Kenneth Atchity's Blog, page 120
April 14, 2018
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Reviews 'Head Wounds': A psychopath from Blackridge wreaks havoc
Accomplished writer Dennis Palumbo calls his latest novel “Head Wounds” and the grim title should serve as a warning. This psychological thriller has some fine language and a strong narrative pull that keeps the pages turning, but the series of crimes that occur are unnerving.
What lightens the book are Mr. Palumbo’s descriptions of its Pittsburgh setting, interesting interpretations of abnormal psychology, and its likable main character, Daniel Rinaldi.
Dan may bring to mind superstar novelist Jonathan Kellerman’s longtime hero, Alex Delaware. Both Mr. Kellerman and Mr. Palumbo trained as therapists and both of their creations are clinical psychologists who consult for their local police departments. While Alex investigates crimes with irrepressible detective Milo Sturgis, Dan is assisted here by retired FBI profiler Lyle Barnes and a current agent on leave, the sexy Gloria Reese.
The story starts in Dan’s home on Grandview Avenue. After a long night filled with harrowing incidents, it becomes clear that he is the target of a diabolical villain. Over 330 pages “a brilliant psychopath from Blackridge” named Sebastian Maddox uses cameras, klieg lights, tracking devices, C-4, guns, talking drones, GPS, subdural implants and a mannequin to make Dan suffer. Maddox ‘bots Dan’s cell and laptop and hacks into patient files and the FBI’s computers. It all seems implausible, except who knows what’s available online these days, or even at RadioShack.
Maddox compiles a kill list of people close to Dan that includes relatives, clients and a “features writer from the Post-Gazette.”
The psychologist is able to deduce where Maddox will strike next based on the killer’s need for symmetry, “one of the ways his mind attempts to order itself.” Maddox also has erotomania, “a delusional disorder in which a person believes another person is in love with them.” Turns out that person is Dan’s late wife, Barbara, who was a linguistics professor at Pitt.
This reference to the University of Pittsburgh is just one of many. Mr. Palumbo calls the Cathedral of Learning “regal and timeless” and describes “the ponderous, chilled embrace of Medieval-style masonry.”
People in the story wear Pitt Panthers and Steelers sweatshirts, drive on the parkway, and get their news from KDKA. Mr. Palumbo often does more than just mention Pittsburgh landmarks; he characterizes the city in both positive and negative ways.
He brands the area as vaguely racist, “where ethnic pride and ethnic prejudice lived side by side.” The “classic Pittsburgh accent” comes up and words such as slippy, jagoff and yinz are included: “Slang that you still hear sometimes, even as the Steel City continues to morph from blue-collar, industrial town into a gentrified, white-collar hub of business and technology.”
The rivers also get a nod. One foul deed takes place on the Ohio in McKees Rocks while on the Mon, off Second Avenue, Mr. Palumbo has invented a bar that would be fun to have in Pittsburgh. This converted coal barge named Noah’s Ark is run by Dan’s former patient, Noah, whose band is called Flat Affect because all the members are on meds.
As “Head Wounds” rolls to its clever, crazy gothic conclusion, no one could accuse Mr. Palumbo of being flat. This is the fifth book in his Daniel Rinaldi series and most readers will hope Dan lives to see a sixth.
April 13, 2018
April 12, 2018
April 11, 2018
April 10, 2018
April 9, 2018
The MEG Poster is here!
The first official trailer for director Jon Turteltaub’s hotly anticipated mega shark flick The Meg will be dropping TONIGHT at 9pm EST! Warner Bros. Pictures will release The Meg on August 10, 2018.
April 6, 2018
Check out this exclusive image from The MEG!
The Meg star Jason Statham revealed that he went swimming with real sharks to prepare for his starring role in the monster shark thriller. Due out on August 10, the latest from director Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) stars Statham as a deep sea rescue diver who’s tasked with saving people from the Megalodon, the massive prehistoric shark that has been the subject of both intensive scientific study and plenty of B-movies.
In 2018, the Megalodon makes its way to the big screen with The Meg, which also stars Li Bingbing, Ruby Rose, and Rainn Wilson. Statham can be relied upon to deliver both thrills and a sense of humor as he typically does with his over-the-top action vehicles. But you may be surprised to learn that he went the extra mile for The Meg; he got ready for his role by interacting with actual sharks.
