Richard Verry's Blog, page 34

Get Your Blood Moving

Get Your Blood Moving

Is there a song that once it starts playing on the stereo, you just have to stop what you’re doing, turn up the volume and lose yourself to the music?

One of those songs that does that to me is Sir Paul McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die‘. The title song to the James Bond movie by the same name, I can’t help but crank up the volume and lose myself to the bars as Paul plays his way through the song. I don’t know what it is about this song, but it just moves me. Often, I replay the song over and over again, sometimes for over an hour before I finally move on. Oh, and if it should come on the car stereo, forget about it. I’m gone and the volume dial has just rolled over to its highest value. God help anyone in the car with me, never mind my impending deafness. They’re just going to have to deal with it until my fix is over. And yes, it is a fix. It could be my heroin or my crack cocaine. I don’t know what it is about this song but I can never get enough of it.

Why do I bring this up now? Well, I was just sitting at my desk, working on my draft of my third Mona Bendarova novel ‘Lucky Bitch‘ when ‘Live and Let Die’ came on the stereo. I stopped what I was doing, not that I could continue working on ‘Lucky Bitch’ while it was playing. With my head bobbing to the beat and me singing along to the lyrics, I decided that this was a great topic to blog about.

As I write this, I think I am on my ninth or tenth iteration of the song. Damn, I love auto repeat. It’s the best. Anyway, so now I’m writing my thoughts as I listen. Trust me, it’s a challenge. My spelling is atrocious right now but thankfully, spell check is keeping me honest. As I sing along with Paul, my fingers are trying to dance on the computer keyboard at the same rhythm as Paul’s fingers on the piano.

I’m envisioning the band around Paul filling in with the other instruments as he plays the piano. I feel the pyrotechnics ripping around the stage, firing off flames and smoke in beat to the music. I just love it.

Then I ask myself this question. Do you also have a similar distracting song? Is it something else? I’m curious. Let me know, and thanks for sharing. I always love reading your stories.

p.s.

As I finish this post, I realized that another one of my favorite songs that pumps my blood is coming on right after ‘Live and Let Die‘. It by another Brit who also happens to be a knight of the order.

Decisions … decisions … decisions.

Gratitude

Gratitude

What is gratitude? The way I see it, it is being thankful for someone or something that enriched a person’s life. The way I feel when I see people buying my books. Thank you. You are all awesome. A special thank you to those that recently purchased ‘The Taste of Honey‘ and ‘Broken Steele‘. I really appreciate it. Be sure to look for the third book in the series, ‘Lucky Bitch‘, coming soon.

I would be especially grateful if after reading my books, you would post a review. Reviews are the lifeblood of a book. I appreciate each and every one of them.

Plus, sales aside, reviews lift my spirits and soothe my soul. Thank you for your kindness and your review.

Tired of the Olympics

Tired of the Olympics?

Have you had enough of the Olympics? After more than two weeks of competition, the last medal has been awarded, the last anthem played and the venues sit empty.

If you’re tired of the games or simply anxious to replace them with something else, might I suggest reading one of my books, available right here on my site, or at Amazon or Smashwords or your favorite eBook retailer.

Don’t like eBooks? Most of them are available in paperback. Check them out and write a review. I would love to read it.

Good Morning

Good Morning

Woke up this morning to a beautiful day. Stepping outside to get the paper, I was astonished on how blue the sky was, how warm the sun felt, warm that is without being oppressive. The atmosphere didn’t feel like it was going to crush me. Believe me, this has been the hottest summer on record and all too often, the temperatures and humidity levels were through the roof. Naturally, walking out today, was a pleasant surprise.

I think I will enjoy my coffee on the deck and take in the beautiful day. Ohhh, that will leave me an opportunity to do a bit of writing. Later, a bit of exercise and activity soaking in the sun.

Speaking of coffee, I was at an Italian restaurant last night and my friend tried to order an espresso for dessert. Guess what? They didn’t offer espresso at all? WTF? Who ever heard of an Italian restaurant without espresso, or cappuccino for that matter. Which brings me to another question. In this revelation, I learned that in Europe, cappuccino is never served after the noon hour? Okay, I understand that around the world, there are cultural differences, but cappuccino is nothing more that espresso with steamed milk. I prefer cappuccino over espresso but I drink both. To me, cappuccino will dull the raw bitterness that can often prevail in espresso. Forgetting the caffeine aspect, cappuccino allows me to sleep better than espresso when consumed at the end of a long day.

What do you think? Is cappuccino okay in the evening?

Until next time, this is Richard Verry, loving the day and my coffee. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday! Tist

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Happy Birthday Tist

Today is the birthday of the new husband of a very close and dear friend. Wishing ‘Tist’ the very best birthday. I look forward to celebrating it with you this evening.

