Phil Giunta's Blog, page 57
January 7, 2017
The Great Philadelphia Comic Con!
Excited to announce that I shall be returning as an author guest to the Great Philadelphia Comic Con, April 7-9 in Oaks, PA!
Once again, they have a fantastic line up of actors, artists, and writers including Colin Baker, Marina Sirtis, Bruce Boxleitner, Paul Freeman, John Wesley Shipp, JK Woodward, Tommy Castillo, Ariell Johnson, Guy Dorian, Jim Shooter, Michael Golden, Mike Zeck, and many more!
Stay tuned for more info…
January 6, 2017
About This Writing Stuff…
Happy New Year! I hope your 2017 is off to a better and healthier start than mine. This year was less than 24 hours old when I was struck with a stomach virus that left me violently ill on and off (mostly on) for three days. At least it held off until just after the Sherlock season premiere.
It’s nice to occasionally resurrect what used to be a regular feature on my blog, this gathering of sagacious and informative articles from around the interwebs.
Although I’m not convinced that Laurie Gough’s rant against self-publishing could be labeled as either sagacious or informative. Certainly Kristen Lamb and Larry Correia don’t agree.
Over at Digital Book World, Chris Syme offers a four-step program to help authors market their books effectively on social media while Jami Gold is all about helping writers choose the best editors.
Finally, we get some perspective on POV from both Donald Maass and Chris Winkle, and Anne R. Allen explains why she writes first chapters last.
All that and a bit more. Enjoy!
Self-Publishing: An Insult to the Written Word by Laurie Gough
Author Animal Farm – New York GOOOOD, Self-Pub BAAAAD and Generation Author Snowflake & The High Cost of Instant by Kristen Lamb
Fisking the HuffPo’s Snooty Rant About Self-Publishing by Larry Correia
4 Steps to Selling More Books with Less Social Media and Why You Only Need to Sell Your Books on One Social Media Channel by Chris Syme
Spend Less Time Marketing By Setting Up Social Media Outpost Channels by Chris Syme
Picking Editors: Tips for Finding a Developmental Editor by Jami Gold
Immersive POV by Donald Maass
Choosing Your Story’s Perspective by Chris Winkle
First Chapters: Start Your Novel with Your Reader in Mind by Anne R. Allen
December 30, 2016
Book Review: Stories from the Twilight Zone by Rod Serling
As we close in on the annual New Year’s Twilight Zone marathon on the SyFy channel, I decided to delve into two collections of stories that I was fortunate enough to find in August while helping to sort donated books for my local library’s annu
al book sale. I hope to track down more of these collections as I comb used book stores and dealer tables at conventions.
Last week, I reviewed the 1964 collection, Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Revisited, which contains a brilliant collection of nine short stories, adapted by venerable writer and magician Walter B. Gibson, from both produced and unproduced scripts.
Stories from the Twilight Zone was published in 1960 and is, I believe, the first collection of adaptations from the series. All six of the tales in this book aired as episodes of the series and all were written by Rod Serling himself.
In “The Mighty Casey,” it’s tryout day for the foundering Brooklyn Dodgers and team manager “Mouth” McGarry is sick and tired of scraping the bottom of the barrel to find pitchers, until a tall, lean kid named Casey turns up with an unbelievable throwing arm—or perhaps inhuman might be a better description…
Hypochondriac and all around miserable wretch Bertram Beasley lives in a constant state of psychosomatic illnesses, until a mysterious old man named Cadwallader materializes with an offer of immortality. It’s soon revealed that Cadwallader is actually the devil. Nevertheless, this fact barely deters Beasely from signing the contract, which contains an “Escape Clause” should he ever decide to cancel the deal…
Advertising exec Martin Sloane is sick of the pressures and demands of corporate life in New York City. One day he decides to drive upstate and revisit his old hometown. After stopping at a gas station along the way, Martin notices that the town is within “Walking Distance.” He decides to let the gas station attendant work on his car while he finishes the rest of his journey on foot, but what he finds on the streets of his childhood is much more than nostalgia…
As a religious man of high moral standards and a precisely arranged life, Franklin Gibbs becomes quite annoyed when his timid wife wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Las Vegas, the capital city of vice and sin. Franklin chastises his wife for dropping a nickel into a slot machine, until Franklin hears the slot machine call his name. It isn’t long before he succumbs to “The Fever.”
