Sean Erik's Blog

Angel’s Kiss Cover Reveal!

Life has been so crazy lately. Between work, school, home life, oh yeah, this whole Covid thing, I’ve fallen behind on more than a few project schedules. Still, I’ve been pushing forward and I have some exciting news! Angel’s Kiss is going to be released soon.

How soon you ask? June 14th. I’m going through the manuscript to double-check everything but I’m at the point that I can’t stare at it anymore. Time to push it out of the nest and watch it fly.

What does that mean? I’m going to be marketing Angel’s Kiss with some ads and I hope y’all order a copy. I’m going digital-only right now, but if there is a demand I’ll setup for physical copies.

I’m going to have a special run on No Soul, No Service as well. If you haven’t picked up a soon will be the perfect time to. More info to come.

What’s that I hear? Why am I blathering on still? You want to see the cover? Here it is!

I can’t thank my wife enough for creating this for me.

2020 has been a helluva year so far, but I am excited to finish this, and get back to work on Hair of the Dog!

My two favorite characters from Babylon 5

One of the shows most influential to my development as a writer is Babylon 5. It came out in the early ’90s and was so different than other sci-fi shows of the time. It had morally gray characters, an epic storyline, and for the time great visual FX.

The characters were well written and believable. They grew throughout the shows run, none being the same when they started. The series pushed the envelope and due to some issues with the possibility of no fifth season had two seasons worth of material crammed into one to ensure most of the major and relevant plot points were wrapped up.

My two favorite characters would have go be G’kar and Londo Molari, the diplomats from the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic, respectively. Both are scheming hustlers with a deep sense of patriotism to their homeworlds. G’kar is the ambitious and conniving Narn who seeks to expand his home’s sphere of influence. Londo is an old, washed up, drunkard remembering the bygone era of the Republic. When we first meet Londo he’s drinking, gambling and staring at the dancing girls, looking for what little pleasures he can still get.

Be Careful What you Wish For

Londo and G’kar, in my opinion, have the most character development of anyone else in the show. They, more than anyone else, change the most by the end of the show. Both seek great things for their people, wanting them to prosper and increase their hold on power. Ironically both get exactly what they want only to find that the cost of power can be damning.

A meeting with Mr. Morden sets things in motion. He asks Londo what he wants. Londo brushes him off but after enough pestering, he answers.

” All right. Fine! You really want to know what I want? You really want to know the truth? I want my people to reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy. I want to see the Centauri stretch forth their hand again, and command the stars! I-I want a rebirth of glory, a renaissance of power. I want to stop running through my life like a man late for an appointment, afraid to- to look back, or to look forward. I want us to be what we used to BE! I want…I want it all back, the way that it was! Does that answer your question? “

This satisfies Morden who now seeks to help Londo. Ultimately Londo gets everything he wants. The Centari Republic returns to power, becoming a lion of the galaxy. His status in the court rises. The Republic is no longer looked down upon as trinket sellers and the legacy of a bygone era.

By making such a Faustian bargain with Morden Londo learns the cost of power and it destroys him ultimately.

G’kar wants revenge for the occupation of his homeworld by the Centari. He wants to make them pay, to watch their planet burn, to have every Centari wiped out. He wants war to show the power of the mighty Narn war machine. Everything he hated about the Centari the Narn had become. Aggressive, power-hungry, and seeking more territory. He got his wish.

What G’kar didn’t realize was that the Centari had the backing of the Shadows. The great Narn fleet was destroyed and his beloved homeworld lay sieged and bombarded from orbit. His deepest fear happened. The Centari returned and enslaved his world again. The Centari also learned from their previous occupation. It was brutal and bloody.

G’kar over the course of the show learned that to be a leader is more than strength and a love of your cause. You have to be willing to sacrifice to win. He had to be humble, swallow your pride, and play the long game.

Once Narn was free he resisted the calls to invade the Centari Republic. He ignored the call for him to become the supreme leader. G’kar learned the hard way the cost of power.

Londo rose to the height of the Republic and became emperor. He learned that he had all the power but no ability to do anything. He was trapped in a gilded cage and forced to watch the results of his bargain, the destruction of his homeworld.

If you have never seen Babylon 5 it is streaming on Amazon. I’d give it a go. There are some fantastic episodes, some of the best writing, and epic stories. It is one of my all-time favorite shows and I still watch it every few years.

If you have watched Babylon 5 let me know your favorite character and what you love about the show.

My thoughts on STAR WARS

A little warning – will be a rambling post.

