S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 59

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Lisa Diane Kastner and Rick Karlsruher

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Lisa Diane Kastner and Rick Karlsruher.
Lisa Diane KasterLisa Diane Kastner

Lisa is a former journalist and instructor.  Her short stories have appeared in multiple magazines and journals. She is the founder of Running Wild Press.

Lisa presented at a TEDx in Seattle on The Power of Connecting. And presented at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) on the “You Sent Us What?” panel.

Born and raised in Camden, New Jersey she migrated to Philadelphia in her twenties and eventually transported to Los Angeles, California with her partner-in-crime and ever-talented husband. They nurture two felonious felines who anxiously encourage and engage in little sparks of anarchy.

Lisa's Books:

Jersey Diner
Running Wild Anthology of Stories, Volume 1 (editor)
Now What? Success After the MFA (non-fiction)
Lisa's Links:
Website Facebook Twitter
Rick KarlsruherRick Karlsruher
I have led an usual life. Over the years I have managed and produced some music, created promotions, done international marketing and more.
Shortly after graduating from college I decided to be a writer. After several years of trying I thought I was on my way only to find it would lead to a Homeric odyssey.
The impact of those two years took me away from writing for more than twenty years. After much cajoling, I succumbed to literally hundreds of requests to write my story that became A Story Almost Told. 
Doing so has led me back to this passion.
Now comes Standoff, How the Cold War Really Ended. If you thought you knew, you were wrong. A simple detective story morphs into a spectacular satire on power and arrogance. 
Paying homage to Jonathan Swift, Dr, Strangelove, Rowan & Martin and Jon Stewart, Standoff will inform you and create laughter. 
I am a graduate of Wake Forest University.
Rick's Works:
Standoff, How the Cold War Really Ended (political satire)
A Story Almost Told (memoir)
Finding Home (film script- dramedy)
Rick's Links:
Twitter
From today's program: Satellite Repair Service Coming.
Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

STEM Major

In college (at the University of Washington (Go Dawgs!)) I was a "STEM" major. STEM is, of course, "Science, technology, engineering, and math." I was an engineering major (pulp and paper engineer to be exact, which meant I took a lot of chemical engineering classes; never worked so hard for "C"s in my life). But when you take engineering, you take a lot of math (up through differential equations in my case), science (three years of chemistry), and, of course, engineering. You don't have a lot of time to learn about literature, art, history, etc. So I am the first to admit when subjects such as literature come up, I'm not the most educated person in that subject (doesn't help that I mostly read science fiction, too).

Now I have managed to learn some things along the way. When I was younger my brain was a sponge and picked up all sorts of things. Now days it's more like an old, dried out sponge that doesn't absorb very well. But, for instance, when I watch Jeopardy, art and poetry are usually my weakest subjects.

Now I do have this skill. For music from 1960 - 1990 I can "name that tune" quite often and usually identify the artist, too. I didn't try to learn them, my brain absorbed them. And slowly I learn more. I finally found out that his is what Nude Descending a Staircase looks like:
[image error] Meh, modern art.

The people who impress me are people who understand their STEM area of expertise, but also have knowledge of literature, art, humanities, etc. I'm not, at the moment, one of them.

Television Review: The Defenders

I have finished watching season one of Marvel's The Defenders on Netflix. And to get right to the point: it's very good. After Iron Fist season one's laconic pace, it was like a strong belt of whiskey.

The Defenders starts off reintroducing the characters, Daredevil/Matt Murdock (played by Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Coulter), and Iron Fist/Danny Rand (Finn Jones). Each one is dealing with that happened at the end of their individual series. Luke Cage is getting out of prison, Matt Murdock is doing pro bono lawyer work, And Jessica Jones is drinking a lot (big surprise). Only Danny Rand and his girlfriend/sidekick Colleen Wing are fighting the Hand, the big bad organization that Daredevil and Iron Fist both fought in their individual series.

But in their own way, each of the four are drawn into the web of deceit and lies of the Hand. I don't want to give anything away, but it was great to watch Luke Cage kick Danny Rand's ass.

The show is exciting, original, and fun to watch. Each of the four main characters stay true to their vision of the world as they reluctantly join to fight the Hand.

Lots of supporting players show up: I've already mentioned Colleen Wing (played by Jessica Henwick). But there's also Clair Temple (Rosario Dawson), Foggy Nelson (Eldon Henson), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Trish Walker (Rachel Taylor), Misty Knight (Simone Missick) and even Jeri Hogarth (Carrie Ann Moss). This gives the show a feeling of continuity from the previous shows. There's a few more but I don't want to give anything away.

The acting is very good (I'm really starting to like Mike Coulter as a actor) and the action sequences are, for the most part, exciting and well done. And there's enough of them to keep you interested. The stakes are high and the interplay between the four main characters is done very well.

It helps to have seen all the previous shows (yes, even Iron Fist) for continuity's sake. But you probably don't have to. Watch The Defenders and enjoy it.

