David-Michael Harding's Blog, page 6

Are my CDs Antiques?

I needed to give my brain a break from writing so I went to work on a Christmas present I’d been hesitant to pick up.  But nothing to it!  I just put 1000 songs on my MP3 player – “Welcome to the 21st Century!”  Beach Boys & Sarah Brightman to Bruce Springsteen & Bach.  Alice Cooper to Johnny Cash.   A to Z !   ABBA &Elvis to The Who and Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Hit ‘shuffle’ and wait & wonder.  Amazing.  Now back to work editing the two new novels due out early summer…

Film making in Florida! Showcasing Famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids!

“City of Mermaids,” featuring the famous Weeki Wachee mermaids (located just a few miles from my Florida home) is a feature length script by my good friend and Director Bobby Marinelli & co-writer Matt Devine.  Executive Producer of the film is Christopher Chapman of Zorya Films. .  The sizzle for the feature was filmed over three days recently by a devoted cast & crew at Weeki Wachee State Park.  “Mermaids” was the only film being shot in the State of Florida and I was privileged to help out in a very small way and enjoy some time on the set.  I thought you’d enjoy seeing what the camera is capturing (Pic 2 and what the director and editors will be working from.  Beth Napoli (Pic 3) is a highly skilled master of her craft and was the cinematographer.  The first shot is a still from a complex underwater shot featuring “City of Mermaids” star Emmy Buckner, filmed with current professional mermaids.  Look for updates on “City of Mermaids” right here and on Facebook!   

Enter to Win FREE Cats of Savone Book!

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px;
font-style: normal; background: white; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; }
.goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink {
display: inline-block;
color: #181818;
background-color: #F6F6EE;
border: 1px solid #9D8A78;
border-radius: 3px;
font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-weight: bold;
text-decoration: none;
outline: none;
font-size: 13px;
padding: 8px 12px;
}
.goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover {
color: #181818;
background-color: #F7F2ED;
border: 1px solid #AFAFAF;
text-decoration: none;
}


Goodreads Book Giveaway







The Cats of Savone



by David-Michael Harding

Giveaway ends July 22, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

The Cats of Savone is in the News…The Escape of Two Convicted Killers from Clinton Correctional Facility

‘Little Siberia’ is back in the news.  The escape of two convicted killers from Clinton Correctional Facility – known to locals, prisoners, and even ardent movie fans as Dannemora – has propelled the ancient prison into the headlines.  The prison was the model for the fictional Savone State Prison which served as the backdrop for the PEN International Award winning novella, ‘The Cats of Savone‘, the title story in a collection of shorts by writer David-Michael Harding.  ‘Cats’ tells the story of how felines came to roam the dark passages of ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ within the complex and the massive exercise yard, replete with ‘courts’ where a unique hierarchy helps maintain a semblance of order.  The balance disintegrates when one of the cats, friendly to everyone regardless of the man’s past and a petting post to feelings of normalcy, is killed.  The third act is spellbinding, and when viewed with Dannemora’s unusual yard as the stage set, shockingly true.

Register for the FREE giveaway of The Cats of Savone at David-Michael Harding.

Inside Clinton Correctional: Power Tools And Barbecue Grills

NYCHS: ron roizen’s clinton prison inmate patio courts study (part 1)

 

 

 

 

 

Clinton Wall

Picture of Clinton “courts”

Dannemora Yard

Related articles

[image error] Prison employee arrested, charged with aiding escape of two murderers
[image error] The Learning Network: 6 Q’s About the News | Life on the Run Still Offers Long-Term Fugitives Abundant Ways to Blunder
[image error] 27 Photos Of Governor Cuomo’s Tour Of Escape Route Convicted Killers Took
[image error] Female Prison Worker in Earlier Probe About Escaped Killer
[image error] The Latest on prison escape: Inmate search to expand, shift
[image error] Prison break casts spotlight on staff-inmate relationships
[image error] VIDEO ARRAIGNMENT: Joyce Mitchell Woman Who Helped NY Prison Escapees
[image error] Smitten Worker Accused of Planning to Be Getaway Driver in Prison Escape
[image error] Escaped inmates: Did they have inside help in prison breakout?
[image error] VIDEO: The Case Against Joyce Mitchell

Costa Rica in Winter!

Everybody goes south in the winter, right?

OK. I live in Florida – sunshine, white beaches, and warm weather. But it’s winter so, like everyone else – I went south. For me, ‘South’ was Costa Rica at the Peace Lodge. For someone who makes a living with words, I can’t seem to find the ones to describe this place. A picture is worth a thousand they say, so I’ll let these do the talking. Suffice to say, I wish everyone could have a hummingbird eat from their hand, under the rain forest canopy, listening to a 150 foot waterfall, and look up to see clouds (I was REALLY high in the mountains) rolling beneath me up the slope of a volcano. I did take my laptop and worked some each day on the new book. Back to Italy next month where I hope to finish!

Cherokee Talisman War Club Comes to Life!

