Ethan Hunt's Blog, page 2

Chapter 8: Checkup

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 8: Checkup

Prologue

This might be the shortest chapter in the book, and almost doesn't merit a blog post. But, I am here to entertain you, so not only do you get another bonus song this week, but I'll spend a little time on what the book launch has been like, plus some upcoming events.

First, the checkup

I could actually see a professional writer cutting this chapter from the book. It is short, and doesn't move the story foreword by a huge step. It serves a couple small purposes though: expands on the relationship forming between Dustin and Melissa, and adds some legitimacy to the recovery time for the dog.

Writing is a funny thing, because you think you have a story, and then you realize you're going to have to research all kinds of weird stuff...like the recovery time for a dog with a broken bone. Or whether they even had MRI machines in vet offices in the early to mid-nineties.

In this case, I realized I would have to pace the story according to a realistic timeline for healing a dog's broken leg. Fortunately, I didn't have to reset the entire story timeline due to this. I always intended for it to center on the rough timing of summer vacation in the United States, and this is enough to cover dog recovery time.

Anyway, back to the relationship thing. I'll always wonder if readers' are disappointed in the story of Dustin and Melissa's relationship in the book. In this chapter, we get our first indication that Melissa may have been thinking about Dustin as something more than a customer.

When I was growing up, I remember my best friend's dad, who was a carpenter, explaining to me why he didn't wear his wedding ring like my dad did. The job was just too dangerous to have jewelry on. As with a number of things in the story, I took this learning, and my time actually working construction with my friend and his dad, and used it in the book.

Dustin not wearing a wedding ring because of his trade gave me a perfect opening for Melissa to think he is single.

The old cliché is, "write what you know." Well, I learned just enough about construction as a teenager to not look like an idiot writing about it in this book. I didn't need to do much research on that aspect of the story.

Bonus Song

Well, No major songs influenced my writing in this chapter, but I do have a great song to share.

Later in the book, I'll feature an amazing song by a band named Fuel. I won't tell you what it is yet, as it gives something away about the plot. From the same album though, they have a great song called Song for You. This is your bonus song for the week. I hope you're all enjoying the soundtrack so far!

Self Publishing a Book

Well, you ever hear the saying, "you made your bed, now you have to sleep in it"? Or something like that...?

This is the journey of a self-published author. I am the marketing department, the social media expert, graphic designer, advertising specialist, publicist, finance (this department is not happy right now), agent, and on and on and on.

If I had to pick one reason why I self-published instead of trying to get signed by a publisher or agent, it is impatience. I was compelled to push my story out to the world, and I didn't want to wait for others to see the value in it. Believe it or not, it can take years to have your book published through traditional means, regardless of how good it is.

Additionally, from everything I've read, even when a publisher picks you up, you're still the main avenue for marketing. If I have to do that bit anyway, why not own the entire process? Well, career, family, home...these things tend to get in the way of spending countless hours online trying to scratch out sales.

Anyway, I can now see that I'll have to scratch and claw for every single book sale. This is okay, as I have the long term in mind. I've also heard that the more books you publish, the more your back catalogue sells...so now I'm motivated to write the next book!

Event Ideas

I am thinking about a local book signing event here in Sonoma County. There's a local book store downtown, and right around the corner is Mutt Lynch winery's tasting room. They are very active in animal rescue fundraising.

I think it would be fun to have a book signing, and people can meander around the corner for a wine tasting. Maybe some raffles and such to raise funds for the Paws for Love foundation?

What do you all think? Let me know in the Comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Until next time, see you at the movies.

Soundtrack (thus far): Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis Calling Yesterday - The Nixons Down - Stone Temple Pilots Hand Me Down - Matchbox Twenty Work Out Better - Rusty So I Need You - Three Doors Down Don't be Long - The Tories If I Run - Semisonic Follow - Semisonic Bonus Track: Happy - The Tories Bonus Track: Song for You - Fuel

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give: Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 7: Not Today

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 7: Not Today

Tinker Part 2

After some setup, we dive right into Damon snooping around an old shed on the property. This time, he's looking for rope to make a leash for Hope. Again, Damon is immediately drawn to the shack full of tools and junk. One inspiration for this was my great grandparents' farm sheds in Gilroy, CA when I was growing up.

