Joshua P. Simon's Blog, page 41

Influences - Robert E. Howard

If you read fantasy and don't at least know the name "Robert E. Howard" then I have to wonder if you've been living under a rock. For a detailed biography of Howard, go here. The quick version is that he was a pulp writer in the 1920s and 1930s whose life ended in suicide at a young age. He was insanely prolific as a writer and wrote across many genres including westerns, sports, sailing adventures, and comedy. However, he is famous for his fantasy writing (which is what I've mostly read) and created the iconic characters of Bran Mak Morn, Kull, Solomon Kane and, of course, Conan.

It is hard to describe precisely what made Mr. Howard's stories stand out so sharply; but the real secret is that he himself is in every one of them, whether they were ostensibly commercial or not. He was greater than any profit-making policy he could adopt — for even when he outwardly made concessions to Mammon-guided editors and commercial critics, he had an internal force and sincerity which broke through the surface and put the imprint of his personality on everything he wrote.

~ H. P. Lovecraft, "Robert Ervin Howard: A Memorium", Fantasy Magazine, 1936 (Reprinted in The Last Celt, Glenn Lord ed., p. 69, 1976

Although he had his faults as a writer, Howard was a natural storyteller, whose narratives are unmatched for vivid, gripping, headlong action. His heroes – King Kull, Conan, Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane are larger than life: men of mighty thews., hot passions, and indomitable will, who easily dominate the stories through which they stride. In fiction, the difference between a writer who is a natural storyteller and one who is not is like the difference between a boat that will float and one that will not. If the writer has this quality, we can forgive many other faults; if not, no other virtue can make up for the lack, any more than gleaming paint and sparkling brass on a boat make up for the fact that it will not float. 

~ L. Sprague de Camp, Conan of the Isles, "Introduction", 1968


Howard's writing will always have a special place in my heart because his works, especially Conan, are the reason I became interested in fantasy. I was a huge fan of the 1980s Conan movies (which I later found out were little like the original stories). When I finally finished college, got a job and my life slowed down a bit, I used the extra cash to buy those collected Conan stories. I devoured the books and then moved on to his other fantasy characters Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane and Kull. Kull was great and similar to Conan. Kane was a pleasant surprise since the time and feel of those stories were so radically different than Conan. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to reading Howard's writings in other genres, specifically the horror stories, though I plan to one day do so.

Those Conan stories not only made me want to read more of Howard's works but also more of fantasy in general. And to this day, Conan is still my favorite character in fantasy.

Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.

"... you speak of Venarium familiarly. Perhaps you were there?" - "I was," grunted [Conan]. "I was one of the horde that swarmed over the hills. I hadn't yet seen fifteen snows, but already my name was repeated about the council fires."

Conan is larger than life and someone who cherished every moment afforded to him. He did what he wanted, when he wanted: thief, pirate, bandit, mercenary, common soldier, king, and so on. Many who haven't read the original stories assume Conan is a mindless barbarian but such an assumption couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, one of the attributes that makes the character so great to me is that he is just as much of a thinker as he ever was a warrior/fighter.

"I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content."

"Barbarianism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is the whim of circumstance. And barbarianism must ultimately triumph."

A strong part of Howard's writing was his world-building. I know many refer to Tolkien as the grandmaster and originator of building a fully realized world (and he was great). However, I much prefer Howard's method. He never beats you over the head with Hyborea's characteristics, history, and climate. He gives you just enough information as the story needs. In one paragraph he paints an image that many fantasy writers will take pages to do the same with. What is even more impressive is how all the details of his world seem to tie in together despite the fact that his writings were much shorter and less planned than many of the sprawling epics today. The best compliment I can give to Howard's world is that I can almost believe that the place really existed in some lost, long-forgotten time.

Then suddenly the borealis, the snow-clad hills and the blazing heavens reeled drunkenly to Conan's sight; thousands of fire-balls burst with showers of sparks, and the sky itself became a titanic wheel which rained stars as it spun. Under his feet the snowy hills heaved up like a wave, and the Cimmerian crumpled into the snows to lie motionless.

The blare of the trumpets grew louder, like a deep golden tide surge, like the soft booming of the evening tides against the silver beaches of Valusia. The throng shouted, women flung roses from the roofs as the rhythmic chiming of silver hoofs came clearer and the first of the mighty array swung into view in the broad white street that curved round the golden-spired Tower of Splendor. 

Here are a couple more from the Solomon Kane stories:

Kane gazed, awed. This was truly a hell on earth. As in a nightmare he looked into the roaring red cauldron where black insects fought against their doom and perished. The flames leaped a hundred feet in the air, and suddenly above their roar sounded one bestial, inhuman scream like a shriek from across nameless gulfs of cosmic space, as one vampire, dying, broke the chains of silence which had held him for untold centuries. High and haunting it rose, the death cry of a vanishing race. 