As he explained in an interview with EW, Statham took a trip to Fiji where he swam with 20-30 live bull sharks. Though they paled in comparison to the actual Megalodon in terms of size, Statham said they were each about three meters long. He said that he felt more scared about the excursion on the ride over than when he actually did it, which would presumably help him get in the right mindset for when he encounters a giant shark in the movie. Here’s how he described the experience:
“You know, it’s funny, because you get anxiety when you’re on the boat. But once you get in the ocean, things take a very different turn. You get very relaxed, and when you’re in their environment, it’s quite a tranquil sort of thing, the anxiety goes away completely. It’s remarkable to experience. All of the fear — or the perceived fear — is done in your own head before you get down there with them. Once you’re swimming down there with all the other divers, it’s phenomenal. It’s one of the greatest experiences you could have, for me anyway. I’m a big SCUBA diver fanatic. Wherever I am in the world, if I get a chance to get in the ocean, I do.”
In The Meg, Statham plays deep-sea diving expert Jonas Taylor, who got himself a dishonorable discharged early in his naval career when his crew had a tragic incident with what he claimed to be an attack from a 70-foot Megalodon – which ultimately cost him more than just his career. But Taylor gets a shot at redemption when he’s called upon to rescue the crew of a submersible stuck at the bottom of the ocean – and likely under attack from the same mammoth creature.
Clearly, Turteltaub and his crew weren’t satisfied with sticking Statham and the cast in front of green screens. With the movie centered around a giant extinct shark species, pre-production was ultimately the only way to give real live sharks an impact on it – unlike 2003’s Open Water, which actually filmed with real sharks. The hope is that Statham’s experience helps him get in character as Jonas Taylor, who appears to be on a trajectory from incredulous conspiracy theorist to discoverer of the massive beast – and ultimately the one to stop it. Even for Statham, who could be a kickass antihero with or without shark training, it’s important to look convincing as a man with no fear of sharks.
It’s a nice step for Turteltaub to take with prep for The Meg to get some real sharks involved with the cast before filming. The director has a lot to prove, since he hasn’t directed a big-budget action movie since 2010’s adaptation of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. That movie grossed just $215 million worldwide off a budget of $150 million on production alone. With The Meg, he gets another $150 million budget and another shot at box office success. And with Statham aboard, the movie at least has a chance to be a fun time and a worthy adaptation of Steve Alten’s novels.
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Kathleen Vail: Reviewing Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory by Dr. Ken Atchity
Artistic Reconstruction and Original Translation From Homer's "Iliad" by Kathleen VailIn Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory, Dr. Kenneth Atchity follows Homer’s footsteps through the Iliad like a lover intent on winning his heart and mind. What’s more, Atchity invites us to a beautiful symposium, discussing his journey clearly and compellingly, enticing us with amazing glimpses into the ingenious mind and motives of Homer.
In spite of everything you may have learned about Homer’s Iliad, Dr. Ken proves that it is an epic love story. In fact, it’s such a powerful love story that it can generate immortality in the form of human memories, perpetuating human desire to imitate this epic level of love. And, if we are successful, this is the kind of love that actuates social stability and brings about peace in our lives.
“In his appreciation of the poem,” says Atchity about the Iliad, “Even the man for whom war is the reality, therefore, can find peace.” He explains, “While historical peace may be ephemeral and rare, human peace is not only possible, but also truly realized, in the poems of memory.” (1)
Especially in Homer’s Iliad–arguably the greatest poem of memory every recorded.
Let the Symposium Begin The late poet and novelist, John Gardner, in his foreword to Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory, states that he knows of no better introduction to the Iliad than this book. Gardner hails Atchity for his close analysis of specific themes and images throughout the Iliad, for proving “what we all suspected all along, that the poem is a brilliantly organized work, philosophically profound, perhaps the noblest work of art produced in the entire tradition of Western Civilization.” (2)
Vulcan at Work on the Armour of Achilles, by William Heath Robinson, ca. 1872-1944. Source: © sofi01 / Flickr (for non-commercial use only)
Peering over the shoulder of Hephaistos as he creates Achilles’ magnificent shield, we benefit from Dr. Atchity’s intimate analysis, learning the central theme of both the shield in particular and the entire Iliad in total. Plain and simple, it is the establishment of order, the rise of human appreciation which coalesces into a love of order. But this is a divinely prescribed order which will only be achieved when Achilles dons his Olympian armor and carries Hephaistos’ emblematic shield into battle.