I can still smell the dust, rust, and oil from the garden outside, the tools in the shed, and the dirt under my feet. I can see the specks of light peaking through the dilapidated barn wood. I tried to capture this for the reader in this part of the story.

A reviewer of my book recently wrote:

"Gone to the Movies is a journey through a simpler time. A time of bike rides and stray dogs and rope leashes and drive-in movie theaters."

This is definitely what I was going for with the story. People can take their experiences as a kid, and put themselves in Damon's shoes. They can take their experiences as an adult/parent, and put themselves in Dustin or Holly's shoes. Same thing for older people or widows with Dora.

In this case, the reviewer remembers sifting through their grandad's tools, or riding their bike around their childhood neighborhood, and they feel something. It is a great feeling of when life was less complicated. I love the sub-scene of Damon realizing the dog is no longer there next to him. He is just a boy lost in the new world he'd discovered inside this shed full of junk.

If I Run

This was one of my favorite chapters to write, because this is the first time that the reader gets a look inside Hope the dog's feelings. She feels a pull toward some place she thinks of as home, and while the reader can assume it is the drive-in, we don't really know where she wants to go.

This made me think of another Semisonic song, If I Run. The song is possibly my favorite from the Great Divide album, and although it is clearly about going on the road as a band, I think it fits nicely into the soundtrack here.

Well I know it'll be alright if I just get on the road,

If I run, I can free my worried mind,

Yeah I know on the day I die I will lose my heavy load,

But I wouldn't want to leave you behind.

- Semisonic, If I Run

Meanwhile, later in the chapter, I mirror Hope's feelings in Dustin as he tries to decide if it is the right time to reach out to his wife, Holly. A careful reader will notice both characters being drawn toward their version of home, but they just don't have it in them to head in that direction on this day.

I use a similar repetitive device in later chapters of the book...come back and drop a Comment here, or on Twitter/Facebook if you can spot it!

A boy and his dog

Hope essentially makes a decision in this chapter to give Damon a chance. Yes, she's injured and can't run, but she's also feeling the love of the boy, and this partly causes her to stay. This made me think of another Semisonic song named Follow.

Take me wherever you go,

Help me forget tomorrow,

Love me your best and I know,

All of the rest will follow,

Love me as well as you know,

And everything else will follow.

- Semisonic, Follow

A super-fun thing happened after I released the book. I was planning out this blog, and while looking into all of these bands, Semisonic posted a video on their Facebook page. It is Dan Wilson playing an acoustic version of Follow! Check it out.

It might be my favorite song on the album, and to have him drop an acoustic version out of nowhere was pretty cool.

Back to our previously scheduled programming

OK...one last thought about what this story would be like as a movie. I didn't write this scene into the book, but I've always envisioned a music montage of Damon playing with the dog, giving it a bath, and learning how to care for it. You know...the classic borderline music video in the middle of the movie, showing how much fun and bonding the boy is experiencing with the dog.

This doesn't make sense in a book, but I'll definitely learn how to write something like this into the manuscript. In any case, a song by The Tories jumped to mind. It is named Happy. The lyrics don't really match anything particular happening in the story, but it's a fun upbeat song...and you get it as a bonus this week!

Enjoy, and see you next time at the movies.

Soundtrack (thus far): Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis Calling Yesterday - The Nixons Down - Stone Temple Pilots Hand Me Down - Matchbox Twenty Work Out Better - Rusty So I Need You - Three Doors Down Don't be Long - The Tories If I Run - Semisonic Follow - Semisonic Bonus Track: Happy - The Tories

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give: Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 6: Junk

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 6: Junk

We interrupt this program...

This is a relatively short chapter, so I am taking a moment to check-in with you all. How do you like the blog so far? What would you like to read more of? Did you read the entire book already, or are you trying one chapter a week with me as I post the blog?

Everyone is so busy these days. It is very difficult to get someone to take a few minutes and drop a comment or even click a 'like' button. I truly love the feedback though, and I love writing about my story. So please, don't be shy! Drop a Comment or Like below, hit me up on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads too!

Your feedback matters, and I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.