Huskies Move Up in AP Poll

The AP Top 25 College Football Poll came out at about 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 PM PT. And it's (mostly) good news for the University of Washington Huskies.

The Huskies moved up to #7 from #8 even after their lackluster win against Rutgers. This surprises me a bit.

USC, the Huskies' main Pac-12 rival, dropped from #4 to #6.

Stanford, the Huskies' main Pac-12 North rival, stayed the same at #14.

And WSU, the Huskies' cross-state rival, made the biggest move in the Pac-12, going from 24 to 20.

Not a bad week.

Better than the Beach Giveaway Almost Over

The "Better than the Beach" summer giveaway is almost over. Get your entries in to win prizes and maybe $130 PayPal cash.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Huskies Win Their First Game of the Season

As I tweeted last night:



Last night the University of Washington Huskies took on the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. The Huskies won, but for a while it looked like they might not.

Last year when the Huskies played Rutgers, it was a blow out. The Huskies put in second stringers in the second half of the game. Rutgers scored 3 points in the entire first half. The final score (with second and third stringers playing most of the second half) was 13-48. That game was at Husky Stadium so a friendly crowd and home-field advantage probably helped.


Last night's game at Rutgers was nothing like that. The Huskies' first series they went three and out. Then the Scarlet Knights scored a touchdown on their first possession. For most of the first half the Huskies struggled with missed throws and penalties. At the end of the first quarter, Rutgers led 7-3. The one highlight of the first half was a punt return by Dante Pettis that he ran in for a touchdown in the second quarter. That was his sixth career touchdown from a punt return, tying the Pac-12 record.

The Rutgers stadium was a hostile environment. The home crowd was mean. They would boo and hiss and cheer when bad things happened to Huskies. They didn't applaud when an injured Husky walked off the field as would be the norm in college football and the NFL.

The second half was much better. Quarterback Jake Browning settled down and got into a rhythm. He made two touchdown throws. The final score was 30-14. It might have been less but the officials basically gave Rutgers a touchdown in the fourth quarter that they didn't earn (the player was down before the ball entered the end zone). Yes, they would have been on about the half-yard line and might have made a touchdown anyway. But they might not have.

The AP Poll doesn't come out until Tuesday due to the Labor Day holiday. So we won't know until then how this will affect the Huskies' ranking. This was a prime-time Friday night game so probably more people were watching it than your typical Husky game.

Next week the Huskies play the Montana Grizzlies at Husky Stadium. The Grizzlies are an FCS team (too small to be bowl eligible). I'll be at that game on about the 40-yard line and 8 seats up from the field. I'm assuming the Huskies are going to do better than they did this week.

But at least they won last night and are 1-0 on the season.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with M.L Ruscsak and J. T. Bishop

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers M.L Ruscsak and J. T. Bishop.
M.L. RuscsakM.L Ruscsak

Born In 1982, a native to Lorain Ohio, M.L. "Melisa" Ruscsak grew up living with her grandparents Frances and James Lasure. She attended Clearview High School as well as Lorain County J.V.S. While in J.V.S she attended the Culinary Arts program graduating in 2001.

In 2011 near tragedy struck as Melisa's health began to decline. By summer of 2011 she would need to use a cane to get around. Suffering a stroke she required a craniotomy where she suffered her second stroke. Leaving her with a partial impairment of her speech, and weakness on her right side.  After surgery she would need to learn not only to walk again, but speak as well as recognize the alphabet.

In 2003 she welcomed the addition of her daughter Chyenne. Who inspired her to start to put her dreams to paper. A story she wrote after her daughter's birth, although not published, became the stepping stone to everything else she would eventually write.

Two years later in the fall of 2013 after a divorce, she would meet the man who would push her not only to fight to regain her physical strength  but to put her creative mind to work. No longer allowing her to dwell on what she could no longer do but what she could.

In December of 2014 they would marry. With determination Melisa would walk down the aisle without the need of a cane.

A year later she would begin to write the "Of Lite and Darke" series, dreaming to see this work through to publishing, even if she would need to publish it herself.

In 2016 she would see her dream come true. With her daughter as her editor "Of Lite and Darke" was born.

M.L.'s Book

The New Reign (Book One in the "Of Lite and Dark" series)

M.L.'s Links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

J.T. BishipJ. T. Bishop

Born and raised in Dallas, TX, J. T. Bishop began writing in 2012. Inspired by a video that theorized the meaning of the end of the Mayan calendar, J. T. began the "Red-Line" trilogy. The video surmised that the earth was the central hub of activity for extraterrestrials thousands of years ago. J.T. didn’t know whether that was true or not, but it did spawn an idea. What if those extraterrestrials were still here? Two years and a lot of work later, the first three "Red-Line" books were complete, but she’s not done. The "Red-Line" saga develops as she continues to write new books.

J.T.'s Books:


Curse Breaker

High Child

The "Red-Line" Trilogy Boxed Set

J.T.'s Links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

From today's program:   Solar Eclipses are Not Forever.

Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.

A Hobby

Back to the 52-week blogging challenge and this is the last one! The prompt for today is "One hobby I'd like to start."

