.

         “You’re right. Dr. William Arthur Farley was a convicted felon, but tragically, he died this morning in prison. You’re still a doctor, and you’re still William Farley, but now you’re Dr. William Ryan Farley.” I removed an envelope from my bag and handed it to him.  

          “Here are your new driver’s license, Visa and MasterCard, passport, social security card, information on your banking accounts, and your company identity card.”

          “Be sure not to lose your badge,” Ken cautioned. “You’ll need it to activate the biometrics security system that will allow you to move about the Facility according to your security level. That badge will allow access to any of our research facilities worldwide that you have clearance for. You’ll have your thumb and eyes scanned when you go through orientation with the security team.”

         William was surprised to see that the picture on his passport was the same one he had taken when he renewed it eleven years ago. His chest tightened. He no longer remembered the man in that photograph. He sifted through the various photo identifications, reached for the cell phone, and put everything into his pocket.

      “So I guess this is a good time to negotiate my wages and benefit packages.” Ken was shaking his head, not at the ruins of the city through which he was trying to navigate, but at William’s question.

       “No. As a senior staff member, you have a base salary of twelve million a year, and it is non-negotiable.”

        The sound that William made was startling. I had been receiving and responding to emails on my handheld, but hearing that sound made me quickly turn to look at Dr. Farley to ensure that he was OK.

          Sentinel, who had been lying in the back seat and keeping a relaxed watch over Dr. Farley, immediately snapped into full, taut attention. Ken was looking at him through the rearview mirror and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting an emergency responder who was directing traffic.

        With the car at a full stop, and as we ignored the scathing curses from the man we’d almost run down, all eyes were on Dr. Farley. He held up his hands and shook his head as if trying to clear it.

       “Gimme a minute. You cannot imagine the day I’m having. The most frightening, amazing day. Being broken out of prison, told my experiments are successful – that my patients actually transitioned, that they’ve made it.” He took his phone and ID out of his pocket and shook his head again.

      “To be given a new hold on life and to learn you have twelve million in your bank account, to find out you even have a bank account.”

     “Actually,” I interrupted, “you only have just over six. It’s the standard signing bonus, but you go on payroll as soon as you start working.”

     William quickly did the math. “So that’s roughly eighty-three thousand dollars a month?” We both nodded in agreement.

       “Plus benefits and bonuses,” Ken reminded him. William was again shaking his head as if to clear it.

Ken was waved on, and once again we weaved our way around roadblocks and passed herds of people huddled together in wide-eyed fear and relief.

      Falling bricks crushed cars parked below, and the number of killed and injured changed every few minutes.

One sky rise had shifted on its foundation and was now leaning on another for support. When the occasional concrete slab, broken rebar or other building material fell to the earth, the crowd watching from a distance would scream.

       The concentrated area of destruction along with the earlier sightings of the helicopters led Ken and me to suspect that the devastation was caused by a bombing and not the forces of nature. 

       It took nearly an hour to snake our way to the Facility. When we finally arrived, Dr. William Ryan Farley was asleep, and neither one of us wanted to wake him up. He was right; we could not imagine the day he must be having.

A storm indeed was coming...

In The Valley of Shadows: Chapter Seventy – One  

Inanna was ready to learn.

They began their journey, on foot, three hours before the sun rose. When they reached ritual complex the sun was still low in the eastern sky but could not be seen as the dense fog and misty weather used hues of whites, greens, and yellows to paint the landscape with blurry images.

The length and breadth of the British Isles had been built with the power of arcane magic which is the very reason Abigail brought Inanna here, to the Avebury stones.

As a descent of the heathens that once ruled this land Abigail was genetically connected to the ancient pagan powers beneath her feet and the energy being emitted from the ground on which they now stood charged the air around them like an electrical storm and the young Obeah drew the power toward her as if she were a lightning rod. Inanna wasn’t the only one being drenched in the endowment the ancestors.

The Guardian unbuckled the baby carrier and set Assyrian down near a large stone forming the outer circle next to his brother. Immediately, his attention was drawn to a cobweb saturated with heavy drops of drew, under the weight of the morning mist some of the glistening strands fell free of the formation and swayed gently in soft aurorean breeze. The rest of the web collapsed when Assyrian touched it. With the power of thought and his interpretation of geometry Adam reconstructed the elaborate orb structure made of silk. The web was quickly forgotten as Assyrian became distracted by the lazy flight of the bumble bee; today he was going to learn the natural consequences of petting bees. As his fist closed around the honey-making insect he was stung. The only reason the entire bee population wasn’t wiped off both the northern and southern hemisphere was because Inanna had become hyper aware of the twins’ raw abilities, the missing flight from their flight or fight response, and the potential devastation resulting from their knee jerk retaliations. 