I’ve been a Star Wars fan since the first time I saw the original. The Blockade Runner screaming by with the Star Destroyer giving chase is still a powerful image for me. Star Wars has been a big part of my life ever since. The original trilogy is still my favorite time period, the Rebellion Era.

I discovered West End Game’s Star Wars RPG and couldn’t believe the depth of information they created, especially just from the basic set pictures or production art.

The novels that followed were a mixed bag. For every Heir to the Empire you had a Truce at Bakura or Crystal Star. I lost complete interest after Vector Prime, not because of what happened but because I hated the Yuuzhan Vong. They didn’t feel like Star Wars to me. I’ll admit I didn’t read any of the however many dozens of novels that came during that period. But I will say I didn’t attack any of the writers or even the people who DID enjoy that massive arc.

Star Wars is different things to different people. It ranges from space monks with laser swords dueling to World War II air battles but in space. A lot of us will also base our opinions on when we first experienced Star Wars as well. As I said the Rebellion Era is my favorite. The Rebels fighting the Empire. Luke, Han, Leia, Vader, all of it. This is the case for my generation.

There is a whole generation that Star Wars is the prequels and the Clone Wars. Anakin Skywalker, (young) Obi-Wan, Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, Darth Sideous, General Grievous. That is the Star Wars they watched and enjoyed.

We now have a generation that Star Wars is Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, and BB8.

I have enjoyed all the Star Wars movies, some more than others. None are perfect. I am very much glad of the ability to push fast-forward to skip over some of the less than stellar dialog that has come out. As of the writing of this post I have not seen the Rise of Skywalker. I have no doubt I will enjoy it.

Having said all of this I’m ready for the Skywalker saga to be over. For over forty years, nine movies, one cartoon series, and countless books and comic books we’ve been centered on the Skywalkers. The galaxy is a big place with so many other stories to tell. Let the Skywalker legacy rest and let’s move onto new characters.

I think my favorite Legends stories were the Rogue Squadron series. They were centered around Wedge Antilles and had minimal mention of the holy characters. It also showed you could tell compelling stories that didn’t involve Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, or the Force.

Did I like what JJ and Rian did with Luke? Yes, but. I found that particular arc more compelling than the super Jedi that could do everything as he was in the comics and Legends. I know, I know, sacrilege. The argument is that Luke was so hopeful that he brought his father back from the Dark Side. He didn’t give up.

Luke was young and idealistic. How many of us were young and idealistic, not giving up, only to have life beat us down. Skywalker started a new Jedi academy, with little to no actual information other than what Yoda and Obi-Wan imparted. He was older, more seasoned, and knew so much rested on him. And he failed, spectacularly. His failure doomed his nephew and all the young Jedi he was teaching.

Say what you will but I know a good chunk of us would have done the same thing. And it isn’t outside of the Story narrative of Star Wars. Yoda went to Dagobah basically to die after the fall of the Republic. He wasn’t going to teach Luke originally until Obi-Wan talked him into it. Luke was too old, too rash, too impulsive.

Now, would I have written Luke’s arc if I had been given the task of writing a new Star Wars trilogy? No. But I wasn’t asked. Like or not the new movies are canon. You can always go back to Legends if that is your safe space, but Luke wasn’t that great there either.

The task of carrying on the Star Wars franchise has hit missteps to be sure. But we have gotten some gold out of it. Rogue One is in my top three favorite Star Wars movies. I really enjoyed the Clone Wars cartoon and LOVE Rebels. I’m not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater and I’m not going to let all the nay-sayers ruin my love for Star Wars.

If you didn’t like the new movies, great. If you did like the new movies great. Don’t go attacking each other, calling names. No one’s childhood was ruined by the Prequels or the new trilogy. If your childhood was ruined by these then you really should seek professional help.

I’m looking forward to new stories in that Galaxy Far, Far Away. The Mandalorian has become must-see TV. I’m blazing through Rebels now and then will move onto Resistance. There are so many great stories waiting to be told. Don’t let the past ruin your future.

My Endgame Theories

Avengers Endgame is almost here. I can’t believe that it’s been a whole year. We were left with the ultimate cliffhanger. I’m so excited and like most geeks and nerds have been obsessing about what exactly going to happen.

SPOILER ALERT

If you haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity War you should probably stop reading and watch it. You have been warned.

When we last left our intrepid heroes . . .

At the end of Infinity War we had The Snap. Thanos won and ended up wiping out half of the universe. Boom. A lot of heroes we know and love were simply dusted. So what are my theories to what happened to those who vanished and who remained?

