Carl Alves's Blog, page 11
July 1, 2019
10 Questions with Lilian Csernica
1. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
SNUFF by Sir Terry Pratchett
2. You describe yourself as a Japanophile? What does that mean to you and what attracts you to Japanese culture?
The paradoxes in Japanese culture intrigue me. On one hand, they celebrate the ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossom. On the other, their educational system is so harsh and competitive that students who fail their exams often commit suicide. What I enjoy most about the history of Japan is its transition from the Tokugawa Shogunate period of martial law to the Industrial Revolution brought about by the Emperor Meiji determined to modernize Japan. This feudal archipelago in the Pacific became a crossroads of strategic interests for the world powers who already foresaw world war looming.
3. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
It depends on the story. Novels require some thinking to sort out the cast of characters and their motivations. With short stories, I tend to get an idea for a main character or a scene and run with that, then build the rest of the story around it.
4. What’s the most interesting, little known historical fact you have ever come across?
When the Tokugawa closed Japan to the West, a delegation of samurai on its way back from Spain were locked out of their own country. Some of the samurai ended up in Mexico. There is evidence to suggest that the samurai's interest in Kabuki may have influenced the designs and colors of masks worn by lucha libre wrestlers.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
I am fascinated by cultural intersections, both in real life and in fiction. One of the most common points of meeting is the ghost story. Much of my nonfiction reading is about folklore and the supernatural elements found in other cultures.
6. What made you start writing?
I needed somebody to talk to, so I started writing in an ordinary spiral notebook. I recall doing that as far back as first or second grade. Like many writers, I come from a dysfunctional family, my mother's second marriage. When other family members were fighting, I was writing, running away from home inside my own head.
7. What are your favorite things to collect?
Ghost stories. Wind chimes. Bookmarks.
8. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
I'm not sure how to interpret the question. Is there a subject I refuse to write about? Or is there a subject I can't bring myself to write about? The deaths of children, especially babies, upset me terribly. I lost my first son to miscarriage. I have to limit my exposure to the daily news because the resulting rage and grief is very draining.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
I can be relentless about my research. I want to write for my most intelligent reader, the one who will spot it if I get an historical detail wrong. As far as technique, I like to think I'm good at dialogue.
10. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
Tanith Lee or Seabury Quinn. They know how to put the "weird" in weird tales.
SNUFF by Sir Terry Pratchett
2. You describe yourself as a Japanophile? What does that mean to you and what attracts you to Japanese culture?
The paradoxes in Japanese culture intrigue me. On one hand, they celebrate the ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossom. On the other, their educational system is so harsh and competitive that students who fail their exams often commit suicide. What I enjoy most about the history of Japan is its transition from the Tokugawa Shogunate period of martial law to the Industrial Revolution brought about by the Emperor Meiji determined to modernize Japan. This feudal archipelago in the Pacific became a crossroads of strategic interests for the world powers who already foresaw world war looming.
3. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
It depends on the story. Novels require some thinking to sort out the cast of characters and their motivations. With short stories, I tend to get an idea for a main character or a scene and run with that, then build the rest of the story around it.
4. What’s the most interesting, little known historical fact you have ever come across?
When the Tokugawa closed Japan to the West, a delegation of samurai on its way back from Spain were locked out of their own country. Some of the samurai ended up in Mexico. There is evidence to suggest that the samurai's interest in Kabuki may have influenced the designs and colors of masks worn by lucha libre wrestlers.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
I am fascinated by cultural intersections, both in real life and in fiction. One of the most common points of meeting is the ghost story. Much of my nonfiction reading is about folklore and the supernatural elements found in other cultures.
6. What made you start writing?
I needed somebody to talk to, so I started writing in an ordinary spiral notebook. I recall doing that as far back as first or second grade. Like many writers, I come from a dysfunctional family, my mother's second marriage. When other family members were fighting, I was writing, running away from home inside my own head.
7. What are your favorite things to collect?
Ghost stories. Wind chimes. Bookmarks.
8. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
I'm not sure how to interpret the question. Is there a subject I refuse to write about? Or is there a subject I can't bring myself to write about? The deaths of children, especially babies, upset me terribly. I lost my first son to miscarriage. I have to limit my exposure to the daily news because the resulting rage and grief is very draining.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
I can be relentless about my research. I want to write for my most intelligent reader, the one who will spot it if I get an historical detail wrong. As far as technique, I like to think I'm good at dialogue.
10. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
Tanith Lee or Seabury Quinn. They know how to put the "weird" in weird tales.
June 28, 2019
10 Questions with Mark Rossman
1.) How did you get started as an audiobook narrator?
Several years ago I received an audiobook as a Christmas gift. While working out at the gym one day I decided to pop in my earphones and began listening. After a few minutes I thought to myself “Hey, I can do that!” So, that is when I first caught the itch to narrate audiobooks. The more I looked into producing audiobooks the more seriously interested I became.
Since then I have produced and narrated over 80 audiobooks in various genres, most of them can still be found on Audible and Amazon.
Actually, I have been active as a voice artist for a long time. I began by working for various radio stations while in college and producing commercials or voice ads as a freelancer for advertising agencies. I have also narrated numerous documentaries for a number of outlets, including the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, TLC, The History Channel and several others.
Audiobooks were an entirely new challenge for me. It was an avenue I had yet to venture into and I was anxious to give it go. Depending on the type of book, producing and narrating an audiobook though can be extremely time consuming and can get very involved. To be good at it you have to genuinely enjoy doing it, be devoted to the project and of course, it helps if you actually enjoy the book you are narrating.
2.) Is there any genre of fiction that you prefer narrating?
I enjoy narrating most all genres, both fiction and non-fiction. But if I had to choose one genre of fiction in particular, I would have to say I love telling ghost stories. I love the mysterious, the paranormal and the incomprehensible. That was what made “Battle of the Soul” such an enjoyable book to narrate. It was a book I probably would have read on my own anyway.
Since my voice sometimes comes across as being deep and dark I often get asked to do various voices for video games. And I almost always end up playing some dastardly bad guy, evil villain or gruesome monster type of character.
With audiobooks I always seem to struggle with the question: would the listener prefer the book to be read straight, absent of any hint of drama or interpretation? Or would the listener rather enjoy hearing the elocution of a professional voice talent with all the little nuances and acting that entails? That is one of the first questions I try to answer before delving into the production of an audiobook.
That being said, with Carl’s “Battle of the Soul” I was able to make up my mind rather quickly. After reading through the first few chapters I knew right away how I was going to tackle the narration. “Battle of the Soul” was literally screaming for the drama and I could easily visualize the characters up to that point. But I also knew it was going to be a major challenge to carry it through to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed telling that story because it was so well written. It is a great story, with great characters, antagonists and protagonists. It is also full of compassion for the fellow man (or woman), which makes you as the listener feel good. I just didn’t want to screw it up. But I digress…
3.) What current projects are you working on?