A young man, unable to recall his own identity, finds himself walking along a highway in parts unknown. He finally arrives in a town only to find it completely deserted, yet with signs of recent occupancy—a smoking cigar in an ashtrays and a pot of fresh boiling coffee in a diner. After days of this, the young man finds himself on the edge of sanity as he wonders, “Where is Everybody?”
“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” when a strange object passes over a suburban neighborhood on a warm autumn Saturday. Shortly after, all utilities shut off, cars fail to start, even portable radios no longer work. As confusion sets in, 12-year old Tommy Bishop warns that it could be the work of extraterrestrials disguised as humans, just like in the comic books! The adults laugh him off at first—before violently turning on one another as strange occurrences escalate.
December 28, 2016
Hello SF Novel, My Old Friend…
With fresh eyes today, I reviewed those four chapters and remain as thrilled with them now as I was eight months ago. After some trimming and fine tuning, I’m even happier. Next step is to review the outline to refresh my memory on the story’s plot and direction. I have five days remaining in my holiday vacation, with at least two of those days carved out for writing.
I hope to finish the first draft of this novel in 2017. It’s one of my many personal goals for the year, even though I’ll be editing and project managing the third anthology in the Middle of Eternity series beginning in Q1. Oy!
For now, here’s an inspirational image that relates to the story. More news to come!
Reviewing Your Favorite Books, Even When You’re “Not Very Good At Writing”
Remember, you do not need to purchase a book from Amazon to leave a review for the book there. Also, for those unfamiliar with Goodreads, it is a social media site for book lovers where you can rate and review books, create an online library of books you currently own and would like to read, and join groups of like-minded readers to discuss your favorite books. Best of all, it’s free to join!
The screen capture below shows two Amazon reviews for Beach Nights, a collection of short stories from Cat and Mouse Press that contains my paranormal tale, “Tower Sixteen”. The book was published in October 2016.
Note the second review from Early LBI. It’s one brief sentence: “Great group of short stories.” Five words. That’s the perfect example of a brief review you can leave for any book that you enjoyed even if you’re “not very good at writing.”
Ratings and reviews help authors immensely. As our volume of reviews and ratings increases, new promotional and writing opportunities open for us, new readers notice our work, and most importantly, reader feedback encourages writers by letting us know that our work is reaching and touching people.
Thank you so much for your support! We deeply appreciate it.
December 27, 2016
Book Review: The Plague by Albert Camus
It’s the 1940s in Oran, a coastal city in the Northern African country of Algeria, when, on a spring day as random as any other, rats begin crawling out of the shadows only to die violent deaths in the streets, hotels, and other public venues.
It isn’t long before the town’s physicians, including Dr. Bernard Rieux, whose ailing wife had just departed Oran to be cared for in a sanitorium, declare that bubonic plague is upon the town during a meeting with the Prefect.
Unfortunately, it takes the rest of the population a bit longer to acknowledge the outbreak, since the plague’s attack begins slowly. Bubonic plague is the last thing anyone expects. It is not until the Prefect orders the town gates closed and all vehicular transportation terminated than panic truly sets in.
While Rieux works tirelessly to treat the victims, ultimately unable to do more than keep a tally of the ever-increasing death rate, each of his colleagues and friends reacts to the crisis differently.
Dr. Castel begins formulating an inoculation against the plague once it’s realized that the medicines sent in from Paris have no effect.
An elderly town clerk, Joseph Grand struggles with his novel-in-progress, fretting over the opening sentence for months all the while struggling with the fact that his wife, Jeanne, left him as she could no longer tolerate living in poverty. Finally, Grand volunteers to assist with plague prevention.
The mysterious Cottard, a man of “independent means”, attempts to commit suicide at the onset of the plague, but is stopped by his neighbor, Grand. Cottard has a deep distrust of the police, but comes to find that while they are distracted by the plague, his seedy activities can continue unchecked.
