John Wick Gets a Flat Tire and Runs Out of Gas

So I finally saw John Wick Chapter Four. I was very happy that Halle Berry had no part in it, but that didn't save it. Not for me. Because it was really just the same ol', same ol' all over again. And again. And again. And again. I mean how many fight scenes and over-the-top killings from start to finish can a person tolerate? I mean, talk about overkill. Literally AND figuratively. Killing, killing, and more killing. It was too much. And this is coming from a guy who wrote a book called Killer of Killers along with a sequel called Killer Eyes. (That would be me.)

So someone might ask, "Hey dude. Since you wrote a book called Killer of Killers, and it's about a dude who kills, how come you're criticizing a movie that features another dude who kills. Well, I might answer, "Because in my book, Killer of Killers, and in its sequel, Killer Eyes, there was a lot more than just non-stop scenes with non-stop killing going on. My books had plots, and a message, and morals, and love interests, which means romance, and strong friendships, and back-stories that tied everything together to forge a strong story-line, with several strong three dimensional characters.

Look. I really liked the first two John Wick movies. I was even a fan. But then, starting with Chapter 3, which they called John Wick Parabellum, and included the aforementioned Halle Berry, it was getting to be too much. Another word for it is gratuitous. Yes. Gratuitous violence, and gratuitous killing. It was just too much. It glutted the senses. It was as if it made killing to be ho hum and even boring. I already wrote that Halle Berry playing the part of a female John Wick reduced the significance of the John Wick character. He was no longer special. It was as if anyone, even a five foot two inch 110 pound, middle-aged woman could be a John Wick, which meant that ANYONE could be a John Wick. And that meant the John Wick Character was just another person that anyone could be.

In my books Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes, it was cleary demonstrated that the main character, Trent Smith, was the greatest martial artist in the world. And only one person can be the greatest something in the world. Plain and simple. And he only killed people who had already proven themselves to be murderers. In John Wick, the dude killed for "markers" and that meant he killed innocent people.

Nevertheless, I liked the first two movies. It should have ended with the third installment, without a Halle Berry role, and it should have been written in a way that satisfied the story, the premice and the characters. But they got a flat tire in the 3rd movie, and then in the 4th movie they plain ran out of gas. Oh well. It was fun, like I said, at first. But then, it wasn't anymore.

Blacklist - Aram gets over it

Aram

I had complained about the direction in which The Blacklist was headed, and it was due to the fact that they were writing Samar out of the show. It was a major problem for Aram but the next episode took care of that problem. It was written well enough, and tied up some loose ends, but still I believe Aram should never have blamed Red, or held it against Red for doing Samar a huge favor even if it meant she had to leave him forever.

The character of Aram is actually a very good one. He's a behind-the-scenes type of FBI guy, meaning he's not the one in the field shooting up the bad guys. He's more the mild mannered type, and his ability to work computers is invaluable to the team. He also offers some comic relief.

I didn't like that Samar had to go, because I liked her character, too. I still believe that, overall, the Blacklist is tanking, and it's too bad. It had been my favorite show. Red Reddington is a great character, and James Spader's portrayal of him is golden.

Another favorite character in the show is Harold. He seems to be the only one in the show who actually appreciates Reddington, (although Lizzy is coming around.) I mean Reddington has saved all of their lives time and again, and saved their careers as well. But it seems that this show has the premise that if a guy saves your life, so what? You gotta hate him anyway. Forget the fact that if it weren't for him, you'd be dead. Let's just hate the guy and destroy him.

Harold is the only one who hasn't had that sentiment. (Maybe Samar is another.) But Lizzy, Ressler, and Aram as of recently, have all harbored a hatred for Red. Kudos to Harold, the only decent one in the bunch. If it weren't for Harold, I'd have quit this show long ago.

The Last Kingdom blows it

I guess it was bound to happen. I mean right when I'm thinking I'm liking a show, it makes a turn for the worse. Here was the hero, Uhtred, being ordered by the king to be the prince's right hand man when the prince becomes king, and it's too much for Uhtred. So he throws everything in the garbage by putting a knife to the the king's throat and escaping back to the Danes.

Now, instead of being a Lord in the emerging England, he's a condemned enemy fighting for the Danes who are slowly but surely being pushed out of England. I mean, who would do that? Who would switch from the winners, (which you had a big hand in making them the winners) and switch to the losers, whose time is limited.

Perhaps I speak in hindsight. Twelve hundred years of hindsight, but it just didn't make any sense.
And it happens all the time to me. I'll start watching a show, and it's a great show, and I rave about it, and then three years into the series, or so, I'm not liking it anymore.

The list is a long one. In the modern era, it's The Blacklist, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and a slew of others that I can't even remember anymore. In the old days it was Lost in Space, The Man from Uncle, I Spy, and The Wild, Wild West.

I don't know what is wrong with TV writers. I guess it's just a simple thing. At first, they have a great concept and they have a lot of great ideas for stories to go with it. But then, after three years or so, the great ideas dry up. It happened with Star Trek too. I mean the original series, which was the only Star Trek that was worth watching.

