David Berger's Blog, page 15

UPDATED Kickstarter Video for SuperHero Project

I realized that seeing ME might help people understand my passion for this project and my desire to bring Dan, Aleta, Brandon, and Sarah to life, just like Pygmalion did for Galatea. Any support your can give would be appreciated!

Earthsteel and the First Fires, Gaea's Gifts

In the novel, Gaea creates a sword, Thyroros, the PortalBearer, from Earthsteel, a metal forged only in the First Fires. Just what is this mystic metal that Mother Earth alone forges, and how do the First Fires play a role in the molding of such a metal?
In the world that encompasses TASK FORCE: GAEA, Khaos, the cloud-like and etherial primordial being from whom all life sprung, brought forth on her own such entities as Gaea, Nyx (Night), Erebos (Darkness), Aether (Upper Air), Hemera (Light), and the Moirae (Fates). After bringing the other Protogenoi, or Primordial Ones, into existence (she herself being the first one), Khaos burst into an all-consuming flame, becoming the First Fires of creation. Gaea took her mother's creative spark within herself, hiding it so far within herself that no god or mortal would find it. It was from this sacred forge that Gaea created Thyroros. By doing so, this substance was tempered with the same energy that shaped the cosmos, making anything heated within it impervious to harm by anything forged thereafter in any other flame. Only a weapon of the same origin could damage the sword, and Gaea protected her mother's remains with a vengeance. Not even Hephæstos can work metal in such a forge without the guiding hand of Gaea.
Before the Titans emerged, Gaea made the holy raw material from which would eventually come the substance know as Earthsteel, a crude translation of the original name that hearkened from an unspoken language only the Protogenoi know. Mother Earth taught Hephæstos how to create another form of Earthsteel, using less divine fires, that would adorn the halls and armories of Mount Olympos.
Sharpened to a razor edge, an Earthsteel blade can sever a marble column with barely any pressure, leaving no jagged edge on the stone whatsoever. Heated to different temperatures (of the First Fires or Olympeian forge fire), the metal can take on different hues, from a soft gold to a shiny silver to a dark steel.
Earthsteel appears in TFG: Finding Balance, and will show up again in TFG: (the sequel). Stay tuned for more developments.

Join the Virtual Book Club Chat on July 14

[image error] In July, TASK FORCE: GAEA will be second virtual book club selection at the Independent Author Index on July 14, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

This will be the first virtual book club for my debut novel, so I hope you will attend and participate in the conversation (or at least take a look at the comments!).

If you're planning to join in, please let them know by adding a comment to the post.

A Student Appreciation Gift... WOW.

This doll was knitted by a student of mine (she knits all the time, even during class). She created the character of Aetos (Aleta Halston), complete with javelin of Zeus and all. I'm just speechless. She and her mother, along with their book club, read Task Force: Gaea. You can read Elayna's review here. Her mother, Mimi, reviewed it here.
Wow...

Towel Capes and Tin Foil Bracelets

hunguponretro.blogspot.comIn the 1970s, we had live action heroes like The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Charlie's Angels, Captain America (Remember Reb Brown?), Captain Marvel, Isis, the Incredible Hulk, The Man from Atlantis... even Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. These heroes taught us lessons about how to do the right things, how to respect people, and how to aim higher.
mamapop.comMy fantasy novel has its origins from television shows just like those. Heroes inspired me. I mean, who didn't tie a towel around his or her neck and fly around the living room? Who didn't put aluminum foil bracelets on and pretend to deflect bullets? Who didn't wear superhero Halloween costumes? Those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s did. I know you did. 
comicbookmovie.comSo, now, I'm a 44 year old man who not only collects comic books, but I also STILL believe in heroes. You heard me—I believe people can rise above circumstances to reach out and help people, either literally or figuratively. When I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, we didn't have the Internet, reality television, or cell phones. We had those Saturday morning cartoons, movies, and live action heroes to look up to. I became a teacher to be some kind of a hero to young people, to fight for them, to protect them, to help make them better people.
Those childhood heroes were real people dressed in costumes who fought crime and gave children—like me—something to look to as a role model. Today, we have them, too, but not as many as we used to.
I want to change that.
Task Force: GaeaWe have live action movies today for both Marvel and DC properties, and people FLOCK to them: partly because of the special effects and visuals and partly because people are still enrapt with superheroes. The heroes of Task Force: Gaea, brought together and created to protect the world—Mother Earth—have the same motivation as Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Buffy, Ironman, etc. 
Aegis, Aetos, Aether, and Zodiak want to make their world a much improved place, and they can be the heroes for another generation. Bringing Task Force: Gaea to Life, my Kickstarter project, can help do just that. By making my characters human, we can create a photographic novel with superpowered beings who want to make a difference.
Don't you want kids to have heroes they can believe in? I know I do. Help Adam Jay (Superhero Photography) and me change the world one hero at a time with a photographic novel about Task Force: Gaea.
Please pledge something to help me revitalize heroes.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1925508120/bringing-task-force-gaea-to-life