Young journalist Raymond Rambert is only visiting Oran for a story when the town is quarantined and will go to any lengths to escape and return to his wife. When all legal means are exhausted, he turns to Cottard in desperation.
Father Paneloux, pastor of the town’s Catholic church, believes that the plague is God’s punishment and delivers a sermon to that effect, but eventually has a change of heart, stating that God will also offer succor and mercy. He then volunteers to assist Rieux with caring for the sick and is witness to the violent death of Magistrate Othon’s son.
Jean Tarrou, who quickly becomes Rieux’s closest friend, arrived in Oran just weeks before the plague erupted and decides to form teams of sanitation workers on a volunteer basis to fight the plague. Eventually, he reveals his life story to Rieux as a way of explaining why he is fiercely determined to help people when lives are at stake.
Other characters come in and out of the narrative, but the question is whether the efforts of this core team can bring an end to a plague that ravages Oran over the course of nearly a full year. The general atmosphere and attitude of the town is brilliantly depicted as the plague escalates through the seasons.
The Plague was Camus’s first book published after WWII. Contemporary readers unfamiliar with Camus—or with works written in this era—will most certainly cringe at pages of dense background information that would, in today’s termi
nology, be considered “infodumps.” There are also the occasional archaic sentence structures and words (a few even sent me to the dictionary) and outdated expressions of the time.
However, as I tend to gravitate toward classics, this style of prose is no stranger to me and is to be expected. It does nothing to diminish the enjoyment of such stories, but instead offers a glimpse into the history and evolution of literature.
Actor, Writer, Princess, General – Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)
Star Wars caught me at the tender age of six back in 1977 and has never let go. I remain a fan and collector to this day. I had the pleasure of meeting Carrie Fisher, for the first and only time, at a comic con in New York City about 10 years ago. While waiting in her autograph line, a lady ahead of me began a conversation with Ms. Fisher about a recent article that she had written for a travel website (or newspaper, I can’t recall) about her trip to Acapulco.
The conversation went something like this:
“So what did you think of it [the article]?” Ms. Fisher asked.
The woman shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t exactly great literature.”
Ms. Fisher, without looking up from the item she was signing for a fan, responded, “So you’re saying it was shit!”
Of course, everyone in the room broke out into laughter. Such was the acerbic, sometimes trenchant, humor of Carrie Fisher. I, for one, simply thanked her for coming and told her that it was an honor to meet her. She thanked me in return and signed my vintage 12″ boxed Princess Leia figure from Kenner (see below).
As Leia Organa, Ms. Fisher was a hero to me alongside Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. It was Star Wars that led to me watching reruns of Star Trek when I was a kid and I became hooked on science fiction and space opera, which then inspired me to become a writer and storyteller in my own right.
2016 has been a tumultuous and tragic year, taking from us many talented artists. For me, however, the loss of Carrie Fisher cuts deeper as did the passings, within the last 20 years, of such icons as Gene Roddenberry, DeForest Kelley, Christopher Reeve, and Leonard Nimoy, just to name a few.
I cannot help but to think my own mortality as we watch the performers of my childhood exit the world stage for the final time. I only hope that I can leave behind such enduring legacies. Carrie Fisher was a marvelous, witty writer and an advocate for those suffering from mental illness. May the Force of her personality and strength be with us always.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back
Carrie Fisher as General Leia in The Force Awakens
Carrie Fisher Autograph
Vintage Kenner Leia and Luke figures from 1978
Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew
December 24, 2016
Finally, A New STAR WARS Movie!
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of Star Wars and I jumped on the Jawa Sandcrawler from day one when I was six years old. As such, I’ve been waiting for a new Star Wars film since 1983’s Return of the Jedi and Rogue One certainly did not disappoint.
I know you want to remind me that there were three prequels between 1999 and 2005, and that last year, The Force Awakens began the much anticipated final trilogy in George Lucas’s ambitious space opera (now owned and operated by Disney).
In my humble opinion, the prequels held none of the charm and magic possessed by Episodes IV through VI. This I blame on the writing and overload of unnecessary special effects and not on the fine cast.