For Star Trek, tos, they had the great concept, and they had great stories that lasted into its third season. But in that third season, you can tell they were on the down slide. And then when they brought the series back, called Star Trek, the Next Generation, the stories and characters were so bad, even the great concept couldn't make up for it.

And the same was true for every single Star Trek incarnation that followed. I mean every single new Star Trek series that followed sucked, and every single Star Trek movie that followed equally sucked. The concept of Star Trek was so great that they kept trying to rejuvenate it, but for some strange reason, no one could come up with a decent story to match the concept. Not since the original series, that is, and that is surely a shame.

We have probably the worst incarnation of Star Trek happening right now, which I couldn't even watch through the first full episode without turning it off in complete disgust. It was like the producers believed the great concept by itself was enough, (the same thing they always believed) and some actress from The Walking Dead had enough "star power" to make it a success, regardless of the lack of writing talent they put into the show.

It's a recipe for failure, and you would think they would learn their lesson by now. I figure if the current writers of whatever show run out of juice, then hire new writers who haven't been tapped out yet. They are out there. Give them a chance. Or is Hollywood stuck in the "same ol' same ol' system? You know -- the "good ol' boys" (or the "good ol' girls") system at work here. Probably is.

That's the worst shame of all. It means the same problem will just continue. As long as their bottom line is acceptable, nothing will change. And as long as you have the fan base blindly following a show for only its concept, being thrilled only by the sights and images, not caring if there's a quality story, the bottom line for Hollywood will continue to be acceptable. It is a shame.

Carl Deuker's Gym Candy - Good Book

Gym Candy 

After reading John Coy's Crackback, I read Carl Deuker's Gym Candy. And it's another good book worth reading. Like Crackback, it targets teenage boys, or high school boys, and especially those boys who play football. It really has an important message: stay away from steroids.

It's a message I hope all boys listen to, and not just football players. I know guys who lift weights to stay in shape, but they want to do more than just stay in shape. They want to build up their bodies. So they take steroids. You see, the human body can get only so big no matter how much you lift. But some men, (and I've known some personally) want to get more than just big. They want to get huge. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger huge. Or Dwayne Johnson huge. And the only way anyone can get that huge is from taking steroids. So they do it. And then they get huge and they are happy.

Crackback

But, to me, it's not worth the risks. Those risks are depicted in Deuker's Gym Candy. And those risks do include life threatening risks. I remember seeing Lyle Alzado's video after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He admitted to being on steroids for most of his professional football career. Yeah it made him huge. And it made him ultra aggressive. And I suppose it made him a great football player. But he was dead before he reached fifty years old. I am glad I never used steroids. Because I am well over fifty now, and still healthy. And by the way, I still lift, and I'm pretty big for it. But I'm not huge and I don't need to be. I'll take normal big over the abnormal huge any day if that means I get to live longer than forty-eight years.


So yeah, having a great story is great for a book, but having a great message is also great, and that is the case with Carl Deuker's Gym Candy.

Second Chance
1st publication's cover

And btw, Gym Candy features a running back as the main character. Like you would think it would. Coy's Crackback and my football book, Second Chance feature a defensive back as the main character. So that was interesting to me. Bottom line is this: Crackback and Gym Candy are great books. And not just for MG/YA audiences. For all audiences, like Second Chance. Here's to hoping Second Chance gets a second chance at publication.

Fingers crossed.

Homeland Still Not Predictable

I'll say this much for Homeland. It may not be as good as it used to be, but it's still not predictable. That's a good thing, btw. It seems that that Wellington dude is not the guy who made the murder of the general dude happen. It seems he was set up. And it seems to be a good story arc after all.

But so what. The show still blew it with the demise of the Quinn character. He was half the show. And without him, as I said before, the show's quality has been halved. It seems that this Wellington dude is a good guy, but a sappy good guy. He was "played" by a Russian spy to take the blame for the murder of that general who was sent to prison.

So, Wellington, although amiable, is more like the sap I had called him. He was duped by allowing the Russian spy to make it look like he was abusing her, when he wasn't.

Right now I'm about half done with season seven, and once I'm finished with season seven I'll be done with the series. Unless there's a season eight. Not sure if there is. If there is, I may watch it. But I won't miss it if there isn't. That's what happens when you ruin what once was a great show. People stop watching. So whatever. Still have to see the latest seasons of Flash and Arrow. Let's see how they turn out. Haven't been so pleased with them lately either. We'll see.

Downton Abbey - Great Show

After having watched so many shows well after they had come and gone, I got a chance to do the same for Downton Abbey when one of the PBS stations broadcasted season one and season two. I am almost finished with season two, and I must say I am impressed.

Talk about a great show. It's a great show. What makes a great show? I had inferred in yesterday's post that the most important thing is great writing. Downton Abbey has that. But you need great characters: Check. You need great directing. Check. You need great acting. Check. And you need great villains and conflict that drives a storyline. Check.

Today's movie producers seem to believe that an action-packed story line is necessary. Action as in fighting, killing, car chases, explosions, and mad villains bent on destroying the world. And as I mentioned yesterday, the latest Star Trek movie sure did fall into that category. I mean most of the running time in that horrible Star Trek Beyond movie consisted of pyrotechnics of some sort or another. Explosions, explosions, and more explosions..

