B.R. Stateham's Blog, page 30
April 7, 2011
We all need heroes in our lives
Heroes.
We all need them. We may not admit it. We may laugh at the idea if asked. But deep down . . . deep down we all need heroes in our lives. Male or female--real or fiction--it really doesn't matter. We need'em.
All of us get slung around in this ocean we call Life. We're sitting in the middle of a small rowboat getting tossed around like a cork riding the cresting waves of a hurricane. We hold on. We call out in the night. In our own fashions we pray for deliverance.
We want a hero to save us.
I think in the genre called harboiled/nor that's exactly what happens when a character comes along a reader identifies with. They've found a hero. Or heroes. They've found a persona that does things they could never do in reality. They resist. They fight back. And sometimes . . . they win. Win against impossible odds.
That's the motivating factor for the creation of three of my fictional characters. Smitty . . . Turner Hahn and Frank Morales. Smitty is a hit man. Dark and bloody. But he is, indeed, a hero. A grim, dark, vengeful hero maybe. But he does things only others dream about. He is good in his job--and he wins.
Turner Hahn and Frank Morales are my two homicide detectives. Cops, honest and open, working a thankless job in a city filled with crime and corruption. Two honest, tough hombres who try to hold back the night. Who actually believe that the concepts of Law and Justice are concepts worth fighting for.
Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose.
But without question . . . they are heroes.
We all need them. We may not admit it. We may laugh at the idea if asked. But deep down . . . deep down we all need heroes in our lives. Male or female--real or fiction--it really doesn't matter. We need'em.
All of us get slung around in this ocean we call Life. We're sitting in the middle of a small rowboat getting tossed around like a cork riding the cresting waves of a hurricane. We hold on. We call out in the night. In our own fashions we pray for deliverance.
We want a hero to save us.
I think in the genre called harboiled/nor that's exactly what happens when a character comes along a reader identifies with. They've found a hero. Or heroes. They've found a persona that does things they could never do in reality. They resist. They fight back. And sometimes . . . they win. Win against impossible odds.
That's the motivating factor for the creation of three of my fictional characters. Smitty . . . Turner Hahn and Frank Morales. Smitty is a hit man. Dark and bloody. But he is, indeed, a hero. A grim, dark, vengeful hero maybe. But he does things only others dream about. He is good in his job--and he wins.
Turner Hahn and Frank Morales are my two homicide detectives. Cops, honest and open, working a thankless job in a city filled with crime and corruption. Two honest, tough hombres who try to hold back the night. Who actually believe that the concepts of Law and Justice are concepts worth fighting for.
Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose.
But without question . . . they are heroes.
April 6, 2011
An interview
I had an interview on Giovanni Gelati's blogtalk radio show, The G-Zone. Giovanni is also Trestle Press, the publishing company bringing out several of my works. So yes, he had a vested interest in what I had to say.
But it was a good interview. Talking about books, about writing, about the processes of writing, is always an enjoyable experience for me. As I hope it is for you too. If you are a reader or a writer, listening to some other writer and their experiences should be interesting. Lots of times you pick up something that helps in either your experience as a reader or as a writer. Little things that make the experience more pleasing.
I hope you find something of interest in what I had to say. Find the interview here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatiss...
(you'll have to cut-and-paste. For some reason linking to sites has been a toughie to accomplish, lately)
But it was a good interview. Talking about books, about writing, about the processes of writing, is always an enjoyable experience for me. As I hope it is for you too. If you are a reader or a writer, listening to some other writer and their experiences should be interesting. Lots of times you pick up something that helps in either your experience as a reader or as a writer. Little things that make the experience more pleasing.
I hope you find something of interest in what I had to say. Find the interview here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatiss...
(you'll have to cut-and-paste. For some reason linking to sites has been a toughie to accomplish, lately)
April 5, 2011
The E-book Harry Potters
Holy Hogwarts! Can you imagine the gold mine waiting for J.K. Rowling when she signs the dotted line and the publishers converts all the Harry Potter novels into e-books?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/...
Already the richest woman in Britain, Rowling may become the richest person in the world. Beating out Bill Gates and all the Caliphs and oil sheiks of the Middle East combined. And I'm all for it.
If you know the story behind her struggles to create Harry Potter you can't help but applaude. As writers we all struggle. Many of us never get the recognition--even a smidgin of recognition--we all think we should have. Not complaining, mind you. Just stating a fact. And when a writer like Rowling suddenly materializes into the limelight . . . well . . . you either stand up and applaude. Or you burn bright and hot in jealousy.
I'm for applauding.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/...
Already the richest woman in Britain, Rowling may become the richest person in the world. Beating out Bill Gates and all the Caliphs and oil sheiks of the Middle East combined. And I'm all for it.
If you know the story behind her struggles to create Harry Potter you can't help but applaude. As writers we all struggle. Many of us never get the recognition--even a smidgin of recognition--we all think we should have. Not complaining, mind you. Just stating a fact. And when a writer like Rowling suddenly materializes into the limelight . . . well . . . you either stand up and applaude. Or you burn bright and hot in jealousy.
I'm for applauding.
April 4, 2011
Are books dead?
Books are dead. Or so says some pundits who think the traditional form of publishing has finally met its nemesis. The ebook publishing phenomenon.
And, like any controversial statement, one can find supporting evidence to prove their point. All across the publishing world the stats for the numbers of traditionally published books being bought and sold is witnessing a severe downward decline. Conversly the stats showing the sales of ebook works is skyrocketing. Ergo: the printed word created by ink and paper is soon to be a fond memory.
Hmmm . . . I don't think so. There's more than six billions souls on this planet. Out of that six billion there's going to be several hundred million who enjoys the touch, the smell, the heft of an honest-to-god book in their laps. There's an intrinsic, almost mystical, ritual in the act of reading out of a book Yeah, Yeah. I know. It sounds idiotic. Sounds like voodoo science.
But it's true. At least, true for this old writer. And probably true for millions more who think like I do
And, like any controversial statement, one can find supporting evidence to prove their point. All across the publishing world the stats for the numbers of traditionally published books being bought and sold is witnessing a severe downward decline. Conversly the stats showing the sales of ebook works is skyrocketing. Ergo: the printed word created by ink and paper is soon to be a fond memory.
Hmmm . . . I don't think so. There's more than six billions souls on this planet. Out of that six billion there's going to be several hundred million who enjoys the touch, the smell, the heft of an honest-to-god book in their laps. There's an intrinsic, almost mystical, ritual in the act of reading out of a book Yeah, Yeah. I know. It sounds idiotic. Sounds like voodoo science.
But it's true. At least, true for this old writer. And probably true for millions more who think like I do