Now watch the picture closely.

Follow the swinging bauble.

It’s going to be a great day!

You’re becoming relaxed.

There you go.

Relax … relax.

Listen to the sound of my voice and think of a pleasant place, a place that is quiet and where you at peace.

Peaceful, isn’t it.

Relax even further. Let your arms rest comfortably on the arm rest. There you go. Feeling relaxed?

Good … now … what’s your pin number.

…

Just kidding. Have a great day, buddy. I’ll see you later.

What’s for Dinner?

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What’s for Dinner?

Without a doubt, after you read ‘The Taste of Honey’, you will know where your next meal comes from. Discover how the human race survives. Envision genuinely enjoying an office meeting. Appreciate & enjoy community sanctioned recreational sex.

Find out what others are saying about this book. Read the reviews on Amazon and on this site. For example, this is what one reader recently wrote, giving the book  four stars.

Once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. I don’t typically read sci-fi but this author keeps you reading from one steamy chapter to the next. I like reading a book where I can follow the storyline easily and this is one of those books. Perhaps another Stephen King in the making?

Do you agree with the review? Write your own. I would love to read it.

Club Lothario

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Club Lothario
How did you come up with the name Club Lothario?

When I wrote the first book, ‘The Taste of Honey’, I did not have a name for the club. I simply referred to it as ‘The Club’. In the first book, it was simply a vehicle to support a couple of scenes I wanted to write outside of a house. For the second book, ‘Broken Steele’, I decided the club was going to take on a larger part in the stories. I needed a vehicle to foster conflict as well as resolution. I needed a place estate masters could go to argue issues, meet in private and coördinate effort for the community. I needed a champion for Mona, separate from Master Charles. The Club needed a name.

Director’s Office at Club Lothario

I thought long and hard about naming it. I wanted the name to reflect its reason for existence. Why it was a factor in the stories and why it was important to the community. So I started researching names. Eventually, I stumbled upon the word ‘Lothario’. I had never heard of it before but I was intrigued. I looked deeper into the origins of the word.

Synonyms for the word include: Casanova, Charmer, Don Juan, Giglio, Heartbreaker, Ladies’ man, Lady-killer, Letcher, Libertine, Lover, Philanderer, Rake, Romeo, Seducer, Skirt Chaser, Smooth Operator, Stud, and Wolf.

When you read the books, you will realize just how appropriate the word is to the name of the club. Literally, at one time or another, each of these synonyms is appropriate to the function and activities of the club.

Once I found this word, I knew it fit and I wanted to use it. But, before I did, I went back to my research. Had the term been used before. Was there a real Club Lothario out there? I was happy to note, that as of the summer of 2015, I could not find a reference to one anywhere. Perfect. Done deal.

The club was now called ‘Club Lothario’. Come on by and have a drink!

Excerpts

This article represents excerpts from an interview I gave some months ago. The question explored dealt with the ‘Club Lothario’, a vehicle I invented to explain the management of Mona’s community. This is the second of two parts. Feel free to comment on the link at the bottom. I welcome your insights and opinions.

Club Lothario, what is that?

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Club Lothario, what is that?
Ahhh … Club Lothario is one of my favorite inventions for Mona’s culture. With so many women, I decided that men needed somewhere they could go to hang out apart from women but could still interact with them as desired.

Think of Club Lothario as a mix between a men’s social membership club, civic center, strip club, high-end restaurant, and private meeting-house. It supplies solitude from the stresses of maintaining an estate. It offers relaxation, socialization and nourishment to its members. Various calming services are offered, including sexual intimacy to solitude from the everyday responsibilities. This is my concept of Club Lothario.

One of the lounge rooms at Club Lothario

Club Lothario is, in fact, just another house estate. It has an owner, called the Director or Chairman by the houses or Master by the members of the house. It is run much like any other house. It maintains, nourishes and supplies all the basic necessities to its inhabitants.

The difference is how it contributes to the community. Where one house runs the conversion processing center and another runs the breeding center, and still another runs the training center, and another, a medical center, and so on; Club Lothario acts as hosts to the monthly community celebrations, it provides coördinated direction among all of the houses and a place of respite for the weary.

As a civic center, it provides a seat to allow estate masters to democratically resolves problems and issues involving the entire community. Each estate has one vote to cast when it comes to policies or procedure changes, dealing with environmental changes.

The Director of Club Lothario is an elected position. Typically, once voted in, they hold the position indefinitely. The Director can only be ousted by a no-confidence vote by 75% of the estate masters. The Director is the only individual who can enact the transfer of ownership of a house to another owner. The Club Lothario Director is a powerful position within the community.