The rough, undressed sarsen stones that made up the ritual complex that they had travelled so far to reach is the largest stone circle in the world and the grandest ceremonial site in Britain.

These megalithic rings were the source of great mystic powers and hours passed as Inanna received the unspoken instructions from the immortal witch, finally left alone the young African priestess roamed the grounds of the massive ceremonial stones reviewing notes from the lessons just learned and shifting through the latent but powerful energy still contained within the ring and, not surprisingly, she chose to acquire the malevolent powers of nature and in response to her call a gentle breeze, barely noticeable, began to wrap itself around the great ring.

When the quartet gathered the children and walked away the soft whisper of wind went with them.

Being in the center of hundreds of prehistoric sites spreading for miles in all directions was energizing for both Abigail and Inanna, however the long journey on foot carrying children who were also being feed by the energy left by the elders was beginning to take its toll, especially since it seemed that the boys were getting stronger by the minute and wielding powers years beyond their natural development of forethought and impulse control..

The abbey was nearly two hours to the north yet the ringing of the cast iron bells could clearly be heard over the backdrop of the splattering rain and the roar of the vehicles that zipped by on the A road and it was their chiming that roused Logan from sleep. It had taken them a day and a half to get here, they still had a ways to go and Logan was exhausted.

While some believed that the stakes at Woodhenge were just the remains of an ancient farmer’s fence being encased by the Durrington Walls which was already a permanent structure when Stonehenge was being built Inanna and anyone else who knew better understood that the complex timber structure was much more significant than that.

After spending the several hours among the ruins of wood they headed east to the Neolithic monument that lay 980 yards away.

The swirling winds never left the perimeter of the Obeah and as Stonehenge grew larger by their approach the soft blowing of the wind became stronger and coiled tighter. Logan put her baby down to sweep her hair into a bun to keep it out of her face. The flat landscape around them shimmered and flew away as the dense forest that once was … was once again.

The walkway circling the stones and the people being herded along it faded from view as the ancient stones seemed to grow before their eyes. The wind became stronger and coiled tighter. Mighty oaks replaced the busy highway and then began swaying in submission to the forces of nature.  

From between two stones two smaller dust devils began to spin. Both Logan and The Guardian stopped walking and put the children down. As the twin swirls of wind began moving toward them as if footsteps The Guardian drew her weapon and stepped forward. The shadowy forms at the base of the dust devils began to take shape: feet, legs, thighs. The wind became stronger and coiled tighter. Inanna quickened her pace and marched forward with determination, her Guardian marched at her side.

The twin dusters moving away from the giant slabs spiraled up and fused together, forming hands, arms, and chest as the legs on the spoondrift figure became solid. Seized by the storm Inanna’s long, thick, kinky hair began to spin until it was in synch with the howling wind circling above her. 

The debris ripped from the earth fed the approaching duster: shoulders, neck and head. Like the tip of a finger, the whirling column of the cloud extended downward to tangle itself within the whirling strains of the obeah’s hair. Inanna became the axis of a tornado and the approaching figure formed of the dust of the ground opened his eyes and smiled while the dirt spinning around him covered his nudeness with leather. 

The smallest particles of dust caught within the wrath of the wind ignited, burst into sparks, cooled as flakes of iron and cloaked the wizard in mail and armor. As if drawn to a lodestone, large flecks of ferrous infused loam swirled around the outstretched hands of the one approaching until he held his staff in one hand and a sword in the other. His long atramentous hair and dark red cape whipped and whirled in the wild wind and his angry bluish-purple eyes spun like the air around him.

He said only one word as he looked down and smiled upon Inanna. “Bana-phrionnsa.”

As the screaming tempest of his pupil quieted the storm behind Myrddin grew. The black rolling clouds that smothered the ground sounded like thunder, however the clamor had nothing to do with the weather … it was the announcement of war steeds. All the horse were as black as the wizard’s hair and clad in blazing red barding with champron’s made of gold.

When the mist dissipated and the dust settled flurries began to fall upon the army was assembled behind Myrddin the Deadly and the only thing that stood between them and the Southern Lands of Cerhwor was a three days ride.

A storm indeed was coming. And that storm was Inanna.

***

 One of the most amazing things about being a writer is stumbling upon another artist who has not been influenced by your work but had the exact same idea as you did but expressed it in an entirely different way. I belong to a group on Facebook called The State of Black Science Fiction and I swear when I saw this posted, even though I believe this is Storm, I got dizzy, because this is exactly how I imagined her hair, the swirling wind, her power.

The artist who created this amazing piece of work is a creator named Jason Reeves. His portfolio can be viewed here:

The work of Jason Reeves

 The Stonehenge image was painted by John Constable on canvas in 1826

Pretty cool uh? Have a good day guys! ttyl 

Where is the border between free speech and bullying?

