R.C. Kinkaid's Blog, page 2

Moving On Up

The blog may be up and down over the next week or so as I relocate it to a new host. I'm hoping there won't be any major issues and that I'll be back up by the end of the weekend.

Two More Notches

I came back from vacation (of which there will be a blog post later) and learned Pill Hill Press' Daily Frights 2012 hit the presses.  This anthology of horror flash fiction contains two of the shorts, The White Dress and Baby of Mine.  You can get your copy here.

My First Born is in there somewhere.

Daily Flash 2012 is now available!

What is Black and White and Red all over? is my first published story and it can be found in this daily flash anthology. It can be found here and here, as well as B&N and other online retailers. I'm not sure when an electronic version will be available, but there will be one to buy in the future (at a decent discount, if previous releases set a precedent).

I don't receive any proceeds (not even a comp copy!) so it's strictly "for the love of writing" and hopefully there is something of interest for everyone. I know there are plenty of good stories in there, including some from some good writing friends of mine. I'll highlight those soon.

And know one will think less of you if the story for December 14th is the first entry one you read.

Neglected. Poor thing.

Oh, poor forgotten blog-website-thing, how I have misused you.

The last few months have been great, and I attribute that to the fact that autumn, the best season, is upon us. Baby boy número dos has arrived, I've had three flash pieces accepted into a daily anthology (my first! Though it doesn't pay), and I've entered not one but two novels (which may or may not be entirely complete) into a contest where I may have agents bid to see my work (assuming I am one of the winners).

Blogroll for the best authors you've been missing

This is my blogroll, featuring some of the best writers I know.

Amaleen Ison

J.D. Fields

Kristine Goodfellow

Mark Stone

Rebecca Hart

Ruth Lauren Stevens

Yeh know nuthin, Jon Snow

What's that? ANOTHER book review? Oh yes!

Wait.

You want an actual blog entry? Oh.

Well…see, the past few weeks have been boring, but fine, have an update: work is continually boring and now I get to attend weekly meetings (on Mondays of all days); going on vacation soon (Disney); extended family is planning a November trip to either Italy or Spain, but I probably won't go; previous work in progress shelved at 60k because I need to redo the opening; current work in progress is 25-33% complete; no, I still haven't submitted any shorts or flashes.

Onto the review!

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To date, this is the longest book in the series and now my current favorite. It didn't start out that way, though. It started out with more dying of POV characters, more stupid decisions, and a reader openly complaining to all who would listen that I wouldn't read beyond this book—what's the point when my favorites keeping coming out short by a head?

It started with the crazy idea of Cat freeing Jamie, continued with Arya still refusing to tell anyone who she was, and continued with Jon becoming more and more of a wildling. The Red Wedding nearly finished me, with Rob—one of the more intriguing characters—getting killed in a horrible fashion. But, that's when things started to turn. In the end, Jon and Tyrion redeemed the book with finally catching a break and thus, restoring my faith in the series.

I've touched on Martin's penchant for killing off people, and I don't hate it, but it's truly a double-edged sword. The deaths are dramatic and painful and sad, which ends up touching the reader, but at the expense of know characters going by the wayside. The next novel, A Feast for Crows, is mostly filled with POV characters I don't know and don't care about. Thousands of pages in and it's nearly like starting over. The War of Kings is over, the Dragons still sit on the wrong side of the narrow sea, and the South just doesn't interest me. But, A Dance with Dragons sits on my desk awaiting my eyes, so I must go through book 4.

All I've done is complain, so how can this truly be my favorite? Well, this is really a culmination of the first two books. Underhanded deals are revealed (and many people behind the mask are surprising). Many character's arcs are at an end, but other appear to just be starting. Some characters I disliked now have me on the fence, while others get my blood boiling as much as ever. And there are a still favorites hanging around. And the final chapter, the epilogue, wow. A bad time to be a Frey.

The only thing I've begun to dislike is how the author continually refreshes the reader of previous events. We get it. We've read the previous books. There are some chapters that seem to drag on much more than required, but given the length of the saga, I think Martin has the right to venture from the path and indulge from time to time. The scene with Sansa building a replica of Winterfell was touching, even though I found it boring at first. All in all, I'm a bit tentative about reading book 4, but I'm sure the new POV will be interesting and possibly refreshing.





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A Game of (Horny) Thrones

I'm slightly hesitant to post this review, since it's on a book that is (or was) quite controversial. I stumbled upon a book called The Game by Neil Strauss and became intrigued. It's a memoir of sorts that shows how Neil, an author and journalist, entered the seedy then-underground culture of pick-up artists (PUA) on the suggestion of a writing agent/publisher type person. He quickly goes from curiosity to becoming one of the most famed PUAs in the internet age.

The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading The Game by Neil Strauss was a lot like walking through a zoo and noticing a giraffe humping a llama: bizarre, unbelievable, curious, and yet somehow entirely unsurprising. In short, I could not turn away.

The novel was—at once—sad, funny, uplifting, degrading, and eye-opening. The author paints an interesting picture that focuses not just on the methods and results, but the true motivation of most PUAs: inadequacies. Most have a hole, a void that needs filling and they think bedding women is the answer. In this, they are no different than gamblers, addicts, sales people, or Republicans (just kidding).

The methods aren't mind-blowing. The PUAs rely on carefully crafted plans and methods designed for a specific purpose. I was surprised to see just how similar some of the similarities to the sales techniques managers at fine retail establishments like Best Buy and Circuit City (may you rest in peace). Ask open-ended questions, don't allow the person the chance to say no, exploit desires, and close the sale. Differences are they of course (sales people usually don't intentionally blow off customers or try and belittle them), but it boils down to pure manipulation: some will resist and others will cave.

Three take aways from this book:

1. Using a scripted plan along with the ability to adjust on the fly while maintaining confidence is a good way to get women.
2. Once you master these techniques, you will be able to have anyone who has a desire for it, hidden or otherwise, but you will eventually lose interest.
3. Tom Cruise is a pretty chill guy.

While some have commented on the immorality of the pick-up culture, I think they overlook the fact that most pick-up artists aren't doing anything wrong, per se. A woman won't go home with a man unless she wants to. Alcohol is a gateway to tossing out inhibition. A woman has to want it on some level. Drugging, drunking, crunking, and other methods used in rape are not part of the game. Also ignored is how this could be twisted 180 and used against men by women for the very same reasons.

There are dangers though. Even the most well intentioned person can and probably will lose control after being pushed past the brink of arousal. Also, for every ten nerds, geeks, and otherwise normal but socially inadequate fellows, there is one who will use the knowledge for ill gains. Some of the "forbidden methods" (October Man, Gemini, Closed Door) are horribly manipulative, praying on fear and other emotions to gain the target. Gladly, these were left out of the novel.

All in all, it was an interesting look into a sect of society that was mostly underground until Neil published this book.





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