For the record, this is all pure speculation. I’ve done my best to avoid spoilers and will be going into the movie cold, or as cold as possible. What I present are my thoughts and ideas. I wanted to get them down and published to see how close or wildly off base I am.

The Dusted

I think they are dead. Truly dead. How do they come back? There will be some time travelling shenanigans and the Battle of Wakanda will happen again. This time Thanos will not be given the chance to snap.

The Originals

Captain America – he’s a goner. Chris Evans won’t be returning. Steve Rogers has been trying to make the ultimate sacrifice since The First Avenger. He’s finally getting to do it and will go out like a hero.

Who will pick up the shield? My two picks are Bucky or Falcon.

Bucky is Cap’s oldest friend going back to the 40’s. When the whole world wanted him dead the only man who went to bat for him was Rogers. I could see him picking up the Shield to continue Rogers legacy and to honor him.

Falcon is Rogers next closest friend. He’s a former soldier, a super hero in his own right, and a believer in everything Rogers stands for. I can totally see him picking up the shield and becoming the next Captain America.

Rumor has it John Cena wants to be the next Captain America. He might play Captain America but he will never be Steve Rogers.

Iron Man –   Tony lives. The foreshadowing of his dreams of having a child with Pepper is too good. I think when it’s over he hangs up the ARC reactor and the Iron Man suits for good. He steps down and helps Pepper run Stark Industries or he fills Fury’s position as Director of SHIELD.

Thor – Thor lives and takes on the role of king. His father is dead. His mother is dead. His brother (adopted) is dead. His planet is destroyed. His people, those who survived, are scattered. They will need strong leadership. Thor matured greatly in Ragnarok. I can see him taking the throne and be the leader his people need.

Bruce Banner/ The Hulk – The big green guy is going to turn Grey. I think they’ll change him to the grey hulk and give him more intelligence instead of the rampaging green monster. I don’t think they kill him off but he evolves. This also in light of the fact that the Hulk, refused to come out and play at all after his first encounter with Thanos.

The Black Widow –if we’ve learned anything about Natasha Romanov she’s a survivor. That and she has a movie coming up. Unless they plan to make an origin movie she lives.

Hawkeye – I have enjoyed Clint but I think he’s going down. He didn’t have much of a role in the first Avenger’s movie, had a bigger one in Age of Ultron, and didn’t appear in Infinity War except by name.

Nick Fury – Fury has shown up in the trailer for Far From Home. So either he does survive or Far From Home is set between the events of Homecoming and Infinity War. My gut says it’s Post Snap, but we’ll see.

The New Guys and Gals

Falcon – Despite being Dusted Falcon is going to live.

The Winter Soldier – Bucky comes back and caries on Cap’s legacy.

War Machine – I think Colonel Rhodes survives the fight. With Tony stepping down he steps in to fill the role of Iron Man.

The Scarlet Witch – Wanda comes back and helps rebuild the Avengers

Vision – he comes back but evolves without the Mind Stone

Doctor Strange – he’s got another movie coming up. Survivor.

Spider-Man – “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good,” still hurts to watch.

Every.

Damn.

Time.

Far From Home is coming out this Summer. Marvel has been coy about when it’s set. I don’t see Marvel or Sony letting Tom Holland out of their grasps just yet. Sure it would be a great way to segway into Miles Morales or another Web-Head, but I think we’ll get a few more pics with Holland before that happens.

Black Panther – Marvel took a 2rd tier character and produced a billion dollar movie. Yeah, there is no way he won’t be coming back unless Chadwick Boseman does something so heinous The Mouse has no choice but to cut him loose.

Captain Marvel – Yeah, another billion dollar movie? She survives.

Ant-Man – I don’t know if we’ll get an Ant-Man part 3 but I could totally see Paul Rudd continuing as an Avenger. He lives.

The Guardians of the Galaxy

If you had asked me a few months ago I would say they would all end up dying. With James Gunn termed by Disney and the amount of noise the cast made about it they would come back only to be killed off.

James Gunn is back with the Mouse and I can see the whole crew making it through. Except for the utter irony that Drax also dies while taking down Thanos, since Dave Bautista was the most vocal about Gunn’s firing and not wanting to work out his contract.

I’m unsure how they will bring Gamora back, but I suspect it’ll be using one or more of the Infinity Stones.

That’s it!

The one thing I’d LOVE to see? Deadpool showing up at the battle in Wakanda and trying to set Steve Rogers on fire yelling “flame on, flame on!”