Bring Task Force: Gaea to Life!

I want the world to believe in heroes again!
My friend, Adam Jay, of Superhero Photography wants to help me redefine the fantasy novel/comic book genre by producing a photographic novel. This would involve photo shoots of models in various locations (with some background images), making human that which has been in text form in my novel, TASK FORCE: GAEA.
In 1978, I went to the movies to see the world's most famous hero—SUPERMAN. Christopher Reeve, in his blue and red tights, really made us believe a man could fly. His physical attributes, his charisma, and his desire to be a hero convinced us that this last son of Krypton could save humanity from those villains that tormented our world.
Now, in 2012, Adam Jay has turned hero-creation into an art form through his photography. He has taken some of the world's most popular heroes, like Wolverine, Lara Croft, and—more recently—Wonder Woman, and produced heroic images that inspire anew. After hearing about my novel from my friend, Michael D'Alessio, Adam contacted me with the idea of doing a portfolio project with the main characters from the book. Hoping to redefine the genre by producing a director's storyboard of images, Jay wants to bring Aegis, Aetos, Aether, and Zodiak into the real world.
And, I want that, too. The world needs heroes!
We've started a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter to raise the $5,000 necessary not only for the models, costumes, equipment, and time, but also to be able to provide the rewards to the contributors, ranging from a mention on a Donor Page, signed copy of the novel, a t-shirt, a poster, and—ultimately—a copy of the portfolio and even being written into the sequel as a character.
Please help me bring this project to fruition. It'll end 29 days from today (May 7, 2012), and I really want to help inspire others by bringing new heroes into the world.
I appreciate anything you can do to help. Here's the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1925508120/bringing-task-force-gaea-to-life

Here comes a teacher rant... be ready.

For as much as this blog is about writing in general and my own writing, it's also about me, and I'm not just an author—I'm an educator. And, I have to get something off my chest.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I teach Advanced Placement English Literature and IB English, both to 12th graders. These are college level (college credit bearing) classes that are rigorous and demanding. They require a devoted mindset, an understanding of time management (for the most part), and a willingness to learn.
Why, then, do you suppose that students who have no real connection to an AP work ethic or desire to learn take such a class? Torture? They see themselves having erred heinously in a past life, so they sit through an elevated course for the entire school year to reaffirm their mortality and flawed personae? They want their GPA bumped a little, no matter whether they do well or not?
I come into the classroom with a passion for learning, for writing, reading, discussion, insight-gathering, challenging minds, and pushing people to think beyond their comfort zone. Imagine how frustrating it must be when being in a room where some people have absolutely no interest in success. Currently, we were reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, a labyrinthine tale to say the least. Joyce's stream-of-consciousness style could make even someone with Attention Deficit Disorder cringe. However, that was the novel I chose for my students because I believe that Stephen Dedalus' journey through his younger years definitely has relevance to our seniors who are departing high school at around the same age as Stephen departs Ireland. Anyway, it was the required reading.
With all of the challenges that this novel brings, no one came to see me with questions outside of class. No one emailed me. No one called. It was as if they didn't take me seriously when I said, "Your final exam will be on this novel." In addition to that, people don't seem to take seriously the idea of personal responsibility for when they don't understand something. The expectation is that I will just regurgitate everything from the novel so they don't have to do anything. And then, there's SENIORITIS. So, the day of the final comes (today!), and one of my AP students basically writes how he doesn't really know what to do with the novel.
Really? Did you seek help? (No.) Did you ask questions in class? (No.) Did you... NO, NO, and NO.
We've only been talking about analyzing texts all year. We've only been discussing diction, syntax, and other devices ad nauseam all flippin' year. I've been trying to get you to PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS all year.
I long for the day when students come in yearning to learn about Joyce or Shakespeare or Jonson or Conrad... where has intellectual curiosity go? where has work ethic gone?
Alas, this year is coming to an end, and I will watch these students go soon enough, but there will always be a twinge of remorse in my heart for those students who chose to be in my class with no higher purpose in mind. Sad.