It also had the maniacal villain played by Idris Elba, an actor I like, but his character was so clichéd it was ridiculous. You know, he's the former Federation captain who was caught in some inescapable and horrible place, and the Federation couldn't save him, but sure enough he blames them, and then finds some alien contraption to keep himself alive, which then warps his mind, and now he wants to destroy the Federation and everything he once held dear.

Come on. That was so stupid, even my fourteen year old son couldn't stand it. He's just a kid and he told me how stupid that movie was. And he was right. He was so right.

If someone were to tell me that a show can be great, so riveting even, enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, and keep you hooked for the duration of several seasons--and all with no explosions, no killing, no fighting, and no wanton destruction, I would have been hard-pressed to believe it. But Downton Abbey is just that. It's a great show with no fighting, no killing, no explosions, and no wanton destruction. It's simply a great show.

Again, why? Because it's written so magnificently. And the characters are magnificent. No they are not great fighters. No they don't go around beating people up, and/or killing people left and right. They are just great characters who you care for, and you want to see what happens to them, hoping for the best. Yeah, there are villains, but these villains are not bent on world desctruction. Sure they're devious, and cause trouble, and you hate them, but you need them at the same time, otherwise there's no conflict, and no reason to watch the show.

But even theses "villains" are allowed to have a good side. They do have feelings, and they do regret the bad things they did. They are turning out to be human. And they should be, because, well, they are human. With a conscience. How refreshing. How many times have I watched shows or movies, and the writing makes the audience hate a character, so much so that you want to see that character get killed somewhere along the way, and when they do, you find yourself cheering the death of what was supposed to be a human being? Almost every time.

But not in Downton Abbey. When bad things happen to the "bad" people, you see the good in them and you don't want bad things to happen to them any more than you'd want to see something bad happen you your own brother or sister. Or friend. That, people, is excellent writing.

Yes, there's a lot to learn from watching a show like Downton Abbey. And I am.

The Vase - What a story!

As I'm rereading and improving the writing of The Vase, I'm finding myself in awe. Not of the writing, which, btw, is improving with every read-through, as it should. I'm in awe of the story. What a story! I was noting in yesterday's blog post that it's the most original story ever. And as I'm reading it, and improving the prose, I'm remembering why. You'll never read or watch a story as original as this. But originality by itself is not what makes a story great. You've got to have great characters too. And as you'll see below the header of this blog, there are great characters in this story.

Not just the Palestinian potter. There's an art professor, who works for Shin Bet. There's an IDF captain who leads Kidon. And there's the beautiful assistant to the director of Shin Bet, herself a former IDF captain. Not to mention the reality series ghost hunter, and his show's producer!

Oh, and there are bad guys. Who else? Hamas terrorists. Except they're not Hamas. You see in this story Hamas strikes a temporary truce with the Israeli government which is to last at least as long as the Pope's tour of the Holy Land. But typical of any extremist group, there's a faction of Hamas who will have nothing to do with a truce with Israelis. And the Israelis of course have their own faction who shares the same extremist view, meaning they won't tolerate a truce either. And you wonder why peace is so hard to come by in that region!

So yeah, put all that together and you have great characters and great villains and a great backdrop and a great original premise that blows your mind. That premise being a VASE. A vase that has ancient recordings contained in its grooves. And not just one vase, really. There are a lot of vases that have recordings in them, and they span the length of two thousand years. Yes, in the story we get to see actual scenes from history that date back to two thousand years ago.

Can't wait to finish the rewrite. It's not really a rewrite, it's more like a revision or edit. But it will make the story better, and most definitely the writing will be tons better. So my decision is to once again try to break into the Big Five. It's not time to give up yet. Not with the greatest story that's been written in this current century going for me. That's saying a lot. But I believe it.

Great Endorsements, but Can't Post an AIS

I tried to post the attachment of the AIS to Second Chance here on the blog, but it wouldn't let me. It turned out that only photos or images can do that. It's more than an image. It has a lot of text on it, as well as the image of the book's cover. Too bad, too. Because I finally taught myself how to put the image on there. You have to insert a "text box" onto the document, and then you insert the photo or image. No sweat, really. I wish I can show everyone. It's a publisher's way of introducing their books to bookstores so the bookstore can decide if they want to stock it in their store.

I like my Knox Robinson Covers. Not only are they top notch cover designs, but they include the endorsements on the covers, which I think is very important. As Dana says, if those endorsements are to appear on a book's cover, it's vital that they are from nationally recognized authors who are published by well known houses. And you can't be more well known than the Big Six. (But now that Random House and Penguin have merged, they're more recently known as the Big Five.)

And the authors I have endorsing me are published by Random House, Hachette, and MacMillan. Those are three of the five.The other two are Harper Collins and Simon & Schuster. So, yeah.

Here's Second Chance, a Football Story. It's got the endorsement of two nationally recognized authors: Carl Deuker and John Coy. Carl Deuker is a great sports author who has written several great sports books, including Gym Candy, as listed in his quote there at the top of my book's cover. But he also wrote Payback Time, Runner, Heart of a Champion, and Night Hoops. Several more great titles are to his credit.