At the moment I am working on the narration for another audiobook about the Kennedy family entitled “The Kennedy Curse: Shattered” written by Les Williams. The book is non-fiction which requires more straight reading rather than the previously described drama. It is about the various members of the Kennedy clan and the tragedies that befell them. It also delves into the conspiracies surrounding some of those tragedies.
Some people believe the bad fortune the Kennedy family endured was due to a curse. At one time Bobby Kennedy even said: “Somebody up there doesn’t like us.“
This particular book about the Kennedys, and there have been many, sets out to disprove ’the curse’ theory and shows us that Joseph Kennedy was, in many ways, the architect of his own terrible suffering. The book portrays the Kennedys as a troubled and dysfunctional family with a distorted view of the world and their place in it. It is full of interesting insights that are thoroughly researched and also very well written. The audiobook is due out in March 2019.
So much for the plug…
Aside from that audiobook I recently finished an image video project for Birkenstock – the nature loving shoemaker – which should go online soon. I also do a lot of narrating and voice work for the German auto industry on a fairly regular basis. New and equally interesting projects tend to pop up nearly every day.
So, you could say, the studio is almost like a second home to me. I spend a lot of time breathing that stale air in that soundproof recording booth.
4.) Which person do I most admire?
That is a tough question to answer and I spent a lot of time thinking about this one. First, I must say, I admire many different people for many different reasons. But if I had to choose one present-day living individual – and I may be sticking my neck out here a little – I would have to say Vladimir Putin. Here’s why.
Despite all the demonization, vilification and threats that have been thrown at Putin and Russia over the past few years and all the unverified accusations he has been confronted with, Vladimir Putin has maintained a very cool head. Putin’s humanity and self-control, has maintained peace despite the aggression and provocative actions against Russia coming from the West. In my view that’s admirable. Vladimir Putin has accepted insults that in the past would have resulted in all-out war. That is the sign of a true leader.
Whether we like it or not Russia is a major world power and needs to be regarded and respected as such. Whatever happened to diplomacy?
I admire Putin for keeping his cool and for not losing it while under tremendous pressure and attempting to resolve issues rather than escalate them.
My grandfather once told me “if you can keep your head while all those around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, you are a much better person.” If I am not mistaken, I believe my grandfather was actually attempting to quote George Bernard Shaw with that statement.
Let us all just remain cool. Remember there is no winner in a nuclear war.
5.) What is the most challenging type of accent to master?
I personally do not have too much difficulty picking up or copying a particular accent if I actually take the time to seriously study and practice it. To be honest though, I am not sure I have actually mastered any of them. Of course, some accents do come much easier than others and I can’t really explain why that is. For me I think it may be because I have travelled a lot and have been exposed to so many different regions, cultures, languages and peoples. In other words, I’ve been lucky to be able to pick up some accents and dialects through osmosis, if you will.
Each voice artist develops his/her own method of acquiring accents. My method is quite simple: I listen to them intently over and over and over, usually one or two sentences at a time until I feel comfortable with my own rendition of the same sentence(s).
But to get back to the original question, I find trying to do a good British accent is the most challenging simply because even though English is my mother tongue I am simply not British and there are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of different British accents and dialects.
If I went into a pub in say Manchester in the UK and started using my fake British accent it would stick out like a very spoilt pint of lager and I would probably get laughed at out into the street. “You bloody well got that right, mate!”
6.) What advice do you have for beginners in voice narration?
Understand what you are narrating and if you don’t understand it, then at least act like you do. If you don’t understand what you are reading then chances are those listening won’t understand it either.
The point I am trying to make here is ‘do your homework.’ Become familiar with the topic and practice reading it out loud to your self. Read it in front of a mirror over and over again or into a recording device and play it back and listen to it. Find things you can improve upon. Practice by toying with the different ways you can say things and find the one way that works best for you.
Anyone can read out loud, but not everyone can narrate. Like anything it takes time and practice. You have to really want it, desire it more than anything else and learn to trust your natural instincts when telling a story. Never talk down to people. Fine-tune and hone your communication skills by simply talking the story, talking as you would with people you know, like you are telling it to a friend or neighbor.
One of the biggest challenges in narration is trying to figure out what the author is looking for in a particular character or trying to capture the overall feeling for his/her work as a whole, in other words interpreting the text the way the author originally intended. That is sometimes a mystery and real guesswork. But it is also a big part of the overall challenge of narrating, especially audiobooks of fiction.
7.) How did you wind up living in Germany?
The simple answer is…it just kinda worked out that way. I just sort of got stuck here. But that of course requires a bit more explanation.
I first became exposed to Germany, and Europe, as an impressionable 16-year-old exchange student when I spent a year living with a German family near the city of Cologne. Originally from Portland, Oregon and having spent most of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest I soon found myself in an exciting, but foreign place far away from home. But the experience of a year abroad turned out to be a life-altering eye-opener for me.
While at school I had developed a keen interest in world history and international affairs and had an insatiable appetite for learning more about it. Essentially I fell in love with Europe and at the time it seemed like the ideal place to be. Every nook and cranny in Europe was just oozing with history.
After my first year abroad came to an end I knew I wanted to return to Europe at some point. In fact, I did return several times, mostly as a backpacking student tourist. Then upon graduating from Washington State University with a degree in communications and journalism I applied for and received a grant to study in Germany for another year, which I did. This led to a number of great opportunities, one being in the field of international broadcasting.
To cut a long story short, I became a director and correspondent for an award winning European TV news magazine program (European Journal) that aired all over the English-speaking world, including on PBS for several years. During that time I also met a German girl who eventually became my wife. Our son is now an English and PE teacher at a German middle school.
Being where I was at that stage of my life everything just sort of happened the way it happened. I never planned it that way.
8.) What type of voice work do you find most enjoyable?
For me the most enjoyable voice work is being able to tell a story from beginning to end. The length doesn’t really matter. It can be in the form of a 30 second spot, 1-2 minute long image film or a 90-minute documentary. To me it is the art of story telling that I enjoy, grabbing the attention of the listener and not letting go until the end.
Even though I truly relish narrating audiobooks and documentaries I will narrate virtually anything at any length as long as it comes with a genuine storyline, essentially anything with a beginning, middle, and an end. To me narrating – telling a story and getting paid for it – is my personal dream job.
9.) What do you see for the future of audiobooks?
Wherever I go I see a lot of people moving about with headphones, with listening devices of some kind and earplugs stuffed in their ears. I view that as a very good sign for the audiobook industry. It is an industry that has shown incredible steady growth over the past several years and the trend seems to be continuing. I recently read that audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in the digital publishing industry and the United States continues to be the biggest market for the audio format. There is also a big youth movement when it comes to audiobooks and nearly 50% of all listeners are under 35.