Reclining comfortably, now, upon our symposium couches, Atchity explains that, even as we are watching over Hephaistos’ shoulder, Hephaistos is doing essentially the same thing that Homer is doing, as we are reading or listening to the Iliad:
The artist creates the world, through and to his own vision of order. Achilles’ shield contains the whole cosmos known to Homeric man—of the inanimate stars and waters, and of all life and time and space and action. Forged into the very substance of this supreme tool of warfare is a detailed vision that transcends all momentary circumstances, all individual fates, and reveals humanity in its continuing, essential character. In the process of its making, the ideal and real become one dynamic continuum. (3)
The Shield of Achilles is a Symbol of the Entire Iliad Encompassing, as Atchity puts it, the poem’s “mnemonic technique, purpose, and function,” the Shield of Achilles is a divine masterpiece–at once the central image and a symbol of the entire epic. As a supernatural mnemonic device, Hephaistos’ creation “remains untarnished as only a memory can be.”
Atchity has become our bard, compelling us to lean forward as he continues, “And as we maintain that breathtakingly clear vision in our memory, it directly affects how we view ourselves and our actions, instilling in our minds the very order that fashioned it.” (4)
As a devoted student of Dr. Ken’s visionary perspective, I see Achilles whipping his horses and riding into the fray. I understand that when he swears to end the war single-handedly, he is swearing to protect the Achaeans who follow him and all the future generations who will follow him, as well–even mine.
The Triumph of Achilles by Franz Matsch, a fresco on the upper level of the main hall of the Achilleion at Corfu, Greece. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Just as Achilles understands and imitates the Olympian order depicted on his new shield by launching into battle selflessly, I understand Atchity means that, with growing insight via divinely inspired memory, we, too, are able to imitate Achilles. As Atchity explains, this is the goal and highest service of the poet: By perpetuating the hero’s name and deeds in the memory of generations to come, the poet’s song–the hero’s glory–will encourage the further perpetuation of Olympian order.
We see that poetry, as Homer conceives of and practices it, is the ordering agent in human affairs, a form of worship as well as a sign of man’s awareness of divine order. From a detachment that is virtually Olympian—because the Muses possess the poet with a vision of past, present, and future, and of both sides of the conflict in all their complications—Homer presents the happy results of orderly human action and the disastrous consequences of disorderly behavior.
All mortals and immortals within the Iliadic world are polarized by these cosmic opposites: order and disorder. Each character is defined in terms of his link with one or the other. The great shield is a magnificent emblem of poetic order from which ideal human society issues.(5)
You knew that, right? Oh, yes, me too. I love it!
Focusing on the Central Images Within the Iliad Atchity’s profound philosophical understanding of Homeric society is achieved by focusing on central images within the Iliad. He sees the ideal world depicted on the divine Shield of Achilles. And he sees this ideal world functioning as a counterbalance to the social upheaval in Achilles’ real world.
Atchity attributes this social upheaval to the simultaneous decline of the “heroic” social system colliding with the rise of the “familial” social system in Ancient Greece.
The Shield of Achilles, offering a new, enlightened social system with both heroic and familial components harmonized within the social hierarchy, depicts Homer’s poetic resolution to the social upheaval occurring in the Iliadic world. By serving one another in mutual reciprocity, Homer’s vision foresees individuals perfectly balanced within the wider community.
As Atchity explains, the tension between the two social systems becomes a constructive force in the ideal world, each serving the other. This is because the emotional strength of the familial system, which binds primarily via love between individuals/families/community, is additionally strengthened by the pragmatic power of the heroic system, which binds primarily via honored oaths of loyalty to individuals/tribes/confederations. (6)
The Turbulent Relationship Between Order and Disorder The primary theme woven into the chaotic events of the Iliad, on every level from the human to the divine, is the turbulent relationship between order and disorder. And, unfortunately for the participants, social disorder is the natural, but terrible result as social systems collide.
“Specifically,” states Atchity, “the poem is a statement of the consequences to order when disorder is inserted at any level of the hierarchical cosmos as Homer conceives of it, and the restoration of order through the obliteration of the disorderly intrusion. Order, once interrupted, can only be returned through the destruction of disorder: that is the lesson of the Iliad.” (7)
Turning his piercing gaze to the marriage bed of Hektor, upon which the close of the Trojan War pivots as Hektor’s body is gently laid to rest prior to his funeral, Atchity recognizes a particularly antithetical image. While the Shield of Achilles offers an image of the victorious ascent of order over disorder, the marriage bed of Hektor depicts the terrible price humans must pay for the destruction of disorder.
