A.J. Race's Blog, page 21

Where We’re Going

As a general rule I don’t particularly enjoy making sort of update posts to tell you what’s going on here at Cult of Racewood mostly because it can distract from the general blog and also because things change. And I’d hate to tell you one thing and actually have something completely different go down. That said… there’s some very exciting things in the works. Starting with…

The Cult is on the move. Through the magic of modern technological advances, CultofRacewood.com is moving to a self hosted WordPress.org blog… so I’ll still be on the WordPress platform but I’ll actually have a lot more freedoms and options available to me. Part of me is a little nervous because I just passed the 200 follower count and am well on my way to passing 220 followers and I really don’t want to lose any of them because of this change. That said, I’m incredibly excited for this move and I think I may have found a work around (hopefully).

Because this is a website updated daily there’s a bit of risk of sort of a fallout of posts between the move, by which I mean, I need a bit of time to set everything up, so rather than make a whole weeks worth of posts that I’d have to transfer all over again, I’m going to take the week off starting tomorrow until Saturday April 13th when the new site and podcast officially go online. This will allow me time to merge everything over and hopefully have all of my followers officially transferred over as well as comments and likes (though from what I already see, likes may be iffy. Just as a warning there may be some brief lag in between the site changes (I hope not, but seeing as how the time I went from WordPress.org to WordPress.com I had no followers, I’m not entirely sure how this is all going to go down. It’s an exciting new adventure and if all goes as planned (fingers crossed) it’ll end up working out better for me in the long run. I’ll go into greater details of what I did later and I will keep you updated via my Facebook page and my Twitter.

The URL will remain http://www.cultofracewood.com no matter what so no worries there.

PS: If you have any questions feel free to email me at cultofracewood@gmail.com, Tweet me, Facebook me.

A Taste of Racewood

Racewood Radio that is…

e’re officially less than a week away from the premier of the first ever episode of the brand new Cult of Racewood podcast, Racewood Radio. For those of you who are new to my blog, many many years ago I created my first ever podcast called Race2Fame. For various reasons including a falling out with my podcast partner, the show lasted all of three episodes. And while a part of me was sad to see the podcast go, I think it was definitely for the best. This time I’m doing the show with my absolute bff Ms. Katrina, for as many episodes as we can manage together and then… whatever I have to do on my own I’ll do on my own.

So I’m super super excited for this first episode, it’s super fun and funny, and we occasionally have to get real. I didn’t want the episode to be super scripty so I never really came up with any sort of plan for what I wanted to talk about in the first episode, a mistake I’m not making again by the way. Episode 2 is mostly planned out, (I think we’ll have to re-record, I kept saying re-film for some reason). At any rate I’m super super excited and I thought I would share with you the first five minutes. Enjoy. Click the picture to get to the audio post.

Racewood Radio will be available here on the blog and also via iTunes 4/13/13

Reading Your Work

t’s been over a year since Bridge of Memories first came on the scene and to date I’ve still never officially read my own novel except for while I was editing it and putting everything together. I actually don’t even look at the book all that much, except for tonight when for some strange reason I decided to attempt to use a copy as a mousepad in lieu of my current mousepad which is falling to pieces. As I stared down at the beautifully crafted cover my good friend worked so tirelessly on I couldn’t help but want to pick it up and attempt to read it. Of course, I knew there was almost no chance I could ever read it objectively without wanting to change every little word, but a part of me really wanted to try. I have to wonder, as I think I’ve wondered aloud on this blog many times before if every author has this problem or just a few of us. I seriously doubt I’m completely alone, but at the same time… it’s hard not to feel alone. Even though I’m extremely fortunate in the vast array of fellow writers and bloggers I often get to communicate with via my blog, sometimes writing can be a very lonely experience. And even if someone close to you happens to be a writer, they can’t know exactly what you’re feeling and it’s quite alienating. Most people have no idea what it’s like to create a person in your head that feels so real you could almost touch them. To hear their voice as if it’s right next to you and to see them as clearly as you can see anybody else. Most people have know idea what it’s like to watch these peoples lives go past, to experience the ups and downs of some of their greatest achievements and darkest hours. How you can share in their pain and occasionally in their joy. Most people have no idea what its like to have a million ideas for various books all clamoring for your attention, day in and day out without ceasing.

