Walking Dead Sinking

Another episode of Walking Dead, and another disappointment. Which makes two disappointing episodes in a row. It's strange, too, because this sixth season of The Walking Dead started off on a real good roll. The first two episodes were outstanding, and the pace was consistent until the last two weeks. Neither of the past two episodes contained any noteworthy revelations.

And still no Glenn. Not a hint of him. Sure there were people, particularly Maggie, who were wondering about his fate. Maggie was all about going out into the wild to find him, but the community is surrounded by zombies, so her plan was scrapped. She's stuck behind the walls with the rest of them. Oh, except for Abraham, Darryl, and Sasha, that is.

Rick or someone mentioned them, and that they might draw the zombies away, which is all fine and good, but when you have episodes where nothing really happens, like yesterday and last week, there's nothing interesting to talk about, and you are well on the way to losing your audience.

Walking Dead was a great show because of the action, the characters, and the events. The last two episodes, it seems, they depended only on characters to carry the show. And it's not working. Especially since they focused on the wrong characters. No Darryl, no Carol, very little of Michonne, and, likewise, not enough of Rick. Combine that with no action and no events you have a recipe for lower ratings and a consequent cancellation.

But Walking Dead has been a chart topper for a long time, so I suppose it will survive. Perhaps next week it will get back on that roll, and these past two duds will be nothing more than a footnote.

Binge Watching Preferable

To me, anyway, binge watching is a preferable way of taking in your favorite TV shows. Even if it's not your favorite TV show. Madmen, for example, is no way one of my favorite TV shows, but my wife and I are watching it for the first time. I would not have followed it week to week, and I didn't follow it at all when it first came out. But since Netflix offers the entire series at the touch of a button, we take in two, sometimes three episodes a night. We're on season 4 now, and I think there's a total of seven seasons. I can't imagine taking seven years to watch that show.

Same thing with DaVinci's Demons. We were watching it weekly, for the first two seasons, but now season three is available all at once, and we can take in two episodes at a time. I still have a lot of problems with DaVinci's Demons, starting with the actor playing the main character, and with a lot of the details that have been portrayed in that show, but whatever. A TV series about Leonardo DaVinci was long overdue, and I'm glad they finally made one.

The Flash and Daredevil are two good shows about comic book superheroes, and I'm glad to have the entire series available all at once. Of course, both shows have had one season so far, but I think they're doing a good job, and I look forward to future seasons.

One of my all time favorites is the show on Cinemax called Banshee. I watched the first two seasons, and am looking forward to season three. I liked the series Strike Back, also, but was disappointed with the poor role they gave Dustin Clare, about which I've already blogged not long ago. Dustin Clare, of course, is my first choice to play Trent Smith, as soon as the movie people decide to make my Killer Series into a movie or TV show.

And if they do, it would be a great martial arts show to behold. It's up to me to keep the source material coming, so that an audience can binge watch instead of waiting for me to come up with something new every week. Or every year. Best to get it done in advance. Like homework. don't wait until the last minute. Learned that in high school.

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.

Last Night's Walking Dead Sucked

Episode four of the current season of The Walking Dead was extra long, a 90 minute episode. So did we learn if Glenn is dead? Or did he survive? Was it in fact another body on top of his that was being torn apart? Or was Glenn shredded? Were any of those questions answered? No. Not a one.

An episode following the questionable demise of the beloved Glenn character is a special 90 minute episode and probably one of the worst episodes in the entire history of the series! Not a hint of Glenn, not a clue as to his fate, not a thing. We get only a back story on Morgan, which explained his newfound "all life is precious" attitude, even in the aftermath of murdering scumbags wiping out every innocent person they could find in the peaceful community of Alexandria.

Look, in the real world that we're living in now, I mean the real world that's not a TV show, it would be nice if everyone had that "Eastman" belief. Which is all life is precious, and you don't kill. But in the Walking Dead world, Rick and Carol have it right. Even after Morgan explains his story to the "wolf" he spared, the "wolf" still proclaims that if he lives, he'll kill Morgan and everyone else that he can. So, it's as if Morgan is truly being tested on his newfound belief.

But so what? Who cares? Morgan is a fool if he can't understand that he's now living in a kill or be killed world. Sooner or later, if he keeps that up, he'll be killed, and we'll be rid of him. Do I want that? No. I want Morgan to get smart, like Rick and Carol, and deal with the world as it is now. It's the f-ing Walking Dead, dude, and it is what it is. If boring shows like last night's are where the show is headed, this better be the last season. Cuz it's gonna get bad ratings and be canceled anyway. That's all.

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.

I Never Pay for Reviews

Some authors pay for reviews. Probably more than just some. I would say a lot of authors do. And you can bet those reviews are terrific, even if the reviewer didn't read the book. Why should he/she? The author certainly isn't paying for his/her book to be bashed. It's a win/win situation for everyone. Except readers. Readers get a skewed opinion about a book.

I've mentioned before that I don't do that. I don't pay for reviews. I've solicited some. And those precious few reviews I have received for Killer of Killers and The Vase have been good reviews. Mostly. I cut and pasted an excerpt from one of those reviews to the right of this post. It's from Melissa Ratel of the Writer's Union of Canada. She read and reviewed both books. I would describe her reviews as critiques, like we used to do in art classes at San Jose State University. She cited the positives and followed with the negatives. Just like those art critiques.

Mostly her negatives for both books centered around a lack of emotional expression in my main characters. That's okay, because what she said regarding positives, especially for Killer of Killers, more than made up for it. You can see in the excerpt underneath the Killer of Killers image that she thinks Killer of Killers would make a "spectacular" film. Well, I certainly agree with that.

When I look up other books, say on Amazon, I see hundreds of reviews. I'm thinking how do those authors get so many reviews, and then I remember. They solicit them, and they pay for them.

I'm told that reviews are one of the best methods of promotion for books. So those authors probably believe that paying for reviews is like an investment, like when companies pay for commercials on TV. Of course the commercials will only present the attractiveness of their products. Thus, the paid for review is nothing more than a commercial for a book.

As for me, I've got this blog, which I know people from all around the world visit every day. How many of those people actually buy one of my books, I couldn't say. Still, I'll never pay for a review. There's something dishonest about that. And I won't go there. Hopefully, word of mouth can be a beneficial thing for my books. If you've read one, and liked it, but aren't inclined to write a review, tell your friends about it. Here's to hoping that a movie director reads Melissa Ratel's review and takes her up on her recommendation. Because I didn't pay for that review. Or any others.

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.