This is a tough one because my hobby used to be writing and I've turned that into my job. My other hobby is watching movies and I still do that.

I used to drive cars fast on a racetrack. But that got too expensive so I gave it up. It wasn't the entry fees but the wear and tear on the car (tires and brakes, mostly). Although it was the most fun I've had with my clothes on.

I'm not a crafty person. I can't work with wood or anything such as that. So building things as a hobby is out for me.

Probably the hobby I most need to start is jogging. Or at least walking. Help my health, help me lose weight. The probably I've always had with exercise is 1) it's boring and 2) it often hurts. But if you get into the habit of it, it becomes a habit. Makes sense.

What hobby would you like to start? Comment below! Really, I don't bite.

An Interview with Brandon Lawson about His EDEN'S END Web Series

Brandon LawsonToday we're interviewing Brandon Lawson about his horror/science fiction web series Eden's End.

What is Eden’s End about?

Eden’s End follows the journey of Gabriel who’s an angel, and his human friend who hunts down supernaturals who harm humans. They’re daily jobs come to a halt, when several supernaturals and humans come into pursuit of a powerful entity known as Eden which has the power of creation and destruction. Now Gabriel and Roy must race against these people to find Eden before it falls into the wrong hands.

When will the show be out, and where?

We are expecting to release it sometime this Fall, and the episodes will be on YouTube. At first, the entire pilot will be released, and afterwards the episodes will be broken up into segments.

Being independent, how is Eden’s End being made? 

In terms of funding, we have set up an Indiegogo page that will help gather funds for the production of the entire season 1 for the show.

What are the recent successes for leading up to the show? 

So far we have released a concept trailer and a short film that kind of serves as a sneak peek to the show. They both have been received well especially on Facebook where the concept trailer has over 11k views, and the short film has gained over 20k views and has been shared by a popular movie trailer page. Will are also submitting the short film to film festivals.

What is your role in the web series? 

I am one of the screenwriters for the episodes. I have help to write the pilot, along with our concept trailer and short film of the web series.

Why did you want to write for the series? 

My brother’s friend approach me because my brother told him how I wrote stories. I like to write, and this was a way for me to expand on my writing since I was already writing short stories for my website, I wanted to add to it.

What is your experience in writing? 

I have been writing creatively for 2 years. I have written 22 fictional short stories which I posted on my website. Their genres range from crime, horror, science fiction, and more. I have also written a few movie articles. 1 of my short stories have been published in my college’s magazine. On top of that I am currently working on a science fiction book of short stories which I plan on putting out on Amazon sometime next year.




Links:
Youtube channel for the show:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg_Riw1VM-sYALWOvLe8xtQ
Facebook page for the show: https://www.facebook.com/edensendtv/
Instagram page for the show:https://www.instagram.com/edens.end/
Indiegogo page:https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/eden-s-end-horror-science-fiction-web-series#/
Brandon's website:https://www.bwlawson.com

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Douglas Robinson and Joshua Gayou

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Douglas Robinson and Joshua Gayou.
Douglas Robinson

Writer of Silently book Series.  He also has a book publishing company Silently Publishing www.silently-publishing.com

Robinson is a Christian; he received Baptism in Bible College.  Robinson became obsessed with vampires; the thought of someone being a vampire or becoming one troubled him greatly.  He set out to learn everything there is about vampires and then began to pray for their souls.  He began writing these storylines because he cares what happens to them and what happens to you when you find out people like this really exist.

Robinson changed the spelling of Vampire to Vampyre in order to change the perception between a real life vampire and a fictional one.  Vampyric people are physically changed blood-drinking human predators.

Douglas's Books:

Silently Comes the Night 

Rites of Passage

Douglas's Link:

Website


Joshua GayouJoshua Gayou

The short version is that I’m a 38 year old engineer in the aerospace business, specializing in broadband satellite communication systems.  I’ve worked in the aerospace industry for sixteen years, having started as an embedded software engineer developing instrumentation systems for rotary wing aircraft glass cockpits.  I’ve always had a talent for writing and the ability to communicate in written form has been an asset in my career (good engineers aren’t always gifted communicators; the activities utilize different portions of the brain and not everyone has all their areas equally developed, if you take my meaning).

Though I’m an engineer, that was not my focus in college; I have bachelors and master’s degrees in Computer Information Systems.  I fell into aerospace engineering rather by accident, which is a bit of a funny story.  Apparently, it impressed the guy who was interviewing me that I was a carpenter before I went to college.  It’s funny what seems to resonate with people.

Outside of all that, I managed to marry my high school sweetheart (Jennifer) and we have one son (Anthony, named after my father).  They are my two favorite people on this planet, when the wife isn’t assigning work for me to accomplish and when my kid is able to keep from doing hair-brained, ten-year-old stuff.

The long-winded version can be found here: http://joshuagayou.wordpress.com/home/



Joshua's Book:

Commune Book One

Joshua's Links:

Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter

From today's program: The Great American Eclipse, My Story

Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET/ 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.