More deep cuts

Last time, I rambled on about going to concerts, and you may remember that I mentioned seeing Collective Soul many many times. Another great opening band I saw at one of their shows is The Tories. The album they were touring for at the time is named "Wonderful Life", and I highly recommend you check it out. I'll come back to the point of this in a bit though.

This chapter begins with a short scene of Dustin going to meet with a general contractor about a job. Being that he and Damon are in this new and unfamiliar place, I figure Damon would feel a bit uneasy with his dad leaving him with this old lady stranger (Dora) while he goes interview for a job. Of course, the dog is the reason we assume Damon isn't more worried. He's obviously preoccupied with it.

Even so, the song by The Tories, "Don't be Long" jumped to mind. It's just a sweet little song about attachment. I figure Damon is sitting there with this dog, understanding the need for his father to get a job, but also thinking, "don't be long, dad!"

Being an adoptive father, I had to learn a lot about attachment, and attachment disorders. This also applies to pet adoption. The way creatures, animal and human, will connect with each other to form lifelong bonds is truly amazing. I am sure there are biological and physiological reasons why this happens, but it feels magical to those of us who aren't biologists!

Whether falling in love, becoming attached to a person we've adopted, or bringing a pet into our lives, we're meant to connect. This story, at it's core, is about attachment. Dustin's attachment to his wife is shaken right now. Is it possible he's throwing his attention to Damon and this broken dog to avoid addressing his relationship? Maybe.

Tinker

A small feature of this chapter is Damon's interest in making things. I am pulling this directly from my experiences with my son. He has an incredible talent for sculpting, which is fun for me because I've always been terrible in the visual arts.

He's also taken a liking to making his own costumes. He'll use whatever materials he can find around the house, and make a custom Mandalorian costume or Predator mask. This is very exciting for me as a major comic geek who enjoys comic conventions. The costuming (cosplay) that people do at those events in unbelievable. I hope my son is brave enough to give this a try someday, because it will mean he continues to develop this talent.

The Talk

Again, this is a short chapter, but there is a pivotal scene here where Dustin clumsily tries to explain to Damon why they are separated from his mom. In my initial draft of the story, this was missing. Adding this scene solved two problems:

A gaping plot hole where Dustin never talks to Damon about this, even though I foreshadow it in the first chapter. I needed Dora to have more interaction with Dustin where her wisdom helps guide him.

What is also interesting about this scene is that writing it caused me to change the name of Dustin's wife, Holly. Originally, she was named Hope, but my editor suggested the dog and the mom having the same name might be confusing for readers. I agreed, and made the switch, but wanted to maintain the dog's name as Hope.

A silly side note: with this name change, Dustin's wife is now named Holly Hope Harris. Of course this makes her Triple-H! Shout-out to all you pro-wrestling fans out there! LOL

And with that, this blog post is done. Only one song, but I hope these last two posts have led you to some obscure bands and songs you wouldn't otherwise know about.

See you next week at the movies.

Soundtrack (thus far): Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis Calling Yesterday - The Nixons Down - Stone Temple Pilots Hand Me Down - Matchbox Twenty Work Out Better - Rusty So I Need You - Three Doors Down Don't be Long - The Tories

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give: Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 5: Home

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 5: Home

Gone to the...Concerts?

The chapter I am covering in this post has two purposes: reveal to the reader that the dog is sick, and then get the dog home with Dustin and Damon. Because of this, there are really only two scenes, one at home, and then one at the veterinary clinic.

While writing this book, scene changes were one of the things that would trigger an idea for a soundtrack song. A bit like the connecting music in a movie that helps a viewer transition from one scene to another. Fewer scenes in this chapter means I only have a couple of songs to mention.

Thinking about one of the songs reminded me of going to concerts in the nineties. My first ever concert was Danzig. Writing those words gives me a chuckle. But, to this day, I still love listening to those guys.

I also recently rediscovered a band that opened for them at that show: Type O Negative. They are a very complex goth rock band (I guess), and if you're into that sort of thing, definitely go check them out. Let me know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter!

I saw Danzig and Type O at the Wilson Theater in Fresno, CA. Ironically, and almost comedically, the Wilson theater has since become a church. I was very sad when they stopped having concerts here, but I'll always laugh at the idea that I watched "devil music" being played live in what is now a church! I saw Bad Religion there too...which is icing on that particular funny-cake.