Slowly he rose, mechanically wiping his hands upon his cloak. A dark scowl had settled on his somber brow. Yet he made no wild, reckless vow, swore no oath by saints or devils."Men shall die for this," he said coldly. 

Now, was Howard's work without fault? No. Even among the Conan stories, there's some weak writing. And at times his dialog can be cringe-worthy (although on some level, I still find it awesome).

"Lift that scimitar against me, you Hyrkanian pig and I'll gut you where you stand!"   

"You cannot escape me!" he roared. "Lead me into a trap and I'll pile the heads of your kinsmen at your feet! Hide from me and I'll tear apart the mountains to find you! I'll follow you to hell!" 

But once you understand his background…self taught, lived in isolation, and worked under intense deadlines in which he could rarely afford time to rewrite/edit like many writers do today, you can understand some of his shortcomings.

I had neither expert aid nor advice. I studied no courses in writing; until a year or so ago, I never read a book by anybody advising writers how to write.

~Robert E. Howard

Howard once said, "I have not been a success, and probably never will be." It's a shame that he never got to see how wrong he was.

I know that without his stories, I probably wouldn't be writing today.

Music Monday - Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix has been my favorite musician/artist since I first heard his version of The Star Spangled Banner at the age of fourteen (which was why I posted it last week). I still remember being at summer camp hanging out with one of my friends. He was a big hard rock/heavy metal fan and introduced me to a lot of what I listen to today. (Thanks John Paul, wherever you are.)

Anyway, we were in his dorm room, killing time, and I was scanning through his CDs, looking for something new when he suggested I put in Hendrix's greatest hits CD. He skipped down to the Star Spangled Banner taken from the Woodstock festival and cranked his stereo up. The echoing reverb and first few notes pulled me in. I stared at those speakers in complete awe as the deafening vibrations pounded against my face. It was one of those "Where have you been my entire life?" moments that I'll never forget.

I think I listened to that version of the song at least half a dozen times in a row which I don't think I've ever done with any song since. Then I borrowed my friend's CD and immediately fell in love with Hendrix's songwriting, guitar playing, and overall musicianship (Mitch Mitchell was a pretty awesome drummer as well). The music Hendrix created outside of the The Jimi Hendrix Experience when he was with the Band of Gypsys was just as good, as was the blues album released after his death.

My top five to ten favorite bands/artists have shuffled around over the years but the number one spot has never changed. Hendrix could really do it all, blues, jazz, rock, acoustic, etc. Without him, music would sound much different today. I even bought a Fender Stratocaster, Wah-Fuzz pedal, and Marshall amp when I was nineteen because of him.

Are You Experienced? is my favorite Hendrix album and its last song Red House is also my favorite.

Check out the video below.

Warleader Cover Art

Warleader , my short story that acts as a prequel to Rise and Fall , the first book in the Blood and Tears Trilogy officially has a cover!  And it's an awesome cover if I do say so myself.  I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.  In fact, I've had to force myself to stop looking at it.  Perfect color, tone, font, etc.

























I can't take the credit for its look though.  I gave a graphic artist named Brooke White of Sprout Studio in Houston, Texas, (she's also my cousin) the jumbled vision of the cover I had in my head. She managed to make sense of it, put it all together, and make it work.  She'll be doing all the covers for this series which will have a similar theme.  She's hoping to begin work on the cover for Rise and Fall next week so stay tuned!

If you're interested in procuring her services, please contact her at the following:
Brooke White
Sprout Studio (in Houston, TX)
brooke@sproutstudio.us





Don't forget to leave a comment about your thoughts on the cover!

Book Review - On Dark Paths by Andrew Kincaid

As I stated in my first post, something I wanted to do was post reviews on what I've been reading.  This serves two purposes.  One, if you follow my blog you'll get a good idea (I hope) of what I like and dislike as a reader.  Two, it allows me to help another author promote his/her work.

Here's the breakdown.