As she mourns the loss of her husband, Atchity notes that “Andromache’s lament concludes with the image of the marriage bed deprived of its natural occupant. It is in this way that Homer communicates his characteristically social perspective: that war ends, as it begins, with conjugal disorder.” (8)
Indeed, it is the “heroic” social system embodied in the character of Paris that inspires his selfish desire to seduce the wife of an Argive king until she abandons her conjugal bed in Sparta and travels with him to Troy.
Hektor Admonishes Paris, by Pierre Claude Francois Delorme. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Without pointing a poetic finger of blame at her, Homer’s passive treatment of Helen’s character nevertheless guides her to admit to Hektor her shame. Atchity interprets Helen’s role as central to the resolution of the tumultuous social transition which is occurring all around her:
Helen is human progress itself, vacillating between two orders, waiting in suspension for a continuity that will come only when their conflict has been transformed into cooperation, their antithetical potentials synthesized. The fact that Helen’s individual will is suspended but that her actions, although involuntary, have collective repercussions which are material for memory reveals Homer’s refusal to accept either norm, the heroic or the familial, as sufficient; neither, alone, provides man with a divinely-sanctioned order for social well-being, or even for social survival.
Inasmuch as he rejects both purely communal and purely personal motivations, Homer stands as a prophet of the great Athenian phenomenon which managed to gloriously combine the (“know thyself”) of Socrates with the holistic spirit of Plato’s Republic. When a balance is maintained between these two orientations, human nature achieves its fullest, most nearly divine expression. (9)
Ahhhhhh, may I die and wake up in such a great symposium in heaven!
It Is Our Memories That Make Our Heroes Immortal In the final analysis, then, it is our love of epic stories, even (or perhaps especially) epic love stories framed with all the gory constructs of war, that fire our finest synapses, indelibly etching into our memories the finest deeds of the finest heroes.
It is our memories, in fact, that make our heroes immortal. Dr. Atchity explains that this is because memory communicates the promise of continuity on an essentially human level–remembered words can bring living order even to fatal encounters. (10)
I think that Dr. Ken has brought to light a very appealing point about the enduring love relationship between life and memory. Blessed by this very poignant relationship, “memory shields the individuals from death.” (11)
We never forget the ones we love, as long as they live on in our memories. Even within the most mundane levels of society, we may cast aside our fear of death, knowing that our loved ones will keep us alive in their memories.
How much more glorious to be the source of ageless memories of an epic victory–A magnificent hero ushering in the triumph of order over disorder?
Protected by Ares, Achilles Overwhelms Hektor, by Antonio Raffaele Calliano, 1815. Source: Wikimedia CommonsAs Dr. Ken explains,
We understand, with the Achilles who no longer shuns death, that the shield gives him access to an immortality that is purely human: though he, like all who share human nature, can’t escape mortality in time, he will have an orderly place forever in the minds of men to come who will hear how he carried this shield into battle to restore the honor of his dear friend and of the Argive nation.” (12)
Offering love as the most powerful incentive for social stability, Homer’s Iliad ends with a glorious vision of order on the very cusp of reestablishment.
Achilles’ personal love for Patroklos becomes, at the end of the story, the pattern for the international love between him and the old king of Troy; and the epic ends, not with the death of Achilles or even of Troy or Priam, but with a ritual that promises the continuity of human order—made possible by Achilles’ loving gesture: the return of Hektor’s body. (13)
Priam Returning with the body of Hektor, by John Trumbull, ca. 1756-1843. Source
And there you have it. It’s all about love. If you stayed with me this far, then, without a shadow of a doubt, you will leave Dr. Atchity’s symposium understanding that Homer’s Iliad is, after all, a love story. Yes, it’s framed in all the gory constructs of war–a really epic war. I’m sure that’s what helps us to remember it so well, but now you might also remember it as a love story.
A really epic love story–from the beginning, all the way to the end.
…Heavy sigh… I love a great love story, don’t you? This book, Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory by Dr. Kenneth Atchity, just keeps getting better and better, every time I read it.
Pick it up on Amazon and get the added bonus of seeing my reconstruction of the Shield of Achilles on his Kindle edition cover–A very great honor that Dr. Atchity has bestowed upon my work!
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FOOTNOTES:
(1) Atchity, Kenneth. Homer’s Iliad: The Shield of Memory (Kindle Locations 1843-1846). Story Merchant. Kindle Edition.
(2) ibid, (Kindle Locations 65-68).
(3) ibid, (Kindle Locations 109-114).
