Joshua P. Simon's Blog, page 19

Audiobook Giveaway!

I'm hosting my first giveaway!

Earlier this week I received an email from Audible.com that they are allowing me to give away five free copies of both Warleader - A Blood and Tears Short Story and Rise and Fall: Book One of the Blood and Tears Trilogy.


If you are interested in receiving a free audio copy of both “Warleader - A Blood and Tears Short Story" and "Rise and Fall: Book One of the Blood and Tears Trilogy" just email me at joshuapsimon.author@gmail.com that you want your name included in the drawing. (Don't worry, I will never sell your email address or spam it!)

That’s it. Email and you're in the drawing.

I’ll let the giveaway run for two weeks (ending on July 11th). Then I’ll pick five people at random and email them the codes for each audiobook. You will need to be an Audible.com member in order to redeem the coupon codes.

Good Luck! And share this giveaway with your friends!

Music Monday - Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

Unlike the last AIC release with William Duvall (which turned out to be my second favorite AIC album behind Dirt), this one took a little longer to grow on me, partially because I think the beginning of the album is weaker than the middle and ending. That being said, it is still another solid release with some great songs that only improve with each listen.

I do have a few gripes though, most notably is that Duvall’s vocals are again too low in the mix. Don’t get me wrong, I like Cantrell’s voice, but Duvall is capable of belting these songs out and rather than doing so is stuck doing background work or accompanying Jerry on most tracks. Not cool. Give the man his due and push him up to the front.

I also felt like this album came across like a Jerry Cantrell solo album (not a bad thing), rather than a AIC album. The title track (The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here), is the only AIC song I’ve ever skipped and is my least favorite by the band. Just don’t care for the music, vocal melody, or lyrics.

Below are my four favorite tracks right now. A strong sign of how good these songs are is the fact that writing up this blog post is making me want to put the album on again. Enjoy!

Voices

Scalpel


Phantom Limb (one of the heaviest riffs Cantrell has written)


Choke

Music Monday - Metal Church (a day late)

Time for a little old school Thrash today. Such a good band/album.

Gods of Wrath


Metal Church (Live)


Beyond the Black

My All-Time NBA Team

Over the last week, I’ve read a few interviews with former NBA stars selecting their all time starting five. I’ve disagreed with all of them. For instance, Dr. J didn’t include anyone that played in the 80s or later and Karl Malone left Michael Jordan off his list (obviously still bitter).

Anyway, I decided to go one step further and not only choose a starting five, but my all-time NBA team which means 12 spots total.

I won’t go into detail about each selection because honestly, the names speak for themselves in most instances. It’s not like I included someone like Manute Bol as my center.

Starting Five
PG – Magic Johnson

SG – Michael Jordan

SF – Larry Bird

PF – Kevin Garnett

C – Bill Russell


Second Five
PG – Oscar Robertson

SG – Jerry West

SF – Elgin Baylor

PF – Tim Duncan

C – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Reserves:
Charles Barkley

Scottie Pippen

Additional thoughts and expected criticisms:
- Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett could easily be switched between my first and second five. However, I thought Garnett’s intensity and defensive skills fit better with the first unit. Can you imagine trying to penetrate the paint with him and Russell blocking the way?
- No Wilt Chamberlin? No Kobe Bryant? – I agree both players are awesome. However, I feel that both would dominate the ball too much and have shown in the past they can struggle to play with other superstars on their teams. If we were choosing a list of best one on one players, both would make my list.
- No Lebron? – Not yet. He might be the best player in the league now and the one with the most physical tools of all time. However, his commitment to defense has always been sporadic and until last year, he shied away from pressure situations (something he’s doing again in this year’s NBA finals). I need more than one year of him playing with a killer instinct for him to be on my all-time team.
- Scottie Pippen? – Absolutely. The ultimate glue guy and perfect for a team like this. He is also in my opinion, the single best shut down defender to ever play the game.

Music Monday - The Resistance

This side project from Jesper Stromblad (Former In Flames guitarist/songwriter) is absolutely brutal. Probably one of the heaviest things I’ve heard in a long time.

Needless to say, I’m quite fond of it.

Warmonger


(I will) Die Alone

Casting the Blood and Tears Series (Hell Patrol)

So, this is the end of my efforts at casting the Blood and Tears series for the hypothetical movie taking place. Same rules apply here that applied on the previous two blog posts.

Jonrell – Clive Standen

Jonrell was probably the hardest one to cast out of The Hell Patrol because he is such a major character in the series. I decided to go with Clive because I think he has the look of a leader and also has experience in similar roles. Most recently, he stars on the History Channel series “Vikings.”

Cassus – David Wenham

David was in 300 and is most famous for playing Faramir.

Kroke – Milo Ventimiglia

This was also a pretty hard role to cast. I switched choices several times before finally settling on Milo (Thanks to some brainstorming with Leah). He’s short, wiry (but in good shape), and I think he could pull off the killer look.

Krytien – Conleth Hill

Not super familiar with his work except that he plays Varys on Game of Thrones.

Raker – John Rys-Davies

This might seem like an odd choice as he is most known for his roles in Indiana Jones and especially as Gimli in Lord of the Rings. However, I think he could pull off a hard-nosed veteran with a slight soft side.

Drake – Josh Wood

I’m not married to this selection but I think he has a good look for the role.

Crusher – Conan Stevens

Absolutely perfect. He’s a 7 foot tall former bodybuilder and wrestler, turned actor.

Yanasi – Rose Leslie

Made for the role. Exactly what I imagine Yanasi to look like.

Rygar – Chris Pine

Yeah, I know Captain Kirk would probably scoff at taking a small role. But, I think it could work.