The one band I've watched live more than any other is Collective Soul. They are one of my top 5 favorite music artists from any genre, and are absolutely a staple of nineties music. Many don't know their name, but instantly recognize their songs Shine, December, Gel, and The World I Know. And actually, little known fact, they have more number one Mainstream Rock hits during the nineties than any other band (my wife hates when I drop this knowledge on people - Hi Colleen ). This is amazing considering they were up against Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica, and Matchbox Twenty.

Sheesh...get to the point, man!

Shockingly, I don't have a single Collective Soul song planned for this playlist! I do, however, have a song from a band I saw open for them. It must have been '95 or '96, because Collective Soul was touring for their self-titled album that released in '95. An obscure band from Canada named Rusty opened for them.

Something about these guys stuck with me, and I tracked down their CD at Warehouse or Tower Records, as one did in those days, and I've been a fan ever since. Again, while writing this, I discovered that they released their first album in 20 years in 2019! If you like slightly grungy 90's rock that isn't overly stylized, check them out on Spotify.

Anyway, the song that jumped to mind when Dustin decides to bring the dog home is Work out Better, from their second album, Sophomoric.

Save her, please don't let her down

I love her, please don't let her down

Hold her, the pressure gets her down

I told her, you can't let it get you down

Things will work out Betty, but you are gonna have to try

Things will work out Betty, but you are gonna have to try

- Rusty, Work Out Better

Now...I got these lyrics off the internet, and then immediately noticed that they say "Betty" instead of "Better". This doesn't match the title of the song, obviously. So, once again, I've been singing a song incorrectly while driving in my car for the last two decades. Oh well. The lyrics still fit, overall.

I was thinking about Melissa's feelings in this scene, when Dustin decides to take the dog. She just met this guy, and has no idea how committed he is to ensuring this dog's health and safety. Again, her history of loving and losing animals creeps up for her. She's really hoping that for this dog, things will...work out better.

So I Need You

Another song I chose for this chapter is from a band that is much more well known. So I Need You is a fun song from Three Doors Down that I've always liked. I can't tell if the song is about a girlfriend or a maybe a daughter, but it very closely correlates to Dustin's feelings in this chapter. He keeps having internal monologues about how Damon needs this dog as a companion and a distraction. The playlist also needs something upbeat inserted right here.

We'll find out as we read, however, that Dustin needs the dog too. It is another instance of him looking for things to fix outside of his self, perhaps to procrastinate working on his own feelings about his marriage. We don't always know why our heart tugs us in certain directions, but Dustin clearly goes with his gut in saving this dog, and doesn't realize it is as much about him as it is about the dog and Damon.

Thank You

No, I am not putting the Alanis Morrissette song in here. If you've made it this far, however, then I know I haven't yet bored you to death. Major thanks to all of you who bought ,the book, read it, and are giving the blog a chance! I am having fun with it, and I hope you are too.

Soundtrack (thus far): Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis Calling Yesterday - The Nixons Down - Stone Temple Pilots Hand Me Down - Matchbox Twenty Work Out Better - Rusty So I Need You - Three Doors Down

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give: Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 4: New

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 4: New

Oh, the places you'll go

I haven't yet written about some of the places that influenced my descriptions of the town in Gone to the Movies. This chapter picks up right after the action of Chapter 3, but for some reason this is where I take a very short break to describe the town as Dustin drives through it to find the veterinary clinic.

There are two towns that highly influenced my description of the architecture, history, and overall aesthetic of the unnamed town in the book. Those two towns are Gilroy and Ferndale.

Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world, is a California town I grew up visiting frequently because my grandparents lived there. Ferndale, also in California, is a logging town that I love visiting a few hours north of my current home.

Old Downtown Gilroy

Growing up, my grandma helped run an antique store in downtown Gilroy. We could walk from her home to the antique store, and make our usual stops at the baseball card shop, the toy store, and the music store a few doors down from grandma's antique store. It was a classic small-town downtown full of locally owned businesses and surrounded by beautiful period homes.

Unfortunately, I think the arrival of Walmart and the enormous outlet mall was too much for many of the local businesses to sustain. I am sure internet retail and Covid19 have been a final deathblow to a few more. I worry that many towns like Gilroy will lose their character if not for the care of local historical societies and leaders.