I must credit John Coy, however, as being the first great American sports author to support me. John Coy has also written several great sports books. Including Crackback, Box Out, Top of the Order, and Strong to the Hoop.

Both of these great authors seem to have a great range of sports understanding, meaning they don't just write about football. They have also written books about baseball and basketball. As for me? I'll stick to football, thank you. That's my sport. Will I write any more books about football?  I just might. I love the game, as I've explained very clearly in a recent post. So never say never.

Which brings me to my John Dunn book. I love history, too. I love learning about great empires. Like the Roman Empire and the British Empire. And the John Dunn book covers an episode in the history of the British Empire. It's actually also an episode in the history of South Africa.

Here's the cover to the left, and you can see that the endorsement of the great Ian Knight is now on there. Talk about nationally recognized. Well, Ian Knight's recognition goes way beyond that. His recognition is global. This great man is the world's foremost authority on all things Zulu and the Anglo-Zulu War. He's written several books on the subjects. I was remiss not to have read them. But I'm correcting that huge flaw right now. I've purchased and am now reading the book that is credited to him on the cover of my book. Zulu Rising; The Epic Story of iSandlwana and Rorke's Drift. And I'm glad I am. I have found some new information in that book, and I've emailed Mr. Knight asking him if I should use it in my book, which is being edited right now.

So times are great for this small time author. Small time I may be, but with the endorsements I've received for both of my Knox Robinson Books, I couldn't be better supported. Here's to hoping readers and book buyers will also give me support. Fingers crossed.

Eternal Life and/or Immortality in Literature

In movies and literature, the concept of immortality is used often. You see it everywhere. Of course, ancient civilizations celebrated the concept with their mythic gods. The Greek gods, the Norse gods, and other mythic gods of which I'm less familiar, but the concept of immortality is ever present in them all. Then of course, you have the Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ and being "saved" by Christ will grant everlasting life. That one's in the Bible.

And over the years, the concept has been revisited time and again in the movies, in books, and the way to which this is brought about is through various means. Technology, magic, science, and the good old vampire methods, which began with Dracula. Actually, the vampire storyline has entertained the eternal life concept over and over. You had Barnabus Collins, in Dark Shadows, and countless other variations of the vampire story, up to and including the horrible Twilight series which warped and twisted the mythos in a horrible way. But whatever. The vampire thing has been made into more movies and more books than any other twist on the immortality concept.

Then you have zombies, but that's not really immortality. They're dead! Just reanimated. They're walking dead bodies, like the TV show calls them. The Walking Dead.

The first time I saw the concept of eternal life and/or eternal youth in the movies, other than the Greek gods, and Christianity, was the movie "She" which starred Ursula Andress as an Egyptian queen who had bathed in a magical fire, which gave her eternal youth. I was intrigued by that movie, and I had never forgotten it. The premise was great. The fire was caused by a meteor that struck earth in a remote area, which resulted in a temporary blue fire. And if you walk into that fire, your body is changed to where it never ages from that point on. The meteor strikes once every five thousand years or so. But the blue fire only lasts about ten minutes. Of course, the Egyptian queen met a ghastly end at the climax of the movie, when the meteor struck again. It turned out that going into the blue fire a second time takes away your immortality. Sorry for the spoiler. But the handsome protagonist, who was also the love interest of the queen had the opportunity to bathe in the flames himself for the first time. And so he gets immortality. But without the love interest, what was the point of living forever? That was the paradox.

Anyway, it's a concept that fascinates all of us. We love life. We don't want to give it up. We would love the opportunity to live forever, as young men or women, in our prime. And that concept is in my Killer Series. Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes. So if you haven't read my Killer Series, I should tell you it's more than just a martial arts action adventure. It's more than just a love story between Trent Smith and Samantha Jones. It has to do with the drug named Eternity. Yeah, the Eternity Drug. It stops aging. How? It's explained in a very scientific way. I researched the concept and came up with the most logical way for science to conquer the aging problem. I ought to get a patent on it, really, because the way I explain it in the book makes sense. Why haven't the scientific experts figured it out? I gave them a head start in the book, so maybe they will.

So you might ask what happens to Trent Smith in the book? You'll have to read both of them to find out. The story is wrapped up in Killer Eyes. But that doesn't mean the story can't continue in a third episode. Read Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes. It's a new and fresh take on the age old concept of Immortality. And in my opinion, it's the best take on the concept of eternal life, eternal youth, and immortality that has ever been written. Imo.

Ideas Abound for Books and Stories

The word has leaked, slowly, that is, about my books. Not even my fellow teachers know I've written five books. Not even my own family members know. Not all of them, I mean. Certainly not all of my friends, both from my past and my current day friends. Once in a while I'll get an email from an old friend saying he just learned about my books and will look forward to reading them.

