Joshua P. Simon's Blog, page 32

Domestic Violence

Best intentions don’t always work out.

I took a few days of vacation this week (Wed-Fri) with the intention of supporting a friend of ours today by participating in a memorial walk held for her mother. Nancy Swain Watters was an unfortunate victim of domestic violence and each year her hometown of Oneida, Tennessee (about six hours away from me) hosts a walk in her memory which they use to raise awareness about the serious issue of domestic violence and to raise support for the Children's Center of the Cumberlands and the Scott County Women's Shelter.

In the past, my job has not allowed me to attend the walk and my wife has gone alone instead. This was the first year I was finally able to take time off. Unfortunately, several members of my household came down with a cold, my wife specifically, who caught a bad case of bronchitis. Needless to say, we had to cancel our plans.

I decided to keep the days of vacation anyway, using them instead to help look after the kids while also catching up on a few things around the house.

However, since I can’t support our friend by physically being there, I want to at least get the word out about domestic violence. If you would like to donate clothes, money, etc. for this cause, please visit Children's Center of the Cumberlands.

Observations of a Father - Part 1

Today’s blog post is brought to you by a loving parent who just happens to be REALLY tired as of late.

Both of our kids have short names for multiple reasons. I never thought that a huge plus of doing this is that it's much easier to say one syllable than 3+ when you’re constantly repeating your two year old’s name over and over and over. Makes me glad I didn’t name him Rumplestiltskin.I’m sure I’ve said the words/phrases “stop.” “listen to me,” and “come here” more in the last 2 months than I have in the first 32 years of my life combined.The prayers I say for my kids have gravitated from long term thoughts of prolonged health, success, happiness, obedience to God, and so on, to a more short term focus of “please just let her go to sleep” (for my 4 month old) and “please just let him listen” (for my 2 year old). Then there is the new reoccurring prayer for myself of “please let me be patient.” It’s amazing how your priorities shift at times. Ha.
FYI, these observations will be added to as my kids age…

Music Monday - Accept

Accept is one of those great bands that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of the NWOBHM (New Wave OF British Heavy Metal) bands. Most people remember their original songs with Udo on vocals. The first three tracks are the most popular songs by that era of the band.

However, Accept got back together a couple of years ago with a new singer and the music they are creating is unbelievable. In many ways, I may actually prefer this version of the band which is crazy to say. Check out some of the songs below.

Great riff, groove, and chorus. Easily their most popular song.


Love the drum work on this track.


The galloping feel reminds me of Iron Maiden a lot here.


Here are a couple of songs with their first album with new vocalist,



And this is a single of the new album to be released on 4/10/12.

Aquaman

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Aquaman is one of the most underrated characters in the DC universe. He is a founding member of the Justice League and as King of Atlantis, he rules over most of the earth (approximately 70% is water). The man has lifted entire city blocks, saved civilizations, fought against and beaten some of DC’s highest profile villains (such as Deathstroke) and even humbled Superman.

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Yet, people only remember the awful Superfriends cartoon which showed him doing little other than riding a seahorse, swimming, or talking to fish. As a result, Aquaman has become the laughing stock of superheroes.

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Well, here is what the man can really do (taken from Wikipedia)…
Powers:
Telepathic ability to communicate with marine life, the ability to affect any being that lives upon the sea, or even any being evolved from marine life (e.g., humans).The ability to breathe underwater.Possesses superhuman durability high enough to remain unaffected by the immense pressure and the cold temperature of the ocean depths, this also makes him tough enough to be invulnerable to machine gun fire.Possesses superhuman strength.He can swim at very high speeds, capable of reaching speeds of 10,000 feet per second.He can see in near total darkness and has enhanced hearing granting limited sonar.Aquaman also had some other powers that were temporarily granted to him after he lost his left hand. Unfortunately, future writers gave him his hand back and he lost some of the coolest powers he ever had.Originally replaced his left hand with a cybernetic retractable hook, then a cybernetic hand. The mechanical hand was replaced by a magical hand made out of water given to him by the Lady of the Lake, which granted Aquaman numerous abilities, including but not limited to:the ability to dehydrate anyone he touches with it, killing them instantly;the ability to change the shape and density of the hand the ability to shoot jets of scalding water;healing abilitiesthe ability to create portals into mystical dimensionsthe ability to communicate with the Lady of the Lake through the waterbearer handthe ability to nullify magic.the ability to control water and make it any shape with his own will.
So, why do I bring this up? Well, I finally got a hold of the Aquaman graphic novel, Waterbearer, which shows how he received the water hand from the Lady of the Lake. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The art was ok. The dialogue was atrocious and the plotting was confusing at best with poor flow and a huge lack of characterization. My point to all of this is that it’s a shame that such a huge event in the character’s life didn’t come across better in the comics.

