C.L. Stegall's Blog: CL Stegall - Writer, page 3

Today, We Stay Strong!

I witnessed an accident. Would You Have Helped?

Yesterday, I was sitting on my motorcycle, waiting in the turn lane behind one other vehicle. I was headed to work.  I only work about a mile and a half from our home, so it is a quick and easy ride.  However, there is a major thoroughfare in Preston Road. I was sitting on Razor Road, about to turn. My light was red, obviously. Suddenly there was this astonishing crash and crunch of metal on metal and debris went flying everywhere.

A newer Mustang had collided into the driver’s side door of a late-model Infiniti. The speed I would suspect was somewhere around 45 mph and both cars were destroyed. The Infiniti was knocked at least forty yards from the point of impact. Without thinking, I shut off my bike and leaped into action, right behind the gentlemen in the car in front of me.

Now, there were dozens and dozens of cars all around and, I swear, there was maybe 5 of us who actually ran to check on the victims. In the Mustang, which we reached first, there was a teen girl exiting the passenger side: shaken but not really hurt. She said her father was driving. Me and the other guy rushed around and I pried the driver’s side door open, both of us asking the driver if he was okay.  Thankfully all of the air bags had deployed and he, too, was shaken up quite a bit but sound in body.

We then ran over to the Infiniti, to find that someone, a man of about my age, was already inside the car with the female victim. She was wearing a hijab and I presumed her to be Pakistani. She was unearthly quiet for what I considered too long before I realized she was totally in shock. Of course. Who the hell wouldn’t be? So, as we spoke with her, she began to break out into sobs. I have to give it to the guy in the car with her. He kept chatting with her, telling her she was alright. (At least 7 airbags had deployed, including the ones along the door-frame and this undoubtedly saved the woman’s life.) He asked her if she wanted to call her husband and took out his phone to get his number. He was super calm and doing a fantastic job of keeping her as much in that state as he could until the ambulance arrived. — NOTE: No one was seriously injured but I suspect the woman most likely had a broken arm at the least.

Here’s the thing: Why didn’t more people rush to help?

After I finally got to work and had a chance to gather my thoughts, I spoke to Mona – my Wife – on the phone. I asked the same thing. Why the hell didn’t more people rush out to help. It pissed me off. But, then, she kind of hit the nail on the head and brought me back to reality. Now, I spent 10 years in the military and I’ve seen more than my fair share of aftermath. Admittedly, I have never been to war (i.e., the Middle East) and I thank all that is holy that this has been my fate. Nevertheless, as soldiers we all get the same training. So, now, in any type of emergency situation, my emotions get shut off and I go to work. It’s just the way we were trained.

Most people don’t have that type of training. I understand that. The Wife told me that I needed to also understand that in such situations, most people can’t handle the possibility of what they *might* see if they rush to the scene of an accident or similar situation.

It still upset me that so few of us went to help.

I made it a point to thank the man in the car in front of me, when we made it back to our vehicles, as he and I were the first two out there.

So, my question is this: in a similar situation, would you rush to help, or not? Why? No judgment. I’m just curious.

~Peace

What did you want to be when you grew (grow) up?

What did you want to be when you grew (grow) up?

I was thinking about this last night, since someone had asked something along those lines on one of the social media sites I frequent (too much, actually).

I tried to think back to my early years. Things I loved doing, playing at, pretending to be. I mean, I definitely did the whole cops and robbers/cowboys and Indians thing. I tried desperately to remember if there was ever something—some goal—in my mind for what I’d like to be when I grew up. You know what? There wasn’t ever anything.

How sad is that?

Most kids have even flashing hopes for what they’d like to eventually do or be: a fireman, an artist, a policeman, a ballet dancer, a singer, an astronaut. Not me. I’ve been through every memory I can find, searching for some sign of hope, of wishful thinking.

Nothing.

What the hell does that mean?

Eventually, once I began high school, I did find my love of writing. But, to be perfectly honest, it was never a dream of mine to be a writer until I was in my late 20’s. Is that weird?

I look back and try to find some consistency; something I always found myself doing that might lend itself to the arena of an eventual job or career. The only thing I can remember is that I was always a daredevil. A dangerous little boy with barely an ounce of fear.

And, apparently, prone to injury.

When I was 5, I was running to the house to get my father a wrench (he was working on a race car engine, as usual) —and, I fell on the stairs, opening a nasty gash on my forehead. Accordingly, I appeared at the screen door of the house, yelling for my mother, looking like Ric Flair after a nasty battle with Ricky Steamboat. (Yes, my timeframe is well out of synch, but you get the idea.) Five stitches later, I was good to go.