Granted I don’t want to be like most people, but knowing how few people can possibly understand what this feels like can make you feel like a visitor on an alien planet, studying the indigenous population in the hopes of getting a glimpse into their world. As writers we have the unique opportunity to be a part of the world, while also seeing it from the outside as well.

Blog of the Week: Cult of Mac & MacRumors

hile my love for my Windows Phone has put me in sort of an awkward position in the Mac lover world, I still like to know what’s happening in the world of Apple which is why I often frequent both Cult of Mac and my other favorite MacRumors.com, I’ve merged these two blogs because more often than not they discuss much of the same topics.

Which came first the Cult of Mac or the Cult of Racewood?

Actually, it may be a tie. See, Cult of Mac’s copyright page says 2009, I created Cult of Racewood I think around 08/09 so for arguments sake I’ll say it’s a tie. But I do know this much, they totally stole the CultCast deal right from under me. To be fair, I wasn’t using it, and both of us being the Cult it was definitely the obvious choice for a podcast name. Really I’m not as bitter as I’m sure I sound. (Promise

It’s interesting reading the blog now from a more unbiased perspective, I can totally see when something makes sense, and when something is (for lack of a better term) bullshit. Apple users (and to be fair Windows and Android users as well) are rather polarized on what they like. Apparently if you like one, you must hate the other (or some such rot). I still don’t much care for a lot about the Windows experience, but I can admit that Apple had dropped off on software innovations to focus on hardware innovations, which is all well and good, but don’t you ever get bored of the same thing, but thinner? Granted, my phone is heavier than any of the iPhones have ever been (even in the beginning), but it’s different. It’s fresh and it’s new and it’s a graphic designers wet dream with all the typography and motion. It’s simplicity and utility, is it perfect? No. What phone is?

The truth of the matter is I still really love Apple, but I also really want to see something drastically new software wise. OSX is getting very very old and iOS is starting to follow. And  PS: Tim… dragging OSX screaming into another ten years is not going to go over very well, even with the most loyal of followers. Just so you know.

Irreparable Damage

hey say that time heals all wounds, that no matter what happens, if you just give it time, eventually it will feel better. But ask anyone who has been through a particularly traumatic experience and they”ll tell you, even after what may seem like a very long time, time is more like a band-aid over a bullet hole. All it takes is one sound, one familiar smell, maybe even nothing at all, and you can be right back to that moment, a living nightmare, the hole re-opened and your soul bleeding. And sometimes, it starts with a letter. A simple, unassuming letter, that had the power to bring me right back to the age of seven, and the living nightmare therein.

I won’t get into the details of what happened, mostly because while writing has been and continues to be an outlet for me to deal with many emotional traumas, there are some things that even words and time cannot heal. The letter was addressed to me, from the Anaheim, California Police Department. It was kind of vague, but the message came across loud and clear. They were investigating a case in which the suspect in my case, was involved and they were interested in speaking to me. Instantly I was a mixture of emotions, scared, angry, even a little hopeful. But most of all I was a little dumbfounded. It had been fourteen years after all. Fourteen years of memories, of trying to push back what little I did remember, of sleepless nights, and painful days, a little therapy scattered in during the early years, and fourteen years of feeling as though the justice system had failed me. I knew that it would happen again. People like that do not change, and I knew that it was only a matter of time. Even at the age of seven I had known that I had been failed by the justice system and I wanted desperately to become a lawyer in the hopes that if for no other reason I would be able to help other children like me. Of course, it was only later that I realized that even if I was a lawyer, I would never be able to protect all of them, because like me, some would never even get a trial. They would never get their chance for some kind of justice, and even if they did, there was no guarantee that they would win.