That being said I often get the feeling that people don’t read anymore. Maybe this is due to the time factor involved here. Everyone has busy lives and no time to read. We are always on the go and multi-tasking has become a way of life. Why read it when an audio version is available? You can consume the same content while driving, walking the dog or working out at the gym.
I often get asked to lend my voice to material that is not traditionally suited for a voice artist. For instance, on numerous occasions I’ve been asked to record my voice to user’s guides and user’s manuals for assembling a piece of furniture, a home appliance or some newfangled gadget. That is what made me stop and think: “Don’t people read anymore?” That would have been unthinkable years ago. Nowadays following instructions read to you by a canned voice is not so uncommon.
So, I see that as a very good sign for the future of audiobooks, even if it is only a handbook or a user’s manual.
10.) If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would they be?
1-Mark Twain, aka Samual L Clemens, American author, humorist and social observer. I love his perceptively sharp wit and keen eye for the obvious. I oftentimes even quote him when appropriate.
Here are two of my Mark Twain favorites:
‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.’
And…
‘It is easier to fool the masses then it is to convince the masses they have been fooled.’
2-Peter Ustinov – writer, actor, director, raconteur and multi-talented voice artist. I worked with him briefly many years ago on a production for PBS commemorating German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. I was most impressed by his unique cultural versatility. He spoke 6 languages fluently – English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian – and he was proficient in accents and dialects in all of them. He was amazingly gifted and a true gentleman.
3-Walter Cronkite – a journalist, broadcaster and TV news anchor of the Edward R. Murrow genre who became the voice of truth for America. A TV journalist you could trust and always look up to and one who never talked down to you – an honest down-to-earth communicator. He is dearly missed in the mainstream media of today.
4-Dr. Paul Craig Roberts – an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. He has written several books and internet columns which have attracted a worldwide following. He is known for his candor and integrity, a good citizen who truly loves his country.
5-Hugh Hefner – He is an amazing publisher whom I simply admire for his accomplishments. There is perhaps a smidgeon of envy mixed in there as well. What red-blooded testosterone-driven male wouldn’t envy his accomplishments? He founded his famous magazine for men with $600,- in 1953 and built it into a multi-million dollar entertainment empire. Actually, I would invite him to dinner just to see if he arrived in his pajamas… and to count – and ogle – the bunnies clinging to them.
Note: The invitations are in no particular order. Naturally, there are quite a few other individuals I could have easily added to that dinner guest list but I will have to save that for another occasion.
Several years ago I received an audiobook as a Christmas gift. While working out at the gym one day I decided to pop in my earphones and began listening. After a few minutes I thought to myself “Hey, I can do that!” So, that is when I first caught the itch to narrate audiobooks. The more I looked into producing audiobooks the more seriously interested I became.
Since then I have produced and narrated over 80 audiobooks in various genres, most of them can still be found on Audible and Amazon.
Actually, I have been active as a voice artist for a long time. I began by working for various radio stations while in college and producing commercials or voice ads as a freelancer for advertising agencies. I have also narrated numerous documentaries for a number of outlets, including the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, TLC, The History Channel and several others.
Audiobooks were an entirely new challenge for me. It was an avenue I had yet to venture into and I was anxious to give it go. Depending on the type of book, producing and narrating an audiobook though can be extremely time consuming and can get very involved. To be good at it you have to genuinely enjoy doing it, be devoted to the project and of course, it helps if you actually enjoy the book you are narrating.
2.) Is there any genre of fiction that you prefer narrating?
I enjoy narrating most all genres, both fiction and non-fiction. But if I had to choose one genre of fiction in particular, I would have to say I love telling ghost stories. I love the mysterious, the paranormal and the incomprehensible. That was what made “Battle of the Soul” such an enjoyable book to narrate. It was a book I probably would have read on my own anyway.
Since my voice sometimes comes across as being deep and dark I often get asked to do various voices for video games. And I almost always end up playing some dastardly bad guy, evil villain or gruesome monster type of character.
With audiobooks I always seem to struggle with the question: would the listener prefer the book to be read straight, absent of any hint of drama or interpretation? Or would the listener rather enjoy hearing the elocution of a professional voice talent with all the little nuances and acting that entails? That is one of the first questions I try to answer before delving into the production of an audiobook.
That being said, with Carl’s “Battle of the Soul” I was able to make up my mind rather quickly. After reading through the first few chapters I knew right away how I was going to tackle the narration. “Battle of the Soul” was literally screaming for the drama and I could easily visualize the characters up to that point. But I also knew it was going to be a major challenge to carry it through to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed telling that story because it was so well written. It is a great story, with great characters, antagonists and protagonists. It is also full of compassion for the fellow man (or woman), which makes you as the listener feel good. I just didn’t want to screw it up. But I digress…
3.) What current projects are you working on?
At the moment I am working on the narration for another audiobook about the Kennedy family entitled “The Kennedy Curse: Shattered” written by Les Williams. The book is non-fiction which requires more straight reading rather than the previously described drama. It is about the various members of the Kennedy clan and the tragedies that befell them. It also delves into the conspiracies surrounding some of those tragedies.
Some people believe the bad fortune the Kennedy family endured was due to a curse. At one time Bobby Kennedy even said: “Somebody up there doesn’t like us.“
This particular book about the Kennedys, and there have been many, sets out to disprove ’the curse’ theory and shows us that Joseph Kennedy was, in many ways, the architect of his own terrible suffering. The book portrays the Kennedys as a troubled and dysfunctional family with a distorted view of the world and their place in it. It is full of interesting insights that are thoroughly researched and also very well written. The audiobook is due out in March 2019.
So much for the plug…
Aside from that audiobook I recently finished an image video project for Birkenstock – the nature loving shoemaker – which should go online soon. I also do a lot of narrating and voice work for the German auto industry on a fairly regular basis. New and equally interesting projects tend to pop up nearly every day.
So, you could say, the studio is almost like a second home to me. I spend a lot of time breathing that stale air in that soundproof recording booth.
4.) Which person do I most admire?
That is a tough question to answer and I spent a lot of time thinking about this one. First, I must say, I admire many different people for many different reasons. But if I had to choose one present-day living individual – and I may be sticking my neck out here a little – I would have to say Vladimir Putin. Here’s why.
Despite all the demonization, vilification and threats that have been thrown at Putin and Russia over the past few years and all the unverified accusations he has been confronted with, Vladimir Putin has maintained a very cool head. Putin’s humanity and self-control, has maintained peace despite the aggression and provocative actions against Russia coming from the West. In my view that’s admirable. Vladimir Putin has accepted insults that in the past would have resulted in all-out war. That is the sign of a true leader.
Whether we like it or not Russia is a major world power and needs to be regarded and respected as such. Whatever happened to diplomacy?
I admire Putin for keeping his cool and for not losing it while under tremendous pressure and attempting to resolve issues rather than escalate them.
