David Berger's Blog, page 19
March 6, 2012
March 5, 2012
Task Force: Gaea... What's Next?
First, don't expect any big secrets to be revealed... yet. But.. the follow up to Task Force: Gaea — Finding Balance will be out around the end of the year, G-d willing.I've spent more than half my life working on the first story, and don't think for one MINUTE that it was easy. It wasn't. It wouldn't have taken me that long to finish and publish if it were a simple task. Plus, my story had to grow and mature. I don't have all the time in the world, either, to sit at my computer and write. Oh, how I WISH I could do that. Alas, I can't. My career—my passion—takes up a bulk of my existence, and I gladly let that be my reality. Teaching makes my soul smile. But, now, writing? That makes just makes me all sorts of giddy.
I don't claim to be the next "Best Selling Author" of the 21st century, and I don't have the time or the inclination to make that happen anyway. As Macbeth says in Act 1, Scene 3 of Macbeth: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me. Without my stir."
Indeed—If chance will have me a successful writer, why, chance may make that happen.
Anyway, the sequel! It'll delve more into (1) the personalities of Dan (Aegis), Sarah (Aether), Brandon (Zodiak), and Aleta (Aetos), as well as their place in all of THIS, (2) what this world looks like. What's changed? What hasn't? Why has what's changed changed, and why has what hasn't changed not changed... whew!
Sorry. I digress. (3) Just what role the Olympian gods play in the cosmos, or do they? Who are they? What are they? Why are they? Plus... and this is big. Quite gargantuan...
(4) the offspring of Nyx: who, what, why?
I will say this much: she's not the aloof, distant immortal who resolves to perch herself on Olympos and deign to interact with mortals. She wants to see what makes up humanity—up close.
A few questions will be answered, and many more asked. You'll just have to wait and see, now won'tcha?
More to come...
February 29, 2012
Mike Hamlett, artist for Task Force: Gaea
Mike Hamlett and I met online on a comic book artist website about ten years ago. I was searching for an artist who could render some inspirational pieces for me to help me, and I sent him some ideas in an email for Danelos, Aleta, Brandon, and Sarah. As if destined to be, our collaboration bore fruit with the sketches on the Characters page.He had it dead on.
I knew from that moment that the fate of my novel was in Mike's capable hands. It was from those sketches that I drew more inspiration that I could possibly have had I been inspired by the Muses themselves. He also added another picture to the collection, a color picture, that provided me—for the first time—a clear picture of just who my four characters were, in the "flesh", so to speak. It was almost like bringing offspring into the world, and I, the proud papa.
Task Force: Gaea, circa 2002Flashforward ten years: 2011. I looked up my old friend on deviantart.com, and I found that his art had changed, but I was still as enrapt as I had been a decade earlier on seeing the first pieces. After contacting Mike, he was quite willing to revisit my characters, so I sent him his original four sketches. He informed me that he had indeed changed his style of art. I received sketches of ideas for the cover that looked similar to his original work, and I felt reinvigorated. My artistic muse had indeed sparked my creativity once more.When I decided to pursue the CreateSpace avenue for independent publishing, knowing I would have a paperback version of my novel, I felt exhilarated at the prospect of holding a tangible copy of Task Force: Gaea in my hand. As I created the cover for the book, I used the new image of the team, the one featured to the left, and my amazement over seeing such living characters made my heart skip a little. Some parents bring forth human children; my 27 year pregnancy was about to bear a different kind of offspring, but one I would be proud of nonetheless.
Sarah aka Aether and Danelos aka AegisProbably what impresses me the most about his work for my novel is the level of detail he brings to each character's design, whether its Sarah's silver zipper on her jumpsuit or the amulet that Brandon wears—each detail enhances the overall appearance and feel of the characters, giving them a pulse, so to speak.I cannot thank Mike enough for the magical work he has done, and I plan on asking him to do the art for the sequels as well.
Please check out his deviantart site so you can see the awesome talent of this man who has been more a part of my work than he could know. This graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh has certainly earned the admiration of many, since just about everyone who sees the novel has to ask, "Who did the art? It's fantastic."
Aleta aka Aetos and Brandon aka ZodiakWell, the answer is Mike Hamlett.Email him: mike.hamlett@gmail.com.
Interview by a Student
DJ, one of my students, interviewed me about the novel as well as writing in general. He did a great job, since he wrote the questions, interviewed me, and put the video together himself. 
February 28, 2012
A glimpse of what will come...