As it happens, my uncle is a prominent business owner in Gilroy and serves on the City Council! He's a great community member and good steward of the heart of Gilroy, so I am hopeful that old downtown will live on and find renewed purpose.

The Giant Redwoods

If you've never been to the Avenue of the Giants in northern California, I highly recommend you check it out someday! It is home to the tallest trees in the entire world.

Sadly, the redwoods left are only like 2% of what was originally there. The vast majority of it was logged, but thanks to a few conservationists, there is enough left for people to see some of the true wonders of the world. Some of the trees are thousands of years old. Just imagine if all of it had been cut down to build homes or whatever. Makes me wonder what other ancient wonders have been obliterated by man that we'll never know about.

Anyway, driving north on California State Route 101, after you pass The Avenue of the Giants and the Humboldt Redwoods State Park and head out to the coast, you will arrive at a small town called Ferndale; home town of Guy Fieri!

This is the place I would use to shoot the inevitable (yeah right) Gone to the Movies film. It has this perfectly curated main street, and many of the surrounding homes are amazing. Like many towns of this era, many of the businesses are artisans, antique stores, and restaurants. And, of course, there is a Saloon.

Back to the Soundtrack!

After the action of getting the dog to the vet, Dustin has some moments to process what is happening and learns a few things about the dog. He sees an immediate connection between Damon and the dog. He knows the dog needs help, doesn't apparently have anyone in this world, and maybe it will be a healthy distraction for Damon in their new home.

The song that jumped to mind for me is Hand Me Down by Matchbox Twenty. Come on, you had to know they would be in this soundtrack somewhere! Funny thing, I was not a fan of them in the nineties. They were overplayed, and I lacked the maturity at the time to understand their songs.

Someday they'll find your small town world

On a big town avenue

Gonna make you like the way they talk

When they're talking to you

Gonna make you break out of your shell

'Cause they tell you to

Gonna make you like the way they lie

Better than the truth

They'll tell you everything

You wanted someone else to say

They're gonna break your heart, yeah

- Matchbox Twenty, Hand Me Down

Fast forward to meeting my wife, and she is a huge Matchbox fan. So, through all of the car rides where she picked the music, and seeing them in concert, I have a great appreciation for their music now.

If you think about how Dustin views the dog, and read the above lyrics, it all fits pretty well. This dog has surely had its heart broken in the past, and is fearful of being abandoned again. Dustin, without realizing it, is in search of things to fix; maybe to procrastinate fixing his own relationship? He knows this dog needs something though. Something...lasting. Something permanent.

The Doctor

Another important character introduced in this chapter is Melissa the veterinary doctor. Originally, I thought Melissa would be more of a "broken spirit" type of character, to which the Hand me Down song would also apply. Ultimately, I decided that Dustin needed a more sophisticated, college educated, influence in his life at this time.

She is stable, self-aware, confident, and a little bit country, as a result of growing up in a small town. Dustin doesn't know it yet, but Melissa provides a contrast to Holly that will drive him to wonder about making a different life for himself, in a "grass is always greener" sort of way.

If I ever write a screenplay or a 2.0 version of the book, I would like delve into Melissa's character more. I am very happy with the way she turned out for the story. Only thing is, I have no idea who I would cast as Melissa! Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @ethanhuntwriter or Facebook.

Whew!

So, only one song for this post. I hope you're enjoying the soundtrack as we build it. Hopefully, there are some deep cuts you've never heard before! Next time, the songs are even more obscure...but who cares? This is fun!

Soundtrack (thus far): Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis Calling Yesterday - The Nixons Down - Stone Temple Pilots Hand Me Down - Matchbox Twenty

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give: Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 3: Old

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 3: Old

Great American Pastime

The drive-in movie theater. What an American pastime. I honestly have no idea if other countries have drive-in movie theaters, but for me, they are probably in my top five wholly American things. Cars, Hollywood, and community combine for a powerful institution, and I hope we always have them around.

I remember my first trip to the drive-in. I was fortunate enough to grow up with a best friend living right down the street. His dad was a construction worker, and I always thought that was so cool. He had a great work truck with tons of compartments on the sides and a lumber rack over the truck bed that we would hang from like a jungle gym.