My grandfather once told me “if you can keep your head while all those around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, you are a much better person.” If I am not mistaken, I believe my grandfather was actually attempting to quote George Bernard Shaw with that statement.
Let us all just remain cool. Remember there is no winner in a nuclear war.
5.) What is the most challenging type of accent to master?
I personally do not have too much difficulty picking up or copying a particular accent if I actually take the time to seriously study and practice it. To be honest though, I am not sure I have actually mastered any of them. Of course, some accents do come much easier than others and I can’t really explain why that is. For me I think it may be because I have travelled a lot and have been exposed to so many different regions, cultures, languages and peoples. In other words, I’ve been lucky to be able to pick up some accents and dialects through osmosis, if you will.
Each voice artist develops his/her own method of acquiring accents. My method is quite simple: I listen to them intently over and over and over, usually one or two sentences at a time until I feel comfortable with my own rendition of the same sentence(s).
But to get back to the original question, I find trying to do a good British accent is the most challenging simply because even though English is my mother tongue I am simply not British and there are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of different British accents and dialects.
If I went into a pub in say Manchester in the UK and started using my fake British accent it would stick out like a very spoilt pint of lager and I would probably get laughed at out into the street. “You bloody well got that right, mate!”
6.) What advice do you have for beginners in voice narration?
Understand what you are narrating and if you don’t understand it, then at least act like you do. If you don’t understand what you are reading then chances are those listening won’t understand it either.
The point I am trying to make here is ‘do your homework.’ Become familiar with the topic and practice reading it out loud to your self. Read it in front of a mirror over and over again or into a recording device and play it back and listen to it. Find things you can improve upon. Practice by toying with the different ways you can say things and find the one way that works best for you.
Anyone can read out loud, but not everyone can narrate. Like anything it takes time and practice. You have to really want it, desire it more than anything else and learn to trust your natural instincts when telling a story. Never talk down to people. Fine-tune and hone your communication skills by simply talking the story, talking as you would with people you know, like you are telling it to a friend or neighbor.
One of the biggest challenges in narration is trying to figure out what the author is looking for in a particular character or trying to capture the overall feeling for his/her work as a whole, in other words interpreting the text the way the author originally intended. That is sometimes a mystery and real guesswork. But it is also a big part of the overall challenge of narrating, especially audiobooks of fiction.
7.) How did you wind up living in Germany?
The simple answer is…it just kinda worked out that way. I just sort of got stuck here. But that of course requires a bit more explanation.
I first became exposed to Germany, and Europe, as an impressionable 16-year-old exchange student when I spent a year living with a German family near the city of Cologne. Originally from Portland, Oregon and having spent most of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest I soon found myself in an exciting, but foreign place far away from home. But the experience of a year abroad turned out to be a life-altering eye-opener for me.
While at school I had developed a keen interest in world history and international affairs and had an insatiable appetite for learning more about it. Essentially I fell in love with Europe and at the time it seemed like the ideal place to be. Every nook and cranny in Europe was just oozing with history.
After my first year abroad came to an end I knew I wanted to return to Europe at some point. In fact, I did return several times, mostly as a backpacking student tourist. Then upon graduating from Washington State University with a degree in communications and journalism I applied for and received a grant to study in Germany for another year, which I did. This led to a number of great opportunities, one being in the field of international broadcasting.
To cut a long story short, I became a director and correspondent for an award winning European TV news magazine program (European Journal) that aired all over the English-speaking world, including on PBS for several years. During that time I also met a German girl who eventually became my wife. Our son is now an English and PE teacher at a German middle school.
Being where I was at that stage of my life everything just sort of happened the way it happened. I never planned it that way.
8.) What type of voice work do you find most enjoyable?
For me the most enjoyable voice work is being able to tell a story from beginning to end. The length doesn’t really matter. It can be in the form of a 30 second spot, 1-2 minute long image film or a 90-minute documentary. To me it is the art of story telling that I enjoy, grabbing the attention of the listener and not letting go until the end.
Even though I truly relish narrating audiobooks and documentaries I will narrate virtually anything at any length as long as it comes with a genuine storyline, essentially anything with a beginning, middle, and an end. To me narrating – telling a story and getting paid for it – is my personal dream job.
9.) What do you see for the future of audiobooks?
Wherever I go I see a lot of people moving about with headphones, with listening devices of some kind and earplugs stuffed in their ears. I view that as a very good sign for the audiobook industry. It is an industry that has shown incredible steady growth over the past several years and the trend seems to be continuing. I recently read that audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in the digital publishing industry and the United States continues to be the biggest market for the audio format. There is also a big youth movement when it comes to audiobooks and nearly 50% of all listeners are under 35.
That being said I often get the feeling that people don’t read anymore. Maybe this is due to the time factor involved here. Everyone has busy lives and no time to read. We are always on the go and multi-tasking has become a way of life. Why read it when an audio version is available? You can consume the same content while driving, walking the dog or working out at the gym.
I often get asked to lend my voice to material that is not traditionally suited for a voice artist. For instance, on numerous occasions I’ve been asked to record my voice to user’s guides and user’s manuals for assembling a piece of furniture, a home appliance or some newfangled gadget. That is what made me stop and think: “Don’t people read anymore?” That would have been unthinkable years ago. Nowadays following instructions read to you by a canned voice is not so uncommon.
So, I see that as a very good sign for the future of audiobooks, even if it is only a handbook or a user’s manual.
10.) If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would they be?
1-Mark Twain, aka Samual L Clemens, American author, humorist and social observer. I love his perceptively sharp wit and keen eye for the obvious. I oftentimes even quote him when appropriate.
Here are two of my Mark Twain favorites:
‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.’
And…
‘It is easier to fool the masses then it is to convince the masses they have been fooled.’
2-Peter Ustinov – writer, actor, director, raconteur and multi-talented voice artist. I worked with him briefly many years ago on a production for PBS commemorating German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. I was most impressed by his unique cultural versatility. He spoke 6 languages fluently – English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian – and he was proficient in accents and dialects in all of them. He was amazingly gifted and a true gentleman.
3-Walter Cronkite – a journalist, broadcaster and TV news anchor of the Edward R. Murrow genre who became the voice of truth for America. A TV journalist you could trust and always look up to and one who never talked down to you – an honest down-to-earth communicator. He is dearly missed in the mainstream media of today.
4-Dr. Paul Craig Roberts – an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. He has written several books and internet columns which have attracted a worldwide following. He is known for his candor and integrity, a good citizen who truly loves his country.
5-Hugh Hefner – He is an amazing publisher whom I simply admire for his accomplishments. There is perhaps a smidgeon of envy mixed in there as well. What red-blooded testosterone-driven male wouldn’t envy his accomplishments? He founded his famous magazine for men with $600,- in 1953 and built it into a multi-million dollar entertainment empire. Actually, I would invite him to dinner just to see if he arrived in his pajamas… and to count – and ogle – the bunnies clinging to them.