A part of me is frankly furious that this happened to another child, that some other family should have to suffer this fate, but another part of me, is admittedly hopeful. Because even though it’s been fourteen years, I may finally see justice, and maybe just maybe I may finally be able to get real closure in my life, and if it means going in front of a jury and reliving my hell all over again, I will do it, because this cannot happen again. Getting one person like him off the street may not be a lot, but it could save countless children from ever having to experience what I did.

(Not) A Review

 genuinely thought I would be able to keep my thoughts about the Casual Vacancy strictly to Racewood Radio, but as usual I have a lot to say, and I don’t really want to dedicate most of the show to it, so I’m going to get some of it out here, and probably reiterate certain things as I feel necessary.

I have admittedly mixed feelings about the book and part of that is completely on me. I had unrealistically high expectations of the book because of it’s author, because I remembered loving Harry Potter so much that I thought I would love this too. Partially though, based on the description of the book I was sort of hoping for a British small town equivalent of ABC’s Scandal. Secret political dealings, that sort of thing. What I got was, what could have been that, but presented in a much different way and in a way that wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped. Sure there’s infidelities, and mother’s on heroin, but it’s not really presented in a way that makes it particularly interesting. The biggest problem in my mind is that there isn’t really any one character who you feel like you could like, or even a character that you’d hate enough to make them interesting. I’ve pointed out on several occasions that even Lord Voldemort’s back story made you a little curious about him. These characters however, even when I think for one moment that I could possibly feel something for them, I end up being annoyed by them, or worse feeling apathetic for them entirely.

The truth is, I can’t say it’s a particularly bad book, because as much as I personally don’t like it, a lot of the point is the realism of the world. Some of the characters and scenes that are particularly awkward are uncomfortable, are so by design. Part of it, admittedly is that while I love the idea that she made her way into the adult market, reading her character’s cursing feels almost like hearing your teacher curse for the first time, it’s funnier than it should be and also a little awkward because you don’t expect it.

Ultimately, I think this is going to be the most I review of the book because even if I somehow manage to finish it, I don’t really know what else I could say. Given that I personally didn’t enjoy the book I’m not sure I could fairly and impartially rate it on any given scale. Nor can I honestly say I would recommend it to anyone, because when I talk about it, the issues that come to mind are the awkward and uncomfortable scenes and the horribly unlikeable characters.

Side note, I swore the preview I read was more interesting than this, how do I keep getting roped into books where the sample chapters are interesting then you buy the book and suddenly it’s just like someone deflated your tires? This is not the first time this has happened.

April

I still kinda can’t believe it’s already April 1st. No April Fool’s jokes, I really can’t believe it’s April already. Actually I guess the joke’s on me because somewhere I thought I was going to be finished with the first draft of book 3 by now, but that isn’t going to happen. I’ve gotten further than I had in a long time, but I’m still not where I need to be. But today isn’t a day for posting about that, today is a day for posting the Cult of Racewood’s Calendar collection, April edition. Hopefully at some point I’ll be able to post these in a timely fashion.

Theoretically

y now if you’ve been following my blog for quite a while (or if you’ve read a good deal of my posts) you probably know quite a bit about me. The most obvious of which being that I’m a writer, who self published, and that I have an affinity for reading political non-fiction and that I really don’t care for Twilight. You probably also know that I’m not great with secrets of my own. I can keep a friend’s secret just fine, but mine? I don’t do well with those for whatever reason.

But one thing you probably definitely don’t know about me is, I’m really fascinated by conspiracy theories, not because I believe in them, but because from a plot perspective they’re actually really fun.