Aquaman has rarely been written well and usually the best examples of him being handled correctly are in the JLA comics and in the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini JLA TV series. I would love for a high profile comic book writer to take over the character and finally give him his due. If anyone deserves it, he does.

What I've Been Reading Lately

So far this year I've read 20 books. That's pretty good for me when you consider everything else going on in my life. Part of what's helped me knock out so many has been the length/genre of those 20. I expect my pace to slow down as I get into some of the longer books sitting on my TBR pile (The Crippled God, Wise Man's Fear, Dance of Dragons, etc.)

Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick post of the three most notable reads I've finished in the last couple of months.


Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse)
This book blew me away. This is science fiction at its best. Characterization is strong and the plot is extremely original—starting off small and gradually expanding as the book goes on. You don't have to like science fiction to enjoy this book…especially since the first third reads as a mystery. The ending is unbelievable and I can't wait for the next in the series (which comes out this year).

As a side note, the book is up for a ton of Science Fiction/Fantasy awards.


The Hunger Games Trilogy
Really enjoyed the series. I thought the first book was the strongest and the second the weakest. The ending fit perfectly with the tone already established in the world. I had a few minor quibbles here and there, but nothing too major. The books are fast reads (I finished each in about two days) and really cheap.


Fight Club
Wow, this is such a great book. Its style and content are so unique I don't even know if I can properly describe it. The narrative is immediately engaging and pulls you right into the story. Something is always going on and the more you read, the more you want to continue. I will say that I saw the movie years ago and for the most part the film stays true to the book. However, I think the book is much better. As a writer, I'm humbled that someone could pull off something so original and something so odd.

If you're interested, you can follow my actual reviews on Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5254590.Joshua_P_Simon

Music Monday - for Mike

Since I bet Mike didn't think I would post this . . .



And as a bonus for Mike, one of his favorite bands . . .

Fawlty Towers

The first time my wife and I met (we talked long distance on the phone and emailed for months before our first date) we ended up having a Fawlty Towers marathon. I had never seen the show, but Leah knew it well and loved it. She and I have always shared similar tastes so I was game.

My jaw and cheeks hurt by the time we were done from laughing. The dialogue is super sarcastic and quick witted while the physical comedy is top notch. In many ways, it's a perfect show. That's probably why despite being over 30 years old, it is still voted as the best comedy ever on television in the UK where it originated. I would agree and extend that to the US as well.

My wife and I have watched the episodes several times since and are currently doing so again (thus prompting this post).

I've attached some videos of my favorite scenes and had to force myself to stop at four because I realized that there is rarely a dull moment in any episode and my favorites are too many to list.

Do yourself a favor and get the DVDs.

Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories

Kurt Vonnegut is a legendary science fiction writer known for his quick wit. One of my favorite quotes from him is about semicolons.

Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

Anyway, this is a funny/educational video that I don't think you have to be a writer to appreciate.

Music Monday - Survivor

How can you follow up last week's Music Monday of Bill Conti? One word:

Survivor.





 p.s. Don't forget to check out Walk Through Fire which was released this weekend!

Walk Through Fire is officially out!

Walk Through Fire - A Blood and Tears Novella can be purchased from Amazon.com for only $1.99 in ebook form. Just click the Amazon button below to go to the product page.



If you do not have an ereader or a phone capable of acting as an ereader and you are interested in reading the story, you can always download the Amazon Kindle application for your desktop or laptop and read it on your computer.

Here is a brief synopsis of the story:

Jonrell escaped from his previous life, leaving behind an unhappy existence of privilege and responsibility. Two years later, as a captain in the mercenary Hell Patrol, responsibility has found him again, whether building relationships in the chow line or saving lives on the battlefield. 

After completing their most recent contract, the Hell Patrol is looking forward to a long-deserved rest. But when a former employer conspires against them, many are thrust into new roles, including Jonrell. 

While on the run for their lives, Jonrell's skills are put to the test as he reins in the clashing personalities of the surviving Hell Patrol members. 

Walk Through Fire is a stand-alone novella of approximately 36,000 words. It is a prequel that takes place ten years prior to the events of the epic fantasy Rise and Fall: Book One of the Blood and Tears Trilogy. A free 9,000 word excerpt of Rise and Fall is included in the purchase of Walk Through Fire.

One last thing. If you like what you read, please leave me a comment below, shoot me an email at joshuapsimon.author@gmail.com, or leave me a review on the site where you purchased the book. I'd love to hear from you.

And most importantly spread the word by telling friends and family about the book! Another easy way to help me out is by clicking the "Like" button or "Share" button on the Amazon product page. Thanks!