Note: The invitations are in no particular order. Naturally, there are quite a few other individuals I could have easily added to that dinner guest list but I will have to save that for another occasion.
June 25, 2019
10 Questions with Carson Buckingham
1. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
I guess that would depend upon which genre we’re talking about. For my humor writing, definitely Mark Twain. His Sketches New and Old are the most hilarious pieces of writing I have ever read.
For the children’s books I write, it would have to be P.L. Travers, Roald Dahl, A.A. Milne, J.M. Barrie, and Astrid Lingren.
Though I am primarily known as a horror writer, I hate to categorize my work as such; mainly because when most people think of horror they think of blood, gut and veins in the teeth kind of writing, and what I do is fairly far removed from that. Not that gore doesn’t have a place, it certainly does—but not so much for me or my audience. I write paranormal suspense, which is a bit more psychologically-based and thus somewhat more subtle. At any rate, biggest influences for me would have to be: Shirley Jackson—The Haunting of Hill House is a masterpiece; Bentley Little—our writing styles are similar; and Charles L. Grant. But the writer from whom I learned effective character development was not a horror author at all—Maeve Binchey. Read a book or two of hers and you’ll see what I mean.
2. What do you prefer to write: novels, novellas, or short stories?
It’s sort of comparing apples and oranges and bananas. I enjoy writing all of the above—and whether the piece turns out to be a short story, a novella, or a novel just depends upon how long it takes to tell the story I have in mind. I never really know for sure when I begin. All I know at the start is how I want the story to end, and I write to that.
3. Who is your favorite writer?
Only one? Here, in no particular order, is the list: Ray Bradbury, Michael McDowell, Terry Pratchett, Susan Hill, Sarah Blake, Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Matthew Costello, T.M. Wright, Anne Rule, John Irving, Melissa Marr, Edgar Allan Poe, Dan Simmons, Michael Crichton, early Dean Koontz, early Stephen King, as well as the other authors I’ve previously mentioned.
4. When did you first decide you wanted to become a writer?
When I read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. If I were to aspire to write exactly like someone else, it would be Mr. Bradbury. While reading his work, I will frequently come across a sentence or an entire paragraph that I will reread or read aloud, just to savor the beauty of the language he’s used. He was such a maestro with words that they can absolutely break your heart sometimes—a consummation devoutly to be wished.
5. What current writing projects are you working on?
I am finishing up my fourth novel. I was stuck for a while, because I realized that the ending I had originally envisioned for it would not work—but now I’ve figured out how to fix it. The working title is The Traveler and it is a paranormal suspense novel about evil and redemption.
6. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Anything with dialog. My work tends to be dialog-heavy, as I prefer to get my point across with a conversation rather than laboriously spelling things out in narrative. This makes my work very streamlined and probably faster to read.
7. What made you start writing?
I knew from childhood that I wanted to be a writer, and began, at age six, by writing books of my own, hand-drawing covers, and selling them to any family member who would pay (usually a gum ball) for what I referred to as “classic literature.” When I ran out of relatives, I came to the conclusion that there was no real money to be made in self-publishing, so I studied writing and read voraciously for the next eighteen years, while simultaneously collecting enough rejection slips to re-paper my living room…twice. When my landlord chucked me out for, in his words, “making the apartment into one hell of a downer,” I redoubled my efforts, and collected four times the rejection slips in half the time, single-handedly causing the first paper shortage in U.S. history. But I persevered, improved greatly over the years, and here we are.
8. How do you define horror?
Horror is the aftermath of terror.
9. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Extreme gore.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional)
who would you invite?
Real people:
Nikola Tesla – a brilliant man who is one of my heroes.
Albert Einstein – another brilliant fellow who, when asked how it felt to be the smartest man in the world, replied, “I don’t know—you’d have to ask Mr. Tesla.” Einstein is another hero of mine.
Mark Twain – He’d be the life of the party.
Leonardo da Vinci – another genius who I suspect had a great sense of humor.
Earle W. Munson – my father, who has been dead since 1991 and whom I sorely miss to this day.
Fictional people:
Severus Snape (Harry Potter)—would love to learn to make potions
Dracula (Dracula by Bram Stoker)—so long-lived that he would be interesting to talk to from the historical standpoint.
Death (from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series) Again, long-“lived” and interesting.
Dr. Fingal O’Reilly (Patrick Taylor’s Irish Country Doctor series) A curmudgeonly physician who I would love to chat with about the world of medicine.
Owen Meany (A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving) Read the book and you’ll understand why Owen would be most worthwhile to meet.
I guess that would depend upon which genre we’re talking about. For my humor writing, definitely Mark Twain. His Sketches New and Old are the most hilarious pieces of writing I have ever read.
For the children’s books I write, it would have to be P.L. Travers, Roald Dahl, A.A. Milne, J.M. Barrie, and Astrid Lingren.
Though I am primarily known as a horror writer, I hate to categorize my work as such; mainly because when most people think of horror they think of blood, gut and veins in the teeth kind of writing, and what I do is fairly far removed from that. Not that gore doesn’t have a place, it certainly does—but not so much for me or my audience. I write paranormal suspense, which is a bit more psychologically-based and thus somewhat more subtle. At any rate, biggest influences for me would have to be: Shirley Jackson—The Haunting of Hill House is a masterpiece; Bentley Little—our writing styles are similar; and Charles L. Grant. But the writer from whom I learned effective character development was not a horror author at all—Maeve Binchey. Read a book or two of hers and you’ll see what I mean.
2. What do you prefer to write: novels, novellas, or short stories?
It’s sort of comparing apples and oranges and bananas. I enjoy writing all of the above—and whether the piece turns out to be a short story, a novella, or a novel just depends upon how long it takes to tell the story I have in mind. I never really know for sure when I begin. All I know at the start is how I want the story to end, and I write to that.
3. Who is your favorite writer?
Only one? Here, in no particular order, is the list: Ray Bradbury, Michael McDowell, Terry Pratchett, Susan Hill, Sarah Blake, Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Matthew Costello, T.M. Wright, Anne Rule, John Irving, Melissa Marr, Edgar Allan Poe, Dan Simmons, Michael Crichton, early Dean Koontz, early Stephen King, as well as the other authors I’ve previously mentioned.
4. When did you first decide you wanted to become a writer?
When I read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. If I were to aspire to write exactly like someone else, it would be Mr. Bradbury. While reading his work, I will frequently come across a sentence or an entire paragraph that I will reread or read aloud, just to savor the beauty of the language he’s used. He was such a maestro with words that they can absolutely break your heart sometimes—a consummation devoutly to be wished.