Interestingly, it's not uncommon for more than a few of these people to tell me that they too have ideas for books. They are not shy to tell me their ideas, asking me for my opinion. Sometimes these ideas are nothing original or nothing new. But that's not a problem. The latest Star Wars, for example, was nothing new, really, not in the "idea" sense. It was a rehash of the very first Star Wars movie as I blogged about recently. And it was very successful wasn't it? It's setting records.

Some ideas I've heard do have original elements, and to both sides of this I've responded positively. For those ideas that have been done before, I say it's not just the plot that's important, it's the execution of the plot. The characters are the most important, imo, and that's what sells a story. How many times have we seen the same sci fi story about space wars and space ships? But the characters make the franchise. Darth Vader, Han Solo, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, etc.

In the spy genre, you have James Bond. But James West was great, too, as was Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. And even Maxwell Smart, not to mention Austin Powers. The characters made the shows work.

So you have a good idea, good characters, a good plot, and you write well. You need good locations, and presto, you've got the necessary ingredients for a great book. Next thing you do is you write it. That's where the hard work comes in. If you don't do that, you'll have nothing. So get busy, my friends, get busy. I'll be glad to read your stories when you're done writing them. Let me know when that is, and I'll get back to you.

Era of Great Action Shows

As I recall the past year, and the past several years, I realize that TV and the movies have had a wonderful run of action/adventure shows. And I'm not referring to the slew of superhero/comic book shows that are currently all the rave. I'm referring to the wonderful action adventure movies like the Bourne franchise, the Transporter franchise, the new Mission Impossible franchise, and independent films like John Wick and Jack Reacher.

We also had Sylvester Stallone's comeback with his latest Rambo film , and his newer franchise The Expendables. The list goes on, to be sure, because I haven't even mentioned any of the martial arts shows that have been popular for several decades.

And there's more. On the premium channels of TV, which is the latest TV craze, and in many ways even better than the movies, you have the Game of Thrones, Spartacus, Black Sails, Strike Back, and my personal favorite, Banshee. I haven't even checked out Into the Badlands yet.

I love shows where the hero is a cool dude. But more than that, the hero is a great and fearless fighter. In other words, he's a badass. And when I set out to write my Killer books, that was my goal. To create the ultimate badass. In my books, Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes, the main character, Trent Smith, is the ultimate badass, because he is the ultimate martial artist. Of course, he's not the only great martial artist. He's had some run-ins with other great fighters who have gone the distance with him, so to speak. They say a great hero is measured by his foes. So that goes without saying.

But Trent Smith is undefeated. Period. In every category of fighting. Sure there are times when he's not in top form. It's not as if he dominates every fight he's in. That would be boring. Leading the life he leads is a struggle. But he's a great hero. He prevails.

So if you are looking for a great hero, and a great story, whether for fun or for a film project, check out Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes. Read the reviews. I'm finally getting some on Goodreads and Amazon. Perhaps one day I'll post them on here. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Nice Plot Twist in Ash vs. Evil Dead

I've made a few comments about the STARZ show Ash vs. Evil Dead, mostly about how I thought Jill Marie Jones would be a good Susie Quinn, but for her age. It's a tongue-in-cheek horror show, a type of genre which I usually do not watch. But because of Bruce Campbell's very entertaining performance in the Army of Darkness movie some years ago, I was interested in catching this long overdue continuation of the story.

Army of Darkness, itself a continuation of the two Evil Dead movies, didn't need to be continued, because it was a self contained story. But it had a cult following, so why not take advantage of that? With Bruce Campbell on board, it turned out to be what you'd expect. The same kind of show, the same kind of humor, and the same kind of over-the-top gore. Which all worked quite well.

The show had another pleasant casting to add to the production. That would be Xena, the Warrior Princess, yes, the one and only Lucy Lawless, who STARZ had just used in its SPARTACUS show recently. Since the Evil Dead producer, Sam Raimi, was also the producer of Xena, Warrior Princess, it made sense to use her in the new Evil Dead series.

Spoiler alert: Don't read further if you haven't seen the last episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead. Okay, I will continue. Seeing as how Lucy Lawless is an accomplished actress, and played an iconic role as a "good guy" in her role as Xena, I was fully expecting her to be another good guy in Ash vs. Evil Dead. She was tracking Ash, and the viewer was led to believe she was going to help him fight the evil dead and save the world. After all, as she demonstrated in Xena, Lucy does have a strong heroic appearance, and even though she played no hero in Spartacus, (which was not produced by Raimi,) I fully expected her to return as a hero in  Raimi's show.

But no. In this past episode she turned out to be the source of all of the evil in the show. You see, the original movie centered around the Necronomicon, or the book of the dead, written centuries ago, and has the power to summon demons. So imagine how thrilled I was when the story took a twist and it turned out that Lucy Lawless was the one who WROTE the book. Apparently, she's an ancient priestess or something from the dark depths of antiquity. So she's not a good guy, she's a bad guy.

Which was a twist I didn't see coming, even though the story did foreshadow it when Lucy's character had fallen into a fire and emerged unharmed. That should have told me something. But no. I was just too used to Hollywood doing their Hollywood thing with their regulars, and expected her to be the serious, (or straight) hero opposite Bruce Campbell's comedic relief.