Author: Andrew Kincaid
Name of work: On Dark Paths
Type of work: short story collection
Genre: Horror
Price: $1.99 as an ebook
Author product Description:
Now and then a person brushes up against something they can't explain, something so far outside the norm that in a sane world it ought not exist.  Enclosed here are thirteen stories about this unholy interaction of the Mundane and the world Beyond:
- A mysterious stranger and horrible sounds from the night give the briefest glimpse into the horrors "Beyond the Veil"
- Is it merely a dream?  Or is it a horrific glimpse into Outer Darkness?   "Plop!"
- A mysterious video wends its way through the digital world, leaving nothing but madness and destruction in its wake in "…And the Truth Shall Make You Free "
"Where the Darkest of Dark Things Dwell" – Sometimes it isn't the monster outside that gets you.  Sometimes it's the one inside.
- A modern day Frankenstein learns the price of hubris in "Murphy's Law"
- Nothing can save you now.  You've been bitten… in "The Bite"
-A sleepy little mining town conceals a horrible truth beneath its feet in  "Benton's Station"
-The nighttime fancies of childhood sometimes turn out to be all too real in "It Came At Midnight"
- A paranormal enthusiast gets much more than he bargained for in "Death At a Train Crossing"
- It lurks in the woods.  Watching.  Waiting.  What is it? No one knows. "The Thing That Smiles"
- An eccentric author receives a pair of strange visitors one rainy night in "Black Eyed Kids"
- A mysterious box reveals Everything…but for a price… in "The Spirit Box"
- A journalist learns the truth about a devastating plague that has swept the world in "Pandemic Hysteria"

My thoughts:
I discovered Andrew Kincaid through Twitter and, on a whim, went to Amazon to check out his work. The entire first story of this collection is available through the "Look Inside" feature. By the time I was done, I was absolutely hooked and had to buy it. To have that strong of a reaction right away to someone's writing is very rare for me. Generally, if I like something I stick it on my "to-read" list and will eventually get it. Rarely does something leapfrog other titles I was looking forward to reading.

I finished the collection pretty quickly and enjoyed every story.  So much so, that I immediately went back to Amazon and bought his other collection Strange World. (Again, I rarely do this. Let me go through some of the pros and cons.

Pros:
Great sense of voice and characters that felt real. I think this is especially hard to do in a short form and Andrew does it well.  Probably why I like his writing so much is that his characters are very prominent in the stories.Strong suspense. It was hard to stop reading a story in the middle which I was forced to do several times.Vivid images without being overly descriptive. I haven't read a ton of horror but like any other genre the stories I enjoy the most are those that give me just enough information to let my imagination run wild and allow me to fill in the rest. Change in point of view. Stories shifted between first, second, and third person as well as past and present tense. They worked in every case. It takes a lot of skill to do that, in my opinion.Different feels to the stories. Some were meant to scare, some to thrill, some made you think. Regardless, they all served their purpose.Great writing style. Prose was very strong.
Cons:
If I had to nitpick, a couple of the stories ended a bit more abruptly than I would have liked.I really want to read a novel by the author but none are currently available. I'm calling you out, Andrew!
Closing thoughts:
If you have an ereader, buy this. Even if you don't normally read horror, I'm willing to bet you'll enjoy the collection because the stories themselves are so strong and there is very little of the extremely gory content involved. Besides, it's only $1.99. Anyone can afford that.

And as a side note, "Pandemic Hysteria" was by far my favorite story. I've thought about it for days since reading it. (Again, I can't remember the last time something like that has happened.)

10 out of 10

The Accidental Author

A question that inevitably comes up when one decides to become a writer is "why?" I have heard and seen many of my favorite authors get asked this question in various interview formats. It always amazes me how few of them have an answer to what seems like such an easy question. But then after many months of writing on my own, I mentioned that I was writing to my parents and I believe one of their first questions were "What made you decide to do that?" Suddenly that question became a difficult one.

When my parents asked me that question, they weren't wondering about my sanity or thinking I was making a huge mistake. In fact, they were very excited for me. They just wanted to learn more about what could have caused the sudden interest to write a book when I had never shown much interest in doing so before. I believe my response was a grunt followed by "uh..." And then I tried to explain as best as I could what, to me, didn't need to be explained. I don't recall what I told them then nor do I think I've answered the question any more easily or more completely in the times it's been posed to me since. So, I figured I would try here to explain why I write.

I just wanted to see if I could do it – A running joke I had with my family when growing up was "I could do that. I just don't want to." This would be in reference to many things from the relatively plausible to the most outrageous thing imaginable. Another part of the attitude is that I really believed I could do those things if I actually devoted myself to being successful at it.

The issue is that I've only cared about a handful of things strongly enough to warrant giving it that much of my attention. Writing became one of those things. And once I have it in my head I'm going to do something it's hard to get me to change from that course.

After reading some of my favorite authors, I found myself fascinated that someone could create something so good and so real. I wondered if I could do it and what the final product would look like.

My first attempt wasn't very good. It was about 10K words of random scenes with not much of a plot. After a few months of trying to piece things together, I scrapped everything except some of the names and two half scenes which were carried over into Rise and Fall. I realized then (thanks to some discussions with my wife Leah) that I was not an organic writer and I needed to have at least a loose outline to work from. Once I spent a couple of weeks fleshing things out into a rough outline, my next attempt was much better (at least structurally). That's why the name of the blog is called "The Accidental Author." I never intended to become a writer, nor did I intend for something I started on a whim to become one of the most important things in my life. It just kind of happened.