5. What current writing projects are you working on?
I am finishing up my fourth novel. I was stuck for a while, because I realized that the ending I had originally envisioned for it would not work—but now I’ve figured out how to fix it. The working title is The Traveler and it is a paranormal suspense novel about evil and redemption.
6. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Anything with dialog. My work tends to be dialog-heavy, as I prefer to get my point across with a conversation rather than laboriously spelling things out in narrative. This makes my work very streamlined and probably faster to read.
7. What made you start writing?
I knew from childhood that I wanted to be a writer, and began, at age six, by writing books of my own, hand-drawing covers, and selling them to any family member who would pay (usually a gum ball) for what I referred to as “classic literature.” When I ran out of relatives, I came to the conclusion that there was no real money to be made in self-publishing, so I studied writing and read voraciously for the next eighteen years, while simultaneously collecting enough rejection slips to re-paper my living room…twice. When my landlord chucked me out for, in his words, “making the apartment into one hell of a downer,” I redoubled my efforts, and collected four times the rejection slips in half the time, single-handedly causing the first paper shortage in U.S. history. But I persevered, improved greatly over the years, and here we are.
8. How do you define horror?
Horror is the aftermath of terror.
9. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Extreme gore.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional)
who would you invite?
Real people:
Nikola Tesla – a brilliant man who is one of my heroes.
Albert Einstein – another brilliant fellow who, when asked how it felt to be the smartest man in the world, replied, “I don’t know—you’d have to ask Mr. Tesla.” Einstein is another hero of mine.
Mark Twain – He’d be the life of the party.
Leonardo da Vinci – another genius who I suspect had a great sense of humor.
Earle W. Munson – my father, who has been dead since 1991 and whom I sorely miss to this day.
Fictional people:
Severus Snape (Harry Potter)—would love to learn to make potions
Dracula (Dracula by Bram Stoker)—so long-lived that he would be interesting to talk to from the historical standpoint.
Death (from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series) Again, long-“lived” and interesting.
Dr. Fingal O’Reilly (Patrick Taylor’s Irish Country Doctor series) A curmudgeonly physician who I would love to chat with about the world of medicine.
Owen Meany (A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving) Read the book and you’ll understand why Owen would be most worthwhile to meet.
June 22, 2019
Trio of Sorcery by Mercedes Lackey
I had never read anything by Mercedes Lackey before, so I figured this collection of novellas would be a good place to start instead of jumping into a series. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and how much I enjoyed the stories. The three stories all featured a female protagonist who is capable of performing magic. They were all intriguing and well written with different settings both in geography and time.
I enjoyed the first story the most where the protagonist was a Harvard college student who was helping the police investigate a missing girl. What I liked most about it was the collection of characters and how Diana, the story’s protagonist, used these non-magical people to help her in her investigation. The second story, with a Native American ghost controlling a woman was also neat. The least of stories was the final one where a Wendigo was taking over a video game and threatening to enter the real world. In that case, believability was a serious issue and I had a hard time buying into the story, but I still enjoyed reading that one as well. I give this collection a thumbs up and would definitely read Mercedes Lackey again.
I enjoyed the first story the most where the protagonist was a Harvard college student who was helping the police investigate a missing girl. What I liked most about it was the collection of characters and how Diana, the story’s protagonist, used these non-magical people to help her in her investigation. The second story, with a Native American ghost controlling a woman was also neat. The least of stories was the final one where a Wendigo was taking over a video game and threatening to enter the real world. In that case, believability was a serious issue and I had a hard time buying into the story, but I still enjoyed reading that one as well. I give this collection a thumbs up and would definitely read Mercedes Lackey again.
June 6, 2019
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
There were some things that I liked about Anna Dressed in Blood. It had an interesting concept and a well-developed plot. The characters were better than most young adult novels that I have read, which often suffer from poor characterization. But it also had some serious pitfalls which took away from my enjoyment of this novel. The first is the use of first person, present tense point of view. It’s the dumbest possible way to tell a story, and it is illogical since stories are things that have happened. Otherwise, it’s like you’re giving a running commentary of events and actions as they happen. Unfortunately, it’s all the rage these days, and I’m hoping like most fads, it dies away.
The other thing that aggravated me was the same issue that plagues most young adult novels that I read, and that is having characters acting in ways and doing things that are unrealistic, all because of the need to have young characters as the leads in the story. What they do and how they act often doesn’t jive with reality, and this book is no different.
For the most part, this novel was entertaining. It wasn’t dull and didn’t go through any slow spots. In the end, I thought it was just okay but it could have been more.
The other thing that aggravated me was the same issue that plagues most young adult novels that I read, and that is having characters acting in ways and doing things that are unrealistic, all because of the need to have young characters as the leads in the story. What they do and how they act often doesn’t jive with reality, and this book is no different.
For the most part, this novel was entertaining. It wasn’t dull and didn’t go through any slow spots. In the end, I thought it was just okay but it could have been more.
June 3, 2019
Gerald's Game by Stephen King
Despite having read most of Stephen King’s works, it took me over two decades after its release to get to Gerald’s Game, and not until I first watched the adaptation on Netflix. After watching the movie, it made me wonder how this could be a full length novel. There just wasn’t enough material to make it work. And after reading the novel, my theory was spot on. There wasn’t enough in here for a full length novel. Ideally, King should have lopped off about two thirds of this novel and made it a novella, but that probably wasn’t commercially viable in the nineties when it was released, which is unfortunate, because at that length I think this could have worked.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and this novel falls well short of the mark. The premise is good and for the first thirty pages or so, the novel was enjoyable, but it was so thin in terms of plot that there was massive stretches with absolutely nothing go on. So much of the novel was the novel’s protagonist fretting about being handcuffed to the bed while her husband is lying dead on the floor with a heart attack. Granted, it was a traumatic situation, but after a couple hundred pages of that, it got really old. The book dragged. The part at the end with the serial killer is both utterly unrealistic and didn’t add much to the novel. The era of Stephen King that this novel came from was a great one for the king of horror, but this novel was a complete dud.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and this novel falls well short of the mark. The premise is good and for the first thirty pages or so, the novel was enjoyable, but it was so thin in terms of plot that there was massive stretches with absolutely nothing go on. So much of the novel was the novel’s protagonist fretting about being handcuffed to the bed while her husband is lying dead on the floor with a heart attack. Granted, it was a traumatic situation, but after a couple hundred pages of that, it got really old. The book dragged. The part at the end with the serial killer is both utterly unrealistic and didn’t add much to the novel. The era of Stephen King that this novel came from was a great one for the king of horror, but this novel was a complete dud.
June 1, 2019
At the Gates by Tim Marquitz
In this third installment in the Demon Squad series, Frank Trigg is once again trying to prevent the apocalypse from happening. It seems like he always has to prevent the world from ending. In this case, it is because heaven has fallen from a coup led by the Arch Angel Gabriel, and now various groups are fighting for supremacy in the heavens. They don’t seem particularly concerned that they might destroy humanity in the process. Fortunately, Frank and his allies have a fondness for people and don’t want to see all of them die.