So kudos to Sam Raimi and his latest incarnation of the Evil Dead franchise. Good job to all involved. Again, I rarely go for tongue-in-cheek type of shows. But tongue-in-cheek stories with Bruce Campbell work every time. He was born for the genre. Thumbs up for Ash vs. Evil Dead.

No Politics or Terrorism in John Dunn Book, but...

In this time of politics and terrorism, I was talking about my Killer books and The Vase yesterday, but I failed to mention my John Dunn book. There are things going on in that book, too. Big things, like Imperialism, Racism, and interracial relationships, both good ones and bad ones.

First and foremost, you have the book's main character, and the character for whom the book is named. John Dunn. Then you have the indigenous African tribe, the Zulus, of which John Dunn became a part. He was married to forty-eight Zulu women in the story, and had over a hundred half Zulu children. He was best friends with the Zulu king, who made him a chief, and gave him Zulu land of his own over which he ruled.

And then you had the British. At the time, the British were heavy Imperialists, and they defeated the Zulus and took over a lot of territory in Africa. It became part of their "empire on which the sun never set." Looking back, it's a fascinating story. And it's all portrayed in the book, John Dunn - Heart of a Zulu, due to be released by mid 2016. Stay tuned.

Terrorism in Books

In this day and age of constant and widespread terrorism, it made me pause to consider that one of my books, The Vase, is a story that centers around constant terrorism. It is focused in the country of Israel, and I don't know if there's another country that has had more acts of terrorism conducted within its borders than Israel. Maybe Iraq and Afghanistan, more recently at least, but Israel still must be up there.

More specifically, the story takes place in Nazareth, and interestingly, Muslims represent the majority of the population in Nazareth. And as everyone knows there has been a lot of conflict between the Arab/Muslim population and the Israelis who control the country. And just so you know, my main character in The Vase is a Muslim potter. His name is Muhsin Muhabi, and he is a Palestinian Muslim potter, as is his fourteen year old son, Naji.

They are good guys. Just innocent bystanders, really, to the mayhem that has surrounded them. But there are other main characters, too. Hiram Weiss, the Israeli Art Professor, who happens to be a devout Jew. And Captain Benny Mathias of the IDF. He's Israeli, of course, but he's an atheist. He's seen too much carnage, witnessed too many innocents butchered, and it has impacted his spiritual beliefs.

It's an uplifting story, however. The story line revolves around an ancient vase, which belongs to Muhsin Muhabi, but the vase is really a very special vase because it contains ancient recordings from two thousand years ago. They are released accidentally as projected holograms, which are mistaken for ghosts haunting the restaurant across the street from Muhsin's pottery shop.

And then you have the imminent visit of the Pope to Nazareth, since Nazareth is, after all, the place where Jesus Christ grew up. It's a very interesting focal point for several story lines which converge in the story's climax. Buy The Vase. You'll see how it really is a statement about the status of the world as it is today. And as it has been throughout history.

Trilogy or Series?

Regarding my Killer Series. Here's the question. If I write only three books in the Killer Series, would that be considered a series or would it be considered a trilogy? A famous trilogy that comes to mind is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even with the release of the Hobbit, (which the movies made into another trilogy,) LOTR is still considered a trilogy.

The Bourne trilogy was a trilogy until the fourth Bourne movie came out. So now it's a franchise, which is another way to say a series. So I guess my killer series will be considered a trilogy until I write a fourth book. Then it will truly be a series. I suppose that means I'll be compelled to write that fourth book. Not so easily done considering I'm still in the beginning stages of Book Three.

And after Book Three? I have no clue where Trent Smith, the world's greatest martial artist will be. Where he'll go, or what he'll do. But that's the quandary of a series. You have to keep it fresh. Meaning you have to have new ideas, new characters, and new stories.

It reminds me of the show called Vikings. How many times will Ragnar's brother, Rolo, be languishing over his secondary role to his brother? How often will he be considering betraying him, as he's doing once again in season three. It's like every season we have to see Rolo kicking himself for not being as great as his brother, and considering betraying his brother to make himself great.

Sheesh, it's the same story over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I like that show. I like the characters, the plots, and the turn of events. I just wish Rolo would finally accept his place as "brother to the king" rather than harboring the sentiment, "Why can't I be as great as my brother the king?"

I mean, already Ragnar has granted Rolo mercy and spared his life for betraying him in season one. But ever since then, instead of being grateful for his life, he continues to question his own lack of greatness, and finding a reason to blame it on Ragnar.

Well, I can guarantee my Killer Series won't be anything like that. Still, it's a long way off. Got a lot of writing to do.

Fiction is Great, but Real Life has Plenty of Drama

I've been a fan of fiction novels, TV shows, and movies for a long time. Make no mistake, I enjoy fiction of all kinds. But I think I enjoy stories based in real life a little more. Like the movie, The Devil and the Darkness, about the two lions in Africa killing hundreds of people. And stories set in real historical times like the classic Last of the Mohicans, etc.

But you know what? We're living in some real history right now. ISIS or ISIL, or whatever you want to call it, is on the warpath, and it's been going on for a long time now. America and Russia, longtime rivals, have become allies to fight them. It's some heavy duty stuff going on.