So there are my theories. Pure, wild, unadulterated speculation. What are your thoughts? Did I miss anyone? I’m curious to see how badly I get these wrong haha!

Out with the old – in with 2019 – Happy New Year!

It’s the final post of 2018.  As this year comes to a close writing wise I had a pretty good year.  I published my first novel – No Soul, No Service. I even sold a few copies. Someone purchased a physical copy and I got to sign it. It was weird and surreal, and pretty damn cool.

2019 is going to be a good year. I’m going to put out Angel’s Kiss hopefully Q1. I’m going to revise and rerelase No Soul with it updated, cleaned up, and a more solid product.  I’m going to work on book 3 and the other books on the docket.

I’m also going to try and post more frequently.  If anyone has a topic please hit me up.

For this post I’m going to talk about my process of revision. It’s by no means complete as I’m constantly refining and updating it.

After I finish my initial draft I like to let it sit for a week or two. This allows me to put some distance from it. When I come back I’ll have fresher eyes. Things that I thought were gold (well maybe silver or copper, bronze perhaps) lose their luster. I can generally polish and clean those things up.

I’ll go through an initial read and make notes. Things that were clear to me when I wrote it are usually less so. That allows me to go in and clarify.  I’ll also look for plot holes that I initially missed or plan to update things to tighten the story.  Case in point – I made a big deal about West getting something and the way he got it, yet after the first read through it was more filler than anything. I needed to give it some weight, some meaning if I’m going to give that many words to it.

This led to a chapter I had to sketch out and write to give that thing some more meaning. That led to another chapter to follow up and close that circle. So far I’m pleased with both chapters. I feel that they do add to the story making it stronger.

Another big thing I’ve started to look at is over used words. We all have our own idiosyncrasies when it comes to writing. Words and phrases we really like. Those can be good for flavor, to give the piece a more personal feel. When you use a program like ProWritingAid you discover quickly how many times you use some words.  It can be painful. Take heart, however! It’s a draft and you can go in and fix this.

That’s about all I have the brainpower for right now. How about y’all? What tips do you have for editing or revising? What topics would you like to see in the future?  would anyone like to be a guest poster on my blog? Comment below or hit me up on Social Media.

Happy New Year and I’ll see you on the flipside.

 

Holy cow – an Update! Or Operation Remove About to, Seemed to, etc

I know, I know, my first update in a while. Shame on me. Truth be told my life got way busier than I expected. For those who don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook (shame on you!), I’ve gone back to school. Nothing writing related, but Cloud Management, because money.  I’m going through an online University which basically means I move at my pace. The sooner I finish the sooner I can get a better job, yadda yadda yadda.  So there’s my excuse for the lack of updates.

No Soul, No Service has sold more than I expected it to. I mean, a lot more. I want to thank everyone who bought a copy. If you did please leave a review if you can. Two sentences are better than nothing.

I have managed to get some work on Angel’s Kiss done, however. A friend had commented on some recurrent phrasing in No Soul, No Service. She was polite about it but the point stuck. Things like something “seemed to”, “began to”, “started to” and “suddenly” were WAY too prevalent. So using the magic of “Find” I went through every chapter and eliminated each of those. It probably cut a hundred words and made the story flow better.

That is why I feel it’s important to get feedback on something before you put it out into the world. It’ll give you that much more of a fighting chance once you high the “Publish button” or you are submitting your query letter.

I’m currently finishing up the newest round of revisions then I’m going to put together a better blurb, and see about getting some Beta readers to give it a pass.  I’m going to try and get Angel’s Kiss out by the end of the year, but life happens.

That is it for now. Not much except I need to get back into the habit of a regular post. If anyone has a topic or a question please hit me up.  I have no issue barking like a seal if it helps with interaction with y’all.

I’m a published Author!

It’s official. No Soul, No Service went live last Tuesday. I even got a few sales. I’m still figuring out marketing. That seems to be the biggest thing a lot of new and aspiring authors are trying figure out as well. Still, I’ve got several sales from people I don’t know. With luck they liked it!

It’s an unreal feeling. Exciting, scary, and a sense of accomplishment. I did it. Something I’ve talked about doing for a while and finally can check it off.  The journey has just begun!

I’ve sent Angel’s Kiss off to some Beta Readers. The feedback I’ve gotten has been a bit unpleasant but kind of expected. That’s the idea of the Beta Reader, to go over what you have and find the things you missed and point out issues. Luckily my ego isn’t big enough to be crushed too much and in the end it should make the book better.