The novel is compact without a whole lot of wasted space. It moves at a quick pace and never has a point where it slows down. Frank is a well developed character who is a bit rough around the edges but still has a good heart. One thing I didn’t quite get was that it was established that he had newly acquired magical abilities, but he never seems to use them. I thought that was something that could have been more developed. I liked that there were a great many biblical references, but they weren’t depicted the same way that these biblical characters and references are traditionally depicted. It created an interesting juxtaposition. The ending of the novel was explosive, and just like the last novel, it sets up well for a sequel, where Frank will undoubtedly go through more harrowing events, take a beating, and keep on pushing through the pain to accomplish his goals.
The novel is compact without a whole lot of wasted space. It moves at a quick pace and never has a point where it slows down. Frank is a well developed character who is a bit rough around the edges but still has a good heart. One thing I didn’t quite get was that it was established that he had newly acquired magical abilities, but he never seems to use them. I thought that was something that could have been more developed. I liked that there were a great many biblical references, but they weren’t depicted the same way that these biblical characters and references are traditionally depicted. It created an interesting juxtaposition. The ending of the novel was explosive, and just like the last novel, it sets up well for a sequel, where Frank will undoubtedly go through more harrowing events, take a beating, and keep on pushing through the pain to accomplish his goals.
May 28, 2019
American Ghoul by Walt Morton
As the name would suggest, this novel is about an American ghoul. The main ghoul protagonist is Howard Pickman. Set in 1977, Howard is a senior in high school. After his parents were murdered in Georgia, he hitch hikes to New Jersey to live with his grandmother. Like most ghouls, Howard can pass for human, with one major exception—in order to survive, he must eat human flesh. Fortunately, the flesh that he eats are from the recently deceased, making it a bit less revolting. Howard tries to fly under the radar. As a ghoul, it’s not a good idea to seek attention, but that doesn’t stop him from attracting the ire of the school bullies/sadists/psychopaths.
This novel was a bit of a mixed bag. It started off strong with a very dramatic opening with the townspeople attacking Walt’s parents and him fleeing for his life. But when he settles into his new life in New Jersey, the book really slows down. So much of it was mundane. Perhaps it was the author trying to show that ghouls live normal human lives, but it was rather dull and forgettable. The novel then heats up late as Walt’s feud with the school bullies come to a head. The novel ends with a fiery conclusion. The bottom line is that the novel starts strong, ends strong, but there’s not a whole lot there in the middle. This novel was a solid read, but I thought it could have been more.
This novel was a bit of a mixed bag. It started off strong with a very dramatic opening with the townspeople attacking Walt’s parents and him fleeing for his life. But when he settles into his new life in New Jersey, the book really slows down. So much of it was mundane. Perhaps it was the author trying to show that ghouls live normal human lives, but it was rather dull and forgettable. The novel then heats up late as Walt’s feud with the school bullies come to a head. The novel ends with a fiery conclusion. The bottom line is that the novel starts strong, ends strong, but there’s not a whole lot there in the middle. This novel was a solid read, but I thought it could have been more.
May 26, 2019
Game of Thrones "The Iron Throne"
The end of my all time favorite show is finally here in The Iron Throne. Last week’s episode, The Bells, was much maligned, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Daenerys Mad Queen turn was bashed, but I’ve seen it coming for a few seasons now, and I predicted that she would turn evil—albeit not quite this evil. I thought the first 45 minutes or so of this episode were excellent. John turning on Daenerys and killing her along with the scene with Drogon was top notch. My problem was the extra half hour or so following that climactic scene. I thought they should have either ended it with that scene or at most, include the scene where Bran is made king. Much of the last half hour was anticlimactic, and for dramatic effect, should have been cut
Tyrion Lannister
A dazed Tyrion started off walking through the ashes of King’s Landing after Daenerys burnt down the place. He had an emotional scene when he saw his siblings crushed to death beneath the rubble of the Red Keep. He started off as the Hand of the King after quitting as the Hand of the Queen. I think whenever there’s an opening for the job, they turn to Tyrion—this is his third go around as the Hand—even though his advice to Dany was generally very bad, especially when it involved military matters. Still, he has a good heart, and he made an impassioned plea for the selection of the new king. Or maybe he was just lobbying for a new job.
Daenerys Targaryan
Daenerys so wanted to break the wheel, but instead she wound up becoming the tyrant that she so abhorred. She was blinded by her own sense of righteousness—a common trait for megolmaniac leaders who think they know better than anyone else. In the end, she took a dagger to her belly from her lover/nephew.
Jon Snow
The acting performance from Kit Harrington was exceptional in this finale. You can see him ooze with the agony over the decision that he had to make. As much as he cared about Dany—not enough to commit incest—he knew he had to do the right thing and put her down like a rabid dog. His sentence at the end of the show—serving the rest of his life as a member of the Night’s Watch—seems to be a bit of a sham. Why would there even be a need for a Night’s Watch anymore? There are no more Whitewalkers, and the Wildlings are now our friends. His last scene had him leading the Wildlings north of the wall, where he will probably live out the rest of his days.
Bran the Broken
Bran becoming the king at the end of the show was not much of a surprise. I believe he had the best odds of any of the characters before the season started, and when Tyrion started his pitch, I figured it would Bran that he would nominate. He might lack anything that resembles charisma, but he has a complete knowledge of the history of Westeros and will undoubtedly make wise decisions. Even though Sam’s suggestion of an election got mocked, at least they will have a better system than inheritance through birthright.
So this is the end. It was a fun journey. The show wasn’t perfect, but for my money, this was the best show in television history. It was rich with memorable characters—my favorite being Tormund. It had great twists and turns. I knew this wasn’t going to be your typical show the moment Ned Stark got beheaded. Not having read the books back then, I was stunned by that. It had awesome moments like the Red Wedding, the fight between the Mountain and Oberyn, Hardhome, the Battle of the Bastards. It had dialogue that resonated. It featured terrific actors, set design, battle scenes. So, for all the whiners out there, find me a better show.
Tyrion Lannister
A dazed Tyrion started off walking through the ashes of King’s Landing after Daenerys burnt down the place. He had an emotional scene when he saw his siblings crushed to death beneath the rubble of the Red Keep. He started off as the Hand of the King after quitting as the Hand of the Queen. I think whenever there’s an opening for the job, they turn to Tyrion—this is his third go around as the Hand—even though his advice to Dany was generally very bad, especially when it involved military matters. Still, he has a good heart, and he made an impassioned plea for the selection of the new king. Or maybe he was just lobbying for a new job.