It makes all the fictitious stuff insignificant. Yeah, I love my books, movies, and the stories on TV, but it's all fictitious and altogether insignificant. Well, wait a minute. One of my books is largely not fictitious. That would be my soon-to-be-published John Dunn book.

John Dunn was a real historical figure. He lived an adventurous life in South Africa during a really adventurous time. Back when the Zulus were still an independent nation, and when the colonies in Africa were still in their infancy.

John Dunn lived with the Zulus, and he married Zulu women, and had half Zulu children. He was a white Zulu. A Zulu chief, even, and the top advisor to the Zulu king, King Cetshwayo. They had attained a close friendship, so much so that Cetshwayo refused to go to his own coronation if John Dunn wasn't with him.

It so happened that Dunn's son was ill at the time, and Dunn chose instead to be with his son rather than go with Cetshwayo to his coronation. Cetshwayo understood the priority of being with a dying son, but without Dunn he would not go to his coronation. Think of the scale of this. Cetshwayo was going to be crowned KING! And he would not go without Dunn. Instead, he sent his best witchdoctor to Dunn's residence, and believe it or not, the Zulu witchdoctor managed to cure Dunn's son.

And this is all true. Cetshwayo was finally able to get crowned king with Dunn at his side. Again, it's all true and it's all in my book, John Dunn - Heart of a Zulu. Of course, there's a whole lot more. Like a Zulu civil war, which is where the book begins, and then the Anglo-Zulu War.

The book ends shortly after the conclusion of the Anglo-Zulu War, but that doesn't mean the adventures of John Dunn concluded. There was a lot of action after that, particularly another Zulu civil war. And then the rest, as they say, is history.

Yeah, that's one exciting story. A couple books have been written about it. Oliver Walker, 75 years ago, wrote two historical novels featuring the John Dunn story. I bought and read one of them. But it read like it was written 75 years ago. The prose is not as fluid as mine is, and I'm not trying to brag or put Walker down. It's just an older book, that's all, and out of print, too, btw.

I instilled a little more fiction in my John Dunn story than Walker did. For instance, I gave Catherine Pierce a larger role in my book. She was Dunn's first wife, his "great wife" but Dunn wrote next to nothing about her in his autobiography, which I own, and read cover to cover several times. But I made her a strong willed woman in my book, which I hope female readers can appreciate. Even though the side story with Catherine Pierce is fictitious, I made sure it didn't conflict with any of the real history that took place in that time.

For that, (the real history,) I used Dunn's autobiography as my main source, but I used the writings of Ian Knight and Donald Morris, too. Enthusiasts of the period know those names. And I'm pretty confident AZW enthusiasts can appreciate the book I've written. It will come out in 2016, and time is moving fast. Can't wait for the editing process to begin.

Stay tuned.

Great Heroes Need a Series of Adventures

Great heroes in books, TV, movies, or even comics are not just one and done heroes. They need a stage on which to exhibit their heroism on a regular basis. If James Bond had only one movie for an audience to see, would he be the iconic hero he has been for years now? No. If Bat Man or Superman only appeared in one comic book story, would they be the iconic heroes they are today? No. If Conan only appeared in one short story by Robert E. Howard, would he have been the hero he became? No. If Captain Kirk... Well, you get the idea.

Which is why I feel it is very important that Trent Smith has the opportunity to display his heroic traits in more than one book. He's at two now. And I've already begun Book Three. I'm confident that Books One and Two are great stories. And I'm working on making Book Three a great one, too. That's why I haven't rushed them. Book One, Killer of Killers, was about three years in the making. Killer Eyes another three years, but that period of time was interrupted by my second book, The Vase, so it was more like a two year project. Still, I didn't rush it. And it might be an even better book. Not a better story, as the books are really a continuation of the same story. 

I would call it a story arc. Like the Borg story arc in Star Trek, TNG. And Book Three will pretty much wrap up that story arc. As for books after that? It remains to be seen, but I'd like to see the adventures of Trent Smith continue in some capacity. It may be up to me to write additional books featuring the world's greatest martial artist. After all, Bruce Lee had more than one movie. Unfortunately, his premature death limited his appearances in movies, but I think he was in at least three movies, maybe four.

So Trent Smith will need additional story arcs. After Book Three, I would like to see him in at least one more story arc. That would provide a decent  series for the character. And if I'm up to it, I'll keep it going. It depends on me and my publisher, too, I suppose. And who knows? If the audience keeps growing, maybe there could be another avenue for Trent's adventures. The big screen? The little screen? Either one would be a great development. Bottom line is keep the story alive. And that's what I intend to do.

Killer Eyes Now Available!

Killer Eyes is published! It was released yesterday on Halloween. The digital and print formats are published, and available for purchase. Only 2.99 for digital, btw, so very affordable if you are so inclined to read on an electronic device. More and more people are turning to that format. It's the future, and the future has arrived.