Let’s see: I once jumped off the roof of the house to see if I could land on a tire…it worked amazingly well); I climbed a tree only to fall ten feet to land flat on my back and knock myself unconscious for several minutes (at 8 years old); and, I was constantly trying to jump things. I would run and try to jump long distance, or over the full length of the picnic table (I did succeed…mostly). And, then I learned how to jump things while riding a bicycle. Oh, how things changed.

I once jumped a ten-speed street bicycle over thirteen kids laying in a row. Some were as young as 4. (I was 14 at the time, so forgive my stupidity.) I might add that about the time I hit the ramp, my grandmother spotted the impending doom and screamed at the top of he lungs…but, you can’t just stop that kind of momentum. I cleared the last kid—a 7-year-old little girl—by mere inches. The impact of the landing however snapped the rear gears right from the frame of the bicycle rendering it forever more useless. But, hey. A success is a success.

My last jump was when I was fifteen, I think. I’d surpassed my record by jumping over 18 feet (measured by my foot, which you have to imagine was not 12 inches in length). I reset the ramp, checked everything. Rode the bike by the ramp to see just how far I’d have to clear to get the record, and headed back up the hill to start my run. My banana seat bike was solid, welded steel and heavy. I knew I would need significant speed and I would have to hit the ramp at just the right angle, my feet planted securely on the pedals.

Photo Courtesy of Megui Gómez-Sala (WANA Commons).

The best laid plans, as they say.

I felt it, before I even got to the ramp. My feet weren’t set and I was going too fast. Still, there was that whole momentum thing. I committed… To dreadful failure. As I hit the ramp, my foot slipped, I leaned forward and the bike went end over end. A few things seemed to happen at once: my shin scraped against the front gear and chain, the handlebar jerked from my hand and entered directly into my mouth and my head slammed into the dirt road. As well, I still remember the screams of my sister and of several other kids who were standing around, playing nearby and watching me do such stupid shit.

I walked away (stumbled, really) with a gash in the side of my head, a couple of loosened teeth and lots of scrapes and bruises.

Looking back, that was but a small portion of the stupid things I did. The adrenaline.  It had to have been the adrenaline. Perhaps I was born to be a daredevil? Who knows. I can state as a fact: I am very lucky to be alive today. I’ve had a couple of closer brushes with death – but I’ll save those stories for a later post.

My point is, I never had a solid, definable *thing* that i wanted to grow up to be.

I find that oddly disturbing the more I think about it.

What about you, my dear readers? What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you make it happen? Are you still trying?

 

Is this a Perfect Precedent Set for all of Humankind?

Best note on which to begin the day. A simple request for help, help delivered and a moment that should stand as precedent for all of humankind.

While the diver Keller Laros was filming stingrays in Hawaii, out of nowhere appeared a dolphin that was with a hook and fishing lines coiled in one of his fins. It appears as if the dolphin was asking, “Friend, could you lend me a hand here?”

Totally cool, says I.

Is One of These the Best Album Ever?

The first music I can remember was the country music that my grandfather played on his old vinyl record player. Artists like Jim Reeves, Porter Wagoner, Chet Atkins and Ray Price.

By the time I was 10, my experience broadened to the more pop(ish) sounds of Linda Ronstadt, Elvis Presley and John Denver. The more I heard, the more I fell in love with music as a whole. It didn’t matter what the genre, if it was good to me, I loved it.

Looking back, I was thinking about (in this new world of .99 cent single downloads) those full-length albums that were memorable and lasting from song one to last. I had to think hard about this, to be very harsh in my critiquing. It had to be an album of at least nine full-length songs; it had to be an album of new music (no compilations of Best of…); and, it had to make me smile right now, today, no matter when it may have been originally released.

I thought about just piling them all into one post, but then decided to do it in two posts, each with five albums. Also, I felt it might be far too tough to order them, so here are the first 5 in no particular order:

Killin’ Time – Clint Black

Clint has become a renowned country music artist, but his first album set the precedent. It harkens back to those old LPs my grandfather used to play on Saturday nights. I can listen to the album over and over and never tire of it.

Elemental – Tears for Fears

Tears for Fears is really best known for their album Songs From the Big Chair, which definitely comes in a close second in my choice from them. Still, Elemental has a more edgy, experimental sound to it and it is another album where every single song is fantastic.

