What do you think of the rebranding? Sure, it's a little dark, but don't we all have dark sides? Don't fear it - peer into it to see more versions of reality.
That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
Broken Reality |
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No, it's not your imagination - it does look a little different around here. I've spent the weekend trying to come up with ways to spruce up the website, and in the end would out with a "rebranding" of my writing. It's now Dark Mirrors by SherritheWriter, and this is where I showcase the parallel universes that crack open from the inspiration of everyday life! The website will still feature my books, but the purpose is to show people how they can see alternate versions of their own reality through my writing. I invite people to peer into my tales and tell me what they see.
What do you think of the rebranding? Sure, it's a little dark, but don't we all have dark sides? Don't fear it - peer into it to see more versions of reality. That's all today. Take care, and have a great week. Bye! I did three things this weekend that I haven't done in a long while. Yesterday and today, I've been working to update this website. They aren't big changes, but I did change the "opening dialogue" on the front page, and I rearranged the book features to their appropriate tabs. It's amazing how small things can make such a big improvement. I thought about changing the design, but people seem happy with this design and like the blue formatting. I like it too, so if everybody's happy, then why fix what isn't broken?
Yesterday, I read a magazine. I actually used my GooglePlay money on a digital subscription of Writer's Digest. I got the print edition about 10 years ago, but let it run out because I didn't have much time to read magazines (and frankly, the cost was higher than I liked). Then I recently ran across the digital version lately and thought heck, why not try again? I had the money racked up from taking Google Polls surveys. So far, so good. I like it, and having it on my tablet is much more convenient than having to keep track of a print copy of a magazine. Today, I sent submissions for a couple of my short stories. I've written a few stories here and there, but I haven't submitted them to magazines in quite a long while. I did a couple of anthologies last year, but it's probably been 2-3 years since I queried a short story to a literary magazine/website. Who knows? Maybe my new query approach based on the information about me on the front page of this website will interest them more than the boring "Dear Editor" templates I used before. It's worth a try. And speaking of discovery, who's excited to see the images coming from the New Horizon's probe? It's absolutely fascinating, and coming right with all of the great trailers and news from San Diego ComicCon. That's the kind of news I'm talking about! Enough with the Confederate Flag debate. I want some science and fantasy news! Oh yes, and SEC Media days start tomorrow too. Rick will be sure to tune in for that so he'll have the 411 on the upcoming football season before his outpatient surgery on those cysts on Wednesday. By the way, I'll update you on how his surgery goes through Twitter and Facebook. I'm sure I'll also have a late week blog, but here's hoping that his surgery doesn't contribute to any adventures worth blogging about! We're going for a "hobbit" thing there: safe, and no adventures! That's all today. Not much, but that's quite alright. I'm happy! Take care, and have a great week. Bye! I looked at villains that made the story in my last entry, but you know that the heroes can’t do it alone. They rely on a strong team to back them up and sometimes, to step in for them when the going gets tough. Here, as promised, I give you a look at the sidekicks that really make the story shine. These are the people I wish to have in my corner when the going gets tough: 5. Agents Fitz and Simmons (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). These two are beyond smart, but also have the right balance of common sense to add to that amazing scientific knowledge. So far, there hasn’t been anything they can’t figure out, which is amazing considering that Fitz has been struggling with oxygen deprivation brain damage for the past season. Of course, they also have that outstanding Marvel technology to work with. 4. Team Arrow (Arrow). Diggle is awesome and, I believe, underutilized in this TV show, because he’s capable of so much more, and I’d really like to see him break out the kick a** next season. I was disappointed to see Roy go into hiding, and do hope that Felicity will finally settle down now that she “got the guy” in the season finale, because she was getting annoying despite her mad computer skills last season. But they are a great team and, despite their flaws, they are the force behind Oliver Queen that doesn’t fail Star City. 3. Cisco and Caitlyn (The Flash). They’re super smart, clever beyond belief, and are the kind of friends that everybody wants. Cisco and Caitlyn break the stereotypes of engineers and doctors with their loyalty and amazing personalities. Barry Allen definitely couldn’t do anything without these super smart, super loyal friends in his corner! 2. Bobby Singer (Supernatural). I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that the igits killed him off, because he was the best, funniest character perhaps anywhere. Who didn’t love Bobby? He was not only a great demon hunter, but remarkably clever at working the system to get what he needed to track down the demons and bring them to their rightful end. I still laugh when I remember that scene of him cooking at the stove and impersonating an FBI agent for Sam and Dean. 1. Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones). This is a guy that knows how to turn all things to good! He’s clever, he’s cunning, and he has the guts to do what must be done because he has nothing to lose. Tyrion went from Hand of the King, to sentenced to death, to being sold into slavery, to running Mereen. Even on the run, he kept his head and kept his wits about him, because he was patient enough to see how things were working and to work them for his benefit. Don’t underestimate this dwarf. Truth be told, he’s likely the most powerful person in Westeros. Denarys Targarian would do well to make the most of this alliance, as he can probably get her (or anybody else) on the Iron Throne. Plus, he has some great dialogue both in the books and the TV series. Heck, with friends like these, it’s no wonder that the heroes win. We better watch out, or the villians may wise up and start building their own super teams!