I am also confident that all typos are eliminated, and it's an error free book. Nothing is wrong with that book, and I even feel that it could well be the best book I've ever written. Killer of Killers is my favorite book, but Killer Eyes, really, is a continuation of that same story. It picks up where Killer of Killers leaves off, so it could be considered an extension of the same book. Well, it's called Book Two, after all, so, yeah, it's the second book of a continuing story.

It's a story that centers around the world's greatest martial artist, a man who detests guns, as does this author, and detests injustice. But what moves the plot is the wonder drug Eternity. Called that because of the drug's ability to cure disease and stop aging. But when you have a drug like that, there are people who want to hoard it and administer it to only those people worthy of living forever. It doesn't mean mistakes can't be made and mistakes are certainly made. And it doesn't mean that there aren't side effects. There certainly are side effects.

All in all, the Killer Series is currently a two book run, and yes, there will be a Book Three. Can't say exactly when Book Three will be ready, it's still a WIP. But don't worry. Each book is a self contained story unto itself. None of the books in the Killer Series end with a cliffhanger. I never liked waiting a year to see how a cliffhanger is resolved in TV shows that end a season that way. Nor would I like it in a book. So no, it's not like that with my books. Each book has all the immediate issues resolved. There may be a continuing story arc, but nothing urgent in terms of immediacy.

Buy your copies today. They are both available, and you'll love them if you like Martial Arts thrillers. I can guarantee it.

Popular Stories Abound

When considering what's become a hit in the novel, TV, and movie world, it seems the genres are quite diverse. Often the story becomes popular as a book, and then adapted into a movie or TV show. Even if the writing is suspect, as Stephen King suggested about Twilight, the story was popular enough as a book to become a series of movies. Ditto with Harry Potter, Maze Runner and now Hunger Games.

Interestingly, those novels were MG/YA. But one story was not MG/YA and became movies that even I liked a lot. I'm talking about the Jason Bourne franchise. They started as novels, became movies, and they were terrific. Heck, even the iconic James Bond movies had their start as novels back in the day.

But what does it take to become so popular? You would think the vampire genre was tired by now. What with all the Dracula movies and countless vampire spinoffs, like Dark Shadows, etc. but no. Twilight found an audience somehow, and so did the movies. Who would have guessed a boy wizard at a wizard school playing a type of wizard football game would be so popular? But it was. And what a cash cow it became for the author. I understand she's a billionaire now.

A movie about kids killing other kids, you would think would be a despicable concept. But no. Hunger Games became popular and now it's a movie chain, too. Really? A game where kids go kill other kids, with a video audience following the events. A rather degenerate idea, if you think about it.

But the Jason Bourne franchise--I'm on board with that one. A secret government organization training assassins to do the government's dirty work. No kids killing anyone. No kids getting killed. That's better. Kids should not be killing anyone, let alone other kids.

To me, it's always been about a great character. First and foremost. Then, of course a great story in which that great character can display his/her greatness. That's what made stories great. To me. James Bond was a great character. So was Conan. Captain Kirk. Then of course you have the superheroes, Bat Man, Superman, Spider-man, etc. Great characters in great stories.

Enter Trent Smith. Influenced, perhaps by the likes of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, etc. A great martial artist in a great story. Read Killer of Killers. You'll see.

Hatred for Guns Projected into my Stories

Guns, guns, guns. It seems like a lot of, or most of the action stories, be they novels, movies, or TV shows, use guns. A lot of guns. It seems that most, if not all the action heroes use guns, unless their stories take place in an era before guns were invented, of course.

There's a couple shows, Bunraku, for instance, where the action takes place with no guns. That's because, in Bunraku, guns are outlawed. And now there's a new TV show coming soon, called Into the Badlands, where, like in Bunraku, guns are outlawed.

But in the real world, guns are prevalent. More than prevalent, actually, and society is surely paying the price for that prevalence. Movies, novels, and TV shows are reflecting that prevalence, often focusing on the price for that prevalence.

I hate the price that's being paid for that prevalence, although, fortunately, that price has not affected me personally, and I hope that remains true. Nevertheless, I have projected my own personal hatred for guns onto the main character in my Killer Series.

In Book One, Killer of Killers, Trent Smith never uses a gun. He is a deadly martial artist who can kill with his bare hands. He makes one comment in the story when he disarms a bad guy, and tosses the gun and knife away. "Guns and knives...weapons of cowards." That was the only allusion to his feelings about guns in the entire book, other than the fact that he never uses one.

In Book Two, I don't think Trent makes any comments about guns, but he still never uses a gun. He is forced to use a katana, however, and he just happens to be an expert. Being trained in Japan, that is a very realistic development. He's a master at Kendo, which is the art of using a katana. The fact that Trent Smith holds the rank of Judan automatically suggests he's a master with a katana, and he most certainly is.

But when it comes to guns, in Book Three, which is a WIP right now, I do put in there that Trent wishes guns had never been invented. Now I'm not so extreme in that belief, personally, but I do wish guns were limited to the military and police. I don't think 'Johnny Average' needs a gun. I don't believe in hunting, either, btw. I don't recognize the "sport" in shooting an animal that's grazing, and/or minding its own business in an area where it's at home. But the world is the way it is, and all I can do about it is write great stories. And that's all I'll ever be able to do.