Steven Tyler's Blog

A Trip From My Chair

Blessed, A trip through Belize” by Moment Johnson

I am a city boy born and raised. Concrete and steal are the foundation of my existence.

The recent trip I took through Belize, via Moment Johnson’s tale of the time she spent living in a forest in Belize, confirm that this landlubber will never see the coast of that tiny Central American country.

It’s not that Johnson tells a tale of horror, it’s that all the things that make Belize attractive to one person are the exact items which make it unattractive to another. This city boy’s idea of roughening it is black and white cable TV, in an air conditioned hotel room overlooking the plaza of a vibrant city.

Johnson takes us to a land where if a bus or a person you’re scheduled to meet are fifteen minutes late they’re considered to be on-time. A place where anyone and everyone driving a pickup truck will give a lift to anyone and everyone walking down the road without a second thought. In Los Angeles we have Uber.

The blessed trip Johnson writes about includes seven weeks living alone in a cabin in the middle of a forest with all the bugs, mosquitoes, monkeys, and other animals of nature. For those who love outdoor experiences this will be a satisfying trip that few will ever have the opportunity to enjoy, and for those, like me, whose daily animal exposure is limited to seeing my neighbors four cats lying outside my door, I say: “I’m glad there are other people who enjoy those experiences so that I don’t have to be the one.”

“Blessed” tells a tale of people, nature, and a lifestyle different than any us city folk will ever come across. It’s book of travel and adventure for us folks who want to know about such things without leaving the comfy of our living room. Enjoy Johnson’s travels and encounters while leaning back in your recliner chair, next to a cozy fire, and with a nice glass of Chardonnay by your side.

Steven Tyler

Author: “One Little Lie”

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What Kind Of Movies Do You Like?

What Kind Of Movies Do You Like?

One brand of movies that is appealing to me are tales that take place in a short period of time such as a day or an hour.

Last night, I watched “Two Days in the Valley” which is a funny crime film about murder and double crossings during two day in the San Fernando Valley where I live. James Spader is at his best as the emotionalist criminal playing off of a hyper Danny Aiello and staying cool and collected while girlfriend Charlize Theron prances around him in a dress that hides nothing.

“Memento” may have been the best movie made in 2000 but my favorite that year was a film called “Dinner Rush.” It actually takes place in two days in New York because the opening scene occurs prior to the evening when the majority of the story occurs in a popular Manhattan restaurant. Danny Aiello again is the lead as the owner of the eatery and part-time bookmaker and a lot happens that evening while various customers are consuming their meals during the dinner rush.

One of my own movie scripts, which I have never completed, takes place during one evening in the mansion, miles off the beaten path, of a wealthy but obscure man who invites ten people to join him for supper.

There’s the female reporter who is seeking the interview of a lifetime, the actress who is looking for someone to boost her career, and a wealthy industrialite who has not always made money in an honest way or whose actions have done harm to innocent people.

That evening’s dinner never occurs and the host only make his appearance in the last ten minutes of the film. The crux of the story is the interaction between the diverse attendees and the partycrasher who knows the real reason they have all been brought together.

I have never really settled on the title for my script as the working title, “Mr. Goodword”, would give too much away.

It’s a story that has been done before but like I said it’s the type of tale which I enjoy, one that takes place in a short period of time. In this case, the eighty-minutes before Mr. Goodword descends the stairs and passes his judgment on his guests including the partycrasher, the suicide.

Maybe someday I’ll complete that story only this time it will be in book form. I better get hopping as it won’t be too long before I meet Mr. Goodword for real.

Steven Tyler

Author: One Little Lie

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The Answer Always Comes

The Answer Always Comes

I think the term “Writer’s Block” is over-used. There are seminars about writer’s block, there are blogs about writer’s bloc, and there are even Youtube videos about writer’s block.

Why is everyone so concerned about writer’s block?

The truth is that the answer always comes.

It may not come as fast as we like, it may not be the answer we want, and it may not come at all.

I know what you are thinking: “Hey Steve, didn’t you just say that the answer always comes?” Yes, I did and the answer is that no answer is the answer. It’s like when they say that God answers all prayers. Sometimes the answer is no, but he answers all prayers.

The answer may not be coming because the project is wrong, the time in your life to write the project may be wrong, or you may simply not be that good of a writer.

Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald gets fired from his contract with a movie studio in “Beloved Infidel” because as the studio boss says, “You can’t put adjectives on the screen.”