Ask Me Anything**

**Rather than post a list of questions I won’t answer, I’ll just say that I just won’t answer questions if I feel they are inappropriate for my blog.
I've been interviewed by some fantastic people over the past few months for a few different blogs, and I’ve enjoyed the experience immensely. I’ve shared some things that tell readers more about me, but now—I'd like to push the envelope a little.
I’m inviting those who read this blog to ask me anything, as a fellow human being, a teacher, an author, etc. Politics and religion are even fair game. (see the above disclaimer, though).
What would you want to know? What would you like to hear me comment on? What inner most thoughts would you like to see me reveal? Avoid “yes/no” questions since they don’t allow for any real explanations. Feel free to skirt the edge of crazy, too. ;)
Here’s some stuff to get your started: I’m 44, Jewish, gay, a teacher, and a liberal Democrat.
I will choose the best question from the list to give the questioner a free copy ebook version of TASK FORCE: GAEA and a T-shirt.
Make it a good one. And, I’ll only answer one per person, and as of right now, there’s no end date.
(I need to have at least three questions submitted so I can actually decide the best.)

Long Live Literacy Night!

Sometimes when you least expect it, things work out. Last night was the best example of this.
Our high school had their 2nd Annual Evening of Literacy through the Arts, and I was the local author-in-residence. Amid the tables of art student creations, a Hunger Games-inspired activity ("Literacy Games"), the concert band kicking butt and taking names, the culinary arts students cooking, ASL students signing to songs, and a throng of over events, I sat along the edge of the Commons Area with my table and wares—some TASK FORCE: GAEA t-shirts, signs, and other props. And then, I waited.
After the concert band finished playing, over a dozen people throughout the course of the evening came up to purchase novels and shirts (THANK YOU), and I had the chance to talk about my book. Now, that may not seem like many people, but for a high school function where I wasn't the main focus (and I was only expecting maybe two or three customers), I feel I did rather well.
This was just the elixir I needed after a long week, and I can go into the weekend feeling a little more empowered. More energy for the sequel!

I'm so done. Cooked. Fried.

[vent]
I am D-O-N-E with being at school. And, no, I'm not finished with the school year. YET. Let me pre-empt this by saying, I love my students. They are THE reason why I go to work every day. It certainly isn't because of the paperwork, the pay, the legislative disrespect and drama, or any other myriad things that whittle away at my sanity. But, my kids are my sanctuary.
Yes, even the ones that push every button and jump on my last nerve.
As of today, my IB students start their exams, and as much as I enjoy working with them, the days when I get a few class periods to finish grading papers or just drink coffee uninterrupted help save my sanity. I don't think I have "teacheritis" (for as much as the seniors have "senioritis"), but I do feel like Sisyphus pushing that ever-growing rock uphill. Teaching is my passion in life; it's not a "job" to me or just a means to pay bills. I am always thinking about teaching SOMEthing. When I'm browsing at Barnes & Noble, I vacillate between books for pleasure reading and the "Oh, I would have so much fun teaching THAT." What can I say—I'm a lover of books.
My "doneness" has more to do with the level of disinterest of some of my cherubs in wrapping up the year strongly. We're reading Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which is definitely a challenging read, but it's not beyond their ability. The issue is, they've convinced themselves that they don't really need to work anymore. They already have their college acceptances, scholarships, and post-high school plans all set (or so they believe), but they don't really believe when I say that colleges can and will rescind acceptances (and scholarships) if grades drop too much.
I'll keep giving 100% to them until their last day (which is about a week or so before school actually ends). I just wish they could dig deep within themselves to find the impetus to stay strong.
In other news: I'm working on a few writing projects that help keep my sanity. One is the sequel of TASK FORCE: GAEA, the other is sort of hush-hush at the moment, but it's a phenomenal experience. Also, I have a project that will take my novel to another level, and I will be promoting that soon.
So, seniors, perhaps beefing up the ol' work ethic wouldn't be a bad idea, at least until May 23.
[/vent]