Generally speaking, though, the club is more of a social gathering place than a civic center. When one goes out on the town, they come here. Let’s not forget the community celebrations they host, filled with revelry, games, competition, and public sex well into the night.

Excerpts

This article represents excerpts from an interview I gave some months ago. The question explored dealt with the ‘Club Lothario’, a vehicle I invented to explain the management of Mona’s community. This is the first of two parts. Feel free to comment on the link at the bottom. I welcome your insights and opinions.

Community Games

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Community Games

The Olympic Games are here and already, they are half way done. Medals have been given with the winners standing on the podiums to receive their accolades and hear their national anthems. I must admit, I’ve been watching. Swimming, gymnastics, soccer (football), and rugby are just some of the sports I’ve watched.

I’m fascinated with the games. They only happen every four years and for most of the sports, it is their only place to shine before the world. Forget basketball, golf and tennis. The athletes who participate in these sports have somewhere to go after the games and earn a living playing their sport.

What about archery, Track and Field, Handball, and Field Hockey? Let’s not forget swimming and gymnastics after all. Where do these athletes go after the games. Is there such a thing as a professional field hockey league? How about a professional archery league, or any of them. Nope. The only way they can make a living and still play in their sport is through endorsements. If you’re lucky enough to someone to sign on and endorse you.

As I was thinking about the Olympic Games, I couldn’t help but compare them to the games that are routinely played at the Community Celebrations in the ‘Mona Bendarova Adventures’. Set in a post-apocalyptic world millennia in the future, Mona’s community knows the value of competing in games. The difference of course is the her games are decided not on wins and losses but life and death. Winners live, losers don’t. It’s that simple.

As I think about the games, I can’t help be relate them to the real life gladiatorial games of the roman era or the fictional games brought to life in ‘The Hunger Games’. Contestants fought to win and stay alive. Most failed and died on the field of play. The same is true in Mona’s world. Who would have thought that dance competitions were waged with a noose around one’s neck and the winner is the sole survivor. Many stories in the past have hosted hunting games, where the prey are people. In Mona’s world, they too have a similar hunt, only the prey are released arms bound and naked knowing full well that they will not survive.

Yet, why do they do it? To continue to comparison, in Mona’s world instead of country competing between country, it’s house estates against other house estates. They compete for the honor it will bring their house, where their family lives. They also know that their deaths will not be wasted. Their bodies will be converted to feed their families. It is the way of things in her world and they all accept it as a natural order of things.

Really though? Why do they willingly go off and compete in these games? I’ll tell you. It’s a far better fate than being one of thousands, transported to a conversion procession center that is no different from a slaughterhouse. At least this way, they can use every means possible to win and survive. Afterall, it is possible to win and survive. Just ask Julie in ‘Broken Steele’. She wins her dance competition. Which means, she lives to see tomorrow and feast upon the meat of her competitors. Now that’s a gold medal in of itself.

Thank you

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Thank you

A new fantastic review of ‘The Taste of Honey’ appeared on Amazon the other day. Thank you Reenie K for your comments. I do appreciate them. BTW, I hope your prophecy comes true. Wouldn’t that be something. Gotta keep writing, that’s all there is to it.

I also want to thank all of my readers out there who continue to buy my books. It’s really nice to see the sales charts documenting all of the hits. What’s really cool is to see the numbers not just from Amazon but the other eBook retailers out there, including Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo to name a few. Thank you to each and everyone of you.

Thanks too to my loving girlfriend and partner in crime. She puts up with a lot to help me get these posts and stories out. I have two projects going at once and sometimes, I hole up in my office writing, leaving her to wander the rest of the house doing who knows what.

After months of little rain, we finally experienced significant rain as well as a few thunderstorms over the last couple of days. It is a welcome relief. I love my thunderstorms. Every chance I get, I sit in the safety of my garage and watch the light show around me as the wind drives bullet sized rain onto the ground. Weather wise, I love living in the northeast U.S. Our weather is mild compared to the rest of the country yet diverse enough that I am never bored.

Finally, a quick report. A month ago tomorrow, as many of you know, I suffered a severe concussion. I saw a galaxy of stars in that moment. While I am progressing, I am still not past it yet. Constant headaches, fatigue and short term memory loss are still an issue. I am back to work, though on half days. That’s good. I need the job to support my writing. I see Doc again this week and I can’t help wonder what will come out the other side. Crossing my fingers.

It’s been a good week overall and I am looking forward to the coming weeks ahead. How about you? Are you in a good space? Either way, feel free to comment. I look forward to reading them. I am Richard Verry, reporting to you from my home office, drinking my first cup of coffee. Delish.