(4) ibid, (Kindle Locations 117-119).
(5) ibid, (Kindle Locations 130-135).
(6) ibid, (Kindle Locations 139-145).
(7) ibid, (Kindle Locations 148-150).
(8) ibid, (Kindle Locations 2002-2005).
(9) ibid, (Kindle Locations 2041-2053).
(10) ibid, (Kindle Locations 1819-1829).
(11) ibid, (Kindle Location 1857).
(12) ibid, (Kindle Locations 109-114).
(13) ibid, (Kindle Locations 99-155).
April 4, 2018
Steve Alten Praises The Meg Trailer As Excellent!
[image error]The original author of The Meg has seen the trailers for the upcoming Jason Statham shark movie based on his books, and has been suitably impressed. Posting on social media, writer Steve Alten confirms that the trailers are complete and that they are “excellent.” He also gives a reason for the delay in their release and teases the arrival of the first official poster, which he promises is nothing like the covers of his novels.
The film is based on Alten’s first novel about the giant Megalodon shark who menaces divers and scientists. It was published in 1997 and titled Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror. The book spawned an ongoing franchise, with the sixth novel due later this year. A film was originally mooted for the first book almost as soon as it was published, but remained in development hell for many years. Production only moved forward significantly when Jason Statham was confirmed as the lead, and filming started in 2016. It was originally marked for a theatrical release on March 2, 2018, but was then delayed to a summer release in August. There have been some on-set images and photos, but no official footage has yet been seen. However the trailer was recently tapped to drop sometime during April, giving us our first glimpse of the massive shark in action.
“I’ve actually seen the two trailers and they are excellent. The powers-that-be decided it would be best to delay their launch from late March until April. The reason has to do with analytics and if the viewing audience sees a trailer too early and then the movie comes out much later, they are left with a false impression that the movie had already been out… What is important is that the trailers are finished and they WILL come out in April…. Also debuting in April will be the movie poster. I’ve seen the mock-up and I really like it. It features an angle of the MEG that has never appeared on one of my MEG covers.”
While it’s unlikely that Alten would openly criticize any of the marketing at the moment, it is encouraging that he praises what he’s seen so far. There is some speculation that the first trailer may arrive around the same time as monster movie Rampage opens in theaters. They are both Warner Bros. movies and it would make sense to promote The Meg to the same audience.
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While sharks continue to dominate on home media and TV screens, with the likes of the sixth Sharknado movie and Deep Blue Sea 2 , The Meg stands alone this year as a bigger-budgeted film of this particular sub-genre and that may work well in its favor. Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) is a solid director of action movies, and Statham is sure to bring his own reliable brand of thrills and humor to the story, as the heroic deep sea diver Jonas Taylor. The cast also includes Ruby Rose ( John Wick: Chapter Three ) and Rainn Wilson ( The Office ).
April 2, 2018
The E-book as a Starting Point to Print Publishing? - article
Many authors see an e-book as a starting place for their publishing dreams. Their ultimate goal is to publish their book as a print book. This is certainly possible, as illustrated by the story of Amanda Hocking’s self-published e-books that caught fire through the following she built through her platform of networked blogs. Her efforts ultimately led to sales of over a million dollars and then to a traditional publishing contract.
Other authors have also found their way from e-book to print success. Author Victorine E. Lieske e-published and found her way onto the New York Times Best Sellers list with her suspense romances. She now offers paperback covers of her novels on her website. Yet another success story is Aaron Patterson’s. He achieved a No. 1 Amazon Kindle Best Selling Book status with his e-Book and now also sells print books. For more success e-book stories, check out Novlr , a website dedicated to reading, writing, and Internet fiction. Generally, successful e-Book authors redistribute with indie-published print books.
Heady stuff, but don’t go crazy with excitement because only relatively few authors are achieving this kind of success. Proceed with the idea that you might succeed if you work hard, your content is excellent, and you educate yourself. There are a myriad of print-on-demand publishing (POD) options available to successful e-book authors. Be aware that print options continue to evolve. Author Solutions has partnered with several traditional publishing companies to provide a hybrid-platform for self-published authors.
Finally, no one can guarantee that your book will be a hit. All publishing is a risk. The beauty of e-publishing is you have a chance to test the waters before trying paper copies. The low production costs and the ability to test the popularity of a book in the market helps self-published authors make informed decisions. Research the success stories. If your e-books achieve significant sales, educating yourself will put you a step ahead of the competition, if you should later decide to print books.
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by Molly Blaisdell 