Anyway, they took me to the drive-in theater for the first time. I don't remember what movie we went to see (although it may have been Temple of Doom...1984...I would have been about 6 years old), but I do remember that we took couch cushions from my buddy's house and sat on them in the back of the truck. You'll see references to all of this at various points in the book. Shout out to the Webb family for giving me these experiences as a kid!

In this chapter, I wanted to capture the sounds and smells of the drive-in for the reader: exhaust fumes, crumbling asphalt underneath car tires, and the light and color from the screen. I haven't been to the drive-in in decades (there isn't one where I now live), but writing this chapter gave me a sense of comfort that only nostalgia, best friends, and good memories can bring. I need to find one so I can take my son!

Calling Yesterday

Writing these blog posts has been fun. As I think about the music I would use for a Gone to the Movies...movie...someday, I am looking up my favorite bands from the nineties to see what they've been up to lately. I am super excited that many of them are reuniting and releasing new music.

The Nixons is one of these bands. I looked them up, because I think the perfect lead-in music to Dustin and Damon's first trip to the drive-in is a song from The Nixons: Calling Yesterday.

Here we are again beneath these stars

All the same not changing who we are

We must have walked these roads a thousand times

But never stopped to notice what we're missing

- The Nixons, Calling Yesterday

Some of the lyrics are obviously very "on the nose", like being underneath the stars [at the drive-in]. But, the deeper meaning that I applied in the story is that it took a fire that destroyed half of this town to get people to remember that they have this great community institution in their backyard. They drove by it all the time, but didn't realize how important it was until hundreds of people lost their homes and businesses.

The song generally seems to be about appreciating what is around us while so many look past it to the future with technology and urban development. This is something that is very prescient in America today. Conservative ideology wants to protect great American pastimes, but many of us don't have an appreciation for what this antiquated sentiment adds to our communities and American culture.

On the other hand, conserving the nature around us also seems to be a theme in the song, and this is also of great importance to many of us, because we want to pass that down to our children and grandchildren. Balancing all of this is difficult for a nation, but I think we can do it.

Mental Health

This chapter gives us the first story specifically about Holly's (Dustin's wife) mental health, and how it affects Dustin. I have many people in my life that work tirelessly on their mental health challenges, and it sometimes feels like a losing battle.

Watching someone react to things in bizarre ways that are beyond their control is extremely difficult. Crippling anxiety, depression, ADHD, alcohol, nicotine, and drug abuse are all things I have swirling in my family and circle of friends at any given time.

I am thankful to have learned how to better support the people around me with afflictions, but feeling like a supporting character in someone else's life journey can become tiresome. In the story, Dustin feels somewhat like he's been robbed. His life plans seem to always be put aside so he can support Holly through her episodes. As with many of Dustin's influences, I am pulling this directly from my own experience.

Mental health is a central aspect to the book, but I will always wonder if I could have made the stories about it more visceral. It serves as more of a backdrop to our main characters' journey, which is okay. But, if a movie is ever made, I'd like for flashback scenes with Holly to be gripping and somewhat uncomfortable to watch.

If people can see the struggle on screen, or in a book, they may empathize with the person who is suffering. Empathy for people with mental health challenges is the only way we can properly support them in the healing process. I know this from experience, having failed a few times to give my loved ones the support they needed.

I am hoping to use my platform as a writer to bring attention to animal rescue efforts as well as mental health services. I have a few links at the bottom of every blog post for fire recovery efforts and animal rescue. If any of you know of good non-profits for mental health that I can link to, please comment below or shoot me a message on Twitter or Facebook. I really appreciate it!

Action scene

If the first five chapters of this book compose "Act 1" of the story, then the story of the dog running through traffic in the drive-in is certainly the action sequence of Act 1. My brain enjoys patterns and symmetry (sometimes to a fault), and though I didn't plan out the story to be this formulaic, it makes sense that it turned out this way.

I was thinking of upbeat hard rock songs that the kids throwing rocks might have have been playing in their truck. No idea why, but Down by Stone Temple Pilots popped into my head. The funny thing is the lyrics actually play into the story of Dustin and Damon "meeting" the dog for the first time.

Pleased to meet you, nice to know me

What's the message? Will you show me?