Fitzgerald may have been a great writer but he wasn’t a good screenwriter. I have learned from my own days as a screenwriter that sometimes the idea for a project was a better idea than an actual story.

Ideas can’t be forced and it really is the few who get from start to finish on any endeavor be it sport or art. Yes, you can go on-line and there are million books to choose from for your reading pleasure but some, maybe most, are not any good. Believe me I’ve read some of them. But how many people have you met who have said, “I should write a book!”

I say, “No! You shouldn’t!” Your story, and many times it’s the writer’s life, is not that interesting.” Okay, I’m being a little snippy. But if the calling was really there to write, you wouldn’t be talking out it. You’d be writing it!

Steven Tyler

Author: One Little Lie

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The Moirai Medallions: Book One “The Break” by Carl Knauf

I have to start this review by stating that I am not the target audience for this book, the first in a series, which takes place in a fantasy world. Fantasy is not a genre to which I indulge but every now and then it is beneficial to step outside ones usual sphere and explore another world.

The world such as the one depicted in “The Break” is filled with magic, knights, and vampires. Supernatural powers lie within these medallions which are disbursed among several neighboring lands who are often at war with one another.

A princess is kidnapped, two everyman individuals are trained to rescue her, and there is double-dealing among the the rulers. “The Break” has humor sprinkled between the killings, deaths, drownings, and highwaymen robberies.

Many characters are introduced who will appear in subsequent tales within this series and maybe one too many for a first selection in the trilogy, the humor did not work for me, and there is some over description of the scenery. A lot of detail is provided as to what a castle looks like inside. I know what castles look like and all I need to know is that the person(s) are in a castle.

It has been thirty-five years since I last read a book of fantasy so it would be unfair of me to say whether “the Break” is better or not amongst its peers but if you like mystical worlds where there exist giant sea-monsters and palace intrigue then this may be the book for you.

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The Ghoul Next Door

“The Ghoul Next Door” deals with a psychic who is able to communicate with the dead and in this case the deceased is a serial killer who inhabits other men’s bodies for the purpose of killing various women. It’s a cozy so we know what to expect. The heroine will have a marvelous boyfriend and gay best friend. Her life, at times, will be in danger but we need not worry as the next book in the series is already being promoted so we know our gal will survive.

People read cozies not to take them someplace they have never been before but for the pure escapist entertainment they provide. That’s why they’re called cozies as apart from a tale where the protagonist might not actually survive which could be called distressings or thornies.

I would rate “Ghoul” as an average cozy. I’ve read cozies that were much worse and none that I would consider great. A great cozy, hmm, knowing the requirements for cozies I don’t know if a great cozy could be written.

A cozy is like a Rom-Com. Rom-Coms follow a standard formula; ie, guy and girl meet, something comes between them, and eventually they comeback together and live happily ever after. There are great Rom-Coms though, single works that set themselves apart from others of their genre. “When Harry Met Sally” is the best Rom-Com in my opinion followed by “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” I even liked “Notting Hill” although that would be considered an average Rom-Com.

So as this in the Christmas Season let us not forget that “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus” and out there somewhere is a great cozy, I just haven’t found it yet. Maybe Kris Kringle will leave it in my stocking this Christmas Eve.

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The Stick Up

I was cleaning my house the other day because some people were coming over for a night of fun and games. It’s really about the only time this single man takes a dust cloth out to wipe down the bookshelves.

This act of domestic chore revealed a surprise. I found a DVD of a movie that I didn’t know I had. The film is called “The Stick up” and stars James Spader, David Keith, and Leslie Stephenson. I like all these actors but for the life of me could not remember this film. Oh yes, I peeked at IMDB and read the synopsis but if I had a copy of the film there must have been something about it that I liked which was not jumping off at me from that website.

One evening last week the DVD went into the Blu-Ray and movie magic appeared. “The Stick Up” is a tale surrounding the robbery of a bank in a small northern California town. There are more twist and turns that on the mountain roads leading in and out of the town.

Often funny and often violent, “The Stick Up” is an enjoyable romp where no one is as they seem. Put it in your Netflex Que and watch it while on the treadmill or exercise bike. You’ll accomplish the exercise and the movie won’t tax your brain too much.

Steven Tyler

Author: One Little Lie

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Mystic Pizza

One evening back in 1988, I went to a movie theater and stood outside reading the film choices when two women with whom I had an acquaintance visited the same theater. It is by human nature’s design that they would pick the Rom-Com as their selection. The movie’s title was “Mystic Pizza” and it was supposed to be the film that would launch Annabeth Gish’s adult acting career.

