David Berger's Blog, page 11

Books in the Basin Commercial

I will be one of the authors at the Books in the Basin festival in Odessa, TX on October 6, 2012. Here is the commercial announcing the festival (aired in Odessa and environs, I would imagine).

My Interview on Edin Road Radio tonight @ 6:30 p.m. EST

Come listen to my interview with Jesse Coffey of Edin Road Radio at 6:30 p.m. EST at Edin Road's website: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/edinroad. I'll be reading an excerpt from Task Force: Gaea as well as speaking about writing, other projects, and whatever else we decide to chat about.

If you can't listen live, then a podcast of the interview will be posted as a follow up. I hope you enjoy what you hear!

The Journey - All the Pages in Between

I've often been asked, "How did you come up with the idea for your novel?" Well, I've commented here in the past about my interests in Greek mythology and comics, two tremendous interests of mine that merged. What it comes down to is wanting to tell a story. Being a reader for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to share my loves with others. I don't think anyone really knows when he or she decides to write whether there's an audience out there. Most of us write at first because we just want to put onto paper the ideas floating around in our head, to make sense of the random bits and pieces of narration. That raw language that makes it onto paper, or computer screen, doesn't stay raw for long, and through much editing, soul-searching, and even some tears, writers bring forth the polished pieces that bring them the most pride.
I fell in love with my novel when it was in its infancy, I think. Just like parents bond with newborns, writers hold fast to their tales, never wanting them to leave their sight or their touch. I had months when I was an over-protective parent, and then I had months when I needed to leave it all alone. Like a teenager, it challenges us, pushes our buttons, and even makes us angry, especially when we don't know what to do with it. 
The thoughts and ramblings that coalesced into the novel came about through great emotional upheaval. How do you write the end of a novel when you want it to be a mystery even to you? I mean, doesn't every reader want to be surprised by the ending of a novel? Isn't it that anticipation that keeps us reading? It took years for me to find my path, the path to the last page. Once I knew where the story was going, at least in the first book, I actually felt a sense of relief. I had an end point. I had a "point B" for my "point A," and it actually made me cry. It was at that point I knew my story would have to end.
Now, I have a "point C" and "D" and so much more to write. Ideas now flow like a river unrestrained, sometimes like raging rapids. The process of creation never truly ends, and even the last page of one novel is simply the first page of the future.

Primordials 101

According to the Greek poet, Hesiod, KHAOS, the Great Void, was the first being to emerge at creation. According to a variety of sources, she birthed other protogenoi (proto-YEN-oy) or primordial beings, like Eros, Nyx, Tartaros, Erebos, Aether, Hemera, and Gaea. Some say the Moirae, or The Fates, came from Khaos as well.
Here's a little information on a few of the Primordials, just so you have the basics (and for when you read Task Force: Gaea).
EROS, the embodiment of love, was viewed by a primordial emerging fully formed at the dawn of creation, but also as the son of Aphrodite—depends on the source.
NYX, night incarnate, allegedly gave birth to many beings, including Moros, Ker, Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), the Hesperides, the Keres, the Morae, Nemesis, the Erinyes (the Furies), Hekate, et al. Again, different sources!
TARTAROS, the great pit of the underworld, was where souls experienced unimaginable torment.
EREBOS, darkness incarnate, spouse of Nyx. Some say he was the son of Khaos.
AETHER, the protogenos of the bright, upper air of heaven, where light existed, and son of Nyx and Erebos, or just Khaos.
HEMERA, protogenos of day, daughter of Nyx and Erebos, or just Khaos.
OURANOS, the starry heavens, was the son/husband of Gaea.
GAEA, the earth itself.
OUREA, the protogenoi of the mountains.
PONTOS and THALASSA, protogenoi of the sea, male and female, respectively.
THANATOS, death incarnate.

Um, yeah. Not far from the truth!

Who said Greek myths couldn't frighten...

A Friend Needs Assistance—Can You Help?

Authors ought to support one another, and when that author happens to be my friend, I feel it that much more. My friend, Eric Arvin (author of Woke Up in a Strange Place, Galley Proof, Simple Men et al) wants to "start a travel company that caters to adventurous folk who may have some physical issues but still have the NEED to see the world. [He] wants to contact Travel Channel and propose a program, perhaps, where a camera would follow [him] around and document [his] travel joys and foibles." 
People who have physical limitations should still be able to see the world in which they live, and I admire Eric's desire to step up for those like him and others who simply want to go abroad or across the United States, but conventional means may make that difficult to impossible.
If you or anyone you know has contacts at the Travel Channel, a similar media outlet for him to explore, or any other organization that could help him, please contact him on Facebook or leave a comment here, and I will make sure he gets it.
Thank you!

GOODREADS Giveaway! 10 Books!

Ten copies of TASK FORCE: GAEA—FINDING BALANCE will be offered up starting September 1, 2012 through October 1, 2012 through Goodreads.
If you go to this link, you can enter. Goodreads selects the winners from those who enter.
All I ask in return, should you be one of the TEN recipients of a copy, is that you please post reviews at Goodreads and Amazon, if you can.
Thanks! And enjoy the book. :)
- David Berger

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And it's back to Process Blogging...

So, here I am, a week into a new school year, and I'm already agonizing over when I'm going to find time to write more for Memory's Curse (henceforth, MC). I set myself a deadline for the end of December 2012 (129 days from today, by the way). Realistic? Possibly, since I'm not working at the university or teaching the online Latin course right now. I do have a job writing curriculum for a course I will teach in the spring, but it's Creative Writing, so that should actually prod me into more writing one can hope . Right?
I'm sure anyone who reads this and also writes will find some common ground, especially when we finish our first novel and want to follow through with a sequel. It's not something I would have ever expected to be doing last summer, but now I am working through ideas, researching, writing, editing a little (I know, I know... edit later!), and getting ideas from EVERYWHERE. This time around it'll have a Lovecraftian vibe, sort of Cthulhu meets Olympos. I want dark. Horror. A changed world...
I already have some basic background information planned out for the characters (things will have changed for the main characters since the last novel)—I just have sit my ass down, turn off everything except the computer, and write. I do remember how it's done. My pitfall in the earlier stages of Finding Balance was my penchant for editing-on-the-go. BAD IDEA.
Really bad idea.
Once I got into my groove (which felt more like deep trench), I pushed forward, deciding on an ending, and finishing the novel. I need to find a new groove now, one that will guide me toward completion of MC without the same issues as last time. Possible? Hell yes. Likely? Talk to the Fates; I have no earthly idea.
Now it's back to this being a Process Blog, a place where I get to vent about my frustrations being an author, hoping for some sanity to come from it. I just ask for a little.
I'll post some new stuff that I can share, and when I speak with Mike Hamlett again about the cover, maybe I'll have some sneak peeks to publish here, too. Just stay tuned.
I know the sequel, like Finding Balance, will be worth the wait.