A vivid imagination – I've always had a hard time keeping my mind from wandering and day dreaming. Focusing on just one thing for me is very hard (even writing). At least part of this has to do with being diagnosed as ADHD.

I've wondered if that negative is also a positive, though, as those daydreams often lead to story ideas. I've discovered that writing allows me get some of those random thoughts and ideas out and onto paper. That doesn't mean that I stop thinking about them. But it does mean that those thoughts are much more coherent and less random than before.

The desire to do something – Ever since I was young, I've always had a desire to do something important with my life. That didn't necessarily mean that I had to become President or find the cure for cancer. I just wanted to achieve something that I felt may have a brief impact on others. Writing gives me the opportunity to provide a few hours of entertainment to someone and hopefully impact their lives in a positive way. If nothing else, hearing the positive response from my betareaders who have read my first book has made all the hard work worth it, even if no one else gives the story a chance. (Shameless plug: Rise and Fall is due to be available for purchase for your favorite e-reader by the end of 2011.)

Most of the pressure is on me – Being a writer is in many ways like running your own business. The pressure is on me to write a good story, to find a good editor, to find a good cover, to market it properly, and so on. Whether it succeeds or fails depends largely on my own effort and decisions (but also a lot of luck). This is much different than most jobs or even personal endeavors I'd been interested in before. In the sports that I played growing up, success was always dependent on other player's abilities. In music, a successful band doesn't have only one member (well, maybe if you're Prince considering the guy plays 13 instruments).

With writing, if I don't meet a deadline or produce a quality product, it's more than likely because of me.

Once you start, it's hard to stop – Watching a story unfold before your eyes, shaping characters into something personal and real, finding the right cadence to your prose, all becomes very addictive and is much different than reading someone else's work. That doesn't mean that it's all fun because there are times that it's not. But I think that holds true with anything in life.

Now that writing is part of who I am, I can't imagine not doing it. I hope it stays that way because I have many stories left to tell.

The First Post

I've decided to use the first blog post to set the stage for what's to come in the future. That way, anyone who stumbles across it will have a good idea what the content of the blog will be like. Hopefully, at least one of the topics below will interest you and you'll decide to stick around.

Writing and Reading – The primary reason I started this blog is because, like most writers, I need a place where I can talk about the things I have a passion for and that will allow me to promote my blood, sweat, and tears. Therefore, a large portion of my posts will probably be about writing and reading, especially within the fantasy genre. That being said, I do plan to discuss other genres from time to time such as science fiction, horror, etc.

As an aside, I have plans to showcase other authors here through interviews and guest blogs at some point in the future.

Music – Music has always been a huge part of my life. I mostly listen to Heavy Metal and Hard Rock but I also own and listen to a ton of classic rock and blues with the occasional punk and classic country albums thrown in.

You can expect album reviews, concert recaps (when I'm able to see them), my basic thoughts on music in general, and random YouTube videos like this...



FYI, my wife suggested that I make a regular feature called "Music Monday" so that I could do a write up on something music-related. Considering I can talk endlessly about the subject, I thought it was a great idea.

My personal life – I enjoy catching the occasional glimpse into the lives of some of my favorite authors on their blogs. So, you can expect a comment or post here or there on things that relate to my faith, family, or work. Don't worry; I don't plan on doing a long, boring autobiographical series of my life (even I wouldn't want to read something like that and I live it).

Sports – I'm a big Basketball and Football fan. I follow the New Orleans Saints (I'm originally from Louisiana), the Boston Celtics, Notre Dame, and the Boston Bruins.

Movies - I really don't watch movies as frequently as I once did. It's not that I wouldn't mind going to the movies every now and then or renting them and relaxing on the couch at home. It's just that my time is precious these days so I only make an effort to see those movies that really grab my attention or strike a note with my inner geek. So, on the few occasions I do make it to a show or happen to dust off one of the DVDs at home, I'll throw up a review or some of my thoughts on the movie itself.

Comic Books – I'm mostly a DC fan but I will chime in on Marvel as well. Batman and The Flash are two of my favorite characters.

Cartoons – I grew up on comic-based cartoons, old school Disney and Looney Tune classics. I've already introduced my 21-month old son to some of them.

If you're reading this and like what I had to say above, awesome! Please check in from time to time and leave a comment.

If you made it through this whole post and it was all you could do to keep yourself from heaving, don't worry, I promise my fiction is much better.

Check in tomorrow for the first "real" post.