A swirling blackness, Nyx moves and shapes herself in ways that would stagger the mortal mind, collapsing into eddies of dark, black, living clouds, ready to bear her offspring, the child implanted in her, by Olympos' adulterous king. With the catacombs of the dead for her nursery, Nyx wants to bring forth her daughter in the company of the agonized, pitiable souls of those who never made it beyond the gates of the underworld; they have much to offer her child. Suddenly, almost as if she had forgotten her role in the cosmos, her surging form shoots forth toward the exit of Tartaros, a cave entrance kissed by the air that mortals breathe. As she nears the opening, bright Hemera, the day itself, descends into the deepest Hadean depths, and both Protogenoi, the primordials, touch ever so briefly before Nyx bubbles forth into the air, becoming the blanket of obscurity over part of Gaea.
Night's daughter will have to enter the world in a different way.
• • •
Screams of torment and railing pain cut at the air like talons, ripping apart the peace of the asylum's hospital in the mortal world. A woman, crazed with murderous thoughts and torturous dreams, reclines in a birthing chair, her wrists and ankles bound with worn leather straps to prevent her from hurting herself--or others. Her eyes black as Erebos, the god of darkness, the woman, the chosen vessel for the birth of this bastard child, becomes a living host to Nyx. An inmate who had already lost her grasp on reality, she becomes the ideal choice for this birth.
Echoing cries and unintelligible mutterings escape her lips while the doctor, his white coat stained from years of inmates' blood, stands ready to extract the newborn. Bleaching the coat would remove the memories, he thinks, of each forced organ donation or sutured wound, usually brought about by a rusted metal shard or a stolen fork during some ill-conceived riot. Night incarnate selected well, largely to reflect the chaos within, but also to see what it would feel like to push her progeny forth as a mortal would. That connection to humanity would prove so very useful.
A volcanic spray of blood and placenta erupts forth as the part human, part primordial being pushes her way into the world of Humankind without the benefit of the doctor's aid. To look upon this child would cause the mind to convulse with madness, for no mortal could comprehend a primeval being who looked human, her jet black skin a void over which flashes of lighting striate. Wiping his glasses of the warm bodily fluids, the doctor catches a glimpse of this child, and he instantly gouges out his own eyes with his fingers, mumbling as his mind fragments and foaming at the mouth like a rabid beast. Soon, he lies still, and the newborn hovers over to the lifeless body, draining it of whatever force it still contains. Not even Hades would want what remains of the corpse, and no soul resides within this shell of skin and bone.
Nyx exits the woman's spent body, a shell vacant of any life, and coalesces around her daughter, ready to take her back to Tartaros where she will grow up among the imprisoned Titans, buried beneath stone and Zeus' curse, and there she will feed off arcane energy originating from Khaos, the mother of the cosmos herself. There, this child will find solace near yet another tomb, a place no mortal could ever see, and no god would ever go. She will grow accustomed to the dead chill of whose presence no one speaks, for fear of even mentioning the name of he who is buried there would rouse him—Kronos, the Titan king.
As the Moirae weave the fate of Humanity and the gods, so too do they forge the path of those who outrank them. Part of Fates' tapestry will form a path for the daughter of Nyx, whom she calls Lismonia... Oblivion.
Bony fingers on the loom, bound by duty and a yearning, tremble with each pass, and the fabric it brings forth for Zeus' daughter bears the color of blood.
Night's daughter will have to enter the world in a different way.
• • •
Screams of torment and railing pain cut at the air like talons, ripping apart the peace of the asylum's hospital in the mortal world. A woman, crazed with murderous thoughts and torturous dreams, reclines in a birthing chair, her wrists and ankles bound with worn leather straps to prevent her from hurting herself--or others. Her eyes black as Erebos, the god of darkness, the woman, the chosen vessel for the birth of this bastard child, becomes a living host to Nyx. An inmate who had already lost her grasp on reality, she becomes the ideal choice for this birth.
Echoing cries and unintelligible mutterings escape her lips while the doctor, his white coat stained from years of inmates' blood, stands ready to extract the newborn. Bleaching the coat would remove the memories, he thinks, of each forced organ donation or sutured wound, usually brought about by a rusted metal shard or a stolen fork during some ill-conceived riot. Night incarnate selected well, largely to reflect the chaos within, but also to see what it would feel like to push her progeny forth as a mortal would. That connection to humanity would prove so very useful.
A volcanic spray of blood and placenta erupts forth as the part human, part primordial being pushes her way into the world of Humankind without the benefit of the doctor's aid. To look upon this child would cause the mind to convulse with madness, for no mortal could comprehend a primeval being who looked human, her jet black skin a void over which flashes of lighting striate. Wiping his glasses of the warm bodily fluids, the doctor catches a glimpse of this child, and he instantly gouges out his own eyes with his fingers, mumbling as his mind fragments and foaming at the mouth like a rabid beast. Soon, he lies still, and the newborn hovers over to the lifeless body, draining it of whatever force it still contains. Not even Hades would want what remains of the corpse, and no soul resides within this shell of skin and bone.