I've been waiting, a long time, now

Now here's the answer, you're all mine now

- Stone Temple Pilots, Down

Something tells me STP didn't write this about a father and son meeting a dog in a run-down drive-in theater (LOL), but as with all well-written songs, we can take from it what we want or need. I was only thinking about the raw sound of the song, but maybe my subconscious informed my choice here more than I realized.

Well, there was a lot to unpack in this chapter. I hope the post wasn't too long, and that you enjoy the songs we're adding to our soundtrack. Come back next time to read more about the introduction of another important character!

Soundtrack (thus far): Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis Calling Yesterday - The Nixons Down - Stone Temple Pilots

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give: Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 2: Borrowed

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 2: Borrowed

One liners

It's funny how one line in a song can stand above the rest of the lyrics, and sometimes convince us of the meaning of the song. I read Eddie Vedder's explanation of elderly woman, and it seems so obvious now, but I had previously misunderstood the song as being from the perspective of the visitor, not the elderly woman. This doesn't lessen my enjoyment of the song, which is of course the beauty of music.

"I changed by not changing at all". This is Dora in a nutshell. She's living on this property, by herself, seemingly disconnected from time, or from the town itself. I didn't dig into her backstory in the book, but I tried to make it clear that something happened, or didn't happen, and she's sort of stuck in that moment forever. I am quite certain I'll be exploring her more in a future story. *hint hint

She's focused, gruff, wise, and extremely pragmatic. Somewhat callous to the outside world, but also content to be right where she is. She's a bit of a reluctant mentor to Dustin, as Yoda is to Luke Skywalker.

Apologies for the ridiculously geeky reference.

Casting call

Diane Lane. I didn't know why she popped into my head as the person I'd cast as Dora, but when I began looking for photos of her for this post, I remembered that she played Martha Kent in the Man of Steel movie.

I can't find any other pictures of her with graying hair, wearing hippie/farmer clothes, so I must have had this imagery from the movie in the back of my mind when I visualized Dora for the story. The mind is a funny and powerful thing. It makes me wonder where else I pulled inspiration from without realizing it.

The farm

I've always been drawn to old farmhouse aesthetics. It's probably overplayed at this point, with so many of the home improvement shows using it for renovations, but I still find comfort in old roughed-up things that can live on with a little bit of care from their owner. I think it stems from growing up around this sort of thing as a young child.

I grew up in a very old home in Fresno's Tower District. I think it was built in 1912 and was surrounded by peach orchards until the neighborhood was developed around it. We are pretty sure the house was haunted, although I never had any experiences with that while living there. Oddly, I still have recurring dreams about that house to this day. I miss it, and I am sure it is a major reason why I love farmhouse aesthetics.

The idea of rusty farm implements scattered about the property was to indicate the retired function of the property and give the reader some warm orange and red colors to contrast with the blue of the house and green of the lawn and forest. As a kid, I would have found plenty to do with this kind of stuff around a property I was living on. The G.I. Joe bases you can create in an old tractor attachment are epic!

I'll discuss my grandma's home, which had lots of fun old rusty stuff around, in a future blog post.

The backhouse

The idea of the shanty Dustin and Damon move into is directly from the song Gone to the Movies.

This one line in the song both dictated the size of Dustin and Damon's house, and the gender of our yet to be introduced canine character: "there's nowhere she could sit besides the bed."

Of course, if you read the rest of the song lyrics, it's pretty clear it is about an apartment in a city, and not a shanty next to the forest, but that's okay. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes one line from a song stands above the rest and puts imagery in our heads that the songwriter didn't intend. And that's okay.

Of course, at the end of the chapter, Dora guides the boys to the drive-in, unknowingly changing their lives forever. I placed a reference to the nineties here about a movie with talking toys in it. Bonus points to anyone who can name a talking toys movie from the nineties that isn't Toy Story. Hit me on Twitter @ethanhuntwriter, or drop a comment below!

Next time, we're going to the movies!