The whole secret societies, cloak and dagger stuff, and the idea that there are entire worlds of things hidden, but oddly in plain sight is as fascinating as it is insane. As writers, it’s our job to make our fiction as realistic as possible, even to make you question your own reality which for some, conspiracy theories are really good at. They make you question everything you think you know about everything and in that respect, they’re almost like mini-novels. Some are more intricate than others, but a lot of them require you to seriously suspend your disbelief, particularly because (and I’m finding this more and more), a lot of them seem to have a lot of religious ties to them. Groups of individuals who’ve sold their souls to Satan for fame is a little hard to swallow if you don’t believe in Satan.

And who knows, maybe it is true, frankly I don’t really care. I’m going to keep listening to their music even if they did sell their souls to get themselves there, because you know what that is? Ambition. And I respect that. Also they have really catchy music.

Also, if angels are anything like they are on Supernatural, then I definitely don’t want to go to heaven. Frankly the demons are way more fun. Especially Crowley. Plus, if the Christians are right, I’ve already made peace with the fact that I am most definitely going to hell. But then considering the criteria, I’m pretty sure that’s where all the fun people are going to be anyway.

Dark Turn

fter nearly a decade of working on this trilogy (okay so maybe not this trilogy, but the general characters and ideas that make up the trilogy), I was pretty sure that I knew my characters well enough that they couldn’t surprise me anymore. Then, things took a very dark turn and one of my characters definitely did something that surprised even me.

I knew before I even started writing it, that book three was already going to be the darkest out of the trilogy. It had to be. But I also hoped that somewhere certain elements would give a small glimmer of hope, if only briefly. So when this particular character who’s motivations are admittedly always pretty selfish took their darkest turn yet, I have to say I was admittedly pretty surprised. I guess I never really pegged them as being good or evil necessarily, I left that up to the reader to decide, sure they had good intentions, but as we know the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The upside to this surprisingly dark turn is that it means I’m actually writing more, and more regularly too! It’s been a kind of rocky eleven weeks in which I had rather hoped to be doing a ton of writing and even finish the first draft of book three only to do next to no writing and not even come close to getting a first draft done.

Up until this book I’d never really had a problem making deadlines, but something about book 3 has been quite insistent that it will be ready when it’s ready. Not the other way around. Frankly I’ve been ready for a long time now, at least, I think I have. Maybe part of the reason it’s taking so long is that mentally I’m not ready to let the story go yet. Even when I was working on book 2 it still felt like I had a while to go before the trilogy was finished and here we are on the last book and it’s still hard to believe that after this, and after ten years it’s going to be over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m mostly very excited, excited to be working on other projects and to see where the next decade takes me. But clearly some small part of me must be upset that it all ends with this book.

SERIOUSLY?! Quit While You’re Behind

What the hell is wrong with us?

Actually the better question is what the hell is wrong with the Republicans in Congress? Do you really have nothing better to do than this nonsensical internet copyright nonsense? Really I want to know, because if you don’t have anything better to do, I think we should fire you and hire someone who does, because we’re still in a sequester you jackasses!

Here’s the thing… they’re working on a bill that basically if you infringe someone’s copyright or whatever, you can get thirty years in prison for.

Really? Thirty years? First of all… what the actual fuck? I’m an artist, I get it, copyrights are there to protect me, but thirty years and god only knows what kind of fine you could get for that. Like seriously? It’s nonsense. Worse still, our prisons are already overflowing with petty criminals. I’m sorry, dealing weed is not my biggest concern. I don’t care, I’d rather you fill prisons with, I don’t know murders, rapists and the like rather than thirty years for an internet crime. I don’t even think Bernie Madoff got that much fucking time… Wall Street can fuck us all over for the next five hundred years and they won’t see 3 days in Prison let alone thirty years. Are you kidding me?!

Why aren’t people more angry about these issues? Why do I feel like I’m the only one who’s fuming about this nonsense? You know who needs thirty years in prison, any fucking Congressmen who would rather dick around with abortion laws and internet copyright laws than getting us out of this goddamn sequester!

Seriously!