That’s all today. Here’s hoping for some good reveals from ComicCon this weekend and into next week. Take care, and have a happy Friday and a great weekend. Bye! You know there are some villains that you love. Modern storytelling encourages writers to take care in making sure that the “bad guys” have as much character development and “relatable motivation” as the heroes, which has given rise to the likeable bad guy. Of course, there are also those villains that we love because they know how to stick it to people, and you have to admit that every now and then, people get a little out of whack and need a good villain to snap them back to reality. With the San Diego ComicCon coming up, I thought that I’d give you a list of villains that inspire me, and why I find them admirable. 5. Stannis Baratheon (Game of Thrones). I won’t deny that he was a jerk – he started badly by killing his younger brother Renley, and ended badly by sacrificing his only child, Shereen – but you have to admit that the guy had a focus and determination that’s lacking in our “instant everything” society. Sure, that focus led him to follow a demon priestess, but he was resourceful for a while, and his dedication was admirable. If real people had half of that internal motivation and focus, then they’d accomplish amazing feats that would surprise even them, and the world would be a much better place. I did hope he would cull the ranks more, even though his overall chances at taking the Iron Throne were negligible. 4. The Winter Soldier (Captain America – The Winter Soldier). This dude inspired me to take the Metro when I went to Washington D.C.! Seriously, it was the conflict between programming and personality that made Bucky interesting. He was the perfect tool of Hydra, operating in the shadows until the perfect moment which, unfortunately, also brought him face to face with his former best friend and opened a conflict between the world he was in and the world he once knew. Watching that conflict unfold was compelling, and best of all is that we aren’t completely sure how it worked out yet. 3. Darth Maul (Star Wars, Episode I). Admit it – the Sith are cool. And you know you were mad at Obi Wan Kenobi for killing him because the dude was just awesome with that double sided light saber. No talk, all action, and extremely efficient. Darth Maul had great potential and, even though The Clone Wars cast him as surviving, we never truly got to see just how fully awesome he could be. 2. Loki (Thor, The Avengers, and Thor 2 – The Dark World). Loki is one that could be useful to have around sometimes! He’s not only clever, but he has a commanding presence that you simply can’t ignore. When this guy walks in the room, you stop and take notice – whether you like it or not. He may be a bad buy, but he’s a bad guy that knows how to make people stop and listen. I know I’m not the only one that wants to take lessons from him on that! 1. Darth Vader (Star Wars, Episodes III-IV). You may be cool, but you’ll never be “Force master, black robes, and cool music ques when you walk in a room” cool. We all envy Vader’s mastery of The Force. Don’t tell me you don’t wish you could grab a blaster from across the room, or punish a disturbing lack of faith through a view screen! If Kylo Wren is half of that in Episode 7, then we’re in for another excellent trilogy.
Bad guys at their best! Stay tuned – next entry, I’ll give you a list of sidekicks I love. That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week. Bye! One thing I’ve come to learn is that there are some things you don’t go into casually. For example, I’m discovering thatSplinter is an anomaly, because stand-alone novels in science fiction are rare. It usually takes a trilogy to tell an entire scifi tale, because they tend to grow into massive tales that can’t be told in a single novel. I see that with The Earthside Trilogy now, and if it seems my “indie summer reading initiative” is going slow, it’s because I’m reading trilogies. I’ve only posted a couple of reviews, but the fact is that I’ve actually read five indie books this summer and am in progress on the sixth. It’s just that they’re science fiction trilogies, so the progress seems slower. Fantasy is the same way – in fact, it may take an entire series to tell those tales, as in A Song of Ice and Fire (which Game of Thrones is based on). That series currently stands at five novels, with a sixth in the world and plans to eventually extend to seven books. And that, folks, is why I rarely read fantasy, and am not likely to take up writing it myself.
There are other things I’ve learned you don’t take up casually. Another example: firearms. Rick and I went to the range when we got his father’s guns to learn how to properly handle and store them, and now we both have a concealed weapons permit. People that work at firing ranges or on CWP classes usually have absolutely no sense of humor or patience because safety is their number one priority, and firearms are absolutely not to be taken lightly. That’s why I’m surprised that there’s so much hulabaloo over gun rights. Firearms mean serious, alert, focused, and sober. Period. Diet and exercise are other things you don’t take lightly. I put these together because they usually go hand in hand for the same reason: one size doesn’t fit all. What works depends on so many variables in physiology. One example: low carb diets don’t work on me. I crash out on them, and do much better on a high protein diet. Rick, however, has a lot of success going low carb. The weight (and cholesterol) drops right off, and he doesn’t seem to suffer any loss of energy for it. Exercise is the same way. I’ve found that the higher impact T25 workouts that vary focus each day are most effective with me and Rick, but I know several people that can’t do this workout because of back problems. Everybody is different, which means that what works can very greatly from one person to the next. That's why it’s important to consult with your doctor before starting a diet and/or exercise program. Last on my list is TV shows. I remember the backlash against Star Trek: Deep Space Nine when they decided to run a continuous story arc on The Dominion War to reward their faithful viewers, and many viewers complained that it wasn’t fair because “you have to keep watching it to keep up.” Fast forward a decade, and continuous story arcs are the law of TV Land now. I think the rise of “fandoms” have led to this phenomenon, as I’ve seen with Supernatural (which started with stand alone stories, and evolved into the continuous story arc in Season 2). Increased competition for prime time slots have led networks to conclude that the best way to keep viewers is to hook them with a strong story from the start, and keep leading them through it. The story arc strategy has even moved into movies, as you see with Marvel movies tying all of their superheroes together through The Avengers, and then keeping the thread going through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. They keep you glued not only to the television, but the theater as well. Very clever! I’m sure there are many other things that aren’t to be taken too seriously, but one person can only deal with so many absolutes that take you over. So, what’s you list? That’s all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week. Bye! |
Escape RealityBy day, I'm a program assistant. By night, I'm an independent author. My fiction offers an escape from the reality of day-to-day life. See how my experiences lead to creating new worlds! Archives
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