Candlebox – Candlebox

I suppose at heart I am a rocker. I love it when a serious rock band lets the blues influence shine through. Rarely has this been done better than on Candlebox’s debut, eponymous album. Now, what happened after this album is anyone’s guess. This one, though…this one stands up and will for quite a long time.

Celine Dion – Unison

Celine Dion is familiar to pretty much the entire world. However, she wasn’t when her debut English-language album came out. Unison (the title song was also covered by Laura Branigan!) is an album designed to make a star out of the young lady behind the microphone. Every tune is produced to perfection and not past it. The one song on the album that truly set the precedent for all Celine hits to follow is “Where Does My Heart Beat Now?” As much as I love AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Candlebox and Nine Inch Nails, this album from Celine will forever remain in my mix.

Well, that’s it for Part One.

So, what album stands out to you as a perfectly constructed book of music from page one to the last? I’d love to learn of something I’ve not been aware of before.

Until next time – Peace!

What the heck is up with 2014?

It’s somewhat ironic. I’ve been writing professionally (that is, actually getting paid for it) for around three years, now. Yet, apparently, what has happened over those three years is that I seem to have less time for actually writing.

Why is that?

Well, I guess because I ended up taking on a lot more than just becoming an author. I began building an independent publishing company. Silly me. One more than one occasion, I have wondered (aloud) to myself: have I shot myself in the foot? Have I taken on more than I should have?

Perhaps.

In the end, however, I feel like I am moving toward something amazing. Something phenomenal that will stand long after I blow this popsicle stand. It’s called a “foundation.” Just like any building, you have to begin with the foundation, the solid under-structure that will support all that you plan on piling on top of it. And, God knows, I plan on piling shit on!

I’ve been a member of WANA for a while now and Kristen Lamb is a bit of a guru in the foundation-building area. She has long proposed that no author should ever not have a solid foundation, a platform from which to build their writing world around them. It’s true. I have lacked in this area, admittedly, and am attempting desperately to get it all in order.

One of the things Kristen recently mentioned was that it is much simpler (not easier!) to build a new platform from the ground up rather than try to tear down a previous (poorly designed one) and rebuild it correctly. I’m on the fence on this, if only from the sheer amount of work required on both sides of said argument. Still, one must get off one’s ass and get a move on.

Therefore, you will be seeing a LOT more of me blogging and tweeting this year, as well as me busting my hump to achieve my goal of completing two novels and an anthology in 2014. Sound like a madman talking? Tell me about it.

So, what are your plans for this year? Are you writing a book? Tell me, what’s it about? Are you going to blog more? Do you plan out your blogging (like, for example, using a scheduling template)? Or, do you write about whatever comes to your mind?

I’m interested to hear, so do please share.

Laters!

 

2014 – Event Happenings

Lots of wonderful things planned for this coming year! 2014 is shaping up to be a big year for me and the DRP crew! Here are just a few of the places I can be seen (along with the Dark Red Press authors) in the coming months…

WANACon – Saturday February 21 – Sunday February 22, 2014 – Digital

Author/Reader Event – Mar 15, 2014 – 12PM-4PM – DRP Booth – Dallas, TX

The Indie Road – Presenter – Saturday April 26, 2014 – Tyler, Texas

LEXICON 2014 – (Silver Level Sponsor) Fri-Sat July 11-13th – Denton, Texas

Kindling – A Little Wrath, A Little YA

Well, we are a couple of weeks into the new year and it is shaping up to be an interesting one. Dark Red Press has a newly signed author, JoAnna Grace, who is all set to see her first title released on February 1st; DRP is scheduled to attend/present at three different writing events in the first half of the year; and, there is the newest DRP Anthology coming in March!

Not to mention the whole “business aspect” thing of being a publishing company.  (Preparing taxes is sooooo much fun!)

2013 ended well, though. I was thrilled to be a part of such a growing company. New friends, new experiences. Lots of writing yet to be done, but a lot was accomplished, as well.

I was super proud to release the first novel in my Valence of Infinity series, The Blood of Others. It is my first true adult novel. Not for the kiddies, let me tell you! I am receiving rave reviews on it and needless to say I am thrilled by its reception!

There was already a short story tied to the world of the Lloranan (“One Night in Hollywood”) and there will be a Valence of Infinity novella in the upcoming DRP anthology: 4RCHETYPES: Four Modern Takes on Classic Horror. I recently completed the first draft of the tale, titled “Wrath of the Red Queen” and it ended up being more edgy, more brutal and a bit of a different writing experience for me. Still, the initial word from my beat readers is that I write one hell of a police procedural.  I hope everyone thinks the same.