Hag – Meryl Streep

When I wrote this character, a part of me always heard Estelle Getty’s voice in my head. Well, unfortunately she’s dead. I thought it would be fun to have someone like Meryl Streep play the role. She’s versatile enough to pull it off.

Wiqua – Lou Diamond Philips

This was all Leah’s suggestion. I had someone else in the role and was pretty happy with it, but then she pulled up this picture and I was sold on her choice. It’s an interesting choice but one I think would be fun to see.

Music Monday - Pearl Jam - Singles

Two of my favorite Pearl Jam songs are off the soundtrack to the movie Singles.

Breath


State of Love and Trust (unplugged)

Casting the Blood and Tears Series (Cadonia)

Part two of casting the Blood and Tears series. Same rules and comments apply as last time.

Gauge – Robert Duvall


Great actor with a very warm look and voice. Perfect for Gauge.

Illyan – Mark Ruffalo


This was a hard choice. Illyan is described as being a pretty ugly guy and although Ruffalo isn’t the trollish figure I imagine, I think he has the acting chops to pull of the character which is most important.

Amcaro – Sean Connery


This is a small part but one I feel would be perfect for Connery. It’s not like he isn’t above doing a cameo or taking a small role here and there. Ha.

Nareash – Tom Hiddleton



Perfect voice and look.

Elyse – Jennifer Lawrence


Lawrence is good at both playing someone vulnerable and strong, something I think is key to Elyse’s character.

Lobella – Katie Cassidy


Not really married to this choice. I just felt she had a good look for the role.

Grayer – William Smith


Same here. Good look for the role.

Jeldor – Sven-Ole Thorsen



Once more casted for the look. As an FYI, he played the Thulsa Doom’s bodyguard (with the giant hammer) in Conan the Barbarian.

Stay tuned for the Hell Patrol cast.

Music Monday - Superdrag

Yes, I’m a day late again with Music Monday. Things are getting progressively hectic in our house and I spent most of yesterday walking around in an ADD-riddled haze, unable to focus on much of anything, forgetting completely about a blog post.

Anyway…

Back in High school, there was a brief period of a few weeks where my sister and I were obsessed with this song. I bought the album with high hopes only to be disappointed. It just wasn’t for me.

My sister reminded me of it about a week ago through text, and I decided to hunt it up on YouTube since it's probably been close a decade since I last listened to it. Surprisingly, I still think it is pretty good. However, like before I tried to listen to some of their other music and couldn’t get into it.\

Oh well.

Superdrag – Sucked Out

Casting of the Blood and Tears Series (Hesh)

From Day One, my family told me my writing had a cinematic feel to it. When reading the Blood and Tears series, they imagined it as a movie in their heads. Several times I’ve been asked who I would cast in certain roles if I had the choice. With the exception of a couple of people I really had no clue.

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to actually take a stab at casting many (not all) of the major and important minor characters within the series.

In most instances, this was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. As I was searching the internet, certain people would stand out right away and immediately I would say “That’s _____.” In other instances, I’ve changed my mind several times on who should play what role.

In some instances, I’ve put down someone to play a role without being familiar with their work or maybe knowing they aren’t a “perfect” fit, but felt the individual had a certain look that worked.

Although, I know my books will likely never be made into movies, this whole process was interesting and fun to do.

This week I’ll cover the characters from Hesh. With each person, I’ll add a few thoughts about the role/selection.

Bazraki – Carl Weathers
That’s right. Apollo Creed, baby. Bazraki is an older man and a hard man. I wanted someone who could bring a lot of intensity to the role but also had the physical stature to make it believable that Tobin and Kaz were his sons. Carl Weathers fits that description well. In fact, this might be perfect casting.

Walor – Mahershalalhashbaz Ali

Not familiar with his work but he has the look I want for the role. I think of Walor as a rare bright spot in an otherwise dark society.

Ufer – Chiwetel Ejiofor

Same thing here. Not familiar with his work, but he has the cold stare fitting of someone like Ufer.

Durahn – Terry Crews

This might be a controversial selection simply because Durahn is described as being really tall (a head taller than kaz who is over 6 feet). But, Terry has the look, intensity, and size I imagine when thinking of Durahn.

Side note: When writing these books, Michael Clark Duncan was who I imagined as Durahn.

Mawkuk – Sidney Poitier

Adding some acting clout to this role! And because of his age, I think he fits the description I give Mawkuk.

Odala – Kyla Pratt

This was a hard role to cast and honestly, I’m not married to Kyla. However, I do think she has a good look to her that could work.

Soyjid – Tyler James Williams

What I said about Odala goes here. However, I am familiar with Tyler’s work since I enjoyed Everybody Hates Chris.

Lucia – Tika Sumpter

I'm not familiar with her work, but the first time I saw her I thought she was perfect. A beautiful woman who epitomizes what I have in my head for Lucia.

Jober – Taye Diggs

I like his work and think he can handle the role of a more caring Kifzo.

Nachun – Djimon Hounsou

Djimon has a strong, mysterious look that I like a lot. Plus, he’s a talented actor and would be great in this role.

Kaz – Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Like Lucia, I took one look at Adewale and right away thought of Kaz. On looks alone, he was made for the role.

Tobin – Shannon Williams

And perhaps the hardest role to cast for several reasons. . . .

I say over and over that Tobin and Kaz look a lot alike because they are brothers , but finding two similarly looking actors isn’t very likely so I didn’t worry about doing so. Tobin is also my favorite character in the series so I’m really picky about who I’d want to play him. Shannon might be a bit too “clean” for the role but that can be fixed in makeup. The pluses are he has good size and that distant look in his eyes I think is important to the role. The downside is he has very little experience acting so who knows how he would fit.

So, what do you think? What are your choices for the above characters?