Daenerys Targaryan
Daenerys so wanted to break the wheel, but instead she wound up becoming the tyrant that she so abhorred. She was blinded by her own sense of righteousness—a common trait for megolmaniac leaders who think they know better than anyone else. In the end, she took a dagger to her belly from her lover/nephew.
Jon Snow
The acting performance from Kit Harrington was exceptional in this finale. You can see him ooze with the agony over the decision that he had to make. As much as he cared about Dany—not enough to commit incest—he knew he had to do the right thing and put her down like a rabid dog. His sentence at the end of the show—serving the rest of his life as a member of the Night’s Watch—seems to be a bit of a sham. Why would there even be a need for a Night’s Watch anymore? There are no more Whitewalkers, and the Wildlings are now our friends. His last scene had him leading the Wildlings north of the wall, where he will probably live out the rest of his days.
Bran the Broken
Bran becoming the king at the end of the show was not much of a surprise. I believe he had the best odds of any of the characters before the season started, and when Tyrion started his pitch, I figured it would Bran that he would nominate. He might lack anything that resembles charisma, but he has a complete knowledge of the history of Westeros and will undoubtedly make wise decisions. Even though Sam’s suggestion of an election got mocked, at least they will have a better system than inheritance through birthright.
So this is the end. It was a fun journey. The show wasn’t perfect, but for my money, this was the best show in television history. It was rich with memorable characters—my favorite being Tormund. It had great twists and turns. I knew this wasn’t going to be your typical show the moment Ned Stark got beheaded. Not having read the books back then, I was stunned by that. It had awesome moments like the Red Wedding, the fight between the Mountain and Oberyn, Hardhome, the Battle of the Bastards. It had dialogue that resonated. It featured terrific actors, set design, battle scenes. So, for all the whiners out there, find me a better show.
May 16, 2019
Game of Thrones "The Bells"
For those who left unsatisfied with “The Long Night”, who were hoping that the Whitewalkers would create untold carnage that would result in the death of many of the bigger characters on Game of Thrones, then “The Bells” should have satisfied their thirst for destruction. King’s Landing was quite literally burnt to the ground, and Daenerys finally turned into the Mad Queen that many, myself included, predicted she would become.
Jamie and Cersei Lannister
Jamie, not the brightest Lannister, was caught trying to get into King’s Landing to see Cersei because he didn’t conceal his golden hand. Probably would have been a good idea to put that thing away. Anyway, Tyrion set him free, probably signing his own death warrant, so he could have one last reunion with Cersei, but not until he had a satisfying life and death struggle against Euron Greyjoy. I had predicted that Jamie would have killed Cersei, but obviously that prediction couldn’t have been more further off base. I always thought Cersei would have been killed in a one on one confrontation, but instead she and her brother/lover met their doom when the Red Keep crumbled into rubble.
The Battle of the Cleganes
Without a doubt, my favorite part of this episode was the battle between the brothers Clegane. I have been waiting for this fight since season 1. It finally came to pass and it was satisfying. As far as Game of Thrones fights go, this is second only to The Mountain against The Red Viper (Oberyn Martel) fighting for Tyrion’s freedom. We finally got to see what The Mountain looked like in full Frankenstein mode when his brother took off his helmet. The fight took place amid the collapse of the Red Keep, but none of that mattered to the two combatants. The Hound chopped the holy hell out of his brother and even put a dagger through his eye and the back of his skull, but it did absolutely no damage. The ending was fitting as the Clegane brothers plunged to their death off of the tower into the fiery abyss below.
Daenerys Targaryan
If you didn’t already realize that Daenerys was going to go evil coming into this episode, then the opening montage with different characters’ voices giving clues to it should have convinced you. And if that didn’t convince you, then her burning Varys alive certainly should have. I don’t fault her for killing him (although all he was doing was spreading the truth), but she could have just had beheaded him instead of burning him alive by her dragon. When they showed her on her dragon and she had that unhinged look about her, I knew things were going to go badly. Then, with the battle won, there was absolutely no reason to burn down King’s Landing and all of its inhabitants. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands, died for no reason. She was being evil for the sake of being evil. She is now truly the Mad Queen, her father’s daughter.
With one episode left, I think Jon Snow has seen all that he needs to see. I think he will kill Daenerys and become the King. The ending of the episode focused on Arya Stark, who looked like total hell in her ordeal in King’s Landing, which would make it look like she who will take out Dany, but I don’t think it will be her, especially considering she was the one who took out the Night King, while Jon Snow was sidelined. I think Arya will get killed in the assassination attempt, and Jon will take down his aunt/lover.
Jamie and Cersei Lannister
Jamie, not the brightest Lannister, was caught trying to get into King’s Landing to see Cersei because he didn’t conceal his golden hand. Probably would have been a good idea to put that thing away. Anyway, Tyrion set him free, probably signing his own death warrant, so he could have one last reunion with Cersei, but not until he had a satisfying life and death struggle against Euron Greyjoy. I had predicted that Jamie would have killed Cersei, but obviously that prediction couldn’t have been more further off base. I always thought Cersei would have been killed in a one on one confrontation, but instead she and her brother/lover met their doom when the Red Keep crumbled into rubble.
The Battle of the Cleganes
Without a doubt, my favorite part of this episode was the battle between the brothers Clegane. I have been waiting for this fight since season 1. It finally came to pass and it was satisfying. As far as Game of Thrones fights go, this is second only to The Mountain against The Red Viper (Oberyn Martel) fighting for Tyrion’s freedom. We finally got to see what The Mountain looked like in full Frankenstein mode when his brother took off his helmet. The fight took place amid the collapse of the Red Keep, but none of that mattered to the two combatants. The Hound chopped the holy hell out of his brother and even put a dagger through his eye and the back of his skull, but it did absolutely no damage. The ending was fitting as the Clegane brothers plunged to their death off of the tower into the fiery abyss below.
Daenerys Targaryan
If you didn’t already realize that Daenerys was going to go evil coming into this episode, then the opening montage with different characters’ voices giving clues to it should have convinced you. And if that didn’t convince you, then her burning Varys alive certainly should have. I don’t fault her for killing him (although all he was doing was spreading the truth), but she could have just had beheaded him instead of burning him alive by her dragon. When they showed her on her dragon and she had that unhinged look about her, I knew things were going to go badly. Then, with the battle won, there was absolutely no reason to burn down King’s Landing and all of its inhabitants. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands, died for no reason. She was being evil for the sake of being evil. She is now truly the Mad Queen, her father’s daughter.
With one episode left, I think Jon Snow has seen all that he needs to see. I think he will kill Daenerys and become the King. The ending of the episode focused on Arya Stark, who looked like total hell in her ordeal in King’s Landing, which would make it look like she who will take out Dany, but I don’t think it will be her, especially considering she was the one who took out the Night King, while Jon Snow was sidelined. I think Arya will get killed in the assassination attempt, and Jon will take down his aunt/lover.