Nyx exits the woman's spent body, a shell vacant of any life, and coalesces around her daughter, ready to take her back to Tartaros where she will grow up among the imprisoned Titans, buried beneath stone and Zeus' curse, and there she will feed off arcane energy originating from Khaos, the mother of the cosmos herself. There, this child will find solace near yet another tomb, a place no mortal could ever see, and no god would ever go. She will grow accustomed to the dead chill of whose presence no one speaks, for fear of even mentioning the name of he who is buried there would rouse him—Kronos, the Titan king.
As the Moirae weave the fate of Humanity and the gods, so too do they forge the path of those who outrank them. Part of Fates' tapestry will form a path for the daughter of Nyx, whom she calls Lismonia... Oblivion.
Bony fingers on the loom, bound by duty and a yearning, tremble with each pass, and the fabric it brings forth for Zeus' daughter bears the color of blood.
February 27, 2012
My First Interview...
...will be with Amy Manemann, author of Deadly Reunion, and blogger at http://www.amymanemann.webs.com/. We have already completed it, and she will post it on her blog in March.
When I have the live link, I will be sure to post it. Stay tuned!
When I have the live link, I will be sure to post it. Stay tuned!
February 23, 2012
February 20, 2012
My Nods to Wonder Woman in Task Force: Gaea
Around 10 years old, I became enamored of Greek mythology—the gods, monsters, heroes, and the epic scale of the storytelling. Something about the magic and grandeur of Olympus intrigued me. Later, I found myself interested in superheroes, the Justice League of America to be exact, and I fell in love with Superfriends, a Saturday morning cartoon. One episode involved Wonder Woman going to the planet Caltos, where the gods existed, and the Superfriends had to prove themselves to the gods.
Wait... Greek myths AND Wonder Woman—"beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules, and swifter than Mercury."? I was hooked .
From that, I began and fostered a love of comic books, especially Wonder Woman. When I wrote Task Force: Gaea, I wanted to include some more subtle nods to the comic. Here they are:
TFG #1. Danelos Fairmont wears a manacle of Earthsteel, a metal that only Hephaestos, the blacksmith of the gods, can work in his forge. Etched with Olympian symbols, it marks his service to the gods.
Connection to Wonder Woman: During a battle scene, Dan throws up his wrist instinctively, and an invisible shield protects him from an attack. Sorry, no "bullets and bracelets" (something Wonder Woman does).
TFG #2. During another scene, Danelos retrieves a lasso from a sacred armory, a lasso made from a hair of Atlas, a Titan (who holds up the heavens).
Connection to Wonder Woman: Indestructible, as is Wonder Woman's golden lasso of truth, but it doesn't possess any other power.
TFG #3. During Apollo's journey, he encounters Amazons from Themyskira.
Connection to Wonder Woman: While Wonder Woman and her Amazons are from Themyscira (I used the "k" in my name), an island near the Bermuda Triangle, my Amazons live near the river Thermodon, where it is believed the original Amazons of ancient times lived.
Plus, there's the whole Olympian gods connection, but that's not strictly a Wonder Woman aspect.
That's it, folks. Happy reading!
Wait... Greek myths AND Wonder Woman—"beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules, and swifter than Mercury."? I was hooked .
From that, I began and fostered a love of comic books, especially Wonder Woman. When I wrote Task Force: Gaea, I wanted to include some more subtle nods to the comic. Here they are:
TFG #1. Danelos Fairmont wears a manacle of Earthsteel, a metal that only Hephaestos, the blacksmith of the gods, can work in his forge. Etched with Olympian symbols, it marks his service to the gods.
Connection to Wonder Woman: During a battle scene, Dan throws up his wrist instinctively, and an invisible shield protects him from an attack. Sorry, no "bullets and bracelets" (something Wonder Woman does).
TFG #2. During another scene, Danelos retrieves a lasso from a sacred armory, a lasso made from a hair of Atlas, a Titan (who holds up the heavens).
Connection to Wonder Woman: Indestructible, as is Wonder Woman's golden lasso of truth, but it doesn't possess any other power.
TFG #3. During Apollo's journey, he encounters Amazons from Themyskira.
Connection to Wonder Woman: While Wonder Woman and her Amazons are from Themyscira (I used the "k" in my name), an island near the Bermuda Triangle, my Amazons live near the river Thermodon, where it is believed the original Amazons of ancient times lived.
Plus, there's the whole Olympian gods connection, but that's not strictly a Wonder Woman aspect.
That's it, folks. Happy reading!
February 18, 2012
New domain link for Task Force: Gaea
You can now reach this blog by using the link http://www.taskforce-gaea.com/.