I’m in the middle of revising book three. The good news is with some of the Beta feedback for Angel’s Kiss I can try and work some of that into book three, making it a tighter work when it gets ready. I have stories to tell and with luck people will want to read them!

It’s really happening!

So I did a thing last night. It was one of the easiest things I have ever done, and yet one of the most difficult. I created my Amazon KDP page and put up my debut novel – No Soul, No Service up for preorder. It’s all but done, probably a few tweaks here and there but this is it. It’s happening.  Excuse me while I curl up in the fetal position.

I’m very proud of this. It’s been fomenting for a few years and what started as a side project to get my creative juices flowing has turned into a big thing in my life. When I made the decision to become a writer I figured I would be going full-on space opera or epic fantasy, with a cast of dozens spread out over the place.

That all changed when I started brainstorming an urban fantasy short story that was unpolished and unrealized. The more I played in that world the more I put into it and the more it grew. I don’t know where this is going or when the ride is going to end but I’m on it for the long haul.

If you are interested in supporting an indie writer please preorder No Soul, No Service, available June 12th,  and give it a review!

 

The Simpsons Did it!

One of the things that worries and frustrates me is when I come up with an idea, something I feel is totally original, and then discover that someone else has already put it out there. Right now I’m writing Urban Fantasy.  I’m also a late in life Supernatural fan, only really starting to watch within the last year. After binge-watching close to five seasons, I’ve noticed a lot of things that I had written, long before I had started the misadventures of Dean and Sam, that there were a lot of similarities. I’ve been flustered trying to make some changes, not sweeping, but enough to hopefully stem potential accusations that I’ve been ripping off Supernatural. Enter South Park.

Simpsons Already Did It

I was rewatching an old episode( Oddly titled The Simpsons Already Did it)  and the A Plot is Butters, AKA Professor Chaos, coming up with his next diabolical plan to harass the citizens of South Park. His first plot was to block the sun, forcing the people of South Park to live like mole people. The perfect plan – until his trusty sidekick, General Disarray, informs him that the Simpsons had already done it. Every plan that Professor Chaos comes up with is immediately shot down – because the Simpsons already did it.

Butters fragile mind shatters as he discovers that no matter what he wants to do The Simpsons Already Did It. He has a mental breakdown where everyone in the town starts to look like they were drawn from the Simpsons and all they say is “Simpsons Did It.”

The point of this synopsis? As a writer, this is something we all have to deal with. Coming up with an idea and then hoping it doesn’t sound ripped off.  The other point? It’s okay if things are similar. In this day and age, it’s all but impossible to come up with a story that doesn’t have some sort of elements already written, going back to Homer’s the Illiad.  Whether you know it or not things you’ve read, watched, even heard might creep into your work and you don’t even remember the source. Names, situations, and locations might change but overarching themes are timeless. Someone else might have written about what you are writing about – but they aren’t you, and they aren’t your words.  At the end of the day, you can’t let the fear of being accused of copying or stealing someone else’s work stop you. I sat in on a lecture and a famous writer said, in essence, don’t be afraid to file off the serial numbers, but make it your own. And never forget, no matter how original you think you are The Simpsons (Probably) Did it!

Avengers – Infinity War Review (as spoiler free as I can make it)

Just got back from seeing Infinity War. Somehow I avoided most of the major spoilers and despite the numerous trailers, I went into this fairly cold. It was a great movie, fast paced, lots of great scenes and the characters. So. Many. Characters. If I was going to pick a word to describe it, though, it would be brutal.

AIW has been ten years and eighteen movies in the making. To me, it sure paid off. The Russo Brothers did an amazing job of using almost every MCU hero and giving them screen time. Somehow they juggled all the characters, set pieces, and locations and made it look all but seamless. Sure the movie was over two and a half hours long but to be honest I didn’t notice it. If anything it reached the end and I was – wait where the rest?

The movie didn’t pull any punches. It was violent, and not all of it was cartoony or comic-booky violence. It did a great job of tugging at the heartstrings. It had well-placed humor, not the extensive use of it from Thor Ragnarok.

The movie also did a great job of giving Thanos some real character. There is a motive to why he’s doing what he’s doing. He bears a heavy burden for what he feels must be done. Josh Brolin is fantastic as Thanos and despite the CGI he sells every scene.

I can’t go into too much right now but I’d be happy to discuss this more privately for musings.

All in all, I’d give Avengers Infinity War an A-.