I asked my readers which they would prefer to see next and after tallying the votes, the next book in my Young Adult Fantasy series, The Progeny, came out on top (barely). So look for the follow-up to The Weight of Night near the end of summer, if all goes according to plan. It is currently titled The Light of Chaos. In it, Alexis and Keats explore their kindled romance, new demigods rain havoc and Alexis world is turned upside down in more ways than one. The stakes are raised, now. Not only is her own life hanging in the balance, but the fate of all mankind teeters on the choices she makes. (And, we know how rash Alexis can be…)

So, I’m certainly looking forward to this year for a lot of different reasons.  I have a new focus on both the expansion of Dark Red Press and the broadening of my own writing. I will be looking at ways to better engage with my readers this year so if you have any thoughts in that arena, I’m all ears!

So, are you writing anything? Are you an artist? What are you working on? Come on, share with us!

 

Entering a New World in 2014 – Writing Reference

So, I’ve been on the fence for a long while about revamping the site and starting fresh. My focus is now refreshed, reinvigorated and realigned.

This new site and blog will focus specifically around writing – mine, others’ and assisting all in improving their craft.

So, to start off the New Year right, I will point you all to the one and only, Kristen Lamb, social media maven and writer extraordinaire – so that she can provide some wonderful suggestions on building (or improving) your very own Writer’s Reference Library. I wholeheartedly agree with pretty much all of her suggestions, so take heed.

Over the next few weeks (and months) I will begin building out my own suggestions here as to some wonderful writers, their blogs, reference books and sites, etc.

If you happen to have suggestions, sites or folks or books that you swear by, then by all means send them my way!

Best wishes and happy writing for 2014!

 

Free start to the New Year – YA Adventure Fiction

Good day, friends and fans!

Just a quick post to let you know that, beginning December 31st (TODAY!) through January 4th (Saturday), CL’s very well-reviewed YA fantasy adventure novel, The Weight Of Night, will be FREE for download from Amazon!

Please feel free to share this post and the Twitter posting so that folks all over can enjoy the free read!

This is the “Special Edition” that also contains the two novelettes:

Trinkets And Arrows

Life is not simple for Lily Abrams, a seventeen year old thief living in Encino. When her reputation derails her living arrangements, she knows what she has to do. She takes a job to steal a bag of rare coins from a suburban home, unaware of the danger lying within. Secrets as old as Ancient Greece are kept hidden in the middle of Los Angeles. After Lily crosses the wrong man, stealing his prized belongings, she makes a deadly enemy and pays the price. Rescued from death by none other than the actual Greek god, Apollo, Lily is manipulated into making an unbreakable deal with the god of light and prophecy. He will teach her everything she needs to know about who she is, and what she is capable of; but, first, she must face a vengeful enemy.

Soldier Boy

In St. Anne’s Care Facility, in upstate New York, a son of the Greek God of War tells the story of his one true love to a girl who cannot even remember his name.

Aaron Richardson has just been released from the army when, at the train station in New York, he literally runs into Rose, a 15 year old girl with a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind. It is immediately evident that he has met his match. In learning who they are to each other, Aaron and Rose face emotional turmoil and terrible tragedy. In the end, the tale is told and the truth will be revealed. Can love truly conquer all?

 

From Goodreads:

Average 4.55 stars · 40 ratings · 24 reviews

Example Reviews:

“Alexis is one kick butt heroine, and Keats isn’t too bad at holding his own in that arena either. She makes some bad choices, but she is honest, devoted, loyal, and determined. I enjoyed the relationship between Alexis and Keats.”

 

“Stegall manages to weave equal parts action, romance, humor and philosophy into his tale, none of which feels forced or heavy-handed.”

 

“The characters draw you into the story and won’t let you up for air.”

 

“His style of writing is beautiful. He draws the reader in immediately and never lets them go. The Weight of Night is rich in Greek mythology and brings it to life for the reader.”

 

“I LOVE Keats! Keats is calm, cool, collected, intelligent, funny, and hot.”

 

“The concept of this story is just brilliant. The Hellenic pantheon is an often used plot device and it seems even more so recently. Yet, he manages to keep it fresh and take it in some exciting new directions.”

 

“Her quest reminded me of the Odyssey and like a slightly more mature version of Percy Jackson. (And that is high praise from me, because I LOVED Percy Jackson). I liked that Alexis was a kick butt first, ask questions later kind of gal. It suited her. I also thought it was super adorable that her conscience took the form of her best friend, Keats.”

 

…read more reviews…