Happy News! Dudes I’m so not going to tell you that I am going to be blogging on a constant basis because I say that every year lol. I hope you all had a kick ass Christmas and winter holiday season.  I usually don’t write about current and world/political events on my blog because the purpose of this blog is to share my love of #AllHorrorEverything with others who love the genre. Plus the opposing sides ever agree and those types of conversations are usually to the death but I’m going to today because the topic drifts into the zone of free speech...the life blood of those who create for a living.

After Sony was hacked I posted on Facebook that I didn't particularly feel bad for Sony and their racist little film. Needless to say people were stunned. It was assumed that because I write for a living that I would side with Sony on principle because they were a victim of censorship.

I always see those campaigns and post railing against bullying. There’s explanations of the different types of bullying, and immediate and long term effects of being picked on are often highlighted and sited in these types of threads. Videos of victims standing up against their aggressor’s usual goes viral especially if the victim responds with violence. There are helpful tips on how to report a bully or other suggestions on how an attacker should be held accountable. When the bullying is prejudicial the push back from advocates on team anti-bullying quickly escalates into the equivalent of a pitch-fork, flame carrying mob, and rightly so because this type of bullying is severe and can open the door to hate crimes.

People have no right to bully others

Bullies Lose In The End

Stop bullying & make a difference!

No one will miss a bully.

We’ve all heard them, some of us repeat them. But the way this works is if you truly want to end all bullying then you need to call it out every time you see it, but the problem is team end bullying only fight for the cause if the person being bullying is them or someone they know. It doesn’t work like that.

You either want it to end or you don’t. So which is it?

Now. Where is the border between free speech and bullying?

"It was a horrendous, unjustifiable and cold-blooded crime. It was also a direct assault on a cornerstone of democracy, on the media and on freedom of expression."

“People had been "murdered in a cowardly manner"

“Despite today's attack, Kerry said, civilization — with its core values of freedom of expression and a free press — will prevail.”

"It's perhaps a bit pompous, what I'm about to say, but I would rather die standing than to live on my knees,"

Judaism, Islam and some strands of Christianity all, to varying degrees, share an aversion to visual images and anyone who has done the minimum amount of research knows that.

Some are calling Hebdo's work satire but his cartoons are doubly offensive because, rather than criticize Mohammed, his purpose seems to have meant to be especially offensive.

Where is the border between free speech and bullying?

Let’s back up a bit: Sketch artist Ted Rall. When he drew our President and his wife as apes, the outrage was immediate…and global.

“an editorial decision that has been slammed as "stale racist drivel."

"When you consider the fragment apart from its context, which is a properly worked out satirical section, then you don't see the joke but just a picture evoking sheer racism," the newspaper said. "We wrongly assumed that racism is no longer accepted, and that in this way it could be the subject of a joke."

I'm repulsed and speechless at the same time. This is wrong on so many levels.”

“Your depiction of Barack Obama as ape-like is intolerable. Being critical of Obama, even ferociously so, is not the problem. Through British and American history, Blacks have been subject to racist depictions of themselves as monkeys and apes. No excuse is acceptable for replicating that history, no matter what your intent. If it happens again, your posting privileges will be suspended.”

Where is the border between free speech and bullying?

After the Sony hacking the Washington Posts said in part, “It’s impossible to summon much sympathy for Kim Jong Un. But now imagine this assassination farce was made not in Hollywood, but in North Korea or Moscow, and the leader assassinated in the film was a president of the United States. Or imagine the film was made by Iran, and the leader assassinated in the film was the prime minister of Israel. Where “The Interview” draws on stereotypes about North Korea’s ridiculous, yet terrifying isolationism, this hypothetical film makes jokes about African Americans and Jews — perhaps about the incompetence of a black man in the White House, or about Israel’s right to exist.”

If there was a The North Korean, Russian or Iranian version of “The Interview” Would we be so willing to write that off as satire?

I seriously doubt it.

The most memorable thing I've read from a Eric Garner protest was this: “Its not an attack. Its retaliation.”

Where is the border between free speech and bullying? This is something that we need to figure out and figure out quick, because like the saying goes: There Is Always Someone Bigger, Stronger and Meaner

You either want it to end or you don’t.  So which is it? 

12 days of Christmas movie recommendations

On the 12th day of Christmas, my stalker sent to me: The 12th broken seal   

11 gourmet meals

10 hours frozen

9 miles from nowhere

8 types of sweet cakes

7 Army soldiers

6 horror films (xmas tale)

Five Screaming Kids

♫ four people dying

three crying victims

two crazy parents

and one insane bitch ♪