While The Force Awakens graced us with the return of our favorite classic heroes Han Solo, Leia Organa, and (briefly) Luke Skywalker, the film was, for me, utterly forgettable. Although, it was a better J.J. Abrams vehicle than his paltry efforts on the first two films in the Star Trek reboot, which isn’t saying much.
For me, Rogue One simply felt like Star Wars. It resurrected the spirit of the original films, something for which I’d lost all hope while slogging through the prequels. While Rogue One certainly held its own with a solid story and exciting plot—detailing the events leading right up to the Death Star plans falling into the hands of Princess Leia—its consistency with, and nods to, Episodes IV through VI were delightful. No spoilers here, just effusive praise and a hearty congrats to director Gareth Edwards and an excellent cast that includes Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Genevieve O’Reilly, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, James Earl Jones, and more.
December 19, 2016
Book Review: Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Revisited
In this anthology of nine tales that extend the eerie and wondrous universe known as the Twilight Zone, it was challenging for me to choose a favorite. I enjoyed every one of them.
Of the nine, seven were ghost stories, one a time travel tale (“Beyond the Rim”), and another about a genie in a bottle (called, appropriately, “Man in a Bottle“) that leaned close enough toward cliché as to be predictable. The best of the stories are summarized below.
In “Two Live Ghosts”, Jeff Tupper and Hank Merchand are a pair of adventurous prospectors mining the Black Mountains after the Civil War. They soon find themselves caught up in a battle between the U.S. Calvary and the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes, but not before witnessing a bizarre and mystical ritual of a medicine man who beckons the spirits of ancient warriors…
“Silent” John Moreland is one of the best riverboat pilots on the Mississippi. He seems to have an uncanny ability to sense what’s happening miles ahead on the great river. One thing Silent John doesn’t tolerate on board the Dixie Belle is gambling. Shortly after ordering a renowned card sharp off of the boat, the Dixie Belle collides with another vessel and Moreland is found dead in the pilothouse. At the same time, Moreland’s brother and sister each have a vision of their late brother in which “The Ghost of the Dixie Belle” tries to convey a message…
In “The Purple Testament“, Lieutenant Hugh Fitzgerald is among US forces fighting the Japanese on the Philippine Islands. During one particularly grueling battle, Fitzgerald manifests the ability to predict which of the men will die next…
Traveling to upstate New York during a fierce snowstorm, sports reporter Peter Dunning and photographer Bert Carey encounter an obsolete steam locomotive, painted white, and a strange young woman who pleads for help in getting home to her sick father, only to disappear into the storm after Pete drops her off. Determined to capture evidence, Pete sets off alone with a camera during the next snowstorm to find the truth about “The Ghost Train“…
In the autumn of 1847, pioneer Christopher Horn leads several families, including his own, across the country to California only to run out of water in the Nevada desert. Worse, Horn’s son is ill with fever. Many in his caravan are growing restive and threaten to turn back until Horn decides to travel alone to the rim of the desert in search of water. What Horn finds “Beyond the Rim“ is more than he can handle…
During WWII, U.N. forces occupy Fort Defiance in Cape Regal overlooking Hangman’s Bay, once governed by reformed pirate Roger Crisp in the 1600s. A ruthless executioner of pirates, Crisp had come to be known as Jolly Roger for his gaunt appearance and demonic grin. Now, U.N. soldiers report unusual experiences and apparitions in the Fort leading to speculation as to the existence of “The Ghost of Jolly Roger“.
It’s late night in a city bus terminal when Millicent Barnes, while waiting for the last bus to Cortland, begins experiencing episodes of confusion and possible hallucinations. Her luggage seems to move about on its own and she sees a doppelganger behind her in reflective surfaces. Is it possible that Millicent is being taunted by “The Mirror Image“?
In the old Abington Arms apartment complex, Wilfred Laraby is everyone’s friend, always willing to lend whatever help is needed, financial or otherwise. He enjoys randomly visiting his neighbors living on the floors below his penthouse suite—to the chagrin of stamp collector and master counterfeiter Milton Casper who tries to elude Wilfred only to find himself in an awkward confrontation with “The Man Who Dropped By“.