What a fantastic work of art!  This is Bruce Reed’s (Native Cherokee craftsman) rendition of the war club wielded by the character, Totsuhwa, in the novels Cherokee Talisman and Losing St. Christopher.   The war club is amazingly a single piece of walnut handcrafted in the traditional methods of the Cherokee over the course of several weeks.  Mr. Reed recounts that he can only work on a piece when it “feels right,” that is, the piece is speaking to him and is ready to be molded under his hand.  There is no machining done – the work is done completely by hand – including the extensive carving and sanding, which is done with loose sand in a piece of tanned hide in the traditional way.

To begin, Mr. Reed looks for wood and carefully examines the grain to insure its direction will match the outline of the piece in his mind.  In Totsuhwa’s war club, the size and heft had to match a powerful warrior shaman with strong ties to the spiritual world – hence the eagle talons honed from the original chunk of walnut.  The staining is also done in the time honored tradition of the Cherokee by utilizing natural herbs and roots for color.  The shine is supplied by natural beeswax.

Several months after meeting Mr. Reed on a promotional tour for Cherokee Talisman and the sequel, Losing St. Christopher, while in Cherokee, NC, I am pleased to have his original work displayed prominently in my office next to a sculpture by Frederic Remington (Cheyenne) and handcrafted flint knives by other Cherokee artisans.

The piece captures the character of Totsuhwa expertly – it takes little imagination to see him delivering a blow for his people and to protect his family as he does in the novels.  An enormous thank you to Mr. Bruce Reed of Cherokee, NC, for his astounding craftsmanship and also congratulations on the war club as the 1st Place Winner in the 2014 Cherokee Fall Fair.  I am honored to display it.

This is seventh generation Cherokee craftsman, Bruce Reed. The war club is a replica from the Cherokee Trilogy novels. It was a pleasure to hold it as it nears completion.

Related articles

Welcome to Ybor City!

Welcome to Ybor City!

Welcome to Ybor City – recognized by aficionados as home to a century of hand rolled cigars of the finest quality.

Ybor is also nestled within the City of Tampa, Florida, which cradles MacDill Air Force Base – itself home to USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command).  That’s right, this is home for the Special Forces of our heralded military’s elite fighting units – the Army’s Airborne Rangers, the Navy’s Special Warfare Command, Special Ops Marine Corps, and Air Force Special Ops, – coalesce under Joint Special Operations Command.

Tampa and Ybor City also form the backdrop for the soon to be released novel, The New Illuminati, by award winning author, David-Michael Harding (How Angels Die, Cherokee Talisman, Losing St. Christopher).  The political thriller tracks the maneuvers of a group of young professionals who have had enough of the daily headlines out of Washington and corporate boardrooms that tear down the integrity of a great Nation.  By using their considerable technical savvy, they bring accountability to politicos who can’t answer a simple yes or no question and hide behind partisan politics as the conspire against the citizenry to make themselves wealthy and increase their realm of influence.

When computer manipulation isn’t enough, they escalate and violence erupts.  As the FBI and local police close in, members of the police find themselves asking if The New Illuminati are criminals or freedom fighters trying to save the United States from politicians and CEOs whose only agenda is re-election and greed.

National famous, The Columbia Restaurant, also plays a part in the novel as characters come and go and move through Ybor – often times in the shadows of the colorful yet nefarious past associated with the celebrated restaurant.

Look for The New Illuminati in the Spring of 2015 along with the sequel,                                                     The New Illuminati – Return to Power.

 

 

Celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary at the Historic Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, FL

Celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary at the historic Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, Florida.  Kate was as gracious as ever and gave me a ‘pass’ as I was also taking a few notes as The Columbia, with its 100+ years of colorful history, has a ‘non-speaking role’ in my latest novel,  The New Illuminati , which has several scenes set in Tampa, Florida.  The restaurant is also featured in the sequel,  600 Meters , currently being churned out of the typewriter.  I don’t have a release date for  The New Illuminati , but the early reviews have been outstanding!  Stay tuned!

10 years ago!

 

 

Increasing the Blood Flow to my Brain!

Taking time out from the new book, The New Illuminati due out this fall.

Little people have a mysterious way of recharging your batteries. I haven’t done a frog stand in over 40 years but it worked! I am back at work and the story is coming really well.

St. Alden’s Wins!

Well, the polls are closed. I’m guessing it was all the Twilight and Hunger Games fans out there that took St. Alden’s to the top, albeit at the last minute (procrastinators!) Regardless, I’m throwing St. Alden’s fans a curve. I’ve received countless emails since How Angels Die was released that said my stories read like watching a movie. “Hmmm…. Now there’s an interesting thought….” I’ve dabbled in this area of writing (screen, stage, television) three times – once in each. “The Button Box” was for a PBS short 20 years ago. “The Big House” was a stage production that ran in upstate New York (local theater) in the mid-90’s. “How Angels Die” is a full feature film making the rounds in LA (nibbles, no bites – yet!) I think it’s time to dust off the screenwriting software and pen St. Alden’s as a full feature film rather than a novel. I know… I know… It’s not what I promised. Can I plead “writer’s prerogative?” Writing for the screen is a real wild and zany experience. Plus, I can’t turn back. I’ve already written the opening sequence! Click Here to Read the First 10 Pages! Come with me. Let’s see how this goes. Ready? “Weee’re OFF to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of OZ!”