Now I didn’t have any particular favoring toward the movie (who’s title today I cannot recall) that was my intended selection and as the movie going experience is always better with friends, I decided to join them in viewing “Mystic Pizza.”

The film was unremarkable but pleasant enough. Ms. Gish was lovely back in 1988, as I am sure she is today, but there was another actress amongst three girl friends of which the film revolved who stood out to me. Now, now, I know what you’re thinking but you’re wrong. “Mystic Pizza” was the film that launched an actress’ career but it wasn’t Ms. Gish’s it was that of Julia Roberts.

It was neither Ms. Gish nor Ms. Roberts who drew my attention but of the third member of their group who I felt was the most talented of the three. Lili Taylor.

Now everybody knows Julia Roberts and most people probably have forgotten Annabeth Gish, although her IMDB page reflects she’s had a steady career, but Lili Taylor has been playing the female sidekick for three decades and has provided a gem of a performance each and every time.

Some people say that Julia Roberts is a pretty woman but the truth is I think Niece Emma is far more attractive and Lili Taylor makes me drool with delight every time I watch her perform.

Steven Tyler, author

OneLittleLie.com

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“Dead Wake” by Eric Larson

A story told from many different views results in another successful endeavor by Mr. Larson.

This tale of a tragic event is blended with touches of humor and bursting with the rendering of history from cover to cover. Many of the characters like Winston Churchill and Woodrow Wilson are known to the readers before the first page. Their parts are minimal in this saga and it is the other actors on this books’ stage that we come to know and cheer for.

Larson once again informs and entertains in an easy to read manor that will satisfy the palette of anyone tasting this dish. They won’t make a movie out of “Dead Wake.” The cost would be prohibitive and, who wants to see a story about a sinking luxury cruise ship anyway?

No, to get the enjoyment about this vessel’s last voyage, people will have to go the old route and read the book. To sit outside under a sunny sky with mild temperatures while a master story teller takes you on a journey back in time and place is not too bad a way to pass an afternoon. Try it, you’ll like it.

Steven Tyler

OneLitteLieBook.com

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I wont make fifty in 2015 but I will get a bookshelf cleared.

January of this year brought a new challenge. A Goodreads group asked members to read fifty books in 2015. There are some challenges that I like and some that I don’t. A past challenge that was fun was on my every other a day jog by running longer and longer each time. My runs started at twenty minutes and in four years they were up to three and half hours. Alas, we all face challenges that are not fun, like furniture assembly.

Now I’ve but together my share of armoires and bookcases but there is so much fun in those tasks that I now share the enjoyment with others. They’re commonly called handymen and if you pay them they will have a rip-roaring time putting together your five drawer dresser.

My intention in January was to feel the euphoria of being able to say come New Year’s Eve, I did it! I read fifty books in 2015. Yup, that was my intention. It must be reported with almost two-thirds of the 2015 in the rear view mirror that when the ball drops in Times Square I will not have read fifty books this year.

I will however be able to have the satisfaction of having cleared twenty books from one of my “to-be-read” bookshelves. A bookshelf that I actually put together all by myself.

Steven Tyler

WWW.OneLittlelie.com

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How do you write a good review for a bad book?

Recently, two other writers requested that I read their books and write a review. I’m always reading something so the thought process was why not diversify my collection and help another writer out at the same time.

The first book was pitched as a tale of sex and madness. Halfway through I could not not read one more single word. This tale was nothing but written pornography. There are very few books that I fail to complete reading once started but this one so repulsed me so much that I had to cease for my own health.

Book two was little better. A work where a four letter word was part of every sentence. Every woman in the story was hot and they all flirted with the man character, a bumbling fool who started everyday with two or three beers before going to work. Wait, he didn’t go to work because he doesn’t have a job. He simply goes to the racetrack and wins ten thousand dollars having never been to a racetrack before and not knowing how to bet on horses. Yup, that happens everyday to people, right?

I struggled with what to say to other readers. How do you write a good review for a bad book? In the end, I simply had to tell the writers that I did not find their work entertaining and could not assist them.

There’s another book in my Kindle from another writer that is better than the first two but there’s still three quarters of the book to go. Hopefully, I won’t be disappointed a third time.

Yes, there are a lot of books out there and some of them are bad.

Steven Tyler

www.Onelittlelie.com

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