Soundtrack (thus far):

Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam Bonus Track: Rockin' Chair - Oasis

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give:

Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Chapter 1: Blue

*Spoiler alert for Chapter 1: Blue

This is a movie and there is a soundtrack

"Alive" by Pearl Jam. I don't know why, but this is the song I heard when I envisioned the first scene in Gone to the Movies. Knowing the story would be set in the nineties probably influenced my subconscious. I love the movie Dazed and Confused, and for some reason the scene where Randall 'Pink' Floyd picks up Mitch with (I think) Frampton Live playing on his radio sticks with me. It is so very subtle, buts adds so much to the scene. For me, it says so much about Pink as a character.

I chose to write a book, but I really see things as movies or comics, and I hope that someday this story is told as a movie; let's get that out of the way right now. One thing I've always loved about movies is soundtracks. Scoring movies, or developing musical placements in movies, are some obscure day-dream jobs I always thought I would enjoy. If someday a director (or whatever) asked me to suggest music for a Gone to the Movies movie, I would be over the moon...and very prepared!

What about the title of the book?

Some of you may have figured out by now that the main influence for this story, and of course the title, is an obscure song by the band Semisonic, Gone to the Movies. If you've heard the song and only read the first chapter of the book, you may be wondering how in the world this story will relate to the song at all. Well, it doesn't pull directly from the song...it is a loose interpretation of it.

I always assumed that Dan Wilson (Semisonic songwriter) wrote this song about about a girlfriend who took off to Hollywood. That is not what this book is about. In any case, it's a great song, and you should go check it out (link below).

What a weird dream car

When I was a teen, I always thought I would like to have a 1978 Ford F100 truck; either two tone, or some shade of blue. Dustin being a carpenter, it made sense for me to have him in a truck, so why not this truck?

His attachment to it is directly pulled from my attachment to the first car I ever had, my 1987 Monte Carlo Super Sport. Serendipitously, my uncle gave me that car, and he had a 1978 Ford Bronco at the time. That particular year of Bronco looks very much like the F100 from that year!

Yes...it is a twisted web I weave. I still have my Monte Carlo, and anyone who knows me, knows that car is an extension of me.

Aesthetics

I hope my description of the scenery is vivid for the reader. One of my goals with this book is to create a rich aesthetic. The green of the trees, sunlight on the roadway, and the sound of gravel crunching under tires. I hope the reader can see and hear these things in their mind, and even smell what it would be like to be in the scene.

To go along with this is the aesthetic of the rural farmhouse that Dustin is introduced to at Dora's property. My grandparents' property in Gilroy, CA had all the hallmarks of a rural farmhouse: rusty old farm implements, gravel and dirt drives, and sheds full of tools and junk that I found fascinating as a kid.

Setting the story in the nineties and placing many of the scenes on the farm property should bring a sense of simpler times to the reader. I know it did for me while writing it.

Why forest fires?

Finally, the reference to forest fires. I now live in Sonoma County, CA, and we've been hit hard by fires recently. It has basically become a constant threat during the summer.

Growing up, my best friend lived in the Sierra mountains above my hometown of Fresno, and they had a forest fire threat or two. Well, last year that area was nailed by fires. I was sad to see this on the news, given how much time I spent up there as a teen.

The visual of chimneys and concrete steps looking like a cemetery is directly from the 2017 fires in Santa Rosa, CA. The neighborhood behind my work campus was completely wiped out. It seriously looked like a bomb went off. During my first trip there, the air was filled with smoke and ash, and all that stood was the cement and brick of people's homes. It looked just like a spooky graveyard to me. Obviously, there are so many layers of meaning in this metaphor, and I felt it was a visual and an aesthetic I wanted to share in the story. Albeit a sad one.

Whew! I don't think the next post will be this long, and I hope you'll stick around and read along with me. Next time, find out who I would cast as Dora if this were a movie!

Soundtrack (thus far):

Alive - Pearl Jam Across the Great Divide - Semisonic Bonus Track: Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots

Follow as we build the soundtrack on Spotify!

Give:

Sierra Fire Resiliency Fund Sonoma County Resilience Fund Sonoma County Humane Society

Finally...Gone to the Movies

I've been looking forward to this

For just under two years, I've been working on my first fiction novel, and it is finally complete. It's actually with an editor right now...words I wasn't sure I would ever write...but the story that once only existed in my head is now real and other people can read it.

Writing this blog signifies that the book is actually done, and I am actually going to release it to the world.

Discipline and a pandemic

I once read